#the second one i just met when i released them seemed much more outgoing and chill

[mielgf]

got new neighbours upstairs and already they are so Young Adult Men, one of them came to introduce themselves, asked me for my number and just now called me to let them out of THEIR OWN UNIT ?? their door somehow locked from OUTSIDE and they were trapped in their own home, i had to go release them 😭

[ackasamii--archive]

if you love him

summary: armin is ready to let you go but are you?

pairing: armin arlert x black!fem reader

word count: 2.3k

warnings: a little angst and fluff

note: had this idea one day and decided to post it. hope you like it because this one is close to my heart. title inspired by this song.

“Where’s y/n?” Something Armin Arlert heard a lot the past four years. This time it was Connie asking while glancing around to see if he could spot her.

“Probably with Onyankopon again.” Sasha answered easily while lying lazily in a chair. “Honestly surprised she hasn’t been caught by Hange or Levi yet, she should stop while she’s ahead.”

Jean scoffed, “We all know she’s into him, I don’t know why she’s still sneaking around.”

“You know y/n, she’s always kept to herself, kind of like Mikasa, but more discreet about it.” Connie shrugged.

Said girl narrowed her eyes at the buzzcut male, “More discreet?”

His heart twisted at every passing second while listening to them talk. There was one thing they were right about; you really did keep to yourself. And that’s what initially drawled him towards you.

It was the way you were always silent during conversation amongst friends and enjoying being around the people you were most comfortable with. How the quiet smile appeared on your lips whenever Jean or Connie made some stupid joke. Or the way Armin was captured by every word whenever you do speak, which was a rarity in itself. There was just something about you that kept his eyes always looking for you in a crowd. And sometimes they would meet for the briefest second before you quickly looked away to something else.

Then there was your skin. It was different from everyone else’s. Even Eren’s and Ymir’s. Your complexion had the sun smiling at you whenever it was out. Standing out amongst a sea of people, making you beautifully unique in his eyes.

It was easy to see that you wouldn’t fit with someone like him. Weak and useless Armin. You deserve someone strong and bold like Jean. Maybe outgoing and funny like Connie. Or maybe someone who could relate to you the most.

Like Onyankopon.

It was when the first came to Paradis Island. The moment your eyes landed on him; you were in awe. How was it that a stranger, a Marleyan, was able to capture your attention in seconds when he’s known you ever since they first started in the Survey Corps?

And just like that you’ve been sneaking out at night and coming back in the early hours of the morning with a soft smile on your lips. Yes, he’s noticed. He’s noticed how much happier you’ve become whenever you’d come back from your nightly adventures. He hated it. He hated that it couldn’t be him that made you smile like that.

Such a beautiful smile.

“She’ll tell us when she wants to.” Armin forced himself to say. He hid his heartbreak. He hid because at the end of the day, what he felt didn’t matter. Especially in a time of war.

War. Whoever said war was kind must’ve been out of their damned minds.

“Nothing we can do about it,” Mikasa shrugged, “it’s her own fault if she gets caught.”

Connie suddenly cleared his throat loudly, “Speaking of!” Armin along with everyone else turned their heads to find you entering the room, eyes slightly widened in surprise and curiosity. “Now where’ve you been, young lady?!”

You roll your eyes, “I went for a walk, mind your business.”

It was one of those brief seconds again. Where his and your eyes connected. Almost as if it were a puzzle finding its place.

This time he looked away.

“Shouldn’t you all be asleep?” you asked while leaning on the armchair Sasha was sitting in. “You know how the captain gets when we make noise past curfew.”

“We should say the same for you,, dummy.” Jean flicked her forehead.

You smack his hand, “Whatever. Do what you want, don’t get mad if Levi makes you do extra chores in the morning.”

She’s more talkative, Armin noticed. He wondered if anyone else realized this as well. If they did, they sure didn’t mind it much.

Not long after, everyone else decided to follow your lead and head to bed, not wanting to face the wrath of their strict superior in the morning to come. And as usual, Armin would lay away at night, staring up at the ceiling blankly.

He’d think about Eren and where he’s gone. He’d think about everyone else’s mental sanity through all of this, especially with this dangerous plan they had when they got to Marley. But tonight your face couldn’t stop appearing in his mind.

So much so, he dreamed of what your lips would feel like against his.

While simultaneously fighting off a growing resentment towards the Marleyan.

Next morning they received another letter from Eren. Which meant more developments in their plan. Which also meant more exhaustingly long meetings with Hange and the others. Those were the days he got to see you a lot more.

Sneaking glances your way, smiling despite himself whenever your eyes met.

Actually, it was happening a lot often now that Armin thought about it. Today he even caught you looking at him! It was strange and quite confusing considering your secret situation with Onyankopon.

Then night came. Armin hadn’t returned to the quarters yet as he was finishing up with Hange. Sometimes they could get a bit too carried away and he’d be patient enough to wait until she was finished. But once he was finally free, Armin pulled at his tie and left his white shirt unbuttoned.

He didn’t walk back to the quarters. Instead, he walked along the beach he and the others found years ago.

The ocean.

It was still beautiful no matter how many times he laid his eyes on it.

No matter how much it pained him to know what was coming on the other side.

He didn’t mean to.

No, he really didn’t.

But Armin just happened to turn his head and see you leave the tent Onyankopon was staying in. There was something within him that grew to the point where he felt reckless.

You stopped in your tracks, worried that you might’ve been caught when someone called your name. But when you glanced behind you, it was only Armin.

His kind features released the tension from your body as you fully turned to the male slowly approaching you.

You never knew what to do around him. How to act, how to talk. Armin Arlert had to be the most intelligent member of Levi’s squad and with that title came intimidation.

Not only that but he was far too pretty to be talking to someone like you. To even notice you. And so you only stared at your shaking hands, hoping your darkened skin could hide the warm feeling spreading across your face. If not your skin, please let the night protect you.

“What are you doing out here?” You finally ask carefully.

His blue eyes, similar to the large body of water, stared at you with an intensity you could not understand. In fact he always did. For years you never knew why he looked at you this way. Was it because of how you looked? How dark your skin was? Sure, you were most definitely used to that. Along with the whispers and the judgment.

But he held none of that. It was something else entirely. Something that had you shift on your toes and made your stomach do endless flips.

Now he was standing close. Not too close that you were uncomfortable with. But closer than he usually stood near anyone.

And then he whispers.

“Does he at least love you?”

You simply stared at him, now in confusion, “Who?”

“Onyankopon”

His heart was practically ready to leave his chest at that very moment. What had come over him? It’s like as soon as he saw you leave that tent, all signs of rational and reason had left him. And before he knew it, he had called your name, and now here you were. Standing before each other.

Ready to accept—

“What makes you think that?”

The question had thrown him off. Armin studied your face, seeing the confusion written all over it. A small part of him thought you adorable with the way you scrunched up your brows matched with the little frown on your face.

There he goes wishing for something out of his reach.

“It’s just that...” He hesitated to continue, the recklessness slowly leaving him. “you seem happier whenever you come back from seeing him...”

He had to look away from you. Find anything else he could look at but your face at this moment. So, instead he looked at the ocean and the words began to spill.

“And that’s all I’ve wanted for you. To see you smile, to see you happy. Even in a time where all things seem hopeless. When things seem impossible to achieve...like you.” He heard a quick gasp and continued before he regretted everything, “With everything unfolding, the titans, the Marleyans, this war, Eren—everything in my world is slowly crumbling before me. So, I search for you. I find you because you are my warmth, because you are my hope, and my motivation. In my dreams we’re free. And sometimes you’re there with me.” He closed his eyes to keep the tears at bay while clenching and unclenching his hands, “If you love him—”

“I don’t!”

Armin opened his eyes.

Seeing you crying was the saddest thing he’s ever witnessed. His body moved before his mind could process.

Suddenly his world was in his hands as he wiped the rebellious tears away.

You gripped onto his wrist while trying to calm down. Damn. You hadn’t planned to cry in front of him. Then again you hadn’t planned to hear any of that.

“It’s not him I love.”

You felt him freeze but never move his hands from the sides of your head. It was comforting, like a warm blanket.

After you’ve calmed down, you spoke in a more controlled voice, “I was an orphan before coming to the corps. I was the only person who looked different. There was no one that looked like...me. And I was alone. Being the outsider. Being the one to stand out when I just wanted to disappear in the sea of people.

And then I joined the Survey Corps where many people all over would be. Still, I was the only me among them. But it was different. I made friends, I didn’t see the judgment or rejection, not from them, not from you. I was happy, but the feeling of loneliness remained with me until...”

“Onyankopon.” Armin finished as realization crossed his features.

You nodded, “I can’t tell you how happy I was to see him. I wanted to cry right then and there. So, yes, I started sneaking out to see him. To learn about myself and hope that there were more people out there that looked like me. I wanted to know if my family was still out there if there was still hope. And he gave it to me. Something to hope for and the confidence to one day confess to the man I love.”

A smile reached your lips as you caught Armin’s own tears. His head leaned against yours as he closed his eyes.

“I didn’t feel—”

“Worthy? Me neither.”

There it was again. The same intensity in his eyes. Although this time, you knew what this was. You should’ve known sooner as he pulled you closer.

And he whispered, just a feather away from your lips, “May I?”

“Yes.”

He was gentle against your lips and slow as if he were taking his time to soak in your warmth and taste. His strong desire for you showed more through his body as one hand cupped your cheek with his thumb brushing below your eyes and his other pulled you closer to him where his warmth engulfed you, comforted you, and held you lovingly.

Finally.

Oh how you yearned to stay like this forever. Breathing in his scent, running your hand through his soft blond hair, and listening to him murmur against your ear about how much he loved you.

That night stayed with you as the war went on.

You would have Onyankopon to thank after the words exchanged between the two of you the night before. Why you were more talkative and happier.

“Onyan?”

The man looked up from his work and smiled gently at the nickname you’ve given him over time.

“Yeah, y/n?”

You pick at the wooden table in deep thought with a small frown on your face. He noticed the change in your mood the moment you entered his tent that night. But knowing you, constantly asking questions would not allow you to open up.

He learned to simply wait.

“Do you think I can be loved?”

Onyankopon stared at you for a moment.

“Why would you ask something like that.”

You sighed, “No, what I mean...it’s not like I’m the ideal type, you know?”

He raised a slick brow, “What’s this about?” Before you could reply he had already figured it out, “Oh wait, it’s about that one kid, isn’t it?”

You scoffed, “Yeah, that one kid.”

He chuckled and leaned on the table to look you in the eyes, “Do you love him?”

You didn’t respond.

“Ah,” The man rubbed his chin with a growing smirk, “Have you told him yet?”

“Are you crazy? Of course I haven’t!”

“Mmm, I think I’m quite sane, thank you.” He smirked. “We live in an unpredictable world, kiddo. You never know what’s going to happen next. You could die knowing you never told someone you loved them. Maybe they needed to hear it and it would be too late.” You stared at him blankly before he sighed, “Okay, let me put it this way. Do you want to die with regrets?”

You frowned, “No, no I don’t.”

Onyankopon nodded, “Then if you love him that much, tell him. Yeah, sure there could be rejection, but it beats having your confession weigh you down when it’s too late.”

You took in his words, knowing that he was right and you had to somehow build up whatever courage in you to just tell him.

Just do it. What could go wrong?

“Really?”

“Yep!”

A small teasing smile reached your lips, “Talking from experience?”

He laughed despite the small stab in his heart.

“Maybe!”

© all content belongs to ackasamii 2021. do not modify or repost.

[heavenlysageee]

A Seed That Blossoms

fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen/Gojou

pairing: Gojou x Reader 

word count: 2049 words

a/n: this is based on the blackout scene from In The Heights that’s been going around on tiktok! it’s a bit of a drabble w/ some fluff - please enjoy mwah!

»» — —  —   —  ♡— — — — ««  ♡  »»— — — —  —  — ♡ — — —  — ««

You and Gojo have had this unspoken tension between you for a while now. Despite your adamant denial time and time again to Nobara and Yuuji, there’s a small part of you that wonders what would happen if you indulge him just a little bit. This small seed grew into a larger impulse you couldn’t deny any longer and decided to give him a chance. Just one night, with no strings attached.

You peer over at the sun as the pink sunset dances across your empty classroom at Tokyo Jujutsu High. The day was ending and you were lucky to be just about finished with your duties when you felt a pair of familiar eyes drill themselves into the back of your head. Without even turning around you said, “Are you gonna say hi or you just gonna stand there and block my doorway?”

He walks over with a smirk plastered across his face before leaning against one of the desks. “Well, hello to you too, sunshine.” 

You roll your eyes at the usual stupid lines he would throw your way. On a normal day, you would let these slide because you weren’t all that interested. But that seed blossomed, took root, and is still demanding to be nourished. You took a pause and looked up at him from your desk. He was readily waiting for your snippy quip to his advances toward you.

 You knew him for a player, the type of guy who thinks more with the thing between his legs. But you ignored the warning signs flashing in your mind when you flash him a small smile and ask him out. 

“What are you doing for the rest of the night, Satoru?” 

His eyes seemed to flash a bit of confusion at the strange turn of dynamic. You were rarely interested at anything he had to say, let alone ever entertaining his stupid pick-up lines. He bit the bait anyways. “Hoping it would be you, but I’d like to hear what you have in mind.”

You chuckled softly and replied, “Maybe if you’re lucky. Let’s see if you’re as invincible as you claim to be. Meet me at my place tonight at 8:30 and we’ll go dancing at the spring festival. Don’t make me regret giving you a chance.” 

You walk away leaving the most powerful sorcerer feeling a bit confused but excited for the new possible endeavor. 

Staring at yourself in the mirror, you fix your hair and check that you have everything you need for the night. Cellphone, check. Wallet, check. Keys, Check. Glancing at your phone, you notice a text from Gojo indicating that he was outside. He’s leaning against the hood of his car, wearing a white button up with a few buttons open, tucked into dress pants that fit him all in the right places, and his signature rectangular resting low on his nose bridge. 

You think to yourself, well, crap, he does clean up nice. Guess the people he hooks up with aren’t as blind as I thought they were.

He immediately scans your figure and smiles, “Wow, well, aren’t you a sight to see. Hope the night works in my favor and I’ll be touching you too.” 

You felt your blood rush to your cheeks as you smooth out your outfit to regain your senses. You walked toward the passenger side door and slid into the leather seat. The entire car smelled of his cologne. The engine revs and you both ride off to the party. The city lights a kaleidoscope across the dashboard and onto his side profile. You keep adjusting in your seat to distract yourself from the knot building in your abdomen. You knock it up to general nerves from a new environment and try to release the excess energy by fidgeting every so often. You feel a large, calloused hand on your knee and freeze. 

Gojo glances over with slight concern, “You good? You’ve never been on a date with someone as hot as me?” His usual banter calms you down and reminds you that it’s just Satoru, you’ve known him for a while and this shouldn’t change much. It’s just a night of dancing. You feel the car slow down and pull into the lot. Gojo opens the passenger door and leads you by the arm into the plaza. You’re greeted by the glow of lanterns strung through the outdoor plaza, the smell of various cocktails and food wafting through the air, the pounding of the bass echoes in your ears and can be felt in your feet, sending rivers of your nerves into excitement. 

He pulls you to the bar and buys you both drinks to start the night out. He turns toward you with his sky blue eyes, drink in one hand and leaning his cheek on the other. “So, what was the turning point? What made you give somebody SO detestable a chance darling?”

The pet name sends a rush of blood through you and you ask for another drink to counteract the feeling. You turn and meet his eyes once more, “You know, I’m just gonna outright say it.  Although you can be detestable, you always flirt with me and I wanted to see if you got more than just a pretty face.” You throw a few more shots back and feel the former butterflies slip away, just enough to gather the courage to enjoy the party. 

While he watches you transform into someone far more outgoing from the liquid courage slipping past your lips, his eyes stare longer at them. Even if he hasn’t outright admitted it, you were the constant in his life that gave him a sense of normalcy. No matter how many people he wakes up next to in the morning, he always wondered what it would be like to wake up next to you or learn about you beyond the boundaries of banter and curses. As arrogant as he can be, the one thing he doesn’t want to sacrifice is the dynamic you have going on with him. He wouldn’t let his feelings ruin that if you didn’t want it to. This is a chance that can bring your relationship with him to a new level - one step forward or ten steps back. 

Before he could get a word in, another person offered to dance with you. You glance over at Gojo knowingly ready to reject them if he just said the word. But he didn’t. He nods, gesturing for you to continue, and you try to hide the slight disappointment behind your eyes. You wonder if it was worth inviting him out at all without even knowing if he wanted to go on a date with you. He could’ve just been flirting with you for shits and giggles. 

Gojo watches with a clenched jaw as you bounce from one person’s arms to the next. Time passes and you glance every so often to see what he was doing, wondering why he hasn’t pulled you and asked you to dance yet. Your hope for him to make a move dwindles and you feel it wither as each second passes. You feel your eyes drill into him as another person approaches him and grazes their hand across his, leaning into his ear to whisper something. He laughs. The loud music, the breaths of the stranger on your neck mixed with the smell of alcohol fills your nose but nothing defeats the angry drumming of your heartbeat in your ears.

You should’ve known he wasn’t here for you. You walk over with the firm resolve to nip this feeling before it grows even deeper roots and hurts you more. “I was just another score huh? You abandoned me. Gojo, you barely even danced with me.” 

His face distorts into irritation as he feels the pent up frustration bubble over, “Don’t make me laugh, I’ve been trying all night. You been shaking your ass for like half of the town.” 

It’s as if the whole room deadened to a halt as he spits out the words, placing the blame on you. Every one of your senses grow overwhelmed and all you can taste on your tongue is absolute bitterness. He never saw the way you longingly looked at him, all it took was a word and he never spoke up. That was his decision and it isn’t your fault. You retort, “Trying? You didn’t even approach me on the dance floor. I felt everyone’s hands on my waist except the one pair I was hoping would. Instead you were busy swapping spit with what seems like anyone that was willing to.” 

Shame continues to flood Gojo and pushes him into an inexplicable frustration, the flood gates opened at this point and wouldn’t stop. “That’s all you expect from me and never see me as anything other than a wandering, empty shell of a man into different people’s beds right? So why should I try to prove myself as anything other than that? I can have a normal conversation with somebody but to you it looks like I’m working for my next bed frame.”

Offense bubbles in your chest as you feel your voice begin to shake, “Why would I expect anything different when that’s all you’ve ever shown me tonight. I gave you a chance and you did what you usually do. With somebody else, again. And don’t ever shame me for dancing with other people, you don’t own me Goj-”

Before you can finish, you feel his hand squish your cheeks, preventing you from speaking. “You know that’s not my name sweetheart. I don’t want to hear you call me by anything other than my first name. You’ll never be distant enough from me that I’ll allow you to call me that.” Your eyes meet his and pull his hand away from your face as he seems to tower over you this time.

You stare at each other for what seemed like forever as a mix of shock and sentiment swirl in your mind, “Forget it Satoru. Good thing we established that we wouldn’t ever work. I’m just gonna find my own way home, you don’t have to worry about me. Have fun.” 

He grabs your wrist, “Give me a chance again. Please.” You try to rip your hand out of his grip but it was impossible. Tears sting and threaten to spill from your eyes as you look back and expect a smug look of victory. Instead you were met with a gaze that spelled absolute defeat. Your expression softened slightly and sighed, giving him a nod. He pulls you away from the crowd back through the exit only lit by the obnoxiously red neon sign above the two of you. 

His thumb gently swipes across your cheek urging you to look up at him. His voice softly responds, “You were doing your own thing and I wanted to try and distract myself from what I was feeling.” His hand moves from your face and he runs it through his hair trying to find the words. You reach for his hand and cradle it in your own, “What feeling Satoru?”

He slips his hand away and decides it’s time to come clean, “I was afraid that if I made a move you didn’t like, it would push you away. I don’t really care for a lot of people, but I do for you and I didn’t want to deal with losing a best friend. I’ve dealt with that shit before and I don’t want to make the same mistakes again.” 

Your heartbeat finally stills and you feel the stupid seed blossom again, leaving you in a feeling of vulnerability. “Are you trying to pull the sap card to get into my pants or are you being real right now?” He smiles exasperatedly and replies, “I’m being really genuine right now. If I JUST wanted to get into your pants, I would’ve done it FOREVER ago.” 

You gesture him to come closer to your face, he obliges and leans into you about a breath away from your nose. You fill the space between you both and press a gentle kiss to his lips with a small smile. “Hm, guess that makes two of us.”  

[wholesomemendes]

Meet The Parents

Mendes Triplets Au (Peter Mendes)

Summary: After a small slip up at the Mendes’ family dinner one night, Peter decides it’s about time that he brought you home to his parents.

Author’s Note: This is part of the Your Teddy Bear universe (the fic is linked here) but it can also be read on it’s own. You might appreciate some of the time stamps and wording better if you have read my other fic already, but it is still adorable and fluffy if you didn’t read it and it will still make sense. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did rereading it and as always please leave me some feedback, I love hearing what you guys have to say!

The mouthwatering smell of dinner filled the home of the Mendes family, the six of them all taking their respective seats at the kitchen table. The triplets had all decided that it was time they came home from college for a weekend, all of them wanting to watch another one of Aaliyah’s hockey games and have their mother’s home cooked meals.

“So Shawn, how are things going with Ellie?” Shawn’s face lit up at the thought of his girlfriend and he swallowed his food before responding to his mother.

“Absolutely amazing. We finally went out to dinner this week because with my hockey practices and her work schedule, and school of course, it’s been really hard to get together. But I mean it always gets tricky around hockey season and we both know it, it’s been over a year which is crazy. She’s incredible though and things are going really well.”

“That’s great to hear. Why don’t you bring her up for dinner soon? We haven’t seen her in forever,” their mother beamed, their father sharing an approving look next to her.

“Yeah, I’ll talk to her, I’d bet she’d love that,” Shawn replies, not even thinking before he’s nudging his brother that’s seated next to him, “Peter, you should bring Y/n, too.”

The once energy filled room turned silent, both of their parents' mouths hung wide open while Aaliyah looked at the youngest triplet skeptically. Suddenly incredibly interested in his food, Peter began pushing the meat on his plate around, head dropping to hide the nervous blush on his cheeks.

“Um, Peter is um,” Karen cleared her throat, trying to find the right words when she knew her son was panicking on the inside, “Is this Y/n your, um, your girlfriend?”

Peter’s face burned brighter at his mother’s words. “Shit dude, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it,” Shawn whispered, guilt eating him up inside over exposing his brother’s relationship.

“It’s ok,” Peter whispered before lifting his head up to meet his parents' confused stares. “Yeah, um, she’s my girlfriend. But it’s only been like 4 months so…”

“4 months?!”

“Karen, let the poor boy talk,” Manny sighed, noticing the anxious look in Peter’s eyes.

“Damn, Pete. I’ve never even seen you talk to a girl.”

“Aaliyah, stop. Now how about you tell us a little about her, son.”

“Oh um,” Peter cleared his throat, running his sweaty palms along his jean covered thighs, “Well she’s really nice and extremely beautiful. Um, she’s funny, too. I don’t really-I don’t really know what else to say.” He let out a nervous chuckle, heart racing inside of his chest.

“I think it’s wonderful that you have a girlfriend, Peter,” his mother told him softly, heart bursting with joy that her bashful son had found someone of his own, “How did the two of you meet?”

If it was possible for Peter’s cheeks to get any redder, they would have as he mumbled out his response, “At a party.”

Aaliyah scoffed at her brother’s response, “He’s making this up. There’s no way she’s real.”

“Aaliyah!”

“What? You’re trying to tell me that first, Peter, PETER, goes to a party? Since when does that happen? And then second of all, he talks to a girl there? So in one night he managed to not only go to a party, but also score a girlfriend? I find that hard to believe.”

“I didn’t want to go to the party, Raul and Shawn dragged me there,” Peter muttered, “Besides, she approached me, it wasn’t like I went up to her.”

“See, I don’t believe that either.”

“He’s telling the truth,” Raul chimed in, swallowing a large piece of steak before continuing, “She’s hot, too. Unlike all the nerds in his classes.”

“Raul, be nice,” his mother warns, sending a disapproving mom glance his way causing him to raise his hands up in surrender. “Well, Peter I think I speak for all of us when we say we’d love to meet her. That is if you feel comfortable with it.”

“I’ll talk to her, it’s just- I don’t want her to be uncomfortable at all. We haven’t talked about meeting each other’s parents yet and it’s the most serious relationship I’ve ever been in, I don’t want to mess anything up. Especially not with her.”

“We understand. No pressure at all, just talk to her.” Peter nods with a small smile on his face, relieved when his father begins to ask Raul about his love life.

“You know, nothing serious right now, just a couple dates here and there.”

“There’s really no one you’re interested in right now?”

“Oh, I’m interested in a lot of girls right now, but I doubt anything serious will come out of it. I’m just not really looking for a relationship at the moment.”

Aaliyah lets out a little snort of laughter at Raul’s words, “Stay safe. I’m not ready to be an aunt yet.”

“Aaliyah!” _______________

The commotion from the rest of the family in the living room could be heard from the kitchen where Peter and his mother were cleaning up dinner. Peter had always been a momma’s boy, so it was no surprise when he offered to help her with the dishes. “So, do you want to tell me more about this girlfriend of yours?”

Karen watches as her son turns a bright shade of pink, but also doesn’t miss the hint of something other than nerves in his eyes. “I, um, what do you want to know?”

She places a comforting hand on his upper back, knowing the wheels are spinning inside of that intelligent head of his, “Whatever you want to tell me. Or if you don’t want to tell me anything at all that’s ok, too.”

“Well, she’s so different than me, Mom.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, no not at all,” he smiles at the thought of his girlfriend, knowing that she’s probably munching on some random takeout she ordered while watching netflix as he speaks, “She’s extremely outgoing and is really well known around school, but not in a bad way. She’s just so social that everyone seems to know her. Her personality just evens me out, you know? Like she helps me get out of my comfort zone sometimes, little by little, and she’s always there next to me every step of the way. And she has this soft side that I’ve only seen her use around me. It makes me feel special, Mom. No girl has ever thought of me as anything other than Shawn and Raul’s brother. Then she comes around, takes one look at me and starts a full on conversation with me. And I’ll be honest I had a secret crush on her before we had even met, but how could I not? She’s just-she’s incredible, I don’t know.” He shakes his head with that lovesick grin on his face, Karen’s heart growing over how fondly her boy was talking about this girl that was obviously incredibly important in his life.

“Have you told her yet?” she asks cautiously, not wanting to overstep if he hadn’t even admitted it to himself.

“Told her what?”

“That you love her?”

“Oh, um, yeah actually. Just last week.” Karen’s smile grows even wider as she brings Peter into her arms, his head automatically coming to rest in the crook over her neck.

“Peter, I’m so happy for you. You know I would love to meet her, but if you don’t think either of you are ready for that, that’s perfectly fine, too.”

“Thanks, Mom,” he sighed, melting more into his mother’s embrace even though he towered over her by at least half a foot. “I’ll talk to her about it, but I’m scared. I’ve never brought a girl home before and I don’t want to do anything stupid.”

“You brought a girl home for dinner before? Oh what was her name, was it Jasmine?”

Peter groaned, releasing his mother from his grasp, “I was only a sophomore in high school, that doesn’t count. Besides, we only dated for like 2 months or something, I don’t even think it was that long.”

“Still, you have nothing to worry about, I’m sure she’d love to come,” Karen assured him as she placed a light kiss to his cheek before turning back to the dishes.

“I know, it’s just, I love her. I’ve never loved anyone like this before and it’s frightening. For one of the first times in my life I don’t know what to do and I can’t come up with a logical answer behind it.”

“You’ve gotta stop thinking with that brilliant head of yours and start thinking with this-” she stabs his chest lightly with the tip of her finger- “This is what will get you far with that girl, ok? You’ve got the kindest heart of anyone I know, Peter, and I have a feeling Y/n sees that, too. Just talk to her and if it helps, invite her over when Shawn brings Ellie, maybe it’d make her feel better. But talk to her, see what she needs.”

“Ok I will. I love you Mom, thank you.”

“I love you, too Peter, but it seems like I’ve got to share your love with someone else now. And I couldn’t be happier about it.” _______________

“What are you doing next weekend?” You look over at Peter from where you were finishing your nightly routine in the bathroom, seeing him staring up at you with hopeful eyes while laying on his bed.

“I don’t know, I don’t think anything. Why, what’s up?” you asked as you shut the light off in the bathroom before making your way towards your handsome boyfriend. Sitting on the edge of the bed, you turned to face him, running your fingers through his hair enough to make him lean into your touch. “It’s nothing, I mean it’s something, but it’s not that big of a deal, unless you think it’s a big deal then I guess…”

“Peter,” you chuckled, watching his frightened eyes look up at you, “Take a deep breath. There’s no need to worry, you can talk to me about anything.”

