#usually with bouts of gardening mixed in

[butchersboobs]

Twist

A Billy Butcher pov fic.

Tissues at the ready...

NSFW below the cut - MDNI

Words: 1,771

PART TWO

Tags: @babyfri3dric3 @dumpy-little-nobody

_____

It's a bloody miracle - supermarket's dead, for once. No screamin' kids, no pensioners 'avin’ a barney over the last tin o'custard. Just me, me basket, and a list o'shite I can’t be arsed t'buy. Bread. Milk. Whiskey. The usual bollocks.

I’m by the biscuits, tossin’ up between 'obnobs and bourbons when I see ya. Strollin' down the aisle, clear as day, pushin’ a trolley like you just stepped out the life we 'ad together and into some domestic fuckin’ fantasy.

And you ain't alone. There’s a kid wiv yer. A boy, ‘bout three, maybe four. Dark 'air, big eyes, and I swear to Christ - e’s a bloody photocopy of me.

Me blood goes cold. Can’t move, can’t breathe - I just stand there like some prize twat, starin’.

You clock me. Yer face does this wide-eyed panic fing, like a fox cornered by a pack o'dogs. “Billy,” ya say, gobsmacked.

I nod atcha, casual-like, even though me 'eart’s bangin’ like a fuckin’ drum. I glance at the kid, then back at you. "Who's this little bloke, then?"

You 'esitate - a bit too long, if ya ask me - then put yer 'and on 'is shoulder, all protective. Like you’re expectin’ me t'kick off. "This is Oliver," you say. "Oliver - say hello to Mummy's... old friend."

Old friend, my arse.

I crouch down, meet the kid’s eyes. E’s lookin’ at me like he’s sizin' me up, and bugger me, it's like me own bloody face is starin’ back at me. "Alright, Oliver?" I say. "I’m Billy. Nice t'meet ya, mate."

The kid nods, all shy-like, and grabs 'old of yer leg. And before I can ask another bleedin’ question, yer mutterin’ some excuse about bein’ in an 'urry, and you 'n the kid bugger off sharpish

But it's too late to run now, love. I know full well that li'il lad is mine.

I fuckin' know.

-----

I coulda left it there. Shoulda, really. But you know me - can’t leave well enough alone, can I?

So I drop me basket right there, leave some poor sod to restock the 'obnobs, and I follow ya. I keep me distance, mind. Stay outta sight. Ain’t tryin’ to scare ya - just... I dunno. Just wanna know where you're takin’ 'im.

Ya lead me to this little 'ouse on the edge o'town. Curtains drawn, toys littered in the garden. You get the kid inside, shut the door, and that’s that.

I stand there for a bit, feelin’ like a right cunt. Should I knock? Walk away? What the fuck ya s'posed t'say to a woman who walked out on ya years ago wivout bovverin' to tell ya she was up the duff? Or that she'd dropped yer sprog?

-----

Didn’t sleep a bloody wink that night, did I. Nah. Tossin’, turnin’, replayin’ the 'ole fing in me 'ead. 

Oliver’s face, your panic. That gut-punch of realisin’ I got a kid. My kid. Couldn’t shake it.

By the time the sun came up though, I’d made me decision.

I’m back at yer door before I’ve even 'ad me morning cuppa, knockin’ loud enough to wake the dead.

You answer in yer dressing gown, 'air a mess, lookin’ like ya just rolled outta bed. “Billy,” ya say, pissed off. “How the fuck did you find me?”

I shove me hands in me pockets, tryna look casual. “We need to talk.”

You sigh, step aside, and let me in. The 'ouse is nice enough - small, cosy. There’s toys everywhere: blocks, cars, some dinosaur wiv one leg missin'. But no sign of Oliver.

“Oliver’s mine, ain’t he?” I say - no point pissin' about, is there.

You stiffen. “Billy—”

“Don’t bovver tryna lie to me. I seen 'im. E’s me all over. Ain’t no denying it.”

Yer shoulders sag, and ya look at the floor. “Yes,” you finally fuckin' admit. “He’s yours.”

The room tilts. I grab the back of the sofa to steady meself. “Bloody'ell.”

I should be angry. Furious. But all I feel is this weird, 'eavy mix o'pride and terror. I’ve got a son. A son.

“Why didn’t ya fuckin' tell me?” I ask, me voice low.

“Because you’re you, Billy."

That stings, but I can’t argue. You ain't wrong. My life’s a fuckin' mess, and it’s no place for a kid. Told meself that a thousand times since I met 'im yesterday. But the need to see 'im again just won't fuck off.

“Look, I can't just walk away, alright - not wivout... I dunno. Seeing 'im. Properly, I mean.”

“Billy, I don’t—”

“I ain't asking for much,” I cut in “I just... I just wanna meet 'im properly. That’s all.”

Then a little voice pipes up.

“Mummy?”

We both turn. Oliver’s standin’ in the doorway in 'is pyjamas, rubbin’ 'is eyes.

You soften instantly. “It’s okay, baby. Go back to bed.”

But 'e don’t. 'E just stands there, lookin’ at me.

“'Ello again, Ollie,” I say, crouchin’ down to 'is level. “Sorry if we woke ya., mate”

He don’t say anyfin, just keeps starin’ at me wiv those big brown eyes.

You sigh, running yer 'and through yer hair. “Fine,” you whisper “You can see him. For a little while. But he doesn’t know who you are, Billy. He’s too young to understand.”

I nod. “Fair enough.”

-----

I never thought I’d be 'ere. Never thought I’d be playin’ bloody games wiv a kid. I mean, I’ve been in worse places, yeah, but this… this is summink else.

Oliver’s sittin’ on the floor, this scrappy little toy truck in his 'ands, lookin' up at me like I’m some sorta mystery he’s tryna solve. Me - Billy Butcher - the last person a kid like 'im should be dealin' with.

“So, you like trucks, ay?” I ask, squattin' down beside 'im, tryna make me voice sound less like a bloody crook. Can’t be talkin’ all gruff and growlin' at the poor lad, can I?

Oliver looks up, eyes big as saucers, 'is little 'ands gripping the truck like it’s 'is best mate. “Yeah! It goes vroom vroom!” 'e says, 'is voice 'igh-pitched, full of excitement.

I blink at 'im, a bit taken aback. Kid's got more energy than a bloody power station.

I chuckle, leanin' back on me 'eels. "Yeah, I can see that. Goes fast, does it?" I’ve no idea why I’m askin'. I couldn’t care less about toy bloody trucks, but somethin’ about the way 'e says it, so eager, like it's the most important fing in the world—fuckin'ell, it almost makes me wanna play along.

“Yeah!” he nods so 'ard, I’m 'alf expectin’ 'is little 'ead to fall off. “And when it goes fast, it boom boom!” He slams the truck down on the ground, makin’ it bounce.

“Boom boom, ay?” I laugh, a proper one this time, catchin’ myself off guard. Ain't 'eard a sound like that in years. Can’t even remember the last time I genuinely laughed.

The kid grins, lookin’ up at me wiv that hopeful look, like 'e’s waitin’ for me to join in on the fun. I’ve never been good at playin’ games wiv kids, 'specially not after what 'appened with me own bloody family. But 'ere I am, messin' about with some toy truck, tryna figure out 'ow t'not screw this up.

"Alright then," I say, takin’ the truck from 'is 'ands. "Show me how it's done, mate."

Oliver giggles, 'is little face scrunched up in concentration as he starts tappin’ 'is 'ands on the floor, making engine noises. Vroom, vroom, boom boom!

I can't 'elp but smile. It’s awkward as fuck, but I’m damn well tryin'. Maybe I’m not so bad at this after all. Don’t matter that I don’t know the first fing about toys, or that I ain't got a clue what the 'ell I’m doin’. What matters is the look on the kid’s face, the way 'is eyes light up every time I play along.

"Oi, kid, I fink your truck’s got more power than mine," I tease, pushin’ the toy truck across the floor with a bit too much enthusiasm, makin' it slide all the way to the other side of the room.

Oliver looks at me with wide eyes, 'is mouth open in awe. “Really?”

I give'im a little smirk. "Yeah. Faster than a bloody Formula One car, that is. Your truck's a bit of a monster."

E’s noddin’, 'is mop of black hair bouncin’ wiv every movement. “It is! It's the fastest in the world!” 'is words tumble out like he’s tryna convince me. 'E really believes it. And that’s somethin’, innit? Kid’s got imagination, that’s for sure.

“Right, right,” I mutter, noddin’ along, but then I get a bloody idea. "Tell you what, Oliver. How ‘bout you race your truck against my truck? Let’s see oo’s faster."

I rummage through me pockets, pullin’ out me old lighter. It ain’t much, but it’s a novelty car one, wiv wheels, so I push it across the floor wiv a cheeky grin. "It’s not as flashy as yours, but I reckon it’s got a bit o'speed in it."

Oliver’s eyes go wide, and before I know it, 'e’s on his knees, eagerly makin’ little engine noises again. "Ready, set, go!"

We both push our 'trucks' across the floor, and I can’t 'elp but laugh as e’s all serious about it. Kid’s givin' it his all, makin’ these wild noises, and I’m just pushin’ a bloody lighter, tryna make 'im fink I’m into it as much as 'e is.

But then, just as we’re about to finish the race, 'e lets out a loud yell and scoops up both trucks, clutchin' 'em to 'is chest like 'e’s won the Grand bloody Prix. “I win! I win!”

I raise me 'ands in defeat, laughin' despite meself. "Yeah, yeah, you’re the fastest, kid. I give up. You beat me."

E beams up at me, so proud of 'imself that 'e can’t even sit still. “I’m the best racer ever!”

I can’t stop smilin’ at 'im, watchin' 'im prance about like a little king. For a second, just a second, I forget I'm me. Forget what a fuckin' mess me life is. I’m just… 'ere. Wiv 'im. Wiv Oliver. My boy.

“Yeah, mate, you are,” I say, me voice quieter than usual, a little softer. "You’re a bloody star, you are."

And that’s the fing, innit? There’s summink about this little lad that gets t'me, summink I can’t shake. I know I said I just wanted to meet 'im, but I’ll be damned if I can just let 'im go now.

That kid deserves a far better man than me for a dad.

But for 'im, I’ll bloody try to be that better man.

PART TWO

[lord-aldhelm]

Get To Know Them Alphabet

Based on @sihtricfedaraaahvicius's template (original post here). Thank you for this! Sorry it has taken me so long to fill it out.

This is VERY long so it is under the cut. The questions seem geared towards a Modern AU so I am going to answer it like that.

Accessories: do they wear them and what kind? Aldhelm prefers to keep the accessories to a minimum. A wedding ring (if he is married of course) is all the jewelry he really cares to wear. He does wear a wristwatch, though, since he hates getting his phone out just to check the time. He is old fashioned like that.

Bad habits: do they have any? I honestly can't think of any! He does not really have any vices, believe it or not. He does not drink much except socially (which is rare since he is very introverted). He doesn't smoke or take drugs at all. He eats healthy foods in moderation and exercises regularly. He is always on time, or even early, and is not a procrastinator. He does not have an addictive personality at all, in fact. He doesn't even spend a lot of time on social media. The only thing I can think of is he has a bit of a sweet tooth and loves chocolate, but that hardly counts! (Edit: it was mentioned that "overthinking" is a bad mental habit so now that is included here! He is an overthinker for sure!!)

Clothing: what's their style and what do they wear at home/out and about? I know next to nothing about fashion aesthetics so I had to look this up to get an idea of what words to use. Basically I would think like a mix between smart-casual and sort-of business casual. Definitely not a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy for sure, except for maybe when he is just staying at home. He likes to look nice, but also be comfortable at the same time. Mostly earth-tones and black but he is not averse to color, especially forest greens and navy blues.

Date: what would their ideal first date look like? Do they enjoy datenights when in a relationship? A first date would be very laid back. A coffee shop where you can chat for a bit. A botanical garden, aquarium, or zoo if you are up for something more interactive. Honestly though, you probably already know each other well enough, before even the first date. He is a "get to know you as a friend first" take it slow kind of person and does not rush into a relationship. Once in a relationship, date-nights are a thing for sure. But not the dinner and a movie kind, unless you really want to. Going to a used bookstore, hiking in the forest, visiting a museum, or browsing an antique store is his idea of a good time.

Emotional: are they an emotional person? Yes, very much so, even though he often does not show it on the surface. He is usually very calm and soft-spoken, and rarely gets angry. But he does get frustrated easily, and is prone to bouts of melancholy. He just tries not to show it publicly.

Fears: what are they afraid of? Aldhelm's fears are not of tangible things; rather they are more abstract. He fears most of all losing the ones he loves. And he fears losing control over his life, and his independence (forced into being reliant on other people)

Gifts: what makes them happy? Aldhelm is not much into gift giving, as his love language is acts of service and quality time. Handmade or thoughtful gifts are appreciated, though!

Helpful: do they help others, or are they rather selfish? Aldhelm is one of the most selfless people on the entire planet. He will go out of his way to help others, especially those who he loves or is close to. He will not hesitate to help even total strangers.

Insecure: do they have any insecurities? Oh boy does he ever! He is a chronic overthinker, and will mill and mull about things for a very long time before coming to a decision. He may appear calm on the surface, but inside he is always racked with worry and anxiety over things he cannot control. He also worries entirely too much about not misinterpreting other’s actions; does this person like me or not? Does he hate me? Did I say the wrong thing? What is wrong with me? You know the thoughts…

Also he has attachment and abandonment issues. He clings hard to anyone who will pay him the slightest bit of attention, and won’t let go no matter what. This leads to him being taken advantage of, but any attention is good attention as far as he is concerned.

Jealous: are they of a jealous nature? He can be very jealous! He feels that the people he loves are "his" and wants them to spend their time with him only. However even though he is jealous he is not possessive or controlling, and keeps the jealous feelings (mostly) to himself.

Kitchen: can they cook? Do they have a signature dish? Aldhelm can cook well enough for himself, but does not really love cooking and baking.

Laugh: what makes them laugh? Aldhelm has a very dark and dry sense of humor, so sarcasm, hyperbole, and absurdities will make him laugh. You know, typical British humor.

Morning routine: what are they like in the morning? He is an early riser. He gets up early, eats his breakfast and has a morning jog before getting to work.

Night routine: how do they unwind before going to bed? He usually will read a book or listen to classical music to unwind.

Occupy: what does their home look like? Aldhelm’s home is classic and traditional, with a brick and stone exterior and clean, fairly minimalist interior. Everything is neat and tidy; he loves organizing and categorizing stuff so everything has a place. There are a few nice paintings hanging on the walls, originals not prints of course. For colors he prefers neutral natural tones overall, mostly warm browns and beige, but with pops of color here and there. He has a few houseplants, easy care pothos and orchids. In the living room/family room is an entire wall of bookshelves that are built into the wall, filled with books and a few modest collectables he has acquired over the years. And there is always a vase of fresh cut flowers from his garden on the dining room table.

Pet peeve: what are things they absolutely can't stand? Oh this will be a very long list... others being loud in public, littering, aggressive driving, people who are perpetually late, those who do not pick up after themselves (or their dogs!), not putting things back where they belong, poor grammar, doing gross things in public (spitting, picking nose, scratching themself, etc), and people who talk over you or ignore you in a conversation.

Quirky: what's their quirky trait? Probably that he fidgets all the time. He always has to be doing something with his hands.

Relax: are they easily stressed out or do they go with the flow? As someone who is low-key on the surface and does not like conflict, he will typically go with the flow but be stressed out internally.

Spontaneous: are they? Not at all!!! LOL! He has to plan ahead for everything. He has his own agenda, and sudden changes to that stress him out. He also likes to take his time to really evaluate a situation before making a decision, so he will never be the first to jump into anything.

Truthful: how much of the truth do they tell others? He is honest to a fault, and never lies. But he may not tell someone the entire truth depending on the circumstance.

Upset: are they upset easily? And what upsets them? He is typically very calm, and does not truly get upset easily. But he will get upset if he sees something disturbing, like someone hurting another person or animal.

Vain: how vain are they? Not at all. He takes good care of his appearance, but he is not conceited. He does not place a lot of weight in other people's appearances, and does not really care what others think of his.

Work: what kind of job do they have/would they like? I can imagine him in some sort of high level professional career field. He is a politician first and foremost, and would excel at being a congressman or working for the FBI or CIA. But maybe he would not really be happy doing those kinds of jobs. I could see him as a university professor or a museum curator. Maybe a librarian or bookstore owner. Or even perhaps an attorney or working for a court in some manner. Or even working for a humanitarian organization (like an NGO) that helps people. Somewhere he could feel fulfilled and use his skills, but not feel like millions of people's lives were on the line if he makes the wrong decision.

X-factor: do they have a talent for something? He is artistic and very creative! He hides it well from others since he does not like being judged. In his free time he loves to draw and paint. He also loves writing stories and even dabbles in poetry although he does not think he is very good.

Yield: how easily do they give in to something/someone? It depends. For someone he loves, he will give in very easily. But others? Not without a huge amount of pushback. And if he feels like he is right about something, he will never relent. Typical Capricorn lol!

Zealous: what are they enthusiastic and passionate about? When it boils down, he is passionate about helping people. Whether it is doing nice things for the people he loves, serving in a good cause, or working for a company whose mission is to make other people's lives better. He lives to serve others, in any capacity.

[mslanna]

Is It Magic?

Chapter 11 of Since the Last Goodbye is now up on AO3!

In which Gale does Gale things, memories of the Tadpole Adventure come up, and friends will be friends.

