#when the first chapters were just ordinary dude's life

[darkfrog24]

I literally just did one of those. Those scenes are like the base coat on a painting. They're what happened to the characters off-screen. It'll show through in the parts the readers see.

PACING IS ABOUT LOAD BEARING WALLS.

*staples violently to my own forehead*

[p0rkbun]

APACHE TEARS┊❝Happy Birthday.❞ Chapter 01

─ Sam Carpenter x OC

Synopsis: Alexis forgets her birthday, but she didn't forget to visit her childhood best friend.

Content warnings: bad writing, slow burn, mention of being chased by a dog, original characters, not proofread, other than that there's nothing too serious.

Word count: 3.4k

Before Alexis left Woodsboro, she lived her childhood in the town that was known for its murders in the 90s. Something like that—you don’t expect to live an ordinary life, would you?

A very slim chance you would have a life with no mishaps in a town like that. Even though it has been eleven years since the last murders happened, some crimes occur every now and then. People doing drugs, accidents, assaults, attempted murder, and more. Despite these occurrences, Alexis had gone on with her life, trying to avoid anything that might make her life miserable, and she did. She was smart enough to avoid anything suspicious, including not answering calls from strangers, not going out late at night, having protection, and knowing when someone is planning to mug you.

It was common sense; even a half-brain would know this!

But Alexis wasn’t lucky. Her efforts were all in vain, because not even intuition could stop any misfortune sent to her. Not only did she never felt safe, but she never had any expectations for her own solace.

One day, she caught a blue butterfly around the playground when she was a young girl. The insect had beautiful blue wings—not something you’d see every day—along with its rapid wings that Alexis almost failed to keep up with. The young girl stared at the insect with interest and fascination, wanting to take it home. She didn't, since she knew keeping a butterfly would not last, so she released the creature.

It wasn’t long until a stray and horrifying dog plunged its canine teeth onto the butterfly, ripping its small wings in an instant. The wrecked beauty was nowhere to be seen, already evaporated and chewed by the rabid animal.

Alexis only stared in shock before she took off, frantically fleeing from the dog chasing the poor girl.

Before she knew it, the memories of her first sight of horror were nothing but a faint memory that left her story of how she has cynophobia. Thinking about it now, she thought about how easily a dog can rip a small creature to shreds, thus scaring another one. It was the same thing with humans.

You can easily take someone’s life; for what cause? For your own survival? Pleasure? Revenge? A relief for your buried anger erupting within yourself?

No matter the reasons, the act of killing someone was immoral and will always be something that’s kept with you until the day you breathe your last breath. Even after death.

Years went by in the blink of an eye. Alexis was no longer a little girl but a drowsy looking freshman in college in Modesto, California. She felt like going back to her dorm to sleep, feeling regret seeping in after she accepted the offer from a friend to hang out.

“Aw you already cut your hair? Lame, I already miss your long hair." The charming-looking boy gives Alexis a teasing grin. “You told me to do something new for myself, didn’t you?” Alexis replies with a sigh to Jesse.

Jesse was the first person she met when she moved to Modesto for her college, he was smiley and handsome-looking, and he knew how to dress neatly even for casual hangouts. Coincidentally, the boy was assigned as her roommate. If you met him, he’d be someone with a bit of an obnoxious exterior, but he’s not a bad guy. He’s pretty considerate, Alexis honestly had thoughts of him liking her because of how abnormally nice he is, the other part is him possibly being an asshole underneath that grin. Not the case; however, he's just... slow sometimes.

“Yeah but I didn’t know you were gonna cut your hair!” He exclaimed, “Dude, everybody was literally telling you how long and pretty your hair looked, they’re gonna be devastated if they see you now.” Alexis glances at Jesse “I’m sure it’s not that serious. It’s a matter of time anyway. I don’t know why I kept my hair that long, I feel so much light now.” 

“Really? Did having long hair feel heavy?” Jesse asks with genuine curiosity.

“Of course it does,” Alexis said, her face contorted with irritation. “Could you leave the questions later? Where are we even going?” Jesse lets out a sheepish chuckle at the girl’s response.

“Okay, alright! C’mon grumps” He held Alexis’ sleeve and led her to wherever their destination was.

She didn’t pay attention to where Jesse led her; in an instant, they were at a small shop. The sign was detailed in black, and the exterior was full white. They both stepped in and met with the sight of accessories and items. All of them are for school, studying, or just for looking nice via keychains, pins, desk lamps, and more.

“Woah, i didn’t know they had something like this here,” Alexis says with surprise. She looks back up to Jesse “Is this some kind of thing you’re doing to get a date with me?” Jesse snorts. “No way! I know you’re not into me.” 

“Then what’s the occasion?”

"C'mon, Al, it’s your birthday!” Alexis blinks at him.

“....It is?” The younger girl thinks, and finally realization hits her. "Shit, I forgot...”

Jesse lets out a small laugh and nudges her arm “That’s kinda funny, how’d you forget your own birthday? Did you not celebrate a lot?” Before Alexis could answer him, Jesse drags her to a shelf and picks out a keychain of a cute looking brown bear. “Cute, right?”

She stares at the pin, rubbing the surface a bit as she inspects it. "Yeah," she mumbles, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. “Weird…I remember getting something like this on my birthday.” The taller boy hums. “A pin?” Alexis shakes her head lightly. "No, the bear.” Jesse stared at her with a perplexed look before he spoke, and his words made Alexis laugh. “You got a bear for your birthday?”

“No, it was a..." Her voice trails before she hums as she tries to recall what it was that reminded her of years ago. 

"Actually, I’m not so sure.”

“Happy birthday!” A young girl exclaims with a small gift box in her hands. Ten-year-old Alexis accepts the gift by taking it in her hands. She lifts her head to look at her friend. “You remembered my birthday?” The girl nods and smiles.

Tara was Alexis’ friend, her first and best friend, and she still is as she grows older. She met Tara at the playground when they were about six or seven. Alexis was a year older than Tara, but that didn’t change their close relationship with one another. Tara was the only friend who wanted to talk to her and hang out with her almost every day. 

“How could I forget?” She giggles; she holds Alexis’ hand while walking her back into the house. “You got me a bracelet a few months ago when it was my birthday; I wanted the both of us to match!” She beams with happiness when she sees Alexis’ small smile. “But that bracelet was pretty expensive; how’d you manage to buy the same one?” This causes the shorter girl to stammer a bit. "Well….I kinda begged Sam to buy it."

“Tara!”

“What?” Alexis sighs at her. This girl…

“Why’d you have to bother your sister?” She puts the bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet had small fake pearls on it, along with the green-colored string. Honestly, Alexis would consider it a scam since it was too expensive for its looks; it looked pretty, but it didn’t match the price. She only realized that after buying the thing. “It’s fine! Sam didn’t mind, i think...  besides she likes you; she even bought you your favorite soy milk on the way home.” Tara says this and hands her friend a soy milk box.

Alexis looks at the box and feels a small burst of joy in her heart. She rarely gets to see Sam, her best friend’s older sister, but she always made her feel comfortable when they were together. She found the older girl cool and sweet; she was a little quiet and scary at times, but it felt nice knowing Sam didn’t mind her. Things have been different for the last year for some reason. She was more distant, but that wasn’t weird for Alexis; she knew people change and get busy sometimes.

Alexis sends Tara an appreciative look before speaking “Could you tell her thanks?”

Tara frowns at the girl. “Hey! You didn’t say ‘thank you’ to me!” She huffs.

“Thank you, you brat.” Alexis rolls her eyes and receives a pinch from Tara for her response. “Ouch stop!” She hisses and pinches Tara back, earning a squeal from the shorter girl. “Ow! I got you a gift and this is what you repay me?!” Alexis dodged Tara’s hand when she tried to pinch her again.

The two ran back to Alexis’ house while giggling and squealing; it wasn’t rare when Tara visited her house. She seems to like being there more than her own home, especially nowadays. Alexis always got her to watch movies or play together.

Alexis snaps out of her daydream and finds herself resting her head on the desk. Memories of her childhood lives fresh in her mind; the ones she could remember vividly were with her best friend. The only memories she wished she could have visited again, being a kid again at least. Everything used to feel so much lighter. Only now, Alexis didn’t wake up and rode her bike around the neighborhood without any worries. Everything was so different; she feels like it was yesterday when she was spending most of her time watching horror movies and hanging out with her best friend. Crazy huh? You never thought time would pass so fast.

The next thing you were a happy kid, not knowing much about the world, until you grew up feeling bitter about things. Sometimes you wish you were a dumb kid who doesn’t know any better again.

Tara sent you a message.

Tara ♥️: Happy birthday lexi

Tara ♥️: I wish I got you something :( I know you’re busy and stuff. You gonna come to visit?

Alexis smiles at the text.

Lex: Yeah I will dw

Lex: Now stop being sad, be ready tmr Im gonna visit my dad first before you

Tara ♥️: Im not first? Wowww i thought im your first in everything. Finally over your best friend huh

Lex: Cmon you know I love you, I just love my dad more

Tara ♥️: You’re an asshole come quick before i hate you forever

Lex: You won’t

On the other side of the screen, Tara's lips curled into a bright smile. After a few months, she finally got to see her best friend again. It hasn’t been long, but it felt like a while for Tara, and it made her anxious. Alexis knew Tara wouldn’t like this distance between them, especially after…

No, let’s not.

But Alexis didn’t have a choice nonetheless; her dad didn’t want her in that town, and deep inside, she agreed with him. She could have brought Tara with her, but she doesn’t really have the requirements currently. So they both settled, visiting Tara once or twice every few months until she could kidnap her and put her in her pocket to live with her in Modesto. Doing it in a friendly way, of course.

Before leaving, Alexis decides to take a trip to the convenience store to buy some things for her ride. Driving came to mind, but she brushed it off, thinking it was too much of a hassle, and decided to take the bus instead.

Upon arriving at the store and stepping in, her mind wonders as she browses through the shelves, picking up a drink and a small snack. She thinks about how Tara’s been doing without her for the past few months. Alexis had the tendency to worry about the younger girl, even if she had others with her back at Woodsboro. Her thought was cut short when another person came to mind.

“hm…I wonder where Sam is and how she’s doing now.” She mumbles to herself; eventually, she purchases her drink and snack before exiting the store to wait for the bus.

How long has it been since Alexis saw Sam? She doesn’t know; she forgot when the older girl disappeared so suddenly. How did she even feel? She doesn’t remember.

With each passing day, Alexis would sometimes wonder what Sam was doing. Probably living her life peacefully without any disquietude. Or not.

The sound of a text message makes her stop halfway to the bus station. Alexis pulls out her phone to see Jesse’s message pop up.

Hey sorry but I left something somewhere and I’m a bit busy right now to get it.

I know you’re going to visit your family today but could you get my headphones and hold on to them for a while until you get back? Its at the bowling alley, you know, the one next to the gas station. Thanks 😀

This little…

Whatever, only 15 minutes remain until the bus arrives. This wouldn’t be so bad; make it really quick.

Alexis jogs to the bowling alley and enters through the door while receiving a greeting from a tall girl at the desk. “Welcome to Cardinal Lanes; how may I help you?” As Alexis approaches the desk, she takes in the tall girl’s appearance for a moment.

She was tall and had her black hair with brown highlights tied into a bun. Her eyes were dark brown, and she had tan skin, along with a rather expressionless face when Alexis entered, but a small smile formed on her face to be appealing and polite.

"Hi, sorry, a friend of mine left something here. Headphones with light-green and grayish colors?” Alexis rushed, not wanting to miss the bus; her voice was breathless from running.

The tall girl nods. “Oh yeah sure, I think I know what you’re talking about. Wait for a moment, miss.” She disappears into the back room for a moment before coming back with Jesse’s headphones.

“Here–” Alexis cuts her off, “Thanks so much—sorry I’m in a rush." She takes the headphones from her and pauses to look up at the woman.

Alexis can’t help but feel sympathy for the stranger; she looked tired as if she’s been working all day every day. Yet she tried to put on an expression to look winsome for the place’s policy and pleasing customer service—something like that.

A rush of thoughts swirled in Alexis’ mind. Funny how she was in a rush, but for some reason she wanted to make this stranger’s day a bit better. This always happens; at the most critical moments, most times, Alexis has this thing of wanting to cheer a stranger up when she sees them down. She knew she needed to mind her own business about whatever miserable thing was going on with somebody unknown to her in their lives. But would you cheer up this tall, pretty, and downhearted-looking girl even if you’re in a rush?

Shit what the hell do I do? What am I doing? I don’t have any time for this. But she looks kinda sad. What the hell…okay stop staring at her like a weirdo.

The tall girl furrows her brows in confusion at Alexis, feeling a bit anxious and flustered at this random Asian girl staring in silence.

“Is there something wrong, Miss?” She asks while her dark brown eyes linger on Alexis.

Alexis blinks and averts her gaze for a split second. “Um yeah, sorry uh…” She stammers before swiftly pulling out a bear pin that she bought that morning and placing it firmly in the stranger’s hands. “Sorry uhm, here’s something of my gratitude for your service—thanks again, bye!” Before she could reply anything back, Alexis had already bolted out of the bowling alley.

The bowling alley attendant frowns at what just happened. She looks at the pin in her hands, her expression puzzled. Weird girl…. she thought. Unknown to Alexis, she probably made someone’s day a little better with her small act of kindness.

Upon arriving at Woodsboro, Alexis feels a sense of familiarity with the town. As much as she doesn’t like it, she misses some of the aspects of the place.

Throughout the ride, Alexis felt the need to jump out of the bus and into a ditch because of her awkwardness earlier. Being back at the place where she grew up took her mind off that for a while.

“Hey dad,” Alexis says to the phone with a bright smile, feeling excited to see her father again after months.

“Lexi? Honey, hey, how are you?” Dewey’s voice was heard through the phone, his soft tone making Alexis smile wider.

“I’m doing fine; I’m visiting you today.” Silence fell momentarily; this made Alexis a little nervous before Dewey spoke again.

“Honey…I told you not to come here.” He sighs through the phone, making Alexis feel a little guilty. “I know but I just wanted to see you." She responded as she walked along the sidewalk; it still brightened out as the sunlight hit Alexis’ face, causing her to squint. “I’m only visiting for a few days; I’m planning to stay at Tara’s house.”

“Oh Alexis…  you know I don’t like that.”

“What’s wrong? I thought you like Tara?” Her response causes him to exhale deeply. "You have to understand that even though I like her and she’s nice for you, I find it difficult to get a good night's sleep knowing that you are here at someone else's house." Alexis lets out a small sigh as she listens to her father’s words.

“I’m not staying at ‘somone’s’ house,” “I know, I know." "Dad, c’mon...”

Dewey goes silent for a bit, waiting for what his daughter has to say. “Dad… I know a lot has happened here, and a lot has happened with you and me as well, but things aren’t like that anymore. It’s been ten years, and nothing strange has happened—no ghostfaces, no killers. I’m not blaming you for being paranoid, but I want to spend time with you without the thought of another murder happening.” 

“I just wanted to see you. Don't you miss me, dad?” Alexis’ words hit Dewey like tree logs crushing a brittle shed. He lets out a sigh before chuckling a bit.

“You didn’t have to say that to your old man; of course I missed you.” He smiles on the other side of the phone before continuing, “Alright, I’ll let you stay, but you’ll leave first thing in the morning on your last day, and make sure to see me.”

Alexis hums. “I will. I’m going to go see you right now, later, Dad.”

“Stay safe, sweetheart.” With that, Alexis hung up and was about to continue walking until she was met with familiar black hair in her sight.

The girl stood in front of her with a grin—Alexis could recognise that smile everywhere. She didn’t expect her to be the first face she'd see once she stepped into this morbid town.

“Well, look who’s back in town.” She laughs, grinning wider, and steps closer to Alexis. “Haven’t seen you in a while; it’s nice seeing you again.” She said in a low tone, her voice sounded sweet.

Alexis gave Amber an acknowledging and surprised expression. She feels a tingly feeling in her stomach—not a good one. It’s a feeling similar to when someone you aren’t that fond of meets you on your way to your destination. Or when a teacher calls your name to ask a question about the lesson you learned but didn’t bother to remember, feeling like your heart stopped for a second. She feels dread for some unknown reason; she always has bad energy whenever she’s with Amber. It’s not because she’s sort of got this bad girl's agenda or that she has a violent way of expressing anger.

Amber is awfully nice to Alexis, and she doesn’t like that. 

If somebody is nice to you, you wouldn’t be feeling a sense of dread. So, why?

It’s always been like this with them; Alexis always felt something was wrong with that girl, and it’s a little messed up to think that.

“What’s with that face?” Amber tilts her head, her eyes lingering on Alexis.

Alexis needed to make this quick before she vomits from anxiety.

— Note: thank you if you managed to read this whole ridiculous thing 🥹 You're probably wonder about Amber and Alexis, they have a complicated relationship which will be revealed more into the story. I'll have to make a new character biography for Alexis soon lol.

[stayycalm]

Megaverse Chapter 1

© staycalmm (stayycalm on Tumblr)

"This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, businesses, places, events, or incidents are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.”

in other words, dude this is a fanfic it’s not that deep.

   ENJOY!

this story is heavily influenced by the Firebird series

 “they told us it was impossible, that it was science fiction. but when we discovered the multiverse the possibilities became endless.”

welcome to the stray kids hot megaverse.

read on ao3

Chapter 1

My head is spinning, and the world around me seems to be in constant motion. my body buzzed with an unusual hum I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision. 

my hands hit a smooth cool surface as I gasped, slowly and the surroundings began to stabilize. It worked. I jumped to a different dimension. 

I laugh, slightly hysterically as I press my forehead into the glass in front of me, trying to slow my pounding heart as I grin to myself, Chris would freak out if he knew what I just did.

The thought of him brings a pang of sadness. he was more than a friend to me; he was the family I always wanted. 

I bounced around foster families for years, no one really wanted me.

 that was until I came to the Bang house, For the first time in my seemingly worthless life, I was wanted.

I remember the first day I met Chris. I was thirteen and still very unsure of this new family. 

 it being the fifteenth family I had stayed with, I knew not to get too attached. Mrs. Bang opened the front door and waved for me to follow her inside. 

my hands tightening on my backpack straps, I took the first step into the unknown of this new house. Mrs. Bang traded her heels for a pair of cream-colored house slippers, and I moved to take off my sneakers, staring down at my plain black socks.

without saying a word, she set a pair of dark gray slippers in front of me. I looked up quickly, surprised by the gesture. 

"Welcome home, Sydney," she said. Her voice was sweet, and her face showed something I had only imagined in my most lonely of daydreams—love. It was love in her eyes. 

Tentatively, I slipped my feet into the slippers, the soft fabric providing just the right amount of support and comfort.

Once I was used to the new shoes, Mrs. Bang waved me down the hall.

 "Come on, they can't wait to meet you." 

I knew the Bang family already had three kids: two boys and one girl. Hannah, I remembered her name and thought of how my last foster house had five girls who all despised my presence.

Rounding the corner into the living room, I bumped into a soft wall. Looking up, I saw a bright smile beaming down at me. 

"Hi! I'm Chris.”

I snapped back to the present, digging my nails into my palms—a nasty habit I was never able to break. 

Wincing at the pain, I blinked through tear-filled eyes at the tiny red slices in my palm. I relaxed my fingers, noticing that my nails were long, sharp, and painted bright red.

 I stood there, staring at my nails in awe. 

Nervously chewing my nails had never allowed me the luxury of a manicure like this. 

This Evelette was clearly much more self-assured, judging by the tight black dress that clung to the curves of my body in a way that I would never feel comfortable with back home.

I stepped back from the wall, blinking hard and wiping away the tears, ignoring the slight black smudges on my fingers. 

I clutch at the necklace resting on my barely covered chest, holding it up as I read the small screen as it scrolls through my dimensional coordinates.

when it comes to the science behind this I’m at a loss, but what appears to be an ordinary necklace is in fact the most advanced piece of scientific equipment in my dimension.

Growing up in the Bang household gave me the security I lacked and Chris was an amazing older brother figure, not only for his kindness but also for his ambition and genius. 

from day one he took me under his wing, showing me around the house, and helping me get settled into my new room.

he introduced me to his friends and tried his best to include me in any way he could, though he was smarter than I could ever hope to be he did come in handy when it came to my science homework.

and not only was he ridiculously smart he was a champion swimmer, a straight-A student, and graduated as valedictorian before going on to attend one of the most advanced science colleges in the world. 

While he was there, he made a few friends who soon became his work partners as they worked towards their final project. 

One of his partners was Han Jisung, a slightly crazy Physics major who referred to their group as ‘3Racha.’

I blinked at him, the meaning of what he just said lost on me. He grinned, leaning back on the couch I had been occupying for the past hour.

"What?" I asked, not getting the meaning behind the name.

"3Racha!" he said again, and I shook my head, still not getting it. He snorted and rolled his eyes.

"It's a play on Sriracha, and since there are three of us—" 

I blinked and nodded, starting to understand at least a little bit before he finished what he was saying. 

"And because we are HOT!" He finished, winking at me as he leaned his face towards mine.

I felt my face heat up and laughed awkwardly, looking away from Han to see Changbin staring at us, unamused. 

Our eyes locked for a moment before he broke our stare to talk to Han.

"Stop saying it like that. You'll weird people out," his voice was low and serious as he went back to whatever crazy math problems he was working on. 

Being the math major of the group, he was in charge of the majority of the numbers and statistics for their final project, a project Chris had yet to share with me.

Chris always kept me in the loop about his life, but this was one thing he couldn’t share with me. 

“not yet,” he said for what must be the thousandth time, and I all but whined as he chuckled patting my head before moving past me to talk to Changbin.

I admired him for everything he accomplished. But this project was different. He was secretive, and it made me curious. What could be so important that he wouldn’t even tell me, did he not trust me?

Despite my curiosity, I respected his privacy. I knew how much this project meant to him and his friends. And although I didn’t always understand the technical details of their work, I was proud of them. 

They were working on something big, something groundbreaking.

Chris, Han, and Changbin were an inseparable trio. Their bond was strong, and their passion for their work was inspiring. 

Watching them work together reminded me of how lucky I was to have Chris in my life. He was more than a brother; he was my hero.

Han and Changbin had become like family as well, not only to me but to the rest of the Bang family. I couldn’t remember a time they hadn’t been over for dinner in the past two years since Chris and them started their final project.

Han was a flirt and a terrible one at that, but he’s only like that with me according to Chris and Changbin, he can’t talk to any other girl to save his life. his social anxiety prevents him from doing more than waving hello to a girl.

Apparently, I’m the exception to his anxiety seeing as he seems to live to make me flustered, Changbin on the other hand seems to do everything in his power to avoid me.

I don’t know much about him besides the fact that he’s a wiz with numbers and that he’s allergic to cats, the one conversation we’ve had plays in my brain more often than I’d like to admit.

the night was cold, colder than your usual Australian nights. laid on the back porch watching the night sky as I let my mind wander to what my life would have been like if I hadn’t come here.

my brain did this a lot when I felt the overwhelming love that comes from the Bang family, wondering if I’d still be here if they hadn’t taken me in, and given me the love I never dreamed of feeling.

I’m brought out of my mental spiral but the sound of the sliding glass door opening and closing, I turn my head to see the wide frame of Changbin as he leans back against the door.

with his eyes closed and his chin tilted towards the sky, he looks handsome and less scary than he normally does with his impassive eyes that see everything but reveal nothing.

he breathes deeply before opening his eyes, his gaze meeting mine almost immediately. as if he knew I was watching him.

my cheeks warm and I pray it’s too dark for him to notice.

“ what are you doing out here?” his voice is different, softer than it normally is.

I sit up from my place on the deck shrugging. 

“ needed to cool off a little.”

he nods not saying anything, he doesn’t move from his place by the door and I sit there watching him curiously. 

“ you know we couldn’t have done this without you.”

his voice startles me out of my staring and it takes me a moment to process his words.

“What?” my voice is strangled as I try not to choke on the air I inhale far too quickly.

“ the project, Chris says you are the one who inspired him to start the project,” he said as if I should have known.

I blinked at him, shocked as this was news to me, I opened and closed my mouth trying to find something to say.

“ you mean a lot to him,” his voice had a strange tone as he frowned before clearing his throat, looking away from me before adding.

“ to all of us.” I blinked thinking I had misheard him.

 before I could respond there was a knock on the door and we both jumped at the sudden disturbance, Chanbin turned and opened the door and Chris stepped out with us.

