#yeah it checks out this guy would sell his city in exchange for turning his dying boyfriend into a living island

[grimm-the-tiger]

Be gay, do financial crimes you have to pay back with the nightmares of your indentured servants.

[the-bau-quinjet]

Secret's Out

Summary: Request! Reid and Y/N are secretly dating, but their business doesn't stay their business for long.

Warnings: Criminal Minds level violence

Word Count: 2974

a/n: Thank you for the request! I hope you like it :)

Sorry this took forever! It took me a while to think of case details that I liked and then I kept rewriting parts. I think I'm finally happy with it though!

Masterlist

"Spencer!" You pushed him away. "The doors could open at any moment! How are we supposed to keep this a secret if Morgan walks in on us kissing in the elevator?" You raised a brow at him.

"On average, elevators travel at a speed of 200 ft/min or about 4 seconds per floor. Being on the fifth floor means we have about 20 seconds to ourselves." He smiled triumphantly.

"Yeah, until someone surprises us on floor 3." You rolled your eyes, stepping out of the doors once they opened.

"I can't help it. I'm just... really happy with you." He whispered softly.

"I'm really happy too." You smiled at him. You were about to lean in when the elevator doors opened once again to reveal JJ and Emily.

"Hey guys, ready for another case?" Emily glanced between you suspiciously, but thankfully didn't ask any prying questions.

"Yep, let's go!" You turned quickly, walking into the round table room without so much as a glance back at the three agents by the elevator.

"What's with her?" JJ questioned.

"Said she didn't sleep well last night. Must be all the caffeine." He held his own cup off coffee up in solidarity before also walking to the round table room.

"Alright, we've got 3 dead in Billings, Montana. All three were law enforcement, and all three were found this morning around the city." You listened as Penelope introduced the details of the case.

"Could be someone who feels the police didn't do a good enough job protecting a loved one?" You threw out a theory.

"Or someone who feels wronged by the criminal justice system as a whole." Rossi added on.

"Either way, they likely won't stop until we catch them. Wheels up in 20." Hotch rose from his seat as he spoke, wasting no time in preparing for take off.

You all dispersed briefly to grab your go bags, meeting back at the SUVs to head to the jet.

Once boarded, it didn't take long for the conversation to start up again.

"When we land, L/N go to the morgue. Dave, Prentiss take the first and second crime scenes, they're only a mile apart. Morgan and Reid, check out the third scene. I'll head to the precinct with JJ."

With Hotch's instructions set, you took what little time you had left on the flight to go over the causes of death.

-

"Anything stand out to you on the bodies?" You asked the ME after going over the blunt force trauma and bullet wounds.

"There's tape residue and bruising on the wrists and ankles. Based on the state of bruising, they were likely held for about 3 days before they were killed."

"Thank you for your help." You shook hands, pulling out your phone to call Hotch.

"Hotchner."

"Hotch, they were held for days before they were killed. How did nobody notice they were missing?" There was nothing in the reports that indicated the victims were reported missing prior to being found.

"We just found the same pattern. They all used vacation days for various reasons in the days leading up to their deaths. Meet us back at the precinct and Reid can explain the whole pattern."

"Okay, I'm leaving now." You hung up just as you reached the SUV. Throughout the drive, you couldn't stop thinking that something wasn't adding up.

The victims were taken in the same day. It didn't make sense for the unsub not to escalate. So, why aren't any officers unaccounted for?

Suddenly, a truck crashed into your SUV, sending you flying off the road. A figure dressed in black opened the door and dragged you from the car.

"Agent L/N, it's so good to see you again." A male voice spoke, but you couldn't place it.

He hit you over the head with a handgun before dragging you to his own vehicle.

-

"Where's L/N?" Emily questioned when her and Rossi returned from the second dumpsite.

"On her way back from the ME." Hotch answered. "Did you find anything useful?"

"They truly are dumpsites. Both bodies were found by dumpsters, sending a pretty clear message." Dave replied.

"Same for the third site." Derek added on.

"All three victims were single and took time off leading up to their death. Nobody would've notice that they were missing until it was too late." Reid supplied the final bit of information gathered.

Hotch's phone rang before anyone else could comment. The frantic sound of Garcia's nails clicking against her keyboard echoed through the phone. She was talking before anyone could greet her.

"You need to see this, check your tablets."

Confused glances were exchanged as everyone, barring Reid, opened their tablets. Reid glanced over Morgan's shoulder to observe as well.

A seemingly live video that Garcia received a link to was streaming to the tablets.

A single woman sitting in a chair could be seen in the frame. Her wrists and ankles were bound to the chair with thick, gray tape and a bag was over her head.

"Garcia, what is this?" Hotch asked almost immediately.

"I was emailed the link just now. It's not streaming anywhere else online." Her reply came quickly, the sound of typing still filling in the silence.

"Can you trace it?" Rossi questioned.

"I'm trying, but it's being routed through multiple proxy servers."

"Did the email say anything?" Emily chimed in.

"No, it was just the link- Wait. I just got another email." She paused as the new email loaded. "It's addressed to Reid."

Every set of eyes in the room turned to Reid.

"What does it say?" He felt the nerves beginning to grow waiting for Garcia to read the words aloud.

"Dr. Reid,

I hope you remember me. What am I saying, of course you do. I've got something of yours that you might want back. You see Dr. Reid, you and your team ruined me. My family, my career, all of it, just gone. I thought I'd return the favor. A person's phone can be so informative. Tell me, does your team know about your girlfriend? I've so enjoyed getting reacquainted with her.

Happy hunting."

Spencer's face went white as he looked at Morgan's tablet again. His thoughts were racing. How did he not recognize you before? Even with the bag over your head, he should've known it was you.

"It's her." His words were barely a whisper.

"This is your girlfriend?" Morgan gestured to the screen again. Spencer could only nod in reply, his mind unable to focus on anything except you.

"Reid, listen to me. You've got to tell us everything you know about her. We'll have to split up. You can go back to Quantico with Emily and Morgan, the rest of us will stay here to work on our current case." Hotch was already devising a strategy to work both cases.

"There's no need." His words made sense to him, but sounded cryptic to the rest of the team.

"Kid, of course there is. We'll help you get her back." Morgan placed a hand on his shoulder, effectively shocking him back to the present situation.

"There's no need to split up because she's here. She's in Montana." Before he could continue, everyone was asking questions.

"Give me a phone number and I'll get you a location." Garcia was already typing away again.

"Are you sure she's here?" JJ's brows furrowed. She did her best to hide the hurt of her best friend hiding his girlfriend from her, again.

"Why would she be here?" Rossi added.

"How did she get here? Maybe we can track the transportation and figure out means of abduction." Emily was the only one thinking about the case.

Like ripping off a bandaid, Spencer blurted out the truth.

"It's Y/N."

He was met with silence in the room as everyone absorbed the information.

Garcia caught up first, a sudden gasp sounding through the phone.

"So, then that's Y/N... in the video..." Her voice wavered.

As if a switch was flipped, the team was back on the case.

"Garcia, get me a list of anyone who would have a grievance with the team." Hotch ordered.

"Go through anyone who was falsely accused. Start with cases in or around Montana. He would want to keep this close to home." Rossi specified.

"We've only had one case in Montana since Y/N joined the team." Reid supplied the knowledge as it came to him. "A name, I need a name." He muttered to himself, pulling his hair as he roughly ran his hands through it and over his face. "Garcia, look into Jameson Braddock."

"Got it." She immediately began a background check, searching through case files and news articles for additional information. "i'll get back to you with locations." With that, she hung up.

"Fill us in, kid. Who is Jameson Braddock." Morgan lead Reid to a chair, gently easing him into it.

"Our last case in Montana, Emily and I went to interview a witness." Emily nodded, the memories slowly coming back to her.

"He wasn't very forthcoming, and then he tried to run." She added on.

"Exactly, except he didn't make it very fair. We arrested him, but it turned out he was only guilty of selling alcohol to minors. When word of his arrest got out, the whole town thought it was for the serial rapes and murders we were investigating even though it was never confirmed."

"By the time we corrected the media, it was too late." JJ supplied, also remembering the man.

"So, he killed three officers just to draw us out back out here?" Morgan refocused the conversation on the current case.

"It looks that way now. The media knew we were coming, so he must have as well." Emily theororized. "If he followed us from the airport, he would've seen Y/N leave by herself."

"He likely didn't know about your relationship until he abducted her and went through her phone." Hotch paced the room.

"He's flaunting his power over us." Rossi chimed in just as Hotch's phone rang again.

"Garcia, what've you got?"

"Three addresses in Billings, Montana. Jameson Braddock has been on a downward spiral since your last trip there. His entire life fell apart, like he said. Divorced, his wife moved to Nebraska with their two kids. He lost his job at the high school, and was evicted from his house when he could no longer pay the bills." She listed the information quickly.

"He has ties to three addresses. Nobody has moved into his previous house, so it's vacant. He's got a small apartment in the northern part of the city which he pays for through working odd hours at Taco Bell. Finally, he briefly worked security at a now abandoned warehouse."

"An apartment wouldn't be enough space to hold her without the chance of someone hearing. She's not there." Rossi eliminated the location as an option.

"We'll split up to cover the warehouse and the house-" Hotch began, but Reid cut him off.

"No, we shouldn't split up. She's got to be at the house. The warehouse has no connection to his previous life. He wants revenge for our perceived wrongdoing, he wouldn't make his last stand at a new location." Reid was already putting on a bullet proof vest. Despite how his mind was racing, he refused to show how afraid he was.

"You're sure?" Morgan asked, on the fence about committing to one location.

"Absolutely." With that, Reid was out the door heading for the SUVs.

-

"Rossi, Emily head around back. I'll take the front with Reid. JJ and Morgan, the side door." Hotch instructed the team to split up upon arrival at the house.

Reid wasted no time in approaching the house. He was confident you were inside, but he didn't know what was happening to you.

The main floor was cleared quickly. Again, the team split up to cover the upper level and the basement.

Knowing you were likely downstairs, Reid immediately started that direction, JJ and Hotch following him.

It wasn't hard for him to find you. You were still tied to the chair in the middle of the room, bag over your head.

Before anyone could stop him, Reid lowered his gun and ran to you. He gently maneuvered the bag off your head, stopping his movements only when he felt something press into his back.

"Dr. Reid. So kind of you to join us." Braddock spoke maniacally, pressing the gun against Reid's head.

"Drop your weapon." Hotch commanded, but the man only cackled in response.

'Y/N... Y/N." Reid gently shook you in an attempt to wake you up.

"She can't hear you." Braddock singsonged.

"What did you do?" Reid tried to turn to him only to feel the gun press further into his head.

"Like I said in my email, you people ruined my life. They took everything from me, so I thought I'd try to return the favor." During his short speech, Braddock shifted just enough for JJ to get a clean shot.

He fell to the ground, gun clattering across the floor.

Reid moved quickly to remove the tape binding you to the chair while Hotch called for a medic in the basement.

The entire team watched as you were wheeled into the ambulance, still unconscious, none more scared than Spencer.

-

"She's going to be fine, Spence." JJ tried to reassure him, nonetheless his pacing continued.

"You don't know that. We don't even know what he did to her." He had one hand anxiously running through his hair, the other pinching the bridge of his nose in distress.

Just then, a doctor emerged from behind closed doors.

"F/N L/N." She called into the waiting room, slightly taken aback when the group of agents rushed to her.

"It was touch and go for a while, but she got here just in time." It was visible to even the least qualified profiler how relieved the team felt. Their previously tense shoulders relaxed, frowns turned to small smiles, wide eyes and raised brows pinched together with joy.

"What happened?" Emily posed the question everyone was thinking.

"In short, she was drugged. It's not clear what exactly was used, but it was likely a mix of drugs that attempted to stop her heart."

"Can we see her?" Morgan spoke next, cautiously eyeing Reid.

"You may, follow me." The doctor lead them through a series of hallways to your room. "She should be waking up soon."

With that the doctor left, allowing the team to file into the room. You looked strangely peaceful for someone who almost died.

"So..." JJ glanced between you and Spencer. "Girlfriend, huh?"

His eyes went wide. Instinctively, he turned to you for help, but you were still asleep. He opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out.

"Relax, kid." Morgan grinned. "We're happy as long as you two are happy."

Spencer smiled gratefully, looking at you with an adoring gaze. "We are happy."

"How long?' Emily gestured to your joined hands. Just before Spencer could answer, you groaned.

"I want to hear your guesses first." Your voice was raspy, but there was a clear smile on your face. "Also, what happened?"

The quickly explained the email Garcia received and the events that followed.

"Now that that's cleared up, do tell us how long you think we've been together. I know you've got a bet going." You narrowed your eyes, playfully glaring at each team member.

"4 months." Hotch begrudgingly admitted. JJ followed with 3 months, Derek and Rossi both betting 10 weeks, and Emily going with 6 weeks.

"Ha, you're all wrong." You smiled triumphantly, leaning closer to Spencer.

"Wait, we haven't heard from Garcia." Derek smirked as he rung her on speaker phone.

"Oh, my beautiful crime fighters. Y/N, are you okay?" Your smile widened at the concern in her voice.

"I am indeed, but I have a very important question for you." You glanced as Spencer briefly before continuing. "How long do you think Spence and I have been together?"

"Oh, I know this one!" Her excitement caught everyone but you off guard. "7 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days."

Spencer's jaw dropped as he stuttered out, "that's exactly right..."

"How'd you figure it out?" The group of profilers wore matching expressions of surprise as Penelope explained.

"Well, we had just finished testifying in the Bigelow trial. The whole team went out for drinks, and I could just see it in Y/N's eyes the next day that something wonderful happened. At first I just thought that she got some, but then I saw her and the good doctor in the kitchen getting coffee and I knew." Penelope's voice held a mixture of smugness and pure excitement.

"Babygirl, you didn't tell me?" Derek sounded genuinely offended.

"Y/N asked me not to." Even though you couldn't see her, you knew she punctuated the statement with a shrug.

"You knew, she knew?" Spencer turned to you in shock.

You nodded. "I could see it on her face the second I walked out of the kitchen. But she promised not to tell, so I didn't either."

"The two of you, thick as thieves." Rossi lamented.

"I love you so much." Spencer whispered into your ear as he pulled you in for a hug.

"I love you too." You whispered right back.

"Honestly, I'm glad the secret's out." You smiled at Spencer before looking at the rest of the team. "Although, I wish I didn't have to be kidnapped to tell you."

You spent a few more hours in the hospital before being cleared to go back to the hotel.

The next morning, you smiled to yourself as you were finally able to cuddle with Spencer during the flight home.

Permanent taglist:

@averyhotchner

@jesuswasnotawhiteman

@strawberryspence

@sebastnstn

Criminal Minds taglist:

@mac99martin

@goldeng1rl8

@measure-in-pain

[travellingarmy]

║Venti║Sensitive

Requested from Wattpad.

Female reader as requested.

Warning: Usage of words such as "fat" and "ugly". I don't know about this one, but it will also mention anorexia.

Remember: All of you are beautiful and don't let anyone say otherwise.

Angst. Fluff.

Word count: 2.6k

---

You, on all counts, are very sensitive to the words spoken by others of you. You can't help it but worry about your impression of others, but this did not mean that you faked your identity in front of others. You had wonderful friends as well whom you are sure are the truest of all.

"Hey, (Y/N), wanna go on a mission with me?" Mondstadt's most famous Outrider, Amber, jogged up to you with excitement reflecting off of their eyes. "Ah, well, I don't have anything to do.. Alright, I'll join you," you said which made the female really happy. "Good. I was about to persuade you to some food if you didn't," she laughs. "Let's make this quick since an Outrider still has other things to do."

"But you'll still give me remuneration, right?" you ask, half-joking. "Haha, of course! I'll treat you when I have time, and that's a promise!" You and the Outrider had a little laugh and left the city to clear a couple of hilichurl camps around the premises. She thanked you afterwards and repeated her promise before waving you off as she goes and attends to her other tasks. Now that you were free, you decided to go and meet a special someone and ask if they'd like to join you for a meal since you don't like eating alone-- and you know for sure where they were loitering around at the moment: the tavern.

"Please, Master Diluc? Just one~ I'll play a song for your tavern." You opened the door to Angel's Share to see the person you had been looking for trying to negotiate with the tavern's owner. The male behind the counter notices your entrance and brings his attention to you, ignoring the bard. "(Y/N), what can I do for you?" he asks, completely dismissing the shorter male beside him. "Ah, nothing. I'm loitering around, really," you say, sitting down beside the never-stopping-pleading male.

"Well, since you're here, could I ask you a favour and help me get this guy here to leave?" Diluc asks, referring to no one else but the one who is sitting beside you. "He's being quite the nuisance."

"Eh? I promise I'll leave if you just accept the exchange!" Venti cries. "I am the most famous bard of Mondstadt, I will surely attract more customers for you!" Diluc shooks his head and sighs, turning to look at you once more. "Please, help me out?"

You cracked a smile. "Of course, Master Diluc! Now, let's go Venti." You got out of your seat and pull him along from the collar on his back, all the while hearing Venti's cries for his wine. "Aw, (Y/N), you could have helped me out back there," Venti pouts when the two of you were a good foot away from the sight of the tavern. "You should have your own money. Honestly, how are you surviving without mora exactly?" you questioned, earning yourself a mischievous giggle from him.

Sighing, you dismiss the topic altogether. "Alright, why don't I treat you to something else other than wine? It's always wine this, wine that anyway," you say. "Mm, as long as it's with you!" He smiles and the two of you went to Good Hunter for a small meal. Since you did just come back from a mission, you order quite a lot, but not too much to make you look like a glutton. "It's a shame they don't sell wine here." The bard pouts. You laugh at your friend and shaking your head-- it was always wine with him.

"Maybe you should do something else other than singing and make money out of it?" you suggested, earning yourself an 'are-you-kidding-me' kind of look from the male. "Anyway~" he changes subjects. "What is the deal with you stuffing your face up so much?" He laughs at your adorable face that was buried with food and rests his cheeks on one of his fists.

"But you'll still like me when I'm fat, right?" you ask, stuffing yet another delicacies into your mouth. The bard giggles at the cute question and decided to play a little joke on you to see a reaction. "Hm, I don't know.." he starts, grabbing your full attention. "I mean, I guess I might still love you since you already kind of are.. " Unbeknownst to him, you were actually hurt by the 'joking' words and made you self-aware, but you weren't going to show it to him. Although you know it was a joke, you don't know if he'd actually still love you when you're 'ugly'. Right now, it might just be empty words, but who knows if his views will remain the same when that time actually comes?

You have noted that every time you go shopping for clothes, the size seems to be getting bigger, but you didn't really think much about it then. You sat in silence, pushing away the food as Venti goes on chatting about. He didn't even notice how you haven't touched your food since the comment when the two of you left Good Hunter or your quietness throughout the day. It was saddening, but didn't say a word about it.

"Um, I think I should be going home now, Venti," you say weakly, eyes not once looking up from the ground you were so familiar with. "Hm? Oh, okay, good night then!" Venti says and kisses your cheek before you walked the opposite direction of your house.

You walked all the way to your room, not turning on a single light and lied down on the bed, not changing your clothes as you crept underneath your blanket and curled into a ball, allowing depressing thoughts into your head. Maybe you should change your style? If you were wearing larger clothes that hides your body, that might make him think you are gaining weight, or so you think to yourself. Then, you'll just have to change and make him see the best sides of you.

And so, the next day when you went out, you wore clothing you never thought you would- let alone other's. You wanted to prove that you haven't gained weight by exposing much more skin, but still keep yourself comfortable. People gawked when you pass them out on the streets, a bit disturbed by your sudden change of clothing. It wasn't wrong to do so and they understand that people will change their style, but to the extent that you were on?

"My, look who we have here," a cool and smooth voice of a man comes and greets you. You look to your right and see none other than the Cavalry Captain of Mondstadt with his usual smirk on his face. He stares down at your smaller stature and snickers. "A sudden change of style, I see."

"Does it look bad?" you question. "Well, I wouldn't say it looks bad. Let's just say it's quite new to me," he says and shrugs. "Say, what is the reason for the sudden change anyway? Suddenly got bored of the former?"

You honestly knew that someone will ask you about it, but didn't want them to know. It was quite embarrassing. "Yeah, I guess," you said, not meeting the captain's eye. You had a habit of not looking directly at the person when you are either trying to hide something or lying and people had caught on to that, which was a huge giveaway that something is up for the all-knowing Kaeya. "Oh? This is interesting," Kaeya says to himself. Hearing him, you look up to meet the gaze of the male who only chuckles and ruffles your hair a bit. "I have to go do some cavalry work. I will see you later, (Y/N)," he says, his back now facing you, a hand raised. He took no more than two steps before looking over his shoulder and smiles at you. "Oh, remember one thing: don't let others' words get you down." You weren't sure what he was getting at, but you couldn't ask him as he was now further from you.

"(Y/N)?" Another voice calls your name and you turned around to see none other than the famous bard of Mondstadt- Venti. "Oh, wow! It really is you. I almost didn't recognize you from your back because how different you look," he says, scratching his head and chuckling awkwardly. "It seems like something is off about you..?"

This was the moment of truth. Will he see it or not? "Does it look bad?" you ask, looking at his eyes for some sort of answer. He inspects you, which made you kind of embarrassed. You want him to never leave you alone, so that is the reason for the clothes. If you could prove that you are worth staying by his side, you are more than willing to change. "Ah! So, you've change your clothes.." he finally says, though it didn't seem like he was happy about it.

"Hehe, I think you should go back wearing your old clothes, (Y/N)," he says, "because now everyone can see how chubby you've become." He laughs, pulling the skin of your cheeks in a playful manner. You, however, didn't feel like going back now. You want Venti to stay by your side forever and make it so that he won't be ashamed of his lover to the point he rather not be caught dead with you. You had to change. You have to lose weight.

And so, that day was the last day anyone has seen you around. At first, no one was concerned and thought you had other things to do that was taking up your time, but when two weeks went and no one has seen you around, they start to worry. The guards at the gate had said that they haven't seen you left- just in case you went on a mission without their knowledge. Your Knights of Favonius friends were the first to worry. Venti, however, kept on saying how you were probably fine while drinking away at Angel's Share.

"I think you should go check on her," Diluc says behind the counter, cleaning a glass while his back is turned towards the bard. "Eh? Why?" the shorter male questions. "Aren't you her lover? If so, you should check on her since she is obviously locking herself in her house." Venti was about to say something back, but decide to choke it down with a drink. Deep down, he was worrying as to why you aren't stepping outside. He had gotten lonely.

He got off the stool and left the tavern. Diluc turns around and heaved a sigh of irritation, forgetting to remind the bard, again, to pay for his drink.

Venti was at the foot of your door. He sees that your light were off, even through the curtains, before knocking lightly on the wooden door. "(Y/N)?" he calls out, but was answered to silence. He did not wait to knock a second time and got out a spare key that was entrusted to him by you. When he opened the door, he was greeted with the coolness of the air and silence. The furniture was clean and in place, yet it lacked the warmth from its owner. He walked to your room, but was greeted by an unused bed. However, it was a mess-- meaning to say that you are indeed home.

Eventually- to his horror and ache- he found you sitting down beside the toilet, back against the wall and eyes closed. "(Y/N)!" he shouts your name and quickly walked to your side, kneeling to see your pale face. He put his ear close to your face and was relieved that you were breathing, worried you might not have been when seeing as your bones were seeming as though it were about to pop out.

He carries you to your room and lie your body on the bed and stayed by your side until you woke up to get answers from you. How come you were in this state, he questioned himself. He was worried but thought nothing of that feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him to go check on you. He thought you were fine, but to his guilt, you weren't.

When your eyelids fluttered open, his heart never felt any lighter as it was now. "(Y/N)!" The tears that had slowly crept, was finally trailing down his cheeks. "Venti..?" The call of his name made it so irresistible to hug you, so he did. "What happened to you?" he asks, his voice cracking.

Staring at his face, you felt ashamed. You had locked yourself inside without light, food, or water and constantly vomiting everything out. Knowing this, you push him away and stare down at the mattress.

Venti was hurt upon seeing as you pushed him away, but that doesn't mean he would stop there. "Hey, let's get you something to eat. You look like you're malnourished," he says. You didn't say anything so he took it to go and make food for you in the kitchen before returning to your side once more. "Here, I've made you soup, so open up," he says, moving the spoon close to your lips, urging you on to open up. Soup may not be enough to return you from your pale and frail state, but it was easy for you to gulp it down. He has also chopped some meat into little pieces to help nourish you.

You refused, not looking at him. He sighs and looks at you sadly. "Please, (Y/N)?" The way his voice was tainted with sadness made your heart ache. You ate it obediently, but immediately coughed it out, the food now on the floor opposite of where he was at, sitting down on the bed with you. "(Y/N)!" He puts down the spoon in the bowl and put his free hand on your back. Your body was too weak that your system can't even take in food, which worried the male. "Can you please tell me why you're like this?" he pleads, another wave of tears forming his eyes.

You were hesitant, but you would feel that ache if you see him tear up again. "I.. I want you to stay with me forever," you finally confessed. He was confused- you could see it in his eyes. "Why would I ever leave you?" he asks.

"Of what you said.. Two weeks ago.. I don't want you to be ashamed of me and leave me," you continued, answering his question. He recalls the joke from then and felt guilty and ashamed. "I, I'm sorry for what I said.. I was joking about it, but I guess it hurt you," he says. "What I said then, please don't take it to heart."

"What I said were empty words. Even if you were to become chubbier, I would never leave you for the world nor would I be ashamed of you. I love you for who you are and not what you look like." The words comforted you and you finally look at Venti. His eyes were stained of tears, but he pulled of the smile that was reserved for you only. "Let's finish this, alright?" He hints at the soup. You nodded quietly and tried your best to finish the food.

"Once you're feeling better, let's go eat every food you want to eat, okay?" he says, watching you ear the food obediently. You smiled and nodded at the suggestion. Throughout that day- after finishing the food- he stayed and cuddled with you whilst reassuring how much he loves you.

---

[azucanela]

so yk how sokka is always the one who is so forward? maybe a reader who just leaves sokka like 👁👄👁

BOLD | SOKKA 

ATLA / LOK MASTERLIST

SUMMARY: Y/N L/N does whatever she has to in order to earn money, that includes acting as a part time guide for the weird group of people from the Upper Ring she ran into about a month ago. At least the boy her age is kinda cute though.

WORD COUNT: 1.3k

WARNINGS: flirting, mild violence

A/N: lkashdkashdkja i feel like this is bad and didn’t really fit the request well because i got a lil too absorbed into the plot so IM SORRY THAT I WENT OFF ON A TANGENT REALLY IM SO VERY SORRY ASJHDJKASHDKJ but um yeah the ending i just found funny sakjhduashdjkgaskjd thats the only reason this happened for that ending

If Y/N was honest, she didn’t trust them at all. They were a group of strangers that randomly came to town and wore clothing she’d never seen before— and Y/N had done quite a bit of traveling in her time— and acted well, just as skeptical as she seemed to be. Of course, Y/N wasn’t anywhere near as obvious as the older boy was about his suspicions. 

That didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun with them though. The moment Sokka had seen her, he’d been a tad of a mess, it wasn’t difficult to pick up on. The youngest of the group, Toph, seemed to pick up on it as well, taking to teasing the boy. While Y/N had elected to flirt, excessively.

