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yandere-sins · 5 years ago

Note

There is a serious lack of the yandere dragon shifter content! (Especially the bakugou dragon shifter if you can...) So is it possible to have a rich like this where the reader is a mage or magician in search of ingredients and meet a dragon who becomes infuriated with her (or them if you are more comfortable)

You shall get what you ask for, if you want she-pronouns so be it there’s no being more or less comfortable about pronouns. The only time I need some more directions is if you want a gender neutral darling do the dirty with the yan, then it helps to know what to expect down below, you get it? Otherwise, if you want to request a female darling then be proud and request that. Also I am mostly writing x reader anyway, and for that it doesn’t really matter most of the time. Enjoy your scenario!

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You were no newbie to the forest. Ever since you were a child, you wandered the dark greens with your grandfather, and later on, with your teacher. Over all these years, you had grown into a respectable mage yourself, people came to your door for help, and you could summon the darkest threats there were; make them follow your instructions! But going into the forest on your own was a necessity, despite always presenting you with something unexpected.

The reason you had to go into the forest was simple: Your potions needed ingredients. Sure, you could have just magically made them appear in your laboratory, however, many did not know that ingredients that were made by magic had almost none of their substances needed for spells. It was easier to explain with self-grown plants in a garden; the one from the convenient market were good to eat, but those you harvested and collected yourself would always be better.

So you set out on your own. You didn’t have an apprentice in a while after the last one had an unfortunate accident with snake poison. Thus, it was on you to make sure your shelves were filled with everything you needed to make your potions and provide people with. To be honest, you found it quite pleasant to get out of your dark, filled-to-the-brim with junk and necessities home, scouting the thicket and breathing in the refreshing forest air.

Carefully you decided where to set your foot. You still remembered the few instances you accidentally ran into a fairy or almost got drowned by a mermaid while picking algae from the lake. Those things happened, but they were no pleasant occurrences, and you preferred to not run into them. However, with a calm mind, you wandered around, picking what you needed. Never more than you actually needed, making sure the forest would be able to reproduce it on their own. That was a law for magicians like you, and you were more than happy to follow it.

“Let’s see,” you mumbled as you brought up your notebook where you had written down the things needed for a very potent sleeping potion for one of your customers. You were almost done gathering everything, aside from one more flower which petals had a sweet smell, soothing even raging minds. As such, it most commonly grew in places where wild beasts lived, but much to your relief, this forest had long been abandoned by those, only leaving the occasional fairy or gnome behind.

There was no way you’d have a run-in with something worse like a werewolf or a dragon.

At least, you were quite sure of it until you managed to reach the clearing where the flower grew. You were so sure of it, you ignored the roaring snoring filling the air as you drew closer to the flower’s whereabouts, merrily humming a little song and focusing on your steps. That was, until you reached out for the flower, finally knowing how the earth around it... breathed.

You just stood there, not moving a muscle. There was no immediate sight of anything, but you knew it. You knew that beneath your feet, a monster laid, as big as the clearing itself, as dangerous as snake poison. The only ones possible of laying down in a field of flowers, resting for so long that their magical energy would make the flowers start growing around and on them, were dragons. Despite really not wanting this thought to be right, you knew that there was nothing in comparison.

For a mage like you were, it wasn’t anything to take on easily. Dragons were wild, untamable, and, most of the time, grumpy. The age, you assumed. They tended to be very territorial and get butt-hurt over every little thing... like you, picking one of their flowers. The worst, however, was that even if you retreated now if you were to be noticed, the dragon surely would hunt after you, and you’d lead it back to your little village.

So all that was left as an option was to retreat quietly and make sure you wouldn’t be noticed. For a moment, you got upset that you would have to find another, less convenient flower spot now or do the potion without it. For at least three years, no monster had closed in on that clearing, and yet, now that you needed the flower, you had run into such trouble retrieving it.

Backing away slowly, you walked a while backwards, eyeing the creature still hidden beneath the field of flowers. You were just about to spin around and make a dash for it, hide somewhere in the dark corners of the forest when your foot got caught ever so slightly. Nothing that made you lose your footing, but widened your eyes nonetheless, the shining silver of a claw revealing after you got stuck on it.

The next few moments happened fast, too fast for your human eyes. A flinch, then a growl, and suddenly, the earth broke loose as something erupted from beneath it, a tall, slim body, covered in scales and shining brilliantly in the sunlight.

For a moment, you were mesmerized by it, absolutely awestruck. Seeing a real dragon definitely was better than any portrait painter could put them on a canvas. You realized quickly that it wasn’t just wondering about the creature before you that kept you in place. More so, it was fear. Even when it’s snout came dangerously close to your face, you couldn’t turn and run away.

“Look at you, a smelly little human thief,” it snarked; the perks of being an intelligent creature was it’s ability to speak. “Did you think my flowers were free to take?”

“Where does it say those are yours? Can’t be helped if you sleep on them.” Perhaps, you should have tried a friendlier approach, but it wasn’t like this creature was full of manners either. Against your expectations, though, it only looked at you before suddenly erupting into deep, growling laughter. There was no way to discern if it was actually amused or if it was laughing to mock you, but you took your chance to turn and run, not waiting for a comeback.

“Where are you going?” you heard behind you as you reached the border of the clearing. That suddenly sweet and luring voice made something in you snap. Without thinking, you stopped to look back, the earth around the clearing still torn up, but instead of a dragon, a man stood at the clearing, arms wide open. “You got some nerves, fucking waking me to tell me the flowers aren’t mine and then run away without even taking any. Takes some guts. Here.”