“I know, it’s just…” he paused, not knowing how to actually bring it up. He wondered how pathetic you would think he was when you found out he was worrying himself over asking you to meet his parents, “It’s just, my parents want to meet you.”

“Oh, they do?” You’d be lying if you said your heart rate didn’t increase a little bit at his words. You obviously had met a boyfriend’s parents before, but that didn’t make it any less nerve wracking, especially because this was Peter’s parents you were talking about, the people who gave birth to the only person you had ever proclaimed your love to outside of your family. You may have won over the hearts of his brothers, but if you didn’t win over the hearts of his parents as well, you didn’t know what you’d do.

“Yeah, um, Shawn might have accidentally brought you up when we visited them two weeks ago and they seemed really excited to meet you. My mom especially, she invited you to dinner right after hearing about you. If you don’t want to go it’s fine, I don’t know if it’s too early or anything but…”

You shut his ramble up with a kiss on his lips, hovering over his body slightly to reach him. “I’d love to meet your parents bubs,” you mumbled against his lips, watching a wide grin form on his face when you pulled away.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” You could feel his heart beating frantically under his t-shirt and you knew that even though your heart was beating equally as fast, you had to be the calm one in the relationship unless you wanted him to have a heart attack. Swinging a leg over his body, you straddled his waist, causing his breath to hitch in his throat. A smirk formed on your face as you leaned in to place a string of gentle kisses onto the base of his collarbones leading up to his jaw, wanting nothing more than to spend time with your boyfriend, who looked especially hot in his grey sweatpants tonight, rather than worrying about screwing everything up with his parents.

“Mom said, um,” Peter’s words were caught in his throat as his brain began to fog up from the way your lips felt on him, his breathing beginning to quicken for a completely different reason then before, “She said you can, you can come to dinner with Shawn’s girlfriend if you-shit- if you don’t want to go alone.”

“I’m a big girl, I can go alone,” you muttered into his neck, beginning to suck hard enough on the soft skin on his neck that you knew it would leave a mark in the morning. His hands that had been basically frozen at his sides all night found purchase on your hips from your actions, a satisfied smirk growing larger on your face as a result. You brought a hand to rest on his chest, feeling his quick heartbeat under your palm while you pulled away from his neck to look into his wide eyes, “Pete, your heart’s racing.”

“Yeah, it kinda does that when I’m around you,” he whispered, averting your gaze in an attempt to hide his blushing cheeks. It was crazy how your mood could go from wanting to kiss every inch of him and leave marks behind in every place, to wanting to hug the shit out of him and squish his cheeks. So that’s exactly what you did. You laid your body on top of his, wrapping your arms around his neck as you inhaled his signature scent, “I love you so much, Peter Mendes.”

Peter wasted no time collecting you in his strong arms, pulling the blanket up to cover the two of you. “I love you too, angel. So-” he emphasized each word with a kiss on your head- “so, so much.”

Your heart burst at his words and you cuddled tighter into his warmth, “Let’s talk more in the morning, ok? But there is no doubt in my mind that I want to meet the people that created my favorite person.”

“You’re amazing, how’d I get so lucky?” he mumbled into your hair, “I already know they are going to love you as much as I do.” _______________

“Peter calm down, you’re more nervous than I am,” you laughed, placing your hand on his jittering leg. He averted his eyes quickly from the road to look at you and you could see the fear bubbling inside of them. “Bubs, what’s got you so worried? Do you not think they’ll like me?”

Moving one of his hands from where it was fidgeting against the steering wheel, he placed it over yours on his thigh, rubbing soothing circles onto your skin. “No, that’s not it at all, angel. They’re going to love you so much, there’s no fear in my mind about that. It’s just,” he sighed, squeezing your hand lovingly, “I’ve never taken a girl home before. I mean I did once when I was a sophomore in high school, but it wasn’t anything serious so it doesn’t feel the same. I just don’t know what to expect because I’m really serious about this, about us.”

“I don’t know what to expect either and that’s ok. Everything is going to be fine.” You brought his hand up to your lips and a smile graced his face at your actions. “And Peter...I’m very serious about this, too. I think now was the right time to take the next step for us.”

“I love you,” he whispered, eyes tearing away from the road for a slight moment to look you in the eyes.

“I love you too, bubs.” _______________

“Ok, ok, this is fine. We’re fine.”

“Peter, breathe. It’s going to be-”

“Peter! I’m so glad you made it,” Karen exclaimed, wrapping her son up in her arms. You stayed to the back, not wanting to interrupt their tender mother-son moment. You saw Karen whisper something into your boyfriend’s ear, allowing you to take a deep breath to calm your nerves before they broke apart. When the two separated, she turned to you with a wide smile on her face, “You, my dear, must be Y/n! It’s so nice to finally meet you!” You returned the smile immediately, offering a hand for her to shake, but she dodged it completely, choosing to bring you in for a hug just as she did with Peter.

It was strange how comforting it felt to be with her, you had known her for all of one minute and you already felt calmer in her grasp. Must be her special mom talent, “Thank you for having me tonight, Mrs. Mendes.”

“Oh please, no need for formalities. Call me Karen. Now why don’t the two of you come on in, dinner will be ready in a few minutes.” Karen ushered the two of you inside and you were met with one of the most delicious smelling scents you ever had the pleasure of smelling. It was very clear that Peter got his cooking skills from his mother, even if you didn’t know his father’s cooking this scent easily mimicked one you’d find in the boy’s apartment.

“Hey son,” Manny greeted, pulling Peter in for a hug just as his mother did, “When are your brothers getting here?”

“They were right behind us when we were driving down. I assume they’ll be here in a couple minutes.”

“Perfect, just in time for dinner.” His father patted his shoulder lovingly before moving to face you, “Y/n right? I’m Manny, Peter’s father.”

He enveloped you in a hug as well and you could see the loving personality Peter had in both of his parents. “It’s so nice to meet you, thank you for letting me join you for dinner,” you smiled, watching Manny’s eyes crinkle beneath his glasses.

“Of course, I must say we’ve all been looking forward to meeting you. Peter has said some great things about you.”

“Dad…” Peter whined as he came closer to you, wrapping an arm around your waist, “She doesn’t need to know.”

“Oh stop worrying, like I said, all good things.” With one last smile, Manny left the two of you, choosing to head towards the door where Shawn and Raul had just loudly made themselves known instead.

“Hey, we’re here!” You immediately recognized the voice as Shawn’s and for some reason, knowing that the two other triplets were here brought you a sense of comfort. Suddenly, you felt an arm sling around your shoulders, lightly bringing you into a playful chokehold, causing you to jump slightly from the fright. “Welcome to dinner at the Mendes’ house, newbie,” a husky voice whispered in your ear and you rolled your eyes, slapping the arm around you hard enough to make them release it without hurting them.

“Get out of here, Raul.”

Raul held his arm gingerly, a smug smirk on his face, “Hey, I’m a Mendes, you can’t kick me out. You on the other hand better watch it, missy, and stop injuring family members, you don’t have the superior last name to keep you safe.”

“Raul, stop.” You could tell by the sternness in your boyfriend’s voice that he was trying to assert some form of dominance over his slightly older brother as he pulled you tighter to his body, but Peter’s soft boy persona didn’t put a dent in Raul’s smirk.

“Hey, it’s your girlfriend you’ve got to control. She’s in the house for all of five minutes and she’s already breaking my arm.”

“Please, I barely touched you. I feel bad for all of the girls you’ve been with if your body is so fragile.”

“Damn, dishing it right back. I always knew you had a keeper, Pete.” Raul ruffled the curls on Peter’s head as the younger triplet tried to swat his hand away. Pleased with his work, Raul stepped away, shooting a teasing grin both of your ways before heading off to pester his poor mother. Peter sighed, scrunching up his glasses higher up his nose as he desperately tried to fix the mess of curls on his head to no avail.

“Come here,” you cooed, soft hands replacing his own on his head. Running your fingers gently through his hair a couple of times, you smiled to yourself when you felt his hands go instinctively to your hips, applying such little pressure that you wouldn’t have known they were there if you hadn’t already trained your body to sense Peter’s light touches. “I hope winning over your parents is as easy as winning over your brothers,” you whispered as you placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

He blushed from your touch, leaning slightly into your hands that were placed delicately on his jaw, “I already know they love you. I can see it in their eyes.”

“And I love you.” You placed one last kiss on the tip of his nose as his mother announced that dinner was ready before heading towards the kitchen to offer your help. Peter watched from his seat at the table while you carried in dishes with his mother, his younger sister coming downstairs and following suit to grab some plates. He was typically the one that helped his mother, but when he saw you head over there on your own, he figured he should take a small step back and let you replace his help for a night.

Dinner went by without a hitch, both of his parents asking you basic questions about school, your interests, and your hobbies as you all ate. You were sat between Peter and Shawn, your boyfriend’s hand intertwined with yours under the table at all times. This caused a few comical moments when he would be so focused on what you were saying that his nondominant hand he was using to eat with would completely miss his mouth, but the embarrassment was short lived once you squeezed his hand reassuringly with a loving smile on your face. Karen and Manny absolutely adored you. They saw the way Peter looked at you and you returned that look every time, telling them everything they needed to know about the two of you without either of you uttering a single word. Aaliyah was more interested in what mascara you used (she claimed hers was always drying out and getting clumpy and apparently you had the greatest eyelashes she had ever seen) than how her brother was looking at you, but you were grateful all the same that she was comfortable enough to talk to you.

As the plates became bare on the table, the boys began to stand up to make their way towards the couch to pick a movie as they always did when they came back home. You stood up alongside Karen, moving to grab some plates before Peter grabbed your wrist to stop you, “It’s ok, angel, I always help Mom with the dishes. You can go pick out a movie with Raul and Shawn if you want to.”

You shook his hand off lightly, offering him a reassuring smile, “I’m fine. I’m more than happy to help.”

“But-”

“Peter, why don’t you go with your brothers. Y/n and I can have some nice girl talk while we clean up,” Karen suggested as she took some plates to the sink, leaving the two of them alone.

“Are you sure, angel? I do it every time it’s not a problem-”

“Bubs, it’s ok, I want to help. Go, I’ll meet you in there when we’re done.” You kissed the curls on top of his head before picking up more dishes on the table.

You and Karen cleaned in silence for a few moments, only speaking when she told you her preferred way of cleaning, until she spoke up, “You know it’s so wonderful that you were able to come out tonight. I’ve been wanting to meet you since he first told me about you at our last dinner.” “I’m so glad I could come. Thank you for dinner, it was so delicious, I know where Peter gets his cooking skills from,” you laughed, earning a sincere chuckle to leave Karen’s lips as well.

“Yeah, well I’m lucky one of them can cook. I don’t know how they’d live if that boy couldn’t make his way around the kitchen. Those other two troublemakers are hopeless,” she sighed with a disapproving shake of her head.

“You’re telling me, one time when I came over Raul almost burned down the place just trying to make pancakes.”

“Oh those boys, they are a handful aren’t they.”

“They are, but in the best way possible. You can tell they were raised right, they are some of the best people I’ve ever met.”

“Well thank you, I tried. Imagine trying to run after three little gremlins, that was my life 24/7 when they were kids.” You grinned at the thought of three little boys, all with an identical mop of curls on their head that bounced around while they ran away giggling from their worried mother. “Peter was always the calmer of the bunch though, always a big momma’s boy. I’m just so happy that he’s found someone like you.”

“I’m so happy to have found him. I honestly don’t think I deserve him sometimes, he’s just such a beautiful soul.” Your eyes found their way to your handsome boyfriend on the loveseat in the living room, head thrown back in laughter over something his brother had said. You admired the way his nose scrunched up when he smiled and the crease lines on his cheeks from his evident happiness.

“Don’t sell yourself short, honey. I may not have known you long, but just by talking to you tonight and the way Peter has talked so highly about you, I can tell you’re a wonderful person as well. And you know what they say, a mother’s intuition never lies.” Her focus went back to the dishes for a moment as she pondered her next words carefully, “You know, even though I never told anyone this, I always had a slight fear that Peter wouldn’t be able to experience young love like his brother’s have.”

You paused your movements for a moment, your attention fully on her now, “What made you think that?”

“Well, Peter has always had his goals set straight. It was always school and grades and a job, which is wonderful, don’t get me wrong, but he never let himself stray from that path even if it meant he could be happier. He never had the courage to talk to a girl either, he’s always been my shy little boy, and I don’t know. I was just worried that he might be too in his head to let himself be open with someone like he is with you.”

Tears were beginning to well in your eyes at her words and you quietly sniffled to yourself to try to tame the emotions that were threatening to spill from your chest, “That means a lot to me that Peter chose to open up to me. I haven’t prioritized dating either since I’ve been in college, so we’re learning together, but I’m willing to take whatever he will give me. I think very highly of your son and I’m very serious about this with him.”

“That’s all I could ask for,” she told you sincerely, placing the last clean dish in the cupboard before bringing you in for a tight hug, “I know the two of you haven’t been dating awfully long, but you are always welcome to come over for dinner. We’d all love to have such a kind hearted person at our table.”

“Thank you, I truly can’t thank you enough.”

“No need to thank me. I should be thanking you for bringing so much joy to my son.” She pulled away with a smile as she motioned to the living room, “Now let’s go see what those troublemakers are up to.”

Upon approaching the boys, Peter’s eyes immediately caught yours and he motioned for you to join him, lifting the blanket so you could snuggle up next to him. “How’d it go in there?’ he asked, hand coming up to play with your fingers, “Did she scare you away yet?”

“No,” you laughed lightly, “She definitely didn’t scare me away. I don’t plan on going anywhere for a long time. You’re stuck with me, loser.”

“I don’t know, being stuck with you? Sounds to me like I’m a winner.” He brought your hand up to his lips, placing a light kiss before wrapping his arm around your shoulders to pull you into him. The loud chatter of voices came to a minimum as Manny pressed play and you couldn’t help but think about how lucky you were to be welcomed into the Mendes household.

[purpleyellow]

Mae’s relationship with The boyz

The boyz 12th member

Mae’s masterlist

a/n: happy new year everyone!! Feel free to share your thoughts with me. Requests are open! 🧡

Sangyeon 

They are a comforting presence for each other. Mae would trust her entire life to Sangyeon as he is someone she’s sure will never outright judge her or demand something she is not comfortable with. On the other hand, I can see him not worrying too much about her but being careful when her mood seems off, and asking what it was afterward so he’s sure she’s fine again. 

The girl usually laughs at his impersonations or weird jokes, which instantly put her into his goody list, and Sangyeon is very thankful for having someone that will hear his random rants without getting caught up in it. More often than not, you can see him standing on the sidelines, cheering for her when he’s aware she’s doing something she’s not very confident in.

Jacob

Becoming trainees at the same time might have been the best thing for them, seeing as they often struggled with the same stuff, and pushed the other through their rough times. Mae sometimes wonders where she would be if it weren’t for Jacob and his insane amount of patience. Also, their personality is very comparable and they’re both soft-spoken most of the time, deobis aren’t even surprised whenever they find out something else they have in common.

They made a habit of going to karaoke rooms before debuting as a way to both practice singing and his Korean but to also rest and have fun. After Kevin joined the company he went along as well and after they became rookies all of the members would occasionally join in on the trio.

Younghoon

Soft, just soft. Both together and for each other. When she’s around Younghoon, Mae actually becomes more clingy and he’s the only one she goes out of her way to show skinship with (back hugs are her favorite). He also gets easily entertained by her antics and likes to joke that he’s her bodyguard.

Vlive moments that usually lead to him making an unintentional innuendo and she gets embarrassed and leaves the room so she doesn’t have to explain what just happened. On that note, Mae doesn’t like helping with English that much because it usually leads the members to getting entertained by her accent, but she makes an exception to Younghoon

Hyunjae

His number one hobby is to make her embarrassed, and considering they, as well as Haknyeon, have been roommates for the longest time Hyunjae has a lot of material to share. He clings to her at every opportunity and is constantly nagging about the amount of clothes Mae has as well as the closet space they take.

Surprisingly or not, he often helps her with choreography and is overall a good listener. She’s also not that bothered by his antics and has grown comfortable enough to tell him to knock it off once she gets over them. Fans didn’t know they were as close until she answered “Hyunjae” when asked which of them she’d want as an actual brother. 

Juyeon

The “looks tough but is actually soft” duo. Over the years, he became her number one dance instructor seeing as he’s mostly calm and doesn’t really mind pulling extra hours to help her. We know how Juyeon usually babies Eric, and many fans think he’s like that to Mae as well, but on the contrary, he also prefers to be wary instead of butt in on her business. 

Having that said, when the girl shows even 1% discomfort or annoyance in general he’s the first one to step in and help her out. Mae usually feels weird that he acts like that but it usually comes in handy when the group is having a discussion and she needs someone to back her up and be on her side.

Kevin

Kevin has taken pride in being the main reason for her meme awakening. Before he arrived, Mae and Jacob were as close as friends could get, but as Kevin and the boy hit it off, Mae expected to be thrown into the sidelines. She couldn’t be more wrong, considering that he also made a lot of effort into keeping her close, thus beginning the “Kevin getting frustrated at Mae not getting his references” saga.

Lowkey, they just want to chill and listen to questionable music together. Highkey, he wants to get her to twerk with him (he’ll kiss the ground the day she does). Again, Mae is a good listener and often joins in on his random thoughts or simply goes along with whatever he’s doing.

New 

Random high note battles and both of them silently judging the others. Chanhee and Mae often fall into a cycle of complaining around but instead of tackling the matter with him she often does nothing, which makes him complain ten times harder. Objectively speaking, he’s the member who helps her the most with organizing her stuff and adulting in general.

The girl randomly drags him with her to the mall to people-watch or makes him do vlives with her just for the sake of it. For some reason, it took them a little while to find common ground but once they did, New became one of her go tos when it came to sharing struggles. On a random note, Mae thought his math tricks were an absolute scam and believed none of it until they were actually tested.  

Q 

Playfully bickering 24/7. They have many fake arguments, usually around her struggles with some choreographies and his lack of patience when it comes to teaching her. Two months after their debut he decided to let that job fall onto Juyeon and his life became a lot more fun. Around the release of Right Here he went back to randomly giving her tips but please don't leave them alone in a practice room.

When it comes to interests Changmin didn’t think they’d have many in common but after many movie nights, he was quick to find out Mae doesn’t really mind horror and thriller which made her perfect to watch them with him. She does, however, have a problem with the creepy-ass dolls and masks he buys and has sworn someday she will make a bonfire out of them.

Haknyeon 

99 babies and eternal roommates. They’re an interesting pair considering Juhaknyeon is more laid back and outgoing and Mae is - according to him -  more high maintenance. They did find common ground around the fact that they’re both foodies and 99s vlive mukbangs are a very constant thing.

Also, kind of random but he’s one of the members she would stand by without a second thought. Hak just tries his best to make any situation lively and the girl appreciates it a lot, especially when she’s having a tough time herself, so as gratitude she’s ready to fight anyone for him. 

Sunwoo 

The other person she would stand by without a problem. It doesn’t really help that Sunwoo acts like an absolute child whenever Mae is near and constantly clings to her like she’ll solve every trouble in the world (flash news, she won’t). The girl finds it kind of comical how he’s always giving her puppy eyes and just pushes his head out of the way for him to snap out of it.

Back to Younghoon when I said someone gets entertained by her accent, that is Sunwoo. He’s constantly repeating the way she says some words or asking her to help him say something, which he knows she doesn’t quite like but does it anyway. Also, not her go-to pastime, but random rap battles are always fun when they happen and they usually end up with one of them on the ground laughing. 

Eric

Aka the non-Canadian half of the English line. Also mildly entertained by her Aussie accent but doesn’t show it as often as Sunwoo. When they first met, Eric instantly decided they were going to be friends but once she figured it out it was too late and she couldn’t back down anymore (that’s what she says at least, deep down we know she enjoyed his company just as much).

Mae is the introverted friend to his outgoing self, she usually has to tell Eric to calm down because she grew tired of following him around or got very embarrassed by him randomly approaching a senior. Also worth mentioning he’s her number one hype person and has multiple times made her embarrassed by complimenting her in front of deobis or just random people. 

Former member: Hwall/Hyunjun

Fashion buddies. Mae has a habit of randomly dragging him to go shopping and they’ve got to the point of adding items into each other’s carts when they think the other might like it. They have a fun time just walking around and chatting as well, before debuting they’d often share what’s bothering them before getting ice cream to cheer up.

Due to different scheduling, it became harder to keep meeting up but Mae often does her best to sneak around into whatever he’s doing. Also, late-night phonecalls became more regular which led the members into believing she had a boyfriend before finding out it was just Mae catching up with him.

[mallickshah]

A safe place (II)

February 11th @ Resistance’s hideout  Late night ( FIRST PART )

The hideout was filling in at a slow pace, but the steps were hurriedly rushing in. Everyone had been taken by surprise, of course. Mallick had talked to some of the leaders and some other members who had been keeping an eye on the events of the month, from the very beginning. He’d always been more of the type to lay low and listen to the information that filtered in. It didn’t necessarily mean that he was calm or collected, but he’d managed for as long as he could to not simply explode. 

Mallick was contained. 

The rush of members and the leaders settling in their respective seats as everyone who could make it to the meeting on such short notice arrived had him feeling even more grounded than he’d thought it possible to do. 

On his way here, he’d had a myriad of thoughts. Once settled in this chair, he’d kept them on Saiyah, on how much he was constantly missing her, on how not a second passed by where he wished she was here, with him. But even more on how her presence was always stronger during these meetings, especially when it was for such dire circumstances. Saiyah was a constant presence, she would always be tied to him, but she also would always be tied to what the resistance meant to Mallick. One lost for another to be gained, without replacing what had been taken, but rather sliding along and cohabiting with her soul within his world. 

These pieces slotted themselves together and together they would always manage to keep Mallick’s feet deep in this soil. 

A voice rose in the room, it took mere seconds for Mallick to blink and realise one of the leaders had started to talk. Their words accurately represented the outrage that was written all over every members’ face, at least the ones Mallick could examine from where he was seated. They were scattered across the place, it was not that big of a space, with how rushed the gathering had been they’d only managed to get everyone accordingly in this one hideout. 

They somehow looked exactly like how the Ace probably had expected them to be, like fish trapped in a can. Whatever it was that the leader had said, someone from the crowd rose to the challenge and spoke with even more vigor, their fists balled and their words laced with something Mallick had felt too, years ago. When he’d been raw from the pain and still burning with the idea of soothing his wounds with revenge. 

“We should have taken HIM down all by ourselves! Why did we have to wait at all?” 

It wasn’t a surprise that they regarded the line the leaders were forming with resentment, and even more so directed at Mallick and two other leaders who had agreed to wait to see how things would go. It had not necessarily been a unanimous decision, of course. Just because they fought for the same reasons, sometimes for the same goals, did not mean that they always saw things eye to eye. Some liked to head in first and get rid of everything they considered a danger to their cause, to their people. Others preferred to only take action when it was not endangering their covers and their positions. 

However, they always had to do things together, or else, they were acting just the same way as the ones they were fighting to take down. Although if you asked Mallick, he’d never hold it against any of them if they decided to do as they wished, the fact that they had to vote and unanimously decide on their next course of action to him, had always been slightly too restricted. To Mallick, as long as something was done to better things, he could care less if it’d gone against his own words or what he’d thought to be the right thing to do.

He’d always gained a great advantage with that flexibility. Maybe that was why he could easily hold the outraged member’s gaze, and all the other, but mainly theirs and have a leveled headed response to their question. 

“We were wrong, indeed, so we’ll make it right. That’s why we are here, to get to the solutions, not to rise to what we did wrong, we will never always get things exactly how we should or want them to be. But we can fix this. We are here to fix this.” He made sure to enunciate each words with a sharp and pointed tone to keep their eyes on him and on what he wanted the focus of this meeting to be about. Mallick was contained, but the ticking inside his head was excruciating as it grated against his ears.

He’d never needed to shout or scream to get his point across, he wouldn’t start today. No matter how much he knew he needed to release some of this frustration. 

“I agree, we should focus on what we need to do now. What’s done is done, but we won’t sit and let it carry on.” 

Of course not. 

Mallick had found it rather ridiculous that they were all seated at first, but now, he could feel the influence of being on the same level ground, all of them--putting his mind at ease. This was not the outside world, in here, everyone was just where they needed to be. At equal height. 

“How do we do that then?” 

The route to a plan, to a resolution would never be an easy one. Discussion, debate over every single points. Everything one had to consider, what they knew, what they still had to learn. Who could do what, when, where, who could not and why. Some had families that they had to care for before they could get involved in this, some had water elementalists family that had been taken away and they were more with the urgency of freeing them over anything else. 

The options were endless. They were divided in small groups to brainstorm over what information everyone had and what suggestions everyone had on how to go about this so that they could come to a consensus after rotating through each group. It was almost like a workshop, but there was always one louder than the other, more aggressive, more outgoing and more ready to get thrown in the action. Right now, they were the rowdiest, youngest and also some of the most prone to rushing in a fight if they didn’t have to consider the safety of the other members. Their shouts resonated with everyone most of the time though.

We should get to HIM first, plan how to take him down. But we also have to do that without the Ace getting a wind of it. Why are we sparing him? He should also come down, right along with HIM!

Each suggestion was met with an uproar of cheers of agreement from the group, the last one even louder by everyone in the room. In moments like these, it was a common habit for all the leaders, save for one, to stay quiet and take in what was the most popular opinion. What seemed to drive them more than anything else, once the objective was picked and settled on. Then they could see how to go about meeting their goal. They glanced at where Mallick had left his seat to settle in a corner, chatting idly with some members about their view on the topic. 

They’d all rushed in with worries, anger, frustration, agitated emotions and now they were all somewhat feeling more level headed. Or maybe Mallick was simply projecting his own state of mind onto them, because that was how he felt now. Contained and level headed. Tonight was not the night he’d let the content of his barrel explode and take down everything he wished to take with him. 

“Can we talk?” 

Mallick went to them, “What is it?” 

���Someone who mentioned they might know how to get to the Ace.” 

“Are we really planning to go after him too?” “Nothing as drastic as what’s needed for HIM, but,” They pointed their chin to where the groups were rallying back together into one. “Nobody is happy about what he’s doing.”

Mallick sighed, he couldn’t deny that. The disappointment and outrage was a shared sentiment for him as well. 

“This wasn’t how I envisioned this to go.” 

He’d envisioned more unity than this. 

“You know better than anyone else to never trust anyone in this city.” 

Anyone was a little too extreme for Mallick’s taste, but they all had their reasons for thinking like that more than half of the time. 

“Alright then, where are they?” “Still around, but I told them you’d meet them after all of this here is settled and we are more certain on what we want to do.” 

A piece of paper left their hands and landed in Mallick’s palm, his eyes recognized the location without much of a surprise. This name would have some ties with someone such as the Ace himself, the message attached to it was a neat scribbling.

Vega Gem early morning tomrrow.

“Alright, thanks,” He pocketed the information before letting his steps carry him where the others were rounded, burning with the need for action, like the foyer of a house keeping its habitants warm and comfortable, “I think I can bet on about three ways this will be planned out.” 

Three points were important and underlined as emergencies, their orders were as such : 

Get rid of HIM (as immediately as possible/assasination is preferable)

Free the prisoners & take back the rations the Ace has been hoarding and controlling, this would be done simply because it made no sense for him to be the sole guardian of the faction’s rations & because he’d promised said rations at the expanse of the resistance’s members’ safety and lives (call it being petty or cautious)

Get back at the Ace (longterm goal/does not require assassination or taking them down as an Ace)

[alexiessan]

Never alone - Chapter Eighteen - Soulmate AU

AO3

Previous - Here - Next

Master List

Marinette was at Kim’s house with her two childhood friends the day after Christmas. They exchanged gifts like they did every year — new headphones for Nino and a sports watch for Kim — and played video games while drinking hot chocolate and eating Mrs. Lê Chien’s famous gingerbread.

She was in the middle of beating Kim at UMSIII when she noticed that Nino seemed down. He wasn’t as happy as usual and was withdrawing from them a little.

She decided to ask him after the game was over.

“You ok there?”

Nino looked up at her and Kim looked at his friend too, frowning at the DJ.

“Yeah, you’ve been acting weird the whole time.”

The bespectacled boy sighed, fidgeting a little.

“I hate that I can’t hide anything from you guys.”

He played with his cap, a nervous tic he had ever since he started wearing caps.

“Something happened. Something huge, and I don’t know what to do.”

Kim and Marinette were silent, waiting for Nino to find the courage to tell them what he needed to.

The fashion designer had an idea about what happened, though.