“Are you a Firebender—” 

“No.” The boy scrunched up his nose, “why? Did someone tell you that—”

“Would you let me finish?” Y/N asked, eyes narrowing at him as she lead the group through the streets of Ba Sing Se. Despite being from the Upper Ring— Y/N had a feeling they either had money or they were very important — they’d elected to hire a more local guide it appeared. Then again, Y/N had met the guides of the Upper Ring and they were certainly... disconcerting, so she couldn’t blame them. The boy simply nodded to her words, hollowing out his cheeks with a frown. “Are you a Firebender,” Y/N repeated, “because you are really hot.” She finished with a wink.

Though he had taken most of her advances literally thus far, it appeared Sokka had understood what she was trying to say this time around. Becoming flustered as he looked away from her and huffed, “do you actually know where you are going?”

Grinning, Y/N nodded, “sure do. Do you actually know what you’re looking for? Because nobody here has told me yet.” The group seemed to grow solemn at this comment, especially the smaller boy. 

“Yeah, his name is Appa.” His hand moves to the pouch beside him, causing Y/N to raise a brow as she discreetly brings her own hand to her side, where her knife laid if necessary.

Y/N hummed in reply, “so we’re looking for a person?” 

The girl, Katara, shook her head in reply, continuing to speak as Aang pulled out a poorly drawn image. “A Sky Bison.” 

Nodding, Y/N offered them a tight lipped smile, “last I checked they went extinct.” Tilting her head at the group, it started to come together rather quickly. The robes of the boy were similar to those of the Airbenders that once dominated the skies. “Of course, it only makes sense that the Avatar, the last of the Airbenders, would have a Sky Bison.” It was a guess, and educated guess. If Y/N was wrong, she’d probably seem pretty stupid, but hey— she would still get paid.

By the way the group seemed to tense though, Y/N had a feeling she was right. A grin spreading across her face, Sokka seemed to dislike this as he stepped forward, “what do you want?”

“Come on pretty boy, you seem smarter than that.” His mouth opens, closing momentarily afterwards as he struggles for words before a sound of frustration escapes him.

“Shut up.” Despite his words, Toph had been teasing him ever since they’d hired Y/N not too long ago, the way his heart rate picked up whenever she so much as spoke was quite the tell. 

His words don’t deter Y/N as she continues to speak. “If I wanted to sell you guys out for whatever bounty is on your head, would I have said anything about knowing your identities?” Y/N rolled her eyes, gesturing to the city around them, “and this is Ba Sing Se for crying out loud. How would I ever find someone to turn you guys over to? Unless you pissed off the Dai Li—”

The expressions seemed to change as these words, causing Y/N to pause as she watched them exchange look. Her mouth gaping open, “tell me you didn’t piss off the Dai Li.” Her eyes dart between the group, each one not offering her any words, simply shrugging in reply.

“It was an accident?” The youngest girl offered. Y/N had found that she’d been the most helpful of them all, and the most entertaining. Aside from Sokka, flustering him was a fun pastime. 

Inhaling deeply, Y/N brought her fingers to the bridge of her nose, “an accident?” She mumbled, “you’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Well—” 

Y/N placed a finger over Sokka’s lips, looking to him momentarily as she spoke, “not right now, handsome.” She offers him a sarcastic smile, and despite the problem at hand Y/N finds herself enjoying his flustered reaction as he leans backwards in an attempt to remove her finger from his lips, only to fall to the ground. Sighing, Y/N looks to the rest of the group, “this is a problem.

Katara sighs at her brothers antics and narrows her eyes at Y/N, “yeah. We know—”

“No, you don’t know.” Bringing her hands to her forehead, Y/N lets out a sound of frustration as she guides them into an alley for privacy. “The people they take? Don’t come back, and let’s just say I’ve had a few run ins with them and well...” A bitter laugh escaped her, “I’m a wanted woman.”

Katara scoffs, rolling her eyes as she stares at Sokka pointedly, “of course you pick the criminal.” 

Sokka blanches, scrambling to his feet to argue with his sister. Y/N finds herself blocking the pair out as she turns to Aang, who’d begun to speak, “so how have you evaded them then?”

“Talent.” Comes Y/N’s reply, eyes darting throughout the area. “If you’re the Avatar then someone probably trailed you.” Y/N curses, eyes narrowing as she turns to the arguing pair of siblings. “We need to leave.”

Katara and Sokka cease their arguing as Toph begins to speak as well, “she’s right. I can sense them coming.” 

If Y/N was honest, every man for themselves was looking very ideal right about now. But the group of people had piqued her interest, and well... she had unfinished business. Also, as a wanted woman herself, she had a feeling it would be better if she didn’t abandon the Avatar. For several reasons.

Which is why Y/N finds herself tackling Sokka out of the way of the Dai Li.

Katara is calling out for Sokka but Y/N has already pushed him around the corner to prevent him from getting caught, yelling out, “I’ll find you. Just get out of here!”

Aang and Toph are yelling for Katara, but Y/N doesn’t have time to listen as she lies on top of Sokka’s heaving chest, a sarcastic laugh escaping him as he looks up at her, “are you an Airbender? Because you take me breath away.” Because of course, Sokka of all people has time to flirt when he’s in the middle of a fight. Though the boy was ordinarily flustered in response to her words and actions, on occasion he would find it in himself to reply with the same energy.

Y/N laughs as she pushes herself up on his chest, causing him to grunt when she rolls off him and swirls around to attack the upcoming Dai Li member. 

And he’s propelled backwards by the force of the air she commands. 

“Actually,” Y/N mumbles, rising to a stand as she extends a hand for Sokka to take, his mouth gaping open in shock, as he takes it, allowing Y/N to pull him upwards and bringing them face to face with each other as she says, “I am. That’s sorta the problem.”

This was one of the reasons she couldn’t allow the Avatar and her friends to get captured. Not yet at least. 

A/N: honestly I really like this concept might make it a series because im a clown that likes to start a series and take forever to finish it ummmmm lmk if we’d be interested in that 

SOKKA: @lammello @nataliahaslosthershit

ATLA: @aangsupremacy @jada-cleo @Art-flirt @gogo-is-cooler-than-you @astroninaaa @samsmultifandomblogs @kohi-beans @bombardia @fandomarchiveilyd @a----rag @fantasticchaoticwho @i-love-superhero @euphoricmads @jaylarkson @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak @the-deli-meat @Wemissyou3000 @ajediherowitchrunner @1-800-schmacked @maceyisntcool @the-firebender-girl @bucky-blogs @dekahg @shawkneecaps @faveshots

[kojinnie]

tis is ranon! i wanna try the twisted match-up eventho it'll probably hurts. my worst traits would be

1. Not knowing myself well enough, having to ask others how i actually am from their eyes instead of looking through my own lense because I care of other's judgement better than mine.

2. I suck at handling compliment. Everytime anybody says anything good about me, I always get defensive by saying no, change the topic of the conversation, or saying "thank you, but [insert why i don't deserve compliment]"

3. Similar to the 2nd one, I have horrible horrible self esteem. I never really look at myself in a good light, I think I am horrible. Sometimes I feel like "im the worst" yet some of the times I feel like "woah I'm a queen". Even worse, sometimes I don't have the motivation to better myself in order to raise my self esteem.

My favourite(s) would be reiner and jean, you can choose the one with the worst(or whoever you prefer) compatibility with my traits. tears up already as I slip 1 dollar to your hand, whispering happy ending please..

Pairing: Jean x Reader

Summary: You accidentally meet Jean, your high school sweetheart, thirteen years later. While he has turned into a successful man whose face you'd see on TV a lot, you think of your life and what could have been with him, if only...

Tags: Angst/Fluff, coming of age, slice of life

Word Count: 3.6K

A/N: Oh Ranon my sweet child, hereby I present to thee... hopefully an antidote to the despair Yams had given us with 138. Hope you like it love!

Song mentioned: Linger by The Cranberries

"It's nice to see a familiar face 'round here."

There was no word that could describe the feelings you had upon hearing that voice. A voice that was once the first sound you hear in the morning and the one you say goodbye to before falling asleep. A voice that you had not heard for what felt like forever.

You didn't have to turn around to tell who it was, "Jean?"

The two of you erupted in laughter, both surprised by the mere coincidence of meeting each other at this old and ran-down department store, on the outskirt of the town you both grew up in.

Jean was quick to pull you into a big embrace that you gladly came into. A familiar piece of warmth was his hug, and yet it had struck you as odd that it did not feel foreign at the closest, although it had been years since the last time you met him.

Jean had grown very tall. There was no longer his signature undercut as he had let his hairs to grow past his ear. His chiseled jaw hid beneath dark brown beard he now had. You pretended to check him out and be shocked with the view, "You really grew! Like grew, GREW!" as if you hadn't seen him on the news station or the daily mail. As if you didn't follow his Instagram with your second account. As if you never thought of him at all.

He held your shoulder and pulled away to look at you, "Thirteen years and you don't look any different."

Your face grew hot and the compliment sent an uncanny discomfort to your guts, "Ah the lighting sucks here - to my advantage, fortunately."

There was a disapproving look in Jean's eyes for a passing moment before he carried on with the conversation. He didn't expect to see you at the old department store the two of you used to roam in after school, he said. Neither did you to ever meet him again, especially here. A place so awfully ordinary for someone who had grown to be the best version of himself. Jean had finally achieved his dream to be a household name in the country as one of the rising young attorneys.

The celebrity status he had achieved, all the actresses and models he had dated - it all inflicted you with some kind of inexplicable pain. One that made you feel worthless, to say the least. Someone who used to be so close to your heart, had grown so magnificently, leaving you with the painful fate of being ordinary. Yet, still your face lit up in distant pride each time a mention of Jean’s name surfaced, be it from the passing conversation your friend had, or to see it announced by the news anchor for some big public case he was working on.

Jean said that he returned home for a funeral. His uncle died, and he needed a spare sandal. He didn't know any other store, as the area both of you grew up in had changed a lot. Leaving this old department store the only place he could remember.

You passed your condolence but he was more curious with what you were up to. You chuckled because he seemed so serious when he asked, "Didn't you move out to the city? Why the hell are you coming back?" as if the misplacement of seeing someone so glitzy in this boring, dilapidated town didn't apply to him.

So you answered, and Jean turned silent for a moment. He tilted his head downward, and you noticed that he was the same person with the same mannerism. Although he was no longer the 17-year-old boy who used to get all ruffed up in school fight, trying to defend you from some stupid jocks; nor was he still the tall, lanky kid from your Home Economics class that you gave your first kiss to.

Your mind couldn’t help but to race to all the what-ifs, and the presence of Jean before your eyes right now only made the wonderings more palpable.

Jean smiled faintly to your answer, “Congratulations,” he still made his way to pat the side of your head, something he used to do every time, “big step, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s scary.”

“So, who’s the lucky guy? Anyone I know from school?” Jean said, faking the enthusiasm in his tone, but you didn’t notice. Because in your mind, it would be an absurd idea to think that you would still have the tiniest bit of effect on Jean, for he had outgrown all the memories he ever had with you.

“No, no,” you tried to mask the bitterness that suddenly emerged on the back of your tongue, “we met at work. He’s a great guy.”

Indeed, he was. The reason why you returned home was because you were getting married, and your fiancée wanted to be close with your family, for he didn’t have one growing up. He was an exceptional man, he had this magnetism in him, with the way he perceived things, to the abiding tenacity he had in him.

Your fiancée was a man you knew you could lean on in the eye of adversity. That’s why you agreed to marry him. But then again, there was always a void inside your heart that had no resolve to it for so many years. Your fiancée was your foundation, and yet, perhaps selfishly, you still yearned for the childish laughter and the irreplaceable feeling of freedom you once had with the man standing tall before you. Whose glance never failed to make you feel the most at ease with.

“He must be a pretty great guy to get you,” Jean’s faint smile grew into a grin, he was trying to down play the commotion he started to feel within his chest, “what’s his name? So, I can picture him.”

You laughed, because it was only natural for you to do so in the presence of the first guy you had fallen for, the first guy to ever told you how pretty you were and how all your imperfections never mattered to him, the first one to bring your teary face into his embrace after a gruesome day, before saying, ‘I never thought it’s possible. But, crazy, seeing you cry hurts me too.’

However, you knew, that all those memories had passed by and you were happy with where you were now. “Reiner,” you smiled at the mention of his name, “my fiancée’s name is Reiner Braun. He’s… amazing.”

“Wow. Tough name. Probably someone I’d stay clear from in high school.”

Both of you laughed, and the two of you continued to talk, as you walked him through the desolated alleys to find the sandal that he wanted to buy, and Jean walking you to the towel aisle that you had meant to buy one for Reiner, only to find out that they had stopped selling towels since long time ago. The laughter and reminiscing persisted until the cashier row when Jean heard your stomach grumble. Both of you exchanged glances and broke into yet another laughter.

“Salerno’s?” Jean said, suggesting the pizza place off the highway, where you had spent so many dates with him back then.

“How could I ever say no to that?”

“Settled, then. Did you drive here?” Jean’s eyes gazed afar to the parking lot, strangely looking for the old car you used to drive back in school, before realizing that thirteen years had passed and there was no chance that sickly car could ever survive the time.

“No, actually Reiner dropped me and—” As if staged by the universe, your phone rung and Reiner was calling, “—right in time, it’s him!”

You walked away from Jean for a moment as he looked for his car key inside jacket. Across the line, Reiner was gruntling, his voice was hazy, “Babe—”

“Reiner, I bumped into an old friend!” there was a sing-songy tone in your words. Through the phone, Reiner chuckled, picking up the excitement in your voice, even though it was getting more apparent that Reiner was drowsy, “Anyway babe, can you get an Uber? I took the cough syrup your mum gave me, and now I’m sleepy as fuck. ‘Fraid I won’t be able to drive.”

You turned to Jean and saw him jingling his car key at you, before returning back to Reiner on the phone, “Rei, I think my friend can drive me home. I’ll be stopping at Salerno’s, do you want anything? The calzone maybe?”

Reiner yawned, “That sounds nice but—” yet another yawn, “I’m gonna pass out. Come home soon, okay? Tuck me in.”

You cackled at the buff man whining before you said goodbye and followed Jean into his car.

The trip to Salerno’s was nourishing with memories. The poplar trees along the avenue had been replaced by lines of billboards – from advertisement of real estate agent to divorce attorney, they all reminded you of how much the town had changed. Yet the sense of comfort you shared with Jean as you joked about all of the absurd things you saw along the way, had not changed at all.

If for one second you forgot that you were driving in Jean’s expensive car, and that you imagined he was wearing a shabby soccer jersey instead of a tailored-fit shirt – if you closed your eyes and thought that thirteen years hadn’t gone by between the two of you, it almost felt like you rode a time machine to a time when Jean was yours and you were his. And something about the thought of it just broke your heart.

When Jean pulled over at Salerno’s and found out that it’s past the time for dine-in, the two of you decided to eat at his car instead. Jean didn’t even ask what you want and he returned with exactly what you had in mind, the classic calzone, something you always used to have. He remembered.

The two of you laughed, bantered and joked at each other. It felt almost as if no distance had ever been laid out between the two of you, like you hadn’t lived an entirely different life, like he was the same person after all. He hadn’t once made you self-conscious like you thought you would, considering the amount of success he had attained for himself. You felt bad for accusing Jean of the worst, when all it was just a projection of your own insecurity.

“So, you’re getting married on the 15th, and your annoying aunt is not invited?”

“Yeah, thank God for the pandemic somehow. Legit excuse, when all I wanted was not to have her talk shit about Reiner on my wedding day,” you munched through your calzone, talking mindlessly, “as for you, sir, you’re invited. That’s a no-brainer. Hereby I invite thee to my humble dwelling. Bring your model girlfriend, please, so I can brag to my cousins.”

His grin subsided into a weak smile and then into nothing at all, as he sipped on his coke. Suddenly awkward silence loomed within the small space of his car.

“Jean,” you shifted in your seat as the guilt grew on you, realizing the error in your judgment, “sorry I was being presumptuous.”

“No worries, it wasn’t serious. None of it ever was.”

You nodded, engulfed in your own guilt for bringing a bad topic up. The silence let the radio’s murmur to become noticeable, and an old song had just been played through the local radio, a tune that you used to listen with him on the back of your old creaking car after a make-out session filled with enraging teenage hormones.

And I’m in so deep~

You know I’m such a fool for you~

You got me wrapped around your finger I—

Do you have to let it linger?

You sighed and finally looked at Jean with his head hanging low, “Do you want to settle down someday?”

“Eventually.” Jean answered nonchalantly, “Not even sure about the whole relationship thingy.”

“Oh.” An acknowledgment you voiced, before succumbing to yet another silence.

Jean called your name softly and when you turned to face him, he was looking at you. Even in the darkness of the parking lot, you could see his honey eyes gleamed in a look that was so familiar to you—a look of disappointment, “Tell me, how could you never end up working where you’ve always wanted to be?”

You were pulled even deeper into your silence as you looked away. Suddenly a hot rash of sadness started to swallow you whole, “I—”

You tried to voice out a tangible reason, but you had realized that all of it was your own doing. Your insecurity, your self-consciousness, the thought that you were never good enough for the thing you once wanted so bad; all of it led to a life unlived, and to have someone finally putting you in your place was embarrassing, if not painful, “—wasn’t sure if I really wanted it and—”

“—wasn’t sure if I was good enough to pass the test.”

“So, after college, you never ended up applying there? Not even a try?”

You shook your head embarrassed, looking down at your shoes.

Jean sighed and laid his food on the dashboard, before reaching for your right hand and held it warmly into his grasp. He called your name which propelled you to look back at him, “Weren’t you the one who talked me into getting into law school? Even when I thought it was impossible? Weren’t you the one who wrote on my yearbook to-my-future-attorney when everyone was convinced that I’d end up working a mediocre office job? Or a mechanic in my Dad’s shop?”

Jean carried on, “I just… I just don’t understand. How could you have so much conviction for other people but—but yourself?”

You passed a grim smile, as vulnerability started to catch up with you, “Nevermind Jean, it’s passed. I am where I am now.”

“But, wasn’t it your dream?” Jean grew antsy on his seat, it was obvious that he truly didn’t understand, “The pages and pages and pages of diary you wrote about wanting to work there? What happened?”

You sighed, running out of words to say, until you caved in, “Maybe I never knew what I truly wanted.”

“Is that why?” Jean shot another look at you, there was an intensity in his eyes that you had never seen before. There you wondered what had happened to Jean’s life in all those years passed at your absence, had he led a difficult life before getting the success he was enjoying now? “Is that why you left me—because you didn’t know what you truly want?”

Jean understood the consequence of his action, he was a well-accomplished attorney after all. He also understood the vivid pain painted all over your face, but he was taking his shot. Years of wondering where had you gone, what kind of live had you lived – you never ceased to haunt him, all the what-ifs with you he always thought about whenever he broke off yet another meaningless relationship with yet another woman he’d never cared for in his life. Over the years, he’d taken a close look at you. He’d find you on the internet, he’d asked about you to friends of a friend that was still in touch with you, he’d ‘accidentally’ found your legal documents just to see that you had gotten your college degree one year earlier than him. He didn’t know why the thought of you lingered, you just did. Arriving into his dreams where he was seventeen again and unassuming, only for him to wake up disappointed at seeing a woman that wasn’t you in his bed.

For the longest time, Jean had fended for himself to be where he’s now. When survival had finally bore fruits, what else could there be for him? Still, he felt lonely in the embrace of another woman, still he felt the void persisted even if he spent his money on things he didn’t need. Jean never thought, that after years of dreaming to be the person he’s now, all he yearned for was to have a piece of simple, ordinary and innocent happiness he once had with you.

You were, after all, the only thing that could remind him of the innocence Jean had lost after years of grueling work as an attorney—seeing how corrupt and insidious men can be. So, when his wearied eyes landed on the sight of you this evening, in the alley of that long-forgotten Department Store, Jean had no choice but to finally face his haunting.

“Jean, it’s a long time ago,” you smile, cupping his hand with your free hand, “besides, I’m no longer your type, right?” A grin, a playful grin, painfully fabricated and Jean saw right through it.

You could feel the air had gotten thick in his car, and you shifted closer to the door. Jean let go of your hand as he moved closer to you, running his long fingers through your hair. His voice had gotten deep and you could sense a hint of pain in his words, “Maybe I never had a type.”

He dragged his gaze all over your face; your eyes, your nose, your lips – the way he used to reassure that you were so beautiful in his eyes despite the self-hate you inflicted upon yourself, “Maybe all I ever wanted was you and all I ever did with those girls was to try finding you in them,” he forced a smile, so stale, so painful, “to no avail.”

You could feel the air into your lung was compromised as you battled the tears, “Jean…”

“Out of so many things that I have been brave for, I was never brave enough for one thing that I needed the most: to tell you that it’s always been you,” Jean slithered his hands through your waist and pulled you into his embrace. He laid his head, heavy with loneliness and exhaustion on to the nook of your shoulder. For lack of better term, Jean was finally back home, as he muttered, letting go of all his inhibitions, “Baby, it’s always been you. It’s always been you.”

Your whole body was weak with emotions. The thoughts, the persistent ones – the what-ifs you could have had with Jean, the life you could have lived and the dream that could have been fulfilled. Without your permission, the tears fell to your dismay as you thought of one last thing remaining in your heart: Reiner. The way he smiled and listened all through your nightly despairs, caressing you close until you fell asleep, exhausted with tears dried up all over your face. The way Reiner whispered on to your ear, amidst your drowsiness, that he loved you and that he promised to make you whole, to fill the void you had always feared for. All the little things he had done without you asking, or the way he loved your family as if they were his own.

You cursed yourself for being surprised at how much you realized that you truly loved Reiner, even when you were in the embrace of someone you wondered about often. You realized, the best way to prove to someone that you love them was to stick around. And Reiner had stuck around, as much as you stuck around for him.

You left Jean long time ago for reasons you only vaguely remembered now, but life went on and sooner or later you should make it in your heart to accept it. You smiled and thought of your life. Sure, there was a lot of thing you need to patch up, but what is life if not persevering?

You pulled away from Jean, surprised to see a beaten look on his face. Far away from the dandy and sharp young attorney you would see on the news. Once, you loved this man, but years had passed and the one he wanted was no longer there. You were no longer the person you were thirteen years ago. You were no longer the girl Jean longed for, all he wished for was a passing ghost that you have left behind in your adolescence.

You caressed his cheek for the last time and landed a kiss to his forehead, “Jean, I’m so proud of you. How far you have gone. I’m sorry I wouldn’t be the one you’d share your future achievement with, but for all the things you have done to me, for seeing the good in me when I could hardly see it… I want to say thank you,” you smiled although pain was searing within your chest, “there’s a world out there where this would work out. But not this world.”

The unexpected rendezvous you had with the man whom you had given your first love to ended with both of you crying at each other’s embrace, until Salerno’s closed and turned off their lights.

When Jean finally dropped you at your childhood home, the place he used to spend all the times in, Jean smiled and pointed at your room with the lights still lit, “He’s waiting?”

“I think he’s asleep. He’s a deep sleeper, he forgets to turn off the lights every time.”

“Does he even fit in your tiny bed?”

“Well, you did fit.”

“For a time.”

“Yeah, for a time.”

“So, you’ll be Mrs. Braun?”

“Yep, Mrs. Braun I will be.”

Jean scoffed, pretending to be annoyed, but smiling nonetheless, “Lucky bastard, that Mr. Braun.”

[basicjetsetter]

Part V

♡ Pairing: Peter Parker x Black!FemaleReader

▹ Warnings: Fluffy scenes, anxious moments, cliff-hanger

▹ Words: 3.3k

▹ A/N: We are reaching the eye of the storm. Happy reading!

“ ‘Kay, so there’s no way they’re gonna win this game without him turning into the Wolf, right?”

“Finish watching it, Peter.”

Peter musingly shakes his head, mouthful of his fourth slice of pizza. “There’s no way.”

You level a patient smirk at him and point to the television, wordlessly telling him to see for himself.

The screen’s brightness fills your otherwise dark living room, casting shadows along the angles of Peter’s concentrated face. His body is sloped forward, and if he didn’t possess the body control of an enhanced being, he’d fall face-first into your carpet.

Tonight’s movie selection was your choice, and you didn’t want to disappoint. So when Peter said he’d never seen Teen Wolf, you were over the moon. Usually, you’d watch every single second of the classic film, but with Peter sitting cross-legged next to you, his hip pressed against yours as your crossed leg rests on top of his, you spent the entire time covertly peeking at his fascinated expressions.

Well into the third month of your friendship, Peter’s presence in your apartment remains to be an odd sight in a good way. Out of your ordinary. His first time in your apartment came on a day you both chose to escape the sun’s sweltering heat with A/C and ice cream, and like your first conversation in Hal’s, he never made it weird.

It was effortless. Every moment with Peter was like breathing.

If anyone else suggested Friday-night movie nights, you’d have spared no time shutting them down. But your yes to Peter harbored no resistance.

“No way!” An excited smile spreads across Peter’s face as Scott steps to the baseline to take the game-winning free throw shots. “Is he seriously gonna make these?”

You seal your lips, choosing not to spoil the moment, but Peter doesn’t see. His eyes never stray from the screen, and his lips slightly part from the nail-biting suspense. As the last shot falls through the hoop, Peter’s whole jaw drops.

When the end credits roll, he slowly claps. “That was awesome. Like I’ve got some serious chills. How am I going to top that?”

“Eh, you probably won’t,” you reply with a boastful grin. Hidden joy thrums through your body from his excitement. “Might as well call a wrap on movie nights.”

Peter playfully nudges you with his elbow, then checks his watch. “Ah, man, it’s late. I needed to be on patrol half an hour ago.” He’s up in a flash, slipping his shoes on and chewing up the rest of his pizza.

“Do you have to go?” A hint of sadness tinges your words. 

“Yeah, the city would be a mess without me,” he jokes, but you weren’t remiss of his undertone sincerity. “Oh! That reminds me. Some bad guys are out on a robbing spree lately, tailing people at night, so if you work late, can you ask Chris to walk you home? Y’know, just in case I’m not there.”

He does this every time he’s over. Each week, there’s a new thing or group to be leery of, and each time he asks, you immediately nod to erase the gut-sinking concern in his brown eyes.

You rise from the couch and follow Peter to the door. He turns just as he’s about to twist the handle, stalls for a second, then envelopes you into a small, reluctant hug, leaving his arms lax just in case you wanted to pull away. 

Hugging is new, something you’ve only done about five times. The first was an unplanned disaster featuring a hard shove, repeated apologies, and a long, awkward moment of silence. 

You didn’t mean to push him away. It was one of those moments where, even though the urge to reciprocate was there, you couldn’t allow yourself to find comfort in such an innocent gesture. You weren’t ready. He respected that.

You knew your rash reaction bruised Peter more than he let on, but he learned to ease his way into your comfort zone with small touches. An intentional brush of his hand against yours, scooching closer to you on the couch, hi-fives with minimally laced fingers.

It took a while for the second hug-attempt, but you were cautiously prepared when it happened.

This time around, you return the gesture, winding your arms around his middle and setting your chin on his shoulder, resisting the urge to nuzzle your nose against his warm neck. His closeness frazzles you, even more so when he diminishes the gap between you, holding you tighter to his chest before releasing you and clearing his throat.

“Be safe,” you warn softly.

