#there's plenty of apartments outside of downtown though so we should probably go for those. they're a lot more affordable

[houseofwolvess]

wait a goddamn second. being roommates means we get to go apartment hunting together

[recklessmark]

serendipity

he was the one i wasn't looking for —Nikki Rowe

—2:07am, 3rd december

you’ve just gotten out of work, exhausted. people always said choose the job that makes you happy, and you chose your job for the money. not to sound greedy but you would rather die in a mansion. so it’s not weird when you are waiting at the bus stop at 2am in the morning, a well-paid career requires more than you expected.

“do you have a lighter?”

you looked up from the ground to see a 5’9 man standing in front of you. you observed the stranger’s figures, you’re used to be outside this late so dealing with creeps is not a problem. but to be honest, this man looked handsome, he had something that radiates a childish energy. generally you would say that he’s fine as hell. he had a cigarette between his teeth, which made you assume that he was wanting to light up the cigarette.

you snapped out when he cocked an eyebrow at you, your hand dived in your bag to find the lighter. you do smoke, not regularly but sometimes it helps you relieve stress.

“here you are.”

the corner of his mouth curled up, the light of the small fire made his face brighten up, your heart unintentionally beated faster.

“thank you.”, he gave you back the lighter and then shifted to stand next to you.

“you smoke?”

you heard he asked, blowing the white smoke into the cold air of the snowy season and then it slowly vanished.

“yes, occasionally.”

he nods, “i know when people smoke.”

as if he could read your mind, many people around you do not know the fact that you smoke but a stranger you met 2 minutes ago can know it without you saying anything.

“i think it’s your bus.”

the transport slowly approached you, there’s only one bus active from 12am until the next morning.

“hey, we will meet again.”

the stanger gave you the last sentence before he walked away making you smile slightly. oh, you forgot to ask what his name was.

—5:20pm, 18th december

you almost tripped over while rushing to catch the last bus. you had a survey to do in the downtown, if you missed this bus you couldn’t go back to the city until the next day. fortunately, you were still quick enough to be the last passenger on the bus. while you were finding a seat for yourself, you saw a familiar man, you must have met him before but you’re clearly not a person who has a good memory. however this man is special enough to make that scene quickly flashed back in your mind, he was the stranger you met that day.

“hello, do you mind-?”

“oh hi, it’s you! alright you can sit here.”

the man moved to sit next to the window, left you a seat next to him.

“thank you.” you sit down and continued talking to him.

“did you cut your hair? i didn’t recognize you.”

he chuckles, “even my mom can barely recognize me.”

you don’t know if it’s considered a coincidence when you met him again, you didn’t complain though.

“oh, i forgot to ask you that day, what’s your name, i’m y/n.”

“i’m mark, mark lee.”

when you two had already arrived in the city, mark invited you to have dinner with him and who are you to refuse it? every second being with mark was pure joy, he told you funny stories which gave you a lot of serotonin. he’s definitely the finest man you have ever met in your life, well, you didn’t just fall for a man you only met two times throughout your whole entire lifetime, you didn’t.

“y/n, i think i should tell you this.”

“yes?”

“i’m moving to another town, for working.”

you could’t tell if you were sad, shocked or bitter but it’s complicated what you felt. it’s like somebody stole something from you, a precious thing.

“when?”

“tomorrow.”

that meant this was probably the last time you could see him. mark was a stranger after all but why did you care about him so much. before you two splitted in your directions, mark suggested to exchange numbers and you did, you genuinely wanted to keep in touch with this guy.

“hey, text me when you get home!”, mark hollered with a wide smile.

—7:54pm, 20th december

you‘d just gotten out of the shower, water running on the strands of your hair and dropping down to the floor. you quickly stepped towards the nightstand to find your phone when you heard the message ringtone.

|7:54pm| mark lee: hi, how are you doing? you didn’t text me :(

you bit your lips as the message popped up on your lockscreen, you almost forgot about mark.

|7:55pm| you: hi, i’ve been being busy lately, i’m so sorry

|7:55pm| mark lee: don’t be, you look prettier when you smile :) and take some rest tho, no need to tuck in those paperwork.

|7:56pm| mark lee: oh but i have something to tell you, i’ll come back to your town, for christmas break. can i take you out for a date on christmas?

you blinked at the text message, feeling butterflies in your stomach. he’s literally asking you out for a date, a date on christmas specifically. you do know some guys have a crush on you but you weren’t ready for commitment but mark, there’s something about this man that makes you want to go for him. you want mark in your life.

you didn’t notice that you were smiling until the screen of your phone went black, reflecting the obvious curl on your lips. you realized you had left mark on read for ages.

|7:59pm| you: sure! text me when you’re back!

|8:00pm| mark lee: okay, goodnight ❤️ *have a nice dream about me :)*

you flopped yourself on your bed, the moonlight dancing on your face. december, always be the best time of the year.

—11:16pm, 24th december

you’re walking along the pathway, it feels like the first time you enjoy your christmas night outside since you spent your time inside the apartment every year. mark is stepping slowly beside you, he gave you his scarf when you two got out of the restaurant, in case you’re getting cold. you inhale a deep breath, the fresh air mixes with the charming cologne of mark lights you up.

“i have something to show you.”

mark stops at his track, turns around to face you. you two are not alone, there are plenty of people walking pass you, some of them are delighted family. you look at him, your hand comes to catch his arm, pulling him to a bench beside the street.

“what is it?”, you ask softly.

you see his hand shoves inside the pocket of his jacket, taking out a small velvet box. you curiously wonder what’s inside when mark hands you the box.

it’s a platinum manacle. it’s curved with a word said ‘serendipity’ on the surface. mark takes the bracelet out of the box, his hand find yours, spreading some warm into your cold hand. and then he put the bracelet on your wrist, the metal sparkles in the darkness.

“gladly it fits you, i made it myself. the curving part was challenging, hopefully it doesn’t look to bad.”, he muses while tracing his thumb along the cuff.

“i love it.”

you words made mark raises his head up as his eyes meet your gaze. you give him a nonchalant smile.

“do you know what ‘serendipity’ means?”

mark asks quietly, his hand plays with your fingers.

“an unexpected luck, i don’t know but there’s one thing i know for certain-“, you intertwine your hand with his, “my serendipity is you, mark lee.”

©️  DREAMYKRAM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

[crystalstar8]

Knights of the Night (ch 15)

Chapter 15

Ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5, ch 6, ch 7, ch 8, ch 9, ch 10, ch 11, ch 12, ch 13, ch 14, ch 15

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139240/chapters/71536491

pairing: Jungkook x oc

genre: vampire au, college au, twilight, romance

word count: 2,459

warnings: blood (obviously), kidnapping, child kidnapping, needles, France

notes: vampires, vampire au, college, college au, so many twilight references, blood, needles, kidnapping, children, homelessness, dance, ballet, flashbacks, romance, slow burn, probably no smut, idk yet tho, France, French things, attempted genocide, inaccurate French history, bisexual main character, @strawberriewithchocolate-blog @mozy-j  @daechwitad-2​ @zobadak​ @fallenstar-7​​​

summary: Catalina starts college in a small town all the way across the country. She doesn’t know anyone and isn’t exactly looking for friends. She just wants to focus on dance. But when she meets fellow dance major, Jimin, and adventurous, fellow freshman, Jungkook, Catalina ends up discovering a whole new side to the small college town; one that is dangerous but oh so enticing…

              Catalina was nervous. She had changed her outfit almost ten times and was already pulling a sweater out of her closet for an eleventh. She eyed her suitcase in the corner of her room. No, don’t open it, you’ll have to repack, she told herself. Her phone buzzed from her bed. It was a text from Jungkook.

JK: I’m on my way

              “Shit,” Catalina mumbled. She looked between the sweater in her hand and the one laying on the floor. The one in her hand was a bit nicer so she pulled that one on. She tucked it into her skirt, then slipped into her ankle boot heels. As she was checking her hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror for the last time, she heard her front door open. Rounding the corner, she saw Jungkook standing in the hallway, tapping the snow off his boots on the rug. Catalina grabbed her coat.

              “You look so cute!” he said as she came over for a hug.

              “I always look cute, what are you talking about?” she said. He grinned, his nose scrunching up and his eyes turning to crescents. He looked good too, in a turtleneck under his peacoat. It was amusing to her, knowing that he still had a few lingering marks on his neck. They had both dealt with enough teasing from their friends over the past few days, they definitely didn’t need Jungkook’s family on that train as well.

              “Ready to go?” he asked. Catalina nodded and followed him out the door, locking up behind her.

              The car ride was short, only a minute or two since they lived a block away from each other. There were two other cars in the driveway, which Jungkook parked behind. As they got out of the car, Jungkook said, “So, my brother is kind of annoying. Just warning you. He’s in law school and he’s a bit of an asshole about it.”

              “Be an asshole about your film major right back to him,” said Catalina, making him laugh.

              “Easy,” he said. “I’ll just start talking about my favorite directors and artsy films.”

              His house was warm and inviting, as it always was, but today, it was cleaner than Catalina’s seen it in a long time. Maybe ever. A small Christmas tree stood in the corner, decorated with mismatched bulbs and ornaments.

              Jungkook’s mom came out of the kitchen, pulling oven mitts off her hands. She saw Catalina and her eyes lit up.

              “Catalina! It’s so good to see you!” she said, pulling her into a hug. “I’m glad you could make it.”

              “Yeah, me too!” Catalina said. “I never get to see you guys, so I’m glad to be able to spend some time with you all.”

              “Of course, you’re always welcome,” she said. “My husband and I are always so busy with work, I feel bad. Anyway, come into the kitchen. The food’s almost ready. Jungkook, go help set the table.”

               Dinner was beautiful, and Catalina had fun listening to Jungkook’s family try to embarrass him by sharing childhood stories. He wasn’t embarrassed though, always laughing with the table and sharing his own details about the experiences. It sounded like the family hiked and camped a lot while the boys were growing up, so there were plenty of adventure stories to go along with that. Catalina asked about his parent’s jobs and they told her about what they do at the hospital during their overnight shifts. They were both nurses, but they also did volunteer work every chance they got. Jungkook’s brother was indeed a bit of an asshole about being a law student, but Jungkook cracked everyone up by talking about his favorite film, “Persepolis”, pronouncing it “Pear-say-po-li”.

               Catalina had a great time, but she didn’t stay too late since her and Jungkook had a flight to catch in the morning. Jungkook dropped her off at home that night, kissing her softly in the car before she got out.

               “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at six.”

               “I can’t wait,” she said, pecking his lips once more before getting out of the car. “I love you.”

               “I love you too,” he said.

               It feels so good to say that, Catalina thought as she took the stairs to her apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

               The airport was crowded with people rushing to travel for the holidays. Catalina was thrumming with excitement. She hadn’t seen her mom since before her first semester. She had never lived away from her home before, never away from her mom for so long. She couldn’t wait to see her, and to introduce Jungkook to her. They found their flight easily enough in the giant building, and soon enough, they were in the air, en route to Detroit.

               Catalina’s mom was waiting for them at the airport when they landed. As soon as Catalina exited the gates, she ran, giving her mom a long hug.

               “Oooh, dios mio, how I’ve missed you!” her mom said, holding her tight.

               “I missed you too, mom,” said Catalina. She pulled away and looked over at Jungkook. “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Jungkook.”

               “What a cutie you are!” her mother said as she gave Jungkook a hug as well. “It’s so nice to meet you.”

               “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Diaz,” said Jungkook.

               “Ms. Diaz. Or you can just call me Lucía. Come, lets go home,” she said. “This place is too crowded.”

               Catalina sat in the passenger seat of her mom’s car on the way home. It wasn’t a long drive, their house was just outside of the city. During the drive, she wondered if she should reach out to her old friends. They had never once texted or checked up on her while she was away, so maybe it was best to leave them behind.

               The house looked exactly the same as when she last saw it and it gave her a sense of comfort to come back to the familiarity. After Catalina and Jungkook got settled into her old room, her mom called them downstairs to help bake cookies. While baking, Catalina and Jungkook told her all about their classes and professors. After the cookies came out, they had fun decorating them in weird and interesting ways. Jungkook decorated a gingerbread man with red eyes and fangs, which Catalina took a picture of to send to their friends.

               Later in the evening,  Lucía took them all out to dinner at a nice place in downtown Detroit. The restaurant was beautiful; bistro lights dripped from the ceiling, branching out from the twisting paper tree in the center of the dining room. Over dinner, Catalina told her mother about her friends in California, and about their trip to the lodge. Her and Jungkook left out the parts about their friends being vampires.

               “I want to know how the two of you got together,” said Lucía. “She didn’t date much in high school, so this is so exciting to me.”

               “I had a girlfriend in my senior year,” Catalina mumbled. Lucia waved a hand.

               “That doesn’t count,” she said. Catalina glanced at Jungkook, who was frowning after hearing this exchange. Catalina put a hand on his knee under the table and decided not to argue.

               “Well, we met in our French class,” Catalina started. “We became friends and we hung out a lot for the first few months of the semester. I mean, I never really knew I had a crush on him at first, I knew he was attractive, but I only saw him as a friend. Then one day, he kissed me, and we’ve been an item ever since.”

                Lucía had a hand over her heart as she listened.

               “That’s so sweet,” she said. “You two are a beautiful couple and I can see you’re so happy with each other. I’m just…so relieved that you found a nice boy and-“

               “Mom,” Catalina interrupted.

               “I just didn’t want you to fall back into those high school phases you were in,” she said. “I was so worried I would lose you to the wrong kind of people. There’s so many influences online these days and I just wanted you to be successful in life. That kind of lifestyle comes with drugs and-“

               “I’m gonna go to the restroom,” Jungkook said, standing up and giving her shoulder a squeeze.

               “Mom, stop it,” Catalina said. As soon as Jungkook was out of sight, she said, “My boyfriend is bisexual too. And so are some of my other friends at school. They’re all amazing people and I would do anything for them. I don’t like when you say things like this.”

               “Catalina, you know I love you no matter what,” her mother said. “I just want the best for you.”

               “It’s not something anyone can control,” Catalina said. “Whether I fall in love with a man or a woman, I’ve always hoped you could be happy for me no matter what.”

               “I am happy for you,”  Lucía said, reaching over to take Catalina’s hand. “You’re following your dream and you seem so happy with your life right now. I think I need to get used to the idea of my daughter being bisexual, there’s just so many bad connotations that come with that community. At least from when I was growing up.”

               “Things are different now,” Catalina said.

               “I know, I know,”  Lucía said. “I think I just need to get used to this. At the end of the day, I just want you to be safe and happy. I think a man would be able to provide for you better later in life.”

               “You of all people should know that’s not true,” Catalina said. “You raised me alone, and we were always pretty well off.”

                Lucía raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “You got me there.”

               Catalina giggled and squeezed her mom’s hand.

               “I love you, cariña,”  Lucía said. “Just remember that.”

               “I love you too, mom,” said Catalina.

               Jungkook came back and Catalina took his hand as soon as he sat down.

               “I’m sorry if what I said earlier was offensive,”  Lucía said to him.

               “It’s okay,” Jungkook said, flashing a smile.

               “I’m trying, it was just so different when I was young,” she said.

               “It’s really okay,” Jungkook said with a chuckle. “This sounds exactly like the conversation I had with my own mom when I was sixteen.”

                Lucía laughed and the conversation turned to the topic of Jungkook’s family. Dinner went on peacefully. Catalina was glad she got this conversation off her chest. She had been struggling with that topic ever since she came out in high school. It really sounded like her mother was trying to understand, and Catalina couldn’t be more grateful.

               The next day was Christmas Eve. Catalina and Jungkook took a day trip to Frankenmuth, which, as soon as they arrived, they realized was a bad idea. Frankenmuth was packed with people, but the pair still managed to have a good time. They ate dinner at the Bavarian Inn and took a carriage ride around the town. They walked the underground mall and the outdoor shops, but only bought gifts for Lucía, since everything was terribly overpriced. They didn’t even shop for each other, since they both confessed they had already bought each other Christmas gifts a long time ago. Snow covered the ground and everything was wrapped in Christmas lights in the little town. Just walking through the beautiful scenery hand in hand with Jungkook was wonderful. 

               They returned home late that evening, wrapping their gifts in Catalina’s room and going to bed afterwards.

               Christmas morning was pleasant;  Lucía cooked them a big breakfast, then they opened gifts in the living room. Catalina had two gifts from her mom. The first one was a Visa gift card and a heartfelt letter. The second gift was a quilt. Each patch depicted a different cat from t-shirts, towels and linens.

               “You’re grandmother started making this before she passed away,”  Lucía said. “You remember her nickname for you?”

               “Gatita,” Catalina said, tears prickling her eyes.

               “I found it just recently and I decided to finish it for you,”  Lucía said. “Just something to remember her by, something your children can use.”

               Catalina felt a tear run down her cheek. She wiped it away and got up to hug her mom.

               “This is wonderful,” said Catalina. “I love it so much.”

               “I’m glad you like it, cariña,” her mom said, hugging her back tight. “I know I don’t have a lot for you, like when you were a kid, but I didn’t want you to have to lug a bunch of stuff back to California with you.”

               “No mom, it’s perfect,” she said. “This is perfect.”

                Lucía then opened Catalina’s gift, which was a silver bracelet from Frankenmuth. Jungkook had gotten her a handmade scarf and hat set, and she had given him another Visa gift card.

               At some point during the day, Catalina made sure to find time for herself and Jungkook. Lucía went to pick up groceries in the afternoon, which was when Catalina took the opportunity to give Jungkook his gift.

               They were pressed together on the couch, both holding a little gift bag in their hands.

               “You first,” Jungkook said, handing her his bag. She took it and opened it, finding a little box in the bottom. Her heart beat fast as she opened it, revealing a ring with the moon in a glass bubble. She gasped and handed his gift over frantically.

               “Open this right now!” she said, pulling the ring out and putting on her middle finger. He did, his eyes getting wide as he opened the slightly bigger box.

               “No way,” he said, looking up at her.

               “How the hell did this happen?” Catalina asked, holding in giddy laughter. Jungkook pulled the necklace out of the box and put it on. The charm on the chain held the moon in a little glass bubble. The same moon as the one in her ring.

               “We bought each other the same thing,” he said, laughing.

               It was the waxing half-moon from the night they shared their first kiss in the vampire den.

               When Lucía came back home, they immediately showed her their unplanned gifts for each other. She laughed for about ten minutes. She then recruited them to help cook dinner, which was an exciting ordeal. Catalina was happy to learn how to cook all of her favorite dishes.

               The three of them ended up having a beautiful dinner together, bright with laughter and conversation.

               The next few days passed in a blur. They went out, cooked together, played games, and watched movies. Before they knew it, the week was over and it was time for Catalina and Jungkook to travel again for the next leg of their trip. Catalina was reluctant to leave her mom, but she was absolutely filled with anticipation for her stay in the cabin.

[dustbound]

Warm - A NatsuYuu Fanfic

This is for @temporalreplicsimile for @natsume-ss I hope you enjoy! It can also be found on Ao3.

Summary: Natsume is used to being frugal, so he doesn't say anything when his old hand-me-down gloves from a previous foster start to fall apart. Good thing the loving Fujiwara couple notice (with some help) and give him an early Christmas gift. 

There’s a crispness in the air when Natsume breathes in that jolts his body awake, makes him shudder under layers of a scarf, his winter uniform, and a coat. He taps each of his feet on the ground a couple of times to stymie the cold seeping in from his pant legs. Maybe he should buy thermals? But no, they’d get uncomfortable indoors. Better to just get moving.

As he walks, sometimes a brisk line of air will rifle through his hair and the barren twigs of brush and trees. The skin on his hands tightens and over time, his fingers feel stiff, and then numb. Natsume pauses by the roadside and digs into his schoolbag for a moment to pull out some familiar friends. The gloves haven’t changed much since he was thirteen. They’re still a bright red, although the yarn is fuzzier now. The color isn’t really to Natsume’s tastes but still. To him, they’re quite warm, even though many of the fingers have worn thin or gotten holes. At least the palms are padded, they’ve helped keep the gloves in decent shape.

“Yaaa, it’s extra cold today!” a voice drawls from the top of a nearby wall and seems to follow him. “Couldn’t it have waited just a little while longer? I would’ve slept inside if I’d known it would be this cold.”

Natsume snorts and holds back a grin. “That’s what you get for drinking late into the night. Some bodyguard!” he banters.

“Bodyguard, not babysitter! I left wards,” Nyanko-sensei grouses and finally addresses him directly. “What are those red Kemari-looking things on your hands?”

“Gloves.”

“Hmm.” The calico doesn’t say anything further but there’s a gleam to his eyes that goes unnoticed. “Don’t get into trouble!” With that he hops off the corner and disappears into the underbrush.

It’s a relatively normal school day. Most students chatter about Christmas and New Year’s, and Natsume gives his input now and again. He’s become less reserved. It’s nice, to talk about idle things sometimes. Christmas is something he’s sometimes celebrated, and sometimes not, so he’s not bored hearing about others’ plans or traditions. In the back of his mind, Natsume wonders how the Fujiwara couple will celebrate, but he shakes that thought loose. He’s learned not to expect anything and besides, they’ve given him so much already. If they decide they want to do something, he’ll give it his all, but even if it’s just the normal family dinner with them talking and smiling together… That would be great, too.

The day passes without event, and Natsume manages to not get in trouble just as Nyanko-sensei warned him. He even makes plans with Tanuma and Taki for winter break. When he walks back home, his steps are a bit lighter and he doesn’t mind the bite of the wind through his gloves as much. He greets Touko as he comes in from the cold, slips off his shoes, and goes upstairs to finish that day’s homework.

In the early evening, Touko knocks on the wood by Natsume’s door. “Takashi? Shigeru-san is home early, would you like to have some snacks with us?”

A smile lights up Natsume’s face as he opens the door. “Yes!”

They all sit in the living room where it’s warm under the kotatsu, the tv at a pleasant murmur. There’s some kind of showcasing program playing where the host gives awed commentary at the spectacle of lights in the nearby city’s downtown area. Shigeru warms his hands on his teacup and muses about seeing the lights in person, while Natsume and Touko simply marvel at the Christmas display.

At some point Nyanko-sensei prances in and flops over between the Fujiwara couple, biting and kicking what’s probably one of his toys in true cat fashion. “What’s that you’ve got Nyangoro?” Shigeru teases the cat, reaching for the toy. Surprisingly, the calico resists very little before letting go. “Wait, a glove?”

Natsume glances over and then slaps the table. “Ah! That’s mine!” He glares at the cat, who looks very pleased with himself and darts off before Natsume can catch him. “Sensei,” Natsume hisses but the cat is already gone.

Touko gently takes the glove from Shigeru and turns it over in hands. “Oh my, Takashi… Do you still use this? Would you like new ones?”

The teenager flushes a bit with embarrassment and searches for the right words to say. “No, it’s okay…” he starts but he can see Shigeru folding his arms. Right. They’ve had this talk. This is his home, and this is his family, and holding back is a no. Natsume struggles through the embarrassment, and bittersweet memories of the past. “The thing is, it’s one of the few gifts- Ah, no, that is… One of the people who fostered me and their son gave me his hand-me-down pair. Even though they were struggling, they were kind to me. So even though it’s not much I’ve wanted to keep them…”

Does it seem strange to want to keep those frayed and worn gloves? At least Touko doesn’t seem to mind as she pats his shoulder. “Thank you for telling us,” she says and Natsume feels a little tension in his mind release. Over his shoulder, Touko catches eyes with Shigeru and they trade determined looks.

The school week continues to fly by. Later next week will be the start of Christmas and the winter break, and Natsume is pleasantly surprised to find himself excited. There’s plenty to look forward to. He reminds himself to check on the Dog’s Circle sometime before New Year’s as they tend to get rowdy when there’s a good excuse to drink. The weekend is brimming with anticipation and he wonders how he’ll get through what remains of the school days.

He finds himself spending a lot of time with Shigeru. It’s quiet, and comfortable, and sometimes they’re all together for meals or to have a little break, but mostly something’s missing. Or rather, someone. Finally, Natsume asks, “Where is Touko-san?”

“Mm, she’s busy,” Shigeru tells him and flips on the television. “Have you seen this new program?”

And this keeps happening. It’s not subtle. And now it’s Sunday, Natsume still has school tomorrow, and he feels worried. Is Touko okay? Is this a yokai problem? Surely not, or Sensei would have said something but he’s just been lazing around enjoying not being outside when it snows.

He goes to find his foster parent and stops him in front of the Fujiwara couple’s room. “Shigeru-san,” Natsume says when he finds the man.

“Yes?” Shigeru doesn’t open the door.

“Touko-san’s not sick, is she?”

Shigeru is taken aback and he looks at Natsume. The teenager’s face is creased with worry, and he’s obviously been fighting between wanting to respect the Fujiwaras’ privacy and his sincere concern. The man’s eyes soften and he ruffles Natsume’s hair. Maybe a surprise hadn’t been the best way to go about this, but keeping him distracted was the only part Shigeru could play.

However, before Shigeru can say anything, the bedroom door opens with gusto and Touko is excitedly saying, “It’s finished!” Followed by, “Oh!” And followed by her quickly putting the object in her hands behind her back.

“Touko-san’s fine,” Shigeru finishes and Natsume can’t stop the laughter that wells up. “Touko-san, is now a good time?”

“Mm,” the gentle woman confirms with a soft smile. “Takashi, we want you to have this. It’s a little early for Christmas but… Well, you’ll see.” She places a small gift bag in Natsume’s hands and she and Shigeru are all smiles as they watch him light up.

He doesn’t tell them they shouldn’t have or that they didn’t have to feel obligated or anything like that. Natsume says, “Thank you,” and then he opens the bag and takes out his gift. Inside are two gloves that look familiar and yet not. The hand parts of the gloves are a fuzzy bright red yarn with padding inside and new leather patches on the palms where the knitting was more worn. The glove fingers have been cut off and the ends carefully repaired so they would not fray, turning them into fingerless gloves. Instead, there was a curved block of knitting snapped to the knuckle area, and Natsume finds when he unsnaps it and pulls it over what remains of the fingers, it turns the gloves into mittens.

There is a combination of old and new, of one of Natsume’s better past memories and the warm memories he is still making.

“Thank you,” he says again, and if his voice is more wobbly no one mentions it. The Fujiwara couple wrap him up in their arms and their warmth and he reciprocates it with his own.

[thegoodgayshit]

Luz’s mother really doesn’t want to send Luz to camp. She knows once she leaves, there is no going back. But Luz has a knack for getting into trouble, and one day she stumbles into the same type of people her mother would have preferred she avoided. After helping Luz dissolve her high school bully into dust, Eda and Lilith know right away that this kid is just like them - a child of the gods. So Luz hops on a Pegasus and heads to Camp Half-blood, where she embarks on a dangerous quest that makes her both friends and enemies... and she might even save Olympus along the way.

Chapter Fifteen: Gus’s Mom Reminds us to Eat our Vegetables

That night, the four of them actually got sleep. Luz had another dream where she was back in the mountain, but once again the woman in the cage just regarded her with big eyes, encouraging her to have hope. When she was woken up by Gus for her turn at guard duty, she had the last shift before dawn and sat outside the tent watching the sun rise with a fairly optimistic outlook on the day to come.

She’d changed into her only set of fresh clothes but kept her hoodie and shorts over her leggings and white shirt, and she was feeling like today would be a fresh start. After all, if Hestia could be trapped in that cage for weeks, looking as terrible as she did and still remind Luz to have hope, then she would have to make sure she still had hope.

Around her neck, she shifted the dog whistle Eda had given her. They’d been in plenty of dangerous situations so far, but Luz was still very hesitant to blow the whistle. She didn’t want to use it unless she absolutely had to, and even if she did, she wasn’t sure it would even work. Luz had relied on a lot of chance so far on their quest, but this one seemed like too big of a stretch to rely on.

Eda had never let her down, but this strange bronze dog whistle might. Luz didn’t know what to think.

Amity woke up first, meeting her outside in the morning and sitting next to her on the grass outside the tent, splitting one of the last wraps silently with her. Luz took the half thankfully, and the two watched the rest of the sunrise together, Amity occasionally sipping little bits of nectar. There was one point where her skin was starting to look feverish, and Luz got nervous and pushed the canteen away from her.

“Maybe that’s enough for a little bit,” she said quickly, and Amity giggled, nodding her head.  

“That’s probably a good idea. There isn’t a lot of it left anyway.” She packed the canteen away and put it at her side, tucking her knees against her chest as she nibbled at the wrap.

“How are you feeling?” Luz asked, but she already knew the answer. She looked so much better. Amity’s skin had returned to a soft cream color instead of the sickly pale it had been yesterday. She’d lost the slight summer tan she’d had at camp, but Luz was certain she’d get it back after a bit of travel. The bruises had almost completely faded from her body, and she seemed to be back to most of her previous strength. Luz was happy to see her so energized.

“Good, much better than I was yesterday, I should find a change of clothes though.” Amity picked at the shirt she’d been wearing, which was definitely worse for wear. There was a slash mark right across the stomach. It was definitely going to make them look suspicious. When Amity lifted her arms, Luz could see her bellybutton through the tear. “I lost my backpack in the mountain, so I don’t have any of my stuff. I haven’t showered in so long, I’m starting to smell like a satyr.”

Luz laughed, almost choking on her wrap. “I think that can be arranged. We can stop before we get on the bus to Colorado and you can pick up some stuff.”

Amity’s smile wavered a little bit. Luz noticed it always did that when she mentioned Colorado. She was going to ask about it, but before she could Willow and Gus walked out of the tent, Willow looking ready to go with her backpack slung over her shoulder, and Gus yawning, blinking sleep out of his eyes.

