#woo boy. okay. yeesh.

[polarisbear]

there’s a process i like to go through every time i sit down and commit to drawing something more than once (detailed image and text id under the cut)

[image id 1: a sketch page of all of the octopath traveler 2 travelers. there is a row of small full body sketches and a row of bust shots.

image id 2: a sketch page focusing on a small ochette redesign and figuring out how to draw partitio.]

[image id 1: a set of sketches of the playable cast of octopath traveler 2. at the top are a row of small full bodies of the travelers. below are busts of them. agnea bristarni is clapping her hands together with a smile; she has sun-kissed skin and freckles. ochette is excitedly running to the right. throné anguis has her arms crossed as she frowns. castti florenz looks off screen with worry. hikari ku’s hair blows in the wind as he looks upset; he has an olive skin tone. partitio yellowil is giving his best smirk as he winks with his hand on his chin. he’s black, referencing his concept art. temenos mistral has a hand on his chin as he gives a mysterious smile. osvald v. vanstein looks disgruntled and like he desperately needs sunlight.

image id 2: a sketch page mostly focusing on ochette and patritio. there is a sketch of ochette’s back as she stretches, there are also small drawings of other beastlings. there is a simple reference sheet of ochette as she poses, her design slightly altered. her hair turns black at the tips, and it’s put up in loose twin tails. her clothes have a more “finished” look, and all of the leather material has been refined. there is more beading detailing on her. the right side of the sketch page is just partitio headshots with different face angles and hairstyles.

text id: “What if. Jacked.” “fluffy face :)” “beading! Important Toto’haha craft” “She re-dyes her dress periodically” “Beastlings can look like any canine/feline Can live anywhere” “Toto’haha is known for impressive leather-working (bc of all the animal hides they have)” “Stripes break up form -> harder to follow” “Claws. bc cool” “Recent trading = metal weaponry is pretty commonplace” “gladiator sandals but fr” “becomes black at the tips” “didn’t notice the eye shape went down (looks extra smiley lol)” “dashing young man (… phoenix wright”)” “silver rings from home” “High pony for w/o hat” “Low pony for hat” “double pony layering trick (from Agnea!)”]

[cosmicpines]

Merry Christmas, and happy @codesecretsanta​! I’ve lurked for enough years and finally found the courage to participate.

This is for @cidnets​. They asked for something with the whole gang, so I wrote about some early gang friendship as they try and figure out how to navigate their new friend group.

Enjoy! :)

Jeremie Belpois didn’t have any friends before an evil AI possessed a vending machine and nearly electrocuted him to death a month ago, and he sure wished he remembered how that fact changed.

As far as he could remember, he went to get a drink from that vending machine, the same he did whenever he was feeling particularly down and decided to “treat” himself (quality of the hot chocolate questionable as it was), when suddenly there were three people talking to him like they knew each other, dragging him away to his room to tell him about an adventure he could barely believe happened. It took until he saw files on the supercomputer that weren’t there the day before, images of these apparent friends of his side by side with Aelita, to believe they weren’t all pulling an elaborate prank on him.

That gap in his memory itched at him in moments like these, when, between the mission shot calls and terror-filled calls to the person on the scene (Ulrich, this time, helping evacuate students from a water system that was flooding the school), there was the dreaded mission banter.

“Woah, Jeremie, I think we see why there’s a number mismatch,” Yumi’s voice reverberated through his headset, as the three dots on his map that indicated his friends (the word still felt wrong) rounded a bend to what looked like on his screen to be one Blok, but that the sensors identified as 7.

Odd laughed. “Oh man! Einstein, it’s like a Jenga tower!”

Yumi’s snicker came in response, confirming that this was a joke he wasn’t getting and Odd just not being dumb.

“Sorry?” Jeremie said, pulling up a visual on his screen, seeing all 7 Bloks stacked on top of each other, Yumi’s fan barely missing the bottom one, “It’s like a what now?”

“Jenga! You know, Jenga?” Odd repeated in what many may consider the least helpful clarification possible.

“Is that… a movie?”

 “No! What? How have you never played Jenga, Einstein? Haven’t you been to a game night or anything?”

Jeremie bit his tongue, weighing responses, the gap in his memory weighing on him. He often wondered, in times like this, where he failed to get jokes and carry on banter, what the hell the Jeremie of that timeline had done to trick the three of them (four, if you counted Aelita, who was a different mystery in of itself) into thinking they liked him in the first place. He wondered what that Jeremie would say in response to this, what he would do to make all of them laugh and like him.

“I have more important things to do than play whatever Jenga is. Like babysitting a supercomputer.”

“Well, we have to fix that! Yumi, do you have a copy?”

Of course, logically, he knew that the “other Jeremie” was really just him; that “he” would be struggling with this just as much.

"A copy of Jenga?” Yumi grunted as a laser hit her, (30 lifepoints left, should he say something? Should he wait for her to finish talking? What’s the protocol here?) “Maybe? My dad doesn’t have the patience for that kind of game. Luckily…” She tossed a fan with a cry, destroying one of the bloks on the bottom of the stack, sending the rest tumbling down. “I don’t either.”

“Oh, great job, Yumi!” Aelita’s grin was obvious, even though just her voice. She started making her way to the tower as Jeremie still tried to come up with something to say, thoughts spiraling as Odd and Yumi kept talking and he kept saying nothing, sitting there with nothing. There was a part of him that wondered if he was just a convenient means to an end to them. Someone to press the buttons and let them play superhero and talk to their much cooler digital friend.

“How about your room, Einstein? That way, Aelita can join us too!”

Crap. That was directed at him.

“My room? For what?”

“Earth to Einstein!” He cringed at Odd’s sudden increase in volume, “Game night! We’re going to teach you Jenga and every other game you’ve missed out on!”

He blinked, mind going blank again, for very different reasons. His fingers froze momentarily over the keys, before the defensiveness he had built up over the years fell out of his mouth. “Sure, Odd. As long as you don’t make another mess like last time.”

“Hey! That wasn’t my fault!”

“Uh huh,” he said, as the supercomputer pinged in response to the tower being deactivated. He started typing, hesitated, then reached in his bag for where he kept his notes. Almost had the return procedure memorized, but there was that step he always forgot. He’d hoped that he’d get Aelita to Earth before he’d need to memorize it, but materialization was harder than he thought.

As he typed, his mind conjured images of a game night – of friends on his floor, of laughter and fun. Maybe it was possible. Or maybe he was getting his hopes up again. Maybe  Odd just wanted to use his room for a game night so they could hang out with Aelita; nothing to do with him.

(Of course, why, then, would it be at his lack of knowledge about Jenga to prompt it?)

(…this was hard.)

“Return to the past now.”

 Odd Della Robbia wasn’t going to let this friend group fail.

Despite coming to Kadic in the middle of the semester (it wasn’t his fault his geometry teacher flunked him out of his last school, yeesh), he hadn’t been particularly worried about making new friends. People were naturally drawn to his charms; always had been, always would be. What could he say? He was great! I mean, sure, a lot of those old friends didn’t answer his calls after he had been kicked out of school and, yeah, one argument broke a lot of those friendships, but that didn’t matter. He had never been lonely before, and Kadic was going to be no different. And one day here had proven him right!

But these friends… they were different. Normally, Odd found himself with people who were similar to him – loud, excited, larger than life, up for anything – but his first day shoved him elsewhere. (Not that anyone would call his first day not loud, exciting, and larger than life). And maybe that wouldn’t have been a problem, except these friends didn’t seem to know how to be friends. Like, Jeremie looked surprised every time he and Ulrich sat next to him for dinner (at what was he was determined to become their table). It took Yumi at least a week to start hanging with them around campus after classes instead of going home. And his roommate… well, he was just a piece of work.

But there was something about these guys that was special. He was determined to make these friends a group anyone would envy. And the first thing to do to make that happen was easy: snacks and games.

“I still don’t get why you’re so insistent on this,” Ulrich said as they walked back to Kadic from town late that Friday night, arms laden with the most unhealthy things they could afford on a student’s budget.

“Oh, come on, Ulrich! Aelita and Jeremie both have never been to one! It’s our duty as their friends to enrich them.”

Ulrich rolled his eyes, shifting the bags in his arms. “Oh yeah, the joyous splendor of game nights is just what Jeremie needs to get out of his shell.”

“Well, why not? Besides, Yumi said she’s sneaking back on campus to join us, too. It’ll be great!”

“If you say so,” Ulrich shrugged, “I don’t get the feeling that he’s too jazzed you invited yourself into his room all night.”

Odd brushed him off. “It’ll be fine Ulrich, trust me.”

He only grunted in response, clearly not convinced. Odd frowned, clicking his tongue. “Aren’t you excited, Ulrich?”

“No.”

“What? Not even a little?”

“I’m excited to destroy this bag of Doritos and then go back into my room to read a book.”

“Boring!”

Ulrich grunted again, and silence fell on the two roommates as they entered the building. Odd just didn’t get this guy. What could convince him to just have a little fun with his friends?  

“Not even with Yumi there?”

It was a hunch he had for at least a week, and possibly a low blow to bring it up like this, but Ulrich’s reaction made it all worth it: he almost dropped his bag, his face turned red, and he pointedly stared at the opposite wall, as if doing so would mean Odd couldn’t see him. Bingo.

Ulrich cleared his throat after a moment. “I don’t know why that would make a difference.”

“Don’t you?”

“I don’t, so knock it off.”

“Knock what –,”

“Odd.” He growled, as they climbed the stairs to the boy’s floor, “Knock it off.”

“Okay, okay!” Odd grinned, “But I’m just saying, I’m happy to see someone melt that icy heart of yours. If you ever want any pointers on how to woo her, I’d be more than happy to –,”

“Alright, that’s it.” Ulrich muttered, turning around and heading back towards their room.

Odd felt his stomach drop as his roommate retreated. “Hey – hey Ulrich! Oh, come on! Don’t be upset, it was just a joke!” He grabbed his shoulder, and Ulrich turned around and looked at him.

Odd was used to friendships falling apart, was used to rejection and anger. Hell, even though he had only come to Kadic a month ago, he had already gotten slapped by a girl who was mad at him for brushing off their study date (his own fault, he knew, but he had just gotten a new game for his Gameboy Advance and completely forgot! Why couldn’t she understand that?!). So he knew what to expect from Ulrich here – he just hoped it wouldn’t be a friendship-ending argument.

But what he saw in Ulrich’s face wasn’t the pure anger he had grown toe expect; it was hurt. Ulrich was glaring at him, but his eyes were red, and he was blinking rapidly – staving off tears, Odd realized with a jolt.

“Ulrich, I…”

What could he say? What had he done wrong? Odd was just teasing him! It wasn’t anything for him to get so upset about! His stomach was churning as he looked at his roommate, desperate to think of what to say to brush this all off, get him back into Jeremie’s room for game night, and get him back in his good books.

Only… was Odd even in Ulrich’s good books? Was this friendship based on nothing but a housing mistake to drop Odd into Ulrich’s room and a supercomputer to drop them in the same double life? If they didn’t have that, would they even consider each other friends? Odd didn’t know. He bit his tongue as words failed to come to his mouth, and Ulrich turned away. And that possibly would have been the end of the night entirely, if it wasn’t for the muffled yelling that suddenly came from Jeremie’s room.