Sweeping down, he picked up one of the few flowers that hadn’t been destroyed by his dragon form, holding it out to you. Aside from the way he spoke, everything suddenly was so tempting. You hadn’t noticed before that the dragon was a shifter, which automatically gave him natural sympathy from you as a human. Their dangerous skill that even a mage like you couldn’t deny.

They were terrible, and you knew it. Everyone told you about how bad shifters were, only ever turning into a human to do bad things. They naturally looked so much better than your average human, too beautiful, too perfect. Their voices were so lovely that they could lull you to sleep, and they emitted the feeling of security that many men and women sought after, making them perfect targets to be kidnapped and, in the worst case, bred or eaten.

But here you were, the little town mage who had never seen a shifter before. The flower in his hand was calling to you to take it back with you, and his voice lured you. Despite resisting, you did have the urge to throw yourself into his arms, like a good, willing target.

Instead, you kept eye contact, holding out your hand for the flower as you approached. His eyes were the only thing reminding you what a beast he was, wild and dangerous, fire burning in them like you could only see in dragons. Yes, you should have just left, but you felt like he actually... accepted your retort. As if it hadn’t been so bad to stand your ground, and that feeling made you confident. Confident that you could handle this situation.

When your finger finally reached around the stem of the flower, he let it go, and immediately, you felt something sharp and painful drill into your forearm. Shocked, you could watch long sharp claws catching a blood-red color as he dragged them down your arm, your body instinctively moving forward to stop the pain.

And that’s when he snapped for you, lifting you up from the ground as if your weight was a joke for him. Throwing you over his shoulder, you were confronted with the feeling of a strong arm pinning your legs to his chest. “Fuck, I hate humans like you. Always talking back, thinking they are in the right.” Giving your rear a rough slap, you yelped before trying to kick your legs unsuccessfully.

He began to move, his shoulder pushing into your stomach so harshly, you felt like throwing up. But before you could complain or say something, you had to watch as the ground before you slowly distanced itself from you, the peaks of the trees soon what came into view. Your still ‘okay’ arm, clutched desperately between the bleeding one and the shifter’s body, trying to find something to hold onto.

“What- Where! Let me down! How dare you!”

“Your really want to be let down now?” Pulling you forward, you landed on his hands under your arms, noticing how your legs struggled in the air without any halt. Finally, you could see his wings and slowly realized what was going on, gulping as you felt helpless in his grasp. “S-Stop this madness! Get me down on earth again!”

“No,” was his simple answer, your cheeks suddenly squishing against his chest as he tugged you in and wrapped you in his arms. Convenient to carry you, yet not helping your problem of feeling helpless. “Not until you learn how to properly behave, Human.”

“I’m not an ordinary human!” you complained, hearing a mocking, “Oh?” rumbling from his chest.

“I’m a mage--”

“And I am so scared. Mage’s are my favorite breakfast.”

A loud laugh erupted all around you, and this time you were sure he was mocking you. “How dare you, you are so rude!” Pounding your hands against his chest, he only laughed more. “That’s it, bare your teeth, little Mage. I love it when my food resists.”

That’s bad, you thought. That’s really, really bad. Magic wouldn’t help against a magical being as he was, and you looked down, seeing the forest, and then your village pass by as he dragged you off. Not like there was anyone who could have helped you in this situation.

“What’s your name, Mage?” he asked, ten minutes into you struggling against him with his arms never tiring. “Why would you want to know?!” you hissed back, and he grunted in response.

“My mother taught me to know the name of the things I put in my mouth; the fuck you care?!” Stretching out your neck, you tried to see his face, but his expression was denied to your gaze by his chin. All you could see were his ears. They seemed unusually red, but you hadn’t looked at them before to compare if that wasn’t normal for a red dragon.

“Just so you know, but the person eating you am I. Katsuki Bakugou. You better speak your last prayers now, Human. And make them good.”

“Well, to say it in your words: Fuck you, Dragon!” Being defiant had helped before. Maybe it would do it again, you hoped.

This time, the rumble in his chest was short as he laughed, different from the ones before. “You’re gonna be my favorite to crush,” he announced, the grip around you tightening until you gasped in pain. Your struggles ceased as you passed out while he carried you off to the no-mans-land that was his home.

He hated to admit it, but the tactic of his friend of simply laying in a bed of flowers and waiting had really paid off, and he was more than overjoyed to have caught someone like you. Having you keep his lair warm would be more than he expected from his endeavor. Katsuki simply loved a bit of a feistiness in the humans he captured, ensuring that you’d give him a good time playing with you before the end of your little togetherness would draw near.

He would make sure to enjoy every second of it.

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After-writing-comment: Well, this sounded better in my head than it turned out to be. Maybe I will rewrite it sometimes from his POV but we’ll see. It’s 2k words long so it would be a shame to just trash it, so I decided on posting it anyway. Sorry if it isn’t what you had in mind either anon!

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acciofanfics · 5 years ago

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Could You Shut The Door? (Newt Scamander)

Pairing: Newt Scamander x FemReader

Warnings: Not smut... but almost. A very shy Newt, and I think that’s it?

Summary: An excited Newt barges into your room and quickly becomes a very nervous Newt who got quite the eyeful.