“Good morning you two,” Willow said with a smile. “Are we ready to keep moving?”

Amity and Luz nodded, both of them getting to their feet. They offered to help break camp, but it didn’t involve much work. After pulling a string on the side of the tent, it popped back into the canister Gus had opened it with. Luz was seriously impressed.

“And you mocked me for being over-prepared,” Gus said with a teasing grin, and Luz laughed.

“Consider this my official apology.”

Gus produced a water bottle from his bag, and his toothbrush and toothpaste. Luz and Willow did the same, leaving Amity staring there wistfully. Willow smiled at her and reached into her bag, handing her an unopened toothbrush still in the packaging.

“I figured there was a chance you lost yours, so I packed on just in case,” she said shyly, and Amity offered her a grateful look.

“Thank you so much. This is more than I deserve.”

“You’re a part of the team now!” Willow just said with a smile. “If you need anything, just ask.”

After they brushed their teeth and did their best to “get ready” for their day on the go, Willow waved her sword and the thorn barrier fell. They walked out of the forest and back towards the main road.

“I don’t usually encourage this, but we don’t really have a choice,” Gus said slowly. “Luz, you should use your phone to call us a cab. It would be a couple of hours to walk back to downtown.”

Luz nodded, figuring if Gus gave her permission that was as good as she was going to get. When she turned on the phone, nervous notifications of messages from her Mami popped up, and she did her best to ignore those and call the cab company first. When she was assured a cab would be on the way, she ignored Willow’s disapproving look and went to her messages to look at her Mami’s texts.

“I can’t just ignore her,” she said quietly, and Willow sighed but turned her head away, giving her the go-ahead.

Luz looked down, reading the three messages carefully, each sent two days ago about twenty minutes apart.  

Ok, mija. Have fun on your field trip. Stay out of trouble, and if you ever need anything just give me a call.

Wait, I thought you weren’t supposed to have your phone at camp?

Some things never change with you. Te quiero mucho, carino xoxo.

Luz knew she shouldn’t risk it, but she typed back a quick response anyway.

Te quiero mucho, Mami <3

She turned off her phone and tucked it back into her backpack. When the cab did eventually roll up and the four of them piled in, Luz went to sit in the front. The cabbie was an older man who looked at the four of them and turned to Luz with a raised brow.

“You kids have money for the cab, right?”

Luz did her best not to get irritated with the cabbie for being so rude, especially since he was looking at Amity and her dirty clothes with unmasked suspicion. Luz thought that was pretty brave, especially since she had an actual sword on her belt. She remembered what Eda had said about the thing that stopped mortals from seeing their world. She wondered if the sword just looked like a weird belt. She doubted it helped them in this case. She was really missing the magic of Antheia’s flower crowns.

“We have money,” Luz said. “What’s the fair to downtown?”

“From here, probably forty.”

Luz felt like that number was high, and judging by the look on Gus’ face it was more than they could afford, but they didn’t have much of a choice. Nodding, Luz got in the passenger seat, and her friends got in the back.

While they drove, Luz noticed the odometer on the front of the cab. Her eyebrows raised. Like the map, the price on the reader was not what Luz’s gaze had fixated on. Above it, there was a floating yellow number, with a price a lot cheaper than the odometer. Luz grinned. She was starting to love the perks that came with being a Hermes kid.

Sure enough, when they pulled inside the city near the bus terminal, and Luz told the cab driver to pull over, he told Luz the price was going to be forty-three fifty. The number Luz saw said thirty-two sixty. When Luz told him this, that same mist appeared over his eyes, and he accepted their money without hesitation. The four of them got out, and as he drove away Amity blinked at Luz in awe.

“How did you do that?”

Luz shrugged, “the odometer said thirty-two sixty was the real price.”

Amity’s mouth opened to protest, and Gus nudged her with her shoulder. “Her dad’s the god of merchants and travelers, remember?”

Amity made a noise of understanding. “Right.”

Luz’s eyes however had shifted from her friends to the map station outside the bus terminal. When she opened it and saw her custom display of information, she gawked.

“Oh no! The bus leaves in twenty minutes. If we miss it, we won’t catch the next one until tomorrow.”

That urged her friends to move. They raced inside the station, and Luz pushed through the crowd to one of the open terminals. There was a lady waiting there who smiled as she approached.

“Hello, how can I help you?”

Being a child of Hermes was really benefiting Luz on this quest. Not only was she able to get a decently priced ticket for Amity to Denver, but she had also been informed that their three other tickets would suffice on this bus as well since they hadn’t been able to make the full trip to Denver. Luz had a feeling when she stamped their other tickets with approval she had been making a big exception, likely due to a little magic, and a little bit of Luz’s friendly smile.

They boarded the greyhound right on time. Making their way to the back, Luz sat between Willow and Amity, with Gus on Willow’s left.

“Well, that’s basically all the money we have left,” Willow said with a grimace, gesturing to their now significantly emptier change pockets. “We have about twelve dollars in change between us.”

“That’s not going to do much when we get to Denver, and we still have about a seven-hour bus ride ahead of us,” Amity added with a frown. “We’re going to need to find some more money. We don’t want to have to walk the whole way up the mountain. We’re be swarmed and surrounded in no time.”

“What do you mean swarmed?” Luz asked, turning to look the half-blood in the eyes. A light blush fell over her cheeks at the eye contact, and Amity’s gold eyes looked away nervously.

“Its… it’s just dangerous for half-bloods.” Amity stuttered, and Luz frowned, not understanding why Amity was acting so strange all of a sudden. Did she have something on her face? Luz wiped her face with her sleeve anxiously.

“It’s a translated Greek landmark,” Gus explained helpfully, and Luz turned her head to look at her friend instead. Gus was fidgeting with something in his backpack, and he pulled out a sheet of parchment that Luz peered over to look at.

It was a hand-drawn map, but unlike most of the maps, Luz had seen recently, there was nothing usual about this one. It showed North America, but where a lot of big landmarks were there were also hand-drawn additions. Luz’s ADHD brain went bonkers trying to take it all in at once, and while there were countless drawings, she only had time to look at a few. The first one Luz noticed was the Empire State Building, which had an addition to show Mount Olympus. Camp Half-blood had been outlined on Long Island Sound, but Luz also noticed another camp on the other side of the country near San Francisco labeled “Camp Jupiter” with the Roman SPQR above it. Not far from that, near Los Angeles, was an addition labeled “Entrance to the Underworld”. There was a castle in Quebec labeled “Boreas’ Palace”, and where the Bermuda triangle was had been labeled the “Sea of Monsters”.

Gus however, directed her to Colorado, where he pointed towards modern-day Mount Elbert. It had been relabeled “Mount Pelion” with a drawing of a group of Centaurs. Luz recognized them easily enough by the half-man, half-horse biology.

“This is why it’s dangerous,” Gus said grimly. Luz frowned, not understanding.

“I thought centaurs were friendly, didn’t that group of them come to Camp Half-Blood right before I arrived?”

“Most centaurs are friendly,” Willow assured her, but her eyes were also trained on the map. “But the ones who live in Mount Pelion are known to be dangerous.”

“In Greek times, Mount Pelion was a place where many famous demigods came to train,” Gus said, running his finger over the map. “Achilles and Jason were two really good examples. When the fire of Olympus moved to different empires, Mount Pelion kept its role as being a safe haven for new demigods to train. It always spouts out some of the best demigods of the era, like Nero, Ferdinand the Seventh, Lord Byron, and Lafayette who all trained under Chiron like Achilles and Jason. When North America became the new flame of Olympus, Mount Pelion moved, just like it did every time before then. But Chiron didn’t return to Mount Pelion. He left and founded Camp Half-Blood.”

Luz’s brain was hurting from processing everything Gus said. She was still trying to wrap her head around the idea of Lord Byron being a demigod. She was pretty sure her English teacher would heavily disagree with the idea of him being any kind of hero.

“Why did Chiron leave?” Luz asked, and Amity finally spoke up from next to Luz, the blush now faded from her cheeks. But Luz noticed that even though she was talking to her, she kept her eyes trained on her camp necklace, fiddling with the beads.

“Nobody knows. But he warned heroes against going to Mount Pelion. Before I left on my quest, Lilith told me to be careful. The Centaurs that live there are smart and ancient in their own way. It’s not that they don’t like heroes, but legend has it they can detect when a hero is lying, or misguiding their intentions. If they think you are doing that, they will tear you limb from limb.”

Luz gawked, dropping her mouth open. She suddenly was feeling a lot less confident. She wasn’t trying to deceive a Centaur, but she didn’t have the best track record with ancient heroes, and she worried a Centaur might notice that.

“How did you, Boscha, and Skara avoid them?” Luz asked with a frown, and Amity winced like she’d been hoping Luz wouldn’t ask that. She didn’t respond, and Luz was going to let it go before she sighed.

“I visited my parents in Cherry Hills Village. My father gave me a map to an alternate route up Mount Pelion that would be away from the Centaurs. He did warn me that I’d find monsters on the way, but we decided we’d rather take on a couple of hellhounds than a pack of Centaurs.”

“I don’t suppose you still have that map?” Willow tried, and Amity sighed, shaking her head.

“Achilles took my backpack. I don’t have it anymore.”

“I don’t suppose your dad would have extra copies of the map?” Gus asked, and Amity hesitated, biting the inside of her cheek.

“He might.” Luz could tell from the look on her face though that she didn’t really want to go back to see her parents. After what Luz had heard about them, she didn’t blame her.

“Ok, then it’s an option. Options are good.” Luz said carefully, trying not to rock the boat. Her three friends nodded in agreement, and the four of them settled into a comfortable silence.

Luz found herself staring out the window as they passed through the American south. She realized this was the first time she’d ever been out of state. Her Mami had always wanted to take her to Disney Land when she was little, but because of all the weird things that’d happened to Luz, and her Mami’s busy work schedule, they’d never gotten the chance. Maybe now that she knew how to defend herself, they could go sometime when Luz saw her again.

Before she’d even realized what had happened, she’d dozed off around midmorning, tired from having the latest guard duty. Unfortunately for her, her dreams this time were not as pleasant as they had been from the previous night.

Luz was standing in the mountain, in front of Hestia’s cage. She was kneeling, and dark smoke was curling around her feet, blocking her from being able to look at Hestia. Before she could process what was happening, she had cold sharp metal pointed against her back. Luz couldn’t help but gasp, and cold hands wrapped around her shoulder, steadying her.

“I see you’ve been watching me, little hero. If you have no problem eavesdropping, then perhaps I should give you a glimpse into what you are about to experience.”

Chills ran up Luz’s spine at the cold voice of the mountain man, and when she looked at the hand grasping her shoulder, she realized it was completely gloved in the dark fabric. She couldn’t see any exposed skin.

The man jerked Luz to her feet, and she bit her tongue to stop herself from crying out in fear. She didn’t want to look weak, but the mountain man seemed to pick it up because he laughed. There was nothing warm about the gesture. It was cold, just as cold and dead as his voice.

Hestia’s eyes flashed in the darkness, letting Luz know she was there, but the man didn’t let her look much longer. He turned her away from the cage and towards the back wall, and Luz couldn’t stop the gasp that left her mouth.

Against the wall was what Luz could only recognize as a massive portal. It was made of dark obsidian gemstone shards and chunks of mix-matched metals and bricks stacked against it. Next to it was a table, with a bronze goblet sitting on top of it. On the top of the portal’s edges, there was a hearth glowing with red fire. Luz’s eyes widened. Hestia’s fire. Inside the portal, what Luz saw made her want to shrink away and hide forever.

It was a dark and barren landscape, with a black river flowing in the distance. There was a line of ashen and despondent people – no, spirits – floating by, but they acted like the portal didn’t exist at all. Luz felt the ground shake beneath her feet when she heard a ferocious growl, and the shadow of a three-headed dog bigger than some of the apartments in Manhattan glowered in the distance.

The Underworld.

“Not an encouraging sight, I know.” The man said silkily into Luz’s ear. Luz shivered, she hated when he did that. “I myself was subjected to this torment for far too long. It took long, hard, work, but I freed myself, and I will free others who are so much like you. Heroes, cheated of their lives and forced to suffer in the dark. Why would you try and stop something so good? Something that will cleanse this world and stop cheating out demigods of their chance to truly live?”

Luz couldn’t tear her eyes away. Fear and panic were racing up inside her quicker than she could control. The man seemed to sense this again because he hummed removing the point from Luz’s back. Finally tearing her eyes away, Luz spun sideways away from the portal and the man, looking at him in the face for the first time.

His face was completely covered by a gold mask with horns protruding the top of it. He had the white cloak on she’d seen in her last dream, and his eyes glowed an eerie and unnatural blue. In his right hand, he had a pure celestial bronze staff, sharpened at the end. Luz was once again paralyzed, too terrified to move or speak.

“I’ve seen this prophecy, Luz Noceda,” he said, his voice somehow right in her ear like she hadn’t gotten away from him. “One of your friends will die in this mountain, and you will be unable to stop me. Which one will it be? The daughter of Demeter? The son of Athena? Or… will it be the daughter of the love goddess who thought herself worthy enough to stop me on her own?”

Luz finally found her voice at the mention of her friends, and she snarled, stepping forward. But she might as well have tried to walk with cement up to her knees. Something was holding her back, keeping her in place.

“Leave my friends out of this,” she said, glaring daggers into his eyes. “We will stop you and free Hestia, and none of them are going to die while we do it.”

The man chuckled, turning her back away from Luz to look into the portal. “You better hurry then. You’ve already met Theseus and Orpheus, and the other girl knows from experience how strong and mighty Achilles is. Do you think you could take on hundreds of demigods who are also going to rise from the grave? Hestia can only hold on for so long, daughter of Hermes. You better hurry.”

Luz was snapped out of her nightmare by someone shaking her arm. When she woke up, she saw Amity leaning over her, her gold eyes wide in concern.

“Luz! Are you alright? You were moving around in your sleep.”

“That’s an understatement,” Gus said from next to her, clearly happy he hadn’t been the one to wake Luz up after their head collision the last time he’d tried. “You were yelling. We were getting some looks from the other passengers. But we’re here, so you better get up.”

“We’re here?” Luz shot up, almost colliding her foreheads with Amity’s. The daughter of Aphrodite yelped like Luz had shocked her again, recoiling with such a fierce blush it ran all the way to the tips of her ears. “How are we here? There’s no way I slept that long.”

“You looked tired, so we just let you sleep,” Willow said from next to her, already collecting her things. “We have to move though, Gus said he thinks he knows where we can restock on supplies.”

Luz blinked. “You do?”

A grin split across Gus’ face and he nodded. “I do! Follow me.”

They walked off the bus and Luz came face to face with downtown Denver. As Gus lead them down the busy streets, Luz realized it was now Monday morning and three days since they’d left camp. Foot traffic was pretty heavy, which meant nobody spared them any glances, except maybe Amity, who’s face flushed in embarrassment whenever somebody looked at her clothes. Luz felt guilty remembering she’d said they would find her new clothes in Kansas City and that they just hadn’t had the time.

Gus cut left and right down streets, and if Luz wasn’t paying attention she would have lost him for sure. Eventually, they passed down a busy mall looking area and Luz caught sight of a street sign that read “16th Street Mall”. There were no cars on this street, so Gus speed-walked down the middle of the walkway, and Luz was quickly starting to lose patience.

“Gus, where are we even going?”

“It’s around here somewhere, trust me!” Gus said certainly before his eyes widened in delight. “Here it is!”

They dipped right along the side of one of the building corners of a department store Luz hadn’t had time to read the name of when Gus stopped right in his tracks and Luz had to jerk to a halt not to hit them. Amity wasn’t fast enough, and she cried out in surprise and crashed into the back of Luz. Luz stumbled but managed to catch Amity’s hand and keep them both steady.

“Thanks,” Amity said, and when her eyes locked onto their connects hands she blushed again. Behind them, she thought she heard Willow made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like a mix between surprise and understanding. Luz turned with a raised brow, but Willow must have seen it coming because she just smiled simply at Luz, wiping any expression off of her face.

Deciding she must have imagined it, Luz let go of Amity’s hand and Amity immediately used it to clutch her arm. Gus hadn’t noticed anything at all and was busy examining a spray-painted graffiti on the wall with narrowed eyes.

Luz looked at it and blinked. It was an owl, that looked just like the one above the door to Cabin Six. The Mark of Athena.

“There’s no way that can be a coincidence,” Luz said aloud, and Gus shushed her, clearly trying to focus. Luz quieted, deciding to just watch him instead.

Eventually, Gus ran his hand over the beak of the owl, and it glowed up white. Stumbling back with a grin on his face, the brick began to shift until there was a door. Whooping in excitement, Gus pulled on the handle, and it swung inwards, leading them inside.

“One of the children of Athena’s many on-the-go workshops,” Gus said with an excited grin. “After you!”

Luz and her friends made their way inside, and when she saw the interior of the workshop she couldn’t help but gasp in delight. It had everything a demigod could ever need. There was a fridge, counter space, and a stove in the back of the room, and cabinets above it. There was a set of four bunk beds lining the back wall, and a linen closet behind it. There were three huge workshop desks, packed to the brim with notes, maps, charts, and a blackboard that still had written equations on the wall. There was a bookshelf literally lined with books, and upon further examination, Luz realized that it was filling itself as she and her friends walked in.

As a matter of fact, everything seemed to be adjusting as they walked in. Certain maps vanished, a microwave appeared on the counter (Luz was especially excited about that), and next to her Amity literally shriek in delight when a wardrobe appeared full of clothes. She ran right towards it, taking a fresh shirt off of a hanger.

“Gus, what is this place?” Luz exclaimed in glee, doing a full circle around the room. Even as Luz talked, the room seemed to be adjusting. The walls went from white to grey, with a light blue accent wall behind the bunks. A larger zoomed-in map of Colorado appeared pinned next to the blackboard over the formulas. Willow opened the door to the fridge and started shuffling through it, pulling out trays of food that looked so fresh it might as well have been picked off the vine right before she pulled it out.

Gus had made his way right over to the fridge as well, and Luz remembered neither he or Willow had eaten yet today. He grabbed a can of Spite and popped the tab, taking a swig before responding to Luz.

“Children of Athena have known about these for decades, they were originally workshops used by our mom but then she abandoned them and left the locations for some of her kids. One of my siblings told me that there was one rumored here ages ago. The room will give you whatever you need within reason, and we should be able to restock all our supplies here for our quest. If we need to plan, this is the place to do it. Monsters won’t be able to find us here either, it’s enchanted with Athena’s protection. But we won’t be able to stay long, it’s meant to be a rest spot, not a permanent residence.”

Luz’s eyes had locked on the blackboard, and she moved closer to take a look. One side was still stacked with chalk and equations, some notes, and other things Luz could barely read, let alone understand. But on the right side of the board were little signatures and notes left by other demigods to show they had been there. Some of them were funny, and Luz laughed while reading them.

“Spiders will not come into the workshop – this is fantastic news.”

“Malcolm, Julia, and Travis were here. Percy Jackson, unfortunately, was not.”

“The fridge will not speak to you like Siri, don’t try”

At the very bottom right corner were the initials P+A drawn in awful handwriting around a heart. An arrow pointed up to the line where Percy Jackson was mentioned, and in chalk, there was an arrow above the line which read “I am now” with a crudely drawn smiley face sticking out its tongue.

“Luz! Are you going to come to eat?”

Luz turned and saw her friends all sitting around a little table that definitely hadn’t been there before. There was a tray of foods on the table, and someone had even grabbed her a lime soda out of the fridge. Grinning, she joined them, sitting down and noticing something odd about all the foods.

“Uh, Gus. Why are half of these foods vegetables?”

It was impossible not to notice. While most of the food was arranged in a charcuterie kind of style, with various meats and cheeses and crackers, there was an enormous variety of vegetables and dip. Gus flushed.

“Look, she might be a goddess but she’s still my mom. Even godly mothers want their kids to be eating healthily.”

Around the table, everybody laughed, and that didn’t stop Luz from digging in. As she was eating, she eyed Amity from across the table and smiled.

“You finally got some new clothes!”

She was now dressed in a long black shirt with sleeves that came to about her forearms and magenta leggings. Her camp necklace sat right above the shirt, and the amethyst pendant was now clearly visible. Her mood had clearly gotten much better too because she was grinning at Luz, clearly happy.

“Yep! It feels great. And I just looked next to the wardrobe, there's a bathroom back there with a real shower!”

The reaction was instant. Luz and her friends all gasped in delight, and Gus slammed his fist down on the table.

“I call going after Amity!”

“Hey!” Luz squawked, turning to him with a playful glare. “I’m a quest leader, so I should go after Amity.”

“You’re not allowed to use that against me!” Gus complained, crossing his arms. “I’m younger, so I should go first.”

“We’ll all have plenty of time.” Willow reasoned though she was smiling at the pair of them bickering. “We’re going to need some time to collect ourselves and plan our next move.”

Luz’s smile faded, and she swallowed nervously. “Right, about that.”

She took a deep breath as her three friends turned to face her. While Willow and Gus were confused at the sudden tone change, Amity recognized the expression on Luz’s face right away because she paled.

“It’s about your dream, isn’t it?”

Luz nodded. “I saw the man in the mountain, Belos, and I know what his plan with Hestia is. He’s used her fire to create a portal to the Fields of Asphodel.”

[suicidalcatz]

DOG DAYS ARE OVER : CHAP 13

Pairing : Jake Kiszka x reader

Genre : College AU

Previous parts : Prologue, Chap 1, Chap 2, Chap 3, Chap 4, Chap 5, Chap 6, Chap 7, Chap 8, Chap 9, Chap 10, Chap 11, Chap 12

Masterlist : here

AN : The bitch is back, it’s me, I’m the bitch. How are you ? Good I hope! In this chapter, you go back to school, reunite with the boys, and Josh has plans for the lot of you. I’m having troubles writing these days, so forgive me if I’m a bit late starting next week, I’ll do my best. I have plenty of ideas, I just feel like I’m writing like a 8 yo these days, you know ? So we’ll see. Thanks for your support, feel free to message me anytime or send me anon stuff !

Chapitre 13 : What happened ?

Christmas Holiday wasn't that soothing. Teachers didn't care about it, and gave us a substantial amount of homework. Snow refused to fall, letting the outside air dry and the days getting darker and darker. All my friends were with their families anyway so there wasn't anything to do except staying warm at home, stuffing my stomach with food and listening to the everlasting rerun of Home Alone while painting quietly next to the heater. Despite the weather it was comforting. The whole place smelled like food, and each and every houses in the street shined in the night with vibrant lights. The boys had both texted me with greetings and pictures of their colorful tree, letting me take a peak at their home, like a peeping tom trying to get a glimpse in between the curtains. A member of their family must've taken the picture because the twins were posing next to the huge tree, wearing their traditional ugly sweaters as Josh had mentioned before. Jake was holding Josh on his shoulders, purposely looking silly with a big toothy grin on his face, while Josh was dangerously reaching out to put the golden star on top of the highest branch, looking like he was screaming when the picture had been taken.

It had been a week and I missed them already. And the thought of getting them presents was knocking more and more at the door of my mind. We didn't live in the same city at all afterall so we sure didn't have the same souvenirs... Lost in thought, I played with Jake's rings, idly making them turn around my fingers as they were too big for them. The boy had forgotten them at the top of Mandy and I's fridge after our paint fight. When I saw they were still where he had left them, the urge to take them with me to play with them at all times was too big for me to resist. Removing one from my index finger, I studied it, enjoying the way it rolled between my digits. Of course I'll give them back to him, but in the meantime maybe that'll help with the Christmas present...

Coming back to school after the holidays was always a challenge, but after New Year's Eve it was even worse. We all went back two or three days sooner in order to unpack, get re-accustomed to living in the dorms and finish our homework, for some of us who had more space to work here than at their home. Even with the only presence of the dorms' residents, campus looked like a scene from The Walking Dead, and the twins were no exception. They already seemed to enjoy booze a little too much for their own good on a regular basis, so I didn't even wanted to think about how they partied for New Year's Eve. Despite their excitment to see us again when we met in the morning, Josh still looked slightly drunk, and Jake had purple bags under his eyes like he didn't sleep in years. Everybody melted together in a tight group hug, Mandy by my side and a twin on each of my shoulders, exchanging « I missed you »s and « Happy New Year »s. They didn't let us any time to recover though, as Josh had the fantastic idea to organize a private Christmas party in his room. Jake blinked at him, looking like he didn't know about it in the slightlest until just now.

- I really missed ya, y'know ? So I thought we should arrange a party, just for us.

- Should we exchange gifts ?, asked Mandy.

- I already have some for you, shrugged Josh as if it was normal.

That info made Jake's eyebrows rise so much they nearly disappeared in his hairline, further proof that he was learning that at the same time as we were. Mandy, on the other hand, was now stressed out because she had no idea what to give them. Man they were already tiring me and school hasn't even started yet.

Jake accompanied us downtown to shop, trying to be discreet everytime something behind the showcase of a store piqued his interest, while Mandy directly asked him what he wanted and which gift Josh would like better. That's how I found myself between these two, not having found the good timing to tell them I already had gifts for the lot of them. At some point I had try to offer Josh my help with the decoration of the room but he heavily insisted that he handled the situation before dismissing me. The boy looked way too excited and it only meant two things ; either his family spiked their cookies or he had an idea in mind. I had a bad feeling about this.

- Mama, can you come here a sec ?

In the paved road, Jake stood in front of an illuminated jewelry store, beanie in head and hands buried in his jacket pockets, asking for me to come closer with a movement of his chin. We both glanced at Mandy who was nowhere to be seen, probably visiting a store and browsing everything that was on their shelves.

- What do you think ?, he said while keeping his eyes on a cute necklace.

It wasn't an expensive jewelry store, and it didn't look like the others either. Nothing in gold or with diamonds, instead they seemed to specialize in stones and cristals in all their forms. Following his gaze, I found resting on a rack a small purple pendant made of a stone I didn't recognize hanging on a silver chain.

- I think it's beautiful.

- Yeah ? Come, let's try it on you so I can have a better idea.

A rush of warmth surrounded us as soon as he pushed the door open, making the bell attached to it ring, announcing our entrance. Stones of every color from every country decorated the shelves, either mounted on jewelry or unembellished, resting on baskets and sorted by genre. Jake was quick to explain what he wanted once the seller came to us, letting me no time to play with agates and reading their properties. With great care, she took the collar out of its rack and waited for me to open my jacket, showing my bare neck for her to attach it around.

- It looks pretty, she said in a half-sincere, half-selling tone.

Two pairs of eyes were scrutinizing me as I stood unmoving with a uncomfortable smile on my face, not really knowing what to do. Did it gave him a better idea of what it'd look like on Mandy ? Or was I just standing there looking like a fool ? After several seconds of watching my bare neck, Jake finally nodded.

- Yeah, it'll look good on her. I'll take it. Can you go out to make sure she's not coming our way, doll ?

Obliging, I found my way on the street again, crossing it as I buttoned my coat, catching a glimpse of Mandy's silhouette in a clothing store, way more crowded than the shop I was just seconds ago. Waiting in line to checkout and giggling excitedly, she showed me the colorful knee socks she had found for Josh, as well as a bottle of aged honey whisky for Jake. I rolled my eyes at that. Weren't they drinking enough already ? However, she was spot on, I was sure the boys were gonna love their gifts. Queuing was always a pain, fortunately for us now that the holidays were over, people had fewer reasons to shop and sales had begun, which pushed Mandy to drag me to the nearest shop to buy a dress for our get together tonight. Unsold sparkly New Year's Eve dresses were all over the place, cheaper than ever, and what my roomie believed was a golden opportunity. And maybe she was right, I mean even between friends, it was still a party, and I enjoyed being dressed accordingly to where I was going, even if Josh didn't specified a dress code (thank goodness). The sun was already setting by the time we got out of the store with huge paper bags around our arms, only to find Jake at the other side of the road chatting with two girls. Mandy frowned at that.

- Since when does he have other friends than us ?

- MANDY !, I exclaimed while smacking her arm. Maybe they're from his class or something, I don't know. Should we join them ?

- Why wouldn't we ?

Without further ado, she crossed the paved avenue and in a heartbeat, was already making conversation with the girls while I dragged myself to the small group, not really wanting to meet them. One of them was all smiles and laughs and kept putting her hand on his arm which made me both pissed and uneasy. Part of me knew he was taken anyway so I didn't care, but apart from this limited portion of reason, every other fiber of my body got shaken by a sudden wave of jealousy at how close to him they were standing. My only need right now was to grab his arm and pull him away from those two. The most unreasonable and egotistic part of me even screamed that if I couldn't have him then no one could. This one represented only a mere percent, as I wasn't insane and knew it was all jealousy talking. The thing with Jake is that you could never know if he was interested or flirting back because of the Kiszka Gene. Even if he wasn't as flamboyant as his twin who acted like flirting was as vital to him as breathing, he still had that charming aura, with his smirk, low voice and light chuckles.

- Will you play again ?

- I don't know, replied Jake honestly, but we'd love to !

Noticing we were waiting for him, the brunette excused himself and we all grabbed a Uber to go home. So this was the reason why they were fawning over him. Maybe it was naive but it never occured to me before that this could have been the aftermath of their concert. Yet it made perfect sense, they were gifted, handsome young men, how could girls not hit on them ? Especially after that guitar solo. And while it made me nervous, I was also overcome with a sense of pride. They were becoming popular on school ground, will probably make a ton of friends now, Josh will find someone to love, that is if he wanted to, and it was just the beginning. More festivals were awaiting  them, and with their talent they could no doubt play in bars too. I knew they wouldn't replace us or forget about us, even if a tiny sentiment of dread kept creeping its way to my head making me think that, maybe, they'd find some more interesting people to hang out with.

