#shout out to my sister for this stressful conversation topic

[livingdreams97]

Emily Junk - "The New Bella." (Part 2)

Emily Junk x fem! reader/oc

Summary: Emily is a newcomer to Barden College and her dream is to be a part of the group acapella the Barden Bellas. She entered the house of the acapella group in order to fulfill her dream, but she ended up falling in love and living an experience that she had never imagined.

Words: 2.392

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Masterlist

You POV

We've been at the Treblemakers party for a while and Beca still hasn't come home from work. Which means that Chloe is asking me every time she sees me about her and if she has responded to any my messages.

Which I deny, saying I don't know anything and escaping the situation as quickly as possible. I just hope that Beca tells Chloe about the job sometime soon, because it's her first day at the production company and I can't take the stress of keeping the secret anymore.

Stacie: It seems like the new one is flirting already.- she says, shouting close to my ear because of the music, pointing to a place at the party with her finger.

I look amused at where she points, seeing Benji move very strangely and talking to the new Bella.

Amy: They would make a good couple, they are just as weird. - She laughs, joining our conversation.

Cynthia: I don't know.- she denies with a grimace on her lips. -I feel certain vibes from him, you know what I mean.- she comments with an amused smile.

Y/n: I think they would make a slightly awkward couple.- I laugh imagining it. -Besides the fact that we're talking about Benji, I doubt he could even tell her his name, much less ask her out without getting stuck every two words.- I assure them and they all laugh in agreement.

Stacie: You know that from experience, right? - she asks me amused, moving her eyebrows suggestively.

Y/n: Shut up.- I growled, embarrassed, hitting her on the arm. -That was the most uncomfortable moment of my life and I prefer to forget it completely.- I admit sincerely.

Amy: It's true, the weirdo asked little Mitchell out.- she remembers laughing, putting her arm around my shoulders and bringing me closer to her.

Y/n: Amyyyy! - I complain like a little girl when he continues with the topic.

Cynthia: That's why I'm gay.- she assures us proudly.

Stacie: I couldn't be gay.- he shakes his head. -I can't reduce the hunter's prey in half and there are times when a good cock cures everything.- she explains to us without any shame and we all look at her with some disgust.

Y/n: Stacie, too many details.- I say with a disgusted face.

Amy: As far as I know, little Mitchell here doesn't have a dick. - She reminds her with curiosity and amusement at the conversation.

Stacie: She don't need it.- she assures her winking at me. -Besides, the toys are there for a reason.- she comments amusedly and I open my eyes in surprise.

Amy: Wait, what? - she asks with surprise and trying to suppress a laugh, putting on her evil smile. -Does little Mitchell have a harness?- she asks, looking at me completely amused.

Y/n: No, no, no. - I deny quickly, getting out from under the blonde's arm and practically fleeing the place listening to the laughter of my aka-sisters.

I see Jesse sitting alone and decide to go with him. On the way I pick up a glass of pineapple with alcohol inside and take a sip, noticing the strong flavor of gin.

Y/n: I come to keep you company.- I tell him, when I sit next to him and he looks at me funny.

Jesse: To keep me company or to run away from the girls? - he asks me with amusement, pointing with his head where my friends are and where I came from.

Y/n: I can do both at the same time.- I reply amused, taking another sip of the drink.

Jesse: What was it this time? - He asks me, amused.

Y/n: They were embarrassing me.- I respond with a pout and crossing my arms.

Jesse: Were they messing with little Mitchell? - he asks, amused, hugging me by the shoulders. -Do you want me to take care of them?- he asks again, but this time with a fake Italian accent and feigning seriousness.

Y/n: After the competition, right now we need all the bellas.- I answer him and he bursts out laughing at my answer.

Beca: Hello! - she exclaims, appearing out of nowhere and scaring us.

Jesse: Hey, you've come.- he says while they kiss and I pretend to vomit.

Beca: Are you jealous? - she asks me amused. -Don't worry, I have kisses for you too.- she assures me, sitting on my lap and leaving several kisses on my face.

Y/n: Stop, stop, stop! - I exclaim, amused, trying to push her face away, while Jesse laughs at our attitude.

Jesse: Well, how was internship? - he asks when my sister stops still.

Beca: Very productive, yes, they are not up to fooling around.- she tells us, taking my glass from the small bar and taking a sip.

Jesse: Chloe asked where you were.- he tells her.

Y/n: Many times, I have been asked about you MANY times.- I say looking seriously at my sister.

Jesse: Why haven't you told her? - he asks his girlfriend, confused.

Beca: She's very busy with the competition and all that, it wasn't the right time.- she responds, moving her hands nervously.

You see, when I'm nervous or hiding something, I scratch my eyebrow and my sister gesticulates excessively with her hands. So it's very easy to tell when Beca is nervous or hiding something, because her hand movement during a conversation increases by 80%.

Y/n: Beca, you have to tell the girls, I can't hide it anymore and it's only been one day. - I plead to my sister, scratching my eyebrow for the first time all day and feeling some relief.

My sister, seeing my action, sighs with some guilt and grabs my hand so I don't scratch myself anymore.

Beca: I promise I'll tell her soon.- she assures me, placing a kiss on my right eyebrow and hugging me by the shoulders.

Y/n: By the way, we have a new member.- I told my sister, hugging her around the waist.

Beca: But the dean said that we can't do auditions.- she comments with confusion.

Y/n: Apparently she is an heiress and we are obliged to let them audition or something like that. - I explain, shrugging my shoulders since I do not understand the situation myself.

Beca: Okay.- she says, shrugging her shoulders like me and changing the subject.

The three of us talked about everything for a bit, before getting up and joining the rest of the people on the dance floor.

Emily POV

We meet at the car show, where the Bellas are supposed to perform and because of Amy's issue with the president, they gave it to a German group.

Flo: Explain to me again what we do at a car show? - she asks with confusion in front of me on the mechanical stairs.

Chloe: There is a reason and it is very obvious: study the competition. - she answers seriously her.

Emily: Knowing who we are facing will help us win. - I support the co-captain of the group by understanding her point of view.

Chloe: Okay, let's find out where those tour stealers are.- she says confidently, when we reach the end of the stairs. -Stacie!- she calls her when she sees where our aka-sister is.

When we get off the stairs, we all notice Stacie who is perched on the hood of a red car posing and some guys are taking photos of her.

Beca: Don't be a cock-warmer.- she says amusingly to our partner.

Amy: Stacie!- she exclaims, approaching her and causing her to get up from the car. -I bet that made you horny Y/n.- she accuses her evilly.

Y/n: Oh my god! - She exclaims, hitting her forehead in embarrassment and begins to walk faster and  away from the group.

I just watch as she gets ahead of everyone, feeling how breakfast stirs in my stomach at the blonde's comment and knowing that the two have some kind of relationship.

When we get to the performance room, I don't realize that I am between the two Mitchells.

During the performance, I can't help but focus on the warmth radiating from the body to my right and the smell of pear with something floral that I can't make out.

Emily. You smell very good.- I whisper to her without thinking, opening my eyes mortified and she looks at me with confusion.

Y/n: Excuse me?- she asks, approaching me.

Emily: That they seem good.- I say quickly, feeling my heart beating wildly and my hands starting to sweat.

Y/n: Yes, they are.- she nods agreeing with me and returning her attention to the performance.

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, trying to calm the fast beating of my heart and wiping the sweat from my hands against my pants.

I take a deep breath, focusing on the performance and trying not to think about the interaction I just had with my bandmate.

When the performance ends, we applaud politely and look at each other without really knowing what to do. None of us imagined that they were going to be so good and that they were so synchronized.

Kommisar: The Bellas of Barden, have you come to see us? - she asks us when they approach us. -Is it because you are a little... as they say to American children? .... in heat - she says and I open my eyes surprised at the comment.

Chloe: We're not in heat. - She denies with her lips together.

Kommisar: We should thank you for giving us this tour, you know, with your clumsy inaptitude.- she tells us seriously. -Should we send them something, something like a fruit basket?.- she asks the boy next to him.

Pieter: Yum yum.- nods agreeing.

Kommisar: Or would you prefer some sweets? - she asks us this time with a smile.

Beca: Hey, we haven't come to fight with you, we just wanted to see you before the championship where we're going to crush you.- she assures the Germans with a smile.

Kommisar: You? - she asks, approaching the brunette co-captain. -Are you going to crush us?- she asks, amused, remaining a few centimeters away from her.

Beca: Well yes.- she answers, moving in her place with some nervousness.

Kommisar: What little thing, like an elf or is it a fairy, a little fairy? - she asks before saying something in her language to one of her companions.

Pieter: Troll.- he responds with a strong accent to whatever she is asking.

Kommisar: That's it, you're like a troll.- she says and I feel how they gently pull me aside.

Beca: And you are physically perfect, and I don't like you at all.- she assures her and we all look at her confused.

Kommisar: Thank you.- she thanks you with a smile.

Y/n: What you really are is a poorly educated bully. - She responds to her sister's insult by placing herself in front of the blonde, who looks at her with a raised eyebrow.

Kommisar: And you are? - she asks with a more defensive posture.

Y/n: I'm the one who will kick your German ass if you insult her again.- she assures her seriously and I can't help but bite my lip at her authoritarian tone of voice.

Chloe: You don't scare us, because when we step on stage we're going to rock it. - she assures them with a smile, changing the subject and trying to lighten the tension in the atmosphere.

Pieter: With what? - he asks sarcastically. -Showing flabby Abby's rabbit.- he says, looking at the blonde with disgust.

Amy: That's not my name. She denies something uncomfortable.

Pieter: I don't know your name, but I can improvise.- he assures her with amusement. -Malena the whale, Lisa the plump one, the bale cow...- he begins and with each name I can see Y/n's body tense up more.

Amy: My name is fat Amy and I have salchichem like you for breakfast. - She says, approaching him in a threatening manner.

Pieter: Your team is like a chicken coop without a rooster, and without a rooster you are poor untied chicks who, as soon as a rooster crows, another rooster crows at them. - he says with that horrible accent.

Kommisar: Girls, follow my advice, don't try to beat us: you can't, we're better. - she assures us with an evil smile, staring at Y/n. -And now I have to go rest my neck, it hurts to look at you from above.- she says, looking this time at Beca with superiority.

I see how Y/n is about to jump on her, so I grab her arm and pull her hard towards me, avoiding any type of altercation.

Beca: Okay, just because you make me feel sexually confused doesn't mean you scare me! We have nothing to lose! Literally nothing! - she exclaims, moving her hands and watching them go. -Aka-fidersen bastards.- she says goodbye, moving her hands above her head.

Chloe: Leave it.- she asks her friend, placing a hand on her arm.

Beca: Oh what's wrong with me? I can't control my hands.- she growls nervously, brushing her hair out of her face.

Once the Germans have disappeared, the atmosphere relaxes a little and I realize that my hand is still gripping Y/n's arm.

I let go immediately, feeling the heat flooding my face and my heart starting to beat fast again.

Chloe: Okay, after this whatever it was.- she says referring to Beca, moving her hand around the brunette. -It's time to get our act together and rehearse until we bleed if necessary.- she says intensely and I look at her surprised.

Amy: Don't get too extreme redhead. - she stops her with a hand in the air. -I already have plans for today.- she tells her, raising an eyebrow.

Ashley/Jessica: Us too.- they say at the same time with one hand in the air.

Stacie: I'm meeting a boy for a class project.- she comments, looking at her nails.

Cynthia: And what is the job? About anatomy.- she asks letting out a laugh.

Stacie: Anyway, I'm leaving.- she says goodbye to everyone. -See you all at home!- she exclaims when he walks away from the group.

I watch her walk away, not understanding how she prefers to go with a boy when she has Y/n. That is, from an objective point of view and not at all personal, I would choose her.

Because I don't know what the boy will be like, but between the eyes full of life, the perfect happy smile, the silky long hair, the abs, the butt, the way she dresses and her personality, I will stay with Y/n a hundred times.

But all this from an objective point of view, I don't like girls and she is also my groupmate. But just because I don't like girls doesn't mean I can't appreciate them.

[princessozera]

The Problem With Kinning

GN!MC (They/Them, 3rd ppov)

Word count: 743

"Psst, Satan, heeeyyyy Sataaannnn-"

Satan sucked in his cheeks, finding it nearly impossible to ignore his older brother as Levi continued to jab him in the side. "What do you want Leviathan?"

"Is MC still staring at me?" Satan glances up to the second floor of the library, catching MC repositioning their fake mustache before turning back to the book they were 'reading' upside down.

"Yes, they are, now leave me out of your lovers' quarrel."

"We're not dating!"

"Regardless, leave me out of it."

"I don't know what I did wrong! They've been following around for 3 days but won't talk to me or respond to my text messages, what do you think it means?"

"I think it means-" Satan slams his book shut and grabs the ones on the table next to him before getting up, "that MC is planning to kill you. Do you want hydrangeas or wisteria at your funeral?"

"That's not funny!" Levi hissed and tried to hit Satan with a throw pillow, but misses entirely. He watches Satan leave before turning back to MC and their falling mustache, "WOULD YOU KNOCK IT OFF?"

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

"WHAT WHAT WHATT!!!!" Levi turned around and yelled down the 'empty' corridor. "What do you want? This stalker behavior got old really fast MC." When no one responds, he groans loudly and storms over the the flower pot by the top of the staircase with half a mind to shove it over.

"I know you're hiding behind the giant flower vase MC-"

"I'm actually up here." Levi lets out a scream as MC swings down from the ceiling, having held themselves up in a corner like the Grinch.

"How did- never mind. Why have you been stalking me!?" MC hesitates, a clear look of distress kn their face as they scan the hallways for the other brothers. After making sure they were alone, MC grabs Levi's arm and hauls him back into his room, making sure to lock the door behind them.

"I... There's.... Levi, you know I like and respect yoy, right?" MC had that tone when they had to break some bad news to him, but Levi had no idea where they were going with this.

"Sure, you like me. Why?"

"Ok, keep that in mind; well, do you remember when you explained what kinning was to me?" Now he REALLY didn't know where this conversation was going.

"... sure, you asked me like 2 weeks ago."

"Remember how you said that kinning real people is super taboo? Well, your videogames can bring your anime chacters into this world and you into their's- so, technically... aren't they real people?" MC holds their hands out, as if expecting the answer to fall into their hands but Levi was still trying to process their question.

"It's not the same because- they're, well they're fictional characters MC, of course it's not the same." Levi said as a matter of fact, but MC was unconvinced.

" But your games make it possible for them to be real! They can be here in person, breathing, touch-a-ble," MC emphasizes their point by poking Levi but he swats their hand away.

" It's not the same because they were originally drawn and the games only bring them to life for a little bit of time-"

"But they are alive! Just like when you bought the maze game, these videogames can rewrite reality! So- Leviathan, have you been kinning real people?"

"No! It's- That's! We'll ask Satan!"

-4 hours later-

Lucifer grumbles as he walks down the corridors of the House of Lamentation, looking for his brothers and MC. Only Belphie and Beel had shown up to dinner and no one else had responded to his messages. It was one thing for his brothers to disapear, and even MC and one of his brothers, but not all together like that.

He checks on Mammon, Asmo and MC's rooms, no sign of life to be seen. He finally reaches the top of the stairs and hears low talking through Levi's door. Without bothering to knock, he opens the door into a very serious meeting with Asmo, Mammon, Levi, Satan and MC.

And a giant whiteboard behind them filled with notes and 4 large questions in each corner:

"What qualifies as living?"

"Do fictional character brought to life by videogames count as real people?"

"Dies Kinning only count if you've never been pulled into your characters game/world"

"What is kinning even? Like, spiritually?"

[aknosde]

Omnes Una Manet Nox

The chronologically first installment of my Reyna Swap AU, Alea Iacta Est // Reyna Avilla Ramírez-Arellano // Fluff & Angst, but minor on the angst // the night before Reyna disappears //  tw: mentions past minor character death // light swearing // 4.4k

ao3

—————

“That went well, didn’t it?” Jason asks with that familiar, absently intense energy. They’ve just descended the steps of the Senate after their monthly meeting with the consuls.

The two consuls, in their late thirties, oversee all of Camp Jupiter. Of course, the legion manages their own grounds and budget, under Jason and Reyna’s command, but the little oversight they do get is from the consuls.

Johnson was one of New Rome’s praetors, a few years back. He doesn’t care much about the legion, being from a legacy family and largely skirting his training and service, and he never ceases to make that known. Malhill is the one that always gets under Jason’s defenses. He’s good on policy, good on veterans, good on kids, everything that they could want. But he was the legion’s champion only ten years ago. A direct son of Apollo, a talented archer but an even better bender of light, a legion praetor, and he’s had his eyes on Jason’s career since day one. Reyna’s seen the way he eyes Jason whenever she and Jason are in New Rome, already pegging him for a consul position once Jason’s old enough.

“It went well, Jace,” she says. “Your mission plan is flawless, the only thing that could make them happier is if you’d go on it.” She regrets the words as soon as they’re out of her mouth.

Her remorse is tangible, visible in the line of his spine, the way he taps the place in his pocket where Ivlivs would sit if they were not inside the Pomerian Line, the subtle flick of his wrist.

Not for the first time, she thinks about Mount Othrys. Everything it took from her. Sometimes when she sleeps–not often, but enough–it plays over in her head. But something is always wrong.

She’s leading the charge, but suddenly it’s Jason next to her instead of Michelle. Or Jason and Michelle run into the throne room, but when she closes the door behind them it locks. She makes it into the throne room, slaying all of the Dracaena, but when she enters Atlas is holding Jason over his head, instead of fighting him hand to hand. On the good nights, Michelle isn’t dead when she bursts through the door, on the bad, she watches Michelle die. The one constant is Jason, gold ichor dripping down his face in a horrific mask. When she and Jason land the killing blow, together, she can always see it.

He doesn’t talk about it, of course. Not about Michelle, not about his election, not about the mountain. But she can see it weighing on him through the big things, like how he hasn’t been out of camp borders since the battle, and the small things, like how he glances up at the stars, as if one will come down and crush him any moment.

She rolls her right shoulder, feeling the ligaments shift, as if it will rid her of the thoughts, prepare her for a topic of conversation that often hits a little too close to home.

“Did you hear how Johnson pronounced my name? He’s even worse than you.” Maybe the small huff of a laugh Jason expels is worth it. “‘Miss Ramírez-Arellano,’” she continues, in a nasally imitation of the consul.

“I don’t say it that badly.”

“You say it like a white boy who didn’t know Spanish was a language until two seconds ago.”

“Ramírez-Arellano,” he says, better than consul Johnson, but she still hates hearing it. That girl is long gone, the only thing connecting her to Reyna is Hylla, and although Reyna loves her sister, she’s grateful for the distance that keeps Hylla from being a constant reminder.

“‘We were– were very, erm, dazzled, by your most recent proposition.’” She continues the impression until they are walking through the Praetorian Gate, Jason half hanging off her shoulder and giggling like they’re thirteen again.

He has a nice laugh. A friendly one. It seems to feed off of her volume, her effort, fluctuating the longer he goes. He shouts at her to stop several times, but he’s doubled over in armor, snorting, and all she wants to do is make him laugh like this forever.

It only gets worse on the steps of the Principa, when he decides a good revenge plan is to trip her. The building is dark like the rest of the legion. Two lamps, invisible under the light of day, flank the double doors, but the light is faint and barely makes its way to the stairs, washing everything in a pale yellow. She side steps his foot–his sneakers have reflective decals on them for the sake of the gods, he’s an idiot–but he’s shifted his weight so much that he ends up tripping himself.

They stumble through the doors, still chuckling, and make their way across the great hall as quickly as possible. They must have gotten a new tender for the Principa, because the lights are off like they forgot that people actually live here. Only two people, but still. The darkness makes the place unsettling, and now she’s counting on Jason to keep her occupied. A job he seems all too willing to fulfill as he runs through the next set of doors, still in full armor, clashing against the wood.

Upstairs is worse, she decides. The abandoned lounge reminds her of her childhood living room. Any moment her father could rise from one of the low couches, ready to scoop her up and throw her in her room, that crazed look in his eye.

Something clangs and she jumps.

“What the heck is this?” Jason’s whisper-shouting when she catches up with him in the hallway outside their rooms. He’s partially on the floor–hands keeping him from being face flat��and something is crinkling under his knee.

For some reason all Reyna can say is: “Did you just say ‘heck?’”

“Shut up,” he whines, and she wishes the lights were on just so she could see his ears turning red.

“Of course, farm-boy.”

He’s sitting back on his heels now, she can see the object’s dark outline as he holds it up, rustling in his hands.

“Seriously, what is this thing?” he asks, looking up at her.

“A bag with my old clothes,” she says, squinting. “I was going to see if any legionnaires need some.”

“And you have it by your door so you don’t forget,” he says, explaining for her. In the stress of running for office, of war, she forgot the ways in which they are attuned to each other. She forgot that she doesn’t have to explain and defend her every little action to him. It’s sad that it’s taken her almost two months to remember.

He sets the bag back down, nudging it into almost its exact spot, and hefts himself to his feet with a sigh. His brow furrows once he’s standing, looking out into the middle distance, but he sees the quirk of her brow and quickly explains himself, “We have that meeting with the centurions tomorrow after breakfast.”

Jason is a social person. A true extrovert. He hates being alone, working alone, and the quiet that comes with both. So what he’s really saying is that he has work left to do and wants some company. And who is she to deny him that? “Do you want to work in the main hall, office, or my room?”

He grins, clapping his hands and then raises his palms to the sky. “Bedroom, praise Fortuna.”

“Five minutes, Sparkplug,” she says, bumping her shoulder into his own as she sidesteps him into her room. His eyes follow her as she goes, like she’s his North Star, and damn him for making her heart skip a beat, because in the empty space Venus’ words always echo. She stomps them down, before her face can fall, before the hollow silence can fill the hallway, and in their place she jams a smirk. “If you’re lucky I’ll even edit your speech.”

As her door clicks behind her she can hear him groan, “I just prayed to Fortuna.”

She stands with her hands on her hips, briefly surveying her room to decide what to do first.

Being praetor has its perks, like private bath and bedrooms across the hall from her best friend and king sized beds, but it also means she is no longer in the practice of keeping her space ready for inspections. Her comforter is pulled up, but her bed isn’t made, files are scattered across her desk and on her dresser, and her wardrobe is wide open.

She decides on doing everything at once, which involves a crooked path across her room as she shucks off armor, not bothering with her armor stand, and changes out of the nice clothes she wore to meet the consuls. All the while she turns on lights, puts on sweats, makes her bed, and tucks away files.

Jason knocks on her door five minutes later, that ever punctual bastard, just as she’s zipping her hoodie over her tank top.

“Help me, Reyna,” he says, holding a typed copy of his speech out to her in both hands like some sort of trophy. “You’re my only hope.”

She snorts, snatching the pages out of his hands. “Nice reference.”

He cocks his head to the side, brow furrowed, and she bets if he were actually a wolf one of his ears would be turned as well.

“You just made a Star Wars reference,” she says, but he looks just as confused.

“What’s Star Wars?” He asks warily.

She swears to herself in Spanish, because otherwise he’ll tease her about the legion’s anti-swearing policies, collapsing dramatically back on her bed, and sighs. “It’s a movie trilogy, wolf boy.”

“Ah.”

Another thing she forgot, apparently, is how little Jason knows about basically anything outside of camp. He says he arrived when he was three, and wasn’t even allowed into the city until he was eight, which apparently means he’s never been to a movie theater.

By now he seems used to her telling him about the more innocent aspects of the mortal world, and at the very least takes his lack of knowledge in stride. If only he would watch the movies and shows she’s downloaded on his laptop for him.

When she looks up after reading his introduction he is sitting at her desk, picking at some invisible blemish while subtly putting highlighters away, and looking around her room.

“If you start cleaning I’m throwing you out.”

He grumbles to himself, but she makes out a yes ma’am somewhere in the mix, so she decides to throw him a bone.

“If you want to occupy yourself I have a speech about legion veterans you can fact check,” she says, faux casual, not that he can tell. He needs to do something before he starts picking at his nails instead of the wood.

“Sure.”

“It’s in one of the red folders.”

“Would that be the one on the floor under your desk or the one on your dresser,” he says, sounding far too cheeky.

“The one on my dresser, and stop pretending you’re better than me, asshole.”

He clutches his chest dramatically, walking to her dresser. “Better than the best? How could I be?”

“Mmmhmm,” she responds, half ignoring him in favor of his speech, aware of the ticking clock.

It’s truly impossible for him to stay awake past ten, a fact that is only proven the next time she looks up and he’s asleep at her desk, pen still in hand and a research paper opened on her laptop. No matter how often she reminds him that the regimented lights out of the legion no longer applies to them, he just can’t seem to break the habit.

“Jason.” She nudges his shoulder, extracting the pen at the same moment so he can’t smudge her speech.

His head jerks, eyes alert, but voice groggy when he says, “What’s going on?” All legionnaires wake up in a similar manner, but for some reason it only strikes her as amusing when he does it.

She hadn’t thought of what she was waking him up for, besides a need to do it, and her mind wanders to the Forum, wondering if her favorite café would still be open at this hour. She’s starving, she realizes. Their meeting with the consuls had been pushed back and they had had to skip dinner to make it.

She grins. “Are you hungry?”

“Uh, yeah. How did you know?”

“Roof s’mores?”

“Reyna,” he drags out the last syllable, fading it into a sigh. “That takes energy.”

“Okay, but–” She holds her hands out, weighing them. “Would you rather spend the energy to just walk across the hall and go to sleep, or climb up to the roof with me and roast us a couple marshmallows?”

Jason looks at her like is that a real question? which had been her intention. She folds her hands into a pleading gesture and pouts emphatically–he’s always more flexible when she acts a little silly. “Please, Jace. I got that cheap chocolate you like. I’ll even get the stuff myself, you can go straight up.”

“Fine.” He rolls his eyes and she smiles, satisfied, and already on her way out the door.

The praetorian kitchen reminds her of office break rooms on television, besides the fact that it looks perpetually unnatural, mostly due to the fact that only three people go inside–her, Jason, and the Principa tender–and it’s always pristine. The only things actually kept in there are coffee, tea, and of course: her and Jason’s secret stash of s’more supplies, buried in the back of the cabinet with the untouched bowls.

By the time she’s through the roof access door, conveniently placed to hide it from the view of anyone on the ground, Jason is already sitting by the dark spot of ash that signifies their pastime. Because, yes, they started coming up here long before either of them were elected Praetor.

He’s a dark outline against the night sky, sitting criss-crossed and looking down at the façades of the other legion buildings, and briefly she has the thought that somebody could make a painting out of this. She slides her old Camp Jupiter ID back between the lock and door jamb, willing the thought to disappear with the potential of the fire alarm going off.

She shivers as she sits next to him, nose wrinkling with the cold now that she’s fully vulnerable to the elements. Without a word Jason removes his sweatshirt and passes it to her.

“I’m already wearing one.”

“Mine is thicker, trade me.”

And because he’s Jason, she does.

It’s slightly big on her, his shoulders just a few inches broader than her own, and a forest green. On the back is a printed vine of purple flowers and a date. She recognizes it as one of the prizes of the Ludi Florae, or Games of Flora, from Floralia last year. The festival sits right between April and May, and last year’s was the grandest of all. Or so Jason says. Everyone had been anxious about Mount Othrys, and apparently all of that energy had been funnelled into the events.

Reyna herself had been busy running for praetor. All she remembers from the festival is campaigning. And Jason, running up to her looking flushed, this sweatshirt thrown over one shoulder.

“Remember when I told you that you were the best, Jace,” she says sweetly once she is safely swaddled in his hoodie. He’s right–it is thicker.

Jason grins up at her, wrapping his hands around two marshmallows. “I may recall something along those lines having been said a long, long time ago.”

“Well, I just want to inform you that I retract that statement, because this sweatshirt is ugly and the cuffs are burnt.”

The electricity that had been slowly coursing over the ridges of his fingers flares for a second, and his hands fly open as if he was handed metal straight from the forges. “Oops.” Both of the marshmallows are burnt, but his lips are turned up in a poorly concealed smirk.

“I forget you’re a heathen,” she says primly, sticking her nose in the air instead of saying any of the less wholesome options at the back of her throat.

“Does liking burnt marshmallows make me a heathen?”

She pretends to mull it over for a second, extracting the rest of their supplies. “Yes. You have to buy the next bag because you’re mean and I say so.”

She takes the burnt marshmallow regardless, sandwiching it between her own chocolate and graham crackers. Jason takes three squares of the Hershey bar he likes for absolutely no good reason, and does the same. She shakes her head. He’s the fucking all American boy who sticks with the classics even when he doesn’t know they’re the classics. She has no idea how he does it.

They don’t talk while they eat, regrettably the silence reminding her of her childhood, no matter how hard she pushes against it. She looks up at the stars, trying to forget the cold kitchen, cold house, even in hundred degree heat. It’s times like this when the ring, and the chain she wears it on, weigh heavy on her neck.

It feels like a noose right now, just as much as it feels like freedom, like power, every other second of her life. Like a sentence, compelling her to pay for her crimes, to confess to them, to wreck her world so terribly that she would lose up from down and die. A fair punishment.

“What are you thinking about,” Jason asks a while after they’ve finished. She looks at him, sitting back on his hands, looking at her, not the sky. It’s dark on the roof, but the light from the street lamps seems to center around him. It glints off his hair, visibly blond even in the night, and pours into his eyes. They’re always so blue. So blue it looks fake. But they never cease to pull Reyna in. Sometimes she swears she can see lightning arc across his irises.

He’s always asking her questions like this. Innocent and curious, no ulterior motives, no goals. He genuinely wants to know. And if she doesn’t answer, he’ll drop it, because he always does. It’s not something she’s used to, even after all these years; this place she has in his mind, if not his heart. A place of utter respect. He doesn’t question her because he knows what she is thinking, and when he doesn’t, he accepts her. Would he still, if he knew what she did to her father?

She breaks his gaze with that thought. It’s too much. “My sister,” she says instead, and it doesn’t feel right to look back. Under oath, Reyna would say that Jason is the most important person in her life. Her best friend; the person she sees every day, talks to every day, eats with and works with. He is the closest thing she has to a family here. And she– And she loves him. Maybe as a little more than a friend. But talking about her sister while looking him in the eye feels too intimate, too intense. “She would like you.”

It is something to say, simply to say something, but maybe she isn’t wrong. There is something in Jason that reminds her of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, and not in the way that haunts her nightmares and twists her sheets around her until they become bonds she can’t quite break free of. Being on Blackbeard’s crew, that’s how Reyna learned hard work, in a way she never had before. It had instilled a drive in her, to change everything, to rewrite systems, to make something so beautiful it was unrecognizable. And perhaps Jason doesn’t have that same drive, but he knows the work. He goes out of his way to do it dirty and hard and long. He refuses to take the thousands of shortcuts he’s offered. And Hylla would admire that, she thinks.

“I had a sister,” he whispers.

For a second–just a second–she’s stuck. “What?”

“I had a sister.” He picks at a loose thread on his jeans for a moment, and that’s how she knows he’s serious, because he hates ripping his jeans more than almost anything else. He’s refusing to meet her gaze. “Thalia Grace.”

He says her name soft and tender. She can imagine him, standing over a hearth, cradling the name between his palms and looking at it the same way he first looked when he was gifted Ivlivs. Big, round eyes.

“That’s really nice, Jace,” she says, because he rarely surprises her, and for once she doesn’t know what to say.

He looks up at her, smiling tightly. His eyes are sad. Is that how she looks when she thinks about Hylla?

“You can tell me about her, if you want,” Reyna says when the moment becomes two, and then three, because Jason doesn’t bring up things he doesn’t want to talk about. But Jason also has his own ideas about debt, about worthiness, and it is clear to her that he told her about his sister in exchange for Reyna talking about her own.

He smiles at her. A real smile, if small. She feels warm, and it’s not from his extra thick sweatshirt.

“I don’t remember a lot about her, but… She had black hair. So dark, like the night. And her eyes, they were amazing. Bright blue, like a perfect sky. Sometimes I can see them, in this half-memory half-dream, and they’re so strong they look like how an electric shock feels.”

“Like yours,” she whispers, and Jason hums in a way that makes it frustratingly unclear if he heard her or not. She hopes not.

“When I was little,” he continues, after another moment of staring wistfully over the Twelfth Legion, “I used to imagine she was looking for me. That one day she would find me, here, be proud of me for– I don’t know what. Love me, or something. All that stupid shit.” He trails off again, picking at his nails, but she can’t bring herself to chide him.

There are things that she knows about Jason, true as the sun rising in the east and the pull of the moon on the tides and the sound of imperial gold on whetstone. She knows that he works hard, works with the public, flushes under the compliments of people older than him because he has never had a concrete parental figure. Not even one to hate, to fear, to mourn. She knows that he never trusts praise from these people because he knows his parentage, knows they know, knows that he is connected to his father in the eyes of these people in a way he doesn’t feel himself, and never will.

Truths of Jason that are pillars in her understanding of him, that were pivotal in their relationship. But like so many supports, they were never acknowledged. Truth has no need to be stated, and she has no compellence to state that which is unnecessary. He talks of Thalia, telling Reyna that he wants his sister to want him, to find him, and to love him not because he is a son of Jupiter, but because he’s him.

She doesn’t say, I don’t care about you because you’re the son of Jupiter, I care about you because you are my best friend. And she doesn’t say, I care about you because you listen to people, because you care about them and what happens to them so instinctively that I cannot understand it. She doesn’t say, I’m proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself.

She doesn’t say those things because he knows them, because they are truths, and truths do not need to be said.

But still, something must be done.

She– She’s always been bad at the physical things. She can do a handshake, a fist bump, but she has never been a hugger, no matter that Jason is. She’s never managed a hip-check, or a shoulder pat, or ruffled his hair in any way that wasn’t rough and meant to hurt.

But that doesn’t mean she can’t try.

She goes slow, leaning over slightly, feels the cool breeze breaking on her knuckles. Gently, perhaps more gently than she has done anything in her life, she takes his hands, detangles them, presses her finger pads against the bleeding bits where he’s torn his skin away. She closes her hands around his own, cups them in her palms.

He looks up at her, tears welled on his water line but nothing has spilled, and she feels his hands move in her own, feels him latch on, like when they were young and late for assignments, running across the grounds and refusing to leave each other behind. She looks into his eyes, wide. Electrifying. Just like she knew they were.

She waits for the moment to stretch and break, like moments oft do. Her last move is to give his hands a squeeze, hopefully reassuring, and he gives her another small smile and moves to wipe his eyes with the sleeves of her sweatshirt, the one he’s still wearing.

“We should probably be going to bed,” she says, because she doesn’t have anything else to say. He laughs, wetly, but in that way everybody laughs when they’re told something they already know. It makes her smile; it’s special when he does it.

Everybody isn’t wrong, she thinks as she and Jason part ways outside their rooms, Jason Grace is special. But not because he is the son of Jupiter. He’s special because Reyna had never wanted friends, and here he is, her best. He’s special because he does things, normal things, and they make her smile. He’s special because he does everything in his power to ensure he deserves the love he receives. And gods, she thinks, does he deserve it.

She slips off her necklace and gets under her duvet cover, curling up and fiddling with the cuffs of his sweatshirt. Chunks of the polyester-wool fabric are hard and melted from undoubtedly unfortunate rendezvous with electricity. She finds one, right where his thumb would rest, and rubs it between her own thumb and index finger as she falls asleep.

