#yes i know the colors are weird i tried especially with those blue scenes their just so dark

[xviruserrorx]

MerlinRewatch2023 -> "The Mark Of Nimueh" Book Of Job ~ Masterlist [Prev <- • -> Next]

[behindheremeraldeyes]

sasusaku month 2021 day 21 - flower

title: flower girl.

summary: Flower Shop AU - Sasuke works at his mother’s flower shop, and every Wednesday, this girl comes by to buy some flowers. Though he doesn’t know her name, he can’t help but be curious about her.

.

When he thinks about it, Wednesdays must be the busiest day of the week whenever he’s helping his mother at the shop. They start with his alarm forcing him out of bed at 4am so he and his brother can be at the shop before the clock strikes 5am. They take a 10-minute walk— 5 when they’re not that sleepy— make some coffee and wait a little for the truck that arrives with the fresh flowers.

Carefully, then, the brothers unload all the products and take them to his mother’s atelier behind the shop so, by the time she arrives, she can start working her magic into the flowers she loves so much. Mikoto puts the right flowers for the right pots, works on some orders and prepares some bouquets to put on display.

Everything has to be ready and perfect for when they finally open the shop for the clients at 7am.

Everything has to be ready before she arrives.

He’s sitting behind the counter today, playing a game on his phone, when his eyes slowly drift to the clock on the wall. It’s been at least 30 minutes since Itachi turned the sign to ‘open’, and any minute now he knows she will walkthrough that door so she can buy her weekly supply of flowers. For the last couple of months, she’s always their first customer every Wednesday, and he has no reason to believe today will be any different.

Seven more minutes pass, and finally, the bell rings, announcing that someone has entered the shop. His dark eyes immediately follow the sound, and he can’t ignore the slight sense of satisfaction that spreads across his chest when his dark eyes land on pink.

Right on time, he thinks.

From the corner of his eyes, he watches as she walks into the shop, her emerald eyes looking straight at the new hydrangeas. She’s wearing a green summer dress that falls just below her knees, and whose skirt dances freely around her legs. The strap of her small, white purse hangs on her right, sun-kissed shoulder and he notices the way her small fingers are delicately holding it. Her hair— always short and pink— is loosened, the tips just below her chin-line and a stubborn lock brushing her cheek.

Normally, he doesn’t pay that much attention to the people that come by the shop, but for a reason he can’t quite pinpoint, it’s different with her. Sure, she’s a beautiful client, and that alone is enough to catch his eye, but he knows himself well enough to know he’s better than that.

Something about her has caught his attention, to the point where he’s found himself waiting for her to arrive every week now. Perhaps he’s just grown curious over time. Seeing such a young girl almost religiously coming to the store to buy flowers makes him wonder about the actual reasons why she actually does that. Are those flowers for herself? Are they maybe for her mother or even her girlfriend? Not that it’s any of his business, but shouldn’t girls like her be receiving the flowers? Could it be that her boyfriend is that useless?

A sigh escapes his lips. He really doesn’t know why he even cares. He doesn’t know her name, to begin with. Even after helping her more than once, never before has Sasuke bothered to ask for it. It’s going to sound weird, or at least that’s what he tells his brother whenever they end up talking about her— and that happens more times than the young Uchiha dares to admit.

One day, perhaps, he might find out her name. For now, though, he will just continue calling her Flower Girl. It’s not the most creative or specific nickname, but it works just fine whenever he needs to talk about her or even judge the flowers she choses.

He likes to think it’s a good nickname. Besides, it’s not like anyone apart from him and his brother will ever know about this.

Sasuke finds himself resting his face on his right hand as his eyes unconsciously drift back to her. Itachi is showing her the lilies now, and apparently, he said something funny because she’s laughing at his words. For a second, then, she looks at where he’s standing and their eyes meet briefly before she looks back at his brother.

She seems to be in a good mood. There’s a contagious smile on her face, and he can’t help but let his lips twitch upward at that scene.

Eventually, Flower Girl chooses a bucket of blue hydrangeas and starts making her way towards the cashier. He straightens his posture, then, clearing his throat so he can properly greet her. In less than 10 seconds, she’s in front of him and she places the flowers on the counter. She mutters a soft ’hey’, to which he nods politely before proceeding to do his job.

“Would you like anything else?” He asks, cordially.

“No, thanks. Just the hydrangeas today.”

As he registers her products, he steals a glance and can’t help but notice the way her lips twitch as she waits for him. She’s playing with her hair, tugging it behind her ear, and softly, he sees the way her tongue comes out to wet her own lips. Flower Girl takes a deep breath, and it’s as if something ignites inside her eyes.

“Excuse me, but I have to ask…” Her voice comes out, a little too low at first, but eventually, it settles into a more consistent tone. His curiosity peaks, and immediately, he stops what he’s doing and turns to face her. “Are you Uchiha Sasuke?”

He’s confused for a moment, a blank expression spread across his face. His dark eyes are slightly widened as he looks at her face, failing when he tries to read her real intentions. Her eyes are even brighter from such a short distance, and he finds himself fighting the urge to just lose himself in those green pools of hers and in the way his name rolled out of her tongue. “Yes. Can I help you?”

“Oh, no, don’t worry. I don’t need your help or anything like that.” She starts, waving her hand in front of her face as to brush off any formalities. There’s a soft smile on her face, and he doesn’t miss the way her cheeks are weakly tinged in pink. “I was just making sure it was really you.”

“Well…” He starts, adjusting the name tag on his shirt. “That’s me.”

“Good. I guess that makes me your Flower Girl, then.”

Her words catch him completely by surprise, and it’s as if the entire world turns silent around him. His eyes widen, his lips part, and the first sound he registers after what feels like an eternity is his own heartbeat inside his chest. It’s slow, at first, to the point where he thinks it might suddenly stop, but eventually, it grows faster in what he concludes to be pure despair.

“W-what?” He asks, though he knows better than to believe he heard it wrong.

“Your Flower Girl.” She repeats, and even if he thought it wasn’t possible, he starts to feel worse.

His chest grows inconveniently warmer, the heat spreading all the way up to the tips of his ears. His throat is dry, but that doesn’t bother him because Sasuke can’t find it in himself to form any words right now. He’s dumbfounded, experiencing a mix of shock and embarrassment for the first time in his short life, and it’s safe to say he hates the way it feels. He wishes the ground could just swallow him whole right now, but he knows better than to believe life is fair. Especially his life.

Fuck.

He can’t believe this is happening right now. How on earth does she even know about the Flower Girl thing? It was meant to be a secret he would take to the grave and not something meant to be discovered after just a couple of months by some random girl. The only ones beside him who know about that are his mother and—

Itachi. Oh, that bastard.

He steals a glance at his older brother, who’s simply watching him with a guilty smile on his face. He’s not trying to hide or deny anything, and that only serves to infuriate him even more. Itachi waves teasingly at him before disappearing behind the stacks, leaving him all alone with the pinkette. He was just betrayed by his own blood and even if all he wants right now is to become an only child, there are more pressing matters standing right in front of him with the prettiest green eyes he has ever seen.

Sasuke needs to find a way out of this whole mess, he knows, but nothing comes to mind. No last-minute trick or plausible excuse. No perfectly calculated accident to ruin the conversation or blow him away. Nothing that would make her believe this is all just a big misunderstanding instead of the purest truth. The Uchiha can’t escape this situation, at least not without making things worse. He needs to think. He needs to use his mind to get himself out of this thing, and he needs to do it fast or else he will lose their best customer, his pride as a man and the reason for his Wednesdays to be at least bearable.

His dark eyes are now looking at her because that’s the only thing he can bring himself to do. Instinctively, he’s trying to find something— anything, really— that will help him bring his mind back to his body so he can, at least, find the right words to apologize. He then begins to note the unique color of her hair, her bright, emerald eyes; the barely visible sun freckles on her cheeks, and he really starts to feel his heart calming down, but that’s just until he sees it.

A sly smirk is taking over her lips. It’s a tricky one, and judging by how she’s not even trying to hide it, Sasuke immediately realizes she knows exactly what she’s just done. She’s up to something— Flower Girl is clearly messing with him. She’s intentionally teasing him with all those words, and right now it’s clear that he has just fallen for her act.

Oh, that girl. Who would’ve thought such a beautiful girl like her would posses such a cunning mind?

Before the youngest Uchiha can even bring himself to say anything, a giggle escapes her lips, and soon, it grows into a full laughter. He watches as her burst of happiness reaches her eyes and how genuine that whole thing is as it fills the entire store with that warm feeling. If his social misery can bring out something like that, well, perhaps he should start telling her more about his best friend’s love life.

After a couple of seconds, then, her laughter fades with a sigh and she uses her right index to wipe a tear that had threatened to roll down her face. There’s a smile gracing her lips, and he swears he could feel his heart skipping a beat just now. “I’m so sorry. Oh, my.” She chuckles. “You should’ve seen the look on your face.”

“Tch.” He scoffs.

“I was just messing with you. Or—well— maybe I should say that I’m just helping with your older brother’s prank. He’s the one who wanted to leave you in an uncomfortable position. And judging by your reaction, I guess it worked.”

An annoyed pout now takes over his lips. “How very mature of you two.”

“I know… I know, my bad.” She agrees. “Sorry about that.”

His eyes watch as she scratches the back of her head and he realizes she’s actually feeling guilty about the whole thing and that doesn’t help him soothe his nerves at all. She should not be the one apologizing. Not when he was the one who called her Flower Girl in the first place. He’s never meant it as a bad thing— quite the opposite, in fact— nevertheless, he should’ve been more considerate. If anyone should be apologizing, it was him. And that was exactly what he was going to say.

“Look.” He started, taking a deep breath. “You don’t have to apologize. I do. Sorry about this whole thing. I shouldn’t have given you a nickname to begin with. I promise I didn’t mean to be rude or anything like that.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s fine, really. I didn’t think it was rude or anything like that. It was pretty cute, actually.” She smiles at him, and it’s as if he can finally feel his heart beating again. “Besides, it’s not like I was meant to even know about that in the first place, right?”

“Definitely not.” He answers, a little too quickly for his own liking.

“You should thank your brother for that.”

“Oh, later I will, for sure.”

Another chuckle escapes her lips, and he’s glad to know she didn’t mind the nickname— cute, she even said. Now that most of the embarrassment has faded, Sasuke can think clearly again and even if he’s still plotting a revenge against his older sibling, it’s undeniable that having his secret revealed got him a chance to openly talk to her for the first time. They’re making small conversation and it’s nothing really important, but it’s already something.

It’s a start, at least.

The smile on her face suddenly changes into a small pout, and he can easily tell she’s curious. Though they don’t really know each other, he likes the way her expressions are so clear and honest. She bites her lower lip, then, her eyes fidgeting for a moment. She clears her throat and her attention returns to him. Flower girl is staring at him, and if not for her pink hair and inoffensive looks, he would’ve been intimidated by that.

“What is it?” He asks, not really taking in that stare anymore. “Is there something wrong?”

“No, not really… It’s just…” She starts, her eyes narrowing a bit. “Why Flower Girl?”

“What?”

“Why did you choose this nickname? Flower Girl, I mean… I’m pretty sure I’m not the only girl that comes by to get some flowers.”

His eyes widen slightly for a moment until his expression returns to normal. Of course she would be curious about that, he thought. Thinking about it now, that was probably the most generic nickname he could’ve come up with for her. Truth is, he has started calling her like that simply because he never really knew her name, but it’s not like he knows the name of every female customer that comes into the store. The thing that made Flower Girl the Flower Girl was probably the fact that she was the only female customer that actually caught his attention in all the time he’s been working at the shop.

Maybe it was the unusual color of her hair or even the fact that she comes by every week morning, but he can’t deny that he was captivated by her. She’s a very beautiful and attractive woman, sure, but there’s more to it, he knows. Still, it’s not like he can tell her that without sounding like a weirdo. And if anything, he has already sounded like one a lot today.

“Your name… I didn’t know it— still don’t know it.” He starts, and suddenly, he realizes that saying it is harder than he had imagined. His eyes look down for a moment, and instinctively, he uses his index finger to scratch his cheek. “And since you’re basically the only girl who comes by every week, then, you know… Flower Girl.”

“Oh… I see.” She says bluntly, and a pensive expression takes over her demeanor. Though he’s sure she is going to add more to that, silence settles between them. It’s not really uncomfortable, he notices, but it still leaves him wanting more. More of her stories, more of her laugh—more of her.

He needs to keep their conversation going. He has to find a new subject so it can be easier for him to properly talk to her when she returns next week. It’s his only chance and he can’t let it go to waste. He can’t let her—

“Sakura.” She starts, her eyes switching from her feet to his dark orbs. “My name is Sakura.”

Her soft voice catches him off guard, and he’s taken aback by that. When he looks at her again, he can see a small blush tinging her cheeks, and for the first time, he can see an inch of embarrassment in her. Earlier, she had no problem with the nickname, but when it comes to her real name, well…

And just when he thought she couldn’t get any cutter.

“Hn, how very ironic for you to have been named after a flower.”

“Yeah.” She chuckles. “I guess I was destined to become Flower Girl.”

The corner of his lips slightly curl upwards as he finds himself surpassing a smirk that wants to escape. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Sakura.”

“You, too, Sasuke.” She smiles at him, her head tilting to the right as she does so. Her hair responds to the gravity of her movement and he watches as some of her pink locks sway. “I’m glad I could finally talk to you.”

“Uh? Were you trying to talk to me before?”

“Well, to be honest, yeah…” She shrugs, somewhat shyly.

“Are you, perhaps, stalking me?” He smirks, watching as she gets slightly embarrassed.

“Shannarou, that’s not that!” Her face grows a shade of red and he can’t help but notice the peculiar expression she used. “It’s just that you’re the first person I’ve met in this city that seems to be the same age as me, and I guess I was just looking for a reference or something. Living alone in a strange city isn’t really that simple.”

A familiar warmth takes over his chest at her words, and unconsciously, Sasuke starts to sympathize with her current condition. She’s a young girl, and she’s all alone in a big city like Konoha. Even if he has never really left the safety of his parents’ house, it isn’t hard for him to imagine how difficult it must be to go through all that by herself. Whatever her reasons for choosing this might be, it’s still something that will take the pinkette a lot of time to get used to.

She must be lonely, he thinks, but decides not to mention anything about that for now. He simply nods at her, showing Sakura that he comprehends her feelings, and she simply smiles in return. Her eyes delicately fall to the hydrangeas she chose, and he doesn’t miss the tenderness that is decorating her expression right now.

“They help me a lot, you know? The flowers, I mean.”

“Do they?”

“Aah.” She nods, excitedly. “They make my small apartment seem happier, somehow. It’s nice coming home to them. So—uhm— thank you, I guess.”

The smile plastered on her face easily makes its way to her bright eyes, and his heart skips a beat. This girl— this gentle and talkative girl— is really thanking him for selling her flowers every week. Though they’ve just discovered each other's names, she’s telling him small parts of her life that seem so pure and fragile; and for a moment, he feels like their connection is heading beyond flowers and nicknames.

He’s growing fond of her, he can tell. Sasuke knows he’s no longer just curious to know about her reasons to buy the flowers or why she comes by every week. There’s a lot more to it, for now he finds himself wanting to know about certain aspects of her private life that have nothing to do with plants or fertilizer. He wants her to tell him more about herself— as long as that’s what she wants, of course.

He wants to know Sakura. And something tells him that, eventually, he will.

Without thinking much, the young Uchiha smiles back in return, slowly pushing the bucket of flowers back towards her. “Shouldn’t we be thanking you for shopping here?”

“You’re probably right.” She chuckles, giving him her credit card so she can pay for the hydrangeas. “I guess I just can’t help it. I do love your flowers. Sometimes I get so excited about them that I leave home before breakfast.”

“What?” He asks, slightly shocked.

“I can’t help it. It’s stronger than me.”

“Tch.” He sighs. How annoying, he thinks, and the expression spread across his face clearly gives away. She giggles, then, and a sudden idea comes to his mind. “Did you leave home without eating today?”

“Oh, no. Not today. I had a nice breakfast this morning.” She states, proudly. “Why do you ask?”

“Well…” He starts, scratching the back of his neck as a reflex. “Whenever you leave without breakfast, there’s always coffee here. I don’t know if you like it or not, but—”

“I love coffee.” Sakura cuts through his speech, a little too excited. “Next time, then, we’ll have some coffee together.”

A soft smile takes a couple of seconds to make its way to her lips, and he finds himself growing a little too excited about said next time. Sasuke doesn’t know when it’s going to be, but he can already imagine certain things that make him feel at ease.

A morning spent with Flower Girl… It will be a good day.

“Next time, then.” He confirms.

“I’ll be waiting.”

It will be a pleasant Wednesday, indeed.

fin.

--------

a/n: this took me way too long to finish and I don’t really know why. I had this idea at least a month ago, but I JUST COULDN’T FINISH! Well, now it’s finished lol. Anyway, this is a cute one mostly because I needed something cute. Hope you guys enjoy this, and please, leave me your opinion!

[leerongrong]

❥ 𝐍𝐂𝐓 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 – sending them the wrong text

⌜ mark ⌟

mark watches from the corner of his eye as you tap at the screen of your phone, a shy smile present on your face. he's waving his hand side to side, trying to get your attention, only to pout when he fails to. he perks up the moment his phone dings, opening it to see multiple messages from you.

[11:45] you sent a message.

i think the sun's starting to get to me

[11:45] you sent a message.

the more i look at him the more he shines

[11:46] you sent a message.

nvm that I CANT TAKE MY EYES OFF OF HIM

[11:46] you sent a message.

did you see him smile when he saw watermelon? the smile he had while eating them :((

[11:46] you sent a message.

and not to be nsfw but the more i look at him,,, the hotter he looks??? is that even possible????

[11:46] you sent a message.

he was so small so cute when we first met in 5th grade

[11:47] you sent a message.

fuck i think im in love with him i think im in love with mark

[11:48] you sent a message.

i think im in love with my bestfriend

he started off confused, eyes flitting from the first of your texts, slowly dragging themselves to the end. his small pout slowly turns into a smile, to a full blown grin when they finally reach the last of them, when they finally reach his name.

"holy." mark started off with mumbles, his head turning from you to his phone so fast he might get whiplash. "she- she's in love with me.." the farther he gets through his sentence, the louder he becomes, catching not only peoples attention, but also yours. "she's freaking in love with me!"

your furrowed eyebrows is the first thing he sees, running across the pool and straight to you, barreling into you and accidentally sending the both of you into the water. you're both spluttering when you break through the water's surface, your face an expression of disbelief while his is of pure joy.

he doesn't regret pulling you down with him, sealing your lips in an underwater kiss that tastes of watermelon and grape ice cream.

⌜ renjun ⌟

the soft glow of your phone disturbs renjun. the only source of light in the otherwise dark theater room, playing the movie you begged him to watch with you. he's rolling his eyes in annoyance, still gripping the half finished popcorn, hands coming back and forth from his mouth towards the salty snack.

soon after, the soft tapping of your fingers against the screen takes his interest off the movie. renjun's eyes sneak a peak, slightly leaning his body against his head rest so he could take a better look at what has your full interest.

[19:06] you sent a message.

leee jenooo

[19:07] you sent a message.

as cheesy as it sounds,,, the movie's right in front of me but the one view i want to see is him

[19:07] you sent a message.

i know its stupid to say but i just feel...happy whenever im around him

[19:07] you sent a message.

it doesnt matter where we are it freaking doesnt matter what we're doing and it FREAKING DOESNT MATTER WHO'S THERE WITH US

[19:08] you sent a message.

all i know is that when im with him im happy

[19:08] you sent a message.

it doesnt matter if it's all gray and blue hes the splash of color and thats all i need..

[19:09] you sent a message.

im all soft for him like this,, i just wish i could tell him 🙃

the slight ringing in his ears should worry him, along with the excessive warmth that's suddenly spreading through his body, face, and ears. the slight twitch of his fingers should too, as if his body is reacting in a way only you can make him, as if it's finally accepting the pull.

the clearing of his throat startles you, making you instinctively hide your phone in the corner of your seat. your eyes zoom in on his reddening face, leaning in closer to make sure, amidst all the darkness. "renjun? what's wrong?" pressing the palm of your hand to his burning forehead. "do you have a fever? junnie, you should've told me."

renjun's still stubbornly looking at the screen, taking a deep breath and doing a countdown before he takes your hand in his, intertwining the two as your eyebrows furrow.

he starts leaning in, coming closer and closer to your face that it makes you lean back in your seat, trying to look away from his face. "i think this isn't a good date," he whispers, "how about we go on an official one tomorrow?"

the wide cinema screen is the audience to the scene renjun puts on, leaving a peck at the edge of your lips as shy smile spreads on his.

⌜ jeno ⌟

[09:08] you sent a message.

i love it when jeno smiles

[09:08] you sent a message.

i mean :: have you seen his smile? those pretty cresent moon eye smiles that's just so freaking cute it makes me want to kiss him all over

[09:09] you sent a message.

and not be weird or anything,,, but his height is perfect. imagine running into his arms and just being all warm because we all know jeno gives the best hugs 😫

[09:09] you sent a message.

is it weird to think about hugging and snuggling with your best friend? to think about how pretty his smile is and how you want to kiss away his cute pout?

[09:10] you sent a message.

yes? no? mark, i think i'm in too deep here..

the minute jeno reads your texts, he's out the door. he doesn't care about the thunderstorm going on outside, he doesn't listen to his member's shouts about bringing an umbrella. all that's running around his mind is you. all he can think about is how he desperately wants to hug you in his arms, so tightly he knows you're going to start to whine. all he wants to do is to kiss you. after 5 years of pinning over you, he finally has the chance to.

he's met with water the moment he runs out in the rain, not caring about the thunder and wind that's pelting down his body. he's soaking wet when he reaches your front door, drenched in water as he knocks and is met with your cutely confused face.

"lee jeno!" your eyes are as wide as saucers, quickly starting to tug him inside when you see his condition. "what are you doing you idiot?! you could get sick!"

he doesn't give you much time to talk (or to start hitting him for being stupid) when he puts his hands on your cheeks and pulls you into a kiss, the atmosphere reminding him of two lovers running through the rain to see each other in movies.

the cold and fever he gets the next day is worth it, especially with your cuddles and chicken soup to get him through the day.

⌜ haechan ⌟

[07:10] you sent a message.

i may be in love with donghyuck

[07:11] you sent a message.

i think he's just the most sweetest, funniest, dorkiest guy with the most perfect smile and laugh

[07:11] you sent a message.

the one who brights up my day (ironically), my full sun

[07:12] you sent a message.

but love is such a fickle thing <3

he wouldn't notice at first, too busy goofing off with chenle and mark, until jeno points out his phone buzzing and lighting up with notifications. the biggest smile would light up his face, so bright and wide, and he just freezes in his place, not even moving or looking away from his phone that it makes the others worry.

starts jumping and squealing, shoving his phone into the other's faces to show off your text when he finally breaks out of his stupor, heart beating so fast renjun tries to make him take deep breaths before he passes out.

doesn't care when his members tell him to carry out with caution, that it could be one of your usual pranks. all he can see is you and him, going on dates and cuddling. after all, it isn't every day your bestfriend (whom you have feelings towards) since diapers confesses.

[07:44] haechan sent a message.

so you have a crush on me😏

[07:44] haechan sent a message.

i'm not surprised, i AM a natural charmer

[07:45] you sent a message.

WHAT

[07:45] you sent a message.

HOW THOU FRICK

[07:46] you sent a message.

wrong message wrong person sorry haha

[07:47] haechan sent a message.

"i am in love with donghyuck."

[07:47] haechan sent a message.

"sweetest, funniest, dorkiest guy with the most perfect smile."

[07:49] you sent a message.

i MAY be in love. MAY. not AM you narcissistic freak

[07:50] haechan sent a message.

i MAY be in love with you too

ends up taking you to the carnival for your first date, winning you stuffed animals and dragging you on rollercoaster after rollercoaster (definitely not because he likes the way you wrap around him whenever you get scared), finishes the day with a photobooth and a kiss on the ferris wheel.

⌜ jaemin ⌟

the coffee shop is relatively bustling, people going in and out the moment they receive their orders, or stay inside to enjoy their cup of coffee. you and jaemin being the latter, both your perspective orders on the brown wooden desk, along side your thick biology books.

your book has been untouched for the last hour, notes and highlighters thrown onto it as you tap at your phone, eyes flitting from the screen to jaemin's face every few moments.

[07:22] you sent a message.

we're currently studying biology

[07:23] you sent a message.

oh welp im lying,, he's learning biology and i'm relearning all my favorite things about him

[07:23] you sent a message.

that was so cheesy- ive been spending way too much time with nana 🤧

[07:23] you sent a message.

he's mumbling something about adjectives to explain biology

[07:24] you sent a message.

the one three adjectives i can explain is him

[07:24] you sent a message.

focused, motivated, oh and most definitely cute

you don't seem to notice jaemin's eyes on you, a coy smile on his lips as he checks his nonstop buzzing phone, slightly giggling at how you seem to not notice you've sent your texts to the wrong person.

"if I had to choose between DNA and RNA, i’d choose RNA because it has u in it.” his sudden voice startles you, making you yelp and raise your head to look at him in bewilderment. "we fit together like the sticky ends of recombinant DNA.”

"excuse me, na jaemin." throwing a raised eyebrow at him along with a sarcastic chuckle. "but i don't understand smart talk."

"you must be a red blood cell because you take the oxygen away from my lungs straight to my heart.” the coy smile he sends you doesn't solve anything, and it takes you moments until you finally start to catch on to his quips.

"DNA spelled backward is AND, as in… me AND you"

jaemin's blinking, breaking into a laugh that shakes the table just enough to spill some of his coffee onto his notes. an excited grin breaks out on your face, butterflies flying in your tummy as his eyes glaze over with a sudden emotion.

"my sudden protracted cardiac arrhythmia tells me i love you."

⌜ chenle ⌟

5 minutes to his last buzzer and chenle's looking for you in the bleachers. his eyes are searching through the crowds of people, trying to find you in his signature red and white jersey, only to pout and huff when all he sees is unknown people waving at him, perking up seconds later when his phone vibrates.

[15:30] you sent a message.

look at him down there!

[15:30] you sent a message.

he looks like a freaking super star

[15:30] you sent a message.

hes THE ace,,, hes MY ace ohmygod :((

[15:31] you sent a message.

i just want him to know that whatever happens hes a winner in my heart yaknow??? not as if hes gonna lose i mean my chenle is the best one out there!!!!

[15:32] you sent a message.

pray for me bcs if he does win im gonna give him a big fat smooch :)

the coach calls for him before he has time to process your message, casually dragging him to play for his last round. his eyes are flitting from the score board, with a big red 60 vs 60 displayed, to the hoards of people. his eyes land on your for a second, the moment enough for you to send him a victory smile and thumbs up.

it's only in the last seconds when he scores the winning goal for his team does he celebrate, running away from the sports ground and leaving his confused team behind as he purposely looks for you. it's when you crash into his arms does he lift you into them, pressing a disorienting kiss onto your lips, with his teams roaring cheers as the background.

"i'm your chenle, i'm your ace!" it takes a minute for you to process his words, clicking two and two together before your jaw goes slack and an embarrased groan escapes from your lips. chenle grins when you bury your face in his chest, shaking you in his arms with all his added excitement. "can i have another kiss?" he peeps down to take a look at you, sending a bashful smile.

⌜ jisung ⌟

"park jisung this isn't funny!" you're sprinting down the stairs, a fair distance away from jisung who's already reached your kitchen, running for his life with your phone in his hand. "give me my phone back! jisung, i swear to god!"

the big laugh that erupts from jisung only gets to you even more, trying to run even faster after your neighbor whom you have had a crush for since childhood. all the while jisung is having the time of his life, running to your living room and cramping his lanky body into the first place he thinks of hiding, wedged between two sofas.

jisung's putting in your password, his birthday, and he's opening the message you've just received from renjun, reading your most recent chat with the chinese boy.