Taking this very seriously, Josh denied any of us the entry to his room, texting Jake to hang out with Sam and Danny, and us to wait for his signal. Poor Jake couldn't come with us because we had to change and wrap our gifts, which we did rapidly in order to be ready when Josh called, but the man took so long we were half lying on the kitchen table for an hour when my phone rang and he shouted excitedly in my ear, making me lose 70% of my earing ability in the process.

Rummaging noises came from the other side of the door when we stood there waiting in front of it, Mandy sometimes knocking to make sure everything was alright before Josh replied screaming it was FINE.

- What the hell is he doing, I giggled, planting a Christmas tree ?

We burst out laughing imagining it before realization came to us and Mandy knocked some more,  this time both with urgence and anticipation asking him to open the door. They were both yelling through the it by the time Jake arrived, already chuckling at the sight, a colorful paperbag in hand.

- What's going on here ?

The instant he stepped into my field of view my eyes instantly followed every one of his movements, completely captivated by the sight. He looked stunning, less pale than this morning, with his hair brushed and neatly resting on his shoulders, wearing a black striped suit that matched the shape of his body, making him look taller, slimmer. Before Mandy could explain what was happening, Jake took in the sight of us, in party dresses, looking positively surprised. The boy turned to me, studying the details of my face and makeup, then the classic little black dress I had put on.

- You look very pretty.

He didn't say it out loud, and Mandy didn't notice because she was back to her shouting anyway, letting me startled and stupefied, mouth agape. The heat that came rushing to my face made me snap out of it and a shy « thank you » escaped from my lips, face looking the over way. As a new habit, my fingers rubbed together in order to make the rings turn around them, and it's how I realized I wasn't wearing them because I had to give them back to Jake. His brother took this opportunity to slam the door open, interrupting me at the same time. Big smile on his lips, he looked good in his dark slacks and navy blue shirt that for once was buttoned up. Always the charming one, Josh complimented us on our dresses and hair, looking at it carefully and asking us to come in first, taking us both by the hand. It looked... fantastic. Little « woah »s were murmured as we entered the unrecognizable room. Scented candles were spreading a sweet and spicey perfume in the air. The walls were decorated with shiny stars and socks full of candy canes. Light strings glowing dimly crossed the room, hanging from the ceiling. A big Christmas tree had found its place in a corner, near the desk now full of pastries and bottles of various rather posh alcohols like champagne and wine. Slow Christmas songs played faintly as background noise and the kitchen table had been moved to the bedroom, where Josh's presents were already waiting patiently under the tree to get unwrapped. I couldn't believe my eyes, nor that the boy would put so much effort into this party.

Mandy sniffed the air.

- Did you cook ?

- Yes I did, please have a seat.

The cheerful boy excused himself before disappearing into the kitchen, his movements being followed by distant rattling noises while we did as ordered. Noticing the petticoat of my dress getting caught in the edge of the chair, Jake pulled it for me, like a true gentleman.

- I swear I don't know what got into his head, he mumbled while unbutonning his suit jacket. He's been really gleeful all week end. I have no idea what's cooking and won't ever be in peace until I find out.

It made us three laugh but Jake had a point, I noticed that Josh was way too joyous all of a sudden and doubted it was solely from the pleasure of our reunion. The curly haired boy was so excited he almost tripped on the carpet while carrying the mashed potatoes bowl, and I could see Jake's stress level rise in the corner of my eye, from where he sat next to me completely still. Even though Josh had planned enough food to feed an entire regiment and always insisted to fill our plates, we had a pleasant dinner. It was no surprise the Kiszkas were chefs now, the meals were as good as in a restaurant, and the bottles Josh chose to accompany them matched perfectly, creating great combinations of flavors. We were just tipsy enough for our cheeks to color, giggling excitedly together, screaming and messing around, playfully teasing or mocking each other. Despite the good natured atmosphere, I could sense that Jake was forcing it just a tad too much. His toothy grins fell quickly every time he thought no one was watching, and when he took a sip of his glass of wine the dark bags under his eyes made me worry a bit. His face was still very pale and when he wasn't beaming it looked like something entirely else was on his mind, and not something positive judging by the number of times he got lost in thought during a conversation.

By the time Josh brought the cake to our table we were half dead, stuffed to the gills, all groaning in chorus, pain settling in our stomachs just by imagining having to make more room in there.

- Can you guys give me a hand to clean this mess ?, asked the older twin.

- Yeah of course !, Jake and I replied at the same time.

- Can you wash the dishes while Mandy and I clean and push back the table ?

Without further ado, we took the remaining dessert plates to the kitchen, letting water fill the sink while Jake removed his striped jacket, rolling up his sleeves to his elbows before taking place next to me and grabbing the sponge. And while at first we were playing with water and splashing each other with it in a childish manner, the room became rapidly quiet. It's when I witnessed Jake rubbing the same dish for several seconds, completely disconnected from reality, that I stepped in.

- Tell me.

Seemingly remembering where he was but not completely knowing what he missed, the brunette sent me a lost look.

- « I can see there's something bothering you », I mimicked with an overly rough voice, remembering the time he said the same thing to me few weeks ago.

- It's nothing.

Now that made me frown. Even someone who didn't know him could tell by his somber attitude that something was up. Carefully placing another glass on the shelf, I wiped my hands and turned to him.

- Did something happen during Christmas Holiday ? You barely talked about it. Oh, or are you too shy to tell me how your date with Mina went ?

Even if it pained me to evoke this topic with him, talking about something that he loved was my best shot at making him cheer up. However, my jiggly eyebrows and mischevious elbowing were a total failure.

- It's over.

Refusing to look me in the eye, Jake cleared his throat, casually grabbing another fork as if it didn't matter at all and we were just discussing the weather. That made me froze.

- What ?, was all I could muster, voice now low, barely audible.

The boy sighed, probably recalling the memories, speaking with an artificial tone as if he already told this story too many times.

- We went to the restaurant and she told me we needed to talk. That she couldn't be with me anymore. That she felt we were growing apart from each other. That every time I was with her, I wasn't really there, and that we had less and less things in common. Basically that I'm a shitty boyfriend that doesn't have any time for her, and she left before even ordering anything.

His hands tightened around the hem of the sink, and I was now the one being uncomfortable, shifting uneasily and scratching the back of my arm. Of all the things he could've told me, I wasn't prepared for that. Jake looked crestfallen, and I didn't know what to do or say to make him feel better. Carefully, I placed a supportive hand on his back, rubbing small circles on the fabric of his shirt, trying to meet his eyes as he kept his head subbornly fixed on the sink before him.

- Hey, I said in the softest tone I possessed. Maybe it's not the end, you know ? Maybe it was just in the spur of the moment and she'll change her mind.

What was I even doing ? Shouldn't I be happy about it ? A lot of people would've been but... I was at this point where seeing him smile, whatever it took, was far more important to me than my personal interests. Jake didn't tense nor tried to get away from me, which was a good sign. The boy simply shook his head, lips a tight line, before our eyes finally met.

- No, she's right. It was over way before that. And I feel stupid for not realizing sooner.

- You're not a shitty boyfriend, Jake. I'm sure you're the best out there.

I wasn't certain we were still on that, but I felt like it was important to point this out. There was absolutely no way I'd let him believe that, or even look down on himself. No way. As his way of saying he got me, Jake offered me a heart warming smile, completely turning to me now while I retrieved my hand off his back.

- I'm not that sad y'know ? I had plenty of time to digest the whole situation and rationalize it. But I gotta admit I like the attention. Won't you rub my back some more ?

As backup to his words, the boy pointed his back my direction, a smirk adorning his features. That earned him a splash of water in the face. I couldn't believe he would tease me in a situation like that ! I was dead serious and concerned about him, yet he found the way to make us both laugh and play with bubbly dishwashing water again, splattering everything on the kitchen counter and dishes we just wiped. It felt good hearing him laugh again, cackling like a maniac while I tried to take shelter behind an open cupboard. His white shirt was completely damp and see-through, pants wet and hair a mess. It didn't take him long to take me out of my hideout though, purposefully pressing his soggy shirt to my dry back, making me screech. Never knowing when to stop, Jake also took great pleasure in messing up my hair, before our shared hilarity made him slip on a patch of water and fall gracefully on his ass. A whole second passed where we studied each other to make sure no one was hurt before my roaring laughter took over me, one arm around my painful stomach and the other pointing at his now completely soaked butt on the ground. Before I knew it, a vengeful Jake had already dragged me in his fall, drenching my dress in dishwashing water. We were still playfully hand fighting when Josh's frame at the door coughed loudly. We both froze in place, shooting our heads to him, Jake lying on the floor with my wrists still secured between his fingers and my face almost completely covered by hair. The sink water was still running, water was everywhere even in some cupboards, the dishtowels were ruined, and the kitchen looked like a typhoon had just visited the place. Eyebrows raised high and arms crossed over his chest, Josh looked like a father who'd just witnessed his two kids wrecking havoc at home and was thinking hard of a way to punish them.

- Mandy !, Josh called behind him. You were right, they ruined the kitchen !

- Told you, they did the same to ours with paint, came Mandy's reply in the other room.

A sheepish grin spread on both of our faces, and Josh couldn't contain his, shaking his head in disbelief. He disappeared into the bedroom after telling us to clean our mess, because it was what we were supposed to do in the first place, leaving us sitting face to face in a puddle of water, still giggling like children.

[wildroseofarran]

Small Town Welcome || Captain Issott

Leslie: Leslie would be found sleeping on the grass just before the shore. Thick dark blond lashes pressed to his cheeks, hands used as a boney pillow.

His feet were bare, just as the day before when Tristan first laid eyes on him. He was a pale young man. Wearing two tank tops, both one size too large. His black jeans fit perfectly. Newly bought yesterday.

He was slowly collecting a sunburn with the outline of his three necklaces.

Tristan: God, how was it only May and already this damn hot? Stepping outside these past few days had felt like being thrown into an oven. Piling all his hair into a bun and jumping into the ocean was about the only thing he had the will to do with the heat frying his brain.

After a nice long swim in the ocean, Tristan fully intended to seek out some food and a nice cold beer when he nearly tripped over someone.

“Fuck, sorry about that. Wasn’t paying attention.”

Leslie: Like tripping on driftwood. Arms fanned out and squeezed thick grass. That was just a man in his dreams talking. Someone he made up in the stirring of pleasant nonsense to make him forget about the city of Charlotte.

No, not quite. Something had moved him. Maybe they would keep walking.

Tristan: Tristan stood near the man’s head and smiled down at him. He was bare from the waist up, soaking wet, and probably not making the best impression.

"You all right down there? Sun frying all your brain cells?"

Leslie: A single eye opened, followed by a visible wince. A hand with two rings rubbed around his eyes and temples.

"Oh. I thought it was the sun, but it's just a merman. Move to the left a little."

Tristan: Tristan chuckled and obligingly moved out of the way. "You're gonna be in so much pain in a few hours."

Leslie: More like in the way of the sunshine's path to his cheeks.

"Why?"

Tristan: "You're getting a sunburn," he said, nodding toward the man’s chest.

Leslie: "I won't. I'm talented like that. Especially if you stay where you are," said with a grin.

Tristan: Tristan chuckled again and shook his head. “I don’t know what talent helps you not turn into a lobster but do you.”

Leslie: "Are you always this friendly?"

Tristan: “Of course. I’m from a small town, we’re hospitable.”

Leslie: "So this is small town life," said with feigned awe.

Tristan: “Yep. Nothing ever happens and everyone’s pretty nice.”

Leslie: "Nothing ever?"

Tristan: “Sometimes the tourists get drunk and do stupid shit but that’s about it.”

Leslie: "Well, I guess I'm here now." The top layer of shirt was grabbed to wipe his face, pulling the bottom along with it. Taut stomach and a bit of underwear exposed.

Tristan: Tristan made a concentrated effort not to look at anything below the man’s face.

“You sure are.” He held out a hand. “I’m Tristan.”

Leslie: "I sure am." He took the stranger's hand and squeezed. Might as well utilize the pillar and pull himself into a sitting position.

"Les... lie. Leslie."

Tristan: And what a pillar it was. What he lacked in height he more than made up for in sturdiness.

“Nice to meet you, Leslie. You on vacation?”

Leslie: "You're not trying to steal my wallet, are you, babe?"

Tristan: “Well that wouldn’t be very hospitable of me.”

Leslie: "No it wouldn't." He felt in his pockets for something then immediately gave up.

"Looking for a new place to live."

Tristan: “Yeah? Plenty of that around here. Lots of cabins and things for rent.”

Leslie: "Well, that's a start. Do you have a cigarette?"

Tristan: “Nope, sorry. Don’t smoke.”

Leslie: "Do you eat?"

Tristan: He smiled. “Yeah, I eat.”

Leslie: Good smile. He gave one in return. "Cool. Where shall I eat?"

Tristan: “Depends what you’re in the mood for. There’s a Mexican place near here, lots of seafood. Pub and diner in town.”

Leslie: "Anything relatively healthy?"

Tristan: “Seafood place up the road. They grill instead of fry.”

Leslie: "Alright." Both hands combed through thick, lengthy hair. Not nearly the mane of his acquaintance, but enough to have a friend braid on several occasions.

He nodded to himself. "Man's gotta eat."

Leslie forced himself to his feet and stretched, revealing the truth between their heights.

Tristan: Oh, wow. Leslie hadn’t looked that tall laying down, but the man was a lamp post.

“Well, enjoy your meal. I should dry off.” Beads of sea water we’re still clinging to his body.

Leslie: Leslie had noticed. He'd noticed a lot of this man yesterday.

"I can't just have you run off. Want something to eat? Can show me where the place is."

Tristan: “Oh, yeah. Sure. Still have to dry off though. And put on a shirt.”

Leslie: "You don't gotta do either of those," he grinned.

Tristan: He chuckled. “I do if I expect to get fed. We’re relaxed here but not that relaxed.”

Leslie: "Nothing to eat on the beach?"

Tristan: “Nothing healthy.”

Leslie: He seemed visibly disappointed in this news.

"I'll just be over there." He pointed to the tan Jeep Wrangler.

Tristan: Tristan nodded. "I'll just be two ticks."

Fortunately, given his profession, he (and his truck) were more than prepared for situations like these. In no time at all he had taken out his bun, run a comb through his hair, toweled off, and got into some dry clothing. Much more presentable.

"You ready?" he called as he made his way back.

Leslie: No cigarettes in the Jeep, either. Only the scent of what he yearned, along with the herbaceous perfume of another. He must have chained them on the way here. The ocean the wall in which he had crashed. Leslie hadn't felt a need to peel himself away from this town. Nothing was telling him to.

The handsome stranger was given a wave. Leslie was caught in the middle of chugging flavored seltzer water.

Tristan: Watching Leslie drink water was making him even more thirsty than he already was. He needed an ice water bigger than he was.

"It's not far," he said, shielding his eyes from the sun. "Not quite on the beach but you can still see it from the windows."

Leslie: "Are we walking?" he shouted back.

Tristan: "Yep! It's about a five minute walk." Possibly less.

Leslie: "Alright." Then the empty bottle was tossed back in the Jeep and the door locked.

Tristan: Tristan nodded up the street. "This way," he said once Leslie was close enough. "You'll like this place, they make really good ceviche."

Leslie: "Anything sounds good right now. I haven't eaten since I got here."

Tristan: "When did you get here?"

Leslie: He glanced Tristan's way, smiled to himself. About the time you were walking out of the ocean like some Baywatch movie.

"Sometime yesterday."

Tristan: "You haven't eaten since yesterday? We definitely have to get you fed then."

Leslie: "You're a good egg."

Tristan: "I try," he said with a smile. "So where did you come from?"

Leslie: "Out from Charlotte. You've always been here?"

Tristan: "Oh, so not far then. We moved here when I was four. I was born in Kitty Hawk."

Leslie: Leslie rubbed his eyes again, as though attempting to wake himself up. "Kitty Hawk! I've been there." Some witches his mother was acquainted with.

"You always take strangers to lunch, or am I the lucky one?"

Tristan: "I don't really remember that much of it. I've only gone back once or twice since we came here." His mother didn't like to go back. Too many negative memories.

He chuckled. "I usually just give them directions." So yes, Leslie was lucky.

Leslie: "Score one for me." He smiled at the ground. Hands fell into pockets.

Tristan: "Scoring implies a prize. I don't think lunch counts."

Leslie: "It absolutely counts. I have diabetes," he laughed. A sound like a quick, feeble cough.

Tristan: “Damn, that’s gotta be rough.”

Leslie: A thumb was pressed to one side of his nose before a deep inhale. Something about the salty sea air was getting to him.

"Not much pasta or white potato in my life. No tubs of ice cream or chocolate eclairs."

Tristan: "At least there's still seafood." His brow furrowed slightly. "You all right?"

Leslie: "I think my city nose is rebelling on all this ocean."

Tristan: "It's all that smog and pollution leaving your body."

Leslie: "I didn't live downtown!" he laughed, something more genuine.

Tristan: "City air don't have nothing on ocean air."

Leslie: "Can't argue with that." He sniffed with the opposite nostril and shook his head. "Can't seem to wake up." Probably the malnourishment.

Tristan: "It's probably the sun. Been hot as hell for this time of year." Luckily, the restaurant was already in view.

Although maybe 'shack' would've been a more appropriate term.

Leslie: "Does this place serve something other than sweet tea?"

Tristan: "They have pretty much everything. It's one of those places that makes as much of their own stuff as they can."

Leslie: He would follow this man's lead, stretching out wherever Tristen chose to sit.

"So what kind of conversation shall we have?"

Tristan: Tristan chose a booth next to a window that faced the ocean, sighing in relief. It felt so good to be in air conditioning.

"Whichever kind flows," Tristan chuckled, handing Leslie one of the paper menus on the table. "But I'll start with the fact that I can give you the number of a guy who rents out and sells cabins and cottages. Just bought a house from him about a year ago."

Leslie: "Sells and rents. Man does well for himself. What's the price range? You know?" A little packet of stevia was opened, finger licked and dipped into the artificial sweetener. He needed something on his tongue.

Tristan: "Cabin'll run you about the same as an apartment, depending on the size. Anywhere between five to eight hundred a month depending on the size. Long term rentals are cheaper."

Leslie: The city boy coughed. "That's it?"

Tristan: "Yeah," he chuckled. "Where do you think you are?"

Leslie: "I dunno. A thousand? Twelve hundred?"

Tristan: "For a one-bedroom cabin? That's highway robbery!"

Leslie: "City!" He pointed to himself.

Tristan: “That’s crazy. Here you can have complete privacy and a nice place to live for cheap.”

Leslie: Leslie looked out the window, dark blue eyes thoughtful. He bit against his lip and sighed. So far so good. Maybe this was where he was meant to run out of gas.

"And everyone's as friendly as you?"

Tristan: “Pretty much. This is a small town, people are generally decent. It’s safe, people know their neighbors.”

Leslie: "Sounds too good to be true."

Tristan: "It's a whole other world over here." He smiled. "Ain't called Edenton for nothing."

Leslie: "So that's how I can get a gorgeous man to come to lunch with me. It's Edenton."

Tristan: Tristan laughed. "I don't know about all that, but we are having lunch. What looks good to you?"

Leslie: "I know. Looking right at you." But he sighed. "What do you recommend?"

Tristan: "The ceviche is their most popular dish. Grilled salmon's good too, they serve it with wild rice. Oh, and the shrimp summer rolls."

Leslie: "Salmon and wild rice, then."

His phone buzzed. It was given a glance and ignored.

"Am I hitting on the wrong - Hello hon," he smiled up at their waitress with bright eyes and full teeth.

Tristan: "Hey, ya'll, welcome to The Clear Wharf! Hiya, Tristan."

"Hey, Amy. Doing good?"

"Can't complain. What can I get ya'll?"

"A gigantic glass of water and the ceviche in taco form."

Leslie: Leslie gave his order as well, handing over his menu. Unsweet tea sounded just fine by him. His gaze lingered on the waitress, and he knew she knew. Perhaps that was why she was blushing.

Tristan: Oh, she was absolutely blushing, and it was amusing Tristan to no end.

"You have a real gift for flattery," he chuckled once she'd moved away.

Leslie: "I didn't do anything," he laughed. The longer he was in Tristan's presence, the more honest that laugh became. More bubbly, forcing mirth into every word.

Tristan: "Sure you did, you made her whole day."

Leslie: "Well, then I'll keep smiling." He was well aware of what body language could do, and so far, he couldn't get a beat on Tristan. A good sport, but that was all he could gather. He could blame it on his high.

Tristan: "It suits your face." And it was such a good face. "So what do you do?"

Leslie: "Went to culinary school for five minutes. Worked here and there. Nothing, seeing as I just moved." Hadn't thought that far ahead.

Tristan: "Well, this is a fishing town so there are always jobs down at the docks and on ship crews. Few bars in town."

Leslie: "I'd rather not be around shit I can't even drink." Though he had no room for righteousness after what he'd been shoveling in his body.

"Docks? I've never been on a boat, if you can believe that."

Tristan: He nodded. "Yep. That's what I do, I'm a fisherman." And as a fisherman, he found it unacceptable that Leslie had never been on a boat.

"Seriously? Well we've gotta fix that."

Leslie: "Is this relationship expanding past lunch now? You should work for the welcome center."

Tristan: "Maybe I will if the fishing thing doesn't work out," he said with a grin. "And yeah, if being on a boat is something you want to do."

Leslie: "I'll probably get sick. Don't wanna ruin my image like that." Fuck, he wanted a cigarette. "If I find a place, then sure, handsome."

Which brought him to what he was going to say before the waitress. "You straight? Gay? Want me to shut up?"

Tristan: “There are ways to avoid that.  Take some Dramamine or a ginger pill and you’ll be golden.”

Tristan had to smile. It wasn’t often that people were quite so direct with that particular question. “I’m gay.”

Leslie: "But do you want me to shut up?" he grinned.

Tristan: “No,” he laughed. “I don’t want you to shut up.”

Leslie: "How is this town towards gay people?"

Tristan: “More tolerant than you’d think for the south.”

Leslie: "This is the last stop of "the south" so maybe that's why."

Tristan: "There's still a good chunk after this."

Leslie: "What?"

Tristan: “The south extends beyond North Carolina.”

Leslie: "We're the top of the south!"

Tristan: “Arguable. I think Virginia’s technically the top.”

Leslie: Leslie made a face. "Tennessee and NC are kings. Kentucky is some unloved middle child."

Tristan: Tristan burst out laughing. “Better hope no one from Kentucky just heard you say that.”

Leslie: "All the way down here? There aren't any horses," he laughed.

Tristan: There was another burst of laughter. “Oh my god. What did Kentucky ever do to you?”

Leslie: "Gave me a bad girlfriend. My ninth grade year was ruined."

Tristan: "That'll do it," he chuckled.

Amy popped over to bring them their drinks and disappeared again.

Leslie: "Bye, Amy," he waved.

Time to pile in some artificial sweetener. This felt surreal and yet somehow natural. Sure, he had struck up conversations with randoms before. A sort of talent of his. This was a little different. Leslie felt both awkward and completely at home with this man. There should have been a red flag somewhere. He was still looking for it.

"What do you do for fun?"

Tristan: "Sail, mostly." He downed half the glass of water in one go. "I swim, spend time at the beach, collect nautical antiques. I have fish and a hermit crab. Basically my life revolves around the ocean."

Leslie: "I gotta ask you something. Be honest." Leslie leaned in, whispered, "Are you a merman?"

Tristan: Tristan smiled and played along, leaning in and whispering back, "No. I just have really long hair."

Leslie: "Are you sure you're not a fish? Never seen any scales on your arms, legs?"

Tristan: "Very sure. No scales, no gills."

Leslie: "What do you do when you're not in the water or relocating hermit crabs?"

Tristan: "I read a fair bit. I watch TV. I make things."

Leslie: "What do you make?"

Tristan: "Jewelry and some decor."

Leslie: "You make jewelry?"

Tristan: "Yeah. Nothing fancy, mind you." He wiggled his wrist. There was a bracelet on it made of leather cord and a shard of sea glass. "Stuff like this."

Leslie: Leslie took hold of that wriggling wrist and brought it to his nose to better examine.

"I might want one in the future."

Tristan: "Sure, just say the word. I've got a few jars of shells and things I find on the beach. Got a crate of driftwood on my porch, too."

Leslie: Your home must have great energy, he thought.

"You have sea glass?"

Tristan: Tristan nodded. “Yep, it’s my favorite. Want a sea glass bracelet? Or a necklace maybe?”

Leslie: "Necklace maybe. Sea glass is very you."

Tristan: “Is it?” He gave Leslie a curious look. “How so?”

Leslie: "Just a feeling. I get a lot of those."

Tristan: “Well it is my favorite, so your feeling is on to something.”

Leslie: "Good to know my clairvoyance is still intact."

Tristan: “Looks like it is.”

“All right, boys.” Amy returned with two plates. “Grilled salmon, and ceviche tacos for Tristan. Ya’ll need anything else?”

Leslie: "What's your favorite thing to do around here, Amy?"

Tristan: She looked pleasantly surprised at the question. "I love going to the beach. My family got jet skis last year and I swear we spent the whole summer on them."

Leslie: "Is this a fishing town or a beachgoer's paradise?"

Tristan: “Mostly fishing but we get a good amount of tourists,” said Tristan.

Leslie: He turned his attention back to Tristan. Eager to answer, are you?

"Thanks, Amy," he laughed.

Tristan: It wasn't that Tristan was eager, he was just better equipped to answer that question than Amy was. Or so he would tell himself.

Amy smiled. "All that fishing means that salmon you have on your plate is the best you'll ever taste."

Leslie: "So I have you to thank?"

A quiet blessing was thought over his food. Old habits he'd made no effort to remove. They mattered. Unless Tristan initiated another topic, he was going to be a quiet eater.

Tristan: "You should definitely thank him," Amy chuckled. "He caught everything on this table except the rice."

She topped off both their glasses and flitted away again.

Meanwhile, Tristan had taken his first bite of taco and looked thoroughly delighted.

Leslie: He smiled at Tristan's smile, then looked out the window. His gaze was becoming thoughtful, drifting off somewhere else. This wasn't about testing pleasant silence. There was still too much to unpack from his mind.

Tristan: Tristan didn’t mind the silence. It was peaceful and comfortable and gave him a chance to observe his lunch companion. To get a feel for him.

He seemed like a decent enough guy. No weird or off-putting energy coming off of him. What had led him here, Tristan wondered.

Leslie: Leslie side-eyed his eating companion.

Tristan: He smiled. “What?”

Leslie: He just smiled back.

Tristan: “How’s your salmon?”

Leslie: "As good as your taco." He gestured. Want some?

Tristan: "Just one bite." In exchange, he'd offer Leslie come of his ceviche.

Leslie: His salmon was offered from the fork. He didn't bother handing the utensil over. No one was looking.

"Wow, that has some tang to it."

Tristan: And Tristan thought nothing of simply taking the fish off the fork.

“Mm, that’s good. They didn’t cook it back to death.”

He nodded in approval. “All the lime in there. I love it.”

Leslie: "Ever make it out to Charlotte? Raleigh?"

Tristan: "Not often, but I do go to Raleigh. I think I've been to Charlotte once."

Leslie: "In how many years?"

Tristan: "Thirty-two," he chuckled. "I'm a small town boy, not much need to go into the city too often."

Leslie: "But you did for college." He was doing his own fishing.

Tristan: "Nope, went to the local community college. My mom is a professor there."

Leslie: "Oh yeah? What she teach?"

Tristan: “Literature.”

Leslie: "And your father?"

Tristan: Tristan shrugged. “Never met him. Took off when my mama was pregnant with me.”

Leslie: "Oh." He shrugged. "Saying sorry feels hallow. Besides, you seemed to come out just fine," Leslie smiled.

Tristan: “No need for sorry. I had everything I needed,” Tristan said with a genuine smile. His father had never been so much as a thought in his mind.

Leslie: "No siblings?"

Tristan: “None that are related to me. Only child.”

Leslie: "Team only child." He offered another bite.

Tristan: He took it with a smile. “Never felt like it though. I always had friends over, we all called her mama.”

Leslie: "Same with mine! She preferred everyone call her Hazel. Including me, but she's...she's mother to all."

Tristan: "I thought I was the only one who called their mother by their first name," he laughed. "I mostly do it when I'm annoyed with her or teasing her."

Leslie: "For my parents, I dunno. To see myself as equal. They're mentors, not gods."

Tristan: "Mama would approve of that sentiment. Part of being a teacher, I guess. She's always been about teaching and guiding and watching people grow."

Leslie: "I think our mothers would get along, but you never know."

Tristan: "They probably would. Megan gets along with everyone."

Leslie: "Seems you do, too."

Tristan: "Like mother, like son," he said with a smile. And proudly so. "Your folks live around here?"

Leslie: "Everything's in Charlotte." His answer much quieter than everything else, but still friendly.

Tristan: Tristan nodded. "At least they're close by. You should invite them to your new place when you finally find one."

Leslie: "Maybe." That's all he'd say on the matter; the invisible weight on his eyelids divulging that much.

Tristan: He nodded again and let the matter lie.

"Want anything else while we're here? Something for later?"

Leslie: "I'll be back. Love sleeping on the beach, but should probably find an actual hotel. Probably."