Despite the late night, Tav woke early. The devil made an excellent substitute for the heaviness of their blanket, though the inbuilt heating might prove a little much once summer set in. Tav pushed the thought away. Summer was months away and by then Raphael would back in the hells. It was a non-problem.

Tav left the non-problem sleeping. The house was wonderfully quiet and empty. Even as they sat down for their first tea, the only noises came muffled from the garden – a bird calling for a mate, the wind in the leaves of the quince. Tav closed their eyes and breathed. The world had come to a comfortable stop and unrecognised tension drained from their body.

Tav drank their tea slowly, listening to the silence and the soft chatter inside their head. The usual mix of planning the future, overanalysing the past, and trying to be in the here and now. How strange not to remember hearing it for the past few days. The thoughts tangled, knotted and spliced into the tapestry of Tav's life.

After enjoying being alone and themself for a while, Tav got up and prepared breakfast. A stronger black tea, stale bread toasted in milk and eggs with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon. While the tea steeped and the bread cooled, Tav wiped the pan and in a bout of activity fried some eggs as well.

They were almost done, when Raphael padded into the kitchen, fully dressed and wary. "You are – awake." The pause bubbled with a thousand words.

Read it all on AO3. No account? No problem! hmu for an invite. 😊

[thestudentfarmer]

9-5-2024 Garden and homesteading update,

Hello, hello!

Life's been keeping me a bit busy recently but I do have a bit of an update for the garden~

Finally Got manure in to fill in a few beds and top off rows. (Which I've started and got going to prep for winter)

Pulled everything but the carrots, cucumber, peppers and 1 tomato (tho the tomatoes on a wire line. I'm still thinking bout pulling it)

I found a few of the armenian cucumbers that might have viable seed, ive got to pull them apart and clean them tonight to dry and give a viability test. I'll leave the cucumbers growing for now. The pollinators and hummingbirds have been using them for shade and fuel. Plus I like the flush of lush foilage and ground cover. It's been extra hot this summer so we haven't seen as much produce as I usually crow about from them. When the weather starts going back to regulalry below 95*f I'm hoping to see more fruiting.

Started up a new bed in the garden. Its a raised bed, two boards tall. This one will be layered on the bottom as usual with cardboard thickly to repell and deter the grass a little bit. Instea dof paper shreds, i cracked up the sunflower stalks I've been saving up to fit the bed size and filled it a good bit with the smaller ones. Topping it off with the manur/compost. I also threw some of the dead cucumber vines with the sunflower stalks to sort of fill it. Not tight packed, just loosely. Just wanna see of it'll work similar to hugelkultur. (Link at end to Wikipedia page).

The sweet potato vines are starting to take off. Thankfully this means I'll have some greens to split between family and the chickens soon. Maybe even some spuds at the end of the season 🤞

The thyme plant kicked the can, the asparagus is ferning out, but not stalking. The basil is seeding pretty good. So with luck some wild seeded basil starts soon.

The sunchokes have stunted a bit, this week I'm gonna see about putting a shade up to see if that'll help them out.

The hollyhocks in the hen alley have been sort of taken over by grasshoppers. So not too much growth among them. Think I'll need to spend a few nights catching them, freezing them and giving them to the chickens for a little extra snack time delight. (Plus getting them out of the garden) I think at that time I'll also lay out some new cardboard as the ground cover has disintegrated pretty well. Looking good beneath on the soil.

Started filling in the area I wanted to put melons in, may instead end up using that area to grow winter veggies, like cauliflower, cabbage or broccoli.

Still need to mix the seed starting soil, cut up some cardboard tubes (gonna try to use them for some seed starting) and get those winter crops started up.

Getting ready to dig out my floral patch to plant elsewhere. (I've been waiting for cooler weather.)

And start up the new direct seed rotation plan (carrots, lettuce, radish, nasturtium and other)

And a few other minor tasks related to the garden and some major ones later too that I'm not gonna get ahead of myself yet on grandoise plans 😂

That's the garden update for now :)

🌱💚Happy Gardening and homesteading💚🌱

Links for additional infos:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCgelkultur

[yurki-posts]

Do you have any oc?? :0

(Not talking 'bout ur persona, im asking like-- an oc or sssstory w ocsss?? lmao---) 👉👈💐

YEESSSSSS I DO!!!!! I have many, many ocs buuuut I lost the pictures of most of them and they don't have a real story yet- so imma just share some of them who I have pictures for and also a little of lore! (please god im begging for the guys in the discord server not to find this or im fucking dead)

Ocs under the cut! (It's quite long and messy so be prepared for lore dump in the second half because it's my personal favorite)

First we have my main oc and the first one I created all by myself! (which means without external help like a character maker or dress up game); Vinn!

(credits of the art to my irl bestie I luv ya!!!)

As you can see, they're a colorful ball. His desing is obviously based on Polandball/Countryballs, where the countries are balls with white eyes. Originally they were going to be their own countryball but I decided to use him as a persona for many years until Yurki came in ;)

Don't let their colors and cuteness foul you, they were banished to hell after burning down uncountable villages and forests. He was obsessed with fire in such a sick way, he was often called an arsonist (rightfully so) by the passersby.

Once in Hell, they lost most of their already damaged mind. They set Hell itself on fire and flames, and before he could reach the last corner of it, he was captured and kicked out of hell, and found himself in a new planet ready to be set on fire with their flamethrower, although it would bring many surprises he couldn't have ever imagined.

That's pretty much a summary of their lore. He loves fire (what a surprise!) and they are best friends with the element of fire of that universe. They don't have many abilities that aren't just advantages of being a ball, but he can breathe fire if that's something. Their story actually continues but it's all written in spanish so I doubt it's even worth to link it here lol.

_______________________________________________

And now...We have many here that I actually do want to work on but idk how to write lol

They're made in Gacha Life 2 if anyone wonders why they don't look drawn.

So in the pictures we have a couple of them, but I actually don't have names for anyone but the green one because I SUCK AT NAMES.

So... anyways the green one is Stunail. The Moth girl is his cousin who has social anxiety and the Butterfly is his older sister. The two dragons are caretakers of a botanical garden and they're friends with Stunail and his cousin.

In that universe, humans are mixed with bugs and other kind of species. There's no racism, but golly there is a lot of specism (discrimination against other species. Not to be confused with Speciesism. Yes I just made that first word out). There's special hatred towards "dirty" and "useless" species, such as Snails, Flies/Mosquitoes, Cockroaches, Rats, and a few more.

Some of them are banned in public spaces in the most specist regions (which are fortunately very few) and have a hard time getting employed, and if they do get employed they usually get paid less than a "normal" species. Some are seen as dangerous and scary, and others as a waste of air and useless to society.

Ofc it's not super obvious at first sight, but it's the subtle things that makes the specism stand out. Looking weird at them, sitting somewhere else if they sit next to you, put your children to play with a different kid in the playground, ignore if they're talking, avoid them if they're seen.

I'm unsure of what this story would follow, but I think it would be about Stunail proving the world that their and other hated species can be as capable and "normal" as any other species, and that they shouldn't be discriminated for their mere existence, and have the same rights as the rest of the species. Alongside Moth Girl's character development where she manages to, slowly, heal from her trauma and social anxiety.

Ohhh and here are some ✨side charaters✨ I also made

The only one with a name (again😞) is the mermaid, Merman! (although I might change his name because it's a little plain). The sheeps are twin brothers, the squid girl is an important administrator of the Eastern Ocean Empire, and Merman is the Monarch of the sea species in the Western side of this last mentioned Empire.

I plan for all of them to connect in one way or another to Stunail and his friends, but I still need to figure that part out "- -

Damn that was a lot of yapping. Hope whoever read all this liked it ^^ I appretiate any opinions about this last one specifically because it's something I actually wanna end up doing somehow.

(Please suggest names im begging on the floor rn)

[purplezombietumbler]

The Dupain-Cheng Sisters

Name: Bridgette Dupain-Cheng.

Aliases: Lovely-Bug (Ladybug Miraculous), Beelzabub (Bee Miraculous), Clawdia Noir (Cat Miraculous), Hissette (Snake Miraculous).

Gender: Female.

Sex: Female.

Pronouns: She/Her.

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Bisexual.

Age: 16.

Astrology Sign: Capricorn.

Race/Ethnicity: Half Chinese, half white. 

Height: 5'8".

Love Interest/Crush: Daphné Laurent.

Personality: Girly, absent-minded, slightly flirty.

Best Quality: Her reliability.

Worst Quality: Her lack of focus.

Fears: Being a bad sister.

Hobbies: Writting, gardening, candle making, photography.

Relationships: 

Tom Dupain: Dad.

Sabine Cheng: Mom.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng: Younger Sister.

Marietta Dupain-Cheng: Younger Sibling.

Vivienne Dupain-Cheng: Youngest Sister.

Various Trivia:

●Is the only child with brown hair and brown eyes like her father.

●Wears the most make up but it's more of a "natural" look.

●Can speak Mandarin, English, and French.

●She the sister that's helps with the bakery the most. Although, admittedly, she isn't THAT passionate about baking.

●Has the longest hair out of all the sisters and keeps it in two french braids.

●Has a part-time job in Wang's art shop.

●Best friends with Socqueline Wang.

●Knows Marinette is Ladybug and carries around a Ladybug keychain to show support.

●Favorite colors are pink, yellow, and orange.

●She was Master Fu's first choice for the Ladybug, but decided against it because Bridgette wasn't the best strategist.

●Met Daphné in her new school.

●Daphné was a secret for most of her family until Socqueline talked Bridgette into coming out.

Playlist: 

♤greedy By Tate McRae

♤Cool For The Summer By Demi Lovato

♤Heart of Gold By Ashley Huff

♤Lovesick By Emily Osment

♤Speed Drive By Charli XCX

Name: Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Aliases: Ladybug, Lady Noire, Multimouse, Dragon Bug, Lady Bee, Pegabug, Pennybug, Ladyfly, Bug Noire.

Gender: Female.

Sex: Female.

Pronouns: She/Her.

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Heterosexual.

Age: 15.

Astrology Sign: Cancer.

Race/Ethnicity: Half Chinese, half white. 

Height: 5'4".

Love Interest/Crush: Adrian Agreste.

Personality: Clumsy, sweet and outgoing, with the occasional bout of low self-esteem.

Best Quality: Her kindness.

Worst Quality: Her obsessive personality.

Fears: Being exposed as Ladybug.

Hobbies: Fashion designing, baking.

Relationships: 

Tom Dupain: Dad.

Sabine Cheng: Mom.

Bridgette Dupain-Cheng: Oldest Sister.

Marietta Dupain-Cheng: Younger Twin Sister (by 29 minutes).

Vivienne Dupain-Cheng: Youngest sister.

Various Trivia: N/A.

Playlist: 

♤New Rules By Dua Lipa

♤breathin By Ariana Grande

♤Look At Her Now By Selena Gomez

♤Power By Little Mix

♤Heroes (We Could Be) By Alesso ft. Tove Lo

(Inspired by @your-art-is-gay )

Name: Marietta Dupain-Cheng.

Aliases: Lady-Luck (Ladybug Miraculous), Mouscedes (Mouse Miraculous), Catty Noir (Cat Miraculous), Blaze (Rooster Miraculous), Maddy-Taur (Ox Miraculous).

Gender: Bigender.

Sex: Female.

Pronouns: She/Him.

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Acesexual, Heteroromantic.

Age: 15.

Astrology Sign: Cancer.

Race/Ethnicity: Half Chinese, half white. 

Height: 5'4".

Love Interest/Crush: Max Kanté.

Personality: Tomboy, plays dumb because she's laid back and hates it when people think she's going to cure cancer or something.

Best Quality: Her chill attitude.

Worst Quality: She plays dumb.

Fears: Failure.

Hobbies: Skateboarding, painting, history, sports.

Relationships: 

Tom Dupain: Dad.

Sabine Cheng: Mom.

Bridgette Dupain-Cheng: Oldest sister.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng: Older Twin Sister (by 29 minutes).

Vivienne Dupain-Cheng: Younger sister.

Various Trivia:

●Helps Sabine with her painting class as much as she can.

●Best friends with Alix Kubdel.

●She had a crush on Alix, but when she found out Alix was Aromatic, Marietta backed off and stayed friends.

●Knows Marinette is Ladybug.

●Fights with Vivienne the most. (Usually its play-fighting but still).

●Knows Marinette is Ladybug and has a Ladybug bracelet to show support. She also covers for Marinette most of the time.

●Has the shortest haircut out of all the sisters, styled in a disheveled mushroom.

●Favorite colors are Blue, Red, Black.

●Came out to Alix first.

●She doesn't like to show off, but she can beat Kim in an arm wrestling contest and takes pride in her athleticism.

●She perfers to be the "side character" and doesn't like attention.

●She's the only person that can keep with Max in a conversation.

Playlist: 

♤Here's To Never Growing Up By Avril Lavigne

♤Don’t Play By Halsey

♤Harleys In Hawaii By Katy Perry

♤AMERICAN HORROR SHOW By SNOW WIFE

♤Paint The Town Red By Rain Paris

Name: Vivienne Dupain-Cheng.

Aliases: Shadybug (Ladybug Miraculous), Purrsephone (Cat Miraculous), Tiger Lilly (Tiger Miraculous).

Gender: Female.

Sex: Female.

Pronouns: She/They.

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Lesbian.

Age: 14.

Astrology Sign: Scorpio.

Race/Ethnicity: Half Chinese, half white. 

Height: 4'9".

Love Interest/Crush: Zoé Lee.

Personality: Had to learn quickly that "Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD!" Has a hard time keeping her temper in check, especially with people who disrespect her sisters.

Best Quality: Her loyalty.

Worst Quality: Her temper.

Fears: Thunder and lightning.

Hobbies: Music, poetry, electronic guitar.

Relationships: 

Tom Dupain: Dad.

Sabine Cheng: Mom.

Bridgette Dupain-Cheng: Oldest sister.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng: Older sister.

Marietta Dupain-Cheng: Older sister.

Various Trivia:

●Emo Baby™.

●Her favorite singer is Jagged Stone.

●Has the least incommon with Marinette.

●Hates Kim. With most her being.

●Hates Chloé Bourgeois.

●She has the ability to know when someone is lying to her, and immediately doesn't like Lila Rossi.

●Favorite colors are Magenta, purple, black.

●Wears the most visible make up of all the sisters (eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick).

●When Vivienne found out what Kim did to Marinette, she pulled him aside and told him: "If you hurt my sister, purposely or otherwise, I will beat you up so bad you're going to wish that you were dead," and ever since then, Kim has been terrified of Viv and doesn't go near Marinette.

●Prized possessions are her MP3 player and her noise canceling headphones.

●Collections vinyl records.

●Gets music lessons from Luka.

●She used to get into rages and destroy things and hurt herself but now channels her energy in music.

●Has black hair like her mom and magenta highlights and styles it short choppy emo haircut.

●The closest thing to a friend she has is Luka but other than that, she has no friends.

Playlist: 

♤All I Wanted By Paramore

♤After Dark By Mr. Kitty

♤Problem By Becky G

♤Afterglow By Taylor Swift

♤Hands Up! By 6arelyhuman & kets4eki ft. pixel hood

[unknown--author]

Random Heartslabyul Headcanons

Cater Diamond

Cater plays little games on his phone like the TWST equivalent of Candy Crush, Eggy Car, or the Dino Game to unwind

Adding a bit onto that, one of his happiest moments was when his family was busy on his birthday and he could eat spicy ramen in peace while playing his silly little games

In his mind, Cater thinks of people as trends; they come and go and won't stay around forever

(TW: Eating Disorder) After his hatred for sweets started developing, Cater started throwing up whenever he had them (Bulimia or some form of it). Had to eat a load of sweets for an Unbirthday party? "Sorry, I have to go to the bathroom. CayCay will be back in a minute!" Sisters stuffing his face with it again? "Mom asked me to tend to her garden. One sec, sis!"

Riddle Rosehearts

(Book 1 spoilers) After his overblot, Riddle uses mantras to calm down, sorta like Pepa from Enchanto. "I have a never ending supply of patience." "This has no effect on my life." "I'm relaxed and at ease."

Riddle also uses music as a way to destress. Singing along to Happy by Pharrell Williams? Nope. He's rocking out to Monster by Skillet.

At least twice a month, he sneaks in to the kitchen and steals a tart. Just sits on the floor and shoves it in his face. Trey doesn't care as long as Riddle brushes his teeth afterward (he doesn't, he forgets)

(TW: More Food Issues) (More book 1 spoilers) Before the trip to the bakery, Riddle had a shit relationship with food. He thought it tasted bland and found it hard to eat. The only reason he would was because of his mother watching over his shoulder. And after the bakery incident, his relationship with it got worse for a while. Though, as he knew that this was unhealthy, he eventually made a promise to himself. That he'd become the mage his mother could be proud of, so she'd allow him to have those breath-taking tarts.

Trey Clover

While baking, he listens to a mix of Nelly Furtado and Eminem. Specifically, Maneater, Promiscuous, Superman, Without Me, and Til' I Collapse.

Trey stuffs recipies in his fedora, like Vivo from... Vivo. At least, he did this when he first came to Night Raven to remember them.

Reminder: he was probably a nervous freshman once. Seeing that would probably be hilarious.

For his fourth year, Trey actually considered interning with Sebek's father.