He puffs out his chest. “I have nothing to fear except fear itself.”

“That confident, huh?”

“Comes with the job. You get knocked down enough times, you get pretty confident once you realize you can always get back up.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. And yet you still have a fear of heights.”

“Never said I wasn’t afraid of falling. Just that it gets easier getting back up. ‘Sides, most of those petty offenders scare easy. All I gotta do is say I can plant eggs in ‘em.” He shudders at the idea himself.

“Please, Peter,” you implore, a smile sullying your stern frown.

Peter’s grin, always so wholesome and calming, blankets over your nerves. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“Well, I think Spider-Man needs someone to worry about him, sometimes. Even if he can get back up. Just… let caution work alongside confidence.”

He heeds your words with a more allayed smile, curtly nodding. “Vigilance. I can do that.”

You’re tempted to wrap him back into your arms to protect him from whatever dangers lie outside of your apartment. Instead, you exchange simple goodnights and shut the door once he reaches the stairwell.

The room and your shirt preserve his crisp evergreen scent long after he’s gone. It lingers as you crawl into bed. An aromatic reminder of his caress and warm skin.

As far as friendships go, you’ve never had one quite like this. The line you drew in the sand moves. Accommodates. Shrinks. Whether he’s aware of it or not, the time you spend cracking jokes with Peter at Hal’s, listening to his adventurous feats, becoming comfortable with his physical proximity, seeing his smile and the way his eyes light up when you smile at something funny or interesting he’s said, you fall just an inch.

He's growing on you. His presence. His laughter. His beaconing smile. His tentative touch. His uncanny ability to endear himself to your foreclosed heart.

It was easier to deny the connection when you didn’t know Peter. But now that you do, every moment you’re with him intensifies what you’ve painstakingly tried to avoid.

You’re falling in love with your Soulmate.

✦ ✧✦ ✧

Once again, it’s the Saturday brunch rush, and once again, Hal’s is up to its neck in bloodthirsty customers. All the booths are packed, as well as the stools. Some of the parties compact a seat meant for two with four people, and the aisle clogs with those who just came to grab a cup of coffee and conversation.

Chris is in his element, swinging from one booth to the next like a controlled tornado collecting orders, while you and Wendy are the unfortunate bunch who have to clean up desecrated tables and feed the greedy.

“If someone asks me what the specials are one more time, I’m going to rip my hair out,” Wendy grouses behind the counter as she puts away five menus.

You grumble back the same sentiments. Menus exist for a reason. And most of these people aren’t new to Hal’s, so the fact that they always have to ask grinds your gears.

11:30 a.m. is your saving grace. If you can hold on until Peter gets here, you’ll be fine.

Chris stops by the bar, pocketing what appears to be a twenty-dollar bill. “Lighten up, ladies. At least you’re off tomorrow.”

Wendy, in her 5’3’’ stature, looks feral. “I want to be off now.”

A rowdy group of high-schoolers sitting in the farthest booth is holding a contest to see who could drink a milkshake the fastest, and the two unlucky contestants shriek like banshees from self-inflicted brain-freeze. All three of you wince.

“We don’t get paid enough for this.”

Hal shouts from the back. “Order up! And stop slackin’ off out there!”

Wendy’s eye twitches as she marches to the back to pick up the orders. You’d have acted the same way if you didn’t have something to look forward to.

“They’re not going to tip me. I just know it,” Chris says to you, despondently looking over at the teens’ table again.

“They’ll come around. No one can resist this moneymaker.” You lightly bump him on the chin to indicate his smile. Heck, his whole chiseled face is a moneymaker, but that exuberant smile sells it all.

Over the last three months, just like your friendship with Peter, your friendship with Chris has improved. Even with Wendy. You aren’t at each other’s throats nearly as much as you used to be. Last week, she complimented your hairstyle, though it was immediately followed up with a snide comment: progress, either way.

Chris laughs. “And here I thought my friendly personality racked up all the tips.”

“It’s a bonus.”

He chuckles again, then blows out a hesitant breath. “So, Y/N…”

“So, Chris…”

“There’s, um, there’s gonna be another music festival in Cunningham Park tonight, and I was wondering if, y’know, you and Peter might want to come and hang?”

You and Peter… As if you were a pair. An item. A couple. To unsuspecting eyes, you knew you and Peter seemed to be just really good friends. Not even Hal questioned why you spent half an hour talking to him every weekday. If he had an inkling of who Peter actually was to you, he’d have confronted you by now.

Chris, on the other hand, kept a sharp eye on you when Peter was around. As meticulous as you were about keeping up pretenses in public, sometimes you’d slip. Your smile would be a tad too bright when Peter walked through the door and took his usual seat. You’d giggle at his jokes too loud. You’d stare into his eyes too long. Signs too blatant for Chris to miss.

You’re just waiting for him to put the last piece in the puzzle.

“I’d… I’d have to ask Peter.” You take a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “But, yeah, I’ll go.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Sure. Sounds like it’ll be fun. What time is it?”

Chris lays a hand on your forehead. “Temp seems fine. Pupils aren’t dilated. How many fingers am I holding up?”

You swat his hand down with a laugh. “Shut up.”

“Look, I know you probably don’t want me saying this out loud, but I’m glad you met Peter. We all are.”

“Why?” Evidently, you’re not that great at hiding your feelings as you thought.

Chris leans against the bar top, keeping an eye on the door just in case customers walked in. “Well, for starters, you literally just agreed to hang out with me for the first time since you started working here, which was—what—two years ago. And… you… I don’t know. You’re more open, y’know? Smiling and such.”

“I smiled before,” you say, a little defensive.

“Not like you do now. Before, it was all—,” Chris screws his mouth up. It’s strange. Alienated and wire-tight. The corners of his lips don’t fully come up, and it barely reaches his eyes. You instantly recognize it—the smile you hid behind.

Did you really smile like that? How is it that you never noticed how off-putting it was? If a server ever smiled at you like that, you’d assume they wished you disappeared off the face of the earth. Is that the smile people saw? More importantly, when did you stop putting it on?

“Two more strawberry milkshakes over here!” shouted one of the brain-freeze victims.

Chris hops to it. Always the perfect server. On his way to make the shakes, he says, “7 p.m.”

“I’ll be there.”

You weren’t going to confirm for Peter until he was there to answer for himself, but he doesn’t show. 11:30 a.m. and the rest of your shift flies by without a sight of him, which is strange, but not uncommon. Homework might have him tied up. September is a pretty busy month for schoolwork, and mid-terms are approaching, so he might be buried in assignments.

Worry doesn’t settle in until you’re getting ready for the music festival at 6:30 p.m., and Peter still hasn’t sent so much as a voicemail.

Evening summer sunlight filters in through your open window, the active sounds of Queens’ busy streets and subway station not allowing your room to fall quiet. Nights like this are perfect for outdoor festivals because it’s warm enough to sit in the grass and not bring a jacket.

Rather than enjoy the idea of getting out for the first time in years, your mind remains hooked on Peter.

It’s not like him not to leave a text if he’s caught up in other things. He’d make sure to tell you where he is, how far away. Since the beginning of this friendship, starting with his little notes, Peter’s constant communication wasn’t something you expected. But now that you do, this behavior just doesn’t match what you’re used to.

You pace the floor of your small bedroom, back and forth, wall to wall, abusively chewing your lower lip and turning your phone around in your hand, working up the nerve to call him, summoning up the will to voice your concern if he did answer.

When you do call, you get his voicemail. Trying again, you end up with the same result. Okay. He’s not picking up his phone.

Fear foregrounds your frustration. It bleeds into your words as you leave your fifth message. One after the other, they morph from mild concern to despairing panic. As the sun dips lower and lower on the horizon and the orange sunlight dwindles, so does your desire to go out.

Because… maybe you shouldn’t go. Maybe you should search for Peter. Finding any trace of him at all would be a stretch, and Chris might be upset about you ditching your plans the next time you see him, but you can’t possibly go out knowing something may be horribly wrong with Peter.

No. No, you won’t cancel plans like that. Peter is fine. Of course, he’s fine. He’s Spider-Man. His duties as a hero come first, no matter what. And he wouldn’t want you to stress so much about him.

Wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, he is okay. He’s alive. You feel it.

Somehow, you break the trance of your pacing and convince yourself to grab a cab ride to the park. When you arrive, the festival appears to be at a content standstill. It’s not as crowded as you assumed it would be for a Saturday night. Many of the attendants, ranging from all ages, are sitting on the grass, soaking up the fading rays of the sun while the bands finish up prepping. You’re greeted by the distinctive smell of hotdog vendors intermingled with ripening leaves.

There is nothing truly scenic about Cunningham Park, aside from the interspersed trees and trails. You’d been here a handful of times when you were younger, hanging out with friends during summer break, and one thing you loved about the park back then is how the sun shone through the leaves, casting an ethereal glow on nature.

You’re more appreciative of its beauty without the sun’s effect.

It wasn’t that hard finding Chris. All you had to do was look for the person most likely garnering friends from other groups. He’s on a blanket, seated in the center of the crowd and chatting with a group of three people.

When you’re close enough to be spotted, Chris’s face mouth out into a wide smile.

“You came!” Then his eyes roamed around. “Where’s Peter?”

You try for a carefree grin but let it fall when the effort became too much. “He couldn’t make it. School stuff.”

“Oh, well, that’s fine.” His smile drops fractionally, less joyful and more sympathetic. “I’m really glad you made it. Hey, guys. This is Y/N, my friend from work.”

You wave a little and hope for a genuine smile to grace your lips as they all scoot to make room for you on the blanket.

Chris introduces them all. He points to a buff, curly-haired guy named Dez, who you wouldn’t have guessed would be the type of guy to enjoy small park festivals. He looks like the kind of person who regularly crowd-surfs at huge concerts and somehow always winds up with a VIP pass. The next person is a slender girl named Asha, who has thick black hair knotted into a messy soccer bun and a glowing smile. 

The last person Chris introduces you to is his Soulmate. You knew just by the way he said his name. Resounding. Reverent. Borderline fanatic. His name is Quint, and unlike the others, he wraps you up in a surprising hug. What’s even more surprising is you hugging back.

“Nice to finally meet you.” His voice is richly robust, exactly how you would expect someone with his Adonis-like face to sound. Two gorgeous, outgoing Soulmates just seems unfair.

“Nice to meet you, too.” You can’t help looking from Quint’s face to Chris’s, then back again, and wondering if this is what people see when they see you and Peter—a perfect match. “Chris has told me a lot about you. All great things.”

“He better,” Quint says, jokingly gazing at Chris as a blush flared across Chris’s cheeks. “And he’s told me a lot about you and Peter.”

There it goes again: people pairing you two. It’s hard not to notice how natural that sounds, as though you two were meant to be spoken about as an inseparable whole.

You brush off your startled expression as best you can and ask, “Good things, right?”

He nods, then shares a smile with Chris. “I would’ve liked to meet him.” You roughly translate that to mean, ‘I would’ve liked to meet you both.’ The blush on Chris’s face deepens into an embarrassingly bright shade of red when he catches your eye.

A plucked, low-pitched guitar string echoes out to the crowd and effectively commences the start of the music festival. You must’ve missed the band's introduction because they got right into their music, playing a melancholic pop song that sounded pretty good. You were more interested in the guitar riffs and melodic piano notes than the lyrics, but they’re no doubt about love.

Halfway into their set, your stomach growls, and you remember that you didn’t have anything to eat since you got off work. The whole thing with Peter staved off your hunger. He’s still in the front of your mind, but you’re doing your best to enjoy the night with Chris and his friends.

Standing up, you tell Chris, “I’m gonna get a hotdog.”

He tilts his chin up in acknowledgment, then goes back to swaying his head to the music.

You got up just in time to beat the line. There are only two vendors in the park, and they’d be slammed once the music hits its intermission. The one you’re at resides near the outskirts of the crowd, closest to where you left the group, and two people are in front of you.

You wish Peter were here.

Your hand touches the outline of your phone in your back pocket while you wrestle with the idea of calling him again. Maybe he’ll pick up this time.

You’re just about to unlock your phone when you hear someone calling your name—a girl.

The voice gets closer and more breathless, like they’re running at you full speed ahead and couldn’t reach you fast enough. You turn to the sound just as the body slams into you, yanking you out of line and clutching you to their frame.

“Where the hell have you been?!”

You pull away and stare straight into her face, not trusting your own eyes. “Manda?"

...

Taglist: @alexandria-euphoria​

[re-diesirae]

6. Claire

She was running through the chaotic streets of Raccoon City. The hordes of undead tailing right behind her with their horrid growls and that putrid smell of the dead. She had run out of ammo, which meant that if she got cornered, she was in trouble.

She had gotten separated from Leon, and she did not even know if the young man was still alive at all.

Claire took a turn and found herself cornered; it was a dead-end, and she had no bullets. The horrid cannibal monsters were moving slowly to her.

It was it; this was her end.

Claire woke up, startled, and she felt the sun rays coming through the holes in the ceiling, hit her on her face. Her breathing was agitated, and she took some seconds to recover.

She hated those nightmares. They were a recurrent thing, but it had been a while since she dreamt of Raccoon. The city where everything began vanished. With the years, the memories from the place had gotten buried under fresher incidents. Her nightmares were often about nonsense or about places she had visited more recently.

Claire looked around her, remembering where she was. It was morning already, and Leon did not wake her for the shift.

She was slightly annoyed, but at the same time, she was grateful. She knew Leon had done it to let her recover.

She stretched and grabbed her head. The pain was still there, but it was significantly lesser, and her vision was back to normal, too, which meant the effects of the hit were starting to pass.

"Hey, good morning, sleeping beauty," Leon greeted her, and she rolled her eyes.

Claire had forgotten how much of a charmer Leon was when it came to dealing with ladies. Their interactions were on the friendly side, and he had long stopped using his flirty tones on her, so it was the first time in years that she heard him use that tone with her.

"Good morning, cheater," she answered, "I thought we agreed you would wake me up for a guard shift."

Leon snorted.

"I tried, but you just fell asleep again."

"I...I did?" Claire answered in shock.

"Yeah, after saying you wanted ten more minutes," Leon smirked, "Besides, you looked to be enjoying yourself. When was the last time you had a good night of sleep?"

When was it? Claire tried to remember when was the last time she had slept more than three hours without interruptions, but she couldn't remember. Between nightmares and work, she had skipped a lot of sleeping hours in the last few months. Naturally, Claire would not tell him about that.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I am just asking," he replied, shaking his head. "You just looked like you had not slept well in a while."

"Well, I hardly think that sleeping in a dilapidated cottage surrounded by mutant monsters can be considered a good sleep."

Leon snorted.

"Anywhere is a good place when you are exhausted," he reasoned.

Claire was not going to argue that. She had to admit that even though it had not been the best sleeping in her existence, she had rested nicely that night. She was not in her best shape, but at least she would not be as useless now.

"I am not discussing my sleep patterns with you, Leon," Claire sighed. "We should head out and try to find a way out of here."

"Yeah, but first, let me see your head."

Claire did not argue, and she allowed the agent to check her. After some minutes, he stood and helped Claire on her feet. The auburn headed accepted his hand and pushed herself up. She tested her stability and was rejoiced to see that she wasn't dizzy anymore. However, her head still hurt, and if she made the wrong move, she was sure she would stumble.

"How is your head?" Leon asked.

"Stingy, but alright. I am ready to go."

"Are you sure? I think we can afford some minutes if you need them."

"No, I'm ok. Let's move."

"Ok. I tried to contact Hunnigan several times yesterday. My signal still has interference, but I think I managed to connect. She might be able to track our location, and I am sure your dear brother will be here soon."

"Yeah, with the big guns, I supposed."

"I just hope he won't use them against me."

"Nah, not even Chris is that unreasonable, and if it makes you feel better, I can talk on your behalf," Claire chuckled, "he usually listens to me."

"I bet he does."

"Alright, then. We must try to stay in one piece until then," Claire reasoned, "We can try to gather supplies as we go, but I don't think our captors have left ammo lying around for us."

"One never knows," Leon said, checking his gun, "So, just like old times?"

"Yeah, I guess you don't get the pleasure of going solo this time, superagent," Claire smirked, picking her rifle and walking out.

"I have no complaints about my partner," she heard Leon mutter behind her.

The place looked a lot different in daylight. Compared to other places she had been, Claire was pleased to see a change of scenery. The sight of trees, grasslands, and the fresh air was a nice change from the acrid air of tunnels and underground facilities.

"Oh, that's right," Claire said, "The locals here..."

"Yeah, they are infected by an improved strain of Plagas."

"An improved strain of Plagas?" Claire said.

"Hum, yeah. I had the pleasure of dealing with it some years ago, during a mission in the East Slav Republic. Aim at their heads, but be careful since some of them can mutate after being destroyed."

"I guess that makes sense. I thought the symptoms looked familiar, but I couldn't quite connect them to anything I knew," Claire nodded, "I guess you've been busy, Leon."

"I could say the same about you."

Claire chuckled. They all had been busy. Chris and the BSAA were always fighting in the frontlines when an attack came, while Leon and the DSO worked diligently tracking terrorists, as well. Claire wondered if she would ever get to spend a day with her family and friends like any other person.

"What can I say? Work is a demanding boyfriend," Claire shrugged.

"Well, you sure have a singular taste for your boyfriends. Have you not thought of getting a real one for a change?"

Claire snorted at the suggestion. Getting a real boyfriend was something she had long given up. Her work demands rarely gave her free time, and what was the point of having a relationship when she had no time to dedicate to it?

"I am fine. I never had a real one when I was young, and the Racoon City mess just put an end to any attempts. It doesn't matter."

"You didn't have a boyfriend before this began? Somehow I find that hard to believe."

"Really? Why?"

"When I met you, you looked like the kind of girl that any guy would chase around."

"Oh, well. I suppose there were guys interested, but if Chris didn't chase them away, it was my personality who spooked them."

"Chris scared off your potential guys?"

"Yeah, something like that, but it wasn't all his fault. I played my part, scaring some, too. "

"I can't see how you would do that."

Claire snorted.

"Please, Leon. Honestly, I am surprised you were not scared the first time we met. What guy feels comfortable with a tomboyish girl who handles guns and fights as I did?"

"I think that was what I liked most from you..." Leon answered sincerely. "You were not of those girls who waited for someone to save her."

"Well, I guess you have a weird taste, as well," Claire laughed, "Besides, my luck with men sucks. Either they get killed, or they turn out to be traitors..."

Claire sighed. Why was she telling him this? Leon had no interest in that, but surprisingly, she found that telling him these things was easy.

"What do you mean with that?" Leon asked curiously, "Any ex-boyfriend that I haven't heard of?"

Claire stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him skeptically.

"Leon, you can't be talking seriously."

"Why not? I'm trying to catch up. It's been ages since we had a casual conversation," Leon said, "When was the last time we talked about something that was not related to a mission?"

He was right. Even their friendly calls ended up being about their missions and their jobs. They rarely talked about anything outside of that. They had crossed paths in one or two of the BSAA meetings, but they had never stopped to chat about things outside their work.

"So, ex-boyfriends?"

"None," Claire sighed, "I met a couple of nice guys once, but they got killed in an outbreak. Then years later, I met this colleague at TerraSave. I thought he was a decent guy, but it turned out he was selling us as guinea pigs to Alex Wesker in exchange for a sample of Ouroboros. As I said, my luck with men sucks."

Leon didn't answer. He continued to listen to her as she spoke.

"Looking at the bright side, Chris gets to brag about being the only man in my life."

"That's a lie," Leon said, "You have other men in your life."

"I suppose I might, but I have morals, Leon. I can't call someone taken as my man," Claire chuckled, "What about charmer?"

"What about me? I guess I am the same as you. My job is a demanding girlfriend."

"Really? There I thought you would have made some progress with Ada."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but Ada and I have a different kind of relationship."

"Yeah, right. That's what you call it."

Claire chuckled in amusement at Leon's look. She knew those two had something between them. That was the main reason why Claire had given up the idea of getting together with Leon in the first place. Even if she had a crush on him back then, Leon's thoughts were always about Ada, and she could not compete against that.

"Oh, Leon..." Claire said, looking ahead.

Leon looked as well and gave her a silent nod. The two jumped into some bushes and stayed low as a group of infected locals walked past them. To their relief, none of the infected noticed them, and so far, there had been no signs from the mutant creatures that Claire had met the night before.

"I think the wisest move now is to avoid conflict unless it is necessary," Leon said.

"I am with you with that. You'll want to save your bullets for the big ones," Claire nodded, looking at him.

"Big ones?" Leon asked with a frown.

"Yeah, nasty things. They took me by surprise yesterday, and I blew up the town in panic. The explosion was a little bigger than I thought, but well, I was desperate, and I wasn't thinking clearly."

"I didn't meet any last night," Leon said, "but I trust your word, any idea of what it is?"

"Nope. I've never seen anything like it. I dare say it might be a new strain. I guess we get the privilege to test them."

"What an honor," Leon said sarcastically. "Alright, so plan. We need to figure out the terrain, so I think we should try to find a good vantage point to look at what we are facing. There's a rocky cliff in that direction, do you see it?"

"Yup, I do."

"I hope you are in the mood for hiking."

"Leon, if you know me the way you say you do, you'll know I'll never be in the mood for hiking."

Leon smirked.

"But I'll do what I've got to do."

"That's the spirit," he said, "Don't worry. I can carry you if you get tired."

"Excuse you. I might dislike hikes, but I don't need anyone to carry me."

"Of course. It's nice to see that good old Claire is still there."

"The old Claire has always been here," she said, winking at him. "Just improved..."

And broken, too.

Claire followed Leon as he led her through the forest. She was not usually the kind to follow the lead quietly, but she did not feel the energy to act on her own now. There was some comfort in Leon's company that gave her a sense of reassurance. It was a similar feeling to what she felt when Chris was nearby.

The thought was naive and perhaps a little silly, but something about having them close always made Claire feel like nothing could ever harm her. Realistically speaking, it was nonsense, but psychologically, it was something different.

"Strange..."

Leon's whisper pulled Claire out of her thoughts. The woman looked at the agent, who was standing protectively by her side.

"I expected more hostiles, but we've barely encountered some Plagas infected. Don't you find it odd?"

Claire pondered the question. He had a point. Things were unusually calm compared to the hell she had faced the night before. It was almost as if daylight had brought them some peace.

"Well, it is a very different scenario from last night," Claire agreed, "Perhaps they are more active at night."

It was a wild guess, but it was the only excuse she could come up with to explain it.

"That's not a common trait when it comes to Plagas, but you might be right," Leon reasoned, "Well, then maybe we should restrict our moves to daytime. It might slow us down, but between speed and safety, I vouch for the latter. Especially if there's limited ammo in the equation."

Claire nodded. Moving in the daylight had its other benefits too. They had better visibility so they could avoid hostiles with more ease, and if the lack of the nasty monsters was a hint, then maybe they were indeed safer during the day.

"Yeah, that might be the best," she sighed.

"Don't worry. We'll make it out of this one."

"Yeah, I know," she nodded, "Leon..."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

That caught Leon by surprise. The blonde turned to look at her quizzically, and she smiled at him weakly.

"What for?"

"Eh, well. I don't know. For being here now, I mean," Claire said shyly, "I suppose it was hard to reach me, and you didn't have to, yet...you are here."

Leon looked at her and smiled, shaking her head.

"Don't be silly," he said, "You don't need to thank me for that. If it hadn't been me, it would have been your brother, but neither of us would let them take you away so easily."

Claire smiled. He was right. Chris would never stand doing nothing while she was getting kidnapped.

"Yeah, you might be right."

Leon put his hand on her shoulder, and she found the touch comforting.

"I wanted to ask you," he said as they began to walk again, "Do you have any idea of what they would want to kidnap you?"

That was a good question. Claire wasn't sure herself.

"Your guess is as good as mine," she sighed. "I receive a lot of hate mail, so maybe it is someone who holds a grudge against me. I don't know. It could be someone targeting Chris, too. Both of us have rubbed some people the wrong way for a while."

Leon didn't reply. He walked lost in his thoughts, and for a moment, Claire wondered about what he was thinking.

That's none of your business, Claire.

Claire shook her head and kept on walking behind him, pushing the thoughts away.

NOTE: if you guys want to come and chat about the fic, or just about CLEON in general. Feel free to drop by the discord and say hi! http://discord.gg/wr48UmENbx

[justa-starrynite]

Corn Maze

A/N: Hey guys, it’s Megan! I hope you all are having a wonderful day and wish you all a great weekend! I’m so excited that it is finally Fall! Here is just a little fluff for my baby Juice who stole my heart. I hope you all enjoy! Thank you so much for reading!

*gif not mine*

You walked hand in hand with Juice surrounded by the tall corn stalks. You had been in the corn maze about thirty minutes now just leisurely making your way through as you two talked about anything and everything.

The two of you had been officially dating a little over two years now. You met Juice when he came to your rescue in the tow truck after you broke down in the middle of nowhere just outside Charming city limits. You were on your way to your cousin’s wedding and running terribly late. Luckily for you you didn’t care too much since your cousin was a real bitch but you would never hear the last of it from your parents if you didn’t show up on time.

You were one of her bridesmaids after all.

After Juice and a guy strangely called Half Sack dropped your vehicle off at Teller-Morrow Juice offered to take you to the venue on the back of his bike insisting it would be fastest. Normally you wouldn’t just hop on the back of a stranger’s bike but there really weren't many other options and his kind eyes and warm smile gave you the sense that you could trust him.

So you did.

Being bold you asked him if he’d like to accompany you as your date but unfortunately he had to split. The club needed him otherwise there was nowhere else he’d rather be. It wasn’t until about three years later that you found yourself back in the charming town. Juice was pleasantly surprised to see you again. He took you on a date that night and now here you were, helplessly in love.

“Oh, after this we should go to the drive-in theater. I think they are playing A Nightmare on Elm Street.” You said as you continued down the path.

“Huh?” You had been talking for a while now but Juice wasn’t really listening. He was doing his best to stay present with you but his mind was in the future going over his plans over and over again. He wanted everything to be perfect. It had to be perfect for you. Today would be a day you would both hopefully look back on as one of the happiest moments of your life.

Today at the end of the maze Juice was going to propose.

“I said we should see a movie afterwards.”

“Yeah, sure.” Juice gave you a smile. “Whatever you want.”

“Are you okay baby?” You stopped in your steps and turned to face him. “You’ve been acting weird all morning. Well more so than usual.” You gave him a small smile as you ran your thumb across the back of his hand. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“Yeah I’m fine.” He grinned back at you easing some of your worries. “Just slept funny is all.”

You eyed him skeptically before deciding to drop it and move on. Whatever was going on he would tell you when he was ready. “We better get moving if we are going to beat last year's time.”

Juice gladly followed your lead. Slipping his free hand into his pocket he reached down for the ring he had Lyla help pick out for you. He fished around a moment before the panic started to set in. Coming up empty he quickly reached into his other pocket hoping he just put it in there instead but also found nothing.

Then it dawned on him. “Shit.” He cursed under his breath. He forgot to grab it from the drawer in his dorm before the two of you headed out.

“Everything okay back there?” You asked turning around to check in on him once more.

“Yep.” He said a little too quickly. “Just forgot I borrowed a wrench from Chibs and promised I’d return it to him today because he needed it today. I’m just gonna send a quick message letting him know where it is so he can grab it from the dorm.” Pulling out his phone he sent a quick message to Chibs about the ring hoping that by some miracle his brother would get it here for him in time.