A/N: So this will turn into smut, I just started typing and it started to get lengthy so I figured I’d turn it into a 2 parter. Hopefully this isn’t too OOC and that’s about it! Let us know if there’s anyone else in the HP-verse that you’d like to see in a similar situation or a more wholesome one 😂 - S

(Y/N) had always been close with the Scamander��s. Her family lived right down the street for years, so she’d grown up with Theseus and Newt. And given the fact that their parents were close as well it was no surprise that she would stay with the Scamander’s for a few nights. In fact, they would be taking her to King’s Cross to board the Hogwarts Express in three days time.

What was surprising was the scene that Newt was beholding. He hadn’t meant to just barge into the room that (Y/N) was staying in; he had been just so excited about spotting the fairy they were trying to lure into the garden that he completely forgot about the concept of knocking. As excitable as he had been to come running into her room, Newt now stood frozen and wide-eyed. (Y/N) stood before him in nothing but what seemed like a smaller than average towel.

Newt didn’t mean to gawk, but he found himself unable to do anything else. (Y/N) was cut from a different cloth than Newt, she seemed to be completely un-phased by the situation, “Umm Newt would you mind just coming in and shutting the door behind you?”

Newt followed the instructions she had laid before him, although he felt like he was doing something wrong she seemed so calm. “So what has you so excited this evening, Newt?”

Newt knew that if his face wasn’t already red that it certainly was now. It wouldn’t be a lie if he were to admit he had harbored a crush on his childhood friend for a few years now, and Newt wasn’t stupid he could see that there were times he let his nervous nature shine through. However, (Y/N) and Newt were pretty much the best of friends and he didn’t usually feel shy around the girl. Now however he was having a hard time even forming a single word, “I- I.. um I mean- I saw a f-fairy in the garden.”

“Seriously?! Is it still out there?! We have to go check!” (Y/N) grabbed Newt’s hand, her towel slipping ever so slightly. One of the reasons Newt found her so alluring was her shared love for creatures, of course he couldn’t really recall many of those reasons at the moment. Only the ones on display in front of him.

Newt grabbed her other hand before she was able to swing the door open. “You’re... not dressed.” He felt weird having to remind the girl. How could she forget? Or at least not care... it was entirely odd.

“Oh! Sorry, that would definitely be embarrassing.” (Y/N) chuckled thinking about how disastrous the situation could’ve been. “Your mum, dad and Theseus seeing me naked would definitely not be appropriate.”

“What about me?” Newt managed to squeak out.

She felt terrible. Clearly the poor boy was about to faint and she remained oblivious to it until he brought it up. Something about Newt always put her at ease, she couldn’t ever think of a moment around him that she had ever felt embarrassed or insecure. Except for this one where the thought crossed her mind that she had been taking the comfort he provided her for granted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize... and that sounds stupid. I should’ve! Of course this would bother you!”

As strange as he found (Y/N) being at ease, he didn’t much prefer her feeling uncomfortable. “I’m not bothered- I just- I mean- you’re... and I’m... I can’t help but- I’ve kinda- please make me shut up.”

They were definitely close enough for (Y/N) to know what was going on. She’d had suspicions that he returned her feelings, but she also knew of other classmates he was close with so she hadn’t wanted to assume. Of course there was probably no hope of their relationship returning to innocent, oblivious friendship. In a moment of bravery, she released his hands and dropped her towel.

Newt felt himself swallow loudly and he swore he his heart was beating so fast that he could hear the thumping in his ears. He kept his eyes locked on hers, it was quite difficult to do. He asked her to shut him up and boy did she. “You can look, Newt.”

He still hesitated for a moment, afraid it might be a trap or a dream (he’d had similar ones before). But soon his resolve broke and he looked (Y/N) up and down. He was 17 years old and he wasn’t stupid, he definitely thought about this, he just prided himself on being a gentleman enough to push those fantasies to the depths of his mind. She was gorgeous though, every inch of her exposed to him, it was hard to keep those thoughts at bay now.

“I’m hoping your silence is approval.”

“Merlin, yes...” he didn’t know if he could come up with a coherent sentence, “Can I...”

She smiled and nodded. He thanked the heavens up above that she wouldn’t make him finish; he wasn’t sure he could handle it. His hands reached out for hers slowly and she chuckled when he paused again. Newt frowned slightly, he wasn’t sure what she expected from him. This was a lot to process... he wasn’t as brave or outgoing and she was (that was probably why she was sorted into Gryffindor much to his dismay). Feeling disheartened by the laugh his grip on her hands loosened a bit, he was all but ready to drop them completely and retreat to his room or to a cold shower one.

(Y/N) meant nothing by the chuckle other than her fondness over his demeanor. Feeling his semblance of confidence wavering, (Y/N) dropped his hands and before Newt even had a moment to feel disappointed she had grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down so she could kiss him. Newt had always been rather tall and lanky, especially compared to her so while she would’ve preferred not resorting to drastic measures like yanking his clothes it was really the only way.

Newt hadn’t minded the assertiveness after all, in fact it was comforting. He melted into her kiss and found himself unintentionally moving closer. Newt had kissed a girl before, but this was definitely different. The way she moved her lips against his was a different sensation than he’d experienced before and it was all that he could do to keep up with her and he only tore away from her when it was physically necessary to breathe.

“I’m sorry... I’m not... I haven’t had a lot of practice.” Newt admitted hesitantly, but he felt he owed her an explanation. He didn’t want to disappoint her.

“Well if that’s the case, you’re a natural Mr. Scamander.” (Y/N) offered up a reassuring smile. “Although, is if you’d like more practice we could-“

“Yes!” His cheeks reddened at his own outburst, but he smiled cheekily at her.