“I… I met my soulmate,” he said. “You know how my soulbond is that I get things that my soulmate lost? And vice versa? Well, a while back, I lost my favorite cap, and the other day, I saw a girl wearing it.”

She heard Kim silently gasp next to her.

“So I went to her and asked how she got it and she told me that her soulmate lost it. When I told her it was mine, she was a bit skeptical, so I told her about things I got from her and… Yeah. She’s my soulmate. Her name is Léa.”

They were silent after that, not knowing if they should congratulate him or not. They knew that Nino loved Alya, but a soulmate changed everything.

“Is it romantic or platonic?”

Their friend looked at them, his eyes so sad it broke Marinette’s heart.

“Romantic,” he answered.

The fashion designer hugged him close to her.

“Have you told Alya yet?”

She felt him shake his head no. Releasing him, he said:

“I thought that I would wait until we got back to school to tell her. I… I have a lot to think of, and I love Alya with all my heart, so I don’t want to end things on a bad note. So yeah, I need to think very carefully about the way I’ll tell her.”

Nino looked at her then, almost pleading.

“Can you not tell her, please?”

The Eurasian girl smiled sadly at him.

“You know I won’t. It’s not my business to tell.”

She took his hand, squeezing it a little.

“I know you’ll do your best to not hurt her too much. And, you know, I think Alya saw it coming. She’s been having a bad feeling for a while now.”

“Yeah, I know, she told me.”

Kim patted his back.

“I’m sure the two of you will still be friends after that.”

Nino let out a strangled laugh, tears coming out of his eyes.

“I hope so.”

Marinette didn’t realize that she has missed Gotham until the plane landed. While Paris was a beautiful city full of art and history, she was born there and has seen everything.

Gotham was different. There was so much she hadn’t seen there, so much she had yet to learn about this city.

Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be there long enough to visit much, but there would always be next time!

It took a long time to find her suitcase and people around her were eager to get out of the airport and were pushing her out of the way, so she decided to let them get their luggage first so she wouldn’t have to deal with them.

Rude, really, but she could understand how they wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

Suitcase retrieved, Marinette looked for Damian, as he promised that he would pick her up. She smiled as she saw him, a sign with her name on it. He was next to a man in his sixties-seventies and recognized him instantly even if she’s never met him. It was Alfred Pennyworth, the man that was a grandfather for the Wayne boys in everything but blood.

She hugged Damian, kissing his cheek in greetings, and turned to Alfred.

“Hello, mister. I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

She extended her hand and he took it, shaking it.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I’m Alfred Pennyworth. You may call me by my name.”

“Alright, please, call me Marinette too!” She smiled at him.

She felt Damian take her suitcase from her.

“Is it all you have?” He asked.

“Yeah, I packed lightly,” she said.

He took her hand, leading her to the exit.

“Come on, Jason has been exciting to finally meet you. He wouldn’t shut up about it.”

“You’re shorter than I think you would be.”

Jason — or Red Hood, as she had known him under his alias until now — has always been teasing her during her video calls with Robin, and she always gave back as much as she got, but she wasn’t expecting him to tease her about her height.

She knew she was short, alright? She wasn’t the shortest, but she wasn’t tall either, and, yeah, standing next to Jason, she felt ridiculous.

No, really, anyone would laugh at them if they saw them standing next to each other. She could only imagine Alix standing next to Jason, it would be even more ridiculous.

“Excuse me? I can’t hear you from all the way down there.”

She heard Tim laugh somewhere behind Jason, but she couldn’t see him. Really, the second son of the Wayne family was huge.

Jason laughed at her, ruffling her hair.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, munchkin.”

“Ha. Ha. Nicknames about my size, don’t you have anything original?”

She smiled, though, not offended at all. She always got those kinds of nicknames from Kim, anyway. The guy was way too tall for his own good too.

Speaking of tall people — or tall and huge things in general — the dog that was running toward her was huge too. And it wasn’t stopping.

Before she could understand was happening, she was on her butt on the floor, a huge Great Dane licking her face.

“Titus!”

The designer laughed.

“Now, I like this kind of welcome.”

She petted the dog for a bit before getting up with Jason’s help. She greeted Dick with a smile and started a conversation with Tim, happy to see him after almost two years.

They spent the whole afternoon talking, and she did her best to fight the sleep, being jet-lagged. She wanted to wait until after dinner to sleep though, she was having such a good time with Damian and his brothers.

She met Bruce at said dinner since he had an emergency at Wayne Enterprises.

“It’s good to properly meet you, Marinette.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mister Wayne. Thank you for sending help in Paris.”

“Of course, we couldn’t just let it happen.”

Dinner was pleasant, and she learned more about Damian while observing his family. Dick was obviously the more outgoing among them, and seeing as Bruce didn’t express himself much, she could see how Damian struggled with his emotions.

The food was delicious, Alfred was a great cook and Marinette couldn’t remember eating a better meal in her life.

She would never tell that to her parents, though. But they were still the best when it came to dessert and baked goods.

It was the next day, lying in bed next to Damian trying to sleep that she decided to confront him.

Just like Nino a few days ago, Damian was acting weird and anxious, to the point that she could feel it from him, making her unable to fall asleep.

“What’s wrong?”

He looked at her then, and she could guess the frown on his face. Whatever it was that he was thinking about, it was not good.

“I have something to tell you.”

She moved, choosing to sit so she could face him instead of lying down.

“Okay. Should I be worried?”

“It’s not about us, per se, it’s about me. About things that I haven’t tell you yet.”

She relaxed a little, relieved that it wasn’t about their relationship.

“Okay,” she breathed. “I’m listening. Take your time.”

She heard him move and suddenly, there was light coming from the lamp on his bedside table. Good, it was less awkward now that she could properly see him.

“It’s about my past. I never told you about my mother, right?”

She shook her head no.

“I’ve been living with her until I was ten. Then I was living with my father and I’ve only seen her once since moving in with my father.”

He paused, looking for the right words.

“My mother is not a good person. Neither was my grandfather or anyone I knew back then. I wasn’t a good person either. Can’t say I’m a good person now, though.”

She opened her mouth to protest but he stopped her.

“Don’t  misunderstand. I’m a much better person than I was back then, but I’m not quite there yet. But I will be.”

She thought that he was already there but didn’t see it yet. She hoped he would see it soon.

“My mother and grandfather raised me… trained me to do things… bad things. Really bad things. And I never thought twice about it. I did everything they asked of me, and I didn’t see anything wrong with it. It was normal for me.”

Damian didn’t say the words, but she had a good idea of what the bad things were. She felt cold suddenly and had to take a deep breath.

“The things I did…”

“Ssssh.” She interrupted him. “I know. I don’t want to hear it.”

He looked hurt at her words and she cursed herself. She took his hand, squeezing it.

“Hey, hey. That’s not what I meant. It’s just, sometimes, you don’t need to hear some things. I think I know what you’ve done, and I don’t need to hear more. I just need to know one thing, though.”

He nodded, the hurt was gone now, and she knew that he understood what she meant.

“Those bad things… Do you still do them now?”

“No, my father made sure I wouldn’t anymore.”

“Okay,” she breathed. “You don’t do it anymore. But do you want to?”

“No!” He exclaimed. “No, I don’t want anymore.”

“That’s all I needed to know.”

She kissed him, then, so he could understand that she didn’t think of him any differently.

“Are you feeling better now that it’s off your chest,” she asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

He kissed her, softly, and gave her face and neck a lot of kisses.

“I…” he took a deep breath then, as if what he was about to say caused him physical pain. “I love you.”

Marinette swore that she felt her heart stop at those words. Those three words she’s been dreaming of hearing for months now. She was so happy she could cry.

Damian’s face fell, and she realized that she was taking too long to answer. She gave him the brightest smile that she could and stroke his cheek lovingly.

“I love you so much,” she whispered.

She didn’t know who leaned in first, but their lips met in a passionate kiss. He pulled her closer to him, their chest touching, and his hand took untied her hair from the ponytail they were in.

Her hands were moving up and down his torso, and soon, his shirt was on the floor instead of his person. Her shirt soon followed and when Damian pulled away, she almost whimpered.

“Wait, wait, wait,” he panted. “Are you sure you want to go there?”

She pulled him to her, kissing him once more but he broke the kiss once again.

“No, I’ll need your verbal consent, here.”

She smiled, appreciating his concern.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

And this time, when she pulled him to her, he didn’t resist.

Tag List:

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[candyshua]

To Live a Life of Happiness {Choi Seungcheol x Reader}

genre: heavy angst, some fluff, drama

synopsis: you move to daegu from seoul, in search of some form of independence before your inevitable fate plays out. there, you meet choi seungcheol, a confused and lonely boy who didn’t know how to deal with the love you gave him.

pairing: seungcheol x female reader

warnings: emotional and physical abuse, trauma, death during childbirth, cancer, & one makeout scene (non descriptive)

word count: 6,461

a/n: i’m not too proud of this, seeing as i wrote a lot of it while high. but i just need to post something!! 

If there was one thing Seungcheol knew about his life, it was that he was painfully and utterly alone.

As a child, he would play by himself. The other kids looked at him with fear, since false rumors surrounded his name. Whenever the word “Seungcheol” was uttered, an untrue tale would soon be told about the poor boy.

He would go home to a quaint apartment every afternoon. When Seungcheol would first walk through the door, his father could be heard releasing a sigh of frustration. After a while, the sharp pain of never being enough turned into a dull ache. He just learned to live with it.

Barely.

He wouldn’t dare to ask his dad what was for dinner. Truth be told, the boy usually made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every night. His father would never make food for him.

Seungcheol didn’t deserve his father’s love, he knew that. He knew that there was something wrong with the people that cared for him.

“You know, Seungcheol,” His dad would say, “you shouldn’t trust anyone that says they love you. They’re lying, you know that, right? No one could ever love you.”

“Of course,” Seungcheol meekly whispered, “it’s just not possible.”

The days would drag on like that. Empty, mind-numbing days where he would feel nothing but pure self-hatred and guilt. The days turned into weeks, which turned into months, then years. Those hurtful emotions just became a part of Seungcheol’s daily life. He got better at providing for himself, as his father seemed to wither away. 

He had to feel the pain. If he were feeling anything remotely close to pleasure, he would just know that he didn’t deserve it.

He had survived all the way up until the age of seventeen that way. At that rate, he would die just the same way he lived—quietly and slowly.

But then, of course, you happened.

You were the new kid. You came in the middle of November, having missed a lot of the school year. It was typical of you, to arrive at the worst time.

You attracted everybody’s eyes the moment you stepped foot into the classroom. Even Seungcheol found himself staring at you. You elicited a pure kind of beauty, one that was enticing and tranquil.

“Ah, yes, Y/N! Please introduce yourself.” The teacher, Mr. Kim, suggested. You nodded, radiating with nothing but pure confidence.

Seungcheol didn’t know what that felt like, but he could recognize it. The way your dewy skin glowed, the way your smile was so damn charming, and the way you stood so proudly. It was truly admirable.

“Hey everyone! I’m Y/L/N Y/F/N, I’m from Seoul, and I really like to draw!” 

Seungcheol couldn’t help but crack a small grin at your enthusiasm. But, that grin soon morphed into a frown of terror when you sat down next to him. With wide eyes, Seungcheol stared straight ahead, looking at anything else but you. You and your beautiful smile, one that immediately grasped the attention of everyone else around you. Soon, you were being swarmed by the other students, them asking you questions you had no trouble answering. You were mesmerizing—how did you just answer them? Like it was nothing? How did you not freeze up with pure terror?

The day continued on like that. People were fascinated with you, the girl from the big city of Seoul. Seungcheol thought he could feel your gaze on him every so often, but he was much too timid to see if his intuition were true. Instead, he decided to continue reading his Korean History textbook, secretly praying that he could fast-forward to the end of that day.

At lunch, you managed to become even more of a confusing person to Seungcheol. The large cafeteria left room for many tables, and Seungcheol naturally chose the one that was most isolated. Every afternoon, he would stick his earbuds in and shuffle Radiohead on his phone, sitting all by himself.

And, for whatever reason, you decided to sit next to him on that day. Seungcheol wouldn’t render the fact that you would forever change his life from that point on for a long time after that. In fact, all Seungcheol felt in that pivotal moment was fear. Why were you sitting next to him? Were you going to torment him? Did he do something wrong?

Contrary to Seungcheol’s fears, you did quite the opposite.

“Hey,” You began with a genuine smile on your face, “you’re Seungcheol, right?”

He froze up. He had no other choice! How could he not? 

“H-how do you know my name?” Seungcheol managed to say. What a great first impression.

“Mr. Kim told me to sit next to you, and he mentioned your name when he told me. Sorry if that scared you!” You explained. There was something off in your explanation, though. It was the apology—it seemed too authentic. Like you were actually sorry. It didn’t sit right with him.

“Oh.” 

You giggled. And, for a moment, everything seemed right in the world. It was as if your melodic laugh ripped the weight off of Seungcheol’s shoulders, even for a brief amount of time. Your laugh was strange, but it made him feel oddly free and unburdened. It almost felt like everything was going to be okay.

Seungcheol’s eyes blinked in your direction. Even if he wholeheartedly adored your laugh, he was wondering what caused you to do so.

“You don’t talk much, do you?”

He shook his head, his voluminous black hair shaking along with it. To you, Seungcheol was quite handsome. His doe-like brown eyes were quite refreshing, for some reason.

“So, you like Radiohead?”

“What?” Seungcheol gasped. You knew about Radiohead?

“I love Radiohead. They’re an amazing band!” You continued, rendering the poor boy speechless. Cool—you were so damn cool. Like the coolest person alive. You were confident, pretty, outgoing, and you fucking listened to Radiohead!

“Am I really playing it that loud?” Seungcheol laughed nervously. You nodded, but your expression was nonchalant. Unbothered. In fact, you seemed to welcome it.

“I’m not complaining!”

“Um,” Seungcheol began with his heart in his throat, “do you wanna listen? With me?”

The two seconds you took to “contemplate” his request felt like two hours. But, even though it was only two seconds, Seungcheol took in your entire appearance. You were undeniably beautiful, your eyes sparkly and your lips pursed with a playful kind of curiosity.

“I’d love to.”

So, he gave you one of the wires of his earbuds, and you gladly started listening along with him. You hummed along to the current song, which was Ripcord. Seungcheol stared at you, you who seemed so tranquil yet content in that simple moment. Your eyes were bright, and they looked at the world with such passion. Your smile was undeniably contagious, even if Seungcheol wanted to fight his own grin. Your posture was relaxed yet not hunched. 

Everything about you was so...free.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You scared Seungcheol in the best way possible. A week after the two of you listened to Radiohead together, you still continued to sit next to him during lunch every day. You even gathered the courage to ask him for his number, to which he eagerly obliged to give you.

Yet, Seungcheol couldn’t help but feel the fear of uncertainty clutch at his heart every

time you talked to him. Were you just messing with him? Why were you being so damn kind? He didn’t deserve it—any of it. He didn’t deserve your unprecedented kindness or your cheesy jokes.

When were you going to leave, just like everyone else? Or turn on him? Seungcheol wanted you to do it as soon as possible, so he wouldn’t get too attached. It would make everything easier if you just hated him, like the rest.

But that’s the thing—you only seemed to like him more every day. And it scared the shit out of him. He had been told his entire life that he couldn’t trust anyone who told him that they loved him.

So why did he so willingly open his heart to you?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It had been about a month since you’d come to Daegu, all the way from Seoul. December finally rolled around, making the weather drop dramatically. You loved the cold, for some reason. You flourished in the cold, in fact. The feeling of the frosty air against your skin just made everything better.

So, why were you so damn hot? It was December, and there you were, with Choi Seungcheol, in the art room at your current school. Your last class had already ended about an hour ago, but you asked Seungcheol to help you out with something in the art room. He happily helped, even if he tried to mask his joy with indifference. You couldn’t quite figure him out, but it’s not like he was some puzzle. He was a human being, but he was unlike any other person you had ever met. And you loved that.

Seungcheol was a breath of fresh air. Amid the chaos of your life, being able to talk to someone so tranquil and laid back was lovely. Even if you knew how things would end for you, and he did not, you still wanted to enjoy your adolescence. It was all you were ever going to have, anyway.

“So, what did you need my help with?” He nervously asked, coaxing a giggle out of you. He was so damn cute.

You walked over to a set of shelves, filled with various types of drawings and sculptures. Of course, the one you wanted to show him was on the top shelf. You jumped up and flailed your arms and tried to grab it, but it was no use.

Seungcheol snuck up on you like a cheetah to its prey, yet with no malicious intent. That boy was just so damn quiet. You froze when you felt his breath fan against your neck. He effortlessly reached up from behind you and grabbed the single drawing you were aiming for with ease. And, during that brief moment, your body temperature felt like it was raised by ten degrees. He handed you the paper, not even looking at what you drew. He just gave it to you, while wearing that stupid yet adorable smile of his. He didn’t even register the fact that he made you nervous on his radar. You didn’t know if you were grateful for that or not.

You finally managed to sputter a shy “thank you” and turned away, your cheeks reddened beyond belief. Then came the hard part, even if what you had just gone through nearly gave you a heart attack.

Seungcheol noticed your change in aura the moment you gave him the drawing you made. You, who was usually so damn confident and sure of herself, looked absolutely and utterly uncertain. And, before Seungcheol could even register that you had made that drawing for him, he came to a pivotal realization.

You were a human, just like him. You weren’t an angel, nor any other non-worldly being. You were mortal, and you got nervous just like him and everybody else on the planet. And, somehow, that made him feel ten times better. You weren’t perfect—good. That was good. He still liked you anyway.

Finally, Seungcheol looked down at the drawing. His eyes widened immediately. Shock rippled through his entire being, all the way to his core. But it wasn’t the type of shock that made him feel miserable, it was a type of shock that made him change the way he thought. Because, you had drawn him so wonderfully. It was simply him, sitting down on a lunch table, with his earbuds in. You had captured everything about Seungcheol so accurately, to the point where it made him feel like someone had taken a picture. The feeling was...lovely. Someone drew him. You drew him. And it was extraordinary.

You, who was so beautiful and passionate, you had put effort into making something for him. And he felt like the first time he heard you laugh—unburdened. Joyous. Like he could do anything. Like the world wasn’t so bad after all. 

Seungcheol didn’t realize he was crying until you had cupped his face and wiped his tears away. 

“Thank you,” He whispered, “from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.”

You smiled, feeling all of your nerves start to float away. He loved it, and you could tell from the moment he first laid eyes on the piece. 

That was why you liked to draw. Because it could bring some love into the world, even if the amount was small and seemingly insignificant. But, you still managed to make someone smile that day. You made someone feel important and loved. It didn’t matter if it was only one person, because that was all you wanted anyway. If you could just make one person’s life a little bit brighter, then you had fulfilled your purpose.

In spite of his tears, Seungcheol looked the happiest you had ever seen him. And it made your heart swell with an intense kind of affection, one that made you feel warm despite the freezing temperature outside.

“Come on,” You laughed, “let’s go get hot chocolate or something.” 

Seungcheol nodded, and he chuckled nervously. His voice was a bit cracked due to his crying, but you could tell that he was being genuine.

“That sounds wonderful.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Life was so damn unfair.

The doctor’s words rang through your ears unforgivingly, and you wanted nothing else but to scream at him. And everyone else in the world. You wanted to scream at whatever made you have to succumb to such a terrible fate. 

“I’m afraid to say you don’t have much time left.” 

You scoffed at those earth-shattering words.

“Fuck you.” You whispered to no one in particular. You were walking down the sidewalks of Daegu, passing through the crowd with anger in your heart. No one knew you. People could merely walk by you, look you in the eye, and then move on with their lives. Fuck them. They get to move on! They get to go and live their fucking lives!

And you? You get to die in six months. Maybe a few more if you’re lucky.

Tears are silently cascading down your face at that point, and there was no sign of them stopping. Your pace quickened, and your eyes were glued to the ground. Maybe, if you ignored everything for long enough, you could escape to a different reality. One where you weren’t destined to die as a teenager.

Alas, nothing like that happened. In fact, your day took a surprising turn. What was supposed to be a lonely Wednesday during winter break turned into one you would spend with Seungcheol, seeing as you had bumped into him on the pavement. Your brisk pace and inattentive eyes were your downfall. Seungcheol’s head was in the clouds, and the moment he registered the fact that you were going to crash into him, it was already much too late.

Afterwards, you backed up and wiped your tears. Your eyes met Seungcheol’s chocolate brown ones, and for a moment, you forgot the previous events of the day. You couldn’t help but smile, even if it was just for a bit.

“Y/N?” He croaked, fear thick in his tone. He was worried, since it was quite evident that you had been crying.

“Hey…” You sighed, scratching the back of your neck nervously. Reality had come back with an overpowering force, and you couldn’t contain the embarrassment you felt.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Liar.” His response was immediate.

Woah. Did Seungcheol just call you out? When did he become assertive?

Unbeknownst to you, Seungcheol was equally surprised with himself. What had compelled him to be so aggressive? Maybe it’s because of you. If it had been anybody else, he wouldn’t have pushed so hard. But he cared about you. So much. And, he didn’t want you to pretend to be okay. Hell—he was being a hypocrite. He pretended to be okay around you, too. But maybe that could change.

It was the afternoon before Christmas Eve. Usually, you would spend Christmas with your parents, but you had left them behind in Seoul. Once you found out your impending doom, your first wish was to leave Seoul and live independently for a while, since you never experienced something so monumental.

You wouldn’t ever experience a lot of things, would you?

The tears came back in an even stronger wave. Before you could stop him, Seungcheol had grabbed your wrist and pulled you to where he came from, which was his apartment complex. The two of you were previously standing in the middle of the sidewalk, and it had started to overwhelm the both of you.

And, with your wrist in his hand, the two of you ran to Seungcheol’s apartment. You could smell the frost in the air, and you felt alive. Because you were—you were alive. And you wouldn’t be for long.

So stop wallowing in your own self-pity! Make the most of it!

Your eyes flitted to Seungcheol’s face. His entire expression screamed “worried”. He seemed to pick up pace the closer the two of you got, which made it much harder for you to keep up with. But you did.

And you couldn’t help but realize how damn handsome he was. From the first day you had met him, he had enticed you. He was adorable, yet loving and kind. And you liked him. A lot.

So, you stopped dead in your tracks. Seungcheol, confused, looked at you with concerned eyes. Before he could say anything, you grabbed the collar of his sweater and pulled him close to you. And then you were kissing—and it felt just like you thought it would. Right. It felt right.

It had taken Seungcheol a few seconds to realize what was happening. Then, he had kissed you back with just as much passion. God, why didn’t you do this sooner? 

His large hands cupped your face, and soon the two of you were full-on making out in front of his apartment complex. It got heated. Fast. And, suddenly, the deadly-cold air wasn’t cold enough to cool you off.

Finally, Seungcheol pulled away with a dazed expression. You gave him a shy yet snide smile.

“Well, um, that was...yeah.” He sputtered.

“You’ve got such a way with words.”

“Yeah, well, you fucking scared me, alright? Like, what the hell? You just—you just kissed me! Me! You kissed me!”

“I know.” You had to fight back your laughter.

“Well...um, why?”

“Because I like you, why else?”

Seungcheol’s frustration was oddly endearing to you. You couldn’t help the large smile that played at your swollen lips.

“But, you were crying! Why?”

You sighed. Suddenly, the smile on your face disappeared into a troubled frown. Seungcheol noticed your entire change in demeanor. He stepped closer, his confused nature being overshadowed by his concern.

“What’s wrong?” He continued. Tears started to fall from your eyes again. It was all so real—too real. You were dying. You were going to die, and there was nothing anybody in the world could do about it.

You jumped into Seungcheol’s arms, violently sobbing into the crook of his neck.

“Six months,” You began through cries, “I only have six months left to live. I thought I had more...I was doing so good.”

Shock. That’s all Seungcheol could feel when those words of poison fell from your mouth. This type of shock was unwelcomed. It wasn’t like what he felt when you showed him your drawing. No, this type of shock was suffocating. He wanted to break this shock, or wake up from it. Because what you said just couldn’t be real! It couldn’t be…

But it was.

“What?” Seungcheol croaked. You had pulled away from his frigid embrace, and you stared into his eyes. They were blown out with fear. It seemed as if he had not even considered denial. No, he knew that it was real. That’s why he looked so damn broken. Like a little kid.

And, selfishly, Seungcheol thought, of course. Of course you’re going to die.

Because the people who cared for him never stayed. He should have known—he should have fucking known!

But then, he felt utterly disgusted with himself. How dare he try to spin your fate into a problem of his own? The urge to vomit intensified.

“I have an inoperable brain tumor.” You confessed, your voice raw and broken. 

Seungcheol began to cry, even more than you did. Because, oh god, he loved you. He loved you. And you had not known each other for long, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t fight the unbreakable feelings he had for you. So, after a little while, he swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath.

“Okay.” He stated plainly.

“What? ‘Okay’?”

“Yeah. Okay. I just have to accept it.”

Your look of confusion only got more intense.

“So, Y/N, what are you doing for Christmas?”

You scoffed. You knew exactly where he was going with that, but you couldn’t help but grin.

“Spending it with you?” You asked. A sad smile played at your lips.

“Spending it with me.” He answered.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Christmas rolled around rather quickly. You had been already planning on getting Seungcheol a present, which was another drawing. However, it was of the both of you that time. It was based off of a selfie you took during the middle of lunch. He was simply reading a book in the picture, the wires of his earbuds connecting the two of you. And, there you were, making a peace sign and smiling boldly. You had perfected the drawing down to every last detail; wanting to impress Seungcheol was something you desired greatly. 

Finally, Seungcheol arrived at your apartment, a wrapped gift in hand. When your eyes met his, which were full of apprehension and anxiety, a smile melted across your face. And you felt it—that intense feeling of affection. One that you had never experienced before. It surged through you, from the bottom of your body up to your throat, taking your breath away. 

“Come in.” You grinned.

He awkwardly stepped in, sliding his shoes off and on a pair of slippers. 

And that’s when you noticed it—his black eye. It was swollen and made you grit your teeth upon first sight. A gasp fell from your lips, and you instinctively reached out for it, grazing your fingers on his skin slightly.

He stood frozen still. 

“What happened?” You croaked. Seungcheol tensed up even more. Then the tears just fell, and they kept coming. Soon, the two of you were on your couch, Seungcheol sobbing into the crook of your neck.

You stroked his hair, silently comforting him. After a while, he finally managed to speak up.

“My f-father...did this to me.”

Your eyes went dark with anger. And soon the rage from the initial shock amplified immensely. But so did the pain in your aching heart.

“Has he done this before?”

Seungcheol shook his head. It dawned on you—Seungcheol knew so much about you, but you couldn’t say the same for him. His life had remained a mystery to you, and you couldn’t help but feel as if his silence was intentional. 

“Why?” You exasperated, your voice going raw. Then, tears cascaded down your face just like Seungcheol.

“He...he thought I was leaving him and my mom behind for Christmas.”

“What did your mom say?”

“Nothing,” Seungcheol began, “she’s dead.”

Oh. Your crying intensified. 

“My dad...is not well. But he refuses to go to the hospital. I think...I think he just doesn’t like Christmas. My mom died around this time a year. I don’t remember her, though.”

You swallowed the next onslaught of sobs. You finally detached yourself from Seungcheol’s grasp, and soon your expression became livid, yet worried.

“You don’t have to tell me more…”

His eyes lightened, even if just for a bit.

“I want to…” He shyly confessed, breaking eye contact. Your silence invited him to continue.

“My mom died giving birth to me. She had preeclampsia, and when she was giving birth, she had to choose whether to save herself or me. She chose me.”

Seungcheol’s eyes watered with tears again.

“It’s all my fault, Y/N,” He cried, “he hates me so much. Everyone does.”

Anger had overtaken you. How could he not see? He was such an amazing person! You couldn’t hold in the words anymore, you just had to tell him.

“I love you!” You screamed.

Time froze for a second. Almost as if the expression of shock on his face made everything cease to exist.. Seungcheol tensed up and incessantly shook his head.

“No, you don’t. You can’t…”

“Your father...he’s just looking for someone to blame. Just like I am. Just like my parents will and just like you will after I’m gone. But we all need to realize that there is just simply no one to blame!”

“You’re wrong! It’s my fault, it’s all my fucking f—”

“Your father is wrong. He’s wrong because I love you. He’s wrong because you made me look forward to the rest of the time I have left!”

Seungcheol’s tears stopped. He stood eerily still after your impactful worlds, concerningly so.

He finally looked up to you, his brown eyes painfully staring into yours.

“What?” He mustered.

“Seungcheol, I’m dying. I have no time to hate myself or the world around me. I have no time to blame anyone. My life just happened to turn out like this. I’m going to die young...and I’m so fucking scared. But you know what?”

