#where the boys are all allergic to the word friend

[skriblee-ksk]

Heartshackle except i will NOT be drawing them again (hair) (/j i loveeee heartshackle)

Anyways Kiyuu’s tackboard where she keeps her most important memos (the rest are in her notepad):

Original drawing ref under cut:

[sunder-soul]

hiii cud u pl do a headcanon/oneshot where its a muggleborn reader who smhow ends up befriending the tom riddle who always seems to soft only to her, including tolerating her sassy attitude and its a study session together and they're bantering or summin? i think it wud be nice. thank you!

A/N: Girl I gotchu

･ ｡ﾟ���: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.

Unsaid

Summary: By now you've got a pretty good idea why you're friends with Tom, but sometimes, when it comes up, you wonder why he's friends with you. [GN reader ★ no pronouns ★ Hufflepuff house (but ngl it doesn't really come up u just gotta trust me)] Word count: 1.2k

･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.

“I’m dropping out,” you announce, dumping your bag on the table and falling emphatically into the seat adjacent to Tom’s.

Tom, for his part, does not look up. His quill doesn’t even hesitate as he writes in a smooth, unbroken script across his parchment. Instead, he says: “Your bag is on my book.”

You shove it unenthusiastically to the side to reveal the open textbook he’s been working from, and then fix him with a pointed look. Tom is set up in the same little spot in the library as always, his bag at his feet and at least ten other books neatly stacked off to the side of the table. He looks (as Tom always looks) like the poster boy of adhering to the uniform dress code.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what’s wrong?” you say, slightly put out.

“I would not bother,” he says simply, leaning forward and dipping his quill in a small inkwell in front of him. “I’ve come to accept the inevitability of you telling me all sorts of things I don’t care to hear about, whether I ask about them or not.”

He resumes writing.

You kick his chair leg lightly and his quill skips sharply down the page, leaving a jolted line about an inch long off where he’d been writing the word putrescence.

This finally makes him look up, fixing you with a supremely irritated glare that’s made his whole face go tense.

You lean your elbows on the table and smile at him.

Tom’s jaw works slightly, and he takes a long breath. “What’s wrong?” he asks sarcastically.

“Well,” you say as he puts down his quill and bends to pick up his bag. “In Herbology this morning when we were cracking Wiggentree nuts, Lucy Grollen had this horrible allergic reaction and her feet swelled up so much that her shoes burst.”

“And this affects you how?” Tom drawls, diligently rubbing a Spellfriends eraser across his parchment.

You give him a scandalised look. “She’s my friend, Tom.”

He gives you a very dry look and then flips the eraser over to the purple side. “I hardly think you’d be tempted to leave the school because your friend is allergic to nuts.”

“Well she’s also my greenhouse partner,” you say dramatically, throwing yourself back in your seat, “and because she had to go to the hospital wing I had to finish the rest of the assignment alone­, and obviously by the end of class I didn’t have all our nuts cracked so Beery made me stay late to finish them. And that meant that I missed the sign up for the fieldtrip to the Menagerie of Mirabilia.”

Tom throws down the eraser and exhales in frustration. The ink remains unmoved. “You have been talking about that fieldtrip for six weeks,” he says in a clipped tone, pulling his wand from his bag. “And I have been telling you for six weeks that it was going to fill up quickly. Evanesco.”

The eraser shavings on his parchment vanish and leave both of you staring at the tenacious line of ink—which if anything, now just looks a little smudged.

His little comment about the whole six weeks thing has not left you feeling very sympathetic for him. “Wow. You have got to tell me what kind of ink you buy,” you say with a smirk as Tom tosses his wand onto the desk in frustration.

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” he says hotly, folding his arms and finally looking at you properly as he leans back in his chair. “Well?”

“Well what?”

“What happened with the fieldtrip?” he prompts irritably.

“Oh – so as I’m sure you remember, I promised Madeline I’d go with her on the fieldtrip because she’s obsessed with magizoology at the moment, so then I had to tell her I wasn’t going, and she was so upset, and I couldn't stop thinking about it because I felt so bad. So then I was really distracted in Transfiguration and of course Dumbledore notices and asks me to recite the whole definition of Amandation’s Command in front of everybody.” You sigh loudly. “So I can’t do it because I hadn't been paying attention, but then he points to the board and the definition is written right there and I just hadn’t noticed, and everyone laughed at me.”

You cross your arms too, feeling sorry for yourself. “The only solution is to drop out,” you reiterate moodily.

“This is one of your jokes,” says Tom delicately.

You narrow your eyes at him. “Yes well spotted.”

“You’ve ruined my assignment,” he says, nodding at it.

“You ruined your own assignment. With your callousness.”

Rather surprisingly, Tom snorts a laugh. “I would loathe to be my friend, to hear you describe it,” he says with suspicious ease as he extracts a new roll of parchment from his bag. “It begs the question as to why you persevere.”

“Very occasionally, you do something really nice,” you say, watching him with suspicion. Tom’s irritability rarely fades this quickly. “I just kind of zone out all the bits in-between where you’re weird and sarcastic.”

“Weird and sarcastic?” Tom repeats, lips curling. “Have you been listening to yourself since you sat down?”

“My life is ruined, and you’re worried about an assignment.”

“Your life is not ruined,” he says monotonously as he begins diligently copying over his work.

“I’m upset about this and all you care about is telling me that it’s not a big deal!”

Tom sighs curtly and looks up at you, leaning forward a bit and resting his forearms on the desk. “Your life is not ruined. Lucy Groggen is going to be fine, Wiggentree nut allergies are fairly common and the reaction doesn’t last more than an hour, the worst she’ll have to deal with is buying a new pair of shoes. Beery should never have made you complete a two-person task by yourself and it’s ridiculous that he kept you late because of his own poor class management. If Dumbledore was half the teacher that he claims to be, he might have noticed that you were upset about something and think to ask you about it, but his mistake is made all the more egregious given that he chose to single you out in front of the whole class with what sounds like a very silly little trick. And I wouldn’t worry about upsetting Madeline if I were you, because I signed you up for the fieldtrip.”

He resumes writing without another word. You stare at him, dumbfounded. A full ten seconds passes before you can rouse yourself to speak again.

“You signed me up for the fieldtrip?

Tom’s eyes remain level on his work—he’s writing at lightning speed like he’s trying to make up for the lost time. “You have been talking about it for six weeks. It seemed odd that you failed to show up.”

You look at your bag still lying dejectedly on the table in front of you and attempt to process the glowy, warm feeling spreading up through your chest. “Thanks,” you say blandly.

He just looks up at you with a glint in his eyes about halfway between wry and cynical.

“I feel bad about your assignment,” you announce.

Tom slowly smiles, this time very wryly indeed. “You have certainly changed your tune.”

You grab your bag and pull out your water bottle, placing it emphatically on the desk beside him.

Tom’s dark eyes flick from it to you, and he lifts a brow. “Is this supposed to mean something to me?”

“You have to wet a Spellfriends for it to work,” you mumble, folding your arms and resting forward on the desk.

He stares at you in a sort of frozen state of disbelief. “You mean you let me suffer through all of that for absolutely no reason?” he demands in half-subdued outrage.

“There was a reason!” you protest, smiling at him again. “It was funny.”

He blinks once, and then snatches the drink bottle off the desk, shaking his head. “You are extremely irritating,” he says icily, twisting the bottle open.

“Huh, sounds like a nightmare being my friend to hear you describe it,” you parrot back at him with a grin. “One wonders why you persevere, Tom.”

Tom pauses, and instead of the scathing look of irritation or perhaps a biting remark back, he just looks at you with an unplaceable expression like you’ve caught him off guard.

“What?” you frown, sitting up a little in concern.

Tom blinks slightly and then holds out his hand. “Pass me the Spellfriends,” he says colourlessly.

You arch a brow right back at him, and retrieve the eraser from where it’s been lying discarded for the last few minutes in front of you. “If you were wondering what I meant by the weird part in weird and sarcastic…” you say to him pointedly, placing it in his hand.

Tom silently erases the offending ink stain with a taut jaw and an irascible look darkening his eyes.

“Hey,” you say.

He ignores you entirely, sweeping the fresh shavings off his parchment and setting the eraser aside.

“Hey,” you repeat, reaching out and taking his arm.

Tom’s gaze immediately flashes to you and he goes entirely still.

“Thank you,” you tell him sincerely. “For the field trip.”

He does not immediately reply. A second later his lips part like he’s going to say something, but they close like he thinks better of it. He blinks, and then pulls his arm from yours to reach for another book. “Are you intending on actually doing work this evening, or was this visit’s entire premise just to disrupt me?”

You roll your eyes, and reach for your bag again with a smile.

･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.

[kalims]

ㅤdorm leaders being savages

summary. basically some backstabber mf tries to 'steal' him and... this is where the savage part starts

featuring. dorm leaders

content. bad friend, gender neutral reader, brutal rejection 😭

note. a full post after a while :')

malleus

I mean it's not like he would notice anyways, again. I firmly believe human and fae courting traditions are vastly different and c'mon... he doesn't even know what the fuck flirting is do you really think he'd get their intentions. 💀

when they start to slide up an arm in places he's quite bothered about, (cause guy is so whipped that he won't let anyone but him touch you.) he isn't even happy that someone is near his proximity anymore, not scared and whatnot.

just he no likey.

AND HES NOT EVEN TRYING TO BE ROMANTIC HE JUST SHRUGS THEM OFF EVERYTIME. he's just a genuine innocent lil' dude who wants his lover to come and save him from this touchy, weird, human.

no child of man cause that's your name ‼️

while he may not get it, he's got a feeling, sixth sense of sorts and when he sees it he's backing tf up away. he's not gonna entertain the doubts.

also he still doesn't get it in the end lmaoooo, he's avoiding all their advances thinking it's a part of human... culture? that he wasn't made aware of.

if they start putting in the forbidden words in the same sentence as your name you know shits going down, suddenly he's not that confused, oblivious, cute guy that they saw but a much colder shell.

when his eyes darken, and it starts storming they'd had better run, he's been kind enough to stay even with their relentless annoying behavior but that is where he crosses the line fr.

don't even be surprised when they get hit by lightning and end up in the infirmary or something, malleus didn't even say anything to them cause he believes actions speaks louder than words... *sends touchy, weird human to the nurse.* see?

someone insults him: ?

someone insults you: 😠😡🤬👿🌩⚡

just goes: "your friend is very unpleasant, I'd appreciate it if you refrain from spending time with them."

something unsaid; spend all of that time with me duhhh

idia

you know what I'm surprised someone actually likes him tbh 😭 except us because we're all built different and we love disgustang discord mod behavior.

you know what's even more surprising? the fact that idia is actually seen by your friend group. I swear he comes out of his room like once a day and that's just because he's craving something else that isn't in his food stock and he's just gonna rob whose mac n' cheese was in the microwave.

and that's literally in his DORM ONLY.

he's like a vampire and allergic to sunlight, he's more willing to come out in the middle of the night because that's when the least 'normies' are scattered around like flies.

(if that counts for anything at all??)

but hanging out is more fun and if you somehow managed to convince idia to come with you with your friends for some well needed, 'socializing' then you're in luck!

besides that you had to bet one of your items in that open world game you played together... all is good!

im like 99% sure idia is disgusted by any other touch from other people, besides you? cause if you touch him he's just embarrassed... but in terms of the disgusted faction, you've been there before.

he immediately spots their intentions cause he definitely plays otome games and this is one of them cliche scenarios to 'spice up' the plot by invoking jealousy in it.

only difference is its him, you and this... random.

if they weren't already offended by the absolute mortification and disgust on his face, somehow continuing to 'rizz' him up.. oh boy. it's gonna get worse.

he's got the worst fucking 3rd grade insults like... "back away from me you noob, are you supposed to be their friend?" he scoffs, surprising them cause they thought he was gonna be that red flag discord romance experience.

"sorry but im not really sorry. i don't associate myself with lower levels such as yourself, try to come back when you're higher but I doubt they'd accept a fiend back."

LIKE WHO USES NOOB AS AN INSULT?

when you come back he's steering you away, pulling on the hem of your sleeves practically begging to come home with the promise of 'grinding that outrageous drop rate item you've asked his help with.'

something unsaid; doxxing them as soon as I get back

vil

ok this one I get.

who wouldn't want vil... it's not like I've made the entirety of the fandom known about my obsession with him as my favorite character or anything, not at all... jokes aside he's a very prominent candidate, he's hot and rich. you get it?

forget about the other qualities because we all known those two can carry someone in life alone, life in luxury and fame? sign them up ASAP.

besides your boyfriend being one of the superstar actors, models, the dream jobs for a dream man even your friends had a hard time believing you. you should be offended that they even considered that you were clinically.. delusional.

plus you didn't even seem to know about vil before so how are you dating him?!

they found out the hard way and safe to say they're flabbergasted because what even?

of course out of everyone here, vil has the most experience in terms of being approached on a baseless appearance only, he's iffed by how fast people get infatuated when they're barely scratching the surface of him.

well, you somehow dug your way deep with a shovel so you're the only exception he will allow...

at this point he knows what to expect the moment one of your friends gave him a look he's all the well too accustomed to. it's easy to ignore the ones he sees in crowds cause there's always some type of fence blocking them from fully proclaiming their love or something.

problem here is that this person has no obstacles and he can tell they're waiting for an opportunity to strike like a snake. *texts the pomefiore gc to tell them about this SNAKE!*

honey this is a big NO for him, you need to consider your circle of friends if one of them immediately starts folding around like this and wastes what? a longer friendship with you? please, he's known his stylists more and they literally get replaced every single day.

he's giving them the biggest, sassiest side eye ever. putting a palm up before they even get to speak because frankly, he does not want to hear it.

they open their knarly mouth. "i—"

he raises a finger. "no."

a frown. "but i—"

"shush."

he can do this forever.

when you come back he's still giving a bombastic, criminal offensive side eye, mentally thinking on how to ruin this person's life in media of course! his natural domain. just one word and the rest of his army will attack fr.

vil usually doesn't do this but seriously? that was another level of low.

also he's just by your side, you don't even have to say that he's your boyfriend because he's lowkey rubbing it in their face that he is in fact, taken.

"next time you try to see me again, might as well buy one of the tickets to my fan signings because you’re not seeing me again otherwise.. well, not like you can afford it anyways." *fabulous hair flip*

something unsaid; either way I'll kick you out if you try to get in

kalim

most safest person to flirt with, even if you're friends with their lover but also the most impossible to actually try and 'steal.'

the thing about kalim is that he's adorably stupid, not to degrade him in any shape or form but he's so oblivious about everything that you could consider it as one of his redeemable traits to be adorable.

he takes everything you say so seriously to the point where if you joke about wanting to water an entire continent he's just there with his carpet waiting for you cause he's gonna do exactly that.

"you're in luck cause I have a lot of water in me!" pops his non existent guns on his arms. (he is talking about his unique magic..)

it takes a remarkable mind to be like... that but you like him all the well about it, compliment his stupid-ness and he'll just grin, flush a little and laugh loudly as he compliments you back. not an ounce of anger in his tiny body.

red eyes but what a bright heart!

the type of guy that goes. "any friend of yours is a friend of mine!" so when he meets your friend group, casually just throws them a grand ball. they don't know whether to be flattered or.. concerned cause this is pretty weird.

not only was one of your friends awed over the mere value of many things inside the dorm he renovated, apparently his very huge bank full of gold was something to gasp over too.

and that's exactly what they did. (I mean get that bag sis but that bag is already owned by someone else and that's you... so that's not slay of you, random friend.)

here's when his nature proves to be quite relenting, even after many flirting, even using those cringe pickup lines from the internet, he just won't budge! it's getting irritating cause they're sure the people already heard the embarrassing words coming out of their mouth.

also that they were flirting with a non-legally married man. (to you ofc ofc.)

kalim either laughs at them because he thinks they were jokes, and just funny or laughs just because he's kalim.

he didn't really mind the casual touches at first, maybe it was friendly? he does it all the time after all but there was a stinking feeling that it felt weird and that alone was weird cause friendly pats were supposed to feel good.

not with you though cause those feel great!

accidentally shuts them down cause they're feeling like a third wheel when you come back after a bathroom break and it's like a total contrast to how he was treating them.

how do you seriously not notice kalim now unintentionally flirting with you?! are both of you airheads?!

he was literally all over you when you quipped up a "hi, I'm back."

and he was like; "welcome back :DDDD!!!!" if it wasn't already obvious they'd even add floating hearts emojis all over his head.

something unsaid; girl he didn't even notice anything was up...

azul

kinda a 50/50?

I'm not sure if most people really dig the whole 'bad reputation' thing. he's friends with the most terrifying twins in the entire campus, notably scammed a lot of people, can give wishes with an extreme price.

oh yeah he runs monstro lounge too but that just means he won't have time to spend with a lover.

that's their own imagination but azul's actually very sweet and gets some overworked junior to do the work for him, usually jade since floyd just leaves if he's given the job. JUST so he can go fret over which tie to use for your unofficial date.

despite him annoyed and losing sleep 24/7 because of the tweels he still asks them which one to use, jade's opinion is most trustworthy since floyd picks the neon, vibrant ones. (don't question why he even owns it.)

I doubt he actually likes people though, anyone else than you? hard pass. he's a simp through and through but unlike idia who can't mask the mortification and disgust on his face even at the cost of his life, good thing that masks are one of the many things azul is good at.

he slips up sometimes cause he genuinely thinks it's embarrassing that they're doing whatever this is to him, (well more of an attempt?) and to you, who is also their friend and his lover.

slip up as in his eye twitches, he flinches away a little too fast when they touch him, and his smile wobbles.

I mean no one would notice if he uses his magic on one, singular person...

mentally makes a note to remember whoever this was cause they're not stepping foot in octavinelle ever again.

+ an object of fun for the tweels. #gotormentthatlife!!

he's just a polite guy, so he won't just straight up insult them but he does warn them. the only thing holding him back from cooking a whole table is the crowd that would definitely spread the news of him going batshit.

like; "could you please, stop this? I hope you're not as stupid as you make yourself out to be because if you think I'm an idiot to not know what you're doing.. "

meanwhile his mind; "ugh this bitch. [redacted] [redacted] [redacted]."

I mean he's not that intimidating ALONE but when he gets all threatening like that (🥰) he could pass for an assassin fr.

just gets the tweels to deal with them cause he does not have the patience to deal with this backstabbing ho and it's wasting his precious time that should have been spent talking with you.

ugh he did not spend like 30 whole minutes picking out his tie and gloves just for this.

azul when he sees you coming back: 😇

something unsaid; [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] [redacted].

leona

oh boy, cover your eyes cause we're stepping onto another level of SAVAGE. you don't call lions that for NOTHING ‼️ beastman or just beast.

has the least filter out of everyone, as in he just doesn't give a single fuck, he's the chillest (agressive) guy on the twst planet so if the thought of wanting to insult some stranger that doesn't have a significance in his life at all pops up in his mind he ain't gonna change it lol.

gives the stinkiest eyes, even his tail and ears pause to synchronize with his thoughts cause if they had googly eyes they'd have a side eye too.

if he's laying down and they try pulling him upwards, tryna latch onto him? *just shoves them cutely.* problem solved.

leona's nice enough to let them off without losing something cause you really do mean something to him if he's holding back for your expense knowing that this is one of your 'friends.'

they don't even deserve to be called that!

like no one interrupts his peaceful nap times except for when he stands up to interrupt it himself just to drag you down with him.

wait so basically anyone but him???

he, really doesn't want to waste energy on this fool and to be honest they're really boring him since you went out to grab something you forgot. (but knowing this person for less than an hour in his life, they probably had something to do with that too.) so you aren't here to give him a reason to stay awake.

them rambling but in leona's eyes they're a blurry figure cause he's really sleepy.

then suddenly he's an iphone promax when he's looking at you 💀

if they already didn't take a hint from his earlier shove, the dirt isn't the only thing he's gonna shove someone into. there's a lake there for a reason other than keeping a home for the fishes y'know. never would know if they eat people too. /j

"would you shut up?"

yeah that's all he says but we all know how sharp it is to hear that from somebody so they immediately shut up. there's absolutely no need for any waste on energy of them, just one look from him and they're SILENT.

hopefully embarrassed too cause wtf was that??

unfortunately he can't fully enjoy his usually relaxing nap cause this random is corrupting the atmosphere even when they're silent, I swear they could shift and leona feels like one step closer to smacking 'it.'

ignored them every single time they tried to call out to him LOUDLY before but when you just silently step back on the field, he already peeks out an eye??? like no words needed.

what love does to a mf... sighs... another cold male lead we've lost to romance because of our mc <4

something unsaid; I was really questioning if keeping myself from strangling someone was worth it. took more effort than doing it literally

riddle

I'd have a crush on him too tbh.

unlike azul who already knew their intentions from the start, polite enough to kindly drop signs that he's not interested. riddle doesn't get it, he's just polite as well but also confused?

like he doesn't know they're tryna flirt, but he does think their actions are strange like c'mon. why are they trying to feel him up? he has no idea except the thought that he doesn't like it at all.

also it feels like he's betraying you so he just straight up pulls their arm away off of him firmly and shakes his head.