[14:09] you sent a message.

i dont know jun...

[14:09] you sent a message.

what if me confessing only makes us awkward?

[14:10] you sent a message.

i dont care if he rejects me, its jisung we're talking about here! he wouldn't hurt a fly! i dont think he'd break my heart that much..

[14:10] you sent a message.

i dont want 10 years of our friendship to go down the pipe just because of some stupid crush i have towards him

[14:11] you sent a message.

what am i going to do jun?

it takes jisung a moment to read between your texts and another minute to process that the boy you have a crush on, is in fact, him. the more he thinks about it, the more jisung regrets being a slow poke because the moment he finished, you're bounding in between the sofas and taking your phone from him.

there's a moment of silence, of you staring at the phone now in your hand and of jisung staring at his feet, shuffling and pouting his lips.

"jisung, i like you."

"i would never break your heart."

it's the day you became both jisung's bestfriend and lover, with him taking you on a date to the park later in the afternoon.

[sirenascales]

-> Chuuya with a Black F!Reader who's a bit insecure because of her skin.

@furrypostsoul said: Hello admin, I hope you’re having a good day! So stoked to see a fellow bisexual bsd fan! I would politely like to request a chuuya Drabble with a black fem bisexual reader where she thought that chuuya wouldnt be interested in her romantically cause of y’know, her skin. If you could also add in scenarios where she was racially harassed in public (pls dont write this is ur not comfortable, I understand if you don’t! it’s something I want people to be aware about)

note: ahhh thank you so much for your request! i immediately had an idea as soon as I saw it and I believe I came up with a good one, especially after asking some of my pals for advice on how to tackle it! Hope you like it!

warnings: colorism, mentions of racial fetishization, microaggresion, and racism [not from Chuuya] insecure reader, angst to fluff i promise,

"I still don't understand why it takes so long to do your hair... aren't you just getting braids?" The confused look on Chuuya's face was honestly super cute and hilarious and you couldn't help but laugh behind your hand.

"That's just the way it is, man. That's why I said we can go out on Saturday. I can't on Friday since I'll be strapped to the chair."

"Man, whatever," Chuuya huffed and you rolled your eyes at him, crossing your arms over your chest.

"Don't whatever me. Just suck it up!"

You shook your head, the hustle and bustle of the shopping district around you fading as you looked to your companion. Red hair, blue eyes, fancy clothes and a dumb hat; Chuuya was honestly too handsome, too damn fine. The scowl on his face was cute and you resisted the urge to pinch his cheeks. You knew he would literally kill you for that, and you valued your life.

You and Chuuya were in that talking stage and finally decided to go out on your first official date on Saturday. Besides his... occupation, you found yourself very much liking the man. Not just for his looks, but his fiery personality made him interesting, the way he carried himself. He was great and you were so into him.

You hoped he felt the same way. He had to, he agreed to the date in the first place! And how could he not? You were a sight, rich brown skin and he sorta, kinda, absolutely loved the cute afro puffs you had on your head. You were beautiful, a bright spirit with a bit of an edge that Chuuya definitely liked.

After talking some more, Chuuya had to go off to do his own thing, and after sharing a very tight hug, you waved him farewell, promising to see him on Saturday for your first date.

You couldn't help the huge, happy grin on your face, giddy as you made your way over to a nearby bench, sitting next to an older woman. You paid her no mind, grabbing your phone to text your friend as you giggled to yourself.

"Was that your boyfriend?" the woman suddenly inquired and you blinked at her in surprise. Then, your face started to heat up and you laughed lightly.

"Well, not yet. We're just dating."

"Ah..." the woman trailed off and you didn't like the tone of her voice. Suddenly feeling awkward, you turned back to your phone.

"I don't mean to be rude," the woman started and you couldn't help the sense of dread you felt. Here we go again. "But you should be careful, dear. You're a beautiful woman but... Japanese men don't really like dark skin. Not unless they are with you for... ulterior motives."

Even if you were already expecting some foolishness, the woman's words still stunned you, striking you to your core as you gave her a look that exceeded shock. You were appalled, your chest tightening in anger and hurt. You took in a slow deep breath, your fists clenching tightly. Your body had gone numb, and you tried your best to keep it cool. You couldn't make a scene.

"Wow," you laughed softly, shaking your head as you stood up. You didn't pay that stupid bitch any mind, storming away, your anger just boiling.

Not only did that woman ruin your entire day, she honestly ruined your entire week. The anger had soon subsided and you were left with the insecurities you tried to push down, especially when it came to Chuuya. Your mind ran at one hundred miles per hour, overthinking as the cruel words lingered in your mind.

Was Chuuya another one? Like your last relationship, were you just a sexual conquest for someone just wanting to try having sex with a Black girl? That was what your ex-girlfriend did to you, so was this just the same? Did he even like you?

No. Chuuya wouldn't do that.

Even so, you canceled your date with him as you sat in the stylist's chair on Friday, eyes burning with tears. You didn't want to experience that again, so you figured you give it all up before you get hurt again. Or even worse.

After spending day getting your hair done, you gotten a quick bite to eat before heading home, feeling completely dejected. Your hair looked amazing, long box braids swaying as you trudged along. But Chuuya didn't answer your text at all, and that honestly made you feel even more like shit. Did he not care at all?

You sighed deeply, coming up on your apartment, stopping when you saw a very familiar red motorcycle parked along the sidewalk. Your heart skipped a beat when you spotted Chuuya leaning against his bike, and when he finally noticed you, your heart dropped when he yelled your name.

"Oi!" he hollered, stomping over to you angrily. "What the hell do you mean our date is canceled?!"

"I-" you were at a loss for words. "Why are you here?"

"I was waiting for you! I didn't know where you were getting your hair done so I just stood here."

"Th-the whole day?! Chuuya!"

"I mean, I went and got food and stuff but-"

"That's not the point!" you interrupted. "Why would you even bother?"

Chuuya scoffed. "Are you serious? You suddenly cancel our date and you expect me not to worry about you?" As he finished talking, Chuuya is shocked to find tears pooling in your eyes, your lips trembling as you hung your head. "H-hey, what the hell happened?"

"You don't just want to fuck me, right?"

Now Chuuya was at a loss for words, his jaw hanging open as he registered your ridiculous words. You spoke again, telling him about the things that woman said to you earlier that week, as well as the horrible experience you had with your ex-girlfriend.

"... I tried not to think too much about it but... I'm used to comments about my skin and race, I mean, hello! I'm Black, but... " you trailed off, lifting your hands up to wipe your tears away. Chuuya beat you to it, and you stared at him with teary eyes as he gently wiped your tears away.

"I'm not your ex-girlfriend." Chuuya was firm as he spoke. "And that old hag needs to mind her own fucking business. I fucking like you. Not because of some weird sexual thing, I actually fucking like you. The whole you. You're beautiful and smart, you keep me on my toes. And yes, your skin and hair are amazing, I love them, but those are only parts of you that I find amazing. I'm not giving you my love and attention because I want something from you, I'm giving it because you deserve it. And I want to be the one who gives it to you."

You didn't know what to say, what to do. You could hear your heart pounding in your ears, your mouth going dry. Still, after a moment you just end up punching Chuuya lightly on his chest, choking out a laugh while you cried.

"Shut up... all that sappy shit..."

Chuuya scoffed, lowkey offended. "Excuse me? I basically just confessed to you."

"Yeah..." you sniffed, looking and giving the man a watery smile. "You did. I..." Lips trembling again, you took a step forward and Chuuya wasted no time in pulling you in for a hug.

"And you better accept me or else I will kick your ass," Chuuya said, pressing his face against your hair. "You smell nice..."

"Hm."

"And you're perfect. Worth more than an experimental fuck and the words of some old bitch." There was a bite to Chuuya's words, and that made you feel so much better.

"I'm sorry for doubting you..." you whispered and Chuuya shook his head, pulling away from the hug.

"Don't be. I understand, I promise."

You smiled widely, face getting hot as he gently cupped your cheek. "Are you sure?"

Chuuya rolled his eyes. "Fine, you can make it up to me by un-cancelling our date. Let me show you off."

You giggled softly, hugging him again. "Okay. That's fair."

Send in your requests!

[emeren]

unorthodox - armin arlert (1)

pairing: armin arlert x fem!reader

word count: 1.8k

content warnings: none <3

chapter notes: the first chapter is a little boring, but bear with me! it just gets better from here ;)

CHAPTER SUMMARY: reader does a favor for her shy roommate, causing her to meet a cute and familiar florist who’s words have a bigger impact than intended. 

“shit!” you breathed, squinting up at the sky. the feeling of warm, sticky droplets of water began to pepper your skin, dark clouds looming above. you were in an absolutely foul mood, bringing your free hand up to shield your face. 

“what’s the matter?” your roommate’s voice rang out through the phone, oblivious to the plight you were enduring on her behalf. you glanced around, the unfamiliar street and buildings only adding to your annoyance. 

“it’s fucking raining,” you cursed, looking for an awning to stand under as the rain grew harder. it was trickling down your face, seeping through your shirt. “okay, where is this place?” 

“like i said, it should be on the corner of 53rd,” her voice was muffled, indicating that she was nervously chewing on her finger nails. you rolled your eyes, trying to read the street sign through the rain droplets flying towards the ground. “thank you so much for doing this.”

you sighed, thinking about how desperately she’d begged you to pick up and drop off the bouquet of flowers. “right, it’s no problem. corner of 53rd you said?” 

“erm, yeah? i think so,” she responded softly. you had no idea where you were, hopping off the subway at an unfamiliar stop. by the looks of it, there was no 53rd in sight. there was, however, a promising looking building on the corner. 

“sash, what’s the place called?” you prompted, trying to blink away the water dripping down your face. your roommate was utterly incapable when it came to boys, especially the one she’d quote on quote ‘fallen head over heels’ for. he’d rendered her a social mess, hardly able to form a sentence let alone drop off a bouquet of anonymous flowers. that left the job up to you, the ever dependable friend. 

sasha shuffled around on the other line, your legs carrying you towards the green building. “i think it’s like ackerman flowers or something along those lines.”

low and behold, the building had a large beige sign that promptly read out ackerman flowers in pretty writing. you thanked your lucky stars that you wouldn’t have to wander around in the pouring rain much longer, attempting to wipe your face dry before stepping inside. 

“alright, i’m here sash,” you sighed, getting ready to hang up. 

“wait!” she cried out, voice seemingly hesitant. you rolled your eyes, wanting nothing more than to be out of the rain. “could you, um - could you put a note in it?”

“a note?” you asked, dumbfounded. you stepped to the side as an older man left the shop, umbrella in hand. 

“yeah,” sasha muttered, voice growing quiet. “like a love note or something. but don’t sign my name!”

you involuntarily laughed, phone nearly slipping from your wet hand. “sorry, um, yeah. i can do that.” 

“thank you so much,” with that, you ended the call, slipping your phone into your pocket. 

the rain lightened as you eyed the outside of the building. it was painted a deep forest green, a small metal table sitting out front. there was one large window, filled with all sorts of differently colored flowers and plants. the building looked homey, or maybe that was because you were desperate to get out of the rain.

a bell dinged as you pushed the door open, greeted by a gush of warm, humid air. the small shop smelled like greenery and jasmine tea, filled to the brim with flowers. it looked like a scene from a movie, the window allowing the grey toned light to wash over the plants. you breathed out in awe, eyes scanning the dark brown desk for an employee, but were met with a fat, fluffy cat. 

it was a light yellow color, lounging comfortably on the desk as if it were a bed. you slowly made your way over to it, the creature blinking up at you bemusedly with a pair of large, glassy eyes. you smiled at it, scratching behind its ear as you waited for an employee to show up. 

“oh, i’m sorry,” you were startled from the cat by a surprised voice, eyes snapping up to land on a boy about your age wearing a dark green apron. there was something oddly familiar about him; blonde fluffy hair and light blue eyes. his features were rounded yet pronounced, an apologetic look on his face. “i didn’t hear you come in, i was in the back.” 

“that’s alright,” you smiled, trying to pinpoint exactly where you’d seen him before. his gaze followed your hand to the cat, a small grin on his face.

“i see you’ve met erwin,” he said softly, wiping his dirt covered hands on his apron. you quirked a brow, silently asking him to elaborate. who names a cat erwin? “he’s the owner’s. i think he was named after an old friend of sorts.” 

“oh, that’s such a weird name for a cat,” you scrunched your nose, looking back down to the fluffy beast. the boy nodded, leaning on the front desk.

“levi’s not very personal, so i never got a backstory,” his long fingers reached up to glide down the cat’s back, scratching right at the base of his tail. he sighed before standing again, folding his hands on the counter. you gave the cat one last pet, noticing the boy’s confused stare. “is it raining outside?” 

“huh?” you frowned, realization dawning on you as your hand came up to pat your wet head. “oh, yeah. it started pouring right when i got here.” 

the boy’s mouth formed an ‘o’, the light glinting off of his name tag. you squinted slightly, making out the name armin. odd, you thought. never heard that one before. 

“well, cat and rain aside, what can i help you with?” he asked. you couldn’t help the slight embarrassment you felt when you considered how you were dripping water onto the ground, a small puddle forming by your feet. armin didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t say anything about it. 

you let out a breath, giving him a smile. “right. i’m looking for a flower arrangement that is simple yet, uh, romantic?” you quoted sasha, watching as armin took in the information. 

he nodded his head, a contemplative look in his eyes. “i think i might have a good idea.” 

your eyes followed him as he slipped past the counter, walking up to one of the bundles of baby’s breath. you took a moment to glance him up and down, a light blue crew neck and dark jeans underneath his green apron. you’d be lying if you said he wasn’t attractive; a slim, muscular physique and broad shoulders.

armin flitted around the small space, grabbing some of this and some of that, absentmindedly muttering to himself. you leaned against the counter as he came up, a beautiful selection of flowers in his hands. 

“how about this?” he beamed, walking behind the counter to grab wrapping for the stems. you had to give it to him, the arrangement was gorgeous: flowers of various lavender and baby blue tones. it was soft and sweet, just what sasha wanted. “or, if you’d rather, i can go for the more romantic rose approach.” 

he was leaning forward on the desk, looking up at you through his brows. something about his stare made your face burn. “no, these are perfect!” 

armin chuckled lightly, his own cheeks a light shade of red. “i’m glad you think so. do you want ‘em wrapped up?” 

“yes, please,” you replied, watching as his long fingers placed the bouquet in a light brown paper wrapping. he carefully folded it, tying it off with a piece of twine. something about the situation was sweet, armin giving you a small smile as he handed you the wrapped flowers. 

it felt cliche, his hand grazing yours as you grabbed it from him. you looked down, trying to avoid eye contact as you fished through your pocket for the fifty dollar bill sasha had given you. 

suddenly you remembered her odd request, eyeing armin as he got your change. you certainly didn’t know how to write a love note, and knew that sasha would be no help. swallowing the small amount of embarrassment you felt, you decided to ask anyway. 

“hey, armin?” he looked up from the cash register, face slightly surprised. 

“how do you... oh,” he blushed, looking down briefly. “name tag. what is it?” 

you glanced at erwin the cat, swallowing your pride. “this is kinda weird, but would you be willing to write a love note? anonymous of course.” 

armin’s brows raised in shock, mouth forming a little ‘o’. you quickly tried to fix the odd question. 

“it’s just - i don’t know how to write one and i’m a little stumped,” you explained. armin gave you a small smile, grabbing a pen from the cup beside the card reader. 

“well, lucky for you, i’m majoring in literature,” he gave you a lopsided grin, quickly scribbling something down on the paper. once he was done, he leaned forward, placing it amongst the petals. “there you go. oh, and here’s your change.” 

“thanks,” you beamed, pulling the bouquet close to your chest. armin nodded, happy to be praised. “have a good day.” 

you turned to leave, giving erwin one last pet before making your way towards the door. armin gave you a small wave as you left the shop, disappearing from view. 

the rain had let up, sun peaking through the clouds. you smiled, quickly making your way towards the subway station, excited to get home. 

you’d decided not to pry when sasha’d asked you to pick up the bouquet and drop it off at niccolo’s dorm room. she’d been embarrassed, clearly way too shy to do it herself. you hadn’t asked questions; just decided to get the flowers and drop them off without further discussion. 

as you sat on the hard, plastic subway chair, you could feel that utter indifference starting to melt away. maybe it was because of the sweet florist, or maybe it was because of the way that the love note bounced tauntingly among the flowers. your fingers itched to read it, silently cursing yourself as you lifted it with your pointer and thumb. 

armin’s handwriting was neat; a soft mix of cursive and regular lettering. you glanced around the train car, making sure there was no one else there. it was paranoid, but something about it felt embarrassing nonetheless. 

after making sure there was no one else there, you looked back to the small note. your heart stopped as you read over his words. 

there’s something simple about feelings like these - they remind me of an early morning sunrise; fresh and familiar. warms my heart and soul just thinking of you. 

something about his corny words made your stomach flip, the sight of his soft face flashing in your mind. yup, you thought. i’m definitely embarrassed. 

why am i feeling this way?

<3 <3 <3

[gruvia4ever0910]

BE MY DATE

*I am having doubts to post this because I’m not really sure if someone will like it, but here I am trying my luck. 😊

Oh my, T.T I’m sooooo nervous...! 😳

*Disclaimer: Fairy Tail, and the characters are owned by Hiro Mashima.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How about the girl yesterday?", Natsu asked his raven-haired friend.

Natsu and Lucy are getting married in two months, and they are very excited for that day to come. However, they don't want their friend to be alone in their special day. Yes, all their friends will be there, but it is different for Gray. So, they've been suggesting some girls for him that he can bring as his date for their wedding day.

The wedding they wanted was just a simple ceremony, where only their family and friends are the only ones who will join them. Lucy invited some of her close friends at work and Natsu did the same.

Gray rolled his eyes, "Can both of you stop it already? I told you. I'm fine going there by myself, and I don't have a plan to see that girl from yesterday again.". Gray grabbed his glass then gulped the beer in one go.

Natsu and Lucy looked at each other for a few seconds then back to Gray. "Why? What happened?', Natsu curiously asked.

"Nothing. We just don’t get along so well.", Gray coldly responded.

"Again?", Lucy said annoyingly with her arms crossed. "You are always giving us the same reason over and over again with the girls that we introduced to you, or to the other girls you just met.". She sighed, "Don't tell me you haven't moved on with ---."

Natsu suddenly held Lucy's hand and she looked at him. Natsu stopped Lucy from continuing her words because he noticed that Gray was now getting irritated. Lucy looked back at Gray and she realized why her fiancé did that.

Last year, Gray broke up with his ex-girlfriend after being in a relationship for two years because she just decided to end their relationship without talking to him. Then, two months after he saw her being intimate with someone else. He was so furious, and about to confront them, but Natsu stopped him for making a scene in public.

Gray knew that it was his faults that their relationship ended, but she should've talk to him and fix everything, or maybe end it in a good way.

He moved on alright, but he just don't want to bring up that topic anymore or talk about it.

Lucy rested her arms on the table. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Gray gave Lucy a half-smile then nodded. "It's fine. Let's drop it already. And ---", raised his hand. "For the last time, I'll be fine."

"We know that, but of course, we want you to enjoy life. You are always working, always busy. We had to drag you here for you to hang out with us. And maybe… just maybe it is time for you to be in a relationship again. You know?", Lucy worriedly told it to her friend in front of her.

Gray lowered his head as a sign of surrendering. He knew that Lucy will not stop bugging him unless he will bring a date on their wedding. They've been having this conversation since the couple announced their plan of getting married to all of their friends five months ago.

Natsu laughed while looking at his defeated friend that was being pestered by his fiancé.

"Let him breath, Luce. He'll find someone.", Natsu said while softly patting Lucy's shoulder.

Lucy gave up for now. She leaned her back on her chair backrest then once again crossed her arms, "Okay, I'll let it slide this time."

"Oh mavis, thank you!", Gray threw his fist in the air celebrating his freedom, but he knew that Lucy will continue bugging him about it. His friends meant well when they were introducing some girls to him, but he got tired for doing the same process. Telling their names, work, hobby, and sometimes he had to make some excuses so he can't go to that date they planned for him.

He is freaking Gray Fullbuster. A handsome man, smart, wealthy, a heartthrob since high school until now. Girls easily falls for him, but he is not a type of a guy who uses those traits to get a girl. Okay, maybe sometimes when he feels like it. But he can meet and date someone without a help from his friends. He was only agreeing so they can stop annoying him, and to be honest, he's not thinking of being in a relationship again. Not now.

>>><<< 

A week after, Gray was sitting in a private room at the bar with Natsu and Lucy again with their other friends to celebrate the birthday of Loke. As usual, they had to force him again to come out from his hive. He's satisfied enough with a beer on his hand and maybe after an hour or two he'll drive back home. But he then noticed that one of their friends haven't arrived yet.

"Where is Cana?", he asked while looking between Natsu and Lucy.

"She's on her way here with Juvia.", Lucy responded. "Oh! I invited her Loke. Is that okay? You all have met her 2 weeks ago in our company retreat, right? And she is also invited in our wedding."

"The beautiful blue-haired sexy-as hell-shy girl?", Lucy frowned on how Loke describe her friend from work. "Uhm, yeah… that is her." Lucy glared at Loke. "Do you really need to describe her like that?"

"Why? I'm just telling the truth, and FYI, I'm not the one who came up with that words.", Loke defensively explained.

"Who did?", Erza joined the conversation. Loke gulped when he heard Erza's voice then he nervously turned his head to Gray's direction. Erza and Lucy frowned staring at Gray while Natsu was laughing his heart out.

"Gray?", Lucy questionably looked at her black-haired friend, but he averted his eyes to somewhere else.

Juvia. A very familiar name that he heard for so many times in one day, and when Lucy mentioned the name, a beautiful blue-haired sexy-as hell-shy girl appeared in his mind. She became the topic of Natsu, Loke, and Gray the day after the retreat when they were in the bar. He really did describe her like that, and both Natsu and Loke teased him about it. Saying that he likes her. Gray didn't deny, but he told to his two friends to keep it a secret, but thanks to Loke who ruined it.

The moment his eyes laid on Juvia at the retreat, he was already captivated by her. He liked the color of her hair, her pale skin that shines under the sun, and the shy smile that she was showing to anyone that talked to her. He tried to focus on something else or someone else, but his gaze kept on going back to the beautiful blue-haired girl.

He wanted and tried to talk to her, but never got a chance because she was always being pulled by her co-workers, especially men. They were flirting with her, and it was obvious that she was uncomfortable. She had to excuse herself, and sometimes Lucy had to drag her away from them.

He'd noticed that some guys were checking her out and were trying to get her attention. He even saw Loke naughtily staring at her too. What a player. He then realized that he was not different with those guys and Loke because he was doing the same thing. Hey, he is a guy and it is normal to be attracted with a woman with a nice body and she totally has one. She was not wearing revealing clothes, but it was still showing her perfect curves.

When she finally joined Lucy on the table, the blonde girl introduced Juvia to her friends. And Gray had a chance to look at her up-close. Damn! She is really beautiful. The very first words he said in his mind. Their eyes met a few times, but she was always the first one to look away while showing a pink tint on her cheeks. He found her cute and interesting.

He didn't understand himself why he chickened out to talk to her that day. He got his own ways to get a girl; easy and fast. But he can't find any reason why he wasn't able to do it with Juvia.

"Why is she with Cana?", Loke asked after taking a sip on his beer.

"Those two.", Lucy chuckled. "They've gotten closer after the retreat. I can't believe they did because we all know that Cana is wild and free, unlike Juvia who is quiet and shy. They are really opposite, but Cana said she really likes her."

"I like her too.", all eyes stared at Erza, and she frowned in confusion. "What? She's sweet, she has a funny side that I found cute, and the way she talks, it's adorable. She is a unique girl, and I want her to be my friend too."

The way she talks… Gray secretly smiled remembering the woman who speaks in third person. Erza is right. She really is a unique girl. She's the only person he heard talking like that. It was weird at first, but when he kept on hearing her sweet voice. It didn't matter anymore. He liked it and can't wait to hear her voice again.

>>><<< 

"Hello bitches!", the door swung open revealing the person they've been waiting for. Cana excitedly entered the room then greeting each of her friends with a tight hug.

"What took you so long?", Natsu asked while receiving the hug from Cana.

"Oh… I went shopping, and it was really hard to find this perfect dress.", she proudly turned around to show off her tight black sexy dress.

"We are celebrating my birthday though, unless you forgot.", Loke handed her a glass of wine.

Cana took the wine then sat beside Lucy, "I didn’t honey, but I have a date later, so ---", winked sexily at Loke.

Loke rolled his eyes, Natsu and Lucy smiled, Erza just shook her head, but the other person inside the room couldn’t care less. He was so happy deep inside when Cana showed up, and immediately looked at the door expecting other person to appear, but no one came in until the door shut closed. He wanted to ask Cana, but he didn't want to receive any teasing from his friends tonight, so he chose to stay quiet.

"Where is Juvia?", at last! Thank you, Lucy. Gray thanked his blonde friend secretly for finally asking. He looked at Cana and anxiously waiting for an answer.

Cana sipped on her glass before answer, "She run into someone on our way here, and told me to go first, but she'll be here soon."

Gray finally relaxed knowing that she was really here, but he was getting impatient because he really wanted to see her now.

"Someone I know too?", Lucy curiously asked. "Nope, I don't think so. It was a girl. Although, guys are probably lining themselves right now at her for what she is wearing tonight.", she laughed.

Gray abruptly stood up making his friends confusingly looked at him. He cleared his throat and finding an excuse to tell them. "Uhm, restroom…", he simply said then began walking towards the door.

Gray stretched his hand to open the door, but someone already did it for him. He froze from where he was standing staring at the woman he's been itching to see and can't even stop himself for checking her out. She was looking so damn hot with the light blue short dress she was wearing; different from the last time he saw her. The dress was embracing her curves, his eyes trailed down on her revealing cleavage that was popping up and down as she breaths. Why is she panting? And her legs that also didn’t prevent him to examine. Those nice long legs.

"Juvia!", Gray got lost in his thoughts when Cana and Lucy shouted her name. He looked at her, meeting her midnight blue eyes. "Gray! Let her in!", he stepped away when he heard Erza quietly shouted at him. "My bad. Uhm, excuse me.", he passed by Juvia and left the room.

"Damn Juvia babe, you are looking good today."

"See I told you. She is stunning…"

"You really are Juvia…"

Gray heard all the compliments his friends was saying to the girl who just arrived.

"Juvia is a bit uncomfortable though ---"

He had heard her sweet voice again, but when the door finally closes, he took a last look at the door before walking to the restroom.

Inside the private room, Juvia was sitting between Lucy and Loke, and they were having a conversation. But she kept on looking at the door, thinking about the raven-haired man who hadn't returned yet.

Gray-sama. She blushed when she said his name inside her mind. Then the memory of the retreat went back recalling the moment her eyes landed on him. He was wearing a plain black long sleeve shirt, demin pants, and a white rubber shoes. Simple, but so handsome. He was just quietly sitting on the table with Lucy and their friends, busy drinking his beer.

She was in-demand that day, praising her for doing a great job organizing the retreat with two of her co-workers, but Juvia mostly did the job. It was well-planned and done professionally. She was really tired but didn't want to be rude when her co-workers or even the bosses were talking to her. Yet, her eyes were still taking some quick peek to the most handsome man she found in the event.

She was getting uncomfortable when some of the guys from her work were asking her out. She knew them being a womanizers', so she was avoiding them as much as possible. She doesn’t want her name to be put in their lists, and she is not that type of a girl. They have looks, but not her type.

When she finally had time to breath, Lucy pulled her into their table and introduced her to the people surrounding the table. Staring at Gray from a far was enough for her, but her being in the same table with him was too much. Her heart was beating so fast, and she can feel her cheeks getting warmer every time she and Gray were meeting each other's eyes.

