#that and I already have a thing for valens :o

[g1rld1ary]

love's light wings - neil perry x fem!reader

wc: 967

cw: smoking, you meet neil at a party and he recites shakespeare to you

The air was cold and fresh on your face as you leant against the first floor balcony, a welcome change from the overwhelming heat from the party inside. Donna by Ritchie Valens was playing inside, muffled behind the closed door. You hummed along to yourself, unafraid of being heard. It seemed like your whole school was crammed inside the house, or at least was during the peak of the party. Through the course of your smoke break you’d watched people start to dissipate, couples leaving giggly and hand in hand, unaware of you watching from above. You frowned, taking another drag from the cigarette. You were stuck at the party until your friend’s dumb boyfriend decided he was ready to drive you both home. Maybe you did want a boyfriend, if only for the perks.

Neil wasn’t typically one for a party. He hadn’t been to a real one at all until he’d been brought along by Knox, who’d gotten a plus one from Chris. He’d enjoyed it, mostly, but he’d never learnt how to handle his liquor which was why he was out in the snow alone, throwing up into a bush. Youth was on his side and he recovered quickly, still feeling some of the effects of too many drinks. Then he saw you. You, leaning up against the balcony like an angel, backlighting from the house creating a halo effect around your body. Neil wondered if you were even real. Smoking peacefully, Neil thought you were undoubtedly the most beautiful girl he’d seen in his entire life.

“But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun,

Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief,

That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.” The lines tumble from his lips before he could even consider it might be a bad idea. If he was sober he would have been mortified, both at the utter reveal of his soul, and that he’d spoken to a pretty girl, just like that.

You’d never had Shakespeare recited to you before. You’d studied Romeo and Juliet in school, of course, but it only properly clicked when a boy was reciting it to you as if it had come from his own heart.

“And you’re Romeo in this scenario?” You called down to him, amused by his dazed expression. He nodded eagerly.

“See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand.

O, that I were a glove upon the hand,

That I might touch that cheek!” You giggle at that, glancing at your glove-covered hand.

“Do you have a name, Romeo?”

“Neil!” He yelled, waving adorably. You returned it with great amusement. “Neil Perry.”

“Why haven’t I seen you around before, Neil Perry?” There weren’t that many schools in the area, and you were sure you’d found all the cute boys already.

“I go to Welton,” He replied, “I only see the sun once a year.” You laughed loudly at that, tipping your head back joyfully. Neil watched in adoration.

“You should come by more often, Romeo. This is more interesting than anything the airheads in there can provide.” You nod your head back to the house where people you didn’t like where doing things you didn’t enjoy. You’d only come for your friend anyway, and what had that gotten you? Well, it had brought you to this, so maybe it wasn’t all bad.

You opened your mouth to say something else, introduce yourself maybe, when the balcony door flung open and your friend’s boyfriend was yelling something about needing you for a drinking game — not enough people to make even teams. You sighed, rolling your eyes with all the strength of your annoyance and glanced back down to Neil. He didn’t look angry, just genuinely upset to have to stop your conversation.

You hesitated in returning back inside, leaving Neil with a taste of his own medicine.

“So Romeo would — were he not Romeo called —

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name, which is no part of thee,

Take all myself.”

You hardly had time to witness Neil’s shocked, euphoric expression, but kept it in your mind as you participated in whatever dull, alcohol-infused game you’d been forced into.

It was over an hour later when you next saw Neil, surrounded by a small huddle of strange boys you assumed were also from Welton. He actually lit up when he caught sight of you, literally creating his own light source. You reddened under his gaze, unused to the attention.

Neil liked you even more up close. The soft yellow lamp cast your face in the most ethereal light and your red swing dress was endlessly flattering. Your smile sent arrows straight through his heart, making it hard to pretend he was listening to a word Charlie was saying.

“Juliet!” He approached you eagerly, ignoring the teasing from his friends. You didn’t think you were into being called by another girl’s name, but it was strangely okay when it was Neil doing it. You introduced yourself properly anyway, charmed by the way Neil tried out your name softly, smiling as he did.

“Don’t leave me waiting,” Was all you said as you pressed a slip of paper in his hand, the contents being your name and phone number. With a quick peck up to his cheek you left, following your friend out to her boyfriend’s car and the cold winter air.

The next morning the phone rang minutes after you’d woken.

[l0serloki]

VAL-entines 2

Surprising your S/O on Valentines day!

(Chamber, Yoru, Jett, Sage)

part one + masterlist

A/N : I know it's late.. I've been slacking. I want to be able to do one each year though!

Chamber :

Surprising Chamber is hard. He likes to know what you’re doing and is very punctual. So if you go off the schedule he will be confused..

But when you do surprise him he’s so shocked. His smile is huge as he reaches out and pulls you in for a big kiss.

“How did you pull this off you little minx?”

He would’ve never expected a surprise gift but he’s eternally grateful. You make him feel so special and loved.

“Hey.” You whispered out as you approached Chamber. His body was bent over his desk as he studied his gun schematics. It was barely even seven and he had already been working for hours. Your hand worked at his tense muscles as he turned back to you. 

“For you. Happy Valentine’s Day, love.” You whispered out as you placed down some of his favorites. His eyes widened as he took in the gifts. Hands gripped at your shoulders as he leaned down to give you a kiss. 

“You are too sweet. I will be sure to make this day wonderful, amour.”

Yoru :

Yoru is bad at receiving gifts. He doesn’t know what to say and he hates the fact that his face gets red.

He will accept them of course but now he feels obligated to do something for you. He will act like it's a chore but he really wants to do it.

In return for your gifts and affection he will take you out on a motorcycle ride. It’ll be a secluded place where he can feel free to talk about his emotions, even if he is awkward.

“Happy Valentine's Day.” You whisper out as you placed a new jacket on the table. Yoru looked at the object before turning to you with red cheeks. His hands moved awkwardly over the fabric.

“Yeah. Happy Valentine’s.” He huffs out as he shrugs off his current jacket and puts the new one on. His hands slip into the pockets before looking back at you with a small grin.

“It looks good.” Your heart does a flip as he pulls you in for a quick hug. You had worried for so long that he would hate it. But his smug smile says all you need to know.

“Of course it does. I’ll take you out later and you can have my old one.”

Jett :

She LOVES Valentines Day. And if you’re spoiling her?! She's overjoyed.

I feel like she definitely has a collection of stuffed animals and would be so happy to receive one just from you. 

Definitely handsy and voices just how much she loves you all day. And takes lots of photos of the two of you.

“We are so good together! Look at how cute you are!”

“Babe Happy Valen- Oh my god. Is that a panda?!” Jett squealed as she noticed the new stuffed animal in your arms. You could only laugh as you passed it to her and landed a kiss to her cheek.

“It is. I thought you would like it.” She squeezed at the animal for a moment before jumping against you. Her lips met yours as she conveyed her excitement and appreciation. You felt your heart soar at just how happy the tiny gift had made her.

“You’re the best. Let's get a family photo!” Her hands gripped at the phone as she took a photo of the three of you. 

Sage : 

Sage gets so flustered if you surprise her. She is not expecting anything so if you do it means the world to her. 

She likes simple things and cards mean a lot to her. Writing is so much more personal and heartfelt. She keeps every little note and nicknack from you in a box.

 Soft kisses and hugs as she thanks you a million times over. She cannot believe just how lucky she got!

“Oh my.” Sage gasps as she walks back into your shared bedroom, seeing a little basket set up for her. You smile as you motion her over and she reaches out hesitantly.

“Happy Valentine's Day, my love.” You smile as you watch her eyes tear up and she laughs.

“My little gem this is too much! I love you and thank you so much.” She leans up to press a quick kiss against your lips. You only brush at her hair as she looks back down at her gifts. Her eyes scan over the card you wrote for her as she stays silent. 

“This has truly made me so happy. Happy Valentine’s Day.” She whispers out as she digs her face into your chest.

[plague-karm]

You know when you find a character from a certain thing and you’re mostly fixated on that character and not the thing they’re from as a whole? Yeah that’s basically what this is, don’t worry I’ve done research but again I have to preface, I am still VERY inexperienced for writing characters from pre existing IP’s. That and the concept for this has kinda spiralled out of control so I’ll be posting it in several parts (which is what the hadalpelagic zone tag is for!)

Before we get into anything crazy though I might as well introduce our expendable trio!

Bentley Graham

Age: 25

His voice claim is Jack O’ Connell

The self proclaimed leader of the group

Beyond competitive, always sees as argument as a chance to get better at being an engaging talker

Easily the biggest extrovert of the three

Has dreams of becoming an entertainer in any way he can, has thought of several game show concepts but he never put them out there because he’s a huge slacker

Wholeheartedly believes that it can always get worse! :D

His hair is IDENTICAL to Sebastian’s when he was human, that definitely doesn’t make their relationship even more antagonistic than it already is

Does work as a standup comedian and loves performing for others

He lost his family in a house fire accident when he was younger which lead to him being orphaned, that day still haunts him so he’s an on and off alcoholic as a result. He also hates fireplaces

He’s very protective of his friends as a result of survivors guilt

ALWAYS wears button ups, you’d have to force him to wear a normal shirt

An absolute nightmare to be around if you’re not on his good side, he WILL prey on your weaknesses

Always coming up with crazy ideas that he loves to rope the other two into

He sees potential in everyone and years to crack every shell he finds

Lena Draxler

Age: 24

Her voice claim is Marina Diamandis

Very blunt and weary due to years of masking but becomes a lot more silly and joyous when she’s comfortable with people (unmasking is love, unmasking is life)

Has an unnamed motor disorder, it’s more apparent outside of the facility due to the conditions outside

Was constantly pushed to do better at studying by her family due to them not wanting to take care of someone who was “lesser” than them, she ran away from home at 16 as a result

Oblivious to a comical extent

Her eyes are identical to Sebastian’s when he was human, he tends to stare a lot because of this

Is half Italian on her mothers side but she lost the accent after she ran away, she can still speak it fluently though

Collects rocks

Works as an accountant (what can she say? She loves the numbers)

Gravitates towards people who she knows can protect her

Scene fashion fanatic, she has the hair and everything

Has a debilitating fear of needles and hospitals

Social chameleon, can talk to pretty much anyone if they’re tolerable enough

She holds people’s hands when she’s comfortable enough with them

Valen Garcia

Age: 22

His voice claim is Harvey Guillén

Puppet enthusiast, wants to make puppet shows for adults and children when he’s older

The only normal one lmao

The best person morally out of the three but he has no qualms with screaming at someone if they insult his friends

Worried for his friends

He was almost kidnapped when he was younger so he has a debilitating fear of the dark because of that

Full of whimsy!! :D

The Trio As A Whole

Bentley and Lena have known each other since childhood and they met Valen because they all went to the same university, they’ve been losing braincells together ever since

Bentley managed to get his own apartment and Lena moved in with him after she ran away

Lena and Bentley have been in an on and off situationship since she was 16 and he was 17, no one knows about this except for them, the reason they started it is because they felt incredibly lonely and they were willing to do anything to alleviate the pain…even if it meant getting down and dirty, because that’s what friends are for, right?

Ever since they graduated they’ve been aimless party animals who don’t know what to do with their lives

Valen moved in with them after graduation

They get drunk or high almost every night, they’re dealing with life so well

One night in a drunken haze they’re given envelopes with the Urbanshade sign up sheets on them, Bentley was dared by the other two to sign them, and he did! What could go wrong?!

Everything.

Everything went wrong.

[b-b-b-b-bones]

I finished Medium (I mean, I didn’t really finish it but I heard Joe dies in the last episode and I refuse to watch that. You don’t kill off the perfect husband!) and I think the next show I’m gonna watch is Cold Case. I love how stylized it is and how every episode is a mini period piece

[oepionie]

—"RED LACED HEARTS" various

💭masterlist | 💬ao3 link

sypnosis: leona, ace, & jamil with an s/o that gifts them a big bag of chocolates

⊹ [ cw ] — slight angst, hint of jealousy◞

⊹ [ tags ] — FLUFF.GN! READER | leona sugar daddy era, jamil wants to throw hands w your suitors, ace gets jealous◞

⊹ [ w.c ] — 1k+◞

✩—LEONA KINGSCHOLAR:

"Happy Valen-"

"Didn't I tell ya' you didn't have to get anything for me?" Leona grumbles, taking the human-sized box of chocolates from you and dropping it onto his bedroom floor. Truthfully, Leona doesn't really see the use of valentines day. He hates the tacky gifts and how they're coloured in bright pinks and reds, garishly decorated and covered to the brim with hearts and laces.

What's so special about the holiday? You two are already a couple are you not? Isn't it only for mushy, lovesick idiots who can't even get past the hand-holding stage?

"I just wanted to give you a gift…but if you don't want it then I'll just take it back. That cost a lot y'know." You frown, bowing your head down to the floor. Leona's ears droop a bit and he sighs, getting off his bed to walk over to you. He places his finger under your chin, tilting your head up to look into his emerald-green eyes.

"Hey…I didn't mean it like that." He mutters, stroking your cheek with the rough pads of his thumb. The lion pulls you down to lie next to him, his tail wrapping around your leg.

"Know damn well you don' got enough to go by. I'd like it better if you use that cash for yourself." He says, wrapping his arms around your torso and spooning you, pressing his face into the crook of your neck. You smiled as you carefully undid the now-loose braids in his hair, running your fingers through his tresses.

Leona couldn't care less about chocolates, cheesy love poems, or teddy bears…but being the centre of your attention ain't so bad.

"Here." Leona takes your hand and places a thin plastic card in it. Confused, you examine the card for a while before turning to him. "Why are you giving me your credit card?"

"I'm taking you out shopping later. Use that, I'll pay for everything, no buts."

✩—ACE TRAPOLLA:

Ace eyes the gigantic box of chocolates in your hands, a smug grin on his face. Oh, that was definitely for him. His sweet and adorable partner made him a special Valentine's Day present, making him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Prefect, you truly had no idea just how much you inflated his ego.

He casually leans against a table, clearing his throat. Holding in a laugh, you pretend to ignore him and continue scrolling through your phone. Once again, he is attempting to play the cool guy.

Ace furrows his brows, leaning in closer to you and clearing his throat louder this time. You stay silent and continue looking down.

"…"

"…"

"Oi! Prefect!" You smirk, letting Ace wrap his arm around your shoulder. He caved in quicker than you thought. His hand sneakily drifts over to the gift, fingers curling over the cover.

"Soo…who's this for?" He beams at you, all excited like a puppy.

Ace looked so happy…it was too bad you decided to mess with him today. Smiling back, you snatched the gift away from his grasp.

"It's for Deuce!" You pipe up. His eyebrows rose to his forehead as his face and jaw dropped. He raced forward to try to grab the present away from you, screaming "DEUCE?"

You dodged him and ran to the opposite side of the room. He gawked at you, practically seething with anger and jealousy.

"I-I'm your boyfriend! Not him! Why-" He sputters out, hands grasping your shoulders. He shook you back and forth, whining.

