#this means i can finally cope for the other two bracelet girls

[sweetcoconattsu]

Everyone let's say a welcome back to Serena in Duel Links because SHE IS FREAKING BACK AND IM SO HAPPY TO SEE HER AGAIN

[atiny-for-life]

Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - THE MEMBERS (A-World)

Masterlist

This is fully focused on Ateez from the A-World since we don't yet have much backstory on the Black Pirates' individually. Thus far, even all I could gather on their shared history is largely speculation based on the Thanxx MV.

SIDE-NOTE: The majority of their backstory is easily found in their Diary Film which was released prior to the Inception MV. But for further details, look to the Fever Part 1 Diary Entries.

HONGJOONG

BACKSTORY

He comes from a troubled or at least not particularly close-knit family - they all moved away as he grew up, splitting up across the world and leaving him behind

When he was younger, before he met Ateez, he didn't have a dream and struggled to see the worth in life - he tried to please his parents with his grades but otherwise felt trapped in a pointless routine

After meeting Ateez and bonding over a shared love for music and performing, he finally got a dream: to become a star and be seen by his family so he can reunite them

But until then, he sees his fellow Ateez members as his main family

Him, Seonghwa and Yunho seem to have known each other the longest and were regularly performing in the streets as a trio

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He naturally took on the role as Captain since he was the first in their hideout and brought the rest of them together; additionally, he was also the one to be handed the Cromer by his alternate self

This role was likely also strengthened by Yunho who's been with him the longest alongside Seonghwa, and sees hints of his dead older brother in Hongjoong and thus tends to look to him for advice

In addition to his position as Captain, he'll also fulfill whichever other role is needed for their missions just like the rest of his crew

Frequently displayed character traits: passion, character strength, leadership, cleverness, caution, intuitivity, loyalty, bravery

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

He's lonely, missing his members who drifted apart after their permanent return to A-World

In order to ensure he won't forget their adventures, even as time keeps passing, he documented their shared journey on a blog which blew up in popularity, leading him to turn his entries into a full blwon novel

Now, he's got it all: a best-selling book, a family who returned to him, fame, but alone in his room at night, he still feels empty

SEONGHWA

BACKSTORY

His outlook on music was permanently altered when he witnessed a girl with a 'Be Free' bracelet dance

He was part of the original Ateez trio alongside Yunho and Hongjoong

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

His unique connection to the 'Be Free' girl transcends realities and has allowed the fusion of the currently two biggest known revolutionary groups in the Z-World (see: Will - The World Ep. Fin Diary Entries)

As a result, I would describe his current role as a mediator between Ateez/The Black Pirates and Thunder since he's so far been the most willing to extend good faith toward Thunder and learn about their backstory

Previously, like most other members, he simply took on whichever role was needed for the current mission

Frequently displayed character traits: intuitivity, kindness, trust, loyalty

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

After struggling majorly with anxiety and trying to cope with the trauma the Z-World inflicted on them, Seonghwa threw himself into his studies and later became a firefighter

There are fulfilling elements to saving people in this way, but he still can't forget their shared dream of making it in the music scene

He has yet to read Hongjoong's book, having kept it on his desk since it came out

YUNHO

BACKSTORY

His older brother died in a car accident after giving up his dream of becoming a musician

As means of fulfilling his brother's dream post-mortem, Yunho wants to work alongside Ateez and establish a successful music career

Yunho admires Hongjoong as a person and artist but also feels he resembles his older brother which surely influenced how he originally viewed Hongjoong and why he's always looked to him for guidance

He, alongside Seonghwa, has also known Hongjoong the longest and used to be a street performer trio with them

Prior to his brother's accident, he spent a lot of time riding around on his motorcycle with a separate friend group

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He was the first to establish an emotional bond with Left-Eye, who is still one of their first and closest allies, when they bonded over their shared loss of a loved one and lingering survivors guilt (see: Fever Part 3 Diary Entries)

Other than that, he'll fulfill any role needed, such as utilizing his established ability to operate a motorcycle and whatever else is needed (though it does seem like all of Ateez have learned to drive pretty much any street vehicle since they've arrived in the Z-World)

Frequently displayed character traits: honesty, empathy, loyalty, bravery

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

He became disillusioned with their world, recognizing it as colder than the Z-World - people don't care about each other, just about themselves

After the situation with Ateez fell apart, he threw himself into archaeology, hoping to find another artifact like the Cromer which could reunite them for another adventure

YEOSANG

BACKSTORY:

He comes from a very strict household

His parents, especially his father, had already planned out his entire life and filled his days to the brim with schedules, such as violin practice

As a result, he felt trapped his entire life (like a caged bird) to the point where he compared his upbringing to Strictland upon first arriving in the Z-World (see: Fever Part 2 Diary Entries)

His only escape was studying the inner workings of machines which is how he taught himself the basics of engineering and robotics

He was the last to join Ateez and got in by building them a drone upon their request

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He's in charge of controlling the surveillance butterflies seen in Will - The World Ep. Fin Diary Entries which tells me he's still their main tech-guy

This role is also highlighted in Guerrilla when we see him inside the surveillance van

Frequently displayed character traits: self-blame/guilt, self-sacrifice, loyalty, quick thinking, bravery

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

Yeosang recognized money as the biggest obstacle between Ateez and achieving their dream so he decided to tackle the problem head on

Reinventing himself, he became a leader of the investment world - profit in mind but also investing in the arts on the side, even if that meant losing money

He's the one who invested in Hongjoong's authorial debut

SAN

BACKSTORY:

He was forced to move around a lot growing up which left him lonely and isolated

Ateez were his first real friends and he was desperate to stay with them, even when his family already planned the next move

His strong longing for a fixed friend group carry into his current behavior and reflect in his emotional reactions to certain situations, i.e. his immense devastation when they first lost Yeosang, his outrage when he found out Android Guardians burn prisoners' treasured memories

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He has no set primary role, so he'll also simply execute whatever part of the mission is assigned to him, such as playing the decoy (see: Guerrilla)

Frequently displayed character traits: strong sense of justice, bravery, loyalty, empathy, sensitivity

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

San started his own business after Ateez drifted apart, a food truck, and ended up in Jeju where he got to meet a lot of people as he prepared their food and watched them eat with their loved ones

Through their shared conversations, he quickly learned most never got to live out their dreams and wondered if it was time for him to accept his fate may be sharing the same fate

MINGI

BACKSTORY:

He grew up in poverty and with no family left except his grandmother

He's been suicidal since he was young which led to him building up walls that keep others from getting too close

However, he's known Wooyoung since elementary school and Wooyoung's persistence eventually wore Mingi down and they got closer

Since then, Wooyoung was the only one who could make Mingi laugh

Wooyoung was also the one who introduced Mingo to the rest of Ateez (i.e. Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Yunho)

Once all of Ateez had been established, Mingi's grandmother got into some kind of accident which made Mingi relapse and shut down since he felt like he wasn't allowed to be happy while his grandmother was so close to death

His resulting decision to fully depart from Ateez had him call their dreams meaningless, upon which Jongho became enraged enough to lash out and punch him but Yunho intervened before it could escalate further than that one punch

His mental well-being was brought up again when he overheard Left-Eye talk to the Grimes siblings about their lingering hope to fix the state of the Z-World because it led him to realize how powerful dancing could be and how much he'd been letting the past affect the way he sees the world (see: Fever Part 3 Diary Entries)

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He has no designated role, but did recently team up with childhood friend Wooyoung to go undercover as security guards at Prestige Academy during their mission (see: Outlaw - The World Ep. 2 Diary Entries)

He unfortunately also got traumatized during another mission when the Prestige Academy boy's brother died right in front of him and he was left to take out a bunch of Android Guardians by himself without time to process what he'd just witnessed (see: Will - The World Ep. Fin Diary Entries)

Frequently displayed character traits: bravery, quick thinking, empathy

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

Despite coming from a broken home, Mingi made it big, becoming a professional model for a fashion magazine working with high-end designers

His social media was flooded with adoring comments, his influence far reaching, but he still couldn't help but get captivated by a group of boys busking on the side of the road

When he tried to distract himself from the memories, he came across a video of Hongjoong reuniting with his family

WOOYOUNG

BACKSTORY:

He grew up alongside Mingi and wormed his way into Mingi's life despite the strong walls Mingi had put up

Whenever he feels shy, he'll laugh it off and when he's scared, he'll keep talking until it wears off

He doesn't mind being teased for his habits

He had a strong desire to be a performer but was dealing with intense stage fright until he met Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Yunho at a street performance and they took him under his wing and helped him overcome his fear

Once he became a member, he introduced Mingi who proceeded to join the group as well

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

He has no set role but the injury he sustained during the first Android Guardian raid they experienced in the Z-World (see: Fever Part 2 Diary Entries), did lead them to finding out about Left Eye's existence and connect with the Grimes siblings who were then the catalyst behind the establishment of Thunder (see: Will - The World Ep. Fin Diary Entries)

Frequently displayed character traits: nosiness/curiosity, playfulness, quick thinking, bravery, loyalty

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

Struggling with dread and anxiety after their return from Z-World, Wooyoung was desperate to get back on stage but couldn't see Ateez making it there after their many failed attempts to grab the public's attention

He became a flight attendant instead, making the plane his stage - their guests adored him

On his latest flight, Yunho and Mingi just happened to be on the plane

JONGHO

BACKSTORY:

His original dream was to become a pro basketball player but a serious ankle injury shattered that dream and made him feel like his life was over

Meeting Ateez became his second big dream

When Mingi tried to walk away from all of them and called their dreams meaningless, Jongho felt betrayed and like his dream was being taken from him and lashed out - he gets reminded of this incident again in the Fever Epilogue Diary Entries

ROLE IN Z-WORLD (FEVER/TREASURE/THE WORLD SERIES):

His trauma from his past as a basketball player is further explored in the Fever Part 2 and Part 3 Diary Entries but since then, he seems to have moved on and left it in the past

Like most of the other members, he has no set role and will fulfill necessary roles as needed

Frequently displayed character traits: bravery, commitment, quick thinking, loyalty

CURRENT ROLE (AFTER 3 YEAR TIME SKIP):

Jongho became a songwriter for an idol group after getting signed by a label who approached him after hearing a song he recorded with the members

After breaking up a fight between the boys he now worked with, he thought back to his own argument with Mingi so long ago and got lost in the memories

Putting on the song they'd recorded together so long ago, he cranked up the volume and felt the painful ache caused by the sound of their voices singing his song

[nikithagonch81]

Sunset Shimmer is one of the central characters in My little pony: Equestria girls, getting a redemption arc in the second movie (and at the end of the first when she was forgiven).

I like the character for her design (it just screams her cutiemark), her story, and her personality.

It's a story about a human (or should I say pony) who earned her trust through honest labor. And, as is usually the case in children's cartoons (not a rebuke, I'm just stating the fact that this is usually the case in children's cartoons), such characters are quickly forgiven and treated better already. But! As many people saw in the second EG movie, Shimmer was prejudiced in school. Even the main six, although they accepted the fact that the girl corrected herself, still did not really communicate with her, even joked at her sometimes. And they turned to her for help only when they couldn't cope themselves (google The Dazzling - welcome to the show and see for yourself).

Sunset's motivations in the first movie are quite clear, which is good for a cartoon. Shimmer was Celestia's apprentice long before Sparkle (Twilight) showed up, studying quite diligently until the girl got the thing she wanted. Eventually, Shimmer decided to find her own way and fled through a portal to the human world. There she began to literally "rule" the school. All the students feared and shunned her, and Sunset enjoyed her power. And the plot of the first movie began with her act: she stole Sparkle's crown in order to rule the entire human world. But, after she realized she knew nothing about friendship, Sparkle and her friends in the EG universe forgave her. Since then, she becomes a central character in the following movies and Sparkle's apprentice.

In all the other movies, Sunset learned friendship and then started teaching friendship to Sparkle from EG.

Sunset is pretty honest to her friends, tolerant and loyal. Often comes up with interesting ideas that work.

Sunset is quite smart, but not smarter than Sparkle (logically, both were apprentices of Princess Celestia).

Sunset Shimmer is a very important character because she teaches us that if you lose trust once, it can be earned again, but the hard way. She teaches us that it's okay to make mistakes. Sunset shows us by example that even if a person has corrected themselves, they will still be prejudiced against them (because people already know that they have done bad things before and are likely to continue to do them). Sunset teaches us that trust is the kind of thing that is hard to earn but easy to lose.

And some interesting facts about this character:

1) Sunset Shimmer is one of a kind, she has no counterpart in EG, her cutiemark literally means that she is native to both the pony world and the human world.

2) Based her design on the third generation pony, Sun Shimmer.

3) Flash's ex-girlfriend Sentry. In the recent EG movies/series they start their relationship again (already as friends).

4) Very good friends with Twilight from EG.

5) Sunset Shimmer and Mighty Trixie have one thing in common: the two had the same sidekicks, Snips and Snale.

6) Although it was said in the movies and in the show that Sunset Shimmer often visits Equestria, you won't see her in the MLP: FIM series itself, only in the final episode of season 9.

7) Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer are pupils of Sparkle, as well as reformed antagonists (by the way, they will meet each other in one of the series).

8) Sunset Shimmer's design was already known in 2013 because of the dolls' release.

9) Sunset Shimmer has her own element of harmony in the human world, "forgiveness".

10) In the fourth movie, Sunset gains the ability to read people's minds and their pasts (with the help of an artifact - a bracelet representing her element).

11) Sunset has the same problem as Rainbow - they both had no pets and their friends helped them find them (Rainbow eventually got a turtle as a pet and Sunset got a salamander).

12) Sunset Shimmer and Princess Celestia make up after a long fight.

13) Sunset Shimmer is one of the most well-described characters in EG.

14) In the Forgotten Friendship series, she regains the trust of her friends.

15) Many people dislike her.

Now, my opinion on the character.

I like Sunset a lot. I consider her on par with Twilight as the most well-described of the mlp characters. Not only does she have a deep meaning in the series (she was literally born to live in the world of EG and the ponies), but she teaches us, the viewers, a lot. She has her downsides, especially in the first movie, but she makes up for it in the end. Like Sparkle, she learns from her mistakes. And, most importantly, she's fun to follow, which is the most important thing.

P.S. Sorry for any mistakes, my native language is not English.

[awhitehead17]

Batfam Alphabet: K - Kryptonian’s

Summary: After noticing how everyone is busy meeting up with someone who is either a Kryptonian or even a Kent that day, Dick notices how he’s the only one in the family that doesn’t have a Kryptonian partner.

Enjoy! :D

“C’mon Damian, let’s go! We’re going to be late!”

Dick pauses from where he’s walking through the foyer and looks up to find Tim shouting for their younger brother as he hurries down the stairs. When he reaches the bottom the teenager rushes to the door and throws it open and impatiently waits in the doorway as he checks his watch every few seconds.

Raising an eyebrow, Dick glances at the top of the stairs but doesn’t find any sign of Damian. He turns back to Tim. “What’s the rush?”

Tim blinks and stares at him for a moment like he’s just noticing Dick’s presence for the first time. With his eyes flicking to and fro Tim huffs in annoyance and taps his foot restlessly. “We’re meeting Conner and Jon at Amusement Mile but we’re running late because a certain someone can’t apparently keep track of the time!”

Dick frowns, suddenly feeling concerned for his brothers’ safety. “Is going there a wise idea?”

With a wave of his hand Tim dismisses his concern. “It’ll be fine. At the end of the day we’re all trained and it’s only a phone call away if anything does happen. Kon and Jon are there so if we do need an emergency evac we can get out of there quickly.”

Before Dick could respond a new voice joins the conversation.

“We have plenty of time Drake, don’t be so impatient.”

Both Dick and Tim look up to find Damian now descending down the stairs at a leisurely pace, obviously not in such a hurry as Tim is. Dick wonders if Damian is doing it purposely to annoy Tim or because they do have a lot of time to spare and Tim is just being overly-cautious.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a little early or even on time brat.” Tim snaps at him, glaring as Damian reaches the bottom of the staircase. “Now come on, we’re wasting time.”

Without even so much a goodbye Tim spins around and hurries out the door once Damian approaches. Damian tuts but follows behind Tim saying “Bye Grayson” as he passes Dick on the way out of the door.

It takes Dick a moment to react, his mind catching up with the fact that Damian and Tim are hanging out together, seemingly willingly with one other. He blinks and shouts after them, “don’t kill one another! Stay safe and remember to call if anything happens!”

Neither brother responds to him but Dick rationalises he’s done what he could, if something happens between them he is not to blame. Maybe he should message Conner to ask him to check in and to make sure they behave. The Kryptonian brothers get along unlike Tim and Damian so his caution is reasonable as them two together is certainly a questionable matter. In the end he decides against it, instead choosing to wait and see what the end result of the day looks like.

Eventually he shuts the front door and continues on his way with what he had been doing before the sudden distraction.

------

Dick’s route through the foyer is interrupted again not even an hour later, only this time because of the group of girls gathered there. Dick stops and stares at the scene unsure on how to proceed, should he make his way through them or go around them?

Steph, Cass, Barbara and even Kara are grouped together giggling about something. Seeing three of them together is rather normal but he is surprised to see Kara around.

Before Dick could decide on what action to take he’s spotted by Steph. The blonde waves enthusiastically at him. “Hey Dick! How are things? Don’t mind us we’re moving to the media room now.”

The other girls turn and face him. Cass and Kara give him a smile and a small wave in greeting while Barbara shoots him a bland look. He wouldn’t expect anything else from her.

As Dick is about to move he’s stopped short by Kara addressing him. She points up to the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. “Dick, is it true that you used to often climb up there and hang from it?”

Dick glances up and his mind is suddenly ambushed with fond memories of when he was a kid and used to do acrobatics from said chandelier. Alfred used to give him hell for it, particularly after he accidently broke one when he got a bit too bold trying a new move.

He smiles and looks back at Kara nodding. “Yeah, that’s true. More often than you would think believe it or not. I did it less frequently as I got older though.”

Kara snorts with amusement. “I can totally see Jon doing something like that, rao, even Conner would try something like that.”

“Considering who they’re friends with, that doesn’t surprise me.” Steph comments laughing. “Well lets get to it! See you later Dick!”

Steph takes off down the corridor towards the media room with a bounce in her step. Kara sends him one more smile and follows her, Cass comes up to him and stands on her tip toes to place a kiss on his cheek before following them and finally Barbara sends him a wistful smile before trailing behind the girls, clearly also remembering what he used to be like back then.

Once they disappear from view it takes Dick a moment to move, his mind thinking about what just happened. He didn’t even realise they were friends with Kara. He doesn’t even know how they know each other, then again he doesn’t follow every move the girls make, they’ve probably had cases that have crossed over a time or two. Shaking his head he lets it go and continues on with his day.

----

When Dick bumps into Bruce in the kitchen later on that day he feels like there’s a pattern forming.

He’s sat at the kitchen island minding his own business as he eats his lunch and mindlessly going through Facebook, Alfred is pottering about also minding his own business, when Bruce rushes in looking a little frazzled.

Dick watches mollified as Bruce darts about the kitchen, opening and closing cupboards left right and centre clearly looking for something which he doesn’t find straight away. As soon as he came in, Alfred simply stood to the side and allowed Bruce to freely search the place patiently waiting for the inevitable to happen.

After searching every cupboard and draw available Bruce turns to Alfred and before the man could say anything Alfred simply holds out his hand revealing a travel mug. Bruce suddenly looks so relieved and gratefully takes the mug out of the butler’s hand with a breathless “thank you”.

“You are a saint Alfred, there’s no way I’m going to be able to cope today without this.” Bruce determines already taking a sip of the mug’s contents.

Dick blinks, completely lost to what’s happening, especially when all Alfred does is nod as he had been expecting that reaction the entire time.

“What is going on?” He blurts out without meaning too. The two men turn and face him, Alfred looking passive and Bruce looking surprised at his presence. Has Dick become invisible or something? That’s the same reaction Tim had that morning in the foyer.

“Oh, afternoon Dick, I completely missed you sat there.” Bruce says looking a little sheepish, a look that isn’t common on the man though Dick’s seen it more than enough times at this point in his life. “I have a meeting with Clark and the rest of the League members. I’m running a bit behind schedule but not enough to not grab my coffee before heading off. I won’t be back until late, don’t wait for me before going out tonight.”

With that statement Bruce leaves the kitchen with the travel mug clutched tightly in his hands. Dick shoots Alfred a surprised look but the elderly man has already turned around and continued with his task.

Sighing Dick turns his attention back on his half eaten lunch and goes back to scrolling through his Facebook newsfeed. Quickly getting bored of it, he places his phone down and strikes up a conversation with Alfred, the man appears more than happy to converse with him as he works.

After a while Alfred breaks their conversation, sending Dick an apologetic look. “I’m sorry Master Dick but I’m going to have to excuse myself. I have a scheduled phone call to make in a few moments.”

Dick stares, caught off guard by the reason. “What? Who with?” After he says it he realises how bad and how patronizing it sounds. He immediately winces and apologises.

Alfred merely looks amused at his behaviour, thankfully not taking any offense to it. “If you have to know Master Dick, I have a call with Mrs Martha Kent. We’re going to be comparing recipes and giving some recommendations.”

“Okay…”

Alfred leaves the kitchen then, leaving Dick all by himself in the room as his mind reels back over the last hour or so to what’s happened. Is everyone busy today or something?

Finally finishing his lunch, Dick clears his mess up and wanders out of the kitchen trying to decide what to do for the rest of the day.

-----

The next thing to happen which adds to the odd feeling he’s been having throughout the day is when he bumps into Selina in the corridor of the bedrooms wing. He’s heading towards his own room when he notices Selina strutting her way towards him.

His eyes widen as he takes in her outfit. She’s wearing a low cut black blouse paired off with tight leather pants and high heels. She’s wearing a golden necklace with matching bracelets on her wrists and her face done up with perfect looking make-up. The shadowing around her eyes make them stand out along with the boldness of her lipstick which helps define her facial features.

Dick stops in his tracks and watches as she approaches. When she’s close enough she stops and sends him a smile.

“Hot date?” Dick asks with a grin. He can’t help but be curious on why she’s dressed up like that. Bruce isn’t around and there’s no party that he’s aware of happening. Unless she plans on crashing the meeting Bruce happens to be in, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened…

Her smiles turns more devious, “Not quite birdie,” she drawls out. She places her hands on her hips and cocks them to one side. “I’m meeting with Lois Lane. There’s a certain… get together we’re attending and I tend to make a statement.”

Dick’s eyes widen in surprise, he hadn’t been expecting that. He knows that Selina and Lois know one another, he’s seen them interact with each other enough times at gala’s both Bruce and Clark have attended too but he didn’t know they were that close.

After a couple beats he sends her an easy smile. “Well, I’m certain you’re going to make a statement alright.”

“Thank you kitten,” she replies patting his cheek softly, “now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get going.” She saunters past him, continuing down the hallway clearly ready to kick some ass. Selina is the personification of the saying ‘looks can be deceiving’.

“Have fun!” Dick calls out to her retreating form.

As he enters his room Dick is struck by a thought that even Selina is busy that day. It’s really starting to appear that he's the only one without any plans or even someone to meet up with. It suddenly makes him feel lonely, it’s an irrational feeling but he couldn’t help feel it temporarily, maybe it’s jealously of his family all currently hanging out with someone or each other. It’ll soon pass when everyone is back home and skulking around looking for stuff to do out of boredom.

----

Half an hour later and Dick knows he's had enough. It seems like the last straw has been drawn and how the universe has decided to rub salt into the wound.

Dick’s not even out of his bedroom doorway before he’s stopping short at the sight of two beings walking past him. He blinks and looks down the hallway with furrowed eyebrows and seconds later it registers who he’s seeing.

“Jason?”

His brother stops in the middle of the hallway and turns around to face him. He looks surprised for a moment before his expression goes back to neutral. “Oh, hey Dick.”

“What are you doing?” He questions his brother, his gaze slipping to Jason’s companion. Bizarro stands next to Jason, his eyes drifting between the two of them as he watches them interact with a frown.

Jason jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “We’re heading out now as we’re about to meet Artemis.”

Dick runs a hand over his face taking in the new information. “How long has Bizarro been here?”

His brother sends him perplexed look. “Uh, like all day? Did you not know that?”

“No. No I didn’t.”

“Oh,” Jason shrugs, not bothered by his answer, “well whatever. As I said we’re heading out now, so see ya! Say bye bye, Bizarro.”

“Bye bye.” Bizarro calls out to him with a wave of his hand.

Dick half heartedly waves back as he watches them disappear down the hallway. Once they were gone Dick slips back into his room and shuts the door behind him, completely forgetting the original reason why he had been leaving in the first place.

He goes over to his bed and flops down on it with a heavy sigh. Jason, even Jason, is busy and has company. How is it only him who isn’t doing anything? Usually it’s the other way around, where he’s always trying to find time in his schedule to meet up with his friends, family or to have some time for himself.

Burying his face into his pillow he sighs dejectedly, feeling sorry for himself. Dick frowns, maybe that’s not the right term, would jealously be more accurate or maybe loneliness is better suited. Whatever the word is for what he’s feeling, he knows it’s pretty much unwarranted. He should be happy that all of his siblings and extended family are out being sociable, they all have hectic and unpredictable lives, taking any free time a person has to spend it with those they care about is worth it.

Dick shouldn’t be annoyed with his family because he’s the one currently holed up in his bedroom sulking because he doesn’t have anyone to be with. It’s not their fault.

Something else he notices is how everyone seems to have their own Kryptonian, or by extension a Kent.

There's Bruce and Clark, though Bruce will deny their friendship at every opportunity. Tim and Conner, who are best friends (maybe more, Dick’s not quite sure). Damian and Jon, as much as the former is reluctant to admit how much he cares for the younger. Steph, Cass, Barbara and Kara who are all apparently friends. Selina and Lois. Alfred and Mrs Kent. Jason and Bizarro.

He’s the only one without a Kryptonian partner. While he’s worked with Clark a few times and has connected with him, after all Clark’s the one who inspired him to become Nightwing, it’s not the same thing.

After spewing in his thoughts for a while, Dick comes to a conclusion that sleep sounds like the best option right now. If he sleeps then he’s not thinking, and as a bonus at the same time his body is resting and extra rest never hurts anyone.

He shifts on his mattress, getting into a more comfortable position to sleep in, and buries his head further into his pillow. Closing his eyes he tries to force his body into unconsciousness. His eyes snap open only seconds later when his phone pings from it’s place on his bedside table.

Stuck between being excited for a message and dreading it, Dick reaches out and grabs the device. Rolling over onto his back he lifts his phone up in front of his face and reads the notification. Seeing who the message is from, a wide grin stretches across Dick’s face and any dread he had been feeling instantly disappears. It seems like the universe has finally decided to side with him (or that it’s had enough of him moping) because it’s a message from his long time old friend Wally West.

‘Hey man it’s been waaaayyyyyy too long. Are you free to hang out any time soon – we need to catch up bro.’

Dick agrees with the message, it has been too long since they last saw one another. From what Dick heard last is how Wally’s been busy helping out in Central City, his relationship with Linda is progressing smoothly, he’s been helping to train his cousin and how he’s been away on a mission with Jay. Dick had thought Wally was still away, hence why he hadn’t contacted him but obviously he’s wrong about that.

Dick types out a reply to his friend, feeling eager and excited to meet up. ‘I’m free right now if you are. C’mon over to the Manor when you can?’

It takes a few moments for Wally to respond. ‘Absolutely. Though will Bats have my ass if I just show up?’

Dick snorts, of all the things to be concerned about… ‘No. You’re fine. B’s in a meeting.’

‘Okay! I’ll be there in a flash ;D’

It’s stupid but Dick couldn’t help chuckle at the poor joke. No doubts on how Wally’s picked up that behaviour from Barry.

Feeling jittery, Dick rolls off his bed and begins making his way downstairs so he could greet Wally by the door. He doesn’t know what they’ll do other than talk to catch up and possibly raid the kitchen at the same time. Dick doesn’t mind what they do, at least he finally has someone to hang out with!