"stop this behavior."

he sighs.

surprisingly he's patient but also impatient???

consider this the first and last warning cause he WILL excuse himself if it ever goes on, riddle can wait for you browse through a whole store with him following you around and playfully commenting on your taste but can't wait for their attitude to get better.

he ain't gonna waste any more of his precious minutes on this period.

I don't know how to explain it, he's totally unaware of what they want, which is him ironically. but the reason he's rejecting their advances is because he's so devoted and a simp for you.

not a lot of people have the balls to converse or touch around him carelessly like that so freely so isn't it basic human courtesy to hold off all the physical affection till they're more acquainted?

well, not that riddle's not gonna let their current relationship advance any further from strangers at this point...

he's so loyal to you that it's cute jabskans.

riddle sticks to his principles, and he certainly has his own preferences for the personality of people. one of the traits he despises is when they don't understand his earlier warnings.

of course riddle isn't very forgiving, they're lucky they were even given a chance before cause even he, doesn't spare his dorm members a second chance when they break a rule he's been plenty lenient with.

so if you were given a chance, you better take it cause he's not giving you another.

like how since you did take your chance he's not gonna let you go now 😍.

isn't the type to be rude to people for matters he deems conflict being easily avoidable so he just makes up a believable excuse and walks away loool.

and they're like thinking; didn't he say he was tired and had to sleep since he stayed up planning the unbirthday party... why is he having a tea date with you???

suddenly he didn't look too tired at all compared to when he randomly slumped to look exhausted before??

something unsaid; 🥰🍵 what a successful unbirthday party *forgets about them immediately cause you're both having an unofficial date.*

note. ok so something unsaids are basically that but don't misunderstand, it's something they didn't say.

[reader-wandering18]

Re:Zero Yuu

— Yuu?

His eyes that were looking straight ahead, slowly moved to his side observing those young first years.

— Did something happen? Why did you suddenly shut up?

— If you don't hurry up and eat your slice of cake I'll eat it for you minions — Grim threatened expecting a typical annoyed reaction from Yuu but… Yuu just watched, with a lost look until he suddenly covered his mouth.

His body began to tremble, while he heard how his heart was beating so quickly and his pupils dilated as if he had busted something really scary.

— Hey Yuu, what's wrong?! — Deuce shouted which made him get the attention of Trey and Carter

— Supervisor, what's going on?! Was there something wrong with the sweets?! — Trey asked, who had stood next to him, touching his back in search of comfort since his tea seemed pale.

— An allergic reaction? Was it too much sugar? Supervisor! What's wrong?! — Carter also seemed to be worried but also somewhat scared since he didn't know what was wrong with him and could only guess in search of any sign of agreement from Yuu.

"I feel nauseous…" "I feel bad…" "Please, please…"

— Supervisor!!

Riddle's voice was heard throughout the place, not caring, he dropped his staff, as well as his crown and ran towards Yuu once he noticed the commotion at his table.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE!!!!!"

A series of memories flooded his mind. Again and again

He had, DIED.

How did that happen?

His curse began when he arrived at Night Raven College, a prestigious four-year academy with a focus on magical education. A school that chooses promising students in magic with a great future and trains them to be great magicians. Because of that, the students were proud, selfish, and competitive, but with great qualities.

Strangely, he had been chosen.

HIM, a human without magic from ANOTHER WORLD.

For a while, he didn't understand what the mirror of darkness saw in him to take him so far to a world like Twisted Wonderland. But now he seems to get an idea.

He is a boy of only 16 years old, with a normal life. No girlfriend, no friends, not at all popular, unattractive, and not at all athletic. A boring life. That's why he always read novels or watched isekai anime to distract himself from his boring life.

He dreamed of being that hero summoned from another world. With great strength, many people who love him and a Harem of all kinds of women.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.

He had been awakened by what he thought at the time was a really weird raccoon, ran away, met Crowley and returned to the classroom where he received a shocking revelation.

He was in another world.

At first he felt excited, to which he acted as usual by filling the director with questions and introducing himself to everyone with kindness, although when he noticed that the awkward silence produced in the classroom and the mocking laughter from other students, made him simply shut up. He hoped to humiliate others with his great power, but the mirror's word about his lack of magic only made the mockery towards him intensify.

That's when it happened.

That raccoon had broken free from the director's whip and began to spit fire around the place.

Due to his lack of reflexes, he was enveloped in those blue flames. He could only feel pain, pain, pain, until he simply stopped feeling anything.

He had died.

A truly pathetic death after having arrived in another world. That was his last thought until he was awakened again by those blue flames. He had returned to the moment when Grim opened his attack.

He didn't know how it was possible. Was there really a god in this world that looked after him? Is that his powerful ability? It sucked since he was absolutely terrified of death, especially with the horrible way he died, it was simply something he would never be allowed to forget.

His skin burning, bubbling from the heat, melting like ice cream.

Although he was grateful for that second chance, he never wanted to go through that again.

A really naive thought

The next day, he had met Ace again.

After getting into trouble, meeting Deuce and going to the dwarves' mine, he had finally managed to take the magic gem without letting anyone die. Even if Ace had initially shown himself to be a complete conceited, Yuu didn't have the heart to leave him abandoned in the mine with that ink monster. And he wanted to return Deuce's favor of helping him catch Ace.

Crushed, Buried, Beaten, Drowned in ink, Pierced by the pike…

That was attempt number 9 but he had succeeded, it had all been so painful, but those three were alive so it didn't really matter.

He enjoyed spending time at that school even if it didn't contain a shred of magic, so he started meeting more people and hanging out with those guys for a while.

It was fun

Now, he found himself once again facing one of the dorm leaders he saw at the entrance ceremony.

Rosehearts Riddle… in Overlord

The bodies of what he knew as his friends, his first and only friends, were found on the ground.

Time and time again, he had seen Ace torn apart by the roses, Carter stabbed by the cards, Trey pierced by numerous roses, and Deuce crushed by the terrifying shadow behind Riddle.

He couldn't help but wake up and vomit every morning at such memories.

It was 24 times until he had managed to defeat the Crimson Tyrant.

He hoped, no rather, wished with all his heart even to the god who had given him that ability that he would stop, but that didn't seem to be the end.

Before his eyes, he witnessed how his hand turned into sand.

Before his eyes, he witnessed how everyone was crushed by those tentacles.

Before his eyes, he witnessed how he had lost control of his body and attacked others.

Before his eyes, he witnessed how they bled from that poison in the air.

Before his eyes, he witnessed how again and again they were consumed by the blots.

Before his eyes, he witnessed how they all ended up in a deep sleep.

In each situation a different death, but he couldn't let any of them die. They were, HIS FIRST AND ONLY FRIENDS.

So I go back, once again, and save them all.

Again, and again, and again, and again.

The group seemed to grow so there came a point where he decided to ignore everything. But playing blind wasn't enough to make it just stop.

He just couldn't let them go.

Tried to tell about his ability. But before he could say a word, the world would stop around him and turn black and white.

Like it was an old movie.

But what was really painful were the times when he felt like his heart was being squeezed by an unknown force, as if he were locked in a cage that grew smaller every time he tried to say a single word about his resurrection.

Over and over again, it didn't matter what medium he tried to tell them through.

So just stop trying.

Everything around him was destroyed, the room where the large mirror was located was in ruins and the dark mirror itself was already on the floor, broken. Not only did Yuu find himself surrounded by large blue flames, but also by numerous bodies of all the people he had ever known.

All 7 leaders of the dormitory had fallen, including Malleus. That fairy-dragon who was said to be one of the strongest magicians in Twisted Wonderland, was already on the floor, bleeding and surrounded by those people who once swore to protect him.

He was the only one standing.

— Gri.. puag

His voice was cut off by the blood that began to come out of his mouth. Due to the silence of the place, it could be heard as it hit the ground and created a small puddle at his feet.

It had been a massacre.

Yuu began to laugh as he looked at that monster with gray fur, blue fire, chicken legs and a snake tail. That monster showed its teeth before him and opened its large faucets ready to devour him.

—Let's do it again… Yes, Grim

— Son of man?!

Yuu raised his head and saw Malleus.

They were both close, due to him being in Malleus' arms, however, he completely ignored that and looked into his eyes for a while.

— Is something wrong, Malleus? — Yuu said with a smile.

— …That's what I want to know

A moment ago Malleus was talking to Yuu about gargoyles, there was a beautiful smile on his face. So he was excitedly about proposing to go looking for gargoyles when suddenly Yuu jumped and looked around in despair.

Because of that regretful agitation he was about to fall so he quickly caught him in his arms to prevent him from getting hurt.

As his friend, he must PROTECT HIM.

The moment their eyes met, Malleus froze in place. It was for a moment until Yuu began to smile at him again, however, that smile did not seem to be one of embarrassment or happiness that he had given him before, but rather an expression of madness.

Tried 10.000

It's been a while since I wrote anything, I haven't really felt inspired and because of the evaluation week I've been working 24/7 but I finally managed to find some time to make a little fanfic.

Re:Zero wow the theme of this anime has caught my attention a lot, very different from how it is painted on its covers although I prefer to read the light novels than watch the anime or manga, but the gore is good so I'm encouraged.

In fact Subaru's theme reminded me of those crazy theories about Yuu.

Like the one who can get caught in a loop in Twisted Wonderland to try to save the school over and over again. And every time he dies he goes back to the beginning (the entrance ceremony).

there are a lot of really crazy theories, but at the same time they make some sense.

Also Yuu seems to be the kind of protagonist like Subaru, he doesn't have magic or anything other than Grim that makes him stand out. HE'S JUST A HUMAN SURROUNDED BY OTHER HUMANS OR EXTRAORDINARY BEINGS. And he lets himself be carried away by the leaders' Overblots even though he has no way to protect himself from them. Who wouldn't lose their minds at the sight of them?

[bhosadverse]

I'll kiss you (when you're not about to sneeze in my face)

james potter x gn!reader (friends to lovers)

a/n: is my obsession w using parentheses in titles obvs? duh. also this was inspired from this

c/w: fluff, implied gryffindor reader but not rlly, side wolfstar and rosekiller, cat allergies!!!! (james is allergic), usage of nicknames like 'babe' and 'doll' and 'angel', nothing else i can think of so lmk if i missed smth

The sun is shining prettily through the stained glass of the common room windows. As you stretch on the couch, lazily rereading one of your favourite books, you hear the unmistakable sound of footsteps dashing downstairs. Plopping up from your relaxed position, you turn to look at the staircase just as your favourite redhead-blonde duo appear, talking animatedly about something. Spotting your slacked form, Lily beelines towards the couch, immediately drawing a sound of protest from your lips as you notice her determined expression.

"Come on! You can't waste away a sunny day inside." A petulant whine escapes your lips at her words. "Lils, please, I'm reading!" Marlene tuts in response, now standing behind the couch with her hands on her hips as she looks down at your form much like she's a doctor analysing a patient. "Babe, no. You're turning into a snob."

Lily rolls her eyes at her crass words. "What Marls means is that you should come out with us to enjoy the sun while we can. Winter's almost here, please! You can still read your book too." Scoffing at her pleading form, you cross your arms in feigned irritation, "Stop pouting like that." Marlene nods behind you, agreeing. "Yeah Lils, stop pouting, and help me." "Help you do wha—Marlene McKinnon, unhand me right now!" You shriek with slight outrage as she grabs your hands from behind, giving Lily the cue to tickle you. The redhead looks at you with a devious grin, making you wonder what Professor McGonagall was thinking, making her a prefect. "What's it gonna be, love? Coming with us to the grounds or a merciless tickle attack?" Knowing you can do nothing but yield, you surrender to their whims, making them cheer. Grumbling, you straighten your clothes, glaring at the two, although there is no real heat in your eyes as the three of you start walking.

Chatting idly and affront forgiven, your trio reaches your destination after what seems like an unnecessarily long walk, finding the rest of your friends dawdling about near the lake. "Meadowes!" Marlene hollers, from beside you, her infatuation with the Slytherin painfully obvious as she draws the attention of not only your friends but also half the population on the grounds. You watch as Dorcas, Sirius, Remus and Peter turn their attention to the lot of you as you approach them, immediately taunting the boys, "Where's the funnier one of your group?" 

Sirius scoffs, pulling you down next to him playfully. "And here I thought you loved me. It's always the ones you trust the most." You huff in response, swatting him with your hardcover copy lightly. "The truth hurts, Black." You're saved from his inevitable retaliation when Remus beckons you closer. You abandon his other half, scooting up next to the scarred boy with appreciation evident in your expression which drops as soon as he opens his mouth. "James is over there," he nods sassily at the familiar group of Slytherins lazing around further along the water's edge. It's actually not even the entire group of them, just Barty and Evan cuddled up under a tree, with James crouching near them, apparently held in conversation. The sight is so peculiar that you're surprised you didn't notice them sooner. Remus gives you an impish smirk, knowing all about your feelings for the bespectacled boy and you roll your eyes at his nerve. Standing up, you brush off your robes and mumble to your friends who are all giving you knowing looks, "I'll be right back." Sirius eyes you, and then James, teasing salaciously, "Take your time, doll." He receives another swat of the book and a few creative insults before you start walking along the edge of the lake, overhearing the….one-sided conversation he seems to be having? "God, aren't you precious?" he whispers, which makes Barty snicker mockingly, "It's a lost cause, Potter." He looks up at you when your shadow blocks the sunlight from his face, jeering derisively, "Come to collect your boyfriend?" You roll your eyes for the hundredth time and grumble, "We're not dating, Junior." 

Before he can say something else that would get him punched, James turns to you, sniffling. "Hi, angel. How are you?" You find yourself horrified as you take in his form. "James, what the hell? Are you petting a cat?" You almost shout, noticing the black little ball of fur near his feet. His face breaks into a grin, even though it looks slightly strained. "Yes! He's so cute, isn't he?" You vaguely hear Barty snicker again as Evan admonishes him half-arsedly but your eyes are on your friend who is apparently stupid enough to pet a cat even when he's allergic. 

"Did you forget you're allergic or are you petting that cat knowing you're allergic?" You sigh exasperatedly, suddenly feeling a lot like a single mother of four. James has the decency to look sheepish. "I, uh, didn't forget." He says quietly, like he's disappointed in himself too. He immediately picks up the cat, holding it in front of him like a shield, "But look at him, angel, he's so cute!" You huff in annoyance, immediately taking the admittedly adorable, yowling cat who looks like he is a few seconds away from scratching James' eyes out, and place it on the ground, albeit gently. "Get up, James, we're leaving." James looks down at the cat, almost mournfully before nodding and standing up. "Goodbye, Angel of Darkness." He whispers down to the cat, his voice barely audible, much like a wife's tender farewell to her husband deploying to war. He doesn't see your bewildered expression since he's still bent over the cat, bidding adieu, but the couple under the tree do, Barty giggling like he finds something terribly funny and Evan smirking, although if that is at his boyfriend's laughter or at the supposedly amusing situation, you're not sure. You ignore it, grabbing James' arm and pulling it lightly, making him turn, the both of you slowly ambling towards your friends.

James, his arm still in your grasp, mumbles, "Godric, my eyes are so itchy." You give him a criminally offensive side eye but stay silent, unaware that you will deeply regret this decision later. You almost laugh, wondering whether you should judge him for apparently being so dumb or be charmed by his frankly endearing behaviour, when James stops in his tracks beside you, making you halt as well. You turn to him, questioning, before you freeze too, absolutely stock still. "James," you start in a heavily measured tone. "Did you…did you rub your eyes?" "No." He replies instantaneously, although the way his eyes, red enough to rival a vampire, are watering rapidly indicate the opposite. You sigh through your nose, crossing your arms and levelling a glare at him. "Try again." He meets your gaze with chagrin, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks, although that may just be due to the reaction. "Um, yes." 

You shake your head, sighing for the fiftieth time, probably, as you turn around, detouring towards the castle, expecting him to follow. "Angel, I'm sorry!" He apologises immediately, guilt etched on his features like he isn't the one with a runny nose and itchy eyes, and other, probably worse symptoms. Your eyes soften and your pace slows, "Jamie, I'm not mad at you, I'm just worried." His face breaks into a warm grin at that, and even though he looks like shit, a reciprocating smile tugs on your lips instantly. "About me?" He asks, wiggling his eyebrows cheekily and you roll your eyes, the heat on your face matching his own. "Tosser." You mumble, trying to school your features into a stern glare half-heartedly as you scold in fake annoyance. "But you know you wouldn't have survived in the Muggle world, right? You're so lucky you have Madam Pomfrey." 

He takes hold of your hand lightly, stopping the both of you from walking further as you turn to look at him curiously. "I'm lucky I have you too." He says tenderly, eyes soft and touch softer where his hand holds yours. "Your sycophantic tactics won't work on me, Potter." You reply, although your heart stutters in your chest, the way he is looking at you making you nervous. "Oh? What about a kiss? Will that work?" He murmurs softly, your eyes widening as you watch him step closer to you, head ducked to meet your gaze. His face is suave, warm eyes flickering to your lips with intention. However, there is a bit of vulnerability in them too, a hint of nervousness that contrasts the coy persona he is putting up. "Well?" His head tilts slightly to the side, your eyes immediately falling to the skin of his neck as your mouth goes dry. "James," you mutter with as much self-restraint you can muster, your eyes meeting his slightly bloodshot ones again. "I'll kiss you when you're not about to sneeze in my face." 

That effectively breaks the tension, and his face scrunches up in something between indignation and disbelief. "I'm not about to sneeze in your f-" He is interrupted by a sneeze. You give him a cocky look, simultaneously relieved and disappointed at the change your conversation has taken. "Angel, it's not my fault, you set it off! You said the 'S' word." He calls accusingly, following your smug form to the Hospital Wing. He isn't much disapproving of it later, though, when you pull him in an empty hallway after the matron fixes him up, letting you kiss him to your (and his) heart's content.

likes and reblogs appreciated! :)

[loveharlow]

SEVEN [SEASON 2] - 007 (PT 1)

PAIRING ‧₊˚ JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

SYNOPSIS‧₊˚ [8.9k] based on Netflix's Outer Banks Season 2 Episode 9

WARNING(S)‧₊˚ swearing, general obx warnings, discussions of sexuality, mentions of suicide

NOW PLAYING‧₊˚

A/N‧₊˚ still love me?? not the biggest fan of this chapter but

˗ˏˋ series masterlist ˎˊ˗

PULLING UP TO THE BUNGALOW ON THE END OF THE STREET AND KILLING THE ENGINE, you and JJ were quick to jump out of the truck, calling out for his cousin, who owned the house in question.

“Ricky! Ricky!” You both shouted, helping Kiara drag Pope’s limp frame out of the backseat. The three of you helped walk Pope to the front door, JJ frantically rattling the handle and slamming his palm against the door before his cousin Ricky appeared — shirtless with a bowl of cereal in his hand.

“Hey, Ricky!” The blonde called through the window. “Look, I know you’re mad at me-”

“Remember the time you stole my ambulance?!” The dark-haired man argued through the glass, face turning red.

“Yeah, I know. I know you’re mad but - please, don’t do that!” JJ begged, watching as Ricky slammed the actual door in his face. 

The rest of you begged and pleaded, voices creating a mess of protests behind the door. JJ was quick to hand his portion of Pope’s weight off to John B, walking towards one of the windows and banging on it.

“He’s a having a reaction, he needs help!” JJ screamed through the glass. Ricky was JJ’s EMT cousin, who also happened to be the cousin who’s ambulance he’d stolen to break John B out of jail, which failed anyway. “He can’t breathe, Ricky!”

Something one of you said must’ve gained some sympathy because it wasn’t long before the front door behind the glass screen was swinging open again. “Who can’t breathe-” Ricky’s word died in his throat as he took in Pope’s swollen face this time.

“Look at him!” You cried — you, Kiara, and John B holding up your friend. “He needs help.”

“...Alright.” The man caved, pushing the screen door open to allow you all in. “Jesus Christ…” You were quick to hand off Pope, rushing into the man’s house.

“Hi, nice to meet you. Sorry.” You quickly threw in Ricky’s direction, making a b-line for the first flat surface you saw and swiping everything to the floor. Your friends were trailing behind you, using their strength to lift Pope onto the now cleared island counter top.

“You know, I wouldn’t come to you if it wasn’t an emergency.” JJ clarified, being the last one inside of the house.