"What kind of partner doesn't buy their boyfriend anything but give their best friend chocolates? "

"Calm down. Of course, it's for you." Rolling your eyes, you grasp his hand in yours. You dragged the box towards him before timidly brushing a kiss against his cheek. "H-Happy Valentines Day."

He seized the chocolates from you right away and gazed at them like they were the most priceless thing in the world.

"MAN! You really gotta pull these lame jokes all the time? These better be the best chocolates I've ever tasted!" Ace joked, popping a heart-shaped piece into his mouth. He sent you a boyish smile. "Well…since it's coming from you, I'm sure it'll be the best."

✩—JAMIL VIPER:

Jamil scowled at the jumbled presents and love letters sitting atop your desk. His hands grasped a box of his own, itching to just rip every single gift out of there. How in the world was he going to get his present inside of that mess?

Even though he was your lover, he couldn't even get his present through—damn these suitors!

"Jamil?" He jumped and turned to face you, a sheepish expression on his face. You were looking up at him brightly, holding an enormous pink box in your hand. He noticed how your arms shook with the weight of carrying the entire thing.

"Happy Valentines Day!" You cheered, holding the box up to him. He gently took it from your hands, eyes soft. His irritation had melted away into something warm and gentle, these feelings making his heart beat faster and his palms sweat.

"Thank you, prefect. Oh, and this is for you." Jamil handed you the neatly wrapped box, filled will all sorts of handmade sweets and pastries. He rubbed the back of his neck, seemingly embarrassed at the somewhat lacklustre gift.

Jamil's eyes darted to the stack of presents atop your desk, he swore he saw a brand-new phone in there somewhere.

"I know it's not much but it's from me…It's not as expensive or as flashy as some of the other gifts you received but-" He was interrupted as you hurried to sweep the heaps of presents off your desk and into Grim's, the cat looking more than happy to receive so many things.

You turned back to him, clutching the gift tight in your arms. "It doesn't matter! I only want your gift!"

Jamil felt his heart skip a beat. With a rare smile on his lips, he pressed the bright pink box against his chest.

"Me too."

Likes and Reblogs are greatly appreciated and really motivating on my end!

[mrsmikaelsxn]

His Obsession

masterlist

pairing: tom riddle x female reader

warnings: somewhat stalking, obsession, possessive, kissing, fluff

summary: you were a new student and you have taken the interest of tom riddle, he decides he wants to know everything about you

a/n: i'm a sucker for obsessive tom, what can i say

song: we belong together - ritchie valens

Tom Riddle. A name that brought fear to most students. He was powerful, and had intelligence that the professors admired. He excelled in all of his classes with flying colors.

He knows most things about all the people in his year, and a good amount of stuff about the students in higher and lower years as well.

So it was a bit of a shock when he saw you stroll into the great hall. Headmaster Dippet had called you up to the stool to be sorted into your house.

After a short while, the hat called out Slytherin. He couldn't be more grateful, seeing as how you were a sight for sore eyes. Many people must agree seeing as there were many others that seemed to be checking you out.

He quietly observed all of your movements from where he was sitting, trying his best to read you.

His 'friends' noticed his almost zoned out gaze and called his name. His attention was brought back in front of him as he looked at his followers with an annoyed expression.

The day was over as quick as it started. The next day, he noticed you were in most of his classes, allowing him to study you more. He had his followers do research on you and your family's background. He had them around the castle to keep an eye on you.

He felt a sort of pull towards you, he wanted to know everything about you.

In the potions class, he saw you sat in the back. Normally he would sit in the front of his classes, but he took the seat next to you today.

"Hi," you greet with a nod, looking at him take out a quill.

"Hello, I'm Tom RIddle," says, voice like silk.

"Y/n," you smile at him.

"What brings you to Hogwarts?"

"My family moved, I used to go to Beauxbatons," you explain. He hums and turns his attention to the professor.

Since then, you have become almost friends. He began to tutor you for potions, the one class you did not have an outstanding in. You still had high marks for that class, but you wanted to try and get all O's.

He had taken a great liking to you.

He most likely wouldn't admit his feelings, he thought it was impossible for him to feel such things because of him being conceived under a love potion. Yet, you come along and prove him wrong.

He wasn't really one for public affection, but he was different in private.

Even though he didn't necessarily do things such as holding your hand, or having an arm around your shoulder, people would say he was obsessed with you. His eyes and attention were wherever you were.

There was something about you that was so ethereal to him.

Whenever someone looked at you for too long, or in a bad way, he dealt with them when you were somewhere else in the castle.

Today was the day of your date with him. He had finally decided to ask you to accompany him on a 'picnic' as you called it. He said it was just a meal outside but you discarded that.

He used his wandless and non-verbal magic to quickly set up the secluded area as you got ready.

A bit later you met him there and couldn't stop a bright smile from forming. He loved your smile, it was one of his favorite things about you. He would always find a way to make you smile, and if you weren't with him, he already had it engraved in his mind for him to imagine.

"Hello, y/n. You look lovely, as always," he greets you kissing your hand.

"Tom," you blush and avert your eyes. "I think you look dashing as well," you smile and pat his chest.

"Well, come sit," he says as he goes to sit in the spot set up. It has a beautiful view of the mountains and the Black Lake.

"This view is stunning," your eyes shine, taking in the phenomenal scene in front of you.

"Mine is too," he says gazing at you.

"My goodness Tom, stop with your flattery," you laugh covering your face to hide your even more reddened cheeks.

"I am only speaking the truth," he replies, bringing his hands to your wrists and pulling your hands from your face.

"You are the most exquisite person I've met," you pat his cheek.

"I know," he grins. You roll your eyes and go to resort, when you felt his lips on yours.

You recover from the temporary shock and kiss back. You had fancied him for some time now. You knew he was different with you, but never would you have thought he would return your feelings. No kisses have ever felt this intimate before, the way he kissed you was as if he was trying to show you how much he cared for you.

You had to pull back for some air after a minute.

"Tom," you mutter as he looks at your swollen lips and jovial face. This is, in fact, his first kiss. He has never felt an attraction to any other person before. On top of that, he was always so focused on his education and plans for the future.

"Y/n," he breathes out.

"What was that for," you whisper playfully.

"For you being perfect," he whispers kissing you again. When you two break apart, he asks you to go to hogsmeade with him. To which you replied with, "I would be a fool to ever turn you down, Tom," as you look at him with such love that had his heart beating so fast he thought he would have a heart attack.

[park-jimin-isnt-real]

𝓰𝓵𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓸𝓾𝓼 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮

♡ pairing: hobi x reader (shy crushes) ♡ rating: G ♡ genre: fluff ♡ au: coffee shop ♡ tw: n/a ♡ wc: ~1.0k ♡ track: Glitch ~ Taylor Swift: “We were supposed to be just friends. You don’t live in my part of town, but maybe I’ll see you out some weekend, depending on what kind of mood I’m in, and what’s in my system… I think there’s been a glitch…”

♡ summary: Hobi sits at the same place in the coffee shop every day. You sit exactly four chairs away from him. Jimin decides that's too many chairs.

♡ an: this one belongs to anon #1, thank you so much for participating darling! i hope you like it!! 14 Valen-tans Days masterlist ♡♡ main masterlist

Hobi liked silently watching you sketch. Not in a creepy way, in a "wow you look so pretty when you're focused on your work" sort of way. See, you and Hobi both frequented the same coffee shop on the same days, both doing your own work.

You people-watched and waited for inspiration to hit, slowly sipping at your coffee. As soon as that inspiration came, you opened your sketchbook and started going at it. Hobi, himself, often worked on choreography formations and did research on previous and upcoming competitors, things he should have been doing in the dance studio with Jimin.

Jimin worked at the coffee shop you and Hobi went to, and he had about had it with you two. You both came in every day, ordered your drinks, and then sat down facing each other basically two tables away. Jimin would work throughout the day and watch Hobi watch you, only to go back to work right as you look up at him.

It was like watching a pendulum slowly swing back and forth. This would go on for hours each day, and it was driving Jimin crazy. He didn't know you very well, but he knew Hobi, and he knew his hyung was more extroverted and personable than this.

He also knew that when Hobi wasn't thinking about dance, he was thinking about you.

There were three tables—the ones you both worked on and one in between you—and four chairs keeping the two of you apart, and Jimin had decided that was four chairs too many.

You two needed to fucking meet already.

Hobi looked up as Jimin approached him and pulled one of his earbuds out. "Hey, you on your break already?"

"Nope!" Jimine popped the 'p'. "I need you to move to that table," he pointed to the one in front of his hyung.

Hobi cocked an eyebrow. "Um...why?"

Jimin only held up a hand. "Please do not question the workers, sir, I just need you to move."

"O...kay..." Hobi was weirded out by Jimin's behavior, but picked up his laptop and coffee and moved to the new table, sitting so he was still facing you (and trying to not think about how much closer he was).

"Thanks hyung!" Jimin smiled, then went back behind the counter. He waited a few minutes for Hobi to put his earbud in and get focused on his work again, before heading over to you.

"Pardon me, miss," he smiled sweetly, trying not to startle you too much. You looked up at him in confusion but not annoyance. "I've noticed you're often in here sketching, and we've gotten some complaints lately that this particular table is rather wobbly."

"Oh, really?" You asked, giving the actually-stable table a little shake to test it. "I haven't noticed anything."

"I would hate for your drawings to be affected by something so trivial," Jimin continued anyway, "so I've arranged for someone to come take a look at it. In the meantime, would you be so kind as to move to that table?" He pointed at the one Hobi had just moved to.

"But... there's already someone there," you softly protested.

Jimin brushed it off with a shake of his head. "He'll be fine, he's a friend of mine and another regular here, you won't disturb him at all."

You glanced between the two men, hoping your face wasn't turning too red. "Um, okay then," you agreed.

"Thank you so much, miss." Jimin smiled and offered to help carry your coffee to the new table while you gathered your sketchbook and the few pencils you used.

Jimin left the two of you to go back behind the counter again, watching and waiting to see what would happen. If you two didn't talk naturally, he'd just flat-out introduce you.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, where you couldn't look at Hobi for more than a few seconds and wide-eyed Hobi didn't dare look away from his computer screen, Jimin sighed and went to work remaking the drinks you had ordered.

Both you and Hobi were startled when Jimin approached you again at your shared table, placing down fresh coffees and a piece of cake with two forks for you to share.

"Jimin, what are you—"

"I didn't order—"

"Hobi-hyung, this is Y/N, she likes drawing. Y/N, this is Hoseok, but everyone calls him Hobi, he likes dancing. Please, for the love of god, talk to each other." Jimin walked away, leaving you both shocked.

After a moment, your eyes met Hobi's. You took a sip of your new drink, trying to work up the nerve to say something.

"Hi," Hobi squeaked out.

"Hi."

Another moment of silence.

"What, uh, what are you drawing? If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, um, I'm studying fashion, specifically costume design." You turned your sketchbook so he could see the design you were working on. It wasn't more than some faint lines and vague shapes right now, which was why you were okay showing it.

"That's so cool!"

"You, um, dance?"

Hobi nodded. He already had an old video of one of his team's performances up, so he turned his laptop around so you could both watch. He silently offered you an earbud (after subtly making sure it was clean) and you smiled as you took it.

"Which one are you?" You asked as you watched. Hobi pointed at the screen, then pointed to another dancer.

"That one is Jimin, the worker here. He's my co-captain." Hobi was also making a mental note to put Jimin through one hell of a workout when they met later for practice.

You watched the rest of the performance in silence, caught up in the movements. It was amazing. You returned the earbud once the video ended.

"Do you wanna meet up for coffee tomorrow?" You asked him before you could back put.

Hobi smiled widely. "Yeah, I would really like that."

"Cool."

Jimin watched all this go down from behind the counter with a satisfied smile on his face. "I love my job."

tagging: @daydreamer-writing

thanks for reading!!

[not-a-space-alien]

Magnanimous Moonrise Chapter 15M

Story masterpost

Complementary chapter

Content/Content warnings for this chapter: First chapter where I can say there are NO WARNINGS, only fluff!

They both sat there talking to him encouragingly until he’d downed the glass, the straw slurping at the empty bottom.  When he started trying to swipe the remnants out of the glass to lick his finger, they took it and refilled it.

He drank three full glasses in the end before they reached the bottom of the pint of blood.  Ari suggested they wait a little while to open another one, to let his stomach settle.  Valen agreed to this.

"Are you starting to feel a little better?" said Lex, squeezing his hand.

Valen flushed and looked down.  He was feeling better.  The food was already starting to help.  But it was also psychological.  Someone had fed him.  Someone cared enough to help him.  “Y-yes, thank you.”

"How about a bath then, huh?"

Valen had been so focused on his hunger he'd completely ignored how utterly filthy he was. The rotten artificial blood smelled truly disgusting. Humans' sense of smell was poor, but probably even they could smell it.  “O-okay.”

“Go ahead and unhook yourself.”

Valen reached up and took the muzzle off, a simple act of freeing himself that had been so impossible just a few days ago.  It already felt like the first bath he’d taken not that long ago was years in the past.  He set it on the ground, then unclipped the chain from his collar.

As Lex helped him stand, Ari crossed her arms.  “Hmph.  We’ll have to figure out some way to get that off you eventually.  We don’t have the key.”

“O-oh,” said Valen, deflating.  He’d secretly been hoping they’d take the collar off soon.  It was the last restraint on him, but it was locked.

“Well, we can work on it,” said Ari.  “Hey, do you want me to carry you up to the bathroom?  Our stairs are a bit fucky.”

Valen looked past her to see the stairs up the second floor:  They were uneven wood, some with exposed nails, and quite steep.  They were, indeed, a bit fucky.

“If–If–If you want to,” said Valen, voice quiet, trying not to sound too excited.  “That–that would be–appreciated, ma’am.”

“All right, up you go, then.”  He tried to suppress his reflex to flail and grab things to stop himself from falling as Ari scooped him up, one hand on his back, the other under his thighs.  He slid into her chest, arms curled up, blushing fiercely as she carried him bridal style.

Ari looked down at him and winked, and he averted his eyes quickly.  “Hold on, bat boy.”

Valen did not think he could get any redder, but his body kept finding more blood to send to his cheeks and ears.  He could see Lex smirking in an amused way behind Ari.  He worried about what it could mean…  They were teasing him, that’s all, surely.  Not that they were angry at him, or threatening him.  Just good-natured teasing.

It was the first time in his life he found he didn’t mind it.

Ari carried him up the stairs.  It reminded him of the first time, when she’d done it over her shoulder, with his arms still cuffed and the muzzle still on, as he’d given Lex desperate pleading eyes, hoping against hope for some compassion.

“There we are,” said Ari, setting him down in front of the bathroom.  “Taxi dropping you right off.  Have a good time.”

“I imagine you’d like some privacy,” said Lex.

“We’ll get you a towel and stuff, and you can take as long as you want,” said Ari.

“Um–” said Valen.  “I–I–I might need help getting in and out of the tub.  You can–you can stay, if you want.  If you want to.  Please.  You don’t have to.”

Ari quirked an eyebrow.  “Eh?”

“You don’t have to.”

“Start running the water, Ari,” said Lex.  “I’ll be back with the towel.”