Just as Dick reaches the bottom of the stairs in the foyer, the doorbell rings alerting him of Wally’s arrival. Dick grins as he approaches the door and it only gets wider when he opens it to reveal his best friend standing there on the front porch.

“Wal-man! How’s it going dude!” He exclaims stepping towards the speedster.

Wally’s gaze snaps to him and an identical grin appears on his face. “Dick, it’s so good to see you man!”

They come together and embrace tightly with a few firm pats on the back. They part after a few beats and then take a moment to observe one another. Dick is pleased to find Wally appearing the same as he did when he last saw him, looking happy and healthy.

“So…” Wally trails off when the silence gets drawn out for too long.

“So.” Dick repeats promptly. Getting himself together, he continues to grin and throws an arm around his friend’s shoulders, using that leverage he guides Wally into the house. “We have a lot to catch up on.”

Wally’s own arm wraps around Dick’s back as they pass through the foyer. “That we do. I can’t even remember when the last time I saw you was.”

With his free hand Dick waves the comment away. “Doesn’t matter, we’re here now. Shall we grab some food and go to my room? I would suggest the media room but the girls are currently inhabiting it, have been all day, alternatively we could go to the conservatory or even outside since it’s dry and warm.”

Wally hums for a moment before answering. “Food is a definite must, you know me – hey has Alfred cooked recently, any chance we could steal some leftovers? And your room sounds fine, at least there’ll be less chance of us being disturbed by one of your millions of siblings.”

Dick rolls his eyes at the comment though he carries on smiling, some days it really does feel like he has a million. Will Bruce ever learn the meaning of ‘no more’?

“I have no idea what Alfred has in the kitchen so we shall see when we get there.” Dick says smiling.

The two of them fall into an easy stream of chatter as they begin catching up with what’s going on in their lives.

As they chat Dick thinks to himself, why was he so bothered that his family members all have their own Kryptonian when he has his own speedster? A couple of them also have a speedster but not everyone so Dick can hold onto this, at least that’s what he’s rationalising to himself. Thinking back on it, Dick realises that it’s stupid, why should he be concerned about it at all? He's now with his best friend, that’s what matters and that’s exactly what he's going to focus on.

[space-city-traffic]

yet again im back on my bullshit so... (gazes with mixed feelings at the TV show Firefly) i could fix him.

my extremely long thoughts about my Own Personal Good Version of Firefly (with plenty of spoilers for the show and the movie) under the cut:

things that are getting axed first thing no question:

out with the whole “let’s add in a thin veneer of Chinese cultural aesthetics out of context for ~flavor~” deal. just no.

instead, let’s hire some actors from a bunch of different cultures and work with them to figure out how their characters would bring those cultures into space with them!! and also hopefully bring some experiences with immigration/alienation/travel into it, since the Whole Core of Firefly is about how humanity always brings our doomed and silly and stubborn and unique warmth with us even into the cold void where nothing is familiar or homey in the slightest.

let’s respect our sex worker character shall we?

i do appreciate that Inara’s work as a companion is described as legitimate and well respected in the show. however please stop having your captain and hero call her a wh*re every five seconds against her clearly expressed wishes and portraying this as just a totally acceptable thing

let’s be more respectful of our characters of color and also have some more diversity, shall we?

others have put it better than me but yeah, the way Zoe and Book are treated is very uncomfy, and the rest of the show is depressingly monochromatic. come on let’s do better.

stop the weird confederacy hat tips

again others have pointed these out with much more thoroughness than I could, but the names of some characters and locations, as well as some of the language used to describe the browncoats, has uncomfortably confederate vibes. instead i propose we very Clearly tip our hats to the Alliance equaling space capitalism instead! you can’t go wrong with space capitalism as a villain.

don’t! make! the! psychotic! character! violent!

listen i love River Tam with my whole heart. but you should absolutely not portray your only character with psychosis as violent because of that psychosis!!!!!!! and yeah, a huge part of her character is that her brain got fucked up by the alliance and so she hallucinates and is also a super ninja. but like. she doesn’t need to be a super ninja for her character to work, okay? the crew does not need to be scared of her for her character to work, okay??? more on this later bc it would take a lot of care and nuance to make her character work but i really think it can be done

things we are absolutely keeping:

found family tropes my fucking beloved

this should be self evident. this is why the show is as appealing as it is despite its flaws, at least in my eyes.

malcolm reynolds, the knight in dusty armor

there’s something so appealing to me about what Mal stands for. because at his core is this ridiculous, silly, stubborn, doomed devotion to what he thinks is important and right, a romantic idealism thinly covered by cynical cowboy platitudes that he thinks make his bleeding heart totally invisible. and he is so obvious and entirely incorrect. bless. this is a man who will do anything for his family, who charges into swordfights to defend his friend from a man who wants to turn her into an object despite having no clue how to hold a sword. at his worst, he starts brawls in bars just for the martyr’s thrill of being persecuted for supporting the right; at his best, he inspires downright religious belief from his crew because he represents a romantic and chivalrous and doomed dedication to the right thing over any practical concerns. and then he throws a “selfish” quip over it with 100% confidence that everyone fell for his clever distraction and believes him to be a dirtbag. he’s oblivious and ridiculous and god he makes me want to be a better person because he’s just so goddamned sincere. stupid, but sincere. 10/10 himbo. <3

Mal and Inara ultraslowburn friends to enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers to friends to...

there’s nothing i love more than a ship that’s just two people who know each other way too well, and they’re each the only one who knows the other well enough to call them out on their bullshit. the way Mal and Inara interact in the show sometimes makes me uncomfy but like. the core of their relationship has to stay.

space western aesthetic

i need the cows on a spaceship scene to stay like i need air okay

that sweet sweet religious shit

mal, who lost his faith in gd and a whole lot else during the war. who lost his faith in himself, and now feels he has to hide the part of him that still wants to be good, because he knows he can’t be anymore, and he feels like it’s embarrassing for a guy like him to want something so unattainable. who takes a preacher on board, and the preacher has lost something, too. the preacher has his own past, and his own questions. but not questions like the observant neurodivergent girl, the one who wants to interact with and understand this thing that’s so important to him, but it just doesn’t click with how her brain works and she feels like something needs to be fixed, either the Bible or herself. and Mal takes care of them all, and slowly, he begins to find gd again, not in a prayer but in humanity. humanity doesn’t need to be fixed, like the alliance thinks. the shining imperfect strawberry sweetness of it in his family’s smiles is something to be worshiped and served and devoted to. and he finds he has something to believe in again. (and his crew find that he’s given them someone to believe in, too. and maybe suddenly he’s a saint.)

and finally, my brilliant ideas as to what i would like to add:

TRANS WOMAN KAYLEE RIGHTS

listen her femininity is so important to me okay? it’s so thrilled about everything that’s pretty, from dresses to the spaceship’s electric innards, and it’s so non-traditional and grease stained until it’s not and it’s pink and ruffly and twirly, and she never sees any of it as a contradiction, because none of it contradicts, it’s all just her! her gender is warmth and love and prettiness, feeling pretty and appreciating the pretty and making her friends’ days pretty too.

i want us to find out she’s trans in that episode with the ball, and i want us to find out alongside Mal who just never asked or never realized. Kaylee gasps and squeals at the dress in the shop window and Mal makes an off handed, ill considered comment, and then... someone yanks him aside and hisses a few very significant words in his ear. and suddenly he remembers what the blue white and pink she painted all over the engine room means, and he knows he has something to make right. so he buys her that dress himself and lets her know just how pretty she looks, and when he walks into that ball with her displayed on his arm like something precious, he looks the proudest out of any man there. and she notices. for a few seconds, of course, until there’s chocolate, and ‘nara, and a chandelier—and some horrible girls, but she’s used to that, until—suddenly, she finds her people. a group of old men who light up when she jokes about compression coils and whack presumptuous boys who ask her to dance. they adopt her as a treasured granddaughter, and Mal is beaming at her like a proud dad, and she finds that one of her new elderly friends gazes a little too long at her bracelet, and so she gives it to xem and teaches xem a few new words, and... it’s a good day, huh? it’s a really good day. (of course, then the captain has to go and punch somebody in the face, but it was a real nice party up until then.)

also she and Simon are both transhet t4t im correct and you know it

time for a better River Tam

the first thing we’ve established is that this version of her is not unpredictably violent and the crew is not scared of her!!!! it makes no sense to take a kid who’s primarily brilliant, experiment on her brain, give her telepathic powers....... and tack on the fact that she also has super strength and speed and dexterity and what not, AND say that they programmed her to be super violent. no! no. not only is that extremely harmful rep, that’s also just stupid.

instead!! my version of River is in fact not terrifying to the crew, but is actually the one they feel safest around. River has always been totally blunt, she was one of those kids you could tell realllllly early was autistic, and she doesn’t like being disengenous at all. so you can always trust her to tell the truth and not play weird passive aggressive games or have any hidden agenda, which makes her just a really chill person to be around. also, one of her longtime special interests is music and dance, so whether or not she’s nonverbal on a given day, there will always be some sort of beautiful sound when she’s around. she does have the singing voice of a dying crow unfortunately but that’s ok bc Simon’s is even worse and they’re both incredibly competitive so you’ll at least get free entertainment out of the affair.

my version of River does have psychosis and hallucinations because of the trauma of the experiments, and they are really troubling to her. she and Simon work together to find ways to cope and meds that help, and it’s a process, but there are some things that help.

the only thing she gained from the academy was the ability to hear people’s thoughts and sense the future a little bit. and yeah, that led to her picking up a few spooky secrets at the beginning, which, yikes. and for a while, it was hard to figure out which voices were real and which were hallucinations. but around her friends, she always feels safe to ask “did you just think about triple cheese burritos or was that just a me thing?”, and they’ll always tell her the truth no matter how embarrassing their thoughts are, bc it’s important to all of them to respect her and help her sort accurately through what’s reality and what’s not. and bit by bit, she gets better and better at figuring out what kinds of things tend to be telepathy and what kinds of things tend to be psychosis, and that each one feels a little different. and because of the trust and respect and support of her found family she’s able to do that in a safe environment!!!

trans man Simon rights

listen i wanted to keep him as just a side note on Kaylee’s list but he is my son and he’s important to my heart so here goes

out on the outer rim where Kaylee’s from, gender ain’t much of a big deal, there’s an individualistic quality to life out there, and so if the trail you blaze is the trail of a woman or a man or neither or both, that’s respected even in the rare cases where it’s not outright encouraged. but in the inner planets, where competition and connections and public faces and family names are everything, you have to be what’s expected of you to survive. you can’t change your brand, you can’t be anything other than what your family planned for you since before you were born, it’s incredibly hard to survive in such a hyper competitive environment, and so your very identity becomes just a tool in how to market yourself for better success.

needless to say Simon (just as autistic as his little sister and also very trans) fuckin hated it there. but he was very good at it. correction: he was very good at his very specific field of STEM, good enough to where people stopped talking about how cute he looked in bows and started talking about how impressive his work was from a very young age. and his work had no gender. he could be whatever he wanted to in equations. so that was where he could express himself, and gd, he got so much praise for it, he never wanted to stop.

not until he discovered that his sister needed him, and ran away, and needed a disguise, and realized... suddenly, every stifling rule and prying eye was a million miles away. he was freefloating, freefalling, with none of the charted paths he’d been following all his life... so you know what? fuck it. he’s always enjoyed the name Simon. and since it’s not on any legal records, it’ll make him just that much more untraceable.

and on Serenity, starting over with new people who never knew him before his transition feels like an unbelievable blessing that just dropped right into his lap. he has to keep up the secrecy, he has to make sure they never find out who he used to be, because gd, it’s so nice when they look at him and say his name right, and he doesn’t know if he can handle losing that, not when it’s so new and so important to the person he’s finally becoming. but then one day, the unthinkable happens, the wanted posters for his arrest have an old name on them, they’re looking for the Tam sisters, and... nothing changes. the crew of Serenity could not give even a tenth of a percent of a fuck, and it doesn’t seem like they even know they’re supposed to. huh. that’s new. Simon could get used to that, he thinks.

i’m sure there’s more i could add, but it’s 4:30 in the morning now, so if more occurs to me, ill simply add it in a reblog tomorrow. if you’ve read down this far, i am in love with you. please let me know your Better Firefly ideas, too, bc im always down to yell about this show!!!

[softboywriting]

It’s You | Shawn Mendes

Summary: You and Shawn have been friends since you were children. Years have gone by, lives changed. He's a rockstar and you're a part time nurse. You keep in contact but lately you've begun to realize life isn't the same without him there and the hole in your heart gets bigger everyday. When he comes home from tour, it's time for you to make your move and confess your feelings. That is...if he doesn't beat you to it. [established friendship] [non au] [friends to lovers]

Word Count: 5k

|Masterlist In Bio|

Vanilla and cinnamon, two of the best scents in the world, in your opinion anyway. Basic, but so comforting. They are the smells of home, your real home back in Pickering. Your family home always smelled like sweet vanilla cookies and Shawn's house, your other home growing up, always smelled like warm cinnamon. It wasn't until Shawn left for his current world tour that you realized you had been subconsciously trying to fill the void of his absence by buying candles in those scents.

Three years and five months to date since his initial departure from Pickering and you wake up to realize you feel empty and it was then you realized that you love him. Of course you have talked to him, phone calls, text, video messages and brief visits. Things didn't end badly and he hasn't cut you out of his life by any means. There are things a long distance friendship can't fulfill, and things you aren't sure you can tell him over the phone, let alone tell him at all.

So for the dozenth time in probably the last three months you find yourself in the bath and body works at the mall. It's buy one get one for the three wick candles and you're sticking your nose in every single one there. Most of them are pretty good, it's the end of the autumn collection and there are displays of the Christmas and winter lines being set up, but nothing is really piquing your interest. Until you find the candle called Black Tie. A very casual little thing, black with gold stripes and it's name in gilded lettering across the side. It's definitely not one you might pick up and smell normally because the color alone indicates it's probably going to be a heavy scent that's far different from your usual vanilla and cinnamon favourites.

The moment you get the lid off you are hit with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Your heart swells and you can't help the tears that form instantaneously. It smells like Shawn, like his cologne that he got for Christmas a few years back. The one you could smell on your jacket after he hugged you goodbye at the airport right before this tour. It takes all of your willpower not to fall to your knees then and there in that shop. It is as if in that moment everything you've felt, repressed and ignored, is coming bubbling up to drown you.

"Are you finding everything okay?"

Suddenly you're snapped back to reality and you look over to the blonde girl on your left. She's smiling, eagerly awaiting your reply.

"Yeah...yeah I just spaced off. Thanks."

"Alright, no problem. I'm Jess if you need any help I'll be around."

You nod and clutch the candle to your chest. Is it weird? You look down at the gold lid of the candle and turn it upwards so you can see it better. Is it strange to want a candle that smells like your best friend's cologne? No. You won't talk yourself out of it. You grab a vanilla cookie dough candle and head for the register with your purchases before you can change your mind again.

_____________________

"You got another candle?" Shawn laughs through the phone in your lap. "How many is that now?"

"Probably like three dozen."

"You're gonna be on that show, my strange addiction. True story, addicted to candles."

You lift the phone and narrow your eyes at him. "Listen here jewelry boy. You're one to talk, I've seen your ridiculous collection of rings, bracelets, watches and crap. I don't make fun of you."

"Yeah but I can actually wear mine. What do you do with candles? Burn them?"

You scoff. "I don't make fun of your coping mechanisms."

"Coping? Whoa what? Are you okay?"

Shit. You set the phone down and lean your head on your knees. How could you let that slip out like that? He didn't need to know you're missing him, and what life used to be.

"Hey, talk to me. What's going on?"

You sigh softly. "Nothing is going on. I'm just really lonely and most of my friends have moved away. I guess the candles remind me of home, back in Pickering when things were simpler. I've been thinking of moving back in with mom and dad. My place here in Toronto is getting too expensive."

Shawn is quiet for a moment. You worry he's hung up but the screen is still lit up. "I miss home too. I'll be back in a few weeks, it won't be for long but it's something. If you don't want to move in with your parents you can stay at my place. It's empty."

"What if you have company?"

"I never have anyone at the apartment besides the guys."

You shake your head and roll your eyes. "I don’t know...anyway, when will you be home again?"

"Few weeks."

"You're gonna be working when you're here, you always are."

"No, I'm gonna take some time off. I want to see Mom and Dad and Aaliyah. I want to see you."

You wrap your arms around your knees and close your eyes. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"You can tell me anything."

"I think I fell in love."

Silence. Why did you even say something? He’s going to figure out it’s him. He’s not that dense, is he?

"Shawn?"

"Yeah?" He’s quiet and you can't read his emotions through the phone. You hate this. Maybe he doesn’t know it’s him. He can’t know. Why did you even say anything? So stupid. "Go on."

"It's a friend, someone from back in Pickering."

"Oh. So like...are you dating?" He has no idea.

"No."

Shawn sighs and it sounds almost relieved. "How are you in love then? Usually people need to be together to be in love."

"It's complicated."

"It's Matt isn't it?"

"What? No!"

"Oh, well, love is complicated, so y'know...just don't rush into it."

"I'm stupid and too emotional about it." You pick up the phone and look at him. "Forget I said anything. It's nothing."

"You're not stupid or emotional, feelings are valid. Maybe you are in love, maybe it's infatuation. You'll have to take a chance on this person to find out okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

Shawn looks back as someone opens a door in the room he's in. "I have to go, I'll text you?"

"For sure. Bye." You set the phone aside and flop backwards. He seemed put off, jealous almost. No. That can't be right. He's just worried about you. Yeah. That's it.

___________________

Two weeks later you find yourself hauling boxes out of the elevator on the twelfth floor of an apartment building to Shawn's place. Your rent went up a hundred dollars due to alleged renovations and that was not happening in your budget. Initially you tried going back home to Pickering, knowing it'd be a long drive to work in Toronto but it would be fine. Your parents however didn't have space for you. They are amid a remodel that you completely forgot about so your bedroom is no more. Shawn is your last choice but you know it's not going to work out when he's home, but it's temporary, you'll find another place.

The first thing you notice is that Shawn's apartment is less of a two bedroom and more of a one and a half. The second room he uses as guitar storage and a makeshift studio is the size of a large walk in closet. If you're lucky you'll get your bed in there and maybe your dresser but not much else. Shawn said to move whatever you needed into the living room. Somehow it feels wrong to impede on his space.

After a long three days of moving and setting up you're finally moved in. You stacked his guitars in their cases by the couch and boxed up all his recording gear and put it in his room. Your bed, dresser and a shelving unit all fit in the small bedroom and that's it. The rest of your furniture you took to your parents house and stored in the garage.

It's Sunday, the fourth day after the move and you are unpacking your candles, setting them out on your dresser and the shelving you set up. It's funny, Shawn's place smells like cinnamon just like his parents house did back home. You don't even need to burn any candles to be reminded of back then, Shawn's place somehow perfectly encapsulates it.

The sound of the front door opening sends your pulse skyrocketing. Shawn wasn't due home for another week. You grab your keys from your purse and ready the pepper spray you have dangling from them.

"Hello?"

Karen pops her head around the corner to the kitchen. "Hey! I was hoping you would be here. I brought some stuff for Shawn, and you too since you're here."

"Oh." You pocket your keys and walk into the kitchen to see bags of groceries on the counter. "What's all this?"

"Food, supplies." Karen begins unpacking and placing things in the fridge. "I always do this before Shawn gets home so he doesn't have to order take out."

"You're the best Karen." You hand her a carton of milk. "Do you still make the crock pot chicken soup for him?"

"Every time." She smiles. "I won't make it until Friday since he'll be here Saturday morning."

You grab a bottle of water and lean against the counter. Karen spoils Shawn rotten but you get it, you'd do the same for him. "Do you think it's weird?"

"What's that?"

"Hmm? Oh. Did I say that out loud?"

Karen closes the fridge and goes to the cabinet. "You did. What’s weird?"

"That I'm staying with Shawn."

"No, not in the least." She motions for you to pass her dry goods from the bags and you do. "You and Shawn have been thick as thieves since you were eight years old. There is something special about your friendship."

"Yeah, he's the best friend I've ever had. I'm glad he hasn't changed much since he got famous."

"Manny and I raised him right, put a good head on his shoulders. He's got common sense and a strong moral compass." She smiles and pauses to look back at you. "Friends like you keep him grounded as well."

"I do my best."

"He listens to you, values your opinion. Believe it or not he listens to you more than me sometimes."

You roll your eyes and scoff. "I doubt that."

"Oh he does. I can't tell you how many times he's called me for an opinion just to completely change his mind after I give it." Karen chuckles. "It's probably because I'm his Mom."

"But I'm just his friend."

"You're his best friend. Brian and Matt and the guys are all very good friends but you're at the top of the list you guys have been together since you learned to walk. Shawn loves you."

Your heart stops. "Shawn loves everyone."

"True, but he loves you differently. He hasn't said it I'm sure, but the way he looks at you is special. The two of you were meant to be in each other's lives." Karen wads up the plastic bags and stuffs them under the sink cabinet. "Chat with him about it. I'm sure he'll come clean."

Your hands feel sweaty and you fold your arms over your chest tightly. "Do you think he's in love with me?"

"Ah, that I'm not sure of. He's never mentioned that to me but I'm his Mom, boys don't always tell their Mom's their feelings towards their interests. He may have told Manny though, if that's the case." She lays her hand on your shoulder and you look her in the eye. "Shawn is particular, always has been, and now with everything that's happened in his life he is going to be even more particular who he has a relationship with. All I am going to say is that you shouldn't dwell on it. If there is more to your relationship with Shawn then let it happen naturally."

"Thanks." You chew on your lower lip anxiously. "Can I ask you one more thing though?"

"Sure."

"Do you think Shawn and I would be a good match?"

"Yes, without a doubt."

You nod and she kisses your cheek before saying goodbye and heading out. You stay in the kitchen a while, taking in the whole apartment, contemplating ever telling Shawn you love him, and mulling over the fact that his mom can see there is more to the two of you than just friends.

____________________

Monday you decide to snoop around the house. It's your place too after all, you should familiarize yourself. Maybe it's not snooping if you just open every cupboard in the kitchen and rifle through the bathroom drawers because you definitely live here now. You do find a couple of foregien face creams and washes that you can't read anything about on the bottle. You open and sniff them, nothing special smelling. Though you're sure they're probably some super expensive Korean beauty brand that is the secret to Shawn's flawless skin. He never would tell you what he uses and you know that just soap and water is a damn lie.

There is a box of tampons in the cupboard under the bathroom sink when you open it to see what space you're working with for your hair dryer and bath salts. It's surprising because it's definitely not yours and Shawn is definitely a guy. Probably his sisters? Weird.

You dismiss the tampons and wander out of the bathroom after putting away your bathroom supplies. You pause, looking into Shawn's bedroom before readying to turn into your own. It's so empty and way too clean. The Shawn you know never has his shit this in order. You decide to step in, boldly crossing the threshold between exploring your new home to officially snooping.

Shawn's bedroom is almost depressing. You walk along the far right wall where his dresser is. It's empty on top, not even a hairbrush or anything laying in front of the big attached mirror. The room doesn't even look lived in. It looks like a hotel. You go to the bed and sit down on the perfectly tucked blankets. Karen made it no doubt, she cleaned his place every few weeks when he went out of town to keep the dust and stuffiness at a minimum.

You flop back on the bed and close your eyes. It smells like him, like fresh laundry and the expensive cologne he wears on special occasions. The good one that you wish you could find but you know he buys somewhere overseas. You wonder if he wore it the last time he slept in this bed. Honestly you wonder if he ever feels at home here, a place he barely lives in. You open your eyes and look to the doorway, across the hall is your bedroom, already filled with personal things and decoration. Your heart sinks. Maybe he wants you to live with him so this place doesn't feel like a hotel and with you there it will feel more like a home. Yeah. You're going to make this apartment feel like home.

_____________________

Saturday arrives at an agonizingly snail's pace. Karen stopped by on Friday evening to make soup and you were still out by the time she left. You got to experience first hand what it is like for Shawn to arrive home and have warm chicken soup waiting. It's a heavenly smell after a long day and you were tempted to have some, but you know it wouldn't be fully ready until the morning.

You wake up early, planning on getting a shower and making breakfast and setting up the TV to play Harry Potter before Shawn got home. You were going to clean up the living room, bring out blankets and make sure everything was picked up and ready for Shawn to walk in. All that goes out the window when you walk out of your bedroom and see Shawn's bedroom door open with suitcases piled at the end of the bed.

You walk to the kitchen and round the corner to find Shawn sitting at the island eating a bowl of soup. He looks up and smiles so big that broth literally falls out of his mouth.

"You're so gross." You chuckle and he moves around the island to scoop you into a crushing hug.

"I missed you." He says and grips at your back. "It's been forever."

"Six months is a long while." You press your face into his shoulder and take a deep breath. Nothing is more relaxing. "Welcome home."

Shawn squeezes you tighter and you just hold onto him as if it were the last time you are going to get to do it. You stand in silence, just hugging one another and just existing together for a moment, unbroken by the outside world. Two heartbeats becoming one as the seconds tick by.

"Let's make breakfast."

"Just a little longer." He mumbles, face against your head.

You run your hand up his back, across the thrift store vintage tee from some band you've never heard of. It's soft, worn from years of wear and tear. His breathing slows down and he begins to sway in your arms. "Talk to me?"

"Miss this."

"Hugging me?"

"Being home, getting to see you and hug you. I can't wait to see my family too. It's been forever, I've never been away this long without a break. It feels good to hold someone that feels like home."

You fight the tears that well up in your eyes. He thinks of you as home. Your fingers clench instinctively and he lets out a soft groan of pain at your nails digging into his back.

"Sorry, sorry." You apologize profusely and drop your hands to step away and break the bond you've created. "My bad."

Shawn stretches and chuckles. "No worries. You mentioned breakfast?"

"Mmm." You pat his stomach and he reels forward from his stretch. "I see your appetite hasn't changed. One day your metabolism is going to slow down y'know."

"Not today." He loops his arm around your shoulders and pulls you against him as you walk toward the fridge. "Can I have the pre-hockey practice special?"

"That's so much food! You already had soup!"

"I'm starving!" He whines and you elbow him.

"Alright, I'll make it but you had better eat every last bite."

Shawn pulls away and sinks onto the island stool. "You can hold me to it."

You cut him and glare and he grins. Your heart stutters. That smile, it's been so long since you've seen it in person. You wish you could take a photo of this moment, to relive it forever and ever.

______________________

Three days into Shawn being home you come to find two hoodies left laying about the living room. They're ones he hasn't worn as far as you know, so it's a little odd. They never get moved, they just sit there draped across the couch and the lounge chair by the window. As far as you're concerned they're fair game for wearing and you do as such on the third day because you're tired from work and it's chilly in the apartment. You definitely didn't put one on just because it's his and you miss wearing his clothes.

"Hey, what're you doing tonight?" Shawn asks when he gets up around noon and wanders out of his bedroom. He seems to sleep all the time. You wonder just how much rest he gets on tour and while traveling. He claims he passes out as soon as he gets on a plane but you have your doubts.

You look over from where you have been curled up on the couch watching trash TV all morning since you're not tired yet. How, you have no idea. Night shifts at the hospital are exhausting. You're not particularly up for a wild night out so you hope he hadn't made plans to rope you into anything.

"Nothing. Just got home a few hours ago and I've been watching movies and channel surfing."

"Do you want to go out?"

Of course. Sleepy rockstar wants to go out. Part of you wants to be annoyed, jealous that he can just sleep all day and go do whatever he feels like whenever. But you aren't either of those things. In fact, his simple question makes your heart skip, your brain reading it as an inquiry for a date. You know fill well he means going out as friends and your foolish heart instantly settles down.

"It depends, I'm not up for anything too crazy. I just worked a ten hour shift overnight."

"Oh right, I forgot. Wednesday is your night shift. I was just thinking something easy, dinner and drinks?"

"Just us?"

"Yeah, like we used to. The diner on Bedford is still open I think."