“You know it’d be much easier if you’d sit down. You’re a bit tall.” She led him to the bed where he sat on the edge. Newt glanced to the side where he expected her to sit beside him, but his breath got caught in his throat when she placed herself on top of him. For the first time he thought he may have seen her second guess herself, “Is this alright?”

Unable to speak again Newt just nodded lamely. He hoped that he wasn’t making her feel like she was pushing him into something he didn’t want to do. Of course she was pushing him a little, but into something he definitely wanted. This was something he imagined quite a few nights, of course in his dreams he wasn’t acting nearly as pathetic. With (Y/N) sitting literally on top of him there surely wasn’t a way she couldn’t feel that he definitely approved of her straddling him, but just in case he willed himself to not act so afraid. Newt placed his hands onto her waist.

It wasn’t quite as forward as he could’ve been, but she was dealing with Newt Scamander, the sweetest and shyest person she knew. She smiled and reconnected their mouths. Newt seemed a little more at ease this time, as strange as it sounded it was it did seem quite natural for his lips to be moving against hers. They just seemed to move in sync, occasionally their tongues would brush and her teeth scrape his lips making his grip on her waist tighten. He was prepared to apologize for the pressure, but when she broke away she attached her lips to his neck and the only thing he could do in retaliation was dig his fingers into her flesh further. She shifted her hips slightly to get better access, when she did so Newt could help but let out a small moan. (Y/N)‘s lips twitched into a smile against his skin. “Newt, your parents are downstairs. We should be quiet... I mean if you want to continue?”

Read Part Two Here.

#newt scamander #newt #newt scamader x reader #newt scamander imagine #newt scamander smut #newt smut #harry potter smut #harry potter imagine #fantastic beats and where to find them #fantastic beasts #fanfiction #fanfic

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eryiss · 4 years ago

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Summary: Freed and Gajeel were total opposites in every way, only connected by the guild. When they were forced to train together under Makarov's orders, they expected antagonism and mistrust. Instead, they were given a lesson in how quickly opposition can turn to attraction. The issue: let the budding relationship simmer away, or let it explode. [Freed x Gajeel Multi-chapter]

Notes: Hey everyone. A bit of an emotional chapter this time, but Bickslow is involved so there’s also some relief. Hope you all enjoy it.

Links: FFN, Ao3, Chapter List

Chapter Nine - Some Time Later

One Week Later

Before the memories hit him, Freed felt a horrible sense of deja vu.

He was in the guildhall infirmary, with almost all of his energy sapped away from him, just as he had when he had first been taken to Fairy Tail. He had a feeling that there was something changed inside of him that would shape the rest of his life, just as he had after the demon had invaded his soul. He had a feeling of yearning, hoping to see someone who was destined to be a part of his life, only to be disappointed to see he was alone again. Everything was so reflective of how it had been when he'd first woken up after his first instance of possession, and it was horrible.

Of course, the memories did eventually come to him. The tournament. The twisted feeling of power that had slowly been seeping into him through the day. The lack of control that had overwhelmed him. The sudden inability to control his body. The feeling of trying to pour his magic into the demon to overwhelm it.

And then, there was Gajeel.

Gajeel had broken down every wall of defence that the demon had in place as if it were nothing. Even with the overwhelming power emanating from the fully unleashed demon, Gajeel had been able to walk towards him, and reach out to Freed. Like a light in the darkness, Gajeel had managed to drag him out of the demon's control and allowed him his autonomy again. He had managed to do something Freed had thought impossible.

The demon was gone. Gajeel had somehow burned the thing from his soul, removing it entirely. They had killed what remained of the demon together in a unison raid moments before Freed had passed out in his arms.

But, despite the importance of it all, that wasn't what Freed was thinking about.

I'm yours and yer mine.

That demon aint got a fucking claim on you.

Yer fuckin' mine.

It ain't ever hurtin' you again, y'hear me. Never

The words weren't subtle. They weren't something you could misunderstand. They weren't anything but a claim on Freed. Gajeel was stating loudly, in front of everybody in the guild - everyone that mattered to them both - that he and Freed belonged to one another.

Perhaps if it was coming from any other man than Gajeel, Freed might have felt fury. He might have felt some level of anger that Gajeel had proclaimed such a thing so publicly without so much as asking Freed, but he only felt a sense of rightness at what Gajeel had said. Of course he and Gajeel belonged to each other. How had that been in any doubt? The moment they had first laid eyes on each other, the motions were put in place to bring them into each other's arms. It was destiny.

Had Freed always been so romantic? Perhaps he had needed the right man to bring it out of him.

"Ah, you're awake," A grouchy, haggard voice cut through the silence. "You certainly took your time, didn't you?"

Freed looked towards the door of the infirmary, to see Porlyusica walking towards him. This too was how he remembered his first experience of living in Magnolia, with the impatient and impetuous woman acting as though his life was an inconvenience for her to deal with. That was something that was familiar, if nothing else.

"How long have I been unconscious?" Freed asked, and found his voice hoarse.

"Nine days," Porlyusica said, picking something up from the small table beside Freed's bed. He didn't know what it was, but it began to glow with healing magic. She turned to Freed and sighed. "Lower your covers and hold still."

Doing as instructed, Freed blushed a little when he realised he was without any clothing. The woman didn't seem bothered, and slowly began to lower the magical item over his body. It was scanning him, and he let out a gasp when the device passed over his heart. There was a sudden flood of warmth through his body, unlike anything he could ever remember feeling before. It was pleasant, but so foreign to him that he didn't know what to feel.