Their bathroom was dirtier than the one in the hunter’s compound, the mirror slightly cracked, but it had a lived-in feel that was comforting, even if all the hair everywhere was kind of gross.  Ari squatted next to the claw-foot bathtub and started the water, running her hand under it.

Valen clutched his hands to his chest as he caught sight of himself in the mirror again.  He barely recognized himself under the burns on his face–but this was better than the first time.  That was him, under the muck and despair, he could see himself there now, as though he were being excavated out.

“Hey,” said Ari, and he turned to see her watching him stare at himself in the mirror.  “Come here, kiddo.”

Surely Valen had to be decades older than her.  But he sat on the toilet next to her without complaint.

“We’re gonna get you cleaned up,” said Ari.  “And we’re gonna help you get better.  There’s no need to look at yourself like that.”

He looked down at his lap.

“Now do you wanna keep all your clothes on, or take a proper bath?”

“I’ve got a towel,” Lex sang, coming back in.  “Bath time, then?”

Ari closed the flow of water.  “Do you want us to look away while you undress?”

“I–I think I’ll fall down if I have to–I think I need help to–”

“All right, that’s okay, I’ll help you,” said Lex.

He pulled his shirt over his head, then almost lost his balance if not for Ari’s hand on his back.  He let it fall to the floor, then leaned over and pulled his pants down, again only staying upright because of the two women holding him up.

He was just as emaciated as before, and just as injured, but the motions of his hands were less unsure.

“Are you sure you don’t want some privacy?” said Lex.

They had already seen all of him and more, been privy to his most brutal debasement and his lowest points.  The concept that his mere nudity would mean anything in front of them was laughable, in his mind, but he appreciated the gesture.  “I don’t mind.”

“Okay,” said Lex.  “As long as it’s what you want.”

Valen pulled his underwear down, then turned to step up into the bathtub.  He had free use of his hands this time, but just as he’d predicted, he still banged his foot on the ledge trying to step up into it.

“I gotcha,” said Ari, steadying him.  She picked him up and lowered him into the water like she was firmly grasping a handful of dry spaghetti to put into a pot of hot water.

She let go, and he sank down into the warm water, tub luxuriously deep.

“It’s nice?” said Lex.

“Yes,” he said, eyes watering.  “Th-thank you.”

Lex shrugged.  “Well, we kind of had to.”  No, you really didn’t.  You definitely could have gotten away with leaving me in Hell.  Lex produced a folded-up washcloth, sliding it onto the edge of the tub.  “Here, the soap’s over there.  We, ah, don’t have one of those nice detachable shower heads, so we’ll just have to refresh the water more than once.”

Part of Valen wanted her to use the washcloth with her own hands, but he knew it would be inappropriate to ask her to do that.  He took the washcloth and wet it, then rubbed the soap on it.

He started washing the copious blood off his face.  He’d known he was filthy, but he was still surprised by the amount of blood that came off, the speed at which the water turned rusty red.  “O-oh,” he said, peeling more grime off.  “I–I–I’m–It must have been ghastly to–to look at me like this the whole time.”

“I’ll start getting your stuff out of the van,” said Ari.  “You’ll need some new clothes.”  She prodded the pile of vile, blood-soaked clothes on the floor.  “Um, do you think it’s worth trying to save these?  Can we just get rid of them?”

“If–If–I can mend the holes, if you–if it’s not too much trouble to launder it–if you have a–supplies–to sew.”

Ari grimaced, but reached down and picked up the clothes without complaint.  “Right…I’ll go throw this in the wash, then.  We brought all the clothes you had in your closet and dresser.”

Oh, that was why they'd taken stuff from his house. “Th-thank you.  I–I’m grateful to–that you thought to b-bring my things.”

Ari shut the door behind her, leaving Valen and Lex alone in the bathroom.  Valen suddenly lost all courage to look directly at Lex, lowering his eyes to focus on rubbing the washcloth on himself, trying to pat his open wounds as gently as possible.

“Do you want me to wash your hair?  Since you don’t seem to be able to lift your arms above your head.”

“Yes, please,” he said, barely above a whisper.

Lex squeezed some shampoo out and started to lather it onto his head.  He closed his eyes, the soft touches washing over him, but disquiet growing in the pit of his stomach kept him from enjoying it completely.  He was enjoying Lex’s touches, a lot, and maybe that was supposed to be only something Ari had a right to.  The very last thing he wanted to do was upset Ari, to make himself unwelcome here in this haven he’d dared to hope for this whole time, to make her feel like she had to be territorial.  What if she walked in on this?  Would she be angry Valen was receiving affection from her?

“Are you sure–is it–”  He realized partway through he’d made a fatal assumption, and the pendulum of his anxious, overthinking mind swung the other way–it’d been presumptuous to assume this was affection and closeness in the way he was thinking of it.  He’d just never been touched so intimately by someone he actually wanted it from, and it was making his brain go haywire.

But it was too late to abort the question.  “Go ahead,” said Lex encouragingly.

Valen swallowed.  “Are you sure Ari would not object to the way you’re touching me?”

Lex’s hands stopped on his scalp.  His anxiety skyrocketed.  He’d definitely made a mistake of some sort.  Oh god, they were going to kick him out, or give him back to Nick, or–or–

“Of course,” said Lex, her voice tinged with amusement.  “She doesn’t care.  Why do you think she would?”

Valen shook, sending out tiny ripples in the water.  Now if he explained himself, he risked Lex being offended at his train of thought.  He wanted so badly not to intrude on their relationship, while at the same time yearning for nothing more than that very same, impossible thing.  He was here, in their house, and they were both helping him and treating him gently, and he wanted that to go on forever and forever–

He let out an overwhelmed squeak.  “I–I’m not sure–I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” said Lex, sounding more baffled than anything.  She went back to her rhythmic motions on his scalp.  “Have you…Has no one ever washed your hair for you before?  Besides that time I did it at the hunter’s compound, I mean.”

“N-no, no one has.”

Lex patted his shoulder.  “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes.”

“Me and Ari do it for each other all the time.”

He let out another strangulated whine.  Jesus Christ, Valen, keep it together.  How pathetic and starved was he for connection with someone he could be genuine and tender with that he immediately piled all those hopes and desires on these two hunters who had hurt him so badly?

Lex poured some water over his head to rinse the shampoo out.  “Oh, um…” she said.  “Right, I needed to ask you…  I think, at your house, I heard you…talking on the phone?  I assume that was someone you wanted to come help you right?”

Fear shot through Valen as he recalled the phone call to Priscus.  He’d almost forgotten about it already.  “Oh–Oh, yes, yes, I–I’m sorry–I’m sorry, Alexis.”

“Don’t apologize,” she said.  “It’s okay.  I probably would have done the same thing.  We just need to talk about it because it means someone is on the way to get you, right?”

Oh god.  He’d begged Priscus to come save him.  “I–I–I asked my husband to come rescue me.”

Was it his imagination, or did Lex look a little disappointed?  “Oh.”  She fidgeted.  “Well, should we–should we call him again and make arrangements for him to come get you?”

“No!” Valen blurted out, then eased back.  His initial response was always No, I don’t want to go with Priscus, but it was a very good question now.  He’d called Priscus because he was at the very end of his rope, completely out of options, and he’d figured that being abused was better than being tortured…  Now that it was looking more and more like torture was off the table, though, all his hatred of Priscus was returning.

But…Did he dare pass up this opportunity to make it off human territory?  To make it back to safety, out of the reach of vampire hunters?  How much did he trust that this treatment from Lex and Ari would continue?  And did he trust them just because he wanted to believe they would continue to be kind to him?

“Really?” said Lex.  “But–but you called him.  Do you not want…?”

There weren’t any good options for him right now, but he chose where he was, what he could see, a tentative peace over guaranteed misery.  “My husband is–my husband is a horrible man, whom I despise.  I would only–I only called him as a last resort, because I was desperate to escape torture.  I would count myself lucky if I never saw his face again.”

“Oh.”  Lex fidgeted.  “Well, if that’s the case…does he know where you are?  Do we need to hide you?”

Valen’s heart was overwhelmed by the speed at which Lex became ride-or-die upon hearing that a hated husband was in the picture.  “I was unable to give him the address before–before–those two arrived, and if he–even if he was able to track the location based on the phone number, or some trick, it would only lead him to–to my house out deep in the country.”

“Sheesh, that’s a good five hour drive.  Yeah, I don’t know if he really has any way to find you then.  …Right?”

“I believe so,” said Valen.  “At least, I hope so.”

The door cracked open, and Ari’s disembodied arm came in, laying clothes on the sink.  “Clothes,” she said succinctly, pointing to them without sticking her head in.  “There.  Bye.”

The arm withdrew, and they both heard the sound of furniture moving downstairs.

“So if I can ask,” said Lex.  “I’m–I’m curious as to why you’re married to him if you hate him so much.”

Valen let his eyes fall down into the soapy water.  “It was my parents’ idea.  I–I did not have the courage to defy them on the issue until well after we were married and it became obvious to me how truly horrible it was.”

“Oh,” said Lex, sounding very, very sad.  She watched Valen listlessly rub the washcloth on himself for a moment before saying, “Kind of the same thing happened to me.  Well, not quite that bad, but my parents tried to set me up with this family friend’s son as soon as I told them I was dating Ari.  They seemed to think they could convince me not to be queer if they just tried hard enough to find a man I would like better than Ari.”

“They–Mine also seemed to think they could convince me–not to be transsexual–if I married a proper husband and had proper wifely d-duties.  They were–were also trying to break me of my–pacifist beliefs, believing them to also be im-improper.”

“I’m so sorry,” said Lex, voice heavy.  “Oh my god, that’s awful.  I’m so glad you got away from that.”

“As am I.”  He swallowed.  His voice was starting to get raspy again from using it so much, but he was finally, finally having a conversation with someone who could understand him even a little bit, and he didn’t want it to stop.  “I–I still couldn’t get him to sign the divorce paperwork I initiated, which is why I–I still have his last name.  Any time he–he s-starts to consider just letting me go, his-his parents say that divorce isn’t something to–to consider, and that he needs to be a proper husband to make me a proper wife.”

Lex suddenly got a look of intense sadness on her face.  “I’m–I’m so sorry, Valen, I feel–I feel so horrible.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“No, I–”  Her voice wobbled.  “When we looked up your last name we assumed it meant you were an evil person working for the blood farms.  I–I–I feel so horrible about what we did to you.”

Valen would have been angry at her, at some point in the past, he still was to an extent–but he was mostly just…too tired, and scared, and desperate for any gentleness to be angry about something that had already happened in the immutable past.  “It was–your train of logic was sound…It was a fair assumption to make, given the circumstances.”

He looked up to see that Lex was full-on crying now.  “It doesn’t matter, I–I’m so sorry, Valen, I’m so so sorry, I don’t know if you can ever forgive me.  It’s our fault this all happened to you.  I’m so, so, so sorry.  How can I even begin making it up to you?'

He couldn't say it was all right, because it wasn't, but… "You are already off to a good start."  He smiled weakly.  “This still feels–not quite real.  This is–the rescue I’d been hoping for.  I am still-still a little afraid of waking up back in the basement.”

“No!” said Lex fiercely.  “Absolutely not.  I won’t let that happen to you.  I shouldn’t have let it happen in the first place.”

He wanted to believe her so badly.  “Thank you.”  He dipped his head.  “I think I am quite ready for a water change.”

Lex pulled the drain in the tub, watching the muddy brown water be flushed away, then plugged it back up and set the water to warm again.

“So, if–if I may ask in turn,” said Valen.  “How did you and Ari–become involved?”

“We were childhood best friends,” said Lex, blushing and smiling, as though overwhelmed by the softness of the memory.  “And we both got tired of boys breaking my heart over and over again.”

“That is–that is wonderful.”

It took one more water change before he was clean to his own satisfaction, at which point Lex helped him stand and towel himself off.  He felt so, so much better than he had than after the last bath he’d had.  There was no muzzle or cuffs to go back on, no Hell downstairs to go back to after the reprieve.  He would go downstairs and instead of Nick and more vampire hunters, there would be Ari, bringing in his belongings, and more blood if he plucked up the courage to ask for it.

“Here, let me put some bandages on before you get dressed,” said Lex.  She got out some ointment and bandages from the cabinet.  He sat on the edge of the tub and tried not to shake as she rubbed ointment on his open wounds, gently wrapping them in gauze.  The air was still warm and humid, the only sound the dripping of water, and Valen watched Lex’s delicate hands working tenderly at his injuries.  Part of him thought it’d been worth it to accumulate the injuries if it meant Lex would touch him like that.

“There we go,” she cooed, securing the last bit of gauze on him.  He was practically more gauze than skin at this point.  “How’s that feel?”

“Better.  Thank you.”

“Great, want to get dressed, then?”

“Yes, please.”

“Geez, good thing Ari brought you a belt, too,” said Lex as she helped him step into his pants.  “You’re, like, five sizes too small for your clothes now.”

Valen had no comment on that.  Lex apparently interpreted this to mean he was glowering, because she apologetically said, “Well–Well, we’ll get you back up to a healthy weight, don’t worry.”

So they did intend to feed him, long-term.  That was a relief.  He didn’t worry about where the blood would come from.  They seemed like they were really going to do this for him.  Tears welled in his eyes.

“I promise,” said Lex distressingly, doubling down.  “It’ll be okay–please, I promise it’ll be okay, please don’t be upset.”

Valen decided to save his voice, so he merely wiped the tears off his eyes.

“Can I give you another hug?” said Lex.

“Yes,” said Valen instantly.

Her arms came around him.  This time she was free to lean fully into it, since there was no blood on his shirt.  She was…so warm.

“Thank you,” Valen whispered.

Lex smiled.  “Come on, let’s go downstairs.”

She went down first, in case he fell.  Ari’s voice could be heard from the kitchen.

“Are you really sure there isn’t anyone else there I can talk to?”

Valen peeked his head into the kitchen behind Lex.  Ari was on the phone, looking agitated.  His preternatural hearing let him hear the voice coming out of the speaker.  “Yes, Ari, it’s only me here, now.”

Valen’s blood turned to ice.  It was Nick’s voice.  Ari was talking to Nick on the phone.  Why was she talking to Nick?

“Fine,” said Ari.  “Whatever.  Just tell everyone else we can’t go on patrol tonight.”

“But you were supposed to go on patrol last night, and you didn’t.”

“Yeah, and we already didn’t do that.”

“You are scheduled to–”

“I know we’re scheduled, Nick, I’m telling you we have to be excused for now because Lex lost about seventy-five percent of the blood in her body.  You were there.”

Valen flushed with guilt and embarrassment, drawing back behind Lex and leaning into the wall.

“Yes,” said Nick.  “I’m aware.  Fine.  What about my research specimen?”

Valen put his knuckle in his mouth, trying not to cry out.

“Just as I told you, I killed it,” said Ari.  “And no, we’re not catching you another one, before you ask.”

Nick growled in frustration.  “Fine.  If you are quite done being a bitch, you can hang up now.”