When she wakes up, she’s on a school bus.

—————

Others in this series: Amicus Certus in re Incerta Cernitur

[pinkhairedlily]

Chapter 8 - Student Council President Sakura

SCPS AO3 | PREVIOUS CHAPTER

“Oh, hello there Sakura.”

She almost lost her balance when she saw her next customers. Standing beside Kakashi with her arm entangled in his was a brunette, a spitting image of Dr. Aki Nohara, a giveaway that this was her sister. Sakura’s surroundings dimmed out of focus, and her hearing became muffled as if she was submerged underwater.

“Couldn’t mistake that green eyes for anyone,” Kakashi continued. “I’ll have a caramel butterscotch with extra whipped cream – make it super heavy – and Rin –“

“That’s supposed to be my order, you dummy,” the woman replied beside him. He chuckled in fascination and tightened his hold on her arm. “Besides, you don’t like sweets.”

“You’re still on a specialized diet so allow me to eat and drink whatever you want while you stick with – “ Kakashi glanced at Sakura, and she immediately mustered a tight-lipped smile. “One iced americano in your smallest size please. Thanks, Sakura.”

She took in a deep breath, suddenly aware that she wasn’t able to acknowledge her teacher and his companion, but so many things have been running through her head – like how did he know it was her? Why was he with Rin? Did he propose already? She hasn’t even confessed yet.

Somehow, in the dragging silence in her ears, she heard Sasuke cleared his throat. That was enough to break her from the spell, and she put on her bravest mask. “Hi Kakashi-sensei. Nice of you to drop by! I’ll have your order ready in a jiffy.”

Kakashi turned around and waved lazily at Sasuke. “One of my students is here too. Are you on a red eye advance study?”

“Can’t sleep so might as well have caffeine.”

“You’re too young to have this energy.”

Rin jokingly slapped Kakashi on the arm. “You talk as if you’re old already.”

“But aren’t I?” The pair slowly drifted away to find a table, but Sakura noticed the flash of recognition when Rin took a long good look at Sasuke, but her friend stared at them like he was throwing sharp draggers.

“He looks happy,” Sakura noted as she fixed their drinks.

“I want your favorite coffee,” Sasuke quipped out of nowhere.

“There’s a thing called palpitations. It’s caramel macchiato.”

“Might do me some good while I wait for you to finish your shift.”

Sakura sighed, feeling the tiredness come upon her all of a sudden so she relented. “Just take it to-go. I want to get out of here.”

She quickly asked permission from the manager, saying she felt sick and fatigued, and with her clocking overtime in the past few weeks, her request was immediately approved without deductions. The mixed winter and spring air hit her lungs as soon as she stepped outside. Sasuke waited for her across the street, a gesture that implied she could go to him or separate ways right now. As she vied for time to decide, she took one last look through the window.

It was a foreign sight. She has never seen Kakashi’s attention torn apart from his books. Even if he was talking, there would be an open page on his side, stealing glances on passages when the conversations got boring, yet there he was, fully attuned to whatever Rin was saying with no book around him…like she was his favorite book and he enjoyed reading every letter of her.

And Sakura realized she could never be the story he would even want to pick up.

She felt the tears coming so she started her pace on the same road. Across from her, Sasuke got the signal and went the other way.

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

The last term of their second year came like a bazooka. Sakura threw herself on her pet project as a sort of coping mechanism. The announcement was done during the general assembly which did not generate the intended buzz or reaction. After all, it was a tricky topic to handle and many facets of which were still stigmatized when talked openly in public. Naruto, ever the people magnet, broke the agitated atmosphere in the auditorium with a slow clap and was soon joined by many others.

The council created a Google form which allowed students to anonymously register, and they get assigned a schedule on the day their contracted psychiatrist comes to visit. All they had to do was provide their designated client number. The council further complemented this with short programs that serve as mental health breaks for the student body. Sometimes, this would be as light as a block screening of a coming-of-age film or heavy like a conference with faculty and teachers and questions and concerns are remotely flashed.

Then came Valentines’ Day, and the council organized this some kind of literary showcase that presented the opportunity to mingle woes of personal sadness and griefs with confessions that would have been left unsaid. Naruto and Sasuke both helped in constructing the makeshift stage in the middle of the soccer field that would be used later that afternoon.

“Cookie points for my crush,” Naruto grinned as he hammered away. “Thanks for picking the poem I will be reciting tonight, grumpy. Didn’t know you were into literature.” He jokingly elbowed the raven-haired beside him, and he got a death glare in return.

“Do it properly. Look at that nail sticking out like your porcupine hair,” Sasuke grumbled. “And yes, I’m not as uncultured as you are.”

“But I still don’t understand it though.”

“Ugh, just use the internet to search its meaning, idiot.”

“Meanie!”

A fellow runner peeked into their work area and knocked on wood. “Hey Uchiha. Some girl is looking for you.” Her face expressed grimace, having done this for more than five times already within the span of an hour. If it wasn’t Sasuke, it was one of Naruto’s fan girls or boys.

Sasuke went to her and fumbled around for cash in his pocket. “Next time someone looks for us, tell them we went home for the day. Here’s money for your date later. If you have anyway.”

“Whatever grumpy.” The runner replied, still half-angry, half-frustrated, but she took the money all the same and told the girls that ‘They told me to tell you they went home for the day so shoo shoo.’

Naruto laughed at Sasuke’s successful attempt at bribery. “Look at that rich money. I wonder whether Sakura will give us chocolates.”

“Have you seen their office?” Sasuke flipped open the curtains that will be hang as backdrop. “Their desk is filled with chocolates from her admirers – platonically, romantically, whatever. Some people from other schools dropped by too. You got serious competition.”

Naruto chuckled nervously. “As if I do not know that already. Haven’t you told me before- she likes everyone and everyone likes her.”

Not really true at all now, Sasuke thought to himself. But ignorance is bliss, Naruto.

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

The three sat on the grass beside the stage, having full view of the student body listening to the reciters. Throughout the program, Sakura went through each package given to her, visibly stressed with evident signs of sleepless nights under her eyes.

“Before I forget, happy Valentine’s day you two. My council-mates told me you didn’t get any chocolates,” Sakura gave each of them a pouch of small chocolate bars. Sasuke didn’t have to guess if it was store-bought or homemade based on the cuts on her fingers.

“Sakura, stop eating. I almost gagged at the seventh chocolate,” Naruto complained. He tried to get the basket of sweets from her, but she just moved it away from his reach.

“Everything tastes bitter,” she muttered under her breath. “I need sugar. My energy can’t keep up with the countless interviews. I understand that the school board liked the exposure, but the burden falls on me. At least have a teacher back me up?”

“Heard Kakashi-sensei volunteered to accompany you in interviews?” Sasuke was too late in shutting Naruto up, but the most that question got out of Sakura was an eyebrow raise.

“I need more sweets.” She proceeded to jam the rest of the Hershey’s kisses in her mouth.

“Okay, we have a submission from Uzumaki Naruto,” the announcer said. “Shout out to our rookie MVP!” A round of applause. “And who might be the recipient of this poem? We heard through the grapevine that he hid from his admirers all day. I know several people are waiting to confess to him!”

Sasuke instructed him earlier to send the poem anonymously and address it to Sakura, but the dumbass blonde mistakenly exchanged it. He rubbed his forehead in annoyance, but he can’t bring it up right now.

“Just read the poem!” Naruto shouted on the side, clearly embarrassed now. Sakura looked up at him, genuinely curious now, and her sticky chocolate-filled mouth was on the edge of firing him questions.

“Sasuke and I sent in poems! Just to support your program, nothing really too deep into it ehe.” Naruto glanced at Sasuke with slightly widened eyes. “Right, Sasuke?”

“Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare,” the person started.

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,

Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to Time thou grow'st.

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

Sakura slapped Naruto on the arm. “Didn’t know you read Shakespeare! What a romantic!”

“Isn’t it a tragedy?” Sasuke remarked, a look of disgust in his face when Sakura mindlessly offered him a toblerone. “No sweets for me.”

Sakura guffawed at Sasuke’s remark, and her laughing was a rare sight recently. She was in too deep in her student council functions that they barely see her. And when they did, she’d be a little bit closer to fatigue.

“What’s funny? Who’s Shakespeare? Let me in on the joke!”

“Let’s call on Kakashi-sensei, our very own student council advisor and youngest teacher in the university. He’ll be reciting a poem by Pablo Neruda. A man of culture, we see,” the emcee announced.

Sakura stopped laughing as soon as she heard his name. If Sasuke could glean into her thoughts, she’s probably making up excuses to escape right now.

Kakashi stood in the middle of the stage, holding an open book. “Let me just ramble on here for a bit. Neruda is a Chilean poet and a politician, but just as much as he is a revolutionary, he is a romantic and a worshipper of ideals and ordinary things. He often compared his muses to earth and nature – basic providers of our existence. It’s interesting to see. Now, this poem is what I would have wanted to say to someone who is fundamentally part of my existence, but she won’t listen to me.” Kakashi smiled even more at the onset of outburst of giggles from the students. “So you’re gonna be the audience whether you want it or not.”

I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair.

Silent and starving, I prowl through the streets.

Bread does not nourish me, dawn disrupts me, all day

I hunt for the liquid measure of your steps.

I hunger for your sleek laugh,

your hands the color of a savage harvest,

hunger for the pale stones of your fingernails,

I want to eat your skin like a whole almond.

I want to eat the sunbeam flaring in your lovely body,

the sovereign nose of your arrogant face,

I want to eat the fleeting shade of your lashes,

and I pace around hungry, sniffing the twilight,

hunting for you, for your hot heart,

like a puma in the barrens of Quitratue.

A thundering applause followed Kakashi’s poem and random shouts of, “Drop her name sensei!” “Good luck to your love life!” “Happy for you, sensei!”

As the lights went out on the stage, Sakura fished another pouch from her vest pocket, and Sasuke knew at once that it was Kakashi’s. She popped a bar into her mouth, staring blankly ahead.

“God, it’s so bitter.” Her lips started to quiver, and she started to cry.

Naruto threw a worried glance at Sasuke, but his expression must have given something away because the blonde didn’t prod, and he looked as if all the puzzles fell into place.

Sasuke just didn’t expect to be confronted about it as soon as the program finished. He was carrying blocks of wood to the shed when Naruto dropped the question – a question he already knew the answer to.

“You like Sakura.”

Sasuke inhaled sharply and halted his steps. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He stacked the wood against each other and turned to face the blonde. “Besides, shouldn’t you be worrying about exams?”

“What exams? We’re exempted from it,” Naruto bristled.

Sasuke smirked. “No, you’re not. You didn’t qualify for finals.”

“Oh shit.”

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

“What do we get in return?” Sakura asked as she munched on her bento box. Shouts of the practicing dragonboat team filtered through their space.

“But last time you volunteered!” Naruto said.

“We’re friends so my services don’t come free anymore,” she chided back.

Naruto glared at Sasuke. “If she’s not gonna do it, you’re gonna do it.”

Sasuke nonchalantly shook his head as he skimmed through Naruto’s notes. “What she said.” They weren’t notes per se, but doodles of Sasuke and Sakura and interestingly, projections of different batting stances. “I’m also not gonna forgive you with the duck butt hair.”

“But you have a duck butt hair!” Naruto crossed his arms and huffed menacingly. “Ramen?”

“Same old, same old.” Sakura finished her lunch and started to sip her cranberry juice. “Give us something new.”

“Ramen and…..karaoke?”

Sakura brightened up at the prospect. “Deal.”

“At least add snacks to your place,” Sasuke interjected. “And not just ramen. Put some nuts or fruits in your fridge.”

Naruto grumbled but raised two thumbs up in defeat. “Deal.”

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

Sasuke has thin patience when it came to teaching Naruto, Sakura observed. She didn’t know how these two managed to do the supplementary math lessons when she wasn’t a part of their group yet. She didn’t mind teaching, but Naruto’s short attention span was a devil of its own. He would be attentive to her for 15 minutes and then drowse off so Sasuke and her agreed on non-negotiables.

“No ramen break for you if you don’t finish this set of problems,” Sakura told him.

“You’re demon spawns,” Naruto cried out in defiance.

“If you don’t get a passing score on this sample test, no kani toppings for you.” Sasuke raised the stakes.

“Demon spawns,” Naruto repeated.

“You won’t call us demon spawns if you see your name on the list of passers.” Sakura started the stopwatch on her phone. “Now go.”

This took her mind off things, from Kakashi’s public confession to the blank career form hidden within the pages of her history textbook. It was a good distraction until the penultimate exams day. Naruto came in with a bandana on his forehead with FIGHTING written in the middle of it. Sasuke, as usual, breezed through it, already finished by the thirty-minute mark.

And she? Well, she liked exams. The time limit and the pressure allowed her the reprieve to shut the rest of the world out so she relished answering each number until the bell rang. It was a moment where she can focus fully on the paper in front of her, the sound of her pen scribbling, and her mind working full force to cull out the answers in her memory. Her utmost concentration on questions suspended her own questions on her feelings for a teacher, on her parents’ divorce, on her future.

When the school plastered the results on the bulletin board, she couldn’t help but release a satisfied chuckle. She turned to Sasuke who was surprisingly stoic about the results. “First place! The bonus point really helped.”

“Why should I bother with a teacher’s middle name for the bonus question?” Sasuke grumbled back. “Congrats. Stop rubbing it in my face already.”

Naruto was too busy pointing his name on the board and bragging about it to the student body, most especially the freshies. When he found them on the back of the crowd, he rushed to them and placed his arms around their shoulders “Drinks on me!!!!!”

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

“He really shouted drinks on me in the middle of the school, sauntered in here like he’s loaded, and ordered two pitchers of iced tea.” Sakura kept bringing this up since they entered the karaoke room ten minutes ago.

Naruto was preoccupied with inputting song numbers on the machine to respond to Sakura’s banters. “Technically, they’re still drinks!”

Sasuke was on the phone with the kitchen, and from what she could hear, he was ordering almost everything on the menu. When he sat down on the adjacent couch, Sakura leaned forward to him. “Are you gonna finish all of that?”

He jutted his index finger to Naruto. “No, but he will.”

The first notes of Michael Jackson’s Thriller wafted through the room, and the blonde made a quick impression of the artist’s famed moonwalk.

“Why are you opening with that?” Sakura cried out in amusement. “It’s not even Halloween!” Sasuke watched Naruto try to dance with a straight face, but she thought he was itching to face palm the whole time.

Naruto kept beckoning Sakura to join him in the middle of the room, but she was busy laughing at him and taking videos. “I’ll send these to Haru as a pick-me-up. I think this is the best remedy.”

Next was Sakura’s pick – Heaven is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle. She couldn’t contain her laughter in between verses when the two boys finally heard that she was tone deaf. Naruto joined her with the other mic, trying to drown out the off-key notes. By the bridge, Sasuke stood up with them, a glass of juice in his hand, and mouthed the words.

“You know this song!” Sakura said excitedly.

“I don’t live under a rock!” He yelled back amid the loud music.

“OOOH BABY DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT’S WORTH OOH HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH. THEY SAY IN HEAVEN, LOVE COMES FIRST. OOH HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH!”

“Okay who’s next?” she asked when the next number flashed on the screen. Sasuke silently took the mic from her and faced the monitor with a hand in his pants’ pocket.

Naruto gripped the mic harder when the song started. “I’ll be your second voice, grumpy!”

She immediately went to the front and started recording. “One for the road.”

“No videos, Haruno,” Sasuke warned.

“Come on, it’s my remembrance,” she whined. He wasn’t able to clap back when the lines started to move.

“Turn around…” Naruto sang.

“Every now and then, I get a little bit lonely and you’re never coming ‘round,” Sasuke’s baritone voice filled the room like an empty coliseum.

“The fuck. You can sing?” Sakura gasped out loud. “How can you have that voice and not sing - like you know, every day?!”’

Sasuke gestured her to stop as he belted, stoic-faced, through the chorus with Naruto singing like a slaughtered pig in the background. Sakura stopped recording and joined them for the rest of the song.

Two hours and three pitchers of orange juice later, they finally settled on the couch and munched on Naruto’s leftovers of fries, buttered chicken, nachos, and calamari. On the karaoke monitor was David Bowie singing Heroes.

“Can’t believe we’re already seniors two months from now.” He stared at the ceiling, his eyes following the tag game of disco lights. “Elections of officers will be tomorrow which means Captain Haru will be formerly stepping down.”

Sasuke reached out and shook his hand. “Good luck next captain.”

Naruto immediately pulled out from his grasp. “What do you mean next captain?”

Sakura chuckled and patted his back as assurance. “Everyone knows it’ll be you. Have you seen how your teammates look at you when you’re discussing strategies?”

In the dimness of the room, she saw the flush on Naruto’s cheeks, and she found it amusing how he cannot take compliments.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. “Well, everything is possible, right? That said, I still haven’t filled out my college form, but I’m really set on getting an athletic scholarship and eventually be part of the national team! How about you grumpy? Changed your mind yet?”

“About what?” Sakura glanced at the silent raven-haired guy beside her. To be able to see this much of him was a nice privilege.

“I’m moving away after high school.” Sasuke fiddled with his half-empty glass, his eyes trained on the slushing juice. “I already sent applications to some universities in Europe.”

“We also have good medicine programs here. I don’t get why you have to move away so far. I’m so bad with converting time zones.”

Sasuke scrunched his nose in annoyance. “Are you dumb? The schools you listed are also out of this district.”

She seemed to be moving farther and farther from their exchange. Like an outsider peeking in, she understood the frailty of the moments in front of her, and by the time the next two months set in, the stopwatch would have started running its last lap. The bonds she has made so serendipitously were in danger of being cut off by dreams. She breathed in, engulfing the noise and scent of this room, panning every color and shape assembled like supercut in her head, praying that someday if she would lose herself, she’d come back here right at this frozen memory and relive the wonderful indecisiveness of adolescence and the chance to say I don’t know without repercussions.

“Sakura to earth?” Naruto’s voice.

“Idiot. It’s earth to Sakura.” Sasuke’s voice.

She blinked fast, returning to the moment that wasn’t finished playing out yet. She quickly brushed her hands on her eyes as if something got into her eyes, hoping they don’t see the small droplets of tears that have formed. “Oh uh, I have a list of prospects, but I’m not quite sure what to take.” The form was still blank actually.

“That’s a usual problem of anyone who’s too good at everything,” Sasuke replied.

“Are you complimenting me?” I wish I was.

“Should I take it back?” He proceeded to gulp down the remnants of his glass.

The monitor suddenly turned off, indicating their time has run out. “Hey guys, for our last term, let’s make the most out of it, all right?” Naruto asked. “I’m so happy we became friends.”

“No hugging please,” Sasuke said, but it was too late. Naruto’s arms were too strong to pull away from so the two allowed him a few seconds of skinship.

Naruto’s words struck a chord in Sakura; it was a resolve she tried to form and disfigure for several months now. Before they could stand up to fix their things, Sakura blurted it out loud before her courage took the best of her.

“For our last term.” She flexed her fingers and curled them up against her palm, placing weight on her lap as she ground her fists onto it. “For our last term, I’m gonna confess to Kakashi.”

AO3 LINK | NEXT CHAPTER | CHAPTER 9

[youalexturnermeon]

Chasing the Past Pt. 2 (Johnny Lawrence x Reader)

Click for Part 1 

Request by Anon: Could I please get a Johnny Lawrence imagine where he and the reader (who is daniels sister) are secretly dating. Maybe like an old flame back in the 80s and now they reconnected?

A/N: In the first part (Y/N), Daniel LaRusso’s sister,  came back to LA after five years of being away. She reconnects with Johnny and wakes up in his apartment after getting drunk at a party. In this part (Y/N) and Johnny have to face Daniel and his rage hahaha

Warnings: swearing(!!!), mentions of alcohol, angst, fluff and maybe a little bit of slight smut

Wordcount: 2473

Johnny’s face is almost doubled right in front you, but you see it as a good thing, twice as much of Johnny is great. Four bright blue eyes are much better than just two. But then there are two again. He has you close to him, his strong hands resting on your hips, slowly making their way further down to your ass and he is twirling you around. You dance. “I missed you, Johnny” you slur and cup his beautiful face, on it the dirtiest grin you have ever seen. He doesn’t answer, just squeezes your ass and suddenly kisses you. Almost too much tongue, red lipstick on his face, sloppy kisses on the neck and the jaw. You are melting under his touch.

Blurry way though the dark, you are laughing, Johnny and you still dancing together through the night. In his hand a bagged bottle, you don’t care what’s inside as you take a sip. You stop for a heated make-out session, he presses your back hardly against the wall of an apartment complex and his hands are already making their way under your sweatshirt. The bottle slips out of his hands and breaks on the ground. “God, I’ve been thinking about doing this for five years!” Johnny grunts and almost violently kisses you. “Get a fucking room!” someone shouts angrily in the distance “Get away from here, you fucking pervs!”

White sheets, clothes everywhere, naked bodies, Johnny’s hands all over you, moans. You are enjoying yourself. Johnny’s messy blonde hair.

____

“Fuck”, you said again, almost in disbelief but this time you were smiling. Out of the sudden, Johnny moved. Your heart started beating, you didn’t know if you were ready for any conversation. You didn’t even know if Johnny would regret this or not. You most certainly didn’t, you just wished to remember a little bit more of the steamy night.

“Good morning, princess”, he whispered, voice all raspy and sleepy, he yawned and stroked your hair, “Did you sleep well?”

“I feel like shit” you admitted and sat up, dragging the covers over your bare chest, which immediately stressed how your head was still heavy and spinning. You almost wished you didn’t sit up in the first place, you wanted to lay on Johnny’s chest again. But you didn’t and just stared at him. God, he was still so beautiful. You then signed over to his naked torso, “Did we…?” You still had to reassure yourself that this amazing night actually happened.

“Oh yeah” Johnny answered proudly and sat up too. You were surprised when the first thing he did was kissing you. This Johnny you didn’t know, you caught glimpses of him, but he never fully showed himself. Then he got out of bed, put on some clothes and turned to you.

“I’ll get you an Aspirin and then I will make you breakfast”

“What is it with you Johnny?” you asked, completely perplexed, “You never made me breakfast, you never cared the next morning” Johnny shrugged: “And you see what it got me, the girl who finally made me get over Ali and the fight with Daniel, who made my life a little less miserable just disappeared on me for five years without a trace. I don’t want you to disappear on me again for god knows how many years this time”

Without a trace was a lie, he still could’ve gone to Daniel LaRusso, ask him about his sister, ask for her phone number, her address. But when you went to college you made it perfectly clear that Daniel would kill him without having second thoughts for banging his sister and if he didn’t manage, you would’ve killed him yourself. And after all this time Johnny asked himself why he cared about that, why he was such a pussy and cared about what Daniel would think and do, above all. Now he didn’t anymore, he had no fucks to give about it anymore. As long as you were by his side for a little while, he could live with Daniel hating him more than he did already.

“Glad, to have been at your service, you asshole” you said rolling your eyes but still laughing.

“You’re welcome. So, are you saying we keep that going or what?”

You shrugged.

“Does that mean you are staying in Reseda?”

You shrugged again, it kind of did but you’d never know for how long. Thankfully, Johnny dropped the topic after that. Just like you, he really wasn’t the type to talk relationships. Maybe you two would’ve taken a different path when he had been the last time but that was again, ancient history.

____

The breakfast was simple, Johnny wasn’t the greatest cook, but that was okay, you weren’t either. It was more about the time you spent together. It was fun, it felt amazing being with him in his tiny kitchen, just talking about the old times and joking around. It was even fun when he flunked a spoonful of scrambled eggs directly in your face. You ate, you took a shower you scrubbed off all the remaining make-up from last and you felt a little bit better. Johnny enjoyed having you over. Normally, he didn’t let his girls stay that long, he usually made them go home very quickly, not so with you. He’d even be okay with you staying the whole day, hell, even another night or two. But as soon as you got of shower his hope vanished.

“I need to go home now” you announced shyly.

“So soon?” “Yeah, Danny is probably worried sick, I also promised him, we go out for sushi today, just us two.”

Johnny rolled his eyes and hugged you suddenly, almost a little too tightly “Don’t you want to stay?”

“To be honest, I do, but I also want to spend some time with my big brother.”

“I guess, I’ll drive you home then” “Only if you want to, I can walk or get a cab”. Fortunately, you didn’t manage to lose your handbag at the beach, so you’d have enough money.

“That is out of question. I always drive my babes!” Johnny said proudly which was a big fat lie, he didn’t always bother but with you, it was another situation.

The car ride was not as bad as you had expected, you didn’t get sick which you were afraid you would do because you still could remember well enough how fast Johnny drove. Yet, it was great to sit in his red Pontiac Firebird again, it shot your memories straight back to high school when you secretly hung out with Johnny for a couple of times. Sadly, it was over too soon. Johnny pulled up in the driveway to Daniel’s apartment building. He quickly got out of the car to open the car door for you before you could reach the handle yourself.

“Wow, I don’t know if like that new Johnny” you laughed and nudged him, “Far too nice!”

“Yeah, would you like me doing that instead?” Johnny’s eyes darkened and you remembered also seeing that look last night and out of a sudden he pinned you between the red Firebird and him, his face very close to yours.

“Do you like me being a bad guy instead?”, his lips brushed over you when he talked. And you wanted to say yes or even nod but you breath quickened; your hart started beating a faster rhythm.

“Thought so.” he whispered into your ear sending shivers down your spine on that hot summer day. He was just about to kiss you, maybe you should go back to his place after all, you thought, when you were instantly interrupted.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Lawrence!?!?!?” a scream echoed through the whole block, “Get the fuck away from her!”

Johnny promptly jumped to side but as soon as the realized who that was coming from a dirty grin appeared on his perfectly shaped lips. Daniel, face almost grey with fury, was running towards them, eyes all wild, hands clenched to fists.

“Oh fuck”, you gasped but couldn’t hold back a laugh, that was too absurd, “Maybe you should’ve dropped me off a few blocks away”

“Nah, this is going to be fun”

But you thought otherwise, this was going to be anything else bun fun. Comical, but definitely not fun.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, (Y/N)?” Daniel yelled pointing a finger at you when he finally came to a halt right in front of you.

“Nothing’s wrong with me, I’m completely fine, thanks for asking Danny”

“Don’t you fucking talk back to me like that!” “Jesus, Daniel, watch your filthy mouth, you didn’t swear that much since forever.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Daniel kept on, ignoring your sarcastic remarks, “You did not come home the whole night, I’ve got no call, nothing. I didn’t sleep, I was waiting for you, I was so fucking worried and then you finally decide to come here with him and you’re talking to me like I’m the bad guy?” Daniel pointed at Johnny without even looking at him.

“Ok, mom, calm down”

“Don’t you mom me, (Y/N). You smell like a fucking distillery; you look like shit and where the fuck are your shoes?” You looked down on your bare feet, then at Johnny who had protectively placed a hand on the small of your back and you two suddenly burst out laughing. Your drunk ass simply lost them at the beach.

“How dare you even make a sound?” Daniel shouted, this time at Johnny. It was getting embarrassing, even some neighbours were now watching how Daniel took a threatening step towards Johnny. He still was a few inches smaller than him, but he managed to compensate that with his glance. A little bit more wrath, you thought, and he would be shooting sparks out of his usually warm brown eyes.

“Damn, LaRusso, don’t wet your pants. You look like you are about to die from a heart attack” “Shut the hell up, Lawrence” Daniel growled and came even closer, so close the tips of their noses almost touched and Johnny just kept on smiling, he didn't even flinch “You think you’re so funny, huh?”

Johnny shrugged, he did.

“What the hell is my sister doing with you?”

“She just likes me a lot more than she likes you” Johnny’s grin kept getting dirtier and dirtier with every word leaving his mouth “Actually, she always liked me a lot. When I was beating your ass in high school, (Y/N) always has been hanging out with me instead of pitying you. While you were training with your weird-ass sensei, I gave her rides all the time, we were friends. When you won in ’84 she didn’t go with you to celebrate your illegal kick, she stayed behind and cared for me. Dragged me out of the parking lot and brought me into a hospital together with Bobby and Dutch. She just never told you because a delicate little flower like you would simply die from that. And when you were trimming trees, I fucked her every goddamn day until she went away”

Your eyes widened and you looked at Johnny in shock then at Daniel who needed a second to process everything that had been said. That was about it, Johnny dropped the bomb, he told Daniel everything that was kept secret from him and everything that he needed to know.

“You did fucking what?” Daniel asked through clenched teeth, his hands shaking, he was barely holding himself back and you knew, some whit was about to go down real quick.

“I fucked your sister LaRusso, five years ago and tonight and she liked it”

And you couldn’t even say anything against it, every bit of it was true. And when Daniel gave you a quick look he knew exactly. And then, very unlikely for Daniel he threw his first punch, Johnny immediately blocking it. He shoved you to the side so wouldn’t get between them. Both stood in fighting positions and then everything happened so fast. There was a lot of fists and legs and kicks and punches, too rapid for your eyes to grasp it. And you couldn’t believe it. After all these years, these to very still ready to kill each other. But you had enough, you had enough of this stupid rivalry, you had enough of them hating each other for no reason and you definitely had enough of being their recent motive for fighting.

“Stop!” you yelled, they ignored you, “Stop it! I’ve had enough of your stupid Karate bullshit! I’m sick and tired of you two always fighting. I can’t deal with being dragged into it! I fucking hate this. Why is this the first thing that happens to me after being back after five fucking years? Why you always have to be such a drama queen, Daniel? Why are you the only person you care about, huh? And you” you turned your shouting towards Johnny “why do you always have to keep the fire going why can’t you just let it be for once?”

Your screams were much louder than Daniel’s before, but the fighting enemies still ignored you.

“If one of you throws another punch, I’m gonna call the cops and you two can sort it out in a prison cell! I don't want you to kill each other just because you see me as an object that can only belong to one of you. I'm not, I like both of you. You're my brother and I love you. And I fucking love him, Daniel”

These words worked magic on Johnny who immediately let his arms sink and whilst he looked at you, worry written into his face, he received one last kick in the guts for losing his concentration. You threw yourself at Daniel and tried to hold him back from doing more damage, for a second you were afraif he was about to kill Johnny. But with you holding him, he did not dare to keep on fighting. He didn't want to hurt you. And yet he tried to free himself from you.

“Please, Danny” you cried “Please stop and let me be!”

Daniel remained silent and calmed down, you let him go. You went over to Johnny and embraced him, he hissed under your touch but couldn’t help himself than to press you closely to his chest. His face was beaten, his lip was bleeding, and a fresh cut crowned his brow.

“I’m so sorry, babe!” he whispered into your ear and kissed your cheek. He never apologized for fighting. Until now.

“No, I’m sorry!” you said and stroked back the sweaty hair from his forehead, then you turned to your brother, “You better be sorry, too”

“I am.”

“LaRusso is sorry?” Johnny wondered and spat blood on the ground, “That’s new”

“Shut up!” you shushed him

“I am sorry, (Y/N), I didn’t know you liked this jerk that much.” “To be fair, me neither” Johnny admitted “But I fucking love her, too, LaRusso, you know?” Daniel nodded, maybe for his sister’s sake he was ready to give his last enemy up.

[mymelodyheart]

Miles Between Us Chapter 10 ~The Art of Non-Communication

WARNING: MILD SEXUAL CONTENT

Previously in The Mediation

"Three million pounds for a house!" Jenny broke through his reflection. "Doesn't it make ye wonder what else she inherited?"

Jamie looked at the paper again.  That's what the house is worth? Ach, Christ!  Even the Oxford gossip found its way to Broch Mordha. He knew Claire would be mortified if the news of her assets became everyone's favourite topic of conversation.

Folding the note, he handed it back to his sister. He shook his head at his sister. "Not a word about this to any of yer mates!" he warned her. "Or else ..."

Jenny's eyes widened. "What do ye take me for?"

"A babble merchant," he ribbed, unsmiling. "Now, let me be."

"Ye're no' angry at me still, are ye?"

"No," he sighed. "I'm just exhausted."

"Can I do anything for ye?"

He puffed out a breath. Jenny was looking at him earnestly, and he knew she only wanted to reach out. "Aye, in fact, ye can. Ye can arrange that appointment with the therapist for me."

If you wish to read this on AO3, here is the link.

If you wish to read this from the beginning:

AO3 link

Tumblr link

  Jamie was removed from the noise of Lallybroch's homely routine when he stepped inside the shower that barely allotted for his breadth and height. He stroked the erection he'd been sporting since he'd woken up from his dreams of Claire, his elbow occasionally hitting the wall. If he kept this pace up, there would be some damaged tiles to answer for by the time he finally climaxed.

Creamy pale skin and amber eyes seeped through his mind, and he stifled a groan, the throbbing flesh in his hand swelling to the point of anguish. It was the reason he'd escaped to the shower when his dad had woken him, the image of Claire still vivid and the need to spill urgent. But the act of pleasuring himself was tainted with guilt. It didn't feel right using the memory of them together to find completion when he'd left her on her own. Not only did it make him a sick lecherous human being, but his action defied all reason and logic. 

Anyone in their right mind wouldn't be depriving themselves if they had what he and Claire had, but instead, here he was, on self-imposed retreat, his hungry thoughts reliving that time she'd been on her knees taking his entire length in her sweet, sweet mouth. Depravity kicked in, and his body responded to the memory in a fast, fluid rush. Every moral compass he'd had, went from dried cement to loose sand, and nothing could contain the rampant desire to relieve the pressure between his legs. 

He propped his left hand on the wet wall and quickened the pace of his strokes, the tight fist travelling from the base of his hardness to the engorged tip. 

"Christ," he gritted, hoping he could finish without the repercussion of self-loathing and feeling like an unredeemable bastard. 

Ye left her! In tears!

It's for her own good. I'm taking steps to make myself better ...for her.

What if she gets sick and tired of waiting for ye to sort out yer issues?

No, no ...she understands. 

Ye havenae called her.

I'll see her after the therapy, for fuck sake.

Guilt made him want to dim the image of Claire sucking him, but the heavy sack hung between his thighs wouldn't be wheedled into emptying without envisioning her. 

He was so close. He replayed Claire's most recent voice message in his head, her voice husky and yearning. She must have been in bed wearing nothing but his shirt.  I love you, Jamie. I wish I could hold you right now and ease your pain.

"Ah, fuck!" Jamie groaned as convulsion racked his body. "Christ, Sassenach." His seed spurted from his cock in what felt like an endless surge of the tide. Back and forth until he was compelled to release his flesh to brace himself with both hands on the tiled surface while the remnant of his release washed down onto the shower floor.

The water had turned tepid by the time reality came streaming back in. Steeling himself, Jamie waited for the chitter-chatter in his head to start reprimanding, telling him what a sick bastard he was, but nothing came. It was quiet. Notably quiet, in fact, and the prolonged silence was too unusual for comfort and almost deafening. The voices had been his life long companion, and it seemed like someone had muted the noises. The only sound he heard was the sound of his breathing and the shower spray hitting the surfaces.

He almost jumped at the loud rapping on the door. "Jamie! Ye're gonnae be late for yer therapy appointment," Willie called out, impatience lacing his voice.