“Hey! Mom brought out some cheesecake for us, you better come get some before Han eats it all.” he walks over to me holding out a hand as he chuckles.

I smiled and took his hand letting him pull me up as we moved to head inside, Chris went in first and I followed close behind as I past Changbin I felt a small touch on my head.

I paused turning to look seeing the leaf pinched between his fingers, then looking up to meet his eyes. his gaze reflected an emotion I couldn’t quite place, he almost looked pained.

maybe he knew what he was going to do, maybe he had already set into motion the very thing that would shatter the very foundations of my life.

With trembling hands, I looked for my phone. When I found it and unlocked it with Face ID, I thanked the lord for the technology in this dimension being similar to mine.

 Trying to guess this Evelette’s password was not a game I wanted to play. I quickly opened the notes app, typing a note in all caps so that when I faded into the background of this dimension’s Evelette, she would read it and reawaken me within herself.

"FIND SEO CHANGBIN."

[champion-of-thedas]

WoT Reread New Spring Chapter 4

I forgot how long this chapter is. It is so long.

Leaving the Tower

Siuan and Moiraine leave the Tower and travel to the camp where they are going to begin taking down names.

·Description of a room for no narrative reason. Look, if he was trying to set a tone, it would be one thing. If the characters were going to be in a room, it would be one thing, if it was an important way to characterize a location, it would be one thing! But Moiraine’s room is none of those things. In all honestly, I find this charming, but I am amused that this room is getting so much description when it meets none of the previous criteria. My dude.

·I have misophonia and it hates KR’s ‘sl-p’ words above all else. The sheer amount of ‘sleep’, ‘slip’, and ‘slippers’ I’ve been hearing is driving my nerves insane.

·Despite the fact that this is supposed to be an out of the ordinary event and the inciting incident of the series, it is giving us a lot more of what regular life for Accepted in the Tower is like.

·Strangely, knowing all of the stuff that Moiraine packed that will not be mentioned in this chapter is helpful to me. It is also a good way for us to get to know Moiraine by learning what she thinks is important.

·Siuan is not a horse girl, and I love that.

·There is a lot of description of the city, but not in the same way that made me so frustrated with it earlier. Here, it feels like it is contrasting the city of Tar Valon with the tragedy going on outside as well as showing off how so many people from all over the continent mix together here. Also it feels in character for Moiraine to notice what she does.

·There’s a brief non-scuffle with the white cloaks that I had forgotten about that ultimately just let’s us know that they are here and they are definitely taking the opportunity to heckle Tar Valon while so close.

·Moiraine and Siuan taking every opportunity that they can to use the power so they have excuses if anyone catches them.

·So here, Siuan tries to convince a guardsman to see her way and it doesn’t work, but she does seem to be considering him afterwards. I wonder if this is just us seeing how Siuan eventually becomes the Amyrlin that she does. Small little moments of her attempting persuasion, deception, and other forms of manipulation are done so she can see how different people interact with them and adjust her approach accordingly. Moiraine talks about how Siuan sees puzzles and patterns, so this would make sense. In essence, while this looks like Siuan utterly failing at browbeating a guard, it actually is Siuan making a mistake, realizing it, analyzing what happened and what went wrong, and filing it away for the future while observing her mark to guess what alternate approaches would work. I’m pretty sure I’m not just making this up either. Moiraine comments on Siuan liking puzzles once more and says she’s looking at the guard as if he was one of her puzzles, and then Moiraine makes a statement about how Siuan sees patterns. I just wish we got more of this in her POVs.

·I also think this could be a good comparison with Egwene. This book came out between Crossroads of Twilight and Knife of Dreams, so it was there after Egwene got captured by the White Tower, but before we got to see her begin manipulating people and events in the Tower. A lot of the next few books involve Egwene using the skills she learned (many of which were with the help of Siuan) to beat the White Tower from the inside. We get to see the origin of those skills here.

·There’s just some more back and forth with Moiraine being a disaster bisexual and thinking about pretty guards and pretty Accepted. Good for Moiraine. The chapter ends with them getting set up at the new spot.

One thing my Siuan rant reminded me about is when I first read this book, I was just thinking of it as a Moiraine and Siuan story, but on this readthrough, I’m also thinking of it as a Moiraine and Siuan and Rand and Egwene story. In the rest of the series, I kind of think of Moiraine as Rand’s mentor and Siuan as Egwene’s mentor and the two of them are reflected a lot in their students. I joked with a friend once that sometimes you can really tell that Rand’s leadership style came from a spy and it shows up in some not great ways. I love Moiraine, but she is a spy, not a leader. And no, I’m not saying she messed up Rand’s leadership, he did that on his own bless him. I’m just saying that sometimes he’ll do something, like make sure he is surrounded by people that he knows want to hurt him because he knows their intentions for sure and having people mess each other up so they don’t think about rebelling against him, and my brain says, “that’s a spy move”. I also know that Siuan was also a spymaster and then became a leader (and Moiraine received training as a leader before becoming a spy), but I’m pretty sure that she pushes back against some of those tendencies with Egwene and she had experience as a leader by then. Plus, she comments on how her spy tendencies screwed her. Egwene still has plenty of sneaky spy in her, but I think there is a subtle difference in their motives and actions that is hard to explain. I’ll probably get more into it when the two actually come up as characters.  

[ja-gul-writes]

The Hot Guy Next Door

Honestly, I feel like I need to work on my titles. I mean, it's descriptive and it gets the job done, but I should've added more pizzazz. Then again, me and pizzazz don't always go together.

Then the first book in this new series is called Falling For The Neighbour, which also has no pizzazz lol.

There's no giants in this one, not like in my other series The Gentle World. It's just two regular dudes. They're a couple of ordinary guys that are super fucking into each other and finally get together after living across the street from each other ever since they were kids.

Jude is the main character, and most, if not all of the entries will be from his POV. His family mean well, but don't always show their love in the most supportive of ways. Criticism about his appearance or apparent lack of abs and biceps are frequent, and he's so used to being the butt of family jokes that he's grown numb to it.

Cael has lived across the street with his mom since Jude was a little kid, and since they were the same age they sometimes hung out. But Cael has his own family drama, and trying to have a life of his own while also keeping his mom out of it is incredibly difficult.

When the two of them get together, they show each other the kind of support and kindness that they're both missing from the world, and along the way they fall in love and have to cope with past trauma together.

... But mostly it's smut. There's plot in there, there's character development, but every single entry has either 1 longer sex scene or 2 slightly shorter ones in it. The point of this series was to have two characters deeply in love and exploring some new kinks.

Currently, it's planned to have 12 entries that are around 10k-12k words long each, and then a final entry that is 13 chapters all on it's own.

[little-corritrice]

Light of My Life - Chapter 21

Synopsis - y/n was your ordinary young women, who happened to be the daughter of Christian Horner. She is there every race, and every day, See how she gets along with everyone, including a special someone.

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

He ran to me, spinning me around. "y/n!" He exclaimed, hugging me tightly. I laughed, kissing his cheek as he put me down slowly. "When? How?" He asked so many questions making me laugh. "Like yesterday. I don't know, a miracle?" I said, smiling softly. "Does this mean you can walk?" He asked, stepping a few feet away. "I haven't got that far." I chuckled, before trying it. I took a baby step, wobbling a little bit. "Go get Alex." I said, waving my hand around. He ran out, leaving the door open. I quickly sat down, not wanting anyone to see me standing. Mick was jumping to the garage, running into the Red Bull garage. I watched as him and Alex came running out, sprinting their way to me with Christian in tow. They came in, shutting and locking the door.

I smiled, standing up again. "Ta-da!" I exclaimed, doing jazz hands. They laughed and Christian came over. I took a baby step to him, and engulfed him. "I can feel my legs, dad." I said, a tear of joy slipping out. "I'm so happy." He said, wiping my tears. "How about you come to me?" Alex said from the other side of the RV. I nodded, letting go of Christian. Mick was by my side, holding his hand out. I took a baby step, then another, then a full step. It felt weird at first, but I got used to it. I made it to Alex, only with a little wobble. "I did it!" I exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "Oh, I'm so excited to see the guys reaction when I walk." I squealed, shaking my hands. "Your such a goofball." Christian said, rubbing my head. "The race is over so you guys can head back to the hotel and catch the flight in the morning. I'll see you at the house?" Christian asked. "Of course. I'll be back." I said, giving him a hug. "Take care of her." Christian said to Alex, making him nod.

After we were back in the hotel room, I was walking around, baby steps and big steps. Alex was taking a shower, humming a song. I got a brilliant idea, so I wrote a note that I would be back in 30 minutes, and left it on the bed. I slowly walked out, making sure no one was there. I went down to Lando's room, but stopped outside. I sighed before knocking. I stood there waiting before the door opened. Lando smiled, and hugged me. "Hey. You okay?" He asked, still not noticing I am walking on my own. "Yea." I said, pushing past him, and laying on hid bed. I smirked as he came over, sitting on the other bed. "Why the smirk?" He asked being the clueless dude he is. "Just give it a minute." I said, closing my eyes. After a minute or so, I heard a gasp, and felt him on me. "Your walking! Oh my god, y/n." He exclaimed, making me chuckle. "Took you a while." I laughed, hugging him back. Lando had tears in his eyes, making me laugh. "It's okay, Lando." I laughed, wiping his tears. "But your walking again." He said, making me chuckle at his pouty voice.

After spending some time with Lando, and telling him my plan, I walked back to the room. I heard the elevator ping, and panicked. I quickly opened the door, quickly shutting it after. "That was risky." I mumbled, but yelped when I felt arms around me. "It's just me." Alex laughed, holding my waist. "Sorry. I heard the elevator and panicked." I chuckled, turning his arms. "So, what's this great idea of yours?" He asked, lifting me up. "It's just how I want to surprise them." I said, playing with his hair. "Hm. Well, I am bored." He said, carrying us to the bed. I chuckled, sitting on his lap. "Wanna go home early?" I asked. He thought for a second before smirking. "If we leave early, we can have some fun at home." He chuckled, kissing from my lips to my neck. "Well, then we better get going." I said, getting off him. He whined, reaching his hands out. 

After we finished packing our bags, and were on the plane, I was sitting across from him, smirking as he kept staring at me. "Quit staring, Alex." I smirked, shaking my head. "Your so lucky I can't just have you right here, right now." He sighed in frustration, making me chuckle. "Patience." I said, getting up and going to the corner bar. I grabbed us some drinks, going back and sitting on his lap. "To good times." I whispered in his ear, making him sigh. He chugged his drink, putting the glass on the table. I sipped my drink slowly, putting in on the table after. "Stop teasing me, darling. It won't end well for you." He said in a low tone. I chuckled, sighing after. "We will see about that." I smirked, kissing him deeply.

[jeggsistence]

Making of Scans and Ian

First time huh, kinda traumatic

I might as well talk about my latest story, Scans and Ian and how hard it is to write a story

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To summarize, Scans and Ian is about some dude living on his own in a cave during a dystopian future. Instead of being about an "odd-one-out" character that fate chose to save the world in an epic 240 chapter novel, it's about some anti-social dude that lives in a cave; fixed his phone himself and now has to go through a futuristic city to scan it for verification.

It's meant to be a subversion where the main character is not the hero or villain of a story; but some ordinary guy that doesn't care for the fact that his world is essentially teetering to a fall and just wants to mind his own business. Unfortunately, the plot doesn't allow that and he suffers through constant setbacks with people that, for some reason, see more in him than there actually is there.

Sounds like a nice concept, might even be funny, and both of those assumptions are indeed true!

~~BUT IT WAS A FUCKING NIGHTMARE TO WRITE~~

This was my first time writing, and, it's not like I couldn't figure out the plot. Thinking of how it would generally go was the easiest part. The beginning, middle and end were roughly in my head. The issue stemmed with actually filling the gaps with detail. 

The development of this nauseating narrative started at around September of 2022, and (technically) ended last month. I say technically because I first uploaded it on Wattpad in January, then here because I wasn't getting enough views, and then updated it like right now to be a bit more organized. 

What was so difficult about this narrative? It was my first published piece so maybe that had something to do with it? 

Well, not really. I've been writing since I was like 8, I just kept that to myself and whatever. If we're talking expansive stories, I technically have a whole anthology of stories memorized in my head since I was 12 that I never bothered writing until now. I'd say I'm adequately experienced enough to know the��basics of writing a story.

Was it because of school life? I mean, I am just a teen.

No, in fact I wrote the most in school than anywhere else. Besides that, I don't really take school as a priority since (pardon my VERY humble brag) I was always a decent student without really needing to work that hard for it.

Nah, the biggest reason was a disease that has engulfed many writers, both young and old. That disease is: ~~WRITER'S BLOCK~~

We all know what that is. It's a horrible condition that comes out nowhere and only gets cured by the stupidest solutions known to humanity. For example, an important plot point, THAT YOU KNOW HOW IT WILL GO DOWN, cannot be written for weeks, even months or years. Stories are like boats, it will completely sink to the bottom if you find a tiny hole in the plot, and you'll be stuck figuring out, editing, reworking, rewriting a piece only to realize that either nobody else will notice the plothole, or the solution was a 2 minute job of thinking in bed.

On the other hand, motivation will come by simply because you redesigned the kitchen in which a 6 line banter may have taken place, which wasn't even important to the overall plot. You can never tell when writer's block will hit you, and why it's hitting you at your breakthrough moment to make a piece of art.

My problem was what I wrote the story on before. A computer, which is odd to say, in retrospect, since it's the easiest medium to write with.

My issue with computers is that I get distracted way too easily, and the computer's ability to multi-task takes the best of me. I'd be expecting to get a chapter done by the day, but then I'll distract myself with videos I rarely watch, music I barely listen to, and games I never play. It's the worst enemy to my low attention span.

What was my solution?

Writing on my phone. It's less distracting, and you could even lie in bed all cosy while tapping at the screen to make your next thriller. What took me months to write one chapter, suddenly boiled down to a week as I quickly finished the first draft, edited it on computer and then posted to Wattpad.

I'd say with my first piece published, it's a lot easier to get into the work loop. I have so many ideas on my list and I hope y'all stick around as I realize each idea!

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 324: Is There a Force Field Around Him??

Previously on BnHA: Flashback!Rat Principal was all “please tell Midoriya that I spent a concerningly small amount of money upgrading U.A. into a wacky physics-defying funtime grid so as to make the final battle much more confusing for everyone.” Present Day!Mic (or Present!Mic, if you will) and Jeanist were all “if only somebody could deescalate this dangerously unhinged mob, we’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas.” Ochako was all “LISTEN UP PEOPLE.” The mob was all, “god??” Ochako was all, “NO, IT’S ME, OCHAKO. I’M REALLY HIGH UP ON THIS BUILDING AND THE VISIBILITY IS LOW DUE TO THE RAIN, SO I CAN SEE HOW YOU MIGHT MAKE THAT MISTAKE. ANYWAYS, DEKU WAS OUT THERE RISKING HIS LIFE FOR YOU CLOWNS EVEN THOUGH HE’S JUST A KID, SO I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD ALL REMEMBER HOW TO BE DECENT HUMAN BEINGS, THANKS.” Let’s see if her Big Scolding Energy has any impact.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “so I have this speech planned out, and it’s really good, but it also only really needs about 6 to 8 pages, but I’m gonna see if I can stretch it out to 17 pages so I can kill time before we get to the next volume cliffhanger two weeks from now.” Anyway but it really is a good speech though. There are feels, and tears, and more talk about how Deku is so in need of a shower that just looking at him requires a tetanus booster, and more feels, and more tears, and bonus ship drama, and an iconic callback to the very first chapter which reframes the entire series in a new context in a totally epic and moving way, and it’s all very good. Except that Horikoshi is determined to never let anyone actually give this kid a hug. Who hurt you, dude.

omg we are opening on a callback to chapter 212, a.k.a. the chapter with by far the cutest flashback that doesn’t involve any baby Todorokis

baby Ochako is lethally cute. she could literally murder someone with her cuteness. I just want to scoop her up and play airplane with her until she accidentally activates her quirk while we’re spinning around and we both helicopter up into the air never to be seen again

“a child’s insistence” huh well that’s all well and good, but I sure hope this doesn’t mean we’re going to drag out the whole “sternly lecture the obnoxious citizens” plot for another whole chapter. no offense but I think we’re good

so page 2 is just continuing the whole happy/worried faces monologue, which of course is very important to Ochako’s character as it provides the context for why “who protects the heroes” ended up becoming her thing. and this is making me think we actually are in for a whole second chapter of this sob. when will my boy finally get to rest

OH MY GOD SUDDENLY THESE PEOPLE HAVE EYES IMAGINE THAT

HORIKOSHI: [reaches for a box of tissues while tearfully penning an homage to his beloved Spider-Man 2, specifically the train scene where the crowd sees Peter without his mask and they suddenly realize just how young he is]

HORIKOSHI’S HOMAGE SCENE: “COME TO THINK OF IT, I GUESS IT WAS KIND OF MEAN FOR US TO PICK ON THIS TEN YEAR OLD KID WHO WEIGHS 75 POUNDS AND LOOKS LIKE HE LOST A FIGHT WITH SATAN’S MOLDY OLD BASEMENT”

lol at this one guy who can feel the mood of the crowd shifting and is all “WAIT, NO, I WANTED TO KEEP BEING AN ASSHOLE DAMMIT”

as many pointed out last week, this man is wearing an All Might shirt. that’s some fantastic irony there

-- SDKFJWIGKS

“LITTLE GIRL, I HOPE YOU’RE NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE WALKING AROUND DRESSED LIKE A SOVIET-ERA BUS STOP.” heh. last week I said I was ashamed of BnHA being my favorite manga. that was a lie, actually

(ETA: in the original Japanese Ochako’s next two lines are basically “the only ones covered in mud will be us heroes!” followed by “please give us some time to get rid of the mud”, with that second line basically being the single funniest thing I’ve ever read rdslkjl. Ochako thank you so much for supporting my running gags. “YEAH WE KNOW HE’S DIRTY. WE ARE GONNA TRY AND CLEAN HIM UP, BUT IT MAY TAKE A WHILE, I’M JUST SAYING. I MEAN LOOK AT HIM. HE LOOKS LIKE AN ASBESTOS COSPLAY.”)

doesn’t the megaphone kind of look ever so slightly like an axe that she’s wielding maniacally here

easy there Lizzie Borden

also that’s a really bold claim to make there. and not one she necessarily should have to make, either. but as we all know, there’s nothing that shounen manga likes more than having its heroes bravely hoist heavy burdens of responsibility like good self-sacrificing citizens

p.s. lowkey loving how Kacchan is positioned here standing slightly behind Deku. not presuming to stand in front of him all overprotectively (because he would hate if anyone ever did that to him), and kind of being unobtrusive and letting others take center stage -- but still being close enough to Deku that he can catch him if he stumbles or passes out again

(ETA: or maybe not lmao.

DEKU: [falls to his knees]

KACCHAN: [glancing up from his phone a few minutes later] “someone just sent me the stupidest meme about milk crates -- oh. uh. you good...?”

really, son. “the burdens you can’t carry, we’ll carry them for you. ...later, I mean. right now it’s late, and we’re all cold and wet.”)

also lowkey loving this OchaTsu moment here

I was going back and binging Ochako chapters this past week for reasons, and I gotta say it really stuck out to me just how often these two are paired with each other. they do everything together. it’s a really sweet friendship that often goes unappreciated but it’s very cute

meanwhile, not to be outdone by the OchaTsu, Iida is staring at Ochako with open admiration talking about how she’s fighting too. it’s been so long since we’ve had any IidaRaka you guys. I was starving and I didn’t even know it

oh my lord IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING

THE LIGHT IS BACK. he finally looks like him again. what a cathartic fucking moment omg

ffklkdw

“I KNOW YOU ARE ALL SCARED, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS, WE DEFINITELY CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SAFETY AND WE ARE ALL SCARED TOO!” good pep talk there kiddo

BUT, jokes aside, truth be told this is the exact right approach to take imo, and something that’s long overdue. I’ve said this before, but this new generation of heroes is shaping up to be much more transparent than the All Might generation. they’re basically abandoning the almighty, untouchable Superman “heroes as gods” concept in favor of the more nuanced “heroes as people” concept instead. and that’s a good thing. seeing their heroes as humans, with human limitations and weaknesses and flaws, will hopefully not only lead to more scrutiny and accountability, but also more awareness of how hard some of them are working and how much they’re sacrificing. that’s something All Might never quite grasped back at the start of the series -- that the weak, vulnerable, injured him could be just as inspiring as the mighty, invincible him -- perhaps even more so. there’s a power in seeing otherwise ordinary people show extraordinary bravery and compassion. it inspires others to try and do the same

SSDLHK AIZAWA SIGHTING AAHHHHHH

so he was still back at the hospital this whole time?? smdh at this disrespect. that feeling when your sexy self-insert character’s powers of rationality are too strong, and so you have to nerf him so that he doesn’t ruin your Deku Angst arc twice over by (1) immediately talking some sense into Deku and making him come home Right This Instant Young Man, and (2) not allowing him to leave U.A. in the first fucking place. excuse me, you want to do WHAT now, Midoriya?? that’s it, go to your room

also living for Katsuki and Hawks’s soft expressions. Shouto’s too, although his is tinier and harder to see. and Jeanist’s 12-foot-long neck. imagine Jeanist’s head with Mic’s hair. maybe Jeanist had a mohawk back in the day and that’s why U.A.’s doors are so big now

speaking of soft faces, Enji’s is also excellent

what could this random close-up possibly imply?? hell if I know. but Horikoshi truly fears no discourse and that’s what I love about him

OMGGGG

“smh my child is so dumb.” poor Ochadad. your child is cute af count your blessings

SDOFFHSMH

I’m telling you guys. lethally, catastrophically cute

this speech is still ongoing lol. Horikoshi you’re doing so good but I think we get the point now my dude. you gotta learn how to transition out of these things

UNEXPECTED TOGA WHAT

“there we go” Horikoshi says, crossing off the last line on his list of Ochako ships. “that’s all of ‘em”

poor Ochako is just repeating the same “LET HIM REST, PLEASE, WITH EVERYONE’S COOPERATION, IF YOU DON’T MIND, WE APPRECIATE IT” talking points over and over again hoping someone will throw her a bone and acknowledge her already. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP HER

literally they’re all just staring up at her silently omg. work with me people!!

now she’s saying it for the 56th time but more dramatically all of a sudden

they got so dramatic that for a minute I thought she had suddenly leaped off the building or something

look, not to rush you or anything Horikoshi, but I’m starting to get the feeling that this is yet another one of those “the volume is ending soon so I need to either hurry things up or slow things down in order to make sure we end it on my perfect cliffhanger ending” chapters where you go to ridiculous lengths to drag things out much to the exasperation of your week-to-week readers

(ETA: ftr, volume 31 ended on chapter 306, and I’m predicting that vol. 32 will end with chapter 316 (a.k.a. “you’re next!” [explodes]). I’m guessing vol. 33 will follow suit and likely end on chapter 326, so keep your eyes peeled for a big cliffhanger in two weeks’ time. Deku’s dad?? All Might in peril?? U.A. traitor at long fucking last?? we shall see.)

is Deku straight up falling in love with Ochako right on the spot lol what is happening

I know I just said that I enjoy when Horikoshi gives zero fucks about discourse, but shipping discourse is a whole different beast lol. I hope he’s prepared

(ETA: and for the record, I have no interest in shipping discourse either, as always. and I think this scene can be interpreted as platonic, tbh, with the context being that Ochako was literally introduced as someone who was willing to help him so casually without a second thought, and now here she is saving him again.

I don’t think it really fully hit Deku until this moment how much he needed saving. like I said in another meta somewhere, selflessness is basically just selfishness on behalf of others. and Deku is selfless to a fault, but that’s okay, and it doesn’t mean he needs to change -- he just needs friends who are willing to be be selfish on his behalf in turn. and I think the full emotion of what it means to have friends like that just hit him at last. everything his friends have done for him, how much he needed it and didn’t even realize, and how grateful he is. anyways what a terrible day for rain.)