"Ah, good," Porlyusica said, placing the device down again.

"What was that," Freed demanded, pulling up the sheets to protect his modesty.

"I stimulated you, that magic was intended to induce a feeling of comfort and delight," She shrugged, picking up a small piece of paper that Freed assumed had his details on. "You've had that demon eating away at you from the inside for years, so you probably grew used to its influence. It has been slowly dulling your emotions for ten years. You just felt joy like the rest of us do for the first time since your possession."

What?

His emotions had been dulled?

Surely he would have noticed that. The ability to feel how he felt was something that he had always taken for granted, and he never expected it could leave him. Perhaps he had become jaded, but he had dismissed that as growing up and working in a profession where you often saw the worst of people. The demon had been responsible for that, too?

Fuck. Fuck his damn parents and the damn demon and the damn priest who had gotten him into this position. How the hell had he lost so much control of who he was without knowing it? Why had the people he loved allowed this to happen to him. His parents were meant to protect him, not to allow this.

Was this what anger felt like when not influenced by a demon? Uneducated and bitter?

"You'll acclimate," Porlyusica said, as if knowing what he was feeling. "Those friends of yours have wanted to see you since the incident. Annoying brats. I'm going to put you to sleep again, they'll no doubt be here before you wake."

"What?" Freed asked. "No, I don't intended to-"

"Quiet," Porlusica said firmly, and tapped her cane on the floor. "Sleep."

And Freed slipped away before he could protest.

——

"Hey baby," Bickslow's voice woke Freed up before his eyes were open. "Are you feeling okay?"

He didn't know how long it had been since Porlyuscia had put him to sleep, but he woke up in the same bed with the sun higher in the sky. He blinked away the light and saw that Bickslow, Evergreen and Laxus were all sitting around his bed, looking at him with expressions of mingled happiness and concern. He pushed himself off the mattress so he could sit up, wincing at the feeling of aching muscles.

With a quick glance around, he saw that Gajeel wasn't there. That didn't feel good.

"Erm, yes," Freed said in answer to Bickslow's question, his mind not working as fast as he would have liked. "I believe I am. Are you three unharmed?"

"We're not the priority, Freed," Evergreen scoffed a little at the thought, but her expression turned to one of sympathy. It was almost motherly, which was a concern coming from her. Even worse, she took his hand and squoze it as if he needed consoling. "We all saw what happened, now be honest and tell us how you're feeling."

Freed hadn't thought of that. Everyone had seen him weakened and out of control. On the brink of death…

Fairy Tail maged had seen a lot of bad things - it came with the job - but he knew that they always were more affected when it was one of their own being hurt. This could have been terrifying to watch, and he supposed that he owed them some honesty.

"I feel… drained," Freed admitted. "As if I got into the worst fight of my life. Everything is aching, my flesh feels like it's burning from the inside, but no more than normal after a difficult mission," He thought for a moment, moving his arm as if testing that he still could. Of course he could, and the feeling spread warmth though him. It reminded him of what Porlyusica said to him, and he smiled a little. "I'm lighter now. As if a burden has been lifted."

"Well that's good," Evergreen smiled. "And you're not hiding anything from us?"

"Not knowingly," Freed assured them.

"So we can start teasing you about the fact your demon ripped off your clothes and when you transformed back we all saw you naked," Bickslow grinned, and it was a clear attempt to lighten the mood. Evergreen whacked him on the arm, but he just laughed. "Because we all saw your dick, and I gotta say baby, I'm impressed with what you've got going on down there. Don't know how I went so long without seeing it."

Freed chuckled, slightly weakly. "I'd rather not be teased about it, if possible. And I was under the impression that you've started seeing someone."

"I am," Bickslow sighed dreamily, in an overly exaggerated sense of course. "And he's the most handsome man in the world. And he's better than you because he's always getting naked in public and I love it."

Freed laughed. It was good to have Bickslow in moments like this.

Evergreen and Bickslow, as they so often did, started to playfully squabble between themselves. Evergreen had said something about how the PDA between Bickslow and Gray was revolting and far too graphic for the guildhall, and Bickslow argued back saying that Ever only thought that because she didn't have the chance to do it with Elfman because they were still being secretive about their very obvious relationship. The arguments spiralled from there, and Freed watched with amusement.

His gaze drifted from the two squabbling idiots to Laxus, who was looking at him with a quiet expression of concern. When he noticed Freed looking, he curled an eyebrow as if asking if he really was feeling okay. Freed nodded, with a small smile, and Laxus seemed to deflate a little.

"Really gone, huh?" Laxus murmured.

"It seems so," Freed nodded, and that was all that needed to be said on the matter of the demon. For a moment, Freed remained quiet, but there was one thing he needed to know. "Where is he?"

Laxus sighed, ran a hand over his face, and spoke. "You not waking up was getting to him."

"That's not an answer to my question," Freed said firmly. "Where is he?"

"He needed some time away, to deal with everything," Laxus explained. "I'll find him, he'll wanna know you're okay."

"Thank you," Freed whispered, smiling a little.

"No problem," Laxus nodded, standing up.

He walked out of the infirmary without speaking to Bickslow or Evergreen, who clearly hadn't been following their conversation as they both looked perplexed. When Laxus was outside of the building, they could all see an explosion of lightning as Laxus shot off into the sky, apparently having a good idea as to where Gajeel was. Freed certainly hoped so, he needed to see Gajeel as soon as he could.