He blew out a breath. "Two minutes!" he shouted. Damn it!

"Two minutes," Willie repeated, and he strode off, the sound of his heavy footsteps making creaking sounds on the wooden floor.

Therapy! He wasn't looking forward to it, but if it would mean bringing him closer to living a normal life with Claire, he'd take his chances. He had his future waiting for him in his cottage, and God knew what was going through her mind with his prolonged absence. There's a possibility she could decide right there, and then, she'd had enough, and he could be returning to an empty home. Fuck that! No' gonnae happen.

Wrenching a curse from the depths of his soul, he grabbed a towel and dried himself in record time. No more messing about. It was time to regain back the rein to his life. After his therapy, he was returning back to his Sassenach.

..........

Jamie hadn't replied to Claire's multiple voice messages, so she'd stopped sending them, thinking he needed a break. If it hadn't been for Willie checking up on her, Rollo needing to be walked and her own work keeping her busy, she would have gone out of her mind. 

She found solace in knowing he was safe with his family and sorting out his issues and tried not to dwell on the theory that she might be the reason for his worsening condition; otherwise, it would mean giving up on them and walking out of his life for his own good. They'd both had a traumatic start to childhood. If anything, their shared experience should bring them together ...well, at least she was hoping that was the case.

As long as she was busy, she was absolutely fine. But it hurt being apart from Jamie. The minute she unwinded from her daytime activities, the feeling of abandonment crept in, and she felt lost and empty. An all-consuming gloom would lurk, overwhelming her, and tears would start to fall. It had been only two days since Jamie left, but she was already fearing she'd return to London without seeing him again. It's just not fair. It was as if the universe was conspiring to keep them apart, and if that was the case, they'd never really had a chance from the start. Such thoughts would lead to a part of her wishing they'd never met because it was like being shown what happiness with someone you love could be, only to be yanked back out of reach.

She glanced out the kitchen window and realised it had begun to rain, the grey skies echoing her sombre mood. Frustrated, she mentally shook herself. There were a lot of things to do, and her uncle would be arriving in a couple of days. She hadn't mentioned anything to him about what had happened with Jamie, but that was a worry she'd have to deal with later. Because of all days, Tom Christie had called earlier, arranging to meet with her this afternoon to further discuss his book's publication. She hadn't anticipated meeting up with him for another week or more. Maybe it was a good thing he'd decided to show up. It would certainly be a much-needed distraction from the growing worries she had of Jamie. But first, she needed to book a bed and breakfast room in the village centre, a request her uncle had explicitly stressed as he didn't want to stay in Jamie's cottage to watch them canoodle, as he'd gruffly pointed out. But Claire highly doubted there would be any danger of his uncle witnessing that anytime soon.

Grabbing her coat and bag, she headed out. She was just stepping across the threshold when she caught sight of Jamie's sister walking towards her. What is she doing here? The last time she'd seen Jenny was when they were first introduced, and back then, she hadn't failed to notice the lukewarm reception. She'd tried her best to dismiss it as overly protective sibling behaviour. But something had been niggling in her mind lately ever since Willie mentioned Jenny's meddling with Jamie's love life.

Bracing herself, she forced a smile. "Hi, I'm just on my way out. Does Jamie need some fresh shirts?" She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "I can quickly grab some if that's what you came here for."

There was an awkward silence. "I ...ah, I'm here to see ye." Jenny held up a plastic container. "Oh, and ma made these ... it's rhubarb pie. And she's asking after ye."

"Oh, that's thoughtful. How are ..."

"Do ye have a moment?" Jenny interrupted out of the blue.

Claire paused. Though feeling like she was in this weird bubble filled with fog and not in the mood for small talk or niceties, she stepped back and waved Jamie's sister in. "Sure. I suppose I can spare a few minutes."

Jenny nodded gratefully and stepped inside the cottage. Claire watched her cross the room to place the rhubarb pie and her shoulder bag on the dining table. She started to wring her hands, possibly because she'd realised Claire wasn't going to initiate the talk. 

"Jamie is taking steps to get better," Jenny began, facing her.

"I know."

"Of course, you do."

Claire tamped down the urge to roll her eyes. "From what Jamie's told me, that's what he's been doing all his life, hasn't he?"

"Yes, that's true."

She sighed, impatience beginning to creep in. "Jenny, why are you really here? Please let's not pretend that you like me. You practically ignored me when we first met, and you've made no attempt whatsoever to get to know me. I am not expecting us to be the best of mates just because I'm with Jamie, but I do expect manners. So, I am asking very kindly if there's a reason for you taking over my precious time, please spit it out."

Jenny's eyebrows hit her hairline. "I ...uh ...I came because I wanted to see you. To check if ye're alright."

"Willie's been doing that but thank you anyway." She had no time for pussyfooting around. Pulling her coat tighter around her, she made a move to leave. "Well, I need to get going. Please thank your mum for me for the pie. I'll have it later with coffee when I return. And regards to your da as well." She pulled the door open.

"Wait ..."

"Yes?"

Jenny let out a rickety inhale. "I'm sorry, okay? I came to apologise. You're right. I was downright rude." Her lips barely moved when she said the words. It was as if it's taking a lot out of her to admit to her faults. "I have no right to meddle in my brother's affairs, moreso make ye feel unwelcome when ye're the one Jamie wants to be with." Her shoulders lost most of their tension, but the lines of her body were still strained tight. "I was worried about my brother making trips to London, and ye ken the reason why. I thought by not acknowledging ye, ye would eventually go away for good. I ken it was wrong. I shouldn't have behaved the way I did."

"But making me go away wouldn't have made a difference to his condition. Jamie would have continued to have those panic attacks."

"I ken," Jenny shrugged. "It was a dumb move, and I feel stupid for it. I realise that now. I dinnae ken what I was thinking. I'm so sorry, Claire. Can we start all over again and be friends?" 

Claire felt a spark of sympathy for Jenny. In that brief moment of admission, she'd kind of started to like the girl in front of her. Though she knew it would take a while before they could converse without feeling awkward, at least this was a start. Claire smiled genuinely for the first time. "Of course. I understand now why you felt the way you did." She glanced at her watch. "But in as much as I'd like to continue this bonding, I really need to go. I have a few errands to run. Shall we talk another time?"

"Oh aye, I completely forgot ye have someplace to go." She whipped around to grabbed her bag but knocked it to the floor instead, spilling its contents. "Ach, so clumsy of me," she muttered, getting onto her knees. "Ye go ahead, Claire. I have a spare key. I'll lock up once I'm done,

Claire immediately crouched down to help, grabbing feminine bits and bobs that were scattered on the rug. "Two pair of hands are always quicker getting the job done," she assured her.

"Aye, I guess so," Jenny mumbled as she skimmed the area with her eyes looking for anything she missed.

Claire scooped the loose pennies that had rolled off and slotted them into Jenny's bag. Then she picked up a slip of paper and was about to hand it to Jenny when she realised it was a newspaper clipping with her surname printed on it. Curious, Claire unfolded it and was surprised to see it was a small article from Oxford Mail about her family home, including a small line mentioning her as an heiress. Though she was aware of the article's existence, she was shocked to see it in Jenny's possession. What is Jenny doing with this?

Blood drained from her face when she recalled Willie's story about Jenny playing matchmaker between Geneva and Jamie. Didn't Willie say Geneva comes from a well-off family, Jenny's perfect solution to Lallybroch's financial problem? Claire skimmed the familiar article once more, the worth of her property jumping out of the paper: three million pounds. A sudden sharp pain slammed into her chest.

Claire held up the newspaper cutting to Jenny's face. "Why do you have this?" she whispered through numb lips.

Jenny's face was white as a sheet. "I ...it was given to me."

"Is this the reason why you're suddenly nice?"

"No!" Jenny licked her lips, thoughts racing behind her blue eyes. "I swear to God, I meant what I said earlier ...that I’m sorry. It has nothing to do with ..." She waved a hand towards the paper Claire was holding. "...that."

Claire scrambled to her feet. "You're sorry?" Her voice was high-pitched and unnatural, but she couldn't help it. There's a rumbling earthquake beginning to take place inside her. "When did you start feeling sorry, Jenny? After you read this?" She crumpled the piece of paper and threw it on the floor. "Did you really want to be my friend? Or was that all hogwash too?"

"Claire, please." Misery slashed across her face. "I realised my mistake when Jamie took off with his car the other night, and Willie spent hours looking for him. My parents, husband and I were up, and we were worried sick. My constant meddling has made him fled and taken him away from ye." She wrung her hands together. "I was a bloody idiot for thinking I was doing what's best for my brother when, in fact, I was making things worse. And Jamie's now miserable because he thinks it's all his fault when really, it's mine. Ye have to believe me when I say that piece of paper was given to me. I never sought it myself. It was handed to me."

"Good God, are you listening to yourself?" Her voice had been reduced to a whisper. All she could see was Jamie's guilt and tortured face that day when he'd told her about his fight with Jenny. His pained expression before he'd sped off to the night and her fear of the unknown. The many times he'd excused and apologised for his sister's behaviour because he thought Jenny was doing it out of love when Claire could clearly see it was all out of selfishness. "Let me get this straight ...you only recognised your mistake because you became worried sick after your brother took off. Are you even aware that you've been treating him like an imbecile all this while as if he can't decide for himself? This was never about him, Jenny, is it? You're only thinking about yourself. The other night scared the bejesus out of you because you knew well you were part of the reason he took off. Tell me this ...how does it feel like to be riddled with guilt now, huh? Try multiplying that guilt by a thousandfold and remind yourself that's what Jamie feels every day of his life. And if you think saying sorry will make things right again, you need your head thoroughly examined. Jamie loves you despite all your meddling, and you unashamedly continued to manipulate him. So excuse me if I have trouble believing a single word you're saying now. Because you know what the bloody hell this looks like? Your apologies to me sound like you're trying to manipulate me as well. And all because I happen to own an impressive three million pound property."

"No!" Jenny shook her head in despair. "Everything else is true ...but not that about yer property." There's a tremor in her voice and shame in her eyes. "I stopped by yesterday to apologise to ye, but ye werenae home, and when Mrs Fitz from across the road saw me, she handed me that newspaper clipping. I swear to God, Claire, I came to ye even before I knew ye had that property."

Claire couldn't stand there and listen anymore, not after what she'd gone through the last couple of days. She needed to let all her frustration out, or she'd implode. "I don't trust you, Jenny. If drivel could bounce, you'd be in the bloody orbit by now. Unfortunately, that won't happen, so I'm out of here. I can't stand being here any longer." The words exploded out of her and popped in the air like bright red fireworks. 

Jenny fell back a step and gasped. Claire was shocked too with the words that came out of her mouth. But she took that opportunity to rush out of the cottage, not caring if it was still raining, only focusing on getting as far away from Jenny as possible.

She'd just crossed the street when a vehicle screeched to a stop and reversed. Claire kept on walking, still reeling from her conversation with Jenny.

"Miss Beauchamp?"

She stopped and glanced into the Land Rover window that stopped by her side and noticed a familiar face. "Yes?"

The man tipped his baseball cap on his head and smiled. "It's me, Tom Christie."

"Oh ... it's you ... you're early!" was all she could say, too surprised for words.

"Actually, I'm on my way home to change clothes before our meeting. Do ye need a ride? I noticed ye dinnae have a brolly with ye, and it's raining."

Claire glanced back at the cottage and saw Jenny standing at the doorway, looking at her with that still ashen face. She'd heard rumours in the village about Tom being a ladies' man and knew what it would look like to Jenny if she got into the Land Rover with him. But she didn't give a flying fig. Let her gossip! Smiling, she nodded at Tom. "Yes, please. To the village centre if it's no trouble."

He grinned. "Nae bother at all. Hop in."

..........

"Remind me again why I'm here," Willie mumbled under his breath as they followed a young woman down a long hallway lined with modern paintings. "I thought I made it clear it should be Claire attending this therapy with ye. In case ye need reminding, I got our business to run."

Jamie sighed. "I'd rather ye're here. Ye ken my condition better than anyone."

"Is it Geneva ye're worried about?" his older brother asked in a low voice.

"God, no. I'd be more worried if Jenny came with me. Christ, she'd been pushing Geneva and me together for as long as I can remember. I ken the lass took a fancy in me, but that's all it ever was. I'm just concerned it's gonnae be weird since we ken each other."

Willie glanced at him with understanding. "There's nae avoiding it, lad. We live in a small village, and everyone knows everyone. It's the bane of living in such a place. We just have to make do with what we have."

"Aye, that's true."

The young woman in front of them turned. "The last one on the right," she smiled, pointing at the white door. Jamie wanted to say he knew his way around and that it was the same office as his former therapist but decided not to and returned her smile instead.

With Willie close behind him, he stepped forward and knocked lightly against the door. A feminine voice answered from the inside, "Come in."

Pushing the door open, they were greeted by a familiar, cosy space and Geneva, dressed in a black pantsuit with her hair done in a bun. She was sat in a dark leather armchair, looking them over with her transparent-rimmed glasses. If she was surprised to see Willie with him, she hid it well. 

"Mr Fraser, it's nice to see you again." Smiling warmly, she stood up and held out her hand for him. Taking it, she gave him a firm handshake before doing the same to Willie and motioning them towards the over-size beige leather sofa arranged in the middle of the room. "Please take a seat." Like a couple of schoolboys, they both did as they were told. 

"Before anything else," she began, looking at Jamie. "I have you here for one on one therapy. Is there a reason why you brought your brother with you?"

Jamie cleared his throat and licked his lips. "I, ah, wanted him here for moral support." 

"Fair enough. So what can I do for you?" She smiled, crossing her legs and reclining back into her armchair, a clipboard resting on her thigh.

Jamie anxiously glanced at Willie, but his brother only shrugged. "I dinnae ken where to start. Ever since yer predecessor left, I havenae been to therapy because I didnae feel comfortable seeing a therapist who knows me on a personal level. It kinda feels odd."

She steepled her fingers together, her blue eyes narrowing on him. "I understand this is out of your comfort zone and probably, for some, highly unusual. But I'd like to make it clear that I take my job seriously, and I hold myself to the highest professional standard. Whatever friendship I have with your sister will have no effect whatsoever on what would transpire within these walls. If you wish to proceed, please take a few deep breaths and just forget that you know me. In here, I am Dr Dunsany, and you are Mr Fraser."

Jamie considered her words as she waited patiently for his reply. After a minute of contemplation, he finally nodded and took a few cleansing breaths. "Fine."

She smiled. "So, first things first. What prompted you to finally see a therapist?"

He leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. "I'm in a serious relationship." Jamie thought he saw an ever so slight arching of her eyebrow but immediately dismissed it as his imagination. "And my condition and the panic attacks are hurting our relationship. I figured in order for us to move forward, I needed to take steps in getting better."

Geneva picked up her clipboard and started scribbling. "What do you believe your girlfriend thinks about your condition?"

Jamie smiled briefly at the thought of Claire. "Weel, she's very understanding and very patient, and she's taken my condition in a stride. Like the rest of my family, she thinks I'm suffering from suppressed guilt and emotions."

Geneva paused and closely appraised him. "Why do you think she thinks you have suppressed guilt and emotions?"

His heart began to increase its pace, and his throat tightened. "Because we were both there when her parents died. She was able to move on, but I couldnae," the words came out rapidly.

A whoosh of breath came from Willie.

"Why do you think she was able to move on and you couldn't?" she pushed, seemingly unaffected by Jamie's revelation.

A bead of sweat formed on his forehead. "Because it's my fault that she grew up without a family."

He heard Willie's breath hitch, but Geneva ignored his brother.

"And why do you think it's your fault?"

His mouth became dry, and his tongue thick. "I didnae run fast enough to get help when their car crashed. If I had, she wouldnae be orphaned today. If I was stronger, I wouldnae have needed to run off and get my godfather, and I could have pulled the door open myself and saved her parents as well."

"You look like a strong man, Mr Fraser. Why do you think you needed to run and get help to pull the door open?"

"I wasnae big enough back then. I was only ten." He dropped his head into his hand. "And she was so wee ...crying for her ma. All I could do was hold her." 

He started to hyperventilate as the image of Harry staring at him through the window, sprung to life. It was the last image he saw before the car had exploded.

Sensing his discomfort, Geneva stood from her armchair and retrieved two bottles of mineral water from the mini-fridge, handing them each to the brothers. They both gratefully accepted, taking large gulps.

When he got his breathing back under control, she proceeded. "I understand now your frustration at not being big enough to carry the task out yourself and why you had to get your godfather." She scribbled a few more notes on her clipboard. "I'm going to go back to the question you haven't answered yet. Why do you think your girlfriend was able to move on from her parents' death?"

He squashed the empty bottle of mineral water. "She was too young then to understand any of it, just a wee bairn when it happened."

"And so were you."

"She was five, and I was ten. I was old enough to be able to do something about it, but I couldn't."

"Your godfather, who was old enough and stronger than you, was unable to do anything further. Do you think it was your godfather's fault?"

"No! Of course, not. He tried his best. We got her ...Claire, who's m-my girlfriend now, out first and my godfather made me take her to safety. But the car caught fire, and it exploded."

"So it's not your godfather's fault, and yet you think it was your fault."

"Yes!"

"Why would you think, after all the efforts you and your godfather have done to try and save your girlfriend's parents, it's still your fault?"

"It was the way he looked at me."

"Who looked at you?"

"Claire's father. Just before the car exploded."

"How did he look at you?"

"He was just staring at me."

"And you can't get that out of your head?"

"No."

A mild frown of concentration descended across Geneva's face as she flipped through the notes on her clipboard. She reached out for a manila folder on a coffee table by her side and browsed through it too. "This is a great start, Mr Fraser," she continued. "From what I've here in your history with your former therapist, this is the first time you've ever talked about an experience from your childhood. This is highly interesting. Care to tell me why you've never talked about this before."

"It's a memory that I've forgotten, and it's just resurfaced recently."

She arched an eyebrow. "How recently?"

"A few days ago."

"Can you remember what triggered the memories to come back?"

"The night I met my girlfriend's uncle on video chat."

"So, prior to that night, you had no recollection of the forgotten memory, is that correct?"

"Aye."

"Why do you think your girlfriend's uncle triggered all the memory to come back?"

His fingers began to pick at the water bottle label. "He looks exactly my girlfriend' father."

A long silence ensued.

Geneva placed the clipboard by her side and uncrossed her legs. "That will be all for today, Mr Fraser. We've covered enough to have something to work on."

Jamie's head shot up. "So that's it? That was quick," he pointed out, glancing at his watch.

"Oh, we're far from done, Mr Fraser, but you've revealed more than I anticipated, so I decided to stop while we're ahead. Thank you for answering all questions as openly as possible."

"So what's yer diagnosis?"

She tilted her head to the side. "I believe you have a lot of misplaced guilt about your past that may be hindering you from moving on. So ...what I would like you to do is ...I want you to think about how you want your future to look like. Think really hard and try to dig deep. Next time we catch up, we'll discuss everything in details." She stood up, and Jamie and Willie followed suit. "I'll see you next week. My assistant will write down the date of our next meeting. You can pick up your appointment card on the way out," she smiled, opening the door and ushering them out.

The brothers walked out quietly together, both lost in their own thoughts.

"That wasnae too bad, was it?" Willie asked as they stepped out of the building.

Jamie shook his head. "No, no' at all." His head was still buzzing from the session, so he didn't really have much opinion to offer.

"Perhaps next time, ye can bring Claire with ye."

At the mention of her name, he pulled out his phone from his back pocket. He'd silenced it all morning as he'd prepared himself for the therapy but was disappointed to see there was no new message from her. "She hasnae messaged."

"I'm no' surprised. You havenae been returning her calls. And ye have no excuse, lad, because I left ye a charger at Lallybroch."

Jamie followed his brother close behind as they made their way to the car. "How do ye know I've no' been returning her calls?"

"She told me."

"How is she?"

"Find out yersel'."

A familiar bright red Fiat slowed down next to them just as Jamie was about to get into the car, and Ian, their brother-in-law, poked his head out of the window. "Hey, lads, guess who I just saw back in town?"

The brothers looked at each other and shrugged. 

When Ian stalled, Willie blew out an impatient breath. 

"Out with it!" Willie grumbled. "I've been away from work for far too long already."

Ian grinned. "Yer pal Christie."

Jamie waved a hand in the air in dismissal and turned to open the car door, not particularly interested in hearing the latest coming and going in Broch Mordha. "I'm pretty sure the lassies will be thrilled he's back."

"Aye, ye're probably right, but I dinnae think ye'd be too pleased to hear if one particular lass is enjoying his company."

Jamie whipped around. "What do ye mean?" He sounded like someone just launched a flying rugby pass onto his stomach.

"Saw Claire and Tom through the window of Slater's Arms. Probably sitting down for late lunch."

His heart and brain must have swapped places because suddenly, his heart seemed twice as heavy, and his brain thumped against his skull. "M-my Claire?"

Willie tipped his head like he's on the brink of calling Ian an eejit. "Hold up, this could all be just an innocent thing. Wasnae Claire supposed to be meeting with someone from here for some book publication?"

"Nae way!" Ian shook his head. "Christie doesnae look like the type to string a sentence together, never mind write a book."

"Alright," Jamie breathed, propping his hands on the edge of the car's roof. His brain was barely functioning because it was knocking against his temple, making him see red. He'd completely underestimated his ability to let her go, thinking he was doing it for her own good. Claire hadn't called today because she thought he'd given up. Ah, shite! He felt he was going to be sick. "I need to go and see her. Now."

"Fuck!" Willie muttered. "I'm coming with ye." Then he bent down to Ian's eye level and pointed his index finger at his brother-in-law. "Next time, run this kind of info by me first."

Ian smirked. "Fine. But I'm coming too. I'm up for seeing a bit of nefariousness."

Jamie was already in the car, fastening his seat belt. "Let's go!" 

  Dear Readers,

Whew, that was a long chapter. I'm literally drained; nevertheless, I'm feeling a sense of satisfaction that I can post it today. My eyes are wonky, though, from editing, and I was about to go through it again when I thought, ah bugger it, I will do the grammar check tomorrow.

Before I say nighty-night, thanks for your feedback from the previous chapter, and I'm looking forward to what you think of this next one. I know it's slow going, but I really wanted to cover as many plot holes as possible. Slowly but surely, I'm getting there. Anyway, take care always and keep spreading kindness and love. Until the next update, much love! X

[moonlightsanctuary]

Kuvira x Reader The Christmas Conundrum Part I

SOOOO it has been a while. So sorry this is late, had a lot of crazy stuff happen to me and this should have been out since Christmas but unfortunately i ended up sick with COVID, and a bunch of other health issues. So i am just now posting this. It ended up being so long that i had to split it up into two parts. With that being said special shout out to @ellsss and @goldfyshie927 for their honest feed back and encouragement. They is cool peeps you should go check out their blogs. This fic was suppose to be for a commission for special someone but we fell out of contact. @kuvirasrubberducky hopefully this finds you well and i hope you are taking care of yourself. 

Disclaimer: As always there will be smut so you have warned! -.-

Summary: After returning to Zaofu under the care and guardianship of Suyin Beifong, You and Kuvira have to readjust to your old life before the earth empire. Although Kuvira has proven her worth and dedication to try to amend the damage and pain she has caused she still feels alienated from the Beifongs. The reader tries to help Kuvira face the deeper issue at hand and help reconcile somethings she has long kept hidden from the world including Suyin and you. Will your plan of attending Suyin’s Christmas celebration go smoothly or will the curse of the Beifong family drama hit its peak and become a melting pot from a very salty Beifong who refuses to forgive and move on? Find out for yourselves! Set after Ruins of the Empire. 

Kuvira X Reader - The Christmas Conundrum Part I

It was the most wonderful time of the year. You watched the citizens of Zaofu go about their day preparing for Christmas. Decorations lined every street corner and shops, garland decorated every lamp post, and colorful lights glimmered in every snow-covered pine tree. You clung to your coat tightly, feeling a cold breeze blow past you as snow drifted down from the sky coating the land in a serene winter ambiance.  Yes, it was the most wonderful time of the year, but not for everyone…especially not for Kuvira.

Since the reunification process and the downfall of the earth empire, things have not been easy for the former great uniter. From the time the two of you were put on house arrest under the care of Suyin Beifong, the transition from total freedom to full restriction has been a very troubling and taxing situation for the both of you. The relationship between Kuvira and Suyin was very rocky but both seem to have come to some sort of common ground. Though Suyin and Kuvira had gotten better and the two seemed to have learned to be cordial around each other didn’t mean that the two were fully amended. The relationship was far from what one would call normal. Suyin and Kuvria would still interact in a way that was very awkward or tense. Almost as if they were both walking on a very cold and thin layer of ice. Regardless, you remained by her side since the very beginning and nothing has changed since the day you joined her cause. You loved her, and no matter what the two of you have been through over the years, nothing has changed.

It was the first time in three years Kuvira had been back with the Beifongs for Christmas. Suyin, a person who was always known for her grand gestures decided to host a celebration for the upcoming holidays. Suyin had taken it upon herself to send out invitations to almost anyone who was a close friend of the matriarch including her half-sister Lin Beifong. You expected Avatar Korra and her girlfriend, the Future Industry CEO Asami Sato to make an appearance as well. This celebration would certainly be very interesting, you thought to yourself growing increasingly worried about what tonight’s events would have in store for you.

You were both welcomed back to the Beifong household and given personal invites from Suyin herself for tonight’s event. You were grateful for the invite knowing full well that Suyin was doing her best to offer an olive branch but you couldn’t help but wonder what her intentions were. As the hours grew close you felt the dread building up inside you that grew stronger as time passed. You knew you were both in for an awkward situation and wouldn’t be surprised if tonight’s events would be emotionally draining on both you and Kuvira. You began to mentally steel yourself for tonight’s events, hoping and praying that everything went smoothly.

When you returned to the Beifong estate you immediately noticed the change in the atmosphere from its usual peaceful operations to the frantic movements and panic as both guards and servants shuffled past you in a hurry. You assumed the Beifong household servants and guards were bustling about getting ready for the party. You walked past the entrance hall, heading towards the parlor.  You paused as an orderly carrying a large box nearly knocked into you. Quickly, you stepped aside to allow them room to slip past you. After the orderly mumbled an apology before rushing away you proceeded to enter the parlor. At the center of the chaos stood the matriarch of the clan herself Suyin Beifong.

Suyin stood at the foot of a tall pine tree with her back to you as she mulled over the tree’s decorations. You approached the matriarch carefully, watching as Suyin used her metal bending to put up last-minute decorations on the tree.

You stood quietly behind Suyin watching her use her bending to take out a large metal star from a colorful box. Suyin held it in the air and turned her attention back to the tree, looking it over carefully. You eyed the star, astonished by its beauty. The design was simple yet elegant. With unique carvings that covered the entire surface of the star and jewels that lined the outer edge. At the very center of it was a star-shaped ruby. It seemed to glisten from the Christmas lights that were wrapped around the branches of the tree. Suyin hoisted it up higher in the air, playing with the weight of it as she maneuvered it up to the top. Very gently and with much concentration she settled it at the very top of the tree, carefully setting it down and making sure the branches would hold its weight. Once she was convinced that the decorative piece was secure Suyin released it from her hold, letting her arm fall to her waist.  It was quite a sight to see, just admiring the beauty of the tree put you more in the Christmas spirit that was almost nonexistent up until now.

You took a step forward to get a better look at the decorations. The gold garland that wrapped around the tree made the Scarlet and gold ornaments appear vibrant. Silver metal candy canes and pine cones also hung from its branches. The metal was smooth and reflective causing the ornaments to sparkle from the nearby Christmas lights. It was breathtaking, there were no other words to describe it.

“It’s so beautiful…” You said out loud, not hearing yourself speak. You watched as the matriarch flinched from your words, turning quickly on her heels to meet your gaze that was still fixated on the tree. It seemed the older woman was not aware of your presence despite her seismic abilities.

“Oh, Y/N!” Suyin said, pressing a hand to her chest to ease her already fried nerves. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

You turned to address the matriarch, noticing how she looked a little worn and weary. You assumed the stress was caused by the intense preparation of tonight's events and believed it was beginning to eat away at her. That was Suyin. If it wasn’t up to her standards then it just wasn’t worth it. You had to give the older woman props, the amount of time, effort, and dedication she put towards her projects were quite impressive. Accepting only the very best and nothing less than that. It’s no wonder Kuvira was so dedicated and hardworking. Suyin must have pushed her hard as her protégé. It made you wonder what life was really like for Kuvira growing up. Up to this point, you only heard the few scant stories that Kuvira had shared with you.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you.” You quickly cut in after realizing you were staring. “I was just watching you put up the decorations and I have to say the tree looks marvelous!”

At this Suyin breathed a deep sigh. Detecting an undertone of worry, you couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the older woman. “Is everything ok?”

“With me yes, everything is fine but I can’t help but worry about…” Suyin trailed off, causing you to stare at her with brows knitted in concern.

“Worry about...what?” You pressed, genuinely curious.

“Well... worried about getting everything prepared for tonight before my guests arrive. there are still some things I need to address such as the menu and the entertainment. Lin should have been here already, but her travels were delayed from the approaching snowstorm. So she said she will be here in a few hours.” Suyin sighed at the unfortunate news. She hoped that the storm wasn't too serious but knew Lin could take care of herself. In an attempt to take her mind off her stress she diverted the topic. “I hope you and Kuvira will be there.”

You turned to meet the Matriarch eye’s, the exhaustion evident on her features, but you could see the concern she withheld. “I plan on being there, however, I can't say the same for Kuvira…”

Suyin frowned, turning her attention to the tree, her shoulders sagged at your statement, as if your statement confirmed her fears. “I really want Kuvira to be there, it would mean the world to me. But…” Su grew quiet, her sight fixated on the tree.

Despite her appearance, you could see that Suyin’s mind was somewhere else. “Su…?” You said, trying to revert her attention back to the conversation.

Suyin cast her eyes to the ground. You noticed her hesitation to speak. For someone like Suyin, the behavior was rather odd. She was always quick to speak her mind, not caring what people thought about her. It was an admirable trait but also a flaw of hers.

“I am trying Y/N…” Suyin finally spoke after a few moments of silence.

Instinctively you took a step closer to her, careful to keep enough distance so you didn't feel like you were trying to invade her space. It was more out of care and concern than invasive.

“What do you mean?” you asked gently.

Suyin turned to meet your gaze, you could see the confliction flittered across her face as she spoke. “I know Kuvira has never been one for family gatherings. I mean how could she? Just look at what her parents had instilled in her at such a young age… and I’m afraid… I’ve only added to it.” Suyin turned away from you, it seemed that she was too ashamed to even look you in the eyes. “It’s no wonder she doesn't completely hate me… I wouldn’t be surprised if she did...”

You noticed Suyin’s expression hardened, the idea that Kuvira had possible feelings of underlying hatred towards her was eating away at her. Though Suyin was well versed at keeping her emotions in check, the suppressed hurt you saw behind those emerald green eyes betrayed what the older woman was truly feeling and trying to keep hidden.

“Oh, Su… She doesn’t hate you.  How could she? You were the only mother she has ever known.” You said in hopes to help quell her fears. “I know things haven't been easy for the two of you since we were placed under your care to serve our sentences, but hate is not something I think she feels towards you. I just think... these things take time.”

“How could she not!?!” Suyin rounded on you. The action was so abrupt it caused you to take a step back, afraid that your words of comfort had accidentally upset her.  “I had just as much as a part to play in her actions and for what? If I just listened to her and not brush her off… involved her more with the family - treated her more like a daughter?” Su spoke quickly, trying her best to rationalize Kuvira’s behavior and her direct involvement.

“Honestly I think she is angrier at herself at this point.” You spoke up, feeling that it was necessary. “She blames herself for what happened.” It has nothing to do with you.”

“Then why do I get the feeling that it does?” Suyin asked you, trying to make sense of everything.  Her eyes burned with raw emotion. “It's been months since the two of you were brought under my care and yet she is still distant with everyone, including me. She doesn't talk to me the same way she used to. She hardly eats with us, and when she does she doesn’t even bother talking to anyone. I can barely get her to hold a conversation with me that is not related to the weather or how she is doing... I had hoped that by inviting her it would show that I’m trying to reach out to her- that I’m trying to bring her into my family. I just… I don’t know what else to do.” Suyin seemed legitimately distressed as she spoke.

You stepped forward, placing your hand on Suyin’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “It’s not you Su.” You said softly, trying to reassure her that she was not the problem. “Kuvira is at the point where the guilt is just weighing heavy on her.” You paused, taking a moment to ponder how much information you wanted to share without getting too deep into details. You knew Kuvira was rather autonomous and preferred to deal with her own issues herself. You wanted to respect that.

“Kuvira is just caught up in her own emotions. I can barely get her to talk to me so believe me it's not one-sided. She’s…” You trailed off debating whether to tell Suyin or not, hoping the information you were about to share wasn’t too much... You knew if Kuvira was here she would object. At the same time as Kuvira’s guardian, you felt that Suyin needed to know. “Su, She’s… she’s been crying in her sleep… she’s been having nightmares.”

“Kuvira’s having nightmares again?” Suyin interrupted, her eyes widening. You could tell that she wanted to press you for information. You were worried you may have swung open the door for her to do just that. Instead, Suyin pursed her lips and knitted her eyebrows, her eyes searching your face for answers.

“Yes, she has.” You reaffirmed, hoping that she didn’t begin to drill you with questions you knew you couldn’t answer. “I really shouldn’t be sharing this with you but as our guardian, I feel that this was something you should be aware of.”

“No, of course. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry. I appreciate you telling me, I just… I’m worried about her.” Said Suyin, doing her best to keep her voice leveled from her growing concern. “She’s had night terrors growing up, mostly about her parents. I didn’t think she still had them.”

“Well she gets them every so often but they have been rather frequent as of late. I have noticed that Kuvira tends to get like this around the holidays.”

“Well, Kuvira has never been fond of the holidays. From what I've noticed over the years they seem to get her depressed. Probably stemming from her abandonment.” Suyin took a deep breath to help her relax before addressing you again, “You don't have to worry Y/N. I won’t tell her anything. You have my word.” Suyin said firmly.

At Suyin’s reassurance, you breathe a sigh of relief, grateful that Su was not being intrusive. “I appreciate that, thank you.”

“I appreciate you being honest with me. You and I both know how Kuvira can be about these things. Though I have noticed that she has been looking rather… exhausted lately. I had asked if everything was ok, but she brushed it off as if it wasn’t anything important. I should have known better… Kuvira has a habit of undermining her problems.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle in agreement, knowing Suyin spoke with such accuracy. “Ain’t that the truth. It would take a rope and a sledgehammer to get anything out of that thick skull of hers. I swear she is so stubborn sometimes.” You shook your head, “I wish she wasn’t though. It’s not helping her and I think deep down she knows that.”

“Please!” Suyin scoffed, fixating you with an annoyed look. “I’ve been trying to break through those platinum metal walls that she surrounds herself with for years. You might as well grab a plasma saw and start drilling with me.” A small smile appeared on Suyin’s lips.

You laughed at Suyin’s statement. You knew it was in jest but had to admit the matriarch’s words held much truth. The sounds of footsteps scurrying in caught both of your attention, you turned around to see a guard rushing in. He stopped abruptly and stood at attention waiting for Suyin to address him.