“You’re lucky I can’t kick your balls through the phone lines.  Bye, scumbag.”  Ari slammed the phone into the cradle.  “It seems like it’s getting harder for Nick to hide what a piece of shit he is.  He usually behaves to your face, at least.”

“Ari,” said Valen weakly.  “Thank you for telling him I’m dead.  Thank you for–for–for–for–”

“All right,” Ari grunted.  “No need to cry about it.  Come on into the living room.  I guess it’s doubling as your bedroom for now.”

They brought in Valen’s dresser, end table, towels, all his clothes, some of his lab equipment and books, and whatever else they’d thought to grab.  There really wasn’t that much of it, and it sort of fit in the living room.

Ari arranged things and kept looking back at him for a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, but he always assured her that it was perfect where it was, even it was clearly blocking the door or some other way it was obviously not perfect.  They helped him put some clothes and shoes in the hall closet, and hung up extra curtains and taped them to the wall to ensure absolutely no sun could get into the room.

Once that was all done, Valen reported that he might be ready to eat more, so they went back into the dining room and had him repeat the exercise of loosely restraining himself.  They did this a few more times over the course of the day, and each time he seemed a little less afraid of the muzzle.

Valen was obviously extremely tired, so they eventually offered to just let him just go to sleep, which he found agreeable.  They pulled the plastic off the couch and removed the cushions, and unfolded it to reveal a mattress stored inside.

Tears welled in his eyes once more as he watched Ari stretch a fitted sheet over it and Lex put pillows and blankets on it.  This was a bed.  A bed.  He’d get to sleep in a bed.  They wanted him to sleep in a bed.  He’d given up hope of ever having such a luxury again, of ever sleeping in anything except a metal box.

He turned around to see Lex holding a pair of soft sleep pants and an oversized shirt.  “Do you want to borrow some pajamas?  I noticed you don’t have any.”

“I…”  The tears spilled over.  “I–thank you, yes, thank you, I would like that so much.”

Lex helped him change into them, then helped him lie down, pulling the blanket up over him.  He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow, the feeling of the soft fabric over his whole body practically overwhelming.

“Everything all right?” said Ari, giving a thumbs-up.

Valen bit the pillow, immediately ripping two small holes into it, but he was too overwhelmed to care much.  “Mmm-hmmm,” he whined.  Maybe he’d be able to sleep this time.  Maybe.

“All right.  Well, good night, then.  Er, good day.”

They turned off the light and left him alone.

****

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[fae-fucker]

Zenith: Chapter 80-84

Chapter 80

The general makes a speech on a stage with all the other leaders, including Lira’s aunt whose name I’ve already forgotten. It’s all very boring and Andi’s narration says this as well, which means fuck it, who cares, it’s all fluff anyway.

“Together, we remain as strong as we were on that final day of battle over a decade ago. Today, we continue to keep our trading ports open, to share new knowledge between the brightest scholars of each system and to be constant in our communications with one another. Why, just yesterday, I caught my wife sending a com to Governor Kravan’s wife. I believe the topic of discussion was how closely they could match their gowns without too many people taking notice.”

The crowd erupted with polite laughter.

Women! What are they good for!

Andi watches the crowd instead and we get this bit, which I highlighted in my review of the book:

Across the room, a group of girls clustered together, giggling silently as their parents sent them looks of disapproval. A few feet away, two handsome young Arcardian soldiers, their hair groomed back and glowing under the lights, watched the girls with open interest.

Later, Andi knew, they’d walk up to the girls, try to win them over with their smooth words. Hopefully, if the girls were smart, they’d shut the boys down.

But they likely wouldn’t. They’d dance together. They’d plan their futures, set on moving higher and higher up in society until they reached the top, just as Andi’s parents had.

God forbid people have lives that don’t fit Andi’s ideals, I guess.

Also wow, Andi. They’re just gonna dance together. Girl sees a promposal and starts planning a budget for baby clothes, smh.

The general asks his son to join him on the stage.

Everyone in the crowd craned their necks, eager to get an up-close look at the lost son, returned home at last. Andi watched, too, not because Valen was a spectacle, but because she knew, perhaps more than anyone, that he hated to be on display.

So you’re watching him because you know he hates being watched? Kind of a dick move, Androma.

The general says something about how they’re all stronger together and his son’s return is proof of their resilience and yadda yadda. But DUN DUN DUUN, Valen is ... not looking happy about it? What could it meeeaaan?

Chapter 81

So anyway, Valen stabs his dad.

Well not immediately, because nothing happens in this book without an overly long monologue that includes the words home, soul, darkness, light, stars and mayhaps family. Valen monologues for a bit about how this isn’t his home and the general isn’t his real family and how the imprisonment on Lunamere opened his eyes, it’s all a bit ... vague?

Obviously the reason this twist doesn’t really work despite the fact that there was some foreshadowing is because we’ve been in Valen’s POV multiple times. This is one of those things where if you try to do this, you’re either gonna need the writing skills of a god or you’re gonna fall flat on your face. And Shinsay are, well, Shinsay. It simply doesn’t track, it doesn’t feel shocking enough because we haven’t really spent enough time with Valen or understood him all that well before it happened, and it’s not a moment of everything clicking together and falling into place because the foreshadowing has either been too sparse or it wasn’t there at all, plus we’ve literally been inside Valen’s mind at multiple points, we started the book in his POV, yet he conveniently didn’t once think about any of this?

I am Valen Solis, he told himself. Vengeance will be mine.

He smiled and drove the knife into his father’s chest.

So why did he spend all that time saying Valen Cortas? Like, from a Doylist perspective it’s there to mislead the reader, but from a Watsonian, why did he do this? Does he have some sort of 4th wall knowledge and knows his thoughts are being literally read so he’s like “tee hee gotta pretend I love my dad!”

One thing I can sort of see is that Valen is being manipulated by Zenith and now he’s been “activated?” That would make sense and explain the wild inconsistencies between his true motivation and his thoughts, but I don’t think that’s what they’re going for?

It’s cheap, and it’s bad, and it’s boring. Which isn’t something you want from a twist. But hey, at least one of our POV characters has finally done something to affect the plot. It’s only been what, 81 chapters? Good god.

Chapter 82

Andi’s like :O!!!

And then a bunch of Xen Pteran soldiers blow up the walls and are like >:(!!

And then people are panicking like <:O!!!

And then Andi takes out the electric dagger strapped to her thigh like >:)!!!

And now she’s “eager to kill” like >:D!!!!!

This chapter is 170 words long.

Chapter 83

Ok sorry, I won’t do that again.

We’re in Dex’s POV, he watches as the Arcardian soldiers take up weapons to defend people and themselves, but then Valen takes the microphone and tells them to lay down their weapons and they obey.

Andi, ever the girlboss, charges right at Valen. The chapter ends with Dex yelling for her to stop, but she’s too much of a strong independent woman to listen.

This chapter is 154 words long.

Chapter 84

Andi reaches the stage and tries to talk Valen out of completing his dad-murder, since the general is still alive despite how good Valen stabbed him. The Xen Pteran soldiers are shooting people in the background.

[Valen] turned, twirling the knife so that he held the blade like a paintbrush, ready to render death upon his own father.

You know? Because he’s a painter?

This is just too good, you guys.

Andi’s like “this isn’t the Valen I know, he’s a killer now, like meeee” and yadda yadda. When Valen makes it clear, through some clichéd dialogue, that he’s not backing down and WILL complete the dad-murder, she says she’ll stop him.

Valen’s like “nu-uh.”

So how was your day? I’m pretty good, all things considered. We’re almost at the end of Zenith, believe it or not.

[goldenworldsabound]

Something beautiful, oh my love, say hey (I love you) and sway for any f/o you'd like? :3

ooh, how about Kabu (and I guess I’ll skip Say Hey since I did it for him already!)

Something Beautiful ― What was something your f/o did that made you realize you wanted to always be with your f/o? What was something you did that made them realize they always wanted to be with you?

HIS FIERY DETERMINATION bricked okay but actually a little bit right he’s really dedicated in a way that is incredibly admirable. But I think it was really that despite his commitment to this goal, he still takes the time to be kind to people and help others. While he wants to get to the top, it’s not at the expense of others, and he never resents others for their successes. That’s something that really impressed and resonated with Golden. In that fic that the queue spit out recently, Kabu does things like shuts down misogyny in a way that is...appropriate. Kabu’s no nonsense attitude towards anything of that sort also helped her realize that not only was she in love (she knew that) but he was something she could actually see being with forever.

As for Kabu...in a way, Golden’s loudness of emotion. Now hear me out. I don’t actually literally mean that she is loud, but that her expression of emotion is loud. Her support for him is loud. When she’s sad because someone has been hurting a Poke’mon, it’s loud (and when she’s angry about that too). When she cares about something, she is loud. She doesn’t backdown. (He has a lot of these traits too, though he’s not “loud” in the same way) He adores that. Recognizing that she will never back down about the things she cares for, including him, made him realize...she was the one.

>////////>

Oh My Love ― You two have been saving up for awhile to go somewhere nice! Pick a travel destination and tell us about some of the things you and your f/o wanna do when you get there! 

Our first priorities are always visiting each other in Johto and Galar, but...we also both really wanted to go to Hoenn, because that’s where Kabu is from! He wants to show me his home. And maybe see me do the gym challenge (I’m imagining he can’t since he’s a gym leader in another region...though he could have some friendly matches).

Specifically he wants to show me Lavaridge most of all - his neice Flannery is there, and it’s where he grew up! The Blaziken that was his first partner still lives there too, so it’s important to him. And he KNOWS I will love the hot springs because I’ve mentioned stuff like that before. He also things I’ll really like Meteor Falls and he’s eager to take me there and see what I think. Not to mention the Battle Resort and Battle Maison, which didn’t spring up until after he’d left, so he’d be trying that for the first time as well! We’d make a great doubles team, don’t you think?

Honestly we want to go to ALL the regions eventually, but that’s another post :p

Sway ― You end the night slow dancing in the kitchen. What song are you dancing to?

We Belong Together - Ritchie Valens

Put Your Head On My Shoulder - Paul Anka

I just definitely associate Kabu with like, 50s love songs ANYWAY so,,, fsdjkhfds he’s a bit of a ham so he might sing to me while we’re slow dancing...I don’t feel like the whole “slow dancing in the kitchen” has resonated for me for ANY fave EXCEPT for Kabu. He’d definitely do this and it’d be cute af.

[fernandasesto]

What to do in a Gap Year without traveling - Fernanda Sesto

When I finished high school, I knew I wasn’t ready to start an undergraduate education in Uruguay. I was an eighteen-year-old girl with a strong and defined passion for not only the technology but also for social work and education. I was extremely confused about how to combine these completely different fields, but I refused to give up on them. The desire of finding out how to pursue my passions on that new stage of my life was my main motivation for taking a gap year.

Usually, when I talk to people about gap years, they have two things in mind: traveling or doing nothing. However, that was not true for me. On the one hand, even though I would have loved to travel around the world, I didn’t have enough money to afford the expenses that come with it. On the other hand, I’m not the type of person who can sit down and just do nothing. I’m extremely active and I enjoy having a lot on my plate.  So... what did I do in my gap year?

Get work experience:

Luckily, I went to a computer science specialized high school and I also took a course on software testing; therefore, I was able to get a job in an incredible tech company as a software tester. This definitely was one of the best experiences in my gap year because it allowed me to learn about technical methodologies and tools from excellent engineers. Moreover, I immersed myself in the organizational culture which puts the well-being of every team member above everything else. Thanks to this, I’m now looking forward to replicating these amazing team management practices in future projects.

Work has given me a more mature perspective of life and helped me to reassure my passion for technology. I totally encourage you to get any work experience in your gap year because it makes you grow in many different ways.

Start a non-profit organization:

When I was in high school, I always wanted to teach children how to code. However, due to my busy schedule, I couldn’t do it. During my gap year, I realized this was the perfect opportunity to start a social project about that.

I’ve been volunteering for a Latin American NGO for almost two years, helping slums to carry out infrastructure community projects. At that time, I noticed how one of the communities I was working with lacked of activities for children, so I came up with the idea of giving them computer science workshops on Saturday mornings. After gathering a team of volunteers, we proposed the idea to the community members and we started the workshops in May.

Starting any social venture or non-profit is a very challenging activity, but the results are worthy. You can build your leadership and teamwork skills, make a social impact, and meet a lot of people too! It is very important that you are passionate about the cause of the project and that you can work alongside with all of those involved to make it sustainable.

A gap year is 365 days you give to yourself to explore new paths and seek personal evolution. Whether you are a high school senior, a college student, or an already independent adult, I firmly believe we all need, at some point in our lives, to get out of our comfort zone and to take new risks. You will be surprised by what you can accomplish in just one year!

Español:

Cuando terminé secundaria, sabía que no estaba lista para comenzar una educación universitaria en Uruguay. Era una persona de dieciocho años con una fuerte y definida pasión no solo por la tecnología, sino también por el trabajo social y la educación. Estaba extremadamente confundida sobre cómo combinar estas áreas completamente diferentes, pero me negué a renunciar a ellas. El deseo de descubrir cómo perseguir mis pasiones en esa nueva etapa de mi vida fue mi principal motivación para tomar un año sabático.

Generalmente, cuando hablo con la gente sobre los años sabáticos, tienen dos cosas en mente: viajar o no hacer nada. Sin embargo, para mi eso no era verdad. Por un lado, aunque me hubiera encantado viajar por todo el mundo, no tenía dinero suficiente para pagar los gastos que conlleva hacerlo. Por otro lado, no soy el tipo de persona que puede sentarse y simplemente no hacer nada. Soy extremadamente activa y disfruto de  hacer muchas cosas. Entonces ... ¿qué hice en mi año sabático?

Obtener experiencia laboral:

Afortunadamente, fui a la Escuela Superior de Informática y también realicé un curso sobre testing de software, por lo tanto, pude conseguir un trabajo en una empresa de tecnología increíble como tester de software. Definitivamente, esta fue una de las mejores experiencias en mi año sabático porque me permitió aprender de excelentes ingenieros, sobre metodologías, técnicas y herramientas. Además, me sumerjí en la cultura organizacional que pone el bienestar de cada miembro del equipo por encima de todo lo demás. Gracias a esto, ahora estoy deseando replicar estas increíbles prácticas de gestión de equipos en proyectos futuros.

El trabajo me ha dado una perspectiva más madura de la vida y me ha ayudado a reafirmar mi pasión por la tecnología. Te animo a que obtengas cualquier experiencia laboral en tu año sabático porque te hace crecer de muchas formas diferentes.

Iniciar una organización sin fines de lucro:

Cuando estaba en la secundaria, siempre quise enseñar a los niños a programar. Sin embargo, debido a mi agenda ocupada, no pude hacerlo. Durante mi año sabático, me di cuenta de que esta era la oportunidad perfecta para comenzar un proyecto social sobre eso.

Soy voluntaria para una ONG latinoamericana desde hace casi dos años, ayudando a los asentamientos a llevar a cabo proyectos comunitarios de infraestructura. En ese momento, noté que una de las comunidades con las que trabajaba carecía de actividades para niños, por lo que se me ocurrió la idea de darles talleres de informática los sábados por la mañana. Después de reunir un equipo de voluntarios, propusimos la idea a los miembros de la comunidad y comenzamos los talleres en mayo.