“What’s wrong with him?” The medic asked, placing two fingers against the side of his neck to feel for a pulse. 

“Wasps.” Sarah and Kie replied in sync.

“Wasps?” Ricky repeated, asking for clarification. You all nodded. “Is he allergic to wasps?”

“We were kind of hoping you could figure that out for us.” You quickly replied, not wanting to be rude but wanting to speed up this procedure.

Ricky sighed, backing up from the table. “Hang tight, I gotta get my kit.”

“Hang tight?” JJ asked incredulously. “Hang tight, Ricky?!”

“It’s in here somewhere!” The older man called, disappearing near the bedrooms before re-emerging with nothing in his hands.

“Where’s your kit?!” You asked frantically — Kiara tending to Pope on the table as JJ and John B kept his legs elevated.

“If I knew I wouldn’t be looking for it-”

“What does it look like?” Sarah asked, the two of you intending to help the man look for his supplies.

“Like a duffel bag…” He offered, vanishing into his garage with his hands atop his head in distress. “Okay, I got it!” He returned after a few seconds — a navy blue med-kit clutched in his hands as he rushed towards the six of you.

He planted the bag on the counter top next to Pope, JJ scooting over to make room. “What do we do now?” The blonde boy asked.

“You don’t do anything because you’re not a paramedic. All you all can do is give me some space.” He said bluntly, the five of you backing up — similar expressions of distress etched on each of your faces. You watched as Ricky unzipped the duffel bag, pulling out a syringe and a small vial. “Here’s the thing,” He started, pushing the needle of the syringe into the vessel. “This a pediatric dose of epinephrine.”

He explained, extracting a precise amount of the medicine before removing the needle from the small glass bottle. 

“Is that gonna be enough?” You questioned, motioning for your teenage, six-foot tall friend laid out on this man’s kitchen island. “He’s not a kid.”

“It is ten times the normal dose.” Ricky informed you, holding the syringe up between his fingers. “So…if it doesn’t stop his heart, it’ll help him.” He shrugged sheepishly. “But I gotta use the whole thing, or else it won’t work. And I’m not goin’ down if he dies.” He said firmly, shooting a pointed look at his cousin.

“...Okay, fine, do it.” JJ urged, pulling at the roots of his hair. 

“Okay.” Ricky said, turning back to face Pope. “Okay....” He reiterated as the rest of you urged him to hurry. He seemed to mentally evaluate where to put the needle before settling on a spot on the boy’s bicep, pushing it in and injecting the dose before slowly pulling it out. “Alright, that’s it…” He said, setting the used needle down carefully.

“...Now what?” Kie asked, eyes flickering back and forth between the paramedic and her friend.

“Now, we wait.” He replied, chewing on his bottom lip. 

You all stood around and no one said anything. Not a word as all eyes remained laser focused on Pope, waiting on something. Any sign of life. The TV played mindlessly in the back, the tribe of you waiting for something to happen. All you needed was a gasp or for his chest to move, hell, you would even accept the simple twitch of one of his fingers.

But ten seconds turned to twenty and then thirty, and still…nothing.

“...You killed him.” Kiara said, staring angrily down at Pope’s swollen features. 

“No…” Ricky drawled out. “I didn’t do shit.”

“What did you do?” You asked angrily, eyes pinched as you searched Pope’s face for any sign of movement or life.

“I did exactly what you asked me to do.” JJ’s older cousin reprimanded. He was right and you all knew it. 

“Pope.” JJ said, grabbing the boy’s shirt and shaking his limp frame on the tabletop. “Pope, c’mon!” His voice raised, shaking the boy harder as you all stood back, distressed. “Come on, bro!”

A second passed and suddenly Pope was breathing in a large gasp of air, his chest rising by inches off the table before he collapsed back down, taking in steady breaths.

You all let out sighs of relief, watching as Ricky almost fell to his knees. Pope began coughing, his frame lurching off the table as he hacked, eventually springing up to sit straight on the table, his face swelling already going down.

“There he is!” JJ cheered, the rest of you laughing or sighing with relief. 

“It’s hot.” Pope wheezed out. “I’m really hot, guys…” He exasperated, the boy sliding off his patterned fleece jacket as he slid off the table, all five of you crowding around to help.

“Take it easy...” You instructed, helping the boy off the table as JJ helped him rid himself of the jacket. 

“I gotta get outside.” Pope breathed, letting his jacket fall to floor and gently pushing you all off of him as he set out for the front door, the five of you trailing behind.

“I owe you.” JJ patted his cousin on the shoulder, Ricky still standing shell shocked at the turn of events.

“It’s hot!” Pope said again, this time sounding much more irritated as he stumbled through Ricky’s front yard like a baby deer learning to walk. 

“Thank you so much.” You commended, looking back at JJ’s cousin before he closed the door. “Are there any side effects we should be concerned about?” You asked as he shut the door further and further.

“He’ll have a rocket up his ass for about half an hour.” He told you. “Then, he’ll be fine.” Was the last thing he said before closing the door, leaving you to turn around and watch your four friends chase Pope through the front yard like an unleashed puppy. 

“WHOOOO!” Pope exclaimed, hands on the steering wheel of your Ford Bronco — driving down an empty road back to Freedman’s church just as the sun set and the street lights came on.

“Pope, you’re driving kind of fast…” Kie piped up from the backseat, in between Sarah and John B. JJ was in the passenger seat while you seemed to get booted to the trunk of your own car.

“Pope…” JJ started. “Last to judge, but I think you should slow down a little-”

“No.” He cut off the blonde. “That would definitely delay our arrival to the cross. We gotta get there.”

“Okay,” You piped up, shoving your face in between Kie and Sarah in the back seat. “As the primary driver and sole owner of this car, I’m saying you need to lighten up on the gas pedal, bud.” You advised from the trunk, wind whipping through your hair. “Why did we let him drive again?” You questioned. “And why is JJ in the passenger seat instead of me?”

“Because I said I’d rip your ears off.” Pope replied in a single breath.

“And because I fixed this piece of shit on wheels-”

“You call my car a piece of shit on wheels one more time and I’ll rip your ears off-” You warned, squinting at the blonde through the rearview mirror.

“Okayyyy,” JB spoke for the first time in minutes, interrupting the small dispute. “Pope, how’re you feeling?”

“Great.” The curly-haired boy smiled, continuing down the road at a constant, life-threatening speed. “I don’t know what JJ’s cousin gave me but I am movin’!” He exclaimed, taking one hand off the steering wheel to make a speeding motion with his free hand.

“We couldn’t tell...” Kiara smiled awkwardly, buckling her seatbelt.

“Okay, well, um, you’re going really fast right now.” John B tried to parent, leaning over the shoulder of Pope’s seat from where he sat directly behind him.

“Yeah, really fast!” Pope laughed, craning his neck to look back as he drove, the car swerving wildly between the two lanes.

“Woah!”

“Pope!”

You all panicked, grabbing whatever you could as the car continued to basically drive itself until Pope refocused his sights in front of him, speeding up the car to miles you didn’t know it had the capability of going. 

“God, is he driving slow…” Pope sighed, attempting to pass the car in front of you all by swerving into the wrong lane, paying no mind to the car coming straight at him. 

“You don’t need to pass-” Kie tried, sitting up straighter in her seat.

“Pope, if you crash my car-” You warned, gripping the edge of the backseat for stability as you slid around in the trunk.

“You don’t need to pass!” Kiara continued as the other car swerved into the grass just as Pope swerved into the correct lane, now in front of the car you were previously behind.

“Man, what an asshole. Am I right?” The boy in the driver’s seat scoffed.

“He was going the speed limit...” You huffed, straightening yourself out.

“We’re not gonna get to the cross if we’re dead, Pope!” JJ exclaimed from the passenger seat, holding onto the safety bar. The tires of your car screeched over the road, your headlights not focusing on one single thing for more than a second.

“We’re not gonna die. It’s our divine right to get that cross.” Pope dismissed, looking back as he spoke, the car swiftly making a sharp left.

“Pope, look at the road!” You screamed, watching helplessly as your car drove into the left lane before nose diving into the woods. Pope tried to make an attempt at turning the car which only made things worse, the side of the car slamming hard into one of the six-inch wide Oak Trees as the airbags deployed and your frame went flying over the side of the trunk, tumbling through the grass. The windshield shattered, leaving glass littered throughout the vehicle as you heard your friends groan in pain, the hiss of whatever was damaged under the hood sounding out in the woods.

You held your ribs in pain, rolling over a sizeable rock on your way down. 

“Y/N!” You could hear your name being called in the distance, the sound of glass crunching, your friends coughing, and one of the car doors closing ringing in your ears. The voice called out for you again just as you’d found the strength to roll over on your stomach and push yourself up onto your knees.

“I’m over here!” You rasped, coughing. 

It wasn’t long before the familiar sound of JJ’s heavy combat boots were heard crunching over branches and leaves, a warm hand finding home on your back as the other slid under your stomach, helping you stand. “Hey, you okay?” The blonde asked, turning your frame to face him as your hands grabbed his forearms.

“Perfectly fine.” You strained, stretching out your back a bit as the boy brushed hair and leaves from your face. “Are you okay?” You asked, your eyes finally zeroing in on him to find a small cut on one of his eyebrows as well as some red-splotching on his cheeks and forehead, most likely from the airbag.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” He assured when your own hand reached up to brush your finger against the small cut, one of his hands ceasing yours.

“Is everyone alright?” John B weak voice echoed out into the woods, both you and JJ turning to watch as your friends all climbed out of the vehicle before making your way towards them.

“I think so…” Sarah replied.

“That is the last time you drive, Pope.” JJ reprimanded.

“Look at my truck...” You pouted, examining the destroyed windshield and the odd ways it was bent, not ignoring the steam emitting from the hood.

“One word.” JJ spoke. “Totaled.” He cringed. “Yeah, I don’t think I can fix it this time, princess.”

“Well, we’re gonna have to walk the rest of the way.” Pope ignored the damaged vehicle.

You all shared a look of confusion and bewilderment.

“...Dude-” Sarah tried, watching as Pope tried to walk away, shoulder brushing against JB’s.

“I’m going to get my cross.” He stated.

“Hey,” John B piped up, gripping Pope's arm to stop him. “Just relax for a second.”

“Get off of me.” Pope said, snatching his arm away. 

“No-”

“Move.”

“I am trying to help-”

“I am getting my cross.”

“You just crashed her car.” John B said as Pope managed to finally brush past him, walking aimlessly down the road as John B caught up. John B tried his best to restrain the boy once more, but Pope continued to brush him off, time and time again. “You’re gonna get hit by a car!” John B reprimanded, the sight of a huge semi-truck coming down the road going ignored by Pope, who was hell-bent on getting his family heirloom.

“Get off of me!” Pope yelled.

“Stop!” John B yelled back, Pope’s struggle suddenly ending when the truck passed, his dark-brown eyes stuck on whoever was in the vehicle. His eyes never left the vehicle and when it got far enough away from him and close enough to the rest of you, it only prompted the four of you standing behind to see what he was looking at...

Rafe and Renfield, Limbrey’s body guard, making direct eye contact with the six of you. Rafe was driving, a sick grin on his face as Renfield offered you all a salute. 

The six of you watched as the semi-truck continued down the road, standing by as it got smaller and smaller. But if they were driving back the way you all were coming, then…

“No…” You sighed, face and shoulders falling.

“...We gotta get back to the church!” Pope screamed, all of you looking at him. “Now!” He ordered one last time before he took off running down the road, the rest of you following.

YOU ALL WERE TOO LATE. And the cross was gone. Arriving at the church and seeing the cross no longer splayed out on the wooden floors was the biggest loss of the day. And no one said anything as you all piled into Kiara’s, freshly stolen, SUV — the only operable vehicle left amongst the group with The Twinkie being parked at Ricky’s which was too far at the moment and your car being completely totaled. 

If she got it back in time, he parents wouldn’t even notice it was gone.

“Oh, shit.” She cursed, slowing down as rapid flashing blue lights filled the car. “They found your truck.” She said, looking at you — you, JJ, JB, and Sarah squeezed into the backseat.

You all said nothing, watching as Shoupe approached the vehicle, flashlight in hand. 

“Good Evening, officer.” Kiara greeted, the driver’s side window already being rolled down.

“Sheriff.” Shoupe corrected.

“Sheriff. Yeah...”

“...Speed kills, huh?” John B spoke from the backseat, you nudging him in the ribs as he let out a soft ‘ouch’.

Shoupe just eyed each of you individually before speaking. “I pulled the tags.” He said, dragging out the sentence. “I know whose truck that is.” He said bluntly, eyes landing sharply on you and you cringed and offered a small wave.

“Sheriff…” Pope started from the passenger seat. “I just wanna say that this is all my fault. She had nothing to do with this. I take one-hundred percent responsibility.”

“Nothing to do with it, huh?” Shoupe pondered. “...The car’s in your possession kid. I have no choice but to take you home.”

Your face twisted at that. “...Uh, in case you forgot, I don’t really have one of those, so…”

“You do now.” He replied. “The Carrera’s,” He emphasized, eyes drifting towards Kiara whose attention was grabbed by the mention of her parents. “...Have ever-so generously opened their home to you. DCS went through your file and saw they were listed as your Godparents and they agreed to foster you. Right after they mentioned that their car was gone and the keys were missing. “

Well, that was quick. 

“I’m takin’ you home. The both of you.” He said firmly. “Or I can take you all in for leavin’ the scene of an accident.”

You and Kiara shared a look before silently agreeing with another and turning to Shoupe. “...Okay.” You both said simultaneously.

“Good.” The sheriff nodded. “Plumb?” He directed the female officer to remove you and Kie from the vehicle — the woman opening the driver’s side and back door. Kie exited the vehicle, looking down as she shut the door.

You spared your friends a glance before climbing over JJ’s lap to exit the car, one of the blonde’s hand finding a place on your waist, pausing your movements. Your eyes shot up to his and you held yourself up above him in the cramped space.

He didn’t say anything, just bored his sad, blue eyes into yours. You frowned pitifully and placed a soft hand on his cheek. “I’ll call you. Okay?” You said, tone hushed. He just sighed, eyes racing back and forth before caving in, nodding sadly. You nodded in a silent reply, leaving him with a soft kiss before climbing fully out of the vehicle, closing the door behind you.

“Come on,” Shoupe instructed you and Kie. “Let’s get y’all home.”

ARRIVING OUTSIDE OF THE CARRERA RESIDENCE FELT ODD. Or maybe it was being back on Figure Eight that felt the oddest. Or maybe it was the whole thing.

In the middle of the night, pulling up to Kiara’s home in the back of a squad car as Deputy Plumb parked the SUV in the drive way and Shoupe let you and Kie out of the backseat of his patrol car. You wondered if the rest of your friends made it back to The Twinkie by now — the absence of the SUV leaving them with no other choice but to walk back to JJ’s cousin’s house and get it.

You and Kiara watched in silence as the headlights on her parents vehicle went dead, Plumb exiting the vehicle and walking over to drop the keys into the girl’s palm and walk off, getting into the passenger seat of the squad car.

“Well,” Shoupe exasperated, hands on his utility belt as he moved to stand in front of the two of you. “Y’all gon’ inside, now. ‘S gettin’ late.” He said, nodding his head once. “Stay safe.” Were his parting words as he walked away, shoes scuffling against the concrete and he rounded the squad car, got into the driver’s seat and drove off, leaving you and a nervous Kie alone in her driveway.

The girl stared up at the house, shaking one leg and taking a deep breath. “Look, before we go inside…” She started, eyes on you. “My parents are probably gonna be super intense. I know it’s been a while since you’ve really seen them…so, I’m just warning you.”

You shrugged, glancing at the house before looking back at her. “Can’t be any worse than my previous living situation.”

Kie just scoffed lightheartedly. “Trust me.” She said, shaking her head. “You have no idea…”

Just then, a creaking sound in the distance grabbed both of your attention — heads whipping up to find Mr. and Mrs. Carrera standing in the doorway of the front door, both of their arms crossed over their chests as they stared down the daughter.

“It’s time for you two to come inside.” Her mother said bluntly, offering no other words. You and Kie spared each other one last glance before walking up the length of the driveway, up the small staircase to the front door before stopping in front of her parents.

“It’s nice to see you again, Y/N.” Mr. Carrera greeted from behind his wife to which you nodded awkwardly.

“It’s nice to see you, too.” You replied simply as the man stepped to the side, making room for you and Kie to enter the house. Kie went first, not even a foot into the door before her mother’s voice stopped her.

“Nuh-uh.” She said, holding a palm out but still not looking at Kiara herself. “The keys.” She prompted, curling her hand in on itself. Kiara complied quickly, dropping the ring of metal into her mother’s hand and proceeding to enter the house, you right behind her.

You can’t remember the last time you’d been inside. Even when you lived on Figure Eight, most of your time was spent at home or at Sarah’s. 

“Take a seat.” Her mother directed the both of you, the front door closing as she motioned for the couch in the living just feet away. You and Kiara did as you were told, walking over and taking a seat on the couch — her parents coming over and standing on the other side of the coffee table, right in front of the two of you. “There are two very important discussions to be had here.” Mrs.Carrera started, clapping her hands together. “Starting with you.” She said, pointing at her daughter.

“What you did tonight was…beyond unacceptable.” She began, hands moving wildly and blinking rapidly as she spoke. “Stealing the car?”

“I was bringing it back-” Kiara tried, voice small.

“It doesn’t matter, Kiara!” Her mother exclaimed, scoffing unbelievably and shaking her head. “Here you are, once again, making these stupid decisions against us, your parents, for some boys-”

“They're not some boys, they're my friends. Why can't you understand that-”

“Listen to your mother.” Her father cut in, fishing in his back pocket before pulling out what looked like pamphlet, letting it fall to the table.

Kiara’s eyes went between the paper and her father before picking it up — the words ‘KITTY HAWK’ etched into the front. “...What is this?” She asked, twirling the object in her hands.

“That’s your future, Kiara, if you don’t turn your shit around.” Her father said, pulling his lips into a thin line. 

“You’re joking, right?” She asked, voice wavering. “This is like one of those places where they kidnap kids in the middle of the night. Do you know how many kids die in these places? O-or kill themselves?-”

“No, it’s a program for troubled teens with behavioral problems.” Her mother inserted herself, hands on her hips.

“...So, now I’m a troubled teen?”

“What the hell would you call it?” Her dad asked, face twisting. “You disappear for days, Kiara, and then when you do come back to the house, it’s to steal my truck.”

“...I thought my friends were dead.” Kie spat, the room falling silent. “And you guys just wanted me to go back to school like nothing happened-”

“That’s not what we wanted.”

“-Like everything was fine, nothing about that is fine!”

“Nothing about any of this is fine.”

“I’ll do whatever you want!” Kiara pleaded. “Okay, I’ll pull double shifts or whatever. But I don’t want you guys to think I was wrong to help them. Because I wasn’t. I was doing what I thought was right. And I didn’t mean to do all of that to you guys…And I’m sorry.” She explained, tears gathering in her eyes. “I’m sorry for sneaking out and skipping school. It was stupid and I…I’m sorry for going to Charleston. I’m sorry for stealing your truck. I-”

“Baby…” Her mother stopped her rambling, rounding the coffee table to crouch in front of her daughter, taking her hands in her own. “I know. Okay, I know.” She reassured. “We love you so much.” She told the girl before shaking her head. “...But sorry is not gonna cut it anymore.”

Kie’s face fell at her words, eyes drifting towards her father who stood firm in his spot — arms crossed over his chest. “Let me tell you what’s gonna happen.” He started. “No more sneaking out of the house, no more treasure hunts, and no more Pogues. Or you’re going to Kitty Hawk.” He said with finality before his eyes landed on you. “And Y/N, I know you just got here so this may be a lot, but these rules go for you, as well.”

“Yes.” Mrs.Carrera nodded, standing from where she was comforting her daughter to rejoin her husband. “We’ve cleared out a room for you upstairs, you’ll have your own bathroom as well. You’re welcome to work with us at The Wreck but that is completely up to you. Shoupe told us about your car when he got to the scene and if you’re okay with it, we’ll pay for you to get it fixed. Anything you need, you can ask us, don’t be afraid. We only ask that you just respect us, our home, and our rules.”

You understood their rules and expectations but you wondered if that was the only rule that went for you…What if you continuously broke them under their care? Would Kitty Hawk be held over your head, too?

“I completely understand and I appreciate it so much.” You said, trying to offer a polite smile. “Thank you for taking me in and I’ll do my best to help out at The Wreck.” You assured them. “But... I do have my dog, Marley, if you remember her. She’s at John B’s house…along with the rest of my stuff.”

The Carrera’s shared a look, seeming to have a silent conversation before turning back to you and Kie. 