Newly forged instinct sprung to life in Odd, and he dashed down the hall to where Einstein must have been in danger – a possessed heating system! Flashes of lights that blind you! – Ulrich was at his side, too, and Odd felt something between dread and relief. Odd reached for the doorknob, when –

“I just don’t know what I’m doing, Aelita! I should be happy they’re hanging out with me, but –,”

Odd’s eyes widened, another pit forming in his stomach. He pressed his ear to the door, and barely caught Aelita’s reply.

“…something that usually stresses people out?”

“No! No, it’s just me being stupid and awful at this!”

“Awful at what?”  

“Friends! Aelita, I haven’t had friends before this! And I’m trying so hard to make it work with these but I don’t – I don’t know if they really like me at all. I seriously…”

Oh, this was a conversation they really shouldn’t be listening into.

 Odd nudged Ulrich, who was staring at the door in a sort of blind panic, pushing him back down the hallway.

“What are you – “

 “Shh!”

Odd’s mind was racing at Jeremie’s words. How would they not like him? He glanced back at Ulrich, who was staring at Jeremie’s door, but whose eyes drifted down to his. Ulrich’s eyes softened a bit, and he nodded, heading back towards their room. Odd’s heart sank, until he saw Ulrich picking up the bags of groceries.

 Odd grinned, then raised his voice, “Oh man, Ulrich! I cannot believe how late we are!”

           Ulrich stared back at him for a second, and then a hint of a smile formed on his lips. “Oh, Odd, I know, I know! But it was your fault for having to go back for Pringles.”

           “What can I say? I have great taste! Besides, I know the plain ones are Jeremie’s favorite!”

           “Uh – yeah! We… sure want to make sure we have that!”

           Odd knocked on Jeremie’s door, loudly. “Jeremie! We’re here!”

           His heart pounded as he heard a shuffling inside, and then, blessedly, the door opened. Jeremie stared at them for a second, something like distracted concern in his eyes, and then he gestured in, to where Odd saw he had put some blankets on the floor and cleared space off his normally disastrous desk. Aelita waved from the computer screen.

“Make yourself at home.” Jeremie said, shutting the door behind them.

“Will do, Einstein!” Odd breathed a sigh of relief as he unloaded his snacks onto the desk.

It was rough going. But he was going to make it work.

 Aelita was finding humans more and more confusing as each day passed.

Not ten minutes ago, Jeremie was telling her how much he was scared of this game night happening. He had even started yelling, which was something she’d only seen the boy do once before, when he was sharing how scared he was about their fight agains XANA.

It was something that had sat with her since they had made that promise the day they had met – they were all doing this for her, and it wasn’t getting any safer. They swore that, one day, she would be sitting in this room with them, instead of sitting in a quiet, empty tower, looking through a window into a world she found as strange as they found hers.

           Yumi had arrived five minutes ago, arms laden with games. “I stole these out of our house,” she had said, dropping them onto the bed and sitting down, “Sorry we don’t have a huge selection. Luckily, we did have Jenga afterall.”

           Odd had jumped up and wrapped his arms around her – a hug, Aelita remembered, from one of the movies she and Jeremie had watched – and Yumi had looked confused as he retreated, then had helped him begin setting up the game.

           Jenga, it turned out, was a rather simple game: stack the blocks in a tower, take out the pieces and place them on top, and try and keep it from falling over. She watched her friends take their moves in turn, and was fascinated by the dynamic in the room. Aelita had never seen them all interacting in a context outside of battle, and the lack of harmony was unexpected.

Yumi made her moves quickly and decisively, never hesitating for more than a second once her turn came around. She had knocked it over more than once like this, but didn’t seem to mind too much, and was quick to set it up again to keep going. She made loud noises after every round, and often poked fun at the others for their moves, which Jeremie and Ulrich didn’t seem to like. Yumi stopped this, after a while, but still tried to get everyone to speak with her.

Jeremie, meanwhile, was slow, eyes sweeping over the whole tower before choosing his move. When Yumi asked him what was taking so long, Jeremie had looked confused, before saying, “I’m evaluating my options!” That seemed logical to Aelita, but Odd and Yumi both laughed, like Jeremie had made a joke – or, as Jeremie had confided in her once, they were mocking him for saying the wrong thing. The way they continued smiling at him, though, didn’t indicate that.

           If being slow was something to laugh at, though, she wondered why Odd didn’t do the same with Ulrich, who took equally long turns in silence. Unlike Jeremie, who looked around the tower contemplatively, Ulrich kept bringing his hand to the tower, then pulling it back, over and over again, until he finally picked a move and performed it just as slowly. When the tower didn’t fall, he would breathe a sigh of relief. When it did, he would look furious with himself.

Odd couldn’t be more different than Ulrich, as, once he chose which to take – he pressed his finger against a few before choosing, he yanked it out deftly. The first time he had done this, Ulrich had muttered something about cheating, but Odd had shot back that Ulrich should read the rules sometime. Then, after placing the block back on top, he had smiled at his friend, but when Ulrich didn’t reciprocate, Odd’s smile slipped away.

           That wasn’t ordinary, Aelita had thought at the time, and, after Ulrich toppled the tower one more time and yelled out in anger and Yumi suggested moving onto another game, she could see that strange emotion again in Odd’s face – hesitation and fear. It was something she saw on Jeremie often, but never on Odd. She would have to remember to ask Jeremie about it afterwards.

           “How about Monopoly?” Yumi asked, holding up another box.

           Odd groaned. “That game takes forever and I’m horrible at it.”

           “Okay,” Yumi responded, putting it back down. “Sorry?”

           “Sorry for what?”

           “Ha ha, very funny.”

           Jeremie and Ulrich were both sitting silently on the ground as Odd and Yumi debated which game was next. Ulrich was cross legged, staring at his napkin covered in snacks – Doritos, Cheetos, and Pringles, Aelita remembered, from squinting at the packaging to her right and looking it up online. She read how the flavors differed and tried to imagine it herself; that was very hard, considering she didn’t even have taste buds. Her gaze drifted over to Jeremie, and she was momentarily startled, seeing him looking at her. Aelita smiled at him, and he smiled back. She glanced over at Odd and Yumi bickering over games, and then back at him, silently asking why he didn’t help. He glanced at his friends and shrugged, going back to picking at his snacks.

           This wasn’t the way Jeremie had explained a game night to her. This wasn’t the “fun” that she had expected to see.If she was there, she would drag him over to the board games and help him pick one. She would be the one to ask him, quietly, in case it was something that embarrassed him for some reason, which games he liked, and which he didn’t. She would laugh at Odd’s jokes and make some herself. She would try the snacks and have favorites and ones she hated. She would be able to have her own strategy for playing Jenga, and she would knock that tower down and learn to do it better.

           But she couldn’t. She was here, in an entirely different world, barely able to interact with them at all. Her voice didn’t come from her mouth, but from tinny speakers that echoed through the room; a quiet conversation wasn’t possible when she was being broadcasted to everyone. She watched as Jeremie quietly got another drink for Ulrich and Ulrich smiled back at him; somethings she couldn’t be part of. All she could do was loudly proclaim “hello! I’m here too!” before she was forgotten again in the excitement of another game she couldn’t touch, couldn’t join in, couldn’t be there for.

           And at what cost, would it be, to bring her there? What danger to the world must be done to let her join them, to let her touch the objects that Yumi was handing out?

“You know the rules for Uno, right?”

No! She didn’t! She had no idea what Uno was, or why it was played, or what some of them were finding fun and what some of them were stressed about! She had no idea how or why humans did this – Jeremie said nebulously “it was fun,” but Ulrich looked miserable, Odd looked scared, Yumi looked distant – she wanted, wanted, wanted to be there, wanted to be part of it… But how much was she worth? How much did they have to do for her?

So she sat silently and watched, only the briefest eye contact with Jeremie reminding her that they knew she was there at all.

Yumi Ishiyama didn’t think this game night was working.

She was leaning against Jeremie’s desk, getting herself another Coke, and watching as the boys played for second place in an Uno match after she had gotten out. Odd laughed as Ulrich played a draw two card on Jeremie, whose hand was already at least a quarter of the deck, but shut up as Jeremie dropped three more on top.

“Draw eight, Odd.”

A faint grin was on Jeremie’s face as Odd scowled. “I never should have let you guys convince me to use stacking rules!”

“You were the one who suggested it,” Ulrich muttered, sorting his own hand.  

Yumi smiled, sipping her drink, thankful for a moment of unity in the room. The boys had been awkward all night; Jenga was a nightmare that she was glad was over. It wasn’t like she was doing much better – her competitive instincts from playing with her family didn’t work well with Jeremie, who didn’t know the rules, or with Ulrich, who was in what she was quickly finding to be a usual bad mood. Odd didn’t seem to mind, but she always had a hard time understanding Odd at all; his easy grins and fast jokes couldn’t always be genuine, could they? How could someone be that happy all the time?

But Odd was grating on the other two just as much as she was; his jokes falling on just her laughter, becoming more and more tired as the other two didn’t respond. It was a nightmare, trying to carry the conversation like this, and it was clearer now that she had stepped out of the game. Ulrich and Jeremie just played the game, an ocasssional single quip, and Odd tried his best to fill the room with chatter that fell on deaf ears, his persistant smile fixed and tired. This whole thing was a mistake. None of them were having a good time, and none of them wanted to be there.

What is wrong with us? Yumi thought, unconsciously crushing her now empty cup in her hand. Why couldn’t they just have fun, the way friends were supposed to? Yumi hadn’t had any friends before she and Ulrich were attacked by that electricity ball and her life got flipped upside down, and now she wasn’t even sure if she was doing it right. There were times that they got it, that they laughed and hung out, but there were times like this, too, where everything was just off.

She sighed, turning to throw out her cup, thinking about making an excuse about wanting to get home before Jim noticed her, when she suddenly remembered that they weren’t the only ones in the room. Aelita’s face was on the screen, watching the boys play Uno. She suddenly felt bad about not speaking to her most of the night.

“Hey Aelita, how are you doing?”

Aelita turned to her, smiling brightly. “Oh, just fine, Yumi. Humanity has created so many interesting ways to keep itself occupied in its leisure, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Yumi’s heart melted with Aelita’s enthusiasm for something so simple, “Are you understanding the rules?”

“Oh yes, I have the Google to thank for that.” Aelita motioned to something in front of her that Yumi couldn’t see. A smile twitched at the corners of Yumi’s mouth at Aelita’s awkward phrasing. She found herself briefly forgetting her desire to book it out of there as Aelita continued. “I’m learning a lot! Not just on the games, but on ‘fun’ too.”

“On fun? What do you mean by that?”

“I didn’t really understand quite how it worked before now; I don’t have a lot of time for ‘fun’ on Lyoko. It’s not like I can go play Uno or Jenga with XANA.” She looked wistful for a moment, then smiled again. “But I can see the way that you guys are doing it, and it’s very interesting. It seems like ‘fun’ is something you have to learn to do as much as ‘work’ is.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“Well,” Aelita hesitated for a moment, “I found that whenever I need to learn something new, it takes me a bit to get it right, you know? And you guys are doing that with this – you were yelling before, but not now. Odd stopped bothering Ulrich. Jeremie is speaking more and more.”

Yumi was crushing her cup again, and noticed the lack of the sound of cards in the room meant the others had stopped playing Uno and were listening in on the conversation.