Comenzar cualquier empresa social o sin fines de lucro es una actividad muy desafiante, pero los resultados lo valen. Podes desarrollar tus habilidades de liderazgo y trabajo en equipo, hacer un impacto social y conocer a mucha gente también.

Es muy importante que la causa del proyecto te apasione y que puedas trabajar junto a todos los involucrados para que sea sostenible en el tiempo.

Un año sabático es 365 días para dedicarte a explorar nuevos caminos y buscar la evolución personal. Ya sea que sos un estudiante de liceo, un estudiante universitario o un adulto ya independiente, creo firmemente que todos, en algún momento de nuestras vidas, necesitamos salir de nuestra zona de confort y asumir nuevos riesgos. ¡Te sorprenderá lo que puedes lograr en solo un año!

[thetinylangblr]

Los verbos en español → Presente del Indicativo : regular and irregular verbs

      The verbs in the spanish language can take many forms and endings. This variety of verb endings means that often, using personal pronouns is not necessary in spanish.

Verbs are divided in 3 groups :

1st group : infinitive verbs ending in -AR

2nd group : infinitive verbs ending in -ER

3rd group : infinitive verbs ending in -IR

You can usually find the verb stem by only removing those AR, ER or IR endings of the infinitive form. The stem is then used to conjugate the verb (except for the tenses el futuro del indicativo and el condicional).

Sometimes the verb is irregular, which means in most cases that you can’t find the stem by just removing the infinitive endings.

           Now that you now more about spanish verbs, let’s learn el presente del indicativo, the spanish simple present tense !

El presente del indicativo is built by adding an ending to the stem.

1st group :

ex : CANTAR → the stem is CANT 

(yo) canto

(tú)  cantas

(él, ella, usted) canta

(nosotros, nosotras) cantamos

(vosotros, vosotras) cantáis

(ellos, ellas, ustedes) cantan

ex : HABLAR →  the stem is HABL

hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan

2nd group :

ex : COMER →  the stem is COM

como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen

ex : APRENDER →  the stem is APREND

aprendo, aprendes, aprende, aprendemos, aprendéis, aprenden

3rd group :

ex : SUBIR →  the stem is SUB

subo, subes, sube, subimos, subís, suben

(idk if you can really tell but there’s an accent on the i of subís)

ex : VIVIR →  the stem is VIV

vivo, vives, vive, vivimos, vivís, viven

(same here, there’s an accent on the 2nd i of vivís)

Those are the general rules for el presente del indicativo in spanish.

These rules change when we deal with irregular verbs. The irregularities almost never concern the endings (-o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an / -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en / -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en), it is very often the stem that is irregular.

IRREGULAR VERBS OF EL PRESENTE DEL INDICATIVO

Verbs with a diphtong :

For these verbs, the vowel in the stem turns into a diphtong but only for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th persons.

Verbs where E →  IE :

ex : EMPEZAR : empiezo, empiezas, empieza, empezamos, empezáis, empiezan

ex : PERDER : pierdo, pierdes, pierde, perdemos, perdéis, pierden

      some other verbs that follow this rule : comenzar, cerrar, pensar, defender, entender, perder, preferir, sentir...

Verbs where O →  UE :

ex : DORMIR : duermo, duermes, duerme, dormimos, dormís, duermen

ex : CONTAR : cuento, cuentas, cuenta, contamos, contáis, cuentan

     some other verbs that follow this rule : comprobar, encontrar, recordar, soñar, llover, volver, poder, doler, soler, morir...

Also there are 3 verbs that have a diphtong but that don’t really fit into these categories : adquirir, inquirir, jugar. 

ADQUIRIR : adquiero, adquieres, adquiere, adquirimos, adquirís, adquieren

INQUIRIR : inquiero, inquieres, inquiere, inquirimos, inquirís, inquieren

JUGAR : juego, juegas, juega, jugamos, jugáis, juegan

Be careful because some verbs that belong to the same families sometimes are tricky :

ex : defender has a diphtong, but ofender does not ; renovar has one, innovar does not...

Also, be careful with the verbs that start with the vowel that has the diphtong, like ERRAR, OLER... :

ERRAR : E becomes YE instead of IE →  yerro, yerras, yerra, erramos, erráis, yerran

OLER : O becomes HUE instead of UE → huelo, hueles, huele, olemos, oléis, huelen

Verbs ending in -acer, -ecer, -ocer, -ucir :

Those verbs add an extra Z before the C for the 1st person of el presente del indicativo. The other persons are conjugated following the regular rules:

ex : TRADUCIR →  the stem is TRADUC, except for the 1st person →  traduzco, traduces, traduce, traducimos, traducís, traducen

ex : CONOCER → the stem is CONOC except for the 1st person →  conozco, conoces, conoce, conocemos, conocéis, conocen

Verbs like COCER, RECOCER have a diphtong and lose the C for the 1st person →  cuezo, cueces, cuece, cocemos, cocéis, cuecen

Verbs like MECER, REMECER, lose the C →  mezo, meces, mece, mecemos, mecéis, mecen

Some verbs ends with -acer, -ecer, -ocer, -ucir but do not follow that rule : for example HACER, that is an irregular verb anyhow but do not follow that particular rule

Verbs ending in -uir :

There are about 40 verbs that add an extra Y between the U and the I when being conjugated in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th persons :

ex : ATRIBUIR →  atribuyo, atribuyes, atribuye, atribuimos, atribuís, atribuyen

The verbs in which the U is not pronounced, aka the verbs ending in -guir or quir, like SEGUIR, DELINQUIR, do not follow that rule.

Verbs where E →  I :

Verbs of the 3rd group that have an E in the last syllable of their stem are irregular. Verbs like PREFERIR, ELEGIR, REÍR, DESPEDIR, CORREGIR, MEDIR, REPETIR, SERVIR, VESTIR, PEDIR,...

For some of them, like PEDIR, there must always be an I in the verb when conjugated. That’s why the E turns into an I at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th persons for el presente del indicativo. The endings for the other persons already contain an I, therefore the stem stays the same.

ex : PEDIR →  the stem is PED →  pido, pides, pide, pedimos, pedís, piden

Some others verbs of the 3rd group that have an E in the last syllable of their stem, like SENTIR, are still irregular but don’t follow that rule, they just get a diphtong instead (cf previous paragraphs) : 

ex : SENTIR →  siento, sientes, siente, sentimos, sentís, sienten

How to know if your verb should follow the PEDIR type or the SENTIR type :

- If the E of the last syllable of the stem is followed by -nt- or -r-, then the verb should be conjugated like SENTIR. (ex : advertir, asentir, consentir, herir, divertir, convertir, mentir, preferir, invertir...)

SERVIR should follow that rule because the E is followed by -r-, but it is an exception and is in fact conjugated like PEDIR

- If the E of the last syllable of the stem is followed by neither -nt- nor -r-, then the verb is to be conjugated like PEDIR. (ex : conseguir, corregir, despedir, elegir, impedir, medir, seguir, repetir...)

Reflexive verbs :

The pronoun SE at the end of infinitive reflexive verbs is placed before the conjugated verb and changes according to the person.

ex : LLAMARSE →  (yo) me llamo, (tu) te llamas, (él) se llama, (nosotros) nos llamamos, (vosotras) os llamáis, (Ellos) se llaman

Independant irregular verbs :

A list of 20~ verbs, often used in spanish, and that do not follow other irregularity rules. The best thing to do is to learn them by heart !

DAR → doy, das, da, damos, dais (no accent on the i), dan

ESTAR → estoy, estás, estás, estamos, estáis, están

IR → voy, vas, va, vamos, vais (no accent), van

SER → soy, eres, es, somos, sois (no accent), son

HABER → he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han

SABER → sé, sabes, sabe, sabemos, sabéis, saben

HACER →  hago, haces, hace, hacemois, hacéis, hacen

DECIR → digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís, dicen

CABER → quepo, cabes, cabe, cabemos, cabéis, caben

CAER → caigo, caes, cae, caemos, caéis, caen

OÍR → oigo, oyes, oye, oímos (accent on the I), oís (accent on the I), oyen

PODER → puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden

QUERER → quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren

SALIR → salgo, sales, sale, salimos, salís (accent), salen

TENER → tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen

TRAER → traigo, traes, trae, traemos, traéis, traen

VALER → valgo, vales, vale, valemos, valéis, valen

VENIR → vengo, vienes, viene, venimos, venís (accent), vienen

VER → veo, ves, ve, vemos, véis, ven

Keep in mind that these irregularity rules are for the presente del indicativo specifically !

[bforbookslut]

Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings’ Zenith Is a Space Adventure With a Familiar Story and Tropes

I have given Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings a ☆☆☆ rating. It is Book 1 of The Androma Saga series. It is Young Adult Science Fiction with some Space Opera and Romance. Harlequin Teen publishes it. It will be published January 16, 2018.

The synopsis reads:

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader. But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past. Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two. Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their shipor just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

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I haven’t been this early for a review in a really long time but I was super excited to read Zenith ever since I received it. I’ve always loved space stories because if I wasn’t a writer, I’d love to be an astronaut. Or marine biologist. Or historian. Maybe librarian. You get the gist, I love to be a lot of things.

But, you’re in for a wild ride with Zenith. You either love it or hate it.

I haven’t written a review this long in a while so bear with me.

As always, my reviews may contain spoilers. I say may because what’s a spoiler to you may not be a spoiler for me.

Oh boy, is this a difficult one for me to review. My review process is this: I finish a book, I sit on it for a few days and then head over to Goodreads to get a refresher. Usually, it’s a good thing because it reminds me of things I want to mention but have forgotten. But with Zenith, it opened a massive can of worms I wish I had never seen.

Initially, Zenith was going to be one of my 4-star rating books. It turns out, I’m the perfect audience for it. I love damaged and fucked-up characters falling in love and I love all the drama. I went into Zenith expecting a soap opera/drama and I got it.

But after reading Goodreads and learning all I can about the background of this book, it’s dropped to a 3-stars. I don’t hate it. Zenith is not a bad book but it’s not good either. Did it blow me away? No. But, hell it was entertaining.

So, this review will be different than normal and split into 2 parts: first impressions and after goodreads.

F I R S T  I M P R E S S I O N S

I have never read a space opera before. I even had to Google what the genre is all about. And I loved what I found. As you probably know, I am a massive fan of Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray and until another mindblowing book comes along, that’s what I recommend whenever anyone asks me. And I expected Zenith to be something similar but more, for lack of a better term, extra.

And I loved it. I couldn’t put it down. It kept me up late at night and my eyes are probably rotten because I keep reading in the dark. I didn’t even realise it was 500 pages (cause my Kindle app doesn’t tell me so). It was dark and it was sensual, the writing clichés which some people might not like, were lyrical and poetic. The imagery spun was stunning.

Plot-wise, Zenith went in a multitude of directions. There’s the Androma, Dex and the Marauders plotline where the former two have to rescue the king’s prisoner son in the treacherous lands of Lord-I-can’t-remember (I’m not good with names here. I can’t even name you anything in Maas’s books because I never remember), but basically, they’re the bad guys. And then there’s the flashbacks (??!!) which are confusing but I just rolled with it. And then, there’s the evil queen of the bad lands who isn’t all that bad (or at least that’s what they want us to think) who wants revenge on the entire solar system for fucking up her kingdom and her parents’ lives and her life.

The Androma, Dex and Marauders line is resolved and then some. But the others just leave big question marks hanging in the air. But then again, Order of the Firsts, guys. It’s always like this because publishers want you coming back for more cause all they care about is the money.

Plus, they are all told in different POVs which can get confusing but it wasn’t a hard switch. It’s such a way of writing in YA that I’m used to it. I wish we could still get by on one voice only. I miss those damned days.

But to me, the characters make a story and I loved the Bloody Baroness. She’s dramatic and always very weepy and conflicted but oh, she’s so attracted to Dex. Let it just be clear that she’s very much like a copy of Celaena/Aelin but without the latter’s depth. She’s got death following her and her crew of pirates wherever they go and she’s torn up about it. Some people have an issue with the fact that she’s called something so vicious but is just a kicked puppy. But come on, this is a trope we’ve all seen before. Move along, shall we?

But, I did find it a little strange that although she hates killing, she kills everyone left, right and center in the name of protecting herself and her crew. Plus, she’s a fugitive.

Really weird and conflicting but at this point, I’m still rolling with it.

Dex is an arrogant prick. And while it’s my favourite trope when it comes to YA heroes, they usually come with some redeeming qualities. Dex has none. In fact, I’d say that I didn’t like Dex at all. He’s the perfect example of how not to write a YA hero.

And, the romance between Androma and Dex seemed incredibly forced. No chemistry. Just loads of trying-really-hard-to-create-UST.

The rest of the characters in Zenith sort of fade into the background. There are the Marauders which are very Six of Crows-esque, and the evil queen, Nor and there’s Valen, the prince they’re supposed to rescue. And a robot named Alfie that reminds me of Defy the Stars.

While Zenith attempts to fashion a unique space world, it feels too much like Guardians of the Galaxy and that bothered me about the worldbuilding. It didn’t feel utterly unique (unlike Defy the Stars. You can’t stop my love) and the entire time, all I could imagine was Peter Quill’s ship flying across the Guardians of the Galaxy space ala the movies. While there are references to unique “alien” features for example, in the pilot, Lira who has scaly skin that can heat until it burns her clothes off and it’s controlled by her emotions, nothing is taken a step further and explained.

And space opera and science-fiction are known for being detail-oriented.

But I still loved it. In all it’s campy, trying really hard glory. I thought it was a great first attempt and couldn’t wait for me.

A F T E R  G O O D R E A D S

And then, I looked at Goodreads.

I was confused by all the awful ratings. And it spiralled from there.

It turns out Sasha Alsberg is a notoriously famous booktuber (I wouldn’t know. I don’t booktube) and people are concerned that this book being published is because of her connections to the higher ups.

But more than that, the editor tied to Zenith is notorious for having published The Black Witch. Which is a plague on the YA community. I don’t understand how….how could anyone have let that racist crap slide.

And it was only after this that I realised what I had thought to be extra, dramatic and campy writing ala soap opera style was just bad writing. In fact, one reason why I loved the writing so much was because it’s the same time of exaggerated and flowery writing that fanfiction writers love (and readers like me eat it up).

Plus, it tried too hard to replicate the success of Throne of Glass and Six of Crows, perhaps in the hope of becoming the next big thing. It’s basically fanfiction set in space, guys. While I am the type of market this book is targeted towards, meaning that I love my tropes, it’s just laughable. There are tons of books out there like TOG and SOC but they’re all unique in their own way. I’ve even managed to reference Defy the Stars more than once!

Not to mention, Androma has red.hair. Who else has fiery red hair? You tell me. Hint, I’ve mentioned the name several times in this review. Not a fan of self-inserts.

Also, I am not a fan of celebrity books and have yet to purchase/read one. While other writers struggle and work their butts off to even get noticed, celebrities get special treatment because they already have a fan base in place.