“We’ll take you.”

“FIFTEEN MINUTES. ANY LONGER AND WE’RE COMING TO GET YOU TWO.” Mr.Carrera said from the driver’s seat of his SUV. 

“We got it, Dad.” Kiara sighed, opening her door and getting out, you following shortly after.

The gravel crunched under your sneakers, the porch light being the only source of light in the dark of night. You didn’t wait to make your way up the small staircase and to the front door, it already being unlocked due to John B’s lack in one’s basic sense of security. 

Walking in, you were immediately graced with Marley’s presence — not having seen the animal in hours. You bent down, scratching the top of her head before looking back at Kie. “I don’t have much.” You said. “I shouldn’t be long.” You assured, standing up to your full height and walking into the guest room of The Chateau where you kept most of your belongings — that were mixed in with JJ’s.

“It’s fine.” Kie shrugged, the girl waiting in the living room with her hands in her back pockets. “Even if you do, they’ll just blame me like they do with everything…” You didn’t say anything, just continued gathering your things — throwing them into your heavy-duty backpack and zipping up the bag, throwing it over your shoulder as you walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, picking up Marley’s bowls, toys, and food. “...Can I ask you something?” Kiara said, voice small.

You sat your backpack on the kitchen table, eyeing the Carrera girl as she fiddled with her fingers. “You can ask me anything.” You laughed, a slight look of confusion on your face.

“Do you hate me?” She asked, eyes pinching together like the question brought her physical pain. “‘Cause, you know, I wouldn’t blame you if you did. After what I did…”

“Kie.” You started, pausing in your movements and letting your hands fall to your sides. “I know we haven’t been the best of friends lately, or, friends at all…But I could never hate you.”

She simply scoffed, running her fingers through her hair. “You say that now…”

“Because it’s true. We’ll always be friends, even if-”

“That.” She spat, laughing, but you could tell there was no real humor there. “That is my problem. And I don’t know how you can’t see it.” She said, shaking her head as her sad eyes met yours. “Can you not see how much…pain being your friend is causing me? And I know it’s not your fault, I know that-”

“What are you talking about?” You asked, mildly offended. “Being my friend is causing you pain?” You asked her, eyes wide in disbelief. “Kie, you kissed my boyfriend while you were with Pope. And you expect me to act like nothing happened? What about Pope? Have you even apologized to him?” You reprimanded.

“You-”

 “I got kidnapped and drugged and all of sudden you have, what, some kind of epiphany about our friendship? Because up until then you were treating me like shit.”

“That’s not why I-”

“Then explain it to me-”

“I can’t!” She yelled, cheeks taking on a shade of red. “...Okay? I’m trying, I have been trying but I can’t. It’s like the words don’t match up or…or nothing checks out. None of it makes any sense.” She rambled, pulling her fingers as she paced on the spot. “It’s so much more complicated than you think and I feel like I should tell you but I could be ruining everything-”

“Just try.” You sighed, shoulders falling. “It’s just us here. We have a little over ten minutes before your parents come marching in. I won’t say a word.” You told her. “I promise, I’ll let you speak and I’ll listen. I just want to understand. I want to understand where our friendship went wrong.” You pleaded. “I miss you, Kie. But somewhere in this mess of what our lives have become, you and I fell apart and I can’t figure out why…”

“...I saw you.” She struggled out, failing to maintain eye contact as she spoke. “During John B’s memorial, I saw JJ kiss you.” She said. “And…I felt this, this pang of jealousy. And at first, I thought it was because things weren’t going great with Pope. But at some point, I realized it wasn’t that. So, I jumped to the next reasonable conclusion — that I liked JJ.” She sighed. “Seeing the way he looked at you, I thought maybe I wanted him to look at me like that. Y’know, maybe I had feelings for him and was just realizing it. That’s why I kissed him in Charleston.” She explained sadly, eyes finally meeting yours.

“It was a shitty thing, I know.” She scolded herself, hands waving wildly. “Kissing him to figure out my feelings while you two had something going on wasn’t cool, I know that. I hate myself for it. Because it was pointless.” She swallowed. “...I didn’t…feel anything. I kissed him and I felt nothing. And it didn’t hurt my feelings when he pushed me away and told me he didn’t see me that way. And I was so angry at myself but confused, too…” She said, almost like she was working out her thoughts as they left her lips. “Because if I didn’t like JJ, then why couldn’t I stomach the sight of you two together?” 

You listened as she spoke and you were glad you were finally getting her side, truly. But the direction this was going…

“...And then, seeing you in Barry’s trailer. That’s when everything fell into place.” She said, a stray tear rolling down her cheek. “Seeing you like that made my entire world stop. I wanted to be the one to scoop you up and hold you and tell you everything would be okay. And my heart shattered when I realized that I couldn’t, not in the way I wanted to.” She confessed, taking one weary step in your direction. “I know it’s a weird way to come to a conclusion like that, but…I think that’s when I realized I wasn’t in love with Pope or JJ.” She said, shaking her head. “...I’m in love with you. I don’t know when it happened or how or…why…” She confessed, voice wavering.

“And I’m sorry.” She cried, wiping her eyes. “For being such a bitch and ruining our friendship over something so stupid. Because I know that it’s too late and even if it wasn’t, even if you weren’t with JJ — you and me would never be anything. And the thought kills me every time.” You didn’t know what to say, standing completely still and listening to her talk. Although, you weren’t sure if you were listening. 

Your longest best friend was standing less than a foot in front of you, telling you how she was in love with you. 

“So, if you hate me, I understand, okay?” She cried harder, pressing her hands into her eyes.

“I don’t hate you.” You finally spoke, voice flat and small as you made no move to comfort her. You didn’t know how. Would a hug make it worse? Would the touch of your hands on her skin make things better or worse? “Kie, I-” You stuttered to find a response. “I don’t know what to say…or do. Do you want a hug or…?”

There was no right way to go about this, you realized. You’d caused each other so much pain over the last few weeks — knowingly or unknowingly, justified or unjustified, it was all the same.

The brown-haired girl just shook her head, wiping her eyes clean. When she made eye contact with you, her eyes were red and slightly puffy as she nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “No, please, don’t.” She requested, voice breaking. “It’s my fault.”

Your face fell at her words, taking a single step in the girl’s direction. “Don’t say that.” You said softly. “You did some shitty things, for sure.” You laughed lightheartedly. “But…you can’t control how you feel. You can’t dictate who you love…”

You words only made her face twist further in sadness. “...I never wanted to hurt you.” She sighed sadly, eyes filling with tears once again. You simply gave her a tight-lipped smile of pity, gently taking one of her hands in your own.

“Neither did I.” You assured, your own voice wavering when the loud honking of a horn came from outside — the both of you jumping at the loud noise.

“Guess our time’s up…” Kiara spoke, avoiding your eyes once more as she let her hand fall from yours as she turned towards the door. You nodded to yourself, taking a breath and grabbing your bag from the table and securing it before throwing it over your shoulder once more, whistling for Marley who met you swiftly at the command.

Kiara opened the door, the Golden Retriever bolting out of the house and to the SUV, wagging her tail as she waited for you to open the door. You walked out of the door silently as Kie held it open, letting it close behind herself as you both walked back to the car, shoes crunching once more as you swiftly turned to face your friend, stopping her in her tracks.

“I…” You stuttered. You didn’t know what you wanted to say or planned to say. But you felt like you should say something. But no words would come out. 

Kie just offered you a sad smile, patting your shoulder. “It’s okay.” She said to you. “I’m happy for you. Honestly, I am.” She spoke, voice low seeing as you standing right next to the vehicle with her parents inside. “You’ve been through so much and you deserve to be happy. You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy. And JJ is that person, not me. I can see it your eyes and his — you’re meant for each other. And one day, I’ll be fine with that.” She said, not waiting for you to speak as she went around the other side of the car, getting in.

You stood in silent contemplation for a few moments before snapping back to reality — opening your door for Marley to jump in as you threw your bag to the floor and jumped in, shutting the door as Mr.Carrera drove off, the radio playing lowly.

When did your life become such a mess?

IT WAS THE NEXT MORNING AND YOU WERE LISTENING TO MUSIC AS YOU STRAIGHTENED OUT YOUR BED SHEETS. You’ll admit, it was nice to have your own room again and have some normality as a teenage girl. 

Some…

You and Kie hadn’t said more than two words to each other since last night — those two words being ‘good morning’ as you awkwardly passed each other on the way out of your rooms and downstairs to join the Carreras for breakfast. 

The meal was awkward but mildly comforting. It was nice to feel part of a family again, even if deep down something was telling you this picture-perfect act wouldn’t last long. 

You heard Mr. and Mrs.Carrera loud and clear — break their rules and it’s Camp for Cuckoos. 

After breakfast, you’d freshened up and started to put your room together. Mrs.Carrera had generously gone and bought you a bed set, some new clothes, and even some small decorations to make the place feel less empty. She even went as far as to buy Marley, who was sunbathing in the middle of your floor, a new, much less worn and tattered, bed that was sitting in the corner of your newly furnished space.

Even if it was only temporary, you figured you could get used to this. It was still in the early hours of the morning as you played interior decorator — your music pausing on your bluetooth speaker as a call came through.

Picking up the device, a smile spread on your face from ear to ear as you answered. “Hi, Blondie.”

“Good mornin’ to you, princess.” JJ’s voice broke through the other end. “You sound wide awake. That’s a first.” He said, the sound of wind whipping by coming from his end.

“And you don’t sound like you’re home.” You pointed out skeptically.

“I’m never home.”

‘Y’know what I mean…” You pressed, sitting on your bed and rubbing your hand over the soft blanket. 

“I’m with Bree, right now and we, uh, may need a little assistance, if you will.” He told you, voice sounding nervous even through the device.

“...What’s wrong now?” You asked.

“Well, uh, Rafe’s got the cross and Pope latched onto the back of his truck and went God knows where and Rose has Sarah and she’s taking her to some loading dock.” JJ explained quickly, hearing both boys curse as John B took a sharp turn, you assumed. “So, the two of us can’t really do this by ourselves but John B here is determined.”

You bit your lip in contemplation — breaking the rules on day one?

...Seemed pretty on brand.

“I’ll be there soon.” You assured before hanging up the phone. You stood in thought for a few moments, opening the Find My app on your phone to see how far your two friends were, trying to mentally decipher whether you could get away with just sneaking out or if you’d have to sneak out and sneak your car keys which were sitting on the counter downstairs…where Kie’s parents were.

A quick request from your location to JJ’s told you that without your car, the estimated distance would jump from a forty-five minute drive to a three-hour walk. You sighed and peeked out of your window. To your surprise, the Carrera’s SUV was gone, leaving only your freshly fixed Ford in the drive way, looking cleaner than ever.

A small smile of relief spread on your face as you quickly exited your room, skipping down the steps and heading for the kitchen only to find Mike and Anna downstairs — Mr. Carrera testing new recipes to add to the menu down at The Wreck while Mrs. Carrera cleaned up the dishes he left behind.

Both of the adults turned to you at the sound of your feet skidding to a stop. 

“Good morning, again, Y/N.” Mrs. Anna smiled at you, dropping dishes into the sink. “Are we in your way? Did you need something?”

Your mouth gaped like a fish until you settled on a smile. “No, just…came down for a snack.” You lied, both of them sending you a polite smile in return as they returned to paying you no mind. Eyeing the arrangement of small chip bags conveniently placed next to the dish that held all the keys, you padded across the kitchen, noisily grabbing one of the bags to mask the jingling of the keys before shoving the metal in your pocket and heading upstairs.

Your face twisted as you ascended the staircase — if the Carrera’s were downstairs, where was their car?

Allowing your intuition to guide you, you skipped the door to your room to stand in front of Kie. A twist of the knob and a push of the door told you that the brown-haired girl who wasn’t occupying her room was responsible for the missing vehicle outside. You wondered where she went before remembering you had her location as well.

Closing her door softly, you pulled your phone out once more to see that she was driving in the middle of the woods. How long had she been gone and where was she going? Pinching your fingers to zoom out, you could see she was closer to Pope than any of you, that realization answering your question.

With the turn of events this morning was taking, you wouldn’t be in this nice house much longer before you and Kie were being shipped off to Kitty Hawk.

Entering your room, you closed the door gently and threw the bag of chips on your bed. Trotting over to the window, you lifted the glass and screen — the familiar North Carolina breeze hitting you as you did. You looked back at the bedroom door one last time, feeling bad for having to ruin something good. But these were your friends. Your family. Helping them wasn’t a question.

Tiptoeing onto the roof and closing the window, you quietly made your way down to the driveway — getting into the driver’s seat and quickly driving off.

“WHAT IS THAT?” You could hear John B’s hushed voice as you got closer to the sound you were emitting. “Dude! Turn that off! Why are you ringing?” He reprimanded his blonde friend as you approached the two of them from behind from where they were hiding behind a family of crates and boxes.

“It’s Y/N, I don’t know why she’s pinging me-”

“Hi.” you said quietly, standing in between your two best friends as they jumped at the sound of your voice. You tapped the button on your phone to stop JJ’s from making noise.

“Jesus!” JJ whisper-yelled, both boys sighing as they looked at you.

“You should find a better way to announce yourself when we’re on important missions.” John B told you, steading himself.

“Well, having your location doesn’t really help when your in a junky ass shipyard.” You sassed, shooting a grimace at the boy which he returned in full.

“We said the pinging was for emergencies only.” JJ told you, putting his phone on silent and shooting you a playful glare.

“It was!” You said, hushed. “I couldn’t find you and I had to hop the fence. What is this? A private dock?.”

“Guys,” John B grabbed your attention. “I think that’s their ship.” He said, pointing at the large boat the dock members were anchoring.

“Wait,” JJ started. “The Coastal Venture…” He thought to himself. “Dude, I know that ship. My dad did legs on her last summer, it’s a total tramp steamer. I worked on her in port…”

“There’s the cross.” You added, referring to the wooden crate being lifted with a pullet system — what look like Rafe with two unknown men standing and watching as they pulled it up.

“God, I hate that guy…” John B whispered as he eyed Rafe from afar. You couldn’t agree more. “There she is.” He piped up, eyes drifting to the side — Rose and Wheezie walking behind Sarah, who was being escorted roughly towards the ship. “Guys, we gotta come up with a plan.” John B urged to the two of you.

“I know.” JJ said. “We’re working on it.” He continued as your eyes scanned the ship, thinking of possibilities.

“Hey,” You cut in. “If we can get over that barge, we can go over. We’ll have to get in the water, though.” 

“Then we’re gonna be sitting ducks-”

“Howdy.” Kie’s voice startled the trio of you, her and Pope’s footsteps coming to a stop as they appeared behind you three.

“Whoa!” JJ exclaimed, whipping around before realizing it was just his two friends. “I was about to stab your eyes out…How’d you guys even find us?”

“Geo-located your phone.” She said simply. You made brief eye contact with the girl before you both looked away, the action not going unnoticed by your observant boyfriend but he seemed to settle on saying nothing.

“Yo, Pope. You okay?” John B asked, a hand on the boy’s shoulder as you all looked at him — covered in dried mud and dirt and specks of blood. “What happened?”

“Rafe, round three.” Pope whispered, voice raspy.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Again?” JJ said angrily.

“This was a tie.” Pope told the blonde, calming his boiling rage. “Is that the cross?” He asked, eyes on the wooden crate across the shipyard. He sounded so focused and determined.

“Yeah…” You answered, sighing. “And they’re holding Sarah hostage.”

“We gotta get on that boat.” Kie worried, hand on her forehead.

“First, we gotta get past the Goon Squad.” JJ pointed out a crowd of workers and guards that would surely kick you all out.

“We gotta move.” John B urged, the four of you walking forward before he looked back and saw that Pope was going the opposite direction. “Pope, what’re you doing?”

“I have an idea.” He held out a cautious palm. “Just trust me.”

“No-”

“Trust me and go.” Pope called, walking away. “I’ll meet up with you guys.” He said before disappearing. But something was screaming at you to follow him, to not leave him alone. So, in the middle of your running, you quickly turned and headed the opposite way.

“Hey!” JJ called, eyeing you wildly. “Where are you goin’?” 

“To help Pope.” You told him, never faltering in your steps. “He’s not thinking straight and it doesn’t feel right to leave him alone. Just go, okay? We’ll meet up with you guys.” You urged him before turning away and following Pope’s trail.

You arrived to the boy just in time to find him unscrewing the tops to a family of propane tanks. “Pope.” You whispered, creeping up to him to avoid being seen. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Creating a distraction.” He told you bluntly, stepping away once at least three of the tanks were hissing — the gas being released as he stood back, pulling a gun from his pocket. 

“Jesus-!” Your eyes went wide, immediately stepping forward and grabbing the weapon from his hands. “I’m not going to ask questions about how or why…” You said, referring to the gun as you pushed him back with a firm hand on his chest. “But, Pope, you’re already caked in dirt and shit.” You pointed out. “...But, you are the brains of this shit so if you think causing an explosion will help us get on that boat, then fine. But you’re not getting whiplash after fighting.”

Turning away from the boy, you cocked the gun back — aiming it directly at the tanks.

“Y/N-”

“It’s fine, Pope.” You breathed, glancing back at him quickly. “We’re gonna get your cross.” You assured before refocusing your sights and pulling the trigger, barely having time to register your actions before you were blown back by the explosion, you and Pope landing on your backs as smoke filled your airways.

“Oh, shit…” You coughed, pushing yourself up as you heard a marching band of feet coming your way. “Pope, c’mon, we gotta go.” You urged, helping the boy up as you both ran from the scene and to your friends.

You both fell to a stop in front of the three of them, breathing heavily as you dropped the gun to the ground.

“What did you do?” JJ asked, worried, crouching down in front of you and brushing hair out of your face.

You just coughed before laughing and tapping the brim of his hat. “We were playing with guns.” You smiled, one last cough leaving your lungs as the blonde rolled his eyes and helped you up, fighting the smile growing on his face.

“You’re a dork.” He scoffed, placing a small kiss on your lips.

“Pope, what was that?” John B asked, helping up his friend. 

Pope just ignored his question, pointing to The Coastal Venture. “Look. That’s container’s going on the ship. We can get in that way.” He told the five of you — John B wasting no time in charging for where Pope had pointed, the rest of you following.

Pope leaped into the back of the shipping container without hesitation, JJ being the first to speak up. “Hold up,” He urged, looking up at the curly-haired boy in the container. “Did you think this through?”

Pope didn’t even seem to think before answering, tone blunt and short. “Yes. This is the plan.”

“That’s a trap right there. You see that right?” JJ asked, pointing to the other shipping boxes. “We can’t get out once we get in-” The blonde panicked, John B stepping forward and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey,” He started, looking JJ in his eyes. “You guys don’t have to come, alright?” He offered, briefly glancing at you and Kie as well. 

“Right.” Pope agreed, nodding his head at the three of you. “This is our fight.” He told you all — referring to himself and John B.

You, Kiara, and JJ shared a weary glance before JJ tossed his hands out and tilted his head, eyes on yours. “P4L?”

You glanced nervously inside the dark, tight space, cringing — were you claustrophobic? Because that’s what it felt like. Looking back at JJ, a groan rose from your throat. “P4L…” You exhausted, turning and sticking your hand up for Pope to help you up into the container — followed shortly by JJ, then Kie, then John B.

“Guess it’s better than boarding school…” Kie pondered, pulling her lips into a thin line.

The five of you bolted to the back of the container, crouching hiding behind the contents of the space. You and your friends watched, holding your breath, as a man came by and swiftly inspected the container with a flashlight before seemingly deciding nothing was amiss.

“Okay, she’s good to go. Lock her up.” He patted his hand against the metal.

Your breath shuddered as the men sealed the space shut, leaving you all with dim light and humid oxygen. Metal clanked and engines revved as you felt the container begin to sway — you were being lifted onto the ship. It was such an odd feeling, so much so it made your stomach turn in the oddest of ways — JJ taking notice and intertwining your fingers with his.

You shot the blonde an appreciative smile before looking straight ahead to calm yourself. 

The five of you groaned as your heads and backs hit the walls of the container as it touched down, letting out breaths of relief.

There was no telling how this was going to play out or end, for that matter.

But hey, P4L, right?

next chapter>

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©loveharlow.

[gatheringbones]

[“Too many of us have chosen to live in sexually ambiguous, sexually boring, sexually dead lesbian relationships because it wasn't safe to talk about desire---desire for cock, desire for pussy, desire for leather, desire for diversity. Exploring my desire for men has led me in an interesting circle---back to my incredible passion for womyn. My queer world will have to stretch (again) to make room for my fantasies, and perhaps even an affair or two. It will have to stretch to make room for whatever I desire.