“From what Jeremie tells me,” Aelita continued, “Between your schoolwork and fighting XANA, you don’t get a lot of chances to do ‘fun.’ I’m glad you found a way to do it today, and that you’re all practicing it together.”

Practicing having fun.

It was a very strange way to put it, Yumi thought, her eyes sweeping over the room, as they all shared glances with each other, but not something entirely wrong. How many times did she see any of them with people who weren’t each other?

           Yumi looked back at their digital friend, whose animated face was impassive, then grew more confused as she didn’t respond. She stole another glance at the rest of the room and felt her insides unclench. Her face twitched, and laughter started spilling out of her mouth.

           None of them knew what they were doing. None of them – not a single one of them – knew how to do this right. This was ridiculous; they were all so stressed about playing Uno.

           Maybe they did need the practice at being friends.

Her laughter subsided after a moment, and, although it wasn’t the cathartic group laugh that she was hoping for, the atmosphere in the room felt lighter than it had a moment ago.  Yumi tossed her now destroyed cup the trash, reinvigorated to figure out how to salvage a night for them. All of them.

“Hey, Aelita. Why don’t you join us, this round?”

“Huh? I can’t –”

“No, you totally can,” Yumi grinned at her, “We can find a way to hold some cards up for you, and we can just play them for you.”

“Yeah!” Odd perked up as he shuffled everyone’s cards back into the deck, “That’s a great idea, Yumi! I can help her!”

And they did. Everyone seemed to be trying a little harder at keeping the mood going. It was sloppy. They still stumbled over words, still had awkward moments between rounds. But the silence was shrinking. Yumi’s competitive shouts were responded to – hesitantly at first, then more excitedly. More people laughed at Odd’s jokes, and Jeremie even made some himself.

“Can you put down my fourth card?” Aelita asked, smiling innocently.

“Sure I – SKIP? SKIP?! YOU’RE SKIPPING ME?” Odd gasped, his hand filled with cards.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you not want me to try and win?”

They laughed – all of them, finally. She wasn’t sure what had flipped the switch in the room; maybe they all came to the same conclusion she did, maybe they all just wanted to try and prove to Aelita that they did know what they were doing. Either way, the games of Uno pressed on into the night.

“Draw two, Yumi.” Odd dropped a card, grinning.

“So sorry, but I think that Ulrich will be drawing four.”

“Tough, Aelita’s drawing six.”

“If you play my third card, you will find it’s Jeremie drawing ten.”

“…Okay, I officially withdraw my support of stacking rules.”

“What, just because you’re losing?” Yumi teased him, and Jeremie – miracle of miracles – actually stuck his tongue out at her and grinned as he drew his cards.

Maybe they would figure this out, eventually.

 Ulrich Stern was exhausted.

He didn’t really know what he was signing up for when he agreed to go to the game night, but whatever that was certainly wasn’t it. It had started out as horribly as he expected, but then Yumi somehow completely turned it around. Hell, the three hour-long rounds of Uno (stacking rules were a mistake, it turned out) they played with Aelita were actually, dare he say it, fun, and he left the room around two feeling a lot less crummy than he had when he walked in. He even agreed to Jeremie’s suggestion that they do it again next week, returning the exhausted smile Jeremie offered him.

“I’m going to sneak home,” Yumi said, as they headed down the hallway. “I’m not sure who I’m more scared about finding me; Jim or my parents.”

“Do you want me to scout ahead?” Ulrich asked immediately, hoping he didn’t sound too eager, “I’d get in a lot less trouble with Jim than you would.”

“Yeah, that would be great! Thanks.”

Her smile made his insides melt, and Ulrich scampered away before Odd could make fun of him for it again. It wasn’t his fault that Yumi made him happy. The whole night she was fighting to make sure they were all having a good time, and it was so nice to feel like someone cared about him. It was just a pain that he was so bad at letting her, or any of the others, know that.  

A dash down the hall, a surreptitious glance right and left, down the stairs, and it was all clear. He waved Yumi over, and she was at his side faster than he expected.

“Thanks,” She grinned at him, punching him on the arm. “See you on Monday?”

“Unless XANA calls over the weekend.”

“Ugh, I sure hope not. You guys can sleep in; I have to pretend I went to bed early tonight.”

He snickered. “Goodnight, Yumi.”

“Goodnight, Ulrich.”

She disappeared down the stairs and he watched, a tired smile lingering on his face. He let himself stay for a moment longer, relishing the solitude. People were exhausting. And he still had to face one of them, even though the main activities for the night were over. He dreaded going back. He didn’t want to hear a barrage of mockery for being all too eager to help Yumi out, or more insisting that he “lose the grumpy act.” Nothing he’d ever said before had convinced Odd to shut up, and he was starting to think this was just going to be a constant part of his life.

A yawn overtook him, and he figured that needing to sleep would be a good way of getting Odd off his back as quickly as possible. He headed back to his room and went inside. Odd was there, of course, already changed into his pajamas, a finger to his lips as Ulrich shut the door behind him. “Kiwi’s asleep,” Odd whispered, pointing to the drawer that his dog slept in.

Ulrich nodded, thankful. An even better excuse; one Odd would adhere to since it was his own pet. He excused himself to the bathroom to get ready for bed, smiled at a text from Yumi that told him she got back safe, and returned to the room, a sinking feeling in his gut when he saw Odd was still awake.

“Night.” Ulrich muttered, trying to make it clear that no, shut up, not tonight, getting in bed as quickly as he could.

“Goodnight.” Odd replied, his voice smaller than usual.

Ulrich frowned, staring at the wall in front of him. Not even a single joke? Well. Better for him. He closed his eyes.

“Hey… Ulrich?”

He opened his eyes.

Maybe if he didn’t say anything, Odd’d think he was already asleep.

“Ulrich, are you awake?”

No. He thought, as if that would work.

“I’m going to assume you are and you’re just being a grumpy butt again.”

He hated his life.

“Listen, Ulrich I… I’m sorry about earlier. I don’t know really what – I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. And I’m sorry if that screwed up game night and… I dunno. You’re all my friends, and we should try and do these things! It was fun, after a while, right?”

Odd trailed off, and Ulrich stared at the wall in front of him as if it magically had all the answers to the asked and unasked questions Odd posed, the ones that haunted Ulrich. He had a million things on his mind, a million responses to make, a million confused feelings clenched in his gut.

“And I guess I – I feel like I’m doing something wrong with you, Ulrich. I want to be friends, and I – I dunno. I’m sorry.”

“…I didn’t think sorry was in your vocabulary, Odd.”

“Rude.” Odd shot back, but without any venom. “Friends?”

He let the question sit for a moment, and Ulrich smiled, thinking of the laughter they all shared as Aelita destroyed them for the third time in a row.

“Yeah. Yeah, we are.”

[shirtlesssammy]

8x22: Clip Show

Then:

Cas almost gets hit on by Dean 

Now:

Lost Creek, Colorado

A couple are at a cabin in the woods, and the woman is so happy that her boyfriend finally joined her. He acts like it’s no big deal but we flash back to a memory —specifically of Supernatural season 1, episode 2: Wendigo. He’s Tommy and has some serious PTSD from the terror he experienced that night in the woods.

He thinks he hears a growl and pulls his girlfriend away from the window. He knows that a Wendigo is outside and pulls out a flare to take the unseen monster out. He crumples to the floor and then just explodes right in front of his girlfriend. Eeerp.

At the bunker, the brothers continue to find records that the Men of Letters have kept over the years. Sam’s not doing so well due to all the Trials. He’ll feel better once they finish them.

Cas shows up in the war room, and it appears that Dean and Cas didn’t follow the golden rule of not going to bed angry. Dean doesn’t even acknowledge the angel. Cas is still convalescing. He sits down to talk with Sam a bit about the trials. Dean comes back with food for Sam—well, jerky, beer, and peanut butter cups. 

Cas offers to go with Dean for more food, but still gets the cold shoulder. “I’m sorry.” “For what?” “For everything.” Classic DeanCas, lol. (Brb, off to throw myself off a cliff.) Oh wait there’s more, Dean calls out Cas with the whole bolting with the angel tablet and adds, “You didn’t trust me?” 

THESE BOYS ARE NOT IN LOVE:

Cas is contrite but Dean is not accepting his apology. Sam stays out of it all for a bit but interrupts eventually to pull Dean aside to make it clear that Cas is one of the good guys. What’s that saying? Dean’s harder on Cas because he loves him the most? Well, meh, I do like their later seasons of grumpy banter more than the divisiveness of right now.

In any event, the brothers head to a storage room. 

Sam wants to find a case that their records mentioned. He finds the box, and Dean finds a dungeon! Sam’s box contained a movie film.

They set up the movie (They even made popcorn, guys!)

It’s an old black and white film of the Men of Letters. Josie, the woman that Abaddon possessed, is filming the experiment. They have a demon captured in the very dungeon the Winchesters just discovered. They throw holy water on the demon, recite an incantation at it, and then one priest cuts his hand and presses it on the demon. It flares out, apparently gone. The film stops. It was weird (!!!) One of the priests is still alive and Sam thinks it’s a good idea to get the lowdown on what they just watched on the film. Cas wants to go too but Dean won’t hear of it. (Brb, flinging myself off another cliff. DO NOT LIKE.)

Cut to the brothers meeting with the priest. He tells them that the other priest believed that demons could be saved. He thought that they could cure the demon and they could be a normal human soul again. There were other experiments after that one attempt, and then the priest ended up dead a couple months later. Something had torn him apart. Sam tries asking about records but goes into a coughing fit, complete with blood. He heads to the bathroom while Dean continues to talk with the priest. The priest agrees to give them the other priest’s papers.

Meanwhile, Cas is on a mission to make up with Dean. He’s at a Gas ’n Sip and pulling all the essentials to make Dean like him again.

Ways to woo Dean Winchester:

Beef Jerky

Porn

TP

Beer

Protein

AND Smiting the sap who can’t provide the pie

Cas almost smites the poor attendant. Metatron interrupts. They need to talk.

He wants to talk about Heaven. It’s apparently a mess up there without the archangels. Naomi isn’t in charge as much as she’s led Cas believe. Cas blames himself for everything that’s happened in heaven. (URGH, no! —I mean, yeah, but NO). Metatron thinks they can buddy up and save the day! They can sort everything out. First, they need to shut down Heaven. Then he mentioned crepes and flies away.

At the bunker, Sam can’t find Cas. Dean doesn’t care (URGH, no!) They decide to watch the last audio recording before the priest died.

Once again, there’s a demon in chains. This time, the priest injects the demon with purified blood. He continues to do this 8 times. And the demon seems to be cured. 

They decide to try the experiment out on their own decapitated Abaddon.

Meanwhile, Cas flaps over to Metatron’s brunch location, a cute restaurant with an outdoor patio overlooking the water. It’s a perfect place to relax!

Iconic dialogue alert: 

Waitress: Cool coat.

Cas: No, it's actually quite warm.

Waitress: Cute and funny. Okay…

Metatron: I should have picked a better looking vessel.