You waited patiently for him to put his cell back in his pocket. You extended your hand out taking his in yours once more before leading the way. After a few dead ends and Juice checking his phone multiple times you were starting to get irritated.

“Is the tool really that important?” You asked, stopping once more in the maze. “You’ve spent more time on that damn phone than being here with me. Today was supposed to be our day. Just you and I with no outside interruptions. You promised me that much Juice.”

You loved the club but that didn’t mean you wanted to share your man with it every day. The two of you had been planning this day for weeks now and both promised it would be about the two of you and no one else. You had not picked up your phone once but here Juice was seemingly constantly on his phone.

Juice frowned. He hated letting you down in any way, especially when he was planning something huge for you today. He couldn’t exactly tell you that though. This was definitely not how he planned on today going.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, I promise I’m here with you. I’ll put it away.” He gave you a small smile slipping his phone into the inside pocket of his jacket before zipping it back up. “It’s just you and me baby.”

You smiled leaning in to give him a kiss. Resting your forehead against his you held him and he held you for a little while. “Thank you.”

Juice couldn’t wait to make you his wife. That was as long as you’d have him as your husband and your ring showed up in time.

“I think we’re almost to the end!” You said excitedly, pulling back. “Come on I’m starving.” You giggled pulling him behind you as you were determined to get out of this damn maze now.

Juice chuckled letting you lead the way. Wherever you’d go he would always follow. He truly felt lost before you entered his life just when he needed you most. You were his bright light in his darkest times. You made him a better man.

You were nearing the end and both of you could tell you were close. Juice had not heard from Chibs since he said he was on his way. He just needed to buy a little more time. He pulled you back spinning you around holding you close.

“What are you doing? We’re almost out.” You searched his soft eyes as he smiled. His smile always made you feel like you could melt.

“I just want you to know I love you.”

“And I love you too.”

Juice sighed to himself letting you lead the rest of the way out of the maze. He was disappointed that things didn’t work out as he had planned. All that mattered though was the smile on your face. He could propose another day, at another place. Anywhere and anytime would be perfect because all that mattered was that you were in love.

Exiting the maze you checked your phone for the time. “Well we definitely didn’t beat last year's time but there’s always next year.”

“Aye Juicey!” Both you and Juice looked over to find Chibs jogging your way.

“Why is Chibs here?” You asked Juice as you smiled at the older Son.

Catching up to the two of you Chibs gave you a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. He was quite the charmer. “You’re looking lovely as ever (Y/N)”

“Thank you Chibs.” You blushed. “What are you doing here? Did you find your wrench?”

“I did.” Chibs grinned catching on quickly. “Just came to give Juicey boy his wallet. I noticed he left it.” Chibs passed Juice an older wallet of his with the ring tucked neatly inside. He gave Juice a hug and a pat on the back murmuring good luck before dismissing himself. “Alright I’ll leave you two to it.”

You watched the older man walk away. Something felt a little off about the whole exchange but you weren’t going to question in.

“Do you want a caramel apple?” You asked Juice motioning to the stand just a ways away where a woman was selling treats. You headed off towards the stand with Juice’s hand in yours. You didn’t get two steps before realizing he wasn’t moving with you. “What’s up?”

Now was his chance. He didn’t want to waste another second. He now had the ring in his hand and the wallet tucked away. Before you could really register what was happening he was down on one knee still holding your left hand in his.

“(Y/N),” he began holding back the tears in his eyes. “Today has not been what I imagined when I thought about proposing to you. It definitely didn't go as planned but I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it. Each day I get to have with you is a blessing and I promise to cherish each moment with you, to cherish you and love you always. There is nothing more I want in this world than to be your husband. So (Y/N), will you make me the luckiest guy and be my wife?”

You looked down at the stunning ring Juice held out before you. You couldn’t believe this was happening. Wiping the tear from your cheek you nodded smiling wide. “Yes, I would love nothing more than to be your wife.”

Slipping the ring onto your finger Juice then stood up pulling you into his arms. Today would just be one of many with you that he would always cherish for the rest of his life.

[seaweedbrain404]

Wolfstar Au: Questions and Confessions (pt 3 of Parties and Morning Regrets)

tw: panic attack

pt 2

pt4

read it on ao3

obligatory tag for @icitlali as you’re pretty much the main reason this fic turned into a series, i hope you enjoy it!

When Remus woke up again, hours later, he noticed three things. 1) there was a blanket over him, 2) Lily was home, he could hear her singing along to music in the kitchen and 3) Sirius was nowhere to be seen.

Just as well, Remus thought as he got up. He felt and heard all of his joints clicking and cracking while he stretched. He wrapped the blanket tightly around himself and waddled into the kitchen.

“Hi” He whispered, despite not having to.

Lily spun around, catching him in a hug. “Feeling better?” she asked, pressing her face against his chest.

“Yeah, sleep is good” Remus nodded as they let go, and Lily went back to cooking.

“I’m making dinner, you were asleep for ages”

“Figured, I’m starved”

“I slept with James”

“James?” The name vaguely rang a bell in Remus’ head but it’s not like he knew a lot of people called James.

“Potter- James Potter, remember?” Lily chewed her bottom lip, “from school?”

“Oh”

James Potter had been best friends with Sirius Black and that was probably the only way Remus knew him. There was also the fact that he had chased after Lily for most of their school days. Most people thought he was a rich, spoiled and arrogant boy but Remus found he never really saw him like that. From their limited interactions, Remus thought James was actually a quite pleasant person, a little big-headed but all round a good bloke.

“Yeah”

“And?” Remus waved his hands around, nearly letting the blanket fall to his feet.

“And… we may have exchanged numbers”

“Lily!”

“What?!”

“You always said you hated him!”

“Well I did… but, he got really fit” Lily admitted, pink dusting her cheeks.

“Fit? you slept with him cause he got fit?”

“Kind of- I mean, we talked at the party and he told me about his work and Remus, he’s a human rights lawyer”

This was an interesting piece of information. Remus didn’t know that James was also a lawyer but he did remember Sirius mentioning something about him the night of the party. Did this mean that maybe Remus was wrong? Maybe Sirius wasn’t working for his father anymore and he was in New York to team up with James. It was unlikely though since he specifically remembered his brain latching onto Sirius saying something along the lines of him doing business for his father. There was always the possibility of Sirius lying. However, Remus felt that was unlikely too. Sirius wasn’t much of a liar unless he had to.

He must’ve been quiet for too long because Lily nudged him gently. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah” Remus nodded, “just thinking”

“Bad thinking or good thinking”

Remus shrugged. “Just… thinking”

“Does it have anything to do with you definitely sleeping with your gorgeous ex-boyfriend the other night?”

Remus’ face reddened and he pulled the blanket tighter around himself as if it could shield him from all his problems and worries.

“Ha! I knew it” Lily was practically jumping up and down. “He left his phone number”

Remus groaned. “Throw it away”

“What?”

“Bin it, burn it, I don’t care”

“Remus, you can’t just cut off anyone who makes you feel things” Lily sighed.

“I don’t do that” Lie. He did it all the time.

“Yes you do… remember when you dated Anna? or Frank? or Sam?”

Remus shrugged and made a vague noise. He didn’t like where this was going but Lily carried on.

“You pushed them away as soon as it got too real, as soon as it got serious”

“Well, I just didn’t want to settle down with them”

“And why’s that, my friend?”

“I don’t know… they weren’t right” Remus shrugged again, “who are you? my therapist?”

“I’m your friend, idiot” Lily lightly hit his arm, smiling despite fully reading Remus like today’s paper. “I just think we both know it’s because they weren’t Sirius”

Remus had nothing to say to that. “Just… bin the number, I don’t want to talk to him”

Lily sighed, exasperated. “You don’t have to talk to him but I’m not throwing out his number, just in case”

“I’m not going to call him” He replied, leaning his chin on her shoulder.

“I know, you’re too set on making yourself miserable”

“That’s not true”

“Oh sure”

“I don’t even like him”

“I saw the way he looked at you, clearly he still cares a lot about you and…” she paused, kissing Remus’ forehead before reaching for two plates. “you do too or else you wouldn’t have invited him up earlier”

“I just didn’t want to leave him out in the cold” That’s all there was to it, Remus had told himself earlier. He was tired and leaving Sirius outside, alone in the cold, in a city he probably wasn’t familiar with just seemed like the wrong thing to do.

“Sounds like caring to me” Lily replied in a sing-songy voice.

Remus resorted to sticking his tongue out instead of formulating a response.

Lily passed him a plate filled with pasta and the two brought their food to the sitting room. “Who’s manning the bakery?” Remus asked, suddenly realising that neither one of them had gone to work.

“Marlene and Dorcas, I went in to check when I was picking up Mrs Pettigrew’s shopping” Lily paused for a forkful of pasta before continuing. “She was asking about you”

“Why me?”

“Dunno, she likes you”

Remus raised his eyebrow, changing the channel and ending up on an episode of Doctor Who.

“Yeah, I don’t know why but she said you should drop by soon” Lily added.

“Mmm, I might later”

The two finished their dinner in a comfortable silence, occasionally commenting on what the current Doctor was getting up to. After dinner, Lily showered and Remus finally got the chance to take that bath he had wanted nearly all day. He bid Lily an early goodnight afterwards, seeing as he was up for the morning shift the next day.

Remus didn’t mind working at the bakery, it meant he never had to walk far to get to work or to get home. He wasn’t passionate about it like Lily was though which meant for him, waking up at the arse crack of dawn wasn’t worth it. Still, he got up, feeling a billion times better than the day before, and got dressed. It was 4am when he got there and the only other person with him was Mary McDonald.

Mary was a good friend of Lily’s and just as passionate about making the best baked goods as she was. Their entire staff consisted of five people, usually there were two people there from 4 am up until 4 pm (despite it opening hours being 8am to 3 pm). During busier hours, another person came in from 11 am to 2 pm. It was a small business but it was open every day and sold everything from custom order cakes to bread, rolls and just nearly every other baked good under the sun. Lily was a fair boss and no one had to be in work for 4 am two days in a row since the bakery was so small, they didn’t need more than three people there at the one time. Usually they got by with just the two.

“Morning” Mary rubbed her eyes, turning on the radio when Remus walked in.

“ ‘Ello” He saluted, getting ready to sanitise the kitchen and get the dough prepared for all the baked goods they would be selling that day.

Remus liked working with Mary. She was quiet enough and most of the time the two got to enjoy listening to the radio, singing along to songs or commenting on the news as they worked. He hadn’t even thought about Sirius since the night before and all was going great.

That was until the clock hit 2:15. That was when Remus was working the till and that was when Sirius waltzed into the small establishment. Remus knew it wasn’t a coincidence because Lily’s bakery was small and very very local. There was no way Sirius had just so happened to wander in off the street.

To Remus’ dismay, after Sirius bought an eclair and a cup of coffee, he didn’t leave. Sirius didn’t leave even when he had finished, instead stuck around and ordered another coffee. Who drinks so much coffee, thought Remus, feeling more and more annoyed the more time Sirius spent not leaving. Eventually, it was time for Remus’ break and Mary took over the till.

Remus went out the back, into the alleyway for a cig and a yogurt. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to enjoy much of his lunch break by himself because after he had eaten, and lit the cigarette, someone he didn’t want to see appeared in his line of vision.

“You haven’t called”

Straight to the point then, Remus thought, taking an extra long drag of the cig. “No”

“Why not?” Sirius shoved his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight between his two feet.

“Why is it that you always get to be the one asking questions and pointing out how much I’ve changed?” Remus countered, putting the cigarette out on the ashy tray on the windowsill.

Sirius didn’t say anything so Remus straightened and took a step forward with his hands tucked under his arms, to keep the cold off. The fingerless gloves weren’t much help. “How come you’re New York? Why are you still working for your father’s bloody firm? And why are you so quiet and subdued?”

While all of this was spilling out of Remus, he suddenly found himself right up in Sirius’ face with his breath ghosting his lips. Sirius didn’t back down though as steel grey met blazing amber.

“You never asked” He replied simply.

“Because you never gave me the chance to!” Remus took a step back and one forward again. “I did now so… go on, out with it”

“My father recently branched out to America, New York to be specific and I…. I wanted- no, I needed to get away” Sirius spat out. “I needed to get away from my parents because I had enough of them and everything they stood for and… and I finally stopped being so afraid of them!”

“So why did you go after me then?”

“I didn’t go after you”

“You talked to me at the party and then you showed up at my workplace” Remus reasoned, “I’m so sorry that I misread the fucking signs!”

“You’re the one that invited me up to the flat!”

“Yes, because it was cold out and I didn’t want to be that guy who left someone in a new city out in the freezing fucking cold”

“Really? because you didn’t have a problem making jabs at me and being a cruel bastard”

“Oh I’m the bastard, sure”

“That’s not fair and you know it!”

“Well life isn’t fair either and you don’t get to decide what’s fair and what’s not, so how about you fuck off Sirius”

“No” came Sirius’ sharp reply.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I said no” Sirius’ voice was shaking and Remus hated himself for wanting to comfort him. “No because I’m still in love with you even though you clearly don’t want me to be because you’re acting like a condescending asshole 90% of the time and the other 10 you remind me of the guy I fell for in Year 7”

Remus felt winded. Year 7?? “You- you can’t just drop that on me….” He trailed off, staggering backwards. “I need get back to work”

He turned on his heel and ran a hand through his hair. Sirius said something, shouted Remus’ name maybe but his voice sounded distant and fogged. Somehow he stumbled back into the bakery to see Mary look at him with worried eyes.

“Remus?”

Her voice was distant too and the room was too warm. His lungs wouldn’t fill properly and his head spun. He felt like he was going to pass out and he would’ve literally hit the ground if Mary hadn’t caught him.

She put him in a chair against the wall and grabbed a bottle of water, fusing over him and saying things Remus wasn’t hearing because the sound of his heart racing was far too loud. Yep, this is how I die, he thought, leaning back in the chair and letting his head hit the wall.

Suddenly Mary appeared in front of him again, he could only tell by the hands on his shoulders as his eyes were closed. “Remus? Remus, deep breaths love” when Remus was unresponsive she tried again. “Remus breathe in, 1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. and hold the breath 2... 3.. 4.. 5.. 6.. 7.. and out again, 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8…”

This time Remus followed Mary’s lead. They did the breathing exercise a couple more times before Remus felt stable enough to open his eyes again. “What happened?”

“Listen I-“ Remus cut himself off because what did happen. “Thank you, I don’t really- can we not talk about it?”

Mary was kind, there was no denying that. She nodded, despite looking concerned. “Of course, yeah, whatever makes you comfortable”

Mary insisted that Remus stay in the back for the rest of the day and he was happy enough not having to man the till. Sirius had completely disappeared and Remus was too tired to do anything about it. At 3pm, Mary locked up and they set about preparing ingredients and products for the next day, freezing selected stock and cleaning the kitchen.

By the time they had finished Mary was still concerned. “Hey, are you alright now?”

“Mmm, yeah, I’m good” Remus would’ve preferred to face Sirius again and risk another panic attack rather than have to talk to Mary about what happened earlier.

Mary gave him a tight smile and put a hand on his arm. “Mind yourself, yeah?” she gave his arm a light squeeze before the two went their separate ways.

[raging-violets]

Shadow Star: Chapter 1

Summary: After nearly all the Justice Society of America were killed in a battle against the Injustice Society of America, high school student Courtney Whitmore discovers the Cosmic Staff of Starman and becomes the inspiration for a whole new generation of superheroes. When Barry Allen comes on the scene and becomes stuck on her Earth, Courtney begins to learn that being a hero isn’t all fun and games. The FlashxStargirl crossover.

A/N: This is a Tumblr exclusive, meaning I’m going to post the story on here before I post it to FFn because, timeline wise for the Flash and the Flame series, I can’t post it yet. Or else, maybe it’d start Brady’s own series because it’s his story, rather than Cadence’s. Either way, you all will get the luxury to read it here before i post it to FFN in the future so things may be different by then. Your feedback may help the story take shape! I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One

It’s official, my life is over.

Not that Courtney Whitmore didn’t already know that. There were a few moments in life that made it quite clear her life, as she knew it, was over. There was her father, who had up and disappeared on her when she a young girl. Watching her mother slowly fall into the depths of despair before bringing herself back out it again, was horrifying. As much as Courtney never really talked to her mom about it, just reassured her that she was “Fine,” whenever her mom asked, it was something she wasn’t going to get over.

Then there was her life coming to an end when her mom started to date Pat Dugan, some guy she met while on a trip back to Blue Valley. She and her mom had gotten along in life just fine without any men, they didn’t need anyone else in their lives. They had each other. They were strong together. And then there was Pat and all his weird idiosyncrasies that came along with him. That was fine, she could handle dating.

But then there was the engagement, the wedding, the…future. Not that Courtney didn’t like Pat, he was nice, she surmised. And Mike, her soon to be stepbrother, wasn’t so bad. But she and her mother were just fine on their own. Things had always been fine. Now they had to fit new people into their lives and start over as a new family.

That’s how she understood it.

But then there was the new job and moving? Leaving her friends behind? And moving to Blue Valley? Blue Valley, Nebraska? What was even in Nebraska? Other than nothing. As far as Courtney was concerned, it had nothing, not like California. California had everything; the surf, the sun, the sand, her gymnastics team, her friends, her family, her life.

And…that life was now over, now that they were standing in the middle of the driveway of their new house in Blue Valley, Nebraska. She spent the entire ride acting like it was nothing, like there wasn’t anything stopping them from deciding things weren’t right and they’d turn around. But now that they were stopped and standing outside and looking at their new place—Courtney with her arms folded tightly across her chest—her hopes and dreams and crashed right down into nightmaresville.

“This is ours?!” Mike’s shriek bypassed Courtney’s blonde ringlets and pierced her ears, making them ring. “It’s a mansion!”

Barbara, her mother, slipped her arm around Courtney’s shoulder and gently hugged her daughter to her side. Courtney leaned into her mom, taking in her scent. It was different; clean, smelling of fresh soap rather than the grease that seemed to stick deep to her from her job at the diner. A welcome change, something Courtney didn’t mind too much about the move and their new life.

“What do you think?” Barbara murmured into her daughter’s hair.

What do I think? Courtney tried not to roll her eyes, knowing her mother, somehow, would see it. I think I want to go home, is what I think! Instead, Courtney kept her mouth shut and merely shook her head. A response without having to actually give a response. That was just fine with her, as she tried to figure things out. How she mentally worked out how to talk her mom into letting her go back home to visit Mary sooner than later. How--

Courtney, and the rest of her family, jumped when a large box was dropped to the ground just outside the moving truck. Pat immediately stepped forward; hand outstretched when he saw what box it was. Courtney didn’t see the big deal, honestly, it was just a box, like all the other boxes, that were thrown into the moving truck. Something of Pat’s that was Pat’s. She didn’t quite care what was inside, but...Pat certainly did.

“Hey, sorry, it’s, uh, it’s just…that’s really delicate,” Pat said, taking a step forward. He seemed to wince with each step toward the moving truck, watching as the box was scraped down against the incline. The movers continued tried to move the box forward, only stopping when Pat moved even closer to them. “Okay. But, uh, you know what? I got it. It’s fine.” He waved away the movers and grabbed the loosened belts that seemed to try to hold the box together. He grasped them and quickly tightened them back up. “Let me just fasten these. Thank you. I appreciate that.” He nodded to the movers once more, who shrugged and backed away. Finally, he relaxed, as Courtney could see from his shoulders dropping, Pat flashed a grin toward the newly formed family. “Hey, how about we get something to eat?”

“Oh yeah, let’s go,” Barbara quickly agreed. “After that long car ride? I’m sure we’re all pretty hungry.” She nodded to Mike, who nodded back. Then turned to her daughter. “Court?”

“Fine. Whatever,” Courtney replied quickly, sullenly. She knew her voice had a tone; she hadn’t meant for there to be one. But what did her mom expect? To pick up her entire life and act as if everything was okay? And what was it that Pat was so worried about with that stupid box? As far as she could tell, just from looking at it, it wasn’t that spectacular. It was just a stupid box. Why did he have to be so weird?

Nevertheless, Courtney followed along with her mother, stepfather, and stepbrother away from the house and walked into town. Walked. They could walk into town. In California, they could they had to get everywhere by driving. That was the fun part. Driving everywhere was the best part, being able to do road trips with your friends, being able to listen to music with the windows rolled down and blaring. It wasn’t the same if you were walking with your headphones in.

Upper lip curling, Courtney shoved her hands into the pockets of her flannel shirt and followed behind her family in a slow, grudging walk, taking everything that was going to be her new home. Blue Valley, Nebraska. Ugh. It just sounded weird. A little too…homely.

Not mysterious and wild and free.

That’s not your life anymore, Courtney thought. Get over it. Your mom is happy. That’s all you wanted. With a quiet sigh, she rolled her shoulders back and continued walking. They walked along the sidewalk, the streets turning into what looked like the main street of the city. That was when everything started to creep Courtney out a little, giving her a definite ‘we’re not in Kansas anymore’ moment. (The irony of the thought made her roll her eyes). As they went, she couldn’t help but notice everyone saying ‘hi’ to them as they passed, giving bright smiles as they went. Courtney’s eyes flickered back and forth over all the faces that turned their way.

She shrank in on herself, watching as the people passed, glanced at her mother as she leaned into Pat’s arm and smiled just as widely as the strangers.

“Hey, uh,” Mike’s voice held a tone of worry. He instinctively moved toward his father’s other side. Eyed everyone who walked by him. “Why’s everyone talking to us?” Mike asked.

“It’s called being friendly, Mike,” Pat replied with a chuckle. He grinned broadly and nodded toward the residents as they greeted him as friendly as they greeted him.

“I don’t know…” Mike seemed to shrink back even further. “Just a little weird.” His eyes shifted back and forth over the sea of faces that came his way. Then landed on a pretty girl, about his age, who smiled and waved, saying a cheerful, “Hi,” as she passed the group. Mike’s eyes widened, he turned to watch her for a moment, then faced forward once more. Beaming. He stuck his chest out with pride. “Well, it’s like what I l was saying, Pat, you gotta take the good with the weird!”

Pat exchanged an amused glance with Barbara. ‘It’s ‘dad’, not ‘Pat’,” he reminded his son, a little sternly.

“Courtney calls you Pat!”

“Don’t drag me into this conversation,” Courtney mumbled, still watching all the faces that watched her. What so weird about her walking down the street? Was it her hair? Her clothes? Did they not have blondes in Nebraska? Were her clothes really that out of style? Everyone else seemed to be dressed so…simply. So conservative. What—?

“Ugh!” Courtney walked into her mother, not noticing she’d stopped. Sucking in a sharp breath, Courtney reached up a hand toward her forehead, working to rub away the sharp blast of pain that’d suddenly appeared from their collision. She barely registered her mother’s excited squeak of, “Ritchie’s! Ah! This is where Pat and I met,” along with Pat’s equally excited sound of agreement. “I know,” Courtney murmured. She’d heard the story how many times now?

But Barbara practically swooned as she grabbed Pat’s arm and leaned into her husband’ side. She rested her head on Pat’s shoulder as she explained. “Two years ago, when I came back to sell my mom’s house.”

Still rubbing her forehead, Courtney scowled over at Pat as she asked, “Pat, why were you in Nebraska, anyway?” As she always did whenever the topic came up.

And as always, he said, “I was…I was looking for something,” and deflected, turning the conversation back to the restaurant in front of them. “Should we check it out?”

Barbara and Mike immediately responded in the positive and headed inside. Courtney started to take a step forward, then stopped. She frowned, eyebrows coming together. Something had caught her attention, but what…? She lifted her chin and looked around. Nothing was out of the ordinary, other than everyone who continued to smile and nod toward her as they passed. But…

What’s that sound? Courtney took a step back from the door and looked around. She looked over her shoulder in time to see a flash of light zip through the middle of the street, immediately followed by a gust of wind that blew her hair around her face, landing in her mouth and stuck to her lip-gloss. Sputtering, Courtney whipped the hair away from her face and looked up the street, trying to see what it was that caused that sound, that light, that…whatever it was.

“Court?” Turning back to the diner, Courtney’s wide eyes planted on her mom. “Are you coming, honey?”

“Did you see that?” Courtney stepped toward her, reaching up to tear her hair back from her face.

“See what?”

Opening and closing her mouth, Courtney turned to the side, looked up the street, tried to point out that flash that she’d seen. But nothing was there. And it seemed like no one else had even noticed. They continued to walk down the street, greeting everyone they came across as they went along their business.

As if they hadn’t noticed the…thing at all.

“Uh…” Courtney blinked hard. Shook her head. “Nothing, uh…let’s just eat. Okay?”

“Okay…”

Courtney slipped inside Ritchie’s behind Barbara, once again, her arms coming up to fold across her chest. She slid into the seat across from Pat and sighed, looked away from him. Looked out the window. Wanted to see that blinding flash again and figure out whether she was truly going crazy—which would be the best news ever, because nothing would be real—or if she actually did see something.

And if she did see something, maybe it’d take her out of her misery.

-

The lightning bolt careened through Blue Valley, shooting back and forth, around, and around…before finally coming to a skidding stop, kicking clumps of grass into the air. Barry Allen swung his arms to keep himself from falling over. His chest, with the lightning insignia over the front, heaved as he fought to catch his breath.

People wished for the ability to run at speeds higher than jets, but no one truly understood just how tiring it could be. As it was, Brady Nash truly had no idea how tiring it was, he wasn’t a speedster. In all honesty, he was only half-meta. But it was exhausting watching Barry continue to make the same mistakes time and time again. Especially when it meant they were, potentially, going to get stuck on another Earth.

Again.

With a light sigh, Brady turned his gaze to his mom, watching to see what she thought of her husband having, obviously, gotten them stuck somewhere again. Cadence, however, was good at compartmentalizing. Brady had figured that out years ago, watching as every low blow that could’ve been given to her in life was hurtled her way—from being mocked as a teen mom to facing everything that’d happened in Central City in the last five years. And, every time, she came out the other side with her head held high.

This time, however, Cadence slowly started to look annoyed.

Barry brought his hand up to his ear, trying once more, in vain to reach people who weren’t going to answer. “Caitlin! Cisco!” He waited a few moments, trying to catch his breath. Hazel eyes darted back and forth, waiting. “Cisco! Can you hear me!”

“Barry!” Brady cried, shaking his hands in front of him. “I don’t think they’re going to suddenly answer you if they’ve been silent for the past hour. Even Cisco isn’t quiet for that long!” He lowered his chin, spreading his arms wide before slapping them down at his side. “Face it, we’re stuck.”

“We don’t know that yet,” Barry insisted.

Though his voice didn’t sound very convinced himself. Truth be told, it sounded like he was trying not to believe it, despite having had come to the same conclusion, probably, seconds after having arrived where they were.

“I think we do.” Cadence said calmly. She shrugged, her lips pursing ever so slightly as she gazed at her husband. She thought for a second before continuing, “You know, usually, I love your blind optimism. But right now, it’s time to be realistic.” Cadence pointed directly toward him. “You got us stuck here, Fleet Feet.”

“Wherever ‘here’ is,” Brady quickly chimed in.