She was having the same feeling now that she was in the same place with Gray again. Although, he's not returning yet. She quite missed his presence.

>>><<< 

The small room was filled with laughter's, stories being shared, and just enjoying the birthday celebration of Loke. The first time Juvia spent her time with Lucy's friend she felt really comfortable and she was glad she came along. She was engaged in a conversation with Lucy, Erza, and Cana. She was really having a great time, and really enjoying the company of the people inside the room.

All of them were laughing with the jokes that Loke had been telling them, but they stopped when the door suddenly opened then all eyes were looking at Gray who just came back.

"What took you so long ice prick?!", Natsu asked.

"It is nothing that you need to know.", Gray responded coldly.

"Being grumpy again, aren't we Mr. Fullbuster?", Cana said in a teasing way.

Gray rolled his eyes and about to sat on the chair near him, but Loke stopped him and pulled him to sit beside him. That made him settle between Loke and Juvia. His arm brushed against Juvia's, but he didn’t forget to apologize which she shyly accepted.

"You don't have that with you earlier.", Erza pointing the blazer he was holding.

"It's chilly in here.", he said while putting the blazer on and being careful not to bump Juvia again.

Natsu smirked, "That's new. What happened to "cold never bother you anyway", huh?"

"Just shut up.", Gray leaned forward to get his glass of beer then made himself comfortable on his chair.

The celebration continued, Loke and Natsu started their battle in a drinking game. Lucy was cheering her fiancé while Cana was doing the same with Loke, and Erza was busy talking to someone on the phone.

Gray shook his head, didn't want to know why he was in the same room with his idiotic friends doing some silly game, but he didn't miss a single chance to take a glance at the blue-haired girl beside him. She was smiling and giggling while watching Natsu and Loke having their best time of the night.

They haven't said a single word to each other since Gray got back from the "restroom" beside from saying sorry when he accidentally bumped her shoulder earlier, and that was an hour ago, but Gray kept noticing something about her. Like, she doesn't like drinking much because she barely touched her drink, but he can tell that she was already intoxicated; she is a lightweight drinker. She probably likes Nachos because that's the only snacks she's been eating. She smiles a lot and can really handle a conversation so well for someone who is a shy person like her, maybe because she's already used of dealing with people. Lastly, she was uncomfortable with the dress she's wearing because she kept on fixing her dress from top to bottom.

That's the reason why he had his blazer when he got back. When he heard her saying she was uncomfortable, he just walked out from the bar then went straight where he parked his car. It was like his subconscious spoke in his behalf.  

Erza had joined the drinking game, and she was playing it with Cana. Juvia leaned forward to get another piece of Nachos, but she was not the only one who is doing the same thing. Gray reached for a piece as well, both stopped and looked at each other, but Juvia back away immediately.

"Juvia is sorry. Gray-sama can have some first."

Gray frowned after hearing the way she called him. What did she just call me? Juvia was staring him, waiting for him to get a nacho, but he was just stuck in his position.

"Gray-sama?", Juvia called him while looking at him with her big midnight blue eyes.

He cleared his throat then leaned back and fixed himself. "No, it’s okay. You go first."

She nodded, "Thank you." She reached for the nachos then happily ate it.

Gray was watching her enjoying the piece on her hand and he can't help himself from smiling.

"You really like that, huh?", Juvia quickly turned her head at Gray, thinking if he was really talking to her. But her thoughts vanished when she realized that Gray's eyes were secured on her while wearing a smile. So handsome.

Juvia slightly shook her head, removing the thoughts of melting in front of Gray because of his attractive, and sexy smile.

"It's one of Juvia's favorite...", took another piece of nachos and dipped it into its sauce. Gray watched her taking satisfaction in the snacks she's been eating.

"I can tell.", he smirked. Juvia looked at him with confusion. He then realized what he said. She must be thinking that I've been watching her. Well, that was really what he was doing, but he didn't want her to get a wrong idea.

He cleared his throat then looked at Juvia, "It's just --- it isn’t hard not to notice."

"Gray-sama was watching Juvia?", she said with a disgusting look.

"What? No, no, not like that. I'm not --- I'm not watching you…", Juvia giggled by Gray being all defensive.

"Juvia is just kidding Gray-sama." Her laughter continued, so natural when talking to him. Maybe the alcohol helped, or maybe she was just really feeling comfortable with the people surrounding her. Gray's lips curved into smile, and their conversation grew. They didn’t even notice that their friends were watching them.

Their friends looked at each other then back to the two persons who seemed busy with each other's company. Lucy who kept on pushing Gray to have a date on her wedding day stared at her fiancé and gave him a mischievous smile which Natsu already understands.

Erza gestured to her friends to leave the two alone and have their time to get to know each other which they all nodded and go on with what they were doing.

>>><<<

It was getting late, but the birthday celebration was far from over. What happened of going home in an hour or two, Gray?

Being in their own world and still not minding the other people inside the room, Gray and Juvia already shared a lot of things to each other. Gray is not usually the one who talk much. His friends know that, and if he was in a blind date, the girl was mostly doing the talking, yet with Juvia; it’s different. Good different.

"Is that Gray-sama's favorite? Juvia haven't tried it yet, but Juvia would like too if Gray-sama will be the one taking her." she shyly smiled, but her smile vanished seconds after she realized what she said. Gray-sama must be thinking that Juvia is flirting with him. What an idiot! Juvia internally smacked her head for saying those words.

Meanwhile, Gray was caught off guard after hearing her invitation. He blinked for a second, wasn't expecting from a shy girl like her to casually ask him out. But he smiled right away, liking the idea of him spending a day with Juvia.

"Uhm, Juvia… Juvia doesn't…doesn't mean it like that. What she meant was, Gray-sama can… can tell Juvia where to buy one, and… and she will try it. Yeah, that's what she meant.", she exhaled then smile awkwardly, trying to sound convincing, but Gray was just smiling at her for getting flustered.

Gray sat properly then loosened his tie, returning his gaze to Juvia. "What is the point of telling it to you if I can take you there by myself?", his sexy voice gave Juvia chills. Her cheeks became crimson red, eyes widen while looking at the handsome man beside her.

She wanted to say something, but no words are coming out. She was stuck and just having an eye contact with Gray whose smile didn't went away.

Their little time of staring at each other got interrupted when they both heard someone cleared their throat and when they both turned their head, Loke and Natsu were standing in front of them with their arms crossed.

"We are not ruining something in here, are we?", Loke said while smiling playfully and looking at Gray.

Gray wanted to punch Loke and Natsu in their stomach right now for disturbing his pleasant moment with Juvia. He quickly went back to his old self the moment he looked at his "good-for-nothing" friends.

"What do you want?", his voice changed as well. Natsu and Loke knew that he was pissed, but of course, they didn't care. They even liked it.

"We're going to change location.", Loke said.

Then Natsu glanced at Juvia then back to Gray. "You two still like to join us, or ---?", the pink-haired man mischievously smiled at Gray that seemed like he was telling something to him which the raven-haired man understands immediately.

Juvia checked the time using her phone, and Gray averted his attention back to her. Then Juvia looked up meeting his eyes, immediately knew that something was troubling her by her wearing a frown on her face.

"What's wrong?", he worriedly asked.

Juvia gave everyone an apologetic smile then put his phone back inside her bag. "Juvia is sorry everyone, but she can't no longer join, and she needs to go now."

Disappointment showed in their faces, especially the man beside her. Gray was really having a good time talking to her and wanted to spend more time with her, but of course she must have a valid reason why she needed to go.

"Oh right!", everyone looked at Lucy. "You need to go the airport early in the morning tomorrow to see your brother."

Juvia nodded with a smile, "That is right, but Juvia still wanted to join you guys. If isn't because of her ---."

"It's alright Juvia. We can still hang out next time. No worries.". Erza winked then sweetly smiling at her. Juvia nodded with a same smile she received from Erza. She stood up, placing the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "Juvia had a great time. Thank you so much for inviting her." She then faced Loke, "Happy Birthday Loke-san."

Loke happily gave her a grin and waved at her, the other did the same as well, except one. Juvia said her final goodbye to her newfound friends, but before exiting the room she looked at Gray, but he just gave her half smile.

>>><<< 

Juvia was standing outside the bar, waiting for a taxi. She left 10 minutes ago, but she was still at the place where she had spent a great time with her new friends, and with a certain someone.

She kept on looking back at the entrance of the bar. Arguing with herself whether to go back inside or not. She even gave Gray hint, hoping he can drive her back to her apartment, but she guesses her hint was not that obvious. Or he was just so dense to notice it.

She didn't want to leave because she still wanted to get to know Gray a bit more, but she also doesn’t want to disappoint his brother because she made a promise. A promise that she will pick him up at the airport from his business trip. Nothing special really, but she and her brother are really close even though they are really not related to each other.

It is already late, but people kept on going in and out from the bar, and it was hard to get a taxi as well. Busy night.

She was hugging herself because of the cold that was touching her skin. It was Cana's fault for forcing her to wear a dress that she's not used to, it was quite revealing. She can feel some eyes ogling her and also some cars honking their horns at her, and she can't help but feel uncomfortable, worried, and alarmed.

"What's taking it so long?", she mumbled. Now getting frustrated because she's been waiting for too long. After a few minutes, she finally saw a taxi coming. She raised her hand and started waving at the taxi, but it just drove passed her.

She sighed and her shoulders dropped down. Suddenly, someone stood behind her and put a blazer on top of her shoulder, covering her skin from the cold. She nervously jumped and quickly turned around with her eyes wide open. When she saw the person behind her, her eyes soften and exhaled deeply. Feeling relaxed and safe.

"Gray-sama."

Earlier, when Juvia left the room, Gray was really disappointed. He wanted her to stay, but when he heard her reason for leaving, he had no reason to stop her. He grabbed his glass of beer and drunk what's left then placed it back on the table when he was done.

Then he leaned lazily on his seat followed by furiously rubbing his hair. He already missed her presence, longing for her company, and he didn't get to feel this feeling with other women he had met. He doesn't even remember some of their names.

His heart aches, but he was sure that if Juvia by his side, it will heal. She really did something to him, even if she's not aware of it. Damn, he's not sure what was it either. But she was driving him crazy and had a strong desire to see her more in the future.

While he was sulking like a heartbroken teenager, he was not aware of his friend’s eyes staring at him. No one was talking until Erza broke the silence.

"What are you doing?", Erza's firm voice made Gray sat up straight. When he realized that the red-haired girl was talking to him, he confusingly frowned and felt the eyes fixed on him.

"What?", he responded coldly.

"Are you just going to let her go home by herself?", Cana asked with her arms crossed.

"You are stupid if you let that amazing woman slip out of your hand.", Erza plainly added.

Gray gave his friends a confused look, but honestly, he had an idea of what they were talking about. There is no doubt that he likes her, and there was enough sign that him and Juvia were on the same page.

"Go after her Gray.", Lucy said while smiling at her friend.

Gray nodded, immediately understand Lucy's words. "Yeah, I should."

Why didn't he think about it earlier? Instead of moping in his seat like an idiot. He had to smile at himself for losing focus because of the blue-haired girl. He smiled at his friends, "Thanks guys."

After that, he immediately stood up, grabbed his blazer and left the room. He was not sure if he can still catch up with Juvia, but he was hoping he can. When he got outside, he smiled and thanking the whole world because she was still there. He noticed her for feeling uncomfortable in where she was standing, he saw guys looking at her, he heard cars honking their horns at her, and because of the cold touching her pale, delicate, soft skin.

He watched her raising her hand for calling a taxi, he was about to call her name, but when the taxi didn’t stop in front of her, he noticed her shoulders dropped and that was when he began his move.

>>><<< 

"Gray-sama."

"I'm glad you're still here."

They looked at each other, but Juvia was still in the process if Gray was really standing in front of her. She touched his cheek then when she felt a warm skin, she smiled happily. "Gray-sama is really here."

He smirked, and can't stop himself from laughing quietly, "Of course I'm here."

"What is Gray-sama doing here?", she asked. "Juvia thought ---"

She wasn't able to finish her words when Gray cupped her right cheek with his palm. "I can't just let a beautiful woman like you go home by herself. Especially, wearing like that."

He examined her from top to bottom for the second time, but he did not do it maliciously. However, despite of the cold she was feeling, her cheeks were blushing so badly that she felt some warmth sensation from what Gray just said.

Rather than responding with words, she placed her hand on top of his hand where he was cupping her cheek and smiled sweetly.

"Please allow me to take you home Juvia. So, I can spend more time with you."

Gray took her hand and he put them down together. Their hands were now intertwined, and no one was planning to let go.

"It was just a 40-minute drive Gray-sama.", she giggled. "But Juvia doesn't mind if Gray-sama will take a longer route."

How bold. She kept on surprising him. Where is the shy girl a few hours ago? And the girl who wanted to get away from the crowd at the retreat? Who cares? He doesn’t even think it as a bad thing, instead he was craving for more.

"Sounds like a deal." Soon after, Gray pulled her gently so they can cross the road and guide her where he parked his car.

As they were walking away from the bar, their friends were watching them crossing the road with a full smile on their faces.

"It looks like Gray have a date already in our wedding babe." Natsu winked at Lucy and she giggled.

"Do you think Gray will ask her? They are looking so good together." Lucy worriedly asked his fiancé. "I can't believe I didn't think of setting them up!"

"Maybe we can stop annoying him to go on a blind dates Luce. He already found someone he likes."

"You are right…"

"I'll date Juvia if he didn’t ask her." Loke received a smack on his head from Erza. "Aww!", He was rubbing his hair because the pain might disappear, but Erza really gave him a strong one.

"Find someone else. Juvia is a sweet girl and doesn't deserve to be a plaything. Plus, I know Gray will not do that to her." Erza confidently told it to her friends.

Then they left the bar with all smiles on their faces.

>>><<< 

"The retreat was amazing. I can’t believe you managed to do that by yourself.", Gray praised Juvia for doing a great job organizing a big event.

Juvia blushed, didn’t expect a sudden compliment from Gray. "Juvia had some help Gray-sama. She didn’t do it alone.", she responded shyly.

"I heard a different case from Lucy though." Gray told her while focusing on the road.

Juvia frowned in confusion. "What did Lucy-san say?". She slightly tilted her head looking at Gray while waiting for his answer.

Gray looked at her and can’t help but adore her beautiful azure eyes that were staring at him like a puppy. But he had to focus with his driving, so he immediately turned his attention back on the road.

He cleared his throat and began thinking about what to say. "Uhm well… Lucy said that you did all the work, and you didn’t even complain about your co-workers who were supposed to do the job with you. That's what she said."

She slowly nodded then sweetly smiled at him. "Juvia was still grateful… because they appreciate what she did, they recognized her talent, and Juvia was just so happy. And about the people who didn’t do their job are now being punished with a pack of paper works for the whole month. So, it is a win-win for Juvia.", she giggled.

Gray chuckled, liking her honesty and enthusiasm. This girl is really interesting, one of a kind, and definitely worth it.

Gray really did take a longer route, and Juvia didn’t complain about it, but sadly, even though they still don't want to leave each other's side. They had to say their goodbyes because they already reached their destination. Juvia's apartment.

The gloominess of her eyes was shown, but she still managed to give Gray her sweetest smile. "Thank you for giving Juvia a ride home, Gray-sama."

"The least I can do.", he simply said.

"Juvia had fun"

Gray nodded, "Me too."

They were staring at each other, no one was saying some words, and didn’t know what was running inside each other's minds. The silence stopped when Juvia deeply exhales, bit her lower lip, smiled at Gray for the last time then she opened the car door and got out from the car.

But before she closed it, Gray called her name and stepped out from his car. Juvia shut the passenger door while watching Gray walking his way to the other side of the car where she was standing. Their eyes were locked at the each other until Gray was already standing in front of her.

"Gray-sa ---"

He had to do it. He wanted to do it. Juvia's words was cut short because her lips were now being sealed by Gray's lips. She was surprised, but immediately melted by his gentle kiss. He really knows how to make a woman surrender, but it was different for Juvia.

He was kissing her with respect. Soft. Delicate. Slow. Passionate.  

No one wanted to let go and didn’t care about the few people walking at the side of road. However, they needed air and Gray was the first one to pull away, but their foreheads were resting against each other.

Their breathing was sync and they stayed like that for a few seconds before standing straight and locking their eyes at each other, but her hand was still being held by him.

"Go out with me." Gray whispered, but still loud enough for Juvia to hear.

Juvia's eye widen, wasn't expecting to hear those words from him, "G-Gray-sama…"

He smiled. Even though the dark was surrounding them he can still the red tint from Juvia's cheeks. "You don’t need to answer me right away. I'm sorry for surprising you, but I, uhm… I meant that." Cleared his throat. He was starting to sweat. He was nervous, and Juvia was the only woman who made him feel that way. He was only good at hiding it.

Juvia suddenly giggled. His brows drawn together while confusingly staring at the beautiful woman in front of him.

"You are so cute Gray-sama." Juvia actually noticed his cold sweat, his worry, and hesitation, and it was so pleasing for her eyes. With her sudden compliment, it was Gray's turn to feel flustered. He scratched the back of his head, landed his eyes at Juvia who was looking lovely with her giggling then his lips curved into a shy smile.

"Yes."

Gray's smile disappeared, confusingly looking at Juvia, and thinking if he heard her right. "What did you say?"

Juvia bit her lower lip then exhaled deeply. "Juvia said yes with what Gray-sama said earlier. She will go out with you."

Gray's face brightened like a kid who received a lollipop, but in a manly way (if that makes sense).

"You can't turn back now. I'm warning you." he said in a flirty tone.

Juvia nodded, "Juvia is serious and has no plan of turning back."

"That also means, you'll be my date at Natsu and Lucy's wedding."

She chuckled, "Juvia loves that."

He was very satisfied with her answer and smiled even more. That moment, he was so happy and can’t wait to see the future that awaits for him and with the "sexy-as hell-shy girl" in front of him.

[mlqcconfessions]

*chanting* the boys as dads. the boys as dads. tHE BOYS AS DADS. THE BOYS AS DADS! THE BOYS AS DADS!! (plus points if the kid looks JUST like MC?)

YESS. YESSS.

YESSSSSSSS

MLQC Headcanon - Our little treasure

Victor

He’s the father of a lovely daughter, who looks just like you (to his amusement)

He loves waking up in the morning seeing MC 1.0 and MC 2.0 in bed together

Calls her his little angel (Does that make him Father angel?)

He buys the best presents on her birthday (which unofficially became a celebrated holiday at LFG)

You and your daughter sometimes visit him at the office (much to his delight)

Finishes an entire day’s worth of documents so he can dedicate his time to playing with her

Has her toy kitchen set placed in the corner of his office (so she can bake him a cake while he works which he pretends to eat)

HAS A FRAMED PICTURE OF YOU AND HIS DAUGHTER ON HIS DESK (taken from when you were going apple picking last fall)

He hangs the “I love you” card she made for him on her 3rd birthday on his wall (shows it off to Goldman who doesn’t get paid enough to listen to his boss’ gushes)

Loves the outfits you dress her in (loves it even more when you two are matching)

Hosts the most extravagant parties to celebrate the most random events (the biggest one to date was when she said “dadda” for the first time)

Makes her pudding, but not too often

He wants to prevent her from going to the dentist (just in case she gets scared)

Victor, she’s going to have to go see a dentist someday

He tries hard to not let his daughter become spoiled

He makes her work for rewards

But is actually weak against her tears (you’re the one who has to set your foot down, most of the time)

He looks forward to going home after work (sometimes makes Goldman lock the doors to LFG so he can go home faster)

He loves being greeting by the two of you, while she runs up to hug him

He feels so content in these moments that nothing seems impossible

So he’s ready for another one

Kiro

TWIN. SONS.

SO RAMBUNCTIOUS (he’s actually the loudest one)

He notices their love for music early on

He sings along with them while bathing them

Spends the little break times he has to memorize the opening of their favorite show (he takes on one of the characters to dance with his sons)

He brings his sons to the recording studio, letting them go wild inside

He secretly records them singing in the booth (sets it as his ringtone)

Definitely the type to tell them stories about the monster in the closet, with dramatic sound effects (that’s not what your angelic voice is for, Kiro)

He’s so intrigued at how they look like you (but with blond hair)

Doesn’t like getting mad often, but will do it if he has to (actually pretty scary when he’s scolding them)

He asks Savin all sorts of questions (that he honestly doesn’t want to know the context of)

Savin, how do you remove a ring from a baby’s stomach? 

You found out later from Savin (I left the room for 5 minutes, Kiro. And you let the baby swallow your ring?)

Frequent games of “Who can hug mommy the tightest?” (he just picks you up bridal style, letting your legs dangle over the twins’ heads)

Insists he tags along on play dates with the neighborhood kids

He gets along so well with the parents?

Gives standing ovations at their school plays (YES! Do you see those trees? They’re MY trees!)

He makes things like chores and brushing teeth into a game (so they won’t be as hostile towards them)

150% wears matching pajamas with the twins (honestly, it’s like you’re raising 3 kids)

Has mini concerts at home (it’s good that you live in a house, and not an apartment)

WRITES SONGS ABOUT HIS SONS

Performs them on tours ONLY when he knows you’ll bring them there

Has a bedtime routine with them (kiss mommy goodnight, kiss daddy goodnight daddy kisses mommy goodnight)

Always wakes up to see them in weird sleeping positions (takes a picture every time, later makes them into a full album became the present for their 18th birthday)

Lucien

A beautiful daughter, a beautiful wife

Nothing more he could ask for

He’s into making home videos (likes to watch them in between his lectures)

He just likes looking at her (because she reminds him so much of you)

Isn’t reluctant to introduce her to the other professors (but doesn’t like it when they get a little too close)

He can’t hide his triumphant smirk whenever she tells him to pick her up (sorry Dr., it seems my daughter is wary of strangers)

He likes noticing the small details about his child (and how she has the same habits as you)

Like how you stick out your tongue when concentrating

Or how one eye squints a little more than the other when smiling

He buys a tiny lab coat for her (after she said she wanted to be a white fairy princess like her dad)

RAISES. BUTTERFLIES. WITH. HER. (the whole caterpillar to cocoon shabang)

He calls her his Blue Morpho (you’re his Monarch)

Explains every animal during trips to the zoo (she loves calling the animals by their scientific names)

He’s so tall? He has to bend down in order to hold her hand (the reason why he just rolls the stroller instead / just picks her up)

He does little science experiments with her (safe ones, of course)

He takes her word for it when she exclaims how colorful everything is

You sometimes bring her to classes when he’s scheduled to lecture

The class can’t focus while a toddler keeps drawing stuff on the board

He plays picture card games with her

Ok, then what animal is this one?

Leopardus pardalis! (You actually can’t keep up with their conversations sometimes)

He has to hold her hand during her naps (she said it helps her fall asleep better, or something like that)

He’s not complaining

Gavin

He can’t believe this is actually happening

He’s going to be a FATHER

And with YOUR child! (the nurses had to stop him from barging into the room so often)

He insisted that he try the Empathy Belly (so he could exactly know what you were going through during pregnancy)

Didn’t think it would be THIS difficult to just live a daily life

SO PROTECTIVE over his daughter (literally follows closely behind her)

He was honestly worried about being a dad (especially after growing up with that asshole kind of parent)

You put full trust in him because Gavin is DIFFERENT from his father (and now he can believe that)

He loves just how much she looks like you (it’s like watching a mini-you run around the house)

Has workout sessions with her (push-up kisses, squats with her dangling on his shoulders, bench presses with her as weight)

Likes it when she tags along with him to the police station (he brags to the other officers every time)

But bringing her to STF? NO WAY IN HELL (although Eli does come over sometimes)

He changed his diet (from instant ramen) so she could be a healthy child

Has an entire closet full of bandages, ointments, and medicine for when she’s hurt or gets sick (if only he took care of his own injuries like that)

But he is a lot more careful when fighting on the scene

He doesn’t want her to cry over his wounds like LAST TIME (he was so surprised)

Uncle Minor acts as the unofficial godfather (he’s actually good at taking care of kids?)

Gavin teaches her how to ride a 2-wheeled bike (he’s so afraid of letting go, even if she insisted)

He likes taking her out on flights when she’s a little older (they always visit the Ferris wheel afterwards)

He makes another ginkgo bracelet just for her

He has pretend tea parties with her and you (Uncle Minor is the butler for some reason)

He keeps the drawing of you, Gavin, and her safely tucked inside his pocket during missions (it’s his good luck charm)

Doesn’t let her use Sparky, but does let her help him clean it

DEFINITELY THE TYPE TO WALK WITH HER ON HIS SHOULDERS (she’s holding on his neck, chin resting on the top of his head)

Worries about the future boyfriend she’s gonna bring home 

Gavin, she’s only 5

Well, yeah but for NOW

WHEW

That was a lot of fluff

Which was your favorite part? Mine would probably be Gavin working out with his daughter (because I’m Birdcop trash like that and actually imagined it)

[kanohivolitakk]

Have you done Krekka for the ask game? I know you're a huge Nidhiki fan, curious if you have any thoughts on his partner?

I haven't gotten Krekka yet actually. So far I only done Toa Ignika and Axonn for the Bionicle ask game (which Im still accepting). That being said great choice. Krekka isn't necessarily a big favorite of mine (partially because I'm not that fond of the "dumb brute" archetype barring a few exceptions), but I have to admit I do have a soft spot for the big guy. Krekka is a relatively simple character when it comes to characterization/backstory/role in the story (especially when compared to Nidhiki), but that doesn't mean I don't have any "deeper" thoughts regarding him or that there isnt stuff worth discussing.

Anyways some thoughts/headcanons/general musings:

This is a weird thing to start with but... Krekka is kinda adorable for me. I think its kinda this ...overgrown puppy (bulldog??) vibe due to his loyalty and dumbness. I admit BOADH is a big reason for me feeling this way since it gave him a few moments that made me go "AWWW he's so cute". Just..love his loyalty so much.

His undying loyalty makes him stand out for me across the other dark hunters. While many dark hunters we ha e are opportunistic and schemy, Krekka is just...very loyal. Maybe too much so. But I love that he is loyal. Feels refreshing tbh.

And now I cant help but feel that TSO is just "guys stupid but at least he wont double cross me and is easy to keep in check" when it comes to him.

Not to go woobifying villains but I genuinely dont think the guys that bad. Hes just really stupid, overly loyal and doing his job. Its kinda like w Lariska being a decent person despite being a knife happy murder girl although to a much lesser extent since guys a literalminded fool and also just smashy boy.

I do like his backstory of being a former guard who lost his job and started wreck havoc until one day a dark hunter found and hired him. It isnt anything too complex but it works well for his character and explains why he is so loyal to Dark Hunters. It also helps bringing a bit more light to his homeland and I love when we get more info of places through character backstories, makes the world feel more real that way.

Also can Gorast please stop hurting charaxters I like. This is the reason shes my least favorite character in the 2001-2008 storyline that isnt just a glorified extra or a plot device.

When it comes to Krekka, one scene I always think of when I think of him is in BOADH where he temporarily forgot to fly and Nidhiki was just "WAIT A MOMENT LARISKA TOLD ME YOU CAN FLY????" and Krekka just goes "whoops I forgot". That was adorable honestly. You dumb idiot, forgot you could fly.

Also, I know he's kinda "the idiot character", and while I am NOT saying he isn't, I do think its worth pointing out that he's basically literal minded. In BOADH (again) when Nidhiki tried to do that training scenario Krekka basically was like "wait I’m here, there’s nothing there why should I move there". This is

Another thing I really like about Krekka is that how, despite being an absolute idiot and tool, he still is willing to sometimes not take Nidhikis bullshit, see preventing him from getting the Zamor launchers (geez BOADH did a lot for this guys characterization lmao)

I sometimes call him truck boy because his name is one letter off my languages word for truck.