“Is there something wrong?” Suyin asked the guard with a raised eyebrow.

“Madam Beifong, an airship belonging to the Republic City’s chief of police, has been spotted by the watchtower. Do we have permission to allow them to land?” The guard asked rather stiffly.

Suyin’s eyes lit up. “Lin’s here? I thought she would be longer. Yes, I grant permission. I will be there momentarily to meet with her.”

With that being said the guard saluted before turning on his heel and running back out from the direction he came in from.

“I’m sorry Y/N I have to cut this short. I need to speak with Lin. We have much to catch up on and no doubt she will want a full report on the progress the two of you have been making.”

“Oh, I understand. It’s not a problem. Besides, I need to get back to my quarters to grab a few things. I’ll see how Kuvira is faring.” You reassured Suyin.

“Thank you, Y/N. If you can talk her into coming to the party tonight it would mean the world to me. I want to see the both of you there.” Suyin said lifting her hand and placing it over yours where it rested on her shoulder, giving it a gentle reassuring squeeze.

“I will figure out what to will do with Kuvira. I might try to have a private chat with her over tea or something later when this is all over. I’ll have some chamomile tea brewed for her and sent to her quarters, later on, to help settle her nerves. Hopefully, it will help with the sleep problems for the time being until we find the underlying cause.”

“That sounds like a plan.” You smiled in agreement. You turned to walk away to leave Suyin to meet with the chief of police when a hand shot out to seize yours. You stopped, turning around to see Suyin smiling. “Really, Y/N... Thank you. I appreciate it.”

You nodded your head, feeling Suyin squeeze your arm gently in appreciation before she released you, arm falling back to your side. With that you took your leave, walking back to the living quarters that you shared with Kuvira. You wondered what she was up to. Knowing her probably some rigorous dance routine or bending forms.

When you entered your quarters you found Kuvira standing by the window watching the snow drifting slowly to the ground. When you closed the door you noticed her stiffening but as soon as she heard you announce that you were back you could see her visibly relax. You approached her from behind wondering what she was so focused on. She made no attempt to turn around to address you instead her gaze remained locked on the view outside the window. You breathed in a deep sigh, you hated when she got like this. Kuvira had a habit of retreating into her walls. Even worse into her head, blocking out everything and everyone, including you. Though she was physically here with you, you could tell that her mind was millions of miles away. You often wondered what went through that brain of hers. Her thoughts must have been just as complex as her emotions. It’s no wonder she frowned so much. She must be putting in a lot of mental effort to stonewall her emotions.

She was still in her nightclothes, her hair out of its usual style was tousled and unkept from sleep. It draped over her shoulders and stuck out in some areas. A clear indication that she hadn't bothered fixing it when she woke up. From the looks of things, it appeared as if she just got up moments ago. It made you wonder how long Kuvira had decided to sleep in. It wasn't like her to do so. She preferred to be on top of her rigorous daily routines but with her current behavior and her known issues with night terrors, it wasn't entirely out of the ordinary. I made the concern you managed to keep under wraps grow, mentally processing ways to try to help, but Kuvira was a stubborn one. Opting to deal with her own affairs and problems herself and pushing anyone else who tried to get close away with very few exceptions. You being one of those said exceptions.

“Hey…” You whispered, lifting a hand to place on Kuvira’s shoulder in hopes to snap her out of her trance. “Did you just get up?

You felt Kuvira stiffen under your touch but immediately began to relax. She turned to meet your eyes, noticing your face etched with worry. She sighed deeply, “About a half-hour ago.” Kuvira answered quietly, her voice still raspy from sleep.

You took a moment to study her features, her appearance looked dejected. You saw for yourself how worn and exhausted she looked, taking a mental note on how her eyes were developing dark circles. You swore the bags under her eyes were big enough to hold her dance equipment. It wasn't a good thing, to say the least. This was beginning to become a problem, a problem you would eventually need to figure out how to rectify despite Kuvira’s stubborn nature.

“Did you have another nightmare?” You asked gently.

Kuvira didn't answer you, all but gave you a silent nod in confirmation. Your hand rubbed her shoulder, trailing down the length of Kuvira’s arm, taking hold of her hand and lifting it to your lips to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “Do you want to talk about it?” you asked in hopes she would be willing to open up.

“No, I don't. There's no point to... It’s not going to fix anything.”

“Kuvira…” You began, trying to get her not to start minimizing her issues. It was a notorious habit, one that obviously wasn’t helping if her appearance had anything to say about her mental state. “I know that is how you might feel about it, but if there is something troubling you then you need to not keep it bottled up. It’s just going to fester until it starts to manifest itself into other problems.”

Kuvira averted her gaze from you, almost as if she was trying to retreat back into her walls but not entirely. She took a deep breath and exhaled, “I know.”

“If you don’t want to talk to me will you at least talk to someone? Have you tried reaching out to Suyin?”

You felt Kuvira tense at the very mention of the matriarch’s name. She pulled her hand free from your grasp and turned to walk to the kitchen, leaving you without an answer. You stood there baffled, not sure of what to do.

No, I’m not gonna let her brush this off easily. You groaned and began to follow after her. You turned the corner and stepped into the kitchen just as Kuvira closed the cupboard, a mug in hand. She went over to the pot of freshly brewed coffee she had just made moments before your arrival and poured herself a cup. You stood beside her, leaning against the wall waiting for her reply. “Well?”

You watched as she reached for the sugar dispenser and cream,  pouring in a generous amount. She grabbed a spoon and began stirring the contents in the mug. She was clearly trying to avoid your questioning gaze.

“No of course not.” Kuvira finally answered before lifting the mug to her lips and taking a sip. She exhaled into the mug, feeling its warmth spread throughout her body, relaxing her.

“Why not?” You asked, reaching into the cupboard for a mug to pour yourself a cup.

“Why would I?” Kuvira answered dryly. “What happens to me is my problem. Besides, it's not like Suyin cares.”

“Kuvira… You know that’s not true. You know that Suyin cares. Why else would she have welcomed you back home?”

Kuvira shrugged, taking a long drink from her coffee. “Beats me… Probably because Korra and Lin guilt-tripped her into taking me back.”

“Kuvira, She cares about you. How do you not see that? The times she’s asked how you are doing, the random things she has asked for your assistance on, inviting you to dinner? You can't sit there and tell me you haven’t noticed?.”

“What of it? Kuvira said sharply, growing more agitated by the second. “That doesn't mean anything…”

“Well if it didn't mean anything to her then why does she keep doing it? For Spirits sakes Kuvria, Suyin has been trying to reach out to you by offering an olive branch and you are choosing not to reach for it.”

“I don't know why? She didn't care before, why start now? Kuvira asked bitterly.

“You know she does. I think deep down you do too! Su just has a strange way of showing it, and though it may have not always been the right way she is still trying.” You pressed further, not allowing Kuvira to dismiss it as a frivolous matter. “She asked me about you today.”

Kuvira’s eyes lit up as she pulled her mug away from her lips, swallowing the coffee that she held in her mouth hard. “She did?” She asked, surprised by your statement.

You took a drink from your own mug enjoying the taste and the much-needed warmth it brought to you before answering her. “Yes, she did. She hopes to see us both at the gathering tonight. Lin just arrived before I got back.” You paused, hesitant to bring it up Suyin, worried about what her reaction would be. “Suyin asked how you were doing… She’s worried about you.”

Kuvira took a sudden interest in her coffee mug. Scratching at the matte polished surface and swirling the contents with the spoon. She was contemplating this you were sure. If her stoic expression was any proof of that then you were certain. At the very minimum, she was receptive to your suggestions.

“I really don't want to go,” Kuvira whispered. she leaned her head back to down the rest of her coffee. She straightened back up, placing the mug on the counter with a hard thump. “She really wants to see you there. I’ll be attending too so you are not alone in this….” you reassured her.

“It’s not just this party Y/N! It’s more than that. I don’t want to want to pretend everything is normal when it’s clearly not. I know the Beifong’s have said they have forgiven me but I really can’t help but question the validity of that especially the way they act around me. I swear it’s almost like they expect me to do something bad…” Kuvira said, growing more irritated. She could feel herself being overcome with old resentment feeling an unspoken underlying hurt that even she herself wasn't aware was there, but she didn't want to acknowledge it. Doing so would further cause unnecessary tension that she knew would worsen her mood.

The sudden abrupt change in Kuvira’s behavior made you raise a brow. You could tell that the concern she felt was a valid one but you could see there was something more to her words. Something she wasn't speaking out loud almost as if she was avoiding something. You didn't press for an answer that you knew she wasn't ready to discuss, but you didn't want to dismiss her concern as something frivolous. You knew that in a way she was right. Since the two of you had been put under Suyin’s care you noticed how people watched you carefully, almost fearfully. Like a barrel of blasting jelly with a very short fuse. It was to be suspected of course the two of you were war criminals by all counts. Who’s to say either one of you would not revert to your old dogmatic tendencies. You couldn't change the opinions of others, after all, you were a big believer that actions spoke louder than words. You expected to be treated as such once it became known that Suyin would be your guardian and would be aiding in your rehabilitation. Now you had to put much work into proving to the citizens of Zaofu that you were not a threat and that alone took time. You took a long drink from your mug, feeling your expression soften as you contemplated the situation.

“I know…” You whispered softly. “And I know it’s even more difficult for you since you grew up and knew a lot of these people personally, especially the Beifong’s. You have to understand that these things take time.”

“I know… I just thought that my efforts in stopping Guan in Gaoling would have been more than enough to prove that I’m not the same person. That I'm not the Great Uniter any more. I regret how in my conquest for power I lost sight and hurt the ones I cared about… I’m trying to change Y/N… Why can't they see that?” Kuvira said anger flitting over her face as she spoke. What caught your attention were her eyes, you could see the pain she felt in that moment threatening to surface but she wouldn't allow it.

You put the mug you held in your hand down and reached out to her, pulling her close to you.  “I'm not the only one who sees it. Suyin sees it too. As much as you don't believe that to be true, it is. Please... give her a chance. I know it's frustrating but you are not alone in this… You have me…” You gave her a small smile, lifting your hand to cup her face.  

Kuvira exhaled sharply, feeling herself relax under your touch despite her frustration. She knew you were right, but it didn't make dealing with the reality of the situation any easier to bear. She leaned into your touch and allowed herself a moment of clarity, knowing full well you were subjected to the same treatment as her. It wasn't easier for either one of you and understood that you both needed each other. She needed to be rational about this and not let her personal feelings get in the way of reason.

“I know…” Kuvira said quietly, thankful for your support despite her stubbornness. “Thank you Y/N. Really, I don't know how you put up with me sometimes…”

You chuckled softly, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. “The same way you put up with the Beifong’s.” You pulled away from her and pushed her tousled hair from her face.

Kuvira sighed deeply, finally making up her mind. “Alright, I’ll go. But just so we are clear this was your idea.” She jabbed a finger at you accusingly.  

You took hold of her finger and shook it. “Glad we could come to an agreement.” You said, resisting the urge to laugh.

Kuvira pulled herself free from your grasp. Her eyes narrowed, a frown forming on her lips. “Don’t patronize me…”

You scoffed. “Me? Patronize the all-mighty Kuvira? I would never…” You smiled.

Kuvira couldn't help the pout that formed on her lips. You found it so cute when she did, loving her softer side that she kept well hidden from the world but only allowed you to see. It melted your heart into mush.

You lifted and rested both hands on either side of her shoulder. “Why don't you go ahead and take a shower. Start getting ready. We only have a few more hours until we are expected to be there and I have some last-minute gifts to stash under the tree so I need to do that before things get crazier.”

Kuvira nodded in agreement. “Ok.” She whispered softly, pulling away from you. Your hands coming to rest at your side.  

She pointed in the direction of the bathroom, gradually walking in that direction. “I’m gonna go shower. I'll see you when you get back.” She said then walked out of the kitchen.

You grabbed your mug from the counter finishing the last of your coffee. Taking Kuvira’s empty mug in hand, you placed them in the sink. When you heard the sound of the bathroom door clicking close and the water turning on gave an indication you were in the clear. Carefully you walked into the bedroom and into the large walk-in closet. You pushed aside boxes and moved around clothed until you found a specific box that was buried under the lot. You pushed that box up to the side and began putting everything you moved back into place. Once finished, you lifted up the medium size box with both hands and walked back out into the bedroom. Taking a seat on the bed you peered into it, noting the number of objects that you had bought for each Beifong including Lin and Kuvira.

You shuffled through the pre-packaged gifts searching for one particular package that you didn't want Kuvira to open in front of the Beifongs. Your fingers closed around a long box. You pulled it free, giving it a quick glance to make sure the wrapping was still intact. You couldn’t suppress the smile that formed on your lips as you studied the box, feeling that familiar tug in your stomach at the idea of using it. You looked over at the closed bathroom door, listening in on Kuvira opening and closing the shower door. You were very tempted but knew it wasn't the right moment. With a small sigh, you leaned over to pull open the drawer to the nightstand, placed the gift quietly inside, and gently slid the drawer closed. Somethings were better to wait for. You hoped Kuvira would like it when the moment was right. The thought alone had you pressing your lips together to subdue your excitement. Yes you decided, there were some things in life worth waiting for and this was one of those things. Pushing the gifts back into the box you stood lifting up the box and left the bedroom, closing the door behind you for good measure. You walked out of the apartment into the cold winter afternoon and headed towards Beifong estate.

Once inside you immediately noticed that the chaos had slowed but not by much. Pushing through a group of servants putting last-minute decorations on the wall, you headed towards the parlor. When you enter you turn to peer around the corner to make sure that the coast is clear before proceeding in.  You approach the foot of the tree, placing the box on the floor and reaching in to pull out presents. You heard shuffling behind you which causes you to peer behind you. You waited a few beats making sure the coast is clear before turning back around to carefully place each gift under the tree.

You heard the sound of metal shoes tapping the stone floor heading in your direction. You stood up quickly, turning around just in time to see Lin and Suyin enter the parlor, their conversation ceased as they turned their gaze away from one another to where you stood, standing in front of the tree awkwardly.

“Y/N?” Suyin spoke first. Giving you a puzzled look. Lin stood beside Suyin eyeing you suspiciously as Suyin continued. “I thought you were going back to your quarters?”

“I did. I just wanted to put some things under the tree for later since your family usually unwraps gifts at midnight.” You stepped aside so they could see for themselves. The two inched closer and peered overseeing the neatly wrapped packages under the tree. Their suspicions died down.

“Oh, that is such lovely wrapping paper, you didn’t have to do that Y/N.” Said Suyin, pressing a hand to her chest.

“I wanted to do something nice.” You stated, noticing how Lin still watched you carefully. “I mean it is Christmas after all, the time for giving.”

“Exactly! I wished some people felt that way…” Suyin turned her attention to Lin, her eyes narrowed and lips forming a tight line.

“What?” Lin said defensively, eyes widened when Suyin fixed her with an accusatory stare. “I came, didn’t I? You know I’m not one for family get-togethers.”

“While that may be true did you have to come in your work uniform?” Suyin said exasperated. “Honestly Lin don’t you wear anything besides your armor?”

“I came right from the station… it’s not like I have anything else.” Lin said matter of factly.

“Right… other than your extensive collection of coats,” Suyin said dryly.

“I don't even have that many Su.” Lin countered, “And besides what of it? It gets cold often in Republic City. So it is a necessity to have.”

“Lin, the fact that you have more coats than actual clothes is enough proof to show that you’re practically married to your work.”

“And that’s a bad thing?” Lin asked, not sure what Suyin was getting at with her argument.

“And what are you supposed to wear for tonight???” Suyin asked sharply.

You couldn’t help but stand there silently, watching the siblings squabble over Lin’s choice in wardrobe. You weren’t really surprised. The Beifong sisters could only remain civil long enough before they found something to bicker about. You knew the argument they were having was completely frivolous, but at that moment both women were so focused on it that they seemed to have forgotten your presence in the room. You wanted to leave, to let them go at each other. It would have been one less problem for you to deal with, but you knew that it would only set the tone for a tense gathering. You didn’t want anything to make things difficult for Kuvira. It already took enough convincing to get her to attend. With much apprehension, you tried to offer a resolution.

“Hey, If I may…” You began. Your voice was an octave higher than normal which worked in gaining their attention.

Both sisters stopped, switching their attention back to you to glare at you, causing a lump to form in your throat. You immediately regretted your choices but had no choice to continue unless you wanted them to round on you. “Su, Lin is a workaholic and that is not an unknown fact. And Lin as someone who understands being a workaholic, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a life.”

You clasped your hands together, addressing both of the Beifong sisters at the same time. “So, Su why don’t you rummage through your wardrobe and see if there might be something suitable for Lin to wear. If not maybe make a call to your tailor to see if they can come up with something last minute.”

Both sisters stared at you with blank expressions. You could see the gears in their minds clicking as they pondered your suggestion. Suyin shifted her gaze from you to address Lin. “I’m sure there is something in my closet we can find for you to wear Lin,” Suyin said mentally visualizing what she had accessible on hand that might be within Lin’s acquired taste.

“So long as it’s not frilly or makes me look like a clown I could care less,” Lin said dismissively. “At this point, I rather just wear a burlap sack.”

“Lin No! Stop” Suyin frowned, visibly horrified by Lin’s suggestion. “You are not wearing a burlap sack. We should be able to find you something. to wear. I am sure of it.”

“Fiiiinee…” said Lin begrudgingly, dissatisfied with the idea of having to play dress-up with Suyin. She was already dreading showing up.

“Great!” You exclaimed, rubbing your hands together before folding them together over your chest. “Now that it’s settled I will let you guys continue on with your discussion.”

You took a few steps forward with the intent to walk past them but were halted when Lin raised a hand in front of you, blocking your path.

“Hang on a moment Y/N, I need to talk to you.”

You raised a brow in suspicion. “About what?”

“Well as your parole officer I’m supposed to be checking in with you about once a month and it’s close to that time. The other issue being Kuvira.” Lin explained.

“What about Kuvira?” You asked hesitantly.

“I spoke with Su and she explained to me that Kuvira is showing signs of self-isolation.” Lin stood up straight, folding her arms across her chest. “Normally I don’t get involved with personal problems but seeing as it’s a perpetuating issue that is unresolved, it’s now officially my issue to deal with. Your mental stability is part of your rehabilitation. Can’t expect progress if either one of you is uncooperative and moping around.”

“I wouldn’t call it moping. And as far as I’m concerned she’s done everything she has needed to do. She’s just been distant with everybody… including me.” You expressed to Lin who listened intently.

Suyin interrupted, holding out an arm to gesture to the large sofas in the middle of the room. “Here, why don’t we all sit down,” Suyin said, laying a hand on Lin’s arm to gently lead her to a nearby sofa. You followed behind the two sitting down in front of them as they both sat together across from you.

“Look, It’s really not my place to say. I’m not one to divulge other people's personal issues… I’m sorry.” You apologized.

“I know you care about her and that you have a personal obligation to keep her affairs private but as your probation officer and Su as your guardian, it’s important that we know if there are any potential issues that might cause problems.” Lin pressed

“Kuvira is not trying to cause problems. She just doesn’t like the holidays.” You said, defensively

“If it’s just that then why is she refusing to cooperate with Su.” Lin countered.

“Lin, that’s not what I meant.” Suyin interjected, “All I said was that she has been extremely distant with me and doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Su it’s the same thing!” Lin stated.

“It’s not the same.” Suyin exclaimed, “I never said she didn’t listen. Kuvira’s done everything I’ve asked her to do, but what bothers me is when I’m trying to reach out to her she closes herself off.” Suyin explained, her tone coming out pained. “I just want…” Suyin paused trying to hide the hurt that flashed across her face. “I just don’t want her to push me away…not again...” Suyin said softly.

“Su…” Lin whispered, placing a hand on Suyin’s shoulder in a comforting manner.

“I just want to know… what I did wrong this time,” Suyin whispered solemnly, tilting her head down to watch her hands pull at the fabric of her robes in her lap.

You could see the pain and concern that Suyin suppressed written all over her face. That same pained expression that she managed to hide earlier was there in full display. You couldn’t help but be surprised by it. It was almost hard to believe to see Suyin visibly hurt and near tears by Kuvira’s avoidance.  You knew that Suyin was not always direct about how she felt about Kuvira, but at that moment you could see how much Kuvira truly meant to Suyin. You secretly wished Kuvira could see for herself how much the matriarch cared for her. You wondered if it would be enough to kick Kuvira out of whatever funk she had been in up to this point.

“I know…” You said gently after a few moments, wondering what Suyin was thinking. You felt guilty for originally questioning Suyin’s intentions but just seeing her here in front of you now made you realize how inaccurate your perception was.

“It really isn’t anyone’s fault. Kuvira’s just being stubborn.” You said to Suyin, causing her eyes to meet yours. She saw nothing but empathy and compassion.

“No one is to blame for this.”  You reassured her. Suyin’s gaze softened, understanding that there was more to this delicate situation.

“I did manage to talk her into going. So she will be at the party tonight. Though I have to admit it took some convincing,” You admitted.

“She’s going to be there?” Suyin asked, eyes wide and hopeful.

 “Yes, she has agreed to be there.” You confirmed, finding it hard to ignore the growing smile on Suyin’s face at the confirmation.

“But she hasn’t explained to you why she’s been distant?” Lin asked you directly, not satisfied by your answer.

“I mean she has told me very little about it.” You replied.

“What has she discussed with you, Y/N? Do you have any idea as to why she’s feeling the need to isolate?” Lin asked, pressing for an answer.

You took a moment to decide how you want to answer her question without giving her too much information. “As I had mentioned earlier to Su, I don’t think she is angry at anyone. If anything I think that she is just taking the opinions of others and the way people look at her way too seriously.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Lin.

“What I’m saying is…” you paused, trying to find the right words to defend Kuvira the best way you could. “Though things have been really challenging for her since moving back to Zaofu. She’s trying her best to make amends and to fix her wrongdoings and personally… I don’t think she feels supported…”

“I don’t understand why she would feel that way,” Suyin said, confused. “I’ve been trying to get her to open up to me, but I haven’t had much luck… I’m at a loss as to what to do.”

“Su, I don’t think this is just about you or anything you are doing.” You stated quickly, not wanting your words to be taken out of context. “I just think her lack of support around her is causing her to feel hopeless and alone, but that’s my opinion. I mean besides you Su; who else has really tried to talk to her?” You asked, hoping that Suyin would begin to understand the message behind your words.

“I…” Suyin paused, it seems that she was starting to understand the situation. “I didn’t even think to consider how she’s been settling in since she came back… how she's even handling everything. I mean Kuvira is no stranger to rumors, but I didn’t even think about how detrimental they could be to her.

“Especially since she’s in a great state of emotional and mental sensitivity. The added stress could also be contributing to her sleep issues.” Lin chimed in, adding her input into the conversation.

You nodded your head in agreement. The two older women were starting to understand that the issue was far greater than themselves; it all came down to Kuvira herself. More or less her mentality and how people viewed her now that she was no longer the Great Uniter. Having so much power at once and literally having it stripped away would make anybody question their life choices and sanity, especially when it came down to their relationships with others. That is considering if the relationship was still salvageable.

“Maybe, it’s possible…You do bring up a valid point Y/N.” Said Lin, her hand coming up to scratch at her chin.

“Indeed…” Suyin nodded in agreement. “I believe at this point it would serve in both of our best interests if I were to have a sit-down conversation with Kuvira.”

“I think that would be for the best, Su.” Lin agreed. “Better to hear it directly from the source.”

“I want to hear what Kuvira has to say before assuming the worst.” Said Suyin, her face remained passive but her voice sounded apprehensive. “I’ve already told Y/N that I would have tea brewed to help with Kuvira’s sleep issues… I will find time to meet with her later.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help more.” You said, feeling an odd sense of guilt at keeping Kuvira’s weary behavior towards the Beifongs to yourself. You knew the two sisters meant well but there were some things that people had to find out for themselves, and this was one of those things.

“It’s okay Y/N,” Suyin reassured you. “It’s not your place to speak on Kuvira’s behalf. I’m just glad that she will be joining us tonight. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly…”

“I’m sure it will.” You stated.

“I mean what is a Beifong gathering without a little family drama,” Lin said nonchalantly.

“Lin!” Suyin whipped her head at Lin and narrowed her eyes. “Really?”

Lin shrugged her shoulders, “What? I’m just saying it’s pretty typical for our family to have some sort of drama or a reoccurring crisis during family get-togethers.”

“Well for once it would be nice not to.” Suyin spat.

“Anyways…” Lin began, brushing off her sister’s sass. “Besides that Y/N how have you been doing?”

“Oh you know, just helping out where and when I can.” You answered, feeling a bit awkward now that the conversation had diverted away from Kuvira and onto you. “I try to go where I'm needed.”

“Lately, Y/N has been helping me with reconstruction projects. I had her assist with a new design for our landscape project” Suyin confirmed.

“Yes, I have been trying to find ways to figure out how to make exotic plants thrive and reformat the layout of the grounds. It’s dirty work but I enjoy it. However, the weather has made it difficult to work so I will have to pick it back up when it gets warmer.”

Lin scoffed “Yeah, I don’t blame you. Getting here alone was a real pain. This storm is no joke. We had trouble with navigating our way here. At this rate, we might need to hunker down for a few days and wait out this storm.”

“Really? It’s that bad?” Suyin balked.

“Yes, visibility is terrible,” Lin confirmed. “If it wasn’t for it being daytime I highly doubt I would have been able to get here safely.”

“I’ll go ahead and have the rooms prepared just in case.” Suyin decided, her face etched with worry. “Hopefully the others will make it here safely.”

“They should, I radioed Korra and Tenzin before departing. They left after I did. From what I’m aware of they’re taking the future industry airship.” Said Lin.

“If that’s the case then I’m sure they’ll make it here safely. Asami has people that know what they’re doing.” Said Suyin, still showing visible concern.

Lin snickered at Suyin’s comment, earning a dirty look from Suyin. Her smug look vanished almost instantly. You resisted the urge to laugh, instead you bit your lip to suppress it. The way the two would throw shade at each other was something you found hilarious, not that you would make it known. One angry Beifong was enough to deal with… you didn’t want to do anything that would cause them to direct their anger at you. You doubted you would come out unscathed. That was a force you knew you did not want to reckon with if Kuvira’s description of their past fights was accurate as she claimed to be. You remembered when Kuvira explained to you their last fight. You almost didn’t believe it. It sounded so exaggerated and atrocious it was hard to believe. When you overheard the guards the other day talking about it after learning that Lin would be stopping by you couldn’t help but notice how nervous they became. Speaking cautiously in frantic whispers made you eavesdrop on the conversation. You had listened in on one of the guards complaining about how long it took to clean up the damage from the last time they fought. You remembered Kuvira mentioning it took weeks to fix the damage to the estate after the last time they went at each other's throats. Overhearing the guards talking with wide eyes and hushed voices made you wonder how extreme the fight was to cause that much damage. You definitely didn’t want to find out.

“Anyways…” you began, hoping to alleviate the tension. “Was there anything else you wanted to discuss? I probably should head back and start getting ready.”

Lin shook her head, “Not at the moment, I will get with you later on for your evaluation.”

“Sounds like a plan,” you confirmed, pushing yourself off the sofa into a standing position.

Suyin rose from the sofa, “In the meantime, I’m gonna have the rooms prepared for later. That way everybody can retire after and nobody has to travel through that dreadful storm. I will get with you later Y/N.”

Lin stood up, “I’ll go ahead and radio Asami to check-in with them. Just to be sure.”

You nodded your head in agreement, “Great, see you later.”

You smiled at the two, then turned to leave. Giving them the opportunity to finish their chat before they went to carry out their tasks. At least things couldn't get more invasive than you thought to yourself. You pushed open the doors to the estate and headed down the path back to your apartment, wondering what you would return to.

[fleshbarbie]

Same, but different. (Part 2)

Summary: Billy and Reader don’t particularly like each other, Billy thinks you’re a snob with a perfect life, you think Billy is an asshole with anger issues. That’s until the party starts to hang out more at your house, meaning Billy is there more often (because of Max) and that’s when you both find out you’re more alike than you think.

- hi, this is just a little note to say thank you for all the feedback i received on the first part to this! i was honestly a little nervous about posting my writing on here for the first time but you were all so nice and didn’t let it flop. i have seen all the comments i’ve gotten, and i’m still trying to get used to tumblr so i haven’t replied BUT i’ve paid attention to who asked to be tagged on future parts (including this one) and they have been tagged! i hope you enjoy reading this one, it isn’t too long or interesting but i wanted to get something up semi-quick as a thank you for all the attention on the last one. :)!

-

It was quiet at the Hargrove/Mayfield household, which was rare. To Billy’s pleasure, neither of his parental figures were at home which meant he didn’t have to be on edge at all times as he awaited Neil’s inevitable rage that was always aimed at his son. Instead it was only himself and Max who occupied the house that they had moved into just over six months ago now. Billy was in his room, blasting out some music that shook his poster covered walls whilst Max closed herself away in her own room and distracted herself with whatever work she had to complete for school tomorrow. That’s how it always was between the two whether their parents were at home or not. The only times they really interacted was when both of them were forced to endure an awkward family dinner, but luckily it didn’t happen too often and for that they were both grateful.

Billy stubbed out his third cigarette into the old plate that rested on top of his drawers, and looked into the mirror with a sigh. He was bored and restless. If he hadn’t been forced with the duty to look after his step-sister he’d probably be out at a party right now, or getting high with Tommy and his goons. He didn’t particularly like Tommy, only kept him around for his own amusement but he’d rather be listening to the idiotic words that stumbled out of the boys mouth than spend another minute in his own personal hell. The only thing that prevented Billy from walking out of the front door right now was the consequences he’d rather not suffer through for leaving Max by herself.

Not having anything else to do to keep him occupied, his thoughts drifted to you. Neither of you had spoken since he had given you his number earlier in the day, but for some reason the scene kept replaying in his head. He hadn’t really noticed you before, not in the way he had then. He saw the clear exhaustion and stress in your bare face and it surprised him that he hadn’t noticed it before, though of course the two of you had never really had a real conversation before - unless you counted the numerous petty arguments you had as real conversation’s.

It bothered him more than it should, because he didn’t know why you looked so defeated. And he didn’t know why he cared so much. He always assumed you had the perfect life, which was down to the fact he’d seen you hanging around with Nancy Wheeler on more than one occasion and everyone knew she was best known as the ‘Princess of Hawkins’. But Nancy never looked so fed up, or did he just think that because he never paid attention to the eldest Wheeler sibling?

His blue eyes drifted to the wooden door that was placed to his right, he knew if he wanted to know more about you there was one person who could give him answers and she was sitting in the same house. Max spent more time at your house than her own, he didn’t understand what the appeal was. Surely your sister wasn’t that fun to be around, people get bored of each other eventually. Knowing he wasn’t going to be able to rest at all if he didn’t at least try to get some answers, he approached his door with a frustrated huff.

He made his short journey to Max’s bedroom door, and debated on whether to knock or walk straight in. Even if he didn’t care much for his new sibling (which was what he told himself, but deep down he knew he was lying), he was aware if he just barged in she was less likely to talk to him so he swallowed his pride and raised his knuckles to send three loud knocks to her door. Silence followed, he assumed she was ignoring him which didn’t surprise him so he got ready to do it again, only this time he planned on giving her some attitude for being so ignorant.

However, before he had the chance the door opened and Max’s head poked through the small gap she had created.

“What do you want?”

Ignoring her harsh tone, he answered her question. “I just wanna ask you some stuff, about (Y/N). She’s Alice’s sister right?”

The redhead nodded, an obvious look of confusion now present onto her freckles features.

“Yeah. Why?”

“How come you’re always over there? It’s weird. Don’t they get sick of you?”

Max wanted to shout at him for wasting her time, and question why he bothered disturbing her just to ask stupid questions but she noticed the seriousness of the topic through the tone of his voice, and the fact that his usual smirk wasn’t present. It wasn’t him coming to her just to be mean, he actually wanted to know why.

“I don’t know? It’s fun there. If we go to anyone else’s house we usually get kicked out by their Mom or Dad for being too loud.” She shrugged, pushing her door a little further open. “At Alice’s we don’t get yelled at, just as long as we don’t touch anything important.”

Billy nodded slowly, his brows furrowed. “What about Alice’s parents? They don’t get mad when you’re loud?”

“Well she doesn’t have a Dad- I mean she does but he died when she was a baby or something like that. And her Mom isn’t there when we are, I’ve never seen her. Alice doesn’t talk about her.”

Billy didn’t reply after that, he took time to process the information he’d just received and Max stood their still confused as to why he wanted to know any of it. He’d never seemed interested before, never asked her anything about the (Y/L/N)’s, he’d honestly never seemed interested in any of her friend’s apart from Lucas but that was never a good thing she was quick to learn.

“So, is that it? Or..”

Billy snapped back to reality, he waved his hand in a dismissive manner letting her know she was no longer needed. She didn’t bother saying anything back just closed her door and continued the work she was doing before she was interrupted. Billy retreated back to his room, closing the door behind him. He turned down his music a tad so he could focus on his thoughts and laid back on his bed, his hands behind his head.

He was smarter than he let everybody think, and it wasn’t hard for him to connect the dots. If your Dad had died when Alice was a baby, and your Mom was never to be seen, you were obviously the one to take care of the house as well as everybody in it. That’s why you always looked ready for a three day nap, you were overworked. He couldn’t imagine what it was like having to deal with all that, I mean of course he had his own problems to put up with but to him, that didn’t compare to what you were experiencing. You were a teenager, this was when you were supposed to be out with your friends, having fun, being reckless, your biggest problems being your grades. Instead you were stuck with the job of raising your little sister and making sure you still had a roof over your head, food on the table and clothes on your back.

And honestly, now that he thought more about it, he had never seen your Mom either. She was never there when he came to get Max, it was always you at the door glaring at him for being moody. There was never a car in the driveway, never a glimpse of her in the window as she walked by, he didn’t even see any pictures of her hung up on the walls like most families had. It was weird to him. He felt bad for just assuming you had the best life, with no worries or problems to deal with. But why did it get to him so much? You two weren’t even friends.

He spent so much time wondering why he cared, that he didn’t realise he was growing tired, he didn’t even realise he’d fallen asleep until the loud bang of his door colliding with his wall woke him up with a fright and in front of him stood a pissed Neil Hargrove.

“Where is Max?”

-

Tag List. 

@imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl​

@baker151910​

@flower-child2021​

@bi-andready-tocry​

[woah-were-halfway-there]

Just What I Needed

A/N: so many of you have been asking for more of my Along For The Ride series and I 🥺 y’all are the reason I even wrote this new piece and decided to continue the story at all, so shout out to you all. This is going to be a little sub-series of at least a few parts so if you haven’t read any of AFTR first I recommend it. Also, this is takes places right after this one shot here. Enjoy 🥰

Word Count: 5.2k

"I think I might be pregnant again."

It took Auston a second to process what you had just said and wrap his head around the concept entirely. When you brought up the topic of having another baby one day, he didn't think you meant right then. But at the same time, he didn't care because there was a possibility he may have another little bean running around soon, and he loved that thought. 

"Are you serious?" He finally breathed out and noticed just how anxious you seemed. 

"I- yeah. I haven't been physically ill like I was when we found out I was pregnant with Mia, but I've been feeling off. I feel like there's just something going on with my body, and I mean, there's still the likelihood that I'm not pregnant again, but, my period is late and-."