You’re not here to accidentally flirt with the waitstaff, Castiel! Cas asks for clarification on Metatron’s quest to close the gates of Heaven. Metatron waves it away as just another godly safety switch - you’ve got one for leviathans, demons, and Heaven, of course. Metatron tells Cas that it’s time for a heavenly lock-in to work out all their feelings. And he needs Cas, the warrior, to do it. Cas owns to feeling responsibility for the current state of Heaven but recoils when he hears the first trial. He’ll need to cut out the heart of the cute waitress, the sole nephilim on earth. (Pronounced in this episode as neph-IL-im.) “What’s more important?” Metatron asks. “Her life? Or your family?”

With season 9 under my belt, I watch Dean and Sam sewing Abaddon’s head on with particular horror. Like, you took on the Mark of Cain to defeat her, Dean Bean. Which led to a whole bucket of depression and sad men. Nobody likes buckets of sad men. (JK obviously I love it or what am I even doing here?) What a spectacularly bad idea! Still, it wouldn’t be my beloved show if characters were making smart choices. Abaddon wakes up, cracks her stitched neck, and greets them with “Morning, sunshines.” 

“I can’t wait to tear out those pretty green eyes,” she says, lovingly. The Winchesters smirk, drawing her attention to her handless state. (They chopped off her hands - or maybe just left them detached.)  “I’ll stump you to death,” she says and...that’s the spirit, Abaddon! She knows about the priest and his work curing demons. In fact, she was a special dispatch straight from Hell to make an example of him. The priest led her to Josie and possessing Josie helped her dismantle the entire Men of Letters network. Yeesh. 

The phone rings. It’s Crowley! Abaddon is appalled to learn that Crowley is the King of Hell. Dean and Sam leave the room to talk to Crowley and FOR THE LOVE OF GOD BOYS they leave Abaddon alone. 

Outside, the Winchesters chat with Crowley. He directs them to some news stories, “sexts” them an address, and bids them farewell. They discover that Crowley’s been putting out hits on people the Winchesters have saved. 

While Crowley’s giving them the news, Abaddon makes like Thing from the Addams family and puppets her hands out of the loosely closed box on the table.

Her hand crawls into her mouth and pries out the demon trap bullet. It’s freedom time, mofos. 

The Winchesters return to find Abaddon gone. You FOOLS! Sam keeps his eyes on the prize, though. Crowley’s latest address is from their “witches and baked goods” case and is clearly a trap. Time to make a play to catch themselves a different demon. 

Prosperity, Indiana

The power’s out in the target’s apartment (and so are the cupcakes! yum!) Unfortunately, Jennie’s body is also out - sticking out of the oven, that is. “You were a great gal, Jennie Klein,” Dean says and...okay? Great mourning, everyone. 

Crowley calls them up again. He’s killing off everyone they’ve saved (and using the books as a reference guide) until they deliver the demon tablet to him. 

Metatron and Castiel stalk the waitress outside her place of work, Metatron goading Cas to make a choice. Urg. It’s just the bad decisions gang all around. She whirls around to confront them and saves them the trouble of introductions. “I could see your halos.” (I start to hum Beyoncé to avoid thinking about this next part.) Metatron calls her an abomination and she begs to be allowed to just live her life. (She apparently works twelve hours shifts as a waitress, for heaven’s sake. It’s not like she’s exploiting her power.) Cas looks disturbed, apologizing even as he advances on her. She throws him across the grounds like he’s nothing and then advances on Metatron. Castiel kills her from behind. Oof. 

The Winchesters race to the next location, only to discover Sarah - the art dealer Sam flirted heavily with several seasons ago. She’s staying in a seriously adorable hotel room, with actual art on display. Dean greets her like he’s just dropped by for a casual visit. OMG Dean. Sam briefs her on the plan. Devil’s traps at all the exits, shotguns, and an exorcism ready to play on loop. We learn that Sarah’s married with a kid. (Sam gets a peek at what-could-have-been.) Sarah tells him that he’s changed - he’s more confident and grown up. She misses the old haircut. Awww… 

Crowley calls and starts counting down and when he reaches zero, Sarah starts to choke. She collapses. “You son of a bitch!” Dean shouts. “Son of a witch,” Crowley clarifies - his mother taught him a few useful spells. The Winchesters start tearing apart the room to try and find a hex bag. Crowley continues his villain monologue: he’s keeping all things hell-related far away from the Winchesters - no more demons getting close enough for them to kill. 

“I think the people you save, they're how you justify your pathetic little lives. The alcoholism, the collateral damage, the pain you've caused – the ONE thing that allows you to sleep at night, the one thing is knowing that these folks are out there, still out there happy and healthy because of you, you great, big, bloody heroes!”

I mean, when Crowley’s right, he’s right. 

Sarah dies. Ugh. UGH. Crowley gives an ultimatum: they stop their quest to close Hell or people keep dying. In rage, Dean hurls the phone across the room. When it breaks, they finally find the hex bag. (Me: But okay she only stopped breathing a minute ago? Start CCR and call 911!)

Back at the bunker, Sam is Not Okay™ and does not respond well to Dean’s attempts to cheer him up. Sam, who continues to look awful and exhausted, suggests giving in to Crowley. “We’ll kick it in the ass like we always do,” Dean insists. Rousing speech, babe. 

We fade to black, with everyone we love on dark paths of one kind or another.

______________________________

I NEED Quotes:

Well, that was weird with three exclamation points.

I NEED pie.

I can't wait to tear out those pretty green eyes.

First things first – what are you wearing?

You’d better find him toot-bloody-sweet. 

I know this is insane, but insane is kind of what we do.

______________________________

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive! 

[smol-bean-meme-machine]

22, 36, 50 (TMI post)

22- I take about 5-10 minutes, depending on if I want to wear piercings and eyeliner etc36 - I LOVE Italian food. But, like, not American-Italian food, as much as it’s great, I love pasta with shellfish and stuff. But have you ever had Welsh food? Woo boy. Picau ar y maen can FUCK ME UP. Pics are DELICIOUS. I would live off the picau bach. The ones with chocolate? A gift from Geesus. And Rarebit? Yasss. (Okay, tone down the foodie. Yeesh) 50 - I like marvel? But, Doctor strange is GREAT. Currently living for the iron man trilogy. But I also like Kingsmen, totally different genre, hilarious. I want to get an Egsy pop vinyl. Thanks for the ask!!!!!

[ashtheshortstack]

ML Fluff Month Day 17 - AU

Descendants AU that no one asked for. 

Rated: T

Pairing: Adrinette. DJWifi. 

For: @miraculousfluffmonth

ao3

Day 1 / Day 18

The four new students stepped out of the limousine, staring out at their new school in awe and smidge of disgust. It just looked like a preppy kids’ school. How obnoxious.

There waiting was a girl with raven hair, pulled back into two pigtails and a tiara placed perfectly on top of her head. Oh, he knew who she was. They were definitely not on the Isle anymore. Adrien was the first to step out of the car, Alya, Nathaniel, and Mylene followed after him. The princess smiled at them with a curtsy. Gross.

She extended her hand out to him first. “Hi, I’m Marinette, princess of Auradon. And you?”

Adrien took her hand, cocking a brow as he did so. “You don’t expect me to kiss your hand, do you?”

The princess—Marinette—laughed at him. “No, I don’t expect you to. I’m not here for formalities, I’m just trying to be a good host.”

Smirking a little, he eyed her. “Oh? Well, I’m Adrien Agreste,” he stated as shook her hand, a little more aggressive than he had intended. He may have thought this whole thing was stupid, but he wasn’t going to purposely rough up the princess. She was actually kind of cute… not that he’d admit that out loud… ever.

Her mouth opened slightly at the sound of his last name, giving a curt, but obviously uncomfortable, nod. “So, the son of Gabriel Agreste, huh?”

“Otherwise known as Hawkmoth? Yeah, that’s him,” Adrien stated flatly.

Marinette gave him a stiff smile, before turning her attention to the other villain kids. “And you?”

Alya placed a hand on her hip, “Alya Cesaire,” she said shaking the princess’ hand. There was a glint between the two of them, he noticed. Adrien glanced between the two girls who smiled at each other. What was that all about?

As Mylene and Nathaniel introduced themselves, Adrien already found himself growing bored with the situation. Honestly, he kinda wanted the princess’ attention back to himself. Which was odd… He’d never felt like that before. Adrien could help but feel a twinge of jealously when Marinette shook Nathaniel’s hand, and he looked simply in awe of her.

Nope. Stop it, Adrien. You didn’t come here for this. You’re here for the Miraculous. That’s what you’re here for.

The princess clasped her hands together cheerfully. “Well, now I think it’s time that you are shown your rooms. I have some matters to take care of, but I’ll be there to check on you all soon. Nino will be the one to tell you your room numbers, alright? He’s just inside that door.”

Marinette waved them goodbye as the four of them enter Auradon Prep. There is a boy with glasses standing there waiting on them to enter. He seemed pretty nervous. Good. He should be.

The guy grinned nervously at them. “H-Hello. I’m Nino. Welcome to Auradon.”

Waving him off, Adrien rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Can we just have the keys to our rooms?”

Nino seemed taken aback for a second, but handed them the keys and pointed up the left staircase. “Your rooms are 304 and 305.”

Alya snorted. “Oh, keeping us near each other in check, huh?”

He held his hands up in defense. “I-I didn’t…”

“Calm down, four eyes. It was a joke,” Alya said with a snort and flicked a finger to his chest.

Glancing around hesitantly, he nodded. “R-Right.”

Adrien motioned up the stairs with his head. “Let’s go. We’ll see you around…Nino, was it?”

“Yeah, that’s me! If you have any questions, let me know. If I can do anything to make you more comfortable, I’ll do the best I can.”

With a smarmy smirk, Adrien’s brow twitched. “I guess we’ll see about that, won’t we?”

Adrien and Nathaniel both walked into their room. Eyeing the bed, the mattress was much bigger than one he had slept on before. Maybe, the dorm rooms weren’t so bad, besides how—fancy they looked.

“Can you believe we’re stuck in this hell hole for a few weeks?” Adrien murmured as he plopped down on the mattress.

“With as much eye fucking as you’ve done to that bed in the last five minutes, I’d say you’re not actually complaining too much,” he responded with a snort as he sat on the bed opposite of Adrien’s.

Running a hand through his hair, Adrien groaned. “Whatever. The sooner we get the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses the better. That way we can impress our parents and blow this popsicle stand.”

Nathaniel opened his sketch pad and began drawing a bit. “Can I at least get a girlfriend while I’m here? Girls on the Isle don’t even glance at me.”

Sitting up, Adrien leaned his weight back on his palms. “You think you’re going to get one here? We’re villain kids, Nath. We don’t fit in here. Everyone is going to be afraid of us.”

“Maybe, girls are into the bad boys,” he said with a shrug.

He stared at him flatly. “Nathaniel. You? A bad boy? Give me a break.”

“They don’t have to know that!”

“What? Seriously? You have a class with the princess? That’s crazy!” Mylene cried as she gaped at Alya.

Alya gave a shrug. “And? What’s the big deal?”

Crossing his arms, Adrien rubbed his chin while he hummed in thought. “That means you can find out where the Miraculouses are.”

She cocked her hip as she glowered at him. “Do you honestly think that Marinette would trust a villian’s kid enough to tell me where they have the Miraculouses hidden? Hell, no. She’s sweet, not stupid.”

“You could just get close to her,” Mylene chirped.

Wagging a finger at Mylene, Adrien nodded. “Yeah, she’s right. Get Marinette to trust you?”