Ace Trappola

He wet the bed until he was like 8; his brother still makes fun of him for it

His father was extremely close to beating Ace's ass when he found out how Ace treated the Ramshackle Prefect in the beginning. Ace's father is magicless as well and doesn't tolerate any bullshit

A few of his childhood friends go to RSA now, so he doesn't hold as much dislike towards the rival school

His mother is a sensitive topic, he usually doesn't bring her up unless he's making some sort of "motherless" joke. Ace usually only makes motherless jokes if he's made a similar joke about Deuce's dad (and if he's made a joke about an absent parent of Yuu's, if they have one)

Deuce Spade

Coping skills for his anger include: working out, listening to music, and arguing with Ace

He makes playlists not only for his friends, but for certain events in his life. Yes, Deuce did make playlists for the overblots (Riddle's included mostly songs about revolution

There was an inside joke about Deuce not knowing store-bought eggs aren't fertilized in his middle school gang, though he didn't realize it

(TW: Mental health issues) Deuce had little bouts of depression after he overheard his mom's phone call. Doubt would cloud his mind on whether he should stay and if his mother would be better off without him. He'd shake himself out of this thinking process by reminding himself that his mom would be alone if he wasn't there

This was made in the span of two 3am nights. Basically is went through three phases: I'm hungry, I don't like Trey, and I'm listening to Mama by MCR

[phillipthesims]

Gen One: Chapter 8

As the months passed, Lily's and Lupin's... relationship? was no better than it had been before Tula's birth. He worked a lot, and Lily kept house and took care of the baby. Her sweet baby.

Juggling the housework, cooking, and an infant was hard, but Lily managed. If for no other reason then for her child. Her child desired the best, her mother's best... her father's best?

Tula grew up into a calm infant. With her mother's skin, but her father's eyes and hair. The brightest of pinks and Lily loved putting Tula's hair into cute bows. She dressed her in a mix of pink and white, her daughter was the perfect mix of her and Lupin.

Her daughter's personality grew, she laughed and smiled at the sight of her mother and she adored being held. She was her mother's gem, her prize tulip in her garden.

Where Lily went, Tula was not far, if not in her arms. She'd set up the infant's playmat in the living room while she cleaned the kitchen. In the backyard garden, Tula was in a back carrier as Lily watered the needy plants.

She saw all of her daughter's milestones and made note of the day each occurred. Write each down in her new journal. When Tula rolled over, started creeping, crawling. Sitting up was a big one followed by her trying baby food in the highchair. Sweet potatoes she loved.

She loved how her daughter splashed around in the bath, even if that meant Lily also got wet. Her child was her everything and was how she got through Lupin's current bout of coldness.

He didn't talk to her much and even less so when she was constantly holding their child. If Lily tried to start any conversation, usually about Tula and her care, He'd get up and leave for his room....

She felt surprisingly okay with his lack of affection; after all there was an infant that needed all of her attention. It was an easy distraction from what was their relationship....

That was until a sudden switch from Lupin one day after he came home.

He took her to his room and was so sweet... and loving. Whispering everything Lily wanted to hear from him. Her heart couldn't resist his charm, he said he loved her. That he wanted their family to be happy and joyful.... Apologized for his past behavior, saying how worried he was and that he overreacted.

He... he loved her. She loved him... right? Yes, this was how a family was supposed to be.

[unsaintlike]

Sure is. Don't ask how I know, but, yeah. I mean, I've seen it snow a good amount even as late as April, so it's definitely possible. Just depends on what the weather decides it wants to do. Well, I might sound like a life-long hockey fan at times, but the truth of the matter is I didn't really get into it 'til I was livin' out in Philly -- which is the Flyers home. That's why they were my first team, and then it just so happened Vegas was chosen for the expansion team when I was livin' out there, so that was a perfect match. It's actually not too difficult followin' 'em both, but I imagine it would get trickier tryin' to add more into the mix. That's why I'll be stickin' with only them for the time being. Gee, thanks for lettin' me off the hook for something that wasn't even my fault to begin with, darlin', haha. I can drop some recommendations, though, no problem. Since you're Miss Ice Princess, think it's only fittin' I mention Mt. Charleston first. It's 'bout forty-five minutes outside of Vegas, so technically not in the city, but close enough, I think. Don't know what the snow sitch is on the mountains since I don't gotta pay attention to it anymore these days, but it's usually a nice spot to see if you wanna see it. Aside from that, I'll always bring up the conservatory at the Bellagio, since that's fun to see. And if you like gardens, there's a cool botanical garden at the Springs Preserve. There's also a couple museums at the Preserves as well, so plenty of other things to do there.

[the-ziero-experience]

oooh the Nald'thal questions 28, 29 30, if they haven't been asked already!

28. How materialistic is your character? They aren't materialistic in the slightest, actually. Material objects don't hold much significance for them nor are there physical items that would throw themselves toward or be willing to go into debt for. 29. Is your character frugal or do they tend to be extravagant? This is another one that is very much a mix between both. Because when it comes to style/fashion, along with weaponry & maintenance, they're Extravagant, spending top Gil on those types of items. Because they will have a use for them as opposed to spending a million Gil on a gold-plated dildo or something stupid for the "Just To Have It" mindset or being suckered into wasting money on "Limited Edition" items. (god I wish that was me...)

Yrys more so than Alys. He usually ends up fronting the bill when it comes to the two of them. But when it comes to foodstuffs, there isn't really a difference between cheap food and extravagant food for them. Also helps that they don't exactly need traditional food to nourish themselves when they can just slurp up someone's aether.

Yrys would end up spending a bit more money on shop supplies, garden supplies n' the like to maintain his little shop, but that's 'bout it. 30. Is there something they’d trade anything for? If so, what?

I can't really see them having a moment of being like "I have to have this right here, right now. I'll give anything for it."

Not even for a massive supply of Aether.

Thank you for the ask!!! ;w; ♥

[the-fourth-knower]

Diary of a lost doe, part 1

A short fic where my character Annabelle writes in diaries

Fresh off losing her parents, Annabelle Flaches must contend with trying to fend for herself and her baby sister Angelica. And with Angelica talking to a mysterious green orb when she thinks Annabelle isn’t watching, things are only at the tip of the iceberg.

This is for me and Aquillis’s “half and half” AU, our ‘main’ AU. not to be confused with Aqui’s pack universe which is her underground re-write.

Due to the length I'm splitting this into two parts. This is part 1, part 2 is here!

Diary Enry 1, Day I dunno.

Okay here it is. First diary entry I guess. Gotta keep it brief, writing instruements are hard.

Been a few months since that day. We’re doing fine. Angie started another garden. Moved to a new spot.

Got some new things for the house. Old car door and a tire. Not sure what I’ll do with the tire gonna use the door as part of wall.

Finished roof this morning. Good thing 2, might rain.

Angie still sleps bad if not next to me. Writing while she’s curled up. Wasn’t for scars on ear and having to sleep in same clothes she’d look like we’re still home.

Gotta sleep now.

Diary Entry 2

Maybe got a job. Illegal probs but $ is $

Angelica talked more today. Good sign? Maybe she relapses back into not talking but progress.

I never thought i’d miss her annoying stupid “hey lets go explore a cave and not tell anyone bout what we’ll do” self. Never thought about losing mum and pa ei

Shit crying. Bye.

Diary entry 3

Diary didn’t get too wet yesterday.Don’t think bout mom and pa it ends badly.

I can’t afford to break down even if Angie’s sleeping

If I break down then Angie will get upset

I won’t put her through it

I won’t

…

Diary entry 54

Had to leave town but am 600 $ richer

Angie’s quiet again. But she didn’t complain bout us leavin

gonna go for a city maybe. more risk but more money and places to live.

Jadetown’s the city. Dunno too much bout it but mum liked it.

Should get there in maybe a cuple weeks or so

Angie’s sound asleep. No kicking or anything so that’s good

Hope the city’s okay. Angie hates crowds.

Need somewhere with not a lot of crowds to live at

…

Diary Entry 63

Been a hot second. Settling in Jadetown’s pretty hard.

Find a quiet spot in the slums. Pretty shitty now, but the two of us can make it work

Angie still isn’t talking, but she kept close to me while we made our way through the crowds. She seemed fine as long as she held my hand

Lost her a couple times, but not for long. She seemed upset bout it.

Sorry Angie.

I’ll do better. I promise.

...

Diary Entry 169 (it’s the morning but fuck it)

The nightmare happened again.

Angelica having her ear scared by those monsters. mum and pa being taken away in exchange for us being set loose

Only it loops around and around before it’s just cries and blood and knives and screams and crying and they’re all surrounding me judging me for just failing everyone because you’re a fucking failure

Haven’t had it a while. Don’t upset yourself, Angie needs you.

Diary entry 169? Night

Angelica almost killed some street thugs.

we caught some dumbass looking punks bullying some sort of chao. I think it’s a chao

I ran up to one like an idiot and gout in their face to know what they’re doin, and the things went dark. I got knocked out on my ass, apparenlty the big brute that led them butted me in the head. Asshole didn’t even let me get ready

I came to to Angie trying to shake me awake. When I looked around the punks were gone, there were plant vines all over, and the other kids that had gathered were a mix of crapped their pants and mouths on the floor

I asked angie bout it and she just said she took care of them and that the punks had run off

What the hell did she do? Usually I’m the one saving her? But she was having none of it today.

Oh the chao’s fine, weirdass chao though. Never seen chao that just cause flowers to grow around them or in their footsteps.

Made 30 $

Rib’s hurting and headache, Angie fast asleep. Time for bed.

Diary Entry 170

Chao’s bak.

Visited Angie’s garden for a while watchin me watchin it. It waved and left right around Angie gettin up.

Showed up again when we got back home. Angie hasn’t seen it yet. Good thing, she wanted to bring it with us. We can’t afford three mouths.

I don’t like it. We save its ass and now its stalking us.

Made nothin.

Ribs hurt less. Still a bitch.

Diary entry 171

Angie’s found the “chao”

She talked to it all morning when she thought i was napping. Couldn’t sleep, too afraid of bad dreams.

It doesn’t make chao sounds. Or it does but really weird ones.

Then it turned a green light ball for a bit and back into a chao

Angie liked that.

I don’t trust it. Even less.

Need to watch it.

Angie’s relaxed.

Made 5$.

Diary Entry 172 morn

Nightmare again

Diary Entry 172 night

Angie got excited, claimed that she “found Trevor”

he lived near us back in our old home

Had to tell her no, every red mouse we see is not Trevor.

She says that Trevor and his family were gonna move here, pretty inistent too.

Man she gets caught up on the smallest things

Made 20$

Diary Entry 173

Chao returned while i was working. Left Angie on her own

Shes seemed like she was having a fun time being able to talk with someone

She’s not made friends much. Maybe i’m being too hard on the ‘chao’

Still gotta watch it. It could be manipulating her

Haven’t told her I know bout the chao yet.

Should i?

Not now. Angelica is sleeping.

Made 5$

Diary Entry 174

‘Trevor’ spotting 2. Angie wanted to go bug the person. So we went and sure enough as we got closer Angie changed her mind. It was a rat, not a mouse she said.

How can she tell the difference?

No Angie and chao visit. Unless it was while i slept in. but why would she be secretive bout it?

Saw the punk bitch again today. Looked like he crapped his pants when he saw Angie and she glared at him. That’s my sister.

Made 60$

…

Diary Entry 364

Got a new diary. Last entry for this one. Things going well. Got a good thing going for myself.

Angie found a new plant today, and now she’s got it in her garden.

Loved the look on her face when I got it for her.

Made 50$

Angelica’s chatted with the Chao again. Sort of like, is her guardian I think. Or is that its name

Guess good bye diary 1. Really weird to do but it feels right.

Angie’s sleeping well enough on her own. She mumbles but that seems it.

Do I do a good job keeping her safe

Diary 2 Entry 1

Managed to find a new diary. Keeping the old one just cause, and because I have the storage. For a couple of street bum does, we’ve got a decent enough house going. Been able to put it together from bits and bobs lying around, Angie even threw in her hat and added her own touches.

Looks ugly as hell with the plants holding things together and it’s all a mish mash of junk and crap I found, but it’s our mishmash of junk and crap.

Also saved up enough and am making enough to afford more than one pen and even some pencils. So I can write more often. Just felt like writing

Angie’s started to get more vocal again. I think she’s catching onto the fact the way I’ve been making money is less than honest a lot of the time.

I’m not going to sell myself for it though. I’m not degrading myself with that and nayone who fucking tries is going to a hospital.

And if any of those freaks dare go near Angie there won’t be enough left for a morgue to pick up.

Oh, and the chao’s still around. I can feel it. Angelica loves it, I think. I don’t trust it entirely, yet. But, it hasn't been a danger for the past months. So I think it’s actually a good thing.. Angie calls it Guardian. Maybe it's our own Guardian Angel.

Made 65$ today.

Good journal entry me. You got talkative. Writative? Whatever.

...

Diary 2 Entry 23

Got into a fight today, that was fun. The punks from when I helped save Guardian decided to jump me when Angelica was at the house. Guess they figured they could jump me without little sis to back me up. Too bad for them, when I don’t get suckered I’m damn good at defending myself. Sent them packing. Got a bit bruised. Why is it always the ribs with those guys.

Admittedly. I didn’t have to beat the crap out of them. But talk shit get hit, I say. They shouldn’t have been trash talking me when I was walking by.

-

Angelica was upset when I got back. Should’ve expected that, really. Don’t know why I didn’t think she would notice me being hurt, she’s got a sixth sense for that sort of thing. Always has. Kinda weird.

But, she did try and heal me a bit. Somehow, she’s gotten better at it -Ever since she's met Guardian, she’s gotten more control over that healing ability she has. I just need to make sure she doesn’t overdo herself again.

I don’t know anything much bout healing magic or whatever it is, but I don’t think what Angie has is normal. I think she uses herself for it. Whatever healing she tries to do just eats away at her. And whatever it was was enough to frighten Pa to move us in the first place

-

I think part of me might blame ANgie for it. For getting us out of the safety of where we lived near Agateton and moving.

But if we didn’t move would we really have been safe still. And it wasn’t Angie’s fault she did what she did, it was Pa who pushed for it and Mum who went with it.

So do I blame them? I don’t want to. The monsters that took them and hurt Angie are the ones to blame.

But they wouldn’t have found us if we didn’t move near that forest. But Mum and Pa couldn’t have seen it coming.

Ugh. brain hurts. Fuck this mind screw bullshite

Spent 123.54$ today. Groceries and supplies. Tampons are stupid expensive but I want to have a decent supply for when we need them. Also some food.

Made 13$. Gonna need to work more to recoup.

No idea if Angie talked with Guardian. She still thinks I don’t know anythin bout it.

At least, I think she doesn’t. She gets defensive and acts like she doesn’t know what I’m talking about.

I wonder why she does that. Wonder if it’s tied with how I react to her saying she’s found Trevor for the umpteenth time.

Maybe I should press her bout it. But I don’t want to get her worked up over nothin.

Okay that’s enough, my mind’s getting wandering now and I stay up if I do that.

...

Diary 2 Entry 54

Someone showed up with a bunch of robots earlier. Cause quite the commotion, sent people running, the usual.

Apparently he set up shop in the rich quarter and is causing all sorts of troubles. People have been coming to and fro a lot the past few days.

Angie got worried over explosions. Had to calm her down, explain that whatever it was probably wasn’t coming here. She asked me bout the people there and if they needed help - told her that someone would take care of the rich fops. That’s what they do after all. Who gives a shit about two practically orphaned kids.

Not sure if she bought it. Gotta keep an eye on her. Might need to pull an all nighter.

And we don’t have any energy drinks or coffee. I could go grab one, no one is gonna give a shit if I do, not in this current environment.

Gotta stop for now. Gotta focus on Angie not some stupid book.

Entry 55

Angie’s missin

[lune-hime]

Garden of Tulips (Levi/Reader) Chapter 4

~Click me for more chapters~

“What did it look like?”

“Hmm?” Levi looked up from his place next to your sleeping form. ���The titan that tried to snack on my darling granddaughter.” “Ugly as fuck.” “Aren’t they all?”

Levi recounts memories of the reader and their shared life together while she recovers from a serious injury.

!!WARNINGS!! - Violence, gore, smut, wholesome content ;)

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

Tulipa Rainbow Parrot ~ A tulip whose vibrant warm tones burst from deep violet petals like festive firecrackers.

↞↠↞↠↞↠

“Where is that frilly lass? We are already behind schedule.” Your grandmother exhaled and tapped her foot impatiently. Levi idly counted the butterflies that fluttered at the foxgloves planted along the polished steps he sat upon. In all honesty, he didn’t mind the waiting. The longer they lingered at the property meant less time for his anxiety to rear its ugly head the moment they left you behind.

The harsh crunching of dirt under boots collided with his ear drums as a young woman raced into view. She held fistfulls of her jade colored dress with one hand while the other struggled to keep the satchel on her shoulder as it flapped wildly in time with her pace.

“‘Bout time.” The old woman huffed, crossing her arms and assuming a position that reminded Levi that she was once a high ranking officer in the armed forces. The girl that Levi presumed to be Felicia skidded to a halt in front of them. Her ragged breaths broke the mid-morning calm and her erratic movements had scared off Levi’s counting material.

“I’m here gnädige Frau! So sorry I’m late, I was preparing some tonics for miss Y/N and-well-” Felicia was heaving and inhaled sharply before continuing.

“I dropped the first batch on the floor so I had to clean up the glass but the shattering of the bottle gave me such a fright that I knocked over the mixing bowl and thus there all my ingredients were now wasted so I had to return to the apothecary to fetch new ones and-” Due to her lack of breath, her excited explanation was barely understandable the longer she carried on. Your grandmother held up a hand signaling her to stop. Felicia coughed once and immediately straightened up, clearly intimidated. She brushed the stray honey blonde baby hairs that had haphazardly escaped their hold back into place behind her ears and stood at attention.