Also unless canon/word of Greg says otherwise I don't think every member of his species is as stupid as him. Like possibly on similar level but still.

It is made pretty clear that Nidhiki couldn't stand Krekka at all, but I do genuinely wonder how Krekka feels about Nidhiki. Based on the little we have I'd say he liked him to some extent or at the very least, didn't hate him to the same degree. I also have to wonder how aware he was about Nidhikis haterd towards him.

I also love the idea that when Nidhiki was mutated, Krekka just...wasnt afraid of him at slightest, no fear in this dumb boy. (I also like the idea he didnt recognize him at first and Nidhiki just, had to explain to his thick skull who he was. It took a while but eventually he got it.)

On a related note, I find it interesting how the LOMN website describes him working with Nidhiki because guy knows where to get the good jobs or something rather than being his goverment (read TSO) assigned partner The way the twos relationship were described makes it feel that by this point the staff hadnt figured out what they wanted to do with Dark Hunters , or if it even was an organization or just these two tools.

Its really interesting for me how Krekkas characterization not only varies between the books/comics (where hes more intimidating and him being a simpleton isnt as pronounced) and the movie (where hes more of a dumbass) but also how his characterization evolved. Like, his loyalty wasn't that pronounced trait but now I feel its just as important part of him as him being a dumbass (which is to say, very interesting)

I remember how the aftoermentoined Metru Nui movie website described that Krekka hated toa to the point wouldve hunted them for free if Nidhiki didnt make sure the two would get paid. I feel this is somewhat early installment weirdness as it isnt mentioned anywhere else but at the same time Krekka being willing to fight without payment sounds 1000% in character if you ask me

Something I have been confused over: when exactly was Krekka recruited to the dark hunters??? The timeline is very vague about this and I wish we knew.

It's been AGES since I watched my home countrys dub of LOMN but what I recall I really liked Krekka's voice in that dub. He sounded more badass and I loved it, the VA had a pretty unique sound. Sadly dont think there is any clips of the LOMN dub, which is a shame. UPDATE: I rewatched the dub and I love the voice itself but felt the voice direction made him sound kinda inconsistent

This is more a "Nidhiki and Krekka related thought" rather than just Krekka related but one thing I really like about Krekka and Nidhiki is that how they are like a more serious and competent take of "those two evil henchmen with contrasting personalities" trope. Often these types of villains are rather goofy, but these two could be rather dangerous as well and I really like that. I also like their dynamic of just doing Nidhiki being done with Krekkas bullshit. One of the main reasons I wish LOMN was a miniseries rather than a movie is because I really wanted more screentime with the two.

On a related note can I JUST SAY I LOVE the way the two compliment/pararell each other. From design (Krekka being bulky mostly blue colored, Nidhiki being slender and monstrous, mostly green colored) to personality (Krekka being foolish and simpleminded but loyal Nidhiki being cunning and ambitious but treacherous) to powersets (Krekka being strong physical attacker, Nidhiki being weaker(??) but faster and more special attacker).Heck, even their backstories have similarities as they both lost their orginal purpose in one way or another and didnt have anywhere to go but Dark Hunters (the main difference being that Nidhiki inflicted his fate upon himself by betraying the toa while Krekka didnt really do anything iirc)

Now for something crossovery, Krekkas and Nidhikis dynamic reminds me a lot of Kronk and Yzma from Emperors New Groove. Yes I have drawn a parody of the "pull the lever kronk" meme, yes I intend to make more screencap redraws. They also remind me a lot of Mummymon and Archenemon from Digimon 02, partially due to the dynamic (smug spider that tries to be cunning and intimidating but gets outclassed by most other villains in that + loyal blue dumb boy) partially due to their ultimate fate being rather similar.

I don't know how familiar you are with the franchise, but Krekka reminds me a fair bit of Gamel, one of the four villain generals in Kamen Rider OOOs, mainly because "the dumb brute major villain that's kinda cuteish and loyal a f while everyone else is an asshole".

I remember reading a p good oneshot fic that was just him accidentally killing a civilian when all he wanted was a hug and...honestly that is p much what I imagine him being like. Guy may be strong, reckless and a fool but like I said I dont think hes all that bad and just a puppy. An overgrown, moronic puppy but a puppy nontheless

For AUs, I remember I have thought once of "What if Krekka survived but Nidhiki died" and just ...guy wouldve been very lost and confused and unsure what to do tbh. He would most likely returned to Dark Hunters but Mata Nui knows how say TSO wouldve felt about that. Its not too complex au yet but I am thinking of developing it further one day.

Thank you for asking.

Sorry this took longer than expected. I had too many thoughts and half of them were deleted so. I hope its worth the wait tho. I do have a lot of Krekka thoughts and tbh wasnt sure if I was even able to get them all here.

(I am still doing the ask game so if anyone wants to send me a bonkle I will try to give thoughts, meta and headcanons on them)

[janeykath318]

Once Upon A Time (WinterShock Fantasy AU)

Once upon a time there lived a happy, mischievous Princess named Darcy. Sadly orphaned at a young age, she was surrounded by loving caregivers, who taught her how to be a good, but kind ruler. 

When Princess Darcy was just twelve years old, the regent Lord Phillip noticed she showed signs of being gifted with magic, a rare ability in that land. 

After some consultation with Darcy’s other guardians, he decided she should learn how to use her gift and Darcy started magic classes. By the time she was sixteen, she had learned many useful spells and was becoming better at controlling her magic. 

In history class, she learned of the great wars between the evil practitioners of black magic known as Hydra and the wizards and knights of the kingdom. 

Hydra had been defeated, but at the cost of many lives, including those of the stouthearted Sir Steven Rogers and Sir James Barnes, whose great deeds lived on in story and song. Darcy passed by their portraits in the great hall and wished she could have known those great men. Sir James she found especially appealing with his mirth filled grey-blue eyes, well-shaped face and dark brown hair.

As her twenty-first birthday approached and she readied to take up the mantle of queen, many suitors sought her hand. Most of them didn’t make it past Lord Phillip, who carefully questioned them to gauge their character and intentions, and the few who did did not arouse Darcy’s interest. 

Then came the shocking revelation that Sir Steven had been found alive, having been encased in an enchanted block of ice for seventy years. He was brought to the castle and tended to by physicians and healers before Lord Phillip and Lord Nicholas questioned him. Finally, they were finished and allowed Darcy to have an audience with him. 

Excited to meet one of the heroic men of history, she perked up when Lord Phillip brought him into her reception room. 

He was tall, with a powerful physique, golden hair, and melancholy blue eyes. 

“Sir Steven!” She greeted, as he bowed before. 

“Your highness,” he replied politely. 

“We are glad to find you alive against all odds. How do you feel after your awakening?”

“Physically well, but I struggle to reconcile with the passage of time, your highness,” he answered with surprising honesty. Nearly all of my contemporaries are dead or nearly dead and I as yet do not know how to restart my life.”

“I can’t even begin to imagine,” Darcy said gently, heart aching for the man who’d given up everything for the kingdom. “But just know that if you need a friendly ear to talk to, I am happy to lend mine. Anything you need, just say the word and Phillip will see to it.” 

Over the next few months, Steven and Darcy made friends and he told her many stories of his adventures with Sir James, or Bucky, as Steven called him. 

Unfortunately, with six months to go before Darcy’s coronation as queen, Hydra began to make its presence known again with the reappearance of their legendary assassin, The Winter Soldier, who felled several wizards and was rumored to be sent after the princess herself. Alarmed, Phillip increased the number of Darcy’s bodyguards and brought in the renowned Lady Natasha for extra security and help planning against Hydra’s threats. 

Much as she liked Steven, Darcy chafed at having him everywhere. Her complaints fell on deaf ears, however. Lord Nicholas and Lord Phillip were on high alert and stood firm. 

One day, Darcy and Steven walked through the great hall together and he shared anecdotes of several of the royals depicted on its walls. When they reached Sir James’s portrait, Steven fell silent for several moments, grief so raw in his face that Darcy turned away out of respect.

“It must still seem fresh to you,” she said quietly. “I am sorry for your loss, Steven.” 

“Thank you, your highness,” he sighed. “Yes, to me it seems like it only happened a few days ago. We were ambushed on a treacherous mountain pass. I tried my hardest to reach him, but he lost his hold and…….fell.” 

He swallowed hard, struggling with the memory.

“I know he would have liked you,” he told the Princess. “Bucky appreciated your type of humor and wit. He also was fascinated with magic, albeit only mildly had a very small ability in that area.”

“Sir James had magic?” Darcy asked, even more intrigued.

“He did,” Steve confirmed with a faint smile. “Mostly used it to annoy me: make my armor turn weird colors, grow out my beard to an unnatural length, give my horse a purple tail.” 

Darcy chuckled. “What a rascal. Did I tell you how I gave Phillip a toupee once?”

Steve looked at her in amused disbelief. 

“No, but I must know now.”

For several weeks, the period of watchfulness continued, but nothing happened and Darcy began to hope that the danger wasn’t coming after all, then one night she was awakened abruptly by Natasha.

“Get up your highness. Your life is in danger.” 

“Wha-huh?” Darcy replied sleepily, brain struggling to come to. A pile of clothing was thrown onto her bed.

“Hydra. They nearly killed Lord Nicholas in a late raid. Put on the disguise and pack one bag. We need to get you out of here. Steven is waiting with the horses.”

Numbly, Darcy dressed in the plain gown and dark cloak Natasha had provided and quickly packed a few belongings, hoping desperately her friends were safe. 

Natasha led her out through the secret underground exit that led out behind the stables where Steven was waiting, armored and well armed. 

“What happened?” Darcy whispered as she mounted the horse behind Natasha. He was a good rider herself, but in the dark and under threat, she was more than happy to have the expert take the reins. 

“The Winter Soldier attacked,” Steve said grimly. “I fended him off, but he will likely be back. We are headed for the stronghold of Lord Anthony deep in the mountains. It’s the safest place for you right now.”

The journey was long and hard, taking almost the whole night. They were only a few miles away, when they were overtaken by a black knight on a black horse, covered head to toe in armor, the only mark on him a red star on his silver left arm. 

Steve muttered an oath.

“The Winter Soldier!” He muttered. “Get down!”

Darcy obeyed. She heard the sounds of swords clashing as Steve fought the intruder, then there was a ping! Sound and metal hit the ground and Steve cried out “Bucky!” In an anguished tone followed by a deeper voice saying “Who the hell is Bucky?” 

Now it was Natasha’s turn to swear, but she stuck close to Darcy. Peering up a bit, she could see the tall knight, his helmet now gone, revealing dark brown hair and finely shaped jaw. Her heart jumped into her throat. It was Sir James! He looked completely cold and menacing, but there was something so dead in his eyes, she knew there was something wildly amiss. 

Reaching out with her magic, she sensed the thick cloak of dark magic upon him and guessed Hydra had him under some spell. 

“What do you want?” She heard Steve ask.

“My mission is the Princess. Hand her over. They want her alive.”

“Over my dead body,” Steve growled. 

“Very well.” 

The swords clashed again and the struggle began again. This time, she could tell it was going badly for Steve. 

Darcy couldn’t stand it anymore. She stood up, brushing off Natasha’s restraining arm and walked over to the scene of the fight. Steve was now bleeding on the ground, still trying to get Bucky to remember him. James had his sword at Steve’s throat and was ready to plunge it in when Steve murmured, “I’m with you to the end of the line.”

This made The Soldier pause and the cold expression in his eyes was replaced with a flash of recognition followed by pure panic. 

Darcy stepped forward.

“Don’t kill him! I’ll surrender.”

James whirled around to face her, confusion written all over his face. 

“What are you doing, your highness?” She heard Steve hiss out, but Darcy had a plan and she needed to get closer. 

“You surrender?” James repeated dully.

“Yes,” Darcy said. “Do what you have to do.”

He stalked towards her with his knife drawn, and Darcy stood stock still, waiting for the right moment. She knew a spell she was pretty sure would work, but it would likely leave her exhausted. At this point, exhausted was preferable to dead and she had to try to help James. 

Summoning every ounce of magical strength she could, she cried out, “Restore!” and held out her hands.

Bolts of magical energy sparked from her fingertips and connected with James, wrapping around his head. The energy warred with the darkness and caused it to dissipate and vanish. 

James fell over unconscious.

“What did you do?” Steve asked, having dragged himself painfully over to his friend.

“A restoration spell. Hydra was controlling his mind. I cancelled it out,” Darcy sighed, suddenly exhausted. 

“Can we bring him to the stronghold? It might be some time before he wakes.”

Steve looked at his friend and nodded. 

“We will. I really hope you are right, your highness.”

Between the three of them, they managed to haul James to the gates of the stronghold. It took rather longer to convince Lord Anthony to let him in, but Darcy shamelessly pulled rank on the man and he finally relented. 

She was almost stumbling with exhaustion by the time they reached the keep and Natasha almost carried her off to the guest chamber provided.

“I want to be there when he wakes up!”’she protested.

“He may not wake up for some time,” Natasha answered. “Your spell is still working on him. Please rest, your highness. He won’t get away, I promise.”

So Darcy finally agreed and shortly fell into deep slumber. She awoke rather disoriented and very rumpled. 

“Ugh. I look like a hag, not a Princess!” She moaned, repulsed by her reflection in the mirror. She managed to get herself into a somewhat respectable state when Natasha came for her.

“Is he awake?” Darcy asked eagerly. 

“Yes. He awoke about an hour ago and seems to be himself again. He recognized Steve.”

“That is wonderful news! Please take me to him.”

Natasha obliged and showed Darcy into the room where a bandaged and rather battered looking Steve sat beside James. Darcy felt a pang of remorse for not trying a healing spell on him. 

Both men got to their feet as she entered, Steve rather shakily. 

“Bucky, this is her highness Princess Darcy. She is strong in good magic and wove the spell that freed you from Hydra. I trust you rested well, Your highness?”

“I did, but sit down, Steven, before you fall down. You need to see the healers.” 

“Just what I’ve been telling him….wait PRINCESS Darcy? You saved me?”

James’s voice was filled with awe and wonder as he looked at her, blue eyes now clear and sharp like in his portrait. Oh, heavens, he was incredibly handsome and for a moment she was speechless as they stared at each other. Finally, Bucky shook himself and knelt before her, bowing his head. 

“Where are my manners? Forgive me your highness. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. I am your devoted servant henceforth.” 

“Sir James, I am very happy to see you in your own mind. I am so relieved that it worked,” Darcy assured him, holding out her hand to show him she accepted his thanks. He kissed it, looking reverently into her eyes and Darcy felt her heart skip a beat. She could feel the unspoken connection between them. 

“You and Steven will be honored as heroes,” she declared. 

“Steven is well deserving,” James agreed, a shadow falling over his face. “I do not know that I am deserving to hold the title of knight anymore. The things I have done would sicken you.”

“You mean the things Hydra forced you to do?” Darcy responded. “Hydra’s deeds do sicken me, but the reason you became their captive in the first place was because you were fighting to end their reign of terror. You will not be held liable for something you had no control over.”

“You are very gracious, your highness,” James said gratefully. 

Darcy turned to Steven next and gently scolded him for not getting his wounds tended to before using a healing spell on him.

Lord Anthony came in to check on his guests and give them an update on the situation at the Castle.

“Hydra had infiltrated some of the guard and it has been difficult to weed them out,” he informed them. “Jasper Sitwell and Lord Alexander are both Hydra and have vowed to take over the kingdom. I am sending reinforcements as soon as I can.”

Anger stirred in Darcy. 

“The traitors! I will kick their posteriors!!” 

Steve looked startled at her uncouth language, but Anthony grinned and James’s mouth twitched in amusement. 

“I like the spirit, your highness, but it’s safer for you to remain here. My stronghold has magical defenses and right now, you are Hydra’s number one target. There is a large bounty on your head.”

Darcy turned pale and gripped a nearby table for support. 

She was almost shaking with rage and fear, but told herself to calm down. She had to be strong for her country. 

“I can’t just sit back here while you all risk your lives. You know I can defend myself with my magic,” she reminded them. 

“You can, but the ratio of Hydra to loyal soldiers is much too high and we cannot risk losing you,” Natasha reminded her. “You’re the last of your family line.”

Darcy deflated at this painful reminder. She knew Natasha was right and she couldn’t endanger the throne by rushing headlong into danger, but she hated the thought of waiting all by herself. 

In the end, James volunteered to stay with her as protection duty, being a most powerful warrior. She couldn’t help but be pleased at his company, despite the circumstances. 

Before Anthony and the army departed, she took care to lay helpful enchantments upon Steve’s sword and Shield and Natasha’s knives and the archers’ bows. 

Satisfied at last, she saw them off with well wishes and turned back to James, who walked beside her back to the luxurious library that she’d picked out as the room to hole up in. 

“Come sit by me, James,” she requested. “You can be vigilant in comfort.”

“Thank you, your highness,” he responded, carefully seating himself beside her. Up close, she could see how well built he was and how strong his arms were. She had to stifle a sudden urge to feel his biceps: both the flesh and the metal one. 

“Did Hydra equip you with the metal arm?” she asked. 

“They did,” James confirmed. “I lost my arm in the fall that led to my capture. They designed it to be another weapon. I shudder to think of how much blood it has spilled.” 

He clenched and unclenched his metal fist, sad blue eyes looking reproachfully at it. 

“Maybe we can get you a new one once we’ve stomped them out once and for all,” she suggested. “I know Stark would love to upstage them and make a better one. He is very gifted in that area.”

“You are very thoughtful, your highness,” he said, giving her another grateful look that brought a lump to her throat. The poor man was clearly not used to being treated like a human and it hurt her to think of. 

“Please call me Darcy,” she requested. “There’s no one else around and it gets old hearing “your highness” all the time.”

“Darcy,” he repeated, saying her name reverently. “What a lovely name.” 

The next few days were trying ones for the Princess as she waited for news from the battle. James told her many stories of his and Steve’s adventures and she told him about her childhood and her mishaps while learning magic.

James admitted one of the reasons he’d stayed behind was because he feared Hydra would speak the words to him that would trigger his Winter Soldier persona.

“You mean you didn’t stay because of my captivating beauty and charm?” Darcy said teasingly. 

“Now, I didn’t say that, Princess,” he said, flushing a bit. You are very pleasant to be around. I just thought you should be made aware there still might be traces of the spell in me.”

“We’ll have you examined by our best wizards,” Darcy promised, anxious to reassure him. “Their knowledge is greater than mine and they will be able to rid you of any lingering effects.”

“I hope so,” James murmured. “I really hope so.”

He looked at her for a long moment with an expression that made her heartbeat quicken before he sighed and looked sad again, as if longing for something out of his reach. 

She saw that expression several more times over the next few days and wished she could comfort him. 

Five days later, a messenger returned to the stronghold to bring news both good and bad. The good news was that the Hydra uprising had been crushed and its members dead or in custody. The bad news: the chaos had stirred up a legendary dragon, who was headed straight for the palace. 

James thought Darcy should stay at the stronghold, but she overruled him.

“I appreciate your consideration, but I must return and oversee the investigation. I need to talk to the wizards about you as well. I cannot hide any longer. I will go mad.”

He’d sighed and gone to bring the horses around. 

The journey back was done as stealthily as possible, and Darcy watched James with interest as he skillfully and silently guided them along the journey, always on high alert. She felt safer with him than any of her bodyguards, good as they were. This knight had had his senses honed to a razor sharpness that was unlike anything she’d seen. She wondered if part of it was due to his latent magic powers and if he’d ever used them. But magic was not a topic he seemed willing to discuss, other than the moment he’d thanked her for rescuing him from it. 

They returned to a palace that was very chaotic, evidence of fighting all around it and grim faced guards everywhere.

Darcy went straight to Lord Phillip and Lord Nicholas who were in consultation with Lord Anthony, all three looking very somber. 

“I am relieved to see you safely returned, your highness,” said Lord Nicholas. “Thank you,” she told him. “I am also relieved to find you well. I heard you met up with the Winter Soldier.”

“I did and I broke the spell that held him a prisoner,” Darcy told them proudly. “Phillip, Nicholas, may I present Sir James Barnes? I assure you, he is no threat.”

The men looked shocked and wary, but Darcy made them talk to James and confirm that he was, indeed, an ally and in his right mind. 

“Where is Steven?” James asked nervously, looking around for his friend.

Phillip sighed. 

“He is in the infirmary. He suffered grievous injury fighting Hydra and had previous untreated injuries that led to his collapse.”

Darcy sighed and James groaned.

“Typical of the imbecile,” he muttered. “Never could take care of himself.” 

“What?” He said bluntly at the questioning looks the Lords were giving him.

“He just laid there and would have let me—the Soldier—kill him, if the Princess hadn’t intervened. The one time he decides to back down from a fight….” James sighed and shook his head.

“Yes, I have noticed that trend with him,” Lord Phillip admitted, almost smiling at James’s aggravation. “We enchanted the door of his room so that he cannot get out until the healers have finished with him.”

Darcy smiled her approval. 

“I knew I liked you for a reason, Phillip,” she said fondly. 

“Unfortunately, we will need him at his full strength sooner rather than later,” Lord Nicholas sighed. “The dragons are but a three days journey away.”

As soon as Steven was recovered, they began making plans for defending against the dragon horde, who were led by a large purple beast named Thanos. 

Thanos had obliterated many cities in neighboring realms with his terrible breath and destructive claws and he had fifty fearsome fellow dragons with him. It was going to be a very difficult fight. Darcy went around giving motivational speeches to the troops and leaders in between making sure the citizens were evacuated to the mountain strongholds. She stood on a balcony looking out over the city, hoping it wouldn’t be its last day of existence.

“The last of the refugees are about to depart for the mountains, your highness,” Steven reported, James standing beside him. “Are you certain we cannot persuade you to go with them?” 

“Very certain,” Darcy said firmly. “My place is here.” 

He nodded, then smiled. “I understand. I too, would chafe at being denied the chance to defend my country.”

James heaved a deep sigh. 

“There are two of them,” he muttered in a disgruntled tone that had Darcy and Steven chuckling. 

“You will get used to it, James,” Darcy said lightly, giving him a pat on the shoulder. 

The following day, Thanos and his dragon army arrived, blasting fire and roaring ferociously. The army was ready for them and put up a good fight, slaying quite a few, before they could get into the city. The tide soon turned against them, though, as Thanos’s power was unleashed and death and destruction rained down. Darcy was safely inside the tower and fretting about the increasingly grim reports coming in from the battlefield. 

“If we could just get Thanos, we would actually stand a chance!” She said, pacing in frustration. 

“Unfortunately, Thanos appears to be untouchable,” Nicholas reported, stress making his eyelid twitch rapidly. “He has a power far beyond anything we’ve faced before. Melts people before they get near him. Normal shields are ineffective.”

“What about magic?” She asked.

“The only spells that might work have to be within twenty paces,” Nicholas mused. “And all our wizards are either wounded, dead, or busy.” 

A plan began to take root in Darcy’s mind. It was crazy and might not even work, but at this point, what did she have left to lose?

“Phillip, would the enchantment on Steve’s shield stand up to Thanos’s breath?” She asked. 

“Yes, for a few minutes, but Steve does not have magic.”

“He doesn’t have to. I do,” she told them.

Phillip frowned. 

“What spell would they have taught you that would fell Thanos?”

Darcy smiled. 

They pleaded and argued and begged her not to, but Princess Darcy prevailed. 

“What kind of ruler will I be if I am not willing to give my life to protect my people?” She’d told them. 

Phillip had closed his eyes, but nodded, unable to dispute this. 

After giving a few quick orders, Darcy put on some armor and went out to face Thanos. It wasn’t hard to find him, bring huge and purple and all. He was even more fearsome up close, huge claws and fiery breath wreaking havoc upon the city and its people. Darcy swallowed. She had to stop him before he spilled any more blood. Searching for Steven, she found him finishing off a young red dragon. 

“Steven!”

He looked up, shocked to see her.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, panting heavily. 

“I think I know how to stop Thanos, but I need your help. Where’s James?”

“Over there,” Steve jerked his head to the left. “Do you need him, too?”

“Yes. For my plan to work we need all three of us.”

James was not pleased to see Darcy in battle and even less so when he heard her plan.

“Eight out of ten cases, that spell kills the caster, too! We can’t lose you, Princess. Surely, there’s some other way.” 

His blue eyes were desperate and pleading as he spoke, and Darcy’s own heart hurt a bit. She would have loved to agree and have the chance at deepening her friendship with him into something more, but if they all died due to a dragon, that wouldn’t happen anyway. She would hold out hope she could be in the two out of ten. 

Darcy smiled sadly. “The only other wizards that know this spell are incapacitated or dead. I’m so sorry, James. I have to protect my people.” 

For a brief moment, he looked as if she’d ripped out his heart and trampled it under foot, then the expressionless soldier’s mask returned and he simply nodded.

“Tell me what to do.”

“Steve will cover us with his shield so that I can get close enough to cast the spell, which will block his airway and allow James to stab him in his soft underbelly. Be quick about it so he doesn’t crash down on top of you,” she urged James. He didn’t look like he cared much about being crushed at this point, but he nodded. 

She shook both their hands, then took a deep breath. 

“Let’s go.”

Steve held up his magical shield over them as they approached Thanos. She could feel the intense heat around them, but the magic did its job and soon they were within range.

She held out her hands and began chanting, energy swirling through her as she summoned everything she had to hurl at the dragon. 

Thanos laughed evilly and blasted fire at them, which bounced off the shield. Knowing the protection would not last long and not wanting to get Steve and James killed, Darcy quickly spoke the rest of the spell, then flung the energy toward the dragon’s snout. It wrapped around and went down his nostrils, thickening up and causing him to sit up and choke and gasp for breath, clutching his nose.

James darted forward and the last thing Darcy heard as the life drained out of her was the terrible scream from Thanos as the knight’s sword plunged into him. 

She came back to consciousness in a plain white room, birds singing outside the window.

“Is this the afterlife or did I survive?” She wondered aloud. 

There was a gasp and James suddenly lifted his head from where he’d been resting it on the side of the bed.

“I assure you, you’re very much alive, Princess,” he told her, voice trembling with emotion. The usual very polished knight looked haggard and unkempt, eyes red and bloodshot. 

“I was one of the lucky two out of ten?” She asked, warmth spreading through her at how he was looking at her. 

“Not at first,” added another voice. Steven was beaming at her from the doorway, relief showing strongly in his amiable face. 

“What do you mean?” She asked curiously.

“When we finished off Thanos, I picked you up and there was no breath in you. No pulse. Nothing.” 

Steven looked pained at the memory and Darcy looked back at James, whose lips were quivering. 

“Bucky here insisted on carrying your…...body…...back to the palace,” Steve continued. “Somehow, you started breathing again on the way there. We really have no idea why. Maybe the healers can tell us.” 

“Wow,” Darcy breathed, a smile blossoming on her face. “So the dragon army was defeated?”

“Soundly,” Steven assured her. “The kingdom is saved. You’re a hero, Princess. They’re ready to crown you queen right now.”

“Well, they’ll have to wait,” Darcy said with feigned haughtiness. “I refuse to be crowned until I’m able to be fully fabulous again.”

Steve barked out a laugh and Bucky’s shoulders shook. Lifting his head, he looked at her through tear-filled eyes.

“Princess, you’re always fabulous,” he told her sincerely. 

A healer bustled in, interrupting the moment. Darcy was a little annoyed, but she let herself be examined with no fuss and took the opportunity to ask about why she had come back to life.

Healer Cho smiled. 

“We believe that the one who carried you in has the gift of Healing Touch, which in some cases, can revive a person. Sir James, you have some magic in you, right?” 

Bucky nodded, wide-eyed at the realization. 

“I couldn’t heal people before, and as the Winter Soldier, I was forced to use what magic I had solely for evil,” he said thoughtfully.  “I’ve never tried magic since.”

“Sometimes these gifts develop later, James. You may not have known it was there, but it was,” Helen told him gently. 