Tristan: "Try the Wayside. It's right on the beach and their rates are reasonable."

Leslie: "A beach hotel being reasonable?"

Tristan: "Small town, remember?"

Leslie: Tristan was looked up and down. Leslie was aware of how quiet he was being, but something about this man... He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

"Would you find it weird if I said you have good energy?"

Tristan: Tristan smiled and shook his head. "Nope. That's not weird at all. Thanks for thinking so."

Leslie: "You look like a surfer hippie."

Tristan: He laughed. "It's the sun-bleached hair and the tan."

Leslie: "The amicable company. That amazing, amazing smile."

Tristan: "Do surfer hippies usually make amicable company and have amazing smiles?"

Leslie: "Just you, sailor."

Tristan: There was that amazing smile again. "Well, we can pin the hippie vibes on my mother. She owns a VW bus."

Leslie: "Does she?" That was an amazing smile, and it made Leslie smile. One which, despite being tired, reached his eyes and brightened them. Something almost literal. Something which could be blamed on the sunlight pouring through the window.

"Cli - My father has a truck that looks like it was plucked from a period piece."

Tristan: "Yeah, she restored it to celebrate getting tenure at the college. It's the coolest damn thing I've ever seen." Like Meg had gone back in time and brought the 60s back with her.

"Oh, one of the super old-fashioned ones from like the 40s and 50s?"

Leslie: "Fifties for sure. It's the ugliest shade of green I've ever laid eyes on. He loves that thing. Takes it to car shoes."

Tristan: He laughed. "Bet he does. Put that much work and pride into something, you wanna show it off. Feel the same way about my ship."

Leslie: "Does your mother - How fully restored is it? The Scooby Doo van?"

Tristan: "Looks like she's about to drive it to Woodstock."

Leslie: "Would she take it to any show?"

Tristan: "With the right persuasion I'm sure she would. It's her most prized possession."

Leslie: "We can parent trap our parents into friendship," he laughed.

Tristan: "We should," he said with a grin. "They can bond over their cars and show them off together."

Leslie: Leslie straightened as their waitress returned. He gave her a smile every bit as delightful as he believed she had been. Something he believed she deserved to see.

"Thank you for being a beacon on my day, Amy."

His words were a distraction, see, to slide that check his way before Tristan could make a grab.

Tristan: "Aww, well thank ya'll for being such good customers! I swear some of the people who come in here try me like you wouldn't believe."

His distraction was working. Tristan took two seconds to finish his water and suddenly the check was gone.

Leslie: "I bet. I respect the hell out of you. Here you go." The check reappeared with green weighing it down. "And you keep the change, okay?"

Tristan: Amy laughed. "Oh my goodness, all my other customers are gonna look so bad compared to you. Thank you so much."

And off she went, leaving Tristan blinking in her wake.

"What just happened?" he laughed.

Leslie: "Hmm?" Such an innocent smile. No idea what you're talking about, sailor.

Tristan: He squinted. "Sneaky man. Gonna have to keep my eye on you."

Leslie: "Oh please do. Both of them and all the time."

Tristan: Tristan just smiled. "Ready to mosey?"

Leslie: "Where to now, captain?"

Tristan: "Kinda wanna show you the Wayside. You can see for yourself how nice it is."

Leslie: "You really should work for this town."

Tristan: "I do work for this town. I feed it."

Leslie: "I'll drive behind you. Sound good?"

Tristan: He nodded and got to his feet. "Sounds good."

The Wayside Inn wasn't far from the beach where Tristan had met Leslie. Just a quick seven minute drive and the gray building would come into view.

Leslie: Leslie pulled into a parking spot next to Tristan's truck and killed the engine. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do from here. He usually would. Everything used to be so much clearer before. Every sense of purpose flew away when he renounced his coven. Thoughts were lost in a fog.

Nothing doing. He stepped out and stretched. That smile would give nothing away.

"Thanks for showing me the place."

Tristan: "Of course," Tristan said with a nod, gesturing toward the beach. "That stretch right there is private for guests and there's a really good restaurant inside. They're one of my clients so anything you eat there will be amazing."

Leslie: "Because it came from you." He laughed through his nose.

Tristan: "Damn right. Having a good chef helps, too, but a chef is nothing without good ingredients."

Leslie: His hands slowly slipped into his back pockets. His smile, the one he'd tried so hard to maintain for this man, began to fade into maturity.

"But anyway, thanks again. I'll be seeing you around?"

Tristan: He nodded again. "Count on it. It's a small town," he added with a grin.

Leslie: "So you keep telling me. We'll see how small it really is."

Tristan: "Yes, we will. Take care of yourself." With one last smile, Tristan got in his truck.

[prorevenge]

Get my car towed and screw the date you set me up with? Hmmm...

One weekend I drove back to my hometown for an old high school friend's wedding. I arrived on Friday expecting to be a homebody at my parents' until the wedding rolled around on Sunday.

As I'm unpacking I get a text from "Clarrisa," another old friend who was invited to the wedding. Now, I hadn't seen Clarissa since her high school graduation party, but we'd been as close as two girls can be in a petty small town. In later years Clarissa had run with a more "wild" group, meaning that she openly smoked weed and had unprotected sex, but I still missed her and responded eagerly.

Yes, I was in town! Yes, I would love to hang out! And no, I'm not dating [insert ex-boyfriend's name] anymore. Actually, I'm having a really hard time dealing with our recent breakup.

Clarissa says that's too bad, but she's hanging out with a close guy friend at his apartment right now and thinks we would hit it off! Did I want to mix some drinks with them and crash on the couch with her? Sure, great, sounds fun. I drive to the address she texts me, and she tracks me down outside and jumps into the passenger seat.

After some "you look great, I've missed you" talk, I drive us around to look for parking. The problem is, we're on a very busy downtown street, and there are no spots left. The only parking I can find is "reserved." But as I drive past them, Clarissa shrieks at me, "You just passed those spots!" When I point out that they're reserved, she gives me an eye-roll smile and says she parks her car there ALL the time. No one cares. And in the off chance I DO get a ticket, she says, her guy friend is loaded and will definitely pay it for me. I raise an eyebrow but in the end, I circle the block and park my crappy van where she suggested.

After about an hour in the company of Clarissa and her guy friend, however, I start having some regrets. Turns out her idea of "mixed drinks" is tequila and mountain dew. I shit you not.

Now, this guy friend of hers is nice looking and all, but he isn't really my type. For one, he mixes tequila and mountain dew. But more than that, he dropped out of high school to work at Quicken Loans and seems to form most of his opinions from Cracked articles. Sigh. I start sucking down my tequila & mountain dew just to get through what is sure to be a god-awful night. Whenever Clarissa and I are alone (in the kitchen or the balcony, where she smokes Quicken Loan's cigarettes), she tells me to give him a chance. He's a really nice guy, much nicer than my ex anyway, and did she mention he's loaded?! (He made about $50k at Quicken Loans, which must have been a fortune to her.)

After another hour, we're watching re-runs of Full House. It's definitely not love at first sight with Quicken Loans, but we're at least shooting the breeze, making jokes. I can tell he's into me, which is flattering since I've been a bit of a recluse since the break-up. Well, in the middle of an episode, Clarissa jumps up and asks Quicken Loans if he wants to do a tequila shot in the kitchen! She pointedly doesn't ask me, which is fine - I don't like tequila anyway - but after about 2 minutes, I turn around to see them in an aggressive match of tonsil hockey in the middle of the kitchen. I just kind of look away, feeling shocked and even worse than before. I wasn't about to propose to Quicken Loans or anything, but Clarissa was either too trashed to function or didn't like him paying more attention to me than to her. Or both. Eventually, they go off to Quicken Loan's bedroom and I have a little cry before falling asleep, feeling miserable and missing my ex boyfriend worse than ever, especially as I hear moaning and groaning just a few feet away.

The next morning, I wake up on the couch alone at 11am. None of them seem to be awake yet, but damned if I'm waiting to say goodbye after that shitty night. As I get ready to leave, though, I realize that Clarissa took my phone with her by mistake (we had the same phone). I knock on the bedroom door and hear rushed dressing sounds, like they can somehow hide the fact that they randomly paired off to have sex all night. Clarissa emerges like nothing happened - not so much as an apology - and tracks down my phone. We say goodbye (a little coldly from my end) and plan to see each other at the wedding the next day.

When I walk outside, though, I see that my van has been towed. Not even a ticket, as Clarissa had mentioned - it's flat-out gone. So I march back inside. Quicken Loans answers the door looking confused, and I explain that my van has been towed and I need a ride to the impound lot. I don't even mention the fact that Clarissa offered HIS money to pay for a ticket if I got one. At this point Clarissa herself emerges half-naked. When she gets the gist of what's going on, she turns downright nasty and denies everything, laughing her ass off the entire time. She tells me I'm being dramatic and should be grateful to her for even hanging out with me when I'm such a "wet blanket." While she's still talking, I just turn around and call a taxi to go get my car. As the taxi's driving, I start plotting my revenge.

On the day of the wedding, I text Clarissa as if nothing happened. I make boring small talk - omg what does her dress look like?!?!?! etc etc. When the time for the ceremony rolls around, I tell her I'll meet her at the entrance to the athletic club (the ceremony taking place outside, out back). Clarissa happily agrees.

Meanwhile, I take a side exit to the ceremony and arrive with plenty of time to spare. As time trickles away for the wedding to begin, Clarissa's texts start to sound panicked. Where are you?! We're going to be late! I don't bother responding. Because Clarissa has always needed a band of girls to chaperone her everywhere, the thought of entering on her own doesn't even seem to be an option. Eventually, the ceremony begins and poor Clarissa doesn't even make it. Too embarrassed to walk in on the ceremony, she either stayed outside in the parking lot or hid out in the women's restroom.

At the reception, Clarissa marches over to our table looking furious. Why didn't I show up?! She missed the entire ceremony of our old friend's wedding because of me!!!

So what do I do? I sip my champagne, laugh at her, and tell her to stop being so dramatic. She sits down and fumes her way through dinner, not talking to me, just making beelines to the open bar and texting on her phone the entire time...probably venting to Quicken Loans. When the bride and family come over to thank us for coming, she's just texting and chugging back drinks. For all intents and purposes, it looks like she skipped the ceremony to take advantage of free food & drinks and barely pay attention to anyone else for the entire night. The bride and her family even low-key snub her. Of course, Clarissa is so drunk by this point that she barely notices.

To this day, I hear people badmouth her for being so rude and trashy whenever I come into town. I always have to purse my lips from revealing the full story.

tl;dr - Old friend fucks the boy she tried to set me up with and plays dumb when my car gets towed from the parking spot she insisted on. I make her late to our friend's wedding and out her as a trashy alcoholic.

(source) (story by snack-goblin)

[idkthisisjustforfanfic]

Chapter 9 - Come Sunday

Harry hadn’t told me much about the trip. In fact, pretty much every question I asked him about it was given a wave and ‘don’t worry about it.’ In a way that was nice--that I didn’t have to worry about things or stress about it, but it also left me with a feeling that I was inadvertently taking advantage of him.

Something about the fact that he never once asked me for any money, never let me know how much I should bring for food, activities, or whatever else he planned on doing during our time there, left me feeling rather helpless and just shitty.

I figured that on the plane there--when there were plenty of other people around--wouldn’t be a good time to bring it up. Harry’s manager, Jeff, and Ryan--who’d be our engineer--were the only two people I’d met somehow in passing before. Whether it was at the office or in the studio, I’d been introduced to them and even worked with Ryan once or twice.

But I didn’t know them well--and when the van pulled up to the marvelous and extraordinary white, mid-century modern house on a hill, I knew I’d be getting to know everyone a whole lot better over the next few weeks.  

The first thing I realized when we all showed up to the airport and climbed the stairs to the tiny plane was that I was the only woman. It’s not that I had expected there to be five or ten--I just didn’t expect to be the only one with a uterus. Lucky for me, I wasn’t the only one with hair past my shoulders--I had Harry to thank for that.

But here we were--the sun was shining and there were all sorts of exotic noises that I couldn’t quite place as we climbed out of the van and onto to the pavement of the driveway. Harry had shown me a few photos the night I was packing at my apartment--there were six bedrooms in this house, but he’d rented another down the hill to make sure we had enough room.

He hadn’t really explained much other than the fact that the studio we’d be recording in was down the road a ways towards the center of town. So, with my suitcase in the hands of the driver and my sunglasses back on my face to shield my eyes from the light, I stared up at the big house.

“Nice, huh?” He asked, his hands on his hips as the rest of the gang climbed out behind us.

“It’s beautiful,” I said--my eyes scanning over the balconies that seemed to protrude from the second floor bedrooms.

And that’s when my stomach sank. Where was I supposed to sleep? Sure--Harry and I had physically cemented whatever type of more than friends thing we had going on, but we certainly hadn’t had any sort of legitimate conversation about it. He hadn’t asked, I hadn’t told. I wondered if it would just go on like this for--for one reason or another--we stopped hanging out.

I followed behind Harry and Jeff as we made our way to the door--the big house blocked the view of the ocean, which had still been visible from the driveway.

“So Harry, me, other Jeff, Maggie, Alex, and Tyler are here,” Jeff said, looking down at his phone to confirm. Six people, six bedrooms. “Ryan and Teddy--you’re both down the hill at the other house with Matt when he gets in.”

Harry punched in a code to the keypad on the front door, opening the door to reveal a marble and wood foyer. I stared up at the high ceiling--magnificent and colorful art lined the walls. Harry, with classic Ray-Bans over his eyes and a Hawaiian shirt on, let out a low whistle as he took in the sight.

Something in my stomach knotted itself into a ball.

I felt--out of place. I felt nervous and unsure of my presence as he took a few steps further in, a smile on his face as he turned to look at the group. “I think it’ll do.”

**

My room was at the opposite end of the hallway as Harry’s. It boasted a king-sized bed and tall windows that looked over the backyard--a hint of the ocean was visible from the corner. It was big--big enough that I could have probably fit a home gym and a jacuzzi inside, but both of those things were located downstairs.

I had my own bathroom, which I was thankful for. The last thing I needed through all of this was dealing with the way men exist in bathrooms. They leave things out on the counter and don’t seem to understand where the soap actually goes. I would have rather showered outside than have dealt with that. (The outdoor shower was downstairs, too.)

We took the afternoon to get settled in--the upstairs was quiet as people unpacked, figured out how on earth to flush the ridiculously fancy toilets (which were even less American than the ones in London), and I finally found myself sat on the couch in the living room when Harry appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

“Y’okay?” He asked, his brow furrowed as he made his way over to join me. I clicked my phone shut--Alex sat on the couch opposite me, his feet up on the glass coffee table that hosted a book about sightseeing in Jamaica.

“Yeah, I’m great,” I nodded, offering a smile as he came to sit. It wasn’t exactly a lie. I mean, the truth was that I was fine. I was just overthinking and getting in my head and I suddenly felt like maybe I wasn’t even good enough to write on this album.

He narrowed his eyes at me, but I cut him off before he could challenge me. “I’m hungry--what’s the deal with food?”

The kitchen, as I’d discovered upon opening every single cabinet and drawer, was empty. Apparently food wasn’t included in what was sure to be the gigantic bill for this place.

“Oh right,” Harry said, plucking at his lower lip as his eyes scanned the kitchen. An empty fruit bowl stood on the counter--not even a banana was present. “Ferdinand said we’d have to get food.”

“Ferdinand?” Alex asked, suddenly interested in the conversation. He looked up from his phone and smiled.

Harry nodded, a smile crossing his face. “He’s the guy in charge of the rental thing,” he motioned around the room to try to explain. “He said there’s a grocery store a few miles down the road.”

Jeffrey appeared in the doorway, he came to sit beside Alex--putting his feet up on the coffee table as well. I guess when you paid as much money as Harry was paying, you could do things like that.

“Should we go?” I asked, looking between Harry and Jeff.

“No, we can have someone do that,” Harry said automatically, looking down at his cellphone in his hands.

“Harry,” I said, tucking my chin down in disappointment. “We can do our own grocery shopping. I can go--I don’t mind.”

“You don’t have to,” Jeffrey said, shaking his head without even looking up.

“I want to,” I said quickly. “I’ll go and get all of the basics. Enough stuff so we can at least have breakfast.”

“There’s a chef that’s through the hotel--he’ll come and prepare meals if we want him to.”

I let out a laugh and leaned my head back against the couch. “Okay--fine, but we can also make food, too.” Maybe that was the difference between me and Harry. Maybe he was used to having people cook his eggs and maybe I was used to scrambling them myself.

“I didn’t bring you here to be my chef,” Harry smirked, his voice low enough as if we were the only two in the room.

“I’m aware,” I nodded. “But I think we should go to the grocery store and see the town.”

Harry seemed to think on this for a second--he rubbed at his eyes and then clapped his hands together. “Alright--let’s go, then.”

**

“Why d’we need that many?” He asked, his hands on the cart that he pushed in front of him. He watched as I set the three cartons of eggs inside, when I stood up, he was staring right at me.

While the others decided they’d rather take a nap or test out the pool, Harry seemed to begrudgingly stand with his hands on the cart.

“If we each eat two eggs that’s a dozen right there,” I shrugged. “At least. So this will last three days if we have eggs for breakfast every day.”

He didn’t respond--he pushed the cart forward and looked down at the list I’d scrawled down quickly before we left. We’d taken the car that apparently came with the house--Harry insisted on driving and we kept the windows down the whole way.

“What about these? Should we get some of these?”

“Mangoes?” I laughed, picking one up to examine it. “Do you like mangoes?”

“I think so,” he nodded, tossing the two he held into the cart.

“Okay--let’s try to stick to the list,” I prompted, walking a few steps forward to the bananas.

The store was small--it was probably half the size of the tiny grocer down the street from my flat, but it seemed to have a good enough variety. The chef, Harry said, would bring food as well. An island-sounding song played over the speakers, only two checkout lanes, one man behind the deli counter.

Harry, as we walked in, had shared that this was his first time grocery shopping for himself in about three years. I found that completely ridiculous, but he’d insisted that he’d tried once or twice in 2013 and he just couldn’t keep a low enough profile. I told him it was probably the hair and the sunglasses and beanie on his head in the middle of the day in a Sainsbury’s downtown.

“Let’s watch a movie tonight,” he said suddenly, examining a bunch of bananas as I headed for a loaf of bread. The store was decent, but the organization seemed all out of sorts.

“Let’s finish this first,” I laughed, scanning the shelves for a plain loaf of white or wheat.

“I mean it,” he said, coming over with the cart, bananas in tow. “We can find something on netflix. Just you and me though, I’m tired.”

I bit my tongue slightly, feeling the urge to address the fact that us doing anything probably wasn’t a good idea with four other people sleeping nearby and at least four or five others constantly coming in and out of the house.

He wasn’t even looking at me, though. He, too, was scanning for the right loaf of bread. His eyebrows flew up when he found it, he grabbed it and offered me a toothy smile before placing it in the trolley.

“About that, by the way,” I said to his back--he was heading for the dairy section--which, for whatever reason, wasn’t anywhere near the eggs. “I feel like we shouldn’t tell anyone about what happened the other night.”

“You mean the sex?” He said the words loud enough that my eyes went wide. He’d been all excited about the fact that he was able to grocery shop like a ‘normal person,’ but apparently he’d lost all of his ‘normal person’ etiquette.

“Yes, that,” I rolled my eyes, causing him to let out a laugh. He slowed down, letting me catch up so we were side by side. He slung an arm around my shoulders.

“If I recall correctly, you were pretty excited the other night about it.”

“I’m not saying I wasn’t,” I reasoned, “just saying that I don’t think Jeffrey and all of your friends need to know.”

He was quiet, almost as if his mind was somewhere else. He looked around the store, trying to locate something.

“I’m serious!” I said, whacking him in the stomach. He pulled his arm from my shoulders and rubbed at the spot where I’d made contact. “They’re my co-workers and you’re like--my boss--the last thing they need to know is that I’ve slept with the boss.”

A smirk appeared on his face, his eyebrows raised as I stopped walking. “That’s pretty hot,” he said, his voice quieter than it had been.

While I couldn’t necessarily disagree, now was not the time nor the place for Harry to be saying things that made me want to relive the other night on repeat as if I were Bill Murray living a Groundhog Day scenario.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d think you haven’t gotten laid in years,” I rolled my eyes, walking away from him to head for the cereal section.

“Four nights ago, actually,” he corrected me, his voice louder so I could still hear him.

I turned around, a box of cheerios in my hands, and shot him a dirty look.

**

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that our first night in Jamaica was filled with alcohol. I don’t know where it all came from or how it got here, but when Harry and I returned from the grocery store, Matt had arrived, Ryan and Teddy were in the living room, and there were about 14 bottles of Jamaican Rum on the kitchen counter.

Harry’s eyes lit up, a smile crossing his face as he carried two bags in from the car. “How did we get all of this?”

“Your friend Ferdinand stopped by,” Jeffrey informed, he stood near the dining table, clad in only a bathing suit and a t-shirt. “Said it came with the rental package.”

I was still a few steps behind Harry, the third bag and the car keys in my hand. Despite hearing the conversation, I didn’t actually see what they were talking about until I looked up.

“Holy shit,” I said, placing the receipt on the counter. I didn’t know if Harry wanted it or not--I tried to force my credit card past him and to the cashier when we checked out, but he shot me a look that seemed intimidating as all hell. I figured I could maybe buy dinner if we went out one night or furnish a night of drinking.

Apparently, that wouldn’t be necessary.

And it wasn’t--after the chef, who’s name was Victor, came and made us a steak dinner, bottles were opened, people were in and out of the pool, and Harry was about three drinks deep in the first hour.

I hadn’t really seen him drunk before. He’d seen me shitfaced and puking at Chelsea’s--which was embarrassing enough for me to never want to drink too much in front of him again. Harry, however, had a different idea for the night.

With his third drink in hand, he was sat in front of the fire pit--Jeffrey to his right and Tyler to his left. I edged my way by him, heading for the bathroom inside, when his hand grabbed at my waist.

“Maggie, come sit,” he tried to pull me into him, his hands on the bare skin beneath my shirt as I wiggled away from him. I shot him a look, one that he met with sad eyes, but a smirk on his lips.

“I’m going to the bathroom, I’ll be back,” I promised, quickly putting distance between us. The help of three cocktails apparently made him forget my entire point of our grocery store conversation: sex and work don’t mix.

I made my escape, into the living room and around the corner from the open sliding doors to find the solace of the bathroom. Harry’s producer, who Jeffrey had dubbed as Other Jeff, had arrived before dinner and that left three people that we were still waiting on.

Ryan had hooked his iPhone up to the speakers in the backyard--which held a gorgeous swimming pool that met the edge of the yard before spilling over onto a rocky decline towards the jungle. I spotted three bottles of rum open outside as I made my way in, and I realized that I was definitely the most sober out of everyone.

We weren’t set to head to the studio until tomorrow afternoon, really just to see the space and get acclimated. Then, apparently, on Thursday, things would really get underway and we’d hit the ground running.

I had no idea what Jeffrey meant when he said that.

I walked back outside to the noise--the heat from the setting sun still on the pavement. I made my way back over to the fire pit, where my seat was still empty. When I sat back down, Tyler leaned over and smiled at me.

“Nice to finally get to spend some time with you--I know we met back in 2014,” he raised his glass as if to cheers in my honor. I reached for my glass, which I’d set on a side table next to my chair and brought it to clink against his. I didn’t remember meeting him, but with my foggy memory and his assured tone, I took his word for it. “Glad we’ve got some feminine influence in the house.”

I let out a short laugh. “In all honesty I was kind of freaked out to be the only girl here,” I admitted, taking a sip from my drink as Jeff Bhasker, formerly Other Jeff, let out a hardy laugh at something Alex said to him and Harry.

He waved me off as if to dismiss my worry. “I was freaked out about the fact that I don’t know any of them. I’d only met Jeff and Alex through FaceTime before today.”

“Are you serious?” I asked. “I thought everyone knew each other except for me,” I told him.

He let out a laugh and shook his head. “I also thought I was going to be the only person who didn’t know everyone, so it’s nice to know you’re in the same boat.”

I brought my glass to my mouth again and swallowed. The drink was fruity, some sort of juice and rum mix that Harry had promised I’d like. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t the best thing I’d ever had, either. I knew he seemed over confident when he dumped in another whole shot of rum as I watched on in horror.

“So how long have you known Harry?” He asked, leaning back in his cushioned patio chair as the song over the speakers changed to a slower tempo.

“For a while, really,” I said, thinking back to the day I met him in 2010. He was tall and lanky and awkward--I was much more interested in Liam back then when I started working with them. Soon enough though my logic kicked in and I realized that there was no way one of them would ever be interested in me when they had half of the world clawing just to get near them. “I started writing for the label right before they were signed, then I just kind of got stuck with them, sort of.”

Tyler laughed, seeing the smile on my face. “Not a bad band to get ‘stuck’ with.”

**

Our tour of the studio the next morning was quick--we stopped for lunch at a small bar in town and a few people were headed to the beach after we finished. Harry, however, wanted to head back to the house and start some writing.

“If you’re not here as a writer, do what you want,” he laughed, waving a hand at Ryan. We were stood in the parking lot, hovering between the three cars we’d taken as everyone decided on their next move.

Harry had given a whole speech at lunch about how he wanted everyone to have fun. We were here to work, first and foremost, but he wanted us all to take the time we needed to enjoy our secluded stint on the island.

“You don’t mind if we go to the beach?” Ryan asked, his hand above his eyes to block the sun.

Harry chewed on a piece of gum and rubbed a hand at his jawline. “No--just don’t die of sun poisoning,” he laughed. “That would really fuck up trying to make an album.”

“We’ll see you at dinner, then,” Jeffrey said, giving Ryan and Matt a two finger salute as they moved towards their separate car.

I climbed into the backseat of the Range Rover we’d been using--Harry seemed keen to drive and Jeffrey seemed to automatically get the front seat. I climbed into the back with Alex and Tyler, sandwiched between them in the hot car.

I did that thing I do where I kept my mouth shut the whole car ride home. I listened to Harry talk with Alex about a lyric idea he got the other night, and I listened to Tyler put Harry in his place when he suggested a god-awful title for some concept he already had. He was getting ahead of himself. Luckily, Jeffrey said it so I didn’t have to.

When we got back to the house, Harry made his way for the couch to pick up a guitar that he’d had shipped in from home. Seven of them showed up in big, road cases, and he’d even offered to get mine shipped alongside his own.

“I was hearing it like this,” he said, humming along some nonsense words over three chords as he waited for Alex to take a seat. I dropped my purse on the counter, thankful for the air conditioning in the house.

“You could do it with a C instead of an e-minor there,” Tyler said, watching as Harry’s fingers moved along the frets.

He shook his head. “I don’t like it like that,” he laughed.

“Oh god,” Alex rolled his eyes, putting his feet up on the coffee table. “Is this going to be one of those albums? One where we can’t actually tell you what we think?”

I came to join them, slipping my feet out of my sandals before crossing my legs on the couch. “I’ll tell him what I think,” I nodded, letting my eyes move from Alex’s to Harry’s. “And if anyone else doesn’t feel comfortable doing so, they can tell me and I’ll still him.”

This gained a laugh from each of them, Harry rolled his eyes and finally took a seat, his head leaning against the back of the couch. “It’s still my album, y’know.”

“No one said it isn’t,” I laughed.

He shot me a smirk, one that was probably too friendly for working together, but I tried to ignore it as Alex reached for the guitar. “I do like the hook though,” he nodded, humming the melody again over the same three chords. “It’s nice.”

“Anyone got any words?” I asked, looking around at the three of them. Jeffrey--who’d immediately pulled out his laptop upon arrival back to the house--was seated at the counter, aptly minding his own business and steering clear of what he called ‘creative flow.’

Harry, who seemed somewhat surprised when we all waited for him to say something, blew a breath of air out between his lips. “I just know I want it to be about a city.”

“Pick one,” I said, keeping my eyes on him as he thought on it again. Alex had written with Harry plenty in the past--he’d never really worked with me, but I knew they were likely quite comfortable writing together. Tyler, as I’d learned the other night, really only knew Jeff and Ryan. I took the current group dynamic as my license to push Harry in a way that he might not be used to.

I mean, when I thought about it, writing songs with Harry was suddenly weird and new and some sort of uncharted Island territory. We were no longer just two people who occasionally spent four hours locked in a tiny room in downtown London, now we were people who were Sleeping Together and we were actually Friends and we were Hanging Out.

Maybe the license I suddenly felt I held wasn’t exactly real, but I figured I’d push the boundary anyway.

“Don’t pick L.A.” I told him, shaking my head as he looked up to meet me with an amused expression.

“What if I want to pick L.A.?”

“Everyone writes about L.A.” I waved him off.

He laughed a little, looked back down at the guitar, and played the same d-chord he’d started with. He sang, only a few words, but I liked them.

“Tell me something, tell me anything,” his voice was quiet and I wasn’t quite sure if they were actually words he wanted us to hear. That's the thing about writing. For every twelve good songs you put on an album, you write about 20 terrible ones first.

“Something something, I can’t even sing,” he laughed, the words still dancing along with the melody that he’d hummed in the car.

“Words could use a little TLC, but the sound is there,” Alex joked, pulling out his phone to type in the words Harry had sung. “What are you trying to say?”

Harry sat on that one for a second. He plucked at his lower lip and stared at the red piece of artwork that hung about the electric fireplace. “Confusion. That’s the overall energy, I think.”