Finally I realize what I am so afraid of. I am afraid that men and penises have so much power in this heteropatriarchal world that simply desiring one can invalidate 25 years of deep womon-loving. I'm afraid that lesbianism is so fragile that it needs to be protected by an iron fence. I am afraid that by desiring a cock, I will be excommunicated, torn away from the world of womyn. I am afraid that if I allow myself to open, perhaps I will want more. This is why a lesbian wanting a man demands so much courage. Courage to stand outside of identity politics, to insist that our community grow to accept all of us.

My lesbianism is as sure and solid as the Himalayas, as predictable as the seasons and the phases of the moon, as familiar as a womon in my arms ("Wherever I go, there's one thing I know, I'm sure to have a womon around me"). My desire for men is as fleeting as good chocolate and ripe strawberries---not always available, sometimes bitter and disappointing, often intoxicating as nectar, somewhat allergic, and extremely tempting.

I can live with all these desires. I will not compromise myself again. Fitting in is less important than filling out. There is a revolution afoot, and it is stretching the parameters of the old gay life. The hundredth monkey. A friend says, "Oy, I'm not ready for this century." But she is. She is.

Just when I thought I'd made some sense of these desires for men and had come to peace with them, my ex-lover called. The butch who couldn't communicate and who could never fuck me right. She has something to share, something important, something very personal. She has decided to come out as a transgendered person---bi-gendered, s/he calls it. S/he has come to realize that s/he has both a male body and a female body. Hir language may be new, but the experience is familiar.

It was hir male body I always wanted. I'd called it butch. S/he says that when s/he is in hir male body s/he desires men; when s/he is in hir female body s/he desires womyn. In other words, s/he's as queer as a $3 bill.

Suddenly, a fog begins to clear. If I desired hir male body and hir male body desires men, and when s/he is in hir female body s/he desires womyn, then s/he must've wanted me womon to womon (or man to man?), while I wanted hir butch to femme (Dare I say, male to female?). Suddenly our sex problems become very clear.

I always felt hir switch. As I filled with desire, wanting hir hardness, her maleness, s/he would become soft, almost girly, and it was like someone pulled the plug on the bathtub, the desire leaked out of me, leaving me--us--empty.

This starts me thinking about the lover before hir. The one with the sweet curls in her hair, the big round belly, and the soft eyes. The kinky one, where anything goes. She loves my femme self, calls me bitch and desires to fell me with hardness, to force me into submission.

Somehow though, it never quite worked. I am beginning to see what went wrong. This one wanted butch/femme, boy/girl sex, and I wanted lezzie sex. I loved hir female body and wanted to touch her. S/he wanted to give me hir male body. When I tried to touch hir breasts, I was reminding hir that she was a womon and was therefore rejecting her power. The lover s/he picked after me identified as a heterosexual woman (although she too used to be a radical dyke). When my ex-lover told me this new lover wouldn't touch her (after all she did identify as straight), I thought, how terrible, such internalized homophobia. Now I am beginning to understand how, by ignoring the girl body, the boy could feel his power. It got old fast, but for a while it worked, fed the rejected boy place inside.

I began this piece saying I hadn't had a man in 15 years. I am beginning to suspect that I've had many men. They'd called themselves butches.

I suppose none of this makes sense if you just think about biological bodies. These girls definitely had female bodies, tits and ass, and oh, so lovely to touch. But there is no doubt that these womyn have also had dicks. I've never said this out loud before, because dick is a dirty lesbian word. But I have been filled by womyn's dicks, and no, they are not "just" dildos.”]

Lionheart, from wanting men, from genderqueer: voices beyond the binary, edited by Riki wilchins, 2002

[nariism]

come out and haunt me

pair. itoshi sae x ghost!reader

content: fluff, angst/comfort with a happy ending, reader is a ghost, platonic + romantic interactions, strangers to friends (to more?), slight pining

synopsis. sae is 13 years old when he moves to madrid. his temporary apartment is old and cheap, and worst of all it's haunted. but he finds your company better than nothing, even if you do tend to knock all of his belongings over.

wc. 5.7k

You are dead.

As it comes to all mortal humans, you have died. You can't remember when, or how, or why— only that it is your duty to haunt this home, that you are abysmally cold, and that you are dead.

You don't know if you had any last words, what it was like to draw a breath, or how to stop feeling so cold. Cradling yourself somehow makes it worse. But you are dead, so what does it matter if you can't remember?

If you had aspirations and meaning in life, then you suppose you should try to find them in death, too. So you float around empty halls, deliberately bump into things just for the fun of it, and pretend that you aren't dead. It is purposeful enough.

There's a boy who lives with you.

You are dead, and he is alive, yet he seems completely unbothered by your loud, obnoxious presence.

Sae feels more dead than alive.

He is 13 years old when he moves into his temporary home in Madrid. It's old and worn. It is all his parents could afford with Yen in a foreign country.

His new home is despairingly lonely. It makes the heart in his chest sink into the pit of his stomach. He misses Rin. His parents. Japan.

He should be thankful. He doesn't mean to be a brat. But the small apartment is cramped and cold and smells like mildew. He's allergic to something in the walls. His light buzzes horribly when it turns on.

And, well. The place is haunted.

You are a ghost haunting an old, rickety apartment in Madrid.

You've never seen your reflection in the mirror, but you're pretty sure you look scary. There has been others before him— a young couple with a dog; a retired carpenter; a businessman complaining about how shitty work is over the phone. Each and every one of them have left you the same way: screaming, crying, colour drained from their faces and packing their suitcase before you could even say hello.

It's a little lonely, being a ghost. Sometimes you wish you came off a little friendlier. You have no ill intent, you're just bored. Bored and lonely and wishing to know why everyone thinks you're so terrifying.

The boy who lives with you is the first. He's the first to look you dead in the eyes and shrug you off. He's the first to fall asleep knowing your presence is watching. He's the first to leave out a bowl of warm, steaming rice for you even though he seems to know you can't physically eat it.

His company is silent, as is yours. It's better than nothing.

Sae is 13 years and 5 months old when he tells Rin his apartment is haunted.

"A ghost? Seriously?" Rin sounds unimpressed even through the static of the phone call. Take it from the kid who watches horror movies in his spare time. Freak, Sae thinks.

"Seriously. I have a picture."

He can hear his brother pulling his phone away from his ear to look at the image he just sent. The call goes quiet for a moment, and then Rin is scoffing in the microphone again.

"Quit messing with me." The younger Itoshi sighs. "This isn't funny."

Rin is only 11. He lives at home with Mom and Dad. He's not alone right now, in a place where everyone speaks a jumbled language he can't decipher yet.

He doesn't understand that even if Sae isn't being haunted, he shouldn't crush his brother's hopes that someone, or something, is watching over him.

"I'm not," Sae deadpans.

"Yeah, okay, and what does this ghost do, then?" He still sounds skeptical.

"Mostly just knocks over my books and stuff."

From his couch, he watches you bristle in embarrassment and scurry away into the darkness of the hall.

You are some sort of untethered soul, unsure of where your actual body rests. It could be 10 meters from this apartment. It could be in Antarctica, for all you know.

Okay, well, Antarctica is a bit of a reach, but you're certain that your body is somewhere. You wonder what kind of clothes you used to wear; what kind of music you used to listen to; what kind of hairstyle you used to prefer.

You wonder if these things are anything like Sae's.

He's all you have right now. It would be nice if you had some things in common. Maybe you could be friends, if he was ever going to acknowledge you to your face instead of gossiping to his brother.

You watch him quietly from the kitchen table, waiting for your bowl of rice. You must make some kind of face when he instead places a plate of eggs in front of you.

He almost laughs, you think. He hasn't shown any sort of emotion in response to you thus far, so it's hard to tell.

"Coaches told me I have to be stricter about my diet," he says out loud. It's the first words he has ever spoken to you. It's the first words anyone has ever spoken to you.

He eats his bland eggs silently after that remark, eyeing them disdainfully.

You have that in common, at least. You miss your warm bowl of rice.

Sae thinks you are funny.

He's only ever known ghosts to be malicious, benevolent beings. Things stuck in purgatory with no way out, forced to wander the mortal plane and thus turning into baneful monsters. Watching spooky movies with Rin has ingrained this into him—  hardwired his brain into giving him goosebumps whenever you're around even though he knows you're harmless.

He has to wonder how anyone could ever find a ghost like you genuinely scary, with your avoidant eyes and that patience while you wait for breakfast.

He doesn't mind doing twice the amount of dishes. Not if it means he doesn't feel alone.

You do silly things, like shoving his belongings over when you want his attention, or sitting on the floor and blowing bone-chillingly cold air into his face when he's taking his midday nap.

He's discovered that your inconsistent corporeal interactions with the world are quite amusing.

"What's your name?" He asks one day over eggs that he's shoving around on his plate.

Silence. Of course.

"Don't have one?"

You shake your head, but really, you don't know. You can't remember.

Sae has never been the talkative type, but for some reason he just can't keep his mouth closed. Being a complete shut-in and not having anyone to talk to outside of his team would do that to him, he guesses. He's thankful that you at least don't seem to have a language barrier when he speaks Japanese.

"Should I name you?"

Your offended expression screams: What am I, a pet?

He just smiles, placing his fork down and observing you carefully. And the name he decides on dances at the tip of his tongue, sounds so sweet coming from his lips.

You can't help but think the name was meant for you, in life or in death.

You like listening to Sae talk.

He has a voice smooth as silk, so charming and boyish. He's young, you think. He told you once that you also looked rather young, and asked you how old you were when you died.

Even if you had an answer for him, it's not like you could have told him.

Sae is famous for his age, you discover one night while watching television with him. You're sitting on the floor and he's on the couch. You cause the TV to frizzle and crack with static but he doesn't shoo you away. Maybe he finds your presence more valuable than the background noise of the screen.

He's in a recording, playing what he calls "football"— light blue uniform, eyes wide with adrenaline, sweat sticking to his forehead and a proud shine in his expression. He isn't smiling by any means (you've also discovered that he rarely does), but you can tell he's happy.

"I'm going to be the greatest striker," he says from the couch. He talks about his dreams a lot, which is apparently what he used to do with Rin, but you don't mind filling in that role temporarily. "I'm going to be the best in the entire world."

You don't know anything about football, but you believe him anyways.

Sae is 14 years old when he gets his first contract payment.

This is his chance, he realizes, to move out of his shitty little apartment and into an actual livable home.

He has to consider if you'll feel lonely, if you even can feel lonely, and if you'll like hanging out with your next housemate, whoever it is that's unlucky enough to have a ghost befall them.

He's getting soft. If it were any other point in his life, Sae would have taken the chance to move out without hesitation. But you've been there for him since day one, kept him enough company — no matter how quiet — for him not to go literally insane.

You're the only thing he has in Madrid that he can come home to right now. You’re the only reason he even comes home at night instead of just sleeping in the locker rooms.

If not him, who else would feed you crappy bland eggs in the morning?

You, football, sleep. You, football, sleep. You, football, sleep. At some point, it became his routine.

"I was thinking of moving out."

Your head tilts to the side. You seem perplexed by his statement.

"Like, leaving. Leaving here."

You blink at him, head tilting the other way. There's a look in your eyes that tells him you understand. There's also a look that tells him it's not your first time being abandoned, left in this terribly lonely, smelly apartment.

"I can never tell what you're thinking," he huffs.

You're still for a moment, just staring at him as if you suddenly can't understand Japanese. But then you get up from the table, walk over to the container of dry rice that's been untouched for so long that it's gathering dust, and knock it over.

"Hey," he scolds sharply, chair screeching as he stands. "I have to clean that, you know?"

You start moving the spilled rice into place. He watches curiously as you sort dry rice into a pile. You don't know any Kanji, he isn't surprised. But you know enough to draw him a universally understood symbol.

When he peers over at the messy counter, he finds himself staring at a giant X. Stay, it means. Don't leave.

That night, when he knows you've retreated into the closet where you seemingly go to sleep, he crumples up the lease for his new place without signing and burns the paper.

It's because he needs to make you eggs tomorrow morning. Only he would know to do that.

"Do ghosts ever have dreams?"

You raise your head from the edge of the bed. You've made it a new habit to protect him in his sleep, from what he can tell. Perching yourself on the floor beside the mattress and resting there, head in your arms, making his sheets cold.

You shake your head. Of course not, he internally smacks himself. What a ridiculous notion.

He rolls himself over onto his side, looking at you from under his duvet. "So when you sleep, you don't see anything?"

Another shake of the head. He isn't sure you're understanding him. There's another pause as he peers at you, and then he sighs, eyes sliding shut.

"Do ghosts ever have dreams?" He asks again, this time emphasizing his words in a different way and hoping you'll answer him the way he wants.

Your eyes shift away for a second, as if pondering. When you look back he's surprised to see that you look... bashful?

You point at him, then at yourself, then shy away again.

You. Me. Friends.

Sae feels silly that it makes his heart ache a little— the sadness carried in your face and a loneliness so powerful he feels it rattling in his own bones.

Well, the two of you have a lot more in common than he thought. How long had you been alone? Was that really all you ever dreamed of? Having a friend?

Suddenly, his doubts about his own dreams feel immeasurably small.

He reaches out to pat your head. His hand goes through you.

Sae is 15 years old when he packs up his belongings for a flight to Japan.

"I'll be back," he promises with a small smile. You believe him. He doesn't lie to you.

You wait patiently at the door for him for two weeks, three days, and sixteen hours. When he comes home, he finds you sitting on the floor like you always do with your head in your knees and a sleepy expression on your face.

He seems colder. More withdrawn, for some reason.

"Miss me?" Sae asks, but he's not even looking at you. He makes his way over to the kitchen and dumps a cup of rice into the cooker, suitcase abandoned at the door unpacked.

You trail behind him curiously, watching him in confusion as he washes it in the sink. He pauses, finally glancing at you before reaching over and dumping a second cup of rice in.

"I stress eat. Don't tell my coach."

The words don't make much sense to you, but you nod anyways.

For the first time in months, he places a bowl of warm rice in front of you. You do as he does, say thanks for the food in your head even though you can't eat, and observe him. You both sit quietly in the dim light of the apartment, moonlight beaming through your single rickety window.

He only gets four bites in before he puts his head in his hands and sobs.

You've never seen someone cry so hard before. Usually, they only do it when they first catch a glimpse of you and flee in terror. You've never known it to be such a painful sound— like a bird singing for the sky but never finding it.

Sae sits there for a long time just crying to himself, not caring that your presence is still watching. It's not like you'd ever judge him or have the voice to speak this secret, anyways.

"Fuck—" he hiccups, wiping up his face. "—Sorry."

You look at him funny. He has no reason to apologize. He's just a kid. A 15 year old kid who needs to stress eat in the solitude of his lonely apartment right now. It makes your chest squeeze; an unfamiliar, horrible feeling that's completely new to you. You wonder if this is what all the anime he watches calls a heart.

By the time he finishes crying, his rice is cold. And when he looks up, his eyes widen. Your lips are trembling and you look like you want to shout at him, but you can't. You are dead. You're a ghost. You can't yell some sense into him, even if you tried.

In the pale moonlight shining into the room, he can see tears illuminated on your cheeks.

Sae is 16 years old when he meets his first partner.

"They're nice," he reassures you as he slicks his bangs up with gel. You shake your head in disapproval and he rolls his eyes. You always liked his bangs down, thinks he looks better that way. "Well, I can't stay single forever."

You scowl at him and swivel on your heel to stubbornly deny his claims. He just laughs.

"You're seriously jealous?"

You shoot him a glare.

"If you really don't like them, you could always scare them away. You are a ghost, aren't you?" He reaches up to pat your head as he always does. And as always, his hand phases through you.

He turns around to fix his hair again, leaning into the mirror to see himself closer.

You're not sure if you even have human features. You can't see them in a reflection, anyways. Even if you did, you're sure they're pretty scary.

You glance at Sae in the reflection. He looks as good as ever, no longer a scrawny little 13 year old kid who eats rice for breakfast every morning. You wonder if his partner is pretty like he is.

He must notice the chill in the air grow ten times colder— a telling sign that your mood is dropping. He turns around to see what has happened, only to find you sulking.

"What?"

You pout, gesturing to the mirror. He looks to the vanity, then to you, and he shakes his head with an exasperated smile.

"I was wondering when you'd ask," he says as if this was a conversation he's been waiting for. And then he talks. Talks more than you've heard in a long time— since he came home from Japan, probably.

He's gotten meaner over the years. He was always a rude little kid, but being pushed around in football must have given him thicker skin and a sharper tongue. You've never known him to be a saint of a human, someone who speaks so eloquently in their descriptions. But here he is now, defying your every expectation like he always does.

He tells you what colour your hair is. Compares the shape of your head to a fruit you can't recall an image of. Gives you a detailed explanation of all your flaws and marks and why he thinks they're so perfect because it proves that you were indeed alive and human at some point.

"You're beautiful," he concludes casually, as if he's not turning the entire world on its head right now.

Silence fills the room as he waits for your response. You don't do anything but gawk at him, and he chuckles.

He doesn't show up to his date that night.

"Your hair got longer," Sae points out one day while he's scrolling through his phone.

Your eyes flutter open from where your head rests on the coffee table. You hadn't even noticed. Can ghosts grow? 

"You know, I used to think you'd stay the same forever, but you've been growing up with me. It's cute."

Have you? Is it cute? Are you seriously so tethered to him that you've been unconsciously changing to match him?

Sae puts his phone down at your confusion. "Should I give you a birthday if you're going to grow up?"

You don't know what a birthday is. When he tries to explain it, you're even more perplexed. Ghosts don't have birthdays. They have... deathdays.

He puts a cake in front of you anyways and lets you blow out the candles.

Sae is 17 years old when he gets the eviction notice.

Four years. Four long, hard, unbelievably painful years later, and he's finally being kicked out of his house.

13 year old Sae would have celebrated. All he feels now is despair.

He doesn't tell you. He can't. How can he explain that he won't wake up every morning at 6am sharp to make you eggs? That you won't have someone around who will tell you every little thing that's changed about you from the last day? That you won't be able to doodle him little incomprehensible blobs with dry rice anymore?

He shouldn't care so much. You're not chained to this Earth. You might just disappear once he leaves, inperceptable to anyone else. The thought makes him so sick that he throws up that night. He tells you he ate some bad food.

Sae doesn't want you to feel sad or lonely, but it's not like he can just become a squatter in this place. His dream is to play football, not be thrown into jail.

You wake up one morning, and he's gone.

There isn't a note. There isn't an explanation anywhere to be found. There isn't even a trace of evidence that Itoshi Sae ever lived here.

Well, except for the plate of eggs and bowl of rice sitting on the stove.

You thought you would have been used to being alone by now. For some time, you were used to it. But that was many years ago.

You're not sure how long you've been haunting this apartment in Madrid, nor do you know how much time passes after Sae leaves. The world seems to come to a halt, actually. Without him, what fun is being a ghost?

Now you're just a lost soul like all the others. There isn't anything special about you. You're just the ghost that used to haunt Itoshi Sae and wake him up from his naps.

For the first time in years, you only know one thing. A singular fact that keeps you bound to this world: it's your duty to haunt this home. There is nothing else.

No one moves in after Sae leaves. No one new comes to be haunted. No one dares to set foot into this apartment. You remember that there were moments when life flickered inside of you, if even for just a fraction of your infinite time. The reason for that has abandoned you without explanation.

There's a knock on the door one day. You can't open it, and the person outside doesn't bother sticking around to see you phasing through the door to look around.

There's a birthday cake on the floor with candles that say '19' sticking out of it.

Only one human in the entire world would have deemed today to be your 19th birthday. He's nowhere to be seen.

He moves back to Japan on his 21st birthday. Sae is having trouble remembering what you look like, despite seeing you in his dreams every night.

It's a terrible realization. So terrible that it makes him sob into his pillow at night when no one in the world is awake to hear his anguish.

Japan is lonelier than Madrid. He never thought it would happen, and he blames you entirely.

He doesn't have anyone waiting for him when he opens the door to his luxury penthouse apartment. He only washes one plate in the morning. He wakes up from his midday naps undisturbed and rested.

Sae misses you deeply. And he can't help but wonder if you feel the same.

(You don't know what the yearning ache inside of you is. You don't know what to call it.

You miss him, too. You just can't put a name to the feeling.)

He doesn't stop seeing you in wisps; little blurs in his peripheral that make his head turn fast as lightning. Wherever he looks, you're gone.

It's not fair that you're a ghost who both literally and figuratively haunts him. He'd like to move on in life and forget about those 4 miserable years he spent living in that damned apartment.

He can't. Sae is incapable of moving on from that place. The irony of it is that you actually can't move on from that place, for some reason.

He would give anything to have you haunting him again. It doesn't matter where in the world the two of you are, if you were together everything would be okay. He's impossibly lonely without you.