"Hey, you don't have to justify yourself," Auston spoke up when you began rambling. You were thankful for how well he was handling what you said, but you still felt overly emotional about it as you shifted away from him and started petting Frank as a way to keep yourself from crying. However, it didn't take long for your husband to notice what you were doing. "Babe, come here. Talk to me."

He sat upright and moved to pull you close to him again. Once his arm was around your waist, though, he hesitated because he wasn't sure if you wanted your space or not, but when you didn't move away, he took that as a sign to continue. 

You weren't sure why you were getting so worked up. For all you knew, it could have most definitely been pregnancy hormones, but you still weren't sure, and that's what was stressing you out. 

"I just need to know, Auston," you whispered as you turned to face him again, and he didn't miss a beat by reaching up to wipe away a stray tear that was rolling down your cheek. "I need to know if I'm pregnant so bad, but at the same time, I don't want to."

"What do you mean?"

You sighed. 

"I hate not knowing why I'm feeling the way that I am. If I'm not pregnant, then what's wrong with me? And it's so much more than that too. The thought of having another baby right now is scary to me. What if something happens while you're away or I just struggle because you're not here. Remember how stressed we were about that kind of thing with Mia? Sure it all worked out, but the thought still makes me nervous, and the timing would be completely different, seeing as it's November. You were in the off-season for pretty much the entire first half of my pregnancy last time, I had you with me when I felt like I needed it most. I don't know, I feel like I'm getting so worked up now, but I worry about these things, Aus."

"I understand," he nodded and looked away thoughtfully, the expression on his face changing. But you knew that look, he was internally blaming himself over what you had said, but you refused to let him. "I'm sorry you feel uneasy about this and that I can't always be here. I wish I could."

"I know you do, and that's enough, Auston. You're enough."

"It doesn't always feel like it, though. It's like I'm so much, Mia is growing up insanely fast, and I'm not always here for it all. Who's to say it won't be the same or worse when we do have another baby?"

"You're not missing anything, though. As much as I too wish you could be here all the time, you're doing what you love. Mia and I will always be cheering you on as you do that too. Just because you're away sometimes doesn't mean Mia is going to forget about you or love you any less. You know damn well how much of a daddy's girl she is. She can't contain her excitement when you come home from a road trip because she loves you so much. I just know that if and when we have any more kids, it'll be the same."

At that, he smiled before shaking his head. 

"I thought I was the one trying to make you feel better."

You chuckled. 

"That's kinda how we work, huh? Always levelling the other out in some way."

"Always," he replied before leaning forward to kiss you softly. "We just get each other like that. Which is also how I know there's something else that's bothering you. Come on, spill."

"You're very observant, Matthews," you mumbled while rolling your eyes. 

"Please, you find it endearing."

"I find it annoying," you corrected, making him scoff as you chuckled at his reaction. "I'm kidding. But yeah, I guess there is something still bothering me, but it's hard to explain."

"Try me," Auston replied, giving your hand an encouraging squeeze. 

"It's just, yes, there are things that make me feel uneasy about the possibility of being pregnant, but as I said earlier, I really would love to have more kids. I love thinking about Mia being a big sister one day, and the thought of growing our family together. But what if right now isn't the time to do so? Maybe there never will be a time."

"I don't think the timing is an issue," he stated and began tracing over your knuckles with his thumb. "I can't think of us having more kids being at a bad time, ever. It could be now, or it could be months or years down the road, and I'd still be happy. But only if you're ready, of course."

"I think I am," you told him honestly. "Which is also stressing me out because I do want to be pregnant again. It feels weird to say out loud, but yeah, I'm hoping that I am pregnant, however, maybe I'm not Auston. I have this gut feeling that I am, but I'm afraid I'm getting my hopes up. A lot of people struggle with getting pregnant, Auston. We can't assume we won't because we've already lucked out with our little girl."

You stopped and wiped away a tear you could feel that was about to break free again. Auston was quiet, but after a moment of processing what you just said, he finally spoke up again. 

"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?"

"More than I probably should be. I just really care about it, maybe a little too much."

"There's no such thing as caring too much," he responded and nudged your shoulder so you'd look at him again. "You're just full of so much love, and that's fine. It's part of what makes you an amazing mother to our daughter. We're in this together. Although there may be some bumps along the way, everything is going to be fine. This may be one of those bumps, but it also might be what we're hoping for. Pregnant or not, though, we're going to be ok, Y/N."

It was impossible for you not to be full-on sobbing by that point. Auston always knew what to say when you needed to get out of your own head a little bit, and this situation was no exception. You weren't crying because you were upset or frustrated, you were just so damn emotional having conversations like this one, but so thankful to have him help you get through them. 

Once Auston realized you were crying, he quickly pulled you into his embrace and held you tightly. He didn't say anything, just let you get those emotions out while gently rubbing your back and placing soft pecks on your head. After a minute or so went by, he began reassuring you and telling you how much he loved you all without letting you go. It was no wonder how, after that, you eventually started feeling better. 

"Thank you, Auston, I needed that," you told him as you moved away, sniffling as you wiped away any stray tears. 

"Of course, I'm always going to be here for you, babe. Don't feel like you have to bottle up anything, ok? We're a team."

"The best one," you stated before letting out a shaky breath. "I love you."

"And I love you," he replied while tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. "We're going to be fine."

"As long as we have each other."

"Exactly," he nodded with a smile.

You returned the smile before shrugging a little bit. "I guess I should go to the store and pick up some tests tomorrow."

"Or I could," he suggested. "Then, you can make an appointment with your doctor if you want, and we can go from there."

"Auston, I'm not going to make you go buy pregnancy tests for me," you told him and shook your head. 

"You're not making me do anything, I'm offering to get them. Besides, aren't you and Mia busy tomorrow visiting with Steph?"

"Well, yeah, but-."

"Then I'll do it, Y/N, I'm sure I can manage to buy some pregnancy tests," he retorted. "I'm getting up early, and if Mia is awake, which we both know she will be, I'll take her with me. I want you to relax, alright? Don't worry, I'll take care of everything in the morning, and you can rest up. But, I won't get the tests if you don't want to take them."

"No, I do," you started. "I want to see what they say at least; I just don't want to do it alone."

"You won't have to. I'll be back with them before you even need to start getting ready, and although I have to leave on Sunday, we can still do this together. Deal?"

You smiled and looked down at his extended hand, chuckling at how he was going to make you shake in agreement for this game plan. But regardless, you took his hand and shook it, feeling even more nervous and excited than before. 

"Deal."

 ~*~

The following morning was a bit of a whirlwind, but not necessarily in a bad way. 

Your daily routine usually consisted of waking up early with Mia seeing as her sleeping schedule had her getting up around 8 every morning looking for something to eat. And although some days that seemed way too early, there weren't many things you loved more than going into your daughter's room and seeing her smile excitedly once she laid eyes on you. 

She loved mornings and seeing her always put you in a good mood as you got her and yourself ready to start the day. But for this particular morning, you didn't have that.

As you slowly blinked your eyes open, you noticed how Auston was not asleep next to you. Although you were aware that he was getting up early, you still couldn't help the small pout that formed on your lips due to his absence. 

You weren't even sure how long you'd slept until, but when you reached over to grab your cell phone off the bedside table to see it was almost 10, your eyes widened in a panic. Without a second thought, you sat right up and scrambled out of bed to go get to Mia. 

It wasn't until you were about halfway through changing into some track pants and a hoodie that you heard a series of giggles come from downstairs, followed by Auston speaking in a dramatic voice. You let out a sigh of relief, reminding yourself that you weren't a terrible mother and that you had no reason to rush to your daughter's aid seeing as she was perfectly fine hanging out with her dad. 

You were about to join them but were hit by an intense wave of nausea that had you rushing to the washroom as quickly as possible. You didn't end up getting sick, but it sure felt like you could, and as soon as you stood up straight again, your mind wandered to what you and Auston discussed the night before. That same thought stayed in your mind while you moved away from the toilet to brush your teeth. 

What just happened wasn't the first time you'd felt ridiculously nauseous in the past few weeks, and you just knew it had to mean something. So, with a quick shake of your head, you rinsed off your toothbrush and mentally prepared yourself to head downstairs, wondering how the day's events would play out after talking with Auston again.

When you reached the bottom step, you were greeted by Frank, who looked up at you expectantly as he waited for some head rubs. After leaning down and giving him the attention he craved for a few minutes, you walked towards the living room where music, Auston's off-key singing, and Mia's laughter sounded, bracing yourself for what you were about to walk into. 

Slowly, you peeked around the doorframe, hoping to go unnoticed for a little while longer as you peered into the room and observed as Auston held Mia, swaying with her as he sang along Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl. Thoroughly enjoying what you were witnessing, you moved further into the room and leaned against the frame with your arms crossed over your chest as the other two kept dancing around without a care in the world. 

"You, my brown-eyed girl," Auston sang as he dipped Mia towards the ground before bringing her right back up again, earning another series of giggles from the toddler as she wrapped her arms around her dad's neck and snuggled closer to him with a huge smile. You couldn't help but feel your heart swell with affection as you watched your two favourite people interact the way they did, and didn't dare interrupt them. It was just too good seeing how strong of a bond those two had; however, it didn't take long for Mia to notice your presence lurking nearby. 

"Mommy!" She exclaimed excitedly, wasting no time taking her head off Auston's shoulder so she could look at you better while reaching her hand outwards.

"And what am I?" Auston asked your daughter in a tone that made it seem like he was greatly offended. "We were having a great time, but that doesn't matter anymore cause your mom is here now, huh, punk?"

He then scrunched his face at her before bringing his hand up in a threatening way, then moving it to her belly and tickling until she squealed and giggled all over again. 

"No, daddy!" Mia stated between laughs while trying to push his hand away, but Auston kept going. They carried on like that for another moment, before Mia looked at you again and decided she just was not having it anymore. "Mama!"

How she called out to you was like a mix of pouting and whining, something she tended to do when she wasn't getting her way. You and Auston expected that from an almost-two-year-old, but sometimes she was just so damn sassy, and it'd catch you both off guard.

"Woah, ok, alright," Auston said and moved to set Mia down. By that point, she was a walking machine and had no issue making the few steps she had to take to get to where you were standing. Once she reached you, she already had a smile on her face and was no longer frustrated as you leaned down to pick her up. 

"Now, you know how I feel when you come home from away games, and she no longer wants anything to do with me," you teased your husband before looking at Mia as she clung onto you. "Isn't that right, sweetheart? You love your daddy very much, don't you?"

"Ya," she responded and leaned against your shoulder, all while looking towards her dad knowingly. 

The way Mia had Auston so effortlessly wrapped around her finger was a very amusing thing to see. Since the two of you started dating, you had seen how dead serious Auston could be in certain situations, but when it came to his daughter, that side of him was almost non-existent.

With him, Mia could get away with just about anything. He was always incredibly soft with her, and you knew how much he hated being the 'mean' parent when one of you had to be. On more than one occasion, he had guilted you into being the one to explain to Mia how something she did was bad. Although the two of you did work as a team to tackle the teaching and disciplining of your daughter, you still knew it was especially hard on him sometimes. 

It wasn't like Mia had a favourite parent or anything either. She adored both you and Auston so, so much. When times came where she was a bit too sassy or was misbehaving, you hated having to not be cool and explain to her the way she was acting wasn't ok. But, it was all part of your parenting job. You and Auston were the ones responsible for Mia's development and wellbeing, and although that itself was a stressful thought sometimes, she always made it worth it. 

At just 22 months, she already had such a big personality, and it always showed. It was never hard to tell what kind of mood she was in, or how she felt because those emotions were always being expressed, and you loved seeing the little person she was becoming with each passing day. 

"Frank, mommy," Mia spoke up, snapping you out of your thoughts while pointing towards the Goldendoodle as he passed the two of you and headed towards the kitchen. "Frank, come back!"

"I think he wants something to eat, Hunny. What about you? Did hanging out with daddy all morning make you hungry too?"

"Mhm," she replied while nodding.

"Ok, well then, why don't we go get you some bananas, hmm?" You asked, and she nodded again. "Then we can watch a movie and play with Frank, all you want. Do you remember who we're going to visit later today?"

"Steph!" 

"Yes!" You exclaimed and leaned down to peck her on the cheek, before lowering your voice to a whisper, but still loud enough that Auston could hear. "And don't tell your daddy, but I think Mitchy is going to be there too."

"Mitchy!" She squealed, making you chuckle.

"What?" Auston scoffed as he stepped closer to the two of you. "I thought you two and Steph were having a girl's day."

"We were originally, but Mitch isn't doing anything today," you told him. "After Mia has a nap, the plan was to go over to their house anyway, but now I think we're going to stay in and make tacos or something there instead of going out to eat. Come with us, if you're feeling up for it. Maybe we can invite them here."

"Well, you know I'm not one to turn down a good meal," he responded. "I have to run downtown real quick at some point today to pick up that new suit, but other than that, I was just going to hang out with Frank while you two were gone. I'd love to join."

"Perfect," you smiled as you cuddled closer to Mia and started making way to the kitchen to get your daughter her snack. 

You moved around the large granite island smoothly as you walked to the fridge to grab some juice and a banana from where a bunch of them rested on the counter nearby. Just as you were about to grab the cutting board to start prepping the snack, Auston swooped in and took Mia from your hold to get her settled in her chair as you continued with what you were doing. You smiled at him thankfully before peeling the banana and cutting it up into slices for Mia to munch on, knowing it would keep her from getting hungry again until actual lunchtime.

Once you finished cutting the fruit, you put the slices on one of Mia's colourful plastic dishes and gave it to her before going back to make yourself something to eat as well. 

"Babe, sit down, I can make us something," Auston spoke as he snuck up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist. 

"You haven't eaten yet?" You asked as you spun around in his hold and let him push you gently back against the counter.

"No, wasn't that hungry. And I wanted to wait for you."

The next thing you knew, he was leaning down to catch your lips in a soft, but needy kiss. You smiled at the contact as you slowly moved your hands up his arms, before wrapping them around the back of his neck and pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. After a few moments of doing that, you pulled away and smiled up to your husband. 

"Good morning."

"Good morning to you, too," Auston replied with a goofy grin before pulling you into his embrace. You chuckled while shaking your head but soon relaxed as you rested against his chest and glanced over at Mia; your smile widening as you observed your daughter off in her own little world. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright," you told him. "Was a little nauseous when I first got up, but it passed fairly quickly."

He hummed in response and began rubbing up and down your back in a comforting manner. Nothing else was said between the two of you after that. You both found enough comfort in the other's presence while quietly observing Mia as she watched Frank, while he stared out the sliding glass doors at the birds roaming around in the backyard. 

You were content. There wasn't one thing you didn't love about the little life you and Auston created together. It just seemed so perfect, but yet, you still felt like something was missing. 

Your gaze then trailed over to the small breakfast table on the other side of the kitchen, where a white plastic bag with the logo of the pharmacy down the road sat. You didn't even have to ask Auston to know what was in the bag, but you still found yourself moving away from him and walking towards it. Auston followed and watched as you looked in the bag, and sure enough, inside, there were five different types of pregnancy tests.

"I didn't know what one to get," he spoke softly. "There were so many different brands and types. I kinda decided just to wing it and hope for the best."

"No, it's ok," you replied and turned back to face him. "I appreciate you picking these up for me."

"Of course. Don't want you to worry about a thing."

At that, you smiled before snapping your attention to Mia as she let out a loud noise. 

"Frank!" She called, and you leaned over to see Frank leaving the room, much to your daughter's dismay. 

"I'm convinced she loves him more than she does us sometimes," Auston whispered as he leaned down to rest his chin on your shoulder. 

"Oh, shut up," you laughed and swatted his arm. "They're best friends."

Auston just chuckled and shook his head before standing up straight again and stepping towards Mia. 

"All done with your banana, baby girl?" 

"All done," she repeated while raising her arms as if to say she wanted out of her chair.

"I figured, seeing as half of it is on the floor," he teased as he leaned down to pick up the fallen fruit, before tossing them out and going back to pick Mia up and kiss her cheek. "Well, Miss Mia, why don't we go to wash your hands, then we can take Frank to the park, and when we come home, we can watch a movie."

"Lion, daddy?" 

"Yes, of course, we can watch the Lion King… again." 

"Solid plan, that'll wear her out a little bit," you joked as you filled a glass with water and sipped on it, mentally preparing yourself to take the pregnancy tests. 

"Gotta get that nap in somehow," Auston responded with a wink as he grabbed a baby wipe and washed off Mia's hands before exiting into the hallway to get himself, and your daughter dressed to go outside. 

"For our sanity and hers, yes," you chuckled and followed after them. 

"Mommy come?" You heard Mia ask as Auston zipped up her winter coat.

"No, sweetie, I'm going to stay here and make breakfast for your dad and me. But when you get back, I'll have your blanket and stuffy all set up for your movie."

"I thought I was making breakfast," Auston said and turned back to face you.

"Chill, Matthews, I got it," you responded. "Don't need you burning our toast to a crisp like you did the other day."

"Not my fault, the setting was so high," he grumbled and rolled his eyes. He then set Mia down to put on his coat and grab Frank's leash so the three could head on out, but for some reason, he seemed a little hesitant to go.

And you knew exactly why.

"Auston, I'm going to wait until you're back to take those tests," you told him. "We're in this together, remember?"

"Yeah," he smiled. "We'll be back in like 20 minutes."

"Awesome gives me enough time to make some food and drink more water. See you three in a little bit."

"Bye, mommy!" Mia called as Auston opened the front door, and she began following him and Frank outside.  

"Bye, baby," you said and stood there smiling until the door closed, and you were on your own. "Alright, let's get this show on the road."

Just like Auston had said, he, Mia and Frank was all back around 20 minutes later. In that time to yourself, you downed three glasses of water and cooked some bacon and eggs. However, you seemingly lost your appetite when it came to actually eating anything. 

"Aus, I think I'm going to take those tests now," you said after a few minutes of picking at the food on your plate. The two of you were sitting at your kitchen's little breakfast bar, facing the living room so you'd both be able to keep an eye on Mia as she sat on the couch watching the Lion King, and your nerves were just getting too bad to wait any longer. "My anxiety is through the roof right now."

He slowly nodded in response, and you could tell he was thinking about what to say next. After taking a sip of his water, he glanced over at you and spoke up. 

"Do you want your space?"

"Yeah," you told him honestly. "I'll come to get you once I'm done." 

"Ok," he smiled and gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. "Leave your plate; I'll clean up. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will."

You stood up from the stool and walked over to where the pharmacy bag still sat. After grabbing it, you glanced back to the living room to check on Mia one last time before walking down the hall to the main floor washroom and doing what you needed to do. 

About ten minutes later, you left the washroom with your phone in hand and a timer set. You remained quiet as you entered the living room and crawled into the spot beside Auston, where he sat on the couch. He didn't say anything, He just pulled you closer and let you cuddle into his side, knowing all that needed to be said would happen in the next few minutes. He watched as you kept tapping your phone screen to life, anxiously counting down the seconds to when the two of you could go see what each of the tests said. 

Mia was oblivious to everything going on. She was very quiet, laying a few feet away from you on the couch, cuddling with Frank and her stuffed whale, while fighting extremely hard to keep her eyes open as Timon and Pumba started singing Hakuna Matata. The walk sure did its job in tiring her out enough to take a nap, and with each passing moment, you could see her eyes getting droopier until finally, they closed completely. 

And then your alarm went off. 

You and Auston both jumped slightly at the sudden noise, before instinctively looking over to see if it had woken Mia up. Luckily it didn't, and once you realized that, you both slowly glanced back at each other knowingly. 

"Ready?" Auston asked.

"Yeah," you spoke quietly. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The two of you stood up then and went over to place some pillows near Mia. She wasn't much of a mover when she slept, and the couch cushion was wide enough that she shouldn't accidentally roll off onto the floor, but still, you and Auston were both careful and made sure to plan for the worst in case it were ever to happen. Auston then placed a small blanket over her for if she got cold. Then, he made sure to pet Frank before linking his hand with yours and guiding you back down the hallway towards the washroom.

You had left the door open and could easily see the four tests you did sitting where you left them on the counter and didn't know what to feel. You saved the fifth one on purpose for if you needed further confirmation of whether you were indeed pregnant or not, and after one final glance at Auston, you stepped into the room to see what each one said. 

After glancing down at the first test, your heart dropped to the pit of your stomach. There was no plus or minus symbol, no message on the tiny screen indicating what you wanted to know so bad, no nothing, and that didn't sit right with you. Without even thinking, you reached out and grabbed Auston's hand, hoping for some reassurance because you could already feel your hope slipping away, and then he spoke up.

"Babe, look at the other three."

So, you did, and sure enough, each one stated that you were indeed pregnant again. 

"Oh, my God," you gasped as a sob involuntarily left your mouth. You immediately moved a hand up to cover your mouth and look at Auston with watery eyes before pulling you in for a tight hug. "We're having another baby."

"We're going to be parents again, Y/N. It doesn't seem real."

"It is," you blubbered and squeezed him even more. "I'm so happy Auston; I just had a feeling that I was and-."

"I know, I know," he soothed while rubbing his hand up and down your back. You couldn't tell with how your face was buried against the fabric of the hoodie he wore, but he was smiling so damn wide. He was ecstatic and instinctively wanted to know more. How far along were you? When would the doctor predict your due date would be? And most importantly, was the baby healthy?

Auston had so many questions, but he was aware that it wasn't the time to ask them. He knew this was going to be yours and his little secret for the time being. Although he was content with that, he was just so excited and couldn't wait to see how the rest of how everything would play out. 

And neither could you.

[lovelivingmydreams]

A story by heroes and Villains

Season 2: Secrets revealed Logan Anker: Old wounds and worries

Master list book 1

The wounds of the past can hurt. Not just you but your surroundings. No wonder we keep those secret to protect them... or is it ourselves we are protecting mort that way?

Waiting until the end of patrol was torture.

Logan didn’t like talking about the past. At all. He had trouble talking about Hannah and Caleb in any capacity to Virgil, or Patton, or Thomas or even Picani. And the Collector… Logan wanted to forget about him. But he couldn’t. If he was honest, that man showed up in his nightmares to this day. And he likely would keep showing up until he was behind bars. Patton and Thomas did their best to comfort him. A gesture he appreciated even though it wasn’t very effective. Finally Prince arrived. The young hero took in the atmosphere in the room and was clearly annoyed. “Listen, I promise I was safe. But I could’ve been in the middle of talking someone out of making a bad decision at the time. You can’t just shout in my ear out of nowhere. That was dangerous and frankly, I expect you to be more levelheaded BS. Anny other night and Logan would have insisted Prince gave him a detailed debrief on what exactly was so important that he couldn’t even let them know he was okay. But today… “That isn’t what this is about Prince. Take a seat,” Thomas instructed. Giving Logan a moment more to collect his thoughts. “Ok…” Prince said as he sat down, Looking around confused. Logan took a last moment to calm himself before he started his story with an apology. “Prince. I must offer you my sincere apologies. I didn’t want to tell you this right away, and maybe I should have.” Had his decision really been about allowing Prince to live his dream before burdening him? Was withholding the truth for Prince’s benefit? Or his own? “You shouldn’t have gone out without knowing the risks… We talked a little about nemeses during your training.” Prince nodded. Clearly still confused. “Yeah, but I doubt I’ve done anything that warrants one yet. Those come later in a career unless…” Prince paused, frowning. “But you were a villain. Any nemeses you had would be heroes… Right?” Prince was a good student indeed. He’d realized that Logan was telling him he was about to inherit his mentor’s past. And he had a good point. A nemeses of Logan would be on the side of the heroes. “Technically, the collector isn’t my nemesis. At least not in the traditional sense,” he agreed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Ever since he stopped using his powers, high stress situations got him small headaches that got worse over time. “I’ll start from the beginning,” he said, thinking back to a time he’d erase from his life all together if he could. “I became a villain because I needed the money and fast. Plain and simple. Any legal means were insufficient, so I made a name for myself and eventually, when I said ‘give me 10.000 dollars or I destroy this building,’ people handed me the money because they knew I very easily could make good on my threats. I always picked an amount they could easily provide without harming the business or individual too much financially. One day I found myself running from the police force. I had misjudged the time it would take them to arrive,” he had gotten arrogant with success. “And I got helped by a stranger in a haphazardly put together disguise. When we lost them and caught our breath, he introduced himself as ‘the collector’. I fairly quickly understood him to be a fanboy of sorts. He was a big fan of my ‘work’, though he misunderstood the intention entirely. Not that I could get him to understand that.” Everything he said that didn’t fit Collector’s narrative was ignored or dismissed. “He thought I was taking the money as proof that I was superior or something like that. I didn’t listen too closely to his speech at the time. I was concerned with getting away. He said he wanted to help me. Gifted were still considered fairly new. Nowadays most people alive have lived most of their lives in a world with gifted.” The first super powered individuals had appeared around the time Logan was born. “But back then, most of the population still saw it as strange and there weren’t any real initiatives to help train the powers. So the gifted that were around often were untrained and had their powers act up without warning. Which could be quite destructive.” Logan recalled the park bench and every instance of loss of control after that, all the way up to a wine glass in a restaurant less than a year ago. He looked at his pupil to make sure he hadn’t lost his attention. The wide, attentive, green eyes and firm nod told him he still had an audience. “Anyway, the collector thought that people should respect and celebrate our existence. He compared the stigmas we faced to those of people of color, or the LGBTQ+ community, then still called the Gay or Queer community. He said it very nicely, it almost sounded reasonable, if you ignored the slight notes of supremacy. And if I had been trying to ‘stick it to the man’ as they say, I might have been tempted. But I just wanted…” to pay form my sisters treatment and my research for a cure. “I was selfish in my actions and therefore not interested in his big revolution, which turned out to be a good thing in some ways.” He didn’t want to even imagine the kind of person he’d be then. He wouldn’t have Patton that was for sure. And Virgil… No. He was glad Virgil was kept away from that madness. And he intended to keep it that way. “I told him I wasn’t interested in leading any resistance, thanked him for the assistance and left. Shortly after this, I encountered Manifestor for the first time. He blessed one of the people in the building with super speed.” Said gifted was now one of the heroes patrolling the city. He was actually one of the heroes who’s territory Prince shared. Thomas hadn’t gotten the hang of permanent and temporary power boosts yet at the time. It was always a game of chance. Thomas chuckled. “I remember. I was so pleased that it worked.” Pleased was one word for it. “You were insufferably delighted, even though I defeated your champion.” While he and StarBucker were amicable nowadays, at the time, Logan had been thoroughly annoyed at the inconvenience. But thinking back to Thomas’ triumphant smile he could not quite help his own amusement. “You did retreat though,” Thomas pointed out. “I stalled you long enough to make you give up that mark and head out. So it was a win for me.” Logan let out a sigh, he couldn’t argue with that, but they were getting of topic. “I saw the Collector a few more times after that, though I managed to avoid conversation. One day, during a stalemate with Manifestor, he asked me about him. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who’d been approached about his plans. He had actually advanced them. He was now not only collecting gifted, but also individuals worthy of a gift. Be it they joined him out of free will, or got persuaded through different means.” Blackmail, intimidation, manipulation. Those were the collector’s tools. “And he wanted me to ‘grant them that blessing’,” Thomas added uneasy. Logan patted his old friend on the back in support. A conversation with the collector had never been a fun experience for either of them. “Manifestor had enlisted the help of others to free some of his victims,” Logan continued. “The Collector claimed I was championing his cause. I assured Manifestor that I had no intention of assisting in his plans. That is about the time Manifestor started winning me over to redemption.” He thought back to those times with a bittersweet feeling. He’d been so excited by the idea. A nice place for him and Hannah to live. A good job that would let him take care of her and have her be proud of him. Things hadn’t gone quite how he’d wanted, but at the same time, one thing had gone better than he could ever have imagined. “Next time I spotted Collector, I told him in the plainest possible terms that I was not interested…” It should have been a firm ending to this story. Or so he had thought. That was naïve of him, he now knew that. Obsession and fanaticism don’t disappear just because one piece of that craziness did not cooperate. He’d been arrogant once again. Thinking too highly of himself. It took him a moment to continue. “He assured me I would be…” He suppressed a shiver as he recalled the polite, almost pleasant way he’d spoken. Sort of soothing. As if Logan had merely been a child afraid to go in the swimming pool and Collector was indulging him for the moment. “I haven’t seen him since, but that promise… I don’t know what exactly he has been up to in the past 14 years. But one can only imagine how someone like that matures... Or what he has planned for me when he finds me.” Or much more importantly, his loved ones. Thomas, Patton, Virgil, the Bullards who despite the current situation were still family to him, and Prince too if he was completely honest. There was no telling what Logan would do if any of them… Not now. “Prince, the collector will not consider you his enemy. But he is yours. Anyone who meets his criteria of ‘worthy’, is at risk. And he does not take no for an answer.” The words had barely settled in the room or Prince shot up panicked. “Phantom!” he exclaimed. “Phantom might be in danger! What if someone on the chief’s team passes on information to Him? Or what if he has connections to these crime organizations!? I’ve got to go out now and find him…” Prince was clearly about to head out again right away. Admirable, but not very prudent given the circumstances. “Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow you can try again. Even if you find him, you are not in the right state of mind to deliver this kind of news delicately.” Prince paused, clearly contemplating his words. Seeing, or feeling, an opening, Patton added his two cents. “You’ve done great today sport! You just go home and sleep on what you’ve learned. Tomorrow night there is another patrol and you might run into him then.” And to make the set complete, Thomas finished: “I’m glad you are so eager to meet this young hero Prince. Just know that there is no pressure. They’ve been evading unwanted contact for almost a year now. It is okay if you don’t find them right away. And we’ll give you the support you need.” Prince clearly did not like it but he conceded. “Can I ask a favor though? Can I bring him some of that dye and a modulator? I doubt he’ll have a very sophisticated disguise if he’s on his own. It could be a sign of comradery?” he explained awkwardly. Logan nodded. It made sense, and it wouldn’t take him long. He led Prince through a few doors to his lab. Once he got to his desk he put his family picture down. It was a digital picture frame that played an album of family pictures once the camera registered his face in front of the desk. Even if Prince didn’t look at it on purpose he might catch a glance of Virgil, Patton or him in passing. And Prince was a curious person. His territory included Logan’s new neighborhood, he might see Virgil on one of his runs while he was on patrol. Or see any of them in passing. For Prince’s safety and that of Logan’s family, he wouldn’t take risks. He handed Prince a black hairdye stick. Fitting for a gifted who relied on stealth. He picked up a dark purple modulator, the darkest color he had and plugged it in to program it. Prince clearly had an idea of how Phantom’s voice should sound. “Could you make it so it’s like, deepened by an octave and doubled? With an echo effect?” Logan nodded. It fit the moniker Phantom was given, that was for certain. “Thank you. This should help a lot,” Prince grinned as he took the modulator. “I shall be heading home now,” he bid before leaving the lab, followed by Logan who watched him get in the elevator to leave the facility. Logan let out a relieved sigh. “Come on. Let’s go home and see Virgil,” Patton said gently, knowing what Logan needed right now. Logan smiled gratefully and as they headed up, he handed Patton the keys. He didn’t feel clear of mind enough to handle driving tonight. He let Virgil know they were on their way so he would know to expect them. Otherwise he might think they were burglars.

When they got home they found Virgil on the couch with his headphones on. He looked up and smiled as he spotted them. “Welcome back. I gotta ask though. Who’s your fourth guy?” he asked playfully. Logan blinked confused. “What do you mean?” “For your poker nights,” Virgil joked. Patton giggled at Logan’s side, taking the lead. “No cardgames I’m afraid kiddo. We’ll tell you about the project once it’s finished. It’s all confidential for now I’m afraid,” he said. Virgil cocked his head and studied Patton for a moment, then he shrugged. “Okay, Keep your secrets,” he sighed as he stretched and got up. “Night Pat, night Lo,” he said casually as he headed to the door. Logan cringed a little at that. Lately his son, on occasion, used his surname. He was assured by Picani that this was in no way a reflection of Virgil’s affection for Logan as a father. He had no less than 3 fathers now. Him, Patton and an unknown biological father. To differentiate between the three he likely used surnames in his head. Which may slip out verbally on occasion. Even knowing that, it stung a little. “Goodnight Virgil, I love you,” Logan replied, trying not to show his inner discourse. Virgil paused in the door and looked back with a smile. “Love you to dad.” And just like that the tightening in his chest loosened. “Love you three kiddo!” Patton added. “Love ya Pat,” Virgil snickered before disappearing to his room. Logan kept staring at the door for a moment. Patton hugged him from the side. “What do you say I make us a nightcap before bed?” he suggested. Logan nodded. “That would be pleasant,” he told him.

The next morning, Logan woke up to hearing Virgil move about and singing to himself downstairs. That boy never sleeps in. He let out a yawn and stretched, feeling Patton curl into his chest. “Do you regret moving in with us yet?” he teased. “Never,” Patton muttered sleepily. “I smell bacon,” he hummed. “First awake makes breakfast in the weekend. It’s a tradition we have. He was ten the first time I found him trying to fix me breakfast in bed,” Logan recalled fondly. “He made a mess, but it was really sweet. He was following all my rules. He didn’t touch the knives or the stove without me there, which of course limited his options. I helped him make breakfast the that day. After that I made sure to lay some things ready for him on Friday and Saturday nights in case he tried again. Which he did.” “That is adorable,” Patton squealed with a kiss to Logan’s cheek. “Let’s see what our son has in store for us today,” Logan suggested as he got up. He waked to the closet to select some clothes for the day. He felt Patton’s eyes on his back and turned around. “Everything alright Patton?” Patton bit his lip. “It’s just… Our son. I really like the sound of that,” he explained. Logan nodded. “I do too.” Patton bit his lip. “I was thinking of maybe looking into… what it would take for me to adopt him? Make it official?” he suggested. Logan’s heart skipped a beat. Patton had mentioned adopting Virgil in a burst of emotion before. But it seemed like he meant it. He knew that it would mean the world to both him and Virgil to have Patton be an official part of their family. “That would be excellent Patton,” he told him sincerely. Patton’s face lit up at that. “Would you help me figure it out? I want to know what steps I have to take.” Logan walked back to the bed and sat himself next to Patton, taking hold of both his hands. “It would be my greatest pleasure,” he told him gently. Patton’s shoulders relaxed, his gaze still thoughtful, and then he let out a giggle. “May I inquire where your mind has taken you now?” Logan wondered fondly. “It’s just. Look at me being practical. You have rubbed off on me,” he scolded playfully. “Well if it helps, you have changed me too. For the better that is,” Logan assured him with a kiss to his forehead. “Now get downstairs before our breakfast gets cold.”