“As for you, your highness, a day or so of rest and you should be back on your feet again. Do you feel in need of food?”

Darcy nodded enthusiastically and Helen departed to get her a tray, looking very pleased. 

“Buck, You saved the Princess,” Steve commented proudly.

Bucky, who’d been staring at his hand in disbelief, looked into Darcy’s eyes as she grabbed the hand and kissed it.

“My hero!” she sighed, giving him a dopey smile that somehow tripped something in him to release the emotion he’d been trying to hold back. Steve thoughtfully shut the door and retreated to the corner again. Darcy kept holding James’s hand and whispered soothing words to him as he cried. The poor man had been through so much, and she was determined to help make his new life as happy as possible. 

“It killed me to see you lifeless,” he whispered, when he’d finally calmed. “I’ve become very attached to you in the short time I’ve known you. I know you probably wouldn’t want to be courted by a man like me, but if you did, well…..”

“Who says I wouldn’t want to court you?” Darcy retorted. “I would very much like to court you, James. “You’re brave, you’re selfless, you’re funny, you’re an awesome warrior, and you’re exceedingly handsome. Don’t think I haven’t been wanting to run my fingers through your glorious mane since the day we met.”

James blushed bright red. 

“However, no courting can happen if you don’t take care of yourself.”  She told him. “As your princess, I command you to eat, bathe, and sleep before you return. “You’re clearly exhausted. Steven will make sure this is carried out, won’t you, Sir Steven?” 

Darcy’s firm tone had Steven nodding quickly. 

“I will, your highness,” he declared, looking pointedly at James. “I attempted to previously, but he refused to leave your side, the stubborn mule.”

“You hypocrite,” James shot back, grinning at them both. “But I will happily follow your commands, Princess.”

Getting to his feet, he kissed her hand and gently released it.

“I will be back.” he promised. 

“You’d better!” she called after him. 

Falling back on the pillows, Darcy held the hand he’d kissed to her cheek, dreamily thinking about him kissing her on the lips. 

Five Months later

The coronation of Queen Darcy was a day of jubilation and partying, a national holiday having been decreed for the occasion. Throngs of people had arrived in the city to witness the grand event and the city, which had recovered  from the Hydra and the Dragon invasions, was decorated to within an inch of its life.

Darcy stood in the hall, dressed in a deep green formal gown and rich red robes, trying to calm her nerves. There were a lot of eyes on her today and she hoped she wouldn’t embarrass herself. 

Lord Phillip and Lord Nicholas were busily going over the schedule with Lady Natasha and the royal guards and Darcy was going over her speech once again in her head. 

There was a clanking of metal, and she saw her favorite knights approaching, both looking impeccable and stunning. 

“Hello, gentlemen,” she greeted warmly. “You’re looking magnificent.” 

They bowed gracefully.

“Thank you, your highness. So are you,” Steve replied.

“Absolutely breathtaking,” James said, giving her a look that made her blush. He was quite the master at those looks, as she’d learned during their courtship. There had been quite a stir when it was announced that the soon to be Queen was betrothed to the former Winter Soldier, but happily, the critics were vastly outnumbered by the supporters, as he was now seen as a hero after saving her life. Darcy had been highly  lauded herself and was still being swamped with gifts from her grateful subjects. 

“How are you feeling, Darcy?” He asked quietly.

“Nervous, but excited,” she said. “I’m going to be the best queen I can be.”

“I know you will,” James agreed, with one of his becoming smiles. “Save me a dance at the ball later?”

“Silly man,” she chuckled fondly. “You should know by now all of my dances are for you.” 

[haro-whumps]

Group Whumpees 10: Asking and Answers

So this chapter is interesting in that I wrote a lot of words, but not a ton of it is any sort of particular forward motion. Largely this is just me establishing setting, which I have sorely needed to do for my own self, and sort of giving my characters a breath before the next bad thing I have planned for them (which is just as fun as it is contrived and overdramatic). So if you wanna skip to Sasha’s first “eep” I would not fault you for it, since it is a rather long chapter and the first stretch of it is just a lot of detail work with hardly any action.

CW: slavery, aftermath of torture, referenced noncon, multiple whumpees, referenced alcoholic tendencies, referenced religious... stuff.

Tag List:@bleeding-demon-teeth @theycomeinthrees @redwingedwhump @whimperwoods @inpainandsuffering @whole-and-apart-and-between @whump-whump-whump-it-up @whumpingupastorm @newandfiguringitout @lonesome--hunter @looptheloup @icannotweave  @deluxewhump @whumping-every-day @yeet-me-out-a-window @what-a-whumpy-world @burtlederp @constellationwhump @swordkallya @finder-of-rings @fairybean101 @adventuresofacreesty @arlennil @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @lumpofwhump @thatsthewhump @pinkdiamondprince

Masterlist

First order of business: what in the fresh hell was actually happening in this house?

Well, okay, the first first order of business was tipping the locksmith and offering a can of soda before sending them back on their way, but then the first order of business was finding out what the fresh hell was actually happening in this house!

Galo had, admittedly, left it more or less unexplored. He’d gotten down all the weird art of his aunt’s with the help of Nyla and Evan, which meant he hadn’t scoured the place thoroughly, and he had settled into rather regular haunts. He passed through most of the main floor, some of the second (and he begrudgingly accepted that his mission would send him into his dead aunt’s bedroom), but that still left an expansive attic, the majority of the second floor, the rest of the main floor, the entire basement, and most of the grounds. Because Galo was agitated as all hell and his monkey hindbrain said that threats came from outside, he started with the grounds.

He’d run around them, of course, wandered through the gardens and hedges and whatnot, but the fact of the matter was that his aunt’s estate was massive. And since he was on “The Great Easter Egg Hunt: Saw Edition” for horrible things hidden in amongst the grass, it took a while. 

The smell of new mulch was thick in the air, pleasant and fresh. Galo also took the time to admire Lilah’s extraordinary work, wishing he was being this meticulous and thoughtful for more pleasant reasons. 

He never encountered Lilah, Evan, or Greyson, though he would occasionally glimpse them off a ways. He was fairly certain they were avoiding him, or at the least were cognizant of his presence and deliberately giving him space, and he honestly didn’t mind. He really wasn’t in a place, mentally, to deal with hysterics or panicking slaves. Which sounded awful, but there it was.

He managed to finish the grounds right as the sun was setting, and checked out the secondary garage more thoroughly than just passing through warranted. So far, nothing suspect was to be found. Given Auntie Bethany’s obsession with keeping up appearances, that wasn’t terribly surprising. She liked to host garden parties and had no reason to enter the secondary garage, herself, so it tracked that the estate gardens were pristine and not-evil and the garage was left to Lilah’s devices. 

The next day, after working out in a vain attempt to make himself stable enough to explore the house properly, he showered off and set to work. He started with the den.

It was blue, with a greyish-blue, dark, thin carpet, light slate walls and dark blue furniture. Galo opened the cabinets near the tv (and his aunt had so many tvs), but found only a vcr, dvd player, some unlabeled cords that he had no idea what they were for, some remotes, some old recordings labeled with name tags (shows Galo vaguely recognized, but couldn’t tell you anything about). Normal things. Not-evil things. Things that gave Galo no reason to believe this was a horrible, awful room that the slaves hated.

So he turned face and headed towards the other cabinets, the ones in the back of the room, behind a well-worn but clearly expensive armchair. Galo needed to know, but he also didn’t want to, and therefore was, quite literally, dragging his feet. Which was why he tripped, stumbling a bit. He turned back, brow furrowed, and his brain helpfully supplied that this was pretty much the exact spot where Evan had knelt, waiting for his punishment.

There was a D ring in the carpet. Dull; painted? But it blended with the carpet well, really only visible if you knew it was there. Galo sat on his haunches and hooked a finger through it, gave an experimental tug. No give at all whatsoever. 

He took a deep breath. He had a bad feeling about this. He straightened, turned back to the cabinets, and flung them open simultaneously.

First he took note of the chains. Hard not to, they glinted--metallic and grey, and there was so goddamn many of them. Handcuffs, padded leather cuffs chained together, collars and muzzles, all of them with lengths of chain that could, presumably, be used to attach them to each other, or to, say, D rings on the floor. Ahahaha god.

Distantly, as Galo pulled a muzzle from the cabinet and examined it, Galo wondered why he even bothered to still be horrified by his aunt’s actions. Sure, she was family, and Galo wanted to believe that his family wasn’t like… this. But Auntie Bethany had proven herself horrible in life and he shouldn’t keep being surprised by how horrible she was, now after her death.

The lower cabinets had a couple of canes, the kind that clearly weren’t for walking assistance, an honest to god whip, a fucking knife, and a metal rod that Galo couldn’t really discern the purpose of. Probably something awful and horrifying. He shut the cabinets firmly, rested his forehead against the cool plywood, and tried to take a deep breath.

He pulled out his notebook and drew a very large circle, in red marker, around “The Den is a bad place.” He then flipped a couple of pages and started up a running list of observations

There isn’t really anything of note in the gardens or garden garage. 

The Den has muzzles, collars, cuffs, and chains, plus a D ring in the floor

He wasn’t sure what he was ultimately going to do with this list, but simply making it made him feel a little better. Even if it was a list of horrible things he found in the mansion, it was still nice to have.

But okay. How to be sensible about this? He shouldn’t start removing things from cabinets, especially horrifying tools of torture, until he had somewhere to put them all, and something to do with them. He would need a plan, which meant he would need to complete his list of horrible things. And also probably rent a dumpster. So he removed his person from the cabinets in the den, glanced again at the half-hidden D ring in the floor, and then moved the furniture around a little. He found seven more D rings throughout the room, now that he was looking for them, subtle and easily blending in. One more on the floor, a little beyond the first ring, four in the walls, two in the ceiling, all clustered around the same relative spot, more or less. It further convinced Galo that yes, indeed, this was exactly where Evan had been kneeling.

Okay. Top down? Top down. Galo’s specific curiosity about the den now satisfied, he could just do a thorough, room-by-room sweep of the mansion, and so he made his way to the attic. The door to the attic stairs was in a guest bedroom, one that was meant for “children” in the way that it was cutesy and kitch, but had clearly been designed by someone who hadn’t really ever interacted with an actual human child. Galo had slept in one of those twin beds when he was very little, and remembered a distinct discomfort for the firmness of the mattresses and the scratchy quality of the overly-colorful block-pattern blankets. Should he go ahead and search this room now, since he was in it? No, stick to the plan, start with the attic. 

He climbed the steps, flicked on the lights, and then promptly blanked.

How did one human being even own this much stuff?? The attic was massive, a snaking maze of shelves and clothes racks with plastic covers and boxes stacked and arranged. There was a clear path through, dusty but meticulous, and, in a display of wealth so obscene it turned Galo’s head, the ceiling was finished. Who finished the ceiling of their attic?! Attic ceilings were supposed to have dangerously exposed nails and shitty insulation fully visible. Galo was far from a religious man, but even he knew that an attic ceiling was meant to be left unfinished like the good lord intended.

He might have been balking at the ceiling to cover for the fact that he had… no idea where to start, with all this junk. The attic spanned nearly the entire width and breadth of the mansion, and it was full. Absolutely full. Galo turned off the light, went back down the stairs, and shut the attic door. He would devote an entire day to going through all of that shit. Hell, he’d make a weekend out of it. But today was not that day. Kitchy kid room it was.

He explored many different guest rooms, opening drawers and closets and chests and vanities and whatever the hell else, poking his head out onto their balconies, but found them empty of anything troubling. Again, this tracked. Auntie Bethany likely wouldn’t let her non-Guest guests or family members know what she did behind the scenes. 

He found another sunroom on the second floor, the south-facing wall made entirely out of glass and a number of gridded skylights making up the southern half of the ceiling. There was a marble statue standing in the center of a tile fountain, here, and Galo held his pressed palms up in front of his mouth, squinting. He would’ve remembered this. He would’ve remembered the warm yellow walls and the aquatic mosaic flooring, he would’ve remembered the sprawling cluster of plants, he would’ve remembered the wall of glass, and definitely would’ve remembered the statue, with its detailed pubic hair and unrealistically buxom bosom. Had he just never been allowed in here? Had he simply failed to explore this far? Or was this an addition that had happened in Galo’s adulthood, when his primary method of surviving family gatherings had switched from “explore the castle away from the people” to “get drunker than them, faster”?

Who knew. What he needed to do was poke around in here and make sure it wasn’t another horrifying abomination. And check and see if the plantlife here was real, or plastic. He touched their leaves, the soil, and found, with surprise, that they were all alive. Huh.

Something… there was some gear in his head that started turning at that, some impression of a thought that was still too close to his brain’s horizon for him to make out just yet. He took out his pen and notebook and simply notated the second sunroom, which he crossed out and relabeled “plant room.” He flipped the page over and drew the general outline of the house, and then made some squares. He labeled each guest room and the plant room, and while he was no cartographer, it’d serve as a rudimentary map until he had a better idea of where everything was here.

There was only one cupboard, and it had fertilizer, a small watering can, a water spritzer, disposable gloves, and PH strips, which were more confusing than alarming if Galo was being entirely honest with himself. He hadn’t seen those things since freshman year of highschool in his mandated biology course. Actually, wait, there was also a folded up piece of paper, which Galo took out. He recognized Nyla’s careful script immediately, and read over her detailed list of the plants in the room, how much sunlight each needed and whether it was indirect or direct, and the watering schedule drawn out in a little grid calendar.

He couldn’t help but admire how meticulous she was. How put together. He had no doubt in his mind that she really was the one who’d run the whole household, when his aunt was alive. Hell, she still was--it wasn’t like Galo knew a ton of shit.

The second floor seemed primarily devoted to guest rooms, with an occasional cabinet or boudoir attached to said bedrooms. There was a large drawing room more or less in the “middle” of the mansion, a number of skylights directly over a sunken sitting area and a couple of tvs, plus places that art had clearly been stationed at before being removed for the crimes of being a bunch of fucking eyesores. A few pieces still remained, though, two different tapestries and a couple of abstracts. Plus a bunch of little tables, which were honestly charming and mercifully empty of tools of torture. Lots of little forks and platters though.

The master bedroom was not something Galo wanted to scour. His dead aunt had slept in there. (His dead aunt had hurt people, every night, in there). He made himself turn the door handle.

“Master Galo,” Nyla greeted, setting down a tiny, antique-looking watering can on the windowsill between a succulent and a corkscrew-curling plant Galo didn’t know the name of.

“Hey, Nyla,” Galo returned, extending his hand for her to cup lightly and kiss as she fluidly sank to one knee, then just as gracefully rose. “Don’t mind me, I’m just poking around a bit.”

“Yes Master,” she said with a charming little bow, her clasped hands dipping into the folds of her apron, “If I may assist at all, sir, please call upon me.”

“Will do, thanks.” He felt a surge of fondness for her. He knew she was just doing what she’d been trained to do, but he liked her smile when it wasn’t obviously-forced, and he liked her put-togetherness, and he liked, well, her.

He was very conscious of her presence, though, as he “snooped” around his own home. So he let her finish with the plants while he was in the en suite bathroom, opening the cupboards under the sink and checking the interior of the shower. Everything was meticulously clean, which he was grateful for (he could not handle it if he caught sight of his dead aunt’s body hair or some such thing). It was also perfectly normal, even if he found the little rugs along the side of the bath and looping around the base of the toilet to be ostentatious.

Nyla was still in the room, so Galo moved onto the closet door. He expected a walk-in with fifty billion changes of clothes (and really, had Galo ever seen the woman wear the same outfit twice?). He did not expect something that looked like it was intended to be a linens closet, stuffed full of canes. Canes, and, Galo noticed belatedly, knives, long strips of cloth and rope, plain eye masks far too crude to be used for her own sleep needs, and--god, was that lube?

The cane Evan had brought, that night he’d begged for punishment, stood front and center, clearly the most recently moved.

“Master?” Nyla’s voice cut through Galo’s shocked immobility, making him jump a little and tear his eyes away, “Is there anything from the tool closet you require, specifically?”

Galo shut the door harder than he should have, his own strength getting away from him and a tight smile on his face. The fact that he’d even opened that door was freaking her out, and the sudden loud noise did not help at all. For once, blessedly, Galo thought fast. “Actually, I was looking for her clothes closet? Which door is that behind?”

There were five doors in the master bedroom, one to the hallway, one to the bathroom, one to a fucking “tool” closet, so that left two guesses. Nyla visibly relaxed at Galo’s words, her smile losing it’s pinched edge (Galo was getting better, better at telling when her smile was tight or neutral or something approximating genuine happiness). Galo unwound a little, too, at seeing her return to the Nyla-equivalent of blank. 

“Of course, sir, this one,” Nyla said, leading Galo to a different door, and the exhorbitant display he’d anticipated. There was a fucking… boot bench in the center of it, with tall mirrors in the center of the three walls that didn’t hold a door, separating closets. No, wait, this whole thing was the closet, the little… shelf… hanging rack things were--

Okay Galo didn’t have all the fancy names for ridiculous rich people things, but the point was, there were so many clothes, so many shoes, a goddamn chandelier, and it was all fucking color coordinated.

“You, uh, you set up the…” Galo gestured vaguely in front of him, “rainbow effect?”

“I did, Master Galo,” Nyla said promptly, and Galo nodded. Figured. “Greyson does the laundry, and has kept it meticulously organized since, Master Galo.”

Galo made a mental note to add Greyson being the laundry dude to his list of things he knew about the slaves. “Thanks, Nyla, I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”

He saw her give a cute little bow in the mirror, and she ghosted off while he stepped further into the space. The boyish instinct in him wanted to reach up and smack the chandelier, just because he was tall enough, and he could. So, like, hey, he did. It tinkled and swayed, light dancing around the space, and he snickered incredulously. He sat down on the boot bench, chandelier swinging above him, and pressed his face into his palm, elbow to his thigh, and just laughed, absurdly. 

It was too early in the day for hysterics, though, so Galo forced a deep, slow breath, then another, then a third for good measure. He took out his notebook, added Greyson’s laundry duties, and then wrote a bulletpoint on his aunt’s linen closet from hell. The worst part, the part that made him feel incredibly scummy, was that he was kind of tempted to keep the lube, whenever he managed to clear out all of the rest of that shit. It was useful, and Galo wasn’t in the habit of throwing away things that could be used. At the same time, though, why in the fuck and shit and hell was Galo entertaining the idea of using his evil aunt’s lube? Disgusting. But he’d feel bad if he threw it away. But also that was his aunt and she was evil.

Fuck, Galo thought as he ran his hands over his face, taking yet another deep breath. Fuuuuuuuck. Was there an off switch for his brain? He’d like it if there was an off switch for his brain.

Alcohol, aforementioned brain suggested helpfully. Later, he told it. For now: distractions. He stood and began pulling open drawers, lifting clothing in search for hidden horrors like a hyper-controlling parent looking for naughty magazines or diary entries. He found nothing but cloth, more cloth, more cloth, and silk.

Hey, remember how you didn’t give me alcohol? Galo’s brain told him spitefully, I’m going to make you think about your wrinkly aunt in lingerie, now.

Galo shoved the silk back in the drawer and shut it hard, mentally batting at his mind with a cartoon broom. Disgusting. Negative one hundred out of ten. Something he literally never, ever wanted to think about. He bopped the chandelier once more, in a spurt of whimsy, on his way out.

The fifth door led to his aunt’s personal boudoir, which made Galo sigh. He was definitely gonna find atrocities here. And he did! More rope, candles that Galo knew the exact purpose for (he might not have all the kinks, but he possessed some, and was aware of others), more restraints, and more canes. Good lord and he’d thought she had an extensive cane collection back when he didn’t know shit. Even the balcony had a cane on it! He gathered them up with intention to take them to the “tool closet,” where they could all collectively wait for the arrival of the dumpster, and spun too fast and tripped over the fireplace tool set, sending it over and its contents clattering. He sighed, setting down the torture shit on a nearby chair. Why did Auntie Bethany even have a fireplace tool set? All her fireplaces were gas fires, it wasn’t like she had anything to stoke. 

Probably decorative. It was shaped to look like an antler, each spoke housing a different tool, which also had intricate carvings/detailing on the handles and along the metal rods.

Galo shoved the canes and shit into the “tool closet” and sighed, pressing his forehead against it. Fuckin… He wasn’t even done with the second floor. But, he hoped, the master bedroom would be the worst of it, he hoped, he hoped. Since that was where the slaves “attended” her, and where she spent the majority of her time in this massive fucking house.

He found a supply closet full of actual supplies, cleaning chemicals and rubber gloves and dust masks and scrub brushes. It was so completely, entirely normal (if heavily stocked) that Galo felt a ridiculous amount of relief. He nudged some stuff around, but ultimately left it alone.

The old craft room, which was slowly turning into Galo’s computer room, was already scoured, so he passed it by. He moved into the music room--sound proofed, which made Galo’s stomach churn anxiously--with its piano and sound system and lounge chairs and folded up electric keyboard tucked behind a fancily carved record player. There were a couple of wind instruments in the cabinets, a violin or viola or whatever it was (Galo didn’t know instruments super well, hardly enough to distinguish on sight), and--yay--more restraints! A close examination revealed D rings in the floor, walls, and ceiling, like in the den, and Galo sighed as he took out his notebook.

There was some sort of… dressing room? Galo couldn’t discern the intent of it, until he found nursing blankets (which he knew were nursing blankets because they had lovely little cherub-like depictions of babies on them) in an otherwise empty cabinet. No devices of torture, so yay, big fucking mirrors for a room that people would allegedly feed babies in, less of a “yay” and more of a Giant Singular Question Mark.

He wasn’t gonna think too hard on it. He’d made that promise to himself the first night--or was it the second?--and he intended to keep it. Just accept things, and let them move on. If he didn’t let water under the bridge, he was going to drown. 

There was a well-stocked office not far from Galo’s room, and he added that to a list of miscellaneous notes. He didn’t know if he’d need an office, all things considered, but if he needed a designated space to work on things and focus, this would be a good place to do that. A thorough examination revealed only office supplies, though some of the paperclips had been bent out of shape and there were a lot of those little clips, like what you put on manilla envelopes or stacks of looseleaf.

The library was a two-story thing, the upper floor boasting a large square hole in the middle that allowed a clear view to the main floor, one wall broken up by floor to ceiling windows between the bookshelves (or maybe the bookshelves were the ones between the windows? Eh). An ornate spiral staircase connected the two, and he smiled at it fondly, remembering being utterly enamored with it when he was a kid. Honestly, he was still pretty enamored with it as an adult. He stroked his fingers over the railing, wondering if he could spruce the place up a bit. Add fairy lights to the railing or something. Add more than just his aunt’s pristine, chic, expensive art that took up minimal space, like her home was a museum or some shit. Clutter it up, fill the space, make the damn mansion feel lived in.

Later. He wrote that onto his list of things to do, but lines and lines below keeping his demeanor calm, cheerful, and approachable, and finding therapists with experience with traumatized slaves. 

Ugh speaking of he should really get on that. But first, the library. He half expected that if he grabbed the right book, or moved the correct artistically expensive bookend, a secret passage would open up. He’d housed the same belief since he’d been flopping around this place as a kid. He just had different ideas on what he might find behind the entrance. But the library was just a library, well-lit with lots of books on his aunt’s particular interests. He found a couple volumes on methods of torture used throughout history, and a couple of psychology books that he did not trust At All, and he moved those to a lower-level bookshelf where he could find them all later. The psychology books he debated on--he liked psychology, and was also the kind of person to read what was effectively a textbook for fun. And these were officially published, sourced, and researched. So it wasn’t like they were… bad… and Galo didn’t want to throw out useful things.

But he also wouldn’t be able to get a mental image of his aunt, reading over them, thinking up dastardly fucking bullshit as she read them. So if Galo wanted to read a textbook, he’d just buy one for himself.

He took lunch in the library, Greyson bringing it in and leaving it on one of the small tables. Galo picked at it as he picked through the books, and Greyson was quiet enough that Galo didn’t even notice him come in, grab the plate, and leave when he was done. 

The library was not far from the foyer, so Galo beelined to the front door, spun on his heel, and took a deep breath. One floor down. Two to go. And the attic, but again, that shit was for another time. The foyer was a large, open space, sparsely decorated, mostly just an ostentatious display of wealth and wasted space and the giant fucking chandelier. 

Immediately adjacent was the solar, which was full of tacky and ugly as sin furniture, but no terrible horrible secrets. Next to the solar was the parlor, which had nicer furniture and looked incredibly bare, which made Galo think that there had been a LOT of god awful art in here before the purge. Still no instruments of torture though. The living room was observed closely, but again there was nothing more than superfluous fire pokers for a gas lit fire, uncomfortable tiny furniture, and a wall hanging Galo kept waffling back and forth on about keeping.

After the dining room, Galo entered the sunroom and felt his mood lift. He really enjoyed the sunroom. He peered into nooks and crannies, but he spent enough time here that he wasn’t anticipating anything. A distant shriek made him look out the window.

Evan had lifted Lilah up in his arms, holding her about the waist as she visibly struggled. Galo frowned, alert, and was drawing himself up to his full height, about to bolt out there, when Evan set Lilah down, and draped himself over her. Galo could not hear them from here, nor could he make out the shape of Evan’s words, but Galo would bet his right arm that Evan was proclaiming a sudden increase in gravity. The posture was unmistakable. Galo smiled as Lilah wriggled out from under him, and Evan dramatically threw his arm up over his forehead and fell to the ground. Galo snorted when Lilah stared at him a moment before kicking him.

Galo watched, heart full of something nameless, as Evan wrestled Lilah back into his hold after chasing her halfway to the hedges, and he sank, body unexpectedly heavy, into a lounge chair. He watched Sasha enter the scene, carrying something Galo couldn’t see from that angle and prompting Evan to swing Lilah around like some long-suffering cat, dramatically talking with his hands, which were full of his friend.

Galo felt like he was letting out a breath he’d been holding for a long, long time. Since that first night when Greyson had knelt on his bedroom floor.

He got himself a drink of water and got back to his search, feeling… better. There was a room just next to the pool, with a little rinsing area and changing areas, plus pool supplies. He remembered this from when he was younger, and made a note to go swimming again soon. He had been up to his elbows hooking up his game systems in the entertainment center, so he did a quick perusal just to mentally mark it off. There was a room with gorgeous stain glass windows and old candles and religious iconography that Galo was pretty sure was some sort of personal chapel, which was gorgeous and had stale fucking comunion wafers and, haha, a bottle of wine. He still had to force himself not to drink it, but it wasn’t as alluring as it might have been. 

There was a room filled, floor to ceiling, wall to wall, with butterfly pinboards. It was smaller than a room-room, like a walk-in closet but without a clothes rack, and entirely, completely bare of anything except the pinboards. No furniture, no windows, nothing. Galo shut the door, mind blank, and felt the terror-giddy urge to write “set on fire” in his notebook. He did not. 

Another drawing room, a study, the salon, the billiards room, and Galo’s search of the main floor ended in the kitchen. Auntie Bethany seemed to have her haunts, and kept most of her instruments of torture there. Galo just sorta poked his head into the kitchen to see if Sasha was back yet (she wasn’t) and left it at that, knowing his aunt wouldn’t set foot in the kitchen unless she felt it absolutely necessary. The pantry, which was large as hell, was also somewhere Galo had been, and wasn’t worried about. 

The door to the basement had a series of locks on it, all on the side of the main floor. Galo remembered distinctly how Auntie Bethany had “put her staff away” during gatherings, and imagined each one of these locks being fastened. How had she gotten away with it? With treating them so terribly for so long? Why hadn’t anyone noticed? Why hadn’t Galo?

Descending the stairs was an experience. The basement was fucking vaulted. There was, there was, some sort of fucking ballroom or some shit, Galo couldn’t even describe the space, at the bottom of the stairs. It’d be cool as hell if it wasn’t fucking overwhelming. Actually, even still, it was cool as hell. Whatever architect had designed this place, they’d had the time of their life. 