You start to think that you're the selfish one.

The idea of leaving this terrible apartment in Madrid scares you to your very core— whatever soul is resting in your incorporeal body. It's not fair to place the blame entirely on Sae. Not when you're too wimpy to leave this place and find him.

Death is lonely without him.

One step forward, one day at a time. It's the advice Sae used to mutter to himself while getting ready in the morning.

One step forward, one day at a time. One step forward, one day at a time. And day by day, you're slowly inching closer to the door.

Sae talks to Rin and all he can think about is your confused smiles and head tilts. He talks to his parents and all he can imagine is how cold the room would be if it were you. He talks to his fucking therapist and thinks that all of her shitty advice can't compare to your quiet understanding— that your tears of solidarity are the only thing that could make him feel better.

It's fucked up, really, that he can't move on. His body is in Japan going through the motions: playing football, being famous, being interviewed and going home to nothing. His heart is in Madrid. You took it with you and refuse to let go.

You're the closest thing to love he's ever felt, perhaps— his only friend in Spain. His only reason not to leave. A ghost from his childhood that protected him in his sleep and ate bland eggs for breakfast across the table from him every morning. A ghost that would sit on the floor and wait for him to come home every day. A ghost that kept him company when he had no one else.

He loves you. He doesn't. He needs you. He doesn't. He misses you. He doesn't. Whatever. What does it matter now?

"So playing football has always been your dream?"

Sae stares blankly at the interviewer. He's reminded of a distant conversation: he is laying in bed looking at a ghost with a lump in his throat, and then he makes his first and only friend in Spain.

"Yes."

"And now that you're back in Japan, will you be playing for the national team?"

"I have no interest in playing on such a weak team." In other words, he has no reason to stay in Japan.

"So where will you go?"

Anywhere but here, he wants to say. In reality, he doesn't know where to go anymore if not to his old apartment in Spain. He just knows that he wants to come home to your sleepy face.

(That night, he makes two bowls of rice. He cries like he's 15 years old again and just ruined his relationship with his brother.)

You've never been outside before.

You've heard about it, almost entirely from Sae but also from little snippets of anime he liked to watch. It's brighter than you imagined it to be, and warmer. You're not sure you've ever felt so warm before— it's hard to when you are a walking freezer.

There isn't anyone to tell you where to go. No one pays you any mind. You wonder if you even exist anymore outside of the small confines of that old apartment.

Something tells you that you do.

You don't know where to start looking. He could be all the way across the globe for all you know, though he did used to talk about his home country.

You have no map. You have no sense of direction. You have no one to ask for help. 

All you have is the soul caged within your ghostly body tugging in one direction, and wispy feet dragging your body along in response.

Sae is 23 years old when he finally signs the contract to play for Japan, after months of being pestered by Rin about it.

His relationship with his brother is complicated. On one hand, he feels as though Rin will never truly forgive him for what he did when he was 15. On the other, he looks so ecstatic to be playing football together again that Sae wonders if their discourse was imaginary.

Japan is just a smidge less lonely with Rin in his life.

He wants to tell you all about it. That everything worked out and it's fine now. That you can stop weeping for him and to wipe up the tears that fall into nothing.

He counts the distance between you. Fourteen thousand kilometres separate him from telling you how he's living his new dream: playing football with his little brother again.

Fourteen thousand kilometers, ten years of needing you, and a reminder set on his phone to buy you a birthday cake again this year.

His heart aches.

Japan is loud and busy and everyone is always in a hurry to get places.

You have to wonder if Sae really grew up in a city like this, and how he turned out so calm and unmovable. The street names are all in Kanji you can't read, but your soul tells you that you're going the right way, anyways.

There's a crowd gathering when your feet finally come to a halt. Lights flash and there are fancy looking people with microphones clamouring toward the center.

It's only a fraction of a second that your eyes meet, and then someone shoves him into the back of the car and they drive off.

He must be famous here, too.

Sae is 24 years old tossing and turning in his bed, wondering if you were just a figment of his imagination or if you were truly standing there under a streetlamp watching him.

It wouldn't be the first time he dreamed you into existence; on some occasions you feel so real that he nearly reaches out to attempt to pat your head, like he always used to do when he was younger.

He goes back to that spot a couple hours later. The crowd is long gone and it's the dead of night— no one would be around to witness Itoshi Sae looking psychotic.

He doesn't find you in that spot. Instead, you're two blocks down and crouched in front of the window of a 24 hour shop. There's an ad for sparklers, and though you can't read the poster itself, the picture makes you stare with wide eyes.

He crouches down beside you as if 7 years of distance never existed between you.

"Do you want one?" He asks. You look at him in a strange way and his knees grow weak beneath him. You nod.

He comes out five minutes later with a few packs in his hand, walking away from you down the street to the park. You follow him quietly as if 7 years of distance never existed between you.

Sae holds one out, flicks the lighter in his pocket open and ignites the first sparkler. You watch it in fascination, ghostly form illuminated in warm orange and yellow light.

He smiles at you as if 7 years of distance never existed between you.

When the sparkler dies out, he lights another. And another. And another, until he's gone through all the packets he could afford with the Yen in his wallet right now.

As if 7 years of distance never existed between you, he reaches out to pat your head. His hand falls through you.

You think Sae's new apartment is pretentious, but it's clean and open and doesn't smell like mildew.

It's hard to imagine what kind of purpose you had before him— all your memories are flooded with his hands and eyes and bangs and small smiles reserved for you. You think that the only reason you were ever materialized into the mortal plane was to haunt him, and only him. Itoshi Sae's permanent looming presence.

He doesn't seem to mind. In fact, you've noticed he's been smiling more lately since you started waiting for him to come home by the door.

Sae is 25 years old when you fall asleep beside him in his bed.

You don't care that he's a kicker or a blanket hog in his sleep. It's not like either of those would affect you. He watches your sleeping face carefully, waiting to see if he would ever wake up from this blissful dream and be alone again.

But every time he wakes up, there you are.

You've grown since he left you in Madrid— you don't look like some lost little kid anymore, at least. He wonders if your souls are truly so intertwined that you would change alongside him, regardless of the distance.

Your eyes flutter open and his breath catches in his throat. You blink at him slowly in the pale moonlight, brows furrowed.

You point at him. Then yourself.

You. Me.

He nods in understanding.

When he drops a plate of protein pancakes in front of you for breakfast, you look confused.

"Oh, sorry. Do you want rice?"

You shake your head. You don't care what's for breakfast, as long as you're sitting across from him while he eats it.

"I'm going to be the world's best midfielder," he tells you one day. You're on the floor and he's on the couch, and it's like time had never even passed.

You don't know what that means, but it's his dream so it must be important. The most important thing in the world.

What you don't know is that it's not his entire dream. World's best midfielder doesn't mean a thing if he can't come home to tell you all about it.

You are dead.

You're a ghost haunting Itoshi Sae— one that followed him from Madrid all the way to Japan. You don't remember how, or when, or why you died. You can't remember what your face looks like either, no matter how much Sae tries to describe it to you. 

You are dead. You're a ghost knocking over Sae's belongings to get his attention when you want it. You're the ghost curled up in bed with him even though he has to wear two layers to stay warm because of it. You're the ghost watching him rotate through different breakfasts that he says could never compare to a good old warm bowl of rice.

You are a ghost, and Itoshi Sae gave you a name. A birthday. A purpose greater than being a loud nuisance.

You are a ghost who likes to watch him light sparklers on his balcony. Who feels the things described only in the books he reads to you. Who learned to love somewhere along the way.

You are dead, and somehow alive at the same time.

(One day, Sae will be brave. One day, he will tell you he loves you. One day, he will thank you for waiting for him at the door when he comes home.)

© ALABOADOA 2023 — please do not translate or post my works to other platforms.

[muniimyg]

𐙚₊˚⊹ best friend!jimin ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹

series m.list // taglist request: closed

🏷️ permanent taglist: @joonsjuice @pamzn @defzcl @maryy1300 @whoa-jo @taetaecatboy @jksusawife @un06 @firesighgirl @rrosiitas @butterymin @parkinglot-nights @musicjournalsjdb @kissyfacekoo @jkslvsnella @vampcharxter @bloopkook @kekerrreke @somehowukook @bbystarcandykoo

jimin has always found you pretty.

the day you announced to be best friends with him, he quickly accepted his fate and pushed the idea of being with you aside. it didn't matter to him back then. he was just happy to be yours.

but it's different now.

after a long internship abroad, you've finally returned home. he picked you up from the airport and if he could live through the moment where your eyes met in the crowd again—he would.

it was the way your eyes lit up when he found yours.

it was the way he pushed through the crowd to reach for you again.

it was the way you smiled as he pulled you in by your waist, resting your chin on the crook of his neck, murmuring; "god, i missed you."

during the drive back to your place, he asks about your flight. to his dismay, you talk about something else.

someone else.

there's an unsure feeling that forms in the pit of his stomach. it could be jealousy. it probably is jealousy.

you tell jimin about the boy you met during your internship. how he treated you well in the beginning and even considered sleeping with him. how natural it was for you and the other guy to bond. jimin feels sick with every word about him that escapes your mouth. was he replaced? was that why you barely called? was that who you were with and posting in a soft-launch style? oh, his blood boils.

when you arrive at your place, jimin helps you carry your suitcases to your room. but before that, he greets everyone in your family. they waited for you too. they missed you too.

in your bedroom, you immediately fall to your bed. you take a deep breath and stare at the ceiling as jimin sets your suitcases aside. you pat the space beside you and jimin mimics your fall to join you. now, in the silence, you two let your thoughts consume you.

he should say he missed you. he should say he missed you more than you missed him. he should... say something, right? confess or whatever? he isn't sure. all he knows is that he's happy you're back and doesn't think he could do this again.

he can't be without you again.

"___, can i—"

"i think i'm over love," you sigh, turning to your side and facing him. you reach for his hair and play with a few strands. "he was so nice in the beginning. i thought i was going to bring him home and introduce you to him... but it didn't last. why doesn't it ever last?"

jimin's throat goes dry.

"feels like i went to hell and back with him," you admit. "was i always bound to be with guys like him? i've had enough. from here on out, i'm going to commit to the cat lady thing."

he laughs. "really, now? the cat thing? you're allergic."

you huff. "i'll replace you with yoongi. he's a cat. same shit."

jimin pouts.

you laugh and apologize.

"not all guys are like him, ___. you know that." he attempts to comfort you. "i'm not like that."

you smile and nod in agreement. "i know... it's just... what ever happened to love letters? to fresh flowers and picnics by the lake?"

jimin squints at you. "you hate the lake. you say the ground is too mushy and the ducks are scary."

you shrug. "i want to go on a row boat ride. like allie and noah from the notebook or something... you know? i want romance."

"knowing you... you'd fall into the water."

"well, then that's his cue to save me."

"what if he doesn't know how to swim?"

"then he's not the one."

a beat.

"i'm a good swimmer."

you blink at him.

before you can reply, jimin continues. "you seem to be flip-flopping between wanting to love and wanting to be loved. which is it, really?"

you think.

"both," you answer. "how romantic would it be if it was both?"

jimin doesn't answer you.

instead, he looks at you in a way you've never noticed he has. it makes your heart beat faster. it makes you forget to breathe in. you hiccup, he laughs, and suddenly you two feel at ease again.

then, he reaches for your hand.

gently, he intertwines your fingers together. you gulp, unsure if you should say something or move... you figure not to. instead, you lay there and stare at your ceiling. jimin does the same.

in a split moment, you hold your breath. you didn't expect this. neither did he. but it happens. he says something that changes everything between you two forever. from friends to lovers; in between is romance.

this moment is your in-between.

this is romance.

"to love and to be loved," jimin breathes, "... is to be with you."

[samfucker]

darlin's unempowered friend hcs :3 also masc darlin oc mentioned A LOT! (who's surprised)

his name is trevor o'connor. he's half korean (mom's side) and was born in northern ireland, belfast specifically, before moving to america around the same time that julius (darlin) came to Dahlia, so they quickly became friends because they were both new and had no clue what to do with themselves

he moved away because his mom abandoned him and his dad and his dad, tiernan, didn't really know what to do with himself and moved to america where his brother was. (tiernan is a triplet!) his dad eventually remarried to charlotte and is now extremely happy. trevor loves char!! he has younger siblings from her (that sounds weird? idk how else to word it) and she's overall just one of those mothers that radiate sunshine but does NOT play abt her kids

julius has a bunch of nicknames for him. It went from Trevor to Trev to T to TT (Tee-tee) then titty then Mr. Titty. It's like when you give your dog a nickname and then it escalates into something completely different 

neither of these dudes can walk straight. widawee. like they bump into each other or walk in front of each other and get mad like "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE FUCKING GOING, WHAT ARE YOU DOING??"

they were both losers... they were both pretty boys, but losers. like if they were extroverts and didn't have interests that were considered "weird" then they probably would've been more popular in school

before moving to america, trevor forgot to break up with the girl he was dating so it looked like he literally just disappeared. one time during lunch at school trevor did a big ol sigh like "SIGHH.... man i miss my gf.." and julius was like WHAT r u even talking about......

one time he buzzed and bleached his hair and julius called him eminem for a week and a half before trevor got mad and made julius dye it silver, and when it grew out he had those like tiny little spikes with dark roots and he thought he was the SHIT (he was.)

allergic to pineapple 

dyslexic

his favourite number is 8. julius' is 7. 

after being attacked by quinn, trevor never blamed julius

julius tried to cook for him when he got discharged from the hospital and trevor was like "what... even is this.." 

he didn't eat it. julius ordered him something and ate his creation himself cus he hates wasting food

monster lover, julius is a redbull lover

trevor is also a WHORE for a dr. pepper

one time when they were 14, they tried feeding a stray dog which lead to julius being bitten HARDDD like this dog held on for dear life. afterwards, they hopped on trevor's bike and went to marie's. halfway there trevor asked if julius was okay and julius was just like "are you serious."

they always argue over shit like soccer vs football, chips vs fries, scone vs biscuit, etc. all julius can say to defend himself is "im not from this country."

once he was caught in a lie and trevor replied with "i have an accent, you don't know what i said."

do not have a srs talk around these two. they'll make eye contact and lose their shit

julius wanted to start a band and trevor was like dude we have literally no friends what are you talking about

they used to cuddle platonically all the time, especially when all the quinn shit was going on

trevor has horrendous handwriting. julius makes fun of him when his own handwriting isnt any better, but he defends himself by saying you can read it and that's all that matters

julius : i made u a friendship bracelet :3

trev; thats gay

julius: ok fuck u damn give me it back

trev: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PLEAAAAAAAAAASE

trevor has a ginger little cat with one eye who's called pearce 

one time julius and trev's apartment building caught on fire cus of shitty wiring and julius had to sit outside in just baggy sweatpants and trevor was sitting out there on the curb in just underwear and a pair of slippers cus it was like 2am

julius: ur so annoyi-

trevor: UR APARTMENT BURNED DOWN!!!!!

even tho it was his apartment too and they literally lose half their shit to the fire

trevor's little sister made him mad one time and he told her the tooth fairy wasn't real

they worked together for a while and both got fired cus they both have anger issues and were also so unserious. like they'd end up on the floor with laughter mid shift.

he hated david for a long ass time. he'd refer to him as bitch boy. he loved asher tho and thought milo was a little too intimidated for a short guy (sassy man apocalypse.)

he has an eyebrow piercing and a few small tattoos, he's scared of needles but wanted to look cool

he didn't know about magic until he got attacked by quinn and was about to pass out from blood loss and he fully thought it was a hallucination. then julius came to him in the hospital like you'll never believe this...

EVER SINCE THEN, julius has no peace.

werewolf reaction pics. dog jokes. julius' birthday gift after trev found out was a squaky toy and on halloween he dressed up as the most cliche werewolf ever and said he was julius. (creds to aster). he used to call it transforming instead of shifting and julius would be like THATS NOT WHAT ITS CALLEDDDDDDDDDDDDD.

"man, im bored... wanna go play fetch?" "ur hairs getting long... i'll take u to the dog groomers." "do u want a pedigree??"

THIS IS KINDA WHAT TREV LOOKS LIKE!! (awooga booga *hearts pop out of my eyes and my tongue drops out of my mouth and rolls across the grounf like a red carpet)

also this pic (ik it doesn't look like my darlin oc or Trev) is so them

DAMN CAN I YAP!!!

tags - (i lurv u guys)

@achios @aurorialwolf @infinitelovewiithoutfulfilmentt @tgckceo @astrodude-87 @krashkitty @cozy-collins @professionallyyappinabtangst @porters-fangs @n0r

cus u guys eat up my hcs.

[thelamentknight]

Ángel Iglesias

19/Male

Mexican

Pansexual (Male Preference)

Scorpio

His hometown is Aguas de Caléndulas (Marigold Waters)

Twisted from Ernesto de la Cruz

Scarabia

3rd Year

His best subject is Poison Making

He’s in the Fashion Club

His favorite food is Beef Tongue Tacos

His least favorite food is Avocados

Dislikes Bells

Hobbies include: Singing, Pressing flowers in notebooks, Drawing, Making fashion lookbooks, and collecting vintage books and music records

Talent: Keeping Secrets

Unique Magic: “Heaven to Earth.” When Ángel uses his Unique Magic, he can see ghosts. Most ghosts actually remain invisible, but to Ángel, they look visible with his UM. Without using it, he can still sense when ghosts are present when others can’t. His UM doesn’t add up much blot. The ghosts also appear as skeleton people when the UM is used.

Ángel is a confident, flirty and charming man who is very aware of his handsome looks and beautiful singing voice. He has a way with words, and could probably convince you to break all of Heartslabyul’s rules in front of Riddle if he wanted to. He can also be a bit of tease, to the chagrin of the more serious students. He can be quite theatrical when he’s in the right mood, too. Ángel is quite protective of the ones he cares about.

Background:

His Mother is a shoe maker while his Father runs a Textile Mill that’s been passed down for a couple of generations. It’s a successful Mill, so Ángel is pretty rich (around as rich as Kalim). He has a younger twin brother named Hidalgo (who is Twst Hector).

Ángel was a bit of an ugly duckling when he was younger. He had braces and bad acne, which kind of worsened the bullying he was already experiencing (cause Ángel was actually a quiet shy kid when he was younger). Hidalgo did his best to protect him from the bullies. At some point during Ángel’s early teens, Ángel had a “glow up,” and how he was treated was completely different. The boys who pranked him and tried to beat him suddenly wanted to be his friends, and the girls who sneered and gossiped about him were suddenly swooning. Ángel and Hidalgo saw right through the bullshit though.

So now Ángel has this insecurity where he feels like the only reason people like him is because he’s hot.

Fun Facts:

Chihuahuas are his favorite breed of dogs

Ángel is allergic to Avocados. He’s had to go to the hospital 17 times (he counted) because people would hear his allergy, scoff or laugh, and sneak avocado into his food. They wouldn’t believe him because…, really? A Latino allergic to Avocados? That’s like if an Asian was allergic to Rice! The experiences made him hate avocados.

His last name, Iglesias, references two things🤓☝️: 1.) It means “churches,” 🤓☝️and references to Ernesto’s religious surname (de la Cruz/of the Cross)🤓☝️. 2.) He has the same surname as Enrique Iglesias🤓☝️, a popular Spanish singer🤓☝️

The mirror took a good minute deciding whether to put Ángel in Scarabia or Pomefiore

He used to have a crush on Tiago (Twisted Tiana), a student from RSA. Ángel asked Tiago out, but Tiago rejected him as he did not return the feelings. The two still became good friends. While they rarely see each other, they send each other food at times. Ángel does not have feelings for Tiago anymore, but there’s no bad feelings between the two

He used to be in the Light Music Club until Carmen made the Fashion Club

He has thought about possibly being a musician, but he considers singing more of a hobby

He’s fine chuckling, but he never really laughs. That’s because he’s embarrassed how…hysterical his laugh sounds (kids at school bullied him about it)

He has a talent for keeping things under control if something goes wrong

He has a book that was gifted by his Father that has samples and notes of different fabrics

Kind of has a competitive streak

He has Kampanaphobia, the fear of bells

He still uses the sewing machine his Mother gave him when he was young

His UM shows that there actually way more ghosts at NRC than people know and has discovered interesting things about them. For example, he learned that most of them hang around Ignihyde

He’s a good fighter. He could throw some hands at some Savanaclaw students and win

When he first got the NRC acceptance letter when he was 16, Ángel didn’t go. He didn’t go to NRC until he got the letter again the following year. So Ángel started attending NRC when he was 17

Dating Ellis Vinter

Voice Claim

[guplia]

My fifteenth fic for @badthingshappenbingo!