-- son of a --

is he apologizing?? or pleading?? please tell me that’s not the case, because what the actual fuck. Deku you beautiful precious radiant selfless child, this is the exact opposite of how this should be. all these motherfuckers should be on their knees apologizing to you

DEKU WHY

I DIDN’T ASK FOR THIS FREAKING BOMBARDMENT OF EMOTIONS GODDAMIT. OUT HERE ARMED WITH YOUR FREAKING TREBUCHET OF FEELS TO LAUNCH AT ME UNPROVOKED. WHAT’S WITH THAT

FREAKING CHRIST. THIS BOY IS CRYING HIS EYES OUT AND HORIKOSHI IS JUST ZOOMING IN WITH THE CAMERA, LIKE CAN WE JUST CUT HIM A BREAK ALREADY. ENOUGH OF THIS. HE’S SO YOUNG AND HE TRIES SO HARD AND I JUST NEED HIM TO FEEL SAFE, HORIKOSHI PLEASE CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME THAT ALREADY WHAT IS THE FREAKING HOLD UP!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY!!!

GIGANTIC FOX LADY PLEASE BE MY HUGGER BY PROXY!! SERIOUSLY GIRL IF YOU JUST HOLD YOUR UMBRELLA OVER HIM OR SOMETHING AND DON’T GO THE EXTRA MILE I’M ABOUT TO LODGE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT. THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS NOW

!!!!

A KOUTA IS GOOD TOO!!! oh my god if Kouta hugs him I will seriously 100% straight up cry. go on and test me

FOR THE LOVE OF --

is this man expressly forbidden from drawing hugs in his contract or something. DO YOU DO IT JUST TO SPITE ME?? this is tyranny, sir

AND I KNOW, THIS PAGE ACTUALLY CHALLENGED THE VERY PREMISE OF THE SERIES ITSELF, AND HERE I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT HUGS, OR THE LACK THEREOF. “this is the story of how we all became the greatest heroes.” and just like that, he waves a polite middle finger at all of the Strongest Greatest Chosen One shounen protags of old, in favor of something much less conventional, much more interesting, and much more suited to Deku’s character. because if that one sentence doesn’t just sum up Deku to a T. he gladly relinquishes his Greatest Hero status in favor of acknowledging the hero in everyone. what a class act. that’s my protagonist

I love this kid so fucking much I swear. only just PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. GIVE HIM HIS HUG

[totalbetty]

Touch || Lee Jeno - IV.

AU | soulmate au pairing | OC x high-school!Jeno genre | slow burn, strangers to friends, friends to lovers, soulmates; fluff & angst word count | 11,9k trigger warning | 16+ strong language, sexual innuendos, blood, death, kidnapping, assault, violence

description | In a world where everyone has a soulmate, but not everyone is destined to meet their other half, Ru didn't think she could be an exception. After all, what kind of story starts with an ordinary, teenage orphan like her? However, all that changed when her eyes met his: big, dark and mysterious.

Masterlist! PART I | PART II | PART III | PART IV | PART V | PART VI | PART VII | PART VIII

chapter sixteen.

Poppies are strange.

Jeno had never given the flower a second thought but there he was, lying in bed as he flipped a tiny button in between his fingers.

The curtains were drawn, darkness aligned with silence. The scarce sunlight seeped desperately through the loose folds of the hanging curtains. Saturday wasted away as his eyes fixated on the red of the poppy.

He had forgotten all about the button until it rolled out of his wallet this afternoon when Donghyuck tried to borrow some money from him. Now it was the only thing on his mind.

How long has it been since she gave him this button?

Maybe a few weeks, almost a month. He couldn't be bothered to count, but it felt like an eternity ago.

He recalled that day— the busy streets, her nervous smile, the barely contained excitement as she looked at buttons, and his visible confusion at her enthusiasm for it.

Above all, he remembered one recurring thought he had throughout that day, something he kept to himself for the most part: what if there was something between them?

Even then, he knew there couldn't be. Maybe he should've spared her feelings, told her that whatever she thought they had wasn't real, let her walk away then and there. But he didn't, and now here they were.

Friends.

When did he become so comfortable around her? How did she fit herself into their lives so seamlessly, as if there wasn't a time she wasn't a part of it?

What if there was something between them?

His fingers rubbed against the soft fabric of the button, a way to keep his hands occupied just as his brain was. The question had been so worn out, wrinkled and ripped around the edges that he couldn't be bothered to try and answer.

And if there wasn't?

He inhaled a sharp breath.

Then he owed her nothing. Just like he had believed, like he had hoped when they first met. He certainly didn't have to help her find her soulmate, whoever the idiot may be. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

Damn... Life was so much easier when he didn't have a soulmate...

Essentially, he still didn't. But things were better when he never questioned it.

He dropped his hand on his side, his muscles sore; he didn't even realize that he had been holding his hand up for more than half an hour.

Suddenly, the door to his bedroom burst open and Donghyuck marched into the room, his loud energy a clashing contrast to Jeno's mellow mood.

"Yo—" Donghyuck paused, stopping in his tracks— "have you been in bed since I left??"

Jeno groaned, shifting in his bed and facing away from Donghyuck.

"Dude, get up—" Donghyuck threw his pillow at him; Jeno felt the sudden blow hit him on his back and he groaned even louder. He sat up, glaring at Donghyuck as he held up the pillow threateningly.

"No, wait—" Donghyuck raised his hands in defense, a nervous smile forming as he tried to keep a serious face— "I'm sorry, seriously!"

Jeno narrowed his eyes. Normally, this was when he would beat the living hell out of Donghyuck, but he just didn't have it in him today.

Jeno laid back down on his bed just as Donghyuck walked over to the window. Without any warning, he ripped the curtains open, allowing the sunlight to spill into the room.

He groaned again, raising the comforter over his head to block out the light. How could it still be so bright in the afternoon?

Donghyuck walked over to his side of the room, rummaging through his drawer as he casually mentioned, "Ru wants to meet up with us in an hour, so get ready."

Under the covers, his head shifted.

"Why?"

"I don't know man, do I look like one of her girlfriends?"

"A little bit, yeah," Jeno mumbled unenthusiastically.

"Why, thank you," Donghyuck giggled in a false high-pitch voice; Jeno didn't have to look over the covers to know he was pretending to flip his luscious, non-existent brown locks.

Could they just go without him?

"Come on—" Donghyuck nudged Jeno's ribs with his foot— "I don't wanna be late, I still feel bad about what happened with us getting attacked."

Jeno scoffed— "not my fault."

"Jeez, stop being so cranky—" Jeno felt something thrown at him from over the covers— "How was I supposed to know they were gonna show up in the court? I was just trying to cheer her up."

This time, Jeno lifted the comforter off of his face, facing the preoccupied boy. "Cheer her up?"

Donghyuck didn't even look up; he was busy charging his phone under the desk. "Yeah, you weren't even there but she found out the night before that her foster mom's got a tumor."

Jeno felt his heart drop. He sat up on his bed, still facing the boy busy rummaging through his clothes.

"She told you?"

"Yeah, she was, like, super distracted that day—" Donghyuck lifted off his shirt, throwing it into the clothes hamper— "I think she might've even been crying the night before."

His jaw clenched. He watched as Donghyuck casually slipped on a black t-shirt, a new icky feeling growing in his stomach. Why did she tell Donghyuck?

Jeno finally willed himself off of his bed, walking to the bathroom.

She didn't tell him, but she told Donghyuck. Not that he could blame her, though— he knew he had been distant from her these past few days. It's not like he had made it easy to talk to him.

"Sucks you had a headache that day." Jeno heard Donghyuck add.

Jeno paused in contemplation. Well, he didn't have a headache that day— he did the night before.

He stood motionless in front of the bathroom sink. He couldn't even begin to process his thoughts when Donghyuck hit him in the back of the head again with his hoodie— "quickly!"

Jeno grabbed the hoodie and turned around towards Donghyuck. "I swear to god—"

Donghyuck yelped, backing away towards the corner of his bed. "Ey okay, I'm sorry— stop!"

⭒⭒⭒

Ru sat at the corner of her seat, her knees bopping incessantly. She had been waiting in the cafe for over half an hour now. Jia and Chohee were beside her, talking amongst themselves in excited whispers; they didn't seem to notice her lack of enthusiasm.

Jia had chosen a chic and classy cafe somewhere a little further from their area. The place was mostly covered in clean and blinding white furniture, with several shelves displaying modern architecture books and artistic murals.

One thing Ru noticed from the moment they arrived was the abundance of couples this cafe had. Everywhere she turned, there was a couple sharing a meal or cuddling in a booth. Her stomach churned at the fact that she was about to stick out like a sore thumb.

Never mind the fact that she was dateless— even her outfit didn't match. She was just wearing shorts and a tight-fit shirt. Jia and Chohee, on the other hand, had on pretty skirts and elegant-looking blouses. They had their hair done up smartly, while Ru's plain, black hair sat loosely on her shoulders.

"Ru, did they text you yet?" Chohee asked, trying to peer into the phone on her lap.

"No—" Ru checked her phone— "not yet."

"Again, Ru," Jia interrupted, her eyes soft on Ru, "thank you so much for making this happen."

"Yeah," Chohee continued, "we promise you won't have to wait much longer."

Ru nodded lifelessly. The boys better get here soon.

As if her prayers were answered, the glass doors to the cafe swung open. Donghyuck spotted her first, giving her an animated wave as he skipped over. Jeno walked lazily behind Donghyuck, his hands tucked into the pockets of his grey jacket hoodie.

"Hey Ru," Donghyuck greeted. He finally noticed Jia and Chohee sitting beside her, and he raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "Oh, hey— you guys are here too."

Chohee giggled as she fake-pouted. "Aw, does Donghyuck not want us here?"

"Actually—" Donghyuck fake-contemplated and turned around, pretending to walk away.

Chohee gasped in between chuckles. "You're so mean!"

Ru looked away, feeling herself cringe a little. Jeno was still standing in silence, watching his friend laugh along with the girls.

Why won't he look at her?

"Jeno," Jia's voice caught both Jeno and Ru's attention. "Will you come and help me order?"

He was silent for a moment, but then nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Jia gave him a pretty smile. Ru couldn't help but watch as they walked away.

Jia's shoulders occasionally brushed against his arm as they stood behind the counter, making their order. Her eyes were bright, twinkling as she spoke to him. She must've said something nice, because Jeno flashed her a subtle, little smile.

She felt her heart drop.

She wanted to look away, but she couldn't.

Just last week, he gave her that same smile. It was her shoulder bumping against his, her jokes he laughed at—

"Ru." She felt someone nudge her shoulder.

She looked to her left to find Chohee giving her a furtive look. Her eyes darted momentarily towards Donghyuck; he was busy texting on his phone.

Chohee whispered, excitement in her eyes. "You can go now— if you want, of course."

"Oh right, yeah—" Ru shook her head. She got up from her seat, suddenly feeling awfully out of place.

"Hey," Donghyuck suddenly called her, "when are Jaemin and Renjun getting here?"

Chohee gave Ru a prompting look.

"Oh—" Ru's eyes darted quickly between her two friends— "they couldn't come, actually."

Before Donghyuck could reply, she interrupted him. "Actually, I uh—" she pointed at the door awkwardly— "I have to go. Tell Jeno and Jia I said bye, okay?"

Donghyuck furrowed his eyebrows. "Okay—"

"—Aww, bye Ru!" Chohee waved cheerfully, wiggling her eyebrows as she shot Ru a sneaky smile.

Ru didn't look back as she walked out through the glass door. She felt her body shiver as the cold, evening air blew through her in one swift blow.

She gave the cafe one last look, and that's when she met his eyes.

His big, dark eyes stared back at her, a hint of confusion etched on his face. But she ignored it. She looked away and walked.

Down the street, past other pretty shops. She didn't know where she was going, but she walked anyway. The muscles on her thighs were already starting to burn, but she didn't stop. The cold air invaded her lungs, her throat dry and hoarse as she started to pick up her pace. She didn't even register the warm, orange horizon around her turn into a cold gradient of navy blue.

Whatever, she repeated in her head like a broken cassette.

It didn't matter. She didn't care. It just sucked that she had to be out in the freezing night with nothing but a thin shirt and shorts, is all.

She didn't realize, but her hands were balled into fists— maybe it was from the burning sensation she felt on her chest, or maybe it was the fact that she was freezing.

Slowly, the streets started to get darker, the line of shops replaced with peaceful houses; the dim front porch lights were barely enough to provide light for the street that just seemed to lose its color the more Ru walked.

In the midst of all the houses, she spotted a little convenience store, its glaring white lights spilling onto the street in front of it and rendering all its neighbors invisible. Maybe it was the sudden contrast in lights, but Ru finally slowed down.

With light steps, she pushed through the heavy doors and into the quiet interior of the 24-hour store. It wasn't much warmer inside than it was outside— the air conditioner was still on full blast— but at least the air didn't burn her throat.

Ru knew that it would be smart to get something warm, like cocoa or coffee, but her legs took her to the refrigerated section, looking for the familiar jelly pouch. Her eyes scanned through the various flavor, searching for the pink color until she finally spotted them.

She reached for a peach drink. She knew from the moment her hands touched the icy, creamy-shaded plastic that she should really get something hot, but she took the pouch anyway.

The cashier didn't spare her so much as a second glance as he scanned her item. She paid for her drink, giving him a silent nod 'thank you' before she headed back out into the night.

The crisp air pinched on her skin like prickly little needles.

Downing the cool drink did not help— it felt like her insides were shivering too, but she let the numbing sensation overtake her. With each step, her feet began to lose its senses, and she slowly lost touch with the aching on her thighs.

There was nothing left to see in front of her but the blurry landscape. That only made the image in her head much clearer, almost like it was playing on a screen right in front of her.

Him, leaning against the sofa, shoulders slightly slouched as he forgot about her. His perfect teeth, his eyes crinkled in laughter as he watched her— her subtle demeanor, her perfect smile, her big and innocent eyes.

Why did she have to be so perfect?

She didn't register the tingly pitter-patter on her arms, gulping down the cool substance jiggling within its plastic confines.

The constriction she felt on her chest spread across her lungs like a tree on fire. The manic sensation, however, was buried under the numbing shivers all around her body.

Her bitter and frigid state comforted her. Maybe she wanted to feel this way— the cruel, icy air nipping at her skin, her nostrils burning from the cold. Maybe then this wouldn't be just all in her head.

As she lifted her head to take another shameful sip, she felt the droplets— stronger this time, wetter.

She huffed out a defeated breath.

Great... On top of what felt like a perfectly miserable day, she was about to be drenched in rain.

________________________________________

chapter seventeen.

Fat droplets of icy water shot down from the sky, smashing on her head and shoulders like exploding beads. The gradual increase in violent, incessant downpour of rain deafened her, shredding past her and desperately to the ground.

They cascaded down her cheeks, her eyelashes heavy from the buildup of rain. Soon, it was hard to even see where she was going; her breaths were heavy as she puffed the downpour of water from seeping into her mouth, her eyes squinted, vision obscured.

This was her cue to stop and seek shelter, hide under a tree— anything. But she didn't. Her legs remained static, her shoes releasing a pathetic slosh sound as she took slow-motion steps forward.

Her body trembled, the back of her neck heavy as she struggled to withstand the harsh temperature pressing against her skin. She tried to push down the bubbling anxiety and fight away the realization that she had no idea how to get home.

She pulled her legs forward, her rhythm picking up in waves. With each rapid breath, she fought not to inhale droplets of rain, coughing as the bitter petrichor took over the interior of her mouth.

Breathe.

Her heart was now pounding against her chest, each drum of its pump synced with the collision of her feet against the puddled cement road. Her legs were slowly giving up on her, her muscles numb from struggling against the icy cold shower she was drowning into.

A hitched breath threatened to send her plummeting to the hard floor.

But like lightning, a sudden jolt of heat coursed through her body, the intensity of its warmth centered on her right arm.

Her sight was blurry.

She could only focus on the hand that was now wrapped around her arm, pulling her like a magnet towards an unknown direction.

Before she knew it, the rain ceased from attacking her facial features, leaving her to wipe off the excess water from her face. The harsh shower of rain seemed to be hindered; she looked up in between chokes to find that she was under a large, bushy tree.

She blinked back rainwater, looking up beside her.

Like a dream, he stood beside her; his grey hoodie was a significantly darker shade from the rainfall. His chest heaved as he stared at her through tufts of soaked, jet black hair, his eyes indecipherable under the dim hues of the moonlight.

"Jeno..." the name left her mouth in an unintelligible whisper.

"What are you doing?" His voice cut through the air, fighting to be heard against the thrashing downpour.

Ru looked away, cheeks flushed. "I just... got lost."

The silence between them was loud, so much more prevalent than the background of brutal rain. She focused on the bright city lights over the railing of the road in front of them, feeling strangely disconnected, muted from the rest of the world.

She fought the urge to look at him, but her eyes peeked curiously in his direction. What the hell was he doing here, in the rain with her?

She couldn't tell what he was looking at, what he was thinking, the steadiness of his features like a brick wall as she struggled to see through his tensed demeanor.

Ru cleared her throat.

"How did it go—"

Jeno snapped his body in her direction, his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie; he straightened the dampened material.

"What's wrong?" His voice reverberated in a low hum.

"What—" she shook her head, eyes flickering in any direction but his— "n-nothing."

Even though her vision was fogged, she could see his shoulder slump down slightly. Was he disappointed?

Before she could say anything, he shifted his gaze back towards the brilliant glint of the metropolis. She huffed out a low sigh, biting her lips. "Where's Donghyuck?"

He was still. "Sending the girls home."

Right— the girls. In the haze of her dramatic stroll in the dark, she had almost forgotten that she had set them all up on a date.

Wait, was he mad about her setting them on a date?

The cogs in her brain were grinding, analyzing every crease on his forehead like they were a clue to his inner thoughts. Maybe he was mad that she kept them in the dark about the date.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the date. I know you're mad, but—"

"—I'm not mad," his dismissive tone interrupted her ramble.

"Oh," Ru mumbled, looking down sheepishly.

She sucked in a sharp breath, looking around her into the darkness that had nearly enveloped them both. The rain had started to hold back, but was still pouring onto them with vigor, quick droplets of rain trailing through leaves before finding its way to the top of their heads.

Ru's teeth were chattering; she held herself tight, trying to keep the heat from radiating away from her body.

"The rain's not stopping anytime soon," Jeno uttered; she glanced in his direction to see him start to unzip his grey hoodie.

A subtle frown formed on her face.

What was he doing...?

She took a heedful step back; he shrugged the heavy fabric off of his back, letting it slide down his toned arms. He hadn't even noticed the perplexity written on her face— he took one step towards her, and in his silence, he swung the large hoodie around her.

For just a sliver of a moment, a whiff of peppermint masked the earthy and musky scent of the rain and she felt the words get caught in her throat.

She shook her head, a feeble attempt at a protest as she tried to lift the hoodie from her shoulders— "hey, no, you're gonna be soaking wet—"

"Your hands."

His steely eyes stared back at hers, the austerity in his voice leaving no room for argument.

His arms hovered stilly over her shoulders, waiting.

Her eyes diverted to the shiny reflection of puddles beneath their feet. She heaved a tired sigh and slowly, she slipped her small hands, one by one, into the spacey interior of his cotton-soft jacket sleeves.

She stood unmoving as he began to pull the jacket tighter around her. His hands trailed down the cold zipper chain until he found the slider, pulling it upwards and securing her in the cozy confines of his jacket hoodie.

He inched closer, their faces just a spontaneous pull away. He lifted the hood gently over her head. Her heart was drumming, the rush of blood tinting her cheeks.

Stop it. Say anything, Ru. Anything at all—

"Did you at least have fun?" Ru blurted out a mumble.

His eyes flickered down at her soft lips, its glistening orbs reflecting the dull moonlight behind her. They were soft, begging to be understood.

The air built up in her lungs, trapped as she watched his eyebrows crease. His hands began to work its way down the fabric, adjusting the lapels of the jacket hoodie. His shoulders slumped faintly, his eyes now steady on hers.

He exhaled. "Come on, let's go."

He picked up the palm of her hand delicately, clutching her numb fingers and encasing them in his hand.

He walked back out into the rain with his head held high, never looking back. The droplets began to attack her once more, but now hampered by the soft fabric, hindered in the slips of time.

His broad back was her only view, the black material of his shirt imprinted along the curves of his shoulder blades. It was as if everything moved in slow motion: the push and pull of the muscles on his back, the thin grey fog of air that escaped her lips, even the unrelenting downpour of dark, pervasive rain.

Her legs pushed her forward, one pathetic footstep at a time. She didn't know where they were headed, but he did. He moved swiftly, leading her down the concrete slope past darkened houses and barely visible lampposts.

Soon, the new architecture of tall buildings and wide streets signified that they had reached a main road. The white noise of cars dashing past them, the skidding of their wheels against the damp asphalt roads were clearer than ever.

A few meters away from them, a bus had pulled up; its hissing engines barely audible, but enough to have caught Ru's attention, and it seemed Jeno's too.

"Come on—" he gestured at the bus, voice raised over the loud smashing of raindrops over the pavement floor—" that's our bus!"

Ru almost tripped over her own feet as he dragged her in a jog towards the bright, stagnant bus.

One of these days, his long legs would be the death of her... literally.

They finally clambered into the vehicle, both of them struggling for breath. In a split moment, it felt as if the world went mute; the heavy pounding of rain was momentarily erased as a ringing tune dominated the ambience, the frantic beating in her chest suddenly sonorous as she felt a new warmth spread throughout her body.

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the white fluorescent lights lining the roof of the bus. The bus driver gave them dirty looks; Jeno paid the man no attention and tapped his wallet against the card reader.

Beep.

She peered over his shoulder, opening her mouth. "I can pay for—"

Beep.

Her shoulders slumped stiffly. Well, there goes that.

They squeezed through the narrow aisle, past a few passengers that were scarcely scattered throughout the bus. When they finally reached a comfortable, vacant seat towards the back, he stopped and leaned toward one side, creating a small space as he eyed her.

"Get in."

Her eyes narrowed at his gruff tone. What was it with him and bossing her around today? Lately, he couldn't even find himself to notice her existence, but now he's commanding her every move? What does he take her for?

She huffed out an exasperated breath, her eyes staring him down. "I was going to pay for my own—"

The bus released a sharp hissing noise, its sudden motion forcing Ru to take two wobbly steps forward and right against the cold fabric of his t-shirt. Jeno instinctively grabbed her in his arms, steadying her as they both regained their balance.

He leaned his head back, looking down at her in concern.

"Are you okay?"

Her heart was doing it again! She quickly let go of him, trying hard to suppress her frenzied heart.

"Fine, I'm sitting," she muttered incoherently, quickly scooting over toward the warm blue cushions by the big, tinted window.

Her sight was focused on the view outside— it was bleary from all the reflections within the bus, not to mention the crowd of raindrops falling slowly against the glass, but her eyes remained unblinking. She was determined not to look at him at all.

She tried to ignore the damp material pressed against her body as she leaned her back against the fuzzy cushion, feeling a swift shiver overrun her torso.

She let the swinging motion of the seat below her sway her body, her neck craned towards the blurring buildings as they passed her; the streaks of warm, yellow hues emphasized the nighttime ambience so elegantly.

The moon was nowhere to be seen but her eyes scanned the skies languorously, her teeth biting uncomfortably on the insides of her bottom lip. She played with the beads of her stained bracelet, a certain feeling tugging at her chest.

She was supposed to pay for her own ride.

She twisted her head stubbornly; her head was now facing ahead, but her eyes glided curiously to her peripherals. Her shoulders were tense as she glanced at him. He had his head rested against the headrest, his eyes shut.

Slowly, her head began to drift in his direction, his calm and beautiful features mesmerizing her into a fleeting moment of wonder.

What was going on in that head of his, she wanted to know. Were they still friends?

It hasn't felt like it lately.

She knew that she could only hope that they could be anything more, but she didn't think she'd also have to hope they could always be friends. She just wanted him to open his eyes and talk to her again like he once did. Was that too much to ask?

But as if a genie had heard her wish, Jeno's eyes flickered open. Panicked, she snapped her head back towards the window, leaning on its ledge uncomfortably as she scrunched her nose.

She really hoped he didn't just catch her staring at him.

Oh, but he did.

His eyes now studied her small frame, her entire body enveloped in his hoodie. He scoffed internally, trying hard not to chuckle. What could possibly be so interesting out there in the rain?

As he observed her, his lips slowly formed a little frown, his eyebrows knitted in deep mentation.

How did they end up here? Like this?

He sighed.

He knew how, and it was his fault. There was a growing pit in his stomach, but he pushed it down.

It's better this way... They would avoid the hurt, the mess, the trying and failing— the inevitable fail.

For now, he just watched her.

He watched her head bob slightly to the bumps on the road, little locks of raven hair poking out from under the hood. Her hands clutched the oversized sleeves, completely engulfed by the length of his jacket.