Alya flopped her head back with a groan. “Why am I always the one with the dirty jobs? Adrien, you’re the one who desperately wants to impress your father,” she griped while gesturing an arm at him. “Why don’t you get off your ass and do something?”

Adrien barked out a laugh. Was she crazy!? He placed his hands on his chest, pointing at himself. “I am the son of Hawkmoth. The guy that tried to take over the world. Like hell, would Marinette ever trust me.”

Nathaniel hummed. “It’s not like you really tried. But, maybe, I could try to catch her interest?”

“No,” Adrien snapped, his pupils narrowing into slits for a moment. What the hell! No way was he going to sit here and watch the artist try to woo the princess. Disgusting.

Nathaniel held his hands up in defense. “Okay, yeesh. The princess is cute, okay? I was just trying to be a help.”

Mylene and Alya shared a brief glance, a smirk making its way on the latter’s lips. “Adrien, was that jealousy I just detected?”

What? Of course, not. He scoffed with a roll of his eyes. “No. Why would I care? I just don’t want to watch Nathaniel try to flirt.”

Alya clicked her tongue, a knowing glance directed his way. “Uh huh. Sure, pretty boy.” She paused and contemplated for a moment. “You know what? I’ll do it. I’ll find out where the Miraculouses are, okay? If it means I don’t have to watch poor mothy boy over here try to come up with excuses anymore.”

Face twitching, Adrien glared at her. “That’s enough of that, Alya.”

Alya and Mylene both hummed in a mocking tone, before exiting the boys’ dorm room. The pair sat in an awkward silence as Adrien then glanced up at Nathaniel. “I’m not jealous.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Nathaniel snipped back quickly with his eyes bulging.

Harrumphing, the blond picked up one of his school books, opened it, dropped it on his face, and proceeded to scream into it.

Nino flinched as Alya blew another bubble and popped loudly. Glancing over at her, he arched a brow. He leaned over to her and whispered, “You know, you’re not supposed to have gum in the science lab.”

She glanced at him sideways and popped it again between her teeth. “Oh, really? Why’s that?” she asked blowing another bubble with a smirk.

“Well, it could get stuck to something, or have a chemical reaction,” he explained, fiddling with his headphones nervously.

“My gum could blow something up? Now, that’s something I’d like to see,” Alya retorted with a snort.

Scratching idly at his forehead, Nino glanced down at his school work. “I’d rather not, honestly.” Alya twirled her gum around her finger, stretching it and smacking as she eyed his reaction with a grin. Nino just stared at her. “You’re doing this to annoy me, aren’t you?”

Cackling, she ran a hand through her hair. “What was your first clue, four eyes?”

“You really can’t call me that when you have glasses to,” he pointed out.

“Oh, really? What are you? The nickname police?”

“For a villian’s kid, that comeback was pretty weak.”

Gripping him by the shirt, Alya squinted at him. “Now, you listen here—“

“Heyyyy, how’s everything going over here?” a new voice sang.

The pair jerked their heads to see Princess Marinette standing in front of their desks. Alya quickly released his shirt and looked away. “It’s fine.”

Marinette clasped her hands in front of her with a smile. “Good! Oh—um, you’re not really supposed to have gum in class, Alya, I’m sorry. It’s just for safety reasons.”

Putting on her best smile and cheer, Alya took the gum out of her mouth. “Oh, of course. My bad,” she chucked into the trash can next to her.

Nino’s jaw fell open.

Alya’s lips twitched, hiding her smile as she shrugged giving him a “what?” gesture.

“So,” Marinette pulled and extra stool up to their lab and took a seat, “Alya, how are things going. Are you and the others getting adjusted?”

With an over exaggerated grin, Alya nodded. “Oh, yes. Things are going quite well. And,” she lowered her voice, “between you and me, I think Adrien has a little crush on you.” He was going to kill her. She knew that. But, this was too much fun to resist.

Especially when the princess flushed and reared back, almost falling out of her chair. “O-Oh! Um! I’m flattered, really!” one of her hands flew up to fiddle with one of her pigtails. “I-I don’t know if a boy has ever like—liked me before. That’s, um, new.” Marinette quickly hopped out of the seat. “Well! It was nice talking to you Alya! But I should really get going! Princess stuff to do, ahahaa…”

Alya’s brows furrowed. She was supposed to get to know the princess and gain her trust. This was the perfect opportunity to do that. “But, wait, you just got here.”

Chewing on her lip, Marinette glanced down at Alya’s notebook. Quickly, she snatched Nino’s pencil from his hand and wrote a phone number down on the corner of her paper. “There, my cell number. Text me, call me, uh, anything, if you need me. I’ll be around. See you, Alya. See you, Nino.”

And with that, the princess fled the science lab in a flustered mess.

Now, that was interesting.

Nino grimaced as he watched her retreat. “You really shouldn’t bring up boys to Marinette. It’s a touchy subject.”

Alya tilted her head with confusion. “What do you mean?”

As he began copying down more problems from the white board, he spoke, “Well, at the coronation, it’s traditional that the Ladybug earrings are bestowed upon the princess and the Black Cat ring is bestowed upon her boyfriend, or vice versa depending on the gender of the heir. Basically, it’s the engagement, before the engagement, before the engagement. The problem is, well, Marinette’s never had a boyfriend.”

She nearly choked as she blinked at him. “She’s the princess of Auradon, no one has ever dated her?”

Nino gave a half shrug. “She’s talked to a few, but never really committed to anyone. We’re kinda close, she basically explained to me that none of them felt right.”

“Oh, really?” Alya murmured darkly more to herself than Nino.

She couldn’t resist the twisted grin that spread across her face.

Alya busted open the door to the dorm, to find Mylene, Adrien, and Nathaniel already sitting in the room together. Closing the door behind her, she smirked as she winked at them. “Guess who knows how to get the Miraculouses.”

Adrien jumped from his seat at the desk. “What? Really? How’d you get Marinette to trust you that fast?”

“Wasn’t Marinette,” she replied with a shake of her head. “It was Nino. The kid with the glasses and headphones. He told me that the Miraculouses will be presented to Marinette and her boyfriend slash date, whatever at the coronation. That’s how we can get them!”

Mylene furrowed her brow. “How? Snatch them before they can put them on?”

Alya waggled her finger. “Not exactly. Guess who doesn’t have a date?”

“Marinette doesn’t have a date?” Nathaniel asked with curiosity.

She clicked her tongue, pointing at him. “Bingo. Nino said Marinette’s never really been interested in anybody. So, she’s basically scrambling to find someone right now. And, when I mentioned Adrien to her she went completely red and ran away.”

Adrien’s brows shot up. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope!” she responded with a pop of the ‘p.’

Mylene nudged his leg from her seat on the floor. “Look at you, pretty boy, wooing a princess.”

He scratched his head in thought. “Yeah, but, still. I don’t know if Marinette would actually go out with me because of who I am…” Wait… An idea popped into his head. “My dad’s manipulation spell. I bet I can do it.”

Nathaniel grimaced. “Mind controlling her? Isn’t that a little harsh?”

Rolling his eyes, Adrien glowered at him. “You got another plan, tomato head? We’re villains. Is there anything out of our moral code?”

Nathaniel still looked uneasy. “Are… Are we sure that this is what we want to do? I mean, our parents—“

“Are expecting us to pull this off,” Adrien interrupted. “If we don’t, who knows what they’ll do to us. Especially mine. We have to do this because we’re rotten…”

“…to the core.” They all chorused in agreement.

Adrien closed his locker, admiring his spray paint work of his father’s symbol on the door. He nearly jumped out of his skin seeing someone standing there behind it. She was blonde with blue eyes, heavy with eyeshadow.

“Hi~” she sang with a wave of her fingers.

Looking her up and down, he responded. “Hi.” Suddenly, she was running a finger down his arm. Who was this chick, and why on earth was she touching him? He jolted back slightly. “Um, can I help you?”

Fanning herself, she scoffed. “Oh, where are my manners? I’m Chloe. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the coronation with me?”

Adrien popped his lips. “Um, no, not really?”

Chloe flipped her hair over her shoulder. “What? I don’t think I heard you correctly?”

“No,” he stated again, this time a little harsher. “I have someone else in mind.”

She laughed. “Oh, really? I’m telling you we’re the perfect combination. I’m the prettiest girl in school, and you’re the hot bad boy. What more of a match do you need?”

This girl just wouldn’t go away would she? Taking all of his self-control, Adrien let out an irritated sigh. “Look, I’m planning on asking someone else to the coronation, alright? Go ask Nathaniel. He’s plenty of, um, hot bad boy.”

“Fine,” she spun on her heel, her pony tail whacking him in the face. He snarled as he watched her walk away. “Your loss,” she chimed.

Adrien wiped his hands down his face in aggravation. God, the things he did for his father’s approval. Ridiculous. Sighing, he glanced over at Alya, who had seen the exchange and gave him a sympathetic smile. This entire thing was going to be the death of him. Whether it was by the hand of his father or the Auradon police, he guessed he’d have to see.

Light tapping on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. He spun back around. “Look, Chloe, I—oh.” It was none other than the princess standing there behind him.

Smiling guiltily, she cringed a little. “Oh, so you’ve met Chloe, huh? She’s not the nicest girl around. Tends to make fun of anyone she can.”

Snorting, Adrien shook his head. “Even you? How could she? You’re the princess, aren’t you? Soon-to-be queen in a few days, right?”

Marinette fiddled with her side hairs, twirling them around her finger. “Yeah, well, I’m not the most graceful of princesses, that’s for sure. Or the prettiest,” she murmured the last bit and glanced away.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked, his head tilting slightly. Cupping under her chin, he lifted her head up. “I think you’re the most beautiful girl in all of Auradon.”

Blinking up at him, her eyes widened as a flush spread across her cheeks. “O-Oh…”

This was it. This was his chance. He looked her straight in the eyes, focusing on controlling her thoughts. Eyes turning a light purple, his pupils narrowed into slits, as a symbol of a butterfly appeared over her face and her eyes glazed over. Adrien smirked. “Marinette, you love me, don’t you?”

“Mmhmm…” she hummed in a daze.

“That’s why I’m going to be your date to the coronation, right?”

“Of course…”

He stared intently into her eyes for another moment, before letting the symbol disappear and his eyes returning to normal. Marinette simply gazed at him, her face going blank. Moving his hand to her cheek, he bent down to look at her face more clearly. “Marinette? You okay?”

The princess blinked out of her trance. Leaning forward, she gave him a peck on the cheek. “Yup! I’m fine! I’ll see you at the dinner today, right?”

Puffing out his cheeks, Adrien gave a nod. “Oh, um, yeah. Totally. I’m excited for it.”

Marinette beamed at him. “Good! I love you! See you in a bit!” she chimed as she frolicked off into another hallway of the school.

“Yeah, see you then!” he called after her as she skipped away. Quickly, in a huff, he spun to face Alya who was just as stunned as he was.

“Woah,” she said with a gape. “You actually did it.”

Running a hand down the side of his face, Adrien nodded. “I-I did…”

“How… How did it feel?”

Grimacing, he shook his head. “Honestly? Not good…”

Alya was stunned when she opened the door to find the princess standing on the other side of it. Marinette smiled, with a small wave. “Um, hi Alya. I have a big dinner to attend this evening, but um, I need some help.”