You chew your lip. It sounds so tempting. Burgers and shakes, just like the old days. But you need to sleep, and going out with him just seems like a recipe for disaster with your feelings right now.

"I don't think I'm up for it."

Shawn sinks into the cushions beside you. He steals the corner of your blanket and leans his head against your shoulder. He smells like a sleepy boy and minty shampoo. It's hard not to turn your face into his hair and take it all in.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Wh- huh? There isn't anything to talk about?"

"Are you sure? You've got on my hoodie and you're watching ex on the beach. If I know one thing it's that you're caught up in your feelings right now. Is it that guy you're in love with?"

You pause. He hasn't brought up the whole being in love conversation since you initially had it about a month ago now. Not that you expected him to and it definitely didn't come up naturally. You figured he had forgotten what you said. So now that he is mentioning it unprompted is odd.

"No, he's not...it's not that."

"You never said who it was."

"It's no one. It was a fleeting dream and an emotional couple days. I was mistaken, you know, obsession not affection." Such a liar.

Shawn looks up at you from your shoulder and you can tell he is not buying it. You're not one to be infatuated with someone over nothing. "Right, well I'm up for staying in tonight too."

"No, it's only noon, go out with the guys or something. Go visit Aaliyah and your parents. It's boring here and you've only got a few weeks until you have to go back on tour."

"I'm staying here. I'm not up for the guys and my parents are out of town at my aunt's place today." Shawn pulls his phone out and opens a site on his browser. "I'll get us some lunch, we can play some Mario kart, watch some movies, get drunk together and just do whatever."

"I am not getting drunk. I actually have to work tomorrow morning."

Shawn chuckles and puts his phone away. "I've got rumchata. I know you love that."

You roll your eyes. He truly knows how to get to you. Maybe a few shots wouldn't hurt, they could help you sleep. Maybe.

____________________

One shot turns into three and then three turns into five. After that you get a little wobbly and call it quits. Shawn however downs his sixth one and his six turns into wrestling.

You were cleaning the coffee table off, stacking paper plates from the pizza Shawn ordered and gathering up abandoned napkins. You were ready to call it quits for the day, turn in and sleep until nine tomorrow morning. You were truly ready to just be done but Shawn was not.  

Just as you get the last napkin with cheese residue stuck to the center stacked on top of the pizza box with the paper plates you feel arms around your waist and the next thing you know you're being tossed into the back of the couch cushions.

"Shawn you dick!" You yell and he cackles from nearby. You regain your bearings and instinct kicks in. Having grown up with Shawn and your older brother, wrestling was nothing new. You had your fair share of throw downs with the big boys but it has been ages since it's happened. The instinct to fight back hasn't dwindled though and as soon as your feet hit the floor you're lunging at Shawn.

The two of you end up locked in a grappling match. He should have the upper hand, he's easily bigger than you and far more in shape than you ever dreamed to be. This should be a cakewalk for him but he's just on the more drunk side of tipsy and he's not focused. It's to your advantage because you drop your hands from his arms quick enough that he stumbles into you grabbing his waist and driving him back into the couch.

"You think you got me?" He laughs, arms curling around your chest as he lifts you up and over beside him.

Before you know it the two of you are on the floor, kicking the table askew, knocking over his stack of guitar cases. You're making a terrible mess and all because neither of you will submit.

Shawn rolls you over and pins you down by your forearms, legs hooked around yours. He has managed quite the effective pinning maneuver. You're impressed. "I win."

"You cheated."

"Did not!"

"Yes, you did."

He scowls and you laugh. He's so easy to rile up when he is a little drunk and riling him up means he loses focus. "You're just-"

You pull your arms away from his hold and push him up, making him fall back on his ass against the edge of the couch. He's quick to react to your little escape move. He snatches your shirt, pulling you into his lap and you collapse, chest in his face, legs straddling his thighs.

Silence befalls the apartment. Neither of you move. His warm breath ghosts through your hoodie, across your chest and his hands cup your ass from where he had attempted to stop you from getting away from again. The tension is palpable, suffocating even. Undoubtedly he can hear your heart, pounding rapidly in your chest. You're not sure what to do, how to make this feel normal.

Slowly you sink down, sitting on his lap and pulling yourself away from his face. He's red, flushed from forehead to neck. It's not from the alcohol. Your hands come to rest on his shoulders and he moves his hands from your butt, opting to hold your hips instead.

His lips are hot pink, mouth open just a bit as he stares at you, eyes darting between your eyes and lips. He's thinking the same thing, feeling the same way. Somehow you've both landed on the same page in this very moment.

"It's you." You mutter, saying the first thing that comes to mind. It doesn't make sense, really it shouldn't because you've said nothing about what he is.

He nods and leans in ever so slightly, soft smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He understands. "I know."

You slide your hands up the back of his neck, fingers twisting into his hair and he leans all the way in, lips connecting with yours. Blood rushes to your brain and you bring him closer, euphoria overtaking your body. The relief you feel is unlike anything else, like the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders.

"How long have you known?" You ask, pulling away just enough to press your head against his.

"Years, but the call, when you said you fell in love. I knew you were talking about me, I knew you were hiding it." He bumps his nose against yours. "I'm sorry I took so long to say anything."

You smile, letting out a little laugh as you do. "It's a two way street though. I never said anything either."

"Yeah." He slides his hands up your back. "Will you say it?"

"Say what?"

"You know what."

You duck your head and capture his lips for a moment. "I love you." He grins at the sound. "I love you Shawn Mendes."

Shawn squeezes you tight and kisses you hard and unabashedly. "I love you." He kisses your nose. "I love you from now until forever."

"Say swear to God."

He laughs and leans his head back on the couch, knowing you're teasing him. "I swear to God. Every God there is. I love you."

You sink down and lean your head on his chest, arms around his back. He raises his arms to hold you and you close your eyes. "I think I've always loved you," you say softly into his shoulder.

"Me too." He whispers back, body relaxing under yours. "Me too."

End

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

Thank you for reading! Please reblog if you read, want to save for later, or enjoyed! - A

*****Note: none of my works should be posted anywhere outside of my linked accounts. I do not give permission to repost with or without credit to my accounts. Please notify me of any reposted fics.*****

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Our Home Away From Home, Away From Home

[1] [2] [3] [x-x] [6] [7] [8-9] [10]

PART 4 – Coping

Qrow isn't exactly the intimidating uncle so much as he is the nervous older friend. Sure, he comes in with cheek and swagger, but he hesitates sometimes and watches what he says. Things are uncomfortable for a while.

Jaune and Qrow are sitting alone on the sofa, eyes passed the TV and out the window. Jaune breaks the silence and asks him how he knew. Qrow, surprisingly, explains that he turned into a bird and followed them home. He fully intended to leave when they got into the door but then he overheard the bit about Ruby going missing so he sat by the window and waited for updates.

He fell asleep on the windowsill.

Yang's moaning woke him up.

Both men don't even dare look each other in the eye. They both agree not to bring that up with her for as long as they live.

It's minutes later after they've both taken a swig from their flasks that Qrow asks, "So what are you two?"

"I don't know," he answers; almost apologetic. Almost fearful, but not of Qrow. "We're close and trying to… forget things."

"Yeah, I can see that." Qrow takes another swig. "Tell me, is this about Tai and Rae?"

"More than a little, yeah."

"Those two idiots aren't the least bit careful anymore… I'm sorry she's lumping it onto you. If I'd done better, none of this would have happened."

"I don't mind just listening to her."

"I know. It's the fact that she has to go through it at all… She's still in school. Distractions are dangerous when you're still fresh on the hunt."

Jaune laughs. "She's been doing this for years. If anything, I'm the one that's still green."

"You runts don't get to be proper huntsmen unless you've faced a real, proper threat or graduated. To a licensed huntsman, there's a reason why you're all still in-training. All the glory and shit is the stuff you gotta revel in while you're still in the safety of these halls instead of roughing it in the wilds day after day, facing odds stacked against you."

Qrow is amicable, asking only that he doesn't also seduce Ruby. Jaune's confusion is answer enough. He's no Casanova. He isn't Taiyang. Qrow has it that he believes men like him are unprepared as partners and fathers. Jaune disagrees, saying that his own father was like Tai. To him, any man can work their way into being a proper partner.

They talk about it for long enough that Yang stumbles back into the apartment. She hopes Qrow hasn't spilled any embarrassing stories about her.

They're deftly quiet at that.

-0-

Yang doesn't stay long (it isn't like she spends every weekend with him after all), but she lingers at the door. She hears their muffled voices through the gaps but she doesn't strain her ears to decipher them. She isn't here to eavesdrop.

She hears them laugh. Briefly, she wonders if even Qrow knows Jaune more than she does.

Breathing evenly, she calms the fiery doubts and walks off.

-0-

"What are your intentions?" Qrow asks an hour later, once he's sure Yang is long gone because of course he knows when she's there.

"We didn't sleep together."

Qrow winces at the thought of them. Then it's so deeply uncomfortable that his whole body shudders. "Ah, god, fuck! Damn it, kid, I don't want to think about you two naked! How would you feel if I shared my stories with you!"

Jaune, similarly, melts down at the thought.

Yang actually comes back because she forgot Ember Celica. She hears them freaking out through the door and pivots into the other direction. Blake asks about her bracelets. Yang says it isn't important right now.

-0-

Jaune and Qrow sip their flasks at the same time. They joke about it.

When it's quieter, Qrow can see in his eyes that he wants to ask something so he encourages him to.

Jaune, with an uneasy breath, asks what Qrow is always drinking to forget.

Turns out, he doesn't drink to forget. Drinking is when he does the most thinking, actually.

Drinking is a hobby. Less a recreational drug and more a medicinal one. "Confused? Let me explain…" He doesn't recommend it but he's built up such a tolerance for it before he even went to be Beacon as a kid that it's all basically like water to him. Alcohol isn't his coping mechanism, but he confesses that he does technically have one if it can be called that.

He lost an old friend a long time ago and he isn't sure if his semblance is to blame. The thought has haunted him since. Grief mixed so deeply with poisoned guilt has made him obsessed with loneliness.

He enjoys the quiet nights sitting alone at home, eying the moon, dreaming of what ifs. He enjoys sitting in meadows, letting Summer heat hold him like a familiar embrace. He enjoys hunting solo and coming out on top, all in her name. It's proof that, even in death, she's still the best partner he ever had.

Alcohol is normalcy. It's where he thinks the most clearly, acts the most boldly, acts like himself. Being sober unsettles his mind, makes him act irrationally.

Somehow it makes sense. He always did seem the more sober man when he's got a flask in his hand. Even subconsciously, Jaune realizes that he's made that his gospel.

Qrow warns that it certainly isn't the same way with Jaune. (Jaune knows, of course. His tolerance is likely as weak Ruby's might be.) But Qrow confesses to being more worried about what he might do if he drinks too much. He saw all the whiskey in the fridge.

"I'm not going to hurt Yang. I stop myself from going too far."

"I don't mean Yang. She can handle herself around you, I'm sure." Qrow shows him a photo on his scroll. "This is what I'm worried about."

Jaune reels. He feels a few things. Mostly anguish, discomfort. Saphron and Terra are in Vale.

"When was this?"

"This morning. I thought they'd show up today and that I could be your convenient alibi for having an occupied guest room once they dropped in, but it looks they're busy doing whatever it is they're actually supposed to be doing in the city."

"They're going to come by eventually. Even if not today then…"

"I can't stay, kid," Qrow says, cautiously, quietly. "You facing them is just as inevitable as their visit. I'm no good at this stuff but... my advice: Don't run."

-0-

Yang comes back to Jaune sat at the sofa, staring at a movie he isn't watching. Yang turns it off and when the screen buzzes into silence, Jaune finally realizes she's in the room.

He doesn't notice the many bags she brought with her.

When she asks what's going on, he tells her that Terra is in town.

Yang asks if Saphron is with her.

He realizes that he forgot to mention his own sister.

Yang takes his hand and leans into his side. "It's that bad, huh?"

His free hand pulls out the now empty flask. "I might need more than the watered down whiskey."

She sits on his lap and pushes his flask away. "Get drunk on me." Her eyes are half-lidded and pleading, a promise etched into the wetness of her lips and heat rolling off her breath.

He does what she asks.

They press together so closely that he feels another one of inhibitions snap.

That night he decides – without really thinking about why – to steal a kiss while she sleeps. He realizes that the gesture is far too affectionate than it should be but can't bring himself to regret it.

She was awake the whole time.

-0-

PART 5 – Accommodation

Yang fixates on the kiss. Not that it's changed how she feels or how she's going to feel, only that she wonders what's changed for him with her. She finds herself lingering on his silhouette in bed, paying attention to subtleties in his tone, the way he moves around her or if he catches himself saying anything he wants to say but can't.

And all she's found in mapping him out is that he's no different from before.

Blake tells her that it could mean any number of things. Weiss maintains that it has to be burgeoning love. Ruby, much to their surprise, tells them that it was probably a moment of weakness and that he probably still doesn't know what it means.

The girls – Pyrrha included – suggest that Ruby is probably right. But Yang finds herself unwilling to accept it. She isn't one for sitting still. So instead of deferring to their wisdom… she hatches a plan.

It falls apart immediately.

-0-

Lingerie is her first idea, a vibrant red with thin enough material to tear off with ease. Scented candles to fill the spaces, lighting the bed and the nightstands while drowning the rest in dark. A nice ambient drone off the speakers in another room just to fill any silence. And makeup, the kind that layers thick and she feels physically on her face but comes recommended from Coco's article on a magazine.

She calls up Pyrrha to coach her on it, but the girl only blinks at her beyond the digital lense and asks, "Do you want him to sleep with you or fall in love?"

At first, Yang is confused until she takes a good hard look at herself in the mirror and… doesn't recognize who's looking back at her.

"I don't know," she says honestly. She smiles placatively and hangs up. Pyrrha knows she'll figure it out, but Yang has to first get rid of the mess she's made in his bedroom. Everything else will follow after.

She tosses the heels in the bin (they were cheap anyway), rips off her stockings, and covers up the rest in a bath robe. She tries to wash off the makeup but it smears and will take longer than she has time for. She tries too frantically to get the candles out and accidentally sets fire to one of his chairs – she ends up violently launching it into the tiled shower wall and leaves the shower running.

Finally was the music wafting in from the living room, playing off her scroll. She's already halfway into the living room when the front door opens. She freezes in place just as Jaune is letting in his guests, Saphron and Terra.

Yang doesn't know Saphron, not really, but there's a mutual trust between them when the older girl runs over to her, takes her by the wrist, and drags her back into Jaune's room.

Minutes later, Saphron is dabbing some solution on her cheeks. The makeup comes off in clumps – some semblance of relief comes with them.

"I'm Yang," she says suddenly.

Saphron's bemused smile banishes any tension she has left. Yang already embarrassed herself and not much could make it worse at this point when your first impression is half naked in the living room. She'd also spied the lingerie but she'd thankfully neglected to mention the familiar strap peeking off her shoulder.

"Saphron," she says but says no more. She focuses on the task at hand and Yang quiets with her. Then Saphron starts humming. It's familiar, as if carved out of a chapter in her life that she can hardly remember. Suddenly it's clear that this woman is a mother.

"My brother mention me a lot?" Saphron asks.

"He tries not to but can't help it. You always manage to come up in his stories to curb his nonsense. You'd be a punchline if the stories were supposed to be funny."

"Tends to happen." Saphron winks. "Us older sisters have to butt in all the time."

"He told you about me and Ruby?" She wasn't expecting to come up in conversation.

"No… I can just tell." Another smile. More secretly knowing. And she is briefly afraid that all her secrets have already been laid bare. "He told me you were his roommate."

"Ah." A safe descriptor. She'd been expecting a cover story like being his live-in girlfriend. She'd even prepared the lines and a backstory. It's a small a comfort that doesn't have to go through that.

Saphron pouts for a moment before her eyes turn devilish. "He also mentioned that you two share a bed and make out." Yang blinks at her. Her confusion also confuses Saphron. Isn't that supposed to be embarrassing? "Is… was he wrong?"

"Uh… no. That's exactly it. I guess I just wasn't expecting the truth."

"And you really aren't sleeping together?" Saphron peels the gown off her shoulder and tugs at the bra strap. Yang yelps when it snaps back into place. "With an outfit like this?"

"It was a lapse in judgement." She gestures to herself. "I swear this isn't how I normally am. I don't think I'll ever put on something like this ever again."

"Hm… a honeymoon might change your mind, but let's not dwell on that. You've got scented candles in the corner and I can smell…" – she sniffs the air – "burnt wood from the bathroom? What led to all this?"

"I'm… not sure I should say."

Saphron takes Yang's hands in hers. "You don't have to tell me, but it feels like you're struggling with something all on your own."

"I'm not, actually," she admits sheepishly. "I just didn't take anyone's advice. I don't like the idea of waiting for something to happen when I can already do something about it."

"There is value in patience."

"I don't think waiting is my problem. I think I'm just too proactive to do nothing."

"My brother leave you hanging or something?"

"Kind of? … I've said too much already."

"Or not enough." She smiles in that way again. As if knowing. "But I won't pry. I know that sometimes it's better to wait and come to your own conclusions. Right or wrong, a decision you make yourself stays with you and sometimes that's more valuable than being handed the keys to the castle."

"You really think highly of Jaune, don't you?"

"Hm? What makes you say that?"

"I've never heard someone describe the way to someone's heart as 'keys to a castle'."

Saphron gives her a catty cheek. "Oh, so you are in love with him." But she is surprised again when Yang doesn't blush.

She shrugs instead, looking away. Not out of embarrassment but to eye her own fragmentary reflection on the corner of the vanity's mirror. "I wouldn't know. I've never been in love before."

"But… you're so pretty."

"So is Jaune. So is my sister. And all but one of my roommates have never even kissed anyone before coming to Beacon. It isn't like we don't have time to fall in love, it's just not always our biggest concern. They drill it in you early that staying alive out there should be your priority." She eyes the bra strap on her shoulder in the mirror, hates what it represents, what it almost made her do. She pulls up the sleeve again, hiding it away, and she almost looks like herself. "I think that's why I like being around him. He doesn't pass judgement on whether not my problems are big or small. He just knows they're important to me and lets me be heard."

"Is being a good listener what you look for in a partner?"

"It might." She laughs. "It's hardly an extensive list, though, isn't it?"

Saphron huffs, settling herself comfortably beside her and dusting off her skirt. "Lists are overrated. Not that you shouldn't have standards, but if you want to extensively checklist every potential partner, you'll end up with a growing criteria less and less people will be able to fill. And trust me, I've lived a storied life – been dating people since I was fifteen – and I've found that it's easier to talk to people and let things click. Hell, I wasn't even trying to flirt with Terra when we first met. She was the wingwoman to the girl I was actually trying to get with and we just happened to get along better."

"Sounds like quite the story."

"Why don't I tell you over dinner? It'd be a nice little preamble to me and Terra. I suspect we'll be meeting quite often in the near future."

"I guess I will be tagging along with Jaune if you really want me to."

"If I really want you to? You sound a little meek there," Saphron teases. "Jaune described you as the kind of girl with confidence to rival a peacock. Was my brother wrong or are you just starting to sound like him?"

"Hey, I don't…! Oh shit, you're right."

"Fair tradeoff, I suppose. Jaune's got peacock confidence now and I guess you're to blame."

"Ha! No, I can't take credit for that. Pyrrha – his ex – I'm sure she's your culprit."

"We've met. Jaune brought her over last year before they started dating. Wasn't even going to take her to the dance, the little dunce."

"Oh, but they hooked up that night! After they both showed up stag and he tore up the dance floor in a dress."

"A DRESS!?" Saphron screamed, her eyes lighting up with mischief Yang realizes she's just armed her with.

A knock at the door. "Everything alright in there?" Jaune asks, muffled through the mahogany.

"We're fine!" Yang says.

"Peachy, little brother," Saphron adds with a flare of sarcasm, "but you're going to regret keeping secrets from me."

"Yang!" Jaune screeches, panicked. "What did you tell her?"

Yang laughs, hearty and comfortable with Saphron snickering beside her. It almost feels right, like it's something that always should have been, and she wonders why she was ever so afraid. "What you should have told her! You know you can't keep secrets from big sisters!"

"Oh really? I can promise you that there are secrets Ruby hasn't told you."

Yang shot up from her seat. "What!?"

Saphron sits back. "Aren't you two lively…" she whispers.

"I'm no snitch, Xiao Long!" Jaune shouts, snark clear in his voice.

"You'll fess up one way or another!" Yang, in her excitement, marches to the door.

Saphron bolts out of her place and grabs her arm. "You're still underdressed," she says calmly, belying the panic quickened in her chest.

Yang looks down at herself. She's showing a little cleavage too with the loosened bath robe. She takes an extra step back for good measure and clutches the lapels closed.

"C'mon. You're looking a little too comfortable now. Let's find you something modest." Saphron tugs her towards the closet.

"Backing down already?" Jaune said in what – to him – was a moment of silence.

"I'll get you yet, Vomit Boy!" Yang jeers.

Saphron perks up. "Vomit Boy?"

Jaune groans behind the door. "Yang!"

Yang, despite the grin tugging at her cheeks, silently promises to make it up to him later.

-0-

Jaune stands in the center of his living room, staring at his shut door. Saphron has just dragged Yang into it, and his mind has been reeling with what he'd seen. Barely dressed, slow music off her scroll, and with smeared makeup on? He doesn't want to come to any conclusions, not without talking to her first, but the obvious ones come to mind.

He isn't certain he can reckon with the inevitable outcome.

Behind him, Terra sensibly cuts off Yang's music playing off her scroll. Jaune nearly jumps when he's brought out of his stupor and into her beautiful, suffocating presence. Terra is still as captivating as he remembers, tinted with the gloss of a boyhood crush that refuses to die. At least with Saphron around he could suffuse it, but not alone in the heavy quiet of his apartment.

Terra gives him a bemused smile. Ever sympathetic. She pats the seat cushion beside her and Jaune joins her, plopping on the cushion with a held breath he eases out of himself.

"You seem surprised," Terra says. "And here I thought you'd already seen her in less."

"I did say we've only made out… and snuggled." He can't decide which one is more scandalous. Perhaps neither. Or both, given that they aren't even dating.

"Yeah, despite that being unusual enough to be true, I still had my doubts."

"Have any still?"

"No. You definitely don't look like the kind of couple that's seen each other naked."

Jaune's eyes narrow. "We're not a couple."

"I believe you," she says with a smile. She's so dangerously close to him that he can smell her perfume. A glance shows him that she's eying him expectantly. He's tense, uncertain, and it's clear that she can see that. She pulls away, giving him room to breathe. "Guessing you've still got a crush on me then?"

His spine gets stiffer, spotting her at the corner of his eye because he refuses to look directly at her. She's smiling still. Being cheeky. "Terra…" he groans.

She scooches a little closer again (taking a chance that his nerves might not erupt), and lets his heat wash over her and lets him feel hers. The affection is platonic, he knows that. He and his sisters huddle together for comfort often, and Terra has just learned to follow suit. But he can't help but revel in it, letting it sink into his pores till it leaves a familiar tingle.

A small part of him hates it but mostly hates himself for indulging.

"If I asked you why, would you tell me?" Her tone is quiet, almost a whisper. She's trying to ease him.

"Because you cared about me."

She chuckles because it's naïve and honest and oh so very like him that it's almost nostalgic. "Was that really all?"

"When you're young and naïve, that's all it takes."

"I didn't know you were lonely."

It was his turn to chuckle. "I wasn't. I was never some lonely little kid who didn't have any friends. I had enough love from my sisters alone to fill my heart a hundred times over."

"Then why?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. Do I need to have been missing something in my life to want to fall in love?"

Her feet shuffles in place. "I guess I haven't seen it that way. After I was old enough to date, I'd not gone a year without someone I wanted to be with or was already with. I always felt like love completed me, like it does now with Saph… Is that not how you feel?"

"I'm… I'm not saying love doesn't make me happy or anything. It's just that I don't feel like I need it to feel whole. I don't think it'd complete me, just that it might be nice to have too. Is that not how you feel?"

She chuckles again, a nervous uncertainty tinting her quiet, teahouse melody. "I don't know. Never been without it, really. At least not for long."

He looks at her – examines her, really – because her cheek is gone, as is her confidence, and it feels like she's revealing her artifice in a vulnerable moment. She's digging gaps into her own thoughts and he can see her pick apart her own internal logic and she seems more and less somehow. Like she's less the perfect cut gem he thought she was and sees the girl underneath it.

He's less tense all of a sudden.

And for a moment he feels like he can come to grips with everything that she is. Who she was to him, who she wasn't, and who she's become. A boyhood crush, flightful fantasy, and… he can't bring himself to think of the last. Fist clenching and unclenching, a slow motion that tries to hide the trembling in his digits.

He swallows and he worries if she can hear it. She doesn't, but she can see something's troubling him.

"How's Adrian?" he asks.

"Oh, he's –"

"A DRESS!?" Saphron screams from beyond the locked bedroom door.

Jaune jolts up from his seat and nearly bumps into Terra who'd stood along with him. She steps aside and he hurries to the door, asking after them. Terra tries not to pay attention (she can barely hear what they say beyond the door anyhow) but then he mentions Yang's sister, Ruby – the girl Terra thought he actually has a crush on – and Yang audibly shouts, "What!?" passed the door at him.

"Aren't you two lively…" Terra whispers.

-0-

Dinner is a largely pleasant affair until the alcohol gets introduced. The hills of drink they stack onto the table to peruse intimidates Jaune and he cautions that he cannot – will not – drink anything that isn't at least on the rocks. He'll shoulder tomorrow's regret but he doesn't want to sleep through the sun burning through the morning and afternoon.

Saphron and Terra share a glance before pulling something out of Terra's bag. Diadem, a vintage Vacuan drink stronger than everything else on the table. They only ask that he a takes a shot. It'll buzz him through the evening.

It's too strong and he nearly hurls.

Yang half remembers all the stories they tell. Saphron regales them with tales of how she met Terra, the proposal, the wedding, and even the honeymoon off the coast of Menagerie. Jaune spouts on about his team and a misadventure with his twin on an old farm and a horse, and Yang, somehow, talks about a food fight twice. It's funnier the second time around.

There's a gap in her memory of whatever story Terra was telling because she fixates on one part and can't focus on anything else. "…she's little Adrian's babysitter," she mentions briefly but doesn't have the faculties to ask about.

When Saph and Terra leave for their hotel, things wind down and Yang's sitting on the sofa in Jaune's hoodie. Yang returns the shirt and shorts she borrowed but she feels like wearing something that's his might help with tonight.

Jaune joins her, easing down slowly as his head rides the waves of a dying Vacuan storm.

"Who's Adrian?" she asks.

He's quiet for a moment, perhaps from the drink. "He's Terra's son."

Yang can see it. Saphron isn't mentioned deliberately. He doesn't just forget this time. "Oh! From a previous marriage?"

He shakes his head. "No, nothing like that," he says, sobering up.

"A previous partner then?"

Jaune says nothing. He's sitting upright. Rigid and awake. There's something there. Maybe Terra had a previous partner he didn't like, but then things click into place. Realization sets in like headlights through the fog, suddenly and violently.

"Oh my god…" she whispers, "…he's yours."

He doesn't answer. Doesn't need to. She grabs onto his arm and pulls him into a hug. She's hit a nail on the head and panic sets in when she thinks she's opened up an old wound. It's precisely the kind of thing they're supposed to help each other forget. Only, Yang doesn't realize that Jaune is so caught off-guard by her sudden burst of affection that he's at first startled and – when she goes in for a kiss and ends up headbutting him instead – he ends up laughing it off.

His mirth is almost strange until it makes complete sense somehow. She's done her job, kept her end of the bargain, and now she's laughing with him too.

When he's calmed down, he lies back on the sofa when she goes to get a drink. She comes back to find him lying across the sofa and she makes the executive decision to just fall on top of him. She crashes into his stomach with a hefty oof from him and she makes no apologies for retaliating.

"Sofa hog," she jeers from her perch on his chest, chin resting on her arms.

"I bought it," he shoots back playfully, eying her down from the arm rest.