He played the chord again, letting it ring through the room this time. “Tell me something, tell me something, you don’t know nothing,” he hummed again through the end of a line, letting the noise fade from his mouth as he looked up to me.

“Words,” he said simply. “Got any?”

I pulled my eyes away from him, unsure if I could really come up with something with his gaze so set on me. “Do you want it to rhyme right there?”

He shrugged his shoulders, still strumming through the progression with his thumb. “Doesn’t have to.”

“Sing it again,” I nodded, waiting for his voice to murmur out the words he’d offered already.

“Tell me something, tell me something, you don’t know nothing,” he sang.

“Just pretend you do,” I said, his eyes still waiting for my contribution. Alex was staring at the floor, tapping his foot to the beat at which Harry played.

“Hm,” Harry smirked, again, the look on his face didn’t feel too appropriate for work. “Not bad.” He took a beat, strummed again, and picked it up. “Just pretend you do, tell me something, tell me something new.”

“Sounds like a verse,” Tyler smiled, a pleased look on his face as Harry stood from the couch and shoved the guitar to Alex.

“We have a verse!” he shouted, his voice filling the room and bouncing off of the walls. “Did you write it down?” He looked to Alex, who still held his phone in his hand.

**

After two hours of a similar nature, Jeff headed down to the other house to greet Andy and Mitch, the two other people who’d be joining us on this wild, completely unorganized adventure. Alex and Tyler decided to meet up with the others at a restaurant downtown for a beer, leaving me to sit awkwardly on the couch while Harry declined the invitation.

They’d asked me to tag along too--and I considered at first, especially when someone mentioned something about ordering fries. Instead, though, I figured it would do me well to take a shower, call my mom, and maybe even nap. Every second since we’d arrived had been busy--even if that was just because there were at least six other people constantly in the room with me.

The door shut behind them, Harry turned to face me, and I raised my eyebrows at him. “I’m going to take a shower.”

He raised his eyebrows in return, the dimple on his left cheek coming into view. “Is that an invitation?”

I stood from the couch and let out a dismissive laugh. “It certainly was not.”

He pouted for a second, following behind me as I started to climb the stairs. “I’m glad you’re here, even if you’re not going to save water.”

I rolled my eyes despite the fact that my back was to him. “I think you’ll live.”

“I will.” He said confidently. “I’ve made it six days, after all.”

While I appreciated his sense of humor and the way he so easily spoke about the one time we had sex, I turned to face him at the top of the stairs. I could see a car pass by on the secluded road in front of the house--I wondered if anyone on the planet knew where he was.

“Listen,” I said, hanging my head as he stood two steps beneath me. This brought us to eye-level, though he still had a slight advantage over me. “I don’t want this to be weird, now that that happened. I don’t want that to affect the writing.”

He smiled, a crooked one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Maggie, can you just--relax for a second about it?”

“I am relaxed,” I defended, crossing my arms. “I drank rum and I’m on island time and all that.”

He quirked an eyebrow at this, clearly not convinced. “I just don’t want you to freak out about it. I like you. We had sex. You’re writing on my album. It’s not as weird as you think it is.”

“Well it sounds very weird when you say it all together like that,” I informed, stepping back to head down the hall. He followed behind, leaning against the doorframe once I got near my bed.

“When I say it like what?”

“We had sex you’re writing on my album.” I mimicked his accent and his tone and sat on the oversized bed. He let out a sigh, walked a few steps closer to me, and then stopped. “Don’t sigh at me,” I told him.

“I’m sighing about you, I’m not sighing at you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re,” he cut himself off and looked all around the room, anywhere but at me. “Because you’re my best friend but I also want to rip your clothes off half the time.”

You’d think I’d find something about that offensive. Or you’d think I’d tell him we couldn’t have sex again and that we couldn’t be best friends and that none of this should be happening.

Instead, I let him rip my clothes off.

[let-it-raines]

Betting on the Bullseye (Part 5)

Summary: Emma Swan loses a bet that means she has to ask her celebrity crush to be her date to her office’s annual fundraising gala. Killian Jones is that celebrity crush. She expects all kinds of humiliation and for her dignity to be completely lost. What she doesn’t expect is for him to say yes.

Rating: Mature (particularly this chapter if you know what I mean)

Found on AO3: Beginning | Current

Found on Tumblr: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 

Clarifying that there are MORE than five parts so no one freak out :D

A/N: I just wanted to add the gif because it’s relevant to this chapter. 

Tag list: @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @wellhellotragic@profdanglaisstuff ​ @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld@jennjenn615 @mayquita @captainsjedi  @teamhook @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @branlovesouat @dreadpirateemma @kmomof4 @ekr032-blog-blog

Killian: Do you want to go out tonight?

Emma: Where?

Killian: I mean, I was thinking a casual night out. We grab something to eat, go to a quiet pub, have a nice time outside of the house for your last night.

Emma: Are you going to be too tired?

Killian: No. You’re going back to Boston tomorrow. I can sleep when you’re gone.

Emma: Alright, see you at home, I guess?

Killian: Yeah, see you at home, love.

She falls back against her bed, stretching out on the mattress and closing her eyes as she smiles and her phone falls against the sheets. God, she’s dreaming. She has to be dreaming because she just doesn’t have things like this happen to her. Or maybe she’s simply in that new relationship (is that what this is?) stage where she’s giddy and happy and things are full of possibility. It’s like she’s walking on some kind of cloud, but really, she’s very solidly on the ground.

Mostly, she’s happy.

So damn happy.

Her phone goes off again, and she fumbles around on the mattress until she finds it.

Ruby: Work is miserable without you. Please come home.

Emma: Miss me, did ya?

Ruby: Terribly. I’m never letting you leave again.

Emma: Pretty sure that’s kidnapping and is illegal.

Ruby: Yeah, well, I’m also going to murder Kathryn. I can’t handle her without you.

Emma: That’s illegal too.

Emma: I’ll be home soon. I promise.

And there’s the kicker to her happiness. She has to go home. It’s not that she doesn’t want to go home. She does. She misses her shit-hole of an apartment, her friends, and even her job, but when she goes home, she’s going to miss Killian. Especially now that she’s been with him, talked to him, kissed him…it’s…there’s pros and cons either way.

But right now, she really doesn’t want to leave. She wants to stay, to make out with Killian some more, and maybe go back to that café and get more waffles. They were damn good waffles, he’s a damn good kisser, and this has been a damn good trip, better than she ever imagined really. Time is winding down and somehow speeding up, and she wants it all to stop for just a moment.

Or maybe just a night.

Or maybe just tonight.

She wanders down to the Santa Monica Pier that day, figuring she can’t very well be visiting there and not go to one of the most iconic sites in the city. It’s packed, people milling about everywhere, but she can’t complain, especially as the smells of salt and sand invade her senses. She’s a tourist just like everyone else, and she most definitely pays the nine bucks to ride on the ferris wheel and get views of the beach and the pier from above, taking pictures on her phone from her view up above. It’s beautiful, so different from Boston even with their similarities. Her friends would love this. Ruby would want to go shopping at all of the boutiques, Mary Margaret would want to take Leo on the rides even though he’s too small and take pictures of him holding a giant thing of cotton candy, and David would complain while secretly enjoying it.

She wonders if Killian has ever been down here. She should have asked when he mentioned it as something for her to do, but she just kind of assumed that he had. But now that she thinks about it, he might have just been listing things in the area. He’d like the views of the ocean, the way the water stretches out further than the eye can see, and she really hopes that one day he’ll get to do this if he hasn’t already.

When she comes back down to the ground, she finds something to eat, munching on a hot dog as she wanders further away from the pier and to all of the small boutiques, her eyes widening at the price range of all of these shirts. Hell, how do people buy any of this stuff? But then she finds a little place, kind of shabby from the outside, and it’s full of small antiques and knick knacks, all cheap and probably fake, but she’s kind of in love with the homemade jewelry and scarves.

So she buys a few long gold chains with pendants at the end, folding them away into her purse, and feeling like it’s been a good day in her adventures.

Even if she’s kind of regretting getting a hot dog when she could have literally eaten anything else.

Killian gets home from set around nine, charging into the house and pressing a quick kiss against her lips that leaves her reeling almost as much as him running upstairs to take a shower, yelling as he goes about her needing to be ready to go in twenty minutes. He just…he kissed her in greeting when he got home from work. That may very well be the most normal, boring thing that could have happened, but it’s not. She can’t remember the last time she had someone like that, and she’s not even sure that she has him now. She doesn’t know because they haven’t talked about it. Everything has just kind of happened.

But maybe that makes it better, more natural. Things have always felt so forced with guys in the past.

Pushing these thoughts down, she heads upstairs to her room and changes into some skinny jeans and a black tank top, the shirt flowing around her waist while the lace or her mustard bralette shows through the top. The ocean air has been helping to curl her hair while she’s been here, almost completely changing the texture of it, so she doesn’t bother doing anything to it. She simply flicks on some eyeliner and mascara before taking one last look in the mirror and heading out into the hallway only to collide with Killian, their bodies crashing together until her hands grab onto his biceps and his grab onto her sides right over her jeans.

“Hi.” His eyes are blown wide and always so blue. “You, uh, you ready to go?”

She nibbles on her bottom lip, and she smiles when Killian’s eyes flicker down to her lips. She presses up on her toes and moves her arms to wrap around his neck, their bodies coming together while her lips press against his for a lingering moment. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

He takes a moment too long to respond, his tan cheeks suddenly becoming flushed, and a sense of pride settles in her stomach. She did that to him with just a kiss. She has that kind of effect on him. This isn’t a one-sided thing. Not at all.

“Good,” he finally responds, pulling back and holding his arm out until she loops hers through his. “Let’s go then.”

Their Uber takes them to a bar downtown. It’s crowded, but she can already tell that it’s a relaxed place. The lights are dim, almost too dark, and a band plays in the corner of the room with plenty of tables filled with people listening along. She moves to sit at one of those tables when Killian shakes his head, the baseball cap he’s got on pulled low nearly hiding his eyes, and guides her to a table off in the corner of the room.

“You know, if you wanted to get me alone all you had to do was ask.”

He snickers under his breath before pulling her chair out for her and waiting for her to sit down. She does, scooting in while Killian moves to sit on the other side. “As much as I’d love to be there in the midst of the crowd, it’s just not a good idea for me.”

“Oh. I didn’t…I forgot for a minute.”

“Tis nothing, Swan. Maybe a bit later in the night, when everyone’s had a few more drinks we can go over there. There’s usually good bands here.”

“Yeah? You come here often.”

“Your pick-up lines are so original, love.”

“I mean, you took me out of the crowded bar and got me alone, so you’re not exactly super original.”

“Please,” he scoffs, flashing her a smile and waving her away. “Can I buy you a drink?”

He waggles his eyebrows as he says it, and she throws her head back in laughter while her cheeks flush. “So original. Um, I think I just want a beer. I don’t care what kind.”

“Perfect.” He stands from his chair and leans down to press a kiss against her temple. “I’ll be right back.”

She watches as he walks away, her eyes flickering over his body as he slyly moves the crowd, not a person looking his way. She wonders what it’s like being such an expert at having to actively blend in like that. In almost record time, she sees him leave the bar with two beer bottles and a basket of…onion rings.

Bless him.

“Milady,” he greets, bowing down and placing the basket in front of her. “I may have swindled you some food.”

“Trying to buy my affection then?”

“Well of course.” He winks before sitting down, his chair noticeably being pulled closer to hers so that they’re right next to each other, and she pops a ring in her mouth, chewing on the fried dough. “I saw them on the menu and knew you love them. There were cheeseburgers too, but I’ve had one of those here before and it was bloody awful.”

“How often do you come here? Like, legitimately, no cheesy pick-up lines involved.”

Killian shrugs before leaning back into his chair and pulling his arms above his head until his hands land on his hat, tipping the bill up. “Occasionally. I don’t get out of the house a lot to be honest. I’m usually not even home. Last year, God, I was never home last year. You never know how much you miss your bed until you haven’t slept in it for four months.”

“Where were you?”

“Filming in Australia for The Artist. It was beautiful out there, but I did miss this place.”

She takes a sip of her beer, watching Killian watch her over the bottle. “So does that happen a lot? The travel?”

“It depends. Though this show is the first time I’ve worked from home in a long time. I’ve never had a lot to tie me down, if I’m honest, so I’ve never minded the travel too much. I do miss my family, though, but before Aiden, Liam and Elsa would come visit wherever I was when they could.”

Her heart begins racing in her chest, the thoughts she’s been pushing down all night, all week really, of her never really being near Killian start crashing down around her while the band plays a slow song in the background.

Those two things just don’t seem to mix.

Suddenly there’s a hand over hers on the table, warm fingers twining together with hers, and when she looks away from them, she can see his blue eyes staring right at her while a soft smile graces his lips. “I always come home, though, Emma. The people around me are far more important than any role. I love it, but it’s just a job.”

She knows he’s talking about his friends and family, but a part of her believes he’s talking about her. It’s too much, and she needs to change the subject before she does something like cry in the middle of this bar. That would be ridiculous.

“Hey, there’s a dart board over there. You want to play?”

Killian hums next to her, leaning in a bit too close while his thumb rubs back and forth over her knuckles. “You’ve only had the one drink. And if how we met tells me anything, it’s not to play darts against Emma Swan when she’s sober.”

“You’re not being any fun. Come on.” She gets up from her chair, letting Killian’s fingers fall from hand only to be replaced by his fingers grabbing onto her wrist and her waist, a thumb snaking beneath her tank top and looping through her belt loop to tug her closer. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

He quirks an eyebrow, and she swears his cheeks blush under the dim lights in the bar. She also sure that she just set a record for going from terrified to kind of turned on in the fastest amount of time possible.

“How so, love?”

“You’ll have to come play to find out.”

She walks away knowing that he’s going to follow, and maybe she slips a little bit of extra sway into her hips. They should go slow, take these things step by step, but honestly, she doesn’t know when she’ll see him again and she really, really wants to sleep with him.

It’s bad.

And this is totally, like, their tenth date, so really, what’s the point in waiting some more? The fact that they didn’t jump each other last night is a miracle. She likes him. A lot. And that’s not going to change just because she’s got a few reservations about him…or his job…or both really. But that doesn’t matter tonight. None of it does, not anymore. This is supposed to be fun and like she thought earlier…natural. She’s going to take things as they happen.  

She picks up the darts, ones with red tips, before handing Killian, who is sure enough right behind her, the other set.

“Game on?” she questions, quirking her eyebrow and smirking, using his own moves against him.

“Game on.”

Killian dips his head down and captures her lips in a kiss that she was in no way expecting. She gasps when he tugs on her upper lip, and he takes it as encouragement, his hands dipping into her back pockets and palming her ass while her arms wrap around his neck. It’s intoxicating, much more than the beer had been, but then she can suddenly feel the darts in her hand poking her skin and remembers what they were about to do.

“Hey,” she gasps when she pulls back, putting space between them, “you’re trying to throw me off my game.”

“Swan, I’d do no such thing.”

“Liar.”

He leans down to kiss her again, and she has to keep herself from smiling into it. “Did it work?”

She turns then, gathering her darts before aligning her stance and throwing, the dart landing almost directly on the bullseye.

“I guess not.”

“Well, we’ll just have to work on that.”

“I guess so.”

Killian waggles his eyebrows, and she laughs at how ridiculous this entire situation is. They’re really challenging each other to some kind of sexual dart throwing contest, and she is here for it. She’s also got to tell Ruby about this later and thank her again for that stupid bet, even if that will inflate her ego.

It may be worth it.

He takes a step up to the faded line on the floor, bumping her hip and making her scoot over before lining up his arm and tossing the dart, the pointed end landing just above hers.

“You’re not the only one with skills, Swan.”

He accentuates the word skills, his voice deepening in timber, and she feels it against every inch of her skin, heat pooling in her belly. God, this was a dumb idea. She should have thought this one through.

“Yeah, well, that was a one-time thing obviously. It’s not going to happen again.”

It goes on like that for awhile, the two of them teasing each other while playing two different kinds of games. The tension in the air is palpable, and it takes everything in her not to smile or laugh or break down into a fit of giggles. When did she lose the ability to flirt in a bar?

“So, darling, I’m still wondering how exactly you plan on making this game worth my while. I remember a promise like that.”

She hums, stepping in front of him and brushing her hand over the front of his jeans where there’s a noticeable bulge, causing Killian to hiss and visibly clench his teeth. Gotcha. “You want to make a wager?”

“Depends,” he dips his head down and growls into her ear, “what do I get when I win?”

“You’re not going to win.”

“So confident.” He bites down on her ear. Hard. And she whimpers, her entire body shaking. “But you’ve lost a bet like this before.”

“True, but I think it’s worked out pretty well.”

His whiskers brush against her cheek while his hands find the skin at her waist, thumbs inching up to brush under her breasts, and her hands find their way to his back pockets, yanking his hips into hers and feeling his growing erection against her. Yeah, totally natural the way that this is progressing.

“It has, but we’re supposed to be making a bet here. If I hit the bullseye first, you come home with me.”

So they’re betting on the bullseye then.

“And if I hit it first?”

“You come home with me.”

She barks out a laugh, some of the tension breaking between them, and she pulls back to look in his face, seeing the total seriousness there except for the smallest uptick of his lips.

“And what will we do while at your home?” “Whatever the hell you want.”

“You need to work on your negotiating skills because I could want to sit on the couch and eat with nothing else.”

“Aye.” He releases her, separating them and grabbing onto his dart from the stool. “But I think this works out for both of us, and those are the best kind of bets.”

Without any preamble, he throws his dart, the small arrow landing with a thud on an outer circle. He’s been throwing nearly perfect throws all night, and she knows that he did that on purpose. Yeah, even if they made the stupidest bet of all time, they’re both winning.

But she’s still going to brag about it regardless. For an indeterminate amount of time.

She lines herself up, making sure her elbow is straight, and throws, the dart landing directly in the bullseye.

“Killian, take me home.”

He kisses her the moment they get back into his side door, the lock clicking into place as his lips move over hers and his hands find their way into her hair. He’s gentle, the fire from earlier simmering instead of burning, and she sighs into the kiss, letting her lips slowly move over his. In the back of her mind she knows they’re moving, her legs walking backward while Killian guides her, but it’s not until her back hits against a wall and his hips rut into hers that she realizes they’re next to the staircase.

His fingers tangle further into her hair, yanking a bit at the roots, and when she bites down on his bottom lip, he makes a muffled groan, his hips stopping in their movements while he just holds her there.

“Emma,” he breathes out on a shuddered breath, the air hot between them. “Emma, you want this right?”

She nods against him and tucks her fingers into his beltloops, pulling him back against her while her lips start moving against his jaw, kissing the whiskers and tasting the salt on his skin. “I want you.”

“Bloody hell do I want you, love.”

He devours her with a kiss that’s deep and hot, commanding really, and she lets him, titling her head to let their tongues tangle together while his hips rut into hers. It becomes messy, tongues wet and warm mixing together while she holds onto his jeans for dear life, not letting go until she can’t breathe.

“Bedroom?”

“Bedroom.”

Killian practically bounds up the stairs, taking two at a time, and when he reaches the top while she’s still only halfway up, he turns around with flushed cheeks and a sheepish smile, his hand immediately tugging on his hair. It’s only then that she realizes he’s lost his hat somewhere along the way, and she breaks out into giggles while hurrying up the stairs.

“What’s so funny, love?”

He sounds breathless, broken, his voice husky, and it almost fully brings her back to realizing how aroused she is.

Almost.

“You lost your hat,” she whispers, finally reaching the top of the stairs and wrapping her arms around his neck so she can play with his flattened hair, “and I don’t remember when that happened.”

“I don’t either.”

They both laugh into the kiss, and when they begin moving down the hallway this time, she’s aware of every step and every movement. She’s aware of the way her shirt is somewhere near the bookshelf that houses his photo albums, and she’s aware that his t-shirt is right next to it. She almost keeps going, heading to her room, but Killian turns into his, the unfamiliar surroundings taking a moment to get used to before the back of her knees hit a mattress and she falls backwards onto it with Killian hovering over her, caging her in, invading her space (always).

He runs his tongue over his bottom lip, and she yanks him closer so that she can taste it again herself, salt and beer on his tongue, and when she nibbles on it, she’s not disappointed by the way he groans into her mouth. She wants to keep going, to keep kissing him, but he drags his tongue against her jaw and traces down the lines of her neck until he’s worrying a bruise into her collarbone and she’s arching her back off the mattress.

Her hands find his bare back, nails digging into the skin, and she urges him closer so that his chest hair brushes against her breasts. But he doesn’t let her do that. Instead his hand that’s not in her hair finds her lace covered nipple, brushing over it and kneading into her skin.

“That,” she gasps, pushing her head into the mattress and fisting the comforter, “keeping doing that.”

He chuckles against her neck while his finger continues to rub against her breast. But then he’s moving, kissing down her chest and on the swell of her breasts until his thumb flicks her bralette down and the cool air of the bedroom hits her nipples.

“Bloody glorious,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss against each nipple before his tongue circles her right breast and she has to close her eyes to try to deal with the sensations. “So beautiful.”

He bites down then, and she moans, the sound almost unfamiliar to her. In the background, she swears she can hear the ocean outside, but she doesn’t care. All she can focus on is Killian and how he’d feel inside of her, the two of them coming together completely. His lips leave her breasts and kiss down her stomach while her chest heaves, hooded eyes watching his black mop of hair moving down her body until he gets to her jeans. He looks up at her then through his lashes, and before he can even ask the question, she nods, giving him permission.

The buttons on her jeans are popped and the zipper unzipped, her legs quickly bared of anything and everything. His whiskers brush against her inner thighs, and a bead of sweat forms at her temple, falling across her skin.

She doesn’t know what he’s going to do until his fingers brush through her folds, feeling the wetness that’s pooled there. She gasps, the warmness and roughness of his fingers shocking her, and he looks up at her with a smirk and a chuckle.

“It’s nice to know I’ve had such an effect on you.”

He thrusts a finger into her then, and her back arches off the mattress, much higher than a few moments ago. He takes a few minutes to explore her, quickly learning things she likes as he toys with her, whispering encouragements and asking subtle questions that she tries to answer all while the pleasure is far too much. She’s almost there, her entire body primed to fall apart when he pulls back and she’s left wanting so much.

“What the fuck, dude?”

He snickers against her thighs before kissing back up her body, paying special attention to her breasts, before slanting his lips over hers. “I couldn’t take not being inside of you any longer. I’m but a man, love, and I’ve wanted you for what feels like a long time.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Aye.”

He rolls off of her until he’s shucking his jeans and his boxers down his legs, his cock, full and thick, suddenly on display to her. She gulps, thinking about what’s about to happen, and she absolutely cannot wait. She watches as Killian finds a condom, opening the package and rolling it down his length while she fumbles with her bra, letting it fall onto the bed.

When he’s finished, he takes a step back over to her, grabbing onto her ankles and pulling her forward until her ass hangs off the edge of the bed. He doesn’t say anything else, but he looks at her and smiles while he slides into her in one quick slide, full and heavy and thick, the both of them groaning at finally being connected. He’s…perfect inside of her, and while it takes a few thrusts to really get into a rhythm, he finally does. Her legs wrap around his waist, hooking together at his ass, and he leans over her, making sure that his lips are always against some part of her body while he moves inside with slow, leisurely pumps that drag against her walls and drive her insane.

“This is – it’s good,” she mumbles, adjusting herself and tightening her legs around his back while he leans down and hovers over her, kissing at her chin.

“You’re so fucking wet,” he mutters as he pumps himself into her, nibbling on her skin as she tries to breathe, her entire body moving under his and her head buried against his side. “So glorious. Everything about you is glorious.”

It’s all too much. She wants him too much, her words broken as his thrusts into her, somehow making his way further inside with every push and pull. But then she looks up at him and can clearly see that he’s just as overwhelmed as she is, that he’s feeling all of this too.

“Fuck, love. I – ”

“I know. Me, too.”

She comes with a shudder, her nails leaving crescent moons in the muscles of his skin as heat flutters within her and around her, and he doesn’t take too long to follow her, her name broken on his tongue. That was…that was perfect and not at all what she was expecting. She doesn’t know what exactly that was she’d dreamed about, but this was better in its simplicity and its passion.

Later, she curls up against him, craving the affection and comfort of being in his arms, and even if she wasn’t completely sure of him earlier, her past demons nipping at her heels, she’s feeling sure of him now. His lips brush against her forehead, and she looks up at him and those ridiculous blue eyes.

“I’m glad you came to visit me, sweetheart.”

A tear escapes her eye, unwarranted and unwanted with the realization that tomorrow is goodbye for an unknown amount of time coming back to her with new meaning. He wipes it away with his thumb before kissing his finger and the tear away.

“It’s been one of the best weeks of my life, Killian. I – thank you.”

He smiles softly down at her before pulling her closer, her leg hooking over his. “It’s definitely been the best week of mine.”

They fall asleep, but they also fall into each other in the middle of the night, each time better than the one before as they learn more of each other’s bodies, the newness fading into experience. When she wakes in the morning, the night comes back to her in the soreness of her body and the way that Killian’s wrapped around her, his body hot against hers. This morning she knows she can hear the ocean outside, waves crashing into the shore, and she smiles as she listens to it mixed in with the rhythm of Killian’s heartbeat beside her, two steady beats that calm her.

She stays that way for awhile until her stomach growls and her head begins to throb, the call of coffee almost as strong as the call of nature, and she very carefully tries to get out of bed without waking Killian. she thinks she’s success, her body almost completely off the bed when Killian speaks.

“Hey,” Killian mumbles, rolling in bed and grasping at the back of her bare thigh, skin still unbelievably warm compared to the house, “where are you going?”

“Downstairs for coffee,” she answers, trying not to whimper as Killian’s fingers move up and down her leg like he’s trying to coax her back into bed, “but I need something to wear because your house is freezing.”

“I think your jeans are somehow over by the balcony door.” “Yeah, that’s not happening. Those are like wearing spanx over my entire body. Where’s your closet?”

“In the bathroom, on the right.”

She hums before walking that way, putting an extra sway in her hips like last night. Just naked. She knows Killian’s staring at her ass, and, well, she can’t help herself. She also still can’t get over how nice his bathroom is, white marble and warm chestnut cabinets everywhere, and when she opens his closet, she’s in no way surprised by the size or the fact that everything is organized by color. Most everything is in blacks and dark grays, the occasional blue or deep purple shirt, but what catches her attention is the bright green sweater with garland and bright ornaments draped across it.

“No way,” she laughs, walking over to it and pulling the ugly Christmas sweater off the hanger. It’s the one he wore in his response video, the same one she has in her closet. “I can’t believe he kept this.”

She throws it on, the material falling just above her mid-thigh, and uses the bathroom before finding her way back out into the bedroom where Killian’s fiddling with his phone. She coughs, very loudly and extremely fake, and he looks up, his face impartial until he catches a glimpse at what she’s wearing. His lips tick up while his eyes crinkle, and he laughs, a full belly one, while she sways toward him, the garland of the sweater moving with her.

“Bloody hell, darling, what possessed you to put that on?”

“What possessed you to keep it?”

His right eyebrow ticks up, and his hands find their way to her hips under the sweater, pulling her down on top of him so that she’s straddling his hips, his skin warm against hers.

“What? You’re telling me you didn’t keep yours?”

“Only because we have a tacky Christmas sweater party at the office every year.”

He hums as his hands run up her sides over the sweater, finding their way to rest at her neck. “You know, the first time I ever saw you, you were wearing this sweater. I was actually in this very bed and thought you were beautiful.”

“That sounds a little pervy, Killian.”

His eyes roll, and he leans forward to press a quick kiss against her cheek. “Shut it, Swan. That’s not what I meant. Robin showed me your little video, and he found you to be positively charming just as I did.”

“Yeah, well, I’d like that video to be purged from the internet.” His eyebrow quirks again, and she swears her heartbeat flutters. “Not that I’m not glad I’m here. I am. I know I said that last night but – I really…I really like you.”

His thumb moves against her cheek, affection absolutely brimming in his eyes. “I like you, too, darling. You need not worry about those affections being returned.” He rolls his hips to make a point, and she scoffs, laughter making its way in somewhere while she tries to keep heat from pooling between her thighs, hunger more important than anything right now. “Obviously. I’d also really like that breakfast you were talking about before I see you off, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan, Stan.”

“You have to stop saying that.”

“Never.”

She climbs off his lap, adjusting the sweater and leaving the bedroom while Killian gets dressed behind her. She’s absolutely giddy (God, when was the last time she was like this?), and she jogs down the stairs, practically sliding into the kitchen and making her way to the pantry, grabbing the bisquick for waffles. She hears a door slam while she’s shuffling through his syrup, trying to find one that’s not sugar free or gross, and when she leaves the room expecting to find Killian waiting for her, he’s not.

His brother is.

“Why the bloody hell are you in my brother’s house?”

[bluebellhairpin]

Domestic

Loki Laufeyson/Odinson X Fem!Reader

A/N: I dunno what this one is. I don’t even know when in the MCU timeline it happened, but it’s Loki fluff, so ya’ll wont mind, I’m sure. Enjoy. - Nemo P.S. Easter Egg for Anime fans. Kudos if you get it.

Summary: There are many memories that you’ve gained over the years from living with the God of Mischief. Here are a list of occasions that you like the most; some are happy, others sad, some are pure, some funny, and others that you wish the whole world could’ve seen.

Warning!: Possible trigger warning in one of the sections. If you believe it could be a trigger, it’s titled ‘VIII. Happy Pills’, so you’d just have to skip over it if you decide to read this anyway. 