Breakfast was pleasant. Virgil rolled his eyes and teased them with how ‘cute’ they were being this morning. Logan responded by giving Patton an extra kiss to his cheek. And then Thomas picked Virgil up for their trip to the zoo. Logan and Patton distracted themselves by preparing classes for the next week, answering email and spending some quality time together. Logan had told Thomas that he could tell Virgil about his teenage years. If the topic of parents and siblings came up, he could mention what he knew. Logan knew that he was risking moving up his time table. But part of him hoped he’d be forced to tell Virgil everything tonight. He should have told him long ago. But he kept finding excuses to postpone. He had still not decided whether he’d talk about BrainStorm or not. “I’m home!” Virgil called all of a sudden. Logan glanced up from his book. Time had flown by. Patton was almost done with diner after which they had to leave for Prince’s next patrol. Logan was torn on that subject too. On one hand he knew the young hero wouldn’t need constant supervision for much longer. But on the other, he’d worry about Prince the whole evening if he didn’t personally keep an eye on him. “Dad!” Virgil grinned brightly as he gave him a hug. Effectively ending his inner turmoil. “Virgil? Not that I do not appreciate you seem excited to see me. But is there a particular reason?” he wondered. Virgil let go and stepped back. Logan absentmindedly took note of the fact that the height difference between them was almost gone. Would he outgrow him? Caleb had been a little taller than him. “Uncle Thomas told me about your teen years. I didn’t know you were on the debate team!” he grinned excitedly. Logan was a little flattered that this little bit of information seemed to mean so much to his son. “Well, yes. It was a bit of a hobby of mine, as well as an attempt to get better at socializing,” he confessed. Virgil’s eyes sparked at that. “You were a socially awkward nerd,” he chuckled. Logan frowned at that. “Hey, that’s a complement. I’m a socially awkward artsy kid. Sounds like I’m your son after all,” he chuckled happily. “Speaking off. Uncle Thomas told me you wrote poetry back in the day.” “Really?” Patton exclaimed from the kitchen. Logan was flushing bright red. “I… Experimenting with different forms of self-expression is a natural part of discovering one’s identity as a teenager. It was a phase. I would like to forget about it,” he said stiffly. “Aw, but poetry is so romantic,” Patton pouted. Logan made a mental note of that. Just because he didn’t write anymore didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy reading it from time to time. There was something soothing in the format and he knew of a few poems Patton may enjoy. As far as Virgil was concerned though, poetry was firmly in his past. “That’s too bad. I thought I could maybe make a project around your old work for art class,” Virgil said disappointedly. Oh, that was not fair. “I’ll see if I still have one of my old notebooks,” he allowed. “Just ask my consent before you pick one.” And before he knew it he was once again hugged tightly by his son. “Thanks dad. You won’t regret it. I promise.” Virgil’s excitement was worth any embarrassment that his pubescent ramblings may cause. During dinner Virgil told them about the trip to the zoo and the many sketches he’d made. He also informed them that his session with Picani had gone well. After dinner Virgil bid both of them goodnight in case he’d be asleep when they got back from the university. Patton was smiling the whole way there. “What is on your mind?” Logan wondered. “Did you ever write something for a crush?” Patton asked giddily. He had sort of expected this. “I… Didn’t really have a romantic interest in high school. Thomas was the only person my age I got close to. I was… Well you know what I was going through back then. Between my mother and school… All I had on romance was rather resentful or, once Hannah introduced Caleb to me, from the eye of an observer. Perhaps I can find one of the latter. It might be nice for Virgil to use something inspired by his parents as a base for whatever project he is working on,” he mused. “That sounds like a lovely idea,” Patton agreed.

Half an hour later, Logan was pacing the floor. Prince should’ve called in ten minutes ago. He might just be late, but… Then a beep announced that Prince’s communicator went active. Logan rushed to the comstation. “DreamPrince you are late. What is yours status?” Had he ran into trouble? Was he hiding? Or had he simply forgotten about his com until now? “I am currently debriefing Phantom. I’ll let you know when I’m done here. Tell chief I’ll stop by with a package,” he informed them swiftly. “Radio silence until further notice.” And just like that, the line went silent once again. “He has him…” Logan muttered. Almost in disbelieve. “Oh thank goodness,” Thomas breathed in relief. They’d all be worried about the child out on their own. But it seemed like they were quite a few steps ahead of Collector. An advantage they sorely needed.

Hero au

@cirishere​ @hestianerd1​ @moonlightshow00​ @naturallyunstablegamer​ @alias290​ @meowthefluffy​ @frida0043​ @angelic-cali​ @selenechris​ @theblackveilinreverse​

[hopesbarnes]

Black Swan (1)

Summary: Y/N used to be a Russian spy under the code name Black Swan. But that was a lifetime ago, now she’s a part-time avenger, dance teacher, surrogate sister to Natasha Romanoff, and trainer to new Shield Agents. She’s come a long way from the days of killing targets and being tortured. But when someone from her past comes around will she be able to ignore her history anymore? Or will she end up falling in love with the only man her sister ever loved? 

Warnings: None for this chapter  

A/N: Here we go againn! This is a edited form of the story I had posted last year. Taglist is open, send an ask 

“Bucky is going to be staying here,” Steve says at breakfast that morning. In the same nonchalant tone, he used to say “I’m going on a run’. Not the type of tone to use when announcing a dangerous assassin would be your roommate. You knew what he did wasn’t his fault, out of anyone, you understood this. But he killed without blinking, and his brain is scrambled like an egg. This didn’t make the most stable man, and it definitely didn’t make him safe to be around. 

“Steve, is that really a good idea?” Natasha says before you could form the exact same question. 

Natalia was your sister, you’ve known her your whole life. You’re not blood-related but related through things much stronger. The two of you were widows. A KGB experiment that stole girls and trained them to be merciless spies. They took your life away and killed anyone too weak to handle the stress. Natalia and you were the only known survivors. She took on the mantle of Black Widow upon graduation, and you took the mantle, Black Swan. 

“They took out the programming, he’s not the Winter Soldier anymore,” Steve combats with. “He needs help, and I need to be the one to give it.” He turns and leaves the room after this statement, leaving you and Natasha with no room to debate this fact. 

“This is not going to end well” you mumble under your breath, and Nat nods in agreement. Nothing about this screamed ‘good idea’. But then again, they did take in your sister and you. 

After breakfast, you head to the gym with Nat for morning workouts. It was never a crazy exercise, just enough to start the day. You head towards the treadmill, and she speaks first.

 “I remember him.” She admits softly. You knew the conversation was coming, but like hell did you want to avoid it. “Do you?” The ‘training’ you went through involved wiping, so there were spots in your memory that may never be filled. But James wasn’t one of those.

“Yeah, and I remember how you would talk nonstop about him,” you say teasingly. She throws her towel at you and the two of you break into giggles. A sound most people never dream of hearing from the two of you. 

“I was naive then! We were kids,” she says. Kids that never should have gone through what they did. 

“I never liked him,” you declare bluntly taking the goofy tone from the room. She exhales loudly. 

“I know сестренка (sis). What time is it, don’t you have class today?” She says effectively changing the topic. A trademark of hers.

 “It’s at 11, I have two hours and the building is 10 minutes away,” you tell her, even though she knows this information. 

“I still don’t get why you teach all those испорченные дети (spoiled children)” she says. 

“It’s my way of paying back to the society I guess. I might as well use my dancing skills for good for once.” She nods and you both continue running for a little while longer.

You arrive at the studio 15 minutes before class, which is more than enough to set up the barres and find the right CD for the lesson. The girls slowly start trickling in. It was your senior class so the girls are all teenagers. It’s Saturday which means the girls are here all day long. They stretched, ran through barre work, ate lunch, and then learned their choreography the rest of the time. They were part of a competition team, and put their all into dance. It was always refreshing to see such passion and reinvigorated your love for the sport. It may have lead you down a path that took everything, but it still held your heart.

“Alright girls, take off your street clothes. Barres mean leotards and tights only!” You say in an authoritative teacher voice and they all hurriedly shuffle to their assigned spots. You hit the music count “5,6,7,8-” and they begin their pliés. 

Two hours later the class ends and the girls go to their lunch break in a flurry of laughs and gossip. You put the barres back against the wall and join the other teachers for lunch. You’ve been with the studio for close to 5 years now. At first, they were wary of hiring an ex KGB spy, part-time avenger. But there were few people as trained as you, and when word got out that you were teaching, tons of girls signed up for a class with ‘The Black Swan’. Luckily the novelty of your celebrity status wore off with the girls and they stopped asking a hundred questions about the avengers and your past. (They were still obsessed with Natalia though.)

Lunch passes and you’re joined in the room by the girls of your large group. It was the beginning of the season and you had just announced they would be dancing to “Cosmic Love” by Florence and the Machine. They were still giddy with excitement and constantly heard “Miss Y/N Look!” by excited girls showing new ways they could turn or fold in half. The dance would start with three of the girls extending their leg above their head and holding it. You told them the previous week that this week whoever could hold it longest would get to do it in the dance. The girls all got ready before you count down and let them bring their legs up. You hear them all egging each other on and it reminds you of when you were younger before the program.

All but three girls eventually drop their legs and you have to practically shout over their excited squeals. The rest of the time goes by quickly and you have the first part choreographed and the girls seem to have it memorized. You give them all homework to work on their turns and bid them goodbye for the day. Before you can leave two of the girls come up and ask you to choreograph their solos and you agree before shooing them to their parents.

You head back to your apartment in the compound upstate and shower. Your floor consisted of bedrooms for the Nat and you and a shared area in between. There were few people you could tolerate early in the morning and Nat was about the extent of it. You head to the common area upstairs, where everyone gathered.

“The old man give any more information on when he’s bringing him here?” You ask Nat in your native tongue. She’s stretching and watching television. 

“Steve left today. Said they’ll be back Monday,” she replies from the straddle she’s sitting in on the floor. “How was the class?” 

“Good, started choreographing the large group today. They’re all super excited and want better spots in the dance so they’re trying their best right now.” You smile thinking about the girls all trying to see how long they can hold their tilts. “Two of them asked me to do their solos for them, so I’m a little excited too,” You answer.

“Sometimes a part of me misses the tutus and tights. Then I remember what came with them.” She says in a wistful voice.  

“You should come to class with me sometime if you want. I promise they’re not that vile,” you say. “Plus, they’ve been dying to meet you. It’s nothing like our lessons.” 

She smiles and says “Maybe.” You join in her stretching and watch the show with her.  

Later on, Bruce finds the pair of you chatting while sitting in splits.

 “You do know that the body was not designed to bend that way?” he asks. 

“It also wasn’t meant to turn big and green. But here we are.” Tasha quipped back. Bruce pointed as if he was going to refute that, but lowered his hand in defeat instead.

“You hear about the new addition? You ask.

 “Bucky? Yeah, I never met him,” he says, “But at this point what’s another messed up person who could kill everyone!” He laughs.

“How much do you think he’ll remember?” Nat asks. 

“Hard to say. Guess we’ll find out in time.” You and Natasha share a look but go back to talking with Bruce and hope for the best going forward.

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[elsanna-shenanigans]

April Contest Submission #19: Your Worth

Words: ca. 4,000 Setting: canon Lemon: no CW: none

“Your Majesty, it is time for dinner,” a voice called out in time with gentle knocking.

“I’ll be right there Kai, thank you,” replied Elsa.

She just needed to finish these papers before tomorrow so that she could ensure that there would be no delays in important matters. If Kai just came to call her, she reasonably had about seven minutes to finish up before she had to spend the other three walking to the table to prevent Anna from getting concerned. Her sister was ever the worrier, and the one who ensured that Elsa didn’t just lock herself away forever and accidentally die of starvation.

She found that minutes went by quickly when trying to do work. It took time to read the documents, time to deliberate on the best course of action, and even more time to put words to paper. This was of course followed by staring at it nervously, unsure if it was the best decision.

As predicted, the clock hit the seventh minute too quickly so she got up and went down. Food was hardly appetizing when she thought about the damage her winter could have caused in its short eternity. Still, she had to eat to keep up pretenses. If she didn’t, Anna would get worried and keep her at the table for longer. That wasn’t affordable.

Anna was waiting at the table, as expected. Elsa thought she saw a small frown on her lips but she blinked and Anna’s face returned to its usually smiling countenance. Must have been another trick of her mind.

“Oh, hey Elsa. Everything okay?” Anna asked.

“Just busy. You know how things get.” replied Elsa.

“Yeah, I do.” Anna sounded somewhat subdued in saying that. 

Still, Elsa had to get back. After a delightful but short (or perhaps not short, but hurried in royal terms) dinner, she got up to go. She winced as her chair scraped as she pushed it back in. Hopefully she hadn’t spent more than fifteen minutes at the table. Any more than that and she would be wasting time that had not been allotted to food.

Thankfully, it seemed that Anna hadn’t noticed a thing. If anything, she sounded somewhat tired.

‘Maybe Anna could use a break from her princessly duties.’ 

It seemed like a good idea too. As queen, she knew that she could–had to–handle all of her royal duties. It was also painful to see the normally vibrant Anna seem to dull. That just wasn’t right. Anna was the light of castle and to see her stressed seemed wrong.

The best solution then, was not only a vacation, but also to clamp down on her own stress tighter. Concealing was something Elsa tried not to do, but she also knew it to be necessary at times. This was one of those.

Vowing to do better, Elsa shut herself in her office to continue working. The candle had long burnt low by the time she dared sleep enough to ensure some quality of decision-making.

_______________

Anna sat at the dinner table, concern written all over her features. As the minutes passed, her brow furrowed, her mouth tightened, and her hands twitched nervously. Again, Elsa was late for dinner. She continually did this but never seemed to comment on it!

What on earth could be taking her this long? Elsa always excused it by citing her royal duties, but Anna also knew that couldn’t be true. Or at least, not the full truth. She might just have been the spare, but she was also given royal lessons just in case Elsa was ever incapacited or unable to rule! How did Elsa expect those lies to even pass?

Anna hadn’t wanted to say anything before but this was beginning to worry her. Elsa looked haggard and tired, massive dark circles beneath her eyes. She barely ate or slept, and spent all her time in her study. At first it seemed like diligence. But what kind of hard work meant that you ran your body into the ground?

Ah, there she was. It made her heart hurt to see Elsa’s expression so far-away and mechanical. It wasn’t right seeing her like this. So, Anna decided to broach the topic with conversation.

Anna ached even more when all she could get was a wooden response from Elsa. This confirmed it. Something was terribly wrong with Elsa and she would get to the bottom of it, somehow some way. Like usual, they ate in near silence and she was hardly surprised when Elsa got up and did not even excuse herself more than a quiet mumble before leaving. 

That night, Anna looked for Kai before anything else. He had been attending to nightly duties when she caught him. She had not even brought a light in an attempt to stay discreet. 

“Kai?” Anna whispered.

Kai startled and very nearly dropped the candleholder, sending rivulets of hot wax traveling down the candle’s length. He thrust it into Anna’s face and seemed prepared to tell off whoever spoke. His eyes widened and the wind seemed to rush out of him just as quickly when he recognized who it was.

“Princess Anna?” Kai whispered back.

“Yes? Listen, Kai, I’m worried about my sister and I was hoping you would help me,” Anna said. No point in prolonging things.

“Of course your highness. I will do anything you ask of me,” replied Kai. He hesitated before adding, “Though I too am rather concerned about her.”

“Can you tell me why? She won’t say a thing and I just… I don’t know what to do anymore. Why does she always shut me out?”

Kai laid a hand on Anna’s shoulder and sighed.

“I could not tell you. But I suspect that she has always struggled with deep worries, especially for you. Her worry is often born of love, and it might be best for you to check on her tomorrow.”

Anna’s face fell. That was it? No investigating tonight for whatever might be happening to Elsa? Seriously?

“Are you sure? We could check on her now and find out!” Anna whisper-yelled.

“Yes, we probably should. It would be good to ensure that she sleeps well, since she has seemed more tired as of late.” Kai said.

Having gained an ally, Anna led Kai to Elsa’s study to wait. They were just going to see how long Elsa took to stop working on whatever she had been working on. It couldn’t be that long, right?

The correct answer was that it was that long. The sky had begun to lighten by the time they noticed that Elsa blew out her candle. They could see the stones outside now, though they were still matte in the fading night’s light. Anna was thankful too- this part of the castle was rather drafty, especially at night.

Still. Anna glanced at Kai and he gave her a knowing look. Tomorrow then. She definitely needed to talk to Elsa about this no matter what. 

_______________

Indeed, on that fateful morning in Arendelle, Anna finally confronted Elsa about that behavior of hers.

Elsa herself woke to a rather normal start. She was curled up in the chair-bed of a sort that she had fashioned some time before. Ugh, her back hurt. No matter what, there were just positions that people were not meant to sleep in. That apparently, was one of them. It occurred to her that these poor sleeping positions might accumulate, but that was an acceptable sacrifice.

‘I didn’t oversleep, did I?’

Elsa looked out the window to look at the position of the sun. Crap. She had overslept, even if it was by a scant few minutes. Future her would be cursing those minutes lost, especially if they were just the minutes that she would not have but need. Hindsight was something terrible alright. 

Sighing, wishing she could have more time but knowing better, Elsa stood and stretched. She would do the morning paperwork in those next twenty minutes and depending on how quickly she did each task (within the time allotted), she might have time to do some of her morning grooming as well. 

The work chair taunted her with long scrapes on the floor below. Worn, the offending divots reminded her of the paperwork ahead. She blinked, and they were faded. Probably a trick of the mind from exhaustion. But she could not afford leisure lest the feelings of laziness creep back up on her.

Then why did she dread this so?

Her fingers wrapped around either side of the wooden back, but as she began to pull, a knock sounded at the door. It was the most familiar knock of her life, to say the least.

“May I come in?” asked the person.

“Anna?” asked Elsa, who had already begun to fumble with the lock, “Yes, of course.”

She opened the door, and true to word, it was Anna. Immediately, she knew something was wrong. Anna stared- no, glared- with accusing eyes and her lips were pressed together. Her movements were curt and careful, and the door was shut behind her as she stepped in and observed the dreadful mess of a room.

Anna swallowed. Then, like a judge dropping a gavel to give judgement, spoke.

“Elsa, we need to talk.”

Elsa’s eyes widened ever so slightly and her chest felt like someone had violently grabbed her by the heart and the heart alone. Her breath left her for a moment.

“Um, yes? What is it? What’s wrong? Are you alright?” Elsa said, with a shaky smile.

“I’m fine. It’s you that I’m worried about.” Anna replied.

“What do you mean? Nothing’s wrong, I’m keeping up with everything.” said Elsa.

“Okay first off, you’re lying. Second, you’re more than keeping up. I don’t even know what you’re doing at this point, you should not be doing this much.” Anna said, and pointed an accusing finger at the mass pile of papers at Elsa’s desk.

“I’m not- I’m not lying. And Anna, I have to. It’s my duty as queen.” Elsa said.

“Yes, you are. You’re blushing and starting to stutter. You never do that! And don’t give me that ‘I must do it to be the bestest queen ever’. That’s not true.” said Anna.

Elsa frowned, and tried a different approach. No no no no no, this was not supposed to happen! Anna wasn’t supposed to notice or worry, she would atone, and everything would be well!

“How would you know? It’s not like you’re the queen.” Elsa said. Immediately, she knew she made a mistake when Anna seemed to grow annoyed, or perhaps furious. She was inclined to believe furious.

“Maybe not, but I still got royal lessons. And none of those lessons said that it was anything like this!” Anna shouted.

“Well it is, it has to be!” Shouted Elsa back.

Anna swallowed before continuing. “Please, Elsa, I’m worried about you. You’re falling apart right in front of my eyes and I don’t know what to do. Tell me what’s wrong! Whatever it is, just say it out loud- let me help you!”

Oh. 

Anna just wanted to help her and like the foolish jerk she was, Elsa just pushed her away again. Why? Why was she like this? Why could she just never do the right thing? Everything she ever did just came with a dark consequence that she should have foreseen.

“Anna, I…” Elsa stared at Anna, her own eyes beginning to water. “I never meant to hurt you. I’m so, so sorry. I just. I thought that maybe, just maybe if I did all my work then I’d- then I’d…” 

Elsa trailed off and never could finish her sentence. Anna seemed to process this for a moment before wrapping Elsa into a deep hug.

“It’s not your fault, and it never was. I don’t know how to convince you, but it isn’t.” Anna tightened the hug. “What you need is a break. A vacation really.”

Elsa’s insides twisted painfully again. “Anna, I can’t!”

“Yes, you can, and you will. It’s for your own good.” 

“But what about the kingdom? It won’t run itself.”

“Run itself?” Anna scoffed. “Elsa, you’ve probably done enough work to keep it running for at least a month or more, including emergencies.”

“But I-” 

“No buts. We are doing this. Kai already told the court that you will be holding an extended leave of health.”

Elsa gaped. “He did?”

“Yes, because we all care about you. I care about you!” 

Elsa slumped in Anna’s arms and weakly tried to keep up her side of the hug.

“Okay.”

_______________

Their retreat was to a small wooden cabin near a currently frozen lake. Anna silently thanked Kristoff yet again for being an ice harvester. His job came in handy so much, more than one would expect.

The lake itself was gorgeous. Windy swirls of snow fluttered above the gleaming lake, which reflected the sunlight in various patterns. The shore smelt pleasantly of freshwater, and the very land was friendly and welcoming. The perfect place to rest to prevent any undue stress.

Whatever happened to Elsa was terrifying and filled her with worry and sadness. Elsa seemed so frightened and on the point of breaking there, in the study that day. Anna couldn’t determine why. But she knew that Elsa shouldn’t have those under-eye bags or have gotten so haggard. For crying out loud- she was beautiful!

But something did happen. Maybe it had to do with the frozen heart. Yeah, that sucked, but they cured it with true love! How could Elsa feel bad about that? Heck, even the ‘eternal winter’ of roughly two days did nothing! As it turned out, magical frost was much healthier for plant life than regular frost.

Currently, she sat by the shore on top of an old, fallen log. It was a good place for thinking and daydreaming, but it was also a good spot to talk with Elsa with. They would get to the bottom of this, Elsa would get better, and she would support her every step of the way through. 

That was true love.

At some point, Elsa came to sit next to her. It was a quiet affair, the earlier events still replaying in her mind like a broken reel. What could have, what was, what might be all danced in her head, fighting for dominance.

As it turned out, being trapped in your thoughts lent itself to a particular lacking of speech. That was okay though, because silence was a good healer too.

_______________

A few days later, Elsa dropped the first hints to how she felt. 

It was so difficult, the words stuck themselves in her throat. Her eyes watered and her throat became thick with unshed desire. At times it felt almost as if she had cast a geas on herself, unable to speak due to her own mind disobeying her whims.

But Elsa found some work-arounds. The silencing was not intelligent, she could allude if not speak. She could hope that Anna might infer what she meant if she had not already.

Once again, they sat on the log together in comfortable silence. Elsa went to speak but spoke nothing because her tongue disobeyed and her throat filled up with air. It hurt to try and say anything, it hurt to try and even allude. But she had to- she was drowning and needed the hand.

“Hey.”

A single word. Now for another in the call and response of speech.

“Hey.” Anna echoed.

“I love you.” Elsa smiled, contented. Maybe Anna would get closer to the right conclusion this way.

“I love you too.” Anna replied, giving her a glance.

Their hands landed on the same spot on the log. Daring, Elsa did not move. Feeling comfortable, she leaned slightly against Anna’s shoulder. Two displays of attachment. Of the love between them.

Whispering, she spoke. Whispering was always easier, hiding from the thing blocking her words. But these were easy words to speak.

“That really was something, huh.”

“It was true love.” 

Anna sounded so content, so happy that Elsa felt okay for the first time in a long while. Maybe she truly wasn’t as unredeemable as she had believed.

They sat on the log together for a long while, flesh to flesh, comfort to comfort. It was only natural to love the touch of another.

_______________

More time passed. Elsa seemed to have an easier time of trying to say what it was that bothered her so, but Anna knew what it was. It was lovely really, being able to spend time with Elsa. They had never quite had the chance before, and Elsa soon shut herself up when the chance came.

Moreover, she longed to spend time with the person who apparently felt true love for her. Anna adored Elsa, more than anybody else in the world. But she just couldn’t tell what that meant. In the stories, true love was between lovers not sisters. Besides, how would she know that it wasn’t a similar infatuation to that of say, Hans?

Or maybe Kristoff. But while she loved Kristoff, it was always in a much less intense way than she loved Elsa. But how did that make sense? They were sisters, they were of the same mother and blood- how could they not love each other more than anything? And yet, and yet the books in the library always had the girl go for the guy. The guy! Elsa was a girl. Was it okay to love girls?

Well it must be because guys loved girls, and children loved moms, and moms loved daughters. But was that the same type of love? Children kissed their parents and parents kissed each other but neither would ever commit the opposite with the other. Was a sisterly kiss different than a romantic kiss? She didn’t know, they had been separated too young for her to remember. Did it have to be marked by kisses to be guy-girl love?

Love could be expressed by all sorts of gestures! Like hugs, hand-holding and touching, cuddling, spending quality time, gifts, declarations of it! Wait. Wait a second. Wasn’t that what she did with Elsa all the time? They acted like a guy-girl type of love all the time! And if they were true loves, then girl-girl loves must be possible. But how could being sisters come into it? She’d never seen any type of sisterly love in her books that followed the vein of theirs. But maybe that was okay too. Those sisters weren’t denoted by true love. That didn’t make the love any less real.

And maybe, just maybe, if she felt that way, then maybe Elsa did too. At that moment, Kai’s words rang through her head.

‘Her worry is often born of love.’

Her worry is often born of love. Anna knew, in her heart of hearts, that there were two types of loving worry. The motherly worry, and the romantic worry. Elsa was not her mother, and she never tried to be. So it had to be the romantic, loving worry.

It occurred to Anna that maybe that was why Elsa was so concerned as to destroy herself. Maybe that was why it was so hard for Elsa to voice why she did it. Because she did it out of love, and the grief from causing harm overwhelmed her. If true love was that powerful, then pain about the love must be of equal magnitude.

At that moment, Anna knew what she had to do.

It wouldn’t be quick. It wouldn’t be easy. But it would work. She had to show Elsa that it was okay, that she had done no wrong. And maybe she couldn’t do it. Not yet. And she had to accept that, to help Elsa’s wellbeing. They had all the time in the world, and she was nothing if not a romantic.

_______________

They spent even longer at the cabin. True to word, it seemed that the kingdom had not fallen apart in Elsa’s absence. In fact, it seemed to almost be prospering from Kristoff’s reports.

Elsa didn’t know whether that was a good or a bad thing. What she did know was that the kingdom had not suffered terribly from her curses on it. Anna was still here, and the crops were said to have been bountiful.

She felt a quiet stirring of  hope long thought dead that perhaps her atonement would be enough, was enough. It had to be enough, but something in her mind quietly said that it didn’t have to. Somewhere along the way, something had reawoken inside her.

Her counting the time and seconds to a precise schedule began to fade while they were there. She at first had found herself counting constantly, aching for her desk, shivering with cold sweat knowing that all would go wrong without her there.

Or maybe more wrong, considering her disastrous coronation.

But it didn’t. Nothing happened, and as the fear eased so too did her block. It no longer felt like a great cinder stuffed into her throat to punish her. It was still there, but smaller to where she could speak directly around it. Some words were still trapped, but many were not.

Anna sat on the log, waiting for her again. It had become routine for them to quietly sit and watch the sun set while leaned against each other in a seemingly slight display of care.

“Hey Els.”

Not even her full name, a nickname. They had picked this up some time before. It thrilled Elsa in ways she didn’t understand.

“Hey Anna.”She replied quietly and tried to wrap an arm around Anna’s back and lean. Anna reciprocated and wrapped her arm around Elsa’s shoulders.

The sky was truly gorgeous today, and the silence between them was now something of comfort rather than of painful misery. 

Anna liked to talk about true love a lot. Her theories, her ideas- all of which made a lot of sense. Elsa had a horrible suspicion that they might not be socially acceptable, but they were wonderful to hear all the same. Her ideas on love in general, on the person, on emotions- Elsa loved to soak it all up.

And now, more than ever, it felt safe to be with Anna. She didn’t feel like she was too dangerous to harm the most important person in the world. 

It felt good.

_______________

On the most important day of their stay, and among the last, the two were ice-skating together. It was a dizzying ballet of trust and delight, as both laughed with glee on the ice.

Anna was happy beyond measure. There would never be a good enough word in the english language to describe her ecstatic joy. The break had worked. The long time spent helping Elsa heal- it worked, and it showed.

She had never in her life seen Elsa this happy since the accident. And yet here she was, like nothing had happened. They were so close now, and it might have been due to something in Elsa breaking. She still didn’t know what it was that had hurt Elsa so, but she didn’t want to. Some things were not worth the pain, though the reward was the sweetest.

She didn’t even know if that sort of affliction might come back to hurt Elsa again. What she did know was that if it did, she would kick its butt all over again, with the power of true love. Well maybe not true love exactly, but its components. Patience. Kindness. Compassion.

As Elsa glided over the ice, Anna came up behind her and made their solo performances into a duo. Elsa turned with a peaceful smile and determined eyes.

“You know, all I ever wanted to do was atone.”

Atonement. All this time. That single word. Atone for things that she thought she had done terribly. Cruel fate for casting false guilt on her beloved!

“Aw, there was nothing ever you had to atone for.” Anna said, smiling.

“Yeah, but now I have you.” Elsa replied.

“You always had me, Elsa.” said Anna.

“But I’m not scared anymore, and I love you more than anything Anna.” Elsa said softly.

“And I love you more than anything.” said Anna.

Anna buried her face in Elsa’s neck and pulled both their arms into a silent hug. Then there was only their loving silence and the soft schk of blades on ice.

[wordsandshawn]

The Platonic Series ~ Stress

A/n: Here’s something short that has been sitting half-finished in my drafts for probably years. It’s just a little platonic Shawn, so I figured I’d just add it as a part of the platonic series. This is set in 2016, before Stephen, for the sake of the timeline in the story working out. I don’t want to promote underage drinking, so can we pretend that they’re 19 in this (and therefore legal in Canada)? Thank you, hope you enjoy! 

Word Count:  2k of protective caring best friend Shawn

|| message me || masterlist ||

2016

Shawn’s back home again. He was gone for a month and now he’s only home for the weekend, which is why you don’t want to burden him with your problems and the stresses you have been dealing with lately. You want to just forget the drama and spend some quality time with your best friend.

You’ve spent the whole day with Shawn and Aaliyah, mostly lounging around his condo, ordering takeout, and watching movies. You had offered to go home and give them some sibling time alone, but they both insisted that they wanted you to stay and hang out with them. You didn’t mind since you have always felt like Aaliyah was a little sister to you. You just didn’t want to impose on their time together, knowing they don’t get a lot of it, but they made it clear that they wanted you to stay. Truthfully, the idea of going back to your apartment didn’t appeal to you at all, so you gave in. In the afternoon, you and Shawn drop Aaliyah off at hockey practice, and you’re on your way back to his condo since all of his friends are coming over tonight.

You thought you were doing a pretty good job of hiding your feelings from Shawn, but he clearly saw through it all because as soon as Aaliyah walks into the rink and Shawn begins to drive his Jeep out of the parking lot, he says almost nonchalantly, “So are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” You question, looking out the window.

“What’s bothering you? You’ve been acting weird all day.” He responds barely taking his eyes off the road as though it is the most obvious thing in the world.

“It’s nothing.” You respond, not wanting to talk about it or ruin the mood. Tonight is supposed to be fun. And honestly, you’re looking forward to getting drunk enough to not have to remember much of it.

“That’s bullshit.” He calls you out like only he can. “Should I start guessing?” He questions determined to get it out of you one way or another.

“No, it’s not a big deal, Shawn. Really. I just want to have a good time tonight. You’re only home for a little while.”

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” Shawn says getting serious.

“I know.” You respond.

“Okay,” He says quietly. He doesn’t say anything more about it, and for that, you’re grateful. You change the subject and start talking about something funny you read online, and the two of you chat the whole way back to the condo. 

Just like every Friday night Shawn is home, the plan is to pregame at his condo then head out to a nearby bar. As his friends start arriving, you fall into the routine of handing out drinks and making sure everyone is okay. You had already decided earlier in the evening that you didn’t want to go to the bar. You’d just get drunk enough with everyone at Shawn’s condo and then fall asleep while everyone else went out.

You’re looking for the bottle opener to open another beer. You’ve already lost count of what number it is, but it doesn’t really matter. “Woah, slow down.” Shawn says walking up to you, “Is that for you?” He questions motioning toward the beer.

When you nod, he takes it from your hand and you weakly protest, reaching for it. “We haven’t even made it to the bar yet.” He says, and by the sound of his voice and the way he’s acting, you know he hasn’t drunk much at all yet.

“I’m not going.” You respond, reaching for the drink again, but he moves it out of your reach.

“Okay?” He responds, studying you for a minute, still holding the drink up higher than you can reach.

“Can I have my drink back?” You try asking nicely, hoping it’ll work.

“Wanna tell me what’s bugging you first?” He questions, knowing you’re inebriated, and his chances are higher at getting the words out of you.

You shake your head, feeling dizzy from the movement. “No. I want another drink.”

“Okay, I think you’ve had enough.” He says, taking a plastic cup and filling it with water before handing it to you, “Drink.”  He commands.

“You can’t tell me what to do.” You respond the way you always do when he tries telling you what to do.

“Okay, do what you want with that cup of water.” He responds nonchalantly. “But y/n, if you don’t want to be puking til morning, no more, okay?” He says motioning toward the alcohol, phrasing it in a way he knows you’ll take better.

You nod, “Yeah, sure.” Before brushing him off. He puts the bottle back in his fridge and leaves you in the kitchen because someone is shouting his name.

There are more people here than the usual few. You’re not quite sure how they all got here, and you actually don’t know half of them. Maybe that’s the reason Shawn has barely drunk anything, so he can keep an eye on the strangers in his apartment.

It doesn’t take long for your eyes to fall on an attractive stranger. He seems easy enough, so you make your way over to him. You don’t sleep around. It’s never been your thing, but after the week you’ve had, it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. It doesn’t matter that you can’t really think straight or that your head is already pounding, and you need to lean on him to not fall over once you reach him. He immediately stops his conversation when you stumble over to him. You’re not sure what is said between the two of you, but it appears to be working because his hands are on your waist and you’re leaning in as he whispers in your ear. “Want to get out of here?”

You nod, and he takes your hand, leading you to the door and to God knows where, but you are too drunk to really notice or care. You’re about to follow him out of Shawn’s condo when Shawn steps in and stops you. “Hey, what’s going on?” He questions looking between you and the guy.

“Nothing.” You say. Even though you’re not thinking straight about a lot of things, you know Shawn wouldn’t approve if you told him you were about to leave his condo with this guy you don’t know at all.

“None of your business.” The guy, whose name you aren’t sure you even heard, says.

“Yeah, okay, she’s not going with you,” Shawn responds. At this point, you don’t even care that Shawn’s interfering. You’re ready to just pass out. You’re so drunk that you’re starting to feel nauseous.

“Fuck off.” The dude responds.

Shawn doesn’t take that well. “She’s not even sober enough to give consent, so go fuck yourself,” Shawn tells him, stepping closer and pulling you away from him.

The guy hesitates, and you lean on Shawn instead. “Get out of my house,” Shawn says forcefully, and he leaves rather quickly. When he’s finally gone, Shawn starts steering you toward his bedroom through the crowd of people in his living room. “What are you doing, y/n?” You hear him mutter, but you can tell he doesn’t expect you to answer.

He leads you to his room and the last thing you remember is drinking water before passing out on his bed.