“Okay! Okay!” Barry lowered his hand from his ear, not particularly enjoying being ganged up on by his wife and step-son. (As it always seemed to happen). Then, in a flash—which looked like a whirlwind of red to Cadence and Brady—Barry had his suit neatly packed back in his Flash ring and stood in his casual clothes. “How was I supposed to know that running in the Speed Lab was going to open a portal and get us stuck here? I do it every day.”

“Yeah, but you don’t push yourself to see how Bloodwork’s affecting your powers every day, do you?” Cadence reminded him, a slight edge to her tone. But when Barry turned to her with his patented, ‘for real?’ expression, she simply smiled teasingly at him.

Brady smiled at the exchange. Then sighed heavily, tilting his head back all the way so he could gaze at the sky. The cloud filled sky. The sky that wasn’t Earth-1’s sky. They were stuck…somewhere and it certainly wasn’t going to be the first time Barry managed to do that. Flashpoint always seemed to be the first to come to mind. Going to Earth-38 to see Supergirl was another—though he hadn’t been there the first time it happened. When was Barry going to learn?

More importantly, when was it going to stop being so Earth-shattering when it did? Going to another Earth was always a feat, it was worse when their coms went out. A risk they took each time they traveled between Earths.

But not knowing what was coming, not knowing if they were even supposed to exist on that Earth was…unsettling. Looking down at his hands, Brady let out a sigh of relief when he concentrated on his powers and black, shadowy swirls started to appear around his hands. Curling up towards his arms. He still had his powers, that was okay.

A huge wave of relief rolled off him, making him roll his neck on his shoulders.

Even more so than the fact that they were somewhere, by themselves, without a team to get into contact with, without the means of getting back, and not knowing if there was even their own Earth to get back to. Brady remembered something of a sonic boom and being swept off his feet and flung through the air, before he woke up beneath a sign that said Welcome to Blue Valley.

Chances were, they were going to make it their home away from home, until they figured out what to do. And, by the looks of it, they were going to be there for a while.

Tag List: @darknightfrombeyond @hogwarts-is-my-wonderland @foxesandmagic @ben-bcrnes @witchofinterest @jerigoats @perfectlystiles @itsjustgracy @codenamekryptonite @ochub @ocappreciationtag @arrowverseocs​

[randomwordprompts]

If It's Magic | Chapter 11

Summary: Let's meet some new characters!

Taglist: @wakandan-flowerz @bakarilennox @yaachtynoboat711 @wakandas-vibranium @brwnsugababe @storibambino @thadelightfulone @reaperdeldrunk

A/N: I'm trying to get back into writing regularly, so feedback is always great.

The sounds of a big band playing old standards was the background music to the idle chatter that floated around the Manhattan ballroom. With various doctors, lawyers, and city officials scattered throughout, one might think that the Lector children stood out like a sore thumb. But, thanks to Hannibal's published studies being known globally they didn't get a second thought for being there in his place. All of that aside, the siblings were on a mission. Francois met up with their information source on the inside, who took them to meet the mark in question.

"Dr. Black, there are some people that would like to meet you."

Pausing the conversation with his wife, he turned to face the group with a smile that was so practiced it was believable if you didn't know any better. Jacob Black was a handsome man that had clearly aged well, his salt and pepper hair styled to perfection.

Dr., this is Francois, Jonathan, and Amira Lector. They’re here on the behalf of their father, Dr. Hannibal Lector?”

“Ah yes, Dr. Lector! I’ve read many of his studies and am a bit of a fan of his work. It’s nice to meet you three. I trust you’re enjoying yourselves?”

Francois spoke to the doctor of how happy they were to be attending in their father’s stead and the usual spiel of small talk that came about at events such as these. As everyone was talking and getting to know each other a bit more they were joined by another person. A young man who looked to be about the same age as Jonathan, slim and blonde with Jacob’s jawline and Mrs. Black’s eyes approached. He smiled at the small group before speaking.

“Hello mother, father. Who are your new friends?”

Before Jacob could introduce them Amira spoke up, her hand extended towards him with a warm smile.

“I’m Amira Lector and these are my siblings, Francois and Jonathan. We’re here on behalf of our father, Dr. Hannibal Lector. You must be Joseph, your parents were just talking about you.”

“All good things, I hope,” he replied as he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

She smirked coyly before going, “Anything bad you can prove wrong...or right.”

Jacob and his wife exchanged a knowing look behind their son’s back, recognizing the blatant flirting he was doing. Before Joseph could go any further Jacob decided to speak once more.

“Son, this is Amira’s first time here. Why don’t you show her around?”

“I’d be more than happy to if that’s what the lady would like.”

Amira stepped closer with their hands still connected.

“The lady would love to. Let’s start with a dance?”

Joseph’s brows rose at her forwardness but happily led her to the dance floor as the band began to play Frank Sinatra’s “Witchcraft”. He pulled her into his arms with ease and a smile that has probably charmed the panties off many of the daughters in that very room, but Amira found herself amused at how open his aura was. She knew he’d be easy to get info from once she got him to drop his “just a nice rich boy” act. With that in mind, she decided to take the direct approach.

“So, I think we’re far enough for your parents not to hear us. I go to the New School and heard there was this guy selling goods that looks a lot like you. What’s up with that?”

Joseph almost stumbled while they danced but caught himself before smiling at her forwardness.

“What’s up with what exactly, doll face? I have friends that go there, but I need to know what kind of goods you think I’m peddling.”

Amira leaned in so that their lips almost touched, her front pressed tightly against his before whispering, “I heard you have access to the best coke, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t give for a taste.”

Joseph audibly swallowed as her scent invaded his nose in the most delicious way, that combined with the softness of her body and voice casting a bit of a spell over him. His body immediately reacted and she noticed, subtly stroking her thigh along his crotch as they danced. Before he lost his mind she pulled away a bit, an innocent smile on her red lips as they continued to dance.

“When you put it that way, I think I just might have something for you. Meet me in the coat check in about 10 minutes and I’ll have something sweet just for you, beautiful.”

As the song ended they parted ways and she returned to her siblings to catch them up. She found them chatting up Dr. Black and some of his colleagues, the thought of how proud Hannibal would be to see his children rubbing elbows with these prestigious people brought a genuine smile to her face as she approached.

“Excuse me, sorry to interrupt you all,” she started before turning to her siblings, “I have some writing to finish for my psych class so I’m gonna grab a drink, freshen up a bit, and my siblings can escort me back to my dorm?”

Francois and Jonathan understood what she meant and let her know they’d have the car brought around. Amira left the group to meet up with Joseph while her siblings continued to converse for a bit longer.

Once at the door of the coat check room she gave two soft knocks to the door and was quickly greeted by the young man, who invited her in with that same charming smile.

"You know, I wouldn't have expected such a beauty to be into this stuff. But how much are you looking to buy?"

Amira shrugged, "We all have our vices, Mr. Black. But I think an eighth is enough to start. How much?"

"Only 100 for an eighth, but I've got other things as well. You ever tried heroin with the coke?"

"You mean speedballing? Heard of it, never tried it."

Joseph grinned with a devilish glint in his eyes, clearly having either tried it or seen its effects before.

"It's pretty damn good from what I've been told. Since I like you, I'll give you some heroin on top for an extra 50 just so you can try it out."

Amira hummed thoughtfully before reaching into her clutch and pulling out 200 dollars without batting an eye, Joseph holding a bag he kept stashed in the room in case he got any high-end "customers". He pulled out the pre-packaged and measured drugs, handing them to her as she handed him the money. She placed the drugs into her purse and thanked him before leaving the coat check room, looking around to make sure no one saw her. A vibration from her phone alerted her to a call from Jonathan.

“Hey, you good?”

“Yeah, I just got the candy. You brought the car around?”

“Yeah, me and Fran are in the car now. We’ll see you in a few.”

“Alright, on my way.”

With that, she slipped down the stairs towards the lobby as Joseph came out of the room behind her, heading back towards the party. Once Amira reached the lobby, she gave the doorman a smile and another to the driver that opened the door of the town car in which her siblings awaited her. As she got comfy and settled, the driver began to take them to their next destination.

“So what did you get?” Francois asked, lighting up a pipe filled with weed.

Amira pulled the drugs from her clutch and handed them to Jonathan, who inspected the packaging carefully.

“Coke and heroin? What the fuck did you do to get him to give you both?”

“He offered it for an extra 50 bucks and wanted me to try a speedball.”

Francois sat up, “What is a damn speedball?”

“It’s when you inject coke and heroin together. Very dangerous since they do the opposite shit to the body, but the high is said to be unreal.”

Jonathan shook his head after hearing her explain it, “Well, either way, he put what's gotta be his burner number on here so I think that part is for you, short stack.”

Amira pulled out her phone and put the number into it, saving it while reading some texts she missed while at the party. During this time they ended up back at the dorms as the car came to a stop. Jonathan sat back and slipped the drugs into his pocket before speaking again.

“Okay, so we’re gonna take these to the lab for some testing to see how pure it really is. We’ll get back to you in like a day or two with the results, you just see what other info you can get from Joey in the meantime.”

Amira nodded, “For sure, I’ll keep y’all updated if I learn anything. I’m sure he’ll be happy to get a call from me, given that he was imagining what was under my dress the whole night.”

“Of course he did, I made the dress.” Francois snorted.

After exchanging a bit more information and some goodnights, the three Lectors parted ways. Amira got out of the car and walked into her building, a smile spreading across her face as she spotted a familiar figure waiting for her in the lobby.

“I see you got my text,” she said.

“Of course, and looking at you now I’m so glad that I did. You look good enough to eat, Mira.”

Xavier walked up to her and looped an arm around her waist, pulling her close and pressing his lips to hers in a slow kiss. Amira slipped her arms over his shoulders and returned the kiss eagerly, pressing herself even tighter against him. When they finally broke the kiss she giggled seeing traces of her lipstick on his lips.

“You look pretty edible yourself, but I’m kinda tired tonight. Let’s go up to my dorm and just chill tonight?”

“I’d love that, mon petit. Want me to order some food from Night Owls while you change?”

Amira grinned, “You know me too well. Make sure you order some drinks too.”

“I know you well enough to know not to order food without drinks. Now let’s go so you can change before I try to wake your fine ass up.”

She snorted out a laugh before turning to lead him towards the elevator, looking forward to spending some time with the towering demon.

[younghoax]

Sunday 20th June • Somewhere in Midtown

He’s only going for a piss. Ain’t gonna let a bunch of bozos put him off going to the bathroom in his own damn apartment, but he ain’t about to humour them, either. The bathroom door is right outside his bedroom. Just a short turn to the right and there it is. Easy fuckin’ peasy.

In theory.

“J!” Marco calls just as he reaches the handle. Spies him from the couch and waves him over. “Come light up kid. ‘Ey-- Benny’ll roll you one.”

The doorknob is already under his hand and Jordan twists it. Ignores the half-strangers that try to lure him across the room. Around half a dozen of them smoking in his living room with some kinda rap music playing from what he’s pretty sure is just a cellphone. Fuck that. He could go his whole life without facing these dickheads again and it’d still be too damn soon.

Dissatisfied with being ignored, Marco stands from the couch, steps over a couple legs and shoves the rest aside to get through until he reaches Jordan by the bathroom door. “Vieni qui piccolo,” Marco drawls through a grin, the guys sat around him on the couch repeating, “sì vieni qui piccolo,” laughing around joints and Jordan just stands there, arms crossed over his bare chest as he squints. Marco snides, “we got space. Sit on Benny’s lap if you gotta.”

With nothing else on Jordan’s body to grab, Marco tugs at the waistband of his shorts, the other hand reaching for the side of his neck. J squirms out from under his hands though, palms shoving the man’s chest. He hadn’t picked up on it until now, but his roommate must be on something.

Piccolo. He ain’t Marco’s fuckin’ baby. “Fuck outa here,” he grunts, letting them whoop and cackle like he just gave ‘em something to crack up about as he turns to continue his short trip to the bathroom. Not fuckin’ short enough.

“Come smoke with us, J,” his roommate tries again. “So tense all the fuckin’ time these days.”

“Yeah, well, got shit to worry about. A job and shit, y’know?” Nah, he wouldn’t know. “You ever heard o’one?”

Another audible reaction from their audience and Marco’s raising his voice slightly over the other voices. “What, like sellin’ those pills? Yeah, real good fuckin’ job you did of that, J. Complimenti!” The man cheers and his clowns cheer along. Probably aren’t even listening to what’s being said, just following their divine leader.

Sure, it took him a minute, but he wasn’t gonna sell to just anybody like Marco’s boys do. He gives a shit about the people that take it off his hands. Besides, they’re gone now. So what? “Stop fuckin’ speaking Italian, you were born in Staten Island from a schmuck from Texas, y’fuckin’ clown.”

“Fuckin’ talk about my old man, J.”

It’s Fathers’ day which is a laugh. Or, it would be if Marco weren’t so high that the irony’s lost on him. Got no fucking idea what day of the week it even is.

“A’right. Where’d you want me to start?”

There’s a single, “oh, shit,” that Jordan guesses the rest of the gang decide against humouring, Marco’s face going cold in a second. He doesn’t even get within six feet of Jordan when he says, “shut your fuckin’ mouth.”

“Nah, he was an alright father,” J tells him with a shrug, hands slipping into the pockets of his basketball shorts as his head lulls to one side. “Kept you fed, ‘ight? Soda and cigs by age fourteen. A nice, rounded fuckin’ diet.”

Looks like Marco thinks that’s the end of it because he gifts him with a short laugh, head shaking as he turns and swats one of his boys off the nearest armchair. Leaves him to find a new place to sit as he claims the space for himself. “Y’funny.”

J ain’t finished, though.

“Kept you safe too, eh? Got you a nice group of friends. Doubled as your babysitters. Oh neat!” He cheers. Nobody cheers along. “What was your favourite activity? Mine was a tie… Either counting cash and weighing coke with the boys or going to the park to play collect the syringes on the playground whilst daddy’s friends did their deals.”

“This meant to be hurting my feelings, J? Cause last I checked, you never had a dad.”

“How about the part where he beat you before bedtime? Bet that knocked you out like a light, eh? Get your eight hours, Marco? Yeah, he was the man.” A pause. “Y’just like him.”

Marco’s not moved. His friends ain’t said a word. Except one, who asks, “you takin’ that, Coney?” but he’s ignored by all parties. Marco scoffs, arms folded over his chest now, slouched back in his seat. “You wanna pretend like you hate me? It make y'feel better?”

“I do. I do fuckin’ hate you. You had me fooled back then Marco, but I see you now, doll. You ain’t shit. You’re suffocating me. Y’spoilt yourself. I realised how much of a fuck-up you are, and you ran outa people who gave a shit about you. Think these guys’d be here if not for your old man?” A roll of his eyes and J’s turning yet again to enter the bathroom, his words muttered. “Is that why you used to keep me at such a distance back then? In case I saw the light and stopped fucking worshipping you? Well, I see you in all your glory now, Marco, and it’s fucking ugly.”

Marco just scoffs behind him. “You still worship me.”

Jordan shakes his head, turning back again crossing the room to where the man is slouched in his chair, this dopey fucking smile on his face like he’s got him with that one. Like he didn’t spend years pushing J away, scared he’d see all the wrong sides of him. Spend years pining when Jordan moved states. Spent years in Jordan’s pocket when he got back, scared to be left alone with the big, bad wolves of the city again. As if he ain’t one of them. Worse, because at least those guys know what the fuck they are.

Jordan pauses in front of him. Spits. Tells him, “rot.”

That's all it takes to get a rise. Not a jab at his late father or his pathetic friends. Just the reality that Marco, himself, ain’t shit. To Jordan or to anybody. Marco’s out of his seat, arms around Jordan for long enough to get the leverage he needs to slam him to the ground, then it’s a rush of fists and nails. J grabs at the back of his shirt, trying to tug him off himself but has more luck shoving his elbows between them as a fist makes the first real impact to his side.

He can’t hear what’s happening around them, just hears his own breath punch out before Marco grunts and does the same again. J’s off to a shitty start with two punches to none and he’s still shoving to no avail at Marco’s torso until he finally gets a decent jab in and has his roommate doubling over. One quick manoeuvre and they’re flipped. J doesn’t hesitate, gets a good hit to Marco’s jaw and soon the guy’s reaching around, punching at his back and sides.

“I’ll fuckin’ kill you,” he spits, doesn’t know what exactly it is that he’s seething about, but it’s months -years- or built-up anger exploding out of him as his hands land around Marco’s throat and the guy keeps punching, but J tenses his body. Tenses his hands, squeezes, and feels Marco abandon his punches in exchange for shoves much like Jordan’s own; all elbows. He feels the man try to shift – try to turn his head, wondering where the fuck his so-called friends are whilst his roommate grits his teeth above him, squeezes harder like he’s trying to break his neck. And maybe Jordan is, he’s not sure, but—

There are half a dozen hands-on him outa nowhere and Jordan’s torn away from Marco with such strength that he lands halfway into the bathroom, bare back skidding against the floor, bruised skin burning from the friction as he stops in the room he’d been trying to get to all along. Only this time there are three pairs of fists punching as he curls up on himself.

There’s a kick and, somewhere in the back of his mind, Jordan thinks that’s a low fucking blow, three against one and now somebody’s kicking. But then there’s a couple more, simultaneously and, with his arms wrapped over his head, shoes pummelling into his sides and his arms and his legs, Jordan can’t tell how many of them are standing over him. Doesn’t know how the fuck they all piled into the tiny bathroom. He hears himself grunt, hears his own heavy, wretched breathing, hears his pulse and hears Marco choke, “stop. Get off him. Get the fuck off him!”

And just like that, they stop.

---

Everybody’s gone. It’s just the two of them sat beside each other on the couch, the kitchen light on and just barely illuminating the room from where it stretches to their side of it. Silent, watching the screen like it’s on. Like it’s not just black.

They haven’t been alone for long. Someone shot out an offer to take care of J. Something about getting him outa Marco’s hair for good. Marco lost his shit. J didn’t really have it in him to listen. Just paid attention for long enough to confirm that his roommate wasn’t about to confirm a kill order on him. He just lay there, the side of his face pressed against the bathroom floor, arms around his waist and knees drawn up and Marco cleared the room out. Then he’d knelt beside Jordan, hooked an arm under each of his, and pulled him up and towards the couch.

Honestly, considering there was a handful of them and they’re meant to be the big, bad wolves of Manhattan, J ain’t really hurting half as bad as he’d expected. All fuckin’ talk. Don’t mean he ain’t hurting, though. He’s pretty sure nothing’s broken.

“I crossed a line,” Jordan mutters now, a bag of frozen corn pressed to his side as he tries to breathe short and hollow. Tries not to move more than he has to. “I’m sorry.”

The freezer’s otherwise empty, so Marco decided to be courteous. Let J take the bag of frozen food whilst he suffered. “They won’t touch you again,” the man replies, his voice hoarse. His own version of an apology, Jordan’s pretty sure. “I’ll kill ‘em before they do.”

“What about you?” Jordan asks, and the man looks confused. “You gonna put hands on me again?”

“You started it.”

“S’just a question.”

A small laugh leaves his roommate's lips then; jaw slightly swollen and growing darker, and he shows his teeth for just a second before he closes his lips around a smile. “Probably. Can’t stand you.”

“Yeah?” Hard not to smile. J wishes he could explain why. He elbows him lightly and they both hiss in discomfort. “Back at you.”

Marco’s face ain’t so bad other than the welt on his jaw, but his throat is starting to bruise, and he hasn’t spoken above a mumble or a whisper since he called off his army. He’s a little hunched too, probably isn’t aching even half as much as Jordan is, but enough that, when they both fall into a soft bout of laughter, mostly huffing out breaths, they’re also both sucking air back in between their teeth again in pain. The synchronicity only pulls another chuckle from both, until they’re shaking their heads in unison and pulling their eyes from each other, looking back at the blank screen.

“I know,” Marco mutters before he slowly, carefully leans back into the couch. “I know you don’t fuckin… Worship me anymore.” Well, no shit. “We’re barely even friends.” Barely? That’s generous. “But I do regret what I did. Back on the Upper West Side. I think about it all the time.”

Jordan just nods. They’ve never talked about it. Somehow, it’s just never been brought up since. Both men as embarrassed as the other.

“Why’d you do it? Why’d you blame me?”

Lower lip between his teeth, Marco’s eyes are scanning the walls when Jordan looks over to him again. He looks a lot like he did that afternoon, nodding and repeating ‘yes, sir. Yes, sir. No, sir. I’m sorry, sir,’ as his dad spoke in that tone like he wasn’t gonna hit you but he might just kill you.

He looks guilty as sin. And his voice cracks when he speaks.

“I knew you’d run,” he tells him simply. “I was too scared. Saved up all that money to get outa there and never fuckin’ did it, but I knew you would.”

“Bullshit. You took a swing and then you passed the bat. You left me for dead. Y’thought I was gonna die just as much as I did.”

“I didn’t know what to do! What was I meant to do? His boys were downstairs, he was so fucking angry. I was scared, J.”

“Yeah, well so was I.” Jordan scoffs. “While you locked yourself in your bedroom to fuckin cry about it, your dad was beating the shit out of me upstairs for your fuckin’ lie. I didn’t know you stole those drugs, Marco. Fuckin’ asshole. I mean—what were you doing, eh? When I was up there. Counting another wad of stolen bills you had laying around?”

“I called Danny,” Marco snaps. “Put my fuckin’ neck on the line for you, calling him.”

That’s fucking rich. Jordan’s fucking hero picked up a phone and whispered an S.O.S down the line. “Well, then. I guess everything’s fine, then. Ain’t it?” Another scoff and he has to tear his eyes away from the man. Can’t fucking look at him, the way his brows bow like he’s got something to feel sorry about. “You only cared about yourself.”

“I was in love with you!”

“You’re pathetic.”

The light in the kitchen has something loose. A filament that rattles and makes the faintest tingling sound. It took a couple months of convincing himself that he’d accumulated tinnitus before Jordan figured it out. One of the many annoying fucking sounds in this apartment, right after the ticking boiler and the sound of Marco’s voice. There’s a long silence that he welcomes though. Is glad to hear the sound of the damn light if it means not listening to--

“You loved me,” the man decides, his voice level. Factual. “You were obsessed with me-- Don’t look at me like it ain’t true, Jordan. Fuck you. You loved me and you were fucking scared, too.”

Their first kiss was in a fucking storage container, full of cocaine and lit by a solar lamp. They fucked on the ground, lasted no more than five fucking minutes. And they’d talk back then, sure. Jordan’s mom would be off somewhere, and Marco’s dad would be making his next big deal, and they’d find themselves alone, watching TV or tryna cook their own food or navigate the ferry when they were a little too high. Back then Jordan would pretend they were a couple. In his head, they were cooking after a long day of work. Sitting down and watching TV. Putting their feet up after a long day. Making out when it was late and nobody else was around. Finally a moment alone.

And yet.

“You’re right, I was obsessed with you,” Jordan admits. “Everything you did was like… Fuckin’ genius. I wanted to be you. With you. Whatever.” Marco’s eyes light up, still needing to hear Jordan say it, after all these years. Still needing someone to tell him he ain’t nothing. “But I can honestly say, hand on fuckin’ heart, that I wasn’t in love with you. Not even for a second. Not even a little fuckin’ bit. I was fifteen and I was horny and I was bored of being scared all the damn time. So I picked the first asshole that kissed me and I latched onto it.”

“You’re full o’shit. You don’t even know what love—”

“I fucking know, Marco.” He doesn’t realise that he has it in him to stand until he’s on his feet, wincing as he forces himself to straighten up. “Y’really got yourself convinced that my life stayed miserable when I got outa here, huh?” Jordan accuses, bare arms crossed over a bare chest, soggy, defrosting bagged corn soaking into the couch. He could tell him about how he fell in love and it wasn’t even close to the shit Marco put him through. Could tell him that what happened in Massachusetts hurt more than what happened in Marc’s attic. Could tell him that he just fucking wants to go home but his home died in a prison cell with a needle in his arm.

Thing is, he ain’t sure Marco deserves to hear it.

“I didn’t fucking love you,” he tells him. “And I’m moving out.”

[hoffkk]

Fake Date, Real Kiss

A Brightwell Fanfic

Story By: @hoffkk

Prompt: Gimme a question and I’ll give you a brightwell kiss!

Question given: Feta or goat cheese for your salad?

**********

"Feta or goat cheese for your salad?" asked the chipper waitress.

"Feta is fine." Malcolm smiled.

"All righty, I'll go put in your orders." she smiled back then made her way over to the kitchen entrance.

He gave a nod in return then glanced at Dani sitting across from him. It was strange seeing her all dressed up in a black cocktail dress with full make up and side swept hair. She looked beautiful, then again, she always did to Malcolm. Although, she usually fell in the beautiful without really trying category. Tonight, however, she was in the undercover and glamorous category. Technically, they both were. They were on a fake date at the upscale restaurant Scarpotto's. A restaurant known for its delectable tiramisu, and, to the rich and immoral, as a front for selling drugs. Let's just say that if you tip well, you get one hell of a doggy bag. The team decided to set up a sting in order to find proof of the drugs and, hopefully, of the murder of the restaurant's hostess.

So, there they sat, drinking wine and enjoying some fine dining, like just another posh couple relishing a night out in the big city.

"So, is this how you typically treat a girl on date?" Dani probed. "You know, with a fancy restaurant and expensive wine."

"No." Malcolm smirked. "I don't have a typical date. To have a typical date, I'd have to actually date."

"You date." She told him knowingly.

"Well, obviously, I dated Eve." He agreed. "And there may have been one or two other casual affairs over the years, but I've never dated consistently."

"I'm guessing being the son of a serial killer put a damper on your dating life." Dani noted, only half-teasing.

"Something like that." Malcolm nodded. "What about you? What's your typical date night look like?"

She thought for a moment then said, "Probably, beer, take-out, and a movie."

"That sounds... boring." He told her. "I thought you'd do something more adventurous."

"Yeah, well, you know how exhausting the job can be." Dani explained. "After working long days, it's nice to have a chill night."

"You mean it's easier." Malcolm corrected.

"Tomato, tomahto," She retorted. "but for the record, I did go on more fun dates every once in a while. However, I can undoubtedly say that I've never been on a date like this."

"Did go? As in, you don't date anymore?" He inquired.

"Not for a while, no." Dani replied. "Work keeps me busy."

"Interesting." Malcolm muttered before taking a sip of wine.

"What?" She quirked a brow.

"You use work as an excuse for not dating," He shared his observation. "but there are plenty of cops who find the right balance and make it work. Just look at JT, he's married with a baby on the way."

"Well, I'm not JT." Dani asserted.

"No, you most certainly are not." Malcolm retorted, giving her another onceover.

She bit back a pleased smile at his response then said, "but you're right. I do use it as an excuse."

He pushed on, "Care to elaborate?"

Dani took a long swig from her glass before replying, "I told you before that I have trust issues. Part of the reason why is that the last couple of guys I've dated turned out to be jerks. One lied about who he was, one tried to control me, and another cheated on me. After the last relationship failed miserably, I decided dating just wasn't worth the trouble. In fact, it's been over a year since my last real date."

"Wow." Malcolm responded. "I'm sorry... about the jerks, I mean."

She just gave a shrug while playing with her napkin on her lap.

"So, you're just never going to date again?" He queried, trying to hide his disappointment.

"I wouldn't say that." Dani amended. "I mean, I'd consider dating again, but the guy would have to be worth it. Very worth it."