Fandom: Ninjago

Trope: Allergic Reaction

Also available on AO3!

For @hijabiwriter, because she gave me the idea for this fic!

Allergic to You

Lloyd was so bored. He still wasn’t used to living in a flying ship with his goody-two-shoes uncle and his stupid ninja students, his sworn enemies. And some stupid girl, whoever she was. He’d heard she was the red ninja’s sister, the one he hated the most. Better stay away from her too, then.

The worst part was that Wu didn’t let him commit crimes anymore. Was he an idiot? He was Lloyd Garmadon! Son of Lord Garmadon! As soon as his father came to rescue him from his uncle’s captivity he’d destroy him!

But for now he had to keep listening to Wu yapping about “defeating your enemies by making them your friends” or some similar bullshit.

“So, as I’ve said before, Lloyd, you are not like your–”

“Can I go to the bathroom?” Lloyd asked, finally lifting his face off his hands, still crouched on the chair. Doesn’t this guy ever get bored?

Wu sighed. “Yes Lloyd, you may use the bathroom. But be quick.”

Lloyd’s face lightened up and he happily ran out of the room. He didn’t need to use the bathroom; he was just going to lock himself in there for the next ten minutes or so then blame it on diarrhoea or something. Everybody knew the black ninja’s cooking was awful anyways. He was surprised that nobody, including himself, threw up at the table.

On the way there he passed by the ninja’s room, from where he could hear the red ninja and his sister talking.

“You stink, Kai.” Lloyd snickered at that. What a loser.

“I’d be wearing perfume if you weren’t allergic to it!”

Lloyd smiled at Kai’s words and thought to himself. Allergic to perfume, huh? I think I’ve just found my next plan.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Kai standing right behind him.

“And just what are you doing here?” Lloyd jumped at those words and almost got a heart attack. Damn it.

He turned around to face Kai slowly before responding. “I was, uh… looking for the bathroom!”

Kai frowned and pointed at a door. “It’s right there! How stupid are you?”

“I’m not stupid, you’re stupid!” He blew raspberries at Kai.

Kai pushed Lloyd with all his force, and the little boy fell to the floor. “Go away!” With that, he shut the door.

Lloyd grumbled. Oh, now I’m definitely getting revenge.

***

By the time Wu’s long, boring lecture had finished the sun was going down.

“Time for dinner,” the old man said. Lloyd scrambled out of his seat and ran off with no explanation to his uncle.

He reached the ninja’s room once again and perked through the ajar door, thankful that no one was inside.

He rummaged through each ninja’s stuff, hopeful that one of them had perfume. Sadly, there was nothing of his interest. However, as soon as he was about to give up and leave, he saw a table in front of the beds with an alarm clock on top, and a drawer underneath.

Lloyd, hopeful, slowly crept towards the table and opened the drawer. It was full, mostly filled with random crap like baby pictures of what looked like the blue ninja and a letter addressed to “Cole Brookstone” from “Lou Brookstone”. And then there was a weird picture of some buff man wearing what looked like a green gi who Kai’s face was stuck on. Lloyd laughed at it. Let’s save this for later. He put the picture in his pocket and started rummaging.

He carefully moved the stuff around, and then he found something. It was a black, shiny bottle of perfume, with a label on it: For Jay only. Please do not use!

Sorry, Jay, whichever one of the ninja you are, Lloyd thought, as he picked it up and moved it around in his hands, observing it in awe when he heard footsteps coming in his direction. He gasped and hid the bottle under his hoodie, closed the drawer and ran towards the door. Unfortunately, as soon as he opened it he saw Kai once again, who greeted him with a frown.

“What are you doing here?” He fumed.

Lloyd smiled sheepishly and looked away, fumbling with his hands. “What are you doing here?” He retorted.

Kai snapped. “This is my room! Get out of here, you little brat! I belong here in the Bounty, unlike you!”

“I live here too, now!”

“No you don’t! You caused so much trouble and we’re cleaning up your mess! Why don’t you go back to your father, huh? At least someone there will actually love you!”

Lloyd went silent after that. His face almost turned as red as Kai’s clothes.

“What happened? Planning your trip to the Shadow Realm?”

“Yeah, actually,” Lloyd lied. “I’ll tell my father about you and he’ll blast your head off!” With that, he ran off, not noticing how Kai rolled his eyes in disapproval.

“Not coming for dinner?” Wu called out for his nephew, unaware of the argument he just participated him, and was met with no response.

***

The next morning, Lloyd lied in his mattress angrily. Hopefully, if that stupid ninja would actually take his annual shower today, the plan would go in action.

He was jolted out of bed when the black ninja suddenly opened the door.

“Don’t you know how to knock?”

“Sorry. Aren’t you gonna eat breakfast?”

“What’s your problem?”

“Wu told me to ask you.”

“Fine then,” Lloyd said as he stood up and walked to the door, attempting to push the ninja out of his way, only to realise he was heavy as a boulder. Angry, he kept punching the teenager, who kept his expression neutral as he watched in amusement, but didn’t move an inch.

“Move!” Lloyd finally snapped.

“Should’ve just asked,” he replied quietly, then walked away.

Lloyd angrily stomped towards the dining room. He didn’t like how the black ninja invaded his privacy, but he was secretly grateful that he didn’t snap like Kai. The black ninja was his second favourite ninja for that reason, even though his cooking was poisonous. His favourite was the white one because he always minded his own business and never tried to interact with him. Then his third favourite– more like second worst, was the blue one. He always made stupid jokes and puns and had an annoying voice. Then the one he hated the most was Kai. So when he reunited with his father, he’d have him kill them in that order: Kai, then the blue ninja, then the black one, then the white one. He might even, very mercifully, spare the last two and only enslave them instead. Not sure about the girl and Wu, though. He’d think about that when he got to that point, if his father even wanted him around.

When he got to the dining room, Wu was there already, and so were the blue and white ninja, and the girl, and he already saw the black ninja earlier. All of them ignored Lloyd and kept having their discussions. Kai wasn’t there.

“Where’s Kai?” Lloyd asked.

“Taking a shower,” Wu responded. “Why?”

Lloyd froze in his spot. His plan needed to go into action, now.

“Hey, I’ve just gotta do something, okay? I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

He ran back to his room and opened his drawer, where Jay’s perfume was. Then he dashed to the bathroom where Kai was taking a shower.

Okay, Lloyd, you have to be very quiet now, he told himself, and hesitantly opened the door.

He was met with the sound of flowing water, and Kai singing some random song that sounded like it was from the 60s. Lloyd used all his power to stop himself from laughing. If only he could record this. Luckily, Kai was showering behind a curtain, so neither of them could see each other.

On the wall was a peg where Kai’s clothes were hanging. Lloyd took out the bottle of perfume and pried off the lid, leaving it on the floor, then sprayed the liquid all over Kai’s clothes. Unfortunately, he heard the water stop flowing, which meant Kai was about to step out of the shower.

Lloyd closed the perfume bottle and crawled out just in time, hearing Kai come out of the tub as soon as he closed the door behind him.

“Lloyd?” Wu called out. “Your breakfast’s getting cold!”

“Coming!” He called back, putting the perfume in his hood again and heading towards the dining room.

This time, only the girl was left eating her breakfast. Upon seeing Lloyd she smiled and waved at him.

“Good morning, Lloyd!”

Lloyd was surprised at her cheerful attitude. She was the complete opposite of her brother. “Hello…” he paused, remembering that he didn’t know her name. He added learning everyone’s names to his to-do list and sat down to eat his pancakes.

It took a little longer than usual for Kai to show up at the table. Probably wasted his time on hair gel. But when he came, Lloyd couldn’t wait for his plan to go into action.

“Hey, Nya!” Nya. So that’s the girl’s name. The fire ninja sat on the chair next to his sister, and opposite to Lloyd. He glared at the son of his enemy in front of him. Lloyd just looked back at his plate and continued eating.

After less than a minute, Nya’s cheeks flushed and her breathing became irregular.

“Kai,” she gasped. “You smell really nice. Did you put on… something extra today?”

Kai raised an eyebrow. “Something extra?” He smelt his own clothes to see what she was talking about, and his eyes widened. “Holy shit! I thought it was my hair gel!” He jumped out of his seat and ran back a little, distancing himself from Nya. “I swear I didn’t put on perfume! I don’t even have any!”

“Well, my body clearly thinks otherwise.” Nya was tearing up now. That perfume has a really strong scent, Lloyd thought.

The look on Kai’s face was too much for Lloyd, especially after seeing the embarrassing picture of him and his singing in the bathroom. He burst out laughing on his chair, hard enough for him to fall off.

Nya stared at him in shock, and Kai was furious. “What’s so– wait, you did this?”

Lloyd suddenly stopped laughing and his face turned red. “Uhhhhh…”

Kai wanted to hear no more. He jumped from the other side of the table and lunged for Lloyd.

Lloyd tried kicking the older teen off him but it was of no use. Kai picked him by the neck– and threw him across the room.

Lloyd hit the wall and he heard the sound of glass shattering and felt liquid trickling down his skin. It took him a moment to realise it wasn’t blood– but the perfume from the bottle he kept on the hood.

Within seconds all the perfume had spilled all around Lloyd who just lay there in shock, coughing at the strong scent. The odour spread throughout the entire room and suddenly Nya’s entire face was red and the tears wouldn’t stop coming.

“Nya, get out of here!” Kai said, still standing from where he threw Lloyd. The girl obeyed her brother’s orders, leaving him and Lloyd alone in the room.

“Look at what you did!” Kai yelled. “You almost murdered my sister! What did she ever do to you?”

“It was to get revenge on you!” Lloyd’s voice had the same amount of anger as Kai. “When I go back to my father I’ll murder you!”

“I’ll murder you before you get to meet him! Then I’ll become the Green Ninja and kill him too!”

“Enough!” Wu interrupted, entering the room. “What’s going on? And what is that awful smell?”

“He almost murdered my sister!”

“He almost murdered me!”

“Both of you, come with me,” Wu replied calmly. “It’s clearly time we sort things out between you two. I’ll have Zane clean up this mess.”

Lloyd and Kai shot each other glares with that sentence.

***

“Lloyd, what’s your side of the story?”

Lloyd gave his uncle a death stare for a good ten seconds before speaking.

“You kidnapped me, then made me stay with my enemies! Kai must be your favourite student because he’s the worst! When my father rescues me from here I’ll have his head blasted off!”

“I see. And what makes you hate him so much?”

“He hung me on a pole! And then when I came here he treated me like a wild animal!”

“You are a wild animal!”

“It’s not your turn, Kai!” Wu turned back to Lloyd. “And why did Kai hang you on a pole?”

Lloyd’s face turned red. “Because… I tried to steal candy.”

Wu faced Kai. “Kai, I don’t think hanging a child on a pole is the best way to punish him for trying to steal candy.”

“He wasted our time, and he’s Garmadon’s son!”

“But he’s also my nephew”

“Did you see what he did? He deliberately sprayed perfume on my clothes to give Nya an allergic reaction!”

“Do you not think hanging someone on a pole is life-threatening, especially if they don’t have someone to rescue them?”

Kai was silent after that. He looked down in shame, unable to come up with a response.

Wu was satisfied with the lack of noise. “Lloyd, apologise to Kai.”

“No! I don’t want to!”

Wu then gave Lloyd a look that Kai had never seen before and the child’s demeanour suddenly changed. “I’m sorry I almost killed your sister.”

“And Kai, do you have anything to say?”

Kai, not wanting to get in any more trouble, sighed before speaking. “I’m sorry I hung you on a pole.”

“Good,” Wu said with satisfaction. “Now you two are brothers. And Lloyd, also apologise to Nya.” As soon as he said that, he left the room, leaving the other two behind.

“Brothers,” Kai scoffed. “Imagine that.”

“Fat chance,” Lloyd agreed.

“You still have to say sorry to Nya.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

***

Nya was surprisingly ready to forgive Lloyd after hearing his excuse.

“Well, Kai was acting like a jerk, and you’re just a little kid, so I’ll forgive you if you promise me you’ll be good from now on.”

Lloyd paused for a moment. “How about I only promise I’ll be good to you?”

Nya chuckled. “Fair enough…”

Shortly after, Nya excused herself to work on an invention or something, and Kai and Lloyd were left together once again.

“This still doesn’t make us brothers.”

“Of course not. My only biological sister is Nya, but the other ninja are all my real siblings too. You’re just a pain in the ass.”

“Well, Nya’s my sister too now.”

Kai gasped. “No she’s not!”

“I only respect my family members. Wu might be an exception though…”

That whole night was spent with Kai and Lloyd arguing over Nya, who insisted that if Lloyd wanted a sister, so be it.

And when Lloyd went to bed that night, he would hate to admit it but he couldn’t wait to fight more the next day. He was actually enjoying his time here.

***

“Hey, Lloyd, I found your old hoodie.”

The ninja were unpacking old boxes in the Destiny’s Bounty, about to move to the Temple of Airjitzu. Kai found a particularly old box, most of which was filled with Lloyd’s stuff.

The Green Ninja ran to Kai. “Oh, I forgot this thing existed. Not throwing it away anytime soon, though.”

“I wonder if there’s any rotten candy in there you put in years ago.”

Lloyd hummed, taking the hoodie into his own hands. “Let’s see…” he rummaged through the pockets and thankfully found nothing, except a piece of paper. As he took it out, he noticed how crumbled it had become since he put it in there, but a smile grew on his face in recognition. “Kai, look at this.”

Kai was mortified when Lloyd turned the paper. It was the edited photograph of himself wearing the Green Ninja’s gi. “Where did you find that?”

“Remember when I sprayed perfume on your clothes so Nya could get an allergic reaction? When I was looking for it in the drawer I found this too and kept it for later. Didn’t think about it after the whole tension between us died down.”

Kai laughed at the memory. “Remember when you threatened to kill me when you would reunite with Garmadon?”

“Well, I did almost kill you with the whole Morro situation.”

“But that was after I could’ve killed you thanks to Chen’s staff.”

“I guess we’re even, then.”

There was a beat of silence, before Kai remembered something. “Remember when Wu told us we were brothers and we both denied it?”

“Yeah,” Lloyd said, looking down at his hoodie again.

“We were so stupid.” Kai smiled, and Lloyd returned the favour.

“You were always there for me, Kai.”

“And I always will be.”

And with everything that had happened over the last few years, Lloyd knew Kai, his brother, was right.

[solreblogs]

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧ Twisted Wonderland ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧ ——> ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧ masterlist ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧

"W-WAIT, YOU'RE NOT A BOY?" with TWISTED WONDERLAND

twisted wonderland 2nd years, except they're helplessly in love

Non-human Twst boys reacting to a S/O who is allergic to them!

when your hopeless streamer gets a girlfriend (ace trappola x f!reader)

Headcanons how Twisted Wonderland boys met you and what kind of family you'd have

ruggie with a boyfriend that secretly sends money to his bank account

malleus and Leona headcanon with spouses who are best friends

the teachers meet their son (male!reader, that isn't Yuu) boyfriend

Twst Dormleaders + Jamil Accidentally Call MC (Y/N) a Mudblood During an Argument

How I Imagine TWST Could Be If There Was A Female!MC

First Years Finding Out Your A Girl?!?! (NOT CLICKBAIT!!!)

HOW TWISTED WONDERLAND'S HOUSEWARDENS ACT WHEN YOU ARE THEIR FAVOURITE CELEBRITY

Who in the Twst casts do you think will be the best in-laws?

Realizing their feelings for fem!reader after rejecting you 

Things the Twst Boys Find Interesting From Your World.

S/O who likes to shower them with love and affection

ruggie and kalim with a s/o who’s like jessica rabbit

Ruggie and sebek having a crush on a dense reader

Prince and the Frog — Housewardens x gn! reader

male reader who is already the king of his country

Twisted Wonderland Boys x Gn! Reader Breakups

meaningful words | [heartslabyul + savanaclaw]

Facts about in-game Yuu (Twisted Wonderland)

s/o who’s based off of their movies princesses

Vil does one of those celebrity documentaries

Kissing Their Foreheads [Twst Second Years]

𝓡𝓾𝓰𝓰𝓲𝓮 𝓑𝓾𝓬𝓬𝓱𝓲: 𝓒𝓪𝓯𝓮 𝓒𝓾𝓹𝓲𝓭 𝓜𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝓒𝓾𝓽𝓮

⋆ 𝓡𝓲𝓭𝓭𝓵𝓮 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓮𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓼: 𝓓𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓬 𝓑𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓼

Malleus as a sibling (Broken relationship)

TWST Boys as ✨ PARENTS✨(Part 1)

when theyre pining; vice dorm leaders!

OB! Jamil Keeping Crush! S/O Around

What If Their S/O Was A Royal Heir?

Sultan Kalim x Rani Reader Brainrot

When You Escape Him; Octavinelle

Riddle Rosehearts: Domestic Bliss

helping fem!reader with her period

Azul x Ex-Queen-Bee!Reader HCs

When You Escape Him; Scarabia

Affectionate malleus with reader

female reader who is a princess

Drabble: Dear Future Husband

The Way of the Chef Husband

Siren! Reader x Heartslabyul

Accidentally courting them

YUU AS CHAPPELL ROAN?

Learning His Language

Getting dumped by Vil

MUSHROOM WIFE

kawaii metal singer

Meaningful Kiss 3

Househusbands

Budget for love

Bullyau!Ruggie

fencer reader

"and then i go and ruin it all by saying somethin' stupid like 'i love you'"                  Summary: I love you

"[NAME]'S A SORCERER" "I think it's pretty cool." Summary: Ruggie is gonna cook, and you decided to help him out only to show the whole dorm the little 'trick' you learned that scares most of the members in there, And that is making an egg shaped like a heart too perfectly.

"PRINCE CHARMING'S KISS" dormleaders            Summary: a potionology accident involving the adeuce duo leads to the prefect falling into a deep sleep. only an act of true love's kiss can save them and it seems that ace and deuce picked a certain boy to play prince charming.

𝐆𝐍 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥 (𝐞𝐱)𝐕𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐫 summary: Jamil taking Readers last name

MY LAST NAME BELONGS TO YOU!                   Summary: writing your name out, with his last name!

♥ damnation [ the king of hearts ] Summary: When you commit a crime, you receive a punishment. This is especially true in your society. No matter the crime, your punishment is the same: banishment. But to where you will be sent in exile and how miserable will it be? No one knows, because no one has ever returned.

not your knight in shining armor                    Summary: You are a knight on a quest to find a bride. It wasn’t your bright idea. Apparently it was tradition for the knights in your family to rescue the love of their life from perilous situations. So when you find a fearsome dragon guarding an abandoned castle, well, things don’t go exactly as planned… 

Hate that I still love you (part 2) Summary: after a heartbreaking break up with your bf Vil who you thought loved you, you have never felt so alone until..

First kiss, what bliss... maybe... Summary: Neither you nor your partner have had your first kiss yet. What kind of shenanigans would that information bring?

LOVEFOOL , RUGGIE BUCCI                 Summary: ruggie was always a nervous wreck around you and how could he forget the partner project the two of you have? this is the worst day ever...

An even sleepier confession Summary: Crush!Reader sleepily telling him, they want to marry him

DEAR FUTURE HUSBAND.. Summary: little things he does that remind you you’re going to marry him someday.

CUTEST COUPLE IN TOWN                   Summary: their family comments on how cute you would be married to him!

MEETING THEIR FAMILIES                  Summary: You meet their families and what their first impression of you is

Ruggie Bucchi: Sun Kissed                   Summary: Freckles

A KISS FOR THE VICTOR                   Summary: After a successful club meet, you give them a kiss on the cheek! How do they react?

JEALOUS OF A FISH..?                    Summary: taking your mer-boyfriend on an aquarium date, only to find out he’s jealous.. of a fish.

A Little Birdy Told Me~ Summary: You have two admirers, and someone spread the news that you're in a relationship with the other. How does it go?

Jamil Viper x gn!reader                   Summary: your love for each other was never allowed, but that never stopped your feelings for each other

"I Feel Her, I See Her"                   Summary: Rollo has been eyeing you since your arrival, seeing you as the diamond amongst coals. At the Ball, he corners you into a dance, but your BF is not going to let this slide

queen of thine heart                   Summary: in hearing your lover's recent overblot, you disregard the rules and infiltrate nrc to make sure your queen is alright, much to the surprise of the cards.

ㅤhere is my husband                      Summary: just us casually staking a claim on our non-official husbands (for coupons)

love will find a way                     Summary: You shared a night of passion with your lover before you left for the other side of the mirror, but you now have to raise his child alone until..

Wait, you’re a girl?!                      Summary: where the twst guys find out the ramshackle perfects secret

Duly-Noted - Leona                   Summary: Cheka is trying to get her two favorite people married (ie Leona and the reader)

Jealousy, Jealousy summary: how they act when they are jealous

You’re a girl?! Pt.2 Summary: heartslabyul finds out you’re a girl

Say hi to daddy!                   Summary: How would these characters behave as fathers? What does their ideal family look like?