“Felicia, that’s enough.” The lack of surprise in your grandmother’s voice let Levi know that this kind of interaction was nothing new.

“This is Levi. I’m very sure you have heard of him, as has the entirety of the walls.” She gestured to Levi with a nod of her head. Felicia gasped, immediately spewing apologies for not greeting him immediately.

“Oh my! Captain, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Felicia sputtered politely, attempting a deep curtsy. Her bag fell dangerously close to the ground as she did so and she just barely caught it when the strap slipped down to her elbow. She fumbled to collect herself and proceeded to salute enthusiastically, puffing her chest and looking straight past either of the other soldiers in front of her.

Levi shot a quizzical look at your grandmother who just shook her head and sighed.

“At ease?” Levi responded.

“Come inside, girl. It’s a shame that this is your first meeting with Y/N in a while.” Your grandmother turned on her heel and started up the stairs. Levi stood up and waited for Felicia to follow her, however she stood impeccably straight at the bottom of the porch. Levi regarded her with raised eyebrows.

“After you.” He stated unsure, arm extended towards the door. She squeaked and nodded vigoriously and trotted into the house, all the way her bag clanking loudly.

The creaking of the stairs was a prelude to the horrified gasp that resounded through the doorway. Felicia’s expression mimicked your grandmother’s when he had presented you in your state. The pure sadness that hummed along her features gave Levi a glimpse at what he must have looked like when he had seen the abnormal swat you out of the sky.

“Gnädige Frau, w-what happened?” Felicia’s voice crackled with emotion and her hands shook against the leather in her hands.

“Titans, that’s what. Her cuts are deep. I reckon she’s got some fractured ribs, too, based on her bruising.” Your grandmother responded. Levi stood at the foot of the bed, his arms crossed into himself and a hand resting at his chin.

“I tended to her most pressing wounds last night. But I’m afraid her body has gone into shock and she has yet to wake up.”

Felicia nodded, tears beginning to pool at the corners of her eyes. Levi felt a pang in his chest for the girl. You had told him many stories about her; her character painted with fond childhood memories. It was a surreal experience for Levi to be putting so many names and concepts to faces when you weren’t here to experience them with him consciously.

“What have you brought?” Your grandmother inquired, snapping Felica out of her bubbling well.

“U-um, some tonics, antiseptics, salts.” She sniffled.

“Good, good. You are a fine apprentice indeed.” Your grandmother praised and moved so Felicia could get closer to you.

Felicia began unloading the contents of her bag. Levi watched as glass bottles, their liquids a rainbow of colors, were laid out on the table. Her practice seemed more like witchcraft than medicine.

“Where exactly do you apprentice?” Levi asked, curiosity and slight worry about the extensiveness and obscurity of her collection getting the better of him. Felicia halted her actions and stopped what she was doing to properly address Levi, standing straight as an arrow.

“Oh! Besides being a housekeeper for the Vogel estate-”

“Hush, this is no estate. Maybe during my father’s time but now it's just a house.” Your grandmother mumbled while eyeing a thin-necked bottle with a foaming liquid inside.

“R-right, Frau Vogel. In addition to being a housekeeper for the Vogel family , I am also an apprentice at the local apothecary. Krovla’s hospital is constantly overrun these days, so I’m learning how to treat the locals here.” Felicia explained with a formality that contrasted with her scattered personality. Levi nodded in understanding.  

“Felicia, you don’t need to treat Levi like a prized artifact. He’s not your superior officer so stop with this saluting-bullshit. You’re the same age for Pete’s sake.” Your grandmother said, annoyance seeping onto her face.

Felicia let out a squeak and nodded slowly. She was clearly uncomfortable about casually addressing someone of more experience, even if they were the same age. While she was apprehensive about improperly addressing authority, she was not apprehensive about talking. Levi quickly learned that she was quite the nervous chatterbox.

“Captain, gnädige Frau, would you both help me set her up please.” She requested, giving one of her bottles one last inspection and a final swirl.

“Captain, open her mouth please.” Felicia instructed softly. Levi was sitting so close to you that his thigh almost brushed your forearm. Yet, he was afraid to touch you. It was strange, and gave him that familiar stomach churning feeling. How could something so loved and familiar to him feel so fragile and foreign? His thumb ghosted over your pale lips and with as delicate a hand as he could muster pulled down your jaw. He held it there while Felicia carefully had you drink the tonic. It was a painfully slow process where Levi fixed his gaze on your limp form still performing living functions.

“It is wonderful that she is able to swallow.” Felicia commented, relief evident in her voice. She screwed the cap back onto the bottle and discarded it next to her bag.

“Mhm. It could have been much worse.” Your grandmother answered. Her statement rang true but cast a dark cloud over the already damp room. Felicia picked up on this and cleared her throat.

“You know, Captain, when Y/N has been able to return home she always talks about you. She goes on an on and on about your handsomeness, selflessness-” Felicia adorned a nostalgic smile as she recalled your musings.

The corner of Levi’s mouth twitched upward into an almost grin. Damn, you made him sound like prince charming. Which was appreciated, but couldn’t be more far from the truth.

“I gotta say I agree with her that your height is very cute-” She drawled and then bristled like a startled cat. Your grandmother could not contain her guffaw and slapped the now wide eyed Felicia on the back. She didn’t have a filter, poor thing. Like a fawn with a blabber mouth caught at gunpoint, she was.

Levi cringed and let out a deep sigh.

“I-I mean-that’s not a bad thing...right?” Felicia was now as red as a beet and looked as if her head was going to explode out of embarrassment. Levi didn’t respond, only regarded her with the unfamiliar steeliness that scared many.

Frankly, Levi couldn’t give one single shit about how tall he was; or anyone for that matter. But the incessant declaration of cuteness by comrades and strangers alike never sat well with him. Like a fly ceaselessly buzzing against a window it cannot cross. Usually the teasing would be solved with force but he was not about to use that on your family.

“What’s with that look? There’s nothing wrong with being short, I mean look at me.” Your grandmother stated confidently with a wily grin.

↞♞♘↠

The glee of the capital’s festival bled through the streets and blanketed every corner of the city on this celebrated evening. Everywhere he looked was another smiling face infected with the festival cheer. Levi couldn't deny that even he was not utterly immune to the happy virus.

His good mood was mostly due to you (and being able to finally rid himself of the stuffy capital officials), or moreover his alone time with you. After the opening ceremony, which was mostly glorifying the military police while the garrison and corps were there to stand there as ornaments of the government, was mandated break time for all soldiers. You two had simultaneously ditched Eren and Jean when they started getting competitive with the festival games and swerved Hange when she got particularly excited about the fancy delicacies.

Your mood, on the other hand, had done a complete 180 since ditching your decorated uniform for civilian clothes. Your fingers pawed at the fabric of your baby blue dress as intrusive thoughts began to slither through your mind like the blindingly neon colored plush snakes that could be won as prizes. You weren’t usually one to be bothered by the opinions of obnoxious festival goers. Unless it poked at one of your deepest insecurities.

A hundred times over you had told yourself to not let it ruin your night out. That your obsessiveness was stupid. Irrational even. That Levi had proved your persistent opinions wrong many many times. But like anyone knows with a thought that was born deep under your skin and resides within your tissues, it's very hard to eradicate.

“Would you ever date a girl who is taller than you?” One guy asked, gesturing discreetly in your direction from their spot behind you in line.

“Nah man. I wouldn’t be able to feel like a man. She’s sexy though, so even if I was shorter than her I’d make an exception.” One of the others added with a charm only a teenage boy could find appealing. The rest of their party hummed in agreement.

You tried your absolute hardest to focus on the lively drum beats, the elated stomping of dancers, and the boisterous pops of fire crackers. Yet their uninvited snickers remained replaying through your mind. You attempted to present as unbothered as Levi passed you his corndog. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and gave his shoulders a few lazy rolls.

You were supposed to be enjoying the Festival of the Hearth, supposed to be watching Levi lose to you at the hammer strength game, supposed to be happily eating your coma-inducing fried food, supposed to not let comments like that infringe on your happiness. The mental strain of your last expedition paired with the exhaustion that followed official government meetings left you with a petri dish for growing your insecurity. You knew you didn't need the approval of strangers but it ate away at you nonetheless. The victorious chiming of the bell at the top of the game rang with such force that it pulled you out of your pity party.

“I beat you.” Levi announced and turned back to smirk at you. He accepted the plushie, a creature somewhere between a turtle and a duck, from the carnival worker.

“Yeah, good job!” You exclaimed with forced gusto. When your grin cracked Levi squinted his eyes in suspicion. He regarded you with the sternness of a scolding parent, gaze flitting from you to the group behind you.

“How you let other people’s stupid opinions drag you down still gets to me.” Levi looked up at you with light annoyance. His agitation wasn’t a stab towards you but rather frustration that you couldn’t let these things go.

“What do you mean?” You abruptly answered. The hastiness of your reply was about as convincing as a wilted flower.

“It’s useless to play dumb with me. Why are you listening to random brats? Don’t you do enough of that back at HQ?” Levi chided as he cuffed his sleeves, the plushie held securely in his armpit.

“Look, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“No, some people talk too fucking loud.” Levi added, voice like a razor blade. His eyes were a weapon and dug so sharply into the men that they all began to find the neighboring cotton candy machine incredibly visually stimulating. You then hastily pulled Levi to the side to not clog up the line for the game.

“I heard what they said and it shouldn’t matter.” He said as he traded you the food for the plush. It was soft to the touch and looked at you with cold but adorable eyes. Akin to how you would describe those belonging to your love.

“I know. It’s fine, I’m fine.” You assured, hugging the turtle-duck to your chest. You knew too well he wouldn’t pick up the bullshit you were putting down. But, eh, it was worth a try.

He deadpanned and held your gaze so intensely that soon Tesla coils were spinning in the space between the two of you.

“Come on.” He beckoned. His voice was almost too low to hear over the ringing of the carnival games. He weaved the fingers of his free hand with yours so to not lose you as he led you through the hustle and bustle. No words were shared along this walk, allowing all the sensories of the festival to set in. Bodies danced past you in varying frenzies, confetti blasted in sporadic showers from the rooftops, and the artificial lights from the carnival games swept you up and

made you feel like you were in another world. Only a passing hello was exchanged when you briefly bumped into Sasha and Connie in line for the baked potatoes.

Levi parked you at the boardwalk. Plump tulips swayed in time with the music along the base of the railing. The river was alight with wishing lanterns, each one of them twinkling like fallen stars along the rippling water. He unbraided his fingers from yours and gave you that electric look once again.

He turned to you already assured of the outcome of what he was mentally planning.

“Do you wish I was taller?” He inquired nonchalantly. He leaned against the railing and took a bite out of his corn dog.

You huffed, a bit taken aback by his question. When he regarded you with one brow raised, that half smug grin of his made it click. He was trying to get you to realize the absurdity of your worries.

As if you didn’t already know.

“Of course I don’t.” You pouted. The warm light that bobbed from within the floating lanterns danced along your skin, giving you an ethereal glow that briefly made Levi forget what he even asked you. He found your hypocrisy amusingly irritating.

Levi had no self-consciousness about his appearance, for it really didn’t matter to him. He was aware that he was considered “handsome” by you and plenty of others but it was all dirt off his shoulders in the grand scheme of things. The workings of his physicality is what was more important, not its aesthetics.

“What if I said that I hated myself because I am short.” He questioned again. The evenness with which he posed his question did nothing to hide his lack of sincerity. You stared at him like someone who knew they had already lost a bet.

“Well you already hate yourself so-” You responded dryly, attempting to divert the conversation away from your ebbing embarrassment.  Levi rolled his eyes and continued to wait for the response he desired.

“Fine. I would say that it’s dumb to think that way.” You mumbled, resigning to his logic.

Levi’s lips curled. The annoyance that had surrounded him before was dusted off by the soft eyelashes of the night sky. He ditched the remnants of his corn dog in the nearest trashcan and approached you so that only a few inches separated your bodies.

“I would never wish for something as trivial as changing your height. The fact I have to slightly look up at you is one of the most insignificant things in my life.” He stated, tilting his head gently upward to meet your gaze.  His sincerity struck you like an arrow and embedded itself so lovingly within you that it shot all of the pesky doubts right out of your body.

“I know thoughts can get stuck in that brain of yours but focus on what you think of yourself and not what a group of shitheads, or anyone, decides to vomit out of their mouths.” The vulgarity of his sentence made you smile and you nodded in affirmation.

“Thank you, Levi.” You said, letting out one last puff air to rid your body of the sour mood.

He grinned in return, blessing you with one of your favorite sights. Despite feeling like a slight doofus, Levi didn’t belittle you for feeling this way. Moments like these caused the kind man under the marbled facade to peep through and made your chest swell with even more love for him.

“Here, there’s one more thing I want to do to further prove my point.” He said, gesturing towards the wooden booth selling wishing lanterns. Once a few dollars were handed over, the woman behind the counter gave the two of you square pieces of parchment and a pair of quills.

“I can think of a million other things I would rather wish for.” Levi reaffirmed as he dipped the quill in the inkwell.

“Like for the titans to fuck off into oblivion. To make Eren’s asshole the only orphus on his body so I don’t have to deal with his constant screaming. To get Hange to stop asking me for my toenails. Fucking disgusting.” He muttered the last part with a grimace. His attempt to make you laugh had succeeded and his heart bloomed with warmth when he heard you giggle.

“For a bigger bath so we have more room to-” He began casually, instantly being shushed by your finger to his lips. With his lips blocked his eyes smirked instead.

“You can’t write that.” You interjected in disbelief.

“Why not? No one is going to see it. My lantern, my wish.” He replied with a shameless shrug. You shook your head and set down your plushie to start writing your own.

“See? No height changes on this.” Levi declared after a few moments. His sudden display of paper made you quickly conceal yours. Your eyes skimmed over the colorful, yet surprisingly lovely language that dipped you in a feeling as warm as the sugared glaze of the carnival donuts.

“You have a lot of wishes.” You commented. Granted, most of them were obscure and seemed only to be there to lift your spirits.

“This world fucking sucks.” Levi responded as if it was the simplest thing within the walls. You couldn’t completely argue.

“What did you wish for?” Levi prodded as he eyed the paper you held face down to your chest. You defensively folded it in half and closed it within your palm.

“I can’t tell you or else it won’t come true.”

Levi exhaled and pursed his lips.

“You don’t believe that bull do you?”

“I can’t risk it.” You said stubbornly with a playful grin.

“Tell me or I’ll revoke your prize.” Levi urged slyly, nodding down to the turtleduck on the table. You gasped lightly and scooped up the piece of fluff into your embrace.

“You wouldn’t dare separate me from our child.” You accused with feigned offence. Levi looked into those dark, synthetic eyes and huffed.

“We could never produce something as ugly as that creature.” Levi threw back. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from cracking a smile at your exasperated look. He would secretly admit, the animal was actually pretty cute.

“Well for being rude to your daughter you definitely don’t get to know my wish now.” You countered and picked up your lantern and began walking towards the river. You turned to look over your shoulder with an excitement that dismissed the family quarrel.

Amidst hundreds of other festival goers at the river Levi held your lantern as you secured the paper to the inside with yarn. After doing the same for him, you lit the candle near the bottom with a match. The delicate ivory siding of the lantern crackled under your tender touch as you raised yours to the sky. Levi mirrored your movements.

“Ready?” You asked. The two of you looked at each other with unspoken fondness.

“Yeah.”

Then, your chambers of light and worldly prayers slipped past your finger tips and into the cosmos. Two pairs of outstretched palms bid them farewell as they sailed into the galaxy to form a constellation with the thousands of other lanterns that peppered the sky. Those now empty hands were filled with the comfort of each other as they relished in the last few minutes of tranquility before they slipped into the crowd to regroup with the others.

↞♞♘↠

“Alright my girl, we are going to head out now.” Your grandmother announced, wiping her hands on the dish towel and placing it next to the sink. The awake members of the household had gathered in the kitchen before leaving for town.

“Right! I shall start planning out Y/N’s dinner and ours as well.” Felicia said with a determined glint in her eyes. Your grandmother smiled softly at her passionate response.

“Fine, but do not feel obligated to clean anything while I am gone. Although I know you will.” She instructed with a playful sternness. Felicia laughed bashfully before tilting her head in a bow of compliance.

Levi and the old woman’s boots tapped against the porch steps and down towards their awaiting carriage.

“Why don’t you just make her leave if you don’t want her service?” Levi wondered aloud. Your grandmother chuckled gruffly as she lifted herself onto the front seat of the wagon with youthful agility.

“As much as I grumble…” She began with a dreamy sigh. Levi awaited her reply as he heaved himself into the seat next to her, faltering slightly when he had to use his sore shoulder.

“I can’t kick her out because she makes the best schnitzel within these walls.” She confessed, her features glazing over in longing for the immaculately fried breading and juicy pork.  

“So you have something to look forward to when we return.” Your grandmother declared with a crinkle of her eyes and a crack of the reins.

[rvmmm21]

[ V V S her diamonds ] – ch 04.

[5:45 p.m.] Washed-out rays of sunshine flood the arcade cafe, and Seungwan can’t contain her flourishing smile at the thought of Bae Joohyun visiting her at work. 

. . . . .

Sometimes I wish I could go and live in the clouds of your fantasies.

Being a part-time barista is a safe-haven for all of hers.

The junior buzzes around behind the counter, systematically preparing orders of cakes and coffees on the tiny overhead order slips. A satisfied hum sounds as she finishes prettying the dessert display and slides the glass window closed.

Cake display, check. 

Watermelon lychee-mint crush, coming up.