Glancing back at Mylene, who was equally shocked and simply shrugged, Alya turned to the princess with a curious brow. “Help with what?”

Marinette stalked into the room, much to the pair’s dismay. Hopefully, they didn’t have anything out in the open that would shout “hey! we’re trying to steal the Miraculous!”

“So, I design all of my own dresses and outfits, but I can never seem to make my hair and make-up go with it. But, you two always have such pretty hair and make-up, so I was wondering if you could help me?” Marinette asked as she sat down on one of their small chairs.

What an innocent request, Alya reasoned. This princess was too sweet for her own good. “So, you basically want us to give you a make-over?” she asked.

Bobbing her head, Marinette agreed. “Yeah, exactly! I have the design of my dress. Would you like to see it?”

“Yeah, sure.” Alya replied as Marinette handed her the sketch pad, who then passed it along to Mylene. “That’s really pretty, Marinette. Who knew a princess could be so talented?”

Mylene nodded. “Yeah, that’s really gorgeous. You’re lucky there’s someone to make them for you.”

“Oh, well I can sew, myself,” Marinette explained. “I just never have time now with all of my responsibilities. Being queen is a lot tougher than I thought it would be… but luckily, thanks to my first decree as soon-to-be queen, I got to meet Adrien and you guys. And he’s great!” she chimed.

Ouch. There was a pang of guilt in her chest that was back. This poor, poor girl. What were they doing this for? Glancing sadly at Mylene, Alya sighed. “Yeah, we’re so happy to be here, Marinette. Of course, we’ll help you.”

The princess had a smile that could light up an entire room. “Thanks!”

Oh, goddammnit. Why was she so damn pretty? It was the first time he’d ever seen her hair down like that. It was beautiful. She was so beautiful. Her dress was red and spotted, just like the Ladybug Miraculous she would be receiving in just a few days. It was so frilly at the top and poofed out like a short ball gown at the bottom. God, she was adorable.

As she approached, he noticed how different her make-up looked this evening. There was red eye-shadow lining heavily mascara coated eyelashes. Her bluebell eyes seemed even brighter than they usually were. He held out an arm for her, which she hooked in with no hesitation. It seemed his spell was still in effect.

The pair joined everyone else in the large courtyard. Alya, Mylene, and Nathaniel were already there as they walked over to the balcony to wave at the guests. Marinette then guided him to where the king and queen stood.

“Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Adrien.”

The king and queen gave each other uneasy glances at first, before turning to him with kindness. “It’s nice to meet you, Adrien.” The king said as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

Adrien bowed quickly. “N-Nice to meet you too, sir.”

He chuckled. “Tom is just fine, my boy. No need to be so nervous.”

“Yes,” the queen took Adrien’s hand as he stood straight. “You can just call me Sabine, as well.”

“I will admit, at first I was hesitant about Marinette’s decision to bring children over here from the Isle of the Lost, but after the way that Marinette talks about you, I think it was the right choice.”

The guilt that pitted in Adrien’s stomach almost made him vomit right on the spot.

Adrien paced in his dorm, as the fellow Isle children watched. “We can’t do this. How are we supposed to do this to these people? Marinette especially? All she has done has been nice to us, and we’re going to throw that away?”

“What about your dad, Adrien,” Alya pointed out. “If we don’t pull this off, he could toast us all easily.”

Groaning, Adrien sat down on his bed. “I know, I don’t know what to do. This isn’t right.”

“We’re not right. That’s why we’re not supposed to be here, isn’t that what you said?” Nathaniel grumbled.

Running his fingers through his hair, Adrien shook his head. “I don’t know what right and wrong is anymore…”

Knocking at the door made them all flinch. “C-Come in!” he called.

The door squeaked open to reveal Marinette on the other side. “O-Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. If you’re all busy I can come back later…”

Shaking his head, Adrien reached at her. “No! Don’t go!” he quipped. Oh, shit. He glanced at his friends who were all staring at him knowingly. Well, that was embarrassing. “I mean, what do you need Marinette? You’re not a bother.”

Twiddling with her fingers nervously, Marinette stared at him. “Would you like… to come with me? Off campus? Like… a date?”

Now, Adrien could feel himself blushing. The son of Gabriel Agreste did not blush! Oh, hell no! What was happening to him!? Gulping, he nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’ll go with you.”

Her smile was blinding. “Okay! I’ll be back here in a little bit!” She shut the door behind her and the dorm room fell into silence.

That is, until Alya spoke up.

“You’re in love with her.”

Shooting a look in her direction, Adrien quickly denied the claim. “What? No, I’m not! That’s ridiculous.”

Alya glanced at the other two in the room who shared her look. “Bullshit, Adrien. You’ve completely changed since you’ve been pretend dating Marinette the past few days. She’s been on you like a leech, and you’ve been completely eating it up. Quit lying to us and yourself.” She gave a sigh. “Go on the date… then we have a pretty big decision to make.”

Adrien followed her outside the front doors of the school to see a motorcycle sitting there. Was that hers? Oh, shit. That’s hot as fuck.

Giving a snort, he placed his hands on his hips. “A princess on a motorcycle? Now, that’s a new one.”

She grinned at him as she clipped her helmet. “I mean, if you’d rather take the limo, we can. This is just more freeing if you ask me.”

“Isn’t the guy supposed to drive the girl on the motorcycle?”

Marinette laughed at that. “You got a license?”

He glanced away. “Well, no.”

The princess kicked her leg over the bike, and motioned for him to join her with a bob of her head. “Then who needs the stereotypes? Get on the bike.”

Adrien didn’t need to be told twice. He clipped the other helmet on, and took a seat behind her. The pair sped away, off the campus. Off to new places of Auradon he’d yet to see.

Being cramped on campus was a shame, he’d come to discover. There were so many beautiful places in this kingdom. It was nothing like the Isle. They reached the Enchanted Lake, and Marinette parked her bike. Taking her helmet off, her cute little pigtails had become messy and undone. He certainly didn’t mind it though. The bad girl look was good on her.

The pair lay underneath the gazebo. Adrien rested his head in Marinette’s lap as she played with his blonde locks. This was something he could get used to. He really wanted to. But everything was so confusing. Having to choose between his father and Marinette was becoming more and more difficult with each minute he spent with her.

“Adrien?”

“Hm?”

“What’s the Isle like?” she asked.

Thinking back of that dark and filthy place almost made him cringe. “It’s… nothing like here. People steal, cheat, and make a mess of everything all the time. No one has any remorse or guilt. It’s harsh.”

Still fiddling with his hair, Marinette hummed sadly. “I’m sorry. I’m glad you’re here now.”

“Yeah,” he croaked.

Moving his head from her lap, she stood and turned to gaze at the enchanted water. Unfortunately, she stepped to close to the edge, her heels catching, causing her to go flying into the water below. Adrien hopped up in a panic, jumping in after her.

“Marinette!?”

Her head popped up from the water as he made his way over to her. The water got deeper and he found himself panicking. “U-Um. I can’t exactly swim.”

Marinette simply stared at him a moment. She shook her head. “O-Oh! Right!” She pedaled herself over to him enough for him to lift her from the shallow water and back onto the floor of the gazebo. The princess blinked at him. “You… You can’t swim?”

Running a hand through his wet hair, he shook his head. “No. Not exactly swimming pools on the Isle.”

“But, you still jumped in to save me?”

Adrien pushed himself out of the water. “Yeah, I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to you.”

A blush spread across her cheeks. “I see…” she trailed off before making direct eye contact with him. “Adrien, I told you that I love you. Do you love me?”

Oh… shit. He glanced away and down into the water. “Well, I don’t really know what love feels like,” he said with half a shrug.

Marinette cupped under his chin, lifting his head back up to see her. “Maybe, I can teach you?” she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Adrien felt himself melt against her. Fireworks exploded behind his eyes as his lips danced with hers. He was a goner. That was for sure.

“I’m going to undo the manipulation spell,” Adrien said to Alya.

She stared at him flatly. “The coronation is tomorrow. What are you thinking?”

“Having Marinette still be in love with me after we take the Miraculouses just seems too… cruel, you know?”

Alya glanced down at her hands. “We’re really going to do this, huh?”

Letting out a sigh, he nodded. “We don’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice, Adrien. I just don’t know if we’re making the right one,” she murmured as she headed towards the door. She paused and glanced back at him. “Nino asked me to the coronation. He’s really nice… you two would have probably been good friends if it weren’t for all of this.” Giving him a sad smile, she closed the door behind her.

Marinette walked up the stairs in her coronation gown. It was strapped around her neck, with a long train flailing out behind her at the bottom. This time, it was pink with white floral patterns covering it. He honestly preferred the sexy red Ladybug dress from the pre-coronation dinner, but he wasn’t really the one in charge here. After what was about to happen, he didn’t have the right to have a say.

The two stood arm in arm in front of the chapel doors. Clearing his throat, he turned to her. “Marinette.”

She gazed up at him. “Yes?”

He took a deep breath, eyes focusing on her. When his eyes narrowed into slits, Marinette held a hand up to him. “There’s no need for all of that.”

Adrien jolted, taken aback by her statement. “W-What?”

“There’s no need to undo a spell that isn’t there anymore, right?”

He stared at her blankly. “Oh, right.” Wait. What!? He processed her words. Blinking at her, he gaped. “You—You’re not under the spell anymore?”

She snorted. “Nope. It washed away in the Enchanted Lake when I fell.”

“You’re not mad?”

Shaking her head, she let out a breathy laugh. “No. I’m nervous asking someone out too. If I could have put a spell on you, I would have done the same.”

“So—So, what? You’ve just been faking it since the lake? Marinette, you made-out with me after that for Pete’s sake.”

The princess simply barked a laugh. “Calm down there, moth boy,” she raised his hand to her lips and pressed a gentle kiss there. “I haven’t faked anything.”

Gulping, he flushed. This was bad. This was so, so bad.

They walked together down the aisle. Other students and school faculty all lined the sides of the rug. Never in his life had Adrien just wanted to scream, cry, and run away. At the end of the aisle, stood an elder man with the box of the two Miraculouses sitting open, ready to be presented to them.

Marinette curtsied to him when they reached him. “Master Fu, good to make your acquaintance again.”

“As to you, my queen,” he said with a bow.

They both turned to the audience as the queen approached Marinette. She placed the new crown on top of her head, and the crowd went into a small applause. They then turned back around to Master Fu. Marinette bent down as he placed the earring within her ears. Adrien gulped when the man gestured for him to hold out his hand. The elder slipped the ring onto Adrien’s finger. The weight was almost too much to bear. The guilt was eating him alive.

He had to. He had to. He had to.

Adrien reached up, grabbing hold of Marinette’s ears. The ring and studs glowed at the contact with each other, shooting a beam of light up to the sky, and breaking the barrier to the Isle. The crowd let out a gasp.

“Adrien… What are you doing?” Marinette whimpered. Betrayal was clear in her eyes.

Alya, Mylene, and Nathaniel ran up to join him. Nathaniel eyed him. “Adrien, just take them. Let’s get out of here.”

“What?” Marinette gasped.

He gazed at her. “Marinette, I—I have to. We don’t have a choice!”

“There’s always a choice! Your parents made theirs now make yours, Adrien.”

The words shook him to the core. It may have been one thing coming from Alya… but coming from the girl that he’d found himself falling in love with. That was different. He glanced over at the others, before turning back to Marinette. “I-I think I want to be good.”