His eyes trailed down to her legs where her hands rested. Minuscule beads of rain adorned her pale thighs, the sleeves of his jacket barely covering the goosebumps dotting her legs. He couldn't look away.

He would've stared forever, but the bus came to a sudden halt. His eyes flickered towards the window and he immediately recognized the street. Strangely relieved that he finally had a reason to stop staring at her thighs, he cleared his throat as he stood up, hoping that caught her attention.

She did, because she stood up, the grey fabric falling down on her sides. Once again, he stepped out onto the aisle, providing her with space to pass. She scooted through the seats and down the aisle without sparing him a glance.

He followed closely behind her, and they both stepped off the bus into the cold, dark night.

She moved ahead, her little feet taking big steps. When she continued past the bus stop and stubbornly back into the rain, he followed behind her. The rainfall had slowed into a steadier pitter-patter outside and the raindrops fell down on him like minute pecks.

He raised his eyebrows, watching her in curious amusement. She stomped her way through the rain, the excess sleeves swinging aggressively on her sides. Her shoes were completely soaked, but she didn't seem to care; she plodded into puddles, creating splashes as she walked.

Jeno didn't notice the smirk that had snuck onto his face. He couldn't remember ever seeing her walk so belligerently, but the funny part was, nothing about her looked even the slightest bit intimidating. The jacket hoodie fitted her like a raincoat did a child: her shorts were completely cloaked by the jacket, its sleeves dangling on her sides, the hood draped over her like a fuzzy blanket.

In his blinded fixation, he didn't even realize that they had entered their trusty neighborhood, the glaring fluorescent lights from their neighborhood convenience store making a short appearance.

Soon, they all faded into the background when she finally halted in front of the familiar, tiny black gate. At this point, the energy had been drained from her. She stood in front of the metal barrier, disassociation slowly creeping at her.

She was frozen. Should she turn around, give him a goodbye? But she had been doing so well, ignoring him. Maybe she could give him a quick nod and—

Suddenly, he was beside her.

Her shoulders tensed as their arms brushed slightly. He pulled the latch on the gate, pushing it open. For the final time, he picked up her hand, his soft hand pulling her through the yard until they reached the front door.

The rain halted above them, blocked by the patio roof. She couldn't bear it anymore; her eyes gleamed upwards, a certain glazed look cast over her as he looked down at her. His eyelashes looked thicker from the mist. His eyes were dim, the crinkles enunciated at its crevices.

The hint of remorse on his face would've been visible, if not for the ashen glow of the overhead bulb. But he stood there for a brief, outstretched moment.

"Goodnight, Ru."

He didn't wait for a reply. He turned around and walked back through the narrow path and out into the streets, his head hung low. Slowly, his figure disappeared into the night, and Ru couldn't help but feel a bit of déjà vu.

________________________________________

chapter eighteen.

The skies were a swirl of warm hues, the remaining traces of daylight slowly retreating over the horizon. Inside the cafe, the clear bulbs illuminated every corner and every crevice of Jia's hands as she walked over to their table, setting a tray on the surface.

Jeno joined Donghyuck on the couch, allowing Jia the seat in front of him. Donghyuck turned to the group, his head tilted at Jia. "So, Ru left, did she tell you why?"

Jeno's eyes lingered on the glass doors of the cafe, a cloudy haze casted on his eyes.

"Um, no, not really," Jia replied with half a mind. She distributed each drink carefully, her eyes sharp on each mug as a subtle smile graced her face. "Here's your drinks."

Donghyuck turned to Jeno. "Jaemin and Renjun couldn't come."

Jeno's eyes were knitted. "Did they tell you they were doing something?"

Donghyuck shook his head a subtle 'no'.

Jeno's eyes trailing back to the two girls sitting in front of him. The bright, overhead lighting had given them a perplexing exaggeration of shadows, the lines distorting their faces into an eerie, disproportional dream.

The white noise of brewing coffee and calm chatter faded into the background as he watched Jia stir the drink with one hand, her chin resting on her other hand. "So, how did you guys become friends with Ru?"

Jeno didn't reply. Instead, Donghyuck inquired, "Ru?"

Chohee leaned against the table— "yeah, we're actually curious how someone like her could be friends with you guys."

Jeno's eyes skimmed over to Chohee; he raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Someone like her?"

"I mean, you know—" Jia shrugged nonchalantly, a twinkle in her eyes— "someone as reserved as her."

Donghyuck paid him a barely-noticeable glance before turning back to the girls, tittering. "It's actually pretty funny—"

"How are you guys friends with her?"

Their eyes were now on Jeno. The girls had on a blank expression, like they weren't even blinking; Donghyuck shot him a weird look.

Jeno ignored the silence, his eyes now locked on Jia.

"She's shy," he concluded. "How'd she end up being your friend?"

"We sit next to her in self-study period, so one day—" Jia looked over at Chohee, and they both nodded in agreement— "we just invited her to hang out with us."

Jia looked back at Jeno to find he was still staring at her, devoid of expression.

"So you approached her first?"

"Yeah," Jia chuckled nervously, "for someone as timid as Ru, you'd have to be the first one to talk, right?"

This time, Donghyuck recalled the memory. "You know, she came to us first, actually."

Jia and Chohee shared a mildly astonished look, a futile attempt at masking the uneasy silence slowly overtaking the fine drizzling that tapped the windows; it left the room a cold shade of blue.

"Why did you want to be her friend, then, if she's so quiet?"

The incessant tapping outside got louder; the girls shared a nervous glance, lips tight in puzzlement. Jeno didn't budge; he heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Just to know how someone like her could be friends with us?"

Jia shrunk back in her seat, her eyes shifting between Jeno and Chohee. Her forehead was furrowed— "What?"

Jeno ignored her incomprehension, an irritated chuckle barely escaping his lips.

"How long did you wait before you asked her to set up this date?"

Donghyuck straightened his posture, his perplexity visibly in his parted lips. "Dude, what are you trying to say...?"

"Jeno, we don't know what you're talking about..."  Chohee trailed off, biting the bottom of her lips.

He looked away, out into the dark and blurry night; a barely-audible scoff escaped his lips, his shoulders rigid. The others stared as he stood up, stuffing his arms into the holes of his grey hoodie.

"Then I guess you won't mind if I leave—" he adjusted his hoodie, giving Donghyuck a knowing look— "Donghyuck can send you home."

He scooted out of their booth, throwing the hood over his head. His feet took him swiftly towards the glass doors. He encased his hand around the cold, metal handle, only to hear a voice call out to him from behind.

"Wait!"

He craned his neck around to find Jia standing a few steps behind him, a sullen look painted on her face.

"I was too embarrassed to say anything but, yes—" she fiddled with her fingers, her eyes adjusting to his icy glare— "she helped us out with this because she knows I... like you."

Her doe eyes were casted on him, a cutesy smile forming on her face.

"Woah, hold up—" Donghyuck snickered, looking between Jia and Jeno in complete oblivious amusement— "you like him?"

His grip on the metal tightened, his glowering gaze unmoving. He returned a low scoff, barely sparing her a glance.

"Convenient."

He clicked his tongue, turning around. He pushed the doors open and stepped out into the dark night. Jia stood in his wake, the innocent grin wiped off her face as her cheeks began to flush.

⭒⭒⭒

Something was off.

Ru sat under the shade of the tree, her legs crossed and tucked under her skirt. She twirled her phone mindlessly, her vision blank. Sunlight painted the courtyard with a golden tint, its jubilance radiating amongst the students; their energy bounced off of each other in forms of ecstatic laughter and bustling strolls.

Donghyuck was leaning against the tree beside her, munching on a roll of seaweed rice. His spirited conversation with Jaemin, she couldn't really register.

She opened her phone, clicking on a chat she had been re-reading all weekend. It was after the 'date'— after the bemusing walk under the rain with the guy she didn't really want to think about right now.

It was a message she sent had sent to Jia, which read:

Ru: Hey, Jia!

Ru: How was the double date?

The last time she checked her message, under it was a dull little 'delivered' sign that accompanied the text. She felt her heart fall as the sign had since been replaced by a disappointing blue sign: read, 17:01.

Was something wrong?

She had been dreading Monday all weekend, anxious about seeing Jia and Chohee again. Did something happen on the date that she didn't know about?

She scanned the courtyard thoroughly, her eyes trained on the main entrance of their school building. Its doors were propped open, a surge of students constantly occupying the entryway. As her eyes twitched, she waited with a disquieted stance for her friends to walk through the doors.

A familiar face was all she wanted, and after a few minutes of surveying the scene, she found it.

A tall frame stepped into the gleam of daylight, disheveled tuft of hair blocking her view of his eyes. He bounded down the stairs, hands rested in his pockets as the back of his blazer flapped behind him.

His sharp gait gripped her attention; her gaze trailed from his cream trouser, slowly working her way up until her vision met his facial features.

His movements halted, and only then did she realize his glimmering orbs staring right back at her. The world around her slowed— or maybe it was her heart that picked up double its pace— and her throat constricted, her body's subconscious way of reminding her that she needed the air. The shadows veiled the intensity in his eyes, leaving her chest numb.

What felt like an eternity, lasted only a second; he screwed his head towards the side, hiking in the direction of the school mini mart.

Whatever. She inhaled her lung's capacity, her teeth pressed against each other tightly. The moment washed over her in waves of pique as she raked her fingers through her raven hair, tucking them out of her face.

Donghyuck had finished his snack, dusting his hands in satisfaction.

Ru swallowed the lump in her throat, wiggling herself towards Donghyuck's facade in an attempt to distract herself. "So, how did the date go?"

Upon hearing it, Donghyuck let out a slight cough. He nodded in her direction, shoulders shrugged.

"Eh, it was boring—" he showed off a playful grin, wiggling his eyebrows— "and it wasn't fun without you."

She tried to suppress a laugh, shaking her head; what a cheeky boy.

"But really—" she scooted closer, clearing her throat— "did Jia, or Chohee, say anything about me? Or maybe something happened?"

"Why?" Jaemin interjected, earning Ru's attention.

"I texted Jia over the weekend, but she's not answering me."

"Well..." Donghyuck's eyes were squinted, looking falsely into the distance.

His delayed response prompted her to look at the others. Jaemin was sipping on a bottle of soda, side-eyeing Donghyuck in anticipation; Renjun had looked up from his phone, also awaiting the boy's next words.

With eyes darted back to him, her brows drew together. "What?"

Donghyuck raised his hands in defense— "I swear I had no idea how the conversation led to it, but they were talking about you or something?"

Talking about her?

"I was honestly so confused because all of a sudden Jia was confessing to Jeno and it got super awkward then he just up and left." Donghyuck spat out the sentence in one swig of breath, inhaling afterwards.

Oh. She looked down, tracing the outline of her phone with her thumbs. She could feel the pulsing on her chest fall into a rapid pace, her mind trickling with countless little thoughts. She adjusted her shoulders awkwardly— they felt light and breezy.

Her mind constructed its own little scene, replaying a fabricated image of Jeno slipping out of the cafe.

What was this foreign feeling? Was it... relief? It probably made her a bad friend that the news of Jia's not-so-successful double date made the walls of her chest light with air. She tried to suppress the jubilance, focusing on the reality of the situation.

She did wonder why Jia would confess to Jeno so soon. She had been so adamant about keeping it a secret...

Her shoulder dropped, sucking in a shallow breath. Jia must feel terrible— anyone would if their crush walked out of the room right after their confession. Now, she couldn't blame Jia for not responding to her texts.

She tightened the grip on her phone, clicking on the chat once more. The sounds of her clacking keyboard sounded the immediate space around her. She sucked in the wall of her cheek, her mind rattling for something to send to Jia.

But no matter how many sentences she used, with all the different forms of condolences she phrased in subtly varied ways, she just couldn't find the right words.

As if the universe was telling her, 'time's up!', the bell's resonant echoes rang throughout the courtyard. In an instant, the happy-go-lucky atmosphere shifted into a series of rushed steps as all students clamored into the hallways through the front door.

Jaemin groaned as he hoisted himself off the ground, dusting his trousers. "I'm not in the mood for history."

"Who's ever in the mood for history?" Donghyuck retorted, picking up trash he created when he had devoured his snacks earlier.

Renjun stood up with the others, standing behind Jaemin.

"Ru and I only have English, and Mrs. Lim's pretty chill, so... sucks to be you, buddy." Renjun patted Jaemin's back.

Ding!

She immediately opened her text message.

Finally! A text from Jia—

Her shoulders slumped. Spam.

She clicked on the new message in mild irritation. What kind of spam sends a bunch of links and gibberish anyway?

"C'mon, Ru, let's go."

Ru finally looked up from her phone, giving him an assuring smile. Maybe it would be better to come to Jia directly, anyway. She stuffed her phone into her pocket, uncrossing her legs as she stood up.

"Hey, where's Jeno?" Renjun asked the group.

Her eyes flickered in the direction of the mini mart; he must be long gone by now. The other boys gave half-hearted shrugs, muttering a variety of 'I don't know's. It mustn't have been important, because Renjun dropped the subject without another word.

The four of them walked into the crowd of students that were still entering the main entrance. They walked up some set of stairs and she finally parted ways with Jaemin and Donghyuck when they reached the second floor.

They bid each other with murmurs of goodbyes and went off in their own direction.

"You know," Renjun spoke up as they walked with the crowd, "I'm surprised we didn't catch on that Jia likes Jeno."

"Really?" Ru tilted her head. "she didn't really seem close to him."

"Exactly."

It was obvious Ru was confused, as Renjun chuckled and continued, "my mom always said that sometimes the absence of words are the words itself— for someone as friendly as Jia, it's strange that she doesn't interact with him as much. She doesn't really say much to him, which says a lot."

Huh.

"Your mom's smart."

"Well, my genius comes from somewhere, right?"

She rolled her eyes, scrunching her nose as he let out a satisfied laugh.

As they continued to walk down the hall, Ru noticed the girl's bathroom just a few doors down from her designated classroom. She picked up her pace, giving Renjun a quick glimpse. "Hey, I'm gonna use the bathroom— I'll meet you in class?"

"Alright." He gave her a quick nod and she jogged away. As she neared the bathroom, she slowed down until she was met with the opened bathroom door. A conversation resounded from the walls of the bathroom, the words registering slowly into her mind.

She took a nonchalant peek, expecting a group of girls. Instead, she spotted the familiar face of Jia, fixing her hair in the reflection of the mirror, covered slightly by Chohee's back.

"We were nothing but nice to her, and I guess now she just thinks she's all that." Jia concluded, her feminine voice barely discernible over the rush of passing students.

Ru's reflexes pulled her head back from the entrance, her back now leaning stiffly against the wall as she listened.

"Good riddance!" A groan can be heard in the form of Chohee's high, nasally voice.

What were they talking about?

"Hey—" A voice caused her to flinch; she whipped her head to find Renjun giving her a skeptical look.

"Why are you just standing here like an idio—"

"Shhh—" Ru pressed a finger against her lips, pulling him away from the girls' field of view— "it's Jia and Chohee."

Still baffled, Renjun stood beside her, both their bodies now inclining towards the bathroom door in undivided attention.

Jia's slightly muted voice began again. "How much do you wanna bet that Ru's not even that shy? She's probably just doing it to get the boys' attention."

Fire spread across Ru's lungs like a wildfire.

She didn't dare look up to see Renjun's reaction; the blood was rushing to her cheeks as she looked down in embarrassment.

"Ewww, I hate girls like that, they're so fake," Chohee responded, a spiteful tone laced in her giggle.

Looking in a stray direction, Ru whispered in abasement— "let's just go."

She grabbed Renjun's arm in an attempt to pull him away, but he remained rooted to his spot.

"You know, babe, we dodged a bullet." Chohee continued, still unaware of their eavesdroppers.  "I wouldn't wanna date boys who like attention-seeking bitches, anyway."

Before she knew it, her grip on the furious boy was loosened as Renjun slipped past her and into the bathroom without a hint of hesitation.

"If anything, Ru dodged the bullet, don't you think?"

The girls yelped, their eyes twitching between the scathing boy in front of them, and a timid girl standing by the doorframe.

Jia stuttered, "R-Renjun—"

"No, seriously," Renjun interrupted, taking a curt step towards the girls, their faces contorted into a vulnerable frown. "Not only are you guys two-faced swines from hell, but you're ignorant enough to convince yourselves Ru's in the wrong? Grow up."

Chohee took a step forward, forcing her head up high. "You're not supposed to be in here," she muttered weakly.

"Yeah, and you're not supposed to be garbage excuses of friends either, but here we are."

The girls were obviously taken aback; Chohee's eyes were squinted in a near-weeping expression. Jia took Chohee's hand, addressing Renjun in a false calamity.

"I'm not going to stand here and let you harass us like this, so we're just gonna leave—"

"No, no—" Renjun raised his palm at the girls— "you girls can stay. With the amount of shit that comes out of your mouth, you should consider moving in here."

Ru was pretty positive she saw the tears well up in the brim of Chohee's eyes. Renjun grabbed Ru's hand, throwing them a spiteful glare before he muttered, "let's go."

Just like that, she was dragged out of the bathroom and towards her next class, a giant lump in her throat threatening to block her airways.

So much for friends.

________________________________________

chapter nineteen.

"Are you done yet?"

Ru had herself laying on the floor, head rested on her arms as she struck a candid pose. The tip of Renjun's tongue was poking out of his lips, his eyes laser-focused on the sketchpad situated on his lap.

"Just one more minute," he muttered incoherently.

Behind them, Jaemin was resting on his bed with his textbook sprawled open. The resonant clicks of his ballpoint pen sounded around the room. They found serenity in their little bubble, muted from the thumps and clatters throughout the house.

"My hands are gonna cramp, hurry up!" Ru gritted her teeth; her eyes were peeking curiously at Renjun's work of art.

"You can't rush a masterpiece, Ru," Renjun advised in a monotonous tone.

"Either way," Jaemin interrupted from up on the bed, "just be prepared to wonder whether your nose has always been that big, or whether your eyes are really that far apart."

"Shut up, it's called artistic preference—" Renjun looked up at his muse— "Ru, don't laugh."

"Sorry," Ru uttered, making brief eye contact with Jaemin; they both tried not to giggle.

"Okaaaay and done," Renjun announced, flipping his sketchbook to show Ru.

"Hey—" a proud smile formed on Ru's face as she took the sketchbook in her hands— "this looks amazing!"

Ru put her fingers over the finished product, admiring the details of his artistic style.

"I get what you mean, though—" Ru turned to Jaemin, displaying the sketch in his direction— "according to this drawing, I can fit the entire content of our maths textbook on my forehead."

Jaemin joined along in her chuckles, dropping his textbook to get a closer look.

"Yes, and what a magnificent forehead it is—" Renjun smirked as he picked up a few of his stray pens from the floor— "you're welcome."

"You're such a good artist, though, seriously. Clearly very creative too—" Ru flipped through the pages, landing on a sketch of a certain animal; she squinted in observation— "is this a bird or a butterfly...?"

"Hey, pass me that blue folder, please?" Jaemin gestured at a folder laying on the desk across the room.

Ru crawled on all fours towards the desk, plopping her hand on the table lazily as she felt for a folder. She grabbed the only document she felt on the table, handing it to a grateful Jaemin; his eyes glazed over her chipped nail polish as he took the file and opened it on his lap.

"Looks like it's time to redo the nails, huh? Your nail polish looks chipped," Jaemin pointed out without a second thought.

Maybe the colors on her nails weren't bright enough, or maybe the state of its polish was wearing off, but Ru had completely forgotten about having done her nails at all. She held out her hands in front of her as she laid down on the floor, observing the badly chipped viridian shade on her fingers.

Truth be told, she had never paid this shade much attention. That was until Chohee mentioned that this lush, verdant shade of green reminded her of Ru. It felt bizarre, knowing something so real and tangible could remind someone of herself.

So when Jia took the half-empty nail polish bottle off the wide array of cosmetics on her table and volunteered to paint Ru's nails for her, she decided then that viridian was her color.

Now the once rich and vibrant hue that rested on her fingernails were chipped and faded. She began scratching the surface of her thumb's nail with her index nail, absent-mindedly mumbling to herself.

"Can't exactly paint my nails with you guys..."

She didn't realize how silent the room was; from across her, another voice replied:

"Bullshit."

She looked up to see Renjun staring at her intently, his eyebrows knitted together in seriousness. "What?" She asked, head tilted slightly.

"Do my nails." Renjun stated.

Ru sat up straight, facing him with an amused smile slowly creeping onto her face. "Really?"

"Yeah, why not?" Renjun shrugged.

Ru flashed Renjun a grateful smile; her eyes glanced over at Jaemin, who was also giving her a comforting smile. Stuck in a silent pause, she looked down, taking a difficult breath.

"Forget about them, sweets." Jaemin advised, a slight shuffle of his bed crackling by her ear. "They were kinda boring, anyway."

"Also," Renjun added, "what can they do that we can't?"

Ru chuckled, shaking her head giddily. "There's really nothing you guys can't do, I admit."

"Exactly!" Jaemin flashed his iconic grin, his full set of white teeth on display. "You wanna go window shopping? We'll go to every store at the mall, even rate your outfits and all!"

"We'll get the coolest— and prettiest— matching bracelet," Renjun chimed in.

"Or make them!" Jaemin exclaimed. "Whichever one you want."

Ru was grinning from ear to ear. "You guys are adorable."

"We're the best!" Renjun puffed his chest. "We're Jia and Chohee 2.0."

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Renjun's lips turned into a disgusted scowl. "Actually, no, scratch that— I don't wanna be any version of them, thank you very much."

The trio erupted in casual laughter. A light feeling swept over Ru; the dusty viridian color was no longer weighing on her mind.

"You know, maybe our supervisor might have some nail polish." Jaemin wondered aloud, "I mean, all girls have nail polish, right?"

Ru snorted with laughter, shaking her head while Renjun stood up, shrugging.

"I'll go see if she has nail polish," he volunteered as he glanced at the phone on his hand. With that, he left the room, the momentary bustle of the house echoing into their room before he shut the door again.

Ru dragged her butt and leaned against Renjun's bed, opposite from Jaemin's bed. She began scraping off the remainder of her nail polish, too engrossed to acknowledge the wavering silence that lingered in the room.

"Hey," Jaemin interrupted the silence with a casual tone, "so how's your soulmate search going?"

Ru barely looked up from her fingernails, studying her dry cuticles. "Not good."

"Really? I thought you were making progress and all. You guys even went to chinatown for 'research', didn't you?"

Ru tilted her head in amusement, giving him a skeptical look through knitted eyebrows. "Why did you say it like that??"

"Nothing!" Jaemin responded in chuckles.

She shook her head in between tiny chuckles. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked down. "Yeah, well it was a dead end."

In more ways than one.

She could distinctly remember joking about a certain Mr. Schlong, drinking smoothies on the sidewalk. Things were fine in chinatown, but now she wasn't quite sure where they stood.

Ru looked up at a curious Jaemin; she exhaled. "Can I be honest?"

"Yeah?" Jaemin responded, his eyebrows knitted in curiosity.

"Maybe neither of us are actually ready to know the truth."

It seemed Jaemin was at a loss for words; he simply nodded, giving her a sympathetic look. Ru's eyes darted towards the bedroom door, wishing Renjun would come through with the nail polish. She didn't want to say it out loud, but maybe she had grown weary of soulmates.

Was it crazy to say she didn't care? Her soulmate could find her or spend the rest of his life avoiding her; she couldn't be bothered to wonder anymore.

She cleared her throat as she stood up. "I'll go check on Renjun."

She flashed Jaemin a quick, reassuring smile before she walked out of their bedroom. Their bedroom was at the end of the hallway of other bedroom doors. She took slow steps, not quite sure where to go.

A sharp turn at the end of the hallway showed her the flight of stairs she came up from before. She trudged down the stairs, nodding politely at another boy her age who had barely spared her a glance.

She walked through the living room to another hallway, randomly scanning the place for Renjun. Lucky for her, she spotted the boy at the end of the hallway, facing the wall with a hand on his hip.

"How is that even possible?" Renjun muttered, almost incoherently.

Ru stopped in her tracks when she realized that his other hand was pressed against his ear, the cellphone sitting comfortably in the grip of his fingers.

"There must be something you can do!" He yelled into his phone, running his fingers backwards through his ruffled hair.

She knitted her eyebrows in confusion. Who was he talking to?

His voice dropped into a sharp, icy whisper, his head leaning forward. "Well then you guys are incompetent little swines—"

He stopped, his fist hovering against the wall in frustration.