While I am still looking forward to see where both authors are going to take Zenith, I wait with all these thoughts in my mind. In film classes, we are taught that the author is not separate from his work (and I did a lovely paper on Alfred Hitchcock which I loved) and it’s true in this case.

I’m afraid that Sasha’s reputation has coloured not just my opinion, but the opinion of many other readers out there.

While Zenith is not bad, it’s not great either. I can’t shout about it from the rooftops. For one, it reads too much like fanfiction (and we all know the kind of fanfiction turn book that has hit the market these days) and secondly, it needs a shitload more work before it’s public-worthy. Zenith has great potential. It just needs a lot more polishing, preferably throwing the entire draft away and writing it fresh. And perhaps, Sasha should consider a pen name.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This review edition may differ from the final edition.

[heatherly84]

OKAY. So I'm trying to work this out. Tell me if I got anything wrong.

Caelina: From Kala. Her personal name.

Jewel: From Scarre, as previously discussed.

Clytia: One of her Arisax names, presumably one of Kala's ancestors. (Also, is that pronounced with the Y as in Psyche or the Y as in Lydia?)

Amaya: From Valen, also as previously discussed. And I totally want to ask why because it was one of the first ones you had.

Kalizeth: This is an Arisax name. I think it's Kala's mother? Though for some reason, I remember her name as Kalizaveth. /o\

Dibella: I think this is from Dezi. Did it belong to someone else or is she just sharing her initial?

Cassia: Arisax name?

Tinka: Vance, I think?

Kala: Self-evident.

Sanguine: Nashar? Fun, though, since it means both hopeful and bloody.

Carai: Arisax again.

Moxana: Eallair? Also, it's familiar, but I don't know why.

Karna: Self-evident again. Though now I'm wondering how closely related she and Kala are and whether the fact that she dresses like clothes are just a naked body accessory affects how her family thinks of her.

Zadia: Aricur. I knew this!

Corenne: Yep, still seeing it.

Nimhe: Eallair, which was already established, but weird thing: if I was right about Moxana, that means she's the only one other than Kala to give her multiple middle names.

Kandrona: This is my second favorite of all established Arisax names.

Rayla: Raina. Not nearly as off-the-wall a choice as I would have expected for her.

Cadence: Kala, it is bad practice to give the same name to two of your children. >:(

Vasquez: Gee, I wonder where that came from. *g* But actually, who let her have it?

I now have Zadia’s full name!

Caelina Jewel Clytia Amaya Kalizeth Dibella Cassia Tinka Kala Sanguine Carai Moxana Karna Zadia Corenne Nimhe Kandrona Rayla Cadence Vasquez.

I originally planned to group the Arisax names together, but I thought this looked better.

She isn’t allowed to use “Vasquez” in front of anyone who doesn’t know she’s Zane’s daughter.

[sexvimpulse]

Caleb: [Crosses his arms as she shows up late] You were supposed to be here five minutes ago. [Clenches his jaw as he shows his disapproval] I’m hungry. Make me breakfast. [Sulks] you wouldn’t have been late if you slept here like I told you to.

Valentina: [Purposely arrives late, not wanting to spend more time with him than she has to] Lo siento. [Hollows her cheeks, trying to not be feisty around him] Are you unable to pour yourself a bowl of cereal? [Feigns innocence, hating how she finds him handsome but his attitude tests her patience] Thank you, but I’m more comfortable sleeping somewhere else. [Wraps an apron around her waist as she puts her hair up] Mi Mama said that you like.. eggs? I can’t remember. [Tries to recall what her mother said, frowning as she knows that he’ll scold her for it]

Caleb: [Growls as she’s already disobeying him] I don’t want fucking cereal. [Hisses, his jealousy at her hinting at her boyfriend makes him even angrier] What good are you? I should fire you and your mom for being so useless. [Shakes his head as he doesn’t look at her and goes into the kitchen] I want bacon and eggs and pancakes. [Sits at the counter, watching her as another maid serves him coffee. He knows he could have others cook for him it he wants her to do it]

Valentina: [Hollows her cheeks, chest heaving as he threatens her mama] Without mi mama you wouldnt be able to do a single thing. [Hisses back before swallowing as she tries to compose herself. She nods her head as she prepares his breakfast. She eyes him, noticing others serving him] Your breakfast. [Presents his food, hoping that it’s good enough] Do you want anything else, Caleb?

Caleb: So? If it means getting rid of you and making it hurt I’ll cut her loose too. [Snarls. He stares at her] Thanks. [Grumbles before grabbing her arm and nodding to the maid to bring her a place setting. He splits the meal] You’re eating with me. [Douses the cakes in syrup before taking a bite. He loves that she’s a good cook but he doesn’t give her any praises]

Valentina: Que? [Blinks as she sees another setting being prepared for her] I’m not hungry.. [Trails off as she simply watches as he eats. She raises a brow as he doesn’t give her any feedback] Well..? Is it good?

Caleb: Are you afraid it’s not is that why you’re not eating? [Glares at her from the side, wanting to fuck her so badly as he chews on his food] It’s fine. [Says as he wipes his mouth] I want you to wash my car today.

Valen: [Resists the urge to glare at him before taking a seat as she eats the food she prepared] Fine? [Repeats as she tries not to appear insulted. She takes in a breath before grabbing his plate to clean up his mess] Que..? [Raises a brow as she’s not wearing the proper attire, nor is that a job for her] Don’t you have a driver to do that? Or can’t you take it to the car wash?

Caleb: Why do you always have to talk back to me? [Shakes his head] I want you to wash my car. I even bought something for you to wear while you do it. [Smiles mischievously as he walks to his room and comes back with the tiny two piece] So you don’t have to get your clothes wet.

Valentina: Lo siento. [Swallows as she doesn’t want her mother to lose her job] I’ll wash it. [Speaks reluctantly before raising a brow. She watches as he leaves, her chest rising and falling as she can tell he’s up to no good. Parting her lips she then glares up at him] I am NOT wearing that, Caleb. [Shakes her head] Please. Don’t make me. [Asks as she knows her boyfriend would disapprove]

Caleb: Why not? It’s waterproof. [Frowns as he starts to feel slightly scummy about it] fine. You can wear one of my old t-shirts. [Grumbles, clearly disappointed but knowing right from wrong]

Valentina: [Is surprised as he tells that she doesn’t have to wear it] Gracias, Caleb. [Offers a small smile before nodding as he offers a shirt] Well.. I’ll still wear it.. you were right. I don’t want wet clothes. [Sighs as she walks up to him, slightly intimidated as he towers over her before taking the two piece] Pero I’ll wear your shirt over the bathing suit. [Bites her lip, hoping that shirt is long enough to cover her backside]

Caleb: [He perks up as she agrees and he simply takes off the shirt he’s wearing and gives it to her. He goes outside and pulls up a lawn chair to have a prime view as he watches her work. Eyes fall to her ass as he watches her his dick twitching and he adjusts himself in his sweats]

Valen: [Parts her lips as she sees his hard abs, weakening as she didn’t realize how muscular he was] Um.. Gracias, Caleb. [Goes to the bathroom to change, groaning as the bottoms barely cover her backside. Showing more flesh than she’d like while his shirt doesn’t cover her lower cheeks] Why are you sitting here? [Tilts her head before deciding to just give in. She tries to ignore him as she leans over the hood to wipe it down] Did I miss a spot, Caleb? [Using the hose, she washes off the soap, moaning in frustration as she gets wet] Do you have a towel with you? [Looks at him, trying not to gaze at his body as she covers herself as much as she can]

Caleb: Fuck. [Hisses under his breath as he sees her. He grabs a towel and walks to her, handing it over and taking the hose but instead of turning it off he sprays her more and laughs, getting himself wet too] You missed a spot. [He can’t help it as he presses her back up against his hood and kisses her deeply]

Valentina: Graci—[Reaches for the towel before gasping as he completely soaks her] Caleb! [Parts her lips, not knowing if she should be mad but she sees a rare smile on his lips she suddenly weakens] That’s not nice. [Grabs the hose and gets him more soaked before her chest rises and falls as he stalks after her] Caleb.. [Groans as he traps her between his hard body and the car before unwillingly releasing a moan as she feels his lips on hers. Without thinking she returns his kiss, biting his lower lip out of frustration before realizing what’s happening] Wait.. Caleb stop.. [Presses her hands on his chest in a weak attempt to create distance] I have a boyfriend.

Caleb: [Is delighted as she kisses him back eagerly pushing her up to sit on the hood as he grinds against her with this hard cock] Mngh.. huh? [Pulls away slightly as she speaks] I don’t care, Valen. [Shakes his head] You were mine the moment I saw you. [Licks her mouth back open and moans, wrapping her legs around his waist as he grips her thick ass] I want you. [Kisses her neck as his hand moves to tease her pussy]

Valentina: [Her chest heaves, aching as he keeps close to her] It’s not right.. [Gazes at his tempting mouth, unable to deny how tempted and attracted she is] No, Caleb.. [Trembles as he claims her as his before whining as he devours her lips once more. Slipping her tongue into his mouth, she kisses him hungrily] We can’t.  I can’t.. [Speaks in between the breaks of their kisses, moaning as she feels his hands on her. She involuntarily grinds against his cock before gasping as he stimulates her throbbing pussy] No more please.. [Reaches down, gripping his wrist but not pushing him away. With her other hands she grips his hair, pulling him in to kiss him harshly as if pouring her frustration into it]

Caleb: [His dick is rock hard as she begs him to stop but shows him she wants more] Fuck, Valentina. [Sucks her tongue as he grips the edges of her bikini and pulls them roughly down. His fingers slide into her pussy] You’re wet, baby. [Marks up her neck, knowing exactly what he’s doing] I want to be inside you, Valen. Please. [Whines as he pushes down his pants and reveals his throbbing cock. He can’t wait and shoves himself inside her, moaning at how tight and wet she is] Oh fuck. [Licks her mouth before spitting in it. He grips the nape of her neck and makes her forehead touch his as he fucks her] You like that, baby? I know you’ve wanted this dick.

Valentina: [Doesn’t pay attention as he leaves marks on her neck, only relishing in the pleasure that she feels from his actions. Her pussy clenches around fingers, throwing her head back as he works her so good] Caleb.. I can’t.. [Tells him in a weakened tone before parting her lips as she sees his hard, thick cock. She almost answers him before crying out as he stretches he’d tight pussy] Mmngh! Caleb! [Cries out, pulling his hair while her inner thighs quiver as if her body is in shock from the overwhelming pleasure] /It’s too good../ [Whines before gazing up at him. She hates herself as she loves the way he defiles her, licking up his spit before reaching for his shirt as she takes it off her body] Yes.. god yes.. [Whimpers as she has her eyes locked on his, clenching her tight pussy while tightening her legs around him] This is the only time.. last time.. [Speaks breathlessly before taking his hand and placing it on her full breasts, needing to feel more of him]

Caleb: [Bites his lip in pleasure as she tells him what he wants to hear] You love having me inside you, don’t you? [Grunts as he thrusts deeply. He pulls back to tear the wet shirt from her body, pulling the bikini top off of her full breasts as he grips them and pushes her back on the hood] Oh fuck. [Works her little pussy] Mm. [Spits on their sexes as he fucks her, holding her thighs up] You’re going to keep wanting more of this, little whore.  [Smirks devilishly]

Valentina: [Whines as he reveals her breasts, completely ignoring that they’re out in the open. But she’s too distracted by how good he’s giving it to her that she can’t think straight] Papi..! [Moans involuntarily as he lifts her legs, feeling his cock hitting a more sensitive spot] Unghh.. No mas! No mas Por favor.. [Writhes on top of the hood, unable to pull away as she’s completely helpless to his savage thrusts] Ayy! Caleb! [Arches her lower back as her release shocks her entire body, her wetness pouring out and soaking his cock] Papi.. No mas.. It’s too much.. [Begs as she continues to cum, her pussy clenching and unclenching around his flesh as waves of sensitivity runs through her]

Valentina: [Is a complete mess beneath him as he pounds into her pussy, shivering as his hand forces his cock to really hit her sensitive walls] Papi no mas.. [Whimpers but rolls her hips against him, secretly needing more before she moans again at the feel of his cum] Unghh.. Caleb..! [Gasps, unable to steady her breathing as she leans up, feeling lightheaded while she watches as his cum seeps out of her] Caleb.. [Moans his name as she collects his cum, desiring to taste it as she coats her tongue] Mmm.. Please.. please dont tell. [Begs softly, still not fully realizing what happened as she’s never done anything so filthy before]

Caleb: [Pulls out of her gently before groaning as she tastes his cum] Jesus. [Says breathlessly as she’s so filthy] It’ll be our little secret. [Pulls up his pants before adjusting her clothes and kissing her forehead] Lets get cleaned up. [Carries her, her legs around his waist as he takes a back entrance into the house and he takes her to his room] You can shower if you want. [Hands her a towel as he opens the bathroom door for her]

Valentina: [Hesitates to trust him before furrowing her brows as he acts sweet towards her] Caleb.. /Where are you taking me?/ [Drapes her arms over his shoulders as she looks down at him while he carries her—hoping that no one sees them] Won’t people see me leaving your room? [Blinks before taking the towel from him. She suddenly feels shy as she starts to process what happened. Her pussy aches with every step as she goes into the bathroom. She tosses aside the bikini and lathers her body in the soap. As she reaches her sore pussy, she moans involuntarily from how good he fucked her]

Caleb: [Takes off his wet clothes and hangs them to dry before he moves into the bathroom and gets into the shower with her] I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you. [Pulls her to him, his hand gripping her face as he kisses her again, water dripping down their bodies]

Valentina: [Parts her lips as he steps into the shower, not saying a word as she covers her body with her hands] Caleb, no mas.. We shouldn’t have done that.. [Whimpers before weakening into his deep kiss. She finds herself returning it again, pulling him down to her so that she can reach his lips as her tongue selves into his mouth to kiss him hungrily] Por favor, no mas.. [Chest heaves as she fights him off with her words but her body betrays her as her hand runs down his hard abs] I don’t do stuff like this.. [Gazes up at him, wondering why he has such a power over her as she wraps her hand around his cock, slowly stroking his length and squeezing slightly]

Caleb: Do you really regret me? [Tilts his head as he asks her but moans as she returns his kiss] You don’t do stuff like what? [Moans as she strokes him off] Fuck.. [His dick throbs in her hands, head falling back as he’s always wanted her to touch him like this] Valen.. [His hand moves between her legs, spreading her little pussy lips as he toys with her clit] You’re fucking hot.