"Still pay half the rent. And I never asked you to pay me back when I foot the bill for refurbishing them."

"Wouldn't have needed to if Zwei didn't tear them up."

"It was a joint decision that we took him in for the week. You're as much to blame."

He sighs. "I guess I am."

It isn't actually an issue. They've basically already had this discussion and Yang had insisted on covering for it at the time. They're only stalling. Even Yang isn't quite sure she wants to go on.

She doesn't know how long it takes her to summon the courage to speak again. All she knows is that he's willing to answer, even if it would be easier for both of them to stay ignorant. To let these problems solve themselves and never to bear your heart until it is absolutely necessary.

But she speaks anyway. "I thought it was the wedding that got to you."

And so does he. "No, it… it just happened at the wedding. Saph had to go talk to an old classmate and so she left Terra with me. I was already holding Adrian and with Joan running off somewhere, we were alone. Just me, Terra… and our son. It hit me then. Slowly, like when you stare at yourself in the mirror at the night of a recital. You think, 'This is it. This is where things fall apart… or meet in the middle.' I knew I had to make peace with it before it got worse."

"And your answer was watered-down whiskey the minute you got back home?"

He shrugs. "Qrow gives good advice."

"Hm… maybe. I still think mine is better."

"Oh? And what's that?"

She pushes herself up over him, arms at either side of his head till her silhouette is against the dim glow of the incandescent bulb, warm light pooling through her hair till it looks like it's on fire. "Get drunk on me," she says, her breath tickling his nose and burning his lips.

But he doesn't kiss her. She sees the way his lips quiver, almost wanting to, but he doesn't even try.

She retreats instead, nestling back onto his chest but his cheeks are still burning and she swears hers are too. The room feels like it's boiling.

"When we kiss, do you think of her?"

"Never," he says honestly, and that seems to be the part that stings the most to him. "That's the most dangerous thing about you. You don't taste, feel, or smell like anyone else." He looks at her and only her, and she shrinks away as she gets up and off of him because she feels like a moon in a sea of stars, and as he straightens up and sits parallel to her, his eyes never leave, like a captive witness.

He leans in, and she doesn't know if it's to kiss her or just her sheer pull on him. She ultimately doesn't decide. Their foreheads meet – her eyes are downward but locked to his lips – and she breathes quietly as she asks, "Jaune? Are you in love with me?"

"Yang, are you even sure you are?"

"I… don't know yet."

He pulls away just an inch as something unsettling furrows his brow.

He gets up. "Gimme a minute," he says, and he's gone for just long enough for her to notice that the familiar heat she had pressed against her is missing.

She doesn't know what to expect when he comes back with his hand clutching a small object, but she would have never guessed a ring. It's nestled in a velvety box that he sits on the coffee table and he leaves it open as he sits down and watches it with her like it's some alien thing. He doesn't speak but he gives her a glance and…

It's then that she realizes that she's afraid. The look on her is uncertain – she can feel it, and she feels it freeze on her features.

"Did you pick this out for me?"

He shakes his head. "It was supposed to be Pyrrha's."

She blinks. "Is… is this what scared Pyrrha off?"

"No… it's what scared me off." He leans back against the sofa and she takes that as an invitation to do the same. They're huddled close, shoulder-to-shoulder. "Our breakup was only supposed to be temporary. Some tournament rival tried to pin her to a scandal when they found out she slept with me."

"What? Why would that be a problem?"

He snorts. "I was too young." Out loud, it sounds absurd.

"You were seventeen," she reasons.

"And Pyrrha was eighteen. As far as the law is concerned, Pyrrha slept with a minor."

Yang can feel herself coil up like a loaded spring. "Well, that's fucked! You're barely three months apart!"

"Didn't matter to them. Tabloids would have pinned it on her for the rest of her career. The context doesn't matter to the public."

"Okay…" she says slowly, stifling her frustrations for later. "So, what changed then? Why did you set her up with Sun?"

"Because I went to the wedding and found myself thinking about Terra again. It gave me some unhealthy doubts. I loved Pyrrha, I really did, but it felt wrong when I danced with Terra that night, holding our son in our arms… It felt like I'd betrayed Pyrrha somehow, even in my own mind, by feeling those things. It didn't matter that I didn't actually do anything about it."

"That's not how feelings work though," she says. "You're supposed to have doubts sometimes because people aren't perfect or consistent. Life isn't fiction, Jaune."

"I know that now." He shrugs, resigned in a way. "I found out a little too late though."

"How did you even get Pyrrha to agree to this?"

"She's not very honest about her feelings. Doesn't have the courage to be. When she heard that I'd pushed Sun to ask her out because Nora can't keep a secret, she thought that I might have given up on her. By the time we got the chance to be honest about it, she'd already gotten to know Sun enough to start taking him seriously."

Yang glances back at the ring. Not quite as alien as it was earlier. It just seems strange now, like it's out of place. There's a small comfort in that. "So where does the ring come in?"

"I got it as a sort of celebration when would get back together, but then people started asking about what it meant and… it felt like I'd stumbled onto some finality between us. Like I'd somehow found 'the one' over a year of friendship, a few dates, and showing up to the dance in a dress."

Yang smiles. Not because he seemed silly at the time, but because he's smiling. Because, in spite of his somber reflections, he can't help but feel like what he'd done turned out to be a triumph.

Her arm loops into his and his head leans on hers in response. "Doesn't sound like a bad set up to me," Yang says, shrugging against his arm. "If anything, it sounds like the stars aligned for you two." She speaks honestly. Forgets herself and sees him as Pyrrha's too-perfect other half to a too-perfect couple. If things hadn't turned out the way they did, she might have cheered them on for the rest of their lives. But that isn't how it turned out.

"That's what everyone was saying. It's like we'd ripped ourselves out of a fairytale, only I was a dense, blind princess and she was some stoic, stubborn prince. But it put a lot of pressure on us, living up to that story, and it felt like I wasn't as ready as I should have been. I came to Beacon unprepared for a lot of things. Might have hurt the people depending on me by not being ready. I was lucky my shield arm was always sturdy, but my heart wasn't. I naively worried that my inexperience would hurt us irreversibly." He rolls a hand over his knuckles. Contemplatively, regretfully. "I thought I was leaving her in good hands, but even if that's true, should I still have stayed instead? Did I have any right to decide if we should have stayed together or not?"

Her fingers slide off his arm and weave into his. She's huddling closer now, feet off the ground and knees tucked up to her chest. "I think, when we fall in love, we have to decide for ourselves if we want to keep going. We don't choose for the other in that. We choose for ourselves cause we are who we're supposed to look out for. You have to protect yourself first." Yang clutches tighter, and somehow Jaune can tell that her mother is involved. "That's the beautiful thing about a love that works. We decide for ourselves and it all just happens to fall into place with someone else. It doesn't always magically align – sometimes you don't agree with what they want or how they take it – but real love compromises just as much as it just… clicks." Like her and her dad. And Ruby. And maybe – if things turn out alright – her mom.

He wants to believe her. Even if he and Pyrrha didn't pan out, they still love each other as friends and things ultimately haven't changed between them. They were always bound to work out their issues and it's clear now that they've compromised without needing to sacrifice the friendship they'd fostered together.

He wants to thank her, but her eyes are away and she's chewing her lip. Yang is thinking of something else. Her sigh cuts through the silence and she's too shy to look at him.

"Jaune, why did you kiss me?"

He blinks. "What?"

"Last night. In bed. While I was sleeping."

His eyes widen. He's been caught. "Is it really so unusual?"

"It is when you aren't thinking of Terra or Adrian. When you do it just because you wanted to."

"How… how could you tell?"

She can hear the panic in his voice. Caught and cornered, it makes her a little happy to know he's unable to hide it. But it's the speed of which he accepts his fate that gets her grinning, because it's as if a part of him is tired of hiding it. "Because you weren't trying to forget something. You weren't trying to tease me and I certainly can't flirt back when I'm asleep…" She shoots him a knowing look and he gulps through a feeble foundation of defiance. "It was none of that. You did it hoping I wouldn't notice. You did it because you were hiding something you wanted."

He crumbles under her teasing. "Y-Yang, I… I can't –"

"Shh, it's okay," she says evenly, defusing his tension and giving him a moment to breathe and look into her eyes. "Don't jump to a conclusion you aren't ready to make." Her tone is slow and deliberate, fingers gliding along the skin of his arm like a soothing, gentle caress. "I get it, Jaune. Like me, you're still trying to figure it out."

He pulls away but fixes her with a stern, serious look. She doesn't realize he's holding her hand till he's squeezing it. He's composed, certain, and so deftly drunk on her that Yang remembers Jaune telling her that drowning in drink gives him clarity. "That's just it, Yang. I know I feel something. I've been feeling a lot of things when I'm with you…" His confidence wanes before he admits that, "It's just that I haven't figured out what I'm supposed to do about it."

Yang blinks twice and tries to speak but can't. And suddenly she can't stop the curl of her cheeks when she feels a growing smile coming.

He's almost afraid. "Yang?"

"Sorry. I'm still… you know you just confessed, right?"

"Ha!" he laughs, heart squeezing his chest. Relief in many ways settling into his skin. "Were you expecting me to say 'I love you'?"

"…"

He chuckles. "Oh my god, Yang."

"Is it weird that I'm a little giddy about that total cliché? Say it again."

He thinks it a little much but the words are easy, flowing freely from his lips. "I love you."

"Agh! You're a serious cheat. Why is it so easy for you to say?'

"Cause I already made peace with it. You stood there in a white dress and I could see you tearing Terra out of that place in my mind and putting yourself there in her stead. I already knew. You've been nothing but a tidal wave to my emotions, just swallowing everything up and leaving little traces of yourself everywhere."

He settles back into the cushions, sinking comfortably into it. "I used to sit on this couch and scream curses at the moon through the window," he says. "Nowadays my eyes are glued to the screen watching a movie with you. I used to be careful about what I threw into the sink because I was afraid I'd have to call in a mechanic to fix the shredder again, and now I don't even give it a second thought."

"And you used to lie in bed thinking about her…" Yang teases.

"Actually, no. I was at peace when I went to bed. Pyrrha trained me to shut down once I got under the sheets. Nowadays it feels like the sandman keeps missing my eyes with the way you move me around in bed."

"I don't think your tongue's been doing much complaining."

"Seems you were willing to use more than just your tongue earlier," he says, teasing her. She shrinks a little, embarrassed. "What were you doing anyway?"

"I was, uh, trying to seduce you."

"Oh… What changed?"

She groans. "I guess my wires got crossed. I thought that if I got you to sleep with me, this" – she gestures between them – "would suddenly clear up. But I'm not that kind of girl. I don't put on lingerie all the time expecting you to see it. Not even sure I'm the kind of girl who wants her clothes ripped off when I get you riled up."

"Yeah, your outfits look expensive. Custom fit and embroidered."

"I wouldn't hit you if you tried, FYI. I'd maybe cry or get upset."

"I'll try not to ravage you through your clothes if that ever happens."

"If? Still don't think we're gonna end up doing the dirty tango after all we've been through? Seems inevitable at this point."

"I think we'll either do it when it makes sense or decide we aren't meant for each other."

"I don't know. I'm pretty snug right where I am." She gives him cheek, brimming with certainty. Confidence. "Still," she says more seriously, "are you really so ready to give up what we have? I don't see it happening, but it looks like you think we're just as likely to stay together as splitting up."

He looks away. Yang is surprised to find him embarrassed, not concerned.

"You don't actually feel that way," Yang says gleefully. "You're as sure as I am."

"I'm not ready to take that risk just yet," he confesses.

She moves to straddle him and loops her arms around his neck. "I can wait."

His hands grip her waist through the thickness of the hoodie. "I can't ask you to do that."

"I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. I told you that love was about deciding for yourself and settling into compromises if our choices don't align. I'm choosing to stay. And – I hope – we agree to compromise."

He takes a moment to look away before locking eyes with her. He leans in and pecks her lips so briefly that she doesn't get the chance to kiss back.

"Wh-what?"

"It's how I'm supposed to say yes, aren't I?"

She laughs and so does he. Yang was expecting to cap off the night with a kiss, pressing bodily into the sheets as their hands roam their bodies, but none of that happens. They clean the dinner the table, take separate baths, and settle into bed together.

She does kiss him on the neck for good measure but he realizes that he can still feel the kiss and it isn't because there's a tingle there. Cracking an eye open, he notices the gloss on her lips. "Are you wearing lipstick?"

"The light kind," she says. "Told myself I'd leave a mark on you during my little lapse earlier. I've decided not to give you a hickey. Consider it an act of mercy."

He shuts his eyes and tries to ignore it but can't. He's painfully aware of it and he just knows he's gonna smudge that on something. It'd be funny if it's Yang's face but he'd hate to get it on his sheets. He sits up. "Yeah, nope. I'm washing this off."

"What? C'mon!" She grabs onto him, anchoring him back into bed.

"Nope. Not doing it," he says defiantly.

"Have it your way, Arc. Hickey it is!"

"Wait, Yang! Yang!"

-0-

Jaune is reminded everyday that he showed up to brunch that following morning with a hickey his scarf couldn't hide. Yang makes it up to him by buying dessert.

The get-togethers go on and Yang is less and less embarrassed about openly teasing Jaune and showing her affections publicly. Jaune retaliates, of course, and they even get hot and bothered in the hallway of a movie theater. They spend the rest of the movie in a stall. Terra finds them and is honestly just surprised they haven't taken each other's clothes off… ever.

Jaune and Yang don't tell them that neither of them and ready to go that far yet. Jaune takes the brunt of the blame and says that if he doesn't hold back, they'll end up doing something stupid. Saphron slips Jaune a condom and he regrets everything for the rest of the night.

Two weeks pass with much the same. Sometimes they introduce Saphron and Terra to some of their other friends, and they even manage a weekend together in a cottage near the coast. They're excited about reuniting with Pyrrha and they even meet Sun on her scroll.

Yang finds out that Saphron is every bit a mother as she is a big sister, and Jaune reminds her that she is practically no different herself.

Jaune learns that Qrow and Terra are old classmates and that they had more in common than they thought.

And after Joan is caught scheming with Nora and getting her and Ren back together, after Blake engorges the shrimp platter on a Schnee-sponsored dinner, after Weiss tames a friendly rivalry between Winter and Saphron about who has the cuter sibling, after Ruby gets her cheeks pinched till they go red cause she lost a bet and showed up in an adorable beowulf costume, and after Penny freaks out and her head pops off at dinner (her severed head still tries to chew on a salad)… their two weeks together are up and they're standing at the train station, ready to see them off.

It's been raining for the last few days and everything is damp and cold. Even the air is still thick with the smell of misty rain water and the sky hasn't seen the sun even peek through the cloud cover. It's almost a somber way to say goodbye.

Saphron is introducing Yang to her babysitter and little Adrian over a video call. Jaune stands aside, unwilling to let the last few weeks burn away at the sight of his biological son gurgling through the screen.

Terra nudges into his side. "Can we talk?"

He nods and she pulls them away beside a pillar. Saphron notices and winks at her wife.

"Is there something wrong?" Jaune asks.

"Nothing, actually. I might even say our impromptu vacation here might as well have been perfect."

"Impromptu?"

"I guess it never came up but… we were only supposed to be here for a few days."

"Why did you stick around then? Wouldn't that have been imposing on your babysitter?"

"Oh, Taffy was plenty happy to be at the house with Adrian. She's an orphan and she takes every excuse to come over." She leans in to whisper. "We might even adopt her once I get a raise at the office so look forward to a niece! And, really, is it such a surprise that we enjoy spending time with you and your friends?"

"After the bonfire? I guess not."

"Good. Now that isn't why I needed to talk."

"Oh…" He glances at Yang a few feet away. He can barely hear her and Saphron through the rancor of the station.

"I know you've been holding back."

"Did Yang tell you that?"

"Call it a big sister's intuition."

"You're an only child."

"Not anymore, I'm not. Now I've got six little sisters and a not-so-little brother." She pats his chest then busies her hands with straightening his collar. "A little brother who is too afraid to take a chance and would much rather play it safe than play at all."

"Terra…"

"I know you're afraid that you aren't ready. I wasn't either. Hell, sometimes I worry I'll mess up and ruin a perfectly good marriage. These are all normal things to be afraid of, and for some people, these fears don't go away. We just learn to live with them."

She slides her hands to his arms and down to fingers till she's holding them softly and looking up at him. There's a quiet concern in her sad little smile that he isn't sure how to respond to.

"I think you've driven yourself to be so careful with your feelings that you've forgotten to just take things as they come," she says. "I know you have to be careful with your heart but the thing isn't made of glass. Even if it hurts, even if it hurts easily, the fact that you're still in one piece should be more than enough proof that you aren't as fragile as you think you are. Maybe take a risk. Maybe love will hurt, but so few of us get better at it without giving it a shot first. Like a lot of things, Jaune, it takes a lot of trial and error."

"I've been down this road before already…"

She squeezes his hands. "And you'll go down it again and again. Sometimes people find love once and that's all it takes. But for the rest of us? For most of us? We gotta keep trying."

With a kiss on the cheek and a whispered 'good luck', Saphron and Terra disappear into accelerating train until even it vanishes into the horizon.

Jaune stares into the middle distance and Yang, much like Terra, nudges into his side. "What did you talk about?" she asks.

He shrugs. "Stuff."

"Oh, well that's lame. Should've had more to say to someone you really care about." It's clear she doesn't buy it.

He knows she doesn't. "Yeah, real shame I wasn't more profound and emotional."

She rolls her eyes because she'll let it be and won't pry for his sake. "C'mon, it's getting chilly out here and it might rain again with the wind picking up." She makes to walk off.

"Hey, Yang?"

She stops. "Yeah?"

For a moment he doesn't speak, his eyes are uncertain and elsewhere but then his fists clench as if he's just convinced himself to do something. "Wanna get dinner?" he asks, reaching out to take her by the hand. "We can put on something nice and there's a real fancy place with the best lobster in town."

Yang isn't sure how to take it. She doesn't resist when his thumb brushes over her knuckles, but she summons a bit of bravery herself, stepping closer and resting a fist against her beating chest. "Is… this a date?"

She yelps when he pulls her in. He kisses her, drowns her tongue and melts their bodies together till she's flush against him and tugging at his hair. There's still fear in his eyes when they pull away, but there's a determination in there she's happy to see. "Is that answer enough?"

She giggles through the haze of her burning cheeks. "Plenty."

Then she's on him this time and tilting him backwards with her lips alone until he's just as hazy. Still, he doesn't expect it when she clambers onto his back and slips into a piggyback ride before she starts laughing uncontrollably.

"Hiya, noble steed! To the bike!" she cheers from her perch atop his head.

He's laughing too, even if he's huffing a little from the jog to Bumblebee. "What's gotten into you?"

"I can't help it…" she whispers into his hair, excitement mixing into a bubbling cocktail with a giddiness she can't stop. "I'm happy."

[btschooseafic]

Hey you, what’s your dream?

Pairing: platonic!oc x ot7

Details: manager!oc, predebut/idolverse, partial BTS World!verse

Summary: Aviva and Hoseok go clubbing with Soonyoung for her birthday. Aviva has a panic attack.

Warnings: This is a fictional story based on real events. The characters presented here are not the same as their real life counterparts. (TW: drinking, panic attack, cultural appropriation) [Masterlist]

Track 16: Afraid of the future

 Doubt - Twenty One Pilots

 “Scared of my own image, scared of my own immaturity

 Scared of my own ceiling, scared I'll die of uncertainty”

 January 4th 2013

To start off the year, Aviva posted a previously unreleased solo track Namjoon gave her. She thought the subject matter of the lyrics (“Time passes and I’m already in the 10th grade/ But I haven’t done anything so I’m worried about my future”) fit well with the troubled youth image the studio was going for.

“Come on… Get dressed…” Soonyoung whined, pulling Aviva away from her computer. “You promised!”

“I know, I know,” Aviva said. “Show me what you want me to wear so I can disagree, choose something you don’t want me to wear, and then find a compromise.”

Soonyoung’s birthday was on January 1st. This was a busy time of year, but she had managed to convince Hoseok and Aviva to sneak out clubbing with her that Friday as a belated present. Not that Hobi needed much convincing. Of course he loved dancing, but also, turning nineteen internationally this year, and able to legally drink, he was excited for the opportunity.

They started off the night going out for a drink with Yoongi, Jin, and Namjoon.

“You two look hot,” Yoongi said, bluntly as ever as he looked over the girls. Soonyoung was wearing a skin-tight green dress with pink pointy heels. Her hair was lightly curled, and her makeup was done up to the max. Aviva was barefaced as usual and wearing a black mini skirt, black tights, black boots, and an oversized black Green Day t-shirt.

Hoseok pouted. “Yah! How come you didn’t compliment me?”

Yoongi looked him over, nodded, and gave him a thumb’s up.

Hoseok blushed slightly. Namjoon laughed.

“Can we go into the bar before my break is up?” Jin grumbled.

Soonyoung leaned on Aviva, watching Namjoon and Hoseok down shots.

“Ah…I remember that age.”

“You’re literally only a year older than us!” Namjoon complained, his face flushed from either the alcohol, annoyance, or both.

“It makes a big difference sometimes,” Yoongi said wisely.

“Yeah.” Soonyoung nodded. “Respect your elders.”

“I should have the most respect, then,” Jin said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

“I just wanna go home,” Aviva muttered.

“Ah.” Jin smiled. “It’s Avi-yah saying that for once instead of Yoongi-yah.” Yoongi took a sip of his drink, grinned, and flipped him off. “Come, come, Avi-yah, this bar has some fun food too, let’s get something tasty, yeah?”

She squinted suspiciously at him. “You’re just bribing me cause I’m the designated driver, huh?”

“Also, he wants to eat more,” Yoongi put in.

“That also,” Jin agreed.

“Eh.” Aviva shrugged. “I’ll accept the bribe.” Aviva didn’t love drinking, or clubbing, but she loved her friends, and she didn’t mind tagging along with them, especially for a special occasion. She caught Jin’s eye. “Just remember you have work tonight, Jin-oppa.”

He groaned. “Why did you remind me, Avi-yah?”

“Skip and come dancing with us instead, oppa~” Soonyoung said, fluttering her shimmery mascara eyelids at him. Jin swallowed dryly. Yoongi snorted, refilling his hyung’s glass for him.

“Yah, leave him alone!” Namjoon said to Soonyoung.

“Are you sure he wants her to?” Yoongi said, smirking as he leaned on Namjoon’s shoulder.

Namjoon frowned and turned to Jin, his face serious.

“Seokjin-hyung, you wouldn’t choose Soonyoung-ssi over me—over Bangtan, right?”

Jin blinked at him. “Are you drunk already, Namjoon-ah? I thought your tolerance was higher than this…”

“I think these two got over-excited and overdid it,” Yoongi said, motioning at Hoseok at Namjoon. “Look at how red Hoseokie is.” He poked Hoseok on the cheek, laughing as Hoseok pouted.

“Well, we should go before he’s too drunk to dance,” Soonyoung thought, standing up.

“Not possible,” Hoseok said smugly.

“If you start puking all over the dance floor, you’re too drunk to dance,” Soonyoung told him. “That’s the point I make you go home and one of your boys has to nurse you all night.”

“…We all know it would be me,” Jin said, sighing. “Let’s just leave.”

Aviva dropped those who were working off at the office before driving the rest of them to the club.

At the club, Soonyoung and Hoseok pulled Aviva through the press of twisting bodies out onto the floor, sticking together as a trio.

“You’re improving,” Hoseok said in Aviva’s ear. She could just barely hear him over the thumping music. She opened her mouth to thank him, but no words came out. His smile fell and he stopped dancing. “Avi, are you okay?”

Soonyoung stopped swaying on the other side of them. She took one look at Aviva’s face and cooed softly. “Aw, baby. It’s okay. Let’s get you out of here.” She made a path through the crowd, careful not to touch Aviva or stand too close. Hoseok followed behind them, guilt and confusion twisting in his stomach. Out in the alleyway, Aviva took quick gulps of the cold air. “Can you count it out, Avi?” Aviva shook her head, her eyes tearing up as she breathed heavily. “Yes you can. Come over here by the wall…” Still without touching her, Soonyoung shepherded Aviva so that she was facing the wall, her palms pressing against the rough stone. Hoseok could see tears dripping down the side of her face, hitting the ground.

“Aviva…” He took a step closer to her.

“Hobi, it’s fine,” Soonyoung said firmly.

“Obviously, it’s not,” he growled. Aviva flinched. Hoseok took a breath, adjusting his voice to be softer. “How can I help?”

“Can you get her some cold water?”

“Yeah, I can do that.” He quickly slipped back into the club and came out again to find Aviva and Soonyoung sitting up against the wall, with their knees against their chests. Aviva was picking at a hole in her tights. Soonyoung was casually holding her pointy heels in one hand, texting with the other. Hoseok privately thought that only Lee Soonyoung could look so effortlessly cool squatting in a dirty alleyway.

Aviva didn’t meet his eyes when he handed her the water, but she drank. Hoseok was glad to see that her breathing appeared to be back to normal.

“…So,” Soonyoung said, after a moment of silence. “I’ve told Jin-oppa to come pick us up. He’ll take the train over and then drive us back.” Aviva’s eyes widened as she looked at Soonyoung, shaking her head. “No buts, kiddo, you’re not driving tonight.”

“…Okay,” Aviva said weakly. “Um, but, if you and Hobi want to stay and dance—”

“Hmmm.” Soonyoung made a bit of a face and looked at him.

“Can’t say I’m in the mood, for once,” he said honestly.

“Sorry.” Aviva stared at the toes of her boots.

“Hey.” He bent down, trying to catch her eye. “Nothing to apologize for, Avi-yah. I can dance whenever I want. Spending time with you is what makes my night special.”

“…Dork,” she muttered.

“Yeah, but I’m your dork,” he said, smiling at her.

Jin didn’t ask any questions. Maybe he’d been warned against it by Soonyoung, Hoseok wouldn’t have put it past her. Hoseok had about a million questions he wanted to ask, but every time he opened his mouth, he caught a glimpse of Aviva’s puffy eyes and decided to stay quiet.

“Is she going to be okay?” Jin finally asked, after he’d dropped the girls off at their place. Hoseok frowned.

“I don’t know.”

“Soonyoung-ssi said she would be, and she knows Aviva-yah better than anyone, so I guess we’ll just have to trust her on this one,” he thought aloud. “…I’ll make pancakes tomorrow, invite them over.”

“She might not be up to it,” Hoseok thought.

“Then I’ll activate my special delivery service!” Jin said, cheerfully undeterred.

January 5th 2013

Hoseok was somewhat surprised when Aviva agreed to come to breakfast at the dorm, although Soonyoung apologized that she had prior engagements. Hoseok was frankly a little annoyed at Soonyoung for abandoning Aviva after what had happened… but she looked a lot better than he’d expected her to when he met her on the street out front of the dorm.

“Ah.” He tilted his head. “You’re wearing makeup.”

She flashed him a peace sign.

“Just a little. Soonyoungie is just as good at skin care as Jiminie, so my eyes were barely puffy at all this morning! What about you and Joon? Are you hungover that badly?”

“Um, we’re fine. Just took some medicine when we woke up and drank a lot of water. Aviva…”

“…I guess I owe you an explanation.”

“No, that’s not what I…” He sighed. “You don’t owe me anything. But… I want to know, if you’re comfortable telling me.”

“Backyard?” She suggested. He nodded. They walked around the building and she moved past the yard, coming to sit up against a tree behind a bush. It was a secluded area that she couldn’t possibly have known about without scouting it out beforehand. It was a safe place, he realized, and he was touched that she was allowing him inside.

He sat next to her, keeping a little space between them. She picked at the grass, shredding it methodically. His fingers itched, and he mirrored her, with a twist. He plucked wildflowers and started twisting them together into a bracelet, like his older cousin had taught him to do.

He waited a while, and when she didn’t speak, he prompted. “So, last night…”

“I get panic attacks sometimes. They used to be a lot more frequent, but I’ve developed certain coping mechanisms… I was on medication at some point, maybe I need to be again, I don’t know.” She sighed.