Masterlist  

I. Save the Kitten

“Damn, not again.” You mumbled, hands on your hips as you stared up at the tall branches of the tree.

“With a name like Fiberglass I’d not wan’t to come down too.”

“Shut up Loki.” You said, thumping the god on the shoulder before making your way towards the trunk, preparing to start climbing.

“What are you doing now?” He said with a frown, seeing you begin to place your hands and feet up on the rough bark.

“I’m getting her back. What does it look like I’m doing; drawing a bath?” You called, mocking his accent while you made quick work of climbing.

“You’ve done this before.” Loki stated, ignoring your jab at his moral, instead noting that you climbed up this particular tree as if you did it regularly. You shot him a look, he rolled his eyes. “I was just pointing it out.” 

“Yeah well, stop pointing it out and prepare yourself to catch Fiberglass.” You said, now having reached the young cat and scooping it up into your hands. “Usually I’d just carry her down, but now you’re here it’ll make it a lot easier.”

“Maybe I should make you carry her down. Could be quite entertaining.”

“Loki, I swear to-”

“Okay, okay. Just give her here.” 

II. Sunsets

Since you had been entrusted with the care of Loki, S.H.I.E.L.D made sure there was plenty of space where you lived. Meaning you moved out of your old apartment in downtown Queens soon after Loki arrived, and into a house in the area of New Haven. The house came complete with floor-to-ceiling windows and a rooftop deck.

You especially loved the deck, and whatever nights you could you were up there with a blanket watching the sunset.

“Why don’t you watch the sunrises too? They’re just as beautiful.” Loki had joined you tonight, bringing an extra blanket and two cups of something hot and great-tasting.

“You should know me by now, I don’t wake up early enough for that.” You laughed. 

“True.”

“Plus, with sunsets, you can start to watch the stars come out too.” Loki smiled at that. It seemed he was rather impartial to stars too.

You both settled into a comfortable silence, his shoulder was pressed next to yours as you sipped your drinks. The sky swirled in shades of pale blue, pink, orange, red, and purple. It was putting up quite the show tonight.

“What is this drink?” You asked randomly, watching the liquid swish in your cup.

“Magic!” He said, putting his newly-learnt jazz-hands to use.

“You’re a moron.”

“You love me. Everyone does.”

III. Say Cheese!

“C’mon! Just one nice picture.” You whined, letting the hand that was holding your phone go limp.

“No. I’m not going to become one of your models. Too many people still hate me for the New York attack.”

“I wont use this one for social media, I have plenty others for that, and those only have your silhouette.” You pouted. “This one’ll be for me.” You added quietly, however Loki heard you rather clearly.

“Tch, give it here.” He said, snatching the phone from your hand and puling you close, pressing the button, effectively taking his first selfie before giving the phone back. “There. No stop whining.”

You looked at the photo, fining Loki looking the happiest he ever had looked, and you still had a look of shock/pout stuck on your face.

Loki was actually very happy you kept insisting on the photo, in fact he was rather happy you wanted to spend time with him at all; so he figured he could let that one photo be a outlet for his hidden happiness.

You frowned, a little disappointed in yourself for ruining an otherwise great photo.

“You should send that to me.” Loki asked, looking over your shoulder as you stared at the digital image.

“O-Oh, sure.” You said, choosing to ignore your stuttering and instead smile up at the Asgardian.

“Cute.” Loki breathed, making sure you wouldn’t hear.

IV. My Nephews are Twins

“I didn’t know you knew magic too!”

“I don’t. You’re overreacting.” You bluntly said, brushing some of your nephew’s hair away from his face as he ate cereal. “This is Eren. The one you saw outside is Jean.” 

“You gave you’re magic names?”

“Loki! Listen to me!” You started, slapping Loki across the face, Eren giggled at the action. Loki faced you with a look of disbelief. “Eren and Jean are twins. Did you not have twins in Asgard or something?”

“We do, it’s-it’s just where did they come from? No one in their right mind would leave their children near a monster like me.” At this comment, you pulled Loki away from Eren and into the hallway.

“You’re only a monster if you let people tell you that you’re one.” You started, placing your hand on his cheeks, forcing him to look at you. “You’re no monster to me; you’re Loki, the man whose trying to right his wrongs.” You finished, taking in a deep breath as you released his face.

He missed your touch; you were so warm compare to him.

“You turn blue. It’s awesome.” Eren and Jean said, speaking in chilling synchronization. Loki scooted behind you, making sure he had a sort of shield between him and the twins. 

“Are they possessed?” Loki whispered, keeping his eyes on the boys.

“No. They just have powers. Like Steve and Bruce.” 

“What kind of powers do they have?”

“Linked telepathic communication and self cloning.” The twins said. Loki shrieked and ran off, clearly shaken by your nephews. 

V. Ice Skating - Not For Loki

You couldn’t stop laughing. 

“I’m a frost giant.” He said. 

“That’s ice, and it’s basically just walking without lifting your feet.” He said. 

“How hard can it be?” He said.

He was so very, very wrong. 

He slid across the ice with his hands outstretched, his legs wobbled, and he’d already fallen over three times even though you’d been here for less than fifteen minuets. And he kept screaming at you to help him and “stop laughing this IsNt fUnnY.”. 

In short, you were thoroughly enjoying yourself while Loki was practically dying of embarrassment.

“I’m never doing that again.” Loki grumbled, angrily untying his skates. You’d just managed to stop laughing enough to grab him and pull him off the ice.

“Sure you will, it just takes a lot of practice.”

“Practice my ass-”

“Loki! Language!”

“You’re not getting me to embarrass myself like that again.”

“Sure I’m not.” You laughed.

VI. I’m a Snake 

You woke up this particular morning feeling a bit tingly. And long. And smaller. You looked down at yourself, realising that your normal human body was replaced by a snake’s.. You went to let out a scream, but only a hiss came out.

You moved yourself over to one of your mirrors, finding that now you were a rather pretty Taipan. You frowned, as much as a snake could, and figured it was probably Loki’s fault.

However, he did have his magic taken away, meaning something might be wrong with him, or he was reverting back to his villain-like state. 

You made your way into his room, finding he was still in bed, so you managed to worm your way on top of the covers. He had a couple tissues clutched in his hand and his nose was a bit red. 

He had a cold. 

You chose to slither around his neck and poke your snake-tongue in his ear. He shot up with a start, sneezing and rubbing his ear as he did so.

“Wha- Ah! How’d you get in!” He shrieked, knowing full-well that if you were a real Taipan, that you could cause a lot of bodily damage.

“It’s me you moron.” You tried to say, thinking he wouldn’t understand.

“(y/n)? What happened?” Turns out he did understand.

“You, Loki. You happened.”

“It must’ve been a fluke.” He said, sneezing again.

“Fluke or not, change me back before I bite you.” You hissed, sliding further around his neck.

“Okay. I’d have to take you to my brother or S.H.I.E.L.D to do it.”

“I don’t care who we go to! Just change me back!”

“That’s weird, Taipan’s aren’t usually this aggressive.”

“Loki!”

VII. What’s Your Tragic Backstory?

“You’ve really never been here before?” You asked, entering through the glass door and instantly smelling old books with a hint of tea and adventure. 

“It’s not like the higher-ups want be away from you.” Loki said, closing the door gently behind him as he watched you begin to wander through the isles of books. “Why did they leave me with you? As far as you’ve let on, you have no powers at all.”

“That’s the point.” You mumbled, running your hands along a row of old and new book spines. “I’ve never really liked my powers; as far as I’m concerned I should be the one locked up, not you.”

“What could be so bad about them? It’s not like you were controlled by Thanos.” He said, continuing to follow you as you then made your way towards a spiral staircase; you made no comment. “Were you?” He added, quieter this time as you stopped a couple steps higher than him, leaving you eye-level with the god.

“Loki, please, I don’t want to talk about it. At least not here.”

“There’s no one here. No other customers, and the clerk is asleep. It’s not like anyone would know.”

“I unwillingly killed hundreds for him. I remember it all. Every last plead for life; for a second chance. Sometimes he still tries to get to me, but I manage to shake him off.” You blurted, deciding to just let him know what's happened.

“So why are you here, working with the Avengers if you done so many wrongs?”

“I remember all my training; meaning I’m a better spy that Natasha Romanoff. I was also genetically engineered; Where Steve Rogers fights like a hundred men, I fight like a thousand. I’m a huge asset for them.” You finished, moving yo continue up the stairs but Loki caught your arm and turned you back to him.

“You don’t need to worry about hurting me. I... I have the same feeling about you. I don’t want to hurt you because of what I’ve done in the past.”

“Thank you Loki.” 

VIII.  Happy Pills

“What are these?”

“It’s just some med’s Loki.”

“Hogwash. I’ve been around Midguardians for six months now. The label says that they’re not just med’s.” Loki said, rattling the pills around in their bottle.

“Better question; what’re you doing in my stuff?” You said, setting down you book and snatching the bottle out of his hands.

“You were acting different to usual. I wanted to make sure you weren’t doing anything too rational. Contrary to that, turns out instead of doing something, you weren’t doing something.” He started, you groaned feeling a lecture coming on. “I can’t believe you thought you could trick me, of all people. Now tell me, and don’t you dare lie, what are these for?” He hissed grabbing hold of your arm to make sure you wouldn’t run away any further than you had.

“They’re just to help.” You sighed. “They help with Thanos. And the nightmares. They keep me happier.” You mumbled, the grip on your arm loosening as Loki then pulled you into a tight embrace. You felt a couple tears escape your eyes as you wrapped your arms around Loki.

“It may sound hypocritical coming from me, but talking helps. And you can talk to me, even at the times when it seems I don’t care.” He mumbled into your hair. You sniffed and tightened your hold around his torso, smooshing your face further into his chest.

“Why do you care about me so much?”

“We have a lot in common. Plus, as much as I’d hate to have to admit; you, my dear mortal, have wormed you way into my heart. I’m afraid I care about you an awful lot.”

“Oh, you’re so romantic.”

“You love it.” He breathed out a laugh, you too let out a giggle.

“I think you’re right; as much as I’d hate to have to admit.”

IX. Starry Eyes

“You get weird after two in the morning, you know that?”

“Good morning to you too.” You mumbled, rolling over in your bed to throw an arm over Loki’s chest. He let out a mock ‘oof’ when it landed on his shirt-clad torso; acting as it your arm was led instead of flesh and bone.

“No seriously.” He laughed, bringing your hand up to lay a kiss on your palm. “It’s like if your not asleep by a certain time you go to instant tipsy-mode. Do you even remember what happened?”

“No. I didn’t do anything too embarrassing, right?” You asked, prying an eye open to look over at a smiling Loki.

“Nothing embarrassing. You eyes just turned into galaxies.”

“What, really?” You said, sitting up in surprise as Loki nodded.

“Sure did darling. Right before you passed out and I had to carry you back here.” He said, patting the mattress as he explained.

“Which galaxy?” You asked, leaning back down into his arms as a gentle smile rested on your lips.

“One of the ones on the outer rims of this realm.”

“Is it pretty?”

“Nothing can compare to your beauty. You held the stars in your eyes last night, and you made them glorious. They are not that breathtaking when I see them in person, only when they are part of you.” 

“Aw, Loki! You’re so poetic!”

“Well, you know what they say; love so passionately that Shakespeare rises from the dead to capture it.”

X. Blue Is Good

“Loki, it’s fine. No one got hurt.”

“That doesn’t matter. Just leave (y/n).”

“No, I won’t - I can’t. I owe you that much.” You said, leaning your head on the door. It was cold, colder than normal. 

“You own me nothing! Monsters like me don’t deserve a love like yours! I’m not worth it!” He yelled, you stayed silent. He’d been in his Jotun form before, never in front of you and especially not in front of other Midguardians. You knew he viewed himself as a monster; but you thought he’d gone passed that now, you thought you’d convinced him otherwise.

“I know you don’t like your Jotunheim heritage Loki, and Thor has spoken of the dispute between your people and the Asgurdians. But you’re on Midguard now. People here may seem harsh, and at times they are, but you’ve proven yourself to be more than just a ‘monster’. Everyone has a dark side, a side of themselves that they don’t want others to see. I hope you know that I accept you as a whole; Jotunheim and all.” You said, never once raising your voice more than needed.

Loki had moved closer to the door, listening carefully to every word.

“You accepted me as I am, even though I still hate myself for what I’ve done, you make me feel like I worth some of the love you give me. I could never wish for anything more than for you to understand in the slightest the appreciation that I have for you. I love you Loki, more than words and actions can ever convey.”

“Say it again.” Loki said, opening the door and gazing down at you with a look of awe. His skin still had a blue hue and their darkened markings, and his eyes still had some red.

“I love you.” You smiled, letting out a sigh of either relief or happiness. Maybe it was both.

He then caught you by surprise, pulling you flush to his chest and connecting his lips to yours. You’d kissed before, but none of the other kisses conveyed this much raw emotion; love, admiration, sadness, hope, happiness. A huge mixture of colorful feelings. 

“I love you too.” He mumbled, his mouth only just far enough away from yours to get the words out without them sounding muffled.

And it was perfect.

[quillandinkjournalism-blog]

{ @quillandinkjournalism | @nightmare-keef }

Jamie had been staying in Nightmare's suite for a few days now. He'd done a significant amount of work on his article, but wasn't ready to send it out. Otherwise, he'd spent much of his time trying, and failing, to relax. He'd kept to himself, really, aside from a few brief visits from Nightmare. He'd spent a lot of time crying over the last few wasted months. The fear of being alone. Trying to learn to readjust.

He wasn't sure why it felt like everything was falling apart now, when he was safe on the Massive and Christopher was far away. Loud noises still startled him and he still didn't feel like himself. He had night terrors. He'd gotten numb with Christopher; it became normal, like being with him was just how it was supposed to be.

Currently, Jamie lay in bed after trying to soothe himself with a long bath with unexpectedly luxurious products, having sat with a glass of wine and a book of poetry. But he felt worse the moment he got out, seeing that his bruises had hardly faded. His knee wasn't sore anymore, but he still bore the marks. After some time in bed, Jamie wiggled over for his phone, sending out a text.

[TXT] Hey Keef. Would you want to come visit with me for a little while?

Nightmare had been distracted easily over the last few days. He felt twitterpated all over again, just like he had when he and Jamie were first getting to know each other. But he knew that it just was not the time. It was not the place. There was healing to be done and boundaries that had to be upheld. Being supportive from a slight distance was the very best thing he could do for Jamie right now.

Not that it stopped his heart from settling in his throat whenever his phone chimed.

The redhead had been washing fruit for lunch when one such message came through, causing him to jump slightly, managing to slice his thumb on the blade. He cursed under his breath, bringing the finger up to his mouth as he read the message and typed one back with one hand.

[TXT] Of course. :D

[TXT] I am in the kitchen. Got any requests?

Jamie picked up his phone when the messages came through, tugging it under the blankets with him and reading them in the darkness of his covers, a small smile tugging at his lips at Nightmare's response. He'd always been such a sweetheart.

The brunette considered the question for a moment, smiling a little wider when he decided how to respond.

[TXT] Are there any of those fruit tarts left from dessert yesterday? I liked those. I think I could probably eat an entire tray of them if you let me.

[TXT] And maybe a cup of coffee.

He nestled further into the bed, holding his phone to his chest. He couldn't help the way his heart skipped a beat. Everything was so different, but even all of the things he knew about Nightmare now - the boy was so much the same. Sweet, loving, kind, reliable. He sighed softly.

Nightmare smiled softly at the response. Of course he wanted coffee. He would be legitimately surprised to find that the human's blood was not composed completely of the stuff.

[TXT] I am sure I can find a few of them left over. They are pretty much a staple of the royal household.

[TXT] And - cup o' Joe.  You got it.

The redhead set about gathering up as many of the Tarts as he could put on one tray and brewing some fresh coffee. Dib had been very particular about stocking legitimate coffee from Earth, quite unimpressed with the synthetic stuff the Irkens were able to replicate. He spent probably ly a bit longer than he needed to drawing a tiny Eiffel Tower in the foam of one oversized mug before setting it and the remaining pot on the tray and stepping forward, through the shadow and into the hallway just outside his room.

He raised his hand, rapping his knuckles against the metal door and called out, "Jamie? Can I come in? I come bearing gifts of coffee and snacks."

Jamie couldn't help the big grin that split across his features, tossing the blankets off of him and sitting up in the bed. "Yeah, of course. Come on in. It's open."

He was wearing a comfortable and extremely soft cream-colour oversized sweater, paired with simple black leggings and fluffy reading socks. It didn't seem to matter what time of year it was, when he was home he wore whatever was the most comfortable, even at risk of complaining about the temperature.

Not that it was evening at all, and he likely shouldn't have been hiding in bed - Jamie flushed a little and pulled the blanket up over his knees.

If Nightmare thought it was inappropriate to be lounging in bed at this time of day, he called exactly zero attention to it. Instead, he walked in with a bright smile on his face, wearing vibrantly green jeans and a black t-shirt with the logo for Wicked across the chest, paired with a green newspaper boy cap and suspenders. As he made his way over to his small table to set down the tray he greeted happily, "I have succeeded in acquiring a fair few tiny fruit tarts and some caffeine."

He picked up the coffee from the tray, carrying it over to the bed where he sat on the edge and handed it over to the human asking, "How are you feeling today, James?"

"Good," Jamie replied at first, smiling at Nightmare's adorable outfit and taking the coffee gently in his hands before he sighed and looked down at the little Eiffel Tower drawn in his foam. "Well. No, that's not entirely true," he began, "I was doing better this morning. And then I got into a bit of a funk, I guess."

Shooting his head back up, he forced a smile at Nightmare and added, "Thank you. For bringing me tarts and coffee. I'm glad to see you. How are you?"

Nightmare pouted slightly but within a moment his smile was back and he replied, "It is understandable for funks to happen. You have been through quite the ordeal."

He tilted his head to the side and asked sweetly, "Would you like to talk about it or would you like to be distracted from it?"

Jamie took a sip of his coffee, pulling a face when it was still just little too hot. "I think for now I would like to be distracted. But if I want to talk about it later would that be okay?"

He couldn't help but to curse himself under his breath, raising a hand to adjust his glasses uncomfortably. He really wasn't the type to ask things like that - if he was feeling something, normally Nightmare would get an earful of it while he stormed around the apartment, blathering about what it was that made him upset until he felt better. He did what he wanted, within reason of course, but he wasn't timid by any means.

Nightmare smiled softly and gave a nod, "Of course. I am always happy to listen to you but I will do my best at being entertaining unless you decide that a listening ear is something you want."

The redhead twisted his wrist in the air and was suddenly holding a deck of cards. Whether it was sleight of hand or actual magic was uncertain. He gave a smile and asked, "Wanna play some cards?"

Jamie laughed when the cards seemed to appear out of nowhere, picking up one of the tarts as he nodded, "Yes. I'd love to. But you know how bad I am at cards."

Nightmare smiled as he began to shuffle the cards, in a manner which he told himself was not an attempt to show off in any way, merely to entertain the boy and distract him from his woes, "You are plenty good at some games. I distinctly remember you beating me at Go Fish five hands in a row the night we moved downtown and they did not turn the power on until the next day."

He began to deal out some cards and asked, "M'kay, so do you want Go Fish or do you want Slap Jack?"

Jamie laughed, taking a big sip of his coffee before setting it on the table next to the bed and repositioning himself, sitting cross-legged across from Nightmare. "That was a really good night," He said, "We ordered really horrible takeout and I played music on my phone. Uh… Go Fish. I think my chances are a little better."

Nightmare grinned down at the cards as he mused back, "That was really the very worst Chinese food I have ever tasted in my life. What even was that mu shu wrap? I swear to Christ they just opened a pack of flour tortillas and called it good."

He looked up with a smirk and added, "I did make good on my word for vengeance in the form of a scathing Google review."

"You did. That was the best-worded negative review I've read in my life. You really should have turned it into slam poetry, honestly," Jamie giggled, sorting through the cards in his hands before looking up and asking, "Got any sixes?"

The redhead chuckled, plucking a six out of his hand and passing it over to the other. "I could probably track it down again. But I have never been much of a poet."

Nightmare kicked off his shoes before folding his legs up on the bed and getting a bit more comfortable. He smiled up at the brunette and said, "Maybe I could get a shitty fast food critic column in Quill and Ink, though. I will make them extra funny."

"Hah, thank you," Jamie said, taking the six and pairing them together. "I think you should do it. It would be really funny. And I am sure our readers would dig a bit more comedy. Do you still read it?" He asked, humming over his cards for a moment before adding, "Got any twos?"

"I can probably do that. Gives me a reason to eat out at all the shitty fast food places that I totally never go to because I am a good boy and always stick to my budget." He pulled a two from his hand, passing it over and adding, "That was sarcasm, by the by."

He flashed another smile and admitted, "Well, from my perspective it has been quite a while since I have read it. In the Nightmare and everything. But I do not think I have missed any issues."

"Sure you are," Jamie snickered and continued as he settled his twos, "I keep forgetting about that time difference. It was so quick for me that it's hard to remember you were gone for so long. What… What was it like there?" He asked, lowering his cards for a moment with a frown. "You haven't told me much about that place. Dib either, really."

Nightmare gave a shrug, but he continued to look up at the human, "Spooky. Cold. Dark. I mean it is like a reflection of this world, but just… way more fog and ambient screaming."

"Oh," Jamie said, chewing on his lip for a moment before continuing, "I'm sorry you got stuck in there again. All of you. Um. Have a Jack?" he asked a little awkwardly, casting Nightmare a light smile.

The redhead gave another shrug and replied with a smile, "It was not so bad without the Professor there. He was super fucked up. But like… the other Nightmares? They are alright people. We were on the Massive, kind of. But the Tallests had their nightmares and Dib and Zim. Even Mika and the smeets. And really they were alright. We all worked together to get through it because they were kind of separated from their reality too."

He plucked a Jack out of his hand and passed it over - how likely is it that he had been dealt all of these cards? That is neither here nor there.

"Oh," Jamie replied, raising his eyebrows as he took and sorted the Jacks off to the side, "I didn't know that. Is there a nightmare version of like… Everybody? How does that work? Aaaand do you have an ace?"

Keef hummed softly and replied. "It is really up to Dib, I would think. I know that the majority of the people that have doppelgangers are people who Dib had direct reason to fear, so it is hard to say who all made it in. I adore that boy but he has some issues."

He dropped his hands to his lap and added chipperly, "Go Fish."

Jamie laughed at the response, drawing from the pile and grinning widely when he drew his ace, showing it off to Keef with a snicker as he sorted it aside as well. "Looks like Go Fish is the game for me. And he really does. Always had, that one," he snickered, asking, "What about a nine?"

Nightmare grinned widely at the remark, glancing down at the four cards left in his hand and musing, "It certainly looks like you are stomping me." He plucked a nine from his hand and passed it over adding, "We should play cards more often."

"You'll have to teach me some more games," Jamie said with a grin, setting the cards aside and humming for a minute before he scooped them all up together. "I'm gonna chalk that up as a win. Sit with me?" He asked, handing the cards all to Nightmare and settling back in the pillows, picking up another tart and eating it more slowly.

Nightmare snatched up his own cards as well as Jamie's, shuffling them once back into the deck which seemed to simply vanish in his hand as he nodded at the request. The redhead began to crawl along the bed until he was able to turn and rest against the headboard and mused, "I would be happy to teach you some new games. I bet you would really like War or Speed. They are a lot of fun."

"Yeah? It might be nice to know how to play some different ones. Maybe one day I'll actually be pretty good," Jamie replied, smiling at Nightmare before he decided to lean in a little bit, just nearly resting against him but leaving enough space so they weren't quite touching, not wanting to overstep any boundaries.

Nightmare did not miss the sudden much closer proximity. His cheeks flushed brightly and he lifted his eyes to look at the ceiling, wringing the hem of his shirt in his hands as he mentally told himself that he was a professional and he had to be able to not give in to the fluttering feelings in his chest. He nodded and replied, "Yeah. I would love to teach you some games and I am sure you will catch on in no time. It will be lots of fun."

Jamie didn't miss the signs of nervousness. He knew Nightmare well enough at this point, and besides, he acted much the same way on their first few dates, even clumsily knocking a tray of dishes out of the server's hands by accident. Jamie scooched a little closer, leaning just slightly into Nightmare and replying, "It will be. Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"

Keef glanced back up at Jamie, flushing all the brighter as the human closed more of the gap between them and he responded with a timid smile, "Not really. I was just planning on spending some time with you. I do not have much in the way of work right now because even though I was gone for two years I am still, technically, on the two-month sabbatical that I took from my practice. Not on probation anymore though. The Tallests are considering it 'time served' and just wrote off my charges."

"Well, I'm really glad to hear that your probation is finished. You can come and go as you like now, yeah?" Jamie asked, smiling down at Nightmare and humming as he snuggled a bit closer. "It's funny. We'd always talked about taking a vacation together and we were always so busy with our work we never got the chance."

Nightmare chuckled softly, bringing one hand up to his hair nervously, accidentally knocking off his cap as Jamie pressed himself against him and replied, "I ah. Oops. Yeah. I guess I can. You know… leave if I wanted to." He took a shaky breath before flashing a bright smile up at the human and asking, "If you were able to take a vacation, where would you want to go?"

Jamie giggled, plucking up the fallen cap and putting it on himself, sending his fluff of brown hair into his eyes before resting his head on Nightmare's shoulder. "I dunno. Somewhere warm I think. Cocktails by the pool. Or maybe somewhere historical and fabulous like Prague or Rome, or maybe Berlin. What about you? I guess with space travel that opens up a ton of options, huh?" He asked, reaching down to pick up one of Keef's hands in both of his own, turning it over to trace lines on his palm and examining his green nail polish.

"I like warm places," Nightmare replied distractedly as Jamie leaned against him and took his hand. He cleared his throat softly and added, "I ah. I have always wanted to go to Ireland. I mean. Not exactly warm. But I like the green. Or ah. Rome would be nice, yeah."

"A holiday in Rome would be incredible," Jamie agreed, falling silent for a few moments and turning to look at Nightmare, catching the blush on his cheeks against the stunning green of his eyes. It was like being with him took away all the worry and difficulty he had been dealing with. Leaning forward, he cautiously pressed a chaste kiss against Nightmare's cheek before pulling back again.

Nightmare was not certain he could blush any harder until the instant that he absolutely did. He shifted his hand to touch the spot on his cheek with the tips of his fingers, letting out a soft sigh. He looked up at the human with his brow furrowed and said softly, barely above a whisper, "I… I'm a monster, James. You don't… you don't want to do this."

Jamie blinked a couple of times at Nightmare's words, raising a hand up to caress his cheek with a slightly concerned expression. "Keef… I have seen you. I know what you are. But more importantly, I know who you are. And even more importantly than that, I don't think anyone, especially now, has any right to tell me what I do and don't want. And I want to kiss you."

Nightmare sighed softly, leaning into the touch but averting his eyes at the words. He wrung his shirt in his hands and said quietly, "I want to. I have missed you so much. I have wanted nothing more than to kiss you for such a long time. I..  I worry though. That with everything you have gone through… that I might be taking advantage."

Jamie's expression softened at Nightmare's words, taking the boy's hands in his own to stop their wringing, squeezing them tightly. "All I've wanted since that day I left the Massive was to see you again. And I thought maybe if… Maybe if I had a stupid little rebound fling that I could come back to you clear headed."

He sighed and looked away, resting into Nightmare slightly. "But it got out of hand. It's my fault, I shouldn't have - I should've been more confident in myself that you were what I wanted. You've always been what I wanted."

Nightmare did not stop Jamie from taking his hands and slowly turned his eyes upward to look at him as he spoke, though he had the general look of a dog begging for scraps or affection.  He swallowed thickly, his mouth feeling incredibly dry as he asked softly, "Are… are you sure?"

"Yes," Jamie replied, leaning in just slightly and looking into Nightmare's eyes. "Yes, I'm absolutely positive. Please. Kiss me."

The redhead brought his bottom lip between his teeth at the answer. It was the answer that he definitely wanted to hear. The one that he had hoped for and fantasized about for years. He had a hard time though, shaking away the fear that he was doing more harm than good.

But, even with the nagging fear Nightmare pressed forward to gently catch Jamie's lips, kissing him softly and sweetly. He brought his hand up to rest against the human's jaw and he could not help but to purr softly into it.

Jamie immediately melted into the kiss, leaning forward to return it just as softly and letting his eyes slip closed. He let out a happy hum, sliding his hands up to grasp Nightmare by the suspenders, smiling just slightly into the kiss. It was everything he had wanted, too. It was like everything settled back into place.

Nightmare had forgotten how soft Jamie was, how sweet he tasted and how perfectly they seemed to fit together. He wanted to give into all the feelings that he had managed to bury down deep for so long, to tousle with the human in the sheets and feel him more thoroughly. But instead be gave a few more very soft kisses and pulled away just enough to say, "I missed you so much, Jamie."

Jamie whined when Nightmare pulled back from the kiss, but he was still smiling when he replied, "I missed you too Keef. I really, really missed you." He leaned forward again, kissing Nightmare a little more deeply, letting his hands slide up along his chest. His lips were perfect, all that he had been craving for months.

Nightmare gave a soft moan into the kiss, pressing forward to meet the enthusiasm of Jamie's kiss with equal exuberance. He could not really believe that this is how this situation ended up panning out. He had spent so long trying to get over this boy. He didn't even dare imagine that someday Jamie would want to take him back.

The redhead pulled away again, catching his breath but managing to say, "James. I think. Um. I think we should slow down. A little… can… can we maybe just. I dunno. Cuddle, maybe?"