"Yeah?" Renjun sneered into his phone, "yeah, well enjoy the last few years of your pathetic life because I'm sure you're going straight to hell after this—"

His words were cut off mid-sentence; he took a quick look at his phone before slapping it on his ear again.

"—Hello?" He asked one more time. The other person must've hung up, because he started clicking away on his phone, muttering, "son of a bitch!"

Ru gulped. Suddenly feeling bad about intruding on his conversation, she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Is everything okay?"

It was clear he never noticed her there; he spun around, a stunned look on his face.

"Hey," he blinked, scratching his nose as he shook his head dismissively. "Yeah, stupid marketing calls— I don't know how they got my number."

She nodded awkwardly, looking down at her feet.

"Oh, here's the nail polish, by the way." He walked over to her, presenting her with about six varieties of vibrant colors.

She gave him a grateful smile, taking half the load off of his hands. She observed the different shades in her hand as they made their way back towards the staircase.

"Which color should I get?" She raised a navy blue shade towards the light to try and see better.

Renjun put a friendly hand over her shoulder. "Definitely not the hot pink one."

"Why?" She looked at the hot pink shade as it glistened under the sun seeping through the window.

"Well, 'cause I call dibs on that one."

⭒⭒⭒

Jeno tossed two big bag of chips on Donghyuck's bed.

"Whaaat, just two?" Donghyuck whined as he ripped open a bag of red Doritos. "You suck."

Jeno rolled his eyes, hurling the plastic at Donghyuck's face. "I'm broke, deal with it."

The sun was setting, casting a perfect and serene glow against the four plain walls of Jeno and Donghyuck's bedroom. Jeno propped himself in bed next to Jaemin, who was staring at the snacks with a mild daydream gaze. "You know what would be perfect right now?"

The others looked over at him; eyes still fixated on the opened bag of chips, he sighed. "Free-flow cola at the mall."

The four of them let out mumbles of agreement. They all knew exactly what Jaemin was talking about.

Jaemin looked up at the others, a bright smile gracing his face. "Hey, we'll take Ru next time!"

Jeno's jaws clenched involuntarily, looking down at his fingers like they were the most interesting thing in the world. The others didn't notice Jeno's sudden apprehension as they continued their conversation.

"Do you guys notice that ever since we met Ru—" Donghyuck stuffed a big bite of chips into his mouth— "we've been in less fights?"

Jeno laughed under his breath. It was true; the only incident after they met Ru would be when she and Donghyuck were chased by the school thugs. "It better stay that way," Jeno warned the others.

The boys nodded in agreement. As Donghyuck extended the bag of chips in Renjun's direction, he looked over at Jeno. "What's up with you two anyway?"

Jeno's eyebrows furrowed— was it that obvious?

Jaemin seemed to think so. He nodded at Donghyuck's statement, glancing at Jeno. "Don't think we haven't noticed how awkward you two are around each other— did something happen?"

"Nothing happened," Jeno muttered, standing up from his bed and walking towards his cabinet. He didn't even know what he was doing; he just didn't want to look at the others.

"Liar, I haven't seen you guys utter a single word to each other in two weeks." Renjun added. "You know what, now that I think about it, every time you come in the room, she leaves."

His eyes squinted at Jeno— "Did you do something?"

Jeno shook his head incredulously, looking over at the boys in exasperation. The rest of them were too engrossed in their claims, however, to notice his distaste for their conversation.

Jaemin pointed at Renjun, his eyes wide with conspiracy. "Remember when she was just about to paint our nails—"

"Wait, you guys were painting your nails?"

"—and the moment we mentioned Jeno and Hyuck were coming, she said she had to go?"

Renjun nodded along enthusiastically, plopping a large chip into his mouth.

Jeno rolled his eyes. "Why'd you think I did something?"

Donghyuck shrugged nonchalantly— "well, she definitely didn't do anything, eh? Ru's the nicest person ever. If any one of you is in the wrong, it's not her."

Jeno scrunched his nose, sending him threatening glares. He huffed out in frustration when the others seemed to agree.

Donghyuck stuck his tongue out, flashing him a mocking smile.

A quick pause ensued— Jeno took quick steps towards the playful boy, grabbing the pillow.

"Wait I'm just kidding, you're the best— STOP HITTING ME!"

________________________________________

chapter twenty.

When she closed her eyes, she could picture it.

The swift elegance that comes with the motion of his fingers, the network of blood vessels running down the back of his hands. Under the grey hoodie, they looked tame— safe to hold onto.

The thick collection of eyelashes that shrouded a mysterious set of glistening orbs, the cherry tint glowing in the shape of his soft lips.

The heavy shadow under his angled jawline, the protruding lines along his neck, disappearing down under the collar of the grey fabric. Veiled under the wide circumference of his hood, his features begged to be loved.

She snapped her eyes open.

In front of her, Jeno's grey hoodie hung motionlessly against the door of her bedroom— physical evidence to her lucid imagination, the only trace of her indulgent daydream.

Three Saturdays ago, he had left her standing, drenched on the porch of her house; the pale hoodie had clung heavily onto her skin. Even after absorbing much of the night's dose of rain, she walked in the house with the scent of him.

First, it was peppermint with a hint of detergent, but whirled in with the smell of muddy rain and smog, it fogged her senses.

She had washed it twice that very night— drenched it with detergent and fabric softener, scrubbed like she was trying to dissolve the fabric. She must return it by Monday morning, quick and simple.

By daybreak, the article of clothing was hanging on her door, dried from the cool vent system that circulated the room all night.

Yet, she laid there on her bed, watching the fabric. Every once in a while, the newly-washed scent would pass her. But it still smelled like him.

Not like peppermint. Not like the hint of petrichor. No— it smelled like the same lavender detergent the Chois had been using for the past two years, the one with the effervescent lady dancing on the packaging.

But now the flower smelled different— the lavender screamed his name, like it was the only thing they knew.

She felt a rippling deep in her lungs, the irritation building up each second her eyes laid still.

Peppermint, lavender— it doesn't matter.

She stood up from her bed, rushing over to the item of torment. She ripped the jacket from its hanger, pulling upwards to connect the stubborn zipper. Her maroon backpack hung on the back of her chair; she folded the jacket hastily, stuffing it into the open mouth of the bag.

It was her fault she overslept that very first Monday; Jeno's bulky hoodie was not even in her field of vision when she rushed out the door, collar cocked up and blouse badly tucked.

It started as a simple case of distraction. On Tuesday, she was only reminded of his hoodie when she had vaguely spotted Jeno in passing, covered in a wooly, navy blue hoodie— she promised she'd bring the jacket on Wednesday. On Wednesday, she promised on Thursday. Thursday, then Friday. Before she knew it, the week had blown by like a subtle breeze and Ru still had his jacket.

Now, it had been nineteen days since it first came in her possession, and she no longer knew how to return it to him. Last night, she even considered burning it— it didn't seem like he'd miss it, anyway.

Maybe it was an overnight epiphany, or maybe she had finally gotten sick of the pestering noise in the back of her head, but she woke up this sullen, Thursday morning set on returning it to him.

Well, not exactly to him. She knew she had class with Donghyuck before recess, so she figured she could hand it to him to pass on to Jeno.

She zipped up her worn out backpack, slinging it over her shoulder. In hindsight, she knew it seemed like a petty route, but it was better than burning the thing.

She slipped into her fuzzy socks, clambering down the stairs past Mrs. Choi in the kitchen. Cho put on her shoes, shuffling to the table to give Mrs. Choi a quick hug goodbye, and she was out the door.

Her tattered soles roughed the rocky asphalt, resuming her all-too-familiar route to school. The balmy air comforted her lungs as she walked down the street; a good day for the city, no doubt. For her, she knew it was going to be subpar at best.

Not only did she have the slight bulk rough-housed into her backpack to weigh her mind, but she also had physical education, first period.

Again, subpar.

⭒⭒⭒

Starting physical education class, Ru was convinced her mind wouldn't be able to stray from the grey hoodie that now rested in her backpack. It was only when she was walking down the stairs in the line formation that the coach urged them to maintain, that she realized she had one other thing to occupy her.

"Let's move Jia, I'm not really in the mood to stand behind a fake bitch." A nasally voice rang in the air behind her; Ru knew the voice all too well.

Shut up, she thought as she inhaled a sharp breath.

For the past two weeks, she had been avoiding her former friends like the plague. On the other hand, the girls didn't seem to mind being around Ru— in fact, they've taken any opportunity they could to whisper rude remarks when they're around her.

Jia's once-sweet voice whispered somewhere behind her. "It's better than standing in front of her, though. At least here, she can't stab us in the back."

Ru felt the heat spread throughout her body; her sympathy was running thin. Balling her fists, she mumbled to herself, "shut up."

She must've mumbled a little too loud, because there was a brief stunned silence; Jia cleared her throat— "excuse me?"

Ru rolled her eyes. Still walking down the stairs, she muttered a little louder, "I can hear you."

A loud scoff sounded behind her. "So?" Chohee retorted.

In the heat of the moment, Ru spun around, stopping to face them with exasperated eyes. "Why do you guys hate me all of a sudden?" She blurted.

She watched as Jia raised her eyebrows, the rush of students passing down the stairs with confused looks barely noticeable by her. Jia's lips were pursed. "Seriously?"

"Yeah—" Ru nodded, a defying tone salted in her voice— "seriously."

"Listen, Ru," Jia sighed, taking a short step towards her. "We don't hate you. We really liked you. But you've really shown your true colors and now we know you're fake... Don't expect us not to call you out."

Ru looked into the distance, shaking her head in disbelief. "Fake?"

This time, Chohee took her turn. "We asked for your help, girl to girl, but you obviously wanted the boys all to yourself—"

Wait, was she being serious?

"—We can see you don't care about girl code, so stop pretending you still want to be our friend."

Jia nodded along. "You backstabbed us."

Ru laughed in vexation. "I helped you set up the date, how was that me backstabbing you?"

"Yeah?" Jia's eyes turned to a sudden fiery gaze— "did you set him up to embarrass us too, then?"

What in the world was she talking about?

Ru heaved a difficult sigh; she seriously couldn't be bothered anymore. "If you like him so much then please just approach him yourself. Don't drag me into it."

"Well, it's the least you could've done as a friend," Chohee retorted. "What, is it so wrong for us to expect your help?"

Huh.

Just like that, the nature of their ill-fated friendship clicked.

Ru dropped into a low tone, teeth bared in anger— "I'm sure my help was the only thing you expected from me."

A brief silence ensued, and Ru took it as her cue to walk away. She turned around and trudged down the stairs.

Behind her, Chohee called out in a condescending mock. "You're so self-centered, it's crazy!"

Ru was going to get a headache from the amount of times she rolled her eyes. "If it helps you sleep at night," she retorted in exhaustion. She felt the wrath she pushed away rise up, each step stirring the boiling anger.

"Bitch," Ru slighted in a low tone.

"Hey, you have no right calling us a bitch, you were the one in the wrong—" Ru felt a tight grip around her wrist; she twisted to face a riled Jia.

"Don't touch me." Ru spat, glaring down at her hand, then up in defiance.

At that moment, the two former friends stared at each other intensely. Every moment spent at each others' bedroom, each tune that floated the dim karaoke rooms, every echo of laughter in bathrooms and classrooms faded into the air around them. A subtle rush of grief washed over Ru as she looked into the eyes of someone she no longer called a friend.

"Fine."  Jia growled.

Jia tightened her grip one last time, before shoving Ru's hand away in an unpredictable force.

Ru's mind went blank; as she felt the touch of fingers slowly slip away, the floor beneath her right foot vanished. Her legs collapsed from the sudden change in flooring— the high-pitched screaming seemed distant as she tumbled down the flight of stairs, her sides knocking on every edge of the surface.

In a few harrowing seconds, the cold, hard floor finally broke her fall, the last brutal contact with the ground sending her thoughts into a spiraling blur.

________________________________________

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[milkytheholy1]

An ordinary life: Part 6

A/N: Howdy everyone! This chapter is still set in the past and will be the last entry until the next episode of Wandavision comes out and effectively throws a spanner in the works. Until then I hope you enjoy!

Also if you want to start sending in any Peter Maximoff requests feel free to!

No spoilers for Wandavision or any X-Men movies.

Marvel masterlist

Ultimate masterlist

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 7

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"So, what happened to your parents?"

"Peter!"

"What? I'm curious!"

You whined, slouching on the edge of your bed before completely flopping your back onto the springy mattress. Peter dashed to sit next to you, his leg hitting yours as he layed down beside you. A moment of silence had taken over the fun atmosphere, it settled like a cool breeze but it felt suffocating after a while. Taking a deep breath you spoke, "It was a few years ago, dates are fuzzy, I wasn't really paying attention." Peter turned to look at you, he allowed himself to take in your form. Your hair curled and laying on the mattress, lifeless, your lips looked so kissable but he had to remember the conversation that was about to occur; it probably wasn't a good idea to kiss your crush when they're talking about their dead parents.

"They were fighting like always, my mum had found out my dad had been living another life; sleeping with a shit-load of women. Dad said she had no right to tell him what to do. And I had so much school work to get through, no one offered to help me so I had to do it by myself. It was just too much and I couldn't handle it anymore, something just...something just snapped inside of me. The next thing I know I'm glowing yellow and the yelling downstairs had got a lot more quiet. I sent them somewhere, I don't know where, I didn't even know I could do that."

A stray tear had slipped past your eye at the memory, Peter gently wiped the tear away with the tip of his finger. Looking over at him, he sent you a small smile "That sucks," he muttered. You let out a chocked laugh, grinning at him "Yeah," you hummed. Peter looked towards the ceiling of your room, it went quiet again but it was comfortable this time.

"My dad's Magneto." Peter stated, gaze never leaving the ceiling. You turned to him with wide eyes "What?" you questioned, shoving his arm "Dude no fair, I told you a real story." Peter laughed holding your arm down by his side "I am telling you a real story, can't you see the family resemblance?" he then beamed a toothy smile. You couldn't help the cackle that pried itself out of your stomach and through your lips, Peter had never heard a sound so beautiful before. "You, Peter Maximoff, are a treat to be around."

-A year later-

You had been wandering the mansion for over an hour, following a trail of clues and riddles left by the silver-haired speedster himself. You joked with the idea in your head that the trail was pointless and led to a brick wall, knowing that wasn't out of possibility for Peter. Your fingers fiddled with the small slip of paper in your hands as your feet mindlessly took you from room to room.

Our love blossomed like words on a page, a time where we acted so weird and strange.

You couldn't help the small chuckle that left your lips, sure Peter had never been so enclined with poetry but you gave him an A for effort. Sliding open one of your old classroom doors, you strutted your way to one of the desks. Sitting there like time had stood perfectly still was a delicate red rose, a silver bow tied around its broken stem; there was no doubt in your mind that Peter had plucked it from some unsuspecting garden.

Being in this room brought back so many memories, meeting Scott and Ororo for the first time, your first ever lesson at the school...meeting Peter for the first time. It was all awkward handshakes and distant stares, somehow evolving into a strong friendship, which then evolved into a lot more. Bringing the rose up to your nose, you smiled when you saw the next clue carefully wrapped and placed amongst the petals.

Go to the place where we eat, the place I hide my favourite treat.

Giggling to yourself, you held the rose in a gentle grip and made your way to the kitchen. You gave a nod to the other teachers as you walked by, a mutual nod of trust was all you needed; all anyone needed, really. Shoving past a couple of loitering kids, which you reprimanded for not being in class, you dived into Peter's hidden stash of twinkies.

"Once a hoarder always a hoarder," you mused, pushing away boxes and boxes of unopened twinkies. Standing on the tips of your toes you were able to see a small note taped to a singular twinkie, pulling it into the light, another smile graced your lips.

Even though we don't meet eye to eye, I trust this guy until the day I die.

Puzzled, you read and re-read the little note. What did he mean 'I trust this guy until the day I die.'? Was that not meant to be you, considering this was in celebration of your one year anniversary together?

'Eye to eye'

You had finally connected the dots, he was talking about Scott; of course he was. Rushing around the mansion to find the ruby-red boy, you found him by the training room with a bunch of other students just observing their work. Jogging up to him, Scott gave you a small wave and a tight smile "Hey (Y/N), can I help you with something?" You panted at him, clearly out of breath from running all over the place; how does Peter do this? you thought to yourself.

"I believe you have something for me?" you asked, now bent over trying to regain your breath. Scott laughed reaching into a back pocket of his trousers, he pulled out a small shred of paper "Looking for this?"

"Yes, thank you!" you praised, snatching it from his hands praying that this would be the final note. Scott raised a brow at you "Not enjoying the riddles?" you shook your head at him "No, I am, it's just- I'm not as fast as Pete, I've been running around the mansion all day." Scott only laughed some more, the guy can be so full of sympathy. Leaving the training room, you looked down at the clue in your hands:

The final stop is a place you know, a place where we've seen each other grow. It was the location for our first date, a place I knew where meeting you was fate.

As if your love for Peter could get any worse he had to go and write something so lovey-dovey, and just for you too! Ignoring the pain in your legs, you sprinted to the lake outside of the mansion's doorstep. It had become a lot darker since you had started this around noon, you were definitely going to get revenge on the speedster for dragging your around the school all day.

Reaching the lake, you saw a small picnic blanket resting on the ground along with an abundance of food. Small candles were littered around the blanket but none of them were lit, maybe he forgot to light them you mused. You ventured over to the romantic set-up, looking around for any more notes or the location of your boyfriend.

"Peter? I'm here," you called out to the open space, waiting for the boy to zoom past you. But nothing. Walking further around you still couldn't find him "Peter! Peettterrr!" you dragged out. Nothing. Sighing you went back up the steps of the mansion to see if he was hiding in there, but when you came up empty you began to panic. "Jean!" you shouted rushing over to her, she had just stepped foot outside of Charles' office. Startled, she turned to you "Whoa, whoa (Y/N), where's the body?" she joked.

You frowned at her, fingers tugging the ends of your hair "(Y/N), what's wrong?" she asked again, all joking aside. "It's Peter, I can't find him anywhere! What if something bad happened to him?" your voice started to tremble, nasty thoughts of his body lying on the ground flooded your mind. Jean placed a calming hand on your arm, "Breath (Y/N), I'm sure wherever he is he's fine."

"Can you please, just-"

"Sure, I'll do anything to help." You always loved that Jean was just able to read your mind to get an answer, sure some people found it intrusive but it came great for when you couldn't get the words out. Jean closed her eyes in an attempt to find Peter and put you at ease, her brows furrowed in frustration "I can't- I can't find him." she stuttered out. Tears began to dribble from your eyes, a small whine easing it's way past your lips. Jean opened her eyes again, guilt washing over her "Maybe I'm not strong enough to find him, I'm sure the professor can."

You slammed the doors to the professor's office wide open, the two occupants inside jumping at the loud noise. Hank and Charles glared at you, but it quickly lightened when they saw the state you were in "Professor, we can't find Peter. I've even tried finding his mind but I don't think I can reach him like you could." Jean stated, you weren't in any condition to talk at the moment. The professor leaned back in his chair, eyes connecting with Hanks for a brief moment, "Charles are you sure, the last time we used Cerebro it nearly killed you." Hank muttered, shielding away from your powerful gaze.

Shooing him away, Charles clearly said something to Hank because his face became solum. All four of you went down to Cerebro, Charles leading the group. You watched with your heart aching as Hank started up the machine, if Charles couldn't find Peter what chance did you have? You gazed in awe as the room lit up, hundreds and thousands of people blipping in and out as Charles went about his search for Peter. It had felt like hours, but in reality mere minutes, before the machine was shut off. You all stood in silence, more tears slipping down your cheeks "Professor?" Jean whispered. He didn't turn back to look at you, instead, he turned to Hank "Increase the volume, Hank."

"But, Charles-"

"Just do it!"

The room lit up again, the dial on the contraption going wild. "More!" Charles shouted, eyes racking up every person he saw. Reluctantly, Hank increased the volume, sparks started flying out of the counter. Cerebro was coming apart, it couldn't handle the amount of power Charles was putting in. Before the room could erupt into flames, Hank pulled an emergency switch plunging the room into darkness. The emergency lights faded on, giving you a better look at the guilt-ridden look on the professor's face.

"(Y/N)," he meekly whispered, you stuttered backwards hitting the circular door. You knew that tone of voice, it was the same one all the policemen used on you the night your parents went missing. Loud cries emitted from you, your heart split into two. "(Y/N), I'm so sorry...I couldn't find him." Cries ripped through you, a yellow light glowing around your hands "We have to find him!" you screamed, anger rising.

Hank ran to hold you down, the room growing brighter and brighter due to the yellow flames burning from your fists. "(Y/N), listen to me!" Charles shouted, wheeling closer towards you with caution, "I may not have found him now, but I won't stop looking for him; I promise."

It had been a few days since Peter had gone missing, your nights had been sleepless while your days were filled with theories of how he disappeared. Rumours started to surface that he had left you and moved onto a new life, but that wasn't your Peter, he loved you with every bone in his body. Jean had been monitoring your thoughts, whether you knew about it or not, she was deeply worried for you; everyone was.

You had been called down to Hank's lab one afternoon, you had expected it to be about your moody behaviour around the mansion. However, when you arrived Charles and Hank were in deep conversation with one and another, both looking at some dumb graph on the computer screen. "Ah, (Y/N), it's good to see you awake before 4pm." Charles reflected, you glared at him unamused. Pushing some paperwork away you managed to make a little bit of space on Hank's workbench to sit on, "What am I here for anyway?" you moaned, heaving yourself up into a slouched position.

Hank stared at the screen then back to you with a giddy look in his eyes, "Remember when Charles looked for Peter with Cerebro?" You rolled your eyes at the memory "Yeah and he couldn't find anything, so what?"

"Well, I may not have been able to find him (Y/N). But, I did sense him." Charles spoke, your head shot up, eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Y-you- you what?" You stuttered, mouth agape. Hank stood aside explaining all the scientific details, pushing away from his desk you studied all the notes he had made. "We think he's safe, see here? These bars are his lifeline and this is his brain's wavelength."

"So you're able to see his health but we can't see him?"

"Correct...in a way," Hank muttered, going back over his data. Pushing up his glasses he began to theorise what might have happened, "It's a working theory but I believe with the data so far that perhaps Peter didn't just vanish; at least on his own accord. From the notes here and your eye witness account, (Y/N), it's safe to assume that Peter was possibly taken."

"Taken!" you screamed. Hank shrugged at you "It seems whoever took him was a mutant or has some form of powers."

"What kind of powers are we talking about here, Hank?" Charles requested, Hank looked around his lab pulling out a small notebook, flipping some pages he sighed a breath of relief. Both you and Charles shared a look, "Hank?" Charles asked again. "Oh, yes right, sorry." he stuttered, going back to his computer "I believe this person was able to possibly jump between realities, or at least that's what it seems like."

"So, Peter was taken by someone with magical powers who can jump between realities?" you questioned, Hank nervously smiled at you "Well, it's just a running theory." you nodded. "What do you suppose we do?" Charles asked, his fingers skimming the notebook pages. Hank fumbled around with a pen, something he did when he was nervous you noted, "I'm not sure, tech like that doesn't even come close to be able to create a dimension-hopping device. It could take months, even years for something like that to actually work."

"But we have to get him back, we can't just leave him there!" you shouted, frustration quickly building up inside of you. "We can't, until we can pinpoint Peter's location any attempt at rescuing him is useless."

"The professors right, (Y/N). We don't even know where 'there' is. Look, I'm doing everything I can-"

"And it's not enough Hank!" tears were now cascading down your cheeks, your chest heaved with hurried breaths. "Enough! (Y/N) leave the lab and go back to your dorm or outside, just anywhere that isn't here. Until you control your emotions you're not welcome here, do you understand me?"

"Yes, professor." you spit out.

You ran from the lab, throwing the doors open and never looking back. Your feet took you back beside the lake, the moment was meant to be happy. That night you were meant to be sat under the stars with the love of your life not wallowing in guilt about his absence. You once again felt the anger and grief build up inside you, all the pain of your parents and Peter hitting you like a truck. Too many emotions swirling their chaotic energy within you, too much everything.

Everything was so loud, the trees swaying, the cricket chirping, the sound of your heartbreaking; it was all too loud! The space around you began lighting up, bright shades of yellow and white illuminating the lake's surface. Small portals started appearing over the grass and in the tree trunks, you were losing control.

I can't do this, I can't do this anymore, not without you. I need you Pete and I know you'll laugh and joke about this when you get back. I will get you back no matter what they say, I want you back, I need you back. I'm not living the rest of my life without you, how can I? How can I go on knowing that before you left will never compare with what happens now. Peter I need you, I need you...