What was he going to say to him, though? Thank you for ridding me of my curse? Everything you said about belonging together I fully agree with? When you weren't here when I woke up, I realised I always want to wake up beside you?

"Wonder what that was about?" Evergreen commented, speaking about Laxus' departure and bringing Freed's focus back to the room.

"Maybe he's still pissy becuase he and Loke were the losers of the tournament," Bickslow grinned, again trying to keep the mood light. Freed looked at him with a raised eyebrow, because that was something that would certainly distract him. "Shit, you didn't know, huh? Yeah, they didn't work well together at all. It was funny. Lost by a landslide. Laxus wasn't happy about it when I reminded him he has to do a forfeit."

"I expect so," Freed smiled. "Who will be giving him the forfeit, might I ask. I assume you, since I passed out during the fight."

"Me and Gray were deemed the winners, after we were sure you were okay of course," Bickslow assured him. "But we felt it was kinda bullshit. So we thought you and Gajeel could take the money from the prize, and me and Gray get to have fun with the forfeit. That okay?"

"I suppose," Freed chuckled slightly, because almost any other person would want the money. "What have you planned for them?"

Maybe it wasn't the most relevant thing to think about at the time, but Freed wanted the distraction. The lightness of his soul, the revelation that he could truly feel his emotions to their fullness again, and the fact that Gajeel hadn't been there when he woke were all starting to pile up on top of him. A distraction, even a ridiculous one like this, was exactly what he needed. Bickslow seemed to sense this, as he spoke with gusto and joy.

"Well, I wanna have them dress up like old-timey jesters and perform shows every night of a week where they make total asses out of themselves in front of everyone," Bickslow grinned. "And my darling baby wants them to be our butlers for a week and then they have to do everything we say. We haven't decided yet."

"Surely, if you have them as your butlers, you could make them dress like jesters and perform shows as well as anything else you wish," Freed suggested, and Bickslow grinned.

"You're a genius," He exclaimed. "And instead of suits, I'll make sure they're only wearing really tight black briefs and bowties. Really give me something to look at."

Freed chuckled. This was normal, at least.

——

Gajeel needed to keep moving. He needed to keep himself moving and active and his mind away from Freed because the moment his mind did fall onto Freed it would inevitably linger on the fact that Freed wasn't awake and that Freed might not wake up and that something Gajeel had done might have ended up killing the man that had so quickly intertwined their lives together. That was a thought too awful to even consider, so Gajeel had to keep moving.

After three days of waiting for Freed to wake, Gajeel had left Magnolia. Maybe he was a coward to do so, but he didn't care. He found himself walking, and hours later he was in the forest where he trained. The same forest where he had first gotten to know Freed.

It hadn't been a good idea.

He'd been sleeping under the stars ever since. He had exercised and forced his body to the brink of exhaustion every night, because the idea of lying down and letting sleep overcome him was nauseating. He couldn't let his mind wonder because that would mean letting himself think about Freed and he couldn't do that.

Every day, his body ached. He had pushed himself further than he ever had before. He'd ran more laps of the forest than ever, swam across the lake faster and with more purpose than he could remember doing, and he had pushed the dead tree trunk further up the hill than he thought he ever could. It was all in vain, because even in the split seconds his mind might wander from the exercise to Freed, it felt as though he'd been punched in the gut, and horror flowed through him.

He couldn't take any more. Today, his body was beyond moving more than necessary, protesting against the slightest attempt to exercise. That was how he found himself sitting in the shallowest part of the river, cross legged, with his hand turned to a small blade as he whittled away at a piece of wood.

His intention had been to meditate, something he often did. But today, confronting his mind has not been possible, because they made him feel sick to his damn stomach. And so he'd reached for a nearby bit of wood, and started to carve away at it. First it had been to occupy his hands with something to stop himself from fidgeting, but the more he carved the more he got into the rhythm of it, and he quickly realised that he was carving it into something. Something for a very specific person.

A crown. A crown fit for a prince.

And fuck it, when Freed woke up - becuase he would wake up dammit - Gajeel was gonna treat him like a prince. Two weeks ago he'd given Freed shit for being pampered, but now Gajeel would give anything to be the person pampering his spoiled ass that moment. He'd bring him hot tea, make him dinner, massage his damn feet if he had to. Anything to get his prince back to him.

But for now, he had to make the crown. Because once the crown was complete, then Freed would be awake and everything would be fine. It just had to be fine. Yes, it was a ridiculous claim to make, but he had to cling onto something for hope.

He'd make Freed a real crown one day. Metal, infused with gemstones.

Freed would like that. He'd call Gajeel an idiot, but he'd enjoy it really.

Gods dammit, this was so stupid. Gajeel growled and stood up, but kept the half-made wooden crown in his hand. His body protested from the small amount of movement, but he stormed towards a nearby upturned tree that he had been resting on and slammed his fist into the bark. He did it again, and again, not turning his skin to iron so that he could feel the coarseness of the wood grazing his knuckles. He needed to feel something dammit!

"That helping you?" Laxus' voice came from behind him, and Gajeel nearly jumped at the sudden sound as he turned. Fuck, how had he missed the man approaching. "It doesn't look healthy."

"The hell are you doin' here?" Gajeel grunted. He wasn't in the mood for company. "Needed to think."

"I get that, I've been there," Laxus shrugged, leaning against the tree that Gajeel had punched and looking unwilling to move. "But he woke up, asked where you were. Thought you might get pissed off if someone didn't tell ya."

Gajeel paused.

Freed was awake.

Awake, and asking for him.