Jamie was flushed when Nightmare pulled away from him, panting lightly. He looked to the redhead with a smile, nodding and holding his arms open for Nightmare to snuggle up to him. "It… Yes. It's probably a good idea. To slow down. C'mere."

Nightmare let out a sigh of relief when Jamie agreed to slow down. It was, by no means, because he did not want this. But he did not want to fuck this up. The redhead moved into the space created by the boy's outstretched arms, pressing his head against his chest and purring softly at the sweet contact.

He let his hands rest on Jamie's chest, fingers flexing softly in the fabric of his sweater much like a cat kneading. Nightmare glanced up at the boy and quietly said, "Thank you, Jamie."

"I should be thanking you, Keef," Jamie hummed, wrapping his arms around Nightmare and lifting a hand to pet his hair. "I'd be so lost without you. I'm sorry I'm still… A little loopy. It's worse when I'm alone." He leaned down, pressing a kiss into Keef's hair. "There are very few things that make sense right now, or that feel right. But you do."

Nightmare refrained from stating that a monster making sense and feeling right spoke volumes about the boy's mental state. While he felt it was true, it was unhelpful.

Instead, he snuggled close to him, hiding his face in the thick fabric of his sweater and purred softly into the crook of his neck as he whispered, "You do not have to be alone anymore."

Jamie held Nightmare firmly, reveling in finally being close to him again and allowing himself what he’d been wanting all this time. “I know,” he replied quietly, not sure that there was anything else left to say. He let himself go quiet, just enjoying Nightmare’s company and the closeness of him, the way his hands felt against his chest.

[sapphicscholar]

Ok I know you're busy but please please please write whatever pairing you want for the post of the person who is advertising their services as being a terrible date to your family Thanksgiving dinner. No rush. Whenever you want. IF you want. Your life things absolutely come first

This has now been posted to AO3 here!

-Refers to this post  (text is there, but I changed to better match the situation/add in a joke or two)

A/N: This is set before the sort of reconciliation we get between Eliza and Alex (for reasons, even though other things have already happened that canonically take place post-reconciliation and really the timeline is all sorts of fucked but I’m beyond sleep-deprived), and since I’m writing from Alex’s POV, their relationship will sound pretty shitty, though it’s not the focus here. Also, this is pure crack–probably fairly terrible crack. In case anyone worried it would be serious….

Chapter Text

Knitting her eyebrows together in confusion, Alex reread at the vague subject line in her inbox: “Saw this, thought of you.” Knowing it was from Lucy already had her on high alert—the last time she’d unthinkingly opened a link from one of her emails at work, she’d ended up with the video for “Dick in a Box” playing at full volume to the surprise (and amusement) of her DEO recruits. But, since she was at home and more than a little curious, she clicked on the link, finding herself on a Craigslist ad that read:

“It’s Thanksgiving. Want to skip that long, insulting conversation about how youre still single? About how your parents really want more grand children? Well, look no further!

I am a 29 year old ex-con (long story, don’t worry, I’m plenty friendly!) with no family to worry about and a dirty pickup truck one year younger than me painted with some Scissor Sisters album cover artwork (there when I got it, but I like it too much to change it). I can play anywhere between the ages of 25 and 35 depending on hair and makeup. I’m a bartender and work late nights. If you’d like to have me as your strictly platonic date for Thanksgiving, but have me pretend to be in a very long or serious relationship with you, to torment your family, I’m game.

I can do these things, at your request: • Openly hit on other female guests while you act like you don’t notice• Start instigative discussions about politics and/or religion (I prefer to play the flaming liberal atheist, but can adapt depending on how promising the dessert selection will be and how much it would piss off your shitty family)• Propose to you in front of everyone (I’ve got a cheap ring and all)• Pretend to be really drunk as the evening goes on (sorry, I don’t really drink much anymore, but I used to. A lot. too much in fact… I know the drill)• Start an actual, physical fight with a family member, either inside or on the front lawn for all the neighbors to see (I require advance warning if I’m not to harm them in any real way or leave marks)

I require no pay but the free meal I will receive as a guest!”

Scowling, Alex switched over to email and sent back: “What the hell, Lane?”

Mere seconds later a reply came back in: “Morning to you too, Alex! You said you didn’t want to deal with your mom and your sister’s shitty boyfriend alone again so… voila! A solution—and it’s free.”

“I’m not going to hire an escort service,” Alex shot back.

“She says ‘strictly platonic,’ so it’s really not an escort service. And you’re not paying her, just feeding her. C’mon, think of all the joy those stories could bring to me, your dear friend, your oldest friend.”

“You arrested me for treason.”

“Hey look! Something you two have in common. You could totally bond about being ex-cons together.”

“Fuck off.”

“Do it!”

“No.”

Alex was ready to leave the conversation at that, but when she made it into the DEO, she found Lucy, a wide grin on her face and an extra coffee in her hand waiting for her in her lab. “So, I know you think it’s a bad idea, but here’s why you should do it.” She paused, waiting for Alex’s objections. When the woman just arched an eyebrow and glared, she kept going. “First of all, Eliza always wants to know why you don’t bring anyone home. You get the speech about how you went through all that effort to come out, and now you’re still single, Alexandra. Why? Second, Vas’s parents had to cancel last minute, so we’re gonna come crash the Danvers Thanksgiving extravaganza and would love to have some front row seats to this. Third, you know you’ve wanted to punch Mike since the moment he and Kara got together, and now someone is willing to do it for free. Do you understand how few things in life are genuinely free?”

“It won’t be free because you know the consequences will haunt me forever.”

“Danvers. Have I ever asked you for anything in my life?”

“So many things.”

“Hmm, I don’t recall those things. So you should say yes to this one.”

“Why are you so adamant?”

“No reason,” Lucy shrugged, a smirk playing at her lips as she feigned nonchalance, examining her perfectly manicured nails.

“Lucy,” Alex growled. “What did you do?”

“Nothing…I just, well, maybe I emailed her.”

“To say hello?”

“Yep, just emailed her to say hey.” A beat. “She can’t wait to meet you on Thursday!”

“Lucy!” Alex yelled, taking off after Lucy who had high-tailed it out of the lab. “Get your ass back in here!”

“Agent Danvers, is there a problem?” J’onn asked when Alex nearly collided with him.

“No, sir, nothing at all. I just have a few…follow up questions for Lucy.”

“It will have to wait. Supergirl just called in for backup on a situation developing downtown.”

With a nod, Alex resigned herself to waiting to exact her revenge on Lucy and cancel on whatever ex-con she’d found her for Thanksgiving. Of course, she reasoned, it might be amusing to see how her mother would react… Sure, she might not be able to compete with Kara, who could seemingly do no wrong, but surely she could be better than this internet chick. And bringing her would most definitely piss off her mother…

—

With a tumbler of top-shelf whiskey in front of her (courtesy of Lucy), Alex tilted her head to the side. “You’ll be there if anything goes horribly wrong?”

“I think you, Agent Badass, can more than handle it.” Lucy grinned at Alex over the rim of her own glass, far too excited about the prospect of her actually taking this mystery Craigslist woman to Thanksgiving dinner.

“Ah, but you forget I don’t really do family holidays sober. Still have a mean right hook, but it’d be nice to have backup.”

“Fine, yes, Vas and I will be there for you the whole day.”

“And you’ll take the blame if it goes horrifically wrong?”

“What? That wasn’t part of the agreement.”

“It is if you want me to actually agree this time.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Lucy finally nodded. “Alright, Danvers, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

“Fine,” Alex sighed, resigning herself to her fate. If nothing else, it would at least provide her with stories for years to come (and, if she were lucky, maybe even get her disinvited from future family holidays).

“Perfect, she’ll pick you up at 3.”

“Wait, you gave her my address?”

“Love ya too, Alex!” Lucy yelled, grabbing for her coat and making for the entrance before Alex could change her mind yet again.

—

2:50pm on Thanksgiving found Alex pacing back and forth in the lobby of her building. She hadn’t even wanted this woman—Maggie, apparently—to know where she lived, but since Lucy had already given up that information she was at least going to keep her from getting all the way up to her apartment. A ping from her phone finally drew her attention away from the door.

“Almost here. Is family there? Should I be a real dick and honk from the street?”

Smiling in spite of herself, Alex sent back: “No, just me. I’ll come outside.” Her smile soon vanished and her jaw dropped when she caught sight of Maggie’s truck rolling down her street. True to her word (though Alex might have conveniently forgotten that detail), it was emblazoned with a pair of women’s legs that morphed into scissors, a beam of light refracting through it and splitting off into a rainbow Pink Floyd-style.

“Your chariot awaits, m’lady!” the woman yelled after cranking down her windows, a smirk adorning her face that brought out dimples Alex might have fallen for if she didn’t know they belonged to some weirdo who would advertise her services on Craigslist.

With a nod and grunt of acknowledgment, Alex pulled herself up into the truck, rolling the window back up before turning to face her “girlfriend” for the day.

“So…you always this quiet?” Maggie asked, peeking over at Alex as they crawled their way through holiday traffic.

“No.”

“Cool, cool.” Eventually, tired of the quiet, Maggie spoke up again. “Anything you want me to do or not do today? Who all will be there?”

“Mom—Eliza. My sister Kara—technically foster sister, though she’s obviously the favorite child. Her jackass boyfriend, Mike, and her best friend Winn. I don’t think James is coming this year. Then Lucy and her girlfriend Vasquez.”

“Ah, yes, Lucy’s the one who wrote to me for you!”

“Mm, the very one,” Alex grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and scowling at the traffic as though the sheer force of her glare could make it move faster.

“If you don’t mind my asking, why did you do this? You seem kinda…miserable about the whole ordeal.”

“Lucy.”

“If you’re really not up for it, I can just drop you off and head back home. I mean, okay, yeah, I don’t get my Thanksgiving meal, but I’m not gonna force my delightful company on you.”

“Thanks.” Maggie couldn’t help but notice it was the first time Alex had sounded sincere, and she almost seemed to relax—not quite, but a little. “I’m okay though.”

“Alright, well, you’ve got until the front door to make that decision.”

“No, no. You were promised a Thanksgiving meal, and you’ll get one.” She’d even warned Kara to cook the turkey beforehand lest she accidentally out herself as an alien to yet another person.

“Well, I appreciate it.”

“Yeah,” Alex dismissed the thanks with a shrug and a wave of her hand.

“So, what’s our deal for the day?”

“Oh, um, maybe we’ve been dating for a couple of months—wasn’t super serious at first and didn’t want to say anything just yet?”

“Okay, that works. So no proposal?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Roger that. Now, do you want me to be a total d-bag? Hit on your sister?”

“No! No, there’s no need to remind mom just how much better Kara is than me at everything, including, apparently, attracting my fake girlfriend’s attention.”

Maggie cocked her head to the side, wondering how in the world the gorgeous woman sitting next to her thought she would ever fail to hold someone’s attention. Sure, she could be a little bit of an ass, according to Lucy, but who wasn’t?

“Okay, so, eyes on you and only you. Want me to talk politics? Religion? My former conviction? My lack of career mobility?”

“I don’t know,” Alex sighed, rubbing at her temples and trying to remember why she had agreed to this. Perhaps she thought this woman might deflect attention away from her—be so unsuccessful that Alex’s failure to become a proper medical doctor might be overlooked for a change, be so unappealing as a date that her mom would stop pushing her into relationships, figuring singledom was better than the lowlifes Alex picked up. But this woman was…not quite what she had expected. Sure, she was loud and a little brash—and her pickup truck took both of those to the extreme—but she also seemed fairly considerate, and she was cuter than Alex had expected all dressed up in her holigay best plaid.

“How about we play it by ear? I’m very good at reading people, I’ll have you know.”

“Is that so?”

“Mhm. For instance you are feeling very stressed and wondering why you got into my truck and why you’re bringing some internet stranger to Thanksgiving dinner. I’d put money on the fact that you’re already thinking about how much you’ll regret it and planning ways to exact some revenge on Lucy.”

Alex just pursed her lips, unwilling to admit that it was all rather true.

Grinning at Alex’s silence, which she took as confirmation, Maggie pushed her luck. “Now you’re wondering, ‘However did she get so good at reading people?’ And how is such a gorgeous woman still single, without a line of women to go home with for the holidays.”

“Oh fuck off.”

“She speaks!” Maggie crowed, cackling at the scowl directed her way. “C’mon the whole point of this stunt is to have some fun. Family holidays suck more than just about anything. And this is my irreverent way of saying fuck you to the whole ordeal. Everyone knows the holidays are all about pushing your dirty laundry and your box of vibrators deep into the closet and pretending like you don’t hate each other and everything your conservative uncles stand for while you eat until you can’t taste the bitterness of regret for your life choices anymore, right?”

“That got really bleak, really fast.”

“It’s dark humor, get used to it.”

“Remind me where the joke is.”

“Because you’ll know that everything about today is fake. Having the fake girlfriend there just helps remind you that everyone else’s perfection is a big goddam charade too.”

Alex made a vague noise, still unsure about how she felt about all of this. Rather than contemplate any longer, she turned to Maggie. “So, tell me something about you.”

“Not like I know that much about you.”

“I’m a scientist; that’s all you need to know.” It wasn’t totally true, but it would be fine.

“I doubt it.”

“I like whiskey. And dogs, not that I have time for one. I’m a scientist, not the doctor my mother hoped for. Better?”

“A little. I prefer scotch myself on the rare occasion I splurge. Dogs are clearly superior to cats, so we’re in agreement there for our future dog, ya know, even though it’s only been a couple of months. And I hate doctors, so it’s better this way.”

“All doctors?”

“Doctors, dentists, orthodontists—all the sadists, ya know.”

“Mm, right, right.”

“Yep. So, according to Lucy’s directions, we’re getting close. Any last minute instructions or questions?”

“Uh…no?”

“You don’t sound so certain.”

“Sorry, I just, I hate family things. I know in theory that she loves me, but I just—god, I can’t do another one.”

“Want me to take you home? You can blame me—tell her I let my car insurance expire or something and we got pulled over. Or I got sent to prison again.”

“That’s sweet,” Alex said, “but no, I need to go.”

“Well, at least this year you have an ex-con on your arm.”

“Speak of which…what did you do?”

“Honest answer or the fun answer?”

“Why aren’t they the same?”

“Because it’s more fun for me if I let you think I killed a man and gave all of his money to charitable causes like a veritable 21st century Robin Hood.”

“So you didn’t kill a man?”

“Tragically, no.”

“You gonna tell me what you did?”

“Protesting mainly. So disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, that kind of shit. Not like I’ve got any felonies on the record. But I can if you want to freak out your mom. Or your sister’s boyfriend.”

“Well, if you don’t mind risking another arrest, by all means, please feel free to punch him in the face.”

“That bad?”

“Worse.”

“Yikes.”

Alex just nodded, wrapping her head around the slightly different image of Maggie that was emerging as she learned more and more about the woman. Of course, nothing excused the fact that she was in a tacky pickup truck—not even the dimples and the charm and the deep misanthropy that rivaled her own.

“We’re here,” Alex murmured, taking a deep breath and steeling herself for the inevitable shitshow.

—

“Alex!” Kara squealed, pulling her sister into a big hug like she hadn’t seen her just yesterday.

“Hey, Kara,” Alex laughed, squeezing her once before pulling back. “Maggie, this is my sister Kara. Kara, this is my girlfriend Maggie.”

The theatrical wink Kara shot in her direction had Alex ready to drop her head into her hands, but as her mom strolled across the room she realized it was too late to back out now.

“Did you say girlfriend, Alexandra? Why haven’t I heard anything?”

“Mom, this is Maggie. Maggie, this is my mom, Eliza Danvers.”

“Very nice to meet you—”

“Eliza is fine,” Eliza interjected, sensing the hesitation. “Alex, is it too much to ask that you call me every once in a while? I shouldn’t have to find out about a partner only because I happened to be in town.”

“I’ll do better,” Alex sighed, setting her coat down as her eyes scanned the apartment, looking for where Kara had hidden the good whiskey.

“Well hello there,” Lucy greeted from the doorway, grinning broadly at the sight of Alex standing next to the mystery Craigslist woman looking beyond uncomfortable under Eliza’s scrutiny.

“Lucy! Vasquez!” Kara yelled, running forward to take the mashed potatoes and rolls from their hands.

“I’m beginning to think the excitement was for the food and not for us,” Lucy pouted.

“Aww, you know I love you both equally.”

Rolling her eyes, Lucy turned her attention to Maggie. “Hey, Maggie, how’s it going?”

“So your friends have not only heard about her but met her too?” Eliza asked pointedly.

“Oh, that’s my fault. I’m not always so great at meeting the parents, so I asked her to hold off on saying something.”

Alex tried not to look surprised at the way Maggie had been so quick to stand up for her, forcing herself to nod along with the sentiment while Eliza eyed her curiously.

“Hey, Lucy,” Maggie waved, hoping to break the tension—or, better yet, ignore it entirely.

“This is Vasquez,” Lucy introduced, kicking the door shut behind them as they finally made their way into the apartment. “She really enjoyed your pickup truck—helps the neighborhood aesthetic so much,” Lucy teased.

Figuring Lucy could deal with Maggie now, Alex made her way into the kitchen to find the wine, already anticipating her mother’s comments about how much “fun” she was having.

“She’s cuter than I expected,” Kara whispered, cutting in with a glass before Alex could abscond with the whole bottle.

Alex let out a noncommittal noise while focusing her attention on pouring herself a generous glass.

“I’m just saying—it’s been a while since you dated anyone…”

“I am not going to pick someone up off of Craigslist,” Alex hissed, shaking her head and finally taking a sip of the wine she’d been eying since they walked in the door. “Much better. Now you can deal with mom and the ‘best pie in the galaxy’ while I go have an intimate moment alone with a glass of red.”

“Why don’t you wait for dinner to start drinking, Alex,” came Eliza’s voice. Alex gritted her teeth as she spun around.

“I was under the impression that dinner would be starting soon.”

“Mike’s just running a little late,” Kara explained, shooting Alex an apologetic glance as she made her way back toward the oven where they were keeping the turkey hot.

“So let’s wait to have your fun until then, hmm?”

“Aww, we always have fun, don’t we, babe,” Maggie chimed in, throwing an arm around Alex’s waist and beaming at her as though she hadn’t just stepped into the first of many tense moments to come between mother and daughter. Then again, Alex realized, she had signed up for exactly that. “C’mon, why don’t you give me the grand tour?”

“Yeah, okay,” Alex shrugged, letting herself be guided away from the kitchen and into the living room where Winn and Vasquez had set up some multi-player video game and were currently shoving at each other as they competed both in and out of the game.

“Um, this is the living room…” Alex gestured awkwardly around them before guiding Maggie off to the side. “There’s the bathroom. And through here is Kara’s bedroom.”

“It’s a nice room,” Maggie declared loudly, chuckling at Alex’s startled expression. “Gotta make sure everyone knows we’re just doing a tour, not sneaking off to fuck, ya know.”

Alex glared and shushed Maggie. “Why would anyone think that?”

“Um, cause we’re dating. And it’s boring. And there’s a bed right there.”

“And a room full of people right out there!”

“You hired me to piss off your mom or be the asshole that makes you look good. Do you really have room to judge?”

“Ugh, stop reminding me of what a failure I am.”

“Hey, no, I don’t think you’re a failure at all—that’s not what I said. In fact, I bet you’re anything but. You’re pretty, and you’ve gotta be smart and driven to be a scientist. Your sister looks at you like you’re her goddam hero. And you had a friend concerned enough about your well-being to reach out to some stranger on the internet and subject me to a rather thorough vetting before sending me your address.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, Lucy and Vasquez double-teamed me for some interrogation thing. I mean…I won’t lie, it was kinda hot. But also I felt like if I didn’t pass I maybe would’ve disappeared without a trace. I don’t know why, but I feel like they could do that…”

Alex shrugged; she wasn’t wrong. “How’d you get all of that in just a few moments?”

“I’m a bartender. I read people for a living.”

“I guess…”

“So, why don’t you fill in the details I missed?”

“Um, Kara works for CatCo as Cat Grant’s assistant.” Maggie whistled, looking impressed. “My mom’s a scientist as well, Dr. Danvers. So was my dad.”

“Divorce?” Maggie asked.

“Um, no, he died when I was younger.”

“Fuck, Alex, I’m sorry—I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine. Not caring about family is your whole schtick, right?”

“Not caring about my family is my thing. That’s—that’s different.”

“What happened to the whole families suck act from the truck?” Alex teased, trying to move away from the topic of her dad.

“Ah, well, most years I’ve done this, I’ve gone to families as shitty as mine. Sometimes with shitty people as my fake date too, so there’s that.”

“So how do I compare?”

“Significantly less shitty. I mean, your mom’s a little judge-y, but she did pull me aside to ask what my intentions were with you, so she clearly cares.”

“Got a funny way of showing it,” Alex snorted.

“Yeah, but at least she’s showing it at all.”

“What’s the deal with your family?” Alex asked, suddenly curious.

“I don’t have one. Got an aunt I go visit when I can afford it, but otherwise it’s just me.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Better off without them.” Seeing the clench to Maggie’s jaw, Alex didn’t push the issue, though she couldn’t help the instinctive anger she felt toward whatever kind of person had left the woman that jaded. She might not get along with her mother, but at the end of the day, at least she knew she was loved, even if it never seemed to come in the way she needed it.

A loud knock on the door pulled their attention away, and Alex sighed loudly as Mike waltzed in, pulling Kara in for a kiss that just seemed inappropriate in front of their friends, but Eliza looked pleased enough to see Kara giggling, so of course now it would be acceptable.

“The boyfriend?” Maggie checked.

“Yep.”

“Should we have put on a show like that?”

“What happened to platonic only?”

“That’s the rule. But I already dislike him enough that I think I could make an exception for a bit of one-upsmanship.”

Alex snickered. “You’re not so bad, you know that?”

“High praise.”

—

The group eventually settled into dinner after an awkward round of toasts that included Mike speaking at great length about what an excellent person he’d become knowing Kara, Alex refusing to speak, Kara attempting to keep the peace, and Maggie giving an effusive speech about how perfect Alex was, including the line: “Best yet, not only is she smokin’ hot, but she’s also really fucking smart,” that had Lucy choking on her wine as she let out a bark of a laugh.

“So, Mark, tell me about yourself,” Maggie said, turning to look at him.

“It’s Mike.”

“Right.”

“Um, I work as an intern at CatCo.”

“Hey, look, babe! Maggie called, patting at Alex’s hand. “I’m not the least impressive person at the table anymore! At least I have a salary!”

“I will have a salary,” Mike protested.

“Yeah, yeah, Matt, whatever you say.”

“It’s not Matt.”

“Right, sorry! Mark—I’ve got it now. Locked in my memory—good as a vault. Mark. Mark, Mark, Mark.” Kara glared. Vasquez bit back a laugh. Lucy snorted into her wine. And Alex slung an arm around the back of Maggie’s chair, thinking this might just be the best idea Lucy ever had. She was definitely enjoying Thanksgiving more than she ever thought was possible.

“So, Mark the intern, tell me more.”

Looking over to Kara for guidance, Mike finally turned back and rolled with it. “Well, I work with Kara.”

“Are you her intern?”

“No, I am not.”

“Gotcha. So is that how you met Kara.”

“Why don’t we talk about you instead,” Kara chimed in, glaring at Alex. She’d been willing to play along but didn’t need to see her boyfriend being attacked all dinner.

“Ah, yes, well, I’m a bartender.”

Kara looked at her expectantly, but Maggie just smiled.

“So how did you two meet?” Mike asked, glad to have the attention off of himself.

“Do you want to tell it or should I, babe?” Maggie asked, looking over at Alex. The panicked glance she got in return was all the answer she needed. “I’ll tell it this time. So, it’s a funny story, right. Cause the first time I see her isn’t quite how we started dating. But I’m driving downtown, and I see this one walking down the sidewalk looking fine as hell in a leather jacket. And I swear, I nearly rear-ended the guy in front of me she had me so love-struck at first sight. But I managed to hit the brakes—couldn’t bear it if something had happened to Gertie—that’s my truck, in case you didn’t get that. She’s a real beauty; you’ll all have to come see her before the night’s over. Anyhow, she probably could’ve survived the crash—really, I could probably hit pretty much anything and you’d never know it. Not that I do,” she added with an exaggerated wink. Alex finished her glass of wine, nearly tipping it completely upside down, while Vasquez dug her nails into Lucy’s thigh to keep her from bursting out in laughter.

“Anyway, I see that she’s going to this coffee shop, so I start popping in just in case—and boom, like an angel, she appears.” But as Maggie got ready to reach the high point of her story—it was gonna be a good one, she could just feel it��a bright flash appeared in the living room, bringing with it a new person, though Alex would bet money he wasn’t human.

Within a moment, the majority of the room had produced guns, batons, and knives from nowhere and stood at the ready, weapons drawn, badges held high, and questions on their lips.

“I come in peace!” the creature yelled, looking beyond intimidated at the less than warm welcome. “But I bring a warning for Kara Zor-El, daughter of Krypton.”

As he turned to look at Kara, Alex swore under her breath, realizing she’d now have to get some random stranger willing to trade fake-dating services for free food on Craigslist to sign extensive nondisclosure agreements. But when she turned she found the woman pointing a gun and holding up a badge of her own.

“NCPD?” Alex hissed, while Kara and Mike moved with the visitor to the living room.

“Well who the hell is gonna let a Craigslist cop crash their Thanksgiving? That sounds like a sting operation if I’ve ever heard one. Besides, you’re not exactly the scientist you told me you were,” Maggie added, gesturing at the baton Alex had pulled from somewhere—where she was keeping it in jeans that skinny, she didn’t even want to guess.

“You’re gonna have some paperwork to fill out,” Alex grumbled.

“Is that about your sister being Supergirl?”

“How in the fuck—?”

“I’m a detective; I detect.”

“So you’re not just a bartender that’s great at reading people?”

“Nah, that was my gig in college, though, if it makes you feel any better.”

“It does not.”

“Fair enough. Anyway, if I’m gonna have to do paperwork, can I at least bring some of this dessert to go? I was promised a free meal…”

[breeeliss]

[Miraculous Ladybug]: Just Asking For Some Privacy

finally get to reveal my fic from the ML Ultimate Guess Who Game that @mlficwritersanon​ organized!! also, it’s in the top 10 of fics with most kudos which, wow, holy shit, thank you so much :)

i don’t write gen fics often so it was really heartwarming to see one get this much attention, so thank you all so much for those of you left kudos and comments (even though you didn’t know it was me :P) 

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Link to Archive of Our Own: [AO3]

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Title: Just Asking For Some Privacy  Pairings: Gen Fic: Marinette/Ladybug, Adrien/Chat Noir, Chloe/Queen Bee, Alya/Volpina Summary: "No but she's right. What the heck could the four of us possibly have to do that's apparently so important that it needs to be done in private, in an abandoned locker room, and in the middle of an akuma attack?"

The latter half of Adrien's sentence hung in between the four of them while they all stood in silence and narrowed their eyes at each other.

Now that Adrien mentioned it...that was a little weird.

Just Asking For Some Privacy

So here’s the thing.

Finding the perfect hiding spots for transforming and detransforming was easily the most difficult part about being a superhero. Hands down.

One minute you’re running into the girl’s bathroom on the fourth floor about to jump out the window and save the city, the next you’re hiding in the bathroom stall from a mob of older lycée girls touching up their makeup before their first period class, balancing precariously on a toilet, and getting frantic calls from your teammates about why you’re not there to help fight an akuma the literal size of the Eiffel Tower.

Then you have to show up to a fight and explain why your foot is drenched in toilet water all while maintaining the grace and dignity of Ladybug, a.k.a Team Leader, a.k.a. Should Probably Have Her Crap Together Better Than This. You’d think that after a year of being Ladybug this part of the job description would get easier, but apparently that’s just too much to ask for .

“You know it’s not as bad as you think,” Tikki whispered to Marinette as she walked to her next class. “At least you have a lot of free time in between classes and after school to get some privacy. Some Ladybug’s didn’t even have that.”

Marinette pouted. “I know you’re just trying to put things in perspective, but it’s still annoying. I had to transform underneath the reference desk in the library today. I cannot emphasize how impossible that felt in the moment.”

Tikki shrugged and dipped back into Marinette’s bag when she spotted students passing them in the halls. “Might be worth trying to find a new official transformation spot now that you’re in a new school for lycée.”

Back when Marinette was still in collège, her go-to transformation spot was the empty boy’s bathroom on the top floor that was unused and under construction for almost the entire year. No one ever went in there, there was plenty of space to transform, and construction workers were only ever there when students weren’t in their lessons. It was perfect, and whenever Marinette had to frantically say that she was “going to the bathroom,” it was never technically a lie.

But lycée planted her in a new building with even more people, and she never really had a chance to find more prime transformation real estate. Marinette thought that finding one would sort of just happen organically, but it looked like she was going to have to tell her parents she was staying after school for “club activities” and not scoping out the school for underused classrooms, abandoned bathrooms, and sketchy broom closets. Tedious and annoying, sure, but Tikki had a good point in suggesting a permanent safe zone within school. Most akuma attacks popped up while Marinette was in class, so that would be a huge weight off her shoulders.

A couple of weeks later — after deciding to pack her lunch with her that day and munch on a sandwich while she explored corners of the school building she didn’t even know existed — Marinette managed to hit the jackpot in the form of a shower and locker room on the fourth floor that was barely ever used outside of PE classes. There wasn’t much in that same hallway apart from storage rooms for fitness equipment, and it was completely devoid of any rogue students. Which meant no awkward interruptions and no more having to hide in cramped bathroom stalls for the coast to be clear.