"As he should be." Malcolm nodded then lifted his glass and toasted, "To the one who's worth it."

"To the one." She reiterated, clanking her wine against his.

Before they could go on, the waitress was back with their salads. For the next hour, they ate, talked, and laughed. It was a pretty great non-date overall except for Arroyo and JT listening in from a van across the street, and of course the buying drugs thing, which was going exactly according to plan. Malcolm ate his meal then precisely half of his dessert before turning his communication device on for the guys to hear him speak the code phrase to the manager who came to check on their dining experience.

"How was your meal this evening?" The smarmy manager asked in false politeness.

"Perfectly palatable." Malcolm spoke smoothly. "but I'll need to take my dessert to go."

"Very well." He nodded and grabbed the plate of half eaten cake. "I'll take care of it personally."

Malcolm gave an appreciative nod in return and watched the man disappear into the back.

Dani took a sip of her water to cover a whisper into her own com device and said, "Manager's on the move. Stand by."

A moment later, the manager returned with a medium-sized white paper bag that had the restaurant's name on it in golden script. The top was folded over to seal its contents inside. Setting it on the table, the manager spoke, "Your dessert, sir."

Malcolm casually handed over a rolled up wad of cash to the man via handshake as he thanked him for his service. He then stood to help Dani onto her feet and into her shawl. Making his way out the door of the restaurant with Dani in one arm and the doggy bag in the other, something bothered Malcolm.

"Are you okay?" Dani asked, noticing his perplexed expression.

"Did that seem too easy to you?" He wondered aloud.

"We had a solid plan and followed instructions. It was supposed to be easy." Dani told him. "Stop over analyzing things."

"You're right." He relented as he waited for the signal to cross the street, so they could hand off the evidence to Gil. That's when they both heard a loud click and immediately turned to look at the take out bag. After exchanging a glance with Dani, Malcolm opened the bag and retrieved the black plastic container inside. It was supposed to hold the drugs. However, peering inside, his eyes went wide as Malcolm saw a small timer with a red blinking light and thin wires surrounding it. Closing the box quickly but carefully, he yelled, "Bomb!" The pedestrians near them screamed and fled for safety, while Malcolm tried to figure out what to do. There was an alley nearby he could toss it in, but there could be somebody back there, and it would probably take too long to get it back there anyway. There seemed to be no good option and only seconds left to react.

"Malcolm! The garbage can!" Dani shouted, pointing over his shoulder.

He hurried over to the metal bin, threw it in, covered it back up with the lid and made a run for it. "GET DOWN!" He screamed, knowing it would go off any second. Jumping through the air, he tackled Dani to the ground and shielded her with his own body as a loud explosion erupted behind him, flinging garbage and debris everywhere.

Malcolm and Dani didn't move for a long moment as they stared into each other's eyes deeply and held onto each other for dear life. Her heart was racing and she was breathing heavily, but she managed to blurt out, "Malcolm, are you okay?"

"Are you okay?" He panted back. When she nodded, Malcolm finished, "Then, yeah, I'm okay."

Just then, Arroyo and JT made their way over and hoisted Malcolm up off of Dani and onto his feet. After helping Dani up next and making sure they were both okay, a million questions ensued. A little while later, after being checked out by paramedics, Gil sent the two of them home, figuring they had been through enough for one night, and he and JT could wrap things up themselves at the scene. Agreeing to leave, Malcolm hailed a cab for him and Dani. He had the cabby take them to Dani's place first, wanting to make sure she got home safe. Once they arrived at her building, he told the driver to wait while he escorted Dani inside, up three flights of stairs, and to her door.

It had been silent for the entire walk until the end when Dani turned to face him and said, "Thank you for walking me home. It was very chivalrous of you."

"You're welcome." Malcolm smiled timidly then added, "You know, tonight was fun... I mean, right up until we almost died in an explosion."

Dani's lips quirked upward as she replied, "Yeah, it was."

"Maybe..." He started then quickly cut himself off.

"Maybe what?" She probed curiously.

Taking a deep breath, Malcolm pushed forward, knowing that if he learned anything from tonight, it was that you have to make the most of the present because you never know what will happen in the future. So, he continued his thought and said, "Maybe we could do it again sometime?"

"You mean, without explosions, drug dealers, and the guys listening in on us?" Dani quipped.

"Yeah, just you and me... and maybe some beer and take out." Malcolm clarified with a knowing twinkle in his eye.

Biting her lip, she stared into that sanguine sapphire gaze of his and thought for a moment. Breaking into a smirk, she finally answered, "Yeah, I'd like that.

"Really? I-I mean, good. Me too." He fumbled. "So, I'll call you, or you can call me if you want."

"Well, we'll see each other tomorrow." Dani reminded. "We've got a case to solve remember?"

"Right, the case." Malcolm nodded. "We will take care of that first, then I'll call you."

"Sounds like a plan." She told him.

"Not a plan. A date." He corrected, finally saying the word aloud.

"Yeah, a date." Dani agreed with a grin then turned to unlock her door. Opening it a crack, she paused, turned, and called out, "Malcolm?"

He had just turned to leave, but turned right back around at her voice and replied, "Yeah?"

Crossing the distance as rapidly as she could in her stiletto heels, Dani pressed her hands against his chest and kissed him tenderly. Pulling back after a brief moment, she whispered, "Thanks for protecting me tonight."

Astonished by her actions, Malcolm didn't have time to say or do anything before she sauntered back toward her apartment. It wasn't until Dani was inside that he touched his tingling lips and mumbled, "You're welcome." Then, turning once more, he headed back down to the cab with a goofy smile on his face and a spring in his step.

[des8pudels8kern]

Jaskiet and/or Geralt with T? Some non-mainstream AU?

Jaskier walks past the first visitors waiting scattered in front of the as of yet closed ticket booth through the southern entrance at his usual time and waves to Nadine behind the counter who nods back without looking up from the change she is counting. It’s fine; he knows she’s not a morning person. She’s always in a good mood come closing time, though, happy to finally get out of her booth and not talk in her customer service voice anymore.

He swipes his card and slips through the turnstile, twirling as he goes and winking at the people in line. This moment is the first highlight of his day – it’s when everybody wants to be him. The kids see that he already gets to go in while they still have to wait, and he’s wearing a stripey, candy-coloured uniform with an embroidered ice-cream cone at that, so not only does he get to go into the zoo early, he also works there and at an ice-cream stand at the same time. Yes, Jaskier is truly living the dream. The adults are probably a lot less envious of his summer job, but they do track the way he walks past the ticket booth without having to hand over any money and crosses into the zoo for free while they are about to pay enough to feed their family for three weeks for the pleasure of getting dragged from enclosure to enclosure by their sprogs for hours on end, only catching a break when they buy them appropriately zoo-priced snacks. Possibly from Jaskier, who will happily give them his best toothy grin when he announces a total for four scoops of ice-cream that makes every other parent look at him as if he just told them that the helmets from the pony riding might give their little darlings lice.  

Jaskier is enjoying this entire experience a lot more than he expected, if he is honest. But he doubts this is what his parents meant when they said the honest work would build character.

He dips into the main office, says hello to folks, picks up and signs for his keys and cash drawer, and makes his way deeper into the zoo. He passes a few enclosures, nodding at other employees here and there, but doesn’t stop until he gets to the goats.

Eskel is just finishing up cleaning the enclosure, his usual shadow at his side, and Jaskier leans against the fence and exchanges greetings with both Eskel and the goat. Bleater is all grown up now, but it took Jaskier only two mornings of walking past the adorable duo to strike up a conversation, and after than Eskel didn’t need much prompting to tell him all about how Bleater’s mother had rejected her and Eskel had raised the little kid himself. There were countless baby photos and videos of all of Bleater’s important milestones on Eskel’s phone. Jaskier just about died from the cuteness.

He dawdles a bit and makes some more idle chitchat with Eskel. He likes talking to Eskel. He’s sweet, an all-around good guy, but he’s a bit shy, and he always tries to angle his face to the side so the scar from his temple to his mouth will be turned away from Jaskier. He’s clearly self-conscious about it, so Jaskier has made it a point to not ask for this story, but rather make nice, easy, uncontroversial small-talk to get him to ease up a bit. Did you try that Indian place I told you about? Yeah, should have probably warned you about that, sorry, ask for non-spicy next time. Oh, the weather, yes, so glad it’s finally getting warmer, I was almost freezing my butt off in my little ice box last week, and what a waste of a shapely butt that would have been, wink wink. …Okay, mostly non-controversial. He’d stop if he thought Eskel minded.

It’s already a quarter past ten by the time Jaskier arrives at his pavilion, but he’s far enough from all the entrances that no visitor will be here for another ten minutes, even if they aim straight for the wolf enclosure.

He unlocks his ice castle, checks that his stocks have been replenished before opening by the magical ice-cream fairy or whoever delivers fresh ice-cream at some point in the two hours between eight, when the delivery entrance opens and the zoo keepers arrive, and ten, when his shift begins. All flavours present and accounted for, and fresh waffles. He prepares his station, opens the window, and looks out into the world, ready for whatever the day may bring.

Okay, he’s looking to the wolves.

And he knows what the day will bring.

Ah, yes, there he comes. A vision in cargo pants. Nicely muscled legs, very nicely muscled chest, arms that act as a daily stress test to every shirt Jaskier has ever seen him wear. Hair in a messy bun – properly I don’t give a fuck how I look I just want it out of my face-messy, not that artfully messy hipster look. And that face, the kind of face that, if Geralt were more willing to emote every now and then, people would love to see in a movie, in 3D, great detail, and from every angle. The man even has a chin dimple, that is how Hollywood handsome he is.

The Wolf Keeper.

Capitalized, because he has yet to tell Jaskier his name. It’s Geralt. Jaskier has asked around. But until he introduces himself to Jaskier himself, Jaskier will continue to address him as Wolf Keeper. Because, yes, Jaskier has tried to talk to this very fine specimen of a zoo keeper, in the hopes that he’d be as beautiful on the inside as he is from the outside, or has at least summer fling potential, but he might as well have been talking to a Greek statue, that’s how much he got back.

Well. They might not be working with each other, Jaskier stuck in his Fortress of Solitude and Geralt usually either in the building to the side of the wolf enclosure or out and about prepping food, talking to the vet, or doing whatever else needed doing to look after his charges. But the employee entrance into the wolf building happens to be just across the path from Jaskier’s pavilion, so every time Geralt does go in or out…

“Hello, Wolf Keeper. Beautiful morning we are having, isn’t it?”

Geralt’s steps falter when Jaskier calls out, just a bit, as if he’d hoped that maybe today, Jaskier had finally thrown in the towel.

As if. Stubborn is Jaskier’s middle name.  Well, technically it’s Alfred, after his father, but no one needs to know that. The point is, Jaskier likes people, he wants people to like him, and until Geralt gives him a change to get to know him, he’ll keep working at wearing him down. Now, if Geralt does end up talking to him and, after getting acquainted, makes an informed decision that he doesn’t like Jaskier, then so be it. But until then, well, Jaskier’s here all summer.

He plops down on the rickety little folding chair that he’ll have to put aside to move freely around the pavilion when business picks up later on, props his elbows on the counter and rests his chin in his hands.

Geralt somehow manages to square his already very, very broad shoulders even more and pointedly does not look into Jaskier’s direction as he keys open the door to the wolf building.

Yeah, Jaskier didn’t really think so. He estimates it’ll be at least another two weeks until he cracks.

“Bye, Wolf Keeper,” he chirps across the path and watches Geralt disappear in his den.

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

Thank you for the prompt! And with this I conclude day 5 of my 500-words-a-day challenge. Today’s word count: ...1293 words. Look, as long as it’s not less than 500 it counts as a success.

Spinning this further, Yennefer is… the assistant zoo director? She comes to work in heels and meticulous make-up and works with budgets and the press rather than animals. She’s Geralt’s ex. Or girlfriend. It’s one of those on-again-off-again situations, Jaskier thinks. Or friends with benefits. Well, or she’s a dominatrix and they are like that.

Look, Jaskier has no idea, and I haven’t plotted that far, but there’s definitely something between Geralt and Yennefer, enough for there to be jealousy in the story, and then Geralt does warm up to Jaskier, yadda yadda romance, but Geralt does not know that Jaskier is ~living a lie~. You see, Yennefer looks down at Jaskier because she thinks he’s beneath her – some college kid on a summer job selling overpriced ice-cream, how very impressive. The one time they did have a conversation, when Jaskier was just getting his orientation tour, she approached him, because he was a new face and she wanted to know who was walking around in her zoo and whether he was worth talking to. She lost interest when she found out he was a seasonal worker doing untrained labor, and decided to actively disdain him when he let slip that he hadn’t even applied for the job but gotten it through a connection of his father’s. But what Yennefer does not know is that when Jaskier says family connection, what he means is that, technically, he is Pankratz Junior, his family owns half the city, his parents are some of the people Yennefer makes sure to invite to every single event, and Jaskier is working this job for the summer because he’s basically a prince on his pauper vacation to see how normal people live.

Cue angst about Geralt finding out! Deception! Judgement! Was it all a lie??? It wasn’t, obviously, but every secret identity story must have angst.

[cozykhaos]

A New Sun Part 11

My internal alarm screamed me awake 6 am sharp, I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing peaceful thoughts into my head and willed myself back to sleep. It lasted just a few moments before Ash pressed his cold, wet nose to my cheek, making me bolt upright. I scowled down at the pup who was mid-stretch. Wiping the cold snot from my face I started my morning routine. Feed Asher, start coffee, let Ash out, stare at clothing.

That last part posing a problem today. Usually I’d just put on my work clothes, but today I was going back to Zuzu and clothes that were stained in hues of browns and greens from the farm wouldn’t fly.

I ended up having to go through unopened boxes to find something clean, a pair of black high wasted shorts, a loose fitting red tank top and black sneakers. I checked the time, the clock blinked 6:30. I frowned. I didn’t have to meet the others until nine. I looked around my little home frowning. There wasn’t a whole lot to do. I padded into the bathroom, I had unpacked all my toiletries a few weeks ago. I stared down at the unused jars of lotions, the untouched eye shadow palettes and make up brushes. It was hard to believe that just a month ago I was using this stuff every day.An idea hit me as I looked at the packs of unused face mask, grabbing one and stuffing my clothes into a bag and grabbing a to go cup of coffee I headed out the front door with Asher.

A short walk later I was at the hot springs, I quickly changed into my bathing suit and shoved my stuff inside a locker. Ash had found a spot under a bench, his eyes already heavy with sleep. I submerged myself in the steaming water. I sighed with relief as my muscles began to relax, my jaw unclenching, brows unfurrowing, shoulders dropping away from my ears. My eyes grew heavy from the warmth and humidity and I let out a long yawn. I reached for my coffee and took a long sip. I would need to start making this part of my routine, I needed to remember to care for my body especially after everything I’ve been putting it through.

After another long sip of coffee I smeared the face mask on. It was supposed to help remove built up dirt and help brighten the skin. Yoba knows I needed that. Everything I owned seemed to have a fine layer of dirt built up on it. I took the time cleaning every inch of myself, feeling layers of grime fall away. I had showered every day since coming to the Valley, I had to or my own stench would suffocate me in my sleep. But there was something magical about these waters, I soon felt like a brand new person.

With great hesitation I finally removed myself from the pool to go and get ready. First I peeled the face mask off which had melded to my face like concrete. I stared in disgust at the horrors it had pulled from my pores and tossed it in the nearest trash. Asher poked his head inside the trash can and I shooed him away. I changed and did minimal with my make up, there was no point in lathering it on when tomorrow they would go untouched once again. I checked the time, it was already 8:30. I hurriedly packed all my stuff up and headed back to the farm. Dropping my bag off at the house then taking Asher to Lewis’s. I bumped into Sam as I was starting back north.

“Look at you!’ he whistled and lowered his sun glasses. “All clean and stuff.”

“It took me a hot minute to find these,” I said with a chuckle. “I woke up at my usual time, so I thought I’d gussy myself up for you lot.”

“For us or for Sebastian?” Sam quirked an eyebrow up.

I ignored his comment and busied myself with trying to pull my mane of curls into a loose bun.

Abigail and Sebastian were already waiting for us at the bus stop, Sebastian’s long legs stretched out in front of him clad in faded black jeans with rips in the knees, cigarette hanging from his lips. Abigail had a paper cup in her slender fingers and she took two long gulps from it. Her purple hair hung over her shoulder in a braid. “Morning guys!” she beamed up at from her seat on the bench. Sam plopped down next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulders. That left the only seat open next to Sebastian, I stayed standing.

It wasn’t much longer before the train pulled into the station and we were off. It was only an hour ride into the city and I was back into the belly of the beast.

“What should we do first?” Abbie asked as we stepped out of the train station and into the noise of the city. I was silent as my senses adjusted to the sights and noises that raged over me. I had never noticed the thick layer of smog that hung over the city and tumbled into the streets, the sunlight still managed to be harsh somehow. The light turned green and traffic began to speed by, my heartbeat quickened and I took a step back, backing up into Sebastian. His eyebrows knitted together and he looked down at me. “You okay?” he asked.

Abbie turned and looked at us, Sam was already staring a frown on his face. I nodded and gulped down a bit of air. “Fine, just sensory over load, I guess,” I let out a nervous laugh.

“Well, is there anything you would like to do first?” Sam asked.

“We could go by the Joja building and flick it off.”

Behind me Sebastian snorted.

“You know, that’s actually not a bad idea,” Sam beamed.

“I’m down, then can we go by the mall?” Abbie asked.

“Yeah! I want to go by that new indoor skate park that they just built there!” Sam jumped in place.

“Bash?” I looked at him, he hadn’t spoken much this entire time. He shrugged. “I’m just along for the ride.”

“Don’t let him fool you Kit, he’s having fun,” Abbie smiled.

“A blast,” Sebastian smirked.

“So, Joja?” Sam asked.

“This way,” I pointed and took point. Nothing had changed, the streets had all remained the same, life in the city had continued in my absence.

“So why is this on your to-do list?” Sam questioned.

“I forgot to do it when I quit,” I said matter-of-factually.

“You used to work for Joja?” Abbie had made her way next to me.

I nodded. “I was a manager for the warranty department. I actually lived in an apartment just a few blocks from here.” I paused, we were on the opposite side of the road from Joja building. With the tiny windowed slots in the gray concrete exterior, it looked just like a prison.

“Yeesh,” Sam shivered next to me. I patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry it is much worse inside.”

“Why’d you leave?” Sebastian asked.

I cocked my head and scrunched my mouth up, I raised up my middle finger to the building then kept walking down the street. I wasn’t ready to get into that yet.

Don’t people work anymore? I thought to myself as we entered the packed mall. It was a Thursday morning and seemed like every soul in Zuzu had taken a detour to the shops first.

“Where should we go first?” Abbie wiggled next to me.

“Skate park.”

“Electronics.”

Both boys spoke at the same time.

“There is this awesome cafe in here that sells the best cinnamon rolls, I’m just saying,” I pipped up after.

“Ohh, that sounds yummy!” Abbie beamed.

“Do they have coffee?” Sebastian asked.

“Yes, but at this point I think you should hook yourself up to an IV, just have coffee pumped into your blood veins,” I said.

“Is that a thing?” Sebastian questioned, his eye brows raising.

“If it is, I don’t think it is recommended,” I shrugged.

“I’d invest in that,” Sebastian sighed.

“We could find you one of those hats!” Sam said pointing to his head then pretended to grab two invisible cups on the side.

Abbie made a face. “Like the beer guzzler hat?”

“That!” Sam flapped his arms. “But instead of beer, we put coffee mugs in it!”

Sebastian stroked the stubble on his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. “I could be swayed into considering it.”

Finding the little hole in the wall cafe, we placed orders. I was declared to official Food Guide for the rest of the day by Sam. I accepted it with a sweeping bow and asked how everyone felt about Mexican food.

“This is the part I miss about the city,” I started. “I fucking love food. Don’t get me wrong, Gus is amazing, but damn I miss having so much cuisine at my finger tips.” I sighed and stuffed another bite of warm gooey cinnamon roll into my mouth.

“I’m going to miss these,” Sam sniffled and hugged his box to his chest.

“On Saturday morning and I was feeling really lazy, I’d just have Post Mates deliver them to my apartment,” I smiled at the memory. Wrapped in my favorite blanket, coffee brewing, a controller in my hand.

“Post Mates, what’s that?” Abbie asked.

“What?” I snapped out of my day dream.

“Post Mates, what is it?” Abbie repeated.

I blinked at her slowly then looked at both of the boys to see if it was a joke. Both of their faces remained in a blank stare. Holy shit. There is no Post Mates in the Valley. It made since, seeing as we were almost to the middle of no where. The hotel only had a few rooms and Gus lived in one of them!

“Post Mates is a delivery service,” I shrugged. “You place an order on the app and your Post Mate goes and gets it and brings it to you.”

The three exchanged looks, Sebastian dug his phone out of his pocket.

“You’re joking?” Sam asked.

I shook my head and took a drink of coffee.

Sebastian held up his phone, showing his friends the app.

“What the actual fuck?” Abbie snatched his phone and began scrolling. With a scowl and a huff Sebastian leaned back in his chair.

“I’m jealous and a bit confused,” Abbie admitted after several moments of silence.

“I’m just jealous!” Sam threw his arms up.

“Why wouldn’t you just go and get your own food?” Abbie asked.

“Lazy,” I shrugged then added. “Drunk.”

“That’s so awesome!” Sam’s forehead made contact with the table. Sebastian snatched his phone out of Abbie’s hand, she stuck her tongue out at him.

We finished our treats then continued about our day. We unleashed Sam upon the skate park. Stopped at a Hot Topic for Abbie, where she found purple finger less gloves that matched her hair.

The electronic shop took up both floors of the mall and we lost Sebastian for over an hour. We found him leaning against a table, talking to an employee, a short adorable girl with a pink pixie cut. I felt something in my chest squeeze and I ducked down an aisle, separating myself from the group.

I had spent so much of my life trying to escape this overwhelming city and when I’m finally able to, I come right back. Like a clingy girlfriend.

It’s just the day Kit.

What about the farm? Summer is just a few days away, there is still so much to do.

It will all be there tomorrow.

When did these shelves get so close together?

When did it become so loud in here?

Who turned the air off?

Sweat beaded on my forehead, I was gasping for air.

I started moving. I had traveled these walk ways a hundred times before and my feet carried me to the nearest exit and outside. I kept walking until I found an alcove and plopped myself down onto the ground. A car sped past, the engine roaring, another car this time speakers that were too loud. A slam of a door. People walked, unaware of my state, laughing, talking.

Breath.

It wasn’t enough and my hands started to shake, my fingers tingling.

Breath.

The numbness spread up my arms and into my lips.

Breath.

Sneakers pounding on pavement quickly approached me.

“Kit!” Abbie’s voice broke through the madness inside. Sam practically threw himself on the ground next to me, his arms wrapping around my torso. For the first time I noticed he smelled of sunshine and sand. Just like the beach, just like the Valley.

Sebastian knelt in front of me, his dark coffee eyes meeting my clover ones and rooting me back to the ground. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just a little sensory over load,” I sniffed, rubbing at my damp cheeks. When had I started crying? A frown tugged at his lips, Sam pulled me closer to him, crushing me to his side.

“Sam, I think you are killing her,” Abbie said.

“With my love!” Sam patted my head, it was more aggressive then comforting. Sebastian rolled his eyes and stood, reaching out his hand to me.

“Oh thanks bro,” Sam reached for it. Sebastian popped Sam’s hand away, I gave him my hand, but there was a long awkward moment where I was just holding his hand because Sam was still keeping me anchored to the ground.

“Dude, let go!” Abbie kicked Sam’s leg.

“Fine!” Sam let go and stood. Sebastian finally pulled me to my feet, he pulled me into a quick embrace before letting me go and giving me a once over.

Thunk-thunk.

Hush you.

I cleared my throat “Sorry for the scare, we may now all go back to whatever it was that we were doing.”

“I wasn’t done shopping,” Sebastian shoved his thumb back towards the electronics store.

“I don’t need anything from there. Want to go to the book store with me Kit?” Abbie asked.

Honestly, I didn’t.

I wanted to go look at the new builds. Look at getting new RAM for my pc and new RGB lighting. But I don’t think I could take seeing Sebastian and that girl together, so I agreed and followed Abbie. I found more than I thought I would. I found new models for Solorian Chronicles, the game Sam and Sebastian played every Saturday night. An adventure diary for Abbie. I found myself in front of the Lawn and Garden section, staring at a copy of ‘Farming for Dummies’. I frowned.

“Whatcha got there?” Abbie asked appearing from behind a shelf. I jumped and shook my head.

“Just stuff,” I shrugged. I looked at the stack of books in her arms. They were all adventure books, the main character female, I smiled to myself.

Abbie glanced at the shelf and frowned. “Don’t tell me you are getting that.”

I shrugged again.

“Kit, come on you are way better than that,” she scoffed.

“Abbie, I have no idea what I’m doing,” I sighed. “Thankfully Summer is coming up, which is the only season I know shit about, but damn.” For the first time I felt defeated. “Grandpa’s busiest season was summer and fall, but they were also his most profitable. That’s actually why I started going to Gaia Farm. Dad sent me there so I wouldn’t be a lazy ass all Summer and I could help grandpa out. Did I learn a lot, definitely. But I’m still flying blind here.”

Abbie’s face scrunched up, before taking one of her books and bopping me on the head with it.

“Ow!” I rubbed the spot she hit.

“Kit, I can honestly say I understand, I do,” she began. “Recently my dad has been giving me a lot more to do around the store. More responsibility, taking shifts by myself, showing me how to order. But if he were to die tomorrow I would have no idea what to do. I’d probably just burn the store down.” Her statement was very matter of fact. “I think you are just overwhelmed right now. Give it some time and Hurricane Kit will sweep through Gaia Farm and so much ass will have been kicked.” Abbie looked at the shelf and plucked a book off and added it to my pile ‘Farming for Beginners’.

“If our hands weren’t full, I’d hug you,” I sniffled.

“We will hug it out later.” Abbie laughed.

The guys were ecstatic about their gifts, it was a model castle, with a little village and a few characters that they were going to build and paint over the weekend. Abbie whispered “nerds” under her breath earning glares from both boys. We hung out at the mall for a little bit longer, then explored the town. I took them to my favorite Mexican restaurant, then showed them my old apartment. I pointed to the 3rd floor window that used to be mine. Sebastian stared at that window, a sense of longing in his eyes.

“I’m confused,” Abbie said from beside me.

“About?” I looked at her.

“Why is do you have fire escape if there are bars on the windows?” She asked with a laugh.

Sebastian frowned, his head cocked.

Behind us a large truck revved its engine, smoke poured from the exhaust and overwhelmed us. A horn honked. Tires squealed.

I waved my hand in front of my face to help clear away smoke. The others coughed loudly and tried to fan the smoke away. Once things settled I answered Abbie’s question. “So the bars on the window were installed after someone broke into a 5th story window and they installed the bars on for safety measures.”

My friends stared at me unblinking.

“What?”

“That dumb,” Sebastian blinked.

“I’m aware.”

The sun was setting and the street lights began blinking on, we headed back to the train station. The ride home was quite, both Abbie and Sam had fallen asleep the moment they sat down. Abbie’s head on his shoulder, his head resting atop hers.