When you wake up in the morning, you have a pounding headache and the memories from the night before come rushing back to you. It’s been a long time since you drank that much, and when you remember why, you just want to start drinking again. Looking at the clock, it read’s 9:37. You notice a glass of water and some pills on a napkin, and you know they’re both for you. Sitting up, you feel a rush of nausea, and you force yourself to breathe deeply before drinking the water and swallowing the pills. 

Usually, on a morning after a night like last night, at least a few of Shawn’s friends are still around from staying the night. This morning, you don’t hear any sounds coming from the living room to signal that anyone else is here. After laying in the bed for a few minutes, you finally drag yourself up and into the bathroom where you brush your teeth, wash your makeup from last night off, and try to make yourself somewhat presentable.

You’re surprised when you walk out into the living room to see only Shawn lounging on his couch, alone. He looks up when he sees you, “Morning.” He says with a smile although he fully knows you’re hungover an dnot in a good mood. 

You walk past him, toward the kitchen, “Morning.” You respond. Shawn stands from his spot on the couch and follows you into the kitchen. You open up the cabinet, pulling out the pancake mix and quickly get to work making the pancakes. Shawn silently pours you coffee, putting two spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of cream in it just like you like it before handing it to you. You thank him for it, taking a sip, and he pulls out the strawberries from the fridge and begins cutting them up as you start pouring the pancake batter onto the pan. 

You both move around the kitchen working together mostly in silence until the pancakes are finished and you’re both digging in. Shawn broaches the topic of what you don’t want to talk about for the third time now. “Is it school? Is there something going on there? Is it your family? Did I do something to make you upset?” He fires the questions at you rapidly, and you know they’ve been floating around in his mind for a while. 

You’ve never had trouble talking to Shawn before, and you wouldn’t have any problems talking to him now, but you just wanted to try to have a good time and not think about anything that is stressing you out. However, clearly, the weight that has been weighing on you has been affecting Shawn too, and even though he won’t be here long, you know he’s the one you want to talk to about all of this, so you take a deep breath before spitting it all out. 

“There’s just been a lot of drama with my roommates lately, and it’s been super tense at home. And there’s been this guy, and I know it shouldn’t be a big deal, but I feel like he’s so hot and cold about wanting to be together, but I really really liked him and it’s messing with my head. And schools been a whole other thing. It’s just been a lot of random stresses in Uni, and I kind of just wanted to get away from it.” You ramble.

Shawn stays silent until you’re finished talking, and then he takes a few seconds to think before responding. When he finally speaks, he calmly says, “Okay, well let’s just take it one thing at a time, yeah? If you need somewhere to stay or get away from your roommates, you know you can always come here, right? I know I won’t be home, but you know where the spare key is.”

You nod, eating your pancakes. It felt good to get some of your worries and stresses out and not feel like you’re dealing with them all alone anymore. Shawn spends the next twenty minutes talking you through all of your problems and working with you, listening to your worries and offering empathy and understanding and helping you find solutions.

[theydontknowaboutusimagines]

The Set Up - Harry Styles One Shot (Part 4)

Part 1    Part 2      Part 3

**

“Hypotheical, my ass!” Gemma smirked crossing her arms as she watched the two of you quickly remove yourselves from one another with lipstick both smeared across your faces.

Both of you glanced at the other, trying to form an explanation, but it was obvious neither one of you could come up with anything. 

“Uh, hey, Gem, what are you doing here?” You asked while Harry tried wiping off the lipstick residue from his lips. 

“I could ask my brother the same thing,” she smirked. 

“Unlike my sister, I actually asked before coming over,” Harry pointed out. “Why are you here?” 

“Well, I thought I’d stop by to check in on my best friend and find out why I had to find out she went on a date with my brother on a podcast!” She said. 

“Technically, I didn’t say who it was that I went out with,” you said. 

“Yeah, well, it was him, obviously,” she said. 

“You know, could we like, I don’t know not have this fucking conversation in the hallway,” Harry muttered. 

“But it’s okay for you to having a fucking snogging fest in the hallway,” she smirked pushing herself into the flat. 

“How did you even get inside?” Harry asked while you closed the door. 

“I’ve got the code,” She smirked. 

“She’s checked in on my place when I’ve traveled,” you shrugged. 

“Is something burning?” Gemma sniffed. 

“Shit!” You groaned rushing to the kitchen. 

The pasta you were making was now stuck to the pan and the veggies in the skillet were shriveled up and blackened. 

“So, who wants pizza?” You asked. 

“I’ll make the call,” Harry sighed grabbing his phone from his pocket. 

While he was off doing that, Gemma walked over to you as you tried cleaning th pans. 

“Seriously, why didn’t you tell me?” She groaned. 

“Because maybe we were waiting to make sure this actually went somewhere,” you said. 

“That’s understandable, I guess, but still,” she said. “I asked you and you said nothing!” 

“I didn’t say nothing,” you said. “I just omitted some of what had happened.” 

“Same fucking thing!” She groaned. “You always tell me everything.” 

“This is different,” you sighed. 

“I know, I know, but I already told you,” she said. “Everything we talk about is confidential between you and I.” 

“Lay off it, Gem,” Harry rolled his eyes. “I didn’t tell you either and for good reason.” 

“Like what?” she asked looking over at him. 

“Besides the fact that you want to know everything going on between us, you’re just boasting about the fact that you were right,” he said. “Quit frankly I’m surprised you haven’t actually uttered those words yet.” 

“What was that?” She smirked. 

“For fuck’s sake, I’m not saying it again,” he said. 

“No, no, I think you should,” she said. “Because you don’t say it as often as you should.” 

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” He groaned. 

“Not when there’s pizza on the way,” She smirked. “Ooh, is that wine. I’ll grab some glasses.” 

“So, she does this to you, too?” Harry laughed. 

“Yep, on more than one occasion. Although, this is the first time she’s walked in on me with a guy,” you said. 

“Glad, I could be the first,” he smirked wiggling his eyebrows. 

You rolled your eyes with a laugh, pushing him away from you a bit. You both looked over at Gemma, who was watching the two of you with a huge smirk on her face, holding three glasses of wine. 

“You two are so fucking cute!” She said. 

“Oh my god,” Harry groaned putting his thumb and forefinger at the bridge of his nose. 

“What?” Gemma asked. “It’s the truth and all thinks to moi.” 

“And there it is,” Harry said. 

“You’ll thank me eventually,” she said walking into the living space. 

“This is not how I planned this night to go,” he whispered with a pout. 

“And how exactly did you plan this to go?” You smirked looking at him. 

He quickly blushed realizing how his words could have come across, “I uh, I didn’t mean, that, just that I was planning on, you know, uh, just, being able to talk to you without a screen or my sister,” he said. 

You giggled, “I know what you meant,” you smiled kissing his cheek. 

The doorbell rang signaling the pizza was being delivered, “I’ll get it,” Harry said squeezing your hand and hading for the door. 

**

A few weeks have gone by, making it almost a month, since you and Harry had met. Things were going great between the two of you and you couldn’t be happier with how things were progressing. Neither of you had brought up the topic of being exclusive and moving into a relationship yep, and most of your time spent together was still on the PG-13 side of things. 

However, it was getting harder and harder to stop things from progressing. It wasn’t that either of you didn’t want to take things further, it was more of you two didn’t want to move too fast, too soon. Most of your dates took place in either his house or your flat, on the rare occasion you two would go out to dinner, it was usually in a more private setting or with a small group of friends. 

You still hadn’t introduced or talked about who you were dating at the office, not because you didn’t trust them, but it was still new, and again there was a chance it could all end soon once he went off on tour. You hadn’t mentioned the upcoming tour to him and what that might mean for you and him, and neither has he. 

You weren’t sure if it was because he didn’t see the two of you being together during that time, or if he just didn’t want to bring it up. You were really hoping it was the latter. The more time you spent with him, the more you could feel yourself falling for him. You were by no means in love with him, but you were definitely feeling something on a another level for him. 

That night, you were meeting Harry, a few of his friends, and Gemma out for some drinks at a club. Harry got a driver and would be picking you up from your flat. You decided on a simple outfit, putting on some jeans, a vintage Stevie Nicks t-shirt, a black cardigan sweater, and a pair of platform sneakers. You picked out one of your smaller crossbody bags to put some money, your keys and such inside. Just as you were putting on your lipstick, the doorbell rang. 

You smiled making sure you looked okay before heading over to the door. You opened it, revealing Harry standing there with a smile on his face. He was wearing a graphic t-shirt with a sweater, some jeans, and a pair of vans. 

“Hey,” he smiled. “Ready to go?” 

“Yep,” you smiled walking out the door and locking it behind you. 

“How was your day?” He asked slipping his hand in yours, lacing your fingers together. 

“Stressful,” you laughed. “But now it’s all better.” 

“Hm, would that be because of me?” He asked. 

“Actually, yes,” you smiled. 

“Good,” he smiled. “My day got better seeing you, too.” 

“Oh, rehearsals not going well?” You asked getting on the elevator. 

“For the most part they’re going great,” he said. “But today was just, we were trying this new little bit and it just didn’t sound like I thought it would in my head.” 

“I’ve been there,” you said. “Not like song wise, but there’s been plenty of articles I’m like, you know that would be a great topic, and then it’s just shit.” 

He laughed, “Yeah, but it’s normal to have days like today. When we’ve been rehearsing a lot and going over other details, it gets to be a lot.” 

“I can imagine,” you said. 

Harry opened the car door for you and you stepped up inside with him following you. As soon as the door was shut, he smirked pulling you in for a kiss. You smiled into the kiss before pulling away and putting on your seatbelt. 

“So, are you going to dance with me tonight?” You smirked. “Or should I find someone else.” 

Playfully glaring at you, Harry shook his head, “Don’t even think about it.” 

You laughed shaking your head, “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dream of dancing with anyone else.” 

“Good answer,” he smirked. 

The driver dropped you and Harry at the corner where the club was at. You both  walked to the door and went inside. The music was loud as soon as you crossed into the building. The house lights were dark and you could barely see in front of you. Harry was walking closely behind you, not letting you out of his sight. 

“Do you know if everyone else is here yet?” You shouted behind you. 

“Uh, Mitch and Sarah are,” he said. “Jeff’s on his way and Gem and Micheal are coming a little late.” 

You nodded, “Should we get drinks first?” 

“I’ll get some bottles,” he said. 

“You do that,” you laughed. 

“What?” He asked. 

“Nothing, just I’ve always just bought drinks,” you said. “How much are bottles?” 

“Um, a few hundred probably,” he said. “But everyone drinks from it, so it sort of evens out.” 

“I guess,” you said. 

“Does it bother you?” He asked. 

“No, I mean, it’s just different, you know,” you said. 

He nodded and the two of you made it over to a table. 

“Hey, man,” Harry smirked doing a weird handshake with Mitch and hugging Sarah. 

You had previously met them two other times, so it was super awkward, except it kinda was seeing as how you couldn’t really hold a conversation due to the sound of the music. 

“Hi, Y/N,” Sarah smiled. “Nice to see you again.” 

“Same here,” you smiled. “How have you been?” 

“Tired,” she laughed. 

“I bet,” you smiled. 

“She’s been killing it at rehearsals,” Harry said nodding towards her. 

“Every time,” she smirked. 

You laughed and then a waitress came over. Harry ordered three large bottles, one of tequila, wine, and then another of vodka. She nodded with a smirk and got a little too close for your liking when she walked away. You also didn’t appreciate the little glance Harry had made her way as she left. But you tried not to let it get to you. 

Up until Gemma came, there was a lot of small talk going and shouting as you all tried having conversations with each other. As soon as she came, you were itching to get out on the dance floor and away from the booth. You weren’t sure why, but you were just feeling super closed in and needed some space. Harry stayed back with the rest of the boys, while the went on the dance floor. 

You held your drink in your hand and quickly started dancing and shouting the lyrics to the song being played. You laughed as your arms found their way around Gemma’s shoulders as the two of you jokingly danced together. As you spun around, you happened to glance over towards the table that wasn’t too far from where you were at on the floor. 

Once again, the waitress was standing close to Harry and you knew she was simply doing a job, but you didn’t like the way she was flirting with him. Your next move mostly influenced by the amount of alcohol flowing through your veins, but also because you wanted her to get the picture he wasn’t technically single. 

You walked over to them and squeezed yourself onto his lap. 

“Hey,” you smiled. “When are you going to come dance with me? I’m having to turn offers down left and right.” 

“I’ll be there in a bit,” he laughed. “I’m ordering some food.” 

“It should be out in just a bit, love,” she smiled touching his arm. 

You looked down at her hand and back at her, but she left before you could say anything. 

“I know that look,” he said quickly. “She’s just being nice and trying to get a good tip.” 

“I’ll give her a good tip alright,” you said. “A tip for her to stay away from my man.” 

Harry smirked, “Who’s the jealous one now?” 

“Shut up,” you said sticking your tongue out at him. 

He laughed, doing the same to you, “Let’s get to the dance floor before she comes back and you give her that tip.” 

You smirked pulling him up with you. The two of you made it to the dance floor, you laughed at his dance moves a bit before joining in with him. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Gemma looking at the two of you and you knew she most likely had a smirk on her face. You shook your head at the though before moving closer to Harry and wrapping your arms around his shoulders. 

“Kiss me,” you told him. 

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” he smirked before pressing his lips against yours. 

**

It was getting pretty late by the time everyone was leaving. You weren’t completely drunk, but you also weren't entirely sober. As you were walking to the car, your arm was around Harry and you laughed as the two of you started leaning over. 

“You’re really pretty,” he giggled putting his hand on your face, when he looked down at you. 

“Thank you,” you laughed getting into the car and helping him inside. 

“Come ‘ere,” he whispered pulling you on top his lap. 

“This isn’t exactly safe,” you laughed. 

“You’ll be fine, I’ll protect you,” he said nuzzling his face in your neck. 

You giggled feeling his breath against the skin of your neck, “That tickles.” 

“Hm, you smell good,” he mumbled. 

“I’m a sweaty mess, I highly doubt that,” you laughed, running your hands through his hair. “You, too.” 

“Heeey! I don’t smell,” he defended. “Plus, that’s not very nice.” 

“Aw, did I hurt your feelings?” You giggled putting your hand on his face. 

“Yes, you did,” he nodded with a pout. 

“I’m sorry,” you said poking his nose. 

He scrunched his nose before puckering his lips, “A kiss would make me feel better.” 

“Oh, really?” You asked raising an eyebrow. 

He nodded, “Yep. Right here on me lips!” He said taking his pointer finger to his lips. 

You laughed giving him a short little peck. “There you go.” 

He groaned, “Not like that.” 

“Hey, you just said a kiss, which I gave you,” you smirked. “Not my fault you weren’t more specific.” 

He rolled his eyes, “Anyway, do you want to stay at my place tonight?” 

“I don’t exactly have a change of clothes,” you pointed out. 

“Borrow some of mine,” he hiccuped. “I’ve got plenty.” 

“Oh, well, in that case you might not get it back,” you joked. 

He shrugged,” Prolly looks better on you anyway.” 

You laughed, “Fine, but you better make me breakfast in the morning.” 

“Sure thing, love,” he smirked. 

When the driver arrived at his house, you both got out and you followed Harry to the front door. He pulled his keys out and was fumbling around with him for a bit before finally finding the right key. 

“About bloody time,” you groaned. “My bladder is about to explode.” 

“Sorry! Sorry,” he laughed pushing the door open. 

You quickly darted into his house and rushed to the bathroom. While you were washing your hands, that’s when it dawned on you. You were staying at his house overnight... sleeping in the same bed. This was definitely new territory for the two of you and you weren’t sure what that meant. Even if you wanted to have a conversation about it tonight would not work. Both of you were not capable of having such a big discussion, plus even if you were, you’d rather not have it after a night of drinking anyway. 

When you walked out, Harry was in the kitchen, pouring two glasses of water and getting some Advil from the cabinet.  

“Milady,” he smiled holding yours out for you to take. 

"You know this is your fault, right?” You asked. 

“Oh, please tell me how both of us being pissed drunk my fault?” He laughed. 

“Because you bought all those bottles!” You said. “It’s not like we could take them home.” 

“Well, excuse me,” he laughed. “Come on, I’ll get you some clothes and we can head to bed. I’m exhausted.” 

You popped the advil into your mouth before downing the glass of water and following him to his bedroom. He went over to a chest of drawers pulling out some sweats and an old t shirt. 

“These okay?” He asked looking over at you. 

You nodded, “Thank you,” you smiled. 

“You can change in the bathroom, if you want,” he said nervously. 

“Okay,” you said before heading in there. 

After changing and making some adjustments to his clothes, so they fit you a little better, you found a washcloth to wipe your makeup off and rinse your mouth out with mouthwash before going back out to the bedroom. Harry was already laying on the bed, putting his phone onto the table when you came out. 

“So, which side do you sleep on?” He asked. 

“The right,” you said. 

“Good because I sleep on the left,” he said. 

“Hm, interesting,” you said. 

“How is that interesting?” He laughed. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who sleeps on the left side,” you said. “I mean as far as someone who doesn’t normally share a bed with anyone. Everyone is usually right side or middle.” 

“So, not only did you say I stunk, but now I’m weird?” He said looking at you. “The compliments just keep coming.” 

You laughed jumping onto the bed, “Oh, you know I’m joking,” you said. 

“Yeah, yeah, don’t try and act all sweet and innocent now,” he said crossing his arms. 

“Don’t worry,” you smirked. “I won’t.” 

You leaned over towards him placing your lips onto the base of his neck. His body froze at your touch before melting into it as you kissing up the side of his neck. 

“Forgive me?” You smirked hovering over his lips. 

“Hm, getting there, slowly,” he whispered. 

Since you were currently at an angle, you moved over, placing your legs on either side of his sitting on his lap. You wrapped your arms around his neck, fingers playing with his hair touching just above his neck, before pressing your lips against his. It didn’t take long before he deepened the kiss, pulling you closer to him. 

You pulled away for breathe and he moved his lips down to your neck. You bit your lip as you turned your head to the side giving him better access to the skin there. HIs hands were roaming around your back over his shirt and you were itching to take it off, to feel his bare hands against your bare skin. 

Just as you were about to take his hand into yours to lift his shirt over your head, he pulled his lips away from you. 

“We should probably stop,” he breathed out putting his forehead against. 

“No, we don’t have to,” you whispered. “If you’re worried about me, I-” 

“No-that’s not, well, I mean I am happy to hear you say that, and as much as I really, really don’t want to stop,” he sighed. “I don't want our first time together to happen after we’ve been drinking all night. I want to be fully sober and aware when we have sex because I want to make sure I remember every second of ever minute and every inch of you,” he whispered looking into your eyes. 

“For fuck’s sake,” you groaned hitting his shoulder. 

“Ow! What?” He groaned. “What did I say?”  “Something extremely fucking hot,” you said. “Hearing you say that only makes me want to fuck you more.” 

He laughed, “Sorry,” he winced. “But it’s the truth.”

“No, no, I get it, I do,” you nodded. 

“So, you’re not mad?” He asked. 

“Not entirely,” you said. “But if we’re stopping, then we should probably actually go to bed now because I can tell you right now, if we don’t, we won’t be able to stop.” 

He nodded watching you climb off of him, “I also want you to know that this.. the possibility of us having sex isn’t why I invited you back to my place. I just really didn’t want to say goodbye to you yet.” 

You smiled leaning over to kiss his cheek, “And I want you to know that while it did cross my mind, I knew it wasn’t the only reason why you invited me. I know you’re not like that, that we’re not like that. I said yes because I didn’t want to say goodbye to you either.” 

He smiled wrapping his arm around you as you both laid back, “Goodnight,” he whispered. 

“Goodnight,” you smiled. 

**

The next morning you woke up not in your bedroom. You rubbed your eyes as looked around when you saw Harry laying next to you. His mouth was wide open and his arm was laying across your torso. You giggled as you heard him snoring with a few mumbles. You moved closer to him as he continued to snore. You reached over grabbing his nose and he quickly woke up. 

“The fuck,” he groaned shooting up in the bed. 

You couldn’t help, but burst out laughing which caused him to playfully glare at you. 

“Oh, you think it’s funny?” He asked. 

“Kinda, yeah,” you smirked. 

“So, is this funny, then?” He smirked tickling your sides. 

“Ah! Don’t!” You laughed trying to move away from him. 

“You brought this on yourself,” he joked. 

“It’s not my fault you were snoring in my face,” You pointed out. 

“I do not snore,” he defended. 

“Or maybe it’s just been a while since someone’s been here to tell you differently,” you smirked. 

“Oooh, really? We’re going for low blows early in the morning, aren’t we?” He laughed. 

“Sorry,” you laughed awkwardly. 

He laughed pulling you on top of him, “It’s fine.. cause it’s true, actually.” 

“Good to know,” you smirked before making your way off the bed.

“Hey! Get back here,” he whined puling you back. “I want a kiss. It’s the least you could do.” 

“I’ve got morning breath,” you laughed. 

“So, do I,” he laughed. 

“Exactly,” you said. “So, we both need to freshen up.” 

“Ouch,” he said. “Yet another dig, I’m really starting to question this relationship.” 

That made you stop in your tracks looking back at him, “And uh, what relationship would that be, Styles?” You asked raising an eyebrow. 

His cheeks turned pink realizing what he said, “Well, I uh, mean, I just uh... figured... I know we haven’t really labeled it, but-” 

“Is this your way of asking me to be your girlfriend?” you asked. 

“Yes, and I’m fucking it up, right now,” he laughed. 

“No, it’s cute,” you giggled. “Adorable, really.” 

He blushed harder, “So... is that a yes, then?” 

You walked over to him wrapping your arms around his waist, “It’s a big fuck yes,” you smirked. 

“Really?” He asked a smile breaking across his lips. 

“Yes, really,” you laughed. 

He smirked leaning down to kiss you and taking you into his arms. 

**

Okay, so now that they’re together... should this be the end? Or do you want a little bit more... maybe up until he leaves for tour... Let me know what you think! 

[minniemixe]

Beauty And The Beast

Gangster AU

Stray Kids Fanfic

Chan x Reader

Other Appearances: GOT7 BTS

Genre: Smut, Fluff, Angst

Warnings: Mention of rape, family drama

Beauty and the Beast Masterlist

Chapter 6

“What happened to your hand?” Moon’s mother asked pointing towards her bandaged hand as the two sat in the lounge, Moon cuddled up next to her mom “Oh this, nothing big, I was walking down the stairs and slipped, there was glass in my hand, it broke and I cut myself” she told. “I can bet you were running down the stairs. Sweetheart how many times have I told you to be careful on stairs, huh?” the older lady dotted “I’m fine mom, it’s just a cut” she looked up at her mom smiling, the mother kissed her daughter’s head, hugging her tighter, “MMhhmm, I missed my baby so much” she said repeatedly kissing her cheeks   “I missed you guys too, sorry for not contacting you much and visiting sooner” Moon replied, snuggling closer in her mom’s chest. “I’m still surprised you visited. I thought you’d be busy with your work, we’d have been happy even if you just frequently contacted us telling us you’re okay” she spoke “You’re not wrong, I am quite busy with my work, I was also surprised when my colleague asked me if I wanted to visit” she replied “Colleague?” her mother asked “Ah yeah, he had some work in this area so he asked me to tag along, saying I could visit you guys while he ran his errand” Moon replied “When is he returning? Why don’t you ask him to stay for dinner?” her mother said “He said he wa-” Moon was cut off by the doorbell “Is that him?” “I don’t think so, he said it would take him two or more hours. It hasn’t even been an hour yet” Moon replied, getting up to check. When she opened the door, Chan stood there with a bouquet of roses and a gift bag in his hands.

“Oh hey. Back so early?” Moon asked letting him in “Ahh yeah, I got done earlier than expected, so thought why not visit your parents” he said “Ofcourse, I’m glad you did, Mom was asking about you. Oh by the way, introduce yourself as my colleague, that’s what I told my mom” Moon said as the two made their way to the living room “Hello ma’am, I’m Chris, a colleague of your daughter's. These are for you” Chan introduced himself, handing the roses to her. “And this is for- where’s your dad?” he asked, looking around “Oh he’s not home, I’ll take that” Moon replied, taking the brown gift bag from him “Oh My God, this is so sweet of you, you didn’t have to do this” her mother smiled at Chan. "I couldn't visit empty handed for the first time" Chan reasoned, bowing politely "You didn't come empty handed, you brought my daughter with you" Moon's mother smiled patting Chan's back who smiled sheepishly in return. “So, Chris, I hope you’ll be staying for dinner” Moon’s mother asked “Ofcourse, I’d love to” he replied politely “Well, make yourself comfortable, I’ll go make dinner” her mother said walking out of the living room. “Wait mom!” Moon called out running after the older lady “Yes hunny?” she asked turning around “Can we have pizza? I really missed homemade pizza” Moon said playing with her fingers “Sure baby, anything you want.” the older lady replied kissing Moon’s forehead. Moon jumped up and down excitedly hugging her mother, “Thank you Thank you Thank you” she said repeatedly. Her mother laughed, cooing at her daughter affectionately “C’mon, lets make you some pizza”, walking towards the kitchen, with Moon skipping behind. Chan saw the whole interaction, smiling to himself about how cute and happy Moon looked. Her whole aura had changed, Chan loved every second of it and hoped that he’d get to see it more often. Chan too followed the two ladies, to the kitchen, opting to help the two. “Can I help with anything?” Chan asked entering the kitchen “Oh no honey, make yourself comfortable.” Moon’s mom answered “Please ma’am, I insist” he said “You can cut the vegetables, I’ll stir fry them” Moon said before her mother could say anything “I’ll make the dough, you guys get started on the topping” her mother said “Should I make the sauce?” Moon asked “No, I made pasta yesterday, so there’s plenty of sauce. I made extra yesterday” the mother replied, disappearing into the pantry. “Where is your father though?” Chan asked, folding his sleeves, Moon’s eyes focused on his veiny arms “Earth to Moon. Are you still here?” Chan snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, snapping her out of her thoughts “Oh huh? What?” Moon said “I asked, where is your father?” Chan laughed at her bewildered expression “Don’t know, don’t care. He left the moment he saw me” Moon shrugged. Chan didn’t know what to say so he just began at his task, glancing at Moon who was taking out the pots and pans. “You okay?” he asked, not being able to control the urge “Why wouldn’t I be. This isn’t the first time. I’m used to it. I don’t give a shit anymore” Moon said “What about your mom? Does she never confront him?” Chan asked “As if he’d listen. Besides, I don’t want mom to get involved, the man is unpredictable. The last thing I want is my mom to get hurt at the hands of that monster” Moon said washing the chicken “I’m -” he stopped mid sentence seeing her mother return to the kitchen “Sweetheart, please grate the cheese after you’re done with the topping” her mom said, getting started on the dough “Sure Mom” she smiled "So Chris. What line of work are you in?" Moon's mother initiated a conversation "I'm on the management side ma'am" Chan replied "Oh but isn't that different from hers, last I talked to her, she was in the web developing department” she asked pointing towards Moon “Ahh yes, but it’s a small system so there isn’t much with departments and stuff” Chan said “Oh I see” “Yeah, there are like 13, now 14 of us, each of us with a different role” “Mom, remember the client I had to meet out of town, that’s him, I edited a few things for him, and since it was up to his satisfaction he offered me a job” Moon played along “That’s nice. What is it that you guys do, like as a group?” the mother questioned “Well, it’s a lot of different things, we design websites, we do shipping for different online shopping mediums, photography, videography and event planning and management” Chan answered. Moon was impressed with how quickly he came up with something so believable “Well that’s nice” the older lady smiled. The conversation went on with random topics. “Oh I almost forgot. Baby your friend has been visiting a lot lately. He asked where you lived but I didn’t know where, but he kept coming back saying, he just wants to see you since it’s been so long. He even came yesterday” Moon’s mom told “Mark? But I met him a few weeks back” Moon said confused “No, not Mark, I think his name was something like Alan?” Moon’s mom said “I don’t know any Alans” she replied brows furrowed “No, I think it was something like Andrew or Andy?” the mother said “Andre?” Moon said grimacing “Yeah yeah, that was it” her mom’s face lit up “If he comes again, tell him I have nothing to do with him, never did, never will” Moon scowled “Why, was he a bu-” her mom started when the doorbell rang “Mavis?” Moon asked looking at her mom “But she’s in UK and she’s not returning until late tonight” her mother answered going out of the kitchen to check “Who’s Mavis?” Chan asked “My little sister” Moon answered. Moon’s mom walked in with a man beside him, who’s face instantly lit up seeing Moon. “Princess!!” he exclaimed, running towards her hugging her tight. Moon harshly pushed him away, slapping him hard across the face. “I’m not your fucking princess. Get lost. I never want to see your face ever again. Stay away from me, stay away from my parents.” To say Chan and Moon’s mom were confused about everything would be an understatement, their faces were contorted in utter confusion, looking from each other to the two, expressions bewildered. “Wha-” the man started “NO, NO Andre, I don’t want to hear it. And don’t even try to play dumb, you completely ruined my life, and I’m not exaggerating and you know that very well. I don’t want any explanation, I don’t want an apology either, I just want you out of here.” Moon said, her voice cracking “Please give me a second chance” Andre pleaded “Get lost before I kill you. Don’t test me, I really will kill you” Moon gritted “Hunny what is this about. At least hear the kid out.” her mother said “No mom, I can’t stand him” “Excuse me, Mr Andre, I think you should leave. I’ve never seen my girlfriend this stressed. I trust she has a very valid reason for it, so leave with respect while you can” Chan smirked “You may not want to hear this, but I really like you, I have, ever since highschool. And I’m not saying this because I want you to break up with him, but because I want you to be safe. He’s not what you think he is, he’s a gang leader” Andre said, the three’s eyes went wide and Moon’s mother let out a loud gasp. Moon wasn’t having any of it and his remark only angered her more. Grabbing the knife from the kitchen top, she lunged forward, “THIS AGAIN. YOU FUCKING BASTARD. I’M GONNA KILL YOU”. Chan quickly moved forward to stop her while her mother just stood there rooted to the ground, completely shook. Andre laughed maniacally, smirking at her. “What do you mean again?” Moon’s mother asked “Oh she doesn’t know?” Andre smiled like a lunatic “I SAID LEAVE” Moon shouted “But I think she deserves to know, look at her, are you really going to keep it from her?” Moon thrashed around trying to get out of his hold, but to no avail. What was supposed to be a nice reunion between Moon and her family, turned into something unimaginable. “If you’re not going to talk. Let me, your mother seems really confused and she deserves to know.” Andre spoke again “There is nothing to know about, get lost” Moon said through gritted teeth “Aww, are you really going to make your parents think you died in a car crash when in reality someone slit your throat or shot you in the head?” Andre questioned “What is he talking about?” her mother asked “Nothing mom, he’s just blabbering, this is what he does. This is exactly what he did in highschool” Moon answered “It was to protect you” Andre said “Protect me? You twisted sick creature. You completely turned my life upside down and you have the audacity to say that. Get out before I kill you” Moon said, Throwing a knife at him, he moved to the side and dodged it. “You’re going to regret this.” Andre said, turning around to leave. Moon released a breath and leaned on the kitchen top, burying her head in her arms while her mother rubbed her back. “Sorry mom, the whole day is ruined” Moon said lifting her head “No, no Sweetheart, don’t apologize, it isn’t your fault” her mother said “Here take this” Chan said, handing Moon a glass of cold water “Thank you” she said taking it from him “What was all that about? And what does he mean by Chris being in a gang, and is he your boyfriend? Were you really going to kill him?” Moon’s mother bombarded her with questions “Hey hey Mom, calm down, let me explain, he’s just getting in your head, take a deep breath, everything is alright” Moon said rubbing her mom’s arm to calm her down “Okay, but you better be honest about every single detail” her mom said “Yes, let's put the pizza in the oven first, we’ll talk while it bakes” Moon replied After putting the pizzas in the oven, the three gathered in the living room. Moon took a deep breath before speaking. “Back in highschool, he was my classmate. An annoying one at that. He would follow me around, complimenting me, giving me flowers and all that stuff. He confessed to me numerous times and I’d turn him down everytime, saying I wasn’t interested. He was a delusional psychopath, he’d always tell me I didn’t give him a chance because of Mark, seeing how close I was with him. He’d always try to pull stupid stunts to ruin what Mark and I had. And one time he took it too far, I have no idea what he had planned but whatever it was, it backfired, it didn’t affect him as much as it affected me. He went abroad two weeks after the incident while I suffered. The only explanation he gave was ‘I just wanted to keep you safe’ because apparently Mark was also in a ‘gang’. He ruined my entire life and for that I’ll never forgive him” Moon explained “What could he have possibly done to make you hate him this much, and if this is about your highschool life being difficult, don’t you think you might be exaggerating” Moon’s mom reasoned “I really didn’t think I’d ever have to tell you this” she sighed “It’s already out of the bag, might as well tell the whole thing” her mom said “Remember the sports day? The one that determined whether I got the scholarship to the college or not?” Moon asked “The one you couldn’t play in because of the mishap?” her mom questioned “Yes that one. But everything that happened that day was a lie” Moon replied “What?” she asked confused “I did go to the locker room to change into my uniform, but everything that happened inside was different from what I told you, or anyone for that matter. The only people who know what actually happened inside were Andre, Mark, Jaebum, Jinyoung, even I don't know. And the event that lead to what happened in that room, that only Mark, Andre and I know” she spoke “If it was something this big, why would you keep it from us?” her mom said. Moon took a deep breath before she started explaining "It's complicated, I was 15 and everything happened so quickly I couldn't handle it. When I did finally get around to telling you, well you know what happened" Moon said looking into her mother’s eyes. The older lady sighed, knowing exactly what her daughter was talking about

5 Years Ago

"I have practice after school today. I can see you tonight if you want" Moon spoke into the phone "When are you gonna get free from that?" Mark asked on the other line "Not sure, probably by 5:00 or 5:30, maybe after, maybe before. Why, something important?" She replied "Nah, just wanted to hang out, we can go out tomorrow as well, you'll be tired anyways" he shrugged "You're not wrong, I'm not even gonna bother walking back home, just gonna call an Uber" she laughed "Why? Isn't your mom picking you up?" He questioned "Not today. She said she and dad have some work so they won't be able to pick me up. It's no biggie anyways, I understand, especially with renovations going on, they have a lot on their plate already" she answered "I'll pick you. I'm free, plus it's safer" he said "Is that supposed to be a pun?" Moon laughed "How?" He asked confused "Free? And safe" Moon quoted the words "Oh, totally unintentional. And I want you to be safe" Mark laughed catching on to what she was insinuating "Well, no need, who knows when I'll get free anyways" she said, heart fluttering at his words "Too late, I'm already on my way" he said "Dude, my practice hasn't even started yet" she laughed "Yeah well, I haven't got much to do so might as well watch you practice. See you in 5 Bitty" Mark said "See you. Bye" she said ending the call. "Who was that" Andre asked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere "What the hell! Stop sneaking up on me and it's none of your business" Moon replied walking away

"Mrs Smith, can I talk to you privately" Moon asked her coach, who was currently instructing a few girls "Of course, girls would you please excuse us" the coach replied "It's about the application" Moon started "Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry about that, I mixed up the applications. Yours was perfectly fine and congratulations, it got accepted. Now all you have to do is pass the audition. Coaches from the top colleges will be here on the final day. Practice hard, I know you can do it. Good luck" Mrs Smith patted Moon's shoulder "Are you serious. The application for scholarship was accepted? Oh my God, I'm so excited. I didn't think I'd get accepted" Moon said enthusiastically "Don't underestimate yourself. You've got great potential, give yourself more credit. Now get to practice, you have a scholarship to win" the coach cheered Moon giggled and walked away thanking the older lady. On her way back from the lockers she spotted Mark, Moon ran up to him and hugged him tight shouting enthusiastically. "Woah there little lady, why so hyper. Did you eat chocolate again?" Mark laughed "Okay so, oh my God, I'm so happy right now" she kept jumping up and down. "I can see that. So tell me, what's the good news" he laughed "Remember the application I told you about, the one which had some problems with it, guess what, my coach accidentally mixed mine with someone else's. I just found out mine got accepted. Now all I have to do is get a perfect score in my games and I'll get the sports scholarship" Moon told enthusiastically. "Bitty, that's amazing. See I told you everything will work out, you were stressing for no reason. I'm so proud of you, I knew you could do it" Mark exclaimed hugging her tightly, swinging right to left. "Not just yet, I still have to play in the finals and then pass the entrance test. The competition is tough, so I'm kinda nervous" Moon said "You. Are. Going. To. Do. Great." He said shaking her with every word. Moon laughed at his actions, smiling brightly at him. "Now get to practice, I'll cheer for you" he said turning her around and pushing her forward, Moon laughed running towards the ground with Mark following behind. "Alright girls, take 5" the coach called out. The team walked towards their benches to get a rest for a few minutes. “That was a good game. But you girls can do better. Nattalie, you have to work on your goal blocking strategy. Ruth and June practice on your kicks. The rest of you, you’re still lacking good positioning” the coach said. The girls nodding along to what they were being told “In the next game I want you all to change the positions, understood” the couch asked “Yes coach” the girls shouted in sync

“Weren’t you playing badminton?” Mark asked Moon, handing her a bottle of water, after another football game “I am, I’m playing both” she replied, gulping down the entire bottle “One game doesn’t scratch your itch?” he asked folding his arms “Nope, you know me. Need to play every single game. Life’s too short to play just one.” she replied “Why didn’t you try out for all of em?” he said sarcastically “According to rules, one person can participate in only two sports, otherwise, I would’ve” she replied “You are one of a kind Bitty” he laughed, patting her head

“Number 5, I need you to come with me, we need balls for the dodge ball” the coach called out to Moon. “Yes coach” she called out, walking towards the older woman. “Have you decided on any majors yet?” the coach asked Moon as the two entered the storage room “I haven’t got anything planned to be honest, I want to be an athlete so this scholarship would be a great boost for me. I guess I’ll see as I go along” she replied placing the needed stuff inside a basket “That is great. From the years of watching you grow, I know you have great potential. I wish you all the luck in your career.” she smiled at her student “Thank you ma’am” Moon smiled as the two exited the room “It’s stuck” Moon said pulling on the door “That’s weird, maybe something is stuck from the inside” the coach said. Moon went inside to check but saw nothing near the door that could be causing it to jam. “There’s nothing here” she replied. She tried opening it further but it wouldn’t budge. Pushing the door harshly, it moved a little, making a creaking noise. “It’s easier from the inside since I have to push, I’ll close as much I can from the inside, slip out and then pull the rest” Moon said “Let me help you, I’ll pull from the outside and you push” the coach said “No no, it’s alright. You go ahead, I’ll lock up and come back” Moon said “Are you sure?” the coach asked “Yes, it’s all good” she replied “Here are the keys.” she said, handing the keys to Moon and walked away. After 5 minutes of pushing the door, she was able to close it enough for her to easily slip out. She put a foot outside but before she could get out, someone shoved her inside and slipped in right after her. He harshly pushed the door and closed it from the inside. Moon looked up to see Andre standing right above her. “Finally. I have you all to myself” he said and leaned over her, Moon’s breath hitched as she tried to think about ways to escape. Kicking him in the leg as hard as she could, she ran towards the door, she tried to open in but it was jammed after opening just a little bit. Before she could pull on it more, Andre grabbed her by her hair and yanked her back, making her fall on the ground. “HELP!!! SOMEBODY HELP!!!! MARK!!!!” she screamed out. Pushing the door and closing it once again, he moved towards her and spoke “No one can hear you. We’re on the other side. Your precious Mark isn't coming to save you.” he said straddling her waist and pinning her arms above her head “STOP!! PLEASE STOP!! AAAHHHH” Moon sobbed “And when I’m done with you, he won’t even want to look at you, he’ll be so disgusted” he said kissing down her jaw to her neck. “PLEASE STOP, ANdRE, STOP IT” “Just like that, keep screaming my name” he said groping her.