“Y/N, I—”

“You fuckin’ know what, Seungcheol? I’m not dead yet. I’m breathing, I’m thinking, I’m moving, I’m existing! And I don’t want to live the rest of the short amount of time I have left in fear. So I choose to be with you. To live with you.”

A long silence followed.

Then, he took a deep breath, held it in for ten seconds, and let it out. He got out his present for you.

“Open it.” 

Your eyes scanned the disorderly wrapping, which made you scoff lightly. Finally, you started to tear at the paper, anxiety building with each rip.

Then you smiled.

He got you a CD player, along with the disk of “Pablo Honey” by Radiohead. That album had “Ripcord” on it, the song that played the first time you both talked.

“I love it,” You grinned, “thank you.”

Soon, he had opened your present, and he smiled like a complete idiot. And you relished in that fact. 

Later on, after the tension had disappeared from the air, the two of you sat on your couch watching TV. Your phone, which was in the kitchen, had started to ring.

You ran to it as Seungcheol had paused the television. And he couldn’t help but hear your voice and just how it slightly changed when you picked up the phone.

“Hey Mom and Dad, Merry Christmas!” You greeted. Your face fell after a few more seconds, but your false cheery tone didn’t fade away.

“Yeah, I’m doing great right now. I actually have a friend over! His name is Seungcheol.” And then some incoherent rambling was heard on the other line, something he couldn’t quite make out.

“Alright, bye! Talk to you tomorrow. Love you guys!”

You set your phone down on the counter, and Seungcheol couldn’t help but train his eyes onto you.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“It sucks,” You began with a sad smile, “having to pretend to be okay. Doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he defeatedly replied, “it sucks.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A mutual understanding was developed between you two. One that acknowledged both of your feelings and situations.

You both loved each other. But neither of you knew exactly what to do with that fact.

Finally, winter started to end. The New Year came and went, and you went home to Seoul, celebrating it with your parents. During his time alone with his father, Seungcheol finally took him to the doctors. He had been prescribed many different medications, ones that Seungcheol had to monitor.

One March evening, where the breeze was lovely and not too cold, Seungcheol walked through the streets of Daegu. And he was just thinking. 

With his hands in his pockets, his mind uncontrollably wandered to you. Your smile, your laugh, and your inevitable fate. A suffocating ache soon took a hold of his heart, encasing it mercilessly. How much time did he have until you left him?

When would he be alone again?

When would the days continue to be meaningless endeavors, that dragged on purposelessly?

When would his world come crashing down?

Just when he was about to fall apart, to overflow, your voice was heard among the night.

“Cheol?” You called out. He didn’t realize he was walking past your apartment complex until then. Coincidentally, you had been taking out the trash. He took long strides to you, his gaze intense.

“I’m so scared.” The sincerity in his voice and the look in his eyes said everything you needed to know.

“Me too.” You morosely grin, a faraway look in your eyes.

“I wanna be with you.”

“I wanna be with you, too.” The intensity in your eyes matched Seungcheol’s. 

“We should stop wasting our time, right?” You sheepishly question. He nods solemnly. A few moments of silence pass.

“This means you’re my girlfriend now, right?” He asks. You cannot contain the initial reaction to giggle.

“Yes, that’s what it means.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You start getting visibly worse around the beginning of April. You missed school a lot, due to painful migraines and overall weakness. Seungcheol, at first, pretended not to notice. But it got to a point where beating around the bush got neither of you anywhere.

He started to miss school too. Just so he could spend the day by your side, listening to Radiohead and fooling around.

Although you were physically deteriorating, the spark of confidence in your eyes never disappeared. It didn’t even flicker with doubt. You were a fighter, that’s for sure.

“Y/N,” Seungcheol began on a day the both of you skipped school, “I have a question.”

You, who was snuggled up against him underneath a blanket, watching reruns of “The Office”, adjusted your body a bit.

“Shoot.”

“How are you so confident?”

A helpless smile spread across your lips. 

“I’m not, I just want others to think I am.” You confessed

“Oh.” Seungcheol muttered. And then it hit him—wow—you were damn good at pretending. 

“Cheol, you think everyone else except you has their shit together, don’t you?”

He nodded.

“Well, they don’t. Nobody knows what the hell they’re doing, alright? We’re all pretending that we do, though. So that no one will ever know the truth.”

His eyes, which only seemingly got deeper and easier to lose yourself in by the second, bored into yours.

“You’re so cool, Y/N.”

You lean in and give him a brief kiss, smiling into it.

“I know.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Who’s that one girl you’re always hanging out with?” Seungcheol’s father interrogated. He was making dinner for himself, his dad sitting on the couch flipping through television channels.

Oh, Seungcheol thought, he noticed?

“My girlfriend.” He responded, not finding any use in lying. 

His father turned the TV off.

“What?”

“She’s my girlfriend, Dad.”

“You sure she’s not using you? You know, you’re not exactly the most lovable—”

“Dad?” Seungcheol interrupted.

“Yes?” He responded, his tone gruff and short.

“Do you still feel the need to blame me?” Seungcheol blurted, his eyes squeezed shut out of fear. He felt like bile was going to pour out of his mouth in an instant. Anxiety surrounded him like he was the eye of a hurricane.

“What did you say?” 

Despite feeling nothing but pure, unfiltered fear, Seungcheol persisted.

“Do you still need to blame me? For what happened to Mom? It’s been seventeen years, Dad. It’s no one’s fault—”

“You shut your mouth—”

“Please, Dad. She’s dead! She’s not gonna come back…”

Seungcheol soon found himself crying, images of you prominent in his head.

“She’s not gonna come back.” He repeated, that time to himself. 

His eyes flitted toward the digital clock under the TV. It read 10:38 PM, on a Thursday night during early May. Your time together was running out.

 “And there’s no one to blame, even if I want there to be someone, there just isn’t. I’m...I’m gonna miss her so much.”

“What?”

Seungcheol shook himself out of it, refocusing his attention back onto his father. 

“Do you think Mom wanted you to treat me like this? Is this what she died for?”

He doesn’t give his dad the time to answer, for Seungcheol grabbed his keys and phone, and stormed out of the apartment.

He wanted to see you, so badly.

He dialed your number into his phone, the lovely breeze of the May evening kissing his skin. But there’s no answer.

So he called again. And again.

Soon, he was running to where your apartment complex was, his lungs burning. And the anxiety he felt was quite prominent, achingly so. No. He wanted to see you.

He needed to see you.

Seungcheol finally arrived at the apartment complex, and he used the keys you gave him to get in. He tried to wait for an elevator to come and get him, but he deemed it as “too slow” and sprinted up the stairs instead.

Please be okay.

The nervous boy fumbled with the key while trying to unlock your door. Finally, he weaseled his way into your apartment, tears uncontrollably cascading down his cheeks. 

“Y/N!” He screamed. Soon, he was able to hear running water.

You were just taking a shower.

“Cheol?”

“Yeah, it’s me…” He panted, hunched over. You quickly got dressed and ran out.

“Are you okay?” You worriedly asked when your eyes met his.

“Yeah, I-I’m fine. Just got a bit worried, that’s all.” He scratched the back of his neck, almost like he was ashamed.

You knew why he was with you. 

Tears started to well up in your eyes, guilt washing over you so much you could drown in it.

“I’m sorry…” You croaked.

“What?” Seungcheol questioned, surprised at your sudden change in demeanor.

“I...I won’t be by your side for much longer. I’m...so sorry!”

You began to wail uncontrollably. Seungcheol just simply held you in his arms, reassuring you every few minutes. But it was to no use—what you said was true. Your body was starting to wilt away.

“Don’t apologize,” he began with a sad glint in his brown eyes, “this is no one’s fault.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

June was in full bloom. The excruciating heat was prominent in the air just about every day. 

One night, you were overcome with fatigue. Plus, the pain in your head wasn’t subsiding, no matter how much Advil you took.

Your vision began to blur. It went in and out of focus, and you weren’t really looking at anything. Your eyelids grew heavier, and soon you just couldn’t keep them open anymore.

You knew what was happening.

For some reason, your mind replayed the first time you spoke to Seungcheol in your head. You could hear “Ripcord” so clearly, almost like it was being played at that exact moment. 

You watched his smile of shyness and uncertainty bloom into one of confidence and authenticity.

Seungcheol was...so nice.

Your arm extended out to the air in front of you, reaching for his face. It felt like he was right there, next to you. 

He wasn’t.

I guess this is it, you thought.

I hope...someone else can take care of Cheol.

The selfie you had taken of the both of you flashed in your mind. You hoped he still had the drawing of it—the one that you made.

“I love you, Cheol…”

His smile replayed in your mind.

“Thank you…”

His warm gaze comforted you.

“I hope...you let yourself be happy, Cheol.”

Your vision turned bright, and soon life left your body like a bird flying away, never to return.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It had been about four months since you died. Seungcheol graduated high school, and his plan was to study abroad in America.

He didn’t think he was going to return.

Nothing kept him rooted to Korea. In fact, he wanted to leave. His father was a shell of a human, and Seungcheol was afraid he was going to turn out just like him.

He continued to pack everything he needed, his mind elsewhere. But then the picture you drew of him was suddenly in his hands. It brought Seungcheol back to reality.

Like a closet door shut tight, Seungcheol kept everything he felt locked away. But he just broke at the sight of your lovely drawing of him.

He started to sob. His throat grew painfully dry, and his cries turned into silent gasps. 

“Where are you?” He screamed. He longed to see you more than anything else. But you were six feet under, and he was not. He was alive and breathing. Without you.

You’re not going to come back.

He was alone.

Seungcheol was alone.

Why had the world moved on? Your parents went back to work, and your classmates graduated and were going off to college.

Why was everyone else okay except him?

Seungcheol then remembered something you taught him.

Everyone’s just faking it. No one really knows what they’re doing.

He smiled forlornly. 

You loved him, and because of that, he wasn’t alone. If he carried your love with him everywhere he went, he would never truly be alone.

If there was one thing that Seungcheol knew about his life, it was that he knew nothing at all. And, for some reason, that felt okay.

All you wanted for Seungcheol was for him to live a life of happiness. He knew that.

So, that’s exactly what he would do. And, as the years passed by, happiness wasn’t such a foreign concept anymore.

Seungcheol didn’t have to deal with the ache of isolation, for that’s not how life is meant to be lived. 

Your melodic laugh reverberated throughout his mind. He smiled.

Everything would be okay.

[let-me-write-shit]

Somebody To You: 1

A/N: It’s finally here! The first chapter of my second Harry Styles fic! We’re starting off with a LOOOONG, heavy one. I want to thank you all for patiently waiting. Most of the characters in this story is based off of some of YOU! Zoey, Nancy, Aurora, Andy, and Katie - Thanks for reading and being apart of this story. I’m sorry if I didn’t get your personalities right, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. I’ll be posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday! Enjoy. 

<3 Shannon

To Read My Previous Story, Click Here

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CHAPTER ONE

Never in a million years did Zoey think she’d move across the country on her own. But here she was, driving down the interstate in her dingy 2010 Toyota Camry, car filled to the brim with her belongings. LA had always been a far fetched idea. Actually, if we were being honest, it was never her idea to begin with. It was Jessica’s. Moving to LA alone was never a part of the plan. Jess should have been here. They should have been blasting music through the stereo, complaining about the shitty A/C in the car, road raging together, and dreaming about all of the things they would do when they arrived.

Instead, Zoey drove in silence, briefly passing through all of the tourist spots and monuments they had always talked about visiting along the way, pulling into walmart parking lots for bathroom breaks or cat naps, alone. The only noise disrupting the silence was the hum of the engine and the occasional whisper under her breath as she spoke, in vain, to her best friend.

Jess was a force. Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing her would say the same thing. She lit up a room. She was the outgoing one. She’d talk to anyone and everyone that passed her, striking up random conversations that only she could come up with. And her laugh was infectious. Zoey always made Jess laugh and it got them in a lot of trouble over the course of their fifteen year friendship. 

Jess always had her platinum blonde hair straight, never putting it up - something Zoey always did out of habit, rarely letting her hair down because she didn’t like how it looked. Jess always had a knack for the dramatics, which is why she wanted to move to LA since she was little. She had dreamed of becoming an actress. Zoey saw her in every high school and college play. And she was good. Really good. Honestly, she had potential to make it. But, to Zoey, all of the long talks of moving to LA was just that: talk. She could never let go of the comfort of being close to family in her small, Pennsylvania town with her best friend and boyfriend. Besides, how could they even afford it?

But all of that changed on June 9th of last year. It was Jess’ 26th birthday and the two girls went out to celebrate with a few friends at the bar they worked at together. Zoey and Jess were the last to leave and had drunk a little more than they intended, so they had Zoey’s boyfriend, Michael, pick them up. Not even 3 minutes into the car journey it happened. A drunk driver ran a red light and had rammed into the rear passenger side door at 50 mph. The car flipped and Zoey hit her head against the window, sending her unconscious. 

She woke up in the hospital the next afternoon with a broken wrist, a few fractured ribs, and a concussion, surrounded by her parents who were crying, her little sister, Katie, who sat timidly in the corner of the room, and Michael who only had a few scrapes and cuts, but was ultimately fine, squeezing her leg that was tucked under the heavy white blanket. When her eyes fluttered open, her mom gasped and both of her parents hovered over her, her dad stroking her cheek. The first thing Zoey managed to croak out was, ‘Where’s Jess?’. Her mom lost it, uncontrollably sobbing. It was her dad that had to break the news to her. Jess didn’t make it.

It’s weird. You’d think hearing the news of your best friend’s death would send you into a fit of rage or hysterics, but that didn’t happen for Zoey. She felt numb. It could have been the shock, but it didn’t feel real. Jess couldn’t have been gone. She was here only hours ago, laughing her infections laugh and smiling her gorgeous smile. And even so, when Jess’ parents came to visit her at the hospital to discuss the funeral, it still hadn’t set in. She wanted to laugh at them to stop being so dramatic. That everything was fine. That Jess was still here, she was just sleeping. She couldn’t just be gone. Not Jess. She was too full of life to just be gone. But the bags under their eyes told a different story. They had lost their only child. How do you recover from that?

Zoey was stuck in the hospital for a little over a week, causing her to miss her best friend's funeral, which didn’t help in her denial. The day she was released, her boyfriend picked her up from the hospital and drove her to Mr. and Mrs. Lewis’ house. The walk up to the front door felt different. Over the past fifteen years, Zoey never knocked on the front food or rang the doorbell, she just walked in. She wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate now. Unsure, she knocked, hesitated, and cracked the door open where she was met by the exhausted couple who gave her a warm hug and led the two towards the back, past the pool where she had so many fond memories of laughter with Jess, the glistening water seeming so inviting on this warm afternoon, towards the pool house where Jess stayed.

Some had questioned why Jess still lived with her parents if she was 25 and worked a well paying job. But, to put it lightly, Jess’ family was very well-off. Her dad had built and owned a business from the ground up and it became a major success practically overnight. She had her own space, rent free. Besides, the pool house was big enough to fit three of Zoey and Michael’s apartment into it. Why would she not stay there?

But when they walked in, it hit her. Everything was exactly as they had left it, nothing had been moved. Except this time, the room did not feel full of life like it always had. It felt cold and empty. And Zoey broke down.

She felt stupid for crying in front of Jess’ parents. How could her pain feel compared to theirs? But they didn’t judge. Instead, they held her in an understanding and loving embrace. After all, Zoey had been a part of their family for fifteen years. With every sob, the pain from her still-healing ribs hurt more and more. Michael stood off to the side and let the three have their moment, and when the tears settled, they began going through some of Jess’ things, letting Zoey take whatever she wanted, which included a hoodie, a dress, a pair of converse shoes, the other half of their friendship bracelet that they had made in 10th grade, and finally a note that she had written in middle school to Zoey, stuffed with the hundreds of other notes in a shoebox under her bed.

The year that followed was tough. Zoey found herself lost for a while. She quit her job at the bar her and Jess used to work at, because working without Jess was too much for her to handle. She didn’t go out anymore, and hardly talked to anyone except for her younger sister, Katie. Growing up she didn’t really get along with Katie. It’s not like she didn’t like her, but Katie was eight years younger than her, plus Zoey was so focused on friends and boys that she didn’t make any time or effort for her younger sister. But after Jess died, Zoey got to know her sister a lot better. She learned that Katie, aside from appearance, was almost exactly like herself. Katie took after their Irish dad in the way of looks with long, dark brown hair and adorable freckles, compared to Zoey’s pale skin and dirty blonde hair. You wouldn’t think they were related by looking at them. But, in personality, they were almost identical. Both were afraid to take risks, shy at first keeping a very small group of friends, but very caring. The complete opposite of Jess who was care-free and miss positivity. Katie was essential in her grieving process.

Anytime someone brought Jess up in conversation, they always skirted around certain topics or words. They always used her name in past tense or said things like, ‘no longer with us’ or ‘passed away’. It was infuriating. One night, Zoey’s parents had invited her, Michael, and Mr. and Mrs. Lewis over for dinner nearly three months in. Her mom had brought Jess up for the fourth time in two hours and said something along the lines of ‘I’m still finding it hard to process Jess not being here anymore.’ And Zoey lost it.

“She’s dead, mom! She died! Okay?” Zoey shouted, pushing away from the table, causing her glass of wine to spill, and darting up the steps to Katie’s room that they used to share when Zoey lived there.

She collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily with tears streaming down her face, angry, when there was a faint knock on the door. Her fists clenched in annoyance, half expecting it to be her boyfriend as Michael had been extra clingy since Jess died, almost as if he was scared of what Zoey would do if she was left alone. Which was stupid. What good would it do anyone if she wasn’t here either? But to her shock and horror, it was Jess’ mom who walked into the room. 

Zoey shot up straight and wiped the tears from her face, instantly regretting the outburst she just had. “Mrs. Lewis, I’m so sorry, I-”

“Don’t,” Jess’ mom cut her off, motioning for her to sit down beside her at the edge of the bed. Her expression was warm and not at all angry, “I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of times I wanted to say that over the past three months to anyone who mentions her. I know it’s hard, and I understand.”

Zoey nodded, twisting Jess’ bracelet that was now tightly wrapped around her wrist, a strand of her dirty blonde hair had fallen out of her hair tie and she pushed it behind her ear as Jess’ mom continued, “I only came up here because I thought it’s be a good opportunity to talk to you in private before we go.”

“What about?”

“Well, Mr. Lewis and I were going through some more of Jess’ things last week and we came across a bunch of old ‘Dream Journals’ the two of you wrote in over the years.”

Zoey felt the heat of embarrassment rise to her cheeks, remembering some of the things they wrote in there. The ‘Dream Journals’ were more of a fantasy bucket list than anything, but there were definitely a few inappropriate things involving Jared Padalecki and Jeremy Sumpter in there that she wasn’t too keen on the idea of Jess’ parents reading.

She continued, “Mr. Lewis and I noticed nearly every page was filled with things you two wanted to do in LA.”

It sounded more like a question than a statement. Zoey cleared her throat, “Yeah. We always talked about moving there one day.”

Mrs. Lewis nodded, “I know how much she wanted to go. And I know it probably always seemed out of reach. But, Zoey, I don’t want this to stop you from going. Jess worked hard to save up so you both could go. And I don’t want that to be for nothing. Mr. Lewis and I talked about it and we decided. Jess had managed to save up $18,000, and we wanted you to have it. And we know how expensive LA can be, so we wanted to add an extra $7,000 on top of it. Hopefully that’ll be enough for rent for at least a year.”

Zoey’s mouth fell open, trying to process everything Mrs. Lewis just said. So many questions ran through her mind. How did she manage to save so much on the same salary that she had? Stupid question, she had no bills. She twisted a little too hard on the bracelet, causing it to pinch her wrist and snap her back to reality, “$25,000? To move to LA?”

“It was her dream and she never got to fulfill it. We want you to live your life and hopefully bring a little bit of our baby girl to LA with you in spirit. All that we ask in return is that you try to find peace out there.”

That was the moment of revelation for Zoey. The turning point. The moment that made her get off her ass and stop the pity party. She didn’t want to take Mr. and Mrs. Lewis’ gift for granted. So, Zoey worked her ass off. She got three jobs as a warehouse worker, waitress, and got her old bartending job back to save up even more money. She had eventually even found a room that two girls were renting out in a beautiful skyrise condo on the nicer end of LA, and had got a bartending job lined up and waiting for her when she moved. Zoey vowed to herself to start adapting some of Jess’ personality into her own. She wanted to be more outgoing and try to say ‘yes’ more often, to learn to let her hair down (figuratively speaking), and she wanted to try and be more adventurous. It wouldn’t be an overnight success, but she would try. Baby steps. 

Finally, almost a year later, it was time to move. Zoey had finished saying goodbye to her and Jess’ parents. Even Michael had come to see her off. The two of them had broken off their nearly four year relationship a couple months ago, but still remained close. Zoey could tell that he was heart broken, and so was she, but she also knew that things had changed between them after Jess died. They weren’t the same people anymore and it seemed like they were holding on to each other to force the fraction of normalcy they had left. They didn’t deserve that. They deserved to be happy, not just content, but genuinely happy. 

They gave each other a tight hug and Michael sweetly kissed her cheek, whispering her a farewell. Saying goodbye to him stung a bit more than she had anticipated. Not because of some kind of lost love, but because he was the only other person in her life who she could talk to about Jess and who would actually understand. He knew Jess in almost the same sort of capacity that Zoey knew her. Poor Michael was forced to be the third wheel so often that he saw sides of her and Jess that no one else could possibly know about. And that sense of understanding comforted her. Now that she was letting that go, it was a little harder for her to leave.

Katie stood off to the side, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, twiddling her fingers together and avoiding her older sister’s gaze. The freckle faced teenager bit the inside of her cheeks, trying to focus on anything other than Zoey leaving. As horrible as this past year has been, she knew that the bond they built would not have happened otherwise. Katie had become just as reliant on Zoey as Zoey had been on her, and for her sister to be leaving was heartbreaking. She held back her emotions, but all Katie wanted to do was cry.

A frown formed on Zoey’s face. Her sister looked like a shelter puppy who’s owner had given up on them and knots formed in her stomach. Should Zoey really be leaving now, just as things started to come together for her? But as Katie’s demeanor cracked and she embraced her sister with a loving and understanding hug, she knew that this was the right move. Zoey still had some healing to do and Katie would always be there. Jess would have wanted this for her. 

The silent journey to LA was full of self reflection and internal pep talks. Not only did Zoey want to adapt a little bit of Jess’ personality, but she knew that this move gave her the opportunity to start over and live the life she always wanted. But what was that exactly?

As she neared her destination her heart began thumping faster, nervous for this new chapter. She looked at her surroundings of the bustling city, gorgeous people on every block, recognizing some buildings from her sleuthing around Street View on Google Maps after speaking with Nancy about moving in.

She’s been talking to Nancy via text and facetime over the course of a month since they met online and made plans for her to move in. Nancy seemed like one of the coolest people she had ever talked to. Tan, with the curliest, raven toned hair, she had nine ear piercings and the most interesting eyes-one brown and the other a deep green. She styled herself more on the rocker chic side, but somehow made it look so feminine and fitting. She could be a bit intense at times, but somehow made you feel comfortable and constantly laughing. 

Zoey didn’t know much about her other roommate, Aurora, or Rory, as most people called her. She only knew that Nancy had met Rory when she first moved to LA when they were 18 and they were best friends. The two of them just recently moved to their new condo and since Rory was gone most of the week for work and they had a spare bedroom, Nancy felt more comfortable and safe if there were another roommate there so she didn’t have to live on her own.

Nancy and Aurora had an interesting dynamic because they were practically polar opposites. Rory was born and raised in both Paris and a small town in England. She was new on the modeling scene but apparently making her way up the ladder rather quickly. And from the pictures that Nancy showed her, it was no wonder why. She was beautiful, with long brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and the sweetest, freckled baby face that reminded her of her little sister.

The GPS announced that she had reached her destination as she pulled up to the parking garage of the skyrise condominium. Zoey plugged the code that Nancy had given her into the keypad to enter the parking structure and drove in, finding a spot two rows in. She took her phone off of the car charger and checked the time. 3:14 PM, Thursday, April 23rd. It took her almost 4 full days to get here and it almost felt surreal that she had finally arrived. She stepped out of the car, legs buckling a bit from being sat in one position for so long, before stretching and calling Nancy’s phone.

“Are you fuckin’ here?” Nancy’s loud voice boomed excitedly.

Zoey laughed, stifling a yawn, “Yeah. In the parking garage.”

“Okay, I’ll meet you down in the lobby. Same code as the parking structure to get in.”

The call ended and Zoey felt her nerves settling as she glanced down at her wrist adorning Jess’ friendship bracelet. Everything will be fine. She grabbed as many things as she could manage to hold, realizing she’d have to take several trips to completely unload her car, before bounding towards the door. In order to put the code in she had to set some of her bags down, and as soon as it was unlocked, she yanked the door open, scooped up the bags, and headed down a hallway towards the huge, modern lobby. The walls were light gray with twelve foot ceilings lined with abstract black and white artwork and industrial light fixtures, a huge water feature right in the center. It seemed so extravagant that she almost felt silly for wearing the same gray sweatpants, matching small t-shirt layered with a long, white cardigan and white flip flops that she had worn since she left Pennsylvania, her hair now in an insanely messy bun, and not in a cute way, desperate for a shower. She could hear her flip flops echoing throughout the room along with the chime of the elevator door reaching her level. 

Nancy stepped out, curly hair framing her face, barely any makeup on but maybe some mascara, and so naturally pretty. She wore an oversized aerosmith shirt that had been splattered in bleach and barely covered her black shorts. Nancy’s eyes widened at the sight of Zoey and she ran over, smiling.

“Hey!” Zoey giggled, hiking up a bag that was slipping down her shoulder.

Nancy gave her a careful one-armed hug so as not to knock down the tower of belongings in Zoey’s arm before grabbing two bags to lighten the load a bit as she was led towards the elevator. Nancy talked her ear off about her day so far and what she had planned for dinner tonight when they reached the twenty second floor and got out. There was a small lounge area in the center of a large landing with a single door on the other three walls, each leading to three separate units. Nancy led her to the unit on the far left - 2201. 

“Okay, so the code is pretty easy. It’s all four corners of the keypad. So 1,3,7, and 9,” Nancy punched in. A green light appeared and Nancy pushed the door open, stepping inside. “Zoey’s here!” she called out as Zoey readjusted the bag that was slipping down her shoulder again. 

She looked around as she made her way past a small bathroom and suppressed a gasp when she reached the beautiful, modern kitchen that opened up into the living room, the wall lined with floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the city. Seeing the apartment in person was a completely different experience than virtually. The pictures didn’t do it justice. How could she afford to stay here? Jess would have lost her mind if she saw this. Zoey was so distracted by the view that she almost didn’t notice the two figures on the couch until they both stood up and started making their way over.

“Zoey! It’s so nice to meet you,” a sweet voice called. Aurora’s accent was an odd mix of French and British, only adding to her appeal.

“Hello!” A soft, deep voice greeted her.

Zoey smiled kindly, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of beauty in the two. Like the apartment, Rory’s pictures did not do her justice. She was more beautiful in person, almost making her feel inferior. And as for the guy beside her, he was scruffy with tousled brown hair and dark green eyes. His perfect white teeth could be seen through his smile and his dimpled cheeks made him even more discernible. 

“I’m Harry,” he spoke.

Zoey blinked, so exhausted from the long car journey that she was unable to decide what emotion to feel and unsure of how to respond. Her arms trembled from the weight of her luggage. The trembling caused a shoe to fall out of one of the bags, making a thump on the floor. Harry let out a startled gasp and quickly bent down to grab it, “Here, let me help,” he offered, grabbing the stack of bags out of Zoey’s hand, leaving her with just two on her shoulders. “Where would you like these?”

Before she could answer, Nancy spoke up, “Her room. Come on,” and led the way down another hall, Harry en suite.

Aurora smiled brightly at Zoey, “You must be exhausted,” she said, motioning for Zoey to follow the other two, “I hope the ride in was okay.”

Zoey tightened her bun and wiped beads of sweat from her forehead, glad that Aurora was being nice to her. “Yeah, lots of traffic as soon as I hit the city, though.”

Aurora laughed as they reached the doorframe, “You’ll get used to it.”

As the bedroom came into view Zoey saw Harry gently placing her things at the foot of the full sized bed. Thankfully the room was already furnished with the larger items. He huffed as he stood back up, dusting his hands together before pushing back the strand of hair that had fallen in front of his face. It was only a split second of realization. What the hell was happening? Was this just another dream? How could she be in LA, in a beautiful skyrise condo, with a gorgeous model and the coolest girl she had ever met as roommates, and Harry-fucking-Styles was standing in her bedroom? Surely she was still in her small one bedroom apartment back in Pennsylvania.