She dries her hands after spooning the frozen watermelon chunks into the blender, and the crinkle of her leather apron sounds brand new for some reason. Perhaps it’s because she feels brand new. Either way, her customers seem to pick up on her good mood too, and it blows her usually gruelling shift by like a light summer breeze. The hustle of work-pressed university students scrambling for their sugar rushes and extra shots of caffeine dulls in her ears, the memory of the past three weeks sitting at the very forefront of her thoughts. 

The past three weeks of back and forth texting, weekly study dates and a volantly climbing heart rate– wait no, a steadily building friendship.

About halfway through the afternoon, the regular tempo of her shift suddenly interrupts with a swish of silky hair and an award winning smile. 

“Wow, a barista. Cute and talented, I see. Where do I sign up?”

Seungwan adjusts the straps on her apron, blinking. “Taeyeon sunbaenim?”

“Kidding, kidding,” the girl laughs, holding her hand out as if that would somehow quell the bout of unease that had begun to well in the pit of Seungwan’s stomach. 

Remaining professional, she answers with a nervous laugh of her own. “What can I get for you today, sunbaenim?”

Taeyeon hums, tapping a delicate finger to her chin while she stares down at the fancy little menu. A vague smirk graces pink lips as her fingertip traces the bold laminated print. “Hm, what do your pancakes come with?”

Seungwan leans over the cash register to glaze over the small description underneath and then snaps back up, knowing the ingredients by heart already. “Oh! They’re plain buttermilk, but you can choose your topping! Uh… strawberries and ice cream is– it’s a customer favourite, if you’d like.” 

A hum of deliberation. “I see. And do I get special service?”

“S-Sorry?” The suggestion in her tone chokes the girl, unsure of what that means. 

Taeyeon gracefully giggles and leans over the counter to playfully tap Seungwan on the shoulder. “Yah, you’re too funny. I meant an extra scoop of ice cream. Since we know each other, obviously. Why, what were you thinking?”

“Ah! Of course I can do that for you,” she chuckles awkwardly, keying in the order. Seungwan’s fingers flinch around the Amex Black Card when it doesn’t slip out of Taeyeon’s as easily. Chestnut eyes peek up at her, and from the casual smirk on her face, the older girl seems to know what she’s doing.

“Oh yeah,” her expression contorts as though she’s trying to recall why she’s now holding up a small queue of foot-tapping, huffing customers. “How’s your project going?” 

She answers hastily, eyeing the holdup. “It’s great! Joohyun unnie is really helping me with this class.”

Taeyeon raises a brow. “Unnie?”

“Y-Yeah, Joohyun unnie’s great, can– can I take your card, please?” she reiterates.

“Ah,” the other girl finally nods in realisation, “you two are close friends now. That’s great! I’m glad to hear it’s going well.” The grip on the credit card slackens. “Thank you, Seungwan.”

Seungwan purses her lips, stiffly rocking on her heels as they both wait for the card reader to go ‘beep’. Once Taeyeon walks away, her tension dispels with a heavy sigh and she signals for the next customer.

Softy’s Autumn Morning comes on the set playlist shuffle. Pleasant lo-fi beats ripple through the cafe and Seungwan gently bops along as she works, carefully eyeing the bubbling pancake mix to make sure it doesn’t burn. 

Time seems to slow to a glacial pace. That is, until the little bronze bell chimes and a certain someone walks in. Seungwan recognises that vintage Balenciaga Defile Sport hoodie in a heartbeat. Her legs kick into gear and she rushes over to meet her. Joohyun approaches the counter with her signature gaze of boredom, but hides a laugh behind her sweater paw when she sees the barista almost trip over her own sneakers. 

Five minutes later, said barista is hunched over a small cup of latte, hands steadily crafting two pointy milk ears with the help of a toothpick.

As she pops a little bonus on the saucer in replacement of their standard Lotus Biscoff biscuit, Seungwan wonders where Sooyoung and Jennie are, melting a little at how Joohyun looks so small and harmless without the final duo to complete her killer posse. God, when they're all three together, it gets really hard to not believe she'sthe precious daughter of South Korea's most elusive mafia boss. The rumours have to come from somewhere, right? She takes a deep breath to steel her nerves before serving the mafia daughter sitting by the window.

“Enjoy your coffee, unnie!” she chirps, setting the steaming drink down. Service with a complimentary home baked cookie is her way of saying ‘I think you’re super cool’. 

Totally embarrassed at her dumb little gift, the girl slinks back to her station with sizzling ears before her senior can even thank her.

How cute.

Joohyun’s lips curl into a secret smile at the milk foam cat happily greeting her from her latte.

. . . . .

[7:45 p.m.] Seulgi whines when she goes to get a Cola from the fridge and finds the door wide open with Yerim chugging milk straight from the carton. Her roommate calmly caps the lid, dutifully ignoring her.

. . . . .

Polystyrene containers of spicy tteokbokki, salmon sashimi, crispy pork mandu as well as skewers of various glazed meats glisten deliciously under warm living room lights. It’s the perfect go-to cheat day feast. 

“Unnie, you’re like those tragic lovers in my dramas,” the youngest blurts, chewing on her Yakult straw. “Literally every one of them. Too dumb to confess and then drowns in their tears at night. You gonna break the cycle or what?”

Shock seizes Seungwan’s expression before she shakes her head at the way this heartless dongsaeng just takes her feelings and tosses them around like a salad. Still, she thinks, there’s no harm in being honest.

“What’s there to confess? We’re just friends."

Seulgi and Yerim exchange a silent look at the neat pile of tteokbokki on Seungwan’s plate. They remembered only a month ago, their friend seemed to have eyes for nothing else. The dish was so tasty she could marry it, apparently. But its charms seem to have worn off; now overshadowed by Joohyun’s endearingly obnoxious laughter and just about everything about her.

"Plus, you know, I doubt Joohyun unnie sees me that way either."

An epiphany strikes Yerim and she slaps her hand on the table, jabbing a restless finger at her shocked dorm mates. “Zenitsu, Zenitsu! Unnie, you’re Zenitsu, I’ve freaking figured it out.”

Confusion colours Seungwan’s face. “Zenits… who?”

“Zenitsu from Demon Slayer.”

“What?”

“That mopey kid.”

“Yerim-ah…” 

“Demon Slayer. Yerimie’s bingeing it right now. Anime on Netflix or something,” Seulgi explains through a mouthful of dumpling, “she won’t shut up about it. God help us there’s a movie out already.”

Curiosity soon has the confused girl peering at her screen, determined to find out what she’s being called. Thank god for YouTube. 

The youngest feels the heat as she watches her unnie’s expression become more and more deadpan with every passing video.

“Yerim. What, exactly, do you see of me in this?” Seungwan threateningly questions, holding up a paused clip of a cartoon boy grovelling at the feet of a pretty girl. She wonders if it’s wrong to want Joohyun to actually have mafia connections now… and if she’d be willing to share them with her for… purposes.

She shrugs defensively. “What? Don’t you think he’s cute?”

"Don't worry Wan, I don't see it either," Seulgi jumps in.

‘Cute’ isn’t quite the term. The blonde nonchalantly brings the chopsticks to her mouth and bites down… onto thin air. Much to the amusement of the two across her. “Hey how’s it going with Sooyoung?” she turns her attention to the girl sitting cross-legged opposite.

Seulgi tuts in reply, dangling a salmon slice in front of her unimpressed roomie. “Stop trying to change the subject, Wan. It’s sooo obvious.” After a pregnant pause, she grins like a kid on Christmas morning, spilling her own adventures with her third of the black velvet trio in one breath. “But thank you for asking because we’re going to the cinema this weekend.”

Yerim chopsticks another tteokbokki onto her plate. “Ooh, what movie?”

“Oh, uh…” Seulgi shrugs, “dunno… I think Sooyoung knows more about what’s good, so I’ll–”

“You’re gonna let her decide, is what I’m hearing,” the maknae scoffs with an eye roll.

Seungwan smiles.

“Simps… simps! Help, someone save me, you guys are everywhere!” Yerim pretends to drown on land and her friends resist the urge to jump her on the spot. 

. . . . .

[11:09 a.m.] The raven-haired senior catches her unsuspecting junior on her way through campus gardens the next morning and pries her for answers. 

. . . . . 

“Why a cat?”

Seungwan’s eyes form joyous crescent moons. “Unnie!”

Suddenly, she has to keep her focus from dwindling into how good they’d both look sitting under the shade of that big old oak tree. 

Somewhere through the cottoned clouds of her daydreams, they’re on one of their many picnics. Doughnuts, corn-dogs, toasted sandwiches and bottled juice litter the peach gingham mat they’re sitting on, and Joohyun offers her a corner of her Gilgeori toast. Of course, she cheekily tries her luck, leaving her with just the corner instead. She yelps when Joohyun gives her a shoulder thwack well deserved. 

Clumsy knees knock together as they laugh themselves silly, the powdered sugar on their lips melting into a sweet river every time she connects them with a kiss. 

Seungwan bites her lip, wringing her mind of those thoughts, trying to play down the elation at hearing her senior’s curiosity. “A cat? I-I don’t know, I just think they’re funny and– kinda cute.” Her voice goes squeaky with excitement. “You liked it? Unnie! You should order more coffees with milk in them. I’ll draw you a bunny next time!” 

Joohyun nods, willing to buy the cafe’s entire stock if it meant she got to see Seungwan beam like a praised puppy, all too eager to learn its next trick.

And she might’ve just marched down there right now to do as she’d said… if they weren’t ten minutes late for their class. Suddenly they’re both panickedly clutching at each other, torn between sprinting like they’re being chased by hyenas, turning up fashionably late, or hopping around and freaking out about the fact that they’re already eleven minutes late, now.

Joohyun’s wrist is grabbed just as she’s about to suggest the fashionably late option. Then she’s hurtling forward, struggling to keep her books from falling whilst poorly protesting the early-morning PE session. But Seungwan is too busy shouting nonsense into the skies about how this is the final chance the lightning gods get to strike her down and charge her up.

Which would’ve been convincing had her voice not cracked on every other word.

As the pair clumsily sprint down the path of pastel flower bushes, the older girl can’t remember the last time she’s laughed this freely. She can barely get the words out but she feels like she’d explode if she didn’t. 

“Seungwan-ah! You’re giving me a six pack!”

And when Seungwan turns back to laugh with her, something in Joohyun’s static heart ignites.

. . . . .

In the diamond, star-dappled sky, Cherub wakes from his silken cloud. Lily-white wings unfurl at the latest calling.

[penguintransporter]

Winning the Game Called Love (Hector Bellerin ) Part III

Hello, lovely people of Tumblr. This is the third part, two more to go. Despite no one really reading this, I still post it, for my sake. I still hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it. If you like it, please share your thoughts or at least reblog because maybe someone else will enjoy it. I haven’t gotten a simple kudo since I started posting it. Oh well.. 

Part I 

Part II

____

Aida definitely wasn’t the shyest person out there, or the quietest – that’s for sure, but she seemed to turn into a tiniest mouse when she was in the company of someone she fancied, unless she had couple of shots of tequila, which she didn’t. Even if Héctor’s car was warm and comfortable, it still didn’t help her relax as they drove through the streets of London that seemed to be just a passing pictures of distorted lights and raindrops on the wind-shield.

She clasped her hands on her shoulder bag that rested on her lap.

“Where are we going?” she asked, shifting a little as she glanced at Héctor when they stopped at the red traffic light. She wasn’t sure she knew the area, but it certainly didn’t look as if they are going to some cafe or similar – they passed many of them on their way.

Héctor looked at her from the corner of his eye – corner of his lips lifting just for a slightest. “You don’t know it yet,” he started as he took a turn to right, and they entered a fancy residential area – houses lined up perfectly along the long lane, “but I make a killing cup of hot cocoa.”

It took her exactly thirty seconds to realise what his answer meant, and another few for Héctor to slow down in front of a house with a hidden garage driveway. Aida’s heart sped up as the doors the very same garage slowly opened and closed automatically once Héctor drove inside with ease.

I should have accepted a glass of two of that champagne that kept going around at the party.

Héctor killed off the engine – the soundless car becoming completely silent before he unbuckled his belt with ease and Aida wanted to say something; anything. She wanted to break the silence as they sat in the dark, illuminated by the tiny light above their heads.

“Is this your house?” she asked at last – her voice barely a whisper, and she groaned internally.

Of course it is his house, Aida. He didn’t bring you here to meet the Pope.

She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear – letting the silence fill the car yet again. Waiting for his answer, she decided to nervously pick on the small tear on her sheers, well aware that she could break them any second.

“Yes,” Héctor finally answered, taking a moment to look at her with an amused expression. “You seem nervous.” he stated jokingly and Aida glanced back at him – her heart making a flip inside her ribcage. Was it so obvious? Despite not saying anything back, she knew that her silence answered his question. “I won’t do you any harm, if that’s what you’re nervous about?”

“I wasn’t implying—,” Aida started off awkwardly, finally making enough courage to look at him. “I am just surprised, I was thinking, maybe Costa’s or something.”

Héctor gave her a wink, getting out of his car, letting Aida’s rambles hang in the air awkwardly. “Come on, unicorn,” he spoke, straightening his back before looking down at her with a dorky smile, “as much as I love this baby, I rather go inside.”

Unicorn.

Aida bit down at her lip, releasing herself from the seatbelt as she tried to get out of the car as quickly as possible, but while she was scrambling her way out, Héctor was already walking around and entering the house through the large doors. She hastily placed her bag over her shoulder as she straightened her dress, and with a small intake of breath, Aida followed after him.

The moment she entered the house, she stopped for a moment – confusion overcoming her nervousness. Héctor was nowhere to be seen, and the only light illuminating the entryway was coming through the glass panels of the entrance doors.

Her stomach made a gymnast-worthy flip as she looked up and saw the glimmer of light upstairs.

“Héctor?!” she called out nervously, taking a step towards the stairs, almost tripping on the slippery floor. Her voice echoed ever so slightly, appearing to be louder than it actually was.

“Upstairs!” he called out. Aida felt a shiver spread down her back as she took a nervous step towards the stairs, but quickly backed off when Héctor spoke again. “Down the hallway is the sitting room. I’ll join you in a second.”

Embarrassed at her own thoughts, Aida shook her head as she blindly made her way through the short and dark corridor before stepping inside of an open and sparsely furnished sitting room with adjacent dining area. Aida opened her mouth in surprise, scanning the room. There was a big TV mounted on the white wall, even bigger sofa facing it and a mess of cables on the floor where it was connected to the gaming console. She looked towards the dining area, recognising the designer dining table and a slim laptop resting on top of it, in front of one of the equally expensive-looking chairs.

She couldn’t help but wonder if Héctor knew just how lucky he was.

“Mi casa es tu casa,” Héctor spoke suddenly from behind her, making her jump in the place – the sound of his voice in his native Spanish sending chills down her spine. His voice sounded husky; more mature. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he apologised after few seconds, stepping next her, “didn’t meant to scare you.”

Aida could feel the warmth radiating off of him, and her heartbeat accelerated.

Swaying on her feet lightly, she stole a glance at Héctor. “You have a lovely house,” she complimented.

“Thanks,” he answered smoothly as if he expected her to say that. “Shame you cannot see the garden because of the dark, but it’s one of the best things about this house,” he added. Maybe one day – Aida bit back a wishful sigh as Héctor stepped away from her. “Here,” he changed the subject nonchalantly, and Aida curiously peered at his hands, noticing that he was holding out a hoodie and pair of men’s socks. She gave him a quizzical look, and he gave her a toothy smile in return. “If you want to put something warmer on. This house is usually cold for non-Spanish people. Just ask Kieran,” Héctor smiled, “poor lad puts seven layers before coming over.”

***

After Héctor’s apologetic smile and “I am so sorry, but I only have oat milk left,” Aida finally got the chance to curl her hands around the mug of steaming hot cocoa that he fixed for her. Wearing in the old Arsenal merch over her dress – hoodie that has been washed more than few times and those woolly socks, Aida watched Héctor pour warm liquid in his own mug – look of pure concentration painted on his face.

“Not a word to the manager, okay? This is not the healthiest hot cocoa out there,” he told her as he placed the pot in the sink, turning around to look at her and Aida smiled in her mug, taking a sip.

“I have no intentions on creating drama on my last few days at work, don’t worry” she responded with a grin, licking the corner of her lip to pick up any leftovers that might have stuck on it.

Héctor finally sat down with his own mug, letting the silence fall upon them, but despite of the slight awkwardness, both of them were mentally present, smiling at each other as they sat opposite sides of the kitchen island. Aida let out a small breath, watching him as he looked towards the sitting room. She enjoyed the view more than she should – probably, but she couldn’t help but appreciate him. His hair wasn’t in a perfect bun anymore, but rather messily tucked behind his ears, and the crisp white shirt that used to be neatly tucked in at the party was now falling over his trousers – edges wrinkled and sleeves rolled up, showing his tattoos.

She really, really fancied him.

“Okay,” she started, “I need to ask you something.” She placed her mug on the marble counter-top in front of her and Héctor looked at her, nodding. Aida nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, suddenly tongue-tied as she pulled on the sleeves of his hoodie. “Sorry,” she breathed out nervously, “I just don’t know how to phrase the question.”

“I didn’t think that your friendliness was sincere. That’s all,” he answered her unspoken question as he shrugged once, setting the mug in front of him.

“No?” Aida curiously looked at him – confused. He didn’t seem like he wanted to elaborate on what he just said, and Aida lifted her mug before setting it down again – curiosity filling her brain. “I am confused now,” she honestly replied, “If you thought that I was faking my friendliness the entire time, why make such an effort with hot cocoa?”