It was perfect.

So the next time her phone buzzed with a news alert about an akuma downtown, Marinette faked a stomach ache, snuck out of class, and headed straight for the locker room upstairs for a private place to transform.

Of course, when she shoved her shoulder into the door and got ready to let Tikki out of her purse, she did not expect to see Chloe Bourgeois standing in the middle of the locker room, hunched over her purse, and whispering inside of it.

“... Chloe?”

Chloe screamed and spun around wildly, somehow managing to pull her nail file out of her purse and wield it threateningly at Marinette. But once she saw who interrupted her, she let out a sigh of relief and started glaring. “Holy effing Christ, Marinette, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Is that a nail file? What were you going to do with that, attack me?”

Chloe blanched. “...... no! Don’t….d-don’t be ridiculous, that’d be overreacting.”

“What are you doing here?” Marinette frowned.

Chloe straightened her back defensively. “What are you doing here?”

“N-None of your business! And I asked first!”

“I was here first! I get first dibs on answer.”

“That’s not how that works.”

“Yes it is!”

"Ugh, you're so freaking annoying," Marinette groaned into her hands. "Okay, look, I don't have time to explain this to you right now, but I really need to use this room to get some privacy. So if you could just go somewhere else that'd be a huge help."

Chloe scoffed. "And who said I don't need this room for privacy too?"

"It's a locker room," Marinette scowled. "What could you possibly need to do in here?"

"Y-You know...." Chloe hesitated. "School....things. Like studying..."

"In a locker room..."

" Yes , in a locker room, does that bother you Marinette?"

Marinette shrugged. "I mean, you're incredibly bizarre so I guess it makes sense you'd write papers sitting in the middle of a school shower."

"Oh shut the hell up, what are you doing in here then, huh?" Chloe snapped. "Looking in the mirrors and practicing how to be annoying?"

Marinette felt her nose flaring from anger and tried to dial back the petty screaming she was about to unleash. "I....have to practice my class rep speech in here."

"Uh huh," Chloe said, arms crossed and looking totally unamused. "In a locker room. On the fourth floor. Away from everyone. Where no one goes ."

"It's a better excuse than yours! Studying? Really? "

Chloe stepped forward and jabbed a finger in the middle of Marinette's chest. "Listen here, you smart aleck little brat — "

But Chloe didn't have a chance to fall into her tirade before the locker room door burst open behind them and shocked both girls into spinning around and instinctively hiding both of their purses behind their backs. It took a second for Marinette to realize who the newcomer was, but she blinked incredulously at the sight of Adrien leaning his back against the door, panting like he was out of breath, and beginning to peek into his shirt pocket before he spotted the two girls standing in front of him. His eyes widened as he froze and zipped his jacket back up. "Woah, um...I guess it's a party in here?"

"Adrien, darling, what on Earth are you doing here?" Chloe sighed, pressing a finger to her temple.

"I mean, I didn't realize this was such a hot hang out spot," Adrien winced. "Sorta expected to get some alone time, if I'm being honest."

Marinette threw her hands up. "What is it with everyone coming here for alone time? Alone time for what?"

"Tall questions for someone who won't reveal that information herself."

"Chloe, I swear to God."

"I-I mean, just alone time!" Adrien defended lamely. "You know, sometimes you just need some privacy to do your thing."

"And what thing is that?" Chloe asked in amusement.

Adrien turned his eyes up to the ceiling like he was searching the fluorescent lights for an answer. "The, uh....acoustics in here are really good?"

"Acoustics?" Marinette asked, raising a brow. "You sing?"

"...I guess now I do."

"Funny," Marinette smirked. "When you and I were having lunch the other day, you said that singing was your one true weakness and that you were terrible at it."

Chloe raised a hand. "Can confirm. We took voice lessons together when we were kids. Such a pretty face and such a not-so-pretty singing voice. Oh, no offense darling. Your strengths lie in other areas!"

Adrien lifted his chin. "I'm not that bad! And maybe I came in here to practice and get better! Self improvement and all that."

"Now? In the middle of class?"

Adrien puffed out his cheeks and hesitated with his answer before he pointed accusingly at both of them. "You two are skipping too!"

"Stop focusing on me!" Chloe demanded. "This has nothing to do with me."

Marinette chortled. "Oh, that's a first..."

"Listen, Dupain-Cheng, I don't care about the stupid truce we made at the beginning of the year, I will smack you and enjoy the sting it leaves in my hand afterwards."

"How mature of you, no wonder no one nominated you to be class rep this year."

" That's it!"

"Okay! Girls!" Adrien shouted. "Normally I'd humor this, but I'm really short on time here so I kinda need the privacy. So if you two could just sneak out for literally sixty seconds that'd be awesome."

Marinette frowned. "I thought you were practicing your singing. Besides, I got here first, I need the privacy. Sorry Adrien."

"No, I got here first, and I need the privacy."

"Okay what could the three of us possibly need to do in private this early in the school year?" Adrien sighed in exasperation. "Look, I'm sorry, but I think that my reasons are a little bit more important right now, so I'm going to call dibs."

"Um, that's a presumptuous statement," Marinette complained. "I'm pretty sure I have the most pressing issue right now."

"That's laughable. Actually," Chloe scoffed. "I'm running on a time crunch here and I guarantee that the two of you couldn't even begin to comprehend how important this time is for me right now. If anyone should be leaving, it should be the two of you."

Adrien was about to open his mouth and protest, but someone from the other side pushed roughly into the door and shoved Adrien forward, who was still leaning against it. He backed away from it slowly and the three of let out a joint sigh of annoyance when they saw Alya hurry into the locker room with an annoyed huff and suspiciously eye the three other people standing in the room.

"Oh what the hell, don't tell me Nino told you guys about this hiding spot."

"What? No," Chloe said. "I found this the other day. It's like the one spot in school that no one ever goes to."

"Wait, what the heck, I thought I was the only one who knew about this," Adrien said.

Alya snorted and patted him on the back. "Yeah, sorry, kiddo. I found this place like on the first day of school, so I call dibs. Need to steal this room from you guys for a couple of minutes so if you wouldn't mind shoving out, that'd be cool."

"Oh not you too!" Marinette interjected. "This is so stupid, why are we all here and why do we all need privacy at exactly the same time?"

Alya raised a brow. "Okay, excuse me for making assumptions, but I'm gonna go ahead and guess that whatever it is the three of you have to do is not as important as what I need to handle right now."

"You're a little late with that bit," Chloe glared. "Apparently we all have ridiculously important things to take care of in this exact same room at the exact same time. Gee, that doesn't sound suspicious!"

"Okay, you can tone down the sarcasm, you freakin' primadonna," Alya growled.

"No but she's right," Adrien complained. "I mean, what the heck could the four of us possibly have to do that's apparently so important that it needs to be done in private, in an abandoned locker room, and in the middle of an akuma attack?"

The latter half of Adrien's sentence hung in between the four of them while they all stood in silence and narrowed their eyes at each other. Now that Adrien mentioned it...that was a little weird. Marinette knew why she was here during an akuma attack and needed privacy, but that made sense considering her position and the fact that she literally needed to hurry up and transform to stop the akuma that was probably gearing up for a rampage pretty soon. It made no sense why the three of them would also need to do the same thing at the same time.

Unless....

The four of them started slowly backing away from each other.

"Um," Chloe muttered. "Are Ladybug, Chat, Bee, and Volpina on the scene yet?"

Alya carefully slipped her phone out of her pocket and clicked around for a live news feed that was streaming on the internet. She cleared her throat. "Doesn't look it," she said, refusing to make eye contact with the group. "Akuma's still downtown collecting an army of stray dogs."

"Huh," Adrien hummed. "Weird. They're usually there by now."

"Maybe something's holding them up," Marinette offered.

"Yeah," Chloe said, side-eyeing Marinette. "I wonder why..."

Marinette flinched under the scrutiny and leaned away from Chloe. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Nothing!" Chloe said innocently. "Just find it curious why Ladybug of all people isn't out there fighting that akuma yet. It isn't like her to get tied up for this long..."

Marinette placed her hands on her hips. "I could say the same for Queen Bee. She's usually an eager little thing that shows up to fights first before anyone else."

"And how you would know that?"

"How would you? "

"Okay, enough with the pissing contest, you're giving me a headache," Alya said with an eye roll. She started to throw her hair in a ponytail and began heading for the door. "Alright, I guess I'll just find a closet or something since you guys stole my hiding spot."

Adrien faked a cough into his hand. "Twenty euros Volpina shows up to the fight first."

Alya turned to Adrien and glared. "Excuse me?"

Adrien shrugged innocently. "Nothing! I didn't say anything..."

"Don't play that card with me, what are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything," Adrien countered. "I just made a casual statement. You seem to be taking it oddly personally though. I wonder why that is?"

"Well let's talk about you, mister!" Alya replied. "Why don't you go ahead and leave first?"

"I...don't need to leave first," Adrien defended. "I'm perfectly fine waiting until the room clears out."

"Why?" Alya smirked. "Because it might look suspicious if Chat Noir showed up first?"

"Alright!!!" Marinette announced. "Enough of this. Pointing fingers is not at all productive. I already see where people's minds are going and that is not a road we're going down. We're all going to leave at the exact same time, go our separate ways, and stop making such a big deal out of this."

Adrien drummed his fingers against his pursed lips. "That sounds like something a leader would say..."

"Oh what does that even mean?" Marinette sighed. "I've been Class Rep for the past two years, sorry if I'm good at delegating."

"Yeah, I'm sure Ladybug's a Class Rep, too," Chloe mused. "Would make a heck of a lot of sense..."

"Are you accusing me of being Ladybug?"

"Are you admitting to it?"

"No!" Marinette gasped. "I thought we were accusing Alya of being Volpina!"

"Hey!" Alya countered. "That's not fair! It makes way more sense that Adrien is Chat Noir than me being Volpina. I mean, have you heard the kid's puns in class today?"

"That has nothing to do with anything!" Adrien insisted. "Plenty of people tell puns, that's such a ridiculous statement to make. Besides, are we ignoring the fact that Chloe practically announced to the whole room that she's Queen Bee?"

"Rude!" Chloe shrieked. "How do you possibly come up with such a ridiculous assumption?"

Alya shrugged. "I mean let's be real, who else is gonna dare show up to a fight in a black and yellow superhero suit sporting red eyeshadow like they got makeup advice off of some half-baked beauty guru's YouTube channel?"

"Shut up I was wearing red that day and had to roll with it, don't judge me for that, my makeup is literally perfect!"

Marinette pointed dramatically at Chloe. "HA! I knew it!"

Chloe stomped her foot petulantly on the ground. "Ugh, that's not fair! I'm not the only one who just incriminated themselves. This one basically just admitted to being Volpina."

"How so?" Alya demanded.

"I remember that day I was wearing that red eyeshadow," Chloe smirked. "It also happened to be the same day that Nino was sick and couldn't film for the Ladyblog, and none of the news outlets were able to get close up shots of everyone fighting because it was happening on top of the Notre Dame. How else would you know that Bee had on red eyeshadow if you weren't there at the fight?"

Alya froze for a moment and struggled to come up with an answer. She darted her eyes in between the three of them and growled in annoyance. "For God's sake, I can't believe this is happening to me right now."

"Wait, no," Adrien interrupted. "There was that art student who caught them just after the fight and took pictures of them, saying they were going to throw them online and use them for a project. She could've seen that and noticed the eyeshadow without being at the fight."

Marinette sighed. "And how on Earth did you know that?"

Adrien's eyes widened as he reached up to cover his mouth with his hands. "U-Uh," he tried to recover. "I...follow obscure Tumblr blogs?"

"Hold on a second," Chloe said. "You mean to tell me that the three of us have been in the same class for years and this entire time we've been superheroes?"

" Three of us?" Adrien echoed. "Are we forgetting the other person in this room?"

All three of them turned their heads towards Marinette and stared at her expectantly. She scrambled around for an excuse or some way to justify why she was here, but realized that it was useless at this point in the game. She threw her hands up in the air and relented. "Alright, alright, fine . We all figured it out anyway, it doesn't make sense hiding it anymore. I'm Ladybug. Okay?"

Adrien sighed and raised his hand guiltily. "Chat Noir."

Alya huffed. "Volpina."

Chloe turned her nose up. "An innocent civilian who is honestly shocked and appalled that — "

" Chloe!!"

"Fine!" she shouted back. "I'm Queen Bee. There. We all broke superhero rule number one. Bang up job, everyone. Seriously. Round of applause."

"You outed yourself first!" Marinette countered.

"Yeah sure, Negative Nancy. Let's just start placing the blame on everyone else."

"Okay," Adrien announced. "Everyone just...stop for a second. This is a huge amount of information to take in right now and we need to just stop and think for a minute okay?"

Marinette was about to say something before her phone buzzed again. It was another news alert proclaiming that the akuma attack was getting worse and that there was still no sign of any of the four heroes. She pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead. "We don't have time to talk about this right now," Marinette said seriously. "There's still an akuma out there and we've wasted enough time already. We're going to have to talk about this later."

"Are you serious?" Alya asked.

"Look," Marinette said. "Just act like normal in front of the civilians and pretend like nothing's wrong. We all have a job to do and can't waste any more time with this. When we get back, we are going to be having a very long discussion about Identity Safety and how to comport ourselves now that we know about the four of us."

Adrien withered at the news. "Oh no. Not the Safety slideshow again ."

"Marinette, that was torture the first time around," Chloe groaned. "It was two hours long."

"Clearly we need to go through it again," Marinette insisted. "We just mass revealed our identities to each other, who's to say we won't lose our cool and do it in front of a civilian?"

Adrien furrowed his brows. "You're the one who cheered in victory and said ' ha! I knew it!' when Chloe outed herself."

Marinette rolled her eyes and opened her purse, letting Tikki float out. "That's...a minor detail. Look. Akuma first. Safety talk later."

Everyone rolled their eyes at the news, but followed directions and transformed before escaping out the locker room window and heading down towards where the akuma was. Luckily, kicking out all civilians from public parks and turning them into dog parks for all of the strays in the city wasn’t too dangerous in comparison to some of the villains they’d had to face in the past. But it didn’t bode well to let akumas run around for so long without intervening in some way. Hopefully, this would be one of their quick clean ups and they could come back and spend the lunch break talking about whatever the heck nightmare just occurred in that locker room. After all that effort put in to make sure their identities were safe, a stupid locker room of all things wound up being their downfall.

Well. At least sharing it wouldn’t be an issue anymore.

Ugh. Tikki and Master Fu were going to lecture her head off about this later. That was going to be fun.

"Oh my God!" Queen Bee announced mid-flight. "I've been cosplaying as Marinette this entire time!"

"Bee, shut the hell up," Volpina shouted.

[guidetoucla]

How to Find a UCLA Apartment

I can’t recommend moving off the hill highly enough. The space you get in an apartment, the aesthetic, the price, the independence from campus, being surrounded by upperclassmen... it’s just the best. I wish I had done it sophomore year. Instead, I did it junior year, senior year, and fifth year, and then for one extra sixth year quarter I moved to Hollywood. More on that at the end.

I’ve seen a lot of younger students struggle with finding an apartment in Westwood, so I just wanted to share a few tips. Hope this helps!

1. Ask your older friends! They may be moving out of their places, or know people who are, or at least know some landlords or websites to point you towards. They may themselves be looking for someone to replace someone in their group too. This is your best bet.

2. Search online, like Rent Westwood and The Elliott Company (my two landlords) have their prices and availabilities listed online.

3. Check Facebook, the UCLA housing groups. I found a sublet this way and it was great. 

4. Join an organization like UCLA Radio that has a whole Slack channel dedicated to sharing housing opportunities! Or if you’re in an organization you love, consider starting your own in-club housing network for people to share their housing opportunities and ISOs (“in search of”). 

5. Literally walk around the neighborhoods and call the numbers listed to see their prices. This is probably the worst way, but if you’re desperate, sure.

It’s important to note: This shit starts earlier than you think! Like, there will be some people in last-minute housing changes in August, but typically the leases are signed in like, February-May. You can definitely start contacting landlords in January or February regarding a lease that would start in September. This is unique to Westwood, everything else in LA is like “available now!” There are a few “available now” situations in Westwood, but they’re usually the overpriced buildings. Look in advance! And start deciding in like December and January who you’re going to live with the following year!

My favorite street in the apartments (north of Wilshire) was Midvale. It’s beautiful, close to campus, often where the “cooler” (lmao) students live. Roebling is the most social street, a lot of Greek life people live there, followed by Landfair and Gayley. Ophir is cool, Levering is fine, Kelton is nice but getting far, and Veteran is cheap but a trek. Roebling is surprisingly close to campus and downtown Westwood, which is nice. I should note I have a preference for older apartments though, I think they’re charming and beautiful, rather than the new massive block-y apartments, and Midvale has a lot of those.

Some ballpark price ranges (per month) for apartments north of Wilshire, in 2019 anyways:

A single: $1000-$1500. Even if you have no budget, paying over $1500 is pretty absurd. If you can find one under $1000, thank the heavens. $1150 is probably average. At my old (beautiful) apartment on Midvale (471), there was one small single we had for $930 in 2018 and that was a steal. I had a friend who lived with an adult who had a rent-controlled apartment on Roebling and paid only $750 in 2018, so it is possible, although rare and a little weird.

A double: $700-$900. If you’re paying $700 for a double, that’s amazing. I paid $650 in 2017 for a weird double in Shutter Island (10966) on Roebling with big bedrooms and no living room. I paid $775 for a great double on Midvale (471) in 2019. If you’re paying over $900, that’s a bit steep but may be worth it if you can do it and if you’re in a beautiful place with your best friends.

A triple: $500-$700. I paid $550 for a big triple in my Midvale apartment 2018 (we all had full-sized beds). If you’re paying anything over $700 for a triple that’s kind of bullshit, in my opinion. But hey, prices go up every year, and if you’re with your best friends, do what you have to.

And then you’ll also be paying for groceries, which can range depending on how strict your budget is. I knew someone whose brother did it for $5/week, but I was averaging more like $50/week. Maybe that’s bad, I don’t know, I got a lot of produce and stuff. But that’s $200/month + let’s say $800/month on average, $1000/month, compared to $5500/quarter in the dorms?

I’ve noticed there’s usually a bell curve in terms of pricing. Studios and one-bedrooms are typically more expensive per person, then two- and three-bedrooms are the ideal in my opinion, and then once you get to four-bedroom or more nightmares it usually goes up again (and you all have to share one refrigerator and it can just be messy/drama).

If you can, I recommend staying north of Wilshire in that apartment area. It’s just where everyone is. That said, prices are usually cheaper south of Wilshire, and it’s not too far from campus, so it could be worth it for the price. The people I knew who lived south of Wilshire also seemed more independent, more removed from campus. Just maybe get a bike? 

But also, at that point, you can start looking at options outside of Westwood. For my last quarter, I lived in Thai Town in Hollywood, and I loved it! It was actually easier to get to campus than walking, I just took the bus (the 2) straight down Sunset every day and it drops you off right at campus. My rent was $950 for a single bedroom, and a bus pass through UCLA (CTO) is free for a quarter and then not too expensive after. (Plus I met my boyfriend by getting out of the UCLA bubble!) If you do this, I just really recommend either having a car and/or checking the public transportation options before moving. Like, Mid-City is difficult to get to by public transit. Anywhere along Sunset, you’re golden. If you apply for a parking spot through UCLA, if you get it you’re set, if not I still recommend renting one from someone in the apartments, which you can usually find through UCLA Free & For Sale on Facebook. (Prices for a parking spot: $50-75/month for tandem, which isn’t ideal, or $75-$150/month for non-tandem.)

Regarding who to live with: There are going to be people who you absolutely love but who you won’t want to live with. They may be messier than you, more obsessively tidy than you, louder than you, more strict with noise than you... the list goes on. Before you move in, I suggest you fill out a spreadsheet like this one, or at least have a conversation following these guidelines:

 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sZhJoeqQ_c0eMMSwkSLFRI-MISWEvXzP9q0bFQT4PFA/edit?usp=sharing

I know it’s a little over-the-top, but it’s helpful for communicating preferences before you run into problems. It would be even better if you looked these over before agreeing to move in together. I usually made it into a joke like, “I swear I won’t have any more insane requests after this one” and “it’s amazing I don’t have any Virgo placements.”

But also, fingers crossed that you’re super living-compatible with your best friends or whoever you want to live with! I’ve always had luck and been closest with my roommates, it’s a great opportunity to find a new best friend.

Regarding sublets: This one’s tricky. It’s illegal to have someone living in your house who’s not on the lease. Plenty of people end up subletting because they have a yearlong lease but want to be away for the summer (so they need someone), or they live in the dorms usually but want to stay for summer session (so they need a place). Similar situations for study abroads. I’ve done it a lot, but I have also gotten in (not awful) trouble for it once. Subletting really is a risk, not just because your landlord will get pissed (and possibly evict you!) if they find out, but also because your subletter can absolutely leave at any time with no legal repercussions and you’d be rushing to find someone else or pay the rent yourself. Or similarly, if you’re the subletter, you could be without a place to live if something goes wrong, they come back, etc. It’s doable and happens, but it’s not ideal at all. You could ask the landlord if they could do a lease transfer for the rest of summer, but it’s complicated and puts you on their radar if they say no. In sum: It’s a risk. Sublet it if you have to, but avoid it if you can.

Regarding pets: I had a cat for two years in no-pet apartments, and the landlords never found out. The cat never peed anywhere bad, etc, we got lucky. I don’t really recommend it, we probably should have gone the emotional support animal route, but it’s doable if you’re determined.

Best of luck! If you want any more advice, follow me on Instagram and DM me -- @ a s h l . 3 . y

[mikeyd1986]

MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 143, February 2019

On Monday night, I went to my Boxing small group training session at CinFull Fitness. Quite a few people were running late so Cinamon and I were wondering if anyone was going to turn up for tonight’s class. Luckily, Jade, Patrick, James and Scarlett ended up coming in the end. Tonight’s workout consisted of: several boxing drills, med ball slams and kettle bell squats (5 reps +5 each round), 3 rounds of walking lunges, 10 squats and 10 push ups, one minute of jab box combos (increasing by 1-2 reps).

I was struggling a little tonight. Maybe it was due to my sleeping problems, lack of energy during the day, lack of air circulation, group performance anxiety, who knows? But I feel like my boxing technique is gradually improving. At times, I do miss a rep or forget a movement but I just keep going, keep trying and keep striving. Thankfully the weather outside was pretty mild and not overly hot so I could breathe and recover easily.

On Tuesday night, I did my Body Balance class with Astrid Christophersen at YMCA Casey RACE. The weather was acting particularly strange tonight. One minute it was clearing up, the next it delivered another downpour of rain. Luckily I was undercover inside the group fitness room when it did decide to come down. Tonight we ended up doing release number 68 which consists of tracks including Of The Night by Bastille, Elastic Heart by Sia, Come Get It Bae by Pharell Williams, Maps by Maroon 5 and Pretty Hurts by Beyonce.

It was generally a pretty cruisey release with a double Tai Chi Warm Up to start. Sun Salutations & Standing Strength (Mountain pose, Downward Facing Dog, Plank, Crocodile, Intense pose, Warrior 1 into Warrior 3. Triangle pose. Side Angle pose). Balance & Hip Openers (Eagle pose, Angel pose, Star pose, Divers pose, Frog pose, Swan pose with quad stretch). Pilates (Oblique twists with crunches, Extended toe taps, Bridge pose, Arm balances, Crocodile pose). Twists (Seated twist, Twisted Down Dog, Twisted Pyramid pose). Hamstrings (Supine Hamstring stretch, Turtle pose, Wide Legged Forward Fold). http://www.totallylesmills.com/site/BODYBALANCE

On Thursday morning, I had an appointment to see my psychiatrist Dr. Ricardo Peralta at Vita Healthcare in Mount Eliza. Today it honestly felt like I had a snowball of pressure mounting up inside of me. It didn’t help that I was feeling weary and restless either. It was difficult to tell if my medication (50mg Quetiapine) was actually having a benefit besides making me sleep for longer. Sadly it wasn’t doing much for my energy levels during the day as I’ve felt a steep decline this week.

The 50 minute drive from home to Vita Healthcare honestly felt like a chore possibly because I had a large to-do list to get through today. Annoyingly, I felt sleepy the entire time behind the wheel which meant that I had to dig up extra energy to concentrate and focus more on the road. I relaxed a little when I finally arrived at the clinic, though it didn’t take long for me to get really flustered and nervous. I guess I really didn’t want this appointment to be a waste of time and actually get my money’s worth. (Dr. Ricardo is NOT cheap to see but he’s worth it!).

It didn’t spend much time beating around the bush, I got straight to the heart of the matter: my sleeping problems and low energy levels. I asked him whether he knew of a sleep specialist that I could see in order to get a sleep study done and come up with an official diagnosis. Thankfully he did and he wrote me up a referral to see one located at Wattletree Consulting Rooms in Frankston. Now the next step will be to book an appointment with them and hopefully they can work out why my sleep has been so terrible.

I couldn’t explain why I was feeling so anxious today. Perhaps it could be related to the unstable and inconsistent weather this month, my poor sleeping patterns, not eating the right foods, my mood swings, high stress levels from work. Could be a whole lot of things. But things felt a lot more smoother today at the clinic with the receptionist processing my medicare rebate and booking another appointment for me. Unlike my last visit in which everything felt like it was up in the air. https://www.vitahealthcare.com.au/our-team/#ricardo

On Thursday night, I cooked a basic fish and chips with steamed vegetables for dinner. This was probably the easiest meal I’ve done so far and thank goodness for that because I haven’t been feeling particularly energetic recently. Following this recipe, you start by mixing chopped herbs, olive oil and lemon juice together. This will be the coating for your fish at the end. Then you can fry up the fish fillets in a frying pan. I bought the blue grenadier as they were on special at Coles. Whilst this is happening, you can cook up some frozen chips in the oven and steamed vegetables in the microwave. That’s pretty much it. https://www.mumslounge.com.au/lifestyle/food/lemon-herb-fish-fillets-recipe/

On Friday morning, I caught up with my Mum and her friend Jules for coffee at Degani Cranbourne Park. We spent an hour talking about our experiences with driving tests, Jules’ recent overseas trips to Scotland and the Northern Territory (Watch out for those crocs!) to our poor sleeping patterns and finding sustainable employment. It was a nice time even with all the visual and auditory distractions that a large shopping centre tends to bring.

On Friday night, Mum and I went out to the movies to see Escape Room at Village Cinemas Fountain Gate. *START SPOILERS* Directed by Adam Robitel (Insidious: The Last Key), this film combines elements from Saw, Cube and Final Destination and is based upon the idea of real-life escape rooms. Six strangers get send a mysterious package containing a black cube and once opened, they discover that they’re each invited to participate in an escape room challenge hosted by MINOS ESCAPE ROOMS. There is a cash prize of $10,000 up for grabs for the winner.

Let’s run through each of the strangers. Zoey Davis (Taylor Russell) is a quiet achiever, has a shy personality and university student studying Quantum Physics. Ben Miller (Logan Miller) works inside a store room at a local grocery store and is generally an arsehole to everyone. Jason Walker (Jay Ellis) is a stockbroker from a major corporation and is very cocky and arrogant. Mike Nolan (Tyler Labine) is the oldest and also the most likable and talkative of the bunch. Amanda Harper (Deborah Ann Woll) is a war survivor and has claustrophobia plus post-traumatic stress disorder. And Danny Khan (Nik Dodani) is a video game nerd, escape room veteran and very annoying (He just won’t shut up!).

Once they all arrive inside the waiting room, this is when the game actually begins. The objective is to find clues hidden around the room, solve puzzles and find a way to “escape” each room. But the twist here is that these rooms are designed to kill the participants inside. This first room for example becomes a giant furnace. The rooms themselves become more complex and elaborate as it goes on. The strangers also discover that they are actually connected to each other by the fact that each of them have been the sole survivor of a major traumatic event.

Later on, we also discover that the “game” is being controlled by a mysterious Game Master named Dr. WooTan Yu, who’s name seems to pop up everywhere in each of the rooms. Speaking of rooms, they are very creatively designed and easily the best feature of the film. My favourite would have to be a deadly bar complete with a billiard table and a liquor shelf. Each time the phone rings, an ear-piercing dial-tone noise can be heard and the room suddenly starts falling apart to reveal an elevator shaft on the outside. Then the classic song “Downtown” by Petula Clark starts playing and gets increasingly more distorted.

Like the films I mentioned before, each of the strangers starts to get knocked off one by one until there’s only two left. Of course the film doesn’t come to a simple conclusion but throws in plenty of twists and leaves it open to a future sequel. Besides the corny dialogue and paper-thin characters, I still really enjoyed what Escape Room had to offer in terms of the thrilling set pieces and a shadowy organisation pulling the strings. 7.5/10 *END SPOILERS* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXk5qYKpq0Q

“So we're different colours. And we're different creeds. And different people have different needs. I can't understand. What makes a man. Hate another man. Help me understand. People are people so why should it be. You and I should get along so awfully.” Depeche Mode - People Are People (1984)

“Now I'm not looking for absolution. Forgiveness for the things I do. But before you come to any conclusions. Try walking in my shoes. Try walking in my shoes. You'll stumble in my footsteps. Keep the same appointments I kept. If you try walking in my shoes. If you try walking in my shoes.” Depeche Mode - Walking In My Shoes (1993)