“What caused it?” Hoseok wondered.

“Hmmm, abnormal brain chemistry? Me repeating the same bad patterns over and over again? Pure dumb luck? Take your pick.”

“No, I meant, um, last night, specifically.”

“Oh. You mean like, a trigger? There isn’t always one, sometimes they just happen, like if I’m particularly tired or stressed, but… yeah, bright lights, loud noises, and crowds don’t usually aren’t exactly my kind of thing.”

Hoseok frowned. “You’re living in Seoul.”

She shrugged. “Yeah. And I grew up in New York City. I like a busy city, even if it makes my brain freak out sometimes.”

“And you’re the manager of an idol group…”

“Ah.” She grimaced. “Soonyoung was concerned about that at first as well, but… I’m very determined, you know? And I do love music, it’s just I can be extra sensitive to sounds sometimes, so I can wear earplugs or headphones at concerts, I mean, not to block out the sound entirely, but just… lessen the intensity a bit.”

“I’m sorry for pushing you out onto the floor.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t know. I’ve done my best to hide it, actually…”

His brow furrowed. “But Soonyoung-ah knew.”

“I told her I wanted to try,” she said to him. “That’s why she was more forceful than she would usually be. She would never make me do anything against my explicit wishes, she’s Soonyoung.”

He sighed. “Can I… can I learn things like, like how she was helping you last night?”

Her eyes widened. “Hobi, that’s not your responsibility—”

“I want to! I’m supposed to be your hope, remember?” He held out the finished flower bracelet to her.

“Okay.” She laughed, sliding it onto her wrist. It was a perfect fit. “Okay, I’ll send you some links. And I have to talk to Jin-oppa too, thank him. But…” She chewed at her lip. “Can you keep this quiet from the others for now?”

“It’s not my story to tell,” he said. “But you do know secrets are really hard to keep in this group.”

“I know. I should probably tell them, in case it happens again…well, it will happen again, but if it happens in front of any of you, and worse case scenario if it happens while we’re working…”

“If you say you’ve got a handle on it, I trust you,” he said. “But I still want to be there for you, for extra support.” He looked at her. “I really want to hug you right now… is that okay?”

She opened her arms.

In the dorm, she seemed as cheerful as ever as she ate Jin’s pancakes. Hoseok did think the others must have realized something was up, though. Yoongi took one look at her and piled extra bacon on her plate, and then actually got up to make her a cup of coffee just the way she liked it. Namjoon just squeezed her shoulder, noting when she stiffened, and then intercepting Tae zooming over to her for his usual greeting hug by wrapping his arm around the young man’s shoulders and ruffling his hair affectionately. Jungkook tilted his head, studying her from across the table, and then started telling her and Tae that the new issue in a comic they all liked to read was coming out soon.

Jimin sat down on her other side, reaching out to hold her hand. Hoseok caught her eye, silently asking if she needed help, but she shook her head.

“What’s this?” Jimin wanted to know, lifting her hand delicately as he studied the flower bracelet. She smiled.

“Just Hobi being cute.”

“Ah, what else is new?” Jimin shrugged. He studied her. “But you know what would look good with that makeup and that bracelet?”

“…What? You know I don’t do makeovers, Jiminie.”

“I know, I know.” He waved his hand. “Not a whole makeover, just… can I braid your hair, please?” He pouted. Surprisingly, she nodded quickly.

“Jen, Soonyoung and I used to braid each other’s hair,” she said as he squealed and dragged his chair so he could sit behind her.

“Really?” Jungkook said, looking as interested as he always did when Jenny was mentioned.

Slowly, Hoseok saw her relax against Jimin, and even give him a kiss on the cheek when he finished as a thank you.

“You look pretty,” Tae said. She made a disagreeable noise. “Fine, handsome then.”

“Yah! That’s my thing!” Jin protested.

“I can’t be handsome too, oppa?” Aviva pouted at him.

He took her hands in his.

“You can be the second-most-handsome, Aviva-yah. I will train you in my ways.”

“Thank you, teacher!” She bowed and everyone laughed.

Hoseok tried to act like his normal self, teasing Jimin about his red face, and asking Aviva if he could get a kiss too.

She shrugged and leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek.

“Ha!” Jimin said. “Now your face is all red, hyung!”

“What?” Hoseok touched his face. “No, it’s not!”

“Yes, it is!”

After the pancakes were finished, the kitchen emptied except for Jin and Aviva, who stood side by side at the sink, Jin washing and Aviva drying.

She thanked him for last night, and for the pancakes, and gave him an abbreviated version of the explanation she’d given Hoseok.

Jin listened quietly, the silence stretching after she finished, as if he were making sure that she’d said everything she wanted to.

“Thanks for telling me,” he said, smiling gently at her. “You have given me a great sense of peace at times, please let me know if there’s anything I can ever do to do the same for you.”

“…You already do,” she said honestly. “With your mediation between the group members, your puns, and cooking.”

He suddenly put his dish down and walked over to the freezer. He pulled out a bag of frozen peas. “I’m pea’s keeper?”

Aviva snickered. “Extra points for the English!” She picked up a piece of fruit from the fruit bowl. “I a-peach-iate you.”

He blinked and then burst into laughter.

“I knew I liked you!”

Over the next week, Aviva and the boys had brainstorming sessions with the leaders of the stylists teams in order to formulate their looks for the debut. Namjoon’s makeover was finished first.

He wanted Aviva’s opinion, so she met him in the office hallway near the dressing room.

“Your hair!” Aviva exclaimed, staring at Namjoon’s shaved sides and faux-hawk.

“Um, Eunjung-ssi suggested something dramatic to grab attention,” he said. “Honestly don’t know if this makes me feel like less like myself, or more. Does it at least look okay?”

“Kind of cool, kind of lame?” Aviva said uncertainly. Namjoon frowned.

“So... neutral?”

“No, ah, I think you make it work somehow, because it’s you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cause you’re...” She motioned at him. “I don’t know, you always look good, even when you’re wearing things that don’t suit my personal tastes.” He stared at her. “What?”

“You think I’m good looking?”

“Well, yeah, you all are. That’s kind of why the marketing department wants to capitalize on your image so much.”

“...Right.” He sounded a little disappointed.

“Can I touch it?”

He blinked, and then nodded, leaning down. She rubbed the fuzzy shaved part of his head, smiling a bit.

“So...” He smirked. “You ‘sort of’ like the way it looks, but you definitely like the way it feels, huh?”

She nodded. “It’s a nice texture. I could get addicted to that...” She finally let go of him. He stayed leaning over for a moment, his face close to hers, his eyes searching hers for... what? “Maybe I should shave part of my head? But I’m not sure I could pull it off...”

He chuckled. “I think you’d look cool.” He tucked her hair behind her ears, his fingers continuing down her jawline before his hands came to cup her face.

“Namjoon…?”

He abruptly drew back, straightening up, his face pink.

“Sorry! That was probably too much. I know you don’t like being touched so much, I shouldn’t have—”

“Namjoon,” she said his name again, holding her hand up to stop him. “I don’t mind. I mean, maybe in the past I would have... back when Soon and Jen were the only ones to really touch me... but you guys touch me all the time, and I don’t mind, for some reason. It feels nice, most of the time.”

“So, you don’t mind when Hope and Taehyung-ah hang off of you?” Namjoon wondered.

“Most of the time, no.”

“And when you do mind, you’ll tell them?” He asked. She hesitated. “You have to tell us if we go too far. You’re a young woman surrounded by men most of the time... we should respect you and your boundaries.”

“I appreciate that,” she said. “Although I don’t think gender is that much of a factor for me.” He looked a little confused. “Never mind.” She grimaced. “I’m still figuring all that out.” She took his hand in hers. “Why don’t you show me your new wardrobe, hmm?”

He swallowed and nodded, his face brightening into a dimpled smile as he led the way.

Aviva startled as her phone buzzed. She sat up a bit, wiping drool from the corner of her mouth. It looked like she’d fallen asleep on the couch, reading some article on her computer.

She glanced at the text notification.

Joon: ‘r u up?’

She sighed. ‘Sort of. Why are you?’

 ‘Can’t sleep. So I recorded another vlog.’

 ‘Oh, are you addicted to it?’

 ‘No. People keep saying I’m awkward, so I want to improve.’

 ‘Aw, your awkwardness is part of your charm.’

 ‘…Thanks? Um, anyway, I was wondering, if you were up, if you could watch it and lmk if it seems too awkward. But if you’re too tired, just tell me some other time.’

‘I can look,’ she texted. ‘But I’ll probably try and go to sleep after that. And so should you.’

 ‘No promises, but I’ll do my best.’

‘That’s all I ask.’ She clicked the link he sent and snorted. ‘First note: outfit choice very interesting for a 2 am video.’

 ‘Interesting good or…?’

 ‘I think it’s cute, I think Joonho-ssi would be happy with it.”

 ‘Who?’

 ‘The leader of the clothing stylist team! Park Joonho-ssi!’

 ‘Ah, right.’

 ‘Also, I don’t think you’ve gained weight, and if you have it’s fine. If you’re hungry, you should eat, although, maybe not this late… drink some water or something and ask Jin to make you a nice breakfast in the morning.’

 ‘Okay, mom.’

 ‘Shut up, you’re the mom today.’

 ‘…Sure I am.’

 ‘Oh, and the little ‘fighting!’ exclamation at the end is really cute. I think it’s a solid vlog. You’re getting the hang of this, Joon.’

 ‘Thanks for indulging me and watching it this late.’

 ‘Anything for you. But if you need anything else, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I’m going to sleep.’

Aviva was very excited to help film a small music video for a song Namjoon and Yoongi adapted from Kendrick Lamar's Swimming Pools. But when she arrived on set and saw Namjoon’s hairstyle, she paused.

“No.”

“No?” He looked at her, touching the braids coming out of the center of his head.

“Are they supposed to look like dreads?”

He blinked. “Huh, I guess they are. I hadn’t thought about that…”

She let out breath. “Look, I know rap’s really popular right now, and a lot of idols are trying to look like famous rappers, but, this…” She motioned at him. “…Is not cool. You’re not black. You can’t wear your hair like that.”

His brow furrowed. “I hear what you’re saying, and I can tell by the way you’re saying it that it’s important to you, and I trust your judgment, but… I don’t understand. I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m not the one needs to be apologized to…” She took another couple of deep breaths. “Imagine if, after years of making fun of the way you dress and look, somebody suddenly decides that it’s cool when they do it.”

He tilted his head, and grimaced. “Ah, okay.”

“It’s… an oversimplification, but, that’s the gist of it.”

“Okay, so let’s talk to the stylist and get her to change it.”

Lee Eunjung, the head of the hairstylist team, had done Namjoon’s hair today. Eunjung was in her late thirties, so Aviva worried she would be set in her ways, but was relieved when Eunjung listened carefully to Aviva’s explanation and grimaced.

“I see what you’re getting at, and I’ll try to do better in the future, but unfortunately, it’s too late for this time.”

Aviva frowned. “…What do you mean it’s too late?”

“This hairstyle’s already been approved by Chief Kyungso,” Eunjung explained. “If I have to submit a new one, it’ll take some time.”

“And we don’t have this space booked for that long,” one of the crewman said behind them. “Today is our only day of filming.”

Namjoon looked at Aviva. “What do you want to do?”

She shook her head. “It’s your hair. You should make the choice.”

“…Let’s film the video,” he decided. “If I look back on it and regret it, that will be on me, but the boys have been working hard for this, I don’t want to take it away from them.”

[ellewritesathing]

Ten Things    VII

Summary: If there’s one thing you have to know about Harvey Kinkle, it’s that he rarely thinks things through. So when he meets (and falls for) Sabrina Spellman on his first day of Baxter High and finds out that she can’t date anyone until her tempestuous sister does, it seems like the obvious solution is to get someone to date her so he can go out with Sabrina. A not so obvious choice for the challenge is Caliban, but, hey, it’s not like Harvey thought that far.

Masterlist Prev. | Part 7

Word-count: 3k+

A/N: before you read, i would just like to say, from the bottom of my heart, yikes 💕

For the most part, you rejected cultural, social, and gender norms - being raised by Zelda and growing up with Ambrose had pretty much insured your rebellious streak - but there was a part of you that had always wanted to go to prom. 

It was cheesy and lame, and a huge part of you still hated school dances thanks to Nick, but there was always a small, tiny part of you that craved the experience. You wanted to buy a tacky dress that you’d never wear again, dance with a high school sweetheart that would feature in all your stories, and just - for one night - be like everyone else. 

Now that you were sitting in the parking lot in a tacky dress you'd never wear again and staring at your reflection in the rearview mirror while you waited for your high school sweetheart, you were starting to have your doubts. 

Sure, Sabrina had helped you pick out a dress, Ambrose had done your makeup, and Hilda had twisted your hair into a style that made it seem far less unruly than it usually was, but that didn't change who you were underneath it all. You looked as close to perfect as you’d ever been on the surface, but underneath you just weren't sure if people like you got to be like everyone else. 

“Hey.” Sabrina reached over and touched your arm lightly. She looked as perfect as she always did, somehow more so with the annoyingly kind smile on her face. People like Sabrina were built to go to prom. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you lied with a smile. You twisted the bracelet that was just too big for your wrist. “Just wondering how Ambrose is coping with the tragic loss of his prom date.” 

Sabrina laughed, leaning back in her chair and tilting her head up to the roof. “I’m sure he’ll find some way to go on.” 

You gave her another smile and then the car fell into a familiar silence. It was slightly different than usual though. Ordinarily, it was because neither of you had anything to say; tonight, it was because you had too much to say. Anticipation and nervousness hung in the air. 

You looked up from your bracelet to find Sabrina watching Nick go into the school. With a sigh, you asked, “Did he ever tell you that we dated?” 

“What? No way!” Sabrina spun around to see if you were joking. Her surprise crushed any nervousness in the car. Her wide eyes narrowed as she took you in. “But you hate him.” 

“I didn’t always. I mean, he was so totally dreamy and, like, did you know he does modeling on the weekends?” Laughing off your impersonation of Sabrina’s cronies, you shook your head and picked at the details on your dress. “He was different back then. I was still figuring things out. We just kind of … made sense at the time.” 

“What happened?” Sabrina asked, concern taking over in the absence of surprise and suspicion. 

“Homecoming. He didn’t really respect that I wanted to take things slowly,” you said evenly. “It ended in this huge fight and he threatened to tell people we slept together anyway. I told him if he ever did that, I’d tell everyone that he made me wear his mother’s clothes first and that those swimsuit photos were, uh, very heavily edited.” 

Sabrina laughed and leaned back in her chair again. “Wow, you and Nick …” She let out a long breath and shook her head. Then she frowned and shuddered. “Gross.” 

It was your turn to laugh and sink into your chair. You grabbed hold of Sabrina’s hand and looked over at her. “Yeah, it is pretty gross.” 

The two of you were quiet again and anxiety filled up the space between you. Neither of you had ever been in this position before. Neither of you had ever been speechless before.

“Are you nervous?” Sabrina asked quietly. It felt like the slightest noise would shatter the air you breathed.

“A little,” you confessed. Light from one of the lamposts filtered through the windshield and hit your intertwined hands. It was hard to believe, when the two of you sat like this, that you hated one another six months ago. “I really like him, Brina.” 

“Me too.” 

“I keep feeling like I’m gonna mess it all up somehow.” 

“Me too.” 

You turned your head to look at her, maybe to tell her that she was crazy if she thought she could mess anything up or maybe to tell her to say something longer than two words, but you didn't get the chance to say anything or confess any more secrets.  

Caliban and Harvey knocked on yours and Sabrina’s windows with three quick blows and the two of you sprang apart. You cursed them out with some very descriptive and lengthy profanities, but unlocked the doors for them anyway. 

Instead of yelling, Sabrina laughed, stumbled out, and wrapped Harvey in a clumsy hug. 

While you were marveling at how easy it was for her to be, Caliban opened your door. He hung in the frame, the smell of ocean-scented shampoo and reckless ambition filled your lungs and washed away your anxieties. “You look lovely,” he said with a quiet smile. 

How you responded would define your night. Could you be like everyone else for a night or were you simply not built for that kind of easy lightness?

Deciding to leave the anger in the car for the night, you gave him a playful smile and tugged on the edges of his jacket. “You’re not so bad yourself, Sparky.” 

Before Caliban had the chance to respond, you smoothed your hand along his jacket and settled your fingers lightly on his neck. Your other hand held onto his shirt as you pressed a kiss to his lips. 

"I should get dressed up more often," Caliban murmured when you pulled away. You gave him another smile and he stepped back and held a hand out to help you out of the car. 

The two of you made your way into the school without a single witty one-liner escaping either of your lips. 

--- 

Harvey had heard of people who got quiet when they were nervous and about how, even when they felt like they were going to explode, they appeared cool and calm to the untrained eye. Unfortunately, he realized he would never be one of them. 

From the moment he and Caliban surprised the two of you in the parking lot and Sabrina nearly toppled him over with that hug, he had been unable to keep his mouth shut for more than thirty seconds.

It wasn’t like he wanted to make Sabrina’s ears bleed with bad jokes and unclever observations about the dance around them, or ramble on about his history assignment and how Theo finally worked up the courage to ask Robin to be his date. If he had it his way, he would be as charming and cavalier as Caliban was when he was with you. 

But he wasn’t. Harvey was anxious to every eye, trained or not.

Sabrina, thankfully, seemed to find it cute. She’d kiss him whenever he needed a distraction and even managed to convince him to dance. Granted, he would have done anything to make her smile but still. It’s not like he was any good at it. 

Harvey would step on her feet at times and go left when he was meant to go right, but Sabrina didn’t mind. She’d laugh and lead him in the direction. She was perfect. 

If all dances were like this, then Harvey was starting to think they might not be so bad, anxiety be damned. 

Looking over at you and Caliban, he figured you guys were thinking something similar. Caliban had given you his jacket and the two of you were holding onto one another and dancing in place. It was a very sweet scene, made funnier by the fact that Harvey knew the two of you were probably scheming something terrible instead of whispering ‘sweet nothings’ (as Ambrose called it). 

---

"You can't tell me you don't know any dances," Caliban said, an amused smile on his lips. "I've met your aunts and I don't believe they wouldn't teach you at least one formal dance."

"I know one," you said. Before he had the chance to ask which, you rushed to add, "But it's not really something you can break out at a school dance without looking like an asshole," you told him. 

Caliban laughed and shook his head at you. "I hate to break it to you, love, but everyone here already thinks we're assholes. So, just tell me what it is so we can stop swaying in place."

Begrudgingly, you dropped your gaze and mumbled something into Caliban's chest. 

"Sorry, what was that?" Caliban asked. 

You sighed and looked up at him. He could have sworn that you almost looked nervous. "Ambrose taught me to lindy hop before he figured out that Sabrina was a much more agreeable partner," you said. 

"The lindy hop," Caliban repeated. As he said it, an image of you and Amrose swirling around the living room with all the furniture shoved up against the walls popped into his head. It was sweet. "We could try it, if you want." 

"It's been years," you said quickly. "I- I don't even know if I still remember how to do it!"

Caliban knew that arguing would get him nowhere, so he let go of one of your hands and twirled you out instead. When you spun back into him, muscle memory had the two of you bouncing around and stepping in sync in no time. 

Soon, you were laughing and twirling and looking as carefree as Caliban had ever seen you. And then the first punch was thrown. 

---

Before all hell had broken loose, Harvey had spent his time talking nonstop and keeping an eye on you guys as well as watching over Nick. He’d been moping for most of the night, just drinking from a flask while some girls tried to flirt with him, but Harvey knew better than to underestimate him. Nick could be a loose cannon.

Although he stayed away for most of the night, Nick eventually got rowdy and staggered over. His speech wasn’t slurred but alcohol tinged every word. 

He pointed a very accusatory finger at Sabrina. “You’re supposed to be here with me,” Nick snarled.  

“I’m not supposed to do anything,” Sabrina said. “Nick, you should leave.” 

“What? Am I ruining your perfect night?” Nick looked over at Harvey. He wasn't sober enough to glare, so it was a sloppy, angry look. “You screwing the new kid now?” 

Harvey let go of Sabrina to take a step closer to Nick. “You are way, out of line, man. Just get out of here before I kick your ass.” 

“Oh, please. Save the knight in shining armor crap for someone who gives a shit.” 

Some other words were said, but they all led up to the same thing: Harvey punching Nick just above his jaw.

--- 

Though Harvey had a pretty decent left hook, Nicholas appeared to be a bit of scrapper, sloppy as he was. Caliban didn’t have the chance to say anything before you’d torn yourself away from him. Not a single beat was skipped before the two of you went to break up the fight. 

You’d pulled Harvey back at the same time that Caliban pulled Nick back by his wrist and pinned it behind his back. Caliban gave you his best smile - the two of you made a good team. 

“Oh, of course, you came to the rescue,” Nick spat, craning his neck to scowl at Caliban. “Caliban. What kind of name is that anyway? Actually, I don’t care. I want my money back.” 

Your hold on Harvey faltered. Both he and Sabrina were frozen next to you, and Caliban just knew you'd pieced it together. “Your money?” you asked.

“Awww, didn’t anyone tell you kitty cat?” Nick asked. He laughed as Caliban twisted his arm to make him shut up. “Your boy here is on my payroll. He only asked you out because my buddy Ben Franklin asked.”

Something inside you clicked, anger replacing the momentary shock, and Caliban knew there was no going back. You pushed Harvey away from you and scoffed. “Unbelievable.” 

“It’s not what you think,” Caliban rushed out. 

“Actually, it’s exactly what I think. Isn’t it, Nick? You wanted to go out with my sister and paid him to get me out of the way?” you asked. Your voice was shaking even though you were remarkably composed, but Caliban knew the rage that must have been under your skin. He’d never meant to hurt you but it was too late for that now.

“Exactly,” Nick said. 

You shook your head and stormed past them, knocking your shoulder into Caliban’s on your way out. Sabrina called out to you but you ignored her cries, Nick’s laughter, and everyone else. 

As much as Caliban wanted to punch Nick’s face in, he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t go after you. He shoved Nick down to the ground and raced after you.

---

You’d been angry before. Anger was when Sabrina borrowed your favorite shirt and ruined it, or when Billy said something ignorant and/or offensive. That's how you knew that this wasn’t anger. This was a blind fury mixed with hurt and betrayal, accompanied by some very stubborn tears. 

Your first instinct had been to hide in the bathroom and clean yourself up, but you ran the risk of someone finding you if you did that. So, instead, you made a b-line for your car. Harvey would take Sabrina home, and you were too pissed at both of them to care if he didn't, anyway. All you needed was to leave before you blew up. 

But Caliban wasn’t making your escape easy for you. He rushed after you and grabbed your hand just as you got to the sidewalk that led to the parking lot. “Look, I can explain-” 

“No!” You spun around and pushed him away from you. He looked hurt and confused but he had no right to be. He used you. He knew how you felt and he used you anyway. “I told you to tell me,” you said, hitting his chest weakly and struggling not to cry at the sight of him. Your voice shook. “I fucking told you and you just-” 

“I couldn’t tell you!” Caliban’s voice wasn’t shaking but it definitely wasn’t his usual cool tone. “I couldn’t, okay? I had feelings for you long before Nicholas was in the picture and-” 

“I don’t care! You lied to me, Caliban,” you said. You couldn’t yell at him anymore; it hurt too much. “I trusted you and you lied to me.”

Caliban couldn’t yell either. His voice was raw and shaking when he spoke again, but he reached out and touched your face gently before he tried. He wiped away one of your tears with his thumb. “I’m sorry.” 

“I hate you,” you lied, voice trembling. 

“I know.” Caliban's voice was quiet as he pulled his hand away. He hadn't looked away from you once. “I should go check on Harvey.” 

“Then leave.” 

Caliban gave you a solemn nod and turned to head back inside. The doors swung shut behind him and you started crying. Ugly, broken, and embarrassing sobs. When your hands went up to your face, you felt Caliban’s jacket brush your skin and your anger flared back up again. 

You ripped your hands away and tore the jacket off, throwing it to the ground as hard as you could. Something clinking inside caught your attention. Warily, you bent down and felt for whatever it was, eventually pulling out his car keys. 

You got to your feet and pointed the keys towards the parking lot. Somewhere in the distance, his car beeped and a terrible, impulsive idea started forming. 

---

There were a lot of things Sabrina could put up with, but Nick Scratch was not one of them. She picked him up off the floor after Caliban threw him down and then she punched him in the gut. It was a lot more painful than they made it look in the movies, but man, did it feel good. 

“That’s for breaking my sister’s heart,” she told him matter-of-factly. He was still in the process of recovering when she hit him again and burst a vein in his nose. “That’s for Harvey.” She kneed him in the one spot she knew he definitely didn’t want to be kneed. “And that’s for me.” 

Ignoring Nick's broken wails, Sabrina stormed out of the dance. She blew past Caliban and a dozen confused freshmen, and went to look for you. Your car was still in the lot but she couldn’t see you anywhere. She tried calling multiple times but there was never any answer. 

She’d just about given up when Harvey showed up, but then you picked up before he could say anything. 

“Oh, my god. Are you okay?” Sabrina rushed out, clutching Harvey’s hand. 

If there was one thing you hated, it was dumb questions. Your annoyance was evident when you snapped, “I’m just peachy.”

“Where are you?” Sabrina asked.

“Can you pick me up on the other side of the mines?” you asked. “Give me half an hour first.” 

“Anything you need,” Sabrina said. “I love you.”

“Yeah, I love you, too.”

Sabrina held onto the phone even after you’d hung up. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of what you were going through. Because of her. Taking a deep breath, she let go of Harvey’s hand. “I need to go.” 

Harvey’s face was full of concern. “Can I come with you?”

“No. I need to talk to my sister,” she said. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I had fun before …” 

Before she crushed you. 