“Is this all you brought?” Harry asked, his accent snapping her back to present. 

“Oh, uh, no. I have more in my car.”

“Let me help bring your things up,” his eyebrows raised as if he was waiting for an answer, but his tone was more insistent.

Zoey hesitated, still in shock from the whole situation. Thankfully Nancy spoke up again before the silence got awkward, “Yeah, let’s go.”

She led the way out of the room followed closely by Harry who smiled nicely at her before his glance shot to Aurora. Zoey was sure he had meant to be more discreet, but she could have sworn he had winked at Rory. And the coy smile on her face seemed to confirm the hunch. Zoey kicked herself for being so awkward, mentally reminding herself to channel Jess’ sociability.

The four of them made conversation while they took a few more trips from the car to the apartment until all of her luggage riddled her room and her arms felt like jello. They all sat lined up on the large, pewter sectional with Zoey on an end cushion, Nancy sat cross-legged in the corner, and Aurora and Harry on the other side, close but with safe distance between them. She found out that Harry was in the middle of a U.S. tour and had a few days break, so he flew here to hang out and would be leaving again first thing in the morning. She also found it interesting to learn how they met each other a few months ago at a charity dinner event that Aurora had attended with Nancy as he plus one. They had all been sitting at the same table together and this was only their third time seeing him in person due to his tour.

“And now I have another friend,” Harry grinned, motioning towards Zoey.

“Yeah, until you scare her away with your horrible dad jokes and eating habits,” Nancy snorted.

Everyone laughed as Harry lightly nudged Nancy’s leg with his foot, “Just because you can’t beat the master at jokes doesn’t mean they’re horrible,” he shook his head in mock disappointment before turning his attention back to her, “So what made you move out here, Zoey? Work?”

Zoey gulped, not wanting to bring up Jess. She knew if she had, she would break down and cry and they didn’t know anything about Jess yet. I mean, how would everyone feel if she blurted out, ‘my dead best friend’s parents insisted I make their daughter’s dream come true and paid for me to move here’? 

She quickly composed herself, “Change of scenery. Thought I’d try out a new time zone,” she joked, causing them to chuckle. “I’m trying to be a bit more independent and adventurous,” she admitted.

Harry noticed her hesitation and looked at Rory and Nancy to see if they noticed it, too, but they seemed to be oblivious to it. He shrugged it off. He respected her desire to be more independent; something he understood all too well. The singer listened,  impressed as she revealed how many jobs she had been working in order to save just to come here and how proud she was of herself for taking the leap and coming here. Zoey didn’t seem braggy about it, in fact she seemed humbled, crediting her family and even her ex-boyfriend for the support. It wasn’t often you met someone down to earth in LA. It could be because she was so new to it. But Harry thought she would make a great fit with Aurora and Nancy. They had been here for seven years and the Hollywood Bug hasn’t bit them yet. He had his fair share of friends on the west coast, but it was nice to be close with ones who made him feel more grounded like these two.

The four ordered postmates and continued talking and laughing over Nancy’s stories as the sun began to set, casting a beautiful orange and pink hue over the city. As soon as she was done with her chinese food Zoey quickly excused herself to call her family. Once out of sight the three friends turned to each other.

“I like her,” Aurora decided.

Nancy kicked her feet up on the couch where Zoey had been sitting, “Yeah, thank god she’s not like any of the other crazies that messaged us to live here.”

Harry smiled, looking over at Aurora who laughed and he felt a little flutter in his stomach. She was obviously beautiful and fit every characteristic of his type. He could relate to her from living in a small English town but also found her intriguing that she had also been raised in Paris and spoke fluent French - a language he was always attracted by. Aurora and Harry were clearly attracted to each other, but the timing wasn’t exactly right. They met right as Aurora’s modeling career started to take off and just before Harry left for tour. They hadn’t even been on a first date yet, or even kissed for that matter. Just shameless flirting via text. 

In an effort to make an excuse to come back again, Harry spoke up, “Well, next weekend I have off. I don’t know what Zoey’s new work schedule will be, but if she’s up for it, how about we take her to Secrets as a little welcoming party? My treat.”

Secrets was a popular bar in the area that had private rooms you could rent for karaoke. Most of the club-goers were known to be gay, though a lot of straight people went with friends if they wanted a fun clubbing experience without any unwanted nuisances. It was always a good time whenever they went.

“That’d be lovely,” Aurora grinned.

“Yeah, sounds fun! I’ll talk to her about it and find out her work schedule,” Nancy agreed.

Harry nodded, excited about another opportunity to hang out with Rory. And honestly, he was excited to get to know Zoey, too. She seemed easy to talk to. And his instincts in people were pretty good.

What do you think?! Let me know

KEEP READING

[spacecakes20]

Begin Again

(Chapter 5)

Chapter 6: Sebastian, Band Practice

Sebastian had taken a smoke break outside of the Stardrop Saloon. It was a lot colder at night in spring. The cool nights were the most enjoyable for him; like the crisp air did a good job of clearing his head. It also helped calm his nerves, especially when he needed a break from social interactions. He loved his friends, he did, but he always felt so drained by the end of their outings. Taking a long drag of his cigarette, he released the smoke with a slow exhale.

     Friday nights were usually spent with Sam and Abigail at the saloon. It was the same almost every week; almost routine. This night, however, was different from the trio’s usual gatherings. Sam had invited the new farmer. Sebastian wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but he didn’t object to it either. She seemed nice enough, and the two didn’t give off the best first impression. Perhaps this could help them redeem themselves. He wasn’t expecting her to show up early. Wasn’t mentally prepared to be alone with her. He didn’t know what to talk about, and he didn’t want to just sit there in awkward silence. So, he did what he knew how; offered to play pool with her. He wasn’t sure if she was lying when she said she’d never played before. There was no way she was a novice. Sure, she still lost, but it was the closest he’d come to losing in a long while. Perhaps it was beginner’s luck. Or maybe she was a quick learner. Ether way, he was slightly impressed.

      Sebastian was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a door opening. He didn’t look up to see who it is. It was probably Shane or Pam calling it a night and heading home, probably shit-face drunk. It was late, and those two were usually the last ones to go.

      “Oh, I wasn’t expecting you to still be out here.” That voice didn’t belong to Pam or Shane. Looking up, he saw it was a very sober Luna.

      “Yeah,” Sebastian answered dryly. “Just needed a smoke.”

      She nodded, “Well, it’s getting late, so…” She trailed off.

      “I’ll walk you home.” He said, not thinking about the words coming out of his mouth.

      Luna looked taken aback, “No, you don’t have to.” She was fidgeting with her hands, not quite looking at him, “I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.”

      Sebastian had flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, crushing it with his foot, “It’s fine.” He shrugged, “There’s a short cut through your farm to my house.”

      She lifted her eyebrows at that realization, “Well… if that’s the case.”

      The two began their walk together, only the sounds of crickets filling the ambiance of the night. Sebastian was never one for conversation; with new people especially. With Sam or Abigail, he’d usually let the two of them do the talking. Thankfully, he didn’t have to start the conversation; Luna had cleared her throat before giving him a look.

      “So, I was right?”

      That only just confused him, “About…?” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, and she looked downright smug.

      “You did go easy on me.” She said, “You played completely different with Sam than you did with me.”

      “I mean…” He rubbed the nape of his neck, “You still lost.”

      She simply hummed, face never changing, “But you’re not denying it this time.”

      The two were coming up to the bus stop, which meant they were close to their destination. “I can neither confirm nor deny.” He said dryly, humoring her.

      They finally made it to her farmhouse, the two standing at the foot of Luna’s stairs. Looking around the land, it was still a mess of trees, rocks, and weeds. However, there was a clear plot of crops located near one of the closest lakes. In the dark of night, he couldn’t quite make out what kind of crops they were. This was probably his first time on the property since Luna moved in. He used to use the back path as a handy shortcut on the way home all the time when the place was vacant. He, Abigail, and Sam would even hang around the property to smoke weed, easily out of sight of their nosy parents. It felt a little odd standing on the farm grounds now, knowing someone now lived there.

       “Soooo…” Luna eyed Sebastian with curiosity, “Where’s this short cut of yours?”

       He pointed toward the back-way headed north with his thumb, “Just take the back path till it leads you to an opening with a house surrounded by mountains. It’s pretty hard to miss.”

       Luna stared at him blankly, as though she was working through the information in her head. “Isn’t that… Robin’s place?” She tilted her head in confusion. The gesture was kind of cute.

       “Yeah?” He sounded equally as confused before he realized who he was talking to, “You didn’t know? Robin’s my mom.” Come to think about it, he can’t recall if he’d ever been upstairs when Luna visited. He was sure he did that intentionally. He was trying to avoid her not too long ago after all.

       “Oh!" She seemed surprised, "You’re Robin’s kid?” 

       Sebastian chuckled, but it sounded almost bitter, “I know. We don’t really look alike.” Wouldn’t be the first time he’d heard it. “Are you adopted?” Or, “Do you take after your father?” Were normally the follow-up questions. He braced himself for the inevitable.  

       “Oh no, that’s not it.” Luna tried to reassure him, catching him by surprise, “It’s just…” She bit her lip. She seemed to do that a lot. Perhaps she did it when she was thinking her next statement through. Finally, she said, “When Robin said she had a son, I thought he’d be a teen. I wasn’t excepting both of her kids to be adults. She still looks so young.”

       Sebastian stared for a minute, processing what she just said. That was a first he’d heard that one. It was a bit refreshing, honestly. “Oh,” He responded flatly. Then, with a bit more mirth he said, “I’ll tell her you said that.”

       Wait, “both of her kids”? So, she had already met Maru. That wasn’t too surprising. Maru was excited after hearing about the new farmer moving into town. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was one of the first townspeople to introduce themselves. Maru had always been the more outgoing and extroverted of the two siblings. She always made socializing look so easy. She and Luna would probably get along much better; it wasn’t too hard to picture.

       “I had fun tonight.” Luna’s voice brought Sebastian back to the forefront of reality. She tried to bite back a yawn but to no avail. She looked at him, looking almost embarrassed, “I should get going.” She gave him a small wave before making her way up the stairs. Before she made her way into her house, however, she turned to him with a smile. It was one of her smiles that made her eyes sparkle, “Good night.” She said simply.

       “Yeah,” He said back, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pocket, “G’night.”

       He watched her disappear into her house, a light she turned on shining brightly through the window. He wordlessly made his way through the unlit trail, slowly making his way back home.

                                                           ...

There was a buzz that sounded far away. Sebastian paid it no mind at first, the cozy embrace of sleep keeping him comforted. The buzz had stopped, but only for a moment. This time it sounded louder; almost closer. With a groan, Sebastian opened his eyes, vision still blurry from the remnants of sleep. Looking around, he realized the buzzing was his phone. He picked it up, only to be blinded by the vividly colored screen. He had to blink a few times before his vision adjusted to the light and came into focus. Four missed calls and 24 different text messages. Great. Scrolling through his phone, all but one of the texts seemed to be from Sam. His missed calls were also all from his overzealous blond friend.

        The first text started simply: You still on for band practice? Perhaps because Sebastian didn’t answer for an hour, the ones after that became a bit more obnoxious.  

        Sam: Seb? U up yet?

        Sam: Hello?

        Sam: Hello?

        Sam: Hey!

        Sam: Seb?

        Sam: Wake up sleeping beauty!

        Sam: We haven’t practiced in forever!

        Sam: Call me!

        Sam: R u ded?

        The texts just continued in an endless stream of meaningless blabber. Surly his friend must have been board. Rolling his eyes at Sam’s ridiculous impatience, he checked his other message. It was from his latest client, asking for updates on his newest project. Shit, he’d almost forgotten about that. It was due in just a few days. Going back to his text from Sam, he decided his impatient friend could stand to wait just a little bit longer. After one long stretch, he got out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom. After relieving himself, he brushed his teeth and took a shower. Getting dressed in his usual dark attire, he finally shot Sam a text.

        Sebastian: Stop spamming me -_-

        He pocketed his phone without a second glance and made his way up the stairs. At the top, looking to his right he notices his stepdad, Demetrius, wasn’t present in his lab. To his right, his mother also wasn’t attending the front counter. Perfect! He swiftly made his way into the kitchen. No Maru in sight ether. So far so good. He went straight to the coffee maker, pouring his favorite blend along with some water, and turned the machine on. It felt nice to have the house to himself. There was no one there to berate him for sleeping in too late or ask him a million questions before he even had his morning (but really afternoon) coffee. His peace couldn’t last forever, though. He felt his phone buzz again, and he inwardly groaned.

        Sam: Omg!

        Sam: Ur alive!

        Sam: Praise Yoba!

        Sebastian rolled his eyes at his friend’s dramatics and placed his phone on the counter. He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a few sips. He saw his phone buzz to life again, but this time with an incoming call. He didn’t even have to check the name to know it was Sam. With a flick of his finger, he answered.

        “Seb!” Sam yelled on the other line, making Sebastian wince. It was much too early for all this noise. Okay, it was two in the afternoon, but still.

        “What Sam,” Sebastian answered as calmly as he could manage.

        “Did you forget? It’s Saturday!” Sam sounded exasperated, making Sebastian feel a little guilty.

        “I overslept.” He said.

        Sam sighed on the other line. After a beat, he sounded more chipper, “Okay, listen! I’ve got some news!”         

        “Uh-huh.” Sebastian took a long sip of his coffee.

        “But I’m not telling you until you show up for practice though! ‘Kay?”

        “Sam…” Sebastian’s voice had a bit of a warning edge to it. “I’ve got a deadline coming up.”

        “Please!” Sam sounded distraught, “It’s really good news! I promise I won’t ever ask you for anything ever again!”

        Sebastian sighed, a ping of guilt stabbing his chest. This would be the second Saturday in a row where he skipped out on band practice with Sam. Coincidentally, it was also because he was working too close to a deadline. He did need to get his work done, but he would feel even more guilty about leaving Sam hanging for the second week in a row. Guess he’d just have to pull an all-nighter. Again.

        “Fine.” Sebastian sighed out, defeated. He almost didn’t hear the whoop, on the other end.

        “I knew you loved me!” Sam said.

        “I wouldn’t go that far.” Sebastian rolled his eyes at his friend’s antics. He was grateful Sam wasn’t there to see his ghost of a smile.

        “Alright!” Sam ignored him, “I’ll see you when you get here! Bye!” He hung up the phone without waiting for Sebastian’s response. He sighed to himself. His friends never seemed to understand that he had a job that was just as demanding as any other. Sebastian would never call if he knew his friend Sam was on the clock or visit Abigail if she was in the middle of her online classes. He just wished his friends would do the same.

        Just then, he heard some mumbling and giggles, the sound growing closer to the kitchen with each footstep. Sebastian looked up from his steaming cup of joe and was surprised to see Abigail, of all people, with his younger sister Maru in tow. They didn’t notice him right away, the two of them laughing at some unheard joke, before looking up in his direction. The two girls looked surprised to see him standing in his own kitchen.

        “Oh, hey Seb,” Abigail said with a wave. She sounded off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. Did she look… nervous?

        “Um… Hey.” He waved dumbly, unsure of what to do with himself. “What are you doing here?”

        Abigail, if possible, went paler than usual. Her sea-blue eyes darted to Maru’s amber-brown ones, as though looking for an answer to his simple question. Maru was the one to speak up, “Oh, Abby just wanted to see one of my latest inventions.” She said simply, “It’s just a prototype now, but she wouldn’t stop asking me about it.”

        “Yup.” Abigail agreed, a bit too quickly actually.

        “And the time just got away from us sooo…”

        “We decided to grab lunch!” Abigail finished for Maru.

        “Oh-kaaay…” Sebastian wasn’t sure how to respond. It was a little unusual to see Abigail at his house, not there to see him. He didn’t even know she and Maru were even friends. He placed his unfinished coffee mug on the counter, grabbed his phone, and stuffed it into his pants pocket. “Well, I won’t keep you two.” He said on the way out of the kitchen, “I should get going.” He gestured to the coffee maker with his thumb, “There’s some coffee left if you want some.” And with that, he made his way out of the kitchen. He’d ask Abigail about this later, but for now, he needed to go see what all the fuss was about with his buddy Sam.

(Chapter 7)

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 26

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 8,801

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

We stepped into the ballroom together and everything was just as grand and impressive as I'd remembered it. The room was immense, stretching two stories high with giant, elaborate gold and crystal chandeliers hanging from the embellished ceiling. Majestic columns lined the east and west sides of the room, with heavy red velvet curtains draped between each one, currently tied back to reveal the long banquet tables of food behind them. The celebration was already in full swing and the place was just simply packed with family and acquaintances I recognized, each guest dressed more fancy and sophisticated than the last as they all mingled or took a turn about the dance floor.

Or at least, that's what they all had been doing before Lea and I had made our entrance. Maybe it was just my imagination… maybe I was just being paranoid… but I swear the whole place suddenly went very still, all chatter dying down to a muted undertone as it felt like every last eye in the room turned toward me.

My chest seized and I swallowed hard, taking a tiny step back.

This was a mistake. I couldn't do this. I couldn't be here. I couldn't-

"Crabclaw?"

I twitched at Lea's low voice right next to my ear. My eyebrows knit together and I turned a quizzical look towards him. What… Was he asking if I wanted hors d'oeuvres? ...no, I don't think they were even serving crab tonight. I frowned, mulling it over for another second before squinting at him. "...is this you trying to whisper sweet nothings to me again?"

He chuckled, "Please. You'll know when I'm laying some sweet sweet nothings on you. Nah, I was just taking another crack at it."

"Crack at…?" I cocked my head with a frown. Crabclaw…? Come to think of it, something about it was prickling at the back of my brain. Now why did that sound so…"Oh!" Realization struck. "My favorite ice cream?"

"Yup!" he tapped his nose. Then his lips pursed to the left with a small hum before he was shaking his head. "But that's not it either. Seafood in ice cream? Blech! You're adventurous, but that's a lil too out there, even for me."

My brow furrowed. "...you think I'm adventurous?"

Did I miss something? Was today Opposite Day?

"Course!" he grinned. My face scrunched up in pure disbelief and he laughed. "Well let's check the scoreboard here. You ran out on your wedding and everything ya knew to start a new life from nothing. You followed a devilishly handsome stranger," he jerked a thumb into his chest with a smirk, "up a decrepit old clocktower. You jumped last minute into open auditions for a musical with barely any preparation or practice." Lea shrugged, "Seems to me there's at least some small part of you that's attracted to the unknown. Ergo: adventurous!"

I looked away with a tiny scowl. "I think you mean ergo: stupid."

"Eh. To-may-to, to-mah-to. No true adventure is complete without a healthy dose of stupidity thrown into the mix anyhow. Lil pearl o' wisdom for ya there, courtesy of yours truly," he beamed.

"Such sagely advice," I snorted before my face softened. "...thanks, Lea. I… think I'm ready to do this now."

"But you already are."

With a start, I realized we were walking. Had been walking. I hadn't even noticed when we'd begun. Those big double doors were long behind us now as we weaved our way further into the crowd. No one seemed to be looking at us anymore. I suspected they had only gotten more discreet about it.

"Oh, look, there's the birthday boy now," Lea gestured with his chin towards where my grandfather stood not too far off, greeting and shaking hands with a couple that'd arrived just before us. He was looking a lot warmer and friendlier than I'd seen him all weekend. Then again, Grandfather had always been very good at putting on a cordial mask for the public. Lea asked, "Shall we go give the ol' boy our best wishes?"

I gnawed on my lower lip for a second before sighing, "Alright."

Might as well get this over with.

We made our way over just as Grandfather was finishing up with those guests. As if sensing our approach, he turned to face us and immediately went very still. However, his poker face was in top form this evening for it betrayed nothing as he just stared at us impassively and waited.

"Grandfather…" I paused, floundering a bit under his scrutiny. But then I took a deep breath, forced a tremulous smile and simply said, "Happy birthday." Releasing Lea's arm, I stepped forward and got on tiptoes to plant a swift peck to Grandfather's cheek, just as I'd done for all his birthday's before. Just as if everything were normal, even though they were very much not.

He answered with a stiff nod and a polite smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "Thank you, my dear."

Retrieving my hand to once more fold into his elbow, Lea piped up, "Happy birthday, Sir!" I preemptively winced, waiting for the surely inevitable 'Gramps' that always followed. However, it never came. I stared at him in stunned silence. Pretty sure Grandfather was doing the same. Amazing… perhaps Lea actually could take things seriously when he really- "Wow, seventy huh? Keeping it tight, big guy! I mean, hell, it's gotta be more candle than cake at this point! But man oh man, you're still pretty spry for a dude your-"

"Enjoy your evening, Grandfather!" I said quickly, turning to make a hasty exit and yanking Lea along with me. Once we had put a safe distance behind us, I shot a tiny glare up at him.

"What? I was complimenting him!" Lea defended himself. I gave him a flat look and he snerked, "Hey now, I told ya I would be on my best behavior. No one ever said anything about my best being any good."

I huffed quietly, one side of my mouth twitching up. "Fair point."

"So then," he pulled us aside, stopping next to one of the columns as he grinned down at me. "We've put in our appearance. Did what we set out to do. We came, we conquered. Wanna split?"

A small laugh hummed in my throat. "As lovely as that sounds, we can't leave already. We've only been here a few minutes. I appreciate you trying to get us out of here as soon as possible for my sake, but I'm doing okay at the moment. I can last a little while longer."

His grin ticked wider as his hand rose to gently brush a strand of hair off my cheek. "Okay then. Whaddya say to a lil jaunt about the room then?"

"A 'jaunt' you say?" I cracked a smile at that. "My, sounds fancy."

"Babe, ya got me in a tux for this. Damn right I'm gonna be fancy. C'mon, you can point out all your relatives to me as we go, tell me all their deep, dark, icky secrets they don't want anyone to know about." His hand drifted down behind me, slowing to hover over my lower back as he looked to me in silent question.

I hesitated for a heartbeat before giving him a nod. Then I felt his warm hand pressing to the bare skin at the small of my back as he guided us into a walk once more. Suppressing a little shiver as we went, my eyes scanned the crowd for faces of interest.

Everyone was still doing it. Watching Lea and me. I could no longer see them doing it, but I could still feel it. All those eyes following us as we went. And really, I couldn't blame them for it. Hardly six weeks ago I'd broken off my engagement in the most public and humiliating way possible to my ex, his family, and my family… and now here I was, parading my new "boyfriend" around my grandfather's birthday celebration as if everything were fine and dandy and like I didn't have a care in the world. This seemed inappropriate. Callous. I wouldn't have even done it if my parents hadn't all but insisted… why? Why were they putting me through this? They must have had a goal, an objective behind it all, I just had yet to fathom what it could possibly be.

Trying to take my mind off the swirling questions, not to mention off the ever growing numbness in my knees from anxiety, I focused harder on searching the room. "Hm… ah!" I pointed, "See that man over there? In the wheelchair with the wild poofy hair?"

His gaze followed my finger. "Talking 'bout that mummified corpse they wheeled in? Ya mean that thing's alive?"

I pinched his arm. "Be nice, he's very old. Anna and I have called him Grandpabbie ever since we were little. He's Grandfather's father."

"Shit, that's not old, that's ancient. Have ya ever asked him what it was like, growing up in the freaking Stone Age?" He snorted as I swat his shoulder. "Seriously though, how many years we talking here?"

A crease formed between my eyebrows, "...I don't really know actually. Honestly, I'm not sure anyone remembers anymore, possibly not even Grandfather. Certainly not Grandpabbie himself, he's sadly not really all there these days," I grimaced as we moved on before my eyes landed on another pair of people who were peering in our direction. "And there's the Duke by that painting over there."

"Ah yes, the Duke. Still reeling from the pleasure of the last time we met," Lea waggled his fingers in a teeny wave towards my uncle. Even from all the way across the ballroom, we could see him agitatedly puff out his mustache as he stuck his big nose up high into the air and looked away. "I think he likes me."

"Oh yes, he's positively tickled by you," I said dryly. "That woman he's talking to is Yelena."

Recognition flickered in Lea's eyes. "Right, Anna mentioned her showing up with your cousins this morning. She's your aunt?"

"She's Mother's aunt, my great aunt," I corrected as I observed her. She was studying us both currently with a slight frown and a calculating look in her eye. "She's… strict. Solemn. Very stern and proud. But I think she always means well."

Lea scoffed, "Boriiiing! C'mon, where's all the juicy dirt on these people? Looking for the primo, blackmail-worthy shit here."

My feet came to a stop once more as I half chuckled, half sighed. "Sorry, there just isn't any dirt to share. My family is rather unexciting in general."

"Nah," his hand shifted over to my hip now, pulling me in to nestle up against his side, "they're rich. And the rich always got some nasty skeletons hidden away in their closets, just gotta know where to look."

"If you say so," I muttered, face warming slightly as I leaned my cheek against his chest. It just felt natural. I mean, it's what a girlfriend should do, right? Listening to the low, soothing rhythm of his heartbeat, I cast another glance around. "...oh, there's Mattias. See the woman he's dancing with?"

"Ya mean the one he looks all twitterpated over?" Lea murmured as his hand came up to fiddle with a few of my curled locks.

Nodding, I said, "That's his wife Halima. I've known her since before I can even remember. She's very sweet."

"Mm," was his only acknowledgement to that, fingers still twirling the pale strands between them.

I went on, "She always made the best macaroons… Ah! Here's some dirt for you," I whispered conspiratorially. "Her secret ingredient? Baby applesauce."

"...mm-hm," he hummed softly as I felt him press a kiss into my hair.

Pushing away from him now, I narrowed my eyes up at him, "Hey, are you even listening to me right now?"

"Wha-? I-" he stammered, sheepishly scratching a spot behind his ear before laughing. "Course I am!"

I turned my head slightly, giving him some side-eye. "Really? Then what's the last thing I said?"

He shrugged and smirked, "That Halima's the one in the wheelchair."

A traitorous snort escaped me despite myself. "Oh, you think you're funny, don't you?"

"I'm a goddamn riot and you know it. In fact-" his words suddenly cut off as his gaze landed on something past me. "Uh oh. Inbound, six o'clock."

I turned to see what he was talking about. It took me a second before I spotted them: the Duke and Aunt Yelena making their way through the crowd, beelining straight for us.

Oh goodie. This should be fun.

"Ah!" Uncle Weselton declared as they closed the distance to join us. "Here's the young mongrel-" he forced a loud, exaggerated cough into his fist, "ahem, I mean young man now. Elsa's new consort…" he sniffed and glared down his bespectacled nose at Lea. Or at least he tried to but seemed to be having some difficulty, seeing as how Lea towered at least a good foot over him. "...I believe… Lou, was it?"

He flashed a toothy grin back. "Lea, actually, but that's alright. Names can be tough to remember, especially the single syllable ones and especially at your rather… distinguished age." The Duke bristled, huffing under his breath something along the lines of 'the audacity' but remained otherwise mute. Turning his attention to the other person who'd joined us, Lea held out a hand towards her, "And you must be Aunt Yelena. We were just talking about you a sec ago. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Yelena's face was unreadable, neither cold nor warm as she considered the hand offered to her for a few seconds. At last she took it with a curt, business-like shake but didn't release it right away. No, instead she turned it slightly so she could have a better look at his fingernails. More specifically, at the black painted to them. Her only visible reaction was to arch one silver brow.

"...charmed, I'm sure," she stated evenly in that flat, no-nonsense voice she always seemed to have as she finally let him go. Then her eyes turned to me and she bowed her head slightly, "Elsa. You're looking well this evening."

I ducked my head quickly to return the greeting. "Yes, as… as do you."

Turning her sharp gaze on Lea once more, Yelena began, "So tell me, young man… how did you and my niece meet?"

Wasting no time, I see. Diving straight on into the interrogation.

Just keep your cool, Elsa. We'd already worked out the details to this story, so everything should be fine.

...so then why was there this uneasy feeling churning in the pit of my stomach?

"It was 'bout a year ago," Lea was saying, his hand reaching for mine and lacing our fingers together. "Met on a train and struck up a delightful lil conversation with her."

"I was on my way back to Traverse Town from Corona," I tacked on. "You remember that trip Anna and I took last summer, Aunt Yelena."

Her eyes flicked slowly back and forth between us and I noticed there was now the barest hint of a downward pull to her lips. Settling her gaze back on Lea, she remarked, "And you thought it would be okay to seduce and corrupt a young, innocent woman in a long-term, committed relationship who was engaged to soon be married?"

It wasn't said like an accusation, merely a dry statement of fact. Still the sheer bluntness of it seemed to catch Lea off guard as he stiffened, stammering, "I- uh, heh… well, ya see-"

"And you," she turned those flinty eyes on me now. "You gave little to no thought as to the impropriety and dangers of a girl of your means and station consorting with some strange man you'd just met on public transport."