For a week, Gajeel hadn't allowed himself to think about Freed at all, and the few moments that resolve had slipped he had gone to the worst case scenario. Maybe it was some kind of bullshit defence mechanism, where if he thought only about the bad outcome then maybe it wouldn't hurt so much when it happened, but he suddenly realised that he hadn't entertained the possibility that it might be okay.

He wanted to storm back to Magnolia as quickly as he could, but stumbled a little under his feet. His legs were aching and his body objecting to any movement whatsoever. He tried to fight through it, because dammit he could make it through some pain if he got to see Freed, but he nearly fell to the ground. The only thing stopping him was Laxus.

"He's not gonna be happy if you nearly kill yourself getting to him," Laxus said, hooking Gajeel's arm over his shoulder. "The two of you are fucking idiots, you know that. You love each other to the point of self destruction."

"Love?" Gajeel muttered. "He said that?"

"He looked pretty damn heartbroken when he realised you weren't there," Laxus said, slowly walking while helping Gajeel. "It means he loves you."

"Y' think so?" Gajeel asked.

"Of course," Laxus scoffed, helping the aching man traverse the woodlands. "He's not gonna admit it yet, probably convinced himself it's too soon to say it, but it's pretty damn clear. He doesn't show his emotions very well, so the fact he's showing them about you is a big deal. And if any guy could affect him so much to make him fall in love within a week, it's you."

"Really?"

"In a week, you managed to turn hatred into a special bond, you managed to nail a unison raide, you got rid of the fucking demon that's been ruining his life," Laxus laughed. "You're it for Freed. You're the last guy he's ever gonna love because who the fuck could compare to that?"

Gajeel blushed a little. Was Sparky always this complimentary?

"Aint this the point where you say yer gonna kick my ass if I fuck around with him?" Gajeel asked, because he wasn't particularly good with his feelings and Laxus had just said a lot of things that could overwhelm Gajeel if he lingered on them for too long. "Give me the shovel talk or whatever?"

"Why the hell would I do that?" Laxus asked. "I saw how you look at him, I know you're not gonna be a dick or hurt him. And if you do, he'd deal with you himself."

Gajeel certainly agreed with that, his prince by no means needed anyone to fight his battles for him.

He found himself a little happy that he had gotten Laxus' blessing, even if he didn't think he particularly needed it. Laxus was an important part of Freed's life, and Gajeel didn't want to be the reason for any kind of rift between them. He also wouldn't have been surprised if Freed was firmly the type of man who might choose his friends over a new lover, and Gajeel respected that. So to have Laxus approve of them felt good.

"Just be good to him, okay?" Laxus said quietly, helping Gajeel pass over a branch that had fallen. "A lot of people have been shitty to him - more than he realsies - so be in his corner, okay?"

"Of course," Gajeel nodded, because he didn't need to be told that.

"But don't take any shit from him either," Laxus said with renewed volume, and apparently the seriousness of their conversation was over. "He's a cocky son of a bitch and he can pull some shit when you least expect it. If you're gonna be his boyfriend then it's your responsibility to knock him down a peg when he's being an ass."

"Kinda contradictory, don't y' think," Gajeel laughed a little.

"Trust me, you'll see just how much of an ass he can be, and you'll see what I mean," Laxus grinned at Gajeel, and Gajeel felt as though this was Laxus' way of offering Gajeel a way into his life, as well as Freed's. Gajeel grinned back, and they continued walking. After a little while, Laxus spoke again. "Now, you're gonna have to test how much you care for him now. We can either walk back like this, and get there past midnight, or go to the train station and risk a fucking train without his runes to settle our stomachs? It'll be faster, but feel shitty as hell."

"Train," Gajeel said immediately, despite his stomach groaning at the thought. "He's worth it."

——

When Gajeel saw Freed, he almost wanted to cry.

He stormed across the infirmary, and Freed looked towards him with an expression just as relieved as Gajeel was feeling. He didn't stop moving, and wrapped his arms around Freed as tightly as he could in a hug. Freed did the same, apparently his body recovered enough to deal with Gajeel's full strength. For a moment, they both clung to each other as tightly as they could, and Gajeel found solace in the scent of his lover's embrace.

Freed was alive, awake, and here. Everything was okay.

"I'm sorry," Gajeel mumbled into the crook of Freed's neck. "I should've been here when you woke up. I'm sorry."

"You're here now, that's all that matters," Freed whispered, and the hoarseness of his voice made Gajeel feel like shit. Freed seemed to notice, as he pulled away and cupped Gajeel's chin firmly. "I've been tortured by a demon for all of my adult life, and you have gotten rid of that. Not being at my side the moment I woke up is entirely forgivable."

"Should've been here," Gajeel argued, pressing his forehead against Freed's.

"I don't mind," Freed whispered again, leaning up and pressing his lips against Gajeel's in a chaste kiss. "So long as you're here now, I don't mind."

Gajeel leant down further, and pressed their lips together again. He pushed into Freed slightly to deepen the kiss, and his inner dragon purred at the feeling of Freed kissing him again. One night with the man had been enough for Gajeel to know that Freed was special, and that no kiss would be as good as a kiss from Freed. He had been wanting nothing but to feel the man against him again, and to have it finally happen was euphoria.

When they pulled apart, Freed was smiling at Gajeel with a lovestruck expression that looked so good on him. Gajeel would have loved to keep Freed in that moment, because such an expression could only be achieved when someone was feeling bliss. Freed was blissful looking at Gajeel!