Part 8

Tagged:  @t-a-i-l-o-r-m-a-d-e​  @miss--moose​  @marrypuffsstuff​  @harryscarolinaa​  @igorsbby​  @foji2000​​  @hxlalokidottir​  @artaxerxesthegreat​​  @thxmagic​​  @strawberriesandknives​​  @xealia​​  @hotmessindisguise​  @acciomaximoff​  @reheated-coffee​​  @shelby-x​​  @perseny-blog​​  @millie-753​​  @luneerius​​  @shizzybarnaclee​​  @lettherebelovex​​  @throughparisallthroughrome​  @ietss​  @thebookwormlife​  @mechanicalanimalz​  @mariamermaid​  @nqbmf​  @caliban-is-my-girl  @shephard17895​  @andie-kathleen​  @clockworks-world-to-fandoms​  @luquincy  @marina468​  @olivia-west-allen  @drrramaaaqweeen​  @roxytheimmortal​  @blondeeee-e​

[tohruhondaismydaughter]

I've just discovered there's people who hate Kakeru. Not dislike or don't get the hype about him but genuinely seem to hate him. Now obviously personal preferences are a thing but I seriously don't get where this hate could be coming from because with

1. Akito- phyically assaults people (including kids), held a teenager hostage for daiting & trying to take a box of her's that Akito already knew was empty & also stabbed someone after they tried to help her & left them to potentially die

2. Shigure- regularly makes perverted "jokes" about people who are underage (including the 16 year old girl who lives with him & cleans/cooks for him + he's family) & admits to manipulating everyone around him for he's own selfish goal regardless of how it could hurt others & that he dosn't really care about being kind even to the people he supposedly loves + he likes messing with people he knows are already terribly anxious & he also won in the end while never having to actually sacrifice anything important to him or really learn anything of value

3. Ayame- abounded he's brother to abuse till he was almost 30 & says various inappropriate things in front of & towards High Schoolers

4. Kagura- pretended to love someone 3 years younger then her who she saw as beneath her in a violent (though it was obviously in out-dated slap stick) way until she was like 18 & then slaps Tohru so hard she becomes uncounsious

5. Kureno- enabler of Akito despite no longer being supernaturally bound to her & knowingly fell for a High Schooler

6. Hatori- enabler of Akito & erasers people's memories when told to regardless of how he knows it'll hurt others

7. Katsuya- knowingly married (& later impregnated) isolated & homeless 15 year old Kyoko when he was in he's 20's after meeting her as a teacher in her middle school

8. Ren- everything about her

9. Kyo's sperm donor- everything about him

10. Momiji's parents- how they handled the situation

11. Machi's mum- raised her daughter like a robot, replaced her, insulted her entire personality, acussed her of attempted murder with bassically zero evidence, kicked her out of her home, cut her off from her sibling & only ocasnially calls to insult her leading to her developing a rather unhealthy coping mechanism to deal with her damaged mental health

12. Machi & Kakeru's dad- cheated on his wife, made he's kids fight over thier inheritance before getting another child & then treating the first two like they no longer exsisted

13. Kakeru's mum- took years to realise that she shouldn't use her child to get money/power from an affair

14. Haru- got a little too insistent about phyical affection from someone who he knows is super emotinally scarred (I still love him though just don't think certain scenes with Rin were handeld as delicately as they probably should have been) & can get rather harsh to random people when he goes dark (the worse case of this being when he grabbed Tohru's arm)

15. Rin's parents- belong in hell

16. The Sohma maids (especially the old one)- are part of the reason Akito became as messed up as she did + just straight up seem to not view kids or the zodiac as human beings with thier own feelings or rights

17. Uo's mum- straight up abounded her young daughter after getting into a new relationship

18. Yuki & Ayame's mum- narsastic, dismissive, controlling, litrually sold one of her kids to thier abuser in exchange for wealth/status, never apologised or even acknowledged what she had done

19. Akira- pursued a relationship pretty much out of pure lonleyness, went along with the suppression of Akito's biological gender, didn't do enough to protect Akito from he's wife's abuse (though in he's defense he was incredible sickly), last few things he told he's child before dying was that he was glad he had her as proof of he's relationship with Ren (AKA the person that had made it clear to Akito that she hated her guts) & that she was special due to being god & her bond with the zodiac was her birth right & would always be there (leading Akito to obviously feeling possessive & intilted over the zodiac & base her entire identity on her position as their god)

20. Kyoko- neglected infant Tohru for months due to her depression after Katuya's death & was even planning on killing herself to be with him again before finally coming to her senses (I love her & I tottally get why she did what she did but if it weren't for gramps little Tohru would have been in one hell of bad situation)

21. The Yuki Fan Club- just thier entire attitude towards Yuki & any girl that interacts with him (I get that it's obviously a delibretly over the top anime gag but irl the way they behave would be seriously disturbing & I'm pretty sure might even be illegal now what with all the photos taken of Yuki without he's knowledge)

22. The former school president- he's creepy fravriotisim towards Yuki (& later he's son) & he's flat out harrasing of anyone wearing the school uniform in a none tradishinal way or anyone with an unusual hair colour (despite him bassically admitting that the school officials had already said that Momiji, Haru & Kyo's appearances were ok)

23. Kimi- I like her & she's obviously iconic but honestly the way she treats Machi kind of borders on bullying sometimes for me

24. Hiro- he's a child & I like him but when we first met him you can't deny he was being a grade A shit to Tohru, Kisa & everyone else (& he fucks up again with Tohru during the beach arc)

25. Rin- love her so much but the first time she met Tohru she did try to kick her in the head while in her horse form which you know isn't great & she was rather antagonistic towards Yuki for no real vaild reason

26. Kyo- using Yuki as a scape goat he's entire life even when he knew none of the terrible things that had happened to him were actually he's fault, hurting Tohru in he's true form (I get that he wasn't in he's right mind & was suffering greatly but it still wasn't good) & rejecting Tohru after everything they had been through in the way that he did (again he wasn't in he's right mind & was suffering greatly but it's still an incredibly low blow & I think he knew that as he tragically wanted to hurt her, similar to what he did in the true form scene, badly enough that she would finally choose to give up on him)

27. The entire zodiac (outside of Kagura & maybe Momiji)- it is revealed that the zodiac are supernaturally inclined to look down on the cat & that they know about Kyo's tragic fate yet do not plan on trying to stop it from happening as he's suffering is thier one true reprieve in the curse as no matter what happens to them they will never be as "low down" as the cat yet once the curse finally breaks for everybody almost nobody even thinks to apologises to Kyo for how he was made to be an outsider since birth

28. Naohito- decides to hate Yuki out of jelousy because he has feelings for Motoko (who clearly has feelings for Yuki) despite Yuki showing no romantic feelings for Motoko & barley sharing any kind of connection with her at all which is obviously not fair as just because you happen to be liked by someone who is liked by someone else dosn't mean you should have to except being seen as a bad person (especially as in Yuki's case he never tried to encourage Motoko's obsession with him & in fact barley notices her exsistance as they aren't in any of the same social circles & she follows the ridiculous club rule of not speaking to him without another fan club member present)

29. Yuki- rather judgmental over how others choose to present themselves in regards to gender norms

30. Momiji- I love him but he did try to take advange of Tohru not knowing how old he really was to bath with her & did actually mange to use this fact to sleep along side her one night before she found out how old he actually was (now obviously Momiji is a wonderfully kind person & clearly would never actually do anything to hurt Tohru but let's be real if someone did that to you irl you'd be pretty creeped out & understandably have a hard time trusting them again)

31. Yuki & Ayame's father- has always been complety missing from he's kids lives (& even seemingly he's wive's) despite being mentioned to be still alive & well enough to work

32. Uo's dad- getting dumped for someone else must suck especially when your left with a young child & I know he did eventually clean up he's act but there's no changing the fact that he's years as an alcholic messed up Uo really bad & could have led to her death if Kyoko hadn't stepped in

33. Kazuma- I know he had good intentions & I love him but there's no denying that he did ignore Kyo's right to free will when he removed he's bracelet & though the plan ended up making he's life better if it had gone wrong in any way then Kyo had pretty much admitted (at least to himself) in S2E9 that he would have probably killed himself that night which would have clearly destroyed Tohru

34. Kyo's mum - she was obviously treated terribly by her husband & I do feel sorry for her but her way of dealing with the situation really damaged Kyo

Your really telling me that the character you have the most issues with is a boy who said a few horrible things to the MC when he was 15 in service of someone he loved who was in pain, got told by said loved one that what he'd said was wrong, felt bad about it, befriended a lonley teen that was close to the MC, quickly grew to genuinely care about them & made them come out of thier shell, wanted to help he's half sister but knew he wasn't really the right person for the job, realised that he's new friend was, encouraged the friend & he's sister's growing connection, learned how good of a person the MC has been to he's new friend, admits to he's friend that he'd been horrible to the MC in the past but just dosn't know how to go about rectifying it (especially as she dosn't seem to remember him), introduces he's friend to he's GF (further expanding the friend's positive social circle), finally bumps into MC alone & is shocked to find out that she dose now in fact remember him & even appoliges to him + thanks him for bringing her friend out of thier shell before he comes to he's senses & assures her that she has nothing to apologise for & then visits her in the hospital when she gets injured & even goes shopping for a gift to give her beforehand (even if he dosn't end up getting her something that actually fits her personality because well duh he dosn't really know anything about her).

Out of every questionably moral thing in the series this is really the hill you wanna die on?

I just honestly can't understand it. Sure he's not perfect but then no one in the series is. That's kind of the entire point of the story, that anyone can do things that hurt people but that it's what you choose to do going forward (even if it takes you a long time) that's important & Kakeru, eventually, chose to try to do the right thing. He tried to understand Yuki even though the guy didn't seem to like him at all, he chose to check up on Machi even though she seemingly hadn't made any sign of wanting to deepen thier sibling bond, he chose to finally talk to Tohru instead of continuing the ruse that he'd never spoken to her before, he chose to come clean about what happened to Yuki despite the potential of ending their friendship (& you can't tell me once he'd realised how much Yuki cared for Tohru the very real possibility that Yuki might hate him if he found out what he'd said to her wouldn't worry him at all) & he chose to visit Tohru in the hospital instead of just wishing Yuki luck or hoping Kormaki would go so he could avoid feeling uncomfortable.

You don't have to love him or even like him but I really don't think he deserves this amount of hate (especially incomparsion to some of the other characters I've listed).

[canonicallyanxious]

i have a lot of Thoughts again about the most recent druck episode so like i guess reaction word vomits are a thing now huh i’m sorry in advance

ANYWAY EPISODE TWO WAS GREAT AND I’M VIBRATING WITH ANTICIPATION

1. the visual storytelling + characterization of nora continue to be endlessly compelling to me. moments like when she’s pulling down her bracelet so zoe can see, or climbing up to the rooftop and just hanging out by herself, or how again she keeps underplaying things or just straight up lying to people [for very understandable reasons! she seems like the kind of person who tends to avoid outright confrontation which i think is why the scene at the end feels so satisfying, bc you get the sense she’s finally getting the chance to speak her mind and say what she really thinks - although notably as a way to divert from their true intentions, which is Mailin stealing the money] - like these all say so much about her without even needing the dialogue to back it up! i think this is also really helped along by the talent of this character’s actor, like she really knows how to make the most of her facial expressions so even though she comes across as a more reserved character we still get a strong sense of her emotional world and what she’s feeling.

i’m kind of interested in this continuing trend of her building up lies/downplaying things to people she cares about. who knows if it’ll go anywhere but it kind of feels like it will? bc there’s still a lot even we as viewers don’t really know - like the full details of what really happened with constantin [how did they start dating even??], or her history with that whole friend group - mainly bc she keeps downplaying what she’s going through to other people. which to me feels like she doesn’t really want people to worry about her but then that in turn means she’s the one who’s doing all the worrying and shouldering all the burden. like it’s interesting that this trend of her covering things up goes hand in hand with her taking on an honestly insane amount of responsibility for someone of her age. I already mentioned that i think but it’s built on more in this episode - kiki saying that she takes care of everything, her mother telling her she’s lucky nora worries so much about her. they both seem like very big coping mechanisms for her! and i’m very interested to see how druck will break that down in the future. idk i don’t want to like theorize about themes or anything bc i’m very often wrong lol but i’m just interested to see where everything goes!

[sidenote: one other example from this episode i’m thinking of is when she said she wasn’t that close to that squad and ava cut her off to say things were really shitty - i mean there’s no reason for me not to take her at face value but there’s also no reason for me TO take her at face value you know what i’m saying? like at this point for all we know it could really go either way]

[and another thing - her text convo with zoe is very interesting to me because here we have someone telling her she needs to be the bigger person, she’s above this, it’s her responsibility to fix things. and her response is no, not this time. i’m so curious to see if this will be a recurring theme this season!]

[kind of a tangent but how much does zoe know about the situation between nora and constantin? at this point it’s kind of unbelievable to me that she wouldn’t know how badly he’s been treating her - i mean i can believe nora trying to hide it from her, but how can she spend as much time with these people as she does and not even be at least somewhat aware of how constantin feels about her??? - but it’s also kind of unbelievable to me that she would say these things to nora if she knew what constantin had done so like idk]

2. i know i’m not alone in this but i’m already in love with the vibe and dynamic of nora’s new squad! i guess i just find it kind of nice because as much as i love og girl squad [across all the remakes really] i have to admit that on a strictly personal level so far I find this friend group a lot more relatable in terms of their personalities, with how i and my hs friends were. and i always think it’s kind of nice to have a story focused on a more introverted character [nora for instance] that 1. doesn’t push them to be more assertive in a way that pushes them way too far out of their comfort zone, but allows them to find their own ways to be assertive and 2. conveys just as much complexity and nuance in the emotions they’re feeling and the problems they’re going through as someone who’s more outgoing. idk i just think it’s really neat!

3. i’m genuinely kind of curious where they’re going to go with the constantin thread. bc, like, i’m acutely aware that we don’t know the full story yet, but also the manner in which he has verbally and physically accosted her seems totally beyond anything that you might have reasonable justification for. to the point where i’m like jesus i’m glad she broke up with him bc his reaction to this is just red flag after red flag! yeah he’s a teenager but anyone treating anyone like this is just not okay! but like are we supposed to read his behavior as standard ~boys being dumb hormonal boys~ shit, so like super inappropriate but still supposed to be understandable on some level, or like, bordering on actually genuinely unacceptable? my completely unbiased opinion is of course that it’s the latter but i’m not like 100% sure yet where i think druck is going with this. bc i could see them going a route where his behavior is explicitly and unequivocally condemned; i could also see them going a route where he goes through real remorse and character growth; i could also see them going a route where once we know the ~full picture~ of what happened bw him and nora we will suddenly understand why what he did to her is [at least on some level] supposed to be understandable. who knows, really. i guess we’ll find out!

4. also kind of curious about this “cool kid” v. “not so cool kid” dynamic they’re setting up. like ca$hqueens are clearly the underdogs here, and there’s likely going to be more conflict bw these two groups later in the season. because honestly imo that trope is kind of overdone in teen media? but i’m a bit of the opinion that these two groups... might have more in common with each other than they might realize or admit [namely everyone involved being Huge Fucking Dorks]. and i’m wondering if that’s, like, the point, which will lead to them finding common ground and maybe bridging the gap one day, or if they’re going to continue to be presented as diametrically opposed to each other. i mean knowing what i know about this show i’m personally hoping it’ll go the former route, but you never know! Druck has surprised me many times in both good and bad ways so i’m just trying to prepare myself for everything lol.

5. social media + texts this season have been chef’s kiss so far, i have no complaints

6. everyone in this show is queer and in this essay i will -

[adhd-tea]

Oh my god, I’ve written something again? YEP!

Here is, falling for you, a spencer reid fic with so many fucking parts dude its insane.

There was a smug look on her face as she sat in the grey and white room. Her hands sat relaxed as they were cuffed to the little bar. She’d been in there for three hours, but she knew exactly what she was doing. Letting her sit, stir give off any indication that she might be guilty. It was a profiler's job after all. She didn’t kill anyone, if that’s what you’re thinking, although the agents behind the two way glass might think differently. Her hair was messy, eyes were blood-shot and she was still in her skimpy pajamas. So she sat, and she waited, they’d be in there any minute now, and judging by her own personality, she guessed they’d bring in the ‘good cop’. And just as she thought a young, skinny guy came in and sat opposite her. “Hey, I’m Doctor Reid, I want to ask you a few questions, Miss…” She noticed that was her cue to talk “Abigail Town, but you knew that, so why lie Doc?” Abigail asked leaning forwards. “I’m the one asking questions” He murmured, he reached in the file he had and brought out three photos, all women, around the age of twenty all with their throats slit. Abigail gagged. “Oh my god...That’s, I was not expecting that” Reid raised his eyebrow “What were you expecting?” He asked curiously “I don’t know, like a gunshot to the head, not their throats slit, like jeez, warn a gal before you show her shit like that” The Doctor sighed and leaned back “Do you know these women?” She shook her head “I mean I probably passed them in the streets at some point but I’ve never talked to them” She explained still not looking directly at the photos incase she threw up “Well, then why don’t you tell me why we found your DNA at the crime scene and direct links all leading back to you” Abigail shrugged “I don’t know, you’re the FBI agent, why don’t you tell me” Reid picked up his files, leaving the photos, before heading out of the room.

Reid walked into the small room with JJ and Morgan. “Did you see how she reacted to the photos, she almost threw up” JJ nodded at Morgan, “Yeah, and look at her now, she’s avoiding the photos at all cost, she’s as pale as a ghost, I don’t think she’s the UnSub” They all sat in silence for a while. “If it’s not her, then who is it?” Spencer asked, Morgan sat up and walked into the room. “Listen kid, we know you didn’t do this, but if you know who did, then you have to tell us” Abigail looked up “C-can you take the photos away please? If I have to look at them any longer I think I’m gonna throw up” Morgan nodded and swiftly collected the photos. “Do you know anyone who could one, try to frame you, and two, kill people?” Abigail thought for a second but shook her head “No, I’m sorry I don’t” Morgan nodded and sighed “It’s okay kid, for your protection we’re gonna keep you at the BAU, if someone is trying to frame you then you could be in danger” Abigail nodded as the handcuffs were taken off of her, “Uh, do you think I could go to my apartment and change?”Morgan looked at her clothes and quickly nodded “Sure Miss Town” Abigail smiled “Please, call me Abi, it’s weird when people refer to me as my last name” Morgan laughed a little bit and opened the door. “Reid, take Abi to her apartment so she can get changed” Reid nodded and grabbed his jacket from his chair. 

The ride to Abi’s apartment was quiet, and long. She noticed the young Doctor glance at her countless times. “Want something Doc Oc?” Reid shook his head “N-no… Did you just refer to me as Doc Oc, as in Doctor Octopus?” Abi smiled and nodded “Ah, the genius knows something” Sencer smiled “How’d you know I was a genius?” Abi smiled “I didn’t, I just took a well educated guess based on how you look and you answered my question” Spencer looked dumbfounded, “I- How did you do that?” “Ah, a magician never reveals her secrets, this is my apartment by the way” Spencer stopped the car and the two unbuckled their seatbelts “I’ll be ten minutes” Spencer raised an eyebrow “You’re not going alone” Abi did a double take at him “I’m not?” She questioned “If someone really does wanna harm you, then I need to go in with you” Abi smirked “Trying to see me naked, Doctor Reid” The Doctor stuttered “N-no, I'm just doing my job” Abigail laughed “I know, I’m messing with you, come on” 

The two walked up the long winded stairs up to Abigail's apartment, in complete silence. “Okay” Spencer said as they reached the door “I’ll wait out here whilst you change '' Abigail nodded and unlocked the door. “Oh my god!” She screeched staring at the carcass of a cat pinned to her walls. “Abigail?! Are you oka- oh my god” Spencer shouted looking at the same thing that Abi was looking at “S-someone was in my apartment” She whispered in shock, spencer took his gun out of his holster “Abigail, stay here, don’t move” She nodded and watched as spencer walked around her apartment checking if anyone was in it. “It’s okay, you’re okay” A breath fell out of Abi “I think I’m gonna throw up” Without a word she ran to the bathroom, throwing up her breakfast that morning “Here” Spencer said passing a glass of water to her as she sat on the floor “I’ve called the team they’ll be here soon” Abi nodded and downed the glass of water “Thank you” She croaked “Can you, uh, get me some clothes, i think i'm gonna throw up if i stand up” Spencer nodded and hesitantly moved over to her drawers grabbing a shirt and leggings. “Here, I’ll leave you to get changed”

-------Spencers POV---------

I closed the door to the bathroom leaving Abigail to get changed, I hadn’t even noticed the smell of the dead cat before now. This girl, who was twenty two at most, had been falsely arrested, held for three hours, found out someone was trying to frame her, and then finally found the carcass of a dead cat on her wall. I work with serial killers and I still couldn’t bear the sight of the cat. I looked around her apartment for a while, I wasn't snooping, at least not fully. It's this brain of mine, I profile people without even realizing. Her apartment was messy, not messy enough that it's dirty though, more of an organised messy. You could probably ask her where something is and she'll find it. “Reid?” I heard Hotch’s name call out “In here, you might wanna bring in a vet or something” I saw Hotch physically gag at the sight of the cat. “Yeah, I think that's best, where is she?” I nodded my head towards the bathroom. “She’s getting changed after she threw up,” Hotch nodded and waved a few people in the apartment. “Morgans in the SUV downstairs, take her there when she comes out, keep her at the BAU” I nodded and walked back to the bathroom, knocking on the door gently, “Abigail, can I come in?” I asked as softly as I could, I heard a weak “Yeah” From the otherside of the door and opened the door slowly, “Can you stand?” I asked crouching besides her “I think so” I nodded and helped her up, walking her out of her apartment and down to the SUV. 

We arrived at the BAU and set her up in the smaller conference room. “Do you need anything, water? Food?” She shook her head and fiddled with her bracelet “No, I’m good, thanks though Doc” I smiled softly and walked out the door “My names Spencer by the way, figured that since we've already seen a dead cat today you might as well know my name” She laughed a little and looked up “Thank you, Spencer.” I smiled again and walked out the room. My name felt weird coming out of her mouth. When I first met her she was, tough, stern and definitely used humour as a coping mechanism but now, she seems more soft and fragile. “Is she okay?” JJ asked me, coming up to me. I sighed and shrugged “I’ll talk to her” I nodded at JJ and sat down at my desk.

------Abigail's POV-----

I sat on the small couch in the office and tried to control my breathing. I hadn’t believed it at first, when Morgan said that someone was out to get me I had practically laughed. But now, now it all seems too real, I’d never seen a dead body before, but within three hours of arriving at the BAU I’d seen so much I’m scared i can never go back to living a ‘normal life’

Spencer was nice. I kind of had him pegged for the nice type when he walked into the interrogation room, wasn’t expecting him to be this cute though. “Abigail, Hey im Jennifer Jareau, you can call me JJ. Can I ask you some questions?” I looked up and noticed a young blonde girl walk towards me “Yeah sure” I whispered, she smiled and took a seat opposite me. “Can you think of anyone, anyone at all that would want to harm you” I thought for a second and suddenly a name popped up in my head “Lydia Parker” I spoke breathlessly “She bullied me as a kid and when I left for college she killed a bird and left in on my doorstep.” JJ nodded and stood up leaving the room. 

It was quiet, too quiet for me. Spencer definitely doesn't need company, but I’m gonna go pester him anyway. “Hey” I smiled sitting on the edge of his desk “Hey, how are you feeling?” I shrugged “I feel like I’ve smoked a shit ton of weed and now I’m coming down from my high” He laughed and leaned forwards “Do you like reading?” I shrugged “I don’t really read to be honest” He looked offended to be quite frankly “You don’t read? Come with me” I found myself following the charming doctor through the halls of the BAU and towards the library “You have a library in here?” He smiled and nodded “Yep, everything from Rossi's autobiography to The Hungry Hungry Hippo” I laughed a little and followed him to the back of the library “Here” He said reaching up and grabbing a green book “I think you’ll like it, it’s about a girl who falls in love with someone on the other side of the world, I really enjoyed it” I smiled and flipped through the pages “Thank you Doc Oc” He laughed at the nickname and walked towards two plush chairs in the corner “What’re we doing?” I asked sitting down “According to numerous studies, the best way to calm down anxiety is through reading, and tea, but Garcia hogs the tea so we have none” I found myself laughing more with him. “Thank you, Spence” He smiled and pulled a book out of his bag and the both of us began reading our books.

[vanilla107]

Hug Time Bracelets (Wani x Tresillo)

Hey everyone! Here’s part two to You Got Me Feeling Like  A Psycho! Thank you for all the lovely feedback and comments! 

I've decided to add on a third chapter because this one was getting really long. I'm so happy that you all enjoyed this pairing and I hope to have the third chapter out as soon as I can. This quarantine is affecting my academics as well as my fanfiction so the update may take a while but for now, I hope you're all coping and managing to stay okay.

Stay safe <3 vanilla107

Part One / AO3

~~~

Wani hummed a happy tune under her breath as she walked with the k-pop gang to Poppy’s house. It was a bright Monday afternoon and they had all been invited for tea. It had been two weeks since the Summer Song Dance Party and those two weeks felt like a blur.  After that event, the k-pop gang were invited to different gatherings with other trolls and even though they all lived together, they had hardly seen each other.

It was nice for them to finally spend some time together and she was grateful that Poppy invited all of them to have some down time.

They arrived at her door, rang the doorbell and she opened.

“Hey Poppy!” they all said, harmonizing on her name and she gave them a bright smile.

“Ahhh! You guys are here!” Poppy squealed and gave each of them a hug before inviting them inside.

The table was already set with various iced cakes, drinks and sandwiches and the girls took their seats.

“Wow Poppy...this looks amazing!” Gomdori said, eyeing a cinnamon bun and the queen beamed.

“Please help yourself! There’s more than enough!”

The next two hours were filled with chatter about clothes, songs and dancing while they ate.

"Are you guys all settling in nicely? I know that it must be overwhelming for you sometimes with the language barrier."

"We're settling in just fine!" Baby Bun smiled, before popping a chocolate into her mouth.

"Yeah, Wani helped us with English translations over the last month and we've picked up on quite a bit from other trolls. We're almost fluent because of her!" Kim-Petit grinned.

"I wouldn't say almost-" Wani began and Kim-Petit stuck her tongue out at her.

Wani blushed at the praise and Poppy gave her a grateful smile. Talking to trolls that liked different genres was one thing but languages was a totally separate issue that Wani had solved.

“What would you say is the hardest thing about being queen?” asked Ari as she took a bite of a sandwich and Poppy hummed in thought.

“I would say...the meetings with the other trolls. Sometimes it’s just a little tedious but other than that, it’s all good! I’ve been meaning to ask, how is your skin so shiny?”

“I think it’s a k-pop troll thing?” answered Baby Bun and Poppy sighed.

“It’s so cool! You’re like walking rainbows!”

“Well...we could give you a makeover? A k-pop makeover!” offered Kim-Petit and she looked at the rest of her friends to see them nodding in agreement, “We won’t do anything permanent but if you’re up for it-”

“Yes!” Poppy exclaimed and the k-pop trolls giggled before grabbing her hand and hurrying to her bedroom.

~~~

It was late afternoon when Branch walked into Poppy’s house, that day’s schedule in his hands.

“Poppy? I know you said you had tea with the k-pop gang but we need to get going to-“ he said as he walked into her room.

He froze when he saw her, and the k-pop gang started giggling.

“So Branch...how does she look?” grinned Wani and she noticed his cheeks go pink.

“What do you think?” Poppy asked as she twirled around, showing off her outfit.

She was wearing a glittery purple skater skirt with a white crop top, black jacket and boots. Her hair was loose and the few front pieces were curled to frame her face.

“You look...beautiful...” he said and Poppy blushed before he shook his head as if clearing a fog from his head.

“I...I was here to tell you that Guy Diamond is looking for you. Apparently you said you’d help him with planning Tiny Diamond’s birthday? Which makes no sense because his birthday isn’t until next year, yet this party is next week.”

“Guy Diamond wants it to be a ‘practice party’. You said it yourself, planning is important!”

“Yeah but...it’s a whole year away!” he said dumbfounded.

“Well you should know that I like planning parties!” she laughed before turning to the k-pop gang.

“Thanks for today girls. I had a lot of fun! But before I leave, I wanted to give you something!”

Poppy ran to her room and came back with a brown box and opened it to reveal five bracelets with flowers in the middle.

“They’re hug time bracelets! I know it’s more of a Pop troll thing to have and we hug all the time but since you guys are a subculture of pop...I thought you’d like this. If it’s not your thing then I totally understand-”

“Oh my gosh, these are adorable!” gasped Kim-Petit and she took out a purple one and clasped it on her wrist.

“Thanks Poppy! These are so thoughtful!” Baby Bun said as she put on a pink one and Gomdori, Wani and Ari all took matching bracelets and admired their wrists.

“So...what is hug time?” asked Gomdori.

“Well you can hug someone whenever you want but these bracelets remind you to hug someone just so that there’s a constant flow of happiness! They usually go off every half hour or hour depending on the settings you choose. I declared hug time, all the time, when I was officially crowned queen but we didn’t really want to get rid of the bracelets.”

Suddenly, Poppy’s and Branch’s bracelet went off and Poppy, wasting no time, ran and gave Branch a hug.

The k-pop gang giggled as he went pink once again and Poppy smiled as she turned to face them.

“See? It’ll make a little ding! sound once it’s hug time.”

“Cool! Thanks Poppy!” Kim-Petit said and hugged her goodbye, “I’ll set mine to ten minutes from now and then after, maybe hug time every hour?”

“Kim-Petit, you can’t be serious-” Baby Bun said but Ari nudged her.

“You afraid of some hugs Baby Bun? Really?”

“No! Just not all the time! I’ll set mine to every two hours!”

They all discussed their times of their bracelets and Poppy was thrilled that they all seemed to like the bracelets.

“Bye Poppy!” they chorused as they left her house.

As they walked away from Poppy’s house, Kim-Petit stared at her bracelet earnestly and Baby Bun rolled her eyes.

“Kim-Petit, it’s not going to go any faster if you keep staring at it-”

Ding! went the youngest’s bracelet and she tackled Baby Bun, who groaned, as the girl hugged her tightly.