Héctor shrugged again but didn’t say anything for a while and Aida could feel the anticipation build inside of her.

“I just felt like it,” he finally answered as he leaned on his elbows, inching closer to her and Aida felt slight blush creep up on her cheeks, “and anyway, if I can recall, it was you who asked for it. I was just being nice.” Still blushing, Aida gasped jokingly, raising both of her eyebrows at him, ready to take on the banter he was starting, but he beat her to it. “You can keep it if you want?”

He was still close to her, and she knew that he could see the redness on her cheeks which made her want to look away, but a sudden burst of confidence mixed with a strange adrenaline made her stomach do a one-eighty.

“What? The mug of hot cocoa?”

Héctor rolled his eyes at her response, leaning back in his chair. “Hilarious,” he mused.

“Why, thank you?” she grinned, feeling her cheeks cooling down. “Thanks on the offer, but I don’t want your girlfriend to get mad at you. I bet she’s got an Excel sheet, keeping a tab on all of your clothes.”

Aida are you flirting? Maybe you should stop because you are not doing yourself a favour.

Héctor grinned, running his fingers along his moustache before placing both of his hands behind his head, and Aida wasn’t sure if she wanted to stare at his full lips or his physique. “You can just ask if I have a girlfriend, y’know?”

Aida almost chocked on her sip of cocoa and her heart went into an overdrive.

“Wh...what—” she stuttered, “what makes you think that I am interested in knowing that?” she corrected herself clumsily – the very same blush painting her cheeks red.

“You tell me,” Héctor winked, and Aida looked down at her cup, wanting to disappear inside of the murky beverage.

***

“So, what are your plans now?” Héctor asked as he gazed at Aida with something resembling a concern in his eyes.

Aida shrugged. “I did intern at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy for a bit, here in London, but I took a break from uni last year. It was disgracefully expensive,” she finished, looking down at her bare nails, “I might go back, we’ll see.”

After all the silly banter and the disastrous try at flirting from Aida’s side, their conversation steered towards more serious matters. Héctor told her about his move to the UK when he was still very young, his environmental work and she opened up about her struggles with uni and life in London, and how she was afraid to disappoint her parents who didn’t know she took a break from her education as she tried to collect money to continue it.

“Would have never guessed you are into it.” Héctor said, watching her with a keen interest as she shyly smiled. She wasn’t used on people showing actual interest in what she really wanted to do with her life. “You must know sing language then?”

Aida nodded proudly – her excitement mixing with confidence. “Of course. I can teach you some if you want?”

Héctor nodded excitedly, brushing a stray of hair that fell over his eyes back in place. Aida stopped for a second, taking a sharp intake of breath – he was ridiculously good-looking. “Can you teach me how to say, my name is Héctor—“he grinned mischievously at her, getting his face closer to her, “but you can call me papi?”

It took her few seconds to realise what he had said before she burst out laughing, shaking her head. Aida was about to tell him to sod off because his joke was stupid when his phone light up next to him with a new message and Aida couldn’t help but lock her eyes with the time on his screen – a sudden wave of panic washing over her.

“Shit, it’s already so late?!” she half-asked, half-cried out.

“You mean early?” Héctor grinned, dismissing the text with a flick of his tattooed finger.

Aida rubbed both of her hands across her face in frustration. “I need to get back to the training centre to pick up my car.” She slid off the chair as she spoke, pulling the hoodie over her head at the same time. Aida stopped when the hoodie was halfway off, looking at Héctor who was still calmly seated, watching her with his head tilted to one side. “They already locked the gates, no?”

He nodded calmly. “It’s almost three in the morning, and even if that party was a banger, which it wasn’t, it’s a charity dinner. Two thirds of the attendees are already fast asleep.”

Aida grumbled her response, folding the hoodie before placing it on the counter-top. She proceeded to take off the socks – not welcoming the cold that seeped through her barely clad feet as they touched the floor.

“I think I’ll get an Uber.”

“I could give you a lift home,” Héctor offered, watching her with an amused glint in his eyes as he slid off the chair, “but first I need to ask my girlfriend if I can do that. Excel and that shit.”

Aida wanted to roll her eyes at him, but instead she bit her smile back as she made her way through the dining area and into the sitting room where she left her bag upon arrival. It rested on the big sofa cushion, next to Héctor’s suit jacket, wallet and car keys.

As she was picking up her bag, a different kind of panic entered her body when she realised that she wasn’t sure if she had her flat keys with her. She has never been very organised person and more than often she would put her belongings in random places – change in her pocket instead of wallet, underwear in her drawers with socks and house keys on the seat of the car instead of her bag. Scrambling to open the bag, she unzipped the small pocket at the back of her bag and huffed out a sigh of relief, seeing the key resting inside.

“At least I have my fla—,” Aida started, turning around to face Héctor, but stopped quickly – thoughts and words vanishing from her brain. “Shit,” she whispered.

Héctor stood in front of her, closer then ever before.

Not counting that time when they slammed into each other in the corridor at work.

He was so close that if either one of them made a slight move forward, their bodies would be touching. She was losing her composure and in order to avoid doing something stupid, she looked down, trying to quiet her heart that was beating so loud that she could hear it in her ears.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of her looking at their shoes, she seized enough of courage to meet his eye, only to find him grinning at her as if he just proved that the earth was in fact round. Her cheeks turned a very deep red, making him smile wider, and Aida wanted to crawl under a rock and hide there for the rest of her life.

Why was he so close?

Mortified, she sucked in a deep breath as Héctor started closing in on the distance between them. Aida opened and closer her mouth, unsure what to do, but he just moved around her – brushing gently against her arm as he leaned over the sofa’s backrest.

“My car keys,” he whispered when he was close to her ear, and Aida swallowed the invisible knot in her throat.

“Car keys, yes...” she trailed off – her voice cracking slightly.

Héctor took a step back, sliding his wallet in the back pocket of his trousers, giving her an amused but pleased look.

“Let’s go, unicorn,” he said in his normal voice before turning around and making his way towards the doors. 

Part IV

[devnicolee]

Into the Light (2)

Warnings: None yet but they are coming! 

[Chapter 1]

Word count: 4,134

Wesley’s eyes popped open to the semi-darkness of her bedroom, the lamp on her side table providing a soft glow to the space. However, the warm light did nothing to ease her thumping heart and shaky breathes. 

She wiped the thin layer of sweat off her forehead and pushed herself up into a seated position. Her head fell into her hands as she tried to slow down her breath and her racing heart. 

“When will these fucking nightmares end?” She whispered, exasperated at how her mind won’t let her just be free. All she saw was his face in the darkness haunting her night after night after night. 

Wesley checked her phone, which was face down on the coffee table and saw that it was just 2 a.m. She stood, stretching slightly, before shuffling to her personal balcony. 

The breeze hit her bare arms and legs immediately as she stepped outside, reminding her that she was still in her dress from dinner. She leaned against the railing, eyes closed as she breathed in and out deeply, calming her mind and soul. 

You are safe here. She repeated it over and over again through her inhales and exhales as if her words were the air that kept her breathing. It was a mantra she repeated to herself after every nightmare. Before the events of last week, she hadn’t had nightmares in months. But now they were plaguing her sleep again. She hadn’t gotten a good night’s rest in 8 days, which was no good since she had her first council meeting tomorrow. 

She gazed up at the sliver of the silver moon as she stood, avoiding going back to her bed where she knew her mind waited to torture her. And for a moment, on that terrace, she felt her troubles slip away momentarily. She finally understood it. Why Erik risked everything to get here. Here was breathtaking, here was magical and perfect, here was peace. 

She yawned quietly, realizing that she was not going to get any sleep now, not like this. She just wished her mind would stop terrorizing her like this, would let her officially escape. She was safe now, left her past on another continent. 

It should have been that easy… right?

***

Wesley never felt more out of place as she sat next to Shuri in the large circle formed by the leaders of Wakanda’s five tribes and the Royal Family. Half the circle were people she already knew, while the other half regarded her with evident disdain. 

“Thank you all for coming. First, I want to introduce Ms. Wesley Parker. She was instrumental in helping us launch the Outreach Center in Oakland, liaising with local officials and helping us make connections to better serve the community there. Now, as we take on more direct forms of aid and outreach in the United States and globally, we felt it was critical to have her perspective here so we can better understand the issues and historical policies at play so we can better map out our next steps. She will be particularly useful as we prepare for the UN meeting next month.”  

T’Challa offered her a reassuring and warm smile before continuing, “Ms. Parker, we are so pleased to have you here.” 

“T-Thank you, King T’Challa. I am honored to have the opportunity and excited to be here.” Her wide smile diminished a tad as she looked around to those she did not know, seeing her greeting was not taken well. An awkward silence ensued before an older woman, donned in black and gold, spoke. 

“Forgive me, my king. But are we sure this is wise? The last time an outsider came into our borders,” the pointed glance toward Erik did not go unnoticed by Wesley or anyone else. Erik shifted in his seat, his annoyance and lack of patience showing clearly as he listened to her. “He almost destroyed the country. And now you tell us that you have brought one of his former associates here too.” 

“I must agree with Elder Shani,” a man with scars, quite similar to Erik’s, around his face and a heavy blue and silver blanket wrapped around his arms interjected. “Offering aid to the outside world is one thing. But bringing them in here? It has only proven to be dangerous.” 

A course of “here, here’s” rang throughout three of the elders, all except a man whose lower lip was being held open by a lip plate and M’Baku.

“We cannot assume that Ms. Parker poses a threat to us simply because she was born on the other side of a border. We should give her a chance,” M’Baku offered, his voice and laidback posture giving off the air of boredom rather than genuine care for the situation. 

Wesley remained silent, eyes trained on Erik who offered her an apologetic shrug. Though this was unexpected, she understood their perspective. She could see, given the history, why they were distrustful of outsiders. However, that did not make it any less awkward to hear people questioning her motives to her face. 

“A chance,” Elder Shani scoffed. “A chance to overthrow our government again the moment the opportunity arises?” 

“See, now why you gotta bring up old shit?” Erik mumbled, not even attempting to whisper. Wesley stifled the laugh that rose to her lips as the Queen Mother, who sat next to Erik, pinched him on the arm to silence him. 

“N’Jadaka, enough. I appreciate all of your concerns. However, I have no concerns about Ms. Parker’s presence here as I have no concerns about my cousin’s presence or I would not have invited them. Every outsider is not a threat to us. They are an asset with perspective we desperately need. And they will be treated as such.”

That quickly ended all objections, as a King’s authority should, however, Wesley could tell his words did nothing to assuage their frustrations or concerns. 

She thought the hardest thing would be advising the King. It seemed the hardest thing would be winning over the hearts and minds of the people sitting around her. 

She remained silent for the rest of the meeting, partially listening to the Elders as they brought their tribal concerns before the King and partially decesending down a rabbit hole of insecurities. She wasn’t sure what she had expected. Not necessarily a warm welcome, but she also didn’t expect to be immediately and openly greeted with such disdain. 

She didn’t really pay much attention until the end of the meeting, when T’Challa directed her and Erik to sift through aid requests from other countries. It was time to determine where the next center would be located and that would be her first task and present their recommendation at the next council meeting in a week.

The meeting ended quickly after that, everyone filing out after T’Challa.

“Well that went… terrible,” Wesley moaned lightly as she trailed behind the rest of the group, hitting herself in the forehead and slumping against the wall behind her. 

“Don’t worry bout them, Parker. I got the same reception my first council meeting after everything,” Erik offered. 

“You mean the one after you staged a coup, killed the king, sent me and my mother into exile, and almost started World War 3? You were deeeeeeffffffinitely the victim there. How could anyone see any differences in your two situations?” Her voice filled with sarcasm and amusement. 

The pair dissolved into their usual playful bickering, bickering Wesley learned to tune out the day she met Shuri in Oakland because it happened so frequently. She barely listened to them as the words of the council tumbled through her mind, mixing and melting with the numerous insecurities that already lived there. 

You aren’t cut out for this. You never were. You were just kidding yourself back then, the negative orator in her head whispered. And now you are just going to prove all of them right. Prove him right.

“This was a bad idea,” she whispered to herself. “Why did I think I could do this? I am not cut out for this.”

“Hey, hey, Wes. Look at me.” 

Erik’s voice cut through the negative thoughts in her head, forcing her to look at him. His hand touched her arm, in an effort to get her attention. She flinched slightly, praying he didn’t not notice. But that was wishful thinking as she felt his hands still for a nanosecond before dropping to his side. Thankfully, he recovered quickly and moved the conversation forward. 

“You ain’t got nothing to worry about, Parker. You said the same thing when you started at the Center and we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we did that quickly without you. This is the same thing.” 

“Do not worry about it, Wesley. Truly,” Shuri chimed in. “The council is old school. They didn’t really agree with opening the borders to begin with so they take issue with any progress born out of that decision. They will warm up to you, as they did this one,” Shuri jerked her hand in Erik’s direction. “And, luckily for you, you haven’t murdered anyone. So you have far less ground to cover to gain their approval.” 

Wesley nodded, her arm running through her wash and go as she looked at them. She just felt so out of practice, so unsure of herself now. She hadn’t been this version of herself in so long and she was so different now… and not in any good ways. 

“You sure you good, Wes? Maybe all this was too soon after last we-“ 

“No, I’m good, Stevens. I-I just gotta get rid of these nerves. I feel so out of practice. I-I am gonna go catch up on some reading that T’Challa sent me. I will catch you both later?” 

She was desperate to escape Erik’s watchful eye. She knew there were still questions on the tip of his tongue, questions she was not in a headspace to answer.

She returned to her office, closing the door. She stared around for a minute before realizing that this was the first place Erik would think to come looking for her when he inevitably decided to finally get the answers he sought. She gazed out the window, the wild greenery of the palace gardens staring back at her. 

The gardens… as good a place as any, she thought. 

***

Wesley would not have looked too out of place as she sat, legs tucked underneath her in the palace gardens. She managed to snag a blanket, which was far more luxurious than any blanket she had ever seen. She almost felt bad about sitting on it on the ground but one of the maids assured her it wasn’t an issue. She was surrounded by books, her notebook, and her tablet as she read yet another brief about Wakandan’s internal social polities from T’Challa. 

She usually could read faster than this but she didn’t understand the history of anything she was reading, which required her to read through history books. And then, if something was important enough, she would write it down in her notebook. 

The melodic sounds of H.E.R rang through her AirPods as she listened, flipping seamlessly between all her materials. She knew it would have been better to do this in her office, but this was preferable. 

She liked this spot for it’s seclusion. It was far enough away from the palace doors so most people did not wander this far. And it was by a row of Wakandan roses… They grew in vibrant colors Wesley had never seen. Traditional red and white, yes. But there were bushes of red with yellow tips that looked like fire, purple, and midnight blue. She was sure it was the vibranium, which was infused in the soil - roses like that didn’t grow anywhere else in the world. When she first walked over, she noticed that a few at the bottom of the bush were starting to wilt, the natural process of dying as most of the sunlight didn’t reach them. And yet, despite their edges becoming wrinkly and beginning to decay, they still looked more beautiful than any roses she had ever seen.

Wesley immediately decided to settle in the small patch of green grass by the roses, deciding this was going to be her working spot. In fact, no one had disturbed her as she spent her afternoon sitting outside, until a hand touched her shoulder. 

Wesley halfway jumped out of her skin at the unexpected touch of a stranger. She stood up quickly, the tablet and open book tumbling onto the purple blanket she sat on, closing shut with a dull thud. Her heart rate increased to alarming speeds as she looked around as her body tensed up, only to find M’Baku standing behind her. 

He towered over her, blocking the bright sun that peered down at them, and casted a shadow of darkness over the small patch of grass she was working on. 

She watched as his face filled with surprise and concern at her reaction. She forced her lips to contort into a smile to put him and herself at ease. Though it was difficult, she imagined it came out as more of a grimace than anything else. 

“Apologies, Ms. Parker. I did not mean to startle you.” 

“No apologies necessary, Chief M’Baku. I-I am just easily startled.” She tried to say it in a joking tone but she could see it didn’t hit the mark… at all. 

He peered down at her, her assurances that she was fine clearly doing nothing to assuage the concern on his face. She felt like one of those wilting flowers around them as she waited for him to speak. She smoothed out the front of her grey skater dress nervously, still waiting for her heart to resume it’s resting rate again. 

You have got to relax. Nothing can hurt you here.

“Enjoying an afternoon walk?” She asked, trying to steer the conversation somewhere. 

“Yes. I do so every time I come here. I like to walk back here though. The palace gardens are the biggest in the country… most people do not venture all the way back here,” he remarked. “I like the solitude.”

Awkwardness spread through her as she listened to him, she felt almost like an intruder on his peaceful moment. She couldn’t tell if she heard annoyance in his tone or if those were just her insecurities flaring. That’s certainly what the council meeting reminded her this morning… that she was, among many other things, an intruder. Either way, she felt the strong desire not to push her luck with him, to simply get out of his way. 

You can enjoy the gardens another day.

“W-well, do not let me disturb you,” she said politely, eyes trained on the grass between their feet. “I should probably go back to my office anyway. Finish up there.” 

She mentally quickly resigned to working in her office from now on. They told her she had free reign of the palace and its gardens but it certainly didn’t feel that way. She returned to the blanket beneath him, gathering her scattered books and materials and stuffing them into her tote bag as quickly as her hands would allow but it still wasn’t fast enough for her liking. She felt his eyes on her as she folded the blanket and picked up her heavy bag. She slung the blanket over her arm and gave him a polite smile. 