Marinette reached up, cupping his hands that her grasping her earrings. “You are good!”

“How do you know that!?” he cried.

“Be—Because I’m listening to my heart. I know that this isn’t you! You’re not your parents, Adrien, you are so much more than that,” she said gently as she took his hands off the earrings, both jewels returning to their normal color.

Intertwining his fingers with hers, he gazed into her eyes. “Marinette… I…”

“Oh, well isn’t this sweet?”

Adrien gasped at the voice. Oh, no. No, no, no! There was another roar from the crowd as Adrien turned to see his father standing in the middle of the Isle. “D-Dad. How did you get here?”

Chuckling darkly, Gabriel eyed his son. “Now, isn’t the time for questions. Give me the Miraculous.”

Adrien clutched the ring with both hands. “No.”

Gabriel cocked a brow. “No?”

“No, father! I won’t do it!”

“Now, this is a surprise. What’s gotten into you?”

Adrien shook his head. “I’m not you, father. I don’t want to be you. I’m not evil. This isn’t who I am.”

“Hand over the jewels, or else, son.”

Hardening his gaze, Adrien sneered. “No.”

Gabriel growled. “Fine. Have it your way then.” Butterflies surrounded him, transforming him into Hawkmoth. He lifted his scepter in his direction, firing it towards them. The crowd screamed in terror, only for him to manipulate the audience into silence and freeze them. Adrien jumped in front of Marinette, shielding her from the blast.

The ring on Adrien’s finger began to hum and glow, green light absorbed him as he too changed forms. He glanced down at his gloved hands in surprise.

Marinette clutched to him. “You can do it,” she whispered.  Hawkmoth then froze the rest of the counsel, including the princess. Adrien glowered, turning around slowly. His eyes glowing an unnatural green.

“Aw, now that’s a scary face. What happened to my powers, hm? I know you have them.”

“Don’t need them,” he growled.

Hawkmoth charged him, Adrien stopping him by clutching the staff with both hands to block him. His father’s eyes bored into his own, turning a bright lilac and his father’s eyes narrowed into slits just as Adrien’s had before.

Taking a step forward, Adrien forced him back. His own eyes a vibrant green as he tried to overpower his father’s abilities. Another step. Gabriel glanced between his staff and his son, losing focus on defeating him. With sheer determination, Adrien forced a symbol across his father’s face, however not a butterfly, but a shining cat. Hawkmoth reared back into a puff of smoke. A small creature emerging from it. Adrien caught him in his hands as the Black Cat glowed again, and instantly Adrien was back into his formal attire and the crowd was unfrozen.

Marinette charged him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You did it. I can’t believe you did it.”

“I…I did…” Adrien sighed in relief as he scooped her up in his arms to spin her. “I really did it…”

Marinette grabbed him by the lapels of his dress coat, yanking him down into a solid kiss. The audience cooed at the sight, but Adrien was too wrapped up in the feeling of her lips against his to really pay any attention to it. Living happily ever after with her was all he ever needed.

[nebulawriter]

Blind Review VLD S4E3 Black Site

whoo! Okay, now, back to our regularly schedlued voltron, right?

Hey, sup Haggar. Is this flashback? okay, apparently not. 

Do we get to see how Lotor was like...made?

Hello Olkari! Wait, interesting how Matt said all they needed to do was find “Dad” and not Shiro, like he knew...Hm. 

YAY PIDGE!

Aw, The mice are excited!

Matt you giant anime nerd. WTF 

Oh my god Lance wth. 

Siblings!!! 

Oh Lance. You two are gonna be best friends lets face things. 

Hey Zarkon. What up. 

Well, uh. Is she...pretending not to remember who he is?

Pidge you are adorable. 

MATT I LOVE YOU

Sup Lotor. I think. Yep, there y’are. 

I am seriously confused about Lotor’s plans. 

Oh Coran and Allura. you two are adorable. 

Ah, mother son time. how fun. Family bonding. Woo. 

Yeesh Zarkon. Ouch. Okay, so Lotor is not displeased with this, but. Hm. 

Does the powerful energy have to do with Narti and her immortal cat?

Called it. 

And he looks at me...and I looks at him....and he looks at me!...and I looks at him!....

Seriously, where is my awkward Galra family. 

Indeed Hunk. 

I’m loving how proud Matt is about all of this. 

Ah yes, the released scene. Poor Lance. he’s having a tough day. 

Lance my beautiful boy. Poor Coran and Allura.

So, I’m guessing Alteans are non-mammilian? Technically?

Ah. Yeah. 

Well...thats weird. But okay. 

My lil nerds. I love you so much. 

HA Sincline ships. Nice. I get it. I understood that reference. 

It Lotor. he makin ships for him and his friends. But I can’t figure out why. 

Like, Zarkon said it was to attack him. but.

WHOA WHAT THE CHEESE

I thought he was just gonna kill the cat, not NARTI WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUUUUCK

Wait, I just thought. Didn’t Keith have the sword?

Oh, the generals are not pleased with the loss of Narti. Not pleased at all. 

Well. Damn. 

[pandatypewriter]

B.A.P Le Noir AU (Himchan): Ch. 12 No More Games

Yeesh! It’s been a while since I posted a chapter for Le Noir...or at least it feels like it’s been awhile haha! So I wanted to post this before I started to hit the todo list in my submit box so please don’t attack me if Ch. 13 takes a while >x<  Instead enjoy the fun reactions and some scenarios that I will be pumping out! :D Bright note this chapter is pretty long so yayz! And the mystery continues! Wooooosh! hahah

You froze in place. One foot in the door, while your hand still twisted the knob. You noticed a wire coming from your door knob. You followed the intricate trap set before you to only see it all connected to a handmade bomb packed with C4. Shit. You were careless. With the emotional rollercoaster you had just went through, your instincts and wits had begun to dull. You could feel small beads of sweat build up on your forehead. You knew the moment you loosened the grip on the knob, you and the rest of this floor would be sent sky high. The strain in your wrist and fingers from maintaining a statue-like position, however, was making the task of remaining still fairly difficult.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” Himchan growled as he examined the bomb resting in plain view in your living room. How could he be so stupid? How could he let you be in harms way again? A thousands thoughts ran through his mind. Who did this? The Black Scorpios were eliminated….his thoughts then trailed to the small remainder of the Emperor Dragons. He glared at the contraption. The Emperor Dragons weren’t known for making bombs though. They were more of the rain of bullets type of people. But he supposed that an old dogs could learn new tricks.

“Himchan, calm down…” You tried to keep your voice steady. All your nerves were shot up in attention. You were scared. No doubt about it, but there was no point in you panicking or Himchan panicking. First objective was to get that bomb out of your damn home!

“I’m sorry, Y/N…” He let out a deep breath, bringing his heighten nerves back to ground zero. “I’m sorry...I should have...I was suppose to protect you…” He cupped the side of your face gently.

A small smile spread across your face as you nuzzled into Himchan’s hand. Himchan had pure intentions. For a gang boss he had so much and love for those he cared about. It was so easy to forget that he was the mastermind of some of the biggest heist of this town. There was a sense of ease about him. Comfort. Like you could pour your soul out to him and he would simply pull you into a hug and embrace every broken piece of you. This sense of trust and confidentiality was something you hadn’t built with another human being in quite awhile.

“It’s okay Himchan...we both should have known better.” Your smile brought a sense of ease to Himchan. He didn’t know how you didn’t. How in one moment you could have his sense of high alert, sporadic, and in the next moment he felt that everything could be alright. He could be on fire right now, but your words alone could make him feel assured that he was going to be okay.

Himchan gave you a slight nod and a small smile, a hint that he understood your words. “I’ll get you out of here…”

He took a peek into your living room, scanning the surroundings in order to ensure that there no other immediate dangers present. After he convinced himself that there was nothing in the room that could harm you, he cautiously trudged through the living room until he reached the homemade device. He analyzed the bomb before him, gingerly picking up a few wires in order to get a better understanding about how the device worked. He had seen quite a few bombs in his days, but nothing quite like this. It was too elaborate for even the Emperor Dragons to conjure up. There didn’t seem to be a single wire that would deactivate the bomb. And based on the design, any slightly movement of the device itself would activate the bomb.

Himchan let out a frustrated groan as he ran his fingers through his hair. He didn’t have time to mess around. Didn’t have time to be incompetent. Didn’t have time face his inadequacies. He clenched his fist tightly, the white of his knuckles revealing themselves. Memories that he wished never existed poured into his mind. Memories he thought he was over with. Memories that he thought he outgrew.

“Move you little piece of shit.” Himchan’s ‘father’ growled as he pushed Himchan aside. His small frame hitting the wooden floor in a thud.

Himchan furrowed his eyebrows, but kept his mouth shut. He knew if he said anything, even looked his ‘father’ in the eye, he would get a beating. Sometimes Himchan wondered if the man before him was really his father. He never received a loving touch from the man. Wise words from a father. Caring hugs from a parent. Those traits seemed to be non-existent in their father/son relationship. No matter what Himchan did. No matter what he said. He would always be seen as a son of a whore that his father knocked up.

“Useless, mutt. Don’t do anything and walking round here wasting space,” His father spat, before glaring down at Himchan. Inadvertently, Himchan returned the glare, causing the flames of his ‘father’s’ rage to burn. “You glaring at me, you mutt!?” His father raised his fist to give Himchan the usual punishment.

“Woo-jin!” A booming voice echoed through the thin paper walls. A chiseled, well-groomed man wearing a padded kimono trotted down the hallway, a glare plastered at his face as he stared Himchan’s ‘father’ down.

“B-Boss…” Himchan’s father lowered his fist, his aggressive fire now waned to a flicker.

“Go talk to Michael about collecting some dues. It seems that the gangs down south haven’t paid back their debts yet.” The man nudged his head to the side, signalling for Himchan’s father to get out of his sight.

“O-Of course…” Himchan’s father mumbled before scurrying off to do the task at hand.

The man sighed and shook his head in dismay before coming up beside Himchan, squatting down so that he and the 6 year old boy were at the same height. Himchan instinctively flinched back, knowing that the man before him had power and influence. The man simply smiled and ruffled Himchan’s hair, assuring Himchan that he intended no harm towards him.

“Don’t listen to your father’s words. Everyone has a purpose in life. It doesn’t matter who you were born to. Whether you be a son of a rich man or a escort,” The man chuckled as he gently picked up Himchan, carrying the him and smiling at him as if Himchan was his own son. “You’re a bright boy. I’ve seen you help the rest of the men with ever you can. You’re a fast learner so don’t worry about the weakness your father spouts at you. You’ll overcome them.”

Himchan took a deep breathe. This moment was simply one of those weakness in his life. He just simply needed to overcome them. Not only for his sake. But for your sake. He grabbed his phone from his pocket, deciding that it was better to call someone more experienced in bombs and explosions than he was.

“Yongguk, I need you to get to Y/N’s apartment now.” Himchan tried to keep his voice steady. Calm. The last thing he wanted was to get the other members riled up. He glanced over his shoulder to see you standing there, as still as a statue. When you met his eye, you gave him a slight smile to assure him that you were fine, though you could barely feel your arm at the moment.