“They are so cute when they aren’t talking,” I bumped my elbow against Sebastian’s.

“Yeah they are. I can almost tolerate them.”

I snickered. He began scrolling through his phone, his brows coming together.

“What’s up Bash?”

He hummed and kept scrolling. “I just got a new project to work on, so it’s going to be a late night.”

“Project?”

“Yeah for coding, it’s for a new medical software.”

I stared at him, one eye brow raised. “That’s impressive.”

Sebastian snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. “You are the only one who thinks so.”

He turned away from me and stared out the window. I sighed and leaned back in my seat, guess that conversation is over.

We sat like this for awhile, in silence, listening to the heavy breathing of our two sleeping friends.

“Thanks for yesterday,” Sebastian finally said.

“For what?” I turned to him.

“Helping me through the anxiety attack,” his voice was low, just above a whisper.

“Of course,” I shrugged. “I...”

My voice caught in my throat. I what? Care about you? Like you? Want to kiss your stupid face?

“I’m glad I could be there for you.”

Sebastian faced me, eyes exploring my face for a moment before turning back to the window.

[dndfuckhouse]

session 33 - Introductions and Invitations

> 🎵   Sword Search on Koholint Island / LOZ: Link’s Awakening (2019) OST.

After having spent the whole of the morning walking around the group find themselves drawn to the smell of fish wafting around the city square and head over towards the nearby café to refuel themselves over lunch.

After being greeted by the upbeat waitress they seat themselves and begin pondering the menu. The feeling of the bright midday sun beating down on their heads while the cool seaside breeze blows through keeps them company amongst the townspeople in the city square.

Cimmorro: the image rn is finn cimm han plum rokka in the same table..... psalm also but at the edge??? Chip: dnd cafe marching order being determined rn Celebrity Guest Aki: WHY DOES THIS SOUND SO UNBALANCEDD Rokka: BC IT IS Psalm: achieving total mental blankness trying to imagine this Keva: 

Finn: im ordering nothing because i literally cant eat or drink Psalm: just ask for the bloodwine alone Finn: yeah ill just inconspicuously ask for fish blood in isolation Plum: they got that just for you actually the blood drink, god put that on there for you finn Psalm: yeah we called ahead

Noticing Keva struggling with the menu, Cimmorro moves to lend her a land subtly. Meanwhile Plum tells Finn they can order the dish that comes with fish blood and split it with him if he’d like.

Keva: she's not really looking at the menu much.... you probably just see her watching everyone else and checking the number on the menu for the thing they order Cimmorro: okay well he's going to look at you for a good second, contemplating if he should offer to help but realizes that might be a bad idea so he's just going to go get the waitress' attention and go like "what would be your best sellers here? and what you would recommend?" Cherry: she hums and thinks "i'd say the sea bed or the prawn's eyes usually sell pretty well! the salty dog ale is a local specialty as well, id recommend it if you aren't made queasy easy" she says with a laugh Keva: trying to picture wtf sea bed and salty dog could mean Cimmorro: (dwfl he wanted to order the sea bed) cimm nods at her and looks at the menu "10 sp for the sea bed... fish and bread sounds appealing today huh i'll have one," he says alla this w/ intention for keva to hear. and adds, "i think i'll just have a glass of water though, thanks" Keva: she looks at cimm for a moment, silently feeling grateful, and says "same as him" tilting her menu a bit towards cimm and hands the menu back

Plum: plum turns to finn and says "i could order this," and points to the caver's treat, "and you could have the cup of blood that comes with it, if you're hungry." Finn: hes already spacing out when plum suddenly speaks to him, whipping his head around a little startled. "oh" admittedly, finn wasn't hungry, or thirsty, but plums attentiveness does touch him a little. he nods. "that is very kind of you plum... if you truly do not mind, then ... id appreciate that." Plum: "sure, no problem" plum says to finn and takes a sip from their drink. they wave the waitress over to order one ＣＡＶＥＲ＇Ｓ ＴＲＥＡＴ 

The Group’s Orders ~ 🐟

Plum: Reaver’s Luck, Caver’s Treat Rokka: Berried Salmon, Reaver’s Luck Psalm: Berried Salmon Han: The Phoenix, Fishers Teeth (takeout - Caver’s Treat ) Keva: Sea Bed Cimmorro: Sea Bed

Taking the orders, the waitress gives a nod and scuttles off. After a small wait the dishes are brought out, the scent of fish overpowering the place. The group find their meals appetising and begin to dig in and chatter amongst themselves. Finn stealthily transfers the bloodwine into a cup of his own he can discretely drink from while Keva wraps and saves a slice of the bread for later consumption.

Finn: he clinks his glass with plum to thank them for the fish but before he takes a sip he blinks "oh... what are we to do with the fish plum?" Plum: they clink their mug with finn's and then gives him a confused look. after a moment they look like they're trying not to laugh a little. "what made you think i wasn't gonna...eat it?" plum asks before picking up a fork. Finn: "i simply thought it might be a bit much.. is all.." feeling a little stupid for having asked now. "and it is meant to be eaten with the blood after all.. " Plum: "oh, nah. it was two gold pieces so i'd better finish it, honestly," plum says and starts eating. "also i don't really want the blood," they stop and make a hand gesture as if to say that finn can just go ahead and enjoy the blood himself. Finn: he fails to control himself and finish listening to plum, chugging the glass in one go, feeling particularly satisfied and sated for now.  "ah, please... i will pay for it of course, you ordered this for my sake" he says quickly as if he didnt just drink that like a possessed man Han: finns eyes do the cat silly time thing Cimmorro: yess finn goo you fucking horse Han: vibrates in his chair cause he got the blood zoomies

Plum: "or we can just split it" plum says casually, not saying anything at the change in finn's demeanour for a moment there. it'd probably be rude to seem a bit surprised.

Rokka: “LOOKING GOOD” Cimmorro: "kinda pog as they say...." cimm gives his thanks to wee jasus christ and begins to eat in a decent pace... just focused on eating Rokka: halfway through chewing rokka talks with his mouth full, "watsh pogh" Cimmorro: cimm looks disgusted at you, once again, for talking with your mouth full. and just goes. "oh you know like- [does the pog face for a split second]" before going back to his food though he looks up at you again the next second and goes like "oh right. rokka, here." he slides 35gp across the table to you. "for the time at nickels." and he just goes back to eating Rokka: "ohhh so then if i wanted to say my food is "pog" i can just [makes the pog face]?" he looks down at the money "oh! you didn't have to pay me back....thanks though!" le pockets money Han: han goes (mgs ❗ noise) and starts fishing in her side pocket too "wait i owe you for bedroll and rope" and hands rokka X gold Rokka: he then turns to han "WHAT!!! NO, NO ITS OKAY!!" he tries to push it back to han Han: she doesn't even touch it again and goes back to food "i dont like being in debt" Rokka: he stares at the xgp before reluctantly taking it seeing as han refusing to take it back "alrigghtt. thanks hannn" Han:  😇 Psalm: he watches Rokka’s exchanges for a moment. "It just occurred to me that now would be a good time for that drink you owe me." Cimmorro: cimm looks at rokka and psalm and goes "i'm starting to learn that it's a bad idea to be in debt to you psalm" Psalm: "I think I'm pretty fair all things considered 😇 " Cimmorro: he just sighs and goes back to his food

Rokka: his head whips over to psalm like !!!!! "i-WHAT--oh! yeah....do you.......want to share my drink?" Psalm: "No I don't...?" Rokka: well, then.......what do you want?" Psalm: "One salty dog ale please (: ." Han: did chip plan for this joke. its too perfect? Psalm: WAIT YOU'RE SO RIGHT  Han: I LEGIT THOUGHT IT WAS A GAG U WERE DOING AND LOOKED AT THE MENU Chip: LIFE FINDS A WAY....

Ghester: you hear a chuckle in your head followed by a voice that says "well he's a good sportsman about it" Psalm: "It was his idea to play." Rokka: he looks around "HUH WHAT?!"  Ghester: "that makes a person more reluctant sometimes" he then laughs at rokka's reaction Psalm: he scoffs. Rokka: he abruptly stands up from the table and shaking the table in the process "OK WHATS GOING ON"

Getting agitated by Ghester’s repeated remarks, Rokka bolts up from his seat ending all other conversation in his wake, the rest of the party stares at him, grabbing their plates instinctually in case he flipped the table over. The waitress in the meanwhile hands Pslam his newly purchased drink on Rokka’s dime.

Ghester: "oh he's gotten excited" says the voice Rokka: “WHO!?” Psalm: psalm is just drinking casually

Cimmorro: when rokka finally settles down, cimm just looks at him like 🤨 before looking at psalm again, "speaking of being fair, why don't you tell us about your little friend... ghester? you said you'd tell us about them, no?" Psalm: * doesn't remember what he said * "Yeah alright. I introduced Plum and you already right?" Cimmorro: he nods "introduced us... but we don't even know who or what you introduced us to" Rokka: just looking up at the sky like "....hello?" Plum: they had jumped at rokka's reaction but at the mention of their name by psalm they think they can guess what's happening now. Finn: he was gonna reply to plum but because of all the commotion his attention is focused on psalm rn, but he is bouncing his leg under the table Keva: she just has no idea what's going on

Psalm: "Your guess is honestly as good as mine." @ ghester "You want to explain? I myself am not really sure what to say." Ghester: he chuckles before speaking into the rest of your heads "hmm... well you may call me ghester. i am a companion of sorts to your lovely friend psalm here. pleasure to meet you" Rokka: "ghost...........?" side eyes psalm Psalm: "No I don't think that's quite it." Rokka: “then what?” Psalm: he just shrugs Rokka: rokka slowly nods as if he gets it but he doesnt

Keva: she jumps a bit "what the fuck" Plum: plum shivers at the sudden voice in their head. "i really thought the cult would be the weirdest thing with y'all and yet." Han: she squints her eyes "can you like, read our minds? do you have a body? are you stealing psalms...?" han leans in quizzically and stares at psalm Ghester: he laughs "no i cannot read anyone's mind, not even his. nor do i hold any control over him, i dont think he'd quite appreciate me doing it even if i could" he thinks "i dont have a body, though i feel like maybe i did once, a funny thought to have these days" Han: she pouts thoughtfully but her brain is actually empty "hmmm" Cimmorro: damn so no cock penis? Han: hate your ass Finn: im just imagining the voice of the book from nier rn for this guy Chip: YOU SHOULD THATS HIM Plum: oh my god that was the decided voice, thats so horrible Han: liam obrien haunts us everywhere

Finn: he does squint at psalm, but he thinks that ghester’s voice is quite pleasant so its not like its a huge hassle. after psalm told them about this, at least. he is a bit irritated over having thought he was hallucinating it a while ago. Plum: "doesn't sound like he's been with you for too long"  Psalm: "It's been a couple weeks. Maybe a month." Plum: "wow, that's shorter than i expected. i've already known you fuckers for a week by now." Cimmorro: he just kinda looks confused towards psalm and responds to ghester "uhh huh... are you the reason why he coughs smoke or..." Psalm: he’s just blinking at Cimm like oh you saw that lol whoops Ghester: "not directly, but its related. i guess you could say im a conduit for his magic. in charge of watching over him" Cimmorro: just shaking his head at psalm and how he said they've only been together for a short time... like what is wrong with yall

Finn: "and you just.... hid this from us?" Ghester: he chuckles at you finn "thats a funny response" Finn: "im sure it is after youve messed with all our heads" bouncing his leg quicker Psalm: "What reason would I have to tell you? It's not like I've known any of your for all that long." Plum: looking at finn like you good bro Finn: "if you didnt want to tell us you should do better to keep your parasite out of our minds then" Ghester: "ooh quite harsh" Psalm: “Right? Yeesh. Why am I being put on trial here? He called you a parasite (lol)."  Cimmorro: "i get the feeling that you don't wanna share more about this. but i just wanna know if you communicating with the rest of us like this won't harm us in any way..."  no video game rpg sanity drain so to speak Keva: squinting like wtf does magic do to you...... is orin okay...... Ghester: "oh nothing to worry about there, my job is to keep him safe. If you are his friends then this extends to you as well, quite the opposite of harm" he turns his attention back to you psalm and laughs at his joke Cimmorro: cimm just hums at this, not entirely convinced but it's good for now Finn: just staring at you for a moment longer before looking away, expecting psalm to understand without actually saying anything because he's awful. Psalm: Psalm just 🤨 ...? and just decides to go back to his drink. Finn: finn: dear uncle, ive witnessed another cringe moment. this is number 10 in the top15 list

Psalm: "I think friends is generous :j , but rest assured that for now your life isn't being slowly siphoned away from you or whatever it is youre worried about. At least I don't think it is /s" Ghester: "i wonder why you would even put the thought out...? Psalm: "Because it's funny?" Ghester: [sigh] Plum: "thanks, i feel a lot better about that now." Rokka: just staring at u dead on sarcasm flying over "wait......HAVE U BEEN FEEDING OFF ME"  Ghester: he laughs jovially at you "theres nothing on you to eat dear boy" Han: han thinks 'damn... does he mean rokka has no brains to eat....'

Han: she thinks for a bit "do you have big range? before you cannot hear us?" Ghester: "hmm from wherever our good man here is standing i can hear about 120 or so feet...granted you yell when you are far away that is" Han: "does that mean you hear through psalm? and here i thought you would be useful for undercover work" han sighs a bit Psalm: "I have to agree with you on that one. Kind of disappointing." Ghester: "not necessarily, if he cant hear i still can. i can talk to you all if you are all that far away as well even if he himself isnt close" @ psalm "and here i thought you were my one ally at this table" Psalm: :j Han: "oh hmmm... that suppose that is useful..." han thinks abt strategies.. Keva: she sarcastically mumbles "just what i always wanted, a ghost from i don't know where doing god knows what, listening in on whatever i'm doing" Ghester: he laughs Rokka: he mumbles to himself after hearing this "scary..." Cimmorro: well then he stifles a small laugh and looks at keva "what could possibly go wrong, yeah?" Keva: "can't think of a single thing" Psalm: "It's thanks to him (and plum) we didn't lose your money to Rickert though. So I'd say for now the pros are more than the cons." Ghester: "oh such rare praise"  Cimmorro: "oho is he not always this nice to you?" Ghester: "tis' a heavy burden i carry" Psalm: "Stop framing it like I'm picking sides" Ghester: [laugh] Plum: "true, and he's more personable than his host," plum says jokingly Psalm: "Alright, alright already." psalm waves everyone off Han: han is like 👁  but also snorting at this

Cimmorro: "aww you poor thing... psalm be more nice... i think ghester does care about you, you know... he immediately went to me when you were unconscious." Psalm: he just rolls his eyes  Ghester: "well... as far as charges go i could have been given far worse" you feel a warm presence before he snickers "try not to bully him too much" Han: "far worse?" Ghester: "hmm well imagine if i were companion to someone completely silent...now that would be a trial" Han: she ponders the previous thought "you are right (@ ghester) at least psalm is funny sometimes." Psalm: 🤨 "Okay, pester Psalm hour is over now. Hope you all had your fun." SWATS THE AIR IN FUTLITY Ghester: [laugh] Plum: they wants to say we're not even talking to you we're talking to ghester but they'll leave him alone Keva: she snorts at the try not to bully him and pops a piece of bread into her mouth Cimmorro: he smiles at the warmth but also "no bullying, not even in your honor? you are so humble, king..." and just laughs at psalm swatting everyone off Psalm: "I try." Ghester: he laughs "you'll be fun to be around im sure" Keva: "oh he likes you" like someone talking abt a pet taking a liking to someone  Cimmorro: "he knows how to pick them... " he laughs and responds to ghester "if you ever change your mind on bullying psalm, you know who to call"

Plum: "you changed your mind pretty fast, huh?" @cimmorro​, plum is amused they're not making fun of him Cimmorro: "oh i'll still get him whenever i can. just leaving the offer with ghester in case he wants to join in." Plum: "oh, i meant on warming up to psalm's mind demon in the first place, but true" plum says Cimmorro: "oh well he's a charmer. what's not to like" he laughs Plum: "agreed" Ghester: "flattery will get you everywhere" Plum: "hah, i guess that's true ain't it." flattery's not really their thing, but they give an amused laugh.

Finished with their food and their curiosity over Ghester for the moment sated, some of the party get up to go pay for their meals while others continue to sit and chat. As they do Han continues messing about and pulling Ghester’s attention over.

Han: she covers her mouth with her hands and whispers to herself "ghesterrrrr can you hear me? tell psalm he looks like a strawberry." then get distracted and moves her hands "actually, can you move things? or are you simply ghostly" Ghester: "i cannot. lest i am a weapon psalm has willed me into and is...well using me to move things" a beat passes "all these ghost comparisons are amusing" Han: "ooooh... maybe living weapon... cool :D" Psalm: "He's what I've been fighting with this entire time." Keva: she’s gonna get up and head to the counter where she spies people paying for their food, and as she passes psalm she kinda gives a little shrug like "i tried" to change the subject lol Psalm: psalm nods, benedict cumberbatch salute

Han: she has lightbulb moment "your weapon that seems to change every time i look? and that you never actually carry on you?" Psalm: "Yes that would be the one."

To drive the point home psalm has Ghester discreetly apperate in his hands as a short sword for Han.

Cimmorro: psalm like yosuke persona 4 pulling out his katanas at the convenience store and gets arrested for it Psalm: I ASSUME EVERYON EELSE HER JUST HAS WEAPONS HONESTLY LIKE I THOUGHT THAT Cimmorro: NO ONE WHIPS IT OUT IN A RESTO Psalm: HDG WELL I DO NOW Cimmorro: AND THEN WE HANDED PSALM CHAN OVER TO THE POLICE

Han: "ghester, can i have you?? it would be super useful to change from bow to glaive in second.." han is v excited now Finn: he’s getting up yet, being intrigued by an ever changing weapon........but he feels too awkward to actually comment on it. he thinks han's reaction is kinda cute. Ghester: he laughs jovially again "sadly you cannot have me, him and i are bound. you'll have to look elsewhere, though im flattered by the thought" Han: "aww booo" han pouts and flicks at the sword (if its in arms reach anyway) Psalm: "I'm amazed you even asked honestly." on the outside psalm is :/ but on the inside psalm is like 😏 Han: HAN LOOKS AT PSALM PUZZLED Psalm: PSALM JUST LOOKS BACK AT HER LIKE WHAT? Han: she shrugs and lets it go

Chip: the pact is marriage <3 Keva: exactly, ordained by psalm's patron Psalm: why areyou trying ot homewreck me he's happily married Cimmorro: damnn psalm already taken before this campaign even started... how can we homewreck that beautiful marriage Chip: next quest Psalm: OI

Having had their fun messing with Psalm the rest of the group get up to go pay for their meals. The party idle around deciding what to do next, as they chat Han orders and waits for an additional meal to be prepared for her to take back to the Swallow’s Perch for Ferrie and the others.

> 🎵  Village of Rynoka / Moonlighter OST

Han: oh before everyone starts leaving han is like "oh oh oh, ferrie chris insists everyone stay at the swallows perch.. its free food and bed " Rokka: "WHAT"  Han: "yea :D" Finn: finn gives you this look 🤨 Han: "you included" Rokka: rokkas tail wagging at mach speed bc free roof and food epic!!!  "THATS AWESOME!!! TIME TO GO PACK THEN" he quickly gets up and immediately heads home to do as he said Han: han waves bye :D.... Rokka: waving in the distance as he runs off Finn: "i ... see" he cringes at the fact that he will need a new residence soon, and that this is the most convenient option. however, he absolutely doesn't want to be stuck with the others. bad enough that they'll have to travel together for so long

The group split off their separate ways, Han sticking around to wait for her food, though Finn also sticks around to continue chatting with her about Ferrie’s offer.

Finn: finn rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. "ugh. not much of a choice, is it?" he pulls up his scarf more before continuing. "if you want me to stay so badly theres something youll have to do for me first." Han: HAN LOLS INTERNALLY and cocks a hip "what might that be? dont overestimate how badly i want you" Finn: finn makes a grimace, you can tell from his visible eyes. "ive no interest in women, give that up this instant" (so full of himself he believes that) he begins rubbing his temples. "anyway, itll give you an opportunity to be closer to me, i suppose." and motions for you to come closer Han: han guffaws "what?? and i have little interest in small men that cant handle me. whats that got to do with your favour?" she seems entertained and leans in Finn: finn is confused by hans push and pull, was she hoping to charm him somehow like this? when she leans in he yanks her down more to a comfortable level (by her hair) and whispers  "i will say this as clear as i can to" an insult lies in the tip of his tongue but his scolding uncle appears in his mind "you. i want you to stealthily move my coffin to that inn, once i have to leave my quarters. youre the strongest so i trust youre capable. ill reward you if need be" Chip: WHY IS THIS THE GREEN M&M COPYPASTA JUDE ? Cimmorro: P;'TLQ30TO305O-0RQOFASF CHIP ILL ILLL MAUL YOUHG Finn: finns done fighting w cimm he needs someone new to hate him Psalm: finn's moral compass is his uncle its not even an angel devil him situation, its vorde

Han: han’s entertained demeanour drops immediately as her hair gets grabbed and shes mad and even madder that she didn't catch that so she just grabs finns hand painfully as he holds her hair and whispers with contained anger without even listening to whatever finns saying "dont do that. if you want to play friendly." Finn: he winces when she grabs his hand like that. normally he would not yield just yet but a fight in direct sunlight, with their bulkiest party member, is not what he needs. he lets go of her hair quickly. "i assumed it was fine to be playful around you. my apologies." <- genuinely meaning this Han: han is silent for a second "... just not the hair" and she drops finns hand "what did you say you need" Finn: "note taken. not the hair." he rubs his hand before going on his tip toes to talk to her instead this time. "i need you to move my coffin the day i move out. but obviously i dont want the whole city to see us with that thing, if you catch my drift." taking on a neutral, dry tone. Han: han thinks briefly "consider it done. i can burrow the inns cart and hide your coffin... actually, what exactly .. is it." Finn: finn blinks a little in surprise, not having expected her to still do it after he's pissed her off. his eyes get a little bigger, 🥺 like. "you will? i.. thank you. we can work out the details closer to my departure..." Han: han is like augh 🙄  at the puppy eyes bc she is immune to them "yea, just tell when to show up" Finn: "ill let you be on your way then." going off his tippy toes and waving goodbye for now Han: han waves him bye too......... cherry wheres my takeaway Cimmorro: how yall going to explain to ferrie chris abt finn's coffin Keva: dont worry about it its his burden to bear Celebrity Guest Aqua: His jesus cross to drag

After waiting a few more minutes Han is handed her takeaway, she soon scuttles her way back to the Swallow’s Perch with the meal, heading in she notes that Cimmorro isn’t back yet either. She promptly hands the food over before getting ready to work on the clock for the rest of the day. Layne joyfully takes the lunch as its handed to him, Ferrie steals a bite from it as well while Jessep stares at it and remarks he's full. 

Soon after the two’s conversation, Finn heads back to the blacksmiths to get his rapier worked on for the day, finding no need to head over to the Swallow’s Perch for the moment. The rest of the party head to their inns to prepare and transfer their belongings over, Plum and Cimmorro however make a brief stop off at Vinny’s store first to check in on the goings on and to see if he’s returned yet.

The two glance at the building once they reach it, though it doesn’t exactly look to be open. Squinting through the window they see Cole bumbling around behind the counter in the back. Cimmorro waves at her from beyond the window though she doesn't seem to notice prompting Plum to knock on the glass instead.

Cole: you see her head swoop over like : D ? before she recognizes the two of you, and comes over to the front door, appears it was locked after all, as she wrangles it open the bell jingles "hey guys!" Cimmorro: cimm goes hiya and asks her if everything's been good around Plum: "hiya, i'm just here to buy one or two things" Cole: "yep I've just been cleaning up since vinny still isnt back" she tilts her head with a sigh before turning to you a bit more chipper plum  "oho... were closed but ill make an exception for my new pal" she gives you a wink and ushers you in Plum: they jump a little at that and are a bit embarrassed now. a bit red, they scratch the back of their head and say, "i mean, you don't have to. i was just lookin' for shit to buy for my mom and pop before they got here... nothing serious." Cole: "aw dont worry about it, and if its something that easy then its all good for me to let ya nose around" she smiles as she waves her hand Cimmorro: "still no show huh, don't have any news when he'll be back too?" Cole: she frowns as she walks over to the counter "no... but if he isn't back tomorrow ill go over and see if they'll let me poke my head in..." she shakes her fist "he's...got important obligations here... yknow!" next to her one of the cats on the counter meows Cimmorro: he leans over and tilts his head looking at the cat "indeed, very important obligations." he pats the cat's head. "oh but don't get into trouble trying to get him though haha... in any case i oughta be going but i'll be peeking in from time to time. let him know i'm looking for him if you get the chance though, yea? thanks cole" he gives her a smile before gesturing to plum that he'll be heading back first Cole: she folds her arms "aauugh guards and wizards.... but sure thing, i'll...twist their arms somehow!" she gives you a cheery wave as you trot off Cimmorro: he kinda just smiles while shaking his head at that as he walks on off Plum: plum waves goodbye to cimmorro. they're kinda curious because they thought cimmorro was gonna buy something but whatever.

Going off ahead Cimmorro trots off back to the Swallow’s Perch noting Vinny still hasn't been able to return to his own store just yet. Walking back he gets a quick idea and shoots off a sending spell towards him to ease his mind over Cole and Ezra’s current statuses.

Cimmorro: "yoohoo, this is cimmorro. we found cole and ezra all safe and well. they've been back at your store since yesterday. no need to worry." Vinny: after a brief pause you hear a quiet sigh of relief in your head followed by words said in a whispered hush "i cant quite speak right now but. thank you so much, i mean that genuinely" followed by the typical silence Cimmorro: cimm scrunches his face a bit but will continue going abt his merry way then

Soon after he makes his way back to Swallow’s Perch, second after Han, and settles in their shared room. In the meantime Plum takes the time to pick out a few items from the store shelves as gifts for their family, chatting with Cole once they bring them back over to the counter to purchase them.

Chip: the cat seems to stare at you for the duration of this transaction Plum: "what's this one's name?" Cole: she turns her head and scratches its head "this ones coal"  Plum: plum snickers. "what? did vinny name this one before or after meeting you??" Cole: she laughs "before! before! this guy here's my senior teaching me the ropes" the cat starts purring Plum: "right, how long have you been round here again?"  Cole: she stretches back thinking "hmmmmm a year ago now...probably two actually" she scratches her chin "it's a nice city though, the airs so ...fresh around here even though its so busy" Plum: "yeah it is nice. too bad i'm not sticking around for much longer, i wanted to see the ocean better  " plum says, mostly conversationally. "anyways, thanks for the stuff. and good luck getting that wizard lady to let go of vinny, also." plum huffs out a laugh. "poor guy." Cole: she pumps her fist "im getting him back here at some point at least! maybe ill wrangle ezra into it..." she thinks to herself before turning back "you should head down to some of the docks soon, they're real fun for peoplewatching" she says with a smile walking over with you back to the front door Plum: [pumps fist in return] "maybe i'll do that later then, thanks. seeya." Cole: she sees you out with a wave and locks the door behind you as it jingles, getting back to...you're not sure what she was doing actually. Finn: PLUM GOT HER ROUTE UNLOCKED Han: DONT SQUANDER UR CHANCE FOR A CUTE GF Plum: i will Han: oTL

Content with their purchases Plum heads back to their inn to begin their transfer to the Swallow’s Perch. Slightly ahead of them, Psalm and Rokka return to the Hole in the Wall and get the few things they have all sorted to go. 