“Good afternoon, Chief M’Baku.” 

She turned away from him only for him to call her name yet again. 

“I-I can walk you back, i-if you would like. I need to head back to my quarters anyway. Attend to some business in the mountains.” 

Wesley’s face scrunched up in confusion.

Once again, Wesley found that there was another person in this country that she couldn’t read… couldn’t figure out. His motives? His desires? She had no earthly idea. 

“U-um ok,” she answered quietly. 

He held out his hand, allowing her to walk ahead of him onto the winding stone path that would return them to the palace. 

“I should apologize for my fellow council members,” he offered, breaking the awkward silence between them. “They were rather harsh this morning.” 

Wesley shook her head, “Again, no need for apologies. Harsh, yes. But I understood the criticism and their concerns. They do not know me and after only a year of working with Erik, I cannot claim to know Wakanda. I am a woman of action. I will win their confidence by doing my job and doing it well.” 

She glanced to the side, finding him staring at her. Could she see admiration in his eyes? 

“That is quite good to hear. Most do not have the self awareness to take criticism with such grace.” 

“Thank you. That is why I was out here, anyway. Learning more about this place. Though I feel like I haven’t made a dent in it.” 

M’Baku’s boisterous laugh filled the area, causing her feet to stop. 

“What is so funny?” 

“You are not going to learn all about Wakanda in the pages of a book, Ms. Parker.” 

“Wesley… please,” she corrected him, already tired of the ‘Ms. Parkers.’ 

“You are not going to learn all about Wakanda in the pages of a book, Wesley. Or in these palace walls for that matter. You have to go explore, meet the people, experience our world for yourself.”

She shifted from side to side, taking in his words, “Nakia said the same thing.” 

He motioned for her to keep walking toward the palace. 

“Our future queen is as wise as she is beautiful. So why have you not heeded her advice? You continue to shell up here with your books.” 

Wesley bristled a bit at his words, suddenly feeling attacked. “Well, it has only been 24 hours. Shuri is already begging to take me to the markets on Monday and Erik has some places he would like to show me tomorrow.”

“Good, if you ever wish to see Jabariland, please let me know. I would be happy to escort you around.” 

“That would be nice.” 

At that, they finally reached the palace doors, the cool air feeling particularly delightful after sitting out in the sun. 

With the offices to the left and the private residences to the right, the two stopped walking, preparing to split off in their own directions. 

“I hope you have a great rest of your day, Ms. Par- Wesley. I will see you at dinner.” 

His smile was small but distinctive, making her return it with one of her own. “Thank you, same to you. Chief M’Baku.” 

“Since we are dropping the formalities, just M’Baku will do fine.” 

“Got it, M’Baku.”

The pair lingered longer than they needed to, staring at each other before he broke their eye contact and headed toward the right. She stood and watched as he glanced back at her a couple of times before heading to the left toward her new office. 

***

“M’Baku likes her.” 

Erik laughed, thinking about the mild flirting the pair carried on at dinner, the stroll in the gardens they had earlier, according to Okoye who heard it from another Dora. 

“Yea, he ain’t even trying to be discreet either. It would sure make our mad scientist happy. She was tryin’ set Wes up all year.” 

T’Challa rolled his eyes at his cousin’s nickname for his sister. 

“Okoye says they have a date tomorrow. A walk in the gardens. Though I am sure neither will call it that.” 

“They definitely won’t. But good. Wesley is a nun. Last boyfriend I ever heard about was 3 or 4 years ago? That girl needs someone besides me in her life.” 

You are protective of her.” 

Erik’s hands stilled as he shuffled through papers on his desk, only for a brief moment, as the words hit him. He didn’t look at his cousin, who sat across from him in his office. He originally thought T’Challa came in here to discuss their next mission to recover a Wakandan artifact that resurfaced in neighboring Canaan, which made extraction difficult. However, this had nothing to do with that at all. 

“You love her.” 

That statement caused him to finally still his movements completely and look up at his cousin with a look of confusion and annoyance. 

“I do not mean to say you are in love with her,” T’Challa clarified. “But you do love her.” 

As he thought about it, T’Challa was not wrong. He was just giving a voice to the things he never said out loud about anyone or to anyone. He shifted to lean forward on is desk. He scratched the back of his head before responding. 

“She is one of the few people who knew me before all the bullshit. She’s the only constant in my life I guess.” 

“And you never…” his voice trailed off but Erik knew exactly what he was implying. 

“Nah, nah.” The almost disgusted look on his face let T’Challa know he was telling the truth. “I love her like I love Shuri… or you when you ain’t acting aggy,” he muttered at the end. 

“That might be the nicest thing you have ever said to me.” 

“Don’t get used to it.” 

“She is a hard worker… I see how you two are friends. She is quite like you.” 

One of Erik’s eyebrow’s raised, “Nah, Wes ain’t nothing like me. And thank Bast for it.” 

T’Challa laughed, standing up and walking toward the tall stained window across Erik’s office. Erik’s office reflected his military training. It was cleaner than T’Challa’s himself; everything put neatly in its place every minute of the day. There also wasn’t much in the way of decorations or stuff. There were three framed photos in the whole room sitting on the large gold-trimmed desk: a photo of Erik and his father before he died, a photo of him and Wesley on Harvard’s campus in Boston, and a photo of T’Challa, Shuri, and Erik. Otherwise, everything in the office was there out of necessity, not decoration. 

Erik watched as T’Challa absentmindedly twisted his father’s ring on his finger, the same one Erik wore around his neck. T’Challa never realized it but he did that anytime he was deep in thought. Erik waited for him to continue speaking as he stared into the depths of the bustling Golden City. 

“Oh, she is more like you than either of you see. Brillant beyond belief like you. Desperate for love and belonging like you. Running from her past like you. She is you when you showed up at the border, just without the murderous tendencies.”

“You got all that from a dinner and a council meeting?” Erik set back in his high-backed chair, his boot resting on the edge of his desk as he watched his cousin.

“You seem to forget I have met Wesley several times before yesterday. You see what you want to see, N’Jadaka. Because you feel guilty, you overcompensate, as you have done with all of us. You protect her physically, no doubt, you help her revive her career. However, you ignore all the deep stuff… the ways in which she struggles. All the pain she carries around, visibly but tries to hide.” 

Erik sucked his teeth, ignoring the “overcompensating” piece because he didn’t have the energy to travel down an emotional road with this cousin today.  

“Why else would you take care of her that night? When she refuses to even tell you how or why that happened to her? When she refuses to tell you anything about her life before the day you ran into her in that coffee shop? And you refuse to investigate it for yourself?” 

“She was mugged, T… not much else to it.” 

“You truly believe that?” 

Silence. 

“Wesley doesn’t have a past to run from and no reason to lie to me,” Erik reasoned, trying a different route to prove his point… to be right about the woman he knew most of his life, someone his cousin only met a year ago. “Unlike me, she is a good person… If anything, she is like you - too good of a person, if you ask me.” 

T’Challa looked at him, a sad smile on his face. “Good people still have demons they are running from, N’Jadaka. I do not know what they are, they are not for me to know. But it certainly took more than a job for her to abandon her life within a week.”

The pair shared a pointed glance as T’Challa walked to the door, leaving his cousin with much to ponder for the rest of the night. 

“Good night, umzala.” 

****

@muse-of-mbaku​ @allinhishands​ @ms-reader​ @malasxlenguas @tchallasbabymama

A/N: Thanks for reading! Any theories on what Wesley’s hiding so far? Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

[writers-thoughts09]

True Mind, True Heart

Act 1 Chapter 2 (Part 1)

Title: True Mind, True Heart: Act 1 Chapter 2 (Part 1) About 5.7k words Pairing: Zuko x OC (or reader idk, mind you this is like a mega slow burn fanfic so i hope you’re okay with thaaaaat). I don’t own Avatar or the character’s except my OC. Rating: PG, maybe some 13 later on Warning: Mean Zuko, uuuuuh i think that’s it. A/N: I’m so sorry for the majorly late update! I’m doing my best I have a lot planned for this story and I plan to finish this, I hope you guys will follow Lila’s journey with me! :) <3.  I apologize if the fight scenes are choppy and unclear, I’ve never written or broke down a fight scene in writing before. I might go back and fix this later. Tomorrow I’ll post part 2. Anyway without further adieu enjoy the read :)

|Prologue| 1 | 2 part 1 | 2 part 2

*

Act 1: Salvation

The sunset was quite a breathtaking sight to see if someone were to take the time to stop and stare. With the sun warm and low on the horizon, lovely rays of orange light sprawled softly across the sky, creating pink orange and yellow hues. A gradient of shades, begging to be admired. The white clouds that slowly rolled by basked in the mix of colors as they too took some of the sun’s golden tinge. Of course, no one was around to witness this natural piece of art since everyone was busy going about their business, especially on Prince Zuko’s ship.

For hours Lila sat silently in her dingy quarters, no hitch detected in her breathing. Quiet and still like a swamp with dark murky water. Untouched and motionless. Ever since Prince Zuko’s morning lessons, no one’s asked for Lila’s assistance with anything, so, for the remainder of the day, she’s been in her room.

If anyone, say Iroh, were to see her meditating, they would’ve thought she looked exactly like prince Zuko during his meditation sessions. Mimicking what she remembered the night she brought him his dinner Lila sat with her back straight, eyes closed, accompanied by nothing except deep breathing. Even though she imitated the prince’s form and tried to follow Iroh’s teachings from this morning’s lesson, it was like there was a block between her and her element. Like her fingertips would come so close to grazing that certain feeling but were still out of reach from fully grasping it. No matter how hard she’d concentrate to connect with that energy lying dormant inside her, nothing worked.

But finally, after sitting on the uncomfortable floor for who knows how long, Lila began to feel an inkling of that same euphoric peace build within her body again. It was similar to what she felt earlier above deck but slightly different. It was softer, less…magnetic as it ebbed the presence of her emotions away. Specifically, impatience and frustration when lieutenant Jee came knocking and interrupted her a while ago.

With meticulous breaths, Lila drew a smooth inhale in through her nose, filling her lungs, traveling down, expanding her belly, and gently expelled the air from her mouth, the water in her cup rippling in sync. Her heart maintained tempo with her breathing, which was strong and consistent as each beat pulsed through her being.

Though her body was at ease, patience evaded Lila’s mind, blinding her progress as she huffed in irritation. Eyes still closed she shifted her bottom for the umpteenth time. Soft like a feather but sharp like a beak, she drew another breath in, doing her best to maintain what little connection she felt with her element while keeping her frustrations at bay. Just when she was about to exhale, that breath turned into a yelp when a loud boom exploded from beyond the ship.

Like the snap of a rubber band, Lila’s concentration was broken yet again as her eyes flew open. With a start, the sudden noise made Lila jump and pull a small amount of water, which she didn’t notice as she stood up in alarm. Confusion and fear clouded her as she listened for what could’ve possibly made a noise that loud. It sounded like a flare, but Lila wasn’t so sure. “Is it an ambush?...No it couldn’t be; we haven’t had any problems or run-ins with anyone for a long while.”

Lila’s thoughts were going in circles as she rushed to her drawer to grab a fresh piece of cloth she cut up weeks before, tied it over her marred eye before reluctantly opening the door. Silently, a tawny-colored iris peeped down the metal hallways, no benders or guards in sight. However, even if they weren’t down below they might’ve already been above deck when whatever it was went off.

Noiselessly and carefully, with nimble steps like an alley cat, Lila crept through the corridors and up the familiar set of stairs. Mangled fingernails trailed along the metal wall to aid her lack of sight. Once Lila climbed up to the main deck and felt fresh air ruffle the fallen curls from her bun, Lila’s suspicions were confirmed. A bright naval flare signal was falling far out in the snowy distance. She watched, her good eye following its downward path, musing to herself, “Where did it come from though?”

Noticing the absence of prince Zuko, Uncle Iroh, and their men who were usually out and about above deck around this time, Lila glanced around the empty ship then turned to the command tower. Squinting her good eye Lila’s gaze raked up the length of it and stopped at the observation deck’s balcony. As clear as the golden sky she caught sight of the Prince. Half of his scarred face obscured as he peered through the telescope attached to the railing in front of him. Although she couldn’t see gauge what he was feeling, she was certain he figured out what or who signaled that flare and was already directing his next course of action.

When suddenly that same foreboding sensation from before when they first saw the beam of light, roiled around her chest and stomach, leaving Lila uneasy. Why? Well, she didn’t know what to expect. Was it the avatar? A false alarm? She didn’t know and not knowing left a nasty taste in her mouth.

After Prince Zuko finished barking orders at his men, solar colored eyes caught a glimpse of the curly-haired servant below seconds before he continued looking through the telescope. The girl stood by herself with half her face covered, the setting sun illuminating her tanned skin, and looked up at him with -what he could detect- nervousness. Prince Zuko didn’t know as to why nor did he care. The entirety of his focus on capturing the Avatar.

A brown eye fluttered as Lila snapped from her thoughts. Hurriedly she turned and hastened down below to the kitchen. She knew now was not the time to get distracted from her work. Earlier the chef told her he was ill and asked Lila to fill in for him tonight. She agreed though something told her he was lying. Through the maze of corridors and staircases, a passing conversation of a few men could be heard as they rushed by.

One man bumped her shoulder as he hissed, “hurry, we have to dress the Prince, the Avatar’s hiding place has been found. We’re going to the southern water tribe.”

Lila’s eye widened as her breath hitched at the mention of her mother’s sister tribe. If the Avatar is truly alive and has been hiding there for the past hundred years…worry gripped her heart over the safety of the tribes' native people. Although prince Zuko hasn’t engaged in many battles with other ships or neighboring nations, the Fire Lord’s son was a wildly stubborn and determined boy who’d stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Lila didn’t doubt he’d probably leave a trail of chaos in his wake with no regard for the consequences or how it’d affect the lives of others.

Once she entered the empty kitchen Lila rolled her sleeves up and got to preparing dinner, the red dye of her uniform reminding her of the clothes she wore as a child in the palace. As she cooked, she blinked back thoughts she knew all too well. Red uniform

Screams of fear echoing in the palace gardens

A girl in royal garbs

“You’re useless.” ... “Holy-ow!”

A sudden stinging pain roughly pulled Lila from the haze of old memories. In her stupor, Lila didn’t notice how close the knife was while cutting the spring unions and managed to slice her pointer finger. Quickly, the girl staggered away from the kitchen counter, removing the steaming pots and pans with her uninjured hand, and flitted about the kitchen looking for anything to stop the bleeding. She checked all the drawers, cabinets, and pantries as bright red blood continued to ooze over her finger and onto her hand. The throbbing and stinging continued to intensify making Lila bite her lip in pain as she tucked her finger beneath her thumb. Unable to find any clean rags or towels-

“My eye cloth…”

A tug on her heart stopped her search momentarily.

To her, that cloth was like a barricade of some sort to Lila. Sheltering the small girl from being reminded of it…the day she lost-

In summary, her eye patch was the only thing that blocked out the reality of what happened that day. Regardless of how vulnerable she felt without the cloth now was not the time or the place to start feeling insecure or hesitant, she knew that. There was work to be done; rice and meat filleting.

With the cleaning basins for the dishes nearby Lila went toward it to clean her finger and avoid food contamination. It should’ve been cleaned and refilled now that it was close to dinner time. Ready to dunk her hand in the water and wash her bloodied wound she stopped abruptly. The whole bucket was still dirty from lunchtime. Bits and pieces of rice, chicken, and other scraps floated about in the water. With a rough sigh and a curl of a plump lip, Lila closed her eye for a moment.

“I can’t catch a break,” she groaned lowly. Never again was she going to fill in for the chef.

Still, she was a servant…what could she do? Nothing. Before she could change her mind, Lila briskly grabbed the knot of the cloth from behind her head and pulled it free, a few strands of curls ripping from her bun. The milky white of her blinded eye on full display, free of any covering but chained to inhibition. Gloomy hands of her past groped and reached for Lila, but she slapped their searching palms away as she began wrapping her wound. Gentle but sure fingers tied the end of her cloth into a firm knot and she inspected her handiwork with a wistful smile. The memory of her mother’s soft hands dressing the wounds of a child rolled like a movie, replacing the ones Lila usually remembered.

“Lila, you fell again?”

The playful timbre of her mother's low voice filled their backyard. Lila’s childish eyes bubbling with tears raised from the cut on her knee as her mother calmly squatted in front of her fallen form.

“I didn’t mean to mommy. The tree was in my way,” cried her indignant daughter. Laughter rang from her mother, a white bandage appearing in her dark hands, 

“Of course, but you also have to be careful where you’re stepping too, my love.” Knowing her mother was right but still unhappy with that answer, Lila huffed out a sniffle. Tenderly her mom cupped the back of her daughter’s freshly scraped knee and began lecturing, “Here, let’s teach you how to fix wounds, big girls are good at that-”

“Big girls like you, mommy?” A squeaky voice interrupted.

Nuna glanced up at her daughter’s question. Brown innocent eyes that held such curiosity reflected in Nuna’s blue ones she just had to laugh.

“Yes Lila, big girls like me and you.”

Lowering her newly wrapped finger, Lila’s lips fell back into a straight line. She had no time to get lost in her thoughts. Deciding to try and cover her eye with her hair, her uninjured hand pulled her hair free from the fire nation styled top knot. Onyx curls tumbling down the length of her back in one fell swoop, kissing the top of her hips. The overwhelming urge to moan in relief had goosebumps tickle Lila’s spine as the tension of her tight bun dissipated almost instantaneously. She brought her hands up under her hair and aggressively massaged her scalp, both eyes rolling back in pleasure.