“Hug Time!” she yelled and the girls laughed as they made their way back home.

“Wait, must we hug someone different if it’s hug time or- Oof!” Wani bumped into a figure and fell on the grass.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” she muttered and a smooth voice filled her ears.

“Sorry, Wani! I was looking at this map and I didn’t see you. Oh, hey Baby Bun, Gomdori, Ari and Kim-Petit!”

Her cheeks went blood red as she looked up to see Tresillo offering his hand to help her up.

It had been two weeks since the Summer Song Dance Party and two weeks after she told him that she liked him. Her boundaries were still in place and they were taking things really slowly but their interactions still felt normal and not awkwardly romantic. Wani liked his company and enjoyed the laughter he brought to her life and he respected her boundaries. Things were great between them and she liked it that way.

The only problem was that her friends made her embarrassed whenever they were together and the teasing was relentless.

She took his hand and she tried to ignore her friends giggling behind her.

“It’s okay. I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going either but...what brings you to Pop Village?” she asked as he helped her up and looked at the map he had in his hands.

“Um, Guy Diamond mentioned he’s planning Tiny Diamond’s party and apparently he’s really into reggaeton these days so he asked me if I have any songs I could sing and dance to with Marimba and Tambora next week.”

“Look at you being all soft Tracy!” she teased, and he grinned.

“Anything for the kids and there’s no need to be so strict now that we’re living in harmony. Well, I’ll see you later-”

Suddenly, Wani’s hug time bracelet went off and her friends squealed.

“Woah...what’s going on?” he asked nervously and she rolled her eyes.

“Poppy gave us these hug time bracelets and whenever they go off we need to hug someone and judging from my friend’s reactions, they want me to hug you.”

“Oh...okay...are you okay with that though?” he asked concern in his eyes.

Wani felt her heart leap and she smiled at him before enveloping him in a hug.

It didn’t matter how small the PDA was, he always asked if she was okay with hugs, cheek kisses and that made her like him so much more.

When she let go, she saw he was smiling and her friends were all giggling.

“I’ll see you soon and...thanks for the hug.”

She smiled and pointed him in the right direction to Guy Diamond’s house and they said their goodbyes.

Once he was out of earshot, she spun around to face her friends.

“You guys really need to stop getting giggly over every little thing I do with Tracy! It’s not funny!” she warned.

“But you two are so cute! Plus, it’s fun to tease you,” Ari said as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Wani rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air in defeat, “You guys need to do something with your time other than giggle about-”

“Your blossoming relationship with Tresillo?”

“The fact that you get all goo-goo eyes when you see him?”

“How you write songs about him?”

“What-NO! I do not write songs about him or make goo-goo eyes! Some of you need to get a hobby!”

The blue troll walked off, her face hot from the teasing but a minute later was tackled by the girls and she forgave them in an instant.

~~~

Wani met up with Branch the next day to discuss how they were going to meet the Bergens for the first time.

“I promise that they aren’t bad. It’s just all the stories you learnt about them as a baby troll,” he said as he closed the scrapbook Poppy made of the Bergens.

“So, they won’t eat us? At all?”

“Nope, not at all and you have Poppy to thank for that. I was ready to live in my bunker for the next year but she wanted to save her friends.”

“She’s really amazing, huh?”

“Yeah she is- Oh no. You are not teasing me about Poppy again!” he said and she laughed.

“I wasn’t going to. If anything, I’m kind of tired of it as well.”

“Oh, is this about Tracy?” he smirked, and she glared at him.

“Not you too!” she whined.

“This is revenge for all the teasing whenever Poppy’s around.”

“Okay that’s fair. Just please stop. I get enough from the k-pop gang especially Kim-Petit! She won't stop-”

At that moment both their hug time bracelets went off and they looked at each other.

“Do we have to hug-?” she asked.

“Well we should-”

“But do we have to-?”

“I mean kind of have a thing for Poppy-”

“I sort of have a thing with Tresillo-”

“So we don’t have to!”

“Wait, we don’t?” Wani asked.

“Uh, yeah. You don’t have to hug someone if you don’t want to. Like the bracelets are just there for reminders. I never accepted Poppy’s hugs before the Bergens thing.”

“Wait you? You not liking hugs? I’m not gullible Branch.”

“I’m being serious. I...I was a very different person before we met.”

“This sounds like a story time!” Wani cheered.

“No. No, we are not doing story time.”

“But this is important! How am I supposed to know the Bergens are safe if I don’t know a firsthand account?”

He grumbled as she gave him puppy eyes and gave in.

“Okay fine. I’ll tell you the story but you can’t repeat this to anyone! Especially Poppy!”

“My lips are sealed!”

Branch told her the story of how Poppy got him to go on an adventure with her to rescue her friends from the Bergens, how Bridget liked the King and how his grandma had died because of the Bergens.  He continued with the story about how Poppy believed they would get eaten but then he started singing and Poppy's hope was restored. Poppy showed the Bergens that happiness lives inside of them, and by the end of it, Wani looked at Branch with a new sense of respect.

“Wow…without you bringing hope back to Poppy, you probably would’ve been eaten!”

“Well, Poppy was the courageous one. She was willing to do anything for her friends and that’s why I-”

She grinned as he stopped himself and she could see he was blushing.

“Why you love her?” she asked, completing his sentence.

"Hey, we agreed no teasing!" he warned and she quickly apologized.

“And that’s the story of how Poppy made me happy again but in the beginning, I wasn’t the nicest troll but it was more because of my grandma and how traumatising it was too lose her to the Bergens. But just because I didn’t accept hugs didn’t make me a bad person.”

“That makes sense. Thanks for telling me that Branch. You didn’t have to talk about your grandma but you did. Thanks for trusting me enough.”

“Well Poppy likes you and the k-pop gang and any friend of hers is a friend of mine. So yeah, you don’t always have to hug trolls. It’s just a thing we do here but no pressure.”

At that moment Wani’s bracelet dinged and she smiled as she closed it.

“Thanks Branch. So...I know this defeats the whole purpose of the story but...how about a hug? I feel like you deserve one.”

He chuckled and brought her into a sweeping hug before placing down on the ground.

“Thanks Branch. I think k-pop gang and I would love to meet the Bergens, as long as you and Queen Poppy are there too of course.”

“No problem. We’ll arrange the meet up in a few days.”

“Great! Thanks for the meeting and story time. I need to get going because I need to meet up with Prince D in Lonesome Flats. Bye!”

~~~

Wani walked into Lonesome Flats feeling a little better about meeting the Bergens when she spotted Hickory, Prince D and the colourful dreads of a reggaeton troll that she knew all too well.

“Tracy! Hickory!” she yelled and ran up to him and greeting them with a smile, “What are you two doing here? I thought I was meeting Prince D!”

“Tresillo is just helpin’ around Lonesome Flats with some maintenance. Nothing huge,” Hickory said and noticed her bracelet, “Hey, you got a hug time bracelet.”

“Yeah! Poppy gave it to me yesterday! Ain’t it cute?”

“A hug time what now?” Prince D asked with a raised eyebrow.

At that moment a ding! went off but to her surprise, it wasn’t her bracelet.

“Tracy? You have a bracelet too?” she said, looking at his red bracelet in surprise.

“Poppy gave me one yesterday after I helped out with the planning for Tiny Diamond,” he shrugged before looking at all of them.

“So...? Group hug?” he asked and they all joined in, even Prince D who was still confused about hug time bracelets, before breaking apart.

“Well, we should get back to the maintenance. See ya around Wani!” Hickory said and Tresillo waved goodbye before they left.

“So...can you please explain to me what that was?” Prince D asked.

“Oh, hug time? It’s a Pop troll thing but this bracelet dings when it’s hug time and then you hug someone!”

“Oh, I guess that’s pretty cool. Like showin’ good vibes and givin’ hugs?”

“Yeah! Exactly!”

“So that’s why Kim-Petit wouldn’t stop hugging me this morning!”

“Wait, what?”  exclaimed Wani, a sly smile on her face.

“Yeah, she kept laughing and saying ‘It’s hug time!’ and I just sorta rolled with it because hugs are nice.”

Wani couldn’t believe her ears. Kim-Petit and Prince D? She knew that they were friends but this sounded like Kim-Petit had a crush on the hip hop troll. She couldn’t wait to tease the living daylights out of her.

“So that’s why she keeps talking about you!” Wani said and the prince look at her curiously.

“She talks about me?”

“Yeah, she really likes your music and- oh wait I don’t know if I’m supposed to be talking to you about this...”

“Oh, yeah. Um...no it’s okay. I just...I didn’t know she spoke about me that’s all,” he said, flustered and Wani smiled.

“Well you can talk to her at the Mix Off if that makes you feel better after we see the Bergens for the first time in a couple days. Of course she needs to be invited. That sound good?”