Valentina: [Bites her lower lip as she uses both hands to bring pleasure to his cock. Her hands twist from base to tip, adding pressure around his throbbing head] Stuff like cheating on my boyfriend.. and liking it.. [Whines as she feels his touch again, aching for more as if it wasn’t enough the first time] /This is the last time, Caleb../ [Whispers as she releases his hard dick, turning around so that her slick body is pressed against the glass. She bends over slightly while guiding his head against her heated folds]

Caleb: Oh. [Moans as she works his dick. He groans as she turns around] That’s what you said last time. [Laughs softly as he pushes deeper inside her, his arms wrapping around her as he fucks her from the back, he kisses and bites up her back] Mngh.. god damn.. [Groans] I can’t get enough of you. [Watches his cock go in and out of her] I fuck you better than you’re little boyfriend, don’t I? [Licks her neck before cradling her throat and making her arch her back]

Valentina: Unghhh..! [Eyes roll back from the pleasure as his cock stretches out her already sore pussy again. She lets him position her how he wants, pushing her thick ass back into him before shaking her mounds in desperation] Si.. Si, Papi.. you fuck me so much better than he does. [Her features contort into pleasure and pain as she feels the deep impressions on her back while having to take his relentless thrusts] /Harder.. I want more../ [Loves the feel of his hand around her throat as she reaches behind to spread her thick asscheeks to him, giving him a show]

Caleb: Ungh.. [Grunts as she drives him crazy with her begging for more] You want me to tear that little pussy up don’t you? [Laughs darkly, slamming roughly into her, wanting to make it hurt slightly] God.. [Sees her pussy lips wrapping around his pink cock] You’re gonna make me cum already. [Groans, his eyes rolling back as he pumps in and out of her]

Valentina: [Nods her head, features expressing the pleasure she feels before she cries out as he savagely thrusts into her pussy] Ungh! Papi! [Whimpers as he breasts press against the glass. Her walls ache in slight discomfort as he stretches her out more] Cum for me then.. Cum in my pussy.. [Pleads as she works his dick, placing her hands on the glass for support as her body rides through her own release, shaking her mounds and rocking her hips to give him what he wants]

Caleb: [grabs her breasts and crushes them in his hands as he pounds deeply into her, moaning as his cum spills inside her] Shit.. [Bites on her back from his release, his heart pounding. He grabs her hair and shoves her in her knees, making her suck him clean]

Valentina: [She closes her thighs to keep his cum inside of her, secretly loving the warmth and feel of it] Papi.. [Whines as he grabs her roughly and forces her down. Taking his cock in her hands, she parts her lips and sucks out over drop, eagerly swallowing the taste]

Caleb: oh my god.. [Drawls as he thrusts into her mouth] Yes baby.. fuck.. you love the taste of my cum don’t you? [Slaps her cheek before he spits on her mouth again] Mm.. you’re mine. [Picks her up and cleans her off, washing her body with soap] Do you want to keep my cum in you?

Valen: [Drags her tongue all over his length, desperately starving for his taste. Whimpering, she swallows his spit—not knowing why she loves being defiled by him] Tuyo? [Tilts her head before closing her eyes as she savors the feel of his touch] Si.. I want to keep it in me.. [Stares up at him with lust in her eyes] I want to be reminded of you.. for the last time.

Valen: [Eyes roll back as she moans once he grips her hair—a weakness of hers] Caleb.. stop.. it’s wrong. [Pouts as she faces him, her chest heaving as a part of her feels guilty for not being faithful to her boyfriend] Yours. [Whispers, trying to resist as much as she can]

Caleb: I can’t hear you, baby. [Rinses our her hair as he looks down at her]

Valen: [Swallows as she lowers her eyes, feeling weak from the pleasure she feels] My pussy is yours, Caleb.. [Looks up at him, finding him irresistible and frustrating at the same time]

Caleb: [Smiles as he hears her words, leaning in and rewarding her with a kiss] Good girl, perrita. [Coos as he scratches her her chin. He starts to wash his own hair, cleaning himself off]

Valentina: [Parts her lips as he calls her a little puppy. She doesn’t know whether to feel insulted or melt at the affection] Perrita? [Raises a brow before taking the loofah to clean his body. She lathers him with the soap before gently massaging his back] Caleb.. I have a boyfriend. [Hollows her cheeks as she finishes cleaning him up]

Caleb: You’re my little pet. [Coos] So? Tell him you’re single now. [Looks at her over his shoulder as she cleans him up] Are you gonna keep seeing him? [Pouts]

Valentina: [Doesn’t look at him as he offers some advice. Finishing him up, she turns off the water before wrapping a towel around her body] I’ve been with him for years.. [Trails off as she would be too afraid to even leave her ex because Caleb would only want her for sex] Aren’t you seeing other people? [Bites her lip, knowing the answer but not wanting to hear it as she feels slightly jealous]

Caleb: And? [Blinks as he dries himself off and looks at her] you already fucked me twice. Does it even mean anything to you with him? [Cocks a brow] I’m fucking other girls at the moment. But I would stop. [Murmurs]

Valentina: [Her chest aches as she feels guilty but she knows that she hasn’t felt love in a long while] Que? You would stop? [Tilts her head] I don’t believe that..

Caleb: Yes? Why the fuck wouldn’t I be? [Grumbles as puts his clothes on before sitting on his bed and towel drying his hair]

Valentina: [Bites her lower lip, watching as he gets dressed before she puts on what she was wearing earlier] Don’t be upset with me.. [Goes up to him, hating the look on his face as she helps dry his hair] Por favor. Don’t be mad.

Caleb: [Almost snatches himself away from her but he feels too disappointed as he lets her dry his hair] Are you going to keep fucking him? [Looks up at her] And what? Come back to me so I can do it properly? [Hisses as he grabs the towel from her hand and throws it across the room before crossing his arms]

Valentina: [Stares at him blankly as he asks his question] /Are you jealous..?/ [Tilts her head as she realizes how addicted she is to him] Caleb, don’t be mean.. Por favor, Papi. [Pouts at him before taking his hands and putting it around her waist] If you want me.. then you can have me. But in secret. [Hopes that he forgives her. She knows that she should leave her boyfriend, and she will when she’s ready]

Caleb: [Sulks, not looking at her as his eyes glaze over. He glances at her as she calls him Papi. He lets her move his hands, not meeting her eyes] I want you to myself. [stomps his feet on the floor, hiding his face in her stomach]

Valentina: [Drapes her arms over his shoulders, scratching the nape of his neck as she shows a sweeter side] Por que? I thought you wanted to get rid of me. [Tilts her head, wondering if he only wants her as an object he can just claim and then toss aside]

Caleb: [Huffs as she throws his words back at him. He pulls away from her] Whatever. [Shrugs] See if that loser of a boyfriend can fuck you like I do. [Clenches his jaw as he opens his door] Get out.

Valentina: [Parts her lips as he acts cold again, realizing that he was just feeding his selfish needs] So what was I then? Why did you fuck me? [Her temper rises as he goes back to being rude] You said you wanted to get rid of me.

Caleb: Because I wanted to fuck you and because I like you. [Looks at her incredulously] Why do you think? [Rolls his eyes] I didn’t mean that.

Valentina: [Purses her lips as she hears him, feeling drawn to him and completely weak. She says nothing as she closes the door behind her] I’m not just a trophy to you, am I? [Asks, staring up at him] /I’ll leave him../ but I need to do it when it’s right.

Caleb: No..? Why would you think that? [Frowns] I didn’t want you to see the real me. I didn’t want to be rejected. [Furrows his brows as he’d overheard how her mom was telling her that he’s actually a sweet boy once you get to know him] hm? [He perks up] Fine..

Valentina: [Notices how genuine he is. Her heart softens and races as she already feels so addicted to him] Fine..? [Moves closer to him, wanting to feel his hands on her again] I thought you hated me.. but now.. /I just want more and more of you./

Caleb: I’ll wait for you to break up with him. [Pouts as he takes her into his arms] I don’t hate you. [Shakes his head as he kisses her deeply]

Valentina: [Moves willingly into his arms as she leans in to kiss his pouted lips] If might be awhile.. He’s out of town. [Sighs as she doesn’t want to end it over the phone. Moaning into his kiss, she grips his hair before pulling back to catch her breath] No mas.. I’m so sore already. [Pouts, resting her head on his]

[not-a-space-alien]

Savage Sunset Chapter 15S

Story masterpost

Complementary chapter

Content/Content warnings for this chapter: First chapter where I can say there are NO WARNINGS, only fluff! (and ducky pajamas!)

His hands were cold, cold, cold in Ari’s own.  But she didn’t let go.  She watched him with the proud approval of someone feeding a stray kitten.  It had been a while since she’d felt this way about anyone, the urge to protect and shield.  Not since Lex.

His eyes fluttered open, looking morosely at the emptied glass.  He released the straw from his mouth, licking blood from his teeth.  “Is there–is there more?”

Ari set the glass on the floor.  “There’s more.  But why don’t we wait a little bit, for your stomach to settle?”

He swallowed.  “Yes, that makes sense.”

"Are you starting to feel a little better?" said Lex, squeezing his hand.

Valen flushed and looked down.  “Y-yes, thank you.”

"How about a bath then, huh?"

He seemed to just notice for the first time the utter filth covering himself.  He pulled at the hem of his shirt.  “O-okay.”

“Go ahead and unhook yourself.”

Valen removed the muzzle, just as he’d practiced, then unclipped the chain from his collar.  God, they’d put a chain and leash on him, like he were a dog.  Lex felt kind of bad about that, even though in context it had made perfect sense.  To add insult to injury, he was just stuck wearing the metal collar until they could figure something out.

Apparently Ari was thinking the same thing.  She crossed her arms.   “Hmph.  We’ll have to figure out some way to get that off you eventually.  We don’t have the key.”

“O-oh,” said Valen, visibly disappointed.  We’ll figure something out, sweetheart, it’s not permanent.

“Well, we can work on it,” said Ari.  “Hey, do you want me to carry you up to the bathroom?  Our stairs are a bit fucky.”

The stairs were easily the worst part of their shitty house, worse even than the paint peeling off the porch.  The previous owners had started to remodel them and then just never finished.  Lex and Ari kept meaning to set money aside to fix the place up, but….well, it usually got eaten up by other bills quite fast.

He drew in on himself.  He looked scared of Ari.  “If–If–If you want to.  That–that would be–appreciated, ma’am.”

“All right, up you go, then.”  Ari scooped him up, one hand on his back, the other under his thighs.  He looked like a deer in the headlights as he slid into her chest, arms curled up.

Ari looked down at him, and he averted his eyes quickly.  “Hold on, bat boy.”  She winked.

This poor guy just couldn’t win.  He was just constantly being talked down to, as though he hadn’t been humiliated enough already.  Ari was…just kind of like that, though.

Ari carried him up the stairs, Lex behind them, just as it’d been that first time.  Lex felt less guilty than she had that first time.

“There we are,” said Ari, setting him down in front of the bathroom.  “Taxi dropping you right off.  Have a good time.”

“I imagine you’d like some privacy,” said Lex.

“We’ll get you a towel and stuff, and you can take as long as you want,” said Ari.

“Um–” said Valen.  “I–I–I might need help getting in and out of the tub.  You can–you can stay, if you want.  If you want to.  Please.  You don’t have to.”

Ari quirked an eyebrow.  “Eh?”

“You don’t have to.”

“Start running the water, Ari,” said Lex.  “I’ll be back with the towel.”

Lex walked back down to the hall closet, retrieving a towel and a washcloth.  She felt so much better about it now than she had that first time, bathing him out of guilt and pity.

Valen was sitting on the toilet when she came back up, looking down at his lap.  “I’ve got a towel!  Bath time, then?”

Ari closed the flow of water.  “Do you want us to look away while you undress?”

“I–I think I’ll fall down if I have to–I think I need help to–”

He just couldn’t win, he couldn’t even have the dignity of undressing himself in privacy.  “All right, that’s okay, I’ll help you,” said Lex.

He pulled his shirt over his head, then almost lost his balance if not for Ari’s hand on his back.  He let it fall to the floor, then leaned over and pulled his pants down, again only staying upright because of the two women holding him up.  He was just as emaciated as before, and just as injured, but the motions of his hands were less unsure.

“Are you sure you don’t want some privacy?” said Lex.  Part of her wanted to stay with him despite his indignity, his being so vulnerable.

“I don’t mind,” he said, voice impassive.  It was impossible to tell what he was actually thinking.  Had he been like this before, or was he just afraid of saying something that would upset them?

“Okay,” said Lex.  “As long as it’s what you want.”

Valen pulled his underwear down, then turned to step up into the bathtub and immediately ate shit, tumbling down.  Ari hollered and grabbed him, lowering him by the arm into the tub.

He took a minute to settle, sinking down into the water.

“It’s nice?” said Lex.

“Yes,” he said, eyes watering.  “Th-thank you.”

Lex shrugged.  “Well, we kind of had to.”  What’d happened to him had mostly been their fault, so it seemed like this whole process was the very least they could do for him.  Lex produced a folded-up washcloth, sliding it onto the edge of the tub.  “Here, the soap’s over there.  We, ah, don’t have one of those nice detachable shower heads, so we’ll just have to refresh the water more than once.”

Part of Lex wanted to run the washcloth over his body with her own hands, but that was probably too much.  He needed to do some things for himself to feel in control, surely.  He needed to not be humiliated so much.  Face once again unreadable, he took the washcloth and wet it, then rubbed the soap on it.

He started washing the copious blood off his face, then looked down at the water already staining red, apparently startled.  “O-oh, I–I–I’m–It must have been ghastly to–to look at me like this the whole time.”

Lex was amused by the concept of a vampire being self-conscious about how much blood they’d gotten on themselves while feeding.

Ari cleared her throat.  “I’ll start getting your stuff out of the van.  You’ll need some new clothes.”  She prodded the pile of vile, blood-soaked clothes on the floor.  “Um, do you think it’s worth trying to save these?  Can we just get rid of them?”

Oh god, Lex hadn’t even thought about that.  The clothes were black, so blood stains wouldn’t show up too badly, but sheesh, how to even start washing those?

To her dismay, Valen perked up and said he could mend the shirt if given proper sewing supplies.  Ari grimaced, but reached down and picked up the clothes without complaint.  “Right…I’ll go throw this in the wash, then.  We brought all the clothes you had in your closet and dresser.”

“Th-thank you.  I–I’m grateful to–that you thought to b-bring my things.”

Ari shut the door behind her, leaving Valen and Lex alone in the bathroom.  She leaned over, reigning in the urge to pet his hair.  “Do you want me to wash your hair?  Since you don’t seem to be able to lift your arms above your head.”

“Yes, please,” he said, barely above a whisper.  He wouldn’t look at her.  Please look at me.  It’s all right.

Lex squeezed some shampoo out and started to lather it onto his head.  He gave a few soft sighs, leaning into her touch.  There we go.  It feels good, right?  We can make you feel good.  We didn’t hurt you on purpose.  We’re not bad.  She worked out the knots in his hair and rubbed the spots where blood had soaked onto his scalp.

She wished he would talk more, but of course his voice was strained.  She was surprised so far by how soft and formal his voice was.  The frantic, violent way he’d spoken earlier must have just been because of circumstances, voice dying down as he landed in safety.  Had he always stuttered this much, or was that just nerves too?

He broke the silence after a minute.  “Are you sure–is it–”  He clamped his mouth shut, letting out a soft whine.

“Go ahead,” said Lex.  God, it was probably going to take ages before he could behave like a normal person again, without the constant fear.  She couldn’t even imagine the psychological effects what he’d been through would have on a person.

“Are you sure Ari would not object to the way you’re touching me?”