“Huh? What happened to Y/N?” Daehyun voice was filled with concern. Himchan let out a small curse at himself. He had forgotten that he set his phone calls to group chat to increase the efficiency of communicating information.

“It’s nothing.” Himchan slightly growled in the phone, warning the rest of the members that they shouldn’t venture with the questions.

“Himchan…” Yongguk’s low voice echoed through Himchan’s ear, knowing something was wrong.

“We’re going there.” Youngjae spoke out, saying what was exactly on everyone’s mind.

“I said it’s nothing big! I just need Yongguk to come!” Himchan practically shouted into the phone.

“Himchan!” You shouted from your position, glaring at him to calm down. “There is no point in hiding or sugar coating the situation!”

“Y/N?” Zelo’s voice echoed through the room. “What the hell is going on!?”

Himchan let out an exhausted sigh. He was grateful for your action. He was getting riled up. Scared. Angry. Frustrated. A mixture that was toxic for a leader. “There is a bomb.”

The line went silent. Everyone comprehending the information that they just heard. “The rat’s don’t seem to give up.” Jongup broke the silence. His voice was slightly vicious and annoyed.

“Now we’re all coming for sure.” Daehyun noted.

“No! I told you guys that I just need Yongguk….I don’t want to drag you guys into this…” Himchan sighed. If he could he would rather the fatality only be him. If Yongguk couldn’t stop the bomb perhaps he could get you out of here in one piece. The idea of the rest of the gang coming here. His entire family in close enough proximity that they could be blown to bits. It sickened him.

“You should've thought of that 6 years ago.” Yongguk’s low chuckle filled Himchan’s ear as he and the rest of the members hanged up their phone. Only leaving Himchan to let out a huff of disbelief at his members’ stubbornness and release a small chuckle.

“I knew you were a softie,” You chuckled as you watched the scene before you. “100% mom material.”

“You’re really chatty for someone who might be blown up anytime soon,” Himchan rolled his eyes as he came up to you, placing his hand on top of yours. “We can switch places, Y/N. If you can slip your hand off and-”

“Oh no you don’t. No one is playing the sacrificial hero here,” You gently took Himchan’s hand off of yours and gripped his tightly. “Who ever set this bomb clearly wants to get rid of me so this is my problem Himchan. And I refuse to let someone die for me.”

“You are too damn stubborn sometimes…” Himchan couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief. He couldn’t win with you. You truly were one hell of a woman. That’s why he was so scared of losing you.

“I heard it could be quite endearing.” You smirked.

“Your husband has extremely weird taste,” He smiled. Though the word ‘husband’ still felt bitter on his tongue, he enjoyed the atmosphere the two of you had made during this time of terror. It was the one he felt comfortable with. That he could be himself with. Not pretend to be this mature, cold leader. To be this confident, all-knowing leader. Just him. And hell he would he destroy this atmosphere over petty jealousy. “But I guess that makes my taste weird too.”

Your eyes opened wide for a moment, understanding the implications to his words. But were you ready for them? You didn’t know. Whether it was the adrenaline running through both of your veins by being so close to death or his true feelings. You didn’t know. If his words were true. The emotions real. You opened your mouth for a moment, preparing to say something. Anything.

“Himchan.” Yongguk and Zelo quickly appeared around the corner of the hallway, the breathes haggard from running. Soon Jongup, Daehyun, and Zelo followed.

“Hey there boys.” You nonchalantly waved at the boys.

“Are you okay?” Daehyun came beside you, scanning your frame to make sure you were all in one peace.

“I’m fine...I’m actually surprisingly calm...or at least I’ve convinced myself that I am.” You flashed them a small smile.

“I haven’t seen a device like this anywhere…” Yongguk mumbled as he examined the device. “But I’m pretty sure there is a failsafe somewhere, just in case something goes wrong.”

“You think you can figure it out hyung?” Zelo peered closer to the machine, before glancing at Yongguk.

“Maybe...Just give me a sec.” Yongguk motioned for everyone to back up so that he could have more space to do his job. He examined every nook and cranny of the machine, making sure he didn’t miss anything. He noticed a single small wire on the bottom of the device. Yongguk gently tugged on the wire to see where it led to. It connected the C4 to the tripwire. Yongguk bit his lip, unsure of what he should do. If he cut this wire, there was a high chance that he could send everyone to their graves, but at the same time, there was a chance that it would deactivate the device completely. He glanced back to you and the rest of the members, looking for some semblance of an answer. Reassurance that his decision would be the right one.

You glanced at Himchan for a moment, trying to get a read from him. He looked at you, giving you a firm nod before returning his Yongguk and giving him the same message. Yongguk let out a sigh before sucking a deep breathe as he grabbed a pair of wire cutters from his back pocket. He gingerly pulled the wire out enough for him to cut it. He gripped the wire cutters tightly before. Snip!

“God damn…” Youngjae let out the deep breathe that he held in.

“Well wasn’t that thrilling.” Jongup chuckled as he entered the apartment.

You released your grip from the doorknob, letting out the breath that you held in and shaking your sore arm. “I’m glad that was over…” You murmured, plopping yourself down on the couch. All the strength and courage from the adrenaline seemed to dissipate from your body.

“Good job, Guk,” Himchan patted his friend on his back, but Yongguk’s expression remained hardened. “What’s wrong?” Himchan raised an eyebrow.

“This is a dummy. A really elaborate one…” Yongguk mumbled as he dismantled the bomb. “We could have thrown it against the floor and it wouldn’t go off”

“What?” Himchan stared at his friend in disbelief. Who the hell would set this elaborate trap to just keep you all in one piece? A psychopath? He chewed his bottom lip trying to figure out what the actual hell was going on.

“It’s a warning…” Daehyun glared at the device before taking it from Yongguk’s hands and slamming it against the ground.

“From who?” Zelo glared at the device, kicking it aside.

“I could venture a few guesses.” Jongup chuckled, picking up the battered bomb and tossing it to Youngjae for further examination.

“Well we’ll deal with those guesses later,” Himchan ran his hand through his hair. “We need to get Y/N to a safe place.”

“Let’s take her back to our hideout. It’s the safest place we got.” Zelo noted, which Himchan agreed with. Their headquarters was a large abandoned mechanic shop that was left to rot while, but the boys had renovated it to be an adequate hideout.

“Do I get a say in this or do I just stand here and look pretty?” You glared at them. You didn’t like the idea that they were simply making plans without asking you. You had the girls to worry about. Le Noir to care about. You couldn’t simply abandon them.

“Y/N….” Himchan looked at you, almost pleading you to be complacent with their plan. Unfortunately you were not having it.

“I refuse to put my life on my pause because of some dumbass men who think they can have their way by playing these childish pranks…” You sighed, removing yourself from the couch. “The girls are in danger now...I can’t just disappear on them. And then Le Noir...I can’t abandon my home.” You massaged your temples trying to figure out what to do.

Himchan let out a sigh, knowing that when it came to the girls and Le Noir you wouldn’t falter for anyone. “Then at least for tonight. So we can at least figure out what to do.”

“Okay, but first thing tomorrow I’m going back to Le Noir,” You relaxed shoulders a bit, the tension leaving your body. “Can you all do me a favor and make sure that the girls don’t come into work tomorrow…”

“Of course.” Yongguk smiled as he gently placed a hand on your shoulder. You smiled at the boys. Who would have thought that you would have become so close to BAP of all groups. You didn’t want trouble. You wanted to live your life as peacefully as your occupation allowed you. But look at you now, fully thrown in a mess, but I ironically you didn’t hate it.

“Sorry about the blindfold…it’s a precaution” You could hear Himchan murmur as he gently squeezed your hand.

“It’s fine,” You chuckled. “This hasn’t been the first time I’ve blindfolded.” You smirked and cocked your eyebrow.

Zelo nearly spit out his water at your comment as Daehyun bursted out into laughter. Jongup had a sly smirk on his face. Weren’t you a kinky puppet. Youngjae rolled his eyes at the boys’ immaturity though a blush was dusted on his cheeks. Yongguk couldn’t help but smirk while Himchan chuckled in disbelief. You were definitely a woman full of surprises. It was no surprise that they were so attracted to you, attached to you. You were a part of their world, but not. You were strong to handle your own, but soft enough to care for others. And you were sexy as hell.

“We’re here…” Zelo murmured, his face bright red. The hyungs chuckled at the sight of little lamb, causing the giant baby to growl at them as he helped you out of the car and remove your blindfold.

“What the hell happened…” Himchan growled, his fist were clenched tightly as he witness the wreckage in front of him. The garage to their hideout was wide opened, the inside looking like a tornado had gone through.

The rest of the boys followed suit examining the mess that was made. Files everywhere. Cabinets pried opened. Data files searched through. Their respective rooms tumbled through. Whoever trashed their hideout was very meticulous in their search. After examining the initial impact, they rushed to underground storage. They all raised an eyebrow when they saw all the guns they had stolen. The stacks of cash that they had received during their last heist. Some of the priceless art that they hadn’t sold off yet. Everything was left untouched. As if nobody ransacked their hideout.

Himchan furrowed his eyebrows. If this was simply a rival gang then they would have wiped them out clean. Why leave the guns, the money, and the art? Why just ransack the place? What were they looking for? And more importantly, how the hell did they find out about the hideout!? He quickly climbed up the stairs to find Youngjae fiddling through the files that were in disarray.

“They’re gone…” Youngjae mumbled as he angrily through the files down to the ground.

“What’s going on?” You looked around confused and lost. Explanations needed to be made. Now.

“Youngjae….what did they take…” Himchan tried to keep his voice as calm as he possibly could, but the anger that threatened to boil out was on the edge of overflow.

“The files that contained all the information about the Emperor Dragons other deals and INF,” Youngjae ran his fingers through his hair, aggravated at the current situation. “They’re all gone.”

“Damn it!” Himchan growled.

“But how would they have found this place…” You mumbled, trying to figure out how they could have even the decipher the location of BAP’s hideout. “And how did they know it was the perfect time to…” Your voice trailed off when you realized the answer to one of your many questions. “God Damn it!” You let out a frustrated growl causing Youngjae and Himchan to jump at your words.

“Y/N…” Himchan looked at you confused, his formerly hot temper going down to a simmer.

“I was the distraction….If it weren’t for me you guys would have stayed at the hideout…” You scratched your head vigorously. You were played. Used. Like a chess piece for someone’s sick game and it made you furious.

“Y/N, it’s not your fault…” Youngjae attempted to assure you, but your temper was becoming out of control.

“Tell that to your ransacked hideout,” You sighed. “I should have sent you away Himchan. If you didn’t walk me back to my place then the boys wouldn’t come and then…”

Himchan came over and squeezed your shoulder gently, attempting to assure you that you had  no fault in what occurred. “Listen, Adenium. I wanted to walk you home. Hell I would have done it whether you sent me away or not. This is not your fault.”

“Plus they didn’t stop us completely…” Youngjae shuffled in his back pocket, pulling out a usb. “I was able to copy half of the files to a digital copy. It’s not much, but it’s all we got.”

“That’s fine…” Himchan’s expression darkened. The rest of the boys coming up from the basement after accounting for everything. “We can just ask the Dragon Prince the rest,” Himchan grabbed his machine pistol from the mess of papers and files. “I’m getting tired of these shitty games…”

Thanks for reading! Comments and feedback are much appreciated! (Plus I’ll love you more haha XD XD)