Heading out they note that at the front desk this time appears to be Artie as opposed to the other two employees that work there, perhaps they have their hands full with something at the moment. He silently notes the duos departure and mail transference with a surly nod. 

Artie: at mention of the swallow’s perch he tilts his head and remarks “good place. got decent pie there” sending you on your way Psalm: "Also, if  Ruth and Esther Brimdrorvi come looking for me can you direct them down the street  please." Artie: he nods silently Psalm: Nice Rokka: i give artie my farewells and wait for psalm bc wynaut 

> 🎵   A Tavern on the Riverbank / The Witcher 2 OST 

The two make their way to the inn next door, after a bit of chatter with Layne he leads them upstairs and directs them to the empty rooms they have upstairs on the first floor, adjacent to Cimmorro and Han’s shared room. 

Rokka: "what room are u going to?" Psalm: "I have no preference." That being said he just goes up to the first empty room he finds and opens the door. Rokka: he nods and walks a little further down the walkway and goes into the second room

The two each take an empty room for themselves, forcing those who show up afterwards to decide who they’d prefer to room with. Across the street Keva also checks out of the Out and Inn similarly asking for her mail to be rerouted. At the counter are the two twins who quickly send her on her way

Flinn and Pin: they remark that one of the dwarves there will give you beer at a discount if you tell him a funny joke, but do not specify which one. Keva: she makes a face like 🤨 but with an amused smile "okay... thanks?" and heads over to the swallow's perch

As Rokka and Psalm settle in across the way, Cimmorro in his room takes has a thought and decides to shoot off another sending spell to another important recipient.

Cimmorro: "ulle!!! it's your cimmy. i wanted to show off what i can do now ehehe i'm going to be so cool when i get back" <--- he sounds very excited Ulle: you hear a confused sound in your head in response before spluttering noises and a response "whoa i was-bleh, eating a sandwich just now you scared me! haha this is so cool hey hey mahalia ! cimmorro just spoke to me-" before it cuts off

As Han’s shuffling about and doing some menial tasks around the rooms on the first floor she overhears the sending spell and pokes her head in to spy on Cimmorro. At the same time Keva soon arrives at the inn, getting the same spiel from Layne downstairs she heads up to the first floor hallway staring at which room to pick while Han blocks one of the doorways.

Keva: she does not want to room with psalm and his spying ghost. she does not want to room with rokka bc headache. she does not want to room with han bc headache........... but she figures she has to talk with cimm anyway so........ least of the evils Chip: women and cimm united front Cimmorro: clerics who respect women

Han: "were you talking to someone?" Cimmorro: cimm plops his back into his bed, completely relaxed and thanks wee jas in his head "ohhhh... this is one of the best things you've ever let me have!! thank you, thank you, lady wee jas >_<" and then notices han come in and acknowledges her. "hm? i was casting a spell... did you need anything?" Keva: keva's standing behind han blocking the doorway, in that time she is considering whether she should change her mind Han: she shrugs "nothing, just heard u talking, got curious- AH" at keva teleporting behind her and stares at her for 2 seconds before going "im going back to chores, bye" and scuttling off Cimmorro: he just looks at you two like 🤨 Keva: she moves out of her way and says bye back after she's already left like 🤨 "any room in here?" Cimmorro: he looks at you for a moment before understanding what's going on "oh you're staying here? that makes things so much easier for me. yeah there's room, though han can be a bit energetic" he laughs and points at a spot in the room Keva: she looks back in the direction han left for a moment "yeah that's going to be fun" /s, she'll go over and plop her few things down Cimmorro: a laugh "she's like that... though she can easily be distracted lolll... i think she'll be more focused on dress making than at you, for tonight at least." Keva: keva tosses her cloak on the bed while mumbling "thank the gods for that." turning to cimm "does she work here or smth?" Cimmorro: he nods at you as he sits back up on his bed "she was already here when i arrived a few weeks ago. i'm sure she's been here for way longer" Keva: "hm. well, don't let me get in the way of what you were doing." and she gonna climb onto her bed and take out a little bit of bread to feed amos Cimmorro: he watches you do that for a sec before going "okay, i'm still beat from going around the stores earlier myself so... we can talk about what you want to do with your outfit later. give it some thought meanwhile.."

As Keva settles in, Han remembers to head over to Ferrie Chris and notify her that Finn will probably be showing up later in the week.

Han: "the pampered one will come later... ill borrow the cart to fetch him, if its ok.." Ferrie Chris: she tilts her head from where shes bent over moving crates "hm? sure whatcha need it for anyhow? Han: han shrugs "he needs some stuff moved" Ferrie Chris: she squints "how much stuff could tha' guy have...?" she shakes her head "eh 's fine, we moved most of the stuff earlier in the week anyway" Han: SHE SHRUGS HARDER

As the two of them chat Cimmorro and Psalm both begin the process of attuning to their newly bought weapons in their rooms, though Psalm also goes through the additional ritual of designating his new scimitar as his pact weapon.

Ghester: for the latter ritual ghester is silent the entire while until the end in which he lets out a sigh, quickly remarking how strange a sensation that was Psalm: "Strange how?" Ghester: he ponders the thought a moment "like growing another limb, despite the fact that i dont have any in the first place" Psalm: he nods like he gets it even though that's kinda weirdchamp

As the group settles for the afternoon Plum also arrives at the inn, the last of the party to make their transfer for the day. Receiving the same spiel as those before them they waddle up to the first floor, deciding to pick whoever is behind the closest door to them for their roommate, the result being Rokka.

Chip: for your viewing pleasure

Cimmorro: AKFHJLKASFKSAJFAKLWFKAL Han: EMO A;LKDHGKLLKDSF Keva: I'M LAUGHING THAT GHESTER AND AMOS COME WITH US NOW Chip: your government assigned leeches

Rokka: his ears twitch and he turns towards the door "come in!!" Plum: "oh it's you rokka, nice. you don't mind being roommates do you?" Rokka: he perks up seeing plum enter, "oh plummy!! hi!! i don't mind at all in fact im glad we can be roomies hehehe" rokkas tail wags in delight Plum: "ok great, what are you up to for the rest of the day, then?" Rokka: "hmm" he taps his chin and looks up to think "nothing much unless you wanna do something with me? :D" Plum: "i'm not up to anything today, so sure. got anything in mind?" Rokka: "we can work on that music box you got!!" Plum: "oh, right! forgot about that thing." plum says, and starts fishing around in their bag of holding until they pull out the ＭＵＳＩＱＵＥ ＢＯＸＥ Rokka: he moves next to plum and leans his head closer to them "i don't know much about fixing music boxes so I don't think i will be much help but i can cheer you on :D" he tilts his head a little "whaddya think it would sound like once it can play" Plum: "i think it'll probably play, just not very well. i'm not even sure how this thing is broken. also thanks, if you cheer me on that means i definitely have to fix this thing though." plum says, lifting the box carefully to peek at it. Rokka: "yeah i had a feeling it would sound like that too...i cant wait to hear it in its full glory" rokka goes 🥺 and speaks with a little gentler tone "i just thought its another way i could help you is all." Plum: a little embarrassed now plum just says "right..." and trails off. then after a moment of looking at the box they say, "y'know this thing might not actually be broken after all. so it only plays on a full moon, right? and i thought that was just some kind of charm attached to it for fun or somethin', probably is. but other than that it's a functional music box. think the seller thought that little catch to it meant it didn't work." plum says this all in one go without realizing because they like to talk about magical objects. "personally," they continue, "i don't think that means it's broken. i think that just makes it more special. i could probably make it so that it plays all the time though, what do you think?" Rokka: he silently nods throughout plums explanation simply enjoying them talking more than usual in one sitting, "thats a bummer we gotta wait until then for it to play but if you can make it play ALL the time that would be super cool of you plum!" he gives them a thumbs up Plum: "well i can try, anyways." 

> 🎵 Tired Rynoka / Moonlighter OST

Plum begins working away at the music box as Rokka sits attentively beside them for the rest of the day. In their own mind they decide their course of action is going to be to change the enchantment into a dual purpose one. A person will still need to wind the music box on a full moon to have it play, but it will also play whenever if Rokka is the one to wind it.

Getting to work on inspecting it Plum finds the enchantment is inscribed weirder than they’d thought it would be once they actually get a look at it. Most of the evening is spent trying to make out the creators handwriting, but it is solid progress nonetheless. After much interpreting they see the enchanted name signed near the bottom thusly " -ＲＡＮＤＯＶＵＳ / THE GREAT AND BEAUTIFUL"

Han: randovus instant fave character no lie Rokka: whoever this is i wanna fight them Plum: chip was it that the seller thought it was broken??? Chip: yeahp Plum: oh LOL Chip: zafar like what in the....not gonna ruin my day [puts on shelf] Plum: hHHHFHFG

Plum: "this guy's handwriting fucking sucks" Rokka: he makes a weird sound of agreement as he doesnt wanna admit it "mmmnnyyeeahmnn?????????" Plum: "anyways, that's all i got for you today re: this thing. might take me a couple days." plum says, without telling rokka what exactly they're intending to change about the box until it gets done. Rokka: he oohs and ahhh through the process of what plum does "neat! you got me excited now that I know i can probably hear it sooner!" his tails lazily wags in content and a little nostalgic spending time with plum like this in a room as they remind him of his siblings Plum: "yeah, i'm pretty excited too. and its fun working on something for...fun. i feel like its been forever, even though its only been like, a week. feel free to tune in next time." Rokka: "yeah! i getchaaa especially with what we've been through having some time to just enjoy like this is nice hehe" he tilts his head at plum "really?? then please let me know whenever you choose to work on it! I will be there to watch and cheer asap! thanks for letting me watch plum  " Plum: "any time. i can make it a little task while we wait for the ball and all of that." Rokka: he stares at plum for a moment seeming to ponder something "plum, you're really nice. I like you, can we be friends?" he says without his usual loud and cheery tone. this time being more calm as he asks genuinely for the first time Plum: "h-huh?" plum says after a beat, suddenly turning fully red in the face. "man, rokka, why do you sound so serious... and! a-anyways! i thought we were already friends?" Rokka: "I just never-- wait what???i---" he struggles with finding words to respond as he didn't think plum thought they were friends "you.....we're friends? really? really really friends?" he looks expectantly down at plum Plum: "oh i mean i just assumed since we get along and we're stuck in this large group for now. maybe i jumped the gun there, sorry. but yeah we can be friends." plum says and scratches at their face, feeling embarrassed. "you're making me feel kinda embarrassed over here, saying "i like you" to people so bluntly, y'know." Rokka: he lets out a small gleeful laugh with a smile growing larger each second "ah...ahah!! yess!!!!!!!!" he ruffles plums hair "Sorry, I just like to be honest, hehe," now in a very great mood he cant help his wagging tail Plum: [is ruffled] "no it's fine, just caught me by surprise. i like to be blunt too 🤨 " plum says and coughs a little awkwardly. Rokka: he just grins at plum before plopping onto his bed with a content sigh followed by a mumble "my first friend.."

As the afternoon ebbs on Cimmoro also finishes attuning to his new healing knife in his room, the other two going about their business in silence and settling in. Finally he moves and stretches, and gives the knife a stare, he decides to give it a whirl and to check whether he’s been scammed or not. He tightly gripes the blade with one hand and makes a swift cut on his hand, he makes a low hissing sound as he does, alerting the other two briefly as they spot his hand bleeding for a couple of seconds

Han: han just stares like 🤨 Keva: keva was feeding amos the little snack thing she bought from the pet store, but when she hears cimm hiss, she looks over her shoulder. when she sees the blood and the knife she jumps a bit in surprise like "what the fuck?"

However, despite how quickly he made the wound, once he expends the charge, it heals just as quickly, glowing slightly for a brief moment as the skin stitches itself back together, like there was nothing there in the first place. They watch even as the blood quickly rises through the air and zooms back into his body from the wound.

Han: she stares at the immediately closing wound "that..what?" Keva: she's also staring in confusion and curiosity Cimmorro: he watches the wound heal itself, wonder in his eyes and then immediately puts his palm up for han and keva to see it stitch up like ":D SICK...!!" Han: "is magic? thats cool" she pokes the part where he sliced himself Cimmorro: he breathes out in relief "wuhahhu... looks like i got my money's worth..." when han pokes at his palm he goes like "yeah! you wanna try?" Han: "fuck yeah!" han holds out her forearm excitedly >:D Cimmorro: "it only works when i do it though" he's taken aback by your enthusiasm but likes it regardless. cimm swipes the blade on your arm, making a clean cut [will use charge] Keva: she makes a 🤨 face at han's enthusiasm and closes up the jar of treats to put it away as she says "no thanks" .... she does turn back to watch tho

Cimmorro slices again this time on Han’s arm.....blood...a second...thwoosh the body stitches itself back together immediatley and the wound is healed.

Cimmorro: "aw cmon we can do it one more time" once han's wounds begin stitching too he looks back at keva like "see? see?" Han: "oooh.." han goes over the wound with her hand "its only a bit tingly... wanna try it over actual wound?" Cimmorro: he turns to han looking confused for a sec like "... wait are you injured?" Han: "no, but keva can stab me" :D “or you stab with the knife normally. i just trust keva to make it count” 😌 Keva: "you're really excited about being stabbed" Cimmorro: cimm is wondering why han wants to hurt so badly rn and his mouth is just agape Han: "wounds are an honour" Cimmorro: "what... well, i guess?" Han: "well, more in battle than in here but still"  Keva: "is that why you tend to go into things without thinking" Han: "without think-?! i think a lot, thank you !!!!" han sounds offended Keva: keva makes geralt from netflix "hm" noise "kay well, i'm not stabbing you so" Han: han pouts "your loss" then goes back to looking at cimm expectantly with her forearm to him Cimmorro: "okay, ladies.... let's...." he sighs "this dagger can do as much damage as it can heal, supposedly... so... to test?" he looks like he doesnt want to tho Han: "to test!" >:) Keva: "we already know it works. why do we have to do this" Cimmorro: "just to be sure!" Han: "to test!" han repeats Cimmorro: "you're not going to hold this against me are you? if i stab you like real stab?" cimm is starting to wonder if this is a good idea Keva: keva puts her hand to her face Cimmorro: he makes a fake stab against the air right now just to make sure han knows what she's asking him to do "like this, stab stab" Han: "huh?? why would i?? plenty of family have stabbed me, just do it" she doesn’t flinch Cimmorro: he completely sputters at that "do-what tthe ?!? the HUH?" Keva: keva's slient for a moment in shock as well and then "...gods you're so weird" Han: han tsks impatiently "i can do it myself, yeesh" takes out her own dagger Cimmorro: "no, WHAT? STOP" Keva: "(medieval fantasy equialvent of jesus christ)"

Han makes a clean slice along her forearm without flinching, taking damage, much to the displeasure of her two roomates.

Han: the dagger looks similar to the hammer shes taken out before, one solid chunk of blueish metal Keva: she winces watching it happen and is like, getting up off her bed Han: "nnnow try it" :) Cimmorro: cimm looks horrified not bc of the wound but bc of han just being so.... han. he clicks his tongue while he makes a weary slice on her already open wound, expending a charge

With a glow the wound stitches together again and the blood zips back in, the wound is not fully healed but it looks alot less bad now, closer to a papercut but long across the arm.

Han: "ooooo~" Cimmorro: cimm lets out a sigh of frustration and keeps han's arm in place while he grabs his holy symbol to cast cure wounds on the leftover cut :( Han: han lets him but is like :/ Cimmorro: cimm lightly blows and pats on her arm as if to check if he missed a spot then lets her go once cleared out. "this thing is more for emergencies, it looks like" tilting the doctor's blade a bit with his free hand Han: han wiwis for a sec Keva: keva relaxes back onto her bed once the wound is healed Cimmorro: "since we'll be travelling together for a while it's good to let you guys know what this does, though i won't use it unless i really have to... i don't like relying on things aside from what i already know anyway..." he puts it away and then looks at han like :| "no more stabbing yourself like that" Han: han goes 😤 "this was for teeeest!" Cimmorro: cimm remembers how han also just nonchalantly sliced her arm in the blood chamber and he rubs at his eyes at the memory "you do this kind of thing so often!! what the hell was that about your family!! uggh" he just keeps rubbing his eyes rn trying not to think of what he was to deal with the next coming weeks Han: han just goes 😟 but says nothing Keva: keva notices the look on han's face and says "anyway." Cimmorro: cimm stares at her and sighs and shakes his head Han: han gets weirdly shy under the attention Cimmorro: "no more hurting yourself. if that's what your family liked to do then whatever. but don't do it around me.. don't like seeing it" he says that rather harshly but there is a hint of concern Keva: keva like a sibling looking out the car window while the other kid gets chewed out Han: han is still like 😟  "no its.. they didnt.. uagh" she looks frustrated by both not wanting to talk about it and not knowing how to explain it, and just drops the thread entirely , pacifying cimm with a non commital "i wont, i wont" Keva: keva just quickly raises and lowers her eyebrows, thinking well that sounds convincing in her head Cimmorro: cimm doesn't seem convinced, but it's not like he expected his words to do anything immediately. he exhales and waves his hand around to clear the air "well... anyway. you two know what this does. don't go stabbing me back when i bring you conscious with this pls..🙄 " Keva: keva waves a hand like yeah yeah Han: han snort laughs a bit and also agrees Cimmorro: he shrugs as if to say he's just trying to make precautionary measures "nice. well okay you are cuties dismissed 👏" he hops off his bed and walks out the door peace out 

Cimmorro scurries about preparing things for later on, and as sundown and evening comes the rest of the party settle into their rooms and comforts for the night. Han however, after a bit more pestering of Cimmorro, heads out after clocking off her shift, and walks off towards a familiar destination in the city.

She weaves her way in and out of a few alleys and streets in the business district before entering one of the taller buildings nearby. Despite there having been no rain recently she also spies puddles of water near the outside of the building. Shrugging it off, she heads inside and up a few flights of stairs down some interior hallways, past the doors of a couple other businesses

it’s pretty quiet in the area compared to when she’d usually come around, with the sounds of people revel making and drinking typically filling her ears. She  quickly comes to the entrance of the place she’s looking for, the words ‘The Bone Pit’  scrawled nested into a carefully illustrated poster nailed to the front of the door.

> 🎵 Through the Valley / Pyre OST 

She opens the door and steps inside, finding herself in a small lobby area of sorts, connected to a larger room that appears to be a bar floor with hallways leading upstairs branching off it. Though looking about it appears pretty empty and quiet, not silent however, some chatter here and there and the sounds of things being moved echo through the place. As she stares about it appears pretty sparse, its then that she notices a whole bunch of cleaning supplies stacked around the place.

Han: she just says loudly "hellooooo?? ruel? stella?"

As Han yodels out the names, someone shuffling around the larger bar floor seems to notice and comes running over, she recognises the woman as Stella, a short pink haired girl.

Stella: “ahh sorry there!!” she gives a cutesy wave “were closed right now for -er” she blinks now seemingly recognising you “oh my gods haaaaaaan, i'm being forced to do manual labouuuur- save me pleaaase” her tone changes to an uncharacteristically whiny one as she dramatically walks over pouting and shaking a mop that she’s holding in her hands. 

Looking at her Han notes she’s not in what her typically style, instead in clothes that appear to be much more shabby, probably for cleaning. Behind her she also spots a taller person, whom she recognises as Ruel, a half orc woman leaning herself against a broom 

Ruel: “...stella that’s like the 5th walk in, did you even put the closed sign out front..?” shaking her head as if she doesn't even expect an answer from the former. Han: han laughs at stella "you are such a baby." she notes their dress and says "cleaning day? do u want extra hands?" Stella: she lazily throws her head back with a groan “auuugh because of the lockdown the other day the good big boss decided this would be the perfect time to scrub down the whole place” she holds the mop out in front of her “this isnt in my job description y'know, i'm going to have to get my nails redone and everything after this, its tough work looking this perfect” she continues huffing a little before actually realising you asked a question "ah? oh no way we cant make customers help out, bad look..." Ruel: while she chats ruel crouches near the floor fiercely inspecting a stain in the wood near a bar table Han: "with the amounts of fluids this place sees daily i cant believe it took you this long to do deep clean....." han grimaces a bit but its still finds stellas baby attitude funny so it gets a bit lost. "and what? there are no customers around, no one sees me here. i asked a couple hours off." Stella: "ehh well it gets cleaned regularly but i guess she really wants these bar floors finally annihilated" she grimaces at the comment before looking back at you "y.........eaaaaaah but if i got caught doing that i'd get an earful is the thing" she waves her hand noncommittally though she looks like she is internally fighting off the temptation to just let you Han: han is just holding back laughter at stella like ppfftt "im sure you can do it, youre big girl" and then walks over to ruel and opens her arms for a hug Stella: she groans again and shakes the mop menacingly at you Celebrity Guest Aqua: is this like those clubs where they gotta hose the floor every morning or is it a nicer establishment  Han:

Cimmorro: hate that gif so much dawg   Chip: STOPPPPP Han: I AHTE THIS GIF TOO IT PLAGUES ME Plum: what is that fucking gif lord

 As Han walks over to Ruel with outstretched arms she stands up curiously staring at her with a quirked brow.

Han: "i know ure off work but one hug pleeeaaase" >_< Ruel: she stares at you again but eventually sighs and opens her arms out invitingly like 😓 Han: "Oh! i actually came over to ask. me and some ..." han makes some grimacing/thoughtful expressions "friendsss?? like saved the town or whatever and they invited us to be guests at the new ball, do you guys wanna come??" :3 Ruel: ruel just ?? confused face at the question after the hug  Stella: she turns her head towards you leaning on the mop completely disbelieving "if you ya want to invite me to a party han you dont need to lie about how cool it is" she says wrly Han: she probably has let go of ruel at this point lolol "no we talked to the king and shit.." han shrugs "its in 2 week, cimm, that priest guy, i dont think i told you about him, he even drew me a dress!" she starts looking around her bag "oh i must've left it with him... well anyway!" han is still in a chipper mood "you guys and the swallows perch are my only friends around so i thought i would invite you" she does get pink at this lol Ruel: she makes a face like 😑❓  silently thinking to herself Stella: she walks over and slaps her hand across your stomach jokingly "yeah and what did the king tell you?" she seems to be a little embarrassed about the only friends statement but is way to distracted by the ridiculousness of the gala thing Han: "uuhhh he was like [han tries to imitate his voice] thank you so much, here is 5000 gold, we are doing ball in 2 weeks, invite your friends. i have the gold to prove it" han opens her heavy ass stash and shows the girls the coin

Stella looks like shes about to crack another joke until Han opens up the bag, after which both her and Ruel open their eyes wide in surprise. Stella looks back between Han and the bag multiple times in shock

Stella: "th... first of all this is like, all platinum han, and second......i...." she stops mid sentence like she doesnt know what to say out of shock Ruel: she pipes up after "........you know they did say they were gonna rehost it...." Stella: at this she seems to snap out of her awe and stares up at han grabbing your giant arm and shaking you "HAAAAAN. YOU CANT BE SERIOUS THE GALA??? LIKE WITH THE ROYALTY AND EVERYTHING???  Han: she gets shaken around "yes, those guys, i dont rlly understand the big deal, ferrie chris was also excited about them?" Stella: "YESSS HAN THOSE GUYSSS" she seems to calm down a little though still gripping your arm "okay okay well im not gonna shoot for the moon or anything so i dont care too much about them but do you know how many rich nobles go to those parties.... the connections i can make there..." she then begins shaking your arm again "and i can brag about having BEEN to the palace my gods what am i gonna wear... i need to create the perfect ensemble, andrella is NOT gonna hear the end of this from me" Han: she laughs "i thought you might like it." she turns to ruel "how about you?" Ruel: as you turn your attention to ruel stella continues babbling to herself while shaking your arm, ruel stands nearby with her arms crossed thinking over it thoughtfully "honestly i am not sure i'd be good schmoozing somewhere so high class but" and she lifts her eyes up seriously with a glint and a thumb on her chin "the opportunity. is way too good." Keva: the egirls looking to get paaaaiiidd yeeeessss Chip: stella getting ready to have 100 business cards made Keva: are they bedazzled Chip: gel pen as well Keva: the other side is sequins that if you run your hand over it it reveals other colors and a message lmao Han: wait thats genius Keva: "stella" one way, "see the stars" the other Han:  UA;LHDSGKH;KHWKH3LKESGKDX

Han: she just heehees "i went dress shopping with cimm today, hes gonna help get something tailored, you want dresses too? i can pay" Ruel: her eyebrows go up "oh no no, we can get that done ourselves fine, you're already inviting us and everything"  Stella: she nods next to you feverishly "han i love you oh so dearly, now even more so, but i have my pride" she lifts a fist "and its telling me to go all out on this look...." Ruel: she nods sagely agreeing with her Stella: she quickly relaxes to a more joking demeanour before continuing "i appreciate the thought though as ludicrous it is for you to offer you big lug, if this works out i wont even have to annoy you to give me free drinks" she says with a smile ^__^ Han: han giggles then stops abruptly "what!! you said you annoy me because i dont let you tie me up!!!" <- she is faux sad Stella: she lifts a finger "i can have multiple reasons to annoy you" Han: she tsks "im glad you two are alright tho 😊 when you think the deep clean will be done?" Stella: she slaps your arm with a laugh at that Ruel: she thinks a moment "judging by how powerful these wood stains are... i'd say another two days with the others helping out" she folds her arms with a smile looking back at you "i'll be sure to expect a visit now that you're rolling large..." she squints her eyes and tilts her head afterwards though thinking on it "...kind of dangerous carrying all that actually" Han: she snorts at the wood stains comment "i dont have a lot to use it on anyway but thieves would be stupid to go for me" puffs out her chest "i will visit... soon? i will be leaving soon after so yeah.." han think thonks Ruel: she laughs at the chest puffing Stella: at the last comment stella tilts her head "ohhh??...flying the coop? you gotta tell me when we can go out for drinks or something, i'll have to console poor ruel.." she mock wipes her eyes  Ruel: she rolls hers and grabs a cloth, getting back to working away Han: she shrugs "dunno, got one other bossman now and he wants us to go to antessa..." han trails off thinking about routes and times "you can grab me whenever you have free day. OH ferrie chris wants have do a banger too..." Stella: "damn moving up in the big leagues of freelancing now, cross country" at the second comment her face lights up "ohhhhh yes! when you have a date let me know i'll free up the evening" she says with a >:) grin Han: han is jsut ^O^ heeho evening successful,  STARTS BIDDING THEM ADIOS?  "no sex, no cleaning, im useless here" pouts again

Han scuttles off back to the inn satisfied with having said her piece, making sure to tell Stella to stop slacking off as she goes. The party all spend the rest of the little of the evening left idling around and killing time before finally heading to rest and bedding down in the dark.

--

Notes

💎Cimmorro and 🔮Psalm attuned to their weapons of choice

🦇Finn upgraded his sword to a +1 weapon

🍺Plum got an evenings work in on the music box

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦👨‍👨‍👧‍👦 Most of the Party relocated to the Swallow’s Perch