"I NEED YOU!" you screamed into the night sky, a huge portal forming beside you. It was glowing bright, blinding you from seeing whatever was inside. Your wavering breaths ran in sync with your hurried cries, distracting you from the portals tempting chants. Your eyes burned as you continued to stare into the portal, lungs heaving for air. Stepping through the portal with timid steps, you breathed in the fresh air of a suburban town.

The grass beneath your feet felt fresh, the sky was a bright blue. The portal behind you slowly closed until it was non-existent, the yellow hue surrounding your fists dissipating into nothingness. All your anger and pain was gone, a memory that had been forgotten over time. A smile grew on your face, distracting those you may meet from the tear stains on your cheeks. Your hair was frizzy, clothes sparkling new. You felt like a new person. A new person with a new life ahead.

[symphonyofthewrite]

If These Walls Could Talk 

Freaking GORGEOUS cover art by Junki Sakuraba on Instagram and Deviantart!! Definitely go check him out!! His art is incredible, and from what I can tell he’s really nice dude. He absolutely went above and beyond with this prompt. 10/10 would commission again. (And probably will once I save up enough money XD)

The wonderful art later in the chaper is by niuan_ on instagram!!

It wasn’t made/commissioned for this fic--(though I’ve since commissioned her to make cover art for me, so stay tuned for those!)--but when I saw it I couldn’t believe it!! That’s one of my favorite images in this chapter, and I couldn’t believe another artist made a piece for the same idea independently!!

I'll put the links to their profiles either in the replies or a reblog (since tumblr is dumb about links)!!

Also, FYI, I'll be using this post as my "reblog post" meaning I'll reblog this post with the later chapters of this fic, so they're all in one place. So if you want to read more of this fic, check the reblogs on this post, chances are more chapters will be there!!

Comments and reblogs are MORE than appreciated!! If you have a spare minute you will really make my week, and motivate me to keep writing!!

Fandom: Castlevania Netflix

Summary: Vampires do not have reflections, and castles do not have hearts. But Dracula is no ordinary vampire, and Castlevania is no ordinary castle. If castles can fight, maybe they can think too.

The series, and Adrian’s childhood, told from the perspective of the castle.

Chapter Summary:

“My mother’s name was Lisa, and she was mortal…She actually showed up at his front door. She found the castle and banged the door with the pommel of her knife…She was remarkable. She beat on the door until my father let her in, and then demanded he teach her how to be a doctor.”

Chapter 1: "Lisa”

“Is this how the castle felt to you before my mother first arrived at your door?”

The castle doesn’t like children.

Well, maybe that’s too strong to say. It simply isn’t the place for them. Its existence is a signpost: leave me alone. It is not used to having company—much less a family—inside it, nor is it ready to welcome for a crying, puking, giggling thing into the world. It does not intend to be a cozy place to coddle him into adulthood.

The castle itself pierces the sky, its turrets and towers the dripping stain of the sun’s blood across the moon.

The bare walls hold no colorful tapestries for a child to enjoy, no paintings of its many inhabitants to tell of—for there was only ever one (and maybe that ought not change. It is safe to say the castle doesn’t like change). The royal red and gold carpets are more suited to kings; not designed for spit-up, mud, and scuffing. ‘Don’t play with that’ would be a motto around here; so many contraptions either easy to break, or which could break the child. The fireplaces, while almost always lit, only ever coughed warmth onto the floor before them—they provided no snug space to curl up on a winter’s day. Even the mirrors here are empty, holding nothing but a reflection of the bare walls they sit upon.

There are certain people who were seemingly born as they are; they never owned toys, never crawled on the floor, never walked with clumsy steps—their footfalls were always this calculated count—never burped on their mother’s nice shirts, and surely never had anything so dull as a childhood. They were always just…here, on the world. There was no innocence, and no losing it. So it was with Dracula.

The very thought of Dracula ever owning toys, even in some nice cottage far away from here, with a doting mother and an absent father, with a funny last name like Cronqvist, defied sense to the castle. So no, no toys here, nor any simple charts for learning; the books divulged their secrets to more mature minds. Just blood and books, gold and gears, forgotten magic means, mirrors that reflect nothing, and a pile of prayers to a good God they used to justify their ungood, and ungodly deeds.

All these things—or their absence—do not make for the picture of a baby-proof home.

The castle has grown accustomed to being cold and dark, and listening to one master alone. It’s not a quaint place lovers look on and think we’ll raise our kids here someday.

Its master isn’t the ideal father either—after all, the castle only reflected its king. Its master knows only of blood and nails, fangs and wails, words too big for a child’s mouth, and worlds too dark for a child’s heart.

Can he be soft? Can he be gentle? Can he keep those claws, which have ripped out better men’s hearts, from piercing a child’s—his child’s…how could one who killed so many have a child?—skin? He knows many spells, but is there one that can turn those screams into laughter?

He has been soft before. Once. And that is with this woman.

Many women have walked the castle’s halls: shivering, shrieking damsels at his feet; cold and calculating queens; fragile bodies on the floor, that he broke with the same regard a child does a vase that matters to someone else.

Those ordinary people who do come often have pitchforks in their mouths, and fiery words in their closed fists. Curses stacked on the end of stakes, banging like the castle is the church bell signifying their own funerals.

It is for this reason that the castle does not like outsiders, does not open its doors easily. But it cannot deny anyone entry. Unlike the humans’ doors, which find his master guilty until proven innocent.

They always came at night. At night, when the loudest sound is your own breathing. At night, when their fires echoed loudest, and their shouts burned brightest.

They came when the flowers were closed, when only the most eerie and vicious of animals played with the skins of their prey, and the moon waxed the world in cold, drunk shine. The sun could not watch them, could not show their blood-struck hands in their full glory.

She came at sunset. When the sun still glazed her deeds in sanguine auburn, but was just deciding to turn its gaze and let the kids have their fun. Not quite day, when the sun would kill things like Dracula, but not quite night, when the hours are named after witches, and lust is strongest—be it for the body, or the blood within it. Somewhere in between death and life, violence and peace.

This woman came with a knife in her hand, yes. But a knife, at least, was not a sword. It was not a pitchfork, a spear, a whip, or a stake; all weapons that signify, if the fight wasn’t there, you were bringing it with you. Not a war-starved weapon, pointing with mal-in—and -con—tent towards the castle doors and all the things inside it. Not a thirsty thing. Something that by default faced the other direction. Something that can start a fight if it wants to, but doesn’t crave it.

The golden woman came at sunset, with a knife in her hand, and looked upon this thing, this castle that others called ‘ugly’, and ‘monstrous,’ and ‘grotesque,’ looked upon it with awe, and gasped in wonder.

She knocked. She didn’t bang her fists upon the stone, didn’t ram pitchforks and assorted insults against the innocent doors, like how-dare-they protect their master.

She knocked, and the doors opened before she could raise her fist a second time. Maybe, just this once, not because they didn’t have any other choice.

The doors—foreboding, menacing, and all the other spooky -ings one can think of—opened to a world strewn in light; the demon’s castle looked brighter, more beautiful, more alive, than half the churches she’d been to.

Her footsteps were gentle against the castle’s floors. Not a slow, forced gentleness, but also not a piercing, purposeful march. There was no apprehension to her footsteps; her feet carried her as if anxious to take her to as many rooms as they could.

At first her steps were the only sound, enough to fool some into thinking they’re alone.

And it became clear both that she was not alone, and not a fool.

But when she saw the demon, she put the knife away, and used her words.

She used her words to repeat those she herself had heard: stories. But not the kind that make monstrous men run at the doors with naughts and crosses, the kind pious people buried along with all evidence that the world wasn’t made of black and white.

Not all the stories told that this place was cold and dark and full of death.

Amongst all the stories about death, there were others that said Vlad Tepes brought this castle to life with science, forbidden knowledge, and a little bit of lightning. Stories that say there is life here.

And, in exchange for proof that these life-stories true, Dracula asked for a trade, a trade that would prove the other stories true too. He gave up the killing a while ago—(the castle has been in one place a very long time)—but he was still not used to giving for free, and definitely not used to getting for free. Vampires trade in blood and names, not diamonds and declarations. Vampires trade in things they can swallow. This castle, too, had been a gaping hole set to swallow the world and everything that entered. Never once had it given.

And she dared to say, that this place, its master, should learn to give, when the humans have done nothing but take from them—or try their best to. He ought to be the one to invite her in, to ask what she would like, to dispense pleasant words and kind actions, when the humans forgot they invented hospitality, and showed no invitation for him to even enter their homes.

But she didn’t come with a mouth full of garlic, and hands full of superstition. Her feet did not drill holes in the floor with their sharp toll, they wandered the scenic route.

She was used to being cheated. Dracula and his castle were too. But that was not why she was there. She was not there for cheap tricks, or death. She wanted something real. A little bit of the life the castle has to offer.

Her defiance wasn’t that of a terrified citizen, or angry queen, either; rather the calm resolve of someone who is asking for something they know in their heart is good, and knows they will get it. The kind of person who believes there is good in everyone, and that this good will ultimately always win, and who won’t leave until they convince this good to show its face.

The castle has watched countless men and women cower at the foot of count Dracula. Some, do have a measure of god-sanctioned defiance; they come with whips and scourges to defeat him. The castle and the king are bound together in their resolve against them.

Except one. Except this woman. One human whom both master and castle found themselves reluctant to deny, cast away, or kill, maybe even…taken with.

She may be human, but she was not like the rest; she did not light the night on fire with her thirst for blood.

So maybe, just maybe, they could let one ray of sunlight slip through the cracks.

She was also not devoid of life, and maybe that was the key.

‘Devoid of life’ was an accurate portrayal of the castle. Bats flying out of blackness is a good description of a cave, and caves don’t usually come with the brochure ‘teeming with life’, or ‘great place to take your kids!’. The castle had a soul-sucking quality to it; those who entered often found themselves leaving less alive than they arrived. It took after its vampire master. Those who didn’t actually lose their lives within its walls, often remarked upon leaving that the flowers bloomed brighter, the birds sang louder, the grass was greener, and that they missed the sunlight.

Sunlight. Such a base thing; vampires don’t need the light or warmth to be happy.

Sunlight. Such a base way to die; wanting to get out of the cold and the dark.

“Is this how the castle felt to you before my mother first arrived at your door?”

Castlevania was alive once. Once Dracula set the pumps, and its heart began to beat. He turned the gears, and its lungs inhaled. He forged the lightning, and it began to think. Once the books, full of unknown knowledge, jumped off the shelves to get the vampire king’s attention. He filled the bottles and beakers, and they bubbled, as if laughing at a joke only they shared.

They were both alive, once.

That waned, with time. The gears got arthritis, the books caught pneumonia, the experiments atrophied. The castle ached before she came.

And Dracula, alone in the halls, picking up books and putting them down again without so much as a polite glance through them, because he read them all before. Dracula looking into fractured mirrors that could take him anywhere, but deciding there wasn’t anywhere he wanted to go. Dracula, looking into old mirrors that don’t reflect him—like there was never anything to reflect, nothing alive here to begin with, and there isn’t a master for this castle after all. Nothing but a grave. Dracula sitting alone in his study, staring into the fire. No one to talk to. No sound but flipping pages and crackling fires—nothing alive. Alive but dead. This castle. Its master. Undead is the proper term.

The other women who came through here reflected the castle, or else the castle took the life out of them the moment they entered. Queens with malice-stained past, and cracked, icy future in their eyes. Just as cold as the walls. Subjects, humans throwing gruesome insults, silky flattery, or fluttering pleas at his feet. Just as empty as the mirrors.

Only one refused the castle’s bite. Only one walked in looking for life, rather than death. Looking for a thing no one thought existed here. Already presumed dead. Put six feet beneath the ground. But maybe it was here all along; maybe the light hid in the castle’s corners while the dark came out to play, and she just had to coax it out of its hiding places. Maybe the bell was ringing all this time, she was the only one who came close enough to hear it; the only one who came to put flowers on the grave.

Maybe when she felt the machinery pumping she knew the rhythm was a heartbeat. Maybe when she heard the gears clanking she knew it was the sound of inhaling and exhaling. Maybe when she saw the lightning, she wondered what it was thinking. Maybe she looked at these books, these instruments, and saw what the vampire king saw once; something alive. They weren’t dead yet—un- or otherwise. Just sick, and in need of proper treatment. She was a doctor after all. Maybe her first subject was the very books she learned from.

Lisa, who looked at this blotch on the sky, with Death in its towers, and darkness splattered on its walls, and thought that’s where I’ll learn to heal people. Lisa, who gaped in amazement at the beast of a building. Lisa, who didn’t shudder upon entering. Lisa, who didn’t scream when its master touched her, but turned to him with calm resolve, and told him she’d teach him to be more human. Lisa, who’s life eclipsed the undeath in this place.

And there was a trade that occurred that day. For Dracula’s immortal knowledge, Lisa would teach him how to live a mortal life. To travel the world as a man, to walks as a man, to eat and drink, laugh and cry, as a man. Immortality for mortality. They gave each other the world, as so many lovers promise to do. Vlad would make her immortal, and Lisa would make him mortal, with no exchange blood.

(Except to create a thing with both their blood running through it.)

So maybe, after all this talk of life, it is fitting that she wants to create life inside this castle.

Fitting, maybe. Fitting for her. But the castle is not mortal yet, and wishes it could protest that it isn’t the right size, refuse to try on the idea.

Dracula is apprehensive as well, for the castle and he are used to each other, they take after each other, because the cold, and the dark, and the death, and the alone does something to you after a while; you start talking to the walls. After the cold queens and quaking colleens leave, or leave their bloodstains the floor. After the beasts and their silver-stained bullets turn back into righteous men in the sun. After he simply outlives everyone else. When all the living things hate, fear, or else betray you, when all the living things can die, and you, who are undead, cannot, it’s the lifeless things that stand firm by your side. When the day ends and the shadows come out to play, when you’re the only one left, in the end you still have the walls. And then…the walls are all you have. And if you talk to them long enough you make a sort of pact, spoken or silent, with those speechless stones: ‘you’re the only one I can trust.’

Dracula speaks to them one day, says he wonders if he can do this, be a father at all, not to mention a good one. The castle cannot reply. But something deep inside the walls wonders if it might be nice to hear Dracula laugh. It might be nice to put on some different clothes. It might be nice for someone new to listen to from time to time. It might be nice to live again.

The castle is concerned. Used to doing things one way, being one way, and only hearing one voice. But that doesn’t mean it is unwilling, that it intends to kill the child.

It never kills anything—Dracula does that. It cannot do anything on its own, and that includes change.

The castle doesn’t like change.

…But that doesn’t mean it won’t.

And if its going to change, its master must change first. They must change together.

Vampires do not have reflections. But Dracula has a castle, and that castle will be damned if it isn’t his mirror.

Reflections are simple to change; put on some makeup, some war paint, a new change of clothes, get a piercing somewhere. Simple, yes, but not easy, to change completely, because that doesn’t mean anything’s changed inside.

The castle did not come equipped for child-rearing; there are no rooms full of toys and cradles and school supplies.

So if this is to be, they must build their son’s world themselves.

Together they set aside a room for the child’s arrival. Just one, single room. And the castle too knows, from the start, this room will be different from all the rest. They will put paintings on the walls, and banners in the halls; things to interest him, to tell him of his parents, at least, even if there are few other relatives to spend Christmas with. The carpets will be darker, instead of the stringent red, and they will make their words smaller, the books easier to understand. The rest of the castle is warm in color, but cool in atmosphere. This room will be cool in color, but warm in atmosphere. The fire will always be set in its place, and they will try their best to make sure the warmth reaches him; if the fire fails, they will knit blankets; if the blankets fail they will make him tea, or warm milk with honey; and when everything else fails they will hold him. If there are tears here, scornful stares will not greet them, instead, kisses and lullabies will be behind door number three. If this room lives, it will be because of something much softer than pounding metal and lighting.

If a child is to live here, they must change that reflection. Everything Dracula’s castle appears to be, this room will be the reverse. Separate. Something… other than the castle.

This room will bottle all the laughter had in this castle. This room will be made of and for living, not the death the rest of the place is steeped in. So much so that this room will not stand for bloodshed.

Lisa brings in supplies from her town; color and cloth, boards and brushes, needle, and thread, and paper; all the things one needs to build a universe.

It is Dracula who takes the paint, who changes the color to something other than the blacks and reds of the rest of the Vampire’s world, cementing on the walls themselves You will not be dark here, my castle. You will be kind to him, Castlevania. The castle doesn’t know its master to work with his hands like a human, but Vlad is not the same within this room either—this room is part of the trade. He doesn’t use magic, or science, as if he is telling himself with every hammer that they are going to change together, the way one does when talking to the mirror.

Lisa sits in a chair and stiches together cloth and fur to make little creatures, toys for the boy to play with. Soft things, not sharp. They are reflections too, littler, simpler ones, of the creatures howling and prowling outside the castle’s walls, or scurrying within them.

But it is the ceiling that is the crowning jewel of the room. Something they paint together—splashing it onto each other’s clothes and noses.

His parents love the stars. They often walk outside the castle walls, fingers knit into each other’s, to gaze at them. They are scholars at soul, and have charted the constellations. They want their child to be able to do the same, to watch the stars, even if he’s not outside. At the end of every day they want him to be sung to sleep by the symphony of the night.

For them, maybe, but to the castle, one of the most interesting things about this room, is the mirror. This is strange, as, while there are other mirrors in this house, they are nothing more than a silver decoration; they have no purpose here, unless they float in shards and possibility. This is an ordinary mirror. It does hold something now, however, and that’s Lisa—only giving more credence to the idea that she is the only living thing in this castle. The castle wonders if they think it will reflect the child, as if they are hoping he will take after his mother and the room.

The mirror, and the windows. In the rest of the castle, the windows are always closed, curtained, or too small to let any real light in. But here they are big, and inviting to all the wiles of the day. Dracula protested—fearing he would burn. Lisa insisted—hoping he would shine.

The mirror, the room, are empty now. The windows closed. The books and charts dormant as the rest. It is not dead, but it’s not alive either. Not even undead. Just a question. An almost.

The room lays on Frankenstein’s table; just one lightning strike—(or one child’s laugh)—away from breathing.

[x0401x]

Is there any reason for kyoani to NOT include Sibyl in the anime adaptation? ☹️ I mean, of course, they're not gonna explain why they excluded her but I'm trying to think of an explanation why they end up with that decision. If anything, I feel like Sibyl could have been a fan favorite by the anime only enjoyers.

Even Edward Jones as a client too. His conversation with Violet is like the best eyeopener of war's atrocity depending on which lens one is looking at. That was also the chapter I finally understood Gilbert's immense need to put himself in a position of power so he could protect Violet in the aftermath of the war. If Gil didn't went at that length, it's a possible route for Violet to end up in the same position as Edward. Or, she wouldn't have a chance to "live" and have a newfound family because I think it's either 1.) some other military man will 'try' to take advantage of her as a tool or 2.) the society, especially those who knew her in the military, would look at her as a monster. Gil literally worked in the shadows so that Violet can have a chance at life in the LN.

In the end, the anime was telling me that it was actually Hodge who went at great length to help Violet experience life then protect her from the aftermath of the war; Gil just run away after realizing that he loved Violet then end up not doing anything even upon realizing his regrets (I understand the trauma he was portrayed to be in, of course. It hurts and I cried because of the movie but I kinda don't like that after much suspense whether he's alive or not, he honestly didn't have much character development). In the LN, Gil was the first catalyst for Violet's growth but not so much in the anime—it's like, he's just a person from Violet's past who made so much impact to her.

I can only imagine that they kept Lux out for two reasons:

1. They were “going for a more realistic story”, in their own words, and there was no way to make Lux’s backstory even remotely down to earth.

2. By pushing Lux away, they were able to replace her with more cutesy, teenage female characters and add them to a story that apparently had too many adult ones.

I think Edward was left out because war is the key element to his character and he’s like a key that opens up Violet’s past as a soldier. KyoAni never wanted to focus on that part. As crucial as the war arc is, they didn’t seem interested at all in showing parts of the story that weren’t leaning towards tearjerking and iyashikei aspects. Besides, they wanted Gil to have the minimum screen time possible, lol.

You’re completely right on everything you just said about Gil. The thing is: I don’t think Gil really mattered to KyoAni. Or any other character. The only one that mattered was Violet. But Gil mattered the least of all, lol. They did such a poor job with him that the author had to step in and give them instructions about how to handle him during the movie’s production.

I can’t stress this enough, but KyoAni mostly cashes in from their male audience and any of their works that has a girl as main lead is made for dudes first and foremost. VE is no exception, although it’s a lot more balanced in pleasing both male and female audiences than most of KyoAni’s titles. And Japanese male viewers generally feel very threatened when their token waifu is taken away by a character that they can’t relate to. You know those isekai or harem animes where all the beautiful waifus are head-over-heels for a guy that is literally the definition of ordinary? That’s the shit they like, because the main lead represents them. They can cheer for him because they’re able to imagine themselves in his shoes. But Gil? He’s an example to follow instead. The very definition of perfection. They can’t possibly see themselves in him (the canon version of him, that is). All they see is a Prince Charming having lots of really shippy scenes and living his best life with their beloved little waifu. Of course they’d hate having all of that thrown to their faces. So he was retooled into something more relatable to them and given the bare minimum amount of screen time. Because personality aside, he’s still hot, and he and Violet have a lot of physical contact in canon. Much more than what an average Japanese male otaku would probably have with any woman his whole life.

So yeah, it’s not just about making the story more emotional or anything like that. KyoAni did these changes mostly because they were scared shitless of getting hate from snowflake dudebros.

[couchpotatoaniki]

One Year ❣︎ One: Holidays Aren’t For Drama

Chapter Summary: San has finally found you after five years of searching, and he wants you for himself--though not knowing how to do it just yet. In the meantime, you’re having fun hanging out with a friend on the plane to Jeju.

Pairing: Mafia!San x Fem!Reader Genre: Mafia AU, fluff, angst, eventual smut, lotta crack and stupid shit ngl Chapter warnings: swearing, stalking Word count: 1.2k+ A 365 Days parody

Previous: Prologue For the rest of the series, click here

Speech in bold means they’re talking in Korean

Speech in italics is whatever the reader wants their native langue to be that’s not Korean or English

Speech without either means they’re talking in English

You were glad that you were sat next to Yunho on the plane since you needed good vibes that your boyfriend couldn’t really give you. Too sucked up in his own life, which make him the worst person to sit next to Yeosang.

Thankfully, Dominic was terrified of the boy so he was silently scrolling through his phone. That left Mingi to annoy poor Seonghwa the whole trip.

“Oh, you bitch,” Yunho mumbled, picking up four cards from the deck beside him. To pass the time, you and the tall boy decided to play a game of Uno. 

Chuckling, you threw down a yellow 2. effectively ending the round. “You know, for someone of your profession, you’re really shit at cards.”

“Maybe because I’m playing against your devious ass.”

“You love my devious ass, don’t lie.” Scoffing, he gathered the cards and began to shuffle them before you ripped them from his hands. “Oh hell no. I know for a fact you’re gonna rig it.”

“I tried last time, and you still won,” he huffed, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair before using the other to take the deck again.

Yunho wasn’t really your friend to begin with. More so Mingi’s, but that had not stopped the two of you becoming just as close. Seonghwa and Yeosang too; you had meet them through the sweet-hearted boy, and all three had quickly become an addition to your short list of loved ones.

In fact, out of the six of you, Dominic was the odd one out.

He didn’t know the secrets you shared, the things you did without his knowledge. Nothing that would directly harm your relationship, no.

To add to that, the five of you were like a family, looking out for each other, and the boys weren’t very font of the guy you had chosen to date.

Then again, compared to the last one, Dominic was much better.

Every year, the boys and you had decided to treat this time as a holiday away  from the all the work you do, to treat yourselves for living another year. So you all splurged out and did something big.

How you chose the destination was fairly simple; one of you would throw a dart at a map of the world--blindfolded, obviously--and wherever it landed, you all went there.

It’s what led to the fun cruise in the Pacific the previous trip, and this part of Korea for this current one.

Though, Jeju was one of the places on your bucket list. You were more than excited to go and sight-see. Already, you do plenty of that for your job but never really get the chance to stop and pay attention.

To relax with friends and have fun.

You were going to Jeju for leisure purposes.

San was going to Jeju for you.

Yes, he was originally going there for work, to deal with a bit of business that had gone awry. But then he saw you, quickly crossing the road, from his vehicle.