The wine cellar was massive.

Galo made himself walk away.

There were two series of apartments, with bedrooms, a sitting area, a mini kitchen, and a bathroom to each, which took up most of the basement. Concerningly, none of them seemed used. The kitchenettes were certainly something for long-term guests to use, make coffee or some shit before heading upstairs for the day, but the drawers and closets were empty, showing no signs of the slaves living there. 

There was a massive bathtub/pool that Galo found, multiple showerheads rigged throughout the ceiling and a basin the size of two people laid out. Well, not Galo-sized people, but like, Lilah or Nyla sized people. Nothing outwardly horrifying to be found, but Galo was a little boggled to find a tub this size when there was already a pool outside. There was another bedroom, just hanging out on its own, also empty. There was the utility room, where Galo encountered Greyson.

“Master Galo,” Greyson greeted, and Galo tried to make his brain switch tracks while he was bending low to kiss his hand.

“Hey, Greyson. You doin’ laundry?”

“Yes Master; do you have need of me, sir?”

“No, no you’re good. I’m just poking around.”

Greyson nodded, and went back to switching the wet load into the dryer when Galo turned. Galo made note of a couple more D rings here, plus two dog cages and a pet carrier. Auntie Bethany had never had a dog. Certainly never one of this size. He added it to his list of awful shit to get rid of, his mind jumping. Who? Who had been locked in these? Nyla? Sasha? Greyson? Lilah? Evan? All of them? It was too easy, too easy to picture any one of them behind those metal squares, far too easy to imagine them forced into a cramped, cold, humiliating space.

Oh hey, the rat poison, just like Nyla had said. 

Greyson made no particular note of Galo, after his back had turned, and left somewhere after Galo finding the first D ring. It was just him, alone in the utility room, the sound of the washer and dryer keeping him company. Leaving, he took a deep breath. There were two doors left unopened. It was fucking barbaric, having all this space and all these rooms, and making the slaves pack in like this. They were probably separated by gender, too, one of these belonging to the men, the other to the women, because Galo had a hard time imagining his “good god-fearing” aunt running a risk of canoodling. 

He opened the one to the right, aware that he was most definitely entering a space that wasn’t his. But at the same time, he told himself, he needed to know what was happening, make sure they weren’t adhering to some atrocious routine simply because Auntie Bethany had ordered it and Galo hadn’t ordered it to stop.

This space, at least, looked lived in. Which was good, but also made Galo frown, because there was only one, large bed. He hadn’t thought his aunt, terrified of any implication of homosexuality as she was, would’ve encouraged her slaves to share sleeping space. Galo glanced at the dressertop, finding combs and hair ties and floral antiperspirant, so he guessed this was the women’s room. He poked his head into the en suite bathroom, finding only a standing shower and a relatively cramped space, not half as meticulously, tv-ready clean as every other bathroom in the house. Something made Galo relax at that, too, at seeing soap residue in the little indent next to the sink, at seeing the dust bunny behind the toilet. It was still a clean space, just, lived in. The marks of people’s presence were upon it.

Now Galo sounded fancy and old timey. He pulled open the top dresser drawer, and his brow furrowed. These clothes were Greyson’s, crisply folded and put away so that each section of the drawer was dedicated to a different type of clothing. Galo shut the drawer slowly, the idea that maybe he’d gotten it wrong, that this was the men’s room, flitting by once, but only once. He had a bad feeling about what was more likely. He opened the second drawer, and saw Nyla’s clothes, a drawer down was Sasha’s, Evan’s, Lilah’s, and the sixth drawer, the one at the very bottom, held more collars than Galo had ever seen gathered in one place. And men’s lingerie, which was equally horrifying for a different set of reasons. He shut the drawer quietly, sitting on his haunches, and took a deep breath.

He stood slowly, breathing slower, and pressed his palms together before running them over his face, up into his hair, down the back of his skull and lacing his fingers together behind his neck. He stared up at the ceiling, just allowing himself to process this information. He wasn’t particularly struck; he’d established that his aunt was terrible and he really shouldn’t expect otherwise, but he was surprised to know that they were all kept in the same fucking room as each other. And with only one bed, that was the really strange part.

“Eep!”

Galo turned, attempting not to look guilty for sticking his nose where it had no business being, and tried to smile at Sasha. Her dark hair was loose, flowing down to nearly her waist now that it was freed from her high ponytail. Her hands were wringing anxiously up in front of her chest, wide blue eyes on Galo, and he didn’t move fast enough to prevent her from dropping to her knees, forehead to the floor. He winced a little, approaching her. 

“Hey, Sasha,” he said, squatting down again and extending a hand to her. She glanced up, took the hand, and kissed it. Gently, Galo curled his fingers around her hand, holding it loosely and stroking her thumb softly with his own. “‘M sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

Sasha glanced up at him, nodded as she glanced away, and Galo reached out his other hand, giving her shoulder a squeeze before bracing underneath her bicep and helping her to her feet. He left his hands where they were, once they were standing, contemplating her. It was hard to befriend, or, well, gain the trust of someone he couldn’t have conversations with. Not that any of them really talked, but with Sasha it felt like there was an added barrier. An extra obstacle.  

“Is everything alright, Sasha?” Galo asked, remembering the most recent instance of Sasha being terrified and close to him. She nodded, and he smiled. “Good.”

He glanced back at the large bed, at the dresser that housed clothes for all of them. “Sasha, do you all sleep here?”

An anxious glance at his face and another, more hesitant nod. Galo’s lips pressed thin. 

“Okay, well, we can fix that. There are those dorms on the other side of the basement, those would work, or we could choose individual rooms from--”

Galo was cut off by Sasha squeezing his hand urgently between both of her own, looking up at him with her wide eyes.

“No--!” she gasped, quiet but no less desperate for it, and Galo felt a spike of panic on his own end; what had he done wrong? “Pl--” she seemed to choke on the words, and Galo shushed at her, making as soothing of noises as he could as he pet at her shoulder. 

“Easy, Sasha, shhh shsh, easy honey, what’s wrong--” No that was a stupid question, she couldn't answer. She whimpered while Galo was trying to find a yes or no question that could discern what set her off, then the strength in her grip shot up.

“Please,” she gasped, and Galo just wanted to hug her, pet her hair and face and tell her it was gonna be okay. “M-” she choked off again, taking a series of deep and panicky breaths, “Master, don’t m-make--” Sasha cut off with a whine, lifting a hand to cover her mouth as she curled in on herself. 

Galo’s brain finally kicked back on and he blurted out, “Typing! Here, just type it out.” He pulled up the notes app on his phone and handed it to her, praying she wouldn't drop it with her trembling hands. Not that he was worried about it getting damaged--it was a good model and he had a solid phone case--just that he knew that if she dropped it she'd spiral entirely out of control, since she was already teetering on the brink. 

She didn’t, thankfully, though she did fumble it a little when she handed it back to him, letting go too soon. He caught it, easy peasy, no troubles here, see? Please Master don’t make us separate was written with no ending punctuation, though Galo was pretty sure she was thinking in exclamation points. Aw, shit, okay, Galo read over it twice, then reached out and squeezed her shoulder again, trying to think.

The bed was large, very large, but to fit five people they’d need to pack in. It hardly seemed fair. But the idea of separating distressed Sasha, and given how tight-knit they seemed, would likely distress the others, too. If Galo suggested bunkbeds at this point, there would be no guarantee that if they agreed it would be because they liked the idea, or because the “alternative” was Galo forcing them apart. Still, it was just too much, to force them all to share a single room, with its single bed and single dresser, when they were all living in a literal mansion. But Galo couldn’t let his own feelings of injustice and his own wants preside over their wants and needs, and Sasha was telling him that she wanted to perma-sleepover with her friends.

Actually. This could be a really useful opportunity. Galo would feel bad for… “manipulating” Sasha, was really the only way to say it, but it’d get the idea across, hopefully? It was a gamble. But Galo really, really wanted to make headway with these poor people, so…

“Okay, Sasha, thank you. I like it when you ask me for things,” he said, gesturing a little with his phone, “that’s very good, and since you asked, you get what you asked for, see? No separating.”

Sasha’s eyes were jerking about, looking at Galo’s hand, his phone, the hand on her shoulder, his face, the room, back to Galo. He tried to patiently let her process his words, nervous on how she’d take them, if this would help encourage her to ask for things in the future or if this would be another thing that Galo would need to help her unlearn, this time with him as the culprit. Swallowing hard, Sasha raised a hand and pointed a finger at her own chest. Me?

“Yeah, you honey. And the others. I like it when all of you ask me for things that you want. Like when I took Greyson to the cemetery, yeah?”

Sasha nodded, visibly calming down, and kept nodding, lips moving silently over unspoken words. She seemed to catch herself, glanced up at Galo, and offered a shaky, unconvincing smile. Galo smiled back, surprised. He really hoped that meant it worked, that Sasha, and the others when news spread to them, would feel less anxious about asking for things they wanted or needed, moving forward.

It had the side effect of making Galo feel like a really, really weird sugar daddy, but he wasn’t going to examine that particular thought anytime soon, no sir, right into the repression hole with that concept. Galo gave Sasha’s shoulder a final squeeze and released her entirely, stepping back.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt whatever you were doing, here. Getting a hair tie?” Galo guessed, and Sasha nodded, smile gone and nerves rising once again. Galo gave her a wide berth as he passed her and left the room, giving her a little wave goodbye and a “Alright, have a good one.”

Ugh, shit, and, he knew Sasha was the kind of person who did better and felt less anxious when she had something to do. He meant to give her extra tasks, just as soon as he could think of some, but now would it feel like he was trying to keep her on her toes, or demanding “payment” for letting them all stay together? Fuck, everything was walking on eggshells, and he knew he couldn’t rush them, couldn’t push them without serious consequences, but damn if he couldn’t fucking wait for when they weren’t so… well, petrified and broken.

He turned the handle of the final door in the basement and came to a halt in the doorframe of the dungeon.

--

Sasha woke up before her family, just like every day before that one, and slipped out of the family bed, shivering in the early morning air. Her bra, when she put it on, was uncomfortably loose, and she wondered if Nyla could maybe… just put another one on the grocery list and buy one for her. Master Galo didn’t seem to check over anything that Nyla bought (he didn’t seem to check over anything), and also wouldn’t have any idea how recently Sasha had gotten this one even if he did, so she might not get scolded for wearing out the elastic so quickly. She tugged on her dress, settled her apron on, and combed her hair and pulled it up into a ponytail, then picked up her shoes and sat on the steps to the main floor to lace them up. The rest of the family sat on the bed, but Sasha didn’t like to risk waking any of them up.

After thoroughly washing her hands, she prepared Master Galo’s breakfast juice. Was it juice? Sasha was never sure what to call it. She didn’t really know what else it would be, but it also didn’t really seem like a juice. It wasn’t a slushy, though, and was it a ‘drink’ if it was technically food?

Sasha reliably saw their Master once a day, almost like clockwork, except there was a whole half-hour range when he might show up, and she was invariably nervous that whole half hour until he finally arrived, smiling at her and thanking her for his… thing. He showed up early, that morning, right on the upper limit of that half hour, and the way he clasped her shoulder was now familiar and not particularly alarming. It helped that he did it every morning, and it was always on her right shoulder, and it never hurt. He was still big and his hand was still very warm and very strong, but especially on the heels of what had happened to Nyla yesterday, Sasha wasn’t frightened by his touch. 

Bread was next, and Sasha contemplated what she should make for breakfast for her family and herself that morning. Now that it was her job to make sure they all ate every day (and what an incredible responsibility to have!), she was experimenting a little more with what she made, branching out. That morning, she decided on blueberry muffins, making two trays of six so that when Evan and Lilah finished theirs, they wouldn’t need to split a muffin between them. Sasha also soft-boiled an egg for each of them, peeling the tricky shells off with practiced efficiency.

“Morning Sasha,” Lilah greeted as she entered the kitchen, Evan right on her heels and yawning loudly. Sasha smiled and bent down so Lilah could press a kiss to her cheek, then gave her an egg to keep her busy until the muffins were done. Same for Evan, who ate the whole thing in a single bite. While it was the best way to keep the yolk from spilling out, Sasha had to wonder if it was tricky to eat like that, what with his mouth being so full and all.

Sasha asked Nyla about the bra when she was up, and Nyla jotted it down on her neat little notebook with a small nod, voicing Sasha’s thoughts on how Master Galo didn’t really check the grocery purchases, and probably wouldn’t care if Sasha got a new bra. Nyla was so smart.

When the muffins were gone and the bread was sitting on the cooling rack, the family departed to do their tasks, moving slower and easier with their workloads reduced and their Master out of the house. Greyson stayed noticeably close to Nyla, and Sasha didn’t doubt why. News that Lady--no, not Lady, Master Galo had told them to stop calling the Guests Lords and Ladies--Barbra had nearly stolen Nyla had shaken them all badly, left them clinging to each other, Nyla in the middle, in bed that whole night. Master Galo had kept anything terrible from happening, though, and if he was right back to his routine, then they could go back to theirs. 

It was nice, too, that Master Galo’s routine didn’t involve checking over their work as frequently as Mistress Bethany had, or maybe his standards were perhaps just possibly a tiny bit less exacting than hers had been. Conceivably. 

He seemed to like what Sasha made for food, at least. She’d only been wrong once, so far, trying out breaded pepperjack cheeseballs that Nyla couldn’t eat because they were too spicy, and Master Galo had sent back with one single bite taken out of one single ball. She’d spent that evening terrified, pacing listlessly about the kitchen and pantry, wondering when the punishment would come, but it hadn’t. She’d made other food that he had liked, which had probably been her saving grace. But also, he just, didn’t punish her for the mistake. Which she was grateful for! And she would never take for granted! She wouldn’t get complacent just because he’d shown her mercy, no sir!

Stuffed bell peppers sounded fun, and she’d asked for all the ingredients last time Nyla got groceries. 

She got all the prep work done, doing everything except actually cooking the peppers, and stuck them in the fridge. She decided a roast might be nice for dinner, so she rubbed the salt and herbs into it and settled it into the crockpot with onions layered overtop. She set the crockpot on low, knowing it would ever so slowly cook over the course of the day and be fall-apart tender by the time dinner made its way around.

Sasha went to the cupboard just above the kitchen phone (and she never understood why there was a phone in the kitchen; even when cooking had been Greyson’s job no one but Nyla or Mistress ever answered it) and pulled out the small tablet. Sasha was given internet access and allowed to peruse for the sake of finding recipes, which worked out, because she genuinely loved watching food videos. She could, and did, spend hours watching people mix together ingredients in aesthetically pleasing ways (she had the materials, she could do it like they did, if she felt like washing a lot of dishes). She enjoyed watching the time lapses of the food actually cooking, and she liked watching the specific action of people cutting into their creations with such intense precision, perfect triangles skewered on perfect forks.

She set a timer, checking that the tablet was still on its lowest volume, and let herself lose a little time until she needed to put the bell peppers in to cook. 

It was kind of lonely, in the kitchen, but Sasha didn’t usually mind. She liked being secluded, most of the time, and she got to make all kinds of fancy, interesting things. Her family would pass through from time to time (more often now, with Master Galo), and she was out from underfoot. She’d been at this for long enough, she wouldn’t know what to do, if she were reassigned to another area of the estate. 

She saw a video for fluffy cheesecake with strawberries and decided she wanted to make that for dinner that night.

After Greyson brought lunch to Master Galo, Sasha got food out to her family, first Evan and Lilah, who were both outside, then Greyson, then Nyla, who was… perturbed.

“He seems to be looking for something,” she said, the two of them in an unused boudoir that had, as Nyla reported, already been checked. “I don’t know what it is he’s looking for, but he certainly seems to be looking for something.”

“M-maybe he just wants a nicer b-bedroom?” The one he had wasn’t really the best in all the mansion. 

Nyla seemed to shake it off, and smiled at Sasha. “Maybe. We’ll know when we know.”

It was a mantra that they’d clung to, with Mistress Bethany and her games, but it had hardly been a reassurance, then. More like a final thread to grasp. Hearing Nyla say it now, it was almost like… almost like a “we’ll worry about that later,” even though they’d absolutely worry about it now, too.

Things were different, with Master Galo, Sasha mused as she started planning potential meals for the upcoming week and composing a grocery list for Nyla. She pulled out an apple, after, and sliced it, carving the peels off in such a way that they looked like little red rabbits. It was cute, if a little time consuming, even for her practiced hands, and when she was done she rinsed her hands and then stared at the plate, towel in her palms. What to do with them now? Evan and Lilah were pretty guaranteed to always be interested in food, and Master Galo had said to feed people a minimum of three times a day.

She had waffled for days, now, on whether or not to bring people food outside of mealtimes, or if she was supposed to wait for them to approach her. Today, she mustered up the courage to pick the plate and… leave the kitchen with it.

She felt like a rabbit, herself, out in the open air just waiting for a hawk to catch sight of her. Just waiting for something sharp to carve into her, reshape her how it wanted her to look. She tried to remind herself that it was fine, it was fine, it was fine. Master Galo told her to leave the kitchen to bring people food, and even though it wasn’t a meal this still counted. Besides, he never really saw her anyway, and it was a big house, what were the chances of them bumping into each other?

Sasha would try to be quick, even so. She felt marginally better once she was out of the door, out into the sunlight which warmed her. The weather was gorgeous, that day, and Sasha hardly ever got outside...

Evan and Lilah were roughhousing, Sasha could see them at a distance, and part of her was happy to see them having fun, but another part of her was anxious to see them slacking off. What if Master Galo saw them? And what if Master Galo saw her, with them, and got mad at all three of them? But Master Galo was looking for something inside the house, and he’d already been out in the garden the evening before, so it was fine, it was fine. 

Evan caught sight of her before she tried to call out, and grinned wide, hoisting Lilah up into the air with both arms around her waist, setting off another peal of laughter. “Avast! Intruder! A second stowaway beholden to mine eyes!” 

Sasha giggled, shoulders hunching up.

“Nay nay f-fair sea ca-captain. It is only your h-h-humble scullery maid.”

“Aarrrrg,” Evan called, swooping Lilah down so she dangled close to the ground, wiggling only a little because she didn’t actually want to be dropped. “If ye were truly of my crew you would know me for a pirate! No fair captains here, lassie!”

“Oh,” Sasha said, taking a moment to switch gears while Evan pretended to chomp at Lilah’s face. “Then m-mayhaps this rowdy p-pirate can be bribed?”

“Death! Death to the pirate king!” Lilah pretended to shout, because none of them were actually stupid enough to be loud. “I shall have him mounted to the bow as my new figurehead!”

“Arrg, big talk for such a wee lass!” Evan kissed her temple and set her down. “But maychance I shall let the shrimpy go uneaten, at the lovely dame’s behest.”

Sasha giggled again, accepting a kiss on the cheek from Evan while Lilah “awww”ed at the apple rabbits. A hand on her elbow brought her attention to Lilah, red rabbit pinched between her fingers. “Are you good to be out of the kitchen?”

“I… don’t know,” Sasha said honestly, nerves kicking back up. “N-nervous.”

Evan nodded, chewing on the apple slice in his hand, and hooked his arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. He tongued the mouthful into one cheek and said, “You could say you’re giving us a late lunch, if Master gets bothered. We’ll back you up.”

Lilah nodded, and Sasha felt her nerves uncurl. It was hours after they’d actually eaten, but not so late to warrant scrutiny for the excuse. 

“Though, if I’m c-caught out here, you t-two definitely would b-be.”

“Point,” Evan and Lilah chorused. They moved further into the hedges, sitting down on a little stone bench together and Sasha told them about how she planned to start doing more food carvings, since she had all this time on her hands, and she liked the extravagance and challenge they presented. The sun was really hot, actually, and Sasha wondered if maybe she’d already started to burn. She didn’t want to leave, though.

But she did, when Lilah playfully gave her hair a tug and her worn elastic finally bit it. She sighed, taking that as her cue to head inside, and set the plate down in the kitchen before moving down the stairs. 

Master Galo was there.

Sasha couldn’t help the “Eep!” that escaped her, only a decade of practice keeping her from recoiling, from shrinking back, her now-trembling legs barely saved from backing away. Master Galo turned, face indiscernible before he gave a smile to Sasha. He filled their bedroom, loomed inside it with the light casting his face in a shadow, massive, like he was waiting--

Her knees gave out, body instinctively curling so her forehead was to the floor, hands wringing and clutched close to her chest. She couldn’t even breathe as he approached her. 

“Hey, Sasha,” he said, his voice taking that easy, careless tone he always seemed to take when he played his games with them. Not like his morning greetings or thanks for his green juice, something sinisterly akin to comforting, to soothing. She glanced up, and found his hand outstretched. Graceless, she took the hand, and pressed a shaking kiss to it while she prayed he would forgive her the oversight of not doing that when she saw him. She knew he preferred that to kneeling--she was so stupid! And she must have fucked up, because this time Master Galo didn’t retract his hand like he normally did, instead he curled his fingers around her hand, holding it loosely and stroking her thumb with his hand that could crush the fragile bones of her own at any moment. 

“‘M sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

Sasha glanced up at him, terrorized; how was she supposed to respond to that!? What did he want? Did he want anything in particular, or was this just some script for manners that he included in the game? She nod nod nodded as she glanced away, and in her peripheral she saw him reach out his other hand, but it only landed on her shoulder. That at least was familiar. Comforting. But then, with a squeeze, he shifted his hand underneath her arm and brought her to her feet. She’d been graceless the first time he lifted her, and she was graceless again this time, too, weeks to adjust and prepare herself and still she couldn’t keep her weight off him, made him take some of her disgusting weight in his own hands in order to position her how he wanted and she knew that wasn’t forgivable. She braced for it, shivering minutely as his hands lingered where they were. She could barely breathe, standing there under his scrutiny, feeling his eyes on her as another one of his slow, thoughtful silences dragged on.

“Is everything alright, Sasha?” Images of Barbara came unbidden, of terrible things that had happened just the day before. But nothing had happened that day, so she nodded. “Good.”

It occurred to her, belatedly, as he took another (far briefer) pause to think, that perhaps he had been asking if she was behaving herself, or if she had any reason to be out of the kitchen at this time of day. Really, where did she get off even thinking that he might be voicing concern for anyone’s well-being? Stupid! (Unprecedented; her own thoughts alarmed her). 

“Sasha, do you all sleep here?”

She dared a glance at his face, not understanding. Why… why..? But hers was not to understand, hers was to obey, and her Master had asked her a question. She nodded, but it was the wrong answer. Master Galo’s lips pressed thin. 

“Okay, well, we can fix that. There are those dorms on the other side of the basement, those would work, or we could choose individual rooms from--”

Sasha felt panic flood her, her anxiety lancing her with sudden, violent intensity, enough for her to cry out a choked “No--!” He looked to her, surprised, (and in truth, she was surprised by her own actions, or at least would be later, at her defiance, at her arrogance) “Pl--” don’t stutter, don’t stutter, she couldn’t stutter, it’d make it worse, Master Galo was being forgiving still, she hadn’t fucked up the game he was playing he was shushing her and touching her but she needed to not stutter. Maybe, maybe if she could ask without stuttering, maybe then he’d, maybe they wouldn’t have to-- 

“Easy, Sasha, shhh shsh, easy honey, what’s wrong?” She choked down a high whine, a small whimper escaping her anyway (sloppy, the rest of her family would’ve stayed quiet, she was supposed to be quiet). 

She needed to get herself together. She was the one he was playing his game with, now, she needed to… to win. She squeezed his hand with panicked desperation, maybe if she could prove she wanted it enough, he’d find it entertaining. “Please,” she gasped, “M-” She cut herself off, feeling the stutter before it could bubble out of her, breathing hard like that had ever once made the stutter go away before. “Master, don’t m-make--” No! No, no, she covered her mouth with tears stinging her eyes, curling in on herself (ugly, poor posture, no-good rotten girl). She wanted to beg on the floor, curl down on her knees and huddle in on herself without it being bad but he was still touching her so she couldn’t!

“Typing! Here, just type it out.” He pulled out his phone and tapped on it before handing it to her, and she took it with shaky hands. Now she couldn’t curl down on her knees because she was holding his property, his possession, and she didn’t let herself even think about the possibility of dropping it because if she thought about it she would make herself sick. Right now, she needed to focus on begging, on keeping her family together in the one space that had been some small degree of safe, that had been in some miniscule way theirs. 

Please Master don’t make us separate, she wrote, and when she handed it back she fumbled it. She gasped, one tear slipping out, but she wiped at it while Master Galo read what she’d written and she thought maybe he didn’t even notice. When his hand approached her she flinched, but he just touched her shoulder again, and maybe it was just because nothing bad had happened to her while he was touching her there, so far, but it almost soothed her.

Master Galo had another one of his long thoughtful pauses, staring at the phone screen and moving his thumb slowly, lightly over her shoulder, skimming the edge of her apron strap. She stood, shoving down the tears, shoving down the trembling, shoving down her need to curl into a ball at his feet and beg him to just kick her and get it over with, as she waited on his response. Please, Master Galo, please don’t make us separate she willed, like if she just thought hard enough maybe he’d feel it.

“Okay, Sasha, thank you,” he said at long last, “I like it when you ask me for things, that’s very good, and since you asked, you get what you asked for, see? No separating.”

Sasha’s eyes blew wide, looking at Master Galo’s hand, at the phone in it, then the hand on her shoulder, his face, the room, back to her Master. He, he liked? He liked it, when, when they--or, when she? When, asking would, he liked it when they asked for things? She didn’t understand. She’d ask her family later, what they thought, what the game was, if he was lying, if they should ask--or if she should ask? Swallowing hard, Sasha raised a hand and pointed a finger at her own chest. Did Master Galo want her, Sasha, to be the one to ask, like a responsibility, like it was her responsibility to feed everyone?

“Yeah, you honey.” God oh no oh no Nyla was the one who was good at talking why did Sasha have to be the one--she couldn’t even talk right and-- “And the others. I like it when all of you ask me for things that you want. Like when I took Greyson to the cemetery, yeah?”

Oh. Oh! Oh!!! Sasha nodded, feeling herself calm down. Like Greyson and the indulgence. Like how Master Galo had made Evan beg to be punished before he would--oh, oh it made sense! It made sense now! Master Galo, it must be some sort of power display or something, it was the act of being asked that he liked! Like, maybe like just the reminder that he had the ability to tell them yes or no because he owned them and--and she should be paying attention to him, right now, in front of her. She risked another glance up at her owner’s face, and maybe it was just because she felt like she finally understood one of the rules to a game but she gave him a shaky, if genuine smile. Master Galo smiled back, and it almost felt like Sasha was in on something. First to know. The one who would share with the rest of the family, what she had learned.

Master Galo released her with a step back, and Sasha drew in a tremulous breath. “Didn’t mean to interrupt whatever you were doing, here. Getting a hair tie?” Sasha nodded, remembering that just now, herself. Master Galo passed her by with a “Alright, have a good one,” and Sasha took two hesitant steps toward the dresser, out of the line of sight of the doorway, before collapsing onto the carpet. She… didn’t even feel particularly scared. Just, just, so much, so intensely, and it had drained her of all her strength. She just needed a moment, please, just a moment, to collect herself, to refind her strength and composure.

She didn’t let herself stay down long, just enough for the worst of the shakes to pass through her in ebbing waves, cycling out of her, before she rose, grabbed a hair tie, got herself presentable again, and left.

Master Galo was in the Punishment Room.

Sasha knew better than to recoil, but even so, on her quietest feet, she ran. Through the basement, up the stairs, to the kitchen, and she was cornered, she couldn’t leave, but, she was hiding, “hiding,” he could find her he could come find her any moment but this was where she was supposed to be she was good she was good she wasn’t being bad she didn’t want to be bad there wasn’t any reason to put her in the Punishment Room god please god not the Punishment Room even Evan hadn’t been in the Punishment Room in so long and Mistress hadn’t put her in it in so so long and Master Galo didn’t need to use it please please not the Punishment Room why was he there what was he doing why please no please not--

“--sha? Sasha?”