“Ahh, yes…” A soft groan rumbled from the back of her throat.

“Ahem.”

“Oh, my goodness!” She gasped.

Whipping toward the kitchen door, hands tangled in her roots, the men from earlier in the hallway were standing there watching her as if they’d found an earth kingdom stowaway. Though the more she watched them with increasingly flushed cheeks, the more she realized they were staring at the eye. Tanned hands flew from her scalp to shake her curls and obscure their sight, but it was futile, they already saw the clouded pigmentation. Involuntarily closing her eye, the servant girl clasped her hands over her stomach and curled into a bow.

“Um, hello,” Lila stuttered but caught herself, remembering her place. Kind professionalism coating her soft question, “how may I be of service to you?”

The man who she heard speak in the corridor collected himself faster than the rest and cleared his throat before announcing,

“We are close to our arrival of the southern water tribe and Prince Zuko has requested your presence to dress him for the capture of the Avatar.”

Alarm colored Lila’s features when she recalled the last time she was alone with the prince. Streams of tears and memories he unintentionally triggered that night played before her. Swallowing down the building discomfort in her throat, Lila straightened up and schooled her worry lines into a controlled smile. She had to remind herself, “The Prince didn’t know.”

Apparently, for the men, Lila’s forced smile mixed with the ghastly mismatched color of her eyes was too much to handle, unable to hide their distaste. Faster than she could stop it, a pang of offense and hurt yanked at her heart, but she managed to stifle and shove the feelings away as she gave another trained bow. Though a question did come to mind.

“I beg your pardon, but may I ask why he requested me specifically? He has never requested this of me before,” words mousy.

Her question only seemed to cause the man to grow irritated, his eyebrow ticking in impatience as major attitude gripped his words, “The prince claimed to be displeased with our services in preparing him. Now, would you please stop talking and do what prince Zuko has asked of you? He’s waiting.”

“What about the food-”

“Servant girl, what did I just say?” The man angrily snapped.

With a flinch, Lila mumbled, “My apologies,” before bowing one last time.

Throwing an “Unbelievable” over his shoulder, he and his two companions turned to leave the kitchen.

His snarky tone made Lila frown and furrow her brows. Oh, this girl had no idea of the colorful range of words Prince Zuko used to describe him and his men! Comparing them to fire ferrets! Ha, the nerve of that prince! On top of a bruised ego, the man now had to deal with a servant who couldn’t even see right and didn’t know when to be quiet and simply serve! Lila watched them exit the kitchen, soft frown still intact as she cocked her head to the side.

With them gone, Lila moved the last bits of uncooked food away from the fire as she rushed to the prince’s quarters. With one hand on the wall, Lila hotfoot it through the twists and turns of the dim-lit hallways and up the main stairs. The frigid wind stung her cheeks, her servant's uniform doing nothing in keeping her warm as she speed-walked toward the command tower. However, it did help now that her hair was unrestrained, long curls shielding her arms from the nights southern cold. All but running into the tower, warmth immediately licked at her body. The fire emanating heat and light from the wall torches eased the stiffness of her shivering joints. Her relief was short-lived when she remembered that Prince Zuko’s room was still a few floors up. With a pout and a whimper, Lila began jogging the rest of the way toward her master’s room.

Once she reached his metal door, a winded Lila lifted her bandaged hand and softly knocked, a throb of pain shooting down her finger as she waited. Like usual, the gravelly voice of the prince commanded her to come in.

Using both hands, the petite girl turned the large cogwheel and pried the door open. Identical to last time, she peered into his room, took one cautious step in and hesitantly called out,

“You’ve requested my assistance, Prince Zuko?”

Mindful of the eye, Lila discreetly pushed some hair and hid it from view. The reaction of the men before told Lila it’d be better to keep her disability hidden if it was that distracting.

“Yes, come quickly. I want to be ready by the time we reach the southern water tribe.”

Judging from the clam raspy tone of voice, Lila concluded that The Prince wasn’t angry and carefully entered, closing the door behind her.

Near his meditation table, Prince Zuko stood like any fire nation soldier would with the usual scowl on his lips. As Lila inched in front of him she could already see that the straps holding his fire nation armor together were tied in all the wrong places. Being alone and in such close proximity to the brooding prince, Lila felt her nerves begin to quake. No way did she want a repeat of last time, anxiety sprouting from her chest. The tension was palpable in the room. The lack of conversation didn’t help either as she thought of what Prince Zuko and his men might do to the people living in that tribe. Though she’s never been to the northern or southern water tribe, they were still her mother’s people, thus making them part of her kin.

“Will they do what the fire nation did to my village, too? We didn’t even have the Avatar either and they still ravaged my village.”

In an attempt to silence her thoughts, Lila gingerly grabbed the chords holding the chest piece of his armor together and set to work. Her eyes trained solely on his battle wear. Cautious of her injury Lila made sure to keep her finger from touching him. Any bump or jostle hurt. Though her fingers, minus her pointer, were moving, her mind remained on the tribe's native people.

Zuko looked straight ahead as the shaky but lithe digits of the servant – Lila, was it? - untied and retied the straps in the correct places. The reason why he called for her specifically was that he figured she’d know how to do this from her years of servitude at the palace. Before his banishment, before that fateful day. As thoughts of his family started to prod the strongholds of his mind, Prince Zuko didn’t see Lila peek up at him from the side of his shoulder until he heard her low voice fill the thick quiet of his room.

“What’re you going to do to them?”

Like an arrow, sharp and precise, prince Zuko’s stare shot to her own, making Lila’s eyes widened in surprise. She expected him to be looking straight ahead if he were to answer her.

Breaking eye contact with him, Lila looked down and closed her blinded eye desperately hoping he didn’t see it as she went to fix the strings behind him. Erratic. That’s how Lila’s heartbeat felt. But yes, Zuko fully saw the milky hue of her eye. He too had a similar reaction like the three men, but not one of distaste or disgust. Just surprise, but he soon discarded what the feeling once he processed what she asked.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your concern, servant.”

Cold with an edge of warning. That’s all Lila could sense wrapped around his heated words. Especially when he said her name. Now onto the left shoulder greave, Lila peeked at him again. He was looking straight ahead, his face taut with contemplation? Lila couldn’t tell. With a beat of hesitation, she licked her lips. She could already tell he was beginning to lose patience. If she were to say another word, she didn’t doubt he’d snap. Her brain was telling her not to say anything, she was walking on thin ice that was melting fast, but her mouth felt differently.

“May I speak Prince Zuko?”

“No, you may not. Finish fixing this and go. I don’t need to hear what you have to say,” Prince Zuko snapped in restraint.

All while arguing with herself, Lila moved to squat in front of him and began tying the laces of his shin guards. She did not want to witness another fire nation attack on any village again, especially when innocent people are involved. Though she felt if she were to talk out of turn, prince Zuko would surely lose his patience and probably punish her. Besides, what could someone like her do, realistically? No one has ever listened to her. She has no voice, but still. They are my people, too. I have to try.

Opening and closing her mouth Lila fought to push the words out.

“The water tribe did nothing-”

Unnaturally warm hands cut through her sentence and seized her wrists as she was forcefully pulled up from the floor and against Prince Zuko’s armor-clad form. Strands of curls unintentionally tangling in his grasp. Chest to chest, with Zuko holding her wrists and hair between them, he glared down at Lila. Fear radiated off her body in waves. She felt way too exposed without her eye patch and a dull ache throbbed from her finger when her hands bumped against his armor. White and brown eyes flickered between golden ones before looking around the room to avoid his stare, but to no avail. Calloused fingers laced with hair firmly, but not painfully, gripped her jaw turning her face to his, thumb pressing into her cheek.

Patience completely evaporated, Prince Zuko ground out, “I told you not to speak, didn’t I?”

With shuddering breaths and petrified eyes, Lila could only nod faintly. Paralyzed by his overwhelming build the words on her tongue melted, sliding down her throat. Releasing her jaw, Prince Zuko let go of her wrists, strands of hair snagging on his fingers as he dropped his hand. Lila winced from the sudden plucks of her curls. Shaking the hair off he rubbed the bridge of his nose, shut his weary eyes and sighed,

“Finish the last shin guard and leave.”

No reply came from the young girl as she dropped and tied the shin greave. A slight tremor in her hands. Once she was done she stood up with her head hanging low.

“I’ve finished Prince Zuko, do you require anything else before I go?”

“No.”

Long hair cascaded over her shoulders as Lila bowed. Rising back up she somehow managed to calmly exit the prince’s quarters, his eyes narrowing on her retreating form the whole time. With the loud thud of his metal door closing, both Lila and Prince Zuko let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding.

Lila had half a mind to go to uncle Iroh’s room and talk with him about what his nephew was planning to do. Talk with him about how the Prince was nothing like what Iroh describes him as but decided against it since he was most likely napping. It was hard for her to believe there was kindness in the Prince’s heart when all she’s ever seen from him was anger and rage. You could see his brutality and hate in the way he bended, too. Once she exited the command tower the sun was still hanging onto the horizon, waiting for someone to look at what it created, but a thick mist now covered the expanse of the water the ship navigated. When out of the blue, loud crackling emanated below the ship. Lila ran to the front and hunched over the edge of the railing to see what was going on.

Squinting through the mist, she saw the ship’s hull was no longer sailing on water but breaking and cracking through solid ice. Snapping her head up Lila saw the ground splitting toward the water tribe’s village! One large jagged fault traveling right through the middle of it. Prince Zuko’s ship rammed through the iced floor like it were a piece of paper. Lila couldn’t help but panic internally, they were coming extremely close to the water tribe!

“If this ship doesn’t stop we’re going to run right through!” she gasped in horror.

From what she could see in the vapory haze, the southern water tribe was quaint. A wall made of snow circled the tribe, acting as a barricade. Small igloos littered within. From behind, the sound of the Prince and his men’s shoes clanked across the deck toward the front of the ship, preparing to disembark. Anxiety, fear, and apprehension swirled within her. This scene hitting way too close to home for her liking. She never signed up for this, well she didn’t sign up for this at all, but still. The three years she’s been on this ship she never really thought about what capturing the avatar looked like or being there to see it. All Lila knew was she didn’t like where this was headed at all. The prospect of the past repeating itself right before her eyes scared her.

When she turned to watch them pass Lila’s eyes caught prince Zuko’s for a brief moment. Again, he found nervousness swimming in her stare, and again, he didn’t care.

Finally, the ship came to a halt with an ominous screech. Powerless, Lila watched with bated breath. Her eyes flitting between the native people down below and Prince Zuko’s men. She swore her heart was going to pop out of her chest from how hard it was pounding it almost hurt. Suddenly the hull of the ship dropped, turning into a makeshift ramp, a loud thud resonating in the air. The ship's metal easily overpowered the tribe's barrier, the snow crumbling as it gave into its weight.

Faintly Lila could hear a feminine voice yelling for someone to get out of the way. The shrill scream making Lila’s heart drop and then kick up in speed, assuming the worst. It felt like her feet were bolted to the floor as she helplessly watched the Prince and his firebenders disembark the ship. Visibly shaking, Lila leaned over the front of the ship again to see, legs feeling like they were going to give out any moment.

From her spot, she could see Prince Zuko and his guards disembarking and a young water tribe boy with war paint coating his tanned skin, belt out a war-like cry as he charged up the ramp at Prince Zuko. The boy’s weapon of choice, a water tribe club, raised high over his head. He was easily overtaken. Lila winced when the Prince’s leg side swept the boy's club out of his hand, then kicked him in the face, sending the boy flying off the side of the ramp and into the snow. Lila could hear Iroh’s voice in the back of her head talking about how he knew his nephew wasn’t as corrupted as his other family members, but what she was seeing now proved otherwise. He was unlike what Iroh always tried to tell her. The Prince was brutal.

Zuko continued walking down the ship as if nothing happened. His steps were powerful and determined. The people of the tribe huddled up in one big group, trepidation and terror embedded in all of their blue eyes. With the men of the village off to war, Zuko was unsurprised to see the ones that remained were the women and children, except for the war-painted boy if you’d count him as a man. However, the longer no one spoke the more time was wasted in capturing the Avatar. The silence was so tense Lila felt it up on the ship. Zuko stopped in front of the crowd, his eyes sizing up each woman and child until his glare stopped on this one girl holding onto the arm of an elderly lady.

“Where are you hiding him?”

When no one spoke, both Lila and the young girl gasped when the banished Prince roughly pulled the elderly lady from the girl’s grasp.

“He’d be about this age? Master of all four elements?” Zuko demanded, shaking the woman by her for emphasis.

Again, no one answered him, they were all stunned in silence and fright. After a beat of quiet, Prince Zuko carelessly shoves the old woman back into the young girl’s arms. Both water tribe women gasping. Lila watches worriedly, praying up above that this village will be spared from the fire nation’s fury. Even from the ship, Lila saw the Prince tense up in frustration and knew what he was going to do next and whispered “no,” as he launched a wave of fire inches above the villager's heads. The women and children screamed and cowered before him.

“I know you’re hiding him!”

Below her, Lila saw the water tribe boy free himself from the snowy confines he was kicked into, the majority of his face free of paint as he picked up his club and ran at Zuko once more with another loud battle cry. At the last second, Zuko turned toward the annoyingly loud boy and dodges the boy’s attack, flipping him over his head when he swiped at the Prince. When he hit the ground Zuko punched another blistering fireball at him. Luckily, the tanned boy gathers himself rolling away from the blast, swiftly retrieving a boomerang that was strapped to his back and throws it at the Fire Lord’s son. It surprised both Lila and Zuko with how fast and strong he threw it, the air whistling as it narrowly missed the Prince’s face. Even where Lila was standing the boomerang would’ve whacked her in the face if she didn’t duck in time. All the while her eye followed the boomerang’s path. The boy was stronger than he looked.

“Even without bending,” Lila hopefully thought, “he’s handling himself well against the Prince. Maybe…this village won’t be ransacked.”

A growl erupts from the Crown Prince’s throat before he can shoot more fire at the irritating boy who just won’t quit, a little water tribe child cries out,

“Show no fear!” Throwing a fishing spear made of bone at his opponent. Again, he charged at Zuko, the spear positioned like he was going to run him through, but the Prince was prepared. “He lacks training,” Zuko gathered, easily breaking the spear in half with his wrist guards. He then snatched the bone rod from the boy’s hands, poking him repeatedly in the head with the butt of it until he fell on his bottom, and broke it in half again before throwing it to the ground.

On the ship, Lila’s eye followed the boomerang as it curled back around and headed back to the owner who threw it. With her eyes still on the weapon, she gradually turned and watched it spin at dizzying speed before it slammed into the back of Prince Zuko’s helmet with a loud thwack. Her eyebrows quirked in surprise as she wondered if the water tribe boy planned for that to happen, but her face fell when she saw the Prince standing menacingly over the boy’s fallen form. Fire jet out from his tightly clenched fists, the orange embers creating a dagger-like weapon.  

For a moment, Lila feared for what Prince Zuko would do to him, but surprise quickly overtook her as another younger boy, maybe about twelve or so, with a bald head and peculiar clothing zoomed through the middle of the fight out of nowhere riding on the back of a penguin. In the child’s hands was a staff as the penguin flew right under Zuko’s feet, sweeping his legs out from under him. The young servant girl gasped when the Prince fell over, the village children cheering for the child all the while. The said child sped past the kids sending up a wave of snow splattering them all in the face, their cheers ceasing for a moment at the unexpected smattering, but continued yelling anyway. At this point, as much as Lila was concerned over the fate of the water tribe, she didn’t know if it was morally okay for her to laugh at the ridiculousness of what just happened.

Still, relief filled her heart knowing that Prince Zuko’s plan of capturing the Avatar wasn’t going according to plan. No village, town, citadel, or nation should be destroyed in finding the Avatar. Her heart and mind were conflicted. Although she did want the Prince’s banishment to end, she didn’t think this was the right way of doing it. She remembered the stories her father told her about Fire Lord Sozin killing all the airbenders to find and end the Avatar cycle.

Briefly, Lila faintly heard the kid happily greet the boy and girl, their names being ‘Katara’ and ‘Sokka’, with Sokka dryly thanking the child, who she heard him call ‘Aang’, for coming. Lila’s eyes flicker between Prince Zuko and Aang, both of them assuming a defensive fighting stance as Zuko’s men circle Aang, closing in on him. Suddenly the kid swings his staff, and with each swing, he sends snow at the guards blowing them away. With the Prince being the last one standing Aang sends another blast of snow at him, but he was unmoved, uncle Iroh’s firebending lessons paying off.

“Looking for me?”

Processing everything the child managed to do in under ten seconds, Lila’s brows furrowed. He managed to disarm and beat all of Prince Zuko’s men like it was nothing just by throwing snow at them. At first, she thought he was a waterbender but he didn’t move like one. His fighting style was different from what her mother tried to teach her and different from what she’s seen earthbenders and firebenders do. It was unlike anything she’s ever seen. On top of that, the arrow on his head and the unusual choice of clothing he wore was vastly unfamiliar from the clothes in her hometown and the fire nation. Her eyes widened in realization. No, this child couldn’t be- Prince Zuko voiced her incredulity, the snow Aang bent at him melting off his shoulders and fists, “You’re the airbender? You’re the Avatar?”

~

A/N: OKAYYYYY!!! Just so you know I want you guys to keep Zuko’s “Contemplation?” face in mind. There’s a few things I want you guys to catch in part 2. Sorry if it was slow paced. I hope you enjoyed it and please excuse any grammatical errors. Have a blessed day! Chapter three may come later cuz I have a zuko request I want to write!

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