Decided to follow you, see where you were going and with whom.

At first, he was a little pissed to know that you were travelling with five men, you being the only woman. Most likely scenario, one of them was your boyfriend.

But that information had no longer mattered, because you were going to Jeju. On the same flight as him.

San didn’t like to admit in believing in fate, but if that wasn’t it, he didn’t know what would be.

Hongjoong--who was stood beside him in the middle of the airport by now--was concerned over his strange behaviour. Even the slightest shift that seemed out of the ordinary, he immediately became suspicious.

That’s why San knew it was stupid to try and lie to him.

When he pointed out to you, telling him to look, it only took the older boy a few seconds for him clock on. “You’re shitting me...”

“I’m not, Joong. She’s here. She’s really here.”

“San,” the now-blue-haired boy began, trying not to draw any unnecessary attention, “look at me. You can’t. It was five years ago, and not to mention, you’re already with--”

Shoving his hands off his shoulders, the mafia boss glared at his second-in-command. “You don’t even like Dae anyway!”

No, Hongjoong hated that crazy woman to his very core. She was bad for his friend, but the boy was too caught up in filling the hole you somehow managed to carve to even care.

Had it been any other, the short man would have let San do his thing, but his current girlfriend was one of the heirs to a rather big mafia herself. Being with her involved politics, and being with her for nearly five years brought more trouble than you were worth.

But Hongjoong knew that San wouldn’t listen to him. Not when he’s like this.

The only thing he could do now was damage control.

The two males--San mainly--had stalked the six of you, deducing who meant what to you. Didn’t like how cosy you were with either of them, but specifically disliked the guy who had his hand wrapped around your waist.

Then there was the other guy, one of the really tall ones, with black hair--streaks of green and grey running through it--and a loud voice. Party animal, the two thought. He was particularly close to you too, sending playful hits that were definitely reciprocated. Hopefully, he was just a friend...

The other tall guy--the blonde one, with puppy-like eyes--seemed more reserved yet somehow still as energetic.

Next tallest was s black-haired fella. Clean and lean--smart-looking, with soft (but somehow sharp) eyes.

Finally, the last guy. The one who rarely spoke, with a silvery grey mullet that surprisingly complimented his pale skin. There was something about him that Hongjoong couldn’t pin down. Something familiar...

The most obvious odd thing was how you and your supposed ‘boyfriend’ were of a different ethnicity to the other four. Confirmed when the two men overheard you speaking in a completely different language neither of them were used to.

“Fuckin’ language barrier,” San grunted as he realised there was yet another obstacle in his way.

“Fuckin’ good-lookin’ people,” Hongjoong laughed, scanning the six of you.

Being in business class was usually a comfortable experience, but right now was the most excruciating thing possible for both of them. San constantly bombarded the elder with questions and worries about you.

Couldn’t even send Hongjoong back there since his newly-dyed electric blue hair would have captured too much attention. “What’s the point of you if I can’t even get you to spy on people,” the younger huffed. “Dye your hair back to black when we get to the villa.”

“Oh, shut up,” Hongjoong spat with gritted teeth, already beyond annoyed with the man’s behaviour. “That’s not even my job. And you come at me with having unusual hair, but you look like Frankenstein’s Bride with that lock of white with the rest being black.”

Groaning, San looked at the entrance of the business area, hoping for some other miracle to occur and you would peer out. Desperation filled him, wanting to see you again. Etch your newer features into his mind once more.

“Who do you think those other guys were? Her boyfriend’s friends? Her friends? Colleagues?”

“Probably her friends, since they all seemed pretty close to her.”

“Ugh.” San buried his face in his hands, still not liking the sound of that.

“It’s the 21st century, dude. Girls can be friends with guys--and that girl is friends with those guys. Get used to it.”

“Don’t wanna,” San mumbled, puffing out his cheeks as Hongjoong narrowed his eyes at his tantrum.

“Listen, dude, you can’t confine and control her. Doing that’s only gonna push her away--if you’re actually serious in pursuing her.”

“Of course I’m serious!”

“Then you need to plan this out carefully. And you need to think of it fast, since I doubt they’ll be in Jeju for long."

The younger male scoffed, running his tongue against the inside of his cheek as his confidence grew and cogs in his brain began moving. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely come up with something.”

Sighing, Hongjoong looked out of the window, into the peaceful, empty ocean they flew above. What exactly had he done?

☕︎ Tag list: @little-precious-baby​ , @sparklychangbin​ ,

[cherripeach]

Chapter 11

Little Match Maker

Summary: Your life motto is “I have the power of god and anime on my side, don’t mess with me,” and you stand by that with your life. No human, magician, or random creature could ever stop your firm belief in it.

However, getting transported to this world that seemed to turn your already bad luck worse was not what you wanted to be in your life story, but you made the most of it. Making friends, enemies, and disasters, you were in your prime in this world, and so you decided to help as many people as you could flourish, at least what you believed to be.

Chapter 1:6-8 when there's too much drama at school- all you gotta do is walk awwwaawy

Warnings: Curse words, violence

Words: 4.5k

Relationships: developing but future twstxreader

Ace dragged Grim to your seats that you picked out by the scruff of his fur on his neck and tossed the struggling cat onto your lap for you to deal with in which you could only hold him like a teddy bear. 

“Don’t wanna, don’t wanna! I don’t wanna go back to boring classes!” Grim groaned while wiggling in your hold. 

You squeezed the cat tighter, “Can’t help it if you are already here, huh?”  

“Damn it! You’re being kinda harsh today,” Grim moaned as he tugged on your jacket by your wrists.  

The teacher coughed to get the attention of you three, and he surprisingly had that attention through the rest of class, forgetting about Grim’s nap and Ace’s doodling. 

Once the lunch bell had rung, the two idiots who were not at all interested in the previous lecture sprung up and leaped to begin the trek to the cafeteria. Deuce tried to not show as much enthusiasm by joining your side in your walk, but his long footsteps and quick strides told you otherwise. 

The cafeteria was as polished and refined as it was before your group broke the magic chandelier last night which surprised you more than it should have because you are in a completely different dimension where most things impossible in your previous dimension are possible here like a talking cat who is too arrogant for his own good.  All of this just means in your brain that you should be used to it, but you also remembered how the Headmaster mentioned how ‘magic was not all powerful.’ All of this just confused you. 

Grim threw himself ahead of your group and into the cafeteria lines, “Yeah! It’s finally lunch time!!!” Grim’s eyes lit up while he was wandering around the cafeteria and studying what he knew best, food, “I see a lotta delicious stuff already.”

Your eyes found the menu above each food station and found the prices, and even if you did not understand currency in this world, it still seemed too rich for you. A sigh slipped through your lips, “As if we’ll be able to afford half of the food here anyway.” 

Grim proclaimed while bouncing up and down, “A fluffy omelet! Grilled chicken and a bacon & egg tart!!” 

“You’re too loud!” Ace had his ears covered while lecturing the cat, “You’re pretty energetic even at lunch time, huh!”

Grim ran back to your location and tugged on your cloak while pointing at all the food, “I wanna have some grilled chicken! Come on, there’s only one more left! Oh, and omelets, too! And bread and jam! Go get them all!” The cat ended up in a line and got a piece of grilled chicken before reporting back to your group where you decided to head for a table. 

The cat, full of excitement, sprinted off  in front of you only to knock into a male with a red armband and pen in his coat pocket, causing the male to stumble and Grim to fall on his butt and yelp.  

 “Hey, you bastard!”  The male with the white hair (which you still question is real even though your friend is a literal talking cat) sneered at Grim, so you tried to calmly approach the group to see what the problem was, “My pasta’s soft-boiled egg is on the floor ‘cause you bumped into me!” 

You muttered out, “You're shitting with me,” as you slowly gained on the group to join the conversation. 

 “Oh, man,” A male located to the right of the white haired boy wined, “The soft-boiled egg’s the best part of carbonara.” His laugh dropped when he spoke, “How’re you gonna pay for that, huh, punk!?” The male snickered at Grim. 

Dude with the white hair left his plate of food on an empty table before he made a give-here motion with his hand, “Guess I’ll just have to make do with you giving me that grilled chicken you’ve got there.”

Grim wrapped his paws around the plate, “Wha–!? I don’t wanna! This chicken is mine!” He backed away from the two, only to bump into your legs. 

The second male rolled his eyes and put his plate next to the first male’s plate to start approaching you and Grim, “Huh? That's not how a freshie should talk to his senior?”  You pushed Grim behind your legs before the second male had made it to you, only for the male to begin yelling at the both of you,  “YOU B-” Your leg shot straight to his crotch, paralyzing him while he gripped the area. 

The first male threw his hands into fists near his chest and grabbed his magic pen from his pocket, “You’re asking for it, your bitch. I’ll-”

You did the same thing to the first male and kicked him in the dick. 

“Sorry, not sorry. But personally, I will never respect a senior who shows no respect for me. No one deserves respect or authority. They earn it.  And, in my eyes you deserve nothing from me. I am positive that you are both aware of who we are and what we have caused on our first day, and you decided to target us because we seemed ‘weak’ in your eyes. And you know what, I’m fine with being called weak. You know why?” Your side of the cafeteria was silent all listening in to your voice, “No one actually knows your strength.”

You walked up to the first boy who started this fight who was still holding his crotch while he grumbled out, “You're just a pussy.”

You chuckled, “That’s very ironic because you are in fact the actual definition of a pussy which is short for pusillanimous, meaning a scaredy cat. Your small mind wouldn’t know that, would it?”

The boy with the white hair spat at your shoes.

You nodded your head, “Get all your anger out, baby. I’ve been dying to talk to one of the prefects here, and you just happen to belong to the Hearts dorm.” You paused for a second and placed your pointer finger on your chin, “I wonder what he’ll do when I tell him how you threatened the only non-magic user of the school with magic. And I’m pretty sure using it outside of class will result in a large punishment.”  

You turned away from the boys to greet the wide eyes and open mouths of your friend group. 

The second male groaned, “We’ll get you. I promise.”

You rolled your eyes and did not even turn to look at the boys, “Well, my promise still stands. I’m never above tatling.” You waved to the boys while your group began to find a table, “Have a great day!” 

You could feel the eyes following you to your table. 

Ace moaned once you joined the group, “I missed breakfast and I’m about to pass out. Thank Seven nothing happened!”

Deuce sighed, “That was quite the predicament. To think that there would be such brutes in a prestigious magic school…”

You found the perfect table and walked to it, “Anything is possible.”

 “Can you not stand up for Grim next time?” Ace frowned at you, “As much as I hate to say it, they could have started using magic. You can’t go charging in thinking you are the hero when everyone else has something you don’t here.”

You stuck out your tongue in defiance and ignored his words. 

Once seated at the table, the four of you dug into your food.

Grim bit into the omelette and moaned, “The omelette is so fluffy, and the cheese is so melty~!” He shoved another bite into his mouth, “ By the by, I saw you guys’ dorm a while ago, but what do the other dorms look like?”

You swallowed your food before adding, “Yeah, dudes, your dorm was sick and suitable to live in. Wonder what the other ones are like.” 

A tray was placed down next to you, “You’ve seen the statues of the Great Seven by Main Street, right? This school has seven dorms based off of them.”

You stared at the male for a quick second, finding him familiar but not having the ability to remember where he was from, “Ah wait, who are you?”

Ace waved his fork around groaning, “You’re the dude from this morning!”

Grim stood up on the bench and accused the male, “He’s the guy who tricked us into painting roses red!” 

“That’s why he’s familiar…” You mumbled to yourself.

The male took a seat next to you and whistled before taking a bite of his food and announcing that he “Didn’t trick you, you know? It’s not like I wanted to do that either. I only did it ‘cause it’s the Dorm’s rules.”

“You looked so happy about it though,” Deuce uttered out while chewing on his food.

The senior waved his hand around to try and comfort his junior, “There, there, Deucey. The rules don’t matter outside the dorms so, Cate here is just your very gentle senior.”  He placed his hand on top of his heart and pushed his shoulders back, and you could even see the slightest bit of sunlight coming from behind his head. 

Deuce flushed red and shook his head back and forth, “Ple.. please stop calling me that, senpai!”

Another tray was sat down next to Ace, and a rather attractive man appeared with the tray. Green hair and glasses and a clover on his cheek, this male was both sort of odd for an ordinary person but compared to the rest of the people here seemed that he could blend in well. 

The new male chortled at the situation, “That’s how Cater expresses his affection, you know?” and shrugged his shoulders. 

Everyone’s brain at the table besides Cater’s buffered. 

So Ace, with an eyebrow raised and a spoon with some food on it also raised, asked the dying question, “Wait…” Ace tilted his head, “Who are you?”

The male sat down and rubbed the back of his neck, “Oops, my bad. . My name’s Trey, Trey Clover. I’m a Heartslabyul 3rd year alongside Cater.” He stated, pointing toward the other male. 

The four of your group nodded slowly before the male turned to you, “ And you...you’re from the Ramshackle… um.”  He paused and coughed a bit before continuing, “The new student who’s currently residing in the unused dorm, correct?”

“You can call it Ramshackle or whatever. Believe me it has several health code violations and is just not somewhere I would choose to live.”  You sighed out, “But when one doesn’t have a choice it is best to make do with what they have.”

Ace just frowned at you, “Wow... smooth words.” He rolled his eyes after. 

Trey ignored your side conversation and just awkwardly chucked, “I heard all about it from Cater. Sorry for the trouble our doommates caused you yesterday.” 

Ace broke out into an offended look at the male and shifted closer to Deuce, “He’s just casually sitting next to me..” 

Cater grinned at the three, “Come on! We’re in the same school, so we should get along! Give me your number!”

You inquired to Cater about what he just said, “Wait, wait, wait. You have phones here! And so now the only thing that could keep me sane and connected to the real world that I would normally have is here, but I can’t have it because it’s too expensive? Damn I need a raise.”

“Oh?” Cater bounced in his seat, “Oh, so you do have a number? Are you the type to not upload many pictures? Tell me your username!” Cater whipped out his phone and held it up waiting for you to start.  When you didn’t, his face slowly moved closer to yours until you had to start backing away. 

 Trey sighed, “Cater, the newbie’s backing away. Keep it to a minimum.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Cater put his phone away and waved his hands around. 

You scooted back to your spot muttering, “It’s okay.”

“So, you guys were askin’ about the dorms? That’s nice! A fresh convo!” Carter hoped back into a new conversation. 

Ace looked up from his food, “ I wanna know about our Dorm first and foremost. What the heck is that Rule Number something of something of the Queen of Hearts?”

You could only imagine what Ace was feeling for only being in the dorm for one day and already being kicked out for rules that he knew nothing of, “Yeah, it seems kinda of counterproductive, those rules.”

Trey explained to your group, “I’m sure you’re all familiar with the legendary Queen of Hearts, right? In order to establish absolute law and order, she made severe rules in order to oppress the eccentric citizens of Wonderland.”

Cater added, “And out of respect for the Queen of Hearts, our Heartslabyul Dorm wears red and black in order to represent the dress she wore. And it’s part of our traditions to adhere to the Queen of Hearts’ rules.” He shoved more of his food into his mouth and grabbed his phone out of his pocket to check it. 

Grim exclaimed, “Sounds rough!” 

“Adhering to the rules is the present Prefect’s whims.” Cater checked his phone again, “The previous one was kinda chill about it.”

Nodding, Trey agreed, “Compared to the other Prefects, Riddle is just a little bit more serious. That’s why he’s trying so hard to keep the traditions.”

“Ugh… How annoying..” Ace hissed out. 

Grim tapped his paw to his chin, “Hey, what kinda places are the other dorms?”

“Again, I’m still curious.” Thinking about the style of the first dorm, you could only imagine how planned out the other dorms are. 

Your kindhearted green haired upperclassman started to tell you the details of the dorms, “Just like Cater said a while ago, this school has seven dorms dedicated to the Great Seven.” 

Your mind flashed to the seven statues at the front of the school you had to take care of on the first day of classes, “Those statues in the front?”

Trey nodded, “Yep, those are the Great Seven. I’m surprised you didn’t know.” 

“Eh, I guess I just forgot,” You did not want any odd attention to be on you, so you tried and continued the conversation, “But they are all related to a specific dorm?”

“Yes. First, we have our dorm that’s grounded on following the Queen of Hearts’ Laws with our entire being: Heartslabyul Dorm.” 

The Queen of Hearts were not laws that you wanted to follow, but you were still very curious about why people would commit themselves to it.

“Savanaclaw that’s grounded on the fortitude of the King of Beasts.”

Scar if you could remember correctly. And another dorm that you couldn’t understand why they would follow that leader, but whatever. 

“After that, we have Octavinelle that was founded on the Sea Witch’s benevolence.”

Benevolence is not what you would call it; there had to be a mistake in the story. 

“And then we have Scarabia that was formed from the careful planning of the Sorcerer of the Desert.”

A pedophile, of all people?? Jafar should not be considered anything near a great person. 

“Pomefiore, the house grounded on the magnanimous efforts of the Beautiful Queen”

Okay, but like she kinda cute; while we don’t condone actions… Of course, her name being ‘Beautiful’ trips you up, but all of this is an issue for later. 

“Then there’s Ignihyde whose foundations lie on the perseverance of the King of the Underworld.”

Going off the Disney movie, yes, he was the villain. But going off of Greek Mythology. Never. Never. 

“Lastly, we have Diasomnia that was founded on the gracefulness of the Queen of Thorns.”

She kinda cursed a child, but we all have our petty days. 

“There wouldn’t happen to be a book in the library about them. Would there? I would like to refresh my memories on them.” As much reading as you did in the past, you knew this had to happen. Your only chance to figure out anything in this world was in that library. 

“Of course,” Your new upperclassman was the kindest, “I can show you if you would like.”

Grim brings you two back to the other conversation with his announcement, “All of their names are friggin’ long! I can’t remember all of that!”

Giggling into his hand, Cater winked at Grim, “That’s completely okay. You’ll remember them even if you don’t want to.”

Trey continued, “Just like you’ve witnessed during the ceremony, the Mirror of Darkness decides

what Dorm you’ll belong to after looking into your soul. I guess you could say that the dorms really reflect the student’s character.”

“That’s true.” Cater agreed, “I totally get it!”

Deuce could not agree, “Character?”

You snapped your fingers, “Like personality and maybe like talents?”

Trey guided your group’s attention to the wolf boy you met in PE, “For example… Look over there.”

“That’s the guy who wasn’t dying after the torture session in PE,” You pointed out. 

“Judging by appearance, he looks like he’s from Savanaclaw.” Trey concluded. 

Cater now had his phone in his hand and was scrolling through something before looking up to join the conversation, “Totes! They look like a dorm that’s got a lot of athletes and guys that’re good at scuffles! They’re pretty brawny? Or I guess you could say, they’re all pretty buff? Either way, Savanaclaw’s colors are yellow and black.”

Grim signaled to a male with a beauty mark on his chin and silver-blue hair and glasses, “Oh~ Then what about that one with the gray and uh… Light purple on their sleeves?” 

 (Seemed like a little pretty boy was your only thought about the glasses male)

Trey replied, “He’s from Octavinelle. The two sitting on the table beside him with the dark-red and gold colors are from Scarabia.” The table he was talking about held one person who you are positive you have seen before and another taller boy who just gave you a bad vibe. 

“It’s been said that both are dorms full of smart people,” Cater added, “When it comes to written tests, nothing can beat those two. Ah, but Scarabia’s Prefect’s only so-so when it comes to studying.”

Ace huffed, “Alright, I sense a red flag here.”

You bet, “Yeah, as if. If anything I wouldn’t think that test scores are the only factor of a prefect.”

“You adapt pretty quickly, huh, Ace. You not so much,” The male sighed at you.

“That was rude.” You huffed and ate more of your food, and then, mumbling, “It’s not like I know shit about this world.”

Trey rolled his eyes to look up and puffed out, “Going back to the topic, those bright and sparkling ones over there are from Pomefiore. Their colors are purple and red.”

Grim bursted out, “Wha–!! There’s a really cute girl over there!”

You smacked the back of Grim’s head and scolded him, “Hey, don’t assume anything about them.”

“Eh!?” Deuce questioned, “Even though this is an all-boys’ school!?”

“Idiot.” Ace mocked,  “As if they’d let a girl pass the sorting ceremony of an all-boys’ school.”

While Grim and Deuce were freaking out, you turned to Trey and Cater and asked, “I’m assuming gender expression is all over? What are your pronouns?”

Cater seemed delighted to be asked and replied with a simple, “That is true. Oh, he/him is fine, but I’d rather you’d call my cell.” With a wink at the end.

Trey responded, “Same as him, besides the last part. Though I don’t think many people here ask that even if the expressions are all over the spectrum.”

“Just wanted to make this a safe place,” You didn’t really know much about this world. Like maybe it was more acceptable here? Or it could be the opposite…

Cater nudged Ace and those two began a talk about a portrait in the school. It seemed to be some of the only girl contact some of these boys got. 

After Ace gagged in his throat, Cater waved his hands and turned back to the group, “It doesn’t matter, does it? Well, in any case, Pomefiore’s full of pretty faces who take their beauty routines very seriously. Their Prefect’s a pretty famous influencer who’s got over 5 million followers.” Cater boasted while holding up five fingers. 

Trey shook his head, “ Don’t judge them based on face value alone. Pomefiore’s got a lot of students who excel at alchemy and charms.”

“If I knew what that was a little more than I know now I feel like I would be more impressed.” You guessed, but with your luck anything could happen. It did remind you of the Evil Queen though. 

Cater chuckled into his hand and threw up a thumbs-up, “That’s right!” He, then, directed everyone’s attention to look at the cafeteria, but he could never direct everyone’s attention to a specific person, “Then, there’s Ignihyde, and they wear blue and black, but… I don’t see them around anywhere.” All of the group’s attention was given back to Cater since there was not a single student, “The students from that dorm are all sorta private, so I don’t have friends there either. I guess you could call them the complete opposite of Heartslabyul.”

Grim slumped and dragged his food into his mouth, “You mean, they’re pretty gloomy?”

Trey scolded, “Hey, now! Don’t be rude. Though, it’s true that they all seem pretty behaved and quiet. They’ve got a lot of members who have great magical energy and they’re pretty techy, too.”

It made you think about all the technology in this world and how different it was definitely going to be in this world. 

Deuce inquired, “Then there’s… Diasomething Dorm, correct?”

You nodded, “Dia-what-ya-call-it.”

“Stop acting like you got it right.” Ace puffed out his chest,  “It’s Diasomnia, got it?”

Deuce sputtered, “I just bit my tongue.”

Cater pointed, “Diasomnia is… Oh, there.” There was a table full of odd balls from what you can tell, “The guys who are sitting by the cafeteria’s exclusive tables.Their colors are light-green and black. They’re kinda—How do I put it? Super popular?They’ve got an aura that makes it hard for us commoners to approach them. Their Prefect is super difficult to grasp.”

“Difficult to grasp,” You titled your head, “What the fuck does that mean?”

Ace shoved your shoulder, “Shut up and look. They’ve got a kid with them.” He pointed toward a young looking male with black and pink hair. He really reminded you of a pretty boy from anime. 

“I bet you ten bucks he’s one of the oldest ones here. And besides I really don't think we should be judging by appearances at this place of all places.” You pointed to Grim who had so much food shoved in his mouth he looked like a chipmunk, “we lit have a cat.”

Trey sighed, “Grade-skipping is allowed here, so that’s possible. But, he’s not a child, he’s a 3rd year like us. His name is” Trey was cut off by another voice. 

A much deeper voice appeared behind you, “Lilia is my name. Lilia Vanrouge” And the child who was definitely not a child to you appeared upside down in the air. You knew that you should be surprised, but at this point in time you didn’t have the effort. 

Grim shot up from his seat, “Th..uh.this guy teleported here!”

You stared up at the male with wide eyes, but then, shook your head, “You are surprisingly not the oddest person I have seen today, but I have to applaud you for some of the nicest hair. And it is real cool how you can just float upside down. Like a bat... Or something.”

Lilia bowed while still hanging out upside down, “I thank thou for such a genuine compliment. Pray tell, are thou interested in mine dorm members?” He raised his hand to cover his mouth when he chuckled, “Fufufu, it is true that I might resemble a sprightly and endearing young boy. However, just like that man in glasses has said, I am a child no longer.” 

 “How the fuck did he say “fufuf” out loud?” You gasped out, “Also pay up Ace.” You made ‘give me-give me’ motions with your hand. 

“Sprightly,” Trey smiled widely. 