“Nyla!” Sasha gasped, clinging to her the moment her eyes registered that she was there.

“What’s wrong? Sasha, what happened?”

“I--he--” Sasha choked, curling into Nyla, face pressed into her shoulder, clutching at her apron skirt, desperate, needing, and Nyla’s arms came up around her back, holding onto her (safe, safe, Nyla was safe Nyla would protect her Nyla would make everything better). She tried to speak, her mouth not working, and it took her three, four attempts before she finally managed to get it across that their Master was in the Punishment Room. Nyla soothed her, soft shushes with her hand in Sasha’s hair.

“He’s been searching the house,” Nyla said in hushed tones, “He’s looking for something, that’s all, he isn’t,” Nyla seemed to falter, but pressed on, “Master Galo isn’t going to hurt us. Not, not there, at least. He’s just searching for something, that’s all, it’s alright Sasha, pull yourself together it’s alright, sh sh.”

Sasha nodded, trying to tamp it down. Master Galo had searched the garden the day before, he’d been through the house that day, Nyla had discussed it with her earlier! Master Galo was looking for something, and, and that had to be it, right? He was just checking all the rooms. Slowly, far too slowly, Sasha wound down.

Nyla pulled back enough to cup Sasha’s cheek in her palm, and searched her eyes. “Maybe… do you suppose he’s surveying the household; he didn’t go through room-by-room when he arrived, perhaps he’s just doing it a little late?” Nyla suggested. “Or possibly inspecting our work?”

And Sasha had just been thinking, earlier, on how lucky they all were that he didn’t seem to do that. She couldn’t help but feel that she’d jinxed it.

“M-maybe?”

Nyla took a deep breath and Sasha caressed her cheek in return, their foreheads pressing together.

“Just focus on your job, for now. I’ll speak up if something happens.”

Sasha felt herself soothe down a little more. Nyla would handle it. She nodded, trying to seem more confident than she was (her nerves were shot), and Nyla drank a glass of water before leaving.

Sasha remembered belatedly that she needed to tell Nyla that Master Galo wanted them to ask him for things, but this way she just ended up telling everyone at once, once their Master had eaten and they were gathered together in the kitchen for dinner.

“So he likes grovelling,” Evan mused, not sounding as bitter as he might have. Maybe despondent? But not angry, and Sasha’s brows knit to see him so… reduced. But maybe this news would cycle through and he’d feel better.

“It explains why I didn’t have to pay for the indulgence,” Greyson mentioned quietly. “Why he rewarded me for it.” Oh right, Greyson had gotten an easy day, hadn’t he?

“And why Evan was given prolonged threats with a comparatively mild punishment,” Nyla mused, “And it also might actually explain why we weren’t allowed to eat that first week. He was waiting for us to ask, and Lilah’s stumbling indicated that we would pass out first.”

Lilah huffed and stabbed her potato. “Mistress only liked begging when we were hurting,” she groused, voicing frustration that Sasha, personally, wasn’t even brave enough to feel. “And we sure weren’t supposed to ask for anything.”

Nyla could, because Nyla knew when to ask, and how to ask, and how to ask for only so much at one time, so it didn’t come off greedy, but balanced it with not asking too frequently, to avoid pestering Mistress. But now Master wanted to be pestered.

“Arrogant,” Evan whispered, barely a breath, not bold like he was normally (like he was supposed to be (no, that was a bad thing to think)). 

“We c-can grovel,” Sasha said, kinda hopefully, “I don’t m-mind grovelling.”

“It’ll take a bit to get used to,” Nyla said, setting her fork down on her empty plate and patting down her apron, “but I think ultimately this is going to be a better situation for us. And, by some stroke of fortune, it doesn’t seem that we’ve left the adjustment period yet.”

“He might not like that he had to spell it out for us though,” Lilah said, and oh, Sasha hadn’t even thought of that. He kept waiting for them to figure it out and they hadn’t. That was… probably not good.

“We’ll…” Nyla huffed through her nose. “Everyone just keep minding their manners, and let me know if his temper seems shorter or if you notice anything peculiar, or any changes, really.”

“He seemed different during tonight’s meal,” Greyson mentioned, and the family turned to him. “Not in any discernible way, but,” Greyson shrugged, a small barely-there movement that Sasha knew as well as her own skin, “different. Stiff, maybe.”

Nyla took a deep breath, the family looking to her, waiting for her verdict. “That probably means he’s a little irritated, but still not inclined to hurt us. It might also be from not finding--or finding, possibly--whatever it was he was looking for during the day. Don’t step on his toes.”

The sensation of mild alarm left the room, and Sasha… honestly felt good. Wrung out from her encounter with their Master, but they knew he liked begging, he liked being asked for things, that was--hopeful. That was a good thing, important to know, and, well, he seemed inclined to grant the things they asked for. Probably just to encourage them to keep doing it. But his motivations still meant he would do it!

It had been many years since Sasha had received any formal training, but, she vaguely remembered a unit on how to ask for things attractively. She shut down that line of thinking, because her stutter meant she would never be able to, but… as she cleaned up the kitchen, it made for a nice idle fantasy.

Next

[kaluawoo]

OC Character Ask

Tagged by @nyanberri​! I have too many OCs to choose from so I’ll uhhh just take Lexy/Lexie/Lexi I guess bc she’s my KH OC and I’ve met you through KH. and bc I need to flesh her out more Putting it under a cut for length and some KH spoilers until like KH3-ish

Tagging @silverfeathers to do it too :3

1. Do they have a morning routine that they do to get ready for the day? What about a night routine?

Aside from the standard get dressed, brush teeth, etc, not really.

2. Is there anything specific that they need before they go to bed? A night light? Warm milk? Maybe a story?

She didn’t before, but after she and her family got attacked by Shadows, she started writing a journal each night, and some nights she needs a night light.

3. Do they have a skin care routine? If so is it long or short?

Not really skin care, but she’s tried out a lot of scar creams. I’d put more info but all google gives me is “How to get rid of scars” and not “How to make sure they don’t feel uncomfortable”

4. Do they like tight clothes or loose clothes?

Either is fine as long as it’s colorful, she’s basically a walking rainbow.

5. What is their favorite color?

Do you have to make her choose...? I guess if she has to, she likes dark blue, the sky just after sunset. Or the red of Axel’s hair and the black of his coat

6. What kind of stuff do they dream about? What do they have nightmares about?

Most of her dreams are those weird dreams that make you go “????” but when you think a bit you can easily decipher which happenings during the day caused what part of the dream. Nightmares, though, usually have to do with her or people she cares about getting cornered by a hulking black mass with piercing yellow eyes.

7. Do they have any special talents? Singing? Dancing? Playing an instrument?

Well it’s definitely not playing poker, Lexi can’t do a pokerface to save her life lmao. She’s gotten a little bit of training with different weapons, but not much, like, Sora’s experience with wooden swords was probably better than what she can do at the start of her journey.

8. Are they active? If so what do they do? Workout? Play a sport?

She’s gotten Axel, Demyx, Roxas, and Xion to teach her a little bit of fighting cringe is dead my OC is friends with half the Org deal with it but not a lot tbh, especially since it’s several different fighting styles that she now knows the basics in, but none she’s actually good at.

9. What is something that they are really passionate about?

“Listen Nobodies DO have emotions, I HAVE BEEN HANGING OUT WITH THEM FOR AGES, EVEN THEY REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT because they’re all IDIOTS, but trust me I know that!”

10. Do they ever have a self care or 'me’ day? If so, what do they do?

Lexy is a total extrovert and loves company, so a “me” day usually still involves hanging out with other people. Maybe if she really just wants to relax, hanging out with Demyx specifically and listen to him play the sitar.

11. What’s something they’re secretly really insecure about? Is it something physical or maybe something related to who they are or what they identify as?

Her non-existent fighting skills. Lexie kinda-sorta joins Sora’s group for the timeline of KH2, and she tries but especially at the start she’s just... Not good at it. And if she faces Shadow Heartless she has almost no chance because she tends to freeze up then. She does get better at fighting over time though.

12. Have they ever dated? If so, how did their last relationship end?

She’s probably had a few dates as a teen, maybe a partner, but nothing too serious. She’s (with almost no success) trying to hide that she’s got a crush on Axel/Lea, and they finally get together around DDD.

13. Do they care about quality or quantity with their work?

When it’s for friends, quality, otherwise she’s kinda just “eh, good enough” for stuff.

14. What is their favorite scent?

The smell of a campfire. Heat in general is nice (hot water smells different than cold water I swear), but campfires especially.

15. What is their favorite genre of music?

Lexi’s fine with whatever tbh, but it varies a bit on her mood. If she’s stressed or just wants to chill, she’s taken a liking to sitar music, otherwise she really likes pop.

16. What do they usually have for a midnight snack?

Nothing, usually.

17. Have they ever snapped because of what someone said or did to them? If so what happened? Do they regret it and did they apologize?

Theoretically that scene isn’t written yet, buuuut. Lexie’s best friend is Demyx. Sora is not exactly sad about killing her best friend. I’d say it’s pretty damn understandable for Lexie to get pissed off in that situation. She’s very emotional in general so probably snapped at people in general when it came to the topic of Nobodies; sometimes she’d apologize, but not always.

18. Do they have any kind of medical condition? If so what? Asthma, kidney disease, etc.

Well I’m pretty sure having her parents and almost herself killed in a Heartless attack could’ve caused PTSD, so I need to do some research on that before writing more with her.

19. Have they ever had a panic attack? If so, what caused it and how were they able to calm down?

Well, I’m pretty sure seeing the monsters who killed your parents and seeing your friends and crush killed in front of you can cause those - The Shadows moreso directly, while the friends/crush stuff usually needed a while to really hit. Like, so much happening it once, that a few hours or days afterwards it hits her all at once and she just. Curls up somewhere.

20. What are they genuinely afraid of?

Shadow Heartless, and losing people she cares about (yeah she’s gonna suffer). As for the Shadows, she knows there’s stronger and more dangerous Heartless around, but the Shadows scare her the most.

21. How organized are their living spaces? Do they keep things clean or are they disorganized?

“Damn girl you live like that?” Her room’s chaos, but somehow she always knows where stuff is.

22. If they ever had a YouTube channel, what would they make videos about?

Pretty scenery videos around Twilight Town. The view from the clock tower, pretty places in the woods around the city, etc.

23. Do they have a birthmark or any scars? If so how do they feel about them and how did they get their scars?

Lexi’s pretty much covered in scars. Her family wanted to get out of Twilight Town when the Heartless started becoming more and more, but didn’t make it all the way to the train station - Lexy’s parents got killed in the attack, and Lexy almost died. Her little sister is the only one who got away without physical damage.

24. Are they the type to start or finish fights?

Hm... Neither and both. Lexi can get worked up quickly, so arguments with her might get heated, but she usually wouldn’t start an actual fight, especially since she calms down pretty quickly, her emotions burn hot and bright but not long.

25. Do they like cuddling? If so are they a big spoon or a little spoon?

Yes.

26. Do they prefer baths or showers?

Baths, though she usually takes showers because it’s quicker.

27. How do they sleep? Do they stay in one position all night or do they toss and turn? Do they snore or talk in their sleep?

Lexi sometimes mumbles in her sleep, and she moves around a lot. That’s how you can tell she has a nightmare: She moves almost not al all when she has one.

28. How touch starved are they? Would they like a hug right now?

Technically not touch starved, but yes, she’d love a hug.

29. What are their favorite kinds of foods? Sweets, sour foods, salty, etc?

She likes all of them on occasion, but she’s especially fond of spicy food and all kinds of curry.

30. Do they still have anything from their childhood? If so what and why? A stuffed animal, a piece of jewelry, a book, etc?

She’s got a stuffed animal that belonged to her little sister, and a few of her own. Other than that a few trinkets that were gifts from friends, but most of them are too recent to be called “from her childhood”.

[cirgaydian-rhythm]

Promare is GAY AF

and you can’t change my mind.

Gonna ramble some spoilery thoughts under the cut!

I have seen this movie three times now, and while I remember a lot of it, I might fuck up in some places, so forgive me. But my point is, I paid attention to different elements on each rewatch, and I’ve given a lot of thought to everything in it over the past week.

But basically? Trigger knows damn well what they did, and they did it with all the intent in the world, because they made deliberate decisions that could have very easily gone different ways:

The Promare being rendered as pink triangles. Why pink? Why triangles? Burnish flares get rendered in a variety of neons and angular shapes, but the very first visual of the Promare itself, and every representation of the base Promare “life force” is pink triangles.

For those of you young’uns who’re missing out on your queer history: the Nazi concentration camps used a variety of different colored triangle swatches as badges to denote why the prisoners were in the camps, and pink triangles were used for homosexuals. The queer community, of course, took this and turned it into a badge of pride, because that’s what we do. It’s ubiquitous enough (or at least, it was in the 90′s and 00′s) that pink triangles were used to mark queer safe spaces.

Here’s the wiki article for more info, but basically, there’s very little chance that the writers didn’t know what they were using, especially given all the other themes in the movie.

Galo’s entrance. It’s easy to miss on the first watch because there’s just so much going on, but the FDPP trucks are only flashing red and blue lights. But when Galo’s pod-thingy is deployed, it’s accompanied by a whole rainbow of lights. So...here’s this inexplicably shirtless guy with an undercut and some weird strap across his chest, loudly and proudly emerging from this rainbow-rave-light thing...

Yes, I know the strap is from the sleeve for the burns on his arm, but it didn’t have to be like that. The animators didn’t need to add that strap across his chest, but they did. And black leather chest straps are just Gay Culture, okay?

You can argue with me that his hair is a mohawk, but I’m pretty sure it’s an undercut since the short parts aren’t shaved bald. And undercuts are Gay Culture.

The scene with Vulcan at the pizza place. This is a small detail, but given that it’s Studio Trigger, it’s kind of significant? When Aina joins Galo in trying to get Vulcan to stop, she is on top of him, literally with her boobs on either side of his head. And Galo? Galo isn’t blushing or drooling or anything - he’s annoyed that he’s getting smashed between her and Vulcan! I’d maybe ignore this from any other studio, but I’ve seen Kill la Kill, I know they’re not shy about making characters drool over other characters doing inadvertently sexy things, nothing would’ve been taken away if the brief shot of Galo’s face was of a stupid drooly grin instead of a very annoyed grumpface. But they went with grumpface.

The frozen lake scene with Aina and Galo, and I’m not just talking about him dropping her on her ass. There are several small cues in this scene that paint them as similar, but ultimately out of sync.

One of the wide shots shows Aina pushing off to skate closer to Galo, only for Galo to push off a second later to skate further away from her - not deliberately, even, he just simply doesn’t know what she’s doing.

As they turn, talking about their shit, they’re both alternating between light and shadow...opposite from one another. Yes, they’re going through similar things and relating to similar experiences, but at different times, in different ways.

Galo is completely oblivious to the position he catches Aina in. She’s completely flustered, and he’s just like “oh, you fell, lucky I caught you before you conked your head on the ice,” and then all awareness of her and her proximity to him is completely gone when he spots the Burnish Flare.

Also, thinking about it, I’m not even sure Aina is all that into it? Like, yeah, she’s completely flustered and embarrassed, but at the thought of Galo kissing her, she...makes a face like she’s holding her breath like a child would when they have to endure something they dislike. There’s no imagine spot, no attempt at kissing him first, no nothing. It’s clear that she she has some affection for him as a friend and coworker, but that seems to be it. Whether she’s not sure of her own feelings, or she thinks Galo is in to her, is up to interpretation, I guess, but there’s no reason for her to have made that face if it didn’t mean that she felt like kissing Galo would be something she’d have to endure, rather than something she would enjoy.

The Promare life-force transfer. Look, it’s magic, and Trigger could have had it function literally any other way, but they deliberately chose to go with the CPR/“kiss of life” method.

Not to mention, that when Lio tries to revive Thyma, the focus is on the life force. The shot changes angles multiple times, and Lio does, at points, pull away and try again - closer to the actual mouth-to-mouth CPR method. It’s deliberately set up as being akin to something Galo is trained to do.

And yet, when he’s faced with the necessity of the same method, he not only does not follow Proper Mouth-to-Mouth CPR Procedures, he doesn’t even follow the method Lio used on Thyma!

You can argue that, in-universe, Galo maybe didn’t really remember what was supposed to happen and just panicked and was trying to transfer the Promare in any way possible, but that doesn’t work on a meta level.

There is no heterosexual explanation for holding that shot for 15 whole seconds with that lighting and that background music. It did not need to happen like that unless Trigger was trying to make a point that it means something. It was shot and framed differently from Lio and Thyma because it is different from Lio and Thyma.

Galo’s freak out. This gets its own point because the fake-out is built on a super popular “no homo” joke, where a guy freaks out about “kissing” another guy in the midst of performing CPR. They absolutely, deliberately make it seem like that’s where it’s going with Galo, but then veer into “you made me light a fire!”

And I mean, yeah, it’s funny that a firefighter is flipping out over having lit a fire, but on its own, it’s a bit over-the-top, even for Trigger - and that’s the point. It has to be considered in the context of the trope its mocking, because Galo considers “lighting a fire” to be of more concern than “kissing a boy.”

Plus, in-universe? He’s a first-responder, a trained EMT - he’s probably performed (actual) CPR on guys before. Big whup. As silly as it is to have him flip out over lighting a fire, it’d be even more implausible for him to have flipped out over locking lips with a guy for medical purposes.

Yeah, I said for medical purposes, because in-universe, that’s what it was. But only in-universe. Because nothing about how that scene was planned and framed and shot was “for medical purposes,” and anybody with half a braincell can see that.

And the HEART. You know, just to drive the point home that this is love. They didn’t have to do that! It didn’t have to be a heart! It could’ve been anything else! It realistically should have been anything else! But it’s a HEART. Trigger did that.

Anyway, I’ve probably missed some other things, but this is what I remember thinking. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[donotstopthisdebatenow]

V3 Prologue Replay 0.1- It’s Time to Wake Up

Well, guess this is happening now.

Hello there. I figured I might as well write down things I picked up on during my replays and discussions with others, as well as some translation issues I (and many others from what I’ve seen) have noticed throughout out the game, with some fun trivia along the way too. This is mainly for the sake of my own peace of mind than anything, as I haven’t properly went through the game chapter by chapter in order recently, and I mainly compared translation as bits and pieces than going through line by line.

I will be recording the game both in English and Japanese to compare the lines and comment on differences if they seem of worth to note, which honestly most of it isn’t given that in terms of adapting the language in a natural sounding way -as a localization- they did a pretty good job. Most issues seems to come from lack of communication between the team in terms of context of some lines, but that’s mostly on the management of the team and I don’t have the insider’s knowledge beyond knowing that they were given some characters/sections of the game to translate so I can’t exactly comment on what was going on there.

For the trivia bits, please do keep in mind that it is me being nitpicky as a translator myself, and that I’m only pointing those out as how I would personally prefer those to be translated but at the end of the day, it really does come down to preferences since they do communicate the main thing they are trying to relay and unlike context relevant errors that do in fact cause geniune harm to gameplay and player’s experience (ie. inconsistencies in translation making Trial 5 a confusing mess) they are more what it says on the tin- some extra info/context on things.

All that said, let’s start~

Here we start with a shortened version of the V3 promo we will see in trial 6, as well as the V3 opening. Before I move to the latter though, I do want to note that for the “This story is not over” part, the Japanese counterpart uses “���語は終わらない” which due to the verb tense has a heavier “This story won’t end” vibe, which Monokuma kept insisting on in trial 6 as well.

It is not a big thing but simply a nice touch with the bold claims they make throughout the game on how it will never end.

It is also worth touching on given that one commenter in trial 6 was saying that it’s been three years since last season, so it is a bold “come back” line by whoever the group running this season 53 is.

Beyond that, it is just a nice recap and I personally love how the music blends fairly well together.

Hello there, “Team Danganronpa”. Still love how this spoiler was staring at us in the face entire time.

For the actual opening Tsumugi having a red string (of their fates) at hand and Rantaro being the only one who becomes one with their shadow to have pink eyes open was a nice touch.

The character in that pink blinking eye that for some reason wasn’t translated is the kanji for “lie” (嘘) btw. Also nice touch with Kaede facing the culprits in that blink and you will miss it scene before they dissolve to letters.

Tsumugi and Rantaro being on top of the slot machine just like how Monokuma’s ‘throne’ is between their trial stands is nice too.

The opening, which was supposedly used in-game as show intro as well, having the meteorities and that talent suppressing machine for the Ultimate Hunt plotline is of worth noting too. It is easy to dismiss the Gofer Project plotline for us players now, but the show was genuinely going for that angle before Kokichi’s takeover, hence it is worth keeping in mind while going through first four chapters especially.

For the game name, this is sort of a dead horse at this point but “Killing Harmony” rather than “Everyone’s [Mutual] Killing School Semester” was likely used due to character limit, so they had to get creative with an alternative subtitle. Character limit is a genuine issue translators face with especially with a language like Japanese and why we end up things like Yasuhiro telling us to call him Hiro or Korekiyo saying we can use Kiyo.

It is also interesting that they play the show intro twice in the prologue, one before and after their memories were altered by the flashback light, and given Monokuma when he appears later saying that this prologue was going on too long, it seems like whoever was in charge of that (supposedly Monophanie, if kubs indeed have their own AI, or the person using the avatar of said bear) messed up so they had that version aired unintentionally, hence having to go for an intro again later.

And now it’s time to wake up for one antenna girl.

If this part felt pretentious and weird to you when you first read it, don’t worry it is just usual “Kodaka trying to go purple prose except it comes off really awkward especially in English” and the translator chose to simplify a good chunk of it, going “yeah we ain’t doing that here” and I can respect that tbh.

But just for the sake of having it here: A more literal translation of that part would be “There is nothing here yet. No light, no sound. Nor my form or voice. Nobody knows who I am yet. Who I am? Who am I? I reach out a hand. A hand that doesn’t belong to anyone yet. To grasp my own existence- This is me. My name is Kaede Akamatsu. I finally recognized who I am. ...Nice to meet [you,] me. Miss protagonist of this crazy story.”

Again, a few things are just reworded to sound natural in English for the localization’s take, but if the line “Nice to meet... me” confused you before, that’s because translator went half way cutting out Kodaka waxing poetics on regaining consciousness, so taking off the subject in translation makes it sound weirder when she suddenly seems to start to talk to herself.

Also, the heavy protag framing with her and Shuichi honestly did more harm to the game than good, at this point. It would be better if they started off without that last line, as it would blend better with unreliable narrator we just happened to see events from the POV gimmick way better. Same goes for Demo having her, Hajime and Makoto sharing the “Protagonist Room” and how much hype they caused by actively pushing that angle. Part of that was preserving the twist, yes, but I also get why people do feel like it was meant as a “take that” as well.

It also did not help with people recognizing that we were playing as “side characters” the entire time as far as in-universe story plotted by this TDR was concerned too, since Kiibo was set to be the in game Naegi-expy protagonist of the season.

But enough of that for now, because we have a title card to tackle.

蘇る超高校級

I have to admit, revival probably was the best choice to use there as looking back now, there are a few things this is refering to-

1-) The simpler explanation of how they supposedly had their memories sealed, hence the “restoring/bringing back memories” meaning of 蘇る, which also means “reviving” the title of Ultimate in the Gofer Project plotline universe given how they were supposedly last survivors of the earth and

2-) How this is a revival of Danganronpa, going again with the fact that show stopped for three years/some people were awaiting for a new season for a while now, hence the resurrection/revival of Danganronpa and by extention, the concept of Ultimates by using that meaning of 蘇る in that way too. After all, “Ultimate” is really just “Best in X field amongst other highschoolers” title (as commonly fan-translated and iirc even made it to anime subs as “Super High School Level”), so having high schoolers who are given memories and the title to match with it is reviving that.

Finally out of the closet locker, and before we move on, I want to add another side note that when you invert the UI, pre first flashback light UI turns a familiar pink.

While one reading of this could be that this lie magenta being the inverted version hints at prologue being a lie, I personally take it as due to the inverted color being the one we see, it means the prologue has the “truth” than later parts, since in trial we have blue truth bullet changing color to become pink lie bullet theme, that the color they are inverted to being opposite of what they are simply makes more sense to me.

We will see when we return to this locker again later that our UI changed to yellow which inverts to blue, reverse of truth, which is especially poignant with Tsumugi’s later trial 6 comment on “if they will call fiction a lie, then all their actions and words were indeed all just lies, since they were performed based on things some people wrote, fiction, too.

It changing immediately after we are shown that first light simply felt too relevant to not tack this on here, but moving on-

A mood tbh

Poor girl, honestly. This is not even the only time she will end up hitting her head when we are done with prologue.

A bit of a short fuse there, but also fair.

That’s what we all would like to know too.

Imagine someone goes through the trouble of kidnapping you while you are on the way to school, and brings you to... another school you’ve never been to. It almost sounds funny if you ignore the small big fact that they are brought there to kill each other.

You tried, Kaede.

Also I forgot how much of the prologue was really just “Kaede causes herself physical pain while trying to calm down simulator” wow

Dun dun duun

Insert “Wow, Kaede comes out of her own closet AND brings hat boy out his closet too? Doing Arceus’ work, Kaede” joke.

Also hi, Shuichi.

This is honestly a weird way to phrase it, as what Kaede says is that it is “A boy dressed in a normal school uniform...” than emphasizing on Shuichi’s own normalness, in the Japanese version.

It is also the only line that has a slight change in both takes as in the second take, she says “A boy dressed in a bit weird school uniform...” which due to copy-paste and adjective being used to describe Shuichi than his clothing in the translation, it ends up being glossed over.

On the one hand, still funny. On the another hand, this kid is justifiably terrified...

“Buddy I need some context here I have no clue what’s going on”

“Oh yeah that happened”

Shuichi: Sees a girl in high school uniform, kidnapped by likely people older than them himself

Shuichi:

Shuichi: You are working with them aren’t you?!

10/10 detective work there hat boy. I know he is probably just still too scared to think straight, but it is still funny on hindsight.

That’s one way to calm someone

And both of their names are the same both takes too. Their way of referring to themselves (私 for Kaede, 僕 for Shuichi, which are both used in the Chapter 1 title as well) are same, as well as their general speech patterns too.

Damn, girl.

Also a nice time to point out that Shuichi spends a good chunk of prologue retake and chapter 1 doubting if they can really trust everyone, and it is good to see that he had same tendency to assume he is the only one facing something/that people around must be enemy unless he is explicitly told or shown that they are not.

It makes sense in the situation, really, especially with how Kaede being the one who opened the door to his locker, his experience is that this girl could be working for/with the ones who kidnapped him, but still worth mentioning.

A real flashback time-

Which is coming soon, because tumblr refuses to add more pictures to this post OTL

[amillioninprizes]

Some thoughts on Veronica Mars, fan service, and noir

I’ve been on winter break and at home with a nasty combo cold-ear infection-stomach virus the past couple of weeks, and as so often happens when I don’t have much going on, my thoughts have turned to ruminating over the steaming pile of excrement that was season 4 of Veronica Mars. Why yes, almost six months and one cancellation notice later and I’m still complaining about it--as I told someone on Twitter, it was so stupid that it’s going to take years to unpack.

This particular rant is brought to you by a common refrain seen in both professional critics’ and S4 supporters’ reviews of S4: the movie was schlocky fan service, while S4 is TRUE NOIR. I’m here to argue that neither of those things are true, and that in the grand scheme of things trying to definitively call Veronica Mars noir or not isn’t the best qualitative judgement of the series.

A note on “fanservice”

Something that’s been very strange to me in the critical discussion around S4 is that the fan-funded movie has been retconned as a fanservicey failure. This is weird because it did get a positive Rotten Tomatoes score, actually turned a profit despite the unorthodox distribution model, and was overall well-received by fans except for maybe the 5 Piz lovers out there (he absolutely did not deserve better you guys; he works at This American Life and lives in Brooklyn, he’ll be fine).