“Okay boys team, you’re up.” the coach announced. The team got up from their benches and walked towards their coach. “1, 2, 3, 4 - where’s Andre?” the coach asked as she was counting the members “He said he was going to the toilet, it’s been five minutes now” one of the team members replied “HAS ANYONE SEEN ANDRE?” the coach turned around and announced. Hearing the announcement, Mark started looking around, having an uneasy feeling when he didn’t see Moon or Andre. Getting up from his spot he went towards the coach and asked about her “She and I went to get some sports equipment from the storage room, the door was stuck so she stayed back saying she’ll close up and get back. Why? She isn’t back?” the coach asked “No” Mark replied “Could you go check on her, see if she needs help with the door, and if doesn’t close, just tell someone from the admin and bring her here” the coach said Mark nodded his head and ran towards the storage area. Being an alumni, he was quite familiar with the building and didn’t have much difficulty getting to the storage room.  As he got closer he could hear Moon screaming, assuming she was stuck inside he fastened his pace, but what he heard next made his blood oil with anger and started running. Kicking open the door his fists clenched in anger at the scene in front of him. Moon was sprawled on the ground, her shorts halfway down, shirt riding up her chest and Andre on top of her groping her in the most inappropriate of ways. “You fucking bastard” Mark gritted and pushed him off her. Moon quickly scrambled to the side, fixing her clothes she curled in the corner sobbing harshly, her body shaking uncontrollably. Mark grabbed Andre from the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. Throwing him against the wall, Mark threw a punch to his face, making him stumble. Mark kept throwing punch after punch until Andre was lying on the ground. Mark was about to kick him when he kicked his foot under Mark’s, sending Mark stumbling back. Taking the opportunity Andre got up and ran out of the room. Mark wanted to follow after him but decided against it taking a look at Moon’s figure.   Getting closer to her curled up figure, he gently touched her shoulder. “AAHH, NO PLEASE, NO-” she started thrashing around, “hey, hey, hey, it’s me, it’s just Mark” he spoke soothingly “M...Ma….Maa…” she stuttered, eyes glossy, cheeks tear stained, face completely red and body shaking uncontrollably. “Yeah it’s just me, I’m here, I’m not gonna hurt you. I got you now, everything’s alright” he said wiping away her tears. Letting out a sob, Moon threw herself at Mark, wrapping her arms and legs around him, clutching onto him for dear life. “I...I..di...didn’t..th...thi….think...an...anyone wa..was gonna co..come” She spoke trying to calm herself “It’s okay, I’m here now. I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you” He said, rubbing her back, trying to get her to stop shaking. The two sat there in silence, Moon releasing deep breaths occasionally. “You better?” Mark asked as Moon loosened her hold on him and pulled away “Mhhmm” she nodded getting off of him and standing up, her legs still feeling wobbly “C’mon, we have to tell your coach.” Mark said, grabbing her hand, and pulling her out of the storage room but Moon stood there rooted to the ground “It’s no use” she said pulling him back “What do you mean? You’re not walking away without taking action, I’m not gonna let you. The bastard needs to be punished” Mark said harshly “You think I don’t know that. We’re gonna tell the coach, then what?” she retorted “The school admin takes action, that’s what” “How do you plan on proving him guilty? There are no security cameras in this room.” she folded her arms “What about the hallways? If we can catch him going in th-” “Come with me” she cut him off, dragging him with her. “Look at that” she said pointing towards the broken security camera “Ho-” he started “It broke this morning, A bunch of boys were throwing around balls and ended up kitting the camera, It’s supposed to be fixed tomorrow. Andre knew this too and took the opportunity. There's no point in telling anyone” she sighed hanging her head low, tears streaming down her face “I’m sorry. We’ll get him back, I’ll make him pay for ever laying a finger on you. I promise you that” Mark said hugging her small figure closer to him “Teach me, teach me how to protect myself. What if he does it again, and you’re not there” Moon said, lifting her head “I’m not leaving your side, ever. You don’t ever have to worry about me not being there” he said wiping her tears “But I still want you to teach me, I don’t want to depend on anyone” she said, taking in a deep breath, finally calming down “Okay, whatever you want. But what are you going to tell your coach. You look horrible” Mark questioned “Let’s go, I know what I have to say” she said walking away, with him following behind

“Number 5. What happened, you were gone for more than 20 minutes” the coach asked when Moon handed her the keys “I was trying to close it from the inside, when it closed and got stuck, I kept banging on the door since I didn’t have my phone, Mark opened it from outside” she lied “You look sick, your face is all red, are you sure you’re alright” the coach asked concerned “Yes, I just get claustrophobic in tight spaces, that’s all” “Oh, explains a lot. Leave the practice early today. Get some rest” the said “No ma’am I’m fine, I can practice” she said “Don’t tire yourself out, get some rest, There is a week till the final day, you’ll have plenty of time to practice. Go home today, rest up, get better and we’ll practice tomorrow. I don’t want one of my top athletes to pass out from exhaustion.” the coach said sternly “Yes ma’am” she replied and walked away to gather her things

“You’re coach is right you know, you don’t have to tire yourself” Mark said, starting the car “It’s just, you know how it is. This scholarship may be my only chance to get out, and I don’t want to risk losing it. Being completely honest with you, one of the reasons I didn’t want to tell anyone about what happened with Andre is because I don’t want it to hinder my scholarship. Yeah it’s because there isn’t sufficient proof to prove it was him. I could pursue it, but that would just take my focus away. I don’t want that” Moon explained “I wish you weren’t so hard on yourself all the time” he said “I wish the world wasn’t so cruel to me” she whispered looking out the window. Mark didn’t have much to say to her, knowing she indeed went through a lot on a daily basis. He just sighed and kept driving in silence.

The next went smoothly, Moon would practice after school, and after practice she would learn self defence with Mark. As promised, he didn’t leave her side.  It was the final day and everything was going smoothly. Moon’s football team won with a good score, and she was really ecstatic especially since she kicked the winning goal. Going into the girls locker room she began to change into her badminton uniform. After getting changed, she sat on the benches to put her shoes on. Halfway through Andre entered the locker room. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? THIS THE GIRLS LOCKER ROOM, YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED HERE” Moon shouted at him “Relax girl, I’m just here to grab something for June from her locker. I asked coach before coming inside” he replied “Where’s coach?” she asked “In the ground” he smirked at her. “But don’t worry. I’m not gonna do anything” he added before walking away. Moon quickly took out her phone, texting Mark, who immediately replied

Moon: Mark please come to my locker room Mark: Why? Everything okay? Moon: Andre, he’s here. He says he’s here to get something, but I don’t trust him Mark: Take a deep breath Bitty, I’m on my way. Moon: Please hurry

Putting her phone aside she quickly got to putting on her shoes. Chugging down her water, Moon quickly got up to run out. But as soon as she stood up, she started feeling dizzy and light headed. She looked down at the water bottle and cursed, realizing it was drugged. Releasing a laugh, Andre walked over to her. “Staaayyyyy awaaayy” Moon slurred, pushing him away. All the self defence tricks she learned now useless as her movements were very delayed “C’mon we have to get out of here before your boyfriend shows up” Andre said, dragging Moon’s intoxicated self with him. “Booyfrieend, I wiiiiish~” Moon giggled, completely drunk “As if that matters anyway. You’re mine now” Andre whispered. Reaching for the door. Mark was quick and smart. Knowing Andre was going to do something, he didn’t come alone. Pulling Moon towards himself, he pushed Andre towards Jaebum. “Take care of him, I’ll take her out”. Nodding his head Jaebum dragged Andre away. Picking Moon up, Mark walked inside. Sitting her down on the benches, he went to her locker and started rummaging through it. Silently thanking the Gods when he found a juicebox in her locker, he went to her and took her phone and texted himself

Moon: Hey could you bring me a juice box, I don’t feel so good

After sending the text he removed the previous conversation and manipulated the text time to make seem as if it was sent 10 minutes ago. Taking out his phone, he texted Jinyoung.

Mark: Bring Bitty’s coach here in 5 minutes Jinyoung: Why? I thought you’ll keep it under control Mark: Shit went down big time. We can’t get her out quietly now Jinyoung: Fuck Mark: Just text me when you reach near the locker room

“You look hot” Moon suddenly said. This caught Mark off guard as she was simply giggling to herself all this time “Say what now” he asked bewildered “Don’t act like you don’t know. You’ve always known how I liked you. I never said anything. But for some reason I feel like confronting you about it” she said walking up to him. Mark sighed “Bitty, this really isn’t the time. You’re intoxicated. Let’s talk when you’re sober” he said “No, I wanna talk right now. I’m completely sober. You’re the one who needs to man up. You never tell me you like me but your actions say otherwise. Either tell me you don’t feel the same and that your actions are platonic or be honest with me. Stop leading me on” she slurred stumbling. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her, before he could say anything his phone went off

Jinyoung: On our way, two minutes max Mark: Stall her till I come out. I have a situation Jinyoung: You’re kidding? What even is going on? Mark: Don’t have time to explain

“You’re being a real jerk here” she poked him “Gosh I can’t believe I’m gonna do this”  he whispered before kissing Moon. she was caught off guard but nonetheless kissed back. He felt horrible for taking advantage of her like this but he knew he didn’t have much time. Putting two fingers on her neck, he pressed on her pressure point until she fainted in his arms. Lying her on the ground, he took out his pocket knife. Apologizing to the unconscious figure he made a small cut on her temple. Letting a little blood pool on the floor he dipped his fingers in it before smearing it on the side of the bench. Once he made sure everything was in place. He picked her up princess style and walked out of the locker room. “Oh my lord. What happened?” Moon’s coach asked looking at her unconcious figure in Mark’s arms “I’m not sure. She texted me she wasn’t feeling well and that she wanted me to bring her juice. I did as told, but when I called her she didn’t pick up so I went inside the locker room. She was unconscious when I got there. I think she hit her head on the benches because there was blood on the bench’s corner.” He lied “Coach, we should tell everyone she won’t be playing. Mark will take her to the hospital” Jinyoung said catching on to Mark’s lie “Oh yeah yeah, please call me as soon as she wakes up, Jinyoung, you tell her parents, I’ll make the announcement” the coach said walking away “Tell aunt and uncle what I told the coach. I’ll take her to your apartment. Make something up and make sure they don’t ask to go to the hospital.” Mark warned “If she hit her head, she needs a CT scan” JInyoung said “No, she didn’t hit her head, she was drugged, I had to make her faint to get her out, made a little cut just to make up a story” he explained “It’s 2:00 right now, I can stall them until 6:00, 7:00 max” Jinyoung sighed “That’s plenty of time.” Mark said, turning around and walking away from him.

Head bent over the toilet bowl, Moon threw up. Her stomach emptied and the more she hurled the more her throat burned. Mark returned with a glass of water, he kneeled down next to her and rubbed her back. “Any better?” he asked as she looked at him “Water.” she told him. Mark handed her the glass and she chugged the whole thing down in one go. Handing him the glass back she stood up. “Do you have a spare toothbrush?” She asked flushing the toilet “Yeah, here” he handed her the new brush from the cupboard. Moon started brushing her teeth and Mark left the toilet giving her privacy.

“I made some hangover soup,”  Mark said as Moon walked into the kitchen. “Can I get something for a headache? I feel like someone is hammering my head” Moon said clutching her head “Yeah, here you go” he said handing her a glass of water and two pills “Thanks” she said popping the pills “So, what happened? All I remember is drinking water which happened to be drugged. After that, it’s like I blacked out. And what happened to my head?” she asked, touching the bandage on her temple. Mark was internally relieved that she didn’t remember anything. He really didn’t want to talk about the kiss “When I got there, you were totally wasted and were being dragged out by Andre. Thankfully we got to you in time. JB took care of Andre, while I got you out.” Mark said “Wait. I was wasted, please tell me I didn’t say anything stupid” she asked “You were just a giggly mess. Drunk you is like a 3 year old kid with candy” he laughed, handing her the bowl of soup. “Oh. how’d you get me out without anyone noticing? And what about my parents?” she asked taking a spoonful of the soup “Well, I strangled you until you passed out and then took you out” he shrugged. Moon’s mouth went wide open as she dropped her spoon in the bowl. Mark laughed at her expression before continuing “You have pressure points in your neck, I pressed on it and you were out cold. I made a little cut on your head, made your coach think you fell and hit your head. Voila perfect escape plan. Although I am really sorry about your head” “Nah, it’s cool, it’s better than being seen drunk. Especially since i’m a minor and it was an important day” she casually waved him off. Mark and Moon went over the plan one more time, before he dropped her back at home. “Wanna come inside, I’m sure they’ll wanna see you” Moon said unbuckling her seat belt “Yeah sure, let’s just get it over with” he said exiting the car with her.

The following week became a living hell for Moon. She lost her scholarship and her coach referred her to the school psychologist. After a few sessions, it was concluded that Moon was mentally unstable and should avoid extra curricular until she was better. Moon knew very well that she was mentally disturbed and knew exactly why, but her coping mechanism was different and she hated talking about her problems. So to avoid confrontation, she did everything she was told by the psychologist. The problem got bigger and bigger and Moon decided it would be better to just drop college altogether. After graduating from high school, Moon became interested in online games and started developing love for computers. Starting with freelancing she built up her skills with time and forgot about her highschool life and dreams.

End Of Flashback

By the time Moon finished explaining, the pizza was cooked and now the three sat there in silence and ate the pizza. “Did you really hate us that much to not bring up such a big thing?” Moons mother asked “At first I felt it wasn’t important and I just wanted to forget it, so I avoided talking about it. After the sports day, I wanted to tell you but I needed some time to accept it. Then the whole thing with the psychologist took place and when I tried to talk to you about it, I knew it was too late, Andre was gone and I couldn’t really do anything. You know how I can get, just like dad I too can get hot headed, and when I bought it up things didn’t exactly go as planned so I gave up” Moon casually answered “I’m sorry. We couldn’t be there when you needed us the most and you had to go through that all by yourself” her mom said “Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong” Moon said “I was hard on you sometimes. I couldn't protect you like I should’ve” “You did more than you could, I’ll always be thankful for that.” she said tightly hugging the older lady. “This must be really awkward for you. First time meeting your girlfriend's parents and all you get is drama” her mom said looking at Chan “Girlfriend?” Moon questioned “He did say he was your boyfriend” “I was planning to tell you after some time, we just started going out” Moon blushed “It’s completely alright ma’am. I was somewhat aware of Moon’s relation with her father, so you don’t have to worry about that.” he smiled politely.

“Thank you so much for having me ma’am. It was really nice to meet you. You’re an amazing chef. Thank you once again, I really enjoyed your company.” Chan said as the two were now getting ready to leave. “Oh you flatter me Chris. It was amazing to meet you too. And please, don’t call me ma’am, just call my Aunt” her mother said patting his back “Thank you” he smiled shyly, his ears turning red. “Bye mom” Moon said, hugging mom one last time for the day. “Bye sweetheart, visit again soon” her mother said “I will, ba-bye” she said waving at her, getting inside the car

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The next morning Moon woke up earlier than expected. Finishing her morning routine, she went downstairs to the kitchen to whip something up for herself. Entering the kitchen, she was met with Bree and El preparing breakfast. “What’s for breakfast today?” she asked the older girls “Toast and egg. You want orange juice or mango?” Bree answered “Mango” she smiled, getting herself a glass of water “Hey guys” an unfamiliar yet recognizable voice spoke “NAY!!” Moon shouted turning around “SUNNY” Nay said with the same enthusiasm and  embraced Moon tightly “What are you doing here?” Moon asked as the two pulled apart “I should be asking you. No contact for a year and you’re in a gang.” Nay said “Yeah, long story” Moon smiled sheepishly “Your dad?” she raised a brow “Something along the lines yeah. What about you?” Moon questioned “Well you know my hoe-ish tendencies. Gotta sell my drugs somehow” she shrugged “Why am I not surprised” Moon laughed “Because you know me so well” Nay said swinging her arm around Moon’s shoulder “You girls seem close” Bree said “Been besties since high school” Nay replied “Speaking of highschool. How’s Madzi, what’s she been upto lately?” Moon asked, the two girls taking a seat on the bar stool near the counter top “Oh you don’t know?” Nay said “Oh no, I don’t like that tone. What’s going on?” Moon said “Well, it’s a long story. She was in a relationship an-” Nay started “Woah, I’m gonna stop you right there, was it an abusive relationship. Tell me where she is, I swear to God I’m about to kill someone” Moon cut her off “Slow down tiger. I like how you’re so feisty yet the tiniest of us three. Where do you store all that anger” Nay said, causing Bree and El to laugh “Ha ha, but for real, you know how I get protective over her, she’s the youngest amongst us” “Yeah yeah I know. Anywho. She was in a committed and happy relationship, but her parents found out.  Being homophobic, they were completely against their daughter being in a relationship with a woman. Things did not end well. She was forced to marry someone and break up with Didi. A month into her marriage, she found out that her husband is in a gang. And the last time I talked to her she didn’t sound really good” Nay explained “Didi from computer class? The cute shawty.” Moon asked “Yeah her. They made such a cute couple” “Literally everyone knew the two were whipped for each other, but neither of them said anything” “They were meant to be. The two met in a nightclub a few months after highschool. Both were drunk, guess it was the perfect opportunity.” Nay told “Can’t we do something about it? I mean you’re probably involved with more than one gang, maybe team up and get her out” Moon said “I checked. But her Gang has very strong alliances, so we can’t do anything” “Well, let’s just hope the universe has mercy on her” “Yeah well, there's not much we can do anyway” “So you tell. How’d you get into the whole drug business?” Moon asked “Well, Madzi, Didi and I started it about two years ago. We wanted to ask you but you were having issues of your own with your father, so we thought best to give you space. We didn’t think we’d succeed but damn was it fun once we got there. Didi and I are still in the business, Madzi however, well I just told you” Nay answered “What did you guys call yourselves?” “Stonewhores” she grinned “I- I’m not even gonna ask” moon said making her laugh “Alright girls breakfast is ready. Moon, go upstairs and get everyone”  Bree told “Yep” the younger girl replied and went up the stairs Knocking on everyone's door she did as she was told. “Hey, Min have you seen Innie? He’s not in his room” Moon asked Seungmin “I think he went to Channie’s office.” he replied “Oh okay, I’ll check, thanks” she smiled at him walking towards Chan’s office She knocked twice, waiting for someone to open the door “It’s open” Chan called from the inside. She opened the door and stepped inside. Chan and Jeongin seemed to be in the middle of some serious discussion. “Am I interrupting something?” she asked looking at their serious expressions. “No, it’s okay, we’re done. What brings you here?” Jeongin asked “Oh, Bree’s calling everyone downstairs for breakfast,” Moon said. Jeongin moved closer to Chan and hugged him “Thank you.” he said pulling away “I trust you, Don’t let me down” he said patting his back “I won’t” he said walking out of the office “What was that about?” Moon asked confused, looking at Jeongin’s disappearing figure. “He came to tell me about Him and Anessa. He said they like like each other and want to go out, came to ask for my permission” Chan answered “That’s so sweet and cute of him. You know he looks up to you a lot” Moon replied “Yeah I know. He’s a good kid, that’s why I didn’t object” Chan said, the two walking out of his office. “It’s cute, he even asked me to talk to Felix” Chan chuckled “What for?” “Seungmin and Liv also have a thing for each other, but they’re both afraid to tell Felix because of what happened when El and Woojin started going out. It’s like Romeo and Juliet” Chan answered “I don’t think so, in my defense Romeo and Juliet were dumb and dumber” “It’s a classical romance novel, what even woman” “I think if Seungmin ever came across liv’s unconscious figure, lying next to sleeping pills, his first instinct would be to try to wake her up or take her to the infirmary, not take the pills and kill himself. Whereas Romeo was a dumbass who thought that Juliet was dead, he didn’t even try to wake her up, just straight up took the poison and comitted suicide.” “I never knew you were into reading classical romance” he teased her “Oh please, it was compulsory in high school. I’m more into violent, gore, kinky, bloody kind of shit” “Kinky you say” “From the whole list, that’s what you picked up?” “I only hear what I wanna hear” he laughed As the two reached the kitchen Moon grimaced when she saw Hyunjin slap Nay’s ass. “Get your dirty hands off my baby” Moon said slapping Hyunjins back “What’s your problem?” he said “You just harassed my best friend, I’m not gonna stand here and watch” “Uhh babe, he didn’t harass me” Nay said “WHAT!?!?! Him? Seriously of all people, why him? Girl you could do so much better than him” Moon made a disgusted face “Well I’m offended” Hyunjin said overdramatically “Oh boi, she’s the best” Han laughed “What’s wrong with him?” Nay asked “Everything” Moon replied, everyone now seated on the dining table “But he has a nice dick and he knows how to use it” Nay shrugged “Ewww Nay, I’m eating” Moon pretended to throw up. Everyone just watching the two with amused expressions “I’m sure he’d be delighted to show you” Nay smirked “No thank you, I’d rather get stabbed by him again” Moon said “I can stab you with my  dick” Hyunjin chirped “Oh boi, bad move” El whistled “Why?” Hyunjin asked “Her boyfriend does not seem happy” Woojin said looking at Chan who had an unreadable expression “You do that and I chop it off” Chan said “Wait what? When did you two happen” Felix asked “Yesterday” Bree answered “Who confessed?” Han asked “Chan made the first move” Moon replied “Yess. Hwang, pay up.” Hyunjin grumbled and took out a $50 note from his wallet and handed it to Han “Come to papa” Han said kissing the note “You guys were betting on us?” Moon exclaimed “Only about who was gonna confess first” Han shrugged “Well, nobody confessed, which means both of you lost. So thank you very much for the money” Moon said reaching forward and took the money from his hand “But-” Han pouted “Too bad for you” Minho laughed “So Moon, How was your visit to your parents house” Liv said changing the topic “Oh it was great” she replied “Your mom and sister must’ve been happy to see you” Anna chirped “Well my sister was out of country so I couldn’t see her, but I met my mom and it was amazing” Moon smiled “When is she returning, I’ll take you to visit her” Chan said “Last night. Can we go this afternoon” Moon replied “I have some work this afternoon. You can take my car, but if you want to go with me, we can go tomorrow” Chan said “Oh it’s okay, I can go by myself” she replied “You sure?” “Yeah”

Moon rang the bell about three times but there was no answer. It was 4:00 in the evening and a Sunday so she couldn’t be at work. Not wanting to wait anymore she took out the spare key she always kept with her and unlocked the door. “I’m coming, I’m coming” her sister called out when Moon walked inside her apartment “Sis!!” her sister ran towards Moon and hugged her tight “What the pleasant surprise, and I see you still have the key” she giggled “And I see you still haven’t given up on your habit of sleeping around” Moon said taking in her appearance “C’mon sis, stop being such a party pooper” she said walking into the kitchen “Mavis. You know I don’t have any problem with the way you live your life, but please, this isn’t exactly safe. There are so many dangers, what if someone creepy takes advantage of you while drunk, or what about an STD. you have to be careful” Moon sighed “Sis, I understand your concern but don’t worry, I’ve gotten out of the habit of sleeping around with anyone. It’s just one person now. And no strings attached” “Well that’s good to hear, and I hope you use protection, because God knows where he’s been” Moon said “He too only sleeps with me, and yes, we do use protection if that’s what your worried about” Mavis said “Babe, should we order takeout?” a voice called out “He’s still here?” Moon asked “You’re the one who came unannounced” Mavis shrugged “Babe, I aske-” he stopped mid sentence when he saw Moon “YOU!?!” Moon’s eyes went wide wide

[mollyhw14]

Fallen Angel: Tied to the Devil's Daughter - Haechan / Lee Donghyuk fic (demon au) ♛ CH3 ♛

Haechan made himself comfortable in the seat where Renjun had just been, checking to see that was okay with everyone, earning a small nod from Mark.

"I didn't know you were friends with Renjun, Haechan?" Mark asked, looking at the boy curriously with sudden interest.

"Yeh I've not him for a few years now we used to go to the same dance academy outside of school!" Haechan answered, looking a bit awkward, not used to the attention.

"Wait how on earth do you two know each other?" Phina motioned to the two boys, sending her brother a confused look.

"Oh, well um... I volunteer at where he stays." Mark said lowly, hesitantly looking at Haechan's reaction, confusing Phina even more.

"I thought you volunteered at an orphanage?" Cheonsa piped up from the side of the Haechan, also interested in the conversation.

"Um... yeah...." Mark scratched the back of his head, clearly not wanting to carry on the conversation further. Luckily, to Haechan's relief, Renjun was back with the drinks.

"Dude you're kinda in my seat," Renjun motioned his head subtly towards Cheonsa, Haechan quickly got the hint.

"Oh is this the Cheonie you were talking about!" He got up excitedly letting a now red faced Renjun back in the booth.

Now not knowing where to sit, he awkwardly stood at the end of the booth. Phina couldn't help but laugh, finding the situation very amusing, seeing him distressed.

"Dude you can have my seat, I need to get going anyway, thanks for the invite Phinie it's really helped my stress." Mark turned to wards his sister giving her a soft smile before sliding out the booth and heading out.

"See you Mark," everyone called in unison and Haechan slid into Marks prior spot.

"So... you're the new kid then?" Cheonsa asked, trying to ease the awkwardness.

"Yes and what? You got a problem with it?" Haechan snapped, annoyed with the awkward atmosphere.

"Oi don't speak to my friend that way!" Seraphina could feel her anger rising and she knew if this was how he was going to act, she'd definitely end up snapping at him.

"Phina it's fine- honestly though, your temper is as bad as Phina's over here, but honestly just relax and calm down" She muttered towards Haechan. At times like this, Seraphina always questioned why Cheonsa was nice to people, she just didn't understand it.

After another hour or Renjun and Cheonsa attempting to flirt with each other, and Seraphina sat awkwardly in silence whilst Haechan start staring at her phone, she decided it was time to go home. After all, she was knackered and needed to cool down after being so angry all day, her parents wouldn't like her staying out too late either.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm off!" She clapped to the group, standing up to go.

"I'm just reminding you, you still owe me a birthday present." Her friend gave her a pointed look, causing her to sigh.

"I know, I know." Hands up defensively, she walked off towards the door.

She heard the last of their conversation before exiting the door.

"I didn't know it was your birthday tomorrow?", "yeah it's my 18th Renjunie!"

"Why am I always annoyed at everything, it annoys me," Phina moaned to herself, walking down the dark alley ways towards her house.

She came to a holt when she saw the familiar dog lurking in front of her.

"Wilson! Come here boy!" She shouted towards the fawn Pekingese as it trotted over to her.

"You always appear when I'm angry or annoyed, you must definitely be my guardian Angel Willy Bob." She petted the small dog before carrying on her journey, feeling a little less annoyed, with Wilson close behind her.

Arriving at her house, she heard the shouting before she even got inside the house. Her parents were shouting at Mark once again about his grades. Poor Mark just wanted to go and become an entertainer, but their parents where transfixed on him going to university and it upset Phina having to watch him suffer.

That night, Phina checked up on Mark, seeing him with headphones in and writing down lyrical poems which he always did when he was upset or anxious. Sighing, she closed his door and made her way to her own room. Eventually, she settled off to sleep with a heavy heart, wanting nothing but her brother to be happy.

"You don't belong here." Her mums voice rang in her ears, repeating the same phrase.

"You're not one of us." This time it was Cheonsa's voice. Her voice sounded like she'd been crying out of fear.

Why was she scared?

Was she scared of me?

An agonising pain in her back cut Seraphina out of her thoughts, her eyes sprung with tears as she let out a blood- curdling scream. Why did her back feel like it was on fire? Was she going to die?

The same pain then went through her teeth, causing the girl to bite down on her hand out of shock, hoping the pressure would make it stop.

The next thing she saw made her stop in her tracks, shocked and scared at what she could see.

All around her lay bodies, numerous bodies, laying in a massive pool of blood. Each body was lifeless and stacked up high, screaming tor life to come and take its place back in their bodies.

Screaming, Phina woke up. Sweat pooled round her body, and she was shaking from fright. The last thing she'd seen was glowing red eyes staring back at her. She couldn't make out if it was a mirror or somebody else. Was that her eyes? It can't have been!

She looked at the clock on her bedside table, the time read 6:30AM, meaning she would have had to be up in another half an hour anyway. Instead of going back to sleep, she got up and readied herself for the day.

Arriving at school, she greeted her best friend with a cake she’d quickly grabbed on the way, earning a big smile from the blonde girl.

“Aw Phina! Isn’t this like the first cake you’ve gotten me? Like ever.” She chuckled, as she got a small punch to her arm from the brunette.

“Can I not buy my best friend a cake for her 18th Birthday?” She questioned, a hint of playfulness in her tone.

“Of course-” Cheonsa was cut off by a stabbing pain in her back. In shock, she leant forward subconsciously until the pain slowly went away. Tears formed in her eyes from the amount of pressure which had been put on her back and she felt like she was being suffocated.

“Cheonsa, CHEONSA! Are you okay? Hello are you okay?”

Seraphina looked around for anybody that could help her, she couldn’t understand what was wrong with her friend.

“I’m fine Phina, it’ll stop in a minute.” Her friend wheezed next to her.

After 5 minutes went by, Cheonsa could finally stand up properly, but this didn’t stop Phina from being worried.

“What was all that about?”

“I’m not sure, I’ve been getting them all morning, the pain comes and goes but it hurts like fuck.”

This cause Seraphina to look at the girl in shock. Cheonsa barely swore, so when she did, that definitely meant the girl was in severe pain.

“I’ll be fine Phi, honestly stop worrying!” She gave Phina an encouraged smile, squeezing her shoulder in comfort.

“Thank you for the cake, but you better head off to your class the bell’s about to ring.”

“Oh shit.” With that, Seraphina was off, giving her friend a hug and a pointed look to let her know the topic wasn’t being dropped, before heading off to her first class.

“Okay class, now we’re going to learn a new routine today.”

Seraphina jumped from the floor in glee, she loved learning new routines.

“Guessing you’ve finally learnt how to control that temper, Sunshine,” the amused tone of the boy she hated the most rang from behind her. She groaned out loud at the fact that she’d forgot he was now in her dance classes.

“Because my temper is usually reserved for little dickheads like you.” She shot back at him, getting into a space to learn the dance.

“You little shit-”

Haechan was cut off my a clap of the hand from their teacher, narrowing her eyes at two students who wouldn’t stop bickering.

“Now class, I will be putting you into pairs for this routine, and please don’t moan I don’t want any funny business.”

Well that was Phina’s hopes of showing her dance teacher that she was a great performer crushed, because she nearly doubled over in shock when she heard the next announcement.

“Seraphina and Haechan you will be working together.”

They weren’t going to get any of this routine done with him being her partner. Especially if he kept being a fucking annoying brat.