Ruggie x Reader Summary: Reader she writes Ruggie love letters and he’s trying to track her down leading to him finding her

Jamil x Reader Summary: you confess to jamil. he doesn't know how to respond until he throws his inhibition out the window.

Why So Rude?                  Summary: Yuu's BF Asks Crewel for their Hand in Marriage

Floyd x Reader summary: "maybe we should just kiss to break the tension"

You’re a girl?!                      Summary: how the twst boys find out you’re a girl & their reactions

A lovers Jest Summary: Finding out their crush is the Royal Jester

Ratted out                      Summary: sometimes friends and family accidentally (or purposefully) reveal things they shouldnt :)

Sleeping in                   Summary: Ruggie decides to wake up reader for a date which is a picnic

we are one                     Summary: You shared a night of passion with your lover before you left for the other side of the mirror, but you now have to raise his child alone until..

Marry you                      Summary: he overhears how much you want to marry him

Yours Summary: Azul plans to confess his feelings for you but things keep getting in the way between him and you. What is he supposed to do?

[sycamorelibrary754]

Guardian Angel

Chapter 14: Sparky

Summary: You and Wanda nervously await the team's word on the San Francisco mission analysis. Meanwhile, you deepen your bond with Billy, Tommy, and a new furry friend. 

Warnings: None

Word Count: 2k

A/N: I know Sparky was originally in WandaVision, but go with me on this. ☺️

Guardian Angel Masterlist

The soft, persistent knocking at your bedroom door stirred you from sleep. You blinked against the bright morning light filtering through the curtains, gathering your thoughts. Wrapped in warmth, you felt Wanda’s arms draped comfortably around your midsection.

“Do you hear that?” you mumbled, your voice thick with sleep.

“Not unless you do,” Wanda replied, her words muffled by the comforterer.

You considered the possibility of staying cocooned in your dreams. “What if we just pretend we’re still asleep? Do you think they’ll go away?”

“Mom!” came Billy's unmistakable call, followed by Tommy's spirited “Y/N!”

“Not likely,” Wanda said with a wry smile, half-buried in her pillow.

With a resigned sigh, you raked a hand through your messy hair, knowing the game was up. “Alright, come in, boys.”

“Look what we found!” Tommy exclaimed as he opened the door to reveal Billy holding a tan and white wire-haired Jack Russell Terrier in his arms.

“Oh dear Lord,” the redhead said. “Where on Earth did that dog come from?”

“We found him out front,” Billy said, stroking the dog's head.

“Yeah, we looked out the window and saw him curled up in the driveway,” Tommy explained. “He has no collar or tags. Can we keep him, Mom? Please!”

“No way, boys. A dog is a huge responsibility,” Wanda replied.

“We can be responsible, Mom,” Billy pleaded, pouting his lower lip.

You couldn’t help but snicker at how the boys tried to persuade their mother. It would be impressive if it weren't so devious. 

Wanda made one last attempt to resist. “I’m sorry, you two, but if I remember correctly, Y/N is allergic to dogs.”

“No, I’m not,” you protested just as the redhead pinched you under the covers. “Ouch!” you squealed.

Wanda sighed heavily before looking at the boys. “Alright, but if you keep him, you must walk, feed, bathe, and play with him. Understand?”

“Yes!” the boys cheered in unison. “Come on, Sparky.”

You named him already?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.  

“Yeah, he looks like a Sparky,” Billy insisted.

“Can we take him to the park?” Tommy asked.

“Sure, sweetheart,” the redhead said, flopping back on the bed. 

Once the boys had left, Wanda playfully slapped the back of your head. “You couldn't just play along?”

“Sorry, babe,” you apologized.

“Mmhm,” Wanda hummed in response. “Just for that, you’ll take them to the park.”

“That’s fair,” you agreed, kissing her lips as you snuggled back into the warmth of the bed. “Any news from the team?”

“Honey, you’ve asked that everyday for the last week,” Wanda said comfortingly.

“I know, but the waiting is killing me,” you groaned. “All we know so far is that my parents think the security breach was a company rival.”

“I understand that you're nervous about what we might discover. I feel the same way, but that's part of the process; analysis requires time. I’m sure we will hear something soon. “Now,” the redhead said, touching your shoulder, “I believe you have a doggy date with the boys.”

“I’m going,” you huffed as you climbed out of bed. “What are you going to do while we're gone?”

“Y/N, it’s Saturday, and I’m the mother of two eleven-year-old boys. I’m going back to sleep,” Wanda smirked.

*^~^*

“Go get it, Sparky!” you yelled as you tossed the tennis ball across the grass.

The small dog ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, fetching the ball but refusing to give it up. Billy and Tommy tried unsuccessfully to grab the ball from him.

“Okay, so fetch needs a little work,” you admitted, rubbing the back of your neck.

Tommy picked up Sparky and super sped back over to you.

“Along with sit, stay, and come,” Billy added.

“Maybe we can find an obedience class for him,” you suggested.

Just then, your phone dinged with a new notification. Taking it out of your pocket, you saw a text from Maria that made your stomach lurch.

Maria Hill: New insights from San Francisco. Can you come by the compound today?

You: Yeah, we can be there this afternoon. I’m at the park with the boys.

Maria: Aww, look at you being all domestic.

You: Hey, I've seen you do the dishes, Hill.

Maria: Yes, but only because they would stack up to the ceiling if I left them for Nat. You, my friend, are whipped.

You: Touché.

Maria: See you later, Y/N.

“Should we swing by the pet store on our way home?” you asked, tucking your phone into your pocket.

“Yes!” both boys shouted, their eyes lighting up with excitement.

As you made your way to the parking lot, Billy and Tommy launched into a whirlwind of ideas, eagerly rattling off a list of everything they hoped to buy for Sparky. You couldn't help but grin at their infectious enthusiasm for a dog they'd only met a couple of hours ago. At that moment, it struck you how deeply you loved these boys.

“We love you, too, Y/N.” Billy beamed, his words warm and sincere.

You pulled him close, throwing an arm around his shoulders. “I’m still not used to mind-reading, but I’m glad you heard that.”

You were so caught up in the heartwarming moment that you missed the unsettling sight of two shadowy figures lurking in a van across the street. 

“Who are the two brats?” 

“Her sons. Y/F/N and Y/M/N can use this to their advantage.”

Their cameras clicked deliberately, capturing every laugh and smile that filled the air around you.

*^~^*

“I still don't understand what I'm looking at,” you said, your brow furrowing as you stared at the intricate holographic display projecting from the sleek desk. The three-dimensional blueprints rotated before you, revealing a complex array of lines and structures.

Tony leaned closer, his fingers deftly manipulating the hologram to zoom in on the various components. “This,” he explained, gesturing to the swirling visuals, “is the detailed blueprint for Onyx Petroleum’s underwater drilling system. Every rivet, every pipeline, is accounted for here.” 

He continued, bringing up additional graphics that highlighted the new technological features. “Based on what we’ve pieced together from this and the intelligence that Romanoff managed to extract from their servers, we have reason to believe they’ve already constructed a semi-submersible vessel. It’s designed to operate far below the surface and withstand extreme conditions.”

As the hologram switched views, the new hydraulic drill’s design emerged—a marvel of engineering equipped to reach unparalleled depths. “They aren’t just refurbishing what they have,” Tony said, his voice steady with conviction. “They’re developing a more powerful hydraulic drill capable of penetrating deeper into the ocean floor while withstanding the intense temperature fluctuations and pressure changes inherent to the Black Sea.” 

“Will it work?” you asked, glancing around the room at the team. 

“Unclear,” Maria interjected, her brow furrowed with concern as she studied the charts. “Our data is limited, and there are so many variables we can't predict.”

Bruce leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he considered the implications. “No one has ever mined for Vibranium before,” he stated, his tone laced with skepticism. “All the simulations they've run might look good on paper, but until they start drilling, it’s all theoretical. We could be dealing with something completely different. It’s like they’re using Monopoly money—no real value until they make it tangible.”

Wanda gently placed a reassuring hand on your back, her touch warm and steady. “What about the bug Scott planted in their office?” she asked.

“Nothing substantial has come through yet,” Natasha replied. “Just murmurs about stripping stock shares away from the employees.”

“They are truly unpleasant people,” Yelena muttered, her expression darkening.

“Okay,” you sighed, running a weary hand across your face. “Thanks for the update, everyone. If anything changes, call me.” 

“Wait, there’s one more thing before you go, Y/N,” Bucky interrupted. 

You raised an eyebrow. “Oh God, I’m almost afraid to ask.”

Steve stepped forward, his expression serious yet warm. “We wanted to acknowledge how tough it was for you to head to San Francisco and face your parents. That took real courage, Y/N. It's a genuine testament to your character.”

Clint jumped in, adding with a casual grin, “And we know you haven’t had a car since the accident. We figured it was high time to fix that.” He shot a conspiratorial glance at Tony.

“Right,” Tony said, shaking his head in mock exasperation as his fingers flew over the keyboard of the nearby computer.

With a soft whir, the metal doors behind you began to rise, gradually unveiling a stunning maroon Acura NSX Roadster that gleamed under the lights.

You gaped, confusion written all over your face. “I don’t get it…” You searched the room for an explanation, landing on Wanda, who looked equally bewildered.

“It’s yours!” Kate exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement, a wide grin on her face.

Tony smiled, “Pepper’s been on my case about trimming down my car collection, and honestly, I can’t think of anyone more deserving of a new ride than you.” With that, he placed the keys into your palm with a flourish.

For a moment, you stood there, disbelief coursing through you. “Wow, I don't know what to say. This is so generous.”

“I made some modifications, boosted the GPS, and installed FRIDAY for you. Trust me, this car is now safer than Buckingham Palace,” Tony smirked.

“Thank you so much,” you said, wrapping your arms around Stark in appreciation before turning to Wanda. “Can you believe this?”

“I really can't,” the redhead replied, kissing you softly. “The boys are going to want a ride in it.”

“I don't doubt it,” you said with a smile.

*^~^*

“Please, can we take a ride in your new car?” Tommy exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement.

“Yeah, please!” Billy chimed in, practically bouncing on his toes. 

Wanda walked past you at the kitchen island, her lips curling into a sly smirk as she reached for her favorite mug. The playful taunt flashed through your mind: “Told you.”

You shot back, grinning, “Your motherly instincts are unbeatable.”

“Listen, how about this,” you announced, ruffling the boys' hair. “Winter break starts next week, right? Why don’t the two of you come to help me out at the Candy Bar? We always have a crazy holiday rush, and I could use the extra hands. Plus, you can take a spin in my new ride,” you leaned in closer and dropped your voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “and snag some free candy.”

“What was that?” Wanda interjected, arching an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by your secretive tone with the boys.

“Nothing at all,” you replied, flashing a mischievous smile as you fist-bumped Billy and Tommy before they dashed excitedly back to Sparky in the family room. 

Wanda chuckled, shaking her head. “You don’t have to bring the boys along. They can be a handful on most days but in a candy shop? Good luck!”

“I know, but I want to,” you insisted, pulling Wanda into a side embrace, a sense of warmth enveloping you both.

With a soft smile, she placed her hand on your chest, her eyes sparkling. “Have I reminded you lately how much I love you?”

You glanced at your imaginary watch with a teasing grin. “Not in the last ten minutes,” you quipped.

“Thank you for loving Billy and Tommy as much as I do,” Wanda said, her sincerity shining through.

You met her gaze earnestly. “I love all three of you.”

Sparky’s bark broke the moment as he lounged on the couch.

“Okay, all four of you, Sparky,” you corrected with a laugh. “If it isn't clear by now, I want to be a part of this family, and I want the boys to feel at home with me.”

Wanda leaned in, sharing a soft, loving kiss that made the world around you fade away. In that blissful instant, you barely registered the sounds of Billy and Tommy dramatically pretending to gag in the background. For all the worries about your parents’ plans, one thing was clear: you were truly, unapologetically happy. 

Taglist: @xxxtwilightaxelxxx@bibliophilicbi@darkstar225

[coraline-jones353]

I'd Love to Dance with You

If you're going to reblog give me credit!

Prompt: Soulmate Au (You see each other in your dreams)

Pairing: Alex Walter x reader (girl)

Summary: After Jackie moved in with the Walters she really missed her best friend Evangeline. After hearing from Katherine that Jackie is having a hard time adjusting she thinks it's a good idea to pay her best friend a visit.

Warnings: angst, there will be a part 2 if anyone wants it!

Jackie had just finished talking to Evangeline and she knew she already missed her. She sighs as she goes back to living her new life and forgetting about her old.

She goes downstairs to see Katherine talking to Cole about his grades but as she comes in Katherine puts on a smile and seemingly forgets about the entire issue.

Jackie waves at the pair as she walks out the door, thinking a jog would do good for her busy mind.

But what she doesn't know is that the fight between Cole and Katherine was just a way to get her out of the house so they could continue planning.

They could tell that she was missing her old life. Katherine after overhearing a conversation of the two girls where Evie said she wished she could come to visit came up with a plan to make that happen. She will arrive tomorrow after school and stay for 2 months to help cheer up Jackie.

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

I can't wait to go see Jackie. I think as I pack the last of my bags for the trip. It had been paid for by Richard who wanted to help lift his nieces spirits. I was now on my way to the airport hoping Jackie wouldn't try to call me again and ruin the surprise.

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

Jackie's school day has been so long. I had to just sit in her room and wait for her to get home, of course with the occasional asking if I wanted anything and me being polite, said yes to just about anything I wasn't allergic to.

I start to hear multiple footsteps so I know it is time to hide. Thank goodness for the fact that Jackie isn't one to hit you because you surprised her because this will surely make her jump.

As she walks in I hear her drop her bag on the floor and plop down on her bed in a huff. She seems tired or frustrated, I don't really know I hate trying to guess emotions.

I quickly and quietly open the closet door and plop on the bed next to her, "So what's got you all in a huff?" I say jokingly as I watch her jaw drop in shock. She quickly just pulls me into her embrace and I fear she won't ever let go. I just hold her while rubbing her back to soothe her.

After our beautiful reunion she walks me downstairs to meet the Brady bunch. I am terrible at names so I try to remember features or anything different about them. I categorized them by personality or something that made them stand out. Cole: arrogant, flirty, asshole. Lee: Skater boy. Issac: Lover boy. Danny: Actor. Andrew: musician. Parker: the only girl. Benny: the youngest. Will: The oldest/about to be married. Jordan: Why won't he stop filming me?!?!!?

Also why is their family so big!??! How am I supposed to remember all these names.

There was one other kid though. He came in late apologizing for his mistake and saying he didn't know he wouldn't make it in time for dinner. As we make eye contact I look at him shocked. Jackie has been telling me about her love triangle between Alex and Cole and now seeing him and noticing who he was I was freaking out.

Alex just sat down and kept staring at me and Jackie while I tried to avoid his eyes.

That night as I was brushing my teeth in the downstairs bathroom Alex came up behind me. I knew what he wanted to discuss but I just couldn't.

I turn to look at him after putting my tooth brush away and he just stays there staring at me. "I don't know what to say." I look at him puzzled that he decided that those would be the first words he says to his soulmate.

"I've imagined this moment; when I met you for so long. But I don't know how to proceed now that I know who you are. You and Jackie have a thing going on, i'm here to help her not make it worse."

Sincerely, Coraline Jones 🐈‍⬛

[thegrinningghost]

LOTFTOBER, DAY 6 : Childhood

Here, take some headcanons!

RALPH

Ralph has severe ADHD and, therefore, was never a prefect at his school

He also has Dyslexia (halfbloooddd /jk)

Ralph’s an only child, and doesn’t really ‘get’ sibling bonds

Absolute math nerd; he’s never gotten an C or lower

When he was younger, he begged his dad to read him stories, and would constantly ask ‘what word is that’ and ‘how do you say that’ in the middle of the story

His dad would sometimes sing him songs before he went to bed

Whenever he had a nightmare, he’d go wake up his parents and they’d read him more books while he played with his dog (golden retriever named Juno)

Definitely lived in the country and DEFINITELY a horse boy

Collected miniature glass horse statues, and he keeps them all on a shelf

• He used to runaway and sit in nature whenever he couldn’t handle all of the pressure he felt from teachers nagging about his Dyslexia

JACK

Jack has SEBD and a little Autism

He’s also allergic to cats, which is troublesome, because Simon loves to pet the neighborhood strays

Maurice + Jack are troublemakers

He stole things that he found cool when he was little

He figured out he was Trans when he was around 10-11, so it wasn’t too much of a shock for friends

His family constantly struggled though, and always used “she/her” pronouns (on accident or on purpose) at family dinners

Which confused his cousins, Sam’nEric (not my original headcanon)

ROGER

Roger’s dad is a Detective; his mom died in childbirth

He grew up on his grandparents Bee Farm

Roger always hung out with the Bees, and afterwards he always smelled like Lavender

“Roger.”

“Yes Merridew.”

“Do you use perfume?”

“ .  .  . “

“ .  .  . No?”

He always had his nose stuck in mystery/suspense books

Of the many upon his shelves, Sherlock Holmes and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde are his favorites

Roger has ASPD, and Simon was like a life vest for him

SIMON

Simon’s Autistic

He loves Dinosaurs, Space, and Animals; he will yap about all of them

He would trade any new Dinosaur facts he learned for his grandmother’s bird facts

Simon’s also Dysgraphic

He loves doing crafts; most definitely made friendship bracelets for the Choir

He was recommended by his school for the Church Choir, that’s how he met Jack and all them

He practically lives in his head

That’s one thing Roger [liked] thought was interesting about him

MAURICE

Maurice was a problem child

In so many ways

Being part of a huge family, his parents were always working

They spent time with all his older siblings until there was a new baby on the way, then they were all forgotten

Once you were born you were always sent to the neighbors next door, or, if you’re lucky, your grandparents

That’s how Maurice was raised, and despite everything, he loved it

He grew up with his grandparents and Bill’s parents, both who urged his teetering between genders

He even dyes his hair! First ginger-ish, then ombré blonde (he has black hair)

They also quickly found out that Maurice isn’t like his siblings

He has Selective Mutism + ADHD—and an extra thumb—as well as a keen mind that he sets on getting attention from his parents

Whether that be getting “stuck” in a closet, using the helium of a balloon to raise his voice, or getting in one too many fights, he’s tried everything

Did it ever work? Yes. Did he get the response he wanted? No.

Maurice had a wild home life, and all those problems followed him throughout his life

Thus dubbed, a problem child

BILL

Bill’s parents used that cheese trick on him when he was young

The one where you throw a piece of cheese on your kid’s head when they’re crying, and they magically stop

It was a little after he was born; his mom was resting up and his dad was taking care of him

He was crying so much that his dad took a piece of cheese off his mom’s food tray and put it on his head

They shared this information with Maurice’s parents, too, and now it’s a joke between the two boys

Bill’s colorblind, so if you look at any of his childhood drawings, you may be a little confused

He’s embarrassed by them, and vowed never to draw again 

.     .     .

He actually still does, he just never colors it in

Bill grew up loving trains and planes

He heard stories of the Night Witches, and heard about America and their Steam Trains

He just loved that kind of thing

P.S. his favorite book is the Runaway Bunny

SAM’NERIC

Sam’nEric could communicate as babies when they were apart

I mean that in one room, Sam would go “AH!!” and Eric would reply from another room going “EHHH!!”

They have that twin telepathy dynamic where some people actually believe it

In reality, they just know each other really well

Eric: “*staring at Sam*”

Sam: “No we can’t go to the fair!”

Eric loves the fair, it’s one of his favorite childhood memories

The twins are kind of polar opposites: Sam loves the country, Eric loves the city; Sam loves legends, and Eric would rather have all the facts

Sam used to tell scary stories to the Choir when they were all really young, but he was quickly banned from doing so because Eric would always rush in the middle of the nightly service crying and screaming about whatever creepy thing Sam made up that night

The twins loved doing community service; it’s a big thing for them as their mom basically raised them around the idea

PIGGY

Piggy constantly helped out in his Auntie’s Candy Shop

Aside from eating them, I mean

He would help sell them and pitch ideas for new flavors, shapes, and themes!

He’d also help decorate during the holidays

Decorating is how Piggy calms down, and even since he started doing it when he was young, it became a tradition

His dad was murdered and when his mom couldn’t handle him and her grief, she handed him off

He always tries to follow rules, scared that whoever came after his dad will come after him next

Piggy had a blue teddy bear that he used to carry around all the time

He still has it, it just stays on his bed all day

He also used to have a dog!

His name was Brutus