“Y-yeah! Definitely! The whole k-pop gang can come through!” he said, a goofy smile in his face, “Now let’s talk this Mix Off.”

~~~

“So Kim-Petit, when were you going to tell us about your crush on Prince D?” Wani yelled as she entered their house and at this announcement, Ari and Gomdori looked at the blue k-pop troll in surprise.

“What? She has a crush?” Ari asked and turned to look at Kim-Petit who looked shocked.

“I do not have a crush!” Kim-Petit cried.

“You’re a really bad liar,” Wani snickered, “He told me all about how you kept hugging him this morning. Your secret’s out!”

“Wait you hugged him?” Gomdori exclaimed and Kim-Petit put her head in her hands.

“Guys, we’re just friends!” she pleaded.

“Hmmm…that’s not what he thinks,” hummed Wani and at those words the purple k-pop troll fell out of her seat.

“What?! What did he say?” she shrieked and grabbed Wani’s dress and shook her, “Tell me!”

“Not unless you admit to having a crush on him!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Ugh! Okay…I may have a really, really small crush on him-”

“KIM-PETIT AND PRINCE D SITTING IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Wani yelled and Kim-Petit went a bright shade of red.

“Shut up Wani!” she groaned and soon all the girls were dancing around her.

“Oh relax Kim-Petit. We’re just teasing,” Ari smiled.

“Besides, it’s sweet that you like him. Our baby is all grown up,” nodded Baby Bun as she walked into the house.

“Baby Bun! How was the picnic with the rock trolls?” asked Kim-Petit, desperate to get the attention off her.

“It was good! Riff taught me a couple chords and Carol sang with Barb but now we’re talking about your little crush!” she teased and Kim-Petit looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

“Guys! This isn’t funny!”

“Well now you know how I feel!” Wani said as she crossed her arms and Kim-Petit looked down guiltily.

“Okay…it can get a little frustrating. I’m sorry for constantly teasing you, Wani.”

“You are forgiven. Now we’re going to help you confess your feelings!” she yelled.

“Wait! I…I don’t even know if he likes me like that!” Kim-Petit cried and Wani smirked.

“If I told you that he got flustered today when I told him you liked his music how would that make you feel?”

The girls all squealed and Kim-Petit looked at her in surprise.

“He did?” she whispered.

“Yeah, I think he likes you but do it at your own pace and don’t be afraid to set boundaries. He also invited the rest of you to the Mix Off this Friday so you guys can see the Funk Trolls and the Techno Trolls battle! Kim-Petit, this will be a perfect time for you to be around Prince D.”

“Woah, awesome!” Gomdori said as she high-fived Wani.

“Yeah, it’s straight after we meet the Bergens.”

“We’re actually going to meet them?” Ari asked, a trace of fear in her voice.

“Yeah. It’s going to be okay. Branch and Poppy will both be there, and we’ll be fine.”

“Meeting the Bergens and the Mix Off on the same day? I’m excited already!” Ari said jumping around.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that I saw Barb wearing a hug time bracelet today. Do you think Poppy is giving them to everyone?” asked Baby Bun.

“Tracy was wearing one too this afternoon! This may be a stretch but…I feel like Poppy is trying to amend for what her ancestors did when the Pop trolls took the strings. She didn’t force us to wear the bracelets and seemed pretty nervous about gifting them to us because it’s a Pop troll thing.”

“I hope she doesn’t feel too guilty. It’s not her fault and besides, it’s not like Barb didn’t almost do the same thing,” Gomdori said softly.

“Well thankfully we’re all friends now but I’ll check in on Poppy tomorrow,” Wani said.

“That’s really sweet of her to do the hug bracelets thing. Speaking of that, Wani you said that Tresillo had one? Did you hug again?” asked Baby Bun with a grin.

“It was more of a group hug with Hickory and Prince D. And that was your attempt to tease me, then it failed.”

“Oh, trust me, the teasing has only just begun!”

Something about Baby Bun’s words made her feel annoyed but Wani rolled her eyes.

Deep down she knew the girls didn’t mean any harm. She had boundaries with Tresillo and most importantly, he respected them too. He never forced anything and asked for her permission if he ever wanted to initiate anything.

She couldn’t wait till the Mix Off to see him.

[redvoid-40]

Chapter 7 - New Allies

Hello everyone! Hope you’re all being safe and staying indoors in these difficult  times. Hope you all are coping well with the whole thing and keep yourselves healthy and happy.

To help you all pass the time I’m posting chapter 7 of my Gaara fic! Hope you all enjoy it! :D

Fanfic title: ??? Word count: 4139 Fandom: Naruto Pairing: eventual Gaara x OC, cannon pairings Genre: Friendship, Adventure, Hurt/Comfort Warnings: None 

Previous chapter / Next chapter

Ko-fi

Also! I made a post before but I’ll repeat it here: as a physician, if you have any medical questions about the whole COVID-19 situation feel free to DM me! I’m here if you all need help. :D

After the three Shinobi from Suna left, Shin had asked her teammates to spare her some time. It took some heavy-handed pleading on her part to get Sasuke to wait while she and Naruto convinced Konohamaru and his posse into leaving their “playdate” for another time. But once he agreed to it, Shin knew she had them all. Sakura wouldn’t leave before Sasuke.

Finally, as the sun set down in the horizon, Team Seven found themselves on the rooftop of Shin and Naruto’s apartment building. Shin served them all some iced green tea.

"What's that over there?" Sakura asked, pointing to a make-do wooden structure at the edge of the roof. 

The structure was small, with barely enough room for three people to sit underneath it, but it was well made and seemed safe.

"Oh, that's a little gazebo Naruto-chan and I build. We hang out there sometimes when the sun is too bad or when it's raining."

"Shin-chan's apartment doesn't have a veranda like mine so we build that.” Naruto continued with a big smile. “She comes over to play her guitar and she's really good, believe it!"

"It's a lute, Naruto-chan." Shin spoke with a little smile. "But thanks."

"So out with it, Shin-chan!" Naruto urged impatiently. “Tell us what you know about these Chūnin Exams!”

Shin nodded excitedly, running her brown eyes over the three pair of curious gazes on her.

“I have it from a good source that Kakashi-sensei will sign us up for the Chūnin Exams!” Shin announced with a conspiratorial smile. “And from what I heard, three others of this year’s Team Leaders are going to indicate their students for the Exams too.”

“And how would you know that?” Sakura asked. “Kakashi-sensei spent the whole day with us. There’s no way he could’ve told you that himself.”

Shin’s smile faltered for a second.

“You see… only teams of three can take the Exams. I won’t be able to take part in the exams with you.”

Shin observed her teammates and each of them had a very different reaction. Sakura stared at her with wide eyes that were a mix of sadness and surprise. Sasuke sipped his tea quietly, watching Shin attently but giving away nothing of his thoughts. And Naruto…

“THERE’S NO WAY THAT’S GONNA HAPPEN!”

Naruto wasn’t taking it well.

“Naruto-chan, please…”

“No, Shin-chan! It’s not fair that you’re gonna get cut loose like that, believe it! I don’t care if the exams were made for teams of three. We can’t just leave you! You’re part of Team Seven! Right Sakura-chan?”

Sakura was taken aback by Naruto’s outburst but quickly recovered herself and nodded in agreement. “Yes! There should be something we can do about this! After all, it was the Academy that split us in a team of four. They are responsible for this discrepancy in numbers so they must take action as to keep you from being harmed by their decision. I’m sure the Hokage wouldn’t allow it.”

“Yeah! Let’s go talk to that old man!”

Shin stared as her friends came up with a plan of action with wide eyes. She knew Naruto would protest, but didn’t expect Sakura to join him and for them to immediately come up with strategies to help her.

It made something warm spread on her chest as a blush spread on her cheeks.

“Guys, wait a minute, please.” Shin spoke, getting their attention again. “There’s more to this news.”

“You two are too hot-headed.” Sasuke commented. “She said she wasn’t going to participate with us, not that she wasn’t going to participate at all.”

Shin nodded.

“It seems Kakashi-sensei was planning on nominating us for the Chūnin Exams for a while now. He got in contact with a Jonin back in Takigakure who used to be a friend of my mom’s. She is a Team Leader back there, and it seems one of the Genin under her dropped out a few days ago. She came here today to ask me if I’d be willing to take part with her team and I said yes. Right now they must be talking it over with the Hokage.”

As Shin finished her explanation, she noticed Naruto gained an almost somber expression.

“Naruto-chan…” Shin called softly, bumping shoulders with him. “I’m sorry about this. I didn’t want to leave you guys, but it was the only way all of us could participate in the exams together.”

Naruto sighed and nodded. “I know, but…”

“Yes?”

 Naruto groaned as if he carried all of the world’s suffering on his shoulders. 

“Why can’t Sasuke go instead? We’d be better off without him, believe it.”

Immediately, Sakura put Naruto in a headlock. “How dare you, Naruto?! Sasuke-kun is the best in our team!”

Shin laughed nervously as she tried to pry Sakura’s arms from Naruto’s neck.

“Shin-” Sasuke called, making all three turn their attention to him. “-you used to live near Takigakure, right?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know these new Genin that will be part of your team?”

Shin laughed and scratched the back of her head. “Well, it’s not really my team since I’ll be the “outsider”, but yes! I do know them! We used to play together when I lived there. Also, their te-”

“Are they strong?”

“Uh?” Shin was confused for a moment, until she caught the glint in Sasuke’s eyes. When she turned to Naruto, he was staring at her in much the same way.

She giggled. “Yes, they’re pretty strong.”

This is going to be interesting, uh?

----

On the following day, Shin didn’t go with Naruto to meet with the rest of Team Seven for their usual debriefing. Instead she walked straight towards Konoha’s gates.

It was time to greet her new teammates.

---

“Shin-kun, you’re early.” 

The girl startled and turned around, finding none other than her new teacher standing behind her.

“Rashu-sensei! Good morning!” Shin greeted with a big smile. Then, noticing the metal flask in her hand, she swallowed. “Isn’t it a bit too early to be drinking?”

Rashu smirked and took a long swig of her flask.

“Time is an illusion, Shin-kun.”

“...What?”

Kotagi Rashu was a young Jonin from Takigakure, barely 20 years old and she had already made a name for herself in and out of her village. With more than 100 A-rank and 10 S-rank missions she was a force to be reckoned with. 

Sure, she didn’t look like it with her pixie-cut orange hair and big blue eyes. She always had a lazy smirk on her lips and wore a tight blue sports bra with a open Jonin vest over it, and on her lower half she had a pair of black, mid-thigh spandex shorts, mesh stockings and blue Shinobi sandals on her feet. Rashu also wore a pair of blue fingerless gloves on her hands and an enormous scroll tied to her lower back.

Despite her ranking, Rashu was a laid-back woman, who lived by one simple philosophy: “things aren’t a problem until they become a problem”.

Rashu used a student-turned-friend to her mother. Shin remembered the Jonin showing up at her home every once in a while to train with her mother. Sometimes she’d even watch and try to imitate them. 

And when Rashu came around she used to bring-

“Oh, they’re here.”

Shin turned back to face the city gates and immediately her eyes focused on the people in question. Approaching Konoha with haughty looks on their faces were her childhood friends.

And Shin could only stare wide-eyed at them.

Meguyuta Hajii and Meguyuta Aoni, the twins born to the head of the Meguyuta clan, the richest family from Takigakure and maybe even the most powerful.

Long ago, when Takigakure’s traitor Kakuzu had escaped prison to kill the village’s Elders and steal their secret scrolls, it was the Meguyuta clan who most contributed to restore the village’s secret techniques. The clan had been know to collect many powerful and rare scrolls, keeping them in a secret location under lock and key. So, after Kakuzu’s attack, the new leaders went to them for help. And they received as much help as they wished for and more.

For a price, of course.

Since then, the Meguyutas enjoyed influence and privileges that allowed them to vastly expand their wealth. Many of the lands around Takigakure belonged to them and they enjoyed lots of benefits when it came to product taxation.

Which didn’t mean they were content to just enjoy their wealth as Feudal Lords usually did. The Meguyuta liked packing some punch, tying power that was their own to their name instead of hiring mercenaries and Shinobi for their protection. Which was why Shin wasn’t surprised to hear that the family’s heirs would take the Chūnin Exams.

Meguyuta Aoni was the oldest from the twins and the official family heir. She had grown as pretty as can be, with silky silver hair kept tied in a neat braid over her shoulder and green eyes that reminded Shin of Sakura’s. Her attire was a light pink, sleeveless dress with a zipper that ran from its high collar to the hem at the middle of her thighs. Her legs were covered by black leggings that even from far away looked extremely comfortable, and on her feet she wore black Shinobi boots. Aoni had a wide gold bracelet in each wrist and a large and a broad-headed Dao sword strapped to her back. Her forehead protector was tied loosely around her neck.

Her twin brother Hajii was somehow even prettier than her. He had the same green eyes and silver hair, which was neatly cut, only a few inches long overall, with the exception of his bangs, which were kept longer and parted on the side, tucked behind his ears. The boy wore a pure white skin-tight V-cut tank top and baggy grey pants that were tucked into black Shinobi sandals. He had a multi-layered gold necklace with his a sunflower - his clan’s symbol - hanging from the last chain. Weapon-wise Shin could only see the traditional kunai-holster all Ninja had strapped to his right thigh, just above his Takigakure protector.

They’re nothing like the children I remembered. Shin thought and couldn’t help the blush that rose on her cheeks when she looked down at herself. I should’ve had dressed better for this.

Shin swallowed her embarrassment and smiled brightly at her friends as they finally reached her. She had wanted to pull both into a long-overdue hug, but something kept her from it; as if they were in a whole level above herself.

“It’s so nice to see you two again!” She said. “Aoni-chan, Hajii-chan… I really missed you two!”

The twins gave her a deadpan stare before exchanging a look. It made Shin’s smile drop. The last thing she expected from her friends was silence. When they used to play together they were energetic and borderline needy in their demands for her time and attention.

Did I do something?

Shin’s mind was already running a wild, wondering why her friends were being like that when Hajii let out a long-suffering sigh and opened his arms wide.

“Sorry Ao-nee. I just can’t.”

Next thing Shin knew she was pulled in a hug by Hajii. The kind of hug that squeezed the air out of her lungs and didn’t let go for long moments as the one giving it rubbed his cheek against hers in an almost uncomfortable manner.

“You’re weak, Hajii!” Aoni yelled at her brother. “We were supposed to be mad at her!”

W-What?

“I am mad at her.” Hajii replied, but didn’t let go. “But I missed her… Come on, I know you want to hug her too.”

Confused as hell, Shin stared at Aoni wondering what she would do - kind of hoping she’d follow her brother’s urging and give her a hug too - but the other girl just crossed her arms and averted her eyes from the scene.

Rashu laughed-

“I see you three need some time to catch up. See you all later!”

-and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a very disoriented Shin to deal with a clingy Hajii and a fuming Aoni.

What?

---

A few minutes later, and the trio found themselves inside a nearly empty coffee shop. Aoni and Hajii had both ordered the same thing - a matcha latte - while Shin had a cup of simple green tea. Shin was sitting in front of the twins, nursing her tea and occasionally stealing glances at them as she built up the courage to speak.

For a few minutes they sat in a silence that was only broken by the loud slurping sounds of Hajii enjoying his drink as he unashamedly stared back and forth between Shin and his sister. 

Shin took a deep breath and at last fixed her brown eyes on Aoni’s.

“Aoni-chan-”

“It’s Meguyuta-san to you, Shin.”

Shin was visibly crestfallen at that response and had to physically hold back tears at the brusqueness of it. She didn’t understand what she had done to warrant such treatment. 

“Alright… Meguyuta-san.” She spoke slowly, trying hard not to let her voice break. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did for you to get so angry at me-”

“I’m angry too you know.” Hajii pointed out.

“Eh… right. I don’t know what I did for you two to be angry at me, but I’m still terribly sorry. Whatever I’ve done I assure you I never meant to harm you. So please-”

“Whatever you’ve done?” Aoni echoed, slamming her paper cup on the table. “Do you really have no idea why we are angry at you?”

“I-I…”

“You left! With no warning or goodbye! You just left us and we had to hear about it from Rashu-sensei!”

Shin swallowed as tears finally fell from her wide eyes. “I-”

“How do you think we felt? Tsurugi-san and Atsuuta-san were important to us too, you know? We loved them and we loved going to play with you and then-” The words caught in Aoni’s throat as tears filled her green eyes. “-then they were murdered. We tried so hard to reach you during their funeral but you never left that strange man’s side. And on the following day we tried to visit you at the hospital but you were suddenly gone. You didn’t- you didn’t even say goodbye to us. Not even a damn note!”

“Calm down, Ao-nee.” Hajii tried, gazing at the few other customers in the coffee shop. “People are staring.”

“Let them!”

“Aoni-chan…” Shin called softly.

“It’s Meguyuta-san t-to you.”

Shin stared at her friend crying unapologetically in front of her, feeling a heavy weight settle on her heart. All Aoni said was true. After her parents were killed she had left her house and village without hesitation or looking back. At the time she had just followed that man without a second thought, him, the one who had saved her life.

Jiraya-san…

---

Shin didn’t know how much time had passed since her mom started fighting against their attacker. Maybe minutes, maybe an hour… regardless she remained still, crying silently over her father’s body. Around her the battle sounds continued loud and strong.

And suddenly they stopped.

As if awaking from a nightmare, Shin raised her wide and teary eyes to the world around her. On shaky legs she finally stood up and took some steps forward, away from her house and closer to the forest.

“Mama?” She called in a small voice. She was hopeful, so hopeful.

A shadow appeared in the darkness then. A large man with green-black eyes and a slashed forehead protector from Takigakure on his head. He wore a black cape with red clouds that had been mostly destroyed during the fight, and hanging limp over his shoulder was-

“Mama!” Shin screamed and ran towards her mother. “Let her go!”

The man’s cold eyes glanced at her, took in her disheveled, tear-stricken appearance with disgust. Once she was close enough, he didn’t hesitate: he kicked her hard in the gut and sent her flying until her little body slammed against a tree.

“Don’t go getting me dirty with your snot. Dry-cleaning is expensive.” The villain spoke in a gruff voice. “Your bitch mother might be worth her weight in gold but she already cost me my partner you know? Well, I was gonna kill him soon but still."

Shin barely could hear what he was saying as she gasped and coughed in turns, trying to get some air in her lungs. Slowly she pushed herself to her feet, feeling blood streak down her mouth and chin.

"Oh? You want some more? I wasn't going to kill you, but I can adapt."

Shin cried. "Let my Mama go."

The man laughed. 

And then disappeared from her sight.

Only to materialize in front of her with a large, black fist raised in the air.

Shin wasn't sure what had happened but next thing she knew the man was flying away from her, and only stopped when his back slammed violently on a tree.

"So you're in the business of killing children now? I must admit I didn't think even the Akatsuki would go so low."

That voice was one Shin had never heard before. It was warm and full of confidence. 

And it came from right behind her.

Slowly Shin turned around and found a middle-aged, white-haired man standing tall behind her. He was glaring harshly at the bad man, but when he lowered his eyes to her, they mellowed out and a full grin stretched on his face. It was a smile just for her, the kind of smile which had the sole purpose of making someone else smile back.

"Don't you worry, sweetheart. I'm here to help you." He said.

"W-Who are you?"

"Im the Great Toad Sage from Mount Myoboku, Jiraya!” He spoke flamboyantly, before softening his smile again. “I met your mother a few times before, when she was a Konoha Shinobi."

"How heartwarming."

Shin startled at the derisive voice coming from the bad guy and quickly scurried to hide behind Jiraya's legs.

"I don't think we've met before.” Jiraya growled, outting himself fully in front of Shin. “What's your name?" 

"None of your business, Sannin."

"The way I see it, there's two ways things can go. You can either give Tsurugi-san to me and leave without a word. Or I'll make you. Personally, I'd rather avoid spilling any more blood in front of a child. And I think you'd rather do the same; you are in pretty bad shape."

The bad man visibly glowered. "I won't just give up on 300.000 yen."

Shin saw Jiraya clench his fists by his sides. "That's a child's mother you're talking about."

"Not anymore. Now she's just another dead body."

The words hit Shin like a sledgehammer on the chest, knocking all the air out of her. Her little hands grabbed tightly on the fabric of her protector's pants as she buried her face there. But even that wasn't enough to stifle her crying. Shin's bawling was loud and full of despair as she felt her world crumble beneath her feet.

"M-Mama…"

Jiraya glared at the bad man in front of him.

"I won't forgive you for this."

There was a dry thump of a body hitting the ground and Shin flinched and buried her head further against the man's legs. 

"We'll see ab-"

The bad man's words were cut short by a loud explosion. Shin opened her eyes, finding a cloud of dust surrounding the area where he had been. Then out of somewhere in the darkness a frog tongue shot towards the smoke and pulled back with her Mama in its grasp.

Next thing Shin knew there was a person-sized frog next to her. It stared at her with kindness in its eyes as it lowered her Mama gently to the ground in front of her.

Shin stared at it with tears in her eyes before throwing her little body over her Mama.

"Thank you." She said, over and over. 

Shin wasn't sure what happened next. The two men exchanged words that had a deeper meaning that she was capable of understanding, especially overwhelmed by despair as she was.

Then more people showed up. Jonin upon Jonin joined them. Rashu was there. And Aoni and Hajii's uncle and aunt too. And some other Ninjas whose faces she knew but whose names she didn't remember. 

It didn't matter who came. The ending was the same.

Her parents were dead and their killer ran away.

----

There were talks after that. Between Rashu and Jiraya, and them and Takigakure's leader and elders, and Aoni and Hajii's parents too. They all talked amongst themselves and with people Shin had never ever seen before, and despite not understanding what exactly they were arguing about Shin had known it was about her.

People showed up to talk to her too, but her default response had been hiding behind Jiraya as she cried softly. 

Thinking back Shin wasn't able to explain why she had become so dependent on the Sannin when there were other people around her she knew and liked. Maybe it was because he had been the first to appear and help her. Or maybe it was because he had been the one to give her Mama back to her.

The why didn't matter. The result was the same.

She had hung to Jiraya’s every word and when he said she would be safe in Konohagakure, her Mama's old village, she went with him without hesitation. Like a mouse being lulled by a flute she followed Jiraya to Konoha and didn't look back.

Until today.

---

Shin couldn’t keep the tears from streaking down her face at watching Aoni cry in front of her, because of her. Hajii too; despite not showing, Shin knew the boy had been hurt just as much. 

And knowing she was the one that made them sad was killing her.

Back then, Shin didn’t have many friends. Her parents home-schooled her, and the kids at the nearer village had either been a few years older or many younger than her, so it was hard to hang out with them. So when Rashu introduced her to Aoni and Hajii it had honestly reduced Shin to tears of happiness. When their parents allowed any free time, they would often come to her house to play and listen to her Papa play his lute and sing for them. Sometimes they’d invite her over to their clan’s compound for parties and events, or even just watching they train to become strong Shinobi.

Shin had loved them dearly. She still did, despite the years apart.

I was so stupid… thinking it would all be the same after so much happened.

“Aoni-chan… Hajii-chan…” Shin whispered in a trembling voice before standing from her seat.

With tears in her eyes, Shin dropped to her knees in front of her friends and touched her forehead to the floor. Both siblings stared at her with wide eyes, as well as the other few people in the coffee shop.

“I’m so sorry! I was stupid and selfish and a terrible friend to you, b-but… please believe I never wanted to hurt either of you! Please tell me what I can do to apologize to you! I-I’ll do anything you tell me to so please… Be my friends again!”

Afterwards, Shin didn’t raise her face from the floor. She remained there, eyes tightly shut, waiting for what they’d say next, dreading and hoping in equal parts.

Then the air was knocked out of her as Aoni pulled harshly on her wrist, pulling her onto her feet and into a bone-crushing hug.

“You were stupid and selfish!” Aoni screamed and cried in her ear. “But I missed you so much!”

Hajji, never one to be left out of public displays of affection, quickly adhered himself to them. “You know Shin chan… I hadn’t wanted to team up with you to this Exam. It was Ao-nee that dragged me here. She really wanted to see you again.”

“I-I’m happy she did.”

Aoni and Hajii let go and smiled at her. “Us too.”

Suddenly, in a puff of smoke, Rashu appeared with a big smile on her face, pulling all three Genin in a bear-hug.

“So happy my adorable students settled their differences! Now, onwards we go!”

“Where to, Rashu-sensei?”

“Why, training of course.” Rashu answered, letting go of them. “You guys need to practice your teamwork for this thing, and we only have five days. So get ready, because I will work you three to the bone.”

The three Genin exchanged excited glances and as one they nodded.

Rashu’s smile grew larger, almost mischievous.

“That’s the way I like it. So, Team Rashu, with me!”

[inmyownlittlecorner5]

Moonlight Chapter Three: The Queen Mab

A fanfic Novel by la-topolina

Rated for Mature Audiences

Warnings: Language, Violence, Sexual Content

Chapter 3/26

Moonlight Masterpost+

<< Chapter Two+

Chapter Four+ >>

-------

It was half-past ten when Severus decided to leave The Queen Mab and go home. He had been sitting at the bar since a quarter to the hour, nursing a firewhiskey and feeling like more of an idiot with each passing moment. At least no one knew him here. The pub was a small, smart-looking place done in dark wood and filled with antique furniture. Groups of Art Nouveau maidens winked down from the walls, whispering and giggling to each other. An aging pianist tinkled away in the corner, playing popular wizarding tunes, and the other patrons talked and laughed over the music. No one seemed to take note of him, for which he was grateful.

With a final irritated glance at the clock, he finished his drink, tossed a few coins on the bar, and stalked out into the warm summer night. The Queen Mab was located in an alley off of High Street that had been enchanted to keep Muggles from noticing it. He frowned darkly as he emerged onto High Street proper, berating himself for being fool enough to think that a woman would actually be interested in him. He was so focused on his ruminating, that he walked straight past the cause of it.

“I didn’t think I was that late,” Miranda said lightly as he went by.

Severus halted in front of Shoreditch Church, almost unwilling to believe his luck. He slowly turned to face Miranda, frown still in place. She was wearing a calf-length emerald sheath dress and an amused smile. A bracelet of copper laurel leaves wound its way demurely around the upper part of one of her bare arms. Her hair was mostly loose, although a few braids wove themselves cleverly through the locks to keep it out of her face. She looked like a wood nymph escaped from some bacchanal.

“You aren’t one of those people who’s early to everything, are you?” she teased.

“Punctuality is a virtue,” Severus said in his sternest professor voice.

“And, unfortunately, one that I lack. Along with prudence and humility to name a few. I don’t suppose you could overlook my flaws this time and come to dinner? It’s Tuesday and Mrs. Mab always makes Bubble and Squeak and Eve’s Pudding on Tuesdays.”

He ran his eyes over her and allowed, “Perhaps just this once.” He offered her his arm, which she took, and they headed back to the pub in the alley.

“I am sorry to keep you waiting,” she said a bit later over plates of the day’s special and glasses of bitter house-brewed ale. “It took a bit longer than I expected to tie up the vampire case. There was some arguing over proper burial practices followed by some arguing about proper payment practices. I’m always amazed at how short some people’s memories are when it comes to fees and rates of exchange.”

“I would have thought that the life of a bounty hunter was all excitement and danger," he observed. "It sounds rather dull to hear you describe it. How disappointing.”

“It’s a bit of both, like everything. I imagine most people think that your work is tedious, but I know from personal experience the tedium is punctuated by thrilling moments of danger. I once blew up half of a classroom at Ilvermorny trying to make an Exploding Potion. Fortunately, Professor Wright had eyes in the back of her head and was the fastest Shield Charm caster I’ve ever seen.”

“What on earth do they teach you in that backwater?”

“I was supposed to be making the Draught of Peace, but I was bored.”

“I would have had you expelled if you had been one of my students."

“I don’t doubt that. I expect you’re a perfect beast of a professor. You probably hang students up by their toes for fun.”

“Only if they deserve it.” He sipped his ale and studied her a moment. “How do American Muggle-borns find Ilvermorny?”

“The wizarding families in America all know about the school, so they send their children at eleven, sometimes regardless of ability. Ilvermorny has a reputation for rewarding grit as much as talent, so anyone with the nerve to try is usually given a chance. Periodically MACUSA sends agents around the country to look for prospective students among the No-Maj population. I was spotted at a baseball game when I was nine.”

“A what?”

“Baseball,” she repeated with a laugh. “I’m sure you have no idea what I’m talking about. It’s the No-Maj national pastime in America. My whole family is wild for it, but I know it’s an acquired taste if you’re not born into the insanity. I was a pitcher, meaning that my job was to throw a ball at another player who was trying to hit it with a bat. I was supposed to keep the batter from hitting the ball if at all possible. At nine, it’s usually a feat in and of itself simply to throw the ball to the right spot. But I realized that if I held the ball and imagined where I wanted it to go, about half of the time I could make it do what I imagined. And by that, I mean I could make it curve, sink, turn loops, all sorts of things. One Saturday, after a game, a gentleman introduced himself to my parents. We thought he was recruiting for one of the more elite baseball teams, but it turned out he was going to offer me something much more exciting. So here I am. How does it work here?”

“A Magic Quill notes when a witch or wizard is born in the Book of Admittance and an owl arrives with a letter of acceptance sometime during their tenth or eleventh year.”

“How organized. I’m guessing you’re from a wizard family.”

“My mother is a witch,” he said shortly.

She seemed to notice the change in his tone and turned the subject. “I’ve been kicking around an idea for a potion for a while now. I don’t usually have a master of your caliber at my disposal, so I’m going to torture you with it.”

“An inauspicious beginning, but do continue,” he said, glad to discuss something else.

“Well, I tend to get ripped up a bit in my line of work, so I’m always looking for ways to cope with that.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve ever considered a change in profession.”

“I’m afraid I’m addicted to it. Do you know what an epipen is?”

“No.”

“It’s a syringe full of synthetic adrenaline. There was a girl I went to No-Maj school with as a child who was so allergic to a protein in milk that her throat would swell shut if she came into contact with it. She carried one of these epipens around with her all the time in case of accidental exposure. If needed, she could stick herself with the syringe and the synthetic adrenaline would keep her airways open until she could get further help. Now, I want to know if it’s possible to use a similar delivery system for a suitable potion. It’s not always practical for me to swallow a vial of something when I’m in the middle of a battle. And then there’s the extra time it takes for the potion to work through my stomach into my bloodstream. Imagine if that could be bypassed.”

Severus’s brow furrowed as he considered. “Interesting idea. It would be extremely dangerous to test.”

“That’s probably true. But do you think it would work?”

“Assuming you found the proper potion to use, I don’t see why it wouldn’t.” He was quiet for a while, pondering this.

She lit a cigarette and let him think in silence. When she’d finished smoking, she said, “It’s really a beautiful night. Would you like to talk a walk?”

“It’s a wretchedly hot night,” he replied, “but perhaps the company would be worth the bother.”

    She looked pointedly at his long black sleeves and high collar. “I think I’ll choose to take that as a compliment."

He allowed himself a smile. “I suppose I meant it as such.”

They left the pub and he offered her his arm again. She took it and inhaled deeply as they turned onto a deserted High Street.

“I know that the days in can be oppressive, but this time of night in summer is simply the most delicious time to be alive,” she said.

“I’m sure I have no idea what you are talking about,” he replied, but his tone was teasing.

As they passed Shoreditch Church again, she let go of his arm and twirled around like a nymph dancing in the forest. Infected by her madness, he caught her wrist and spun her to him. Her hands landed on his chest and he kissed her with an eagerness that would have embarrassed him had she not been reciprocating with equal fervor. His arms went around her waist and hers slipped about his neck. Her fingers were tangled in his hair when they broke apart to gasp for air, but before he could continue his work, he noticed that they were no longer in London. He stepped back from her and his suspicious eyes saw rolling hills and a country lane rather than the city street he had expected.

“Where are we?” he almost growled.

“Oh, I thought it would be nice to be somewhere a bit out of the way,” she answered with an impish grin.

He was not amused. He grabbed her arm over the bracelet and gripped it until the leaves cut into his hand. “Where are we?” he demanded again.

Her jaw set in an annoyed look of her own. “We’re near my cabin. I used a Homing Spell. It’s something we learn in the backwater I’m from. I didn’t use it last night because you have to be a bit relaxed in order for it to work. You must have wanted to come tonight, or I wouldn’t have been able to bring you with me. Now let go of my arm, you’re hurting me.”

He held on for a moment longer before releasing her, then they walked on in silence for a while.

“Are you always that jumpy?” she asked pleasantly, as though enquiring about the weather.

“Usually,” he answered, rather more honestly than he had intended.

The half-moon shone brightly over the downs and Severus realized that the sea was visible beyond them. The breeze off of the water was cooler than it had been in the city and he had to admit that there was something to the idea of being a bit out of the way. As he studied Miranda out of the corner of his eye he found it difficult to say where the moonlight ended and her hair began. He offered her his arm again and she took it, as though the earlier exchange had not happened. Considering her occupation, perhaps she was used to people being what she called ‘jumpy.’

“How many brothers did you say you have?” Severus asked dryly.

“Four. Only three living, though,” she answered. Then she added with a note of mirth, “Don’t worry, they’re all in America. No one will be waiting for you with a shotgun.”

Before long, he saw the cabin from the night before waver into view ahead. Miranda’s arm felt good in his as he led her up the path to her front door. She ascended the first step and turned to face him, eyes level with his and lips inches away.

“Would you like to come in?” she breathed.

“I should think that were obvious,” he answered, a bit breathless himself.

She put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him with those ardent lips. He was starting to lose track of his rational mind when a stabbing pain flew up his left arm. He broke off the kiss with a grunt and knew that the Dark Mark under his sleeve was glowing black and angry. Of course he would be summoned at this particular moment. He had been a fool to think that this evening would possibly go the way he had hoped.

“Are you all right?” Miranda asked, sounding concerned.

“I have to leave,” he said harshly.

She paused, curiosity etched on her face, but she did not ask him where he was going. “Can you come back?” she asked simply.

“No.” He traced her cheek with a long finger, unaware of how the regret he was feeling glittered in his eyes.

“Will I see you again?”

“Probably not.” His lip curled in a wistful smile. “Unlike your family, I’m afraid I am not terribly lucky.”

The pain in his arm throbbed again and he turned, striding away from her.

“I wish you luck all the same,” she said after him. He didn’t wait to hear any more and Apparated to his Master’s call.

*****

Hours later, Severus stumbled into Spinner’s End, even paler than usual and shaking. His mind had been full of moonlight when he had appeared before the Dark Lord and Severus had been unable to keep it as blank as he usually could. The Dark Lord, still wary of Severus’s protestations of loyalty, had invaded Severus’s mind and begun sifting through the fresh memories of a silver-haired woman. Severus had managed to turn the hair red, to focus on Lily instead. Finally the Dark Lord had turned his attention elsewhere, bored with Severus’s obsession. Severus supposed the Cruciatus had been applied to him that night simply for being dull.

He gulped some water and fell into bed, not able to undress. Every nerve was still screaming with pain, but he knew it would dull to an ache by the morning. He slept fitfully and dreamed of a smiling woman whose hair changed from red to silver, and whose eyes flashed green and grey.

Moonlight Masterpost+

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Why me?

Part 27a - The Proposal 💍

Riley is forced out of Cordonia unknowingly to her friends, and moves back to New York.

She is later faced with her past from Cordonia and is hiding a few new secrets. With the help from her New York friends and friends from Cordonia will she escape her current situation and find her happy ever after?

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This chapter is split into 2 parts.. it was far too long for just one part...

******

Drake entered the building with Maxwell, he knew Riley wouldn’t be arriving for a few hours but panic started taking over. He had hoped she would enjoy what he had planned, and all the surprises. He was grateful for the all support from the Beaumont’s, Savannah, Liam and Bastien. Knowing they were all helping him, made him feel like the luckiest bastard in the world- having these fantastic friends and this wonderful woman in his life. Life was as good as it could get.

“So, Liam’s just text me. Himself and Bastien have just finished placing the clues in the locations and have arranged staff to help out. I just hope she likes everything and doesn’t get bored.”

“Drake! She will love it! And welcome to the family!”

*****

Riley had managed to get a quick power nap, the fatigue from the pregnancy was slowly but quickly kicking in. She was disturbed by a quiet knock at the door.

“Savannah?”

“Hi, Riley. How are you feeling? Drake said, you have had really bad morning sickness. If it helps, ginger biscuits helped me when I was pregnant with Bartie.”

“I’m fine, thank you. I’m sure it’ll pass soon. I’m just so tired, I have to get ready to go to Ramsford. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you’d be there helping the gentlemen prep?”

“I offered, but they said I should come over with you and the ladies. Riley... whilst I’m here... I just want... I just want to apologise for my past behaviour. I was stupid to think what I thought. And I was stupid for even thinking it was your fault for Drake’s downward spiral. I know you and Drake haven’t been treat well by others, but I know you two are perfect for each other. I’m sorry.”

“Savannah... it’s fine, you don’t have to apologise. Let’s clear the air and start a fresh? I’m to blame for most of this. I left him on more than one occasion. My head wasn’t in the right frame of mind- not like I can blame the baby brain on my decisions. I love your brother, I always have done. And I know this baby will be loved by the both of us with every inch of our hearts.”

Savannah hugged Riley, and she hugged her back. Savannah was happy that she was soon to have a sister she had always dreamt of having.

Drake went to find his sister at the Beaumont’s and handed Savannah a note to give to Riley- explaining his intentions. He had told her that Bertrand, would drive her upto the Palace to meet Riley and the other ladies. The two women haven’t always been close until now, Savannah knew her brother loved this woman and she was thrilled for them both.

“Here Riley, my brother wanted me to give you this. Just to let you know, I’m so glad we’ve cleared the air, and I can’t wait to meet my niece or nephew!”

Riley nodded and smiled softly at Savannah, there was no need to hold grudges anymore. She took the note from Savannah, looking confused.

Dear Brooks, I have a confession to make, please don’t be angry with me - there is no formal dinner tonight at Ramsford. We are all gathering there later, but we don’t know what we will be doing yet? Prior to this, this evening is dedicated entirely to you - the love of my life! You have been through so much, and I want to prove how much I love you by spoiling you! I’m choosing to embrace the fun and excitement of tonight and have planned a treasure hunt for you to complete; along with Savannah, Beth, Hana and Liv.

You are not allowed to use your cell phone, one person will record your reaction to every clue - follow the clues that I have provided and above all, laugh and have fun! Tonight is all about you! See you soon! I miss you!

I love you always, Drake x

“So Sav, how do you like treasure hunts?”

*****

Riley and Savannah got ready to meet Hana, Beth and Olivia, to begin the treasure hunt. Riley was still figuring out what she did to deserve this, and was intrigued to find out how it would end.

“Since when did Walker become like this? He does know we aren’t kids anymore right?”

“Olivia, it’ll be fun! C’mon let’s read the first clue.”

Clue #1

People knock on me to enter, and say hello. I am also the portal to all things outside... once you find me, enter through the portal and there you will see...

“It’s got to be a door? The front door? The palace entrance?”

Hana said immediately, Riley thought Hana would be an expert at these things she’s just far too intelligent and talented at anything.

They headed towards the palace entrance, and saw Bastien waiting for them smiling- before handing Riley another envelope.

“Ladies, Lady Riley. Here’s your second clue.”

Clue #2

You use this to get from A - B, jump in have a spin to the next destination. Can you guess where it is? Historians will tell of the day when Cordonia nearly collapsed because the Prince went out for.....

“CRONUTS!”

Riley and Hana remembered as they both shouted in unison. Drake said this, that night they all snuck out for a cronut.

The ladies got in the SUV driven by Bastien and headed towards that same bakery. As they entered the bakery, Olivia wasn’t impressed.

“Do you know how much calories these things must contain?”

“Don’t knock it until you try it Olivia! Myself and Riley was brought up on them... from New York with love...”

“Fucking Americans! You’re all odd- you know that? So where’s the next clue?”

“I don’t know? Let’s search the place?” Riley answered.

Savannah had finally noticed a table with a note and a jewellery box, it was on the table the friends had sat on that night.

“Guys? It’s here...”

The other four ladies headed over to the table, Olivia now recording Riley’s reaction as she had no interest in eating the high calorie desserts.

Clue #3

Open the box, Brooks. Inside you’ll see a surprise... think about the surprise gift- think hard! And that will be where your next destination will be... hint - Classic Americana, only you and I will appreciate a simple dish...

“Oh my god! This is beautiful! A pearl bracelet...”

Riley began to cry, she couldn’t believe how much effort he had done so far and wondered why he was doing all this? First the golden locket and now this. She couldn’t believe how lucky she was to call Drake Walker hers.

“The next destination girls, is the beach. Drake went to the effort to persuade Liam to let us have an American style bbq during the social season- to make me feel at home. And pearls are found in the sea.”

******

The women arrived at the beach, and were all shocked at what they had seen. It was like deja vu for Hana and Riley. There in front of them, was a table with five chairs surrounding it. On the table was a full classic Americana bbq- with cocktails and a mocktail for Riley. They noticed a note and an envelope with the forth clue in it.

Ladies, take your time at this destination and fill your boots! Does it back some memories Brooks and Hana? Hope you both feel at home Beth and Ri. Enjoy, Drake x

They spent time demolishing the food that Drake had provided, enjoying the company with each other. Bitching about court gossip- before opening the envelope containing the next clue.

Clue #4

Only four people in court will feel at home at the next destination. There you will see something that will make you spin- and I don’t mean your head coping with an hangover.

“So four people... four people who aren’t Cordonian born I assume? There’s only me, Riley, Drake, Savannah and Beth that would fit this description....”

“Four Americans! The American Bar Hana! Where we went for Drake’s birthday! The bull... it made Drake spin and spin off.”

“Yes! Well done Riley!”

*****

They walked into the bar, memories flashing into Riley’s mind. How she had blagged him a free drink, how he rode the bull and looked so damn sexy, and finally when Drake hinted that he finally like Riley more than a friend- describing her as one of his weaknesses.

The barman, handed them a note and an envelope on arrival.

So ladies, now is the time for a bit of fun! I’ve organised a cocktail making class for you all- make sure Brooks doesn’t drink it though! The bar staff will provide you with some mocktails my love. Don’t get too drunk Sav, Olivia, Hana and Beth ;)...

Riley really enjoyed spending this time with her friends, realising how crazy they actually was whilst they was drunk- however there was two friends missing. She missed Lola and Daniel and wish they could have been here with her.

“So because I can’t taste test your cocktails to declare a winner, and your all wasted - I think you all are winners! And you all are my best friends! I love you guys...”

The girls all formed into a group hug. This friendship between them all was to last a lifetime.

“Right let’s continue this treasure hunt...”

******

Clue #5

Tarts can have this in it. Cider contains this. Certain types of juice contain this too. The second part of the clue- it can be made into a table, a chair, a decking or even a tree house....

“Well, the only tarts I know are; Madeline and Kiara! So I’m baffled with this clue!”

“Olivia!” Hana squealed.

“Well it’s true, they have broken me and Drake so many times- so yes they are desperate tarts right Liv?”- Riley smirked.

“Damn right!”

“So, I know I’m new to all this, but I’m pretty sure Leo has mentioned a place called- Applewood? Apple tart, apple cider, apple juice... the furniture mentioned is wooden? So Applewood?”

“Beth you’re... not only a pretty face...but obviously a good listener!”

“What can I say Olivia? I love my husband!”

They got back in the SUV and Bastien drove there- Riley sat in the front with him. He noticed that a sudden cloud of melancholy was surrounding her.

“Lady Riley, are you okay?”

“Yeah Bast. Why would he send us to Applewood? It was the start of all the shit that happened- Tariq, the scandal...”

Bastien remained silent, still feeling guilty that he was involved in the scandal, and now knowing it still affected her. They arrived shortly after and walked through the entrance. There was a table with a fresh bouquet of flowers, and again a note and an envelope.

Brooks I’ve never bought you any flowers, so I thought you’d like some.. I know you are probably wondering why I’d bring you back here? But it has a meaning. It was the first time I protected you and I would do it a hundred times over to ensure you are safe- you mean the world to me! It was when I finally plucked up the courage to tell you I cared for you, the first time we had a real connection. The first time I felt close to you, and I pushed you away- I regret this. But now it’s all different. We are together and have a miracle on the way. Thank you Riley, for everything you’ve done for me. Go to the boutique and pick up the surprise I’ve left you. I love you x

Riley thought her hormones couldn’t take this any longer- she was now an emotional wreck. She could have sworn she saw the others including Bastien also having tears in their eyes as she read it out loud.

“Bloody hell! Since when did the grump become a soft bastard? What have you done with the real Drake, Riley?”

“My brother fell in love Liv.. it’s that simple. He can’t keep up the grump act up forever..”

They all laughed before heading down to the boutique. On arrival, they opened the door and saw a dress hung up on the rail with a tag on it...

Reserved for Brooks..

Try the dress on beautiful, then put the blindfold on for your second surprise.

Riley tried the dress on, with Savannah assisting her with the zip. It was a form-fitting, elegant, shiny golden dress. Savannah smiled at how beautiful her sister in law to be looked, before placing the blindfold over her head to cover her eyes.

“Savannah, you better hold on to me! I can’t see a thing and remember your nephew or niece is at risk here!”

“That’s the whole point of being blindfolded Ri. I’ve got you! Don’t worry.... so Drake told me about this part of the surprise. You have to feel for something... that’s all I can say... I’ll help guide you don’t worry.”

Savannah led her to the area where the surprise was. Riley placed her hands forward and felt two people infront of her. She felt awkward feeling their distinctive features- before a big grin appeared on her face. Everyone knew, that she now knew who it was.

“LOLA! DANIEL!”

She quickly took the blindfold off, and saw that she was correct. Nearly knocking them over as she hugged her two oldest friends tight.

“I... I... I can’t believe your both here!”

“Well, my sister is married to the prince of this country, and Drake rung us when he was in hospital asking us to come. Liam sent the royal jet over to pick us up. We’ve missed you!”

“Drake rung you?”

“Yeah, and Daniel had crazy Maxwell invite us to a Beaumont Bash? He promised me lots of shots after last time! By the way- here’s the last clue..”

Clue #6

The final destination... this place is associated with cold blooded creatures who don’t need a high metabolism to keep warm. There may also be something who likes to spread their feathers....

“Final destination guys. And it’s to the squid and peacock house also known as Ramsford! Let’s go!”

They exited the manor, and saw a limo waiting for them all. Riley couldn’t believe how much they had crammed in, and how much Drake had thought about it. She now knew that he probably hadn’t rested earlier on as he was planning all of this. She was grateful. She loved him. He was perfect and he was all hers.

****

When they arrived, they knocked on the door and saw the Cheshire Cat grinning at them all. Maxwell had obviously been pre-drinking.

“Welcome to Chateau Beaumont everyone! Ri, you look beautiful sissy.”

“Thanks Max, where’s Drake?”

“Here, open your final clue... and you’ll find him.”

Riley screwed her eyebrows up. Why couldn’t Maxwell just get Drake now they had all arrived? She was desperate to see him after all what he had planned and done since this morning.

Clue #7

It can contain a million stories but cannot tell them- distant memories.

One time there was a lot of dough...

He’s in the study! The pictures of the brothers, the books, the achievements, and the envelope of cash for Savannah. I’m coming Drake!