A lot of the things pointed to in the movie as fan service actually weren’t. In every interview about the movie and S4, RT and KB always talk about how they started with the image of Veronica punching Madison at the high school reunion and worked from there. The problem is that almost no one had been asking for that. If they had bothered to read any online discourse about the show (and we know RT definitely does), they would know that fans are actually somewhat sympathetic to Madison--after all, she was the intended recipient of the drugged drink Veronica received at Shelly Pomeroy’s party, plus growing up in a family that she wasn’t meant to be a member of must have negatively impacted her. When the preview scene of Veronica encountering Madison at the reunion welcome table was released, Veronica didn’t come off sympathetically. In a similar vein, as much as I liked Corny as a side character in the original series, I didn’t need him to come back for that random scene at the reunion. Nor was anyone asking for an out-of-nowhere James Franco cameo (which given what we know about him now is super gross in hindsight).

So why was the movie well-received by fans? Veronica was in character after an unevenly written and performed S3, and she was back in Neptune, doing what (and who; Ay-yo!) she was meant to do. So while the mystery was subpar (and what Rob Thomas mystery isn’t?), the character side of the story made sense and was satisfying. I wouldn’t call that fan service so much as good writing. Plus, what is even the point of wasting time, money, and effort on making a tv show or movie if it’s going to actively alienate the audience?

S4: more trauma porn than true noir

Admittedly, I’m not exactly the world’s foremost scholar on film noir (in my opinion, the height of cinema is teen romcoms c. 1995-2005), but I do feel I have enough pop cultural knowledge to have a working understanding of what film noir is, and as internet folk would say, S4 ain’t it chief. Sure, S4 was bleak subject matter wise, but that does not automatically equal noir. HappilyShanghaied, who does have a film studies background, wrote a pretty excellent post about why that is shortly after S4 dropped that I could not improve upon, so I will just leave it here. 

In addition to this analysis, I would also point out that S4 was lacking in a unique visual style common to noir films, especially compared to the original television series and the movie. The original series made use of green, blue, and yellow filters to fulfill a high school version of the noir aesthetic (quick shoutout to Cheshirecatstrut’s color theory posts for more on what we thought this meant before it turned out that Rob Thomas did not actually intend to imbue meaning into any of this), while the movie adopted a more mature muted blue-grey palette. S4, however, was more or less shot like a conventional drama and was brightly lit, perhaps signifying Rob Thomas’s apparent plans to turn the show into a conventional procedural.

The movie: more than fan service 

If anything, the movie was more noir than S4. Take Gia’s storyline for instance. While Veronica was off obtaining elite degrees, Gia spent 9 years in a virtual cage being forced into a sexual relationship without her total consent (because that’s the only storyline women can have on this show), and then set herself up to be murdered at the very moment she could potentially break free. That’s pretty fucking grim.

Then there is the whole police corruption storyline, which is a hallmark of noir fiction. The glimpses we get of the Neptune sheriff’s department point to a larger conspiracy at play than just crooked cops; Sachs lost his life trying to expose it and Keith was gravely injured. This was the story I was excited for future installments of Veronica Mars to address, especially given its relevance to today’s politics. Unfortunately, this thread was entirely dropped in S4, where the police department (because, as Rob Thomas revealed in interviews but not onscreen, Neptune has incorporated) is merely overwhelmed by the scope of the bombing case rather than outright corrupt. (Side note but Marcia Langdon was also a more complex and morally grey character when introduced in the second book than she was on screen in S4. Another wasted opportunity).

Noir is also marked by a sense of inevitability or doom as a result of greater forces at play. An example of this in the movie is Weevil’s storyline. After building a life and family for himself, he ultimately ends up rejoining the PCHer gang he left as a teenager due to a misunderstanding based on his race and appearance and the assumptions authority figures make about him because of those things. No matter what he does, he is still limited by an unjust and racist society. Contrast this with the final explosion in S4; it’s not inevitable, just based on Veronica’s incompetence. Rob Thomas claims that he tried to create a sense of doom to LoVe’s relationship between the OOC Leo storyline and the last minute barriers before the wedding, but those aspects just served to make the story unnecessarily convoluted.

What is noir anyway? Was Veronica Mars ever noir? Does it matter?

But this is all assuming there is a set template for noir anyway. This New Yorker essay points out that trying to definitively establish a set of rules for noir is difficult and that the classic noir films were more a product of midcentury artistic and political movements than a defined genre. The noir filmmakers working at the time would not have described their work as such. The kicker of this essay is the final sentence: “But the film noir is historically determined by particular circumstances; that’s why latter-day attempts at film noir, or so-called neo-noirs, almost all feel like exercises in nostalgia.” I found this particularly amusing because as Rob Thomas infamously proclaimed in his S4 era interviews, he wanted to completely dispense with nostalgia going forward. Rob Thomas and S4 supporters have said that Logan needed to die because noir protagonists can’t have stable relationships; but, if there isn’t a defined set of rules other than “an element of crime”, then was it strictly necessary? Hell, writing a hardboiled detective who does have a stable relationship and maybe even a family could have been an interesting subversion of genre expectations. Unfortunately, Rob Thomas isn’t that imaginative.

There’s also the issue that noir and hardboiled detective fiction aren’t interchangeable genres. This article lays out that idea that they aren’t the same because noir is ultimately about doomed losers; in contrast, detective fiction, while dark, contains a moral center and has an ending where a sense of justice is achieved. An interview with author Megan Abbott makes a similar argument; she states that in hardboiled detective fiction, “At the end, everything is a mess, people have died, but the hero has done the right thing or close to it, and order has, to a certain extent, been restored.” Based on the descriptions laid out here, I would argue that in its original format Veronica Mars far better fit the detective fiction model; while she wasn’t always right, she was never a loser, and she solved the mystery. S1-3 all had relatively hopeful, if not totally happy, endings, but you never see anyone complaining that they weren’t noir enough; if anything, they were more emotionally complex than the ending of S4, where Logan’s death is essentially meaningless. One could make the argument that S4 did push Veronica towards a more noir characterization by the definition of these articles by making her more incompetent and meaner than she was in previous installments, but that is a fundamental change in character, which is not coherent writing.

And that is ultimately why S4 was so poorly received by longtime fans and why there will be no more installments of Veronica Mars anytime soon (at least on Hulu). Even if S4 had been noir (or at least shot like one), the serious issues with plotting, characterization, and lack of adherence to prior canon that this season exhibited would still exist. Defending the poor writing choices made in S4 with “it’s noir!” does not mask them or automatically heighten the quality of the product. Perhaps ironically, in ineptly trying to be noir in S4, Rob Thomas likely prematurely ended Veronica Mars by failing his creation and fans with lazy storytelling.

[midnighthyuck]

Painting Home | seungwoo!au

summary: the arts club made you feel home. But you’d discover later that in fact, walking home with Seungwoo, the quiet emo looking guy, was indeed... well, home.

words: 2.680.

pairing: you & han seungwoo. 

a/n: this is my first time writing something like this. slow burn? a bit poetic? idk BUT i promise i’ll write better stuff from now on.

requests are open!

Art Club. That was the only thing in your mind ever since you first heard about it from your new class mate. Moving hasn’t been the best experience so far, but in fact the new school was heaven (compared to your last and horrible experience, including arrogant girls and annoying ass boys). People were kind with the new student, always making sure you were feeling home. They were great. And the clubs as well.

Being in a bigger city offered uncountable new opportunities, from 24/7 stores to really interesting clubs in school.  

And for no specific reason the art club has been stuck in your mind. Of course, your dad opening an art gallery in the city did lean you to grow a bigger interest in the field, but it wasn’t the real reason that had you running to apply for the club before it was too late (and full of applicants). Maybe it was the feeling of ink in your hands. Perhaps the smell of wet paper and emollient that had always made you feel calm.  

In fact, painting always made you feel home.

But what got you shock in the second you arrived there was the lack of you exactly thought was going to be you worst enemy. People.

The club’s room for sure was not the biggest around school, you bet, but it wasn’t small. Or maybe it just seemed bigger thanks to the three boys in there.  

Three? Well, if your basic knowledge in math was correct, yes. Three people.

‘’Yes? Can we help you?” a guy asked from the back of the room, coming closer as he cleaned his hands on the already pretty dirty apron of his.

‘’Er, I'm here to apply for the club...’’ you said in a lower tone than actually expected.  

His expression got confused for a second, lightening up in next, opening the mouth in a honestly surprised smile. ‘’For real?’’ it only made the smile grow bigger once you mumbled a ‘yes’. You felt the warm touch of his hands on yours while taking you in the yet unknown place. ‘’Come in! Guys, we’ve got a new member”.

And now finally the others seemed to realize that you’ve been there.  

‘’I’m Wooseok! Those are Seungwoo and Eunsang. I’m the club’s president. You are...?’’ the friendly boy said, still grabbing on you.

“Y/N’’ you answered short, moving your gaze from your hand on his to his curious eyes, taking a barely audible ‘sorry’ from the guy. Once you felt free again, you took a while to observe the other boys in front of you.  

Eunsang, a weird guy with red hair. That was your first impression (the one that would change once you started spending time with the younger boy, becoming in fact one of your best friends).

Seungwoo, definitely a guy who didn’t speak much. And that followed from the next weeks, or maybe months, you weren't much sure.

[…]

The art club was everything you ever needed.  

You’d spend at least three hours, three times a week, in the place with the strong ink smell.  

As time passed your relationship with your colleagues had also started changing.  

Wooseok was a friendly person, that was clear from day one, but was also a moody one. Somedays he’d come to the (almost) empty room with bags of chocolates, ready to please his friends. On others, he’d come and go as silent as a ghost, barely seeming alive.  

Eunsang became a very dear friend. He’d act shy whenever someone praised him by his natural painting talents, but near you he’d be the annoying little brother you’ve in fact never had. He was a special boy, with a very sweet heart.

And there was Seungwoo, that even after all this long, had never started a conversation with you. Of course, you guys talked, it wasn’t as if you (or him) were stranger (yet you felt like it).  

‘’Today’s so hot.’’, ‘’Do you know where’s the yellow ink?”, “Wow it looks amazing!”, “Could you pass me the paint brush? No, no, the bigger one. Thanks.’’ and so on were the few times you had been brave enough to start a small (and when I say small, I really mean it) conversation with him.

But that was just fine. Some people don’t really talk as much as Eunsang does, you used to think.

Months had passed and you could say that for the first time you felt home.

The moody Wooseok, the annoyingly lovely Eunsang, the quiet Seungwoo. They were like family to you.

They were great to you. And for you.

[…]

Returning home late was not an usual thing, especially after school had closed. But you were up to the cleaning shifts on that day, and as Wooseok would love to point out, you can be very slow sometimes.  

Walking past the subway station where you stop by every day you heard a horrifying whistle, hurrying the pace, no daring to turn around and check if it wasn’t just your imagination.

‘’Hey, want me to take you home, princess?’’ a disgusting voice came from what seemed to be behind you, but not for sure. ‘’Why are you running, bae? Let’s just talk.’’

I’m not running, you thought, before you could think once again and maybe run for real, an almost unrealistic shaped shadow became solid right in front of you.  

Screaming was a great idea, but nothing was coming out. You tried to move, but your body just wouldn’t respond.  

‘’Get the fuck out of here, asshole.’’ the hard as rock shadow in front of you said, emotionless.  

Scream stupid, scream! Your mind shouted at yourself. And nothing. When you thought it’d be the end of you, a familiar voice whispered at you, making you finally relax after all.

‘’They’re gone. Why are you walking alone around here at this time?’’ Seungwoo asked.

Seungwoo talked to you first, for the first time, you thought, smiling without realizing.  

‘’Why are you walking alone around here at this time?’’ you made Seungwoo frown. How could she make a joke like that when she was shaking so bad 5 centimeters in front of him?

‘’I live near by.’’

‘’Well, same.’’ you smiled once again, trying to move forward to go home, but your legs were just shaking too much. ‘’I’m so scared’’ you laughed ‘’I’m so fucking scared I can’t walk.’’

Seungwoo helped you to seat nearby the convenience store, right next to your house, but that detail the boy didn’t know. He ran in and came out in what seemed like five seconds so far, bringing you some strawberry milk. For the first time Seungwoo was talking.  

He talked about the weather, about his family and how his sister hated the fact that he’d stain his uniform with ‘ugly ass ink’ at least once a month, he talked about Wooseok’s joke earlier that day, he talked about how he felt sorry for not talking to you enough to know that you guys lived close.

‘’Let’s walk home together from now on’’ he said at last, watching you finish the small milk box.  

[…]

From the next weeks you started finding yourself way comfortable around Seungwoo. Walking home, different from what you had thought, was not so quiet.  

Seungwoo did talked a lot when feeling like it. He was a good company.

And that was problem.

Seungwoo was a very good company, making you flutter sometimes.

You had always been aware of his good looks, but his personality was even... sweeter.  

That was just a thing in the first months, but after you found out by chattery Wooseok that a girl had confessed to him, you found yourself sulking, almost angry. Jealous.

That wasn’t right.

But how to take away feelings you’ve got no control in?

Perhaps painting. And so you did.

You expressed all yourself on those fabric canvas. For the next three months you secretly cried your heart out on those, hoping that’d take away that feeling you had never wished for.

One day, walking back home, you suddenly felt like crying at a specific scene.  

Seungwoo was smiling at you, screaming ‘hurry’ while pointing at a couple of stray cats on the other side of the street. The traffic light was red. You had to wait. And for a second, like a light bulb exploding inside your mind, you were sure.

You were in love with Seungwoo.  

But just like that red light, you were stuck.

You knew you could never reach him.  

[…]

‘’Are you ok?’’ Eunsang asked, taking a sip of his milkshake.  

That day you didn’t go home with Seungwoo. You said you felt like spending time with your fake little brother. And so you did.

‘’I will be ok’’.

‘’What’s up? You might think that I and the other guys haven’t realized, but we did. Your paints have gotten so... different?’’

“What do you mean by that’’

“I mean we know there’s something going on in this pretty little head of yours.’’

“I just need some time, ok?”

“Yes, ma'am.’’ Eunsang laughed. “But you know I’m here for you, don’t you?”

“I do.” you caught up yourself smiling. It was good having friends like him.

[…]

‘’You seem better today.’’ Wooseok pointed, passing by you and taking a look at your current work. “Wow, we even got color on it this time! I don’t know what Eunsang has done yesterday, but it worked.’’

‘’Shut up’’ you laughed, being followed by Eunsang in the corner of the room.

Later that day you and Seungwoo stopped by a furniture store, it was your mom’s birthday soon and you had started looking for a nice gift.  

‘’I know we’re not that close, but, you know, if you need help you can always ask me.’’ Seungwoo said out of blue.

‘’Er, I guess I know and that’s why I dragged you in here’’ you laughed.  

‘’That’s not what I mean.’’

“What do you mean then?” you asked robotically while running your fingers on the shelf in front of you, taking a better look on those decoration mugs. Your mom would probably like it, you thought.  

You’ve got no answer, but it was ok. That was just Seungwoo, he’d hang up in a conversation once in a while, perhaps lost in his own thoughts.  

You thanked the cashier before leaving the store with the burgundy classic shaped mug hanging on a plastic bag.  

‘’I mean... I care about you. I really do.’’ Seungwoo said before you entered home.

You didn’t sleep that night.

Canceling the once daily ‘home walks’ with Seungwoo became so frequent you didn’t have to even cancel anymore. He just wouldn’t wait for you in the entrance door.

A part of you was happy that you succeeded in pushing him away, other part always held a small spark of hope deep inside your heart, hoping he’d be there, waiting for you while checking something on his phone, and that he’d smile once his gaze met yours. That part of you died daily once he wasn’t there.

Instead, Eunsang was on your company almost every day.  

[…]

The first time Seungwoo missed club activities you felt something was off.

The second time you couldn’t keep your mind straight.

After two weeks of skipping activities you couldn’t help.

When conscience hit you, were standing on his front door, knocking like crazy.

‘’Why are you he...’’ he couldn’t finish. You didn’t let him to do so.

“Why are you missing club activities?’’

‘’You could’ve just messaged me, you know.’’

‘’Can’t you just answer me?’’

“What, do I own you answers now?”

You froze.

“I’m just worried. That’s what friends do.’’ you said, holding you tears down your throat trying to cover up your voice as well.

A hint of guilt made itself present on Seungwoo’s face. He really wanted to be mean, to send you away because looking at you now was painful. But seeing how much reaction he caused on you the stupid melting side of his could let him go on.

‘’Sorry... I just need to be alone for a while.’’

“Can’t I be with you?’’

He blinked twice, swallowing his words down his throat. “No.’’  

“Wooseok misses you. Eunsang too.’’ you mumbled. “I miss you.’’

Now Seungwoo was finally looking at you. In fact, it was as if he was looking through you, trying to find out something you didn’t know what.

He said nothing else. Neither did you.

Another week had passed by and no sign of Seungwoo’s lovely aura in the art club.  

[…]

After what seemed an entire month, but actually were just two weeks, he returned. No questions, no news, no nothing. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

[…]

The end of the year was close, three months exactly.  

Wooseok was giving instructions to you, who’d be the new president of the club while Eunsang and Seungwoo were finishing cleaning the floor.  

Seungwoo and Wooseok were graduating from high school and although the president appeared excited with the idea of College, your (yet) secret crush didn’t seem as happy.

The next week were based in taking off the seniors' paintings of the room.

That was when you found a very curious one. ‘’Home’’ you read out loud. For no reason the image of a child with light colored clothes walking around the flower field running to a shadow stuck in your mind for the past days.

‘’I guess Seungwoo painted about death, what do you think?” you could still remember Wooseok’s question.

But that was not it. Not death.

[…]

You tried to smile in the picture, but acting was definitely one of your poorest skills.  

You would miss them.  

You would miss him.

And maybe telling him how you felt was a good idea, but you didn’t.  

When Wooseok and Eunsang left to buy some popsicles to you all, you sat next to him, feeling alive one last time.

‘’Will we see each other again?’’ you asked. That would be the last time you’d start a conversation with him.

For a while Seungwoo made himself quiet. ‘’Perhaps.’’

You smiled sadly. So that was it. No happy endings. No final kisses. No happy forever.

“I’ve got something for you’’ he said once again before you could think about crying.  

And so he handed out, the beautiful yet mystery painting. Home.

“What’s home for you?’’ he asked.

You.

“I don’t really know.’’ you said, taking the canvas as if it was glass. “What’s home for you?”

You.

“I don’t know either.’’

“I’ll miss home’’ you felt a tear dropping by your cheeks. “I guess I will really miss it.’’

That day for one last time you walked home together. Feeling the heart ache each step you’d take.  

You took forever to walk out from the subway station that day, and took even longer to arrive home. Arriving home but leaving home. What a funny story. When preparing to wave goodbye, you felt it.

Warm.

Annoyingly comfortable and warm.

“When I said I cared about you, I meant it. And when I said I don’t really know what’s home like, I also did. But strangely I think I’m almost there when I’m with you.’’ Seungwoo held you like there was no tomorrow. And there wasn’t. “I’m gloomy and shy and quiet and I’ve got a short temperament, I also hate myself for being jealous of you. Especially about Eunsang... I hate that I can’t control this feelings. I hate that I feel so good when I’m with you. But... I do like you. So much.’’

“Why did you take so long to tell me all this?” you felt the tears running. ‘’We could’ve walked home every day. We could’ve spent more time together. I could’ve confessed to you. I could’ve... given you so much love.”

“Is it too late to be home?” Seungwoo smiled at you, running his fingers on your face, getting rid of those tear drops.

‘’It’s never too late to be home.’’

And yes, the kiss. The so waited final kiss.

“Welcome home.”

[brynnmck]

 Tagged by @agirlnamedkeith, @pretty--thief, and @samirant, thank you! <333

What is the colour of your hairbrush? Mostly black, with a green ring on it.

Name a food you never eat: I have quite a few foods I can’t eat anymore thanks to some random health issues I developed a few years back (friends, aging is great from a mental/emotional perspective, Not Great from a physical perspective) but in terms of voluntary stuff, green peppers. I’ve outgrown a lot of my childhood food dislikes but that one is in my SOUL.

Are you typically too warm or too cold? Too cold, definitely.

What were you doing 45 minutes ago? I was in a boring meeting!

What’s your favourite candy bar?  Probably Snickers? I really like 100 Grand too, though. And Butterfinger. And Twix. And I want Claire Saffitz to make all of them for me.

Have you ever been to a professional sports game? I’ve been going to Major League baseball games since I was a kid (it was my dad’s favorite sport), and the past few years, I’ve been to 20-30 games a season. I usually go for my birthday, too, which is in a couple of weeks, and it’s just kinda sinking in that there will be no birthday baseball for me this year. :(

What was the last thing you said out loud? Just saying hi to my husband. 

What is your favourite ice cream? Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. I can’t have caffeine anymore so this summer I’m gonna try to make a decaf version for myself. (WHY IS ALMOST ALL COFFEE ICE CREAM CAFFEINATED. There are so many reasons people can’t have caffeine! Sigh.)

What was the last thing you had to drink? Water!

Do you like your wallet? Sure? It’s a nice blue and it holds my stuff.

What was the last thing you ate? Fruit and Greek yogurt for breakfast.

Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? I didn’t! I actually ordered a couple of soft bras from TomboyX on Monday, but nothing on the weekend.

What’s the last sporting event you watched? A replay of an old Mariners game a couple of nights ago. If we’re talking live sports, I watched about half of a Korean baseball league game a few nights back, which was delightful.

What is your favourite flavour of popcorn? Butter!

Who is the last person you sent a text message to? @ajoblotofjunk 

Ever go camping? Not in a long time. My husband has been getting the urge to go lately, though, so maybe we will!

Do you take vitamins? I take supplements due to the aforementioned health issues. And vitamin B.

Do you go to church every Sunday? Lol no. My mother is very Catholic and she brought us to 6 am Mass every weekday when I was a kid. It was well-intentioned (her dad had a pretty volatile temperament and she always felt safe at church, so she subconsciously wanted us to feel the same way) but it did not sell me on the experience! Heh.

Do you have a tan? I live in the Seattle area and it’s May, so... lol no. I’m also pretty pale so I don’t get that tan anyway, but. I usually get a little something going in the summer, enough to have tan lines anyway.

Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza? Tough call, but I’m going with pizza.

Do you drink your soda through a straw? I don’t drink soda anymore (though I drink a LOT of carbonated water), but I’ll drink my drink through a straw if I get it at a fast-food place. Otherwise I don’t usually use one.

What colour socks do you usually wear? Most of my winter socks for work are black. Otherwise it’s a pretty random selection of colors.

Do you ever drive above the speed limit? Sure. Usually 5-10 miles over, rarely more (or less) than that.

What terrifies you? Climate change. Global pandemics. You know. Just generally suffering (both mine and other people’s).

Look to your left. What do you see? Through window of the room I’m sitting in: my neighbors’ house, and a cherry tree in their yard.

What chore do you hate most? Cleaning the bathrooms.

What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? The hot Australian woman who’s been on Gold Rush recently, or a dear fannish friend of mine I haven’t talked to in years who is actually from New Zealand and I KNOW IT’S VERY DIFFERENT but it’s close enough to make me think of her!

What’s your favourite soda? I used to drink a lot of Diet Mountain Dew. I really miss ginger beer, too. I love a good spicy ginger beer. Root beer too.

Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru? Drive-thru all the way. Isn’t that part of the advantage of fast food?

What’s your favourite number? I don’t really have one!

Who’s the last person you talked to? My husband!

Favourite cut of beef? Boneless ribeye. I finally bought a propane grill a couple of years back and I have now learned to make a badass steak, if I say so myself.

Last song you listened to? Eve 6 - Inside Out. A few months ago I suddenly remembered that this song existed and so I bought it and now I have to listen to it at least twice every time it comes up, ha.

Last book you read? An as-yet-unpublished Rose Lerner novel, because I am very lucky! (It’s a wlw Gothic. SUCH A GOOD CONCEPT.)

Favourite day of the week? Saturday

Can you say the alphabet backwards? In this economy??? Idk, I could probably figure it out, but it would definitely be work.

How do you like your coffee? I love a caramel macchiato, especially iced so you get those weird globules of caramel coming up through the straw. But a nonfat decaf double latte with a little bit of some kind of syrup is my go-to these days--hot when it’s cold out, iced when it’s warm out.

Favourite pair of shoes? I have these 40s-ish heels that tie over your instep with a little bow and I love them. I also have some extremely cool red velvet with black cording peep-toe Louboutins that I bought off some discount site years ago, except I can’t wear them for long because they’re about a half size too small. But they’re SO PRETTY.

Time you normally get up? In isolation, I’m discovering that my natural sleep schedule is about 2 am - 10 am. But I have a daily meeting at 9:30, and I try to get my workout done before that, so I get up at 8-8:30ish. I am discovering through this meme that SO MANY of you are morning people! What is that like???

Sunrises or sunsets? I love sunrises but I am not remotely a morning person, so. I see a lot more sunsets, and I love them too!

How many blankets are on your bed? Just one duvet.

Describe your kitchen plates. We have some with blue perimeters and kind of a white/oatmeal middle that we inherited from my in-laws, and the ones we actually bought on purpose are white on top and either sage-y green or charcoal black on the bottom.

Describe your kitchen at the moment. Somewhat messy, or at least there are dishes to do. I made some pretty epic cauliflower mushroom risotto with shrimp last night, though, so it was for a good cause.

Do you have a favourite alcoholic drink? Perfect Manhattans with rye are my go-to, or a Quebecois, which is basically a perfect Manhattan with a little bit of maraschino liqueur added (and ideally a lemon twist, though we’re usually too lazy for those). In the summer, I’m getting really into gin these days: either gin and tonic, gin and some kind of citrus spiked seltzer, or a Last Word. I also really love a good craft beer, and sparkling wine too.

Do you play cards? Not really. We used to play a shit ton of gin rummy in high school, but I haven’t really played cards much since.

What colour is your car? Blue!

Do you know how to change a tire? Theoretically yes, though the one time I actually tried to do it myself, I had a hell of a time getting the lug nuts off. I was fortunately in my driveway at the time (good place for a flat tire!) and my neighbors kept coming by and offering to help, and I was like NO I WANNA DO IT. I think I did need help eventually, though. Stupid pneumatic tools at tire installation places!

Your favourite state? That rare, usually-brief phase of writing where everything seems to fit and flow and you’re a genius and you understand all the secrets of the cosmos. Also Washington.

Favourite job you’ve had? My current one. It’s not my dream job, but it pays well and I like my team and I get to learn new stuff fairly often and I can work from home in the midst of all this, so. I am very lucky!

How did you get your biggest scar? The summer after my freshman year of college, I was part of a summer stock theatre troupe, and we performed half the summer at my college, and half the summer in a very small town in eastern Oregon that had an outdoor stage. One of my entrances involved running over the grass to get to the stage, and one night the grass was wet, and my costume involved ballet slippers, and I slipped and fell onto the stage stairs in front of the whole audience. It hurt SO MUCH that I got very light-headed onstage while I was trying to get through the scene, lol. Anyway, my costume also involved harem pants that had elastic around the calf/ankle area, and I got a friction burn from those, which ended up scarring because the skin over your shins is very thin! (I also got a few massive bruises on my leg that didn’t go away for weeks, so eventually my mom nagged me into going to the doctor, who promptly started gently hinting to see if my boyfriend at the time was responsible for the injuries. Which was actually pretty cool of the doctor! But then I was like, lol no, trust me, a hundred people saw me bite it, this is 100% dumbass mistake.) And that’s my scar story.

Tagging, if you want to do it: @ajoblotofjunk, @snowymary, @halcyon-red, @it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined, @unadulteratedkr, and anyone else who feels like doing this!