Again, there was no harshness to it, no criticism but more just a… curiosity. And again, it struck like a blow to the gut, only this time to me. "Ah… Aunt Yelena, it… it was just a harmless chat on the train…" I said, fidgeting with one of my earrings.

"Outrageous!" barked the Duke, startling a flinch out of me.

Yelena's gaze narrowed on him briefly before returning to me with a harrumph. "Harmless, you say… tell that to the fiancé you left standing at the altar."

Ouch.

Sighing deep in her throat, she looked up at Lea. "Please. Go on."

He blinked and echoed, "Go…?"

"I presume there's more to this than a chance encounter on a railcar. Continue," she insisted dully.

"Oh! Right! Er…" he gave a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his head as his eyes darted about. Interestingly enough, Aunt Yelena was the first and only member of my family so far who seemed to give him pause and think twice about snarking her. "...well, there… may have also been a, heh… romantic, late-night stroll round town?" It came out sounding more like a question, almost as if he'd be willing to change his answer if she didn't like it.

She held him with a long, hard stare. Then she was addressing me, still with that ever-present monotone, "You mean to tell me you took your sister to stay out all hours of the night, wandering an unfamiliar town with some mystery man you'd only just met?"

"Disgraceful!" Uncle Weselton snarled, swishing his bushy mustache to and fro. Yelena shot him another not so subtly veiled glower out of the corner of her eye.

Ignoring him, I squared my shoulders and told her, "No, don't be ridiculous, of course not!" However, I was quick to deflate as I nibbled at my lower lip. "Anna wasn't there. It was just me... alone with the mystery man… roaming the streets and back alleys of a city I was unaccustomed to… all night long… straight through to morning…"

Great. Thanks a lot, mouth. Way to make that all sound so much better.

"Deplorable!" was the Duke's deep and insightful commentary this time. Yelena just remained stoically silent.

Pulse beginning to thud loudly in my ears, I licked my dry lips and tried, "It… it actually wasn't as untoward as it- wait, let me start over… you see, there were these floating lights- lanterns! That's what they… what they're called. That's when- on the train, we... " I screwed my eyes shut. My throat was closing up. I pushed past it, "...let's see… there was a… a park, and… a f-ferris wheel… a café with a belly dancer- wait, no, palm reader! ...or p-poet… was it? Lamppost! Almost forgot! Earlier, there was a lamppost! That Lea, he… just bam! Right into… actually, now that I think about it, that part isn't really… all that important to the-"

"Annnnnd that's enough storytime for now!" Lea suddenly chimed in, interrupting the absolute trainwreck that was spewing forth from my lips. Thank god. "If you'll 'scuse us, I promised my lady fair a spin 'bout the dance floor." I felt his palm at the small of my back once more, steering me away from my aunt and uncle.

The Duke blustered nonsensically for a few breaths before snapping, "Listen, you, you, you- we're in the middle of a discussion here! You can't just walk off, you-"

"Watch us," came Lea's dangerously chipper response as he led me away.

"Well, I never! Of all the rude, abhorrent, insufferable, belligerent-"

"If you don't have anything of substance to add to a conversation, could you please kindly cram a sock in it, Weselton?" I heard Aunt Yelena cut him off dryly. Her eyes remained trained on us as we went, her expression blank as ever. Eventually she turned to walk away, leaving a spluttering and blotchy-faced Duke behind in her wake who eventually stormed off.

...was this why my parents had requested Lea and I attend? Were they purposely putting my shame out in the open and on display so it could be met with censure and rebuke? Were they trying to teach me a lesson of sorts? ...or maybe it was more like a punishment. Disciplining me for disappointing them. For being so thoughtless and selfish. Showing me that there were consequences for my actions.

I pulled myself from my musings, only just now realizing that we'd stopped moving. Lea had come to stand in front of me, taking both my hands in his. Brow furrowing, I glanced about to see that we were surrounded by other couples twirling gracefully in time with the melody of the nearby string quartet. My eyes widened, "Oh, we're really…? That wasn't just an excuse? To get away from…" I trailed off, frowning. I could still feel all those eyes. All that judgement. All that disapproval. My hands pulled free of his and I hugged myself, feeling all my muscles beginning to tighten and lock up. "No. This isn't right, we shouldn't do this. People are staring."

"So?" he said softly as his hands found mine again and held them to his chest, tugging me a step closer. "Let them stare."

I looked down, eyes shifting about frantically. "But-"

"Forget them. Don't even give 'em a second thought. They're not important." He hooked a finger under my chin, gently lifting my gaze to meet his. "Just focus on me, 'kay? You and me. We're all that matter right now."

Part of me still wanted to argue, but the words were getting stuck in my throat. So instead I swallowed hard, gave a small reluctant nod, and did just that. I focused on him. On those mesmerizing green eyes of his. On his winged guyliner that he'd still elected to don in all its swoopy glory, even here, to this ball of all places. On his warm smile that was starting to melt away some of that tension inside of me bit by bit.

He was drawing me closer now, pulling my hands up to clasp together behind his neck. Shaking my head, I managed to find my voice enough to mutter, "This is not how a couple is supposed to waltz, you know."

That infamous dimple of his emerged. "This is how we waltz," came his low reply as his arms encircled my waist, hands coming to rest at the exposed small of my back once more. This time, I couldn't hold back the tiny shiver.

"...this could be considered quite scandalous really," I told him, fighting the impudent little tug I felt at the corner of my lips as Lea started to turn us in slow circles. "I suspect that even now the Duke is watching us, stewing and steaming and this close to blowing his combover sky high."

"All the more reason to be doing it," his eyes crinkled as he lowered his forehead to mine.

He was doing it again. Giving me that look. The soft yet intense look. The look that made my insides a little wobbly. The boyfriend look. He was so good at it. As well he should be, he certainly practiced it enough, even at times when it was just the two of us with no one else around. I suspected he probably had trained and perfected it in front of his mirror at home. It was… potent, to say the least. And just not fair, really. My ex had never looked at me this way, so it wasn't something I was used to. I didn't know how to deal with being the target of such a stare. I didn't know how to process. It was overwhelming… confusing…

...ugh, get a grip, Elsa! It wasn't even real! He was just an actor playing a part for the masses around us.

Still… knowing that didn't exactly make this any easier…

Quick! Distraction time! Find something to talk about!

I gave a weak chuckle, "So… I'm royally awful at the whole talking thing, huh?"

Interesting tactic. Starting a conversation by pointing out how bad you are at conversations. I like it. It's gutsy.

"Dunno 'bout that, you do just fine with me," he grinned, not removing his forehead. "But if ya mean what happened back there with your aunt and uncle, heh… maybe you should just leave the chitchat to me for the rest of the evening."

"Probably for the best," I agreed. "But I had to give it a shot at least once. I have to learn to stand up for myself eventually, you won't always be around to fight my battles for me."

His smile faltered a fraction. "...El, I always got your back. No matter what our fake relationship status is, I'm always gonna be there for you, got it? I'm not going anywhere."

There they were again. The warm fuzzies, marching right on in like a parade with banners waving and trumpets blaring. "Thanks, Lea… I'll probably need it. My family can be quite persistent and stubborn, especially when they think they're only doing what's best for me."

Lea shrugged, "Well, no one ever said the fantabulous emancipation of one Elsa Fryse was gonna be easy."

"Don't I know it," a sigh escaped me. Then a tiny, wistful smile pulled at the edge of my lips. "...we should have ran away when we had the chance. Maybe we still can. It's not too late."

"Mm, don't tempt me," he smirked as his hold around my waist tightened, hugging me closer still. I just hummed a soft laugh at that. His gaze became half-lidded as he continued to watch me. Then he cleared his throat, "So, uh… I've been thinking…"

I wrinkled my nose with a snort. "Uh oh."

"Hey now, hear me out. You wanna send a message to your folks, right? Tell 'em they can't boss you around anymore, that your ex is gone for good and that I'm here to stay, so they can take all their controlling bullshit and shove it up their hoity-toity posteriors, right?"

Biting back a grin, I said, "Not quite how I would have phrased it but… yes, more or less I suppose."

"Well I may have a way to do just that. Send a message, loud and clear, big and bold as a giant, flashing neon sign. All we gotta do is kinda, sorta break one of our guidelines we set up at the beginning of all of this. Not so much break though… more like bend. Nudge it, really, into a nice easy curve," he explained as the ballroom kept gradually spinning around us.

One of my eyebrows quirked. "Oh? And which guideline would that be?"

There was a tiny glimmer dancing in his eyes now. "...let me kiss you."

I snerked and shook my head. Impressively, his forehead still managed to remain connected to mine. "You kiss me all the time."

"No," the tip of his nose tickled mine, his breath warming my lips as he murmured, "I mean let me kiss you."

...oh…

...actually, no, I still wasn't quite sure what he was trying to-

Oh!

Wait, no... I mean, he couldn't be- That wasn't what he- Not that, certainly not! He didn't- He would never… He couldn't possibly mean…

"...as in on the mouth?" suddenly came blurting out of me.

No way. There was just no way. He wouldn't-

"Mm-hm," he nodded with a sly little grin.

Oh. Well then, my mistake. Apparently he would.

...ah! This was a joke! He was just messing with me again! That had to be it! Alright, fine then, let's play along.

I breathed a feeble laugh, "And you really think that would get my parents to back off for good?"

"Well, I think it's at least worth a shot!" His grin twitched wider, "So...?"

"So…" I squinted at him uncertainly. Then I blinked. "...what, you mean right now?"

"No time like the present!" Lea chirped.

"But here? In front of all these people?" This was a joke. A prank. That's all it was. A game of chicken to see who would wimp out and veer away first.

"Exactly! What better way to make a statement. A declaration, one that your whole family wouldn't be able to ignore. We could go all out too," his eyebrows waggled. "Give 'em on hell of a show. I could shove you up against one of those columns over there, or throw you on a table and just really go to town on you."

Now I know he was kidding. He was being absolutely ridiculous. With a little huff of a laugh, I said, "Oh wow, you'd be willing to do all that just for me? You're too kind."

"My generosity knows no bounds," he agreed solemnly before the smirk was back. "So…?"

"So…?" I repeated, stretching the syllable out as I knit my eyebrows together.

"Let me kiss you," those words passed through his lips again, this time in a whisper that made my heart flip-flop.

He… was joking… right? Somehow, I wasn't so sure anymore. And come to think of it… the idea of kissing him didn't seem quite so scary as it had a couple weeks ago when I'd first established that rule. In fact, it now seemed like it might be maybe sort of… nice… One might even say appealing and-

Oh gosh, I wasn't seriously considering this, was I? This was a bad idea! A dangerous idea. The line between crushing on the guy and fake dating the guy had already become perilously blurred enough as is. Throw a kiss into the mix and it could only jumble my already befuddled feelings even further.

...then again… how much harm could one teeny, tiny, insignificant little kiss do? Really? We were professionals, weren't we? I could handle it, couldn't I? And okay sure, did I actually think one small peck at a party would be any sort of deciding factor when it came to whatever my parents had to say to me tomorrow? Not really, no. But you never know, it could, uh… rattle them! Yeah! Or-

Was I seriously trying to rationalize the kiss to myself now?!

That's it. Mouth? As the main involved party that will be most primarily affected in this matter, I leave the choice up to you. You should have zero problems coming to a decision, right? I mean, you speak your mind all the time without consulting me first anyway, so just go for it. I wash my hands of this. Go on, decide away!

Pulse racing and face heated and having zero clue what I was about to say, my lips parted.

"Pardon me."

Both Lea and I froze at the sound of another voice.

My mother's voice.

I watched his eyes close and his shoulders slump, heard a faint exhale escape him. Then he lifted his forehead from mine as he straightened up and plastered on a smile that he directed towards Mother. She was standing just off to our right, beautiful and sophisticated in her purple evening gown accompanied by a shawl draped loosely around her arms. Lea greeted, "Mrs Fryse. You look lovely tonight, Ma'am."

"Thank you," she nodded graciously in return. "And apologies, I don't mean to intrude, but it was dawning on me that I've been neglectful in my duties as your host. Please, come with me and we can make our rounds introducing you to some of the family."

"Oh! Uh…" he frowned, his gaze drifting back towards me.

"It's fine," I said hastily, my hands unfastening from behind his neck and retracting as I took a step back from him. "Please, go on ahead. I'll…" my eyes flicked about before spotting a familiar flash of auburn across the way. "Ah! I think I see Anna over there, so I'll just go join her and you can come find me when you're done."

He still seemed reluctant to leave and I didn't blame him. Some of my relatives made Yelena and Weselton seem like an absolute treat by comparison. Finally he rose a hand towards my face, grazing the curled knuckle of his pinky along my cheek. "See you in a bit," Lea's voice was low as he tenderly pressed his lips to my brow.

Then he turned, offering his arm to Mother in a gentlemanly fashion. She slipped her hand around his elbow and he grinned, "Lead the way, Ma'am."

I watched them disappear into the crowd. This was for the best, really. Now I could avoid a repeat of the minor fiasco I'd experienced in front of Aunt Yelena. Lea was so much better at dealing with people anyhow. Who knew, maybe he'd even have the whole family singing his praises before the night was out.

Wishful thinking, but hey, it could happen. You don't know.

I brought a hand up to rest lightly over my heart, which had yet to fully calm down. I still didn't have the foggiest as to what my answer to Lea would've been if Mother hadn't interrupted us. And luckily for me, I'd probably never have to find out. The moment had passed. Honestly, it was probably for my own good too. Now wasn't the best time to be opening up that particular can of worms.

Sighing, I started making my way towards where I'd seen Anna. It only took navigating the crowd for a few seconds before I located her standing next to one of the banquet tables, chatting and laughing with Maren.

I couldn't help but notice how elegant they both looked - Anna in her slinky yet tasteful green dress and hair done up in a voguish bun, Maren in her stylish, strapless black gown that accentuated the sparkle of her jewelry. Anna looked so at ease here, so natural. She was in her element here, while I very much was not. This world had always been more her domain than mine. I could certainly put on a fancy dress and look the part, but beyond that I was a lost cause. I did try. For the sake of my parents, I really had tried. But the more time I spent away from this life, the more I came to realize just how much I'd never truly belonged in it in the first place.

Maybe after this nerve-wracking weekend was finally and at long last behind me, I could start to figure out where it was that I did belong.

"Sis!" Anna smiled as I approached them. "I was hoping you'd turn up soon!"

I tipped my head to one side. "...you were?" Anna? Not taking one look at me and running from me like the plague? And actually, dare I say it, pleased to see me?

"Uh-huh! Because now I can give you this," she beamed, plucking a glass flute up off the table and offering it to me. It was identical to the one in her other hand and filled with some mystery beverage - guessing champagne, judging by the bubbles.

"...oh," I breathed, trying not to let my disappointment color my voice too much as I gingerly took it from her. "Thanks." Bit of a let down, especially considering I probably wasn't going to be drinking it. But hey, at least it was something. At least she had managed to stay in my presence for longer than ten seconds so far. Maybe this could be seen as her way of making a peace offering. Extending the olive branch. Maybe she was ready to talk about whatever she'd been holding back from me.

"So Anna," I began, but immediately stopped as I watched her blanch and go rigid.

Okay… take that as a no, she wasn't ready. Not at all.

I clamped my mouth shut, eyes darting to the left as my mind scrambled for something safe, something light. "...your dress is very pretty. Both of you look gorgeous this evening."

Anna visibly relaxed, piping up with a, "Thanks, Sis!"

"Back at you," Maren grinned, clinking her own glass to mine before raising it to her lips. "Slipped away from that boyfriend of yours, huh? The way you two were carrying on, I thought you were going to be attached at the hip all night."

I laughed softly, shyly twiddling with one of my earrings, "No, Mother whisked him away so she could introduce him around."

"Brave man," Maren snerked.

Trailing a finger absently along the rim of my flute now, I asked, "And where are your dates tonight?"

"Pft, you kidding?" My cousin shook her head. "As if I'd ever drag my girl into the lion's den. Trust me, she's perfectly content staying out of the Lifestyles of the Rich and Snooty and I am more than happy to let her do that."

"I envy her. Staying out of all this sounds like a dream come true," I nodded before glancing to Anna. "And what about you? Where's your new boyfriend? I was looking forward to meeting him finally."

"Oh, him? He, er… couldn't make it at the last minute! That stinker," she gave a weak chuckle, averting her gaze as she took a swig of her drink. "Yeah, he unfortunately… had a thing to do… with the stuff! And you know how important the, uh… the thing and the stuff can be! But he'll be here tomorrow, I promise! You'll totes get to meet him before you leave! Yup! Yooou betcha! Heh..."

"...I see." Tomorrow? Would that really be wise, given all the family drama that was surely about to explode that very day? Ah well, I suppose there was nothing for it. I forced a small smile, "Can't wait."

"Oh hey! Tomorrow's your big talk with Mom and Dad too, right?" she piped up suddenly and I nodded with a slight grimace. "Aw, chin up, don't look so blue! I'll be there holding your hand through the whole thing! We're in this together, Sis, so you got nothing to worry about, I promise!"

Another smile, this one relieved and a touch more genuine. "Thanks…"

Then there was a pause.

Of the long and uncomfortable variety.

...screw it, I was just going to try and ask her again.

"Anna, I-" There it was once more. That panic flooding her eyes. I hesitated, taking a sip of my drink just because it was there. I hardly even realized I was doing it. Oh well, one sip wasn't going to hurt me. I was too anxious to even taste it. Rallying, I tried again, "Could we please maybe-"

"Oh my god, is that Grandpabbie?! Sis, did you know that Grandpabbie was here?!" Anna squealed. "Lookit him, he's so cute and squishy and small! I'm gonna go attack him with snuggles and smoochies!"

Once again, off she went. I had no choice but to let her go, just hastily calling after her, "Be careful, he's fragile!"

"Please, he's tough as a rock!" Anna shouted back before the crowd swallowed her whole.

My lips pressed into a thin line. Maybe Lea was right. Maybe I had to stop trying to push her and instead just give her space, trusting that she'd open up in her own time.

Still… didn't mean I had to like it.

"Sorry about earlier, by the way."

I gave a tiny jolt as Maren suddenly spoke up. Fudge, I'd forgotten she was here. Not quite sure what she was talking about, I turned a bemused smile towards her, "Oh?"

"Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable by drooling over your man," she grinned and shrugged, swirling the liquid about her flute. "I was only teasing anyhow since I didn't think you two were serious, but I never would have in the first place if I'd known."

"...known what…?" I arched an eyebrow, just now becoming aware of the fact that I'd idly brought the glass up to my lips again. Whatever, two sips weren't going to hurt me.

"That you're in love with him."

I choked and spluttered on my drink.

Sorry, who's in what with huh now?!

Wheezing for breath as my face flared up red, I asked, "In love? Who said anything about-"

"It's okay, nothing to get all bashful over," Maren cooed, free hand flicking a dismissive wave. "Anna told me."

My eyes narrowed. "Told you what exactly?"

"I believe her exact words were true love," she used air quotes with a snigger.

"Ugh, Anna," I grumbled, pinching the bridge of my nose. "You know how she is. Just take everything she says with a grain of salt."

Maren cocked her head, a shrewd glint to her eye now. "So then you're saying it isn't love?"

I twitched, cheeks warming again. "I, er… well I never said... um…" Why did this question make me nervous? With a start, I realized my anxious hand had raised the flute to my mouth yet again. Gah! Someone take this thing away from me, I was turning into a friggin' lush over here! Swiftly depositing the glass onto the tray of a passing-by waiter, I cleared my throat and wrung my hands together. "I, uh… I'd rather not talk about it."

She considered me momentarily. Then a knowing smirk spread across her face and she simply shrugged again, looking past me now. "I'll say this for your boy. He certainly seems to be handling the gauntlet well."

"The gauntlet?" I asked, turning to follow her gaze. There Lea stood, a bit of ways off with Mother still on his arm, the pair of them surrounded by what looked to be a small army of my relatives. I frowned, "...you don't think they're giving him too hard of a time, do you?"

"You kidding? Our family is a bunch of vultures who can smell lower-middle class from a mile away and trust me, they're tearing into him like a fresh carcass. Correction, politely tearing into him," she snorted, downing the last of her beverage before swapping it out with a fresh one from the tray of a different waiter. "Love or no, it's not everyone who'll put up with that BS. He must really care about you."

...they probably were indeed putting him through the wringer over there. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, for he was all big grins and loud laughs and modest hair ruffling. But you could see it in the faces of my relatives. In their smiles that were just a little too plastic and in their eyes flashing with poorly concealed disdain.

Perhaps this was why we had been invited to the ball. My parents had indeed wanted to teach a lesson, only not to me but to Lea. Try and make it clear to him how unsuitable and unacceptable they thought it was for him to be with their daughter. That no matter how he dressed himself up, they'd always consider him unworthy and lesser than. That he would never belong in this world… never belong with me.

And yet, he didn't seem to be fazed by any of the subtle yet nasty snobbery. He was still just as bright and cheerful as ever. He was putting himself through all of this and for what? He was getting nothing in return. He was going out of his way and turning his life upside down, all just out of the goodness of his heart and to help a friend.

I'm not sure what exactly compelled me to do it. Maybe it was this foreign, tingly sensation tugging inside my chest. Or maybe it was just the champagne talking. Either way, I quietly excused myself from Maren as my feet started walking forward, pushing my way through the other guests and heading straight for Lea.

Coming to a stop behind him, I reached for his sleeve with a soft, "Pardon me."

He whipped around at the sound of my voice, eyes lighting up. "Need something, El?"

"Could I borrow you for just one moment?" I smiled up at him, slipping my hand into his.

"Course!" He looked back to my mother and the rest of that little group. "If you'll excuse me, ladies and gents, I'll be back in a jiff!"

Entwining our fingers together, I lead him a few steps away from my relatives, just enough to be out of earshot. When I turned to face him again, he grinned, "So what can I do for ya?"

I didn't say anything, just crooked a finger. Probably assuming I wanted to whisper something in his ear, he ducked his head down next to mine. I then gently cradled one of his cheeks in my hand and pressed a kiss to the other.

Except it wasn't so much his cheek I kissed as the corner of his mouth.

I blame the champagne.

Because really, what other logical explanation was there?

His whole body tensed, his eyes growing round and unblinking. As I started to pull away and take a step back however, one of his hands shot out to snag me around the waist. Pulling me back to him, he nuzzled his nose to mine, gaze hooded as he murmured, "You missed."

Ignoring that little flutter in my chest, the corners of my eyes crinkled as I hitched my chin slightly. "I suppose I did. I was aiming for your cheek."

"Right… cheek… that's what I meant," Lea released a breathy chuckle as he let me go now and straightened back up to his full height. "So, uh… what was that for anyway?"

I gave a low, thoughtful hum. "...just a small thank you for everything you've been doing for me. These last couple of weeks can't have been easy for you... putting up with this silly, harebrained scheme, not to mention juggling it with your school and job too. And now on top of all of that, you have to deal with my haughty and condescending family as well."

"Psh, it's nothing," he brushed off with a laugh, scratching his cheek. "I can handle a lil passive aggressive crap from these pompous old farts easy. Trust me, I've dealt with a way worse, so don't even sweat it, El. If this is what'll help ya out, I'm more than happy to do it!"

"But it's not just that. If it weren't for you, I think I might have gone out of my mind over the past weeks dreading seeing my parents again. But you kept me calm… and actually also kind of made it a bit fun too. And you've also always just been so supportive, which has meant a great deal to me. I don't know if or how I'll ever truly be able to repay you for all of this madness, but just know that I… I'm very grateful for all that you've done." Then a slow, tiny smirk tugged at one side of my lips. "...plus, now maybe you can finally rinse off your nose. It has been getting a bit smelly."

Both his hands shot up to clamp over said nose. "Shit, does it really?"

I gave him a flat look. "I was kidding. Please tell me you weren't actually serious about never washing it again after I kissed it last week."

"Dead serious," he beamed as his hands lowered. "And jokes on you, cuz now neither my nose or this spot are ever gonna know the touch of soap again!" He pointed a finger to the corner of his grin, just now drawing my attention to the fact that my lipstick had left a faint mark there.

A noise emitted from my throat that was part scoff, part snort. "Come here," I sighed, reaching a hand up to wipe it away.

However, he snatched my wrist, stopping my thumb a centimeter short of his skin. "And just what do ya think you're doing, Missy?"

"I got some of my lipstick on you, I was just-"

"Leave it," he winked. "It's a gift from my fair maiden. I'm gonna wear it proudly, like a badge of honor. Now if you'll 'scuse me, a gaggle of your persnickety relatives are still just dying to rip me a new one. I shan't keep them waiting any longer." Planting a quick peck to the back of my hand, he said, "Be back at your side before ya know it. Try not to miss me too much."

I crossed my arms, shaking my head as I watched him go. As he rejoined that group with Mother, I couldn't help but overhear one of my aunts commenting, "Lea dear, you got a little…" Her lips pursed and she swiped a finger at the corner of her mouth, causing my face to warm as I realized she was referring to the lipstick.

It only roasted more when Lea declared boisterously, "Hell yeah I do!"

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find a rock to hide under now.

Burying my face in one hand, I spun around and made a fast retreat.

"I saw that."

My step faltered as I heard those words and I glanced over, discovering Anna had appeared practically out of thin air to fall in step beside me, a wide cheshire grin stretching across her features.

A crease emerged between my eyebrows. "Saw…? I'm not sure I-"

"Don't play coy with me," she said smugly as she nudged my shoulder with hers. "You know exactly what I mean."

My head tilted to the right. "...you're referring to the kiss? That was just for show," I averted my gaze, dropping my voice to a whisper so as not to be overhead.

"Sis, please. There's being a couple, and then there's being a couple. I can't help but notice you two have been getting awful cozy this weekend, going a bit above and beyond. Maybe it is just all part of the act, but you do realize that there's no bonus points for any extracurriculars, right?" her eyebrows bounced.

A soft hmph. "Anna, you're reading too much into things. It was nothing. Really. Just… just the champagne bubbles going straight to my head, that's all."

"Champagne?" she blinked and frowned at me. "...didn't I tell you? That was apple cider I handed you earlier. Of the totally non-alcoholic variety. Figured you'd want to keep a sober head tonight."

"Cider?" my head jerked back.

"Yup! What, you didn't realize that when you tasted it?" she giggled.

"No, I… guess I was too distracted…" I mumbled, hugging one arm around my abdomen while I brought the other up to bite down into my thumbnail.

Oh gosh, then… all that back there with Lea hadn't been just the champagne talking?

...oh no. My crush was gaining in power, able to control me without me even realizing it now. Today was just my body, but tomorrow? The world.

But that was a matter for another time. Right now, I just needed to focus on surviving this weekend. Putting a pin in it and shoving it back to the deepest, darkest, furthest recesses of my mind where I tended to put any other emotions I didn't know how to deal with, I glanced back to Anna.

...okay, I knew what Lea had told me. I knew that pushing and prodding at her had gotten me nowhere so far. And I knew I had decided but a few mere moments ago to let her be so that she could talk to me when she was ready. But right now, she seemed so content and carefree, just like she always had been with me. Well, that is, up until yesterday, of course. But maybe… just maybe it wouldn't hurt to try one more time.

I took a deep breath. "Anna, I was hoping-"

"Ahhh! Do you see the size of that chocolate cake?! I'm gonna-"

No. Not again. Not this time.

My sister has barely made it two steps before I'd seized her by the wrist, making her stumble into an awkward stop. With a huff of frustration, I snapped, "Anna! Can we please for one minute just-" However, the words died on my tongue when she looked back at me, eyes wide and face stark white. Feeling a small pang in my chest, I released her, my hands fidgeting together. Tucking in my lower lip, I struggled to find the right thing to say to her. If I only knew what that was. Finally, I just settled on, "Please, just… know that I'm here for you. Whatever's troubling you, you can always come to me about anything. Anything at all."

She didn't say a word. Her expression didn't change. There was just the barest hint of a quiver to her bottom lip. Then she took a small step back before turning and running off.

And I just let her, left at a complete and utter loss in her wake.

Author's Note: Ooooo dRaMa! Haha I can't help but laugh because it's so rare for me to write it xD Anyhoo, Yelena made her appearance this chapter! I know she's not a bad guy in the F2 movie, more just a very stern, no-nonsense character. Carrying THOSE traits over into this story however, it kind of turns her a bit into a sorta bad guy, but really only cuz she's reacting to the facts she's been dealt and those facts? Do NOT look good xD Minor fun fact: The Fryse ballroom here is based off Arendelle's castle ballroom from the first Frozen movie! Minor fun fact 2: The ice cream this chapter, Crabclaw, is named after Atlantica's keyblade and I imagine its description on the menu would look something like: "This butter-infused ice cream topped with sweet cooked crab will have you partying under the sea in no time!" This is based on real ice cream that's sold out there somewhere in the world (for real! google it!), except replace crab with lobster (I figured it would probably work out close enough!)