Lilia quizzed, “Prithee, why not approach us instead of simply watching from afar? Are we not comrades from the same school? We from Diasomnia will welcome you anytime.”  While still upside down, he threw his arms out into his full wing span. 

You were scared of this dude, but at the same time not, “Perfect, totally next time, dude.” You threw a wink and a thumbs-up. 

Deuce covered his mouth and whispered something to Ace. 

Lilia chortled, “Fufu. Pardon me from appearing from above while you dined. I will be taking my leave now.” The male waved his hand and disappeared. 

Ace muttered something back to deuce.

Trey stammered, “W-well… That’s how it is.” Trey closed his eyes and smiled before opening them back up, “Diasomnia’s got a lot of very special students.Their dorm has a lot of members that are pretty gifted. Their Prefect, Malleus Draconia, is said to be one of the five greatest sorcerers of our world.” 

“TBH,” Cater was scrolling through his phone, “Malleus is sorta like, the awesomest of the awesome.” He turned off his phone and tossed his hair back, “Well, our Prefect’s pretty dangerous, too.”

You paused, eyes squinted and mouth agape, thinking, ‘How would you even measure that?’

Ace snorted, “You’re telling me! He puts a collar on someone just for eating his tart? He’s the worst, no doubt!” He pointed his spoonful of food at Cater for emphasis on his words. 

You noticed that a male was behind Ace when was in the middle of his statement. He had bright red hair with two cow-licks on his head and gray eyes. What you found adorable, however, was how his tie was tied like a bow and had a little crown on the side of it. The male was crossing his arms with a wide grin on his face. 

His mouth began moving and a smooth voice came out, “Hm? I’m the worst?” The grin grew. 

Cater froze while slowly shifting his eyes to look at Ace and not the new person. Deuce and Trey just froze in shock for this new person to join the conversation. You paused and realized that this was probably the prefect.

You softly sang out, “You're screwed.”

Ace was not perceiving anything at this moment and only continued, “Yeah. Only a tyrant will keep up with those kinda rules. Gimme a break.” He puffed out and drank the rest of his drink in one swish back. 

“Ace...,” Deuce whined, “look behind us!”

Ace shouted, “GEH! Prefect?!” and jumped in his seat.

You could only hope Ace would survive for the rest of the day.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

B2:S - Chapter 5

Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.

Here be lots of Viren deets, Best Boy Soren deets, some writing/continuity stuff, worldbuilding appreciation and half of a theory, Detective Rayla, Moon Temple geeking, Claudium and dark magic, and more!

Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.

(I know for darn sure that I wrote up a post for chapter 4, but I can't find it anywhere so I guess Tumblr ate it and I'll have to redo it at some point, but today is not that day)

Viren, my evil dude, my bad guy, coming in clutch with the worldbuilding and backstory again! If you want to know decades of information, you gotta talk to Viren. Or read his scenes, at least. Here, he seems to not sleep much when he has a big problem to analyze his way through. Solutions trump pretty much everything else in this guy's life, and he's had a really hard week with a lot of new and complicated problems. Of course he's getting sleep-deprived trying to find his way through them all.

Harrow put so much trust in Viren when he made him High Mage! He just threw himself extra hard at that Lady Justice blindfold, didn't he? Didn't really want to see what Viren was doing in his magic study, so he left Viren to his devices. And Viren has a lot of devices.

Also, this is fascinating: Viren made the secret passage to his "less official study" in Katolis Castle! And he was inspired to do so by the way his own mentor kept the Puzzle House. What else could a Puzzle House be, except a place with secret passages? Yay! secret headcanon that "the Puzzle House" is just "Katolis Castle" from Kid Viren's perspective tho

So either Viren built all of those passageways, or at least the ones to his dungeon. Which means he has to have, or know where to get, a stash of those glowing blue Moonshadow crystals. Hmmm.

I can't wait to learn more about Kpp'Ar and young Viren, btw. From this description of Viren and all his literal secret ways, it feels like another parallel between Viren and Runaan, with the whole "secretive paths, members only, insider knowledge" type stuff. Only the really cool members of this cult club get to know the secrets, and guess what, kid, you're cool now but you can never tell anyone, okay? Our secret.

Yeahhh, that'll never backfire in any way for either of them.

Kpp'Ar calling puzzles and secrets "man-made magic," though. Yes sir, knowledge is indeed power.

This chapter mentions Runaan by name, from Viren's perspective. Generally that would imply that Viren knows his name, even though assassins do not share their names, and Runaan didn't seem to give his to Viren in the first book. However, there was a scene in book one where the last paragraph switched perspective from Viren to Runaan - a technique that's very common in visual media like movies and shows and gives you that "ohoho they left the room and didn't notice this, but you do!" vibe. Using Runaan's name there in book one, where Viren couldn't see it but readers could, helps them keep track of the assassin's story arc while maintaining Viren's racism.

So in book two, in which Runaan has no onscreen scenes (alas), using his name in a scene that calls back to the events in book one helps us remember what happened in that dungeon cell. It would be a bit muddier to recall the specifics if Viren kept thinking about Runaan as "Elf." So I'm cool with the perspective nudge because it serves a narrative purpose: clarity. But I'm also enjoying the angst of considering that, somehow, Viren learned Runaan's name either during or after the coining spell. Mwa ha ha haaa. (Obligatory "Keep my pretty name outta your mouth" goes here)

Okay, back to Viren's scheming! He took the mirror because it was human-sized in a dragon lair. He knew it didn't really fit there, and that made it interesting, so he stole it. But he realized it was really powerful when Runaan wouldn't tell him squat about it - the assassin's instinct to protect Xadian secrets from human hands meant that Viren was holding a very powerful Xadian secret. And that just made him want it all the more. Ah, Runaan, if only your relationship with lying was, like, the exact opposite of what it is. Nyx could've spun Viren a believable tale in 2 minutes flat.

Also of interest: Viren considers his cursed coins to be a final fate. He expects Runaan to remain in his coin forever. With the Chekhov's coins still extant in the storyline, we can assume that they'll come up again eventually, but Viren has no current plans to do anything with his elf money except carry it around.

It's worth noting that Viren admits that he got impatient when he trapped Runaan in the coin. Runaan's first fate in Katolis was supposed to be death at Soren's hands, but Claudia "saved" him from that. His next fate was to become spell components, but Viren's frustration with his stubbornness "saved" him from that fate, too. So now he's in a coin, where no one can chop him up at all. Yay? No, boo!

We get one last line about Runaan before Viren shifts gears: he makes a point of noting for us that Runaan's shackles are still locked shut. However much of Runaan made it into that coin - body, soul, hair care products - he was magicked there, pulled right out of his restraints.

The creepy black liquid that Viren pours right into his eyes is the last of a powerful potion he got from Kpp'Ar, and its recipe is ancient! Humans used it back in the age of Elarion to see through the illusions of the world. And we get a delightfully creepy bit of description about the preparation of this serum, which makes it abundantly clear that it's a Moon magic-based concoction, harvested from eyeless vipers on a moonless night, with the threat of irrevocable madness ("madness" by whose definition, though) if it's done wrong-

Hang on. Hold up. This is a Plato's Cave reference. OH MY GOD.

No no I'm fine, this is brilliant. Sorry, sorry, I couldn't figure why there was so much description for a potion prep that Viren didn't even have to perform himself. But now I get it. I see the light. HA. I should make a separate post for this, it's amazing.

Anyway, for reference, the humans who used this serum were called the Oracles of Ophidia, and Ophidia is a taxonomy group that includes all modern snakes. Can you say "creepy ancient snake rites"? I can! Woo!

Viren activates the serum with a spell, but apparently he's never done it before. He's not sure if it's supposed to be hot and bubbly, and he worries that it's been tainted by moonlight.

Oh, I do hope so.

The magic potion hurts, a lot. Viren will do just about anything, to himself or anyone, to do what he believes is necessary. He just risked madness and blindness to find out what this mirror does! Viren. Can you just. Take a nap or something. Have a Snickers.

This chapter gives us a fun clue that I don't remember from the show: when Viren's vision clears and he can see, his reflection has white pupils and the room reflected in the mirror has inverted colors. You know where else has inverted colors?

You know who else got white pupils for a hot second?

Okay, now it makes sense! Viren and Lujanne were both seeing into the realm beyond life and death. Him with his moon magic potion, and her with her moon powers on a full moon night at the Moon Nexus. Which is Very Interesting! Is it a direct hint about Aaravos's location, or just a separate cool detail? Orrr, does it look like a direct hint because Aaravos is actually trapped in the world beyond life and death, but it's actually separate and we'll see something about white pupils again later on?

Viren really does have self-esteem issues, we all picked up on it with his rant at his reflection. He throws a fit when he catches himself wondering if he's actually worthless. In the book version of his tantrum, he shoves the mirror and hurls a candelabra instead of flipping a table. He didn't need to shove the mirror to set the fire, but it's in here. Foreshadowing that perhaps, if push comes to shove, Viren will choose himself over Aaravos? Giving Aaravos time to peek through and see that the coast is clear?

Soren, my boyyyyy. He has a rough night at the Moon Nexus because two sides of him are fighting with each other. He struggles to understand Callum's friendship with Rayla, and he also fantasizes about chopping off Rayla's head. One of these is a pretty ordinary thing to do. The other is Soren's internalization of what he needs to do to gain his father's approval. If he brought his dad a chopped off elf head every week, he'd probably feel a lot more confident because Viren would praise him a lot more.

Okay, okay, omg, is it just me, or does the "Moonshadow Madness" story, as it's told in the book, seem like Soren just doesn't know what a monsterfucker is? He thinks an elf bite puts humans under a spell. But vampires are sexy, and some people want them to do more to them than just bite them. A passionate kiss under the moonlight could look very bitey, especially if one of the participants has horns and you're already culturally trained to hate them. No yeah, I'm already headcanoning an actual human-elf kiss that got misunderstood by an observer long ago.

it's Lujanne isn't it, we all know, because what is a love spell but a sweet soft illusion, I mean how else does she get supplies for her Caldera, I ask you, and also Corvus was totally sent to investigate once and he told Soren at camp what he saw

And then back to magefam angst: Soren pretending that his sister's nose-tapping is stupid, even though he actually thinks it's cool, just because their dad thinks it's stupid. Viren, istg. Let your kids like harmless things. It's so cute that Soren taps his nose back at her, though! Like they have their own sibling code. I hope we get to see the nose tap again, especially now that they've chosen different sides. It could mean so much, that they're not too far apart yet.

Rayla knows what buttery pancakes smell like. I love this. Do Moonshadow elves have butter and pancakes, does Rayla eat a stack of eight giant pancakes in the morning? Orrrr it is just illusion food? I don't care, let Rayla have pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes. Pancakes will save the world. this message brought to you by the fact that I can't eat pancakes rn, send help

I love that Rayla is both sus of the pancakes and hungry, and that combines into a very motivated "I will get to the bottom of this" attitude. She kind of goes into Poirot Mode when she inserts herself into Soren and Ellis's conversation about Ava, explaining about the wolf's illusion leg and segueing into her claim that the pancakes taste sus. Claudia confirms she used dark magic, and Rayla is furious. It's different than the show's version in that it puts Rayla in detective mode, as the only Moonshadow elf in the scene, and boy does she take that role seriously. Also, she doesn't actually swallow the dark magic pancake bite. It ends up on the ground just like Lujanne's grubs from that earlier meal. These poor kids are so nutrient-starved. You guys gotta eat!!

Rayla's determination and prejudices and the fact that she super knows Harrow is dead all dovetail to make her try repeatedly to persuade Callum that Soren and Claudia are Not To Be Trusted. It's nice that the book keeps taking the time to point out that Rayla is Well Intentioned But Flawed, just like Callum and pretty much every other character in the show. No one is Right All The Time, no one Knows More Than Everyone Else.

Callum loving the sound of Claudia's unique voice is so wholesome. When you like someone, it only makes sense that you like all the things about them that they can't change - like the sound of Claudia's voice. Her choices with dark magic, not so much!

Claudia seems to have the same concerns Soren does about Callum's relationship with Rayla, but she comes out and asks him. The inherent possession implied in "your elf" is interesting, though. Elves are not people to Claudia. They're enemies who can be disassembled for the magic inside them. So maybe more like robots than living beings, if she knew what a robot was. Maybe she heard Soren's "Moonshadow Madness" story and realized he totally missed the kissing implications - but she didn't, and now she's genuinely worried that Rayla could kiss Callum under a full moon and enchant him to do her will. Good thing it's only a half moon, then!

Okay, Callum nervously making a puppet hand and then not knowing what to do with his hands and freaking out about itching and moving and pointy elbows is such a ND mood. The sudden stress of knowing that someone else is noticing your existence and maybe you're Not Existing Right, amirite? Ugh, poor Callum.

The Moon Temple! Omg it's so pretty in the description! Made to be beautiful and useful, full of knowledge but also allowing light and life inside (butterflies and vines). Lujanne, when can I move in, please? Also, it's all the more angsty because Lujanne is the only one who gets to see this beautiful place, but it has lots of chairs and shelves and tables, and it was meant to be used by lots of people. :(((

Claudia knows some of the runes on the walls. She isn't in a hurry to copy the rest of them down or anything, either. Her spellwriting is very precise, and she's a skilled mage. Her father would have made sure she was aware of the dangers of drawing sloppy runes, as much as he made her aware of the dangers of doing dark magic wrong. And the whole point of dark magic is that it's easier to learn than primal magic. Claudia supports her dad and their shared knowledge and life path. She's not gonna go nuts over an elf library she can't translate.

Side note: Between Claudia knowing some Moon runes and Viren building a secret passageway and a dungeon and lighting it with the same blue crystals that Lujanne and Ethari use for light--and Claudia exclaiming that she loves ruins--I wonder once more if there are really Moonshadow ruins somewhere in Katolis, which Viren has found and looted. Father-daughter relic hunting trip, maybe while Soren is away at camp? Omgsh that would be so wild!

Callum out here having a Viren moment with his "I feel powerless unless I've got magic that lets me help" vibes. God. I love their complicated mirroring. One of the hard differences between them is that Callum is very sure dark magic is bad because you have to kill stuff and take its power to cast spells, and he doesn't want to be a person who kills and takes like that. The line he walks to be nice to Claudia on their tour of the Cursed Caldera because he likes her, while telling her that he doesn't want to do her magic, like, ever, is so fine that it might as well be a shifting shadow on the ground. It's a very fitting conversation to be having during the half moon, with its tricks and little white lies.

Callum being out of the castle and his comfort zone, having to deal with the fact that the Claudia he loves is not quite the Claudia who's chasing him down across the kingdom, but of the two of them, he's the only one with a problem with this.

They say that if you really want to get to know someone, you should spend time with them outside their comfort zone - in heavy traffic, with a small baby, taking care of a new pet, trying a new skill, following unfamiliar directions, etc. While the castle is familiar territory for them both, Callum's never really found his comfort zone yet, while Claudia is pretty comfortable with her growing skill set. The creepy part starts to kick in when Callum begins to realize that Claudia's comfort zone encompasses a whole bunch of stuff that seems like it should make her uncomfortable... but it doesn't. But that'll be for a future chapter!

[akatsuki-shin]

Review: 默读 Mò Dú (Silent Reading)

Notes:

(Very) long post ahead

Contains spoiler

This is my personal review and does not represent the entire audience, you are free to agree or not agree with what I’ve written here

Feel free to reply/send me a message if there are things you want to discuss

Using the Donghua poster because it fits the overall story more than the Audio Drama cover. :'))

Summary:

Yan City is a bright, bustling metropolis filled with all sorts of wonders, all sorts of people. From the richest occupying the city's most prestigious residential areas to the poorest huddling together in rundown slums, from the most fortunate blessed with a life of comfort to the wretched deemed to struggle until their last breath, from the virtuous walking in the path of light to the wicked lurking under the cover of darkness.

There is as much good as there is evil, and days gone by, people coming and going along with the passage of time.

Since their first meeting during a certain case seven years ago, Captain of the City Bureau's Crime Investigation Unit Luo Wenzhou thought he would never see eye to eye with Fei Du, son of a well-known conglomerate who inherited his father's position and wealth after the latter fell into comatose due to a near-fatal accident three years ago.

Words as sharp as knives dyed their bitter exchanges, even their personality was like the heaven and earth; the bold, blunt, and straightforward Luo Wenzhou - and the astute, secretive Fei Du, with his beautiful peach blossom eyes and a smile that is not quite a smile seducing countless people, his very presence seems as if it was covered under layers and layers of deceit.

Every single time they meet, they would always part on bad terms. Yet Luo Wenzhou would never have thought that a seemingly ordinary murder case of an ordinary deliveryman would lead him into the mystery of multiple long forgotten unsolved cases, turning over the Yan City and the City Bureau itself upside down, making him question his faith to those he respected and trust - and along with it, opening a door to the truth of Fei Du's past never once known to others.

STORY: 9/10

At first glance, the overall plot of Silent Reading seems neither extravagant nor exceptional. It's just one of those police drama where the main leads had to wrestle in a battle of wits with the villains looming around them, struggling to outsmart each other and eventually, bringing justice to those who deserve it.

But that is exactly what is so good about it. Silent reading could take all of those cliche and packed them into one nerve-wrecking, enticing journey from start to finish, complete with both intense and amusing interactions, and just the right amount of romance that does not disturb the flow of the main story.

And it actually does have its own uniqueness.

In most police dramas I've ever seen, the enemy is usually either a corrupt high-ranking official committing some hideous criminal acts by abusing their authority, or an individual/group with some very extreme values or obsession. Silent Reading, however, have both of those two most general types of villains in the story and what's more? It pits them against each other, pulling around and forcing the main leads to wreck their brains, slowly unravel the tangled mess until the truth finally comes to light.

The action and suspense, the atmosphere, the analysis, everything was almost impeccable to the point of perfection.

I have to especially give my kudos to how the author (Priest) structured the mystery in such a way, connecting one dots to the other from beginning to end. During the first few cases, I thought the resolution of the case didn't feel very solid, as if there are still some details that have yet to be properly elaborated. Yet halfway through, I realize that there is actually a bigger plot that encompass everything, tying all loose ends together.

And here, I would also like to highlight my two most favorite scene.

The first one is in Chapter 114-115 when Luo Wenzhou finally peeled of Fei Du's defense and for the first time exposed his true feelings, making Fei Du faced and spoke what he truly felt for Luo Wenzhou - that he really, actually did care for him. Their entire interactions and development up to this scene fits so well with these two main characters. There was no nonsense, no sappy crying and needless drama. Luo Wenzhou was as blunt as he was desperate and Fei Du, for once, admitted to the truth straight out with his own mouth.

The second one is in Chapter 157. In this case, one of Fei Du's most trusted men and an extremely important witness (that would later become their ally) were being chased and surrounded by thugs hired by their enemy. At this point of the story, the City Bureau was already in turmoil. Luo Wenzhou was suspended, nobody knows who they could or could not trust. Yet still, his subordinates all set out swiftly under his command and followed him to save the two witnesses, appearing at the most critical time.

It was actually a typical scene that exist in many police action drama, but given the development of the story, the well-built character relationship and interactions, I think it is Luo Wenzhou's coolest scene in the entire story and it makes me admire him a lot as the main lead and a leader figure.

One thing that does not quite sit well with me is Fan Siyuan's obsessiveness towards the late Gu Zhao. His motive for the crime was clear and I understand that he was using Gu Zhao's case as an example of injustice. But his extreme emotions whenever Gu Zhao was mentioned seems strange, even baseless. It makes me think whether he considers Gu Zhao as his own family or he was maybe madly in love with Gu Zhao, whereas in the entire story, unless I'm missing something, I have only ever known that Gu Zhao was Fan Siyuan's student - nothing more, nothing less.

CHARACTERS: 9/10

Silent Reading has a balanced, yet still very much appealing casts, from the major characters to the minor ones. Even the suspects and witnesses each had their own distinguishing features that didn't make them look like they were just there as canon fodders.

The composition of Luo Wenzhou's team itself is ideal; they've got the dependable leader, the smart advisor, the best friend and trustworthy right-hand man, the genius nerd, and the dependable aide.

I especially like Tao Ran (and I think most readers would agree with me). While he looks like the typical good guy type, he really, truly is a very good person. It's hard not to find him lovable. His relationship with Chang Ning was as cliche as it could get, but hey, as long as he's happy. Dude deserve it after everything he's done.

As for the two main leads, they are probably one of the most interesting couple I've found in the past few years.

Individually, Luo Wenzhou is the type of character I always like. He is confident to the point of having a narcissistic streak, but all of those are based on real talents and experiences. He speaks bluntly, but he cares for others through his action. He does not sugarcoat things and speaks the truth for what it is. Everything about him simply screams "reliable" as a leader (and a significant other to a certain someone). He deserves all of the respect and loyalty his subordinates gave to him.

Fei Du at first looks like a complex character whose real self is hidden beneath countless coats of pretense, but at the core, he is just a pitiful young man who does not know how to value himself, does not know how to love and be loved due to the abuse he suffered during childhood in the hands of his sadistic father. Despite his composure, his intelligence, his capability, he is almost like a lost little child, wandering in the darkness, going wherever the flow would take him until Luo Wenzhou pulled him out of that abyss. It is nothing less than commendable that he could restrain himself from succumbing into his father's manipulation, even if he has to correct himself through such extreme means for a long time.

And I'm glad that now he has someone who gives him the love he has long since been bereft of.

With Luo Wenzhou, Fei Du finally has a color in his life, someone to make happy memories with, and someone who genuinely love him for who he is. Likewise, with Fei Du, not only Luo Wenzhou got someone he could genuinely care for, he also finally has a place where he could relax, taking off the strong front he'd been putting before others all day long.

It was just so fulfilling to see two characters growing from "cat and dog" into inseparable lovers. They weren't sickeningly sweet, but just two people who are content with each other and would be each other's strength. I was especially happy when I saw how Fei Du changed his phone's ring tone into the one Luo Wenzhou in the extra chapter.

Now that I've finished reading this story, these two straight up went to the top of my all-time most favorite pairing list. But of course, this is just a personal opinion. Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du simply hits all of my favorite tropes, that's why. 😂

If I really have to point out one mini flaw, I suppose it's that the main villains aren't as appealing as the rest of the casts. They were practically overshadowed, even by some minor characters that only appeared for a short while.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS: 9/10

Just some very minor complaints:

1). When the story first introduced Fei Du in the beginning, it felt kind of abrupt. The narration had only been addressing him with his physical appearance, but suddenly they changed it into "Fei Du" with barely any proper start.

2). The international conference in Yan City (Chapter 2) was supposed to be a background information of the general setting of the first case, yet it was not properly mentioned at the start - rather, one sort paragraph about said conference was simply being slipped in the middle just for the sake to be there.

3). The switching of scenes between characters in the 3rd person POV are sometimes too quick with no signs of incoming transitions beforehand like taking shortcuts.

And by that, I mean that other than those three issues above, everything else was nothing less than perfect.

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10

A realistic story with perfectly balanced action, mystery, suspense, and romance - with a dash of comedy sprinkled at the right time and place.

Reading the novel from start to finish was nothing less than enjoyable. Whenever there needed to be a flashback or explanation, it didn't feel like info dump being thrown in all of a sudden.

I would like to point out a bit about the Zhou Conglomerate Case in Book 3.

Personally speaking, I think this is the most realistic case out of the others, and by that, I don't mean the crazy rich family drama.

The other cases in the books are something that to me feels "faraway"; murders, child trafficking, psychopath, organized criminal gangs. Yet in Book 3, due to the nature of the case, it was posted publicly for all to see, and damn if it didn't bring out the most annoying thing I actually hate in real life.

Clout-chasing media, meddlesome netizens commenting without thinking on the Internet, spreading personal information of the involved individuals without consent, handing down judgment based on rumors and personal opinions even if they have nothing to do with it (and know nothing about it), crashing the website due to mere curiosity, further hindering the police working on the case from doing their job.

They weren't thinking about those actually involved in the case, especially the victim. They don't care, or maybe don't even think that their meddlesome acts could cost a human's life because they see everything as mere passing entertainment. And if something were to happen because of their meddling, the most they would say is, of course, as quoted from Chapter 72:

"I didn't do it on purpose"

"I wasn't doing it to you"

"I didn't expect this to be the outcome"

"From a certain point of view, I'm a victim, too"

Even if I was just reading a fiction, at that moment I truly wished I could shut down the Internet for a bit. 😂

Anyway, amazing story. I might re-read everything from the start again when I have some free time.