Lex almost choked. What?  Was he…afraid that Ari would be jealous? Why would he…?

Did he not think that Lex and Ari washed each other’s hair?  Did he think it meant something it didn’t?  She was baffled by the question.  She was washing his hair because he physically couldn’t lift his arms above his head to do it himself.  

But then again, he wasn’t thinking normally.  

“Of course,” said Lex, her voice tinged with amusement.  “She doesn’t care.  Why do you think she would?”

Valen shook, sending out tiny ripples in the water, and let out an overwhelmed squeak.  Oh no, did that scare him more?  “I–I’m not sure–I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”  She started scratching his scalp again.  “Have you…Has no one ever washed your hair for you before?  Besides that time I did it at the hunter’s compound, I mean.”

“N-no, no one has.”

That made her sad, imagining a life without the kind of casual intimacy needed to just wash the hair of someone you cared about.  “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes.”

“Me and Ari do it for each other all the time.”

He let out another strangulated whine.  Geez, I keep messing it up.  Maybe best to finish the wash and change the subject before I say something else to scare him.

Lex poured some water over his head to rinse the shampoo out.  “Oh, um…” she said.  “Right, I needed to ask you…  I think, at your house, I heard you…talking on the phone?  I assume that was someone you wanted to come help you right?”

He went rigid.  “Oh–Oh, yes, yes, I–I’m sorry–I’m sorry, Alexis.”

“Don’t apologize,” she said.  “It’s okay.  I probably would have done the same thing.  We just need to talk about it because it means someone is on the way to get you, right?”

He blanched.  “I–I–I asked my husband to come rescue me.”

“Oh.”  She fidgeted.  Of course.  What had she been thinking?  He had a life, a family.  He wouldn’t want to stay with her and Ari forever.  He was probably eager to get back to his old life, back to real safety.  Should they just let him go?  Ari’s criteria had been she wanted to be sure he wouldn’t hurt anyone, and that seemed fair…and his husband was probably kind and gentle, if he was married to Valen.  That was probably where he belonged, not here.  “Well, should we–should call him again and make arrangements for him to come get you?”

“No!” Valen blurted out, eyes wide with panic.

Well, that wasn’t what she’d expected.  If she was in his shoes, she’d want nothing more than for Ari to come get her.  “Really?  But–but you called him.  Do you not want…?”

His face crinkled, and he looked away.  “My husband is–my husband is a horrible man, whom I despise.  I would only–I only called him as a last resort, because I was desperate to escape torture.  I would count myself lucky if I never saw his face again.”

Oh.  Oh no.  Valen had an abusive spouse.  He had an abusive spouse he never wanted to see again, and he’d rather go back to that than face the situation Lex had put him in.

Well, luckily for him, his escape attempt had failed, and he wouldn’t be going back to that.  A fierce sense of protectiveness flared inside Lex.  The thought of losing her strange new friend was curiously heartbreaking.  “Oh.  Well, if that’s the case…does he know where you are?  Do we need to hide you?” 

Valen’s face melted into a touched expression.  “I was unable to give him the address before–before–those two arrived, and if he–even if he was able to track the location based on the phone number, or some trick, it would only lead him to–to my house out deep in the country.”

“Sheesh, that’s a good five hour drive.”  Lex had driven that road trip more often than she’d liked recently.  “Yeah, I don’t know if he really has any way to find you then.  …Right?”  The last thing she wanted was to have to come face to face with some vampire who was an asshole even by vampire standards.

“I believe so,” said Valen.  “At least, I hope so.”

The door cracked open, and Ari’s disembodied arm came in, laying clothes on the sink.  “Clothes,” she said succinctly, pointing to them without sticking her head in.  “There.  Bye.”

The arm withdrew, and they both heard the sound of furniture moving downstairs.

“So if I can ask,” said Lex.  God, she really wanted to talk about it, but maybe that was pushing it, given his state.  He probably didn’t feel comfortable saying no to anything, but…  “I’m–I’m curious as to why you’re married to him if you hate him so much.”

Valen let his eyes fall down into the soapy water.  “It was my parents’ idea.  I–I did not have the courage to defy them on the issue until well after we were married and it became obvious to me how truly horrible it was.”

“Oh,” said Lex.  She could relate to that, a little.  Ari had always defied her parents without worry, but Lex had always shied around corners to avoid upsetting her own.  “Kind of the same thing happened to me.  Well, not quite that bad, but my parents tried to set me up with this family friend’s son as soon as I told them I was dating Ari.  They seemed to think they could convince me not to be queer if they just tried hard enough to find a man I would like better than Ari.”  The fact that Lex had had childhood crushes and flings with boys probably didn’t help disabuse them of that notion, since they seemingly couldn’t comprehend the idea of being interested in both men and women.

Valen got a look of pity on his face.  “They–Mine also seemed to think they could convince me–not to be transsexual–if I married a proper husband and had proper wifely d-duties.  They were–were also trying to break me of my–pacifist beliefs, believing them to also be im-improper.”

Jesus Christ.  Lex tried to imagine if her parents had tried to convince her out of being queer and out of wanting to not literally murder people.  “I’m so sorry.  Oh my god, that’s awful.  I’m so glad you got away from that.”

“As am I.”  He swallowed, voice sticking in his throat.  “I–I still couldn’t get him to sign the divorce paperwork I initiated, which is why I–I still have his last name.  Any time he–he s-starts to consider just letting me go, his-his parents say that divorce isn’t something to–to consider, and that he needs to be a proper husband to make me a proper wife.”

Oh god, his last name, that stupid “clue” they’d gotten to link him to the blood farms, which in their minds had been all the evidence they’d needed to confirm Nick’s suspicions.  It had been linking him to a family he hated and was trying his hardest to escape.  “I’m–I’m so sorry, Valen, I feel–I feel so horrible.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“No, I–”  Her voice wobbled.  “When we looked up your last name we assumed it meant you were an evil person working for the blood farms.  I–I–I feel so horrible about what we did to you.”

He looked at her tiredly.  “It was–your train of logic was sound…It was a fair assumption to make, given the circumstances.”

Somehow it felt like things would be easier if he were mad at her.  Tears slipped down her cheeks.  “It doesn’t matter, I–I’m so sorry, Valen, I’m so so sorry, I don’t know if you can ever forgive me.  It’s our fault this all happened to you.  I’m so, so, so sorry.  How can I even begin making it up to you?'

"You are already off to a good start."  He smiled weakly, showing those fangs–Lex had always found the flash of fangs scary, for obvious reasons, but now she was delighted by it.  He was smiling, really smiling, in a smile that went to his eyes.  “This still feels–not quite real.  This is–the rescue I’d been hoping for.  I am still-still a little afraid of waking up back in the basement.”

“No!” said Lex fiercely, so horrified by the idea.  “Absolutely not.  I won’t let that happen to you.  I shouldn’t have let it happen in the first place.”

“Thank you.”  He dipped his head.  “I think I am quite ready for a water change.”

Lex pulled the drain in the tub, watching the muddy brown water be flushed away, then plugged it back up and set the water to warm again.  She tried not to stare at his exposed nude form as he sat in the tub waiting for it to fill back up.

“So, if–if I may ask in turn,” said Valen.  “How did you and Ari–become involved?”

“We were childhood best friends,” said Lex.  “And we both got tired of boys breaking my heart over and over again.”  Ari had known she was mostly into women from a young age, but Lex had taken a while longer to realize.  But Ari had been there the whole time, through everything.  Lex couldn’t imagine her life without Ari.  That probably made her…a little codependent, but it was how it was.

“That is–that is wonderful.”  Lex could not help but notice the envy in his voice.  She decided not to elaborate further, or prompt more conversation on the topic.  She still burned with about a million and a half questions, but best not to overwhelm him.

It took one more water change before he was clean to his own satisfaction, at which point Lex helped him stand and towel himself off.  Lex felt…better about taking him back downstairs after this bath than the last one.  There was no torture to send him back to.  Unless being subjected to Ari forcibly arranging your belongings was torture.

Lex offered to bandage his wounds before he got dressed again, which prompted the same deer-in-the-headlights look, but he agreed.  She tried to be as gentle as possible.  He still trembled under her touch, but he offered no comment.

“There we go,” she cooed, securing the last bit of gauze on him.  He was practically more gauze than skin at this point.  “How’s that feel?”

“Better.  Thank you.”

“Great, want to get dressed, then?”

“Yes, please.”

“Geez, good thing Ari brought you a belt, too,” said Lex as she helped him step into his pants.  “You’re, like, five sizes too small for your clothes now.”

Valen said nothing.  Geez, what a stupid commment that had been.  Obviously he could see and feel that for himself.  It must be embarrassing to have attention drawn to it.  Geez, why did she say that?  “Well–Well, we’ll get you back up to a healthy weight, don’t worry.”  Oh smooth.  Sure, that would make him feel all better.

He remained silent, but she could see tears pooling in his eyes again.  “I promise!”  She doubled down.   “It’ll be okay–please, I promise it’ll be okay, please don’t be upset.”

He still said nothing, putting a hand to his face.  Oh please, please, I’m trying my best.  “Can I give you another hug?”.

“Yes,” said Valen instantly.

Her arms came around him.  This time she was free to lean fully into it, since there was no blood on his shirt.  His skin was still cold, but it’d been warmed significantly by the bath, like cool tile that’d been warmed by sunshine.

“Thank you,” Valen whispered.

Lex smiled.  “Come on, let’s go downstairs.”

She went down first, in case he fell.  Ari’s voice could be heard from the kitchen.

“Are you really sure there isn’t anyone else there I can talk to?”

Fuck.  That was the voice she used when she was talking to Nick.  Lex considered making Valen go into the living room, as far as away as possible, but he was already at her back, at the threshold to the kitchen.

Ari was leaned against the ugly kitchen wallpaper, next to the cradle of the phone.  “Fine,” said Ari.  “Whatever.  Just tell everyone else we can’t go on patrol tonight.  …Yeah, and we already didn’t do that.”

She turned to Lex and made a motion like she was shooting herself in the head, making a face.  “I know we’re scheduled, Nick, I’m telling you we have to be excused for now because Lex lost about seventy-five percent of the blood in her body.  You were there.”

Valen whimpered behind her.  Fuck, he could probably hear Nick’s voice with his enhanced hearing.  She turned around and tried to soothe him, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Just as I told you, I killed it,” said Ari.  “And no, we’re not catching you another one, before you ask.  …You’re lucky I can’t kick your balls through the phone lines.  Bye, scumbag.”  Ari slammed the phone into the cradle.  “It seems like it’s getting harder for Nick to hide what a piece of shit he is.  He usually behaves to your face, at least.”

“Ari,” said Valen weakly.  “Thank you for telling him I’m dead.  Thank you for–for–for–for–”

“All right,” Ari grunted.  “No need to cry about it.”

Of course we would, sweet boy.  Lex wondered what he thought they were going to do with him, if he was so overwhelmed by the fact that they would lie to hide that he was still alive.  Did he think they would just say Oh yeah, he’s here, but you can’t have him, don’t come over or something?

“Come on into the living room,” said Ari.  “I guess it’s doubling as your bedroom for now.”

Oh, arranging things nicely, Lex loved doing that.  They brought in Valen’s dresser, end table, towels, all his clothes, some of his lab equipment and books, and whatever else they’d thought to grab.  There really wasn’t that much of it, and it sort of fit in the living room.

Ari arranged things and kept looking back at him for a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, but he always assured her that it was perfect where it was, even it was clearly blocking the door or some other way it was obviously not perfect.  They helped him put some clothes and shoes in the hall closet, and hung up extra curtains and taped them to the wall to ensure absolutely no sun could get into the room.

Once that was all done, Valen reported that he might be ready to eat more, so they went back into the dining room and had him repeat the exercise of loosely restraining himself.  They did this a few more times over the course of the day, and each time he seemed a little less afraid of the muzzle.

Valen was obviously extremely tired, so they eventually offered to just let him just go to sleep, which he found agreeable.  They pulled the plastic off the couch and removed the cushions, and unfolded it to reveal a mattress stored inside.

He started crying when he saw them setting up the bed.

“Geez,” said Ari.  “I knew our couch was shitty, but it’s not that bad.”

“I–I–I’m sorry,” said Valen.  “N-no, I mean no offense.  I’m very grateful.”

Lex came back into the room with her second favorite pair of pajamas, which were blue with yellow duckies on them.  (She was wearing her first favorite pair, which were pink with kitties on them.)  “Do you want to borrow some pajamas?  I noticed you don’t have any.”  Please say yes.  Holy shit, please say yes.  This is gonna be adorable.

“I…”  The tears spilled over.  “I–thank you, yes, thank you, I would like that so much.”

Lex helped him, a vampire, an apex predator, step into a pair of ducky pajamas, the too-big set swallowing him, the sleeves too long.

“You like that?” she said, slipping into the same voice she used to talk to sleepy kittens.

He nodded, drawing his hands into himself. It probably didn't entirely make up for still having a metal collar locked on his neck, but he looked a lot cozier.

“Want to lie down, then?”

He sat on the bed and pulled his legs up.  Lex pulled the blanket up over him.  He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow, shaking.

“Everything all right?” said Ari, giving a thumbs-up.

Valen bit the pillow, face squeezed tight.  “Mmm-hmmm,” he whined.  It was the same motion he’d been making on the gag, or the muzzle, biting down and grinding his teeth.

“All right.  Well, good night, then,” said Ari.  "Er, good day.”  Nice, Ari.

They turned off the light and left him alone, going back into the kitchen, lowering their voices.  “What do you think?” said Lex.

Ari sighed.  “I think he can still hear us, so we should go upstairs.”

They did so, fucky stairs squeaking under their feet.  They shut the bedroom door.  At one point Lex might have been worried about leaving a vampire unsupervised, but it was broad daylight out by now.  He had nowhere to go.

“What information did you get out of him?” said Ari.

“He was trying to make artificial blood.”

“You believe him?”

Lex nodded.

Ari rubbed the back of her head.  “Well, shit.  Fuck.  All right.  I mean, that jives with his whole…way he is.  Most vampires I can think of would be at our throats first opportunity.”

A smile ghosted across Lex’s lips.  “I mean, technically…”

“Well…  you know what I mean.”  Ari crossed her arms.  “All right…I guess we need a long-term plan now…  We can keep him here for a while, but I guess we can’t keep him prisoner.  What do we do when he asks to leave?  I’m not letting him go until I’m–”

“--100% sure he’s not going to hurt anyone, yes I know, Ari.”

“Hey, I’m a vampire hunter, it’s my job to hunt–Well, I suppose the core of my job is really to control vampires to make sure they don’t hurt anyone, and that just historically has been synonymous with hunting them.  This is new to me.”

“He’s married,” said Lex.  “The phone call was to his husband.”

“Ah.  And the husband is a complete scumbag, I assume?”

“Well, it sounds like it.  But why would you…”

“Most men turn into scumbags when their wife cuts her hair short.  Besides, all the hot ones end up stuck with scumbags anyway.”

Lex put on a fake pout.  “You don’t think I’m hot?”

“You’re hot.  I’m the scumbag.”

***

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