Next chapter, will Elsa finally get to the bottom of what's bugging Anna? And what's that I see on the horizon? Could it be? Is the dreaded, the feared, The Talk (TM) at last upon us? Will Lea ever correctly guess Elsa's favorite ice cream? And just what IS Gramps secret for keeping it so tight for a man his age? Possibly that "Flower Gleam and Glow" anti-aging cream mentioned back in chapter 21 xD In any case, stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[fleckcmscott]

Bittersweet

Summary: After a little prompting, Arthur tells Y/N about his first kiss.

Warnings: Angst, Past self-harm (Don’t worry - there’s love, too!)

Words: 2,652

A/N: This was an anonymous request! Whoever you are, thank you for sending it to me. Writing this was a joy. A hearty thanks to Karen for beta-ing!

If you have any thoughts or questions, please comment, feel free to message me, or send me an ask. Requests for Arthur and WWH are open!

If you’ve sent me a request and I haven’t responded, it’s because I am working on it and will answer once it’s posted!

Edit: I apologize for forgetting to thank @sweet-nothings04​ for the title! Love you, girl!

As Arthur felt the first periods of genuine satisfaction within his own skin, he discovered which activities he enjoyed the most. Performing for children, seeing their small faces beam in reaction to his magic tricks. When he was doing a comedy set somewhere and his laughter didn't occur. Working on material or listening to music. And every second with Y/N at his side.

Weaving himself completely with another person hadn't been something he'd believed possible. But during the past eleven months, his assumptions had changed. Y/N knew about the difficulty he often had interpreting people, about his illnesses, about each time he'd been remanded to Arkham. Instead of recoiling as he'd feared, she reminded him to take his medication on the rare occasion he would forget. The calendar that hung by the kitchen entrance had both his appointments or gigs and her court dates written in his scrawl. She delved into his interests by watching old comedies he rented or shows he picked out. He'd explored hers by paying extra attention to Action News and asking about the cases she was working on. And they'd gotten in the habit of watching Gotham Tonight before heading to bed. It was the repetitive mundanities of normal life, the routines and rhythms they'd fallen into, that he found most intimate.

Yet, she still had the ability to flummox him.

They were walking in Sheldon Park after dropping off their groceries and his three prescription refills at the apartment. It was a lovely evening, the temperatures balmy even though dusk was approaching. The place was more crowded than expected for a Tuesday. A group of kids were riding their bikes through the winding paths. On a nearby bench, an older man smoked a cigar while the woman he was with chattered about the day. And there were quite a few teenage couples, strolling with arms entwined or their lips locked.

Y/N must have noticed them, too, because she nudged him when they passed a pair making out on a knoll near the duck pond. "If we'd met back then, would we have been doing the same thing? All over each other without caring who saw?"

A light laugh caught in his throat. He gave her side-eye, taking a drag off his cigarette. "You already don't care who hears."

She was chuckling when she asked her follow-up, like it was the most normal question in the world. "When was your first kiss?" He halted, mouth agape as she continued on. The answer made him feel self-conscious before even giving it. It had been embarrassingly late, considering what he remembered hearing around school as a teenager.

Y/N put a quarter in the duck pellet machine and turned the crank. "I was fifteen. My ex-husband. We were at a drive-in, watching some terrible movie - Attack of the Grasshoppers or Ants or whatever." Arthur stepped towards her and put out his smoke in the nearby ashtray as she held out her hand. "I knew he liked me, but I was surprised." After splitting the feed with him, carefully pouring it into his upturned palm, she sat on the grass, legs crossed in front of her at the ankles, and tossed some in the water. "He leaned over and kissed me as hard as he could. I pushed him away, then pulled him back again."

The birds swam hurriedly in their direction, a couple of the braver ones daring to come ashore. Arthur crouched down next to her and threw some of the pellets himself. But he stayed quiet. A few minutes later, she leaned towards him. "You don't have to tell me. I know I'm your first serious relationship." Shrugging, she continued. "I just thought there might have been a high school sweetheart. Then we could share embarrassing tales."

He shook his head, throwing the rest of the food and sitting next to her, one knee up with his arm rested on it. "No," he said. "You're my only sweetheart." Normally she wasn't fond of pet names, but she let out a soft sound and scooted closer. Her arm looped through his, a kiss planted on his temple. As his lips pressed together, he wondered what she expected. She'd been surprised by his inexperience when they'd started sleeping together, seemingly unable to comprehend how he'd been single. If she'd been anyone else, he would have assumed she just wanted to make fun of him. But she'd been open about her history, and hadn't laughed at him once so far. "I was twenty-two."

"What were you like back then? Just as beautiful, I'm sure."

A short giggle escaped him, his forehead rested on the heel of his hand. While he'd never been outgoing, never been half as bold as Y/N, he hadn't yet shrunken in on himself. Though he'd had his condition, his mental illnesses had only partially presented themselves. He hadn't already been committed. Life had had its challenges, having taken care of his mother seven years by then. But he'd still been naive enough to hope it could be different. That Penny might get better. That he could meet his special person.

That was too much for this conversation. She'd asked a lighthearted question and deserved a lighthearted answer. So he gave one that encompassed it all. "Younger." It had been awhile since he'd reflected on the circumstances surrounding his first kiss. His brows drew together as he tried to remember all the details. "Her name was Helen. We were coworkers in Gotham Park. At a summer carnival."

The bit of exaggeration was unintentional. He'd been hired to work as a clown. It had been new for him, but given his natural aptitude for dancing and interacting with kids, it'd come easier than expected. The boss had told him to roam the entire grounds. And he'd tried to. But it had become impossible after seeing her.

Arthur's eyelids fluttered at Y/N tracing the veins on the back of his hand. "What did she do to win your heart?"

Not a lot. They hadn't exchanged more than a couple of words, mostly pleasantries and the odd complaint about the weather. But she could have done anything, frankly. He'd been fantasizing about dating for years. What had originally been an innocent desire for attention and friendship had, as he'd grown-up, become a near constant craving for love and connection.

Helen had worked at one of the games, though he couldn't recall exactly which one. The radiance of her skin was nearly as bright as the smile she met customers with. She always wore cute, short sleeved sweater sets, ones that revealed a sliver of her mid-riff. She was kind. Whenever she talked with anyone, she'd laugh easily and be attentive. She seemed smart, too; he'd noticed the textbooks she took notes in. The moment he'd passed by her and she'd glanced up at him with her deep, brown eyes, he'd thought he'd sensed an affinity between them. It had sparked his imagination. "She was nice. And pretty. We didn't get to talk much."

"How was it?" Y/N asked playfully, her caresses flirty as they traveled to the inside of his wrist, a spot they'd learned made his breath catch.

The carnival had normally stayed open until nine. But high winds and heavy rain had forced it to close early. He'd been sprinting by Helen's booth, when she called out to him. The front closure was stuck, she'd explained. Could he help her with it? After a minute or two of trying to fix it, she'd invited him into the back. It had taken a couple seconds to decide to go for it - he'd hoped his hesitancy hadn't been too weird. Once the rope was untangled from the hook it'd been stuck on, he'd rolled down the tarp and secured it shut. Then he'd turned to her.

They'd been drenched. Probably half his clown-makeup had been washed off, leaving his pale skin exposed. Her sweater had clung to her, the silhouette of her hardened nipples visible through the cream fabric. He'd fought to keep his eyes averted. The pitter-patter of the pelting rain had surrounded them, slightly muffled by the tall trees above and the orange canvas of the tent. It had felt pleasantly hazy. She'd looked up at him and said, in the sweetest voice, "Thank you. I owe you one."

"Yeah," he'd replied lamely, when what he'd meant to say was, "I think I love you. You're beautiful. Let's go on a date." His heart had been pounding, open, plain to see, and he'd thought he'd understood her smile correctly. It was rare they were directed his way - surely it must have meant something. When she'd offered her hand for a shake, adrenaline had driven him to take it, step forward, and press his mouth to hers.

After all this time, only vague impressions remained. Her lips had been pliant, warm, and wet. How he'd imagined a ripe plum would feel if he could ever afford one. There'd been enthusiasm on his part. And he was sure he'd been trembling. He hadn't paid attention to her reactions, having been too caught up in his own nervousness and excitement. Finally, he'd been brave enough to kiss a girl. He'd been proud of himself for not laughing.

He'd attempted to snake an arm around her waist, pull her flush against his skinny frame to feel the realness of her, the softness of her breasts, the dip of her waist. But she'd backed off, pushing against his chest as their lips parted. He'd released her instantly but kept her hand. He'd tried to hold it loosely enough to hide his desperation as he felt his heart break.

She'd cleared her throat before starting in. "You're sweet, Arthur. But... This is going to be my senior year. I have to concentrate on school." White noise had filled his ears. "I think you're a little old for me. And I'm seeing someone. And..."

Halfway through her litany of explanations, he'd tuned out and slowly dropped her fingers. His palm automatically went to his abdomen, willing his diaphragm to not betray him. "I'm- I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" He'd squeezed his eyes shut as he broke off, self-disgust filling him. "Why would you like me? I-"

The reassurances she'd given him hadn't mattered much back then. They'd actually made it worse. They'd meant that in lieu of hating him, she simply didn't want him. "I'm not mad." There'd been pity in her half-smile. "It was a nice kiss."

His anguish as he'd gotten ready for work the next morning was overwhelming and unwanted. But his brain wouldn't stop going to Helen. Seeing her again would crush him. The tightness in his chest, the tension in his arms were acute - he didn't know what to do. And anger was welling in him, at himself and what he'd never have. He'd attempted to find distraction in the radio, tobacco, the nearly scalding hot water during his shower. None of it worked. Instead, as he stood in the corner of the living room by his clothes, he banged his head, smashing it into the mirror hanging on the wall.

It was the cracking of the glass that got him to stop, got him to notice what he was doing. The compulsion he'd felt and given into to hurt himself was new. Frightening. And cemented his abnormality. He'd lifted his fingers to his forehead - there'd been no blood, at least. Then he'd squinted at the mirror and groaned, annoyed he'd have to replace it. Quickly, he took it down and threw it in the trash can, not wanting his mother to see what he'd done.

He didn't return to work that day. Or the day after that. He'd stayed at home, calling out sick and missing a week's pay.

Penny had noticed his lack of absence first. Then his failure to do anything besides smoke and get off the couch to use the bathroom. She'd asked if he was okay for the first time in months. And he'd confessed, rasping softly, "No, mom. I need someone." The humiliation he felt at yearning for such simplicities grew as he went through his list. "I want to take her to the movies. To light her cigarette. To hold her." He'd exhaled sharply and flinched. "I want her to laugh at my jokes."

"Oh, Happy," she'd said, patting his arm. In his fragile state, the nickname's familiarity had both calmed and hurt. "Just smile and put on a happy face. You can't feel bad, then." She'd turned back to the television, maternal instincts quickly forgotten. At least around her, he listened and tried to paste a grin on.

Eventually, he had dragged himself back to the carnival - the bills had to be paid somehow. He'd done his best to avoid Helen. She had spotted him once, though, and given a small, friendly wave from across the way. After briefly freezing, he'd chosen to nod back at her, giving her the acknowledgment he would have wanted had their positions been reversed.

He hadn't seen her again. But he'd clung to the memory of that kiss for ages. Reminisced when he'd ached for another life and wanted to believe it might be possible. And for less chaste longings. It had stopped being a placeholder years ago, when he'd realized he'd always live with Penny. Not alone, but lonely, until he was lucky enough to check out forever.

Until he and Y/N had stumbled into each other. Repeatedly. In this harsh city.

"Kissing you is nicer," Arthur said, slinging an arm around Y/N, meeting her gaze.

She giggled. "Oh?" Her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip, only inches from his own. "And why's that?"

"You love me. And you want me." The touch of his fingertips went to her upper arm, guiding her to recline on the grass. "All the time," he scolded mockingly, rasp barely above a whisper. His lips tickled her, just under her ear, and he delighted in the way she squirmed and batted at his shoulder.

She locked her hands at the nape of his neck and smiled up at him, like he was the only man in the world. Eagerness sparked as her fingers slid under his sweater. "I do," she replied, low and throaty. "I won't pretend I don't." Cradling the back of her head, he bent and sealed their mouths together. She was demanding, as though she sought to capture a piece of him and hold it deep within her. He sighed as he brought his hand to the hem of her blouse, not hesitating before going in for another kiss.

Neither of them heard the hooves of the approaching horse. "Sir? Ma'am?" Arthur turned up towards the mounted police officer shining her flashlight in their faces. "Aren't you two a little old for this?"

Wide-eyed, Arthur's head snapped back to look at Y/N, nearly colliding with her as she held her hand in front of her eyes. Thank god she answered straightaway. "Sorry, officer." She sat up, pushing Arthur off her. The blush currently spreading across her cheeks made him snort. "It's such a beautiful night and, well..." she gestured in his direction. Christ, would she never find it inappropriate to brag about him? He turned away and hid behind his palm.

Y/N stood and brushed off her clothing. "We'll behave, madam. I promise." The cop shook her head and rode off. Y/N covered her mouth as she burst into laughter. "I guess this means we wouldn't have cared who saw." Arthur stood up beside her, pulling up his pants and fixing his hair. "Thanks for sharing that with me," she said.

As she reached to remove a leaf from his jacket, he stepped to her and cupped her face, melding their lips once more. "I'll share anything with you."

~~~~~

Tag list (Let me know if you want to be added!): @harmonioussolve​ @howdylilflower​ @sweet-nothings04​ @stephieraptorr​ @rommies​ @fallenstarsabyss​ @gruffle1​ @octopus-plasma​ @tsukiakarinobara​ @arthur-flecks-lovely-smile​ @another-day-in-chuckletown​

[hellzeldagirlsfanfic]

Cost of the Throne - Chapter 2

[Pervious] * [Next]

It had been thirteen years had passed since (Y/N) had come to Prildo Ira. Fino had her taken to the country’s second-largest city, Ckville to work at Saint Mirajane Hospital as a doctor’s apprentice. After eight years working as a doctor’s apprentice, (Y/N) finally graduated into proper doctors.

And being only one of three doctors she was a very busy person.

So she chose to spend all of her spare time in the children's ward.

“(Y/N)!!!” The head doctor, Vilho yelled.

Said woman flinched slightly at her name being yelled.    

(Y/N) sat on a bed belonging to a now five-year-old Zeck. The boy had been in the hospital since he was two because of breathing problems and had stayed since. Zeck was a happy boy despite his condition especially today due to it being this fifth birthday. His mother and father had stopped by in the morning to give him a little present and lots of love.

(Y/N) had stopped by the ward to read him and the other children a book of his choosing instead of doing her paperwork.

It was obvious to (Y/N) what had happened. Vilho had gone to her office to get her opinion on a patient’s diagnosis but didn’t find her there doing her paperwork.

(Y/N) could hear the nurses of the children's ward giggling at her situation that she had gotten herself into, again.

The woman turned to the large entrance arch to wand to see Vilho standing there with an unamused look on his face.

“Hello Dr. Vainamoinen, how may I help you?” She asked innocently.

Vilho walked into the wand then to Zeck’s bed which was surrounded by other children.

“Yes you could Dr.Lace, I was wondering why you aren’t in your office filling out patients’ files?” He question.

“Cause it’s my birthday!!” Zeck exclaimed. “Dr.Lace promised to read to me Gawain and the Green Giant!” he added on with a big grin.

(Y/N) gave Zeck a smile and pat on his head.

Vilho sighed and shook his head.

“Well once Dr.Lace is done, could you ask her to go and do her paperwork,” Vilho said to the children, who altogether agreed to the request.

(Y/N) gave him a malicious smile which he returned with his own innocent smile.

It took two hours for (Y/N) to read through Gawain and the Green Giant. Once finished the children reminded her to go and do her paperwork which she did.

It took half an hour for Vilho to come to visit her in her small office.

“Can I help you Vilho?” (Y/N) asked, not looking up from her work.

The elf stays at her door watched her work. He had watched the somewhat shy and quiet girl turned into a head-strong and outgoing woman who didn’t take anyone's shit.

“I wish you would take more care of yourself as you do with the patients,” Vilho told her.

“What d you mean?” (Y/N) asked.

“You’re going stay here until you’re done with all these patients’ files and miss dinner and sleep, again,” he said.

(Y/N) briefly stopped writing for a moment the looked up at her teacher.

The woman was now to pushed herself far past her limit. Most days she would only eat a loaf of bread for breakfast and maybe the soup and a small loaf that hospital serves at lunch. It was rare for her to have dinner, choosing to focus on paperwork or patients late into the night. She would get about four or three hours of sleep a day. And only took days off when she was really sick.

“It’s not like you don't do the same thing,” (Y/N) shot back at the elf.

“You take it to the extreme,” Vilho sighed as moved from the door to her desk.

He pulled the patient’s diagnosis that he wanted to talk about earlier to her. Once they finished talking, (Y/N) was left to work through her paperwork.

When she was nearly done with work her shift came to an end. She decides to stay until all of it was done but it seemed that someone had another idea.

“(Y/N)!!!” Debbie called loudly into her office. “Come drinking with us!”

Debbie was the head nurse of Saint Mirajane for the last twenty years. The older woman had made sure that (Y/N) was well taken care of and helped her get her room at the boarding house* a couple of streets away. She was very mother duck.

“Did Vilho ask you to take me?” (Y/N) sighed.

Debbie didn’t reply to the question but just pulled the young woman out of her chair and dragged her to Crue’s Cellar, a pub a street way that everyone from the hospital went to drink at.

The pub always lively, filled with laugh and singing. The pub was normally full with labourers, mercenaries, and demon hunters. It was a nice place to have dinner.

(Y/N), Debbie, and two other nurses Marie and Leanna walked to Cure’s Cellar. The pub was already in full swing.

Debbie’s husband was Ryan was already at the pub.

It was clear that he had already had too much to drink due to the red tint across his cheeks. He stumbled to his wife with open arms. Debbie pulled a face at the state of her husband. She met him halfway. She lifted her hands up to his face and pulled his face and pulled the redden cheeks.

“How dare you start without me! Did you have anything to drink?” Debbie said in an angry tone.

(Y/N) sighed at the couple then headed to the bar. She slotted herself next to a familiar face at the bar. (Y/N) leaned her body against her friend’s, locking her arm around their and resting her head in the crook of their neck.

“How has my M’Lady been doing?” (Y/N) asked, with a smirk on her face knowing how much the woman beside her didn’t like that nickname.

“I’m fine, a little bored since I’m not getting enough jobs of late and a little bit annoyed by someone calling me by a stupid nickname,” Lady said as she reached up to pinch (Y/N)’s cheek.

Lady signalled to the barmaid so she could order a drink for them. It took a moment for them to return to the women with a pint of local ale. Both women took a gulp of their alcoholic drink. They both released a sigh of delight.

“Talking about annoyances, where is he?” (Y/N) asked Lady while looking around the pub for a mop of white hair.

“Don’t know,” She told her as she took a sip of her drink. “Morrison told me that some woman came crashing into his shop, destroying the front. He then took off with her,” She explained.

(H/C) stared at the demon hunter in disbelieve. It was very out of character fro their mutual friend to run off like that.

“She must be very beautiful,” (Y/N) commented.

“Or it’s really good money,” Lady said.

The two of them continued to drink and chatted about odd topics until Debbie came and joined the women after she had dinner and a drink with her husband. The women got around each with (Y/N) ordering some food for herself.

It was about eleven when the doctor parted from the pub to return to her room at the boarding house.

(Y/N) quietly opens the door to the boarding house as she didn’t want to wake up the owner of the boarding house Mrs.Hudson.

“Been out drinking again?” Mrs. Hudson's voice echo through the entrance hallway.

“Good evening Mrs.Hudson,” (Y/N) greeted. “I thought you would be asleep by now,”

“I was just about to but I heard someone coming in,” The old woman said. “What did you have for dinner?” She asked.

(Y/N) paused for a moment trying to remember what she had for dinner. “Seeing that you cannot remember what you had come, and have some leek and potato soup,” Mrs.Hudson ordered, opening her door to her apartment.

The apartment’s living room was the same size as her room. Sitting in centre of the back was fireplace with a dyeing fire in the hearth. Over it was large iron pot. Sitting in this was Mrs.Hudson’s leek and potato soup that (Y/N) loves.

There was nothing special about the soup. It was a soup that Mrs.Hudson that made every two or three months. It was the first proper meal in Ckville after living there for four months. It was the testiest meal she had ever had in her life. It had become her favourite meal.

The two of them sat together at Mrs.Hudson’s table eating a bowl of soup and talking about their day.

Once the meal was finish (Y/N) insisted that she washed the bowls before heading up to her room to sleep.

(Y/N) finally reaches her room immediately stripped herself of her clothes.

She first removed her girdle then tugged the ties of surcoat, not fully undoing but enough so she pull green article of clothing over her head. That left her in off white shirt, trousers and dark boots, there were all quickly removed as well. There were replaced with old work shirt of Ryan’s that only came to her mid tights. (If court could see her now most if them would be dead.)

(Y/N) throw her clothes over footboard but kept her girdle tying it to her headboard. She jumped into bed after tying her girdle. (Y/N) lays in bed running her hand over faded yellow girdle until she fell asleep.

When morning came, (Y/N) was woken up by knocker-upper* Pete. She got up the wented to the window and open it.

“I’m up Pete. Thank you,” She called softly to the man on the streets below.

She close the window and got dressed.

On the way to the hospital (Y/N) stopped by a bakery to grab a roll for breakfast.

The roll was finish by time she got to hospital.

(Y/N) was greeted by the night curses that were still on duty on her way to Dr.Sabaya’s office.

“Morning Viji,” (Y/N) greeted.

“It’s that time already,” Dr.Sabaya greeted back.

“Long night?” (Y/N) asked.“There were two deaths,” Viji informed the younger doctor. “It was Elaine and Old Jason,” She clarified.

Elaine was a first-time mother who had a very difficult labour and Jason was just old.

“This the paperwork done for them?” (Y/N) asked.

“Yes. I just have to file them away,” The other doctor replied.

“Leave that to me, I’m sure Shoko would be happy to see her mother before she goes to sleep,” (Y/N) smiled.

Viji returned the smile with her own tried one.

The older doctor gathered her things as (Y/N) took the patients’ file and filed them way.

Once the files were put a way (Y/N) started her rounds the wands. And when the rounds were done is when (Y/N)’s day actually started.

“Dr.Lace!!!” A nurse shouted from the entrance hall.

She darted from the second floor to hall at front hospital. At the door to the hospital was a group of people were filtering in. By their dress (Y/N) could tell that they labourer that must have been working on Ckville’s cathedral restoration. And judging by the state of the group there was large incident at the site.

“How many?” (Y/N) asked as rushed over to help the nurses.

“Five bad ones!” Debbie shouted from outside the hospital. “About seven minors! We can handle those one!” She continued on as lead the patients into the hospital. “The worst of them is in cart at the back. I’ve ready sent someone to get Vilho,”

(Y/N) rushed to the house pulled cart to see how bed the patient was. The man was laying his back, groaning in pain. It was quite clear that his right side of his body had been crushed. The doctor claimed into the cart so she could examine the injury more closely. She summoned her magic to examine the arm.

‘No use, the arm is completely destroyed it must be amputated off,’ (Y/N) thought as she moved down the body. ‘Ribs are crushed but none are broken and the organs are just bruised, nothing that a healing magic couldn’t fix. His leg isn’t that bad as his arm but it would need a lot of time and magic,’

“Debbie!” (Y/N) yelled. “Prepare for an amputation! Right arm!” She clarified.

(Y/N) jumped off the cart once it was stopped at the hospital’s door. She order the able body men that came from cathedral site to help unload the man from the cart to a room on the bottom floor of the hospital. The room was far at the back  of the hospital so other patients couldn’t hear the screaming.

The room was already prepare for the amputation. The men place their colleague on the operation table. Some stayed once their colleague was on the table so they could help hold him down when the amputation started.

(Y/N) tear off the man’s shirt so she access his right arm better.

“Hold him down!” She ordered as she tied a piece of string to cut off of the man’s circulation.

All of the me nodded and stepped closer to the table. (Y/N) grabbed a saw from the desk beside the operation table. She began to cut through the flesh of the elbow causing the man to jerk up and scream out. The men die their jobs and held down the patient.

It took four hours to saw of the man’s arm and to close the cut. It took a further two hours to heal the man’s torso and leg. Once she was finish the man was transported to a bed in a wand.

(Y/N) was tired but there were still patients to attend to. It was night when she finished with all the patients. Vilho ordered her home since she did most of the work today.

For once (Y/N) didn’t argue with her teacher and left the hospital. Though she didn’t go home but inserted she went to Crue’s Cellar for a nice meal.

As normal Lady was sitting at the end of the bar drinking as she waited for a job.

“Evening (Y/N),” Lady greeted. “God, you look tried,” She commented.

“I feel it,” (Y/N) replied.

A plate was placed in front of her with a tankard. (Y/N) look at the plate in confusion.

“I haven’t ordered anything yet,” (Y/N) stated in confusion.

“It’s on the house,” The bar maid said. “We’ve heard what happened at the cathedral and you’ve earned this,” She added on.

“Thank you,” She said before digging into the roast dinner.

Lady pouted at her friend before ordering her own meal.

“Good evening ladies,” The voice of Morrison greeted them from behind them.

Both women turned to face the old info broker.

He strolled over to the bar where they were sitting. He removed his cigar from his dark lips before talking more.

“It’s a rare site to see you here, Dr.Lace,” He said.

“Vilho ordered me to go home,” She told him.

Morrison looked around the rowdy pub.

“This strange home,” He said as took another puff of his cigar.

The ladies laughed at him.

“Do you have any jobs for me?” Lady asked.

The old man became strangely silent for a moment as he took a long drag.

“There hadn’t been any demonic jobs for the last week or so,” Morrison said. “I’ve heard from other that demon attacks across the world have stopped,” He explained.

The women looked at him in shock.

“A lot of them have gone to Mallet,” He added.

“That’s strange,” Lady stated.

“Yeah,” (Y/N) mumbled.

“Let’s hope whatever party they having it ends soon so my business doesn’t go under,” A voice said from straight behind (Y/N) causing her to jump. The person that voice belonged to, wrapped an arm around her neck. “How’s my favourite doctor?” He asked softly into her ear.

“Dante,” (Y/N) sighed.

She turned to her head to see the infamous demon hunter lending his head on her shoulder, with a big grin across his face.

“You asshole!” Lady yelled at the man, jumping up from her chair. “Where did you disappear to for two weeks!? And don’t you dare ask me for money to fix your shop!” she added.

Dante held his arms up in a surrender.

“I won’t be needing to borrow any money from you and I will be you back the money I own you,” Dante said.

Lady looked at him like he had grown a second head.

“What?” Lady replied.

“I got a lot of items from the job. I’m going to sell them in the next week?” Dante told her.

Lady sat back in her chair grumbling ‘I like to see that day’.

The demon hunter returned his attention back to the young doctor sitting in front of him.

“It’s surprise to see you see, (Y/N),” He said.

“Just stopping by for some dinner before going home,” She told him.

A cough came from behind Dante.

“Oh yeah,” He mumbled. “Everyone this is Trish, my partner,” He introduced her.

He lifted his arm up so the blonde woman could step under it.

“Hello,” Trish said.

The woman was beautiful. Her long blonde hair ended around her waist and she had bright eyes. Her clothes were the most thing that made her stand out. A black corset that left nothing to the imagination and low riding tight trousers.

‘I thought what Lady wore was revealing,’ (Y/N) thought.

“It’s nice to meet you Trish,” (Y/N) said. “I’m Doctor Odette (Y/N) Lace but I prefer to be called (Y/N),” She introduced herself to Trish with a handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you too, doctor,” Trish said, returning the handshake with a smile.

Morrison and Lady stayed quite as the both noticed eerily similarities between Dante’s new partner and the drawing of his mother on his desk.

“And this Morrison, a info broker, he’s also like agent to me,” Dante introduced Morrison himself. “And this is Lady, a fellow demon hunter,” he introduced her as well.

“He owns me a lot of money,” Lady stated.

Trish laughed that Lady’s comment which cause Dante frown.

Then the door of the pub was flung open, silencing the whole pub. Stood in the doorway was a young city guard, Joe. He was a good kid, he tried his best to stop fights and keep the peace . He was out of breath.

“What’s wrong Joe?” A man asked.

“Mun… M-Mundus…” he puffed out.

“What about that bastard?” Another said.

“H-he’s dead!”

The pub became silent again but this time for another a reason.

“Mundus is dead!” Joe repeated. “Mundus has been killed by Nelo Angelo in coup d’e!”

The room was stunned.

“And it turns out that Nelo Angelo is actually Sparda’s eldest son!” Joe stated.

Mumbling started through out the room. No one could believe what the young guard had just said but everyone knew that he wasn’t one to cry wolf.

“Well then,” Dante raised his voice. “I guess it’s time to celebrate the death of Mundus!” He shouted raising a drink.

Everyone followed with cheer and raise of their own drink. The pub owner yelled that drinks were on the house for the night. Everyone started to drink, sing and dance.

But it just wasn’t the Grue’s Cellar that were celebrating. All across Ckville, Prildo Ira and the world were celebrating the death of Demon Emperor. All a part the royal court of Quebel. They knew that they would be next.

[fusonzai]

花束みたいな恋をした

Hantaba mitai na koi wo shita

When I first moved to Japan, to say I had some struggles would be an understatement.

It was my first time living away from home, and in a foreign country where I didn’t speak much of the language. I mismanaged my savings, overestimated how much I’d be getting paid, and greatly underestimated just how bad the dreaded daily train ride was.

I was living in a pretty worn down apartment in a somewhat far area called Chofu. Life there was certainly interesting. The apartment was built at least 100 years prior to me living there and it was located 30 minutes from the station. Even though the rent was cheap I was still living pay check to pay check, misusing my credit card in an attempt to feign normalcy.

(First book store, pretending I could read anything)

Suffice to say five years later, when I stepped into the cinema to watch 花束みたいな恋をした, I was taken aback when the films male lead was also living pay check to pay check in a decrepit apartment in Chofu. Shots of Chofu station and the recently completed shopping mall all made me nostalgic for a time that I feel was incredibly formative for me now, years later.

The two leads are both incredibly talented and popular entertainers in Japan. Suda Masaki (the male lead) has appeared in countless television shows and released acclaimed albums while Arimura Kasumi comes off to me as Japan’s sweetheart; starring in romantic dramas in both television and cinema. Their popularity could be compared to that of Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya. I’m not one to spoil films for people, or re-tell stories already told on the screen, but due to the sheer unlikelihood of this film being translated or released anytime soon; some concessions had to be made.

(Tell me these two aren't adorable)

The film centres around the 5 year relationship between two soon to be university graduates, Mugi (Suda Masaki) and Kinu (Arimura Kasumi), and the highs and lows that they experience as a couple in their twenties, navigating their first adult relationship. Mugi is a creative type, writing short comic strips on commission, not too sure of his own direction post university whilst Kinu describes herself as the type of person whose luck is so bad that whenever she drops toast, it always falls butter side first. Kinu comes off as more earnest and less outgoing than Mugi, however the two are both still on that precipice of adulthood. Not quite sure where their lives will lead, still enjoying that idle time between the end of university and the jump into the working world.

(Mugi & Kinu during that honeymoon phase)

We start in 2020 with both Mugi and Kinu sitting in a cafe with different partners; they’ve clearly broken up and don’t even acknowledge each other when they first notice one another. A chance at rekindled love seems unlikely, this is going to be a how they got to where they are type story. A little less ‘The Notebook’ and a little more’500 Days of Summer’.

We’re then taken back to 2015 and see the two meet at the always busy Meidaimae station. They both fail to catch that last train home and spend a night together in Karaoke Bars, Izakayas and eventually Mugi’s apartment where Kinu falls asleep watching his 3 hour long movie on Gas Tanks. They go on three dates where Mugi (afraid of being relegated to only friends) confesses his feelings towards Kinu, and the two start dating.

These initial encounters are so important in detailing the striking amount of shared interests they have. They read the same books, use movie tickets as bookmarks for said books, like the same music, even wear the same white converse sneakers. Yet they tend to hide their differences from one another. Kinu isn’t all too interested in Mugi’s 3 hour gas tank short film and Mugi wasn’t as interested as Kinu in the Egyptian exhibit they both had tickets for before they met. This hiding of differences only gets worse as time passes.

They both graduate and move in together. We’re shown the harshness of Japan’s shuushoku. This is a practice where everyone applies for career orientated jobs at the same time, but those that fail generally have to wait until next year. Kinu fails initially and works part time jobs. Things don’t go well for Mugi either; his freelance work dries up and he decides to bow to the pressures around him and begin looking for a real job. After an almost honeymoon like two years together, the two eventually begin their ‘adult’ jobs, and we first see the cracks of their relationship start to show.

Throughout the next 3 years, we see two people who have gotten through their relationship solely via common interests, suddenly see those shared hobbies crumble. They’re left with the realisation that they can’t actually communicate that well, and feel helpless in trying to stop the conflict that ensues. Mugi works overtime at the new job that he clearly doesn’t enjoy, because he believes, as a man, that he has to provide and protect the status quo and that the adult thing to do is abandon those things that once brought him enjoyment. Meanwhile Kinu struggles to figure out what she wants to do. She eventually gets a job through shuushoku however it doesn’t seem to suit her at all and she ponders changing to a more fulfilling yet lower paying job. The two both get so caught up in their own situations that they often don’t see each other for days at a time. Their walks home together and time spent playing Zelda on the couch gradually fade until they’re no longer. Their arguments about work and life get worse with neither of them managing to get through to the other, at times wondering how they even ended up together.

This all culminates in them deciding to break up after their friend’s wedding, sharing one last happy day together before going their separate ways.

There’s a lot of scenes in this movie that I’d like to break down but for now I want to talk about the break up scene. This scene felt so reflective of some dated, but still prevalent, ideas about love and marriage in Japan that were often espoused to me here by co workers and friends.

Kinu can’t relate to her boyfriend anymore, they don’t have sex, nearly every conversation ends in a fight and anything she tries to do just seems to push the two further apart. Mugi seems too caught up in his job and the future: he believes it’s natural for two people to grow apart after the love fades, and that marriage and starting a family is key to get over this hurdle.

Foregoing the wedding reception afterparty, the two have their break up at the same chain restaurant where Mugi first confessed his love. They go to sit in their original seats, but they’re already occupied. Something about this stung in some indirect way, almost as if the film maker is forewarning that the two can no longer go back to how they were. After some debate, they both air their grievances. Kinu has fallen out of love but Mugi believes that this is normal and believes marriage is the answer. There’s this beautifully acted monologue from Mugi where he ruminates on a future where he and Kinu get married and have children. He romanticises how nice it’d be to be called Mama and Papa, to go on holiday, to take the kids to Disneyland and to have people say, ‘those two had some issues but they really sorted it all out’. He believes love is a like a raw object and has an expiration date, with marriage being the key to prolonging that expiration.

For almost a second it looks as though Kinu is going to accept this fanciful, but sadly flawed, proposal until a young couple behind them is seated in their old spot. This part is almost too on the nose. The couple displays that same youthful awkwarkdness that Mugi and Kuni once had and goes through the exact same motions they did; swapping books, and talking music interests and of course they’re also wearing white converses.

Their youthful bliss and naivety is piercing to both the audience and the sombre couple. Mugi realises it’s over, Kinu realises it’s over, and judging from the sniffles in the audience everyone watching does too. There are some things you just can’t get back, there isn’t a reset button, and you can’t use marriage and children to fix your issues.

This seems common sense to me, however the interactions I’ve had since moving to Japan suggest that that might not be the norm here.

Marriage and weddings in the west always seemed liked a celebration of two peoples’ relationship up until that point and then the beginning of the next chapter of their life together. I used to work catering at weddings, and it’s strange to think that statistically half of those incredibly stressed, but incredibly joyous, couples will divorce, or already have.

So why do these once happy couples decide to go their separate ways? Extramarital affairs is still one of the top cited reasons in the west. It’s also probably the only thing I don’t think I could ever forgive. From an early age this ideal had been drilled into me that people that were married were in love and if you’re in love why would you cheat? If you didn’t want to be with that person, why would you marry them? I think infidelity is still incredibly strong grounds for divorce in the west. If you’re caught you can apologise and maybe make amends but there’s always a stain on the relationship from the outside, once a cheater always a cheater etc. There’s a strong emphasis on faithfulness above almost all else.

Flash forward a few years to me moving to Japan. Now before the move here, I’d seen the Youtube videos and the stories from friends of friends about rampant infidelity in Japan. One of my favourite entertainment personalities found out his wife was cheating on him for the entirety of their marriage and waited until she got citizenship to tell him. I don’t believe anyone is in a position to make broad claims about the culture of a country based on some internet articles. I believe you need experience to shape your world view but that doesn’t mean your world view is necessarily the correct one.

Whilst being an advanced country in many facets, gender roles in Japan often feel as though they have some catching up to do. Whilst there’s this heavy pressure to get married early (if you’re female, 25 and not seeing someone with the intention to get married, what the hell are you doing?) and a market much like the west promoting incredibly expensive weddings and honeymoons, there isn’t that much to care about after the marriage (provided you’re having children, of course). It’s strange in that I found I admired the whole one unit aspect of marriage here. Financially, it seemed that whilst most of my co workers and friends wives controlled the purse strings, big decisions were made together. There is a coldness to the lack of emotion to some of these decisions, but they were often best in the long run.

However there also seemed to be this separation of marriage and of love. Friends wouldn’t consider it cheating if their partner slept with a sex worker or if it was only because they were drunk. I had friends who were actively cheating on their partner whilst being aware that their partner was actively cheating on them. However there was this weird agreement that as long as neither was too obvious it was alright. I had an old boss who said if he was feeling the urge, he’d just go see a sex worker as that arrangement was better for both him and his wife. It was almost as if being married and being in love weren’t mutually exclusive. Love and sexual attraction were for young people, marriage was about creating a family and supporting that family. Marriage was the next step in a relationship to further your life (married people often get paid more, there are large subsidies for having children etc.) As responsible adults, a couple would get married by 30 or so to have children and protect the status quo. If you didn’t disturb that status quo too much; some cheating was allowed and often expected.

(My boss & I, sunglasses and all)

“Marriage is a result, not a destination” is a line my boss uttered to me. I was dating a girl who shared different views on marriage than I did. Our relationship was expected to end in marriage in a sense; her family knew of me and mine her. I didn’t want to get married but at the same I loved her so much that I thought the only way to show that was marriage. My boss thought there was a flaw in her and a lot of Japan’s way of thinking. He believed that marriage wasn’t something to strive for, but merely the result of a happy relationship. He also thought my love had an expiry date and his estimation wasn’t far off.

I don’t think his line of thinking is all that idealistic, the heavy expectation of marriage at the start of a relationship puts pressure on a base that isn’t that well established. Is there a line we can draw between knowing what you want from a relationship and expecting too much before you even know the other partner? Had Kinu and Mugi discussed their differences earlier on would that have saved them down the track or only led them to a faster break up where they could then move onto more suitable partners?

Looking at Mugi’s proposal from a purely western lens, it seems ludicrous and somewhat insulting. Looking at it from my own experiences, it’s still not romantic, but it has an appealing practicality that I’m sure some older people in the audience may relate to.

(Wise words, to translate it roughly: Young hearts, don't run free)

With all this in mind, the break up scene really is layered with expectations and differing ideologies. What surprised me the most was that after this tear laden break up, the two lived a plutonic and, by all accounts, friendly 3 months together whilst they both sorted out their individual accommodation. They both opt to move out and leave the old apartment and those old memories behind. The idea of living with someone for 3 months post break up seems almost ludicrous. The fact that they live these three months as if they’re in their honeymoon phase again is baffling initially, but once you remove romance and talk to the person you’re with, without the expectations you once had, it isn’t really all that surprising. These two had and still have more in common than they do apart. Whilst initially off putting, it’s charming that these two best friends can live together even though they’ve separated. I look at the countless times people break up; sides are chosen in friendship groups and efforts are made to not invite both people to the same event. Could you live with your ex after you broke up for 3 months? Doesn’t it make more sense for you to still want the person you shared so much of your life with to still be in it regardless of what once was? Regardless of what was, wouldn’t you still want someone you shared so much of your life with to still be around in some way?

Three months pass and we’re back to the cafe again, both Kinu and Mugi with their respective new partners. They leave the cafe at the same time, ride the same long escalator down whilst not acknowledging each other. They split at the end of the escalator, both of them raise their hand waving goodbye, not knowing if the other is waving as well.

There is something sobering and satisfying about such an anti-climactic ending. They didn’t run into each other’s arms, this meeting wasn’t the start of the second act of the film like I suspected it would be. It was simply two people that once were together continuing down a different road. We often watch romantic films to see two people fall in love and learn to live a life together. Depending on the film it can often seem too idyllic or fanciful but it always seems in reach…if you find that right person. Hanataba mitai na koi wo shita presents a more grounded argument. The right person isn’t always enough. Your situation, your beliefs and your respective flaws might get the best of you. Your own happy ever after might not be all you thought it would be, hell it might not even be one at all.

[snarkwriteswrasslin]

FFT: sweet boy; jungle boy

Notes:

So this was originally sent in to my asks on my main by @adampage​ and I had to post it here, give it it’s own lil space. Was really having fun writing this. Really do enjoy writing Jungle Boy, so maybe you guys will see him more on here? who knows..

Summary:

Bianca’s sister brings her along on the cruise. Where she meets Jack. And perhaps a cruise ship flirtation begins? Fluffy af.

Warnings:

uhh.. fluff. that’s it.

Pairing:

Jungle Boy x OFC, Bianca

“Wow… This is..”  Bianca trailed off mid-sentence, trying to find the right word to properly express herself in this situation. Her eyes darted around and by default, she found herself squishing a little closer to her older sister because there were just so many people. So.Many.

“Amazing, right? This is gonna be so much fun!” Allie hugged her younger sister tight, giggling as she did so. “ I’m so glad you decided to come with me instead of going to Cancun with Pip and the other girls from your dorm.” Allie released her sister from the hug and after spotting Butcher, Blade, and MJF, she made a beeline straight for them. She didn’t even realize that Bianca wasn’t with her until she was over where they were, talking to the three men.

Bianca took a deep breath as big brown eyes darted around the sheer mass of people milling around on the deck of the Norwegian Pearl. “It’s certainly something.” Bianca swallowed hard as she said it, trying to get her bearings and get used to the gentle swaying of the docked boat.

… This is going to be fun. You’re spending time with your sister. You’re on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean… The thought was meant to be reassuring, but somehow, it also slightly freaked the 20-year-old brunette out also. She’d never been on a cruise ship before in her entire life.

This kind of stuff was Allie’s thing, not her own. Not that she wasn’t determined to enjoy the occasion and come away with memories from it, but she just.. Wasn’t the outgoing butterfly her older sister was.

Hence her, a college student trying to major in Early Childhood Education and her sister, the glamorous and badass professional wrestler that everyone knew from AEW. If she had the choice, she’d still choose her way hands down.

Not that she didn’t secretly envy her sister’s ability to win over crowds and get on television in front of millions of people every week, of course. She just knew that her even attempting it would lead to a mass panic attack on her part.

Somewhere in the time she’d been talking to her sister and managed to get lost in her own thoughts, her sister had taken off, making a beeline for friends of hers. It left Bianca to stand there, a hand in her hair and her nose wrinkled as she shuffled her feet awkwardly and her eyes darted around in the hopes of finding her sister. “Damn it, she always does this.” the words were muttered softly  just as someone crashed full force right into her back and she stumbled forward just a little bit.

The husky laugh had her stomach fluttering lazily and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her midsection keeping her from crashing to the deck. She turned around, swallowing hard as her eyes settled on him.

“I’m so sorry. So sorry.” Bianca said it in a rush and her stammered apology was met with his puzzled stare. JB chuckled, shaking his head. He let her go so that she could stand and raised his hand, dragging it through a wild mess of light brown curls. “You didn’t do anything though?”

“I should’ve been more aware of what was going on around me?” Bianca questioned, her eyes settling on his and almost immediately getting lost in the depth of them. JB found himself stepping just a little closer when he saw the breeze sort of swaying her. As his hand brushed her hip, she bit her lower lip and raised her hand, fingers tangling in the ends of long dark hair.

“It wasn’t your fault. Trust me.” JB insisted. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t just drag himself out of the depths of her eyes. The wind picked up just a little more and she swayed where she stood a little bit as a result. Before he could stop himself, his hand was gently gripping her hip and resting there lazily. “You’re not used to boats, are you?”

Bianca’s cheeks heated and she gave a soft laugh as she shook her head no. “I’m also not used to there being so many people. And naturally, my sister, she.. She basically hauled ass the second she spotted some of the guys she works with.”

“Your sister works with AEW?” JB studied her intently. No, she didn’t look familiar at all, he’d never seen her before in his life. But he just felt this.. Strong magnetic pull to her.

Bianca gave a soft laugh and nodded. “Allie.”

“Oh, Allie! That’s cool. I’m actually on the roster too. My name is Jack.” Jack chuckled as he found himself gazing intently at her lips. And then, alternately, her eyes and the dusting of pale freckles over the bridge of her nose. She was honestly, hands down, the prettiest girl he’d ever seen before in his life.  And he got this distinct feeling that maybe this one time, whatever he happened to feel just might be mutual. She certainly seemed to be staring right back, giggling quietly, blushing and fidgeting. Not to mention, he found himself realizing it, she keeps moving to stand closer to me with all these people around. Kinda like she feels safe.

That thought had a bit of a smile playing at his mouth.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jack. I’m Bianca.”

“Binx, there you are! I was wondering where you got off to. C’mon, I wanted you to meet the guys.” Allie appeared at her side suddenly, talking a mile a minute and laughing.

Bianca took a deep breath, her nose wrinkling. “Just a minute, I’m kinda talking?” Bianca muttered to her sister as she looked over at her, kind of trying to subtly nod towards Jack and hint that she’d really like to continue talking to him.

Allie glanced from Jungle Boy to her sister and back again, giving her sister hints of a teasing look. “Oh. Oh. I’m gonna go up to the bar with the guys and talk strategy. You two have fun. And Jack?”

“Yeah?” Jack met Allie’s gaze and he almost wanted to laugh when she eyed him and replied calmly, “Hurt my sister and I hurt you, kid.”

“Jesus, Allie, just goooooo!” Bianca was blushing almost scarlet red as she gaped at her older sister. Naturally, Allie was going to turn this into a big deal when it was merely two people talking to one another.

… oh, but I definitely wouldn’t mind if there was more to it than that… the thought settled lazily in her mind and wouldn’t be ignored or denied, no matter what she tried. As soon as Allie was out of sight, Bianca flashed a smile at Jack. “So, do you maybe wanna show me around, Jack? I’d really like that.”

Before he even got a word out, Marko and Joey were rushing towards him, hollering his name, laughing and shoving at each other and when they stopped beside him, at him. The two were already soaking wet, they’d obviously gone straight up to the topmost deck and dove into the pool. Joey shook out his hair and both JB and Bianca shared a look and wiped at themselves as water settled on their skin.

“There you are, buddy! We were lookin all over for you!” Joey stopped short, a teasing gleam in his eyes and a smirk on his face almost the second he realized that Jack wasn’t alone.

Apparently, the reason JB hadn’t been right behind them ready and raring to jump into the pool, was because he’d seen a girl and unlike usual, he’d struck up a conversation.

“Who’s your friend, Jack?” Joey asked the question not meaning any harm or anything whatsoever in asking it, but he got the distinct feeling that for whatever reason, Jack was not taking the question that way. And that Jack was maybe even a little wary and jealous because he’d asked it.

Jack didn’t know whether to clench his jaw and glare at Joey or chuckle and smile. He also didn’t know why he suddenly felt… Well, protective. Daresay even a little jealous and wary at Joey’s gazing at her and the questions he was asking, in the tone he was asking them in. He stepped closer to Bianca before he even realized it, standing behind her. The way he stood revealed that her head hit perfectly in the center of his chest and the thought had the slightest hint of a smirk tugging at his mouth.

Bianca glanced from man to man, her cheeks heating in a deep blush. She found herself sort of getting the sense that right now, for whatever reason, Jack was on edge and as a result, she felt herself getting a little edgy too and stepping closer to Jack as a result. The back of her head rested almost lazily against the center of his chest and she finally managed to speak up.

“I’m Bianca.”

“Yeah, I met her when Stunt was being a dick earlier and shoved at me when we were running past her. Kinda fell into her.” Jack uttered calmly, a quiet chuckle as soon as he’d said it.

Joey chuckled and nudged Marko. “Hey, let’s leave these two alone. We’ll see you later, right Jack?”

“Yeah, later.” JB answered, giving Marko a firm silencing look as soon as Marko went to open his mouth to say something.

After his friends walked away, Bianca turned to face him, staring up at him in curiosity. “Everything okay? You tensed up..”

JB chuckled. “Everything’s fine. C’mon. I believe I promised to show you around the ship?” he slipped an arm around her. Not only so they wouldn’t get separated in the large and growing crowd around them, but just because he… Wanted to. He needed to make one thing absolutely clear to the guys he worked with.. And to anyone else on the ship.

Yeah, maybe he was unofficially officially calling dibs on the petite brunette his arm was currently around.

They pushed through the crowd and Bianca spoke up, raising to tiptoe to whisper against his ear when he found somewhere to stop their walk. “Hey, if you wanna, we can go up to the top deck where the pool is… With your friends?”

JB mulled it over and shook his head, chuckling. “Nah. This is fine. This is better than fine, actually. Are you hungry? We can go find food..”

Bianca’s smile could’ve outshined the sun in his opinion and he reached out, smoothing brunette strands back behind her ear as the wind blew them into her eyes all over again. She gave a soft laugh and nodded, holding her fingers up just a few centimeters apart to indicate that she was maybe just a little hungry.

JB laughed and smiled at her. “Yeah, we’ll go find somethin’ to eat then.” they started to walk again, finding a relatively quieter restaurant on the deck and making their way inside, choosing a back of the room booth with a decent view of the ocean through its window.

They picked up the menus, scanning over the food choices quietly. There wasn’t any really heavy and uncomfortable tension in the silence. It felt nice to Bianca. To just sit across the booth from him in silence. That being said, she did realize that they could get to know each other better. He seemed to have the same idea, because he started to ask her questions about herself.

She’d answer, asking him questions in return, gaping when she realized that he’d been doing this essentially his whole life. JB wanted to kick himself when he asked her about college and she said something about being an elementary science teacher and he responded with something he had no doubt in his mind Janela would’ve said, immediately following with an apology, “Yeah, if you’d been my teacher I definitely would’ve paid more attention… Shit.. I’m sorry, that was so lame.”

“No, no.. You’re good. It’s flattering?” Bianca bit her lip as she felt herself blushing all over again, bold enough to meet his gaze and wink. “ I might have to watch your match tonight, actually. Just to see you in action.”

“Oh, I’d totally like that.” JB said it quick. Almost too eagerly. He almost wanted to choke himself just so he’d stop saying things off the top of his head, but he had a feeling that no matter how hard he tried to stop himself from doing it, he’d never be able to with Bianca. He felt relieved as soon as he realized she seemed to be having the same issue.

“Well then, in that case.. I’ll come watch you guys tonight. Ignore me if I yell something stupid that pertains to another sport, I’m… a goofball.” Bianca wanted to punch herself. There was a line between being a flirt and being an airhead and secretly, she was afraid she was blurring it at best and crossing it at worst.

JB laughed and shook his head. “Oh no, nope. I’m definitely going to remind you what you yelled later.”

“Nooo.” Bianca raised her hands to her face as she gave a soft giggle that made him smile even more. JB reached out, grabbing her hands and lowering them. And yeah, maybe he sort of held onto them a little longer. “Don’t do that.” he muttered it softly, not able to stop himself before it came rushing out. “Hides that pretty face.”

“Shhh. You need glasses, sir.”

JB swallowed hard at the teasing way she said Sir. He wouldn’t admit to it just yet, but hearing her say it like that.. Definitely stirred him up. He chuckled quietly and shook his head, leaning in a little. His hands still rested on top of her hands on the tabletop between them. “ No, I don’t actually.”

Bianca’s teeth snagged at her lower lip and his eyes darted down to it, the subtle movement calling even more attention to her mouth, not that he hadn’t been paying attention to it enough already.  She laughed softly and shook her head, disagreeing. “I think you do.”

“Nope.”

“Yep.”

[chocolatecakeandbl]

Because you loved me - Character Outline

-- Character Outline for the multi-chaptered work ‘Because you loved me’ --

Idol!WWX isn’t based on Xiao Zhan. 

I have taken the outline of his career in this AU from someone else. (As well as the description of the dance practice video LWJ watched!) 

All characters in this work are as close to the original as possible. It might seem OOC at some parts, because I stripped them down to their original treats and then set them up with a new (modern) life environment. How would they react if they would grow up with a caring family? How would the Lan’s react to daily life if there wouldn’t be 4000 rules? How would the Jiang Family change if there wouldn’t be pesty misunderstandings and situations? What would happen if there would be more communication between everyone? 

A lot of thought went into this. A lot of calculations from my side. I still tried to keep to traits we see in Untamed, so I dearly hope you are okay with the way I set up their characters! 

----

LWJ (22), Professor, is more outgoing than in his past. He still enjoys silence and he is still misunderstood by most others for his lack of showing emotions (or rather, the others not being able to read him). He has a close relationship to his brother and his parents. He hates to inconvenience others. But at the same time he knows what he wants and takes it if he can. He is rich but not arrogant.  He swims everyday (in the University Pool or in his own, if the other is not available) and goes through the Lans Sword Forms every morning after waking up and meditating. He still wakes at 5am and goes to bed at 9pm. There are as many (if not more) versions of “Mn”. His students have dedicated a blog solely to their Professor’s “Mn” in order to find the key how to interpret them. They are not any wiser than the time they started guessing.  His icy glare is a weapon. He is able to silence a class with just one blink.  In the cultivation part of the University there are rumours LWJ can defeat his brother in a Sword Duel. No one had ever seen him fight, though.  

WWX (22), Idol, is still cheeky, likes to rile up others in a playful (but never hurtful) way. Everyone who meets him falls for him immediately - no matter the gender. He has a smile to die for and likes to laugh a lot. He doesn’t need to pretend like in his past. There are a lot people who care deeply for him and he knows he can trust them. His job is stressful and he doesn’t have a regular sleep schedule.  He debuted as an Idol in the age of 14 in a boyband called “Yiling Mounds”. He started his solo career with 21. His first album peaked number one and fought its place for weeks. His first mini album (with “Forgetting Envies” as the title track) ranked number one too and was released two months prior the story. 

Lan Xichen (29) had wanted to become the University Principal since his childhood. The Lan Parents gave him all options, letting him choose whatever he wants to do for work later, but he kept firm on his wish. He loves his job. He always smiles but there are many rumours that he is actually terrifying when crossed on the wrong path. He is not dating anyone (or at least this is what everyone thinks). He cares about his younger brother deeply and was overjoyed when he had heard his decision to become a professor in the University.  He had always got sad at the thought of having his brother working somewhere else (or worse: living somewhere else). Now he knows his brother is safe in the University campus. He can always visit him and that puts him at ease. He isn’t sure why he does care about his brothers safety so much and why he hates seeing him leaving, though. He is guessing it’s just a brotherly instinct.  LXC had won the annual Sword Competition of the Cultivation World 9 times in a row. He is currently ranked number one in Swordmanship. 

The Lan Parents are very adamant there are no punishments no matter what had happened. They rather sit down and talk about it, explain why something was good or bad than to physically reprimand their children. 

Lan Qiren is still a bit grumpy (especially towards his students) but he is overly nice to his nephews. Courtesy of Mama Lan and Lan Qirens wife, who are best friends. Both get very fierce should they notice Lan Qiren isn’t treating the Twin Jades with care (The two women had taken him aside for talks, he is rather careful since)  Overall Lan Qirens wife knows how to handle him, so he became calmer in general. They don’t have children. 

Jiang Fengmian is the CEO and founder of Lotus Entertainment. His best selling Artist is Wei Wuxian.

Wei Changze is the adopted brother of Jiang Fengmian (they are both the same age). Jiang Fengmian met Yu Ziyuan in a Gusu University Summer Break Cultivation Class. She had defeated him in a Sword Duel within the first minute. He fell in love. They married five years later. 

Wei Changze met Cangse Sanren in the same summer break. At the University Pool. He saw her and knew she will be his future wife. He told her so seconds after thinking that. She had thrown him into the pool as an answer. When he emerged she had held out a towel towards him and laughed. They married two years later. 

Cangse Sanren and Yu Ziyuan are good friends. The often hold sword duels against each other which almost always end in draws. Their husbands usually sit at the sites, watching them in awe. 

WWX, JC (20) and JYL (26) grew up together, almost like siblings. The Wei and Jiang houses are next to each other, so the children often played at each other houses. 

WWX and JC still live at home (WWX would have the money to get an own place but he just doesn’t have time to search a new home or to move / JC is a student, he plans to move out once he graduated).