"Lie with me," Freed requested. Gajeel didn't need to be told twice.

He maneuvered his tired body into the bed - resisting the urge to make a comment about Freed's nude state - and rested against the headboard. Freed shifted slightly, and leant against Gajeel, nuzzling into his chest with a yawn. So fucking cute.

For what seemed like forever, they stayed like this. Just the two of them, together again and breathing and alive and happy. Gajeel would happily live the rest of his life in that moment, with Freed in his arms and with comfort filling his soul. This was a level of contentment that Gajeel had never felt before, and he was unwilling to let it go. Freed was going to be his for as long as Gajeel could fight for him.

"I meant it, y'know," Gajeel murmured, pressing his lips to Freed's ear. "I wanna be yours. I want you to be mine. I meant everything I said."

"I know you did," Freed smiled, looking up. "I want to be yours too. I want to wake up beside you every morning, and kiss you goodnight every night."

Gajeel couldn't help but grin, lean forward and press their lips together again. Freed was his. He was Freed. In each other's arms, they fell asleep. Content, happy, and in love.

#Gajeed #Freedjeel #freed x gajeel #freed justine #gajeel redfox #fairy tail #fanfic #writing #multi chapter #chapter nine #word count: 4.4k

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iamtrebleclefstories · 5 years ago

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I Believe in Second Chances - Part 6

Drunken nights and wedding invites

A lot of you have been asking me when this takes place. The story is taking place during s9, which means that Derek is alive and the plane crash victims are currently in the process of filing a lawsuit against the plane charter/hospital. It still is SGH because the hospital sale has not happened yet. Things will all make sense and I will reference them further on in the story!

“Jo! Dude, wake up!”

“Huh?” Jo shot upright and looked around at her surroundings, trying to determine what was going on.

“We’re gonna be late to the hospital. Put some pants on and get up from the couch,” Alex yelled from his place in the kitchen.

“I don’t want to,” Jo groaned. “Five more minutes.”

“You said that fifteen minutes ago when I tried to wake you up the first time,” Alex smirked and took a sip of his coffee. “I’m serious. I have a surgery and you got a lecture with Webber and all the other interns in half an hour.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Jo stood up sluggishly from the couch, searching for her pants on the floor. “I’d much rather be in surgery.”

“Well, you can’t today. At least for the first few hours,” Alex walked into the living room and laughed slightly at Jo’s disheveled appearance. He bent down and picked up her jeans that had landed somewhere around the fireplace. “You looking for these?”

“Yes!” Jo reached out and began to slip her legs in. “How the hell did they end up over there?”

“You were pretty wasted last night,” Alex handed Jo the other mug of coffee in his hand. “I had to carry you inside because you couldn’t get out of the car without falling. I placed you on the couch and by the time I came back with some water and Advil, your pants were on the floor and you were knocked out.”

“You know, it’s embarrassing how many times you’ve seen my ass,” Jo cringed. “Sure, we’re friends, but you’re also my boss and you live with another one of my bosses. Where is Yang by the way?”

“She left twenty minutes ago.”

“Great so she saw my ass too.”

“She didn’t see your ass,” Alex rolled his eyes. “I covered you with a blanket before I went to bed last night. You were completely covered.”

“How thoughtful of you,” Jo deadpanned.

“Hey, I could have just left you lying there on the couch in a t-shirt and your underwear all night. But instead of being a jerk, I covered you up and made sure you were nice and warm. It is December after all,” Alex flashed her a smug grin. “It's a nice ass by the way.”

“What a gentleman,” Jo replied sarcastically and laughed at the way Alex rolled his eyes again.

“Come on, let’s go. There’s a thermos with coffee⎯one third cup of milk and three teaspoons of sugar⎯and a grilled cheese sandwich on the counter,” Alex said as he threw on a jacket and slipped on his boots. He heard shuffling and a set of eyes on him. Alex turned to see Jo staring at him with a curious expression on her face. “What?”

“How did you know how I like my coffee?” Jo asked, brows furrowing. “I’ve never told you that.”

Alex chuckled awkwardly, “I just… I figured that’s how you might like it. I take my coffee the same way.”

“Uh huh,” Jo continued to stare at him curiously. “You know, I find it kind of unfair that you just seem to know all of my quirks beforehand and I have to learn them as we go.”

Not really knowing what to say to that, Alex shrugged, “Sorry?”

“Okay, sure,” Jo chuckled. “You are definitely way too happy about knowing so much about me.”

“Whatever, let’s go.”

————

“You still haven’t made a move?”

Alex was getting tired of the constant meddling of his friends. Today he was getting grilled by Cristina, Jackson, and surprisingly Bailey. “No I haven’t. I already told you guys that I’m waiting for the right time.”

“Dude, well you better make a move before I do. She’s hot and I need to get over April,” Jackson frowned.

“Shut up,” Alex shot him an unimpressed glare. “Over my dead body. Just figure it out with Kepner. Choose to be together. Don’t be an idiot that hurts the people you love. Same thing goes for you and Hunt, Yang.”

“Well, I don’t see you choosing to be together with Wilson,” Bailey said from her spot on the couch as she flipped through a medical journal.

“You see, even Bailey thinks you’re being ridiculous,” Cristina snickered. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you waiting? She obviously likes you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t crash on our couch on average three nights out of the week. She literally passed out on our couch like four days ago. I walked out of the house and there she was on the couch, sound asleep while this idiot was making coffee in the kitchen and staring at her longingly.”

“Hold on, let me get this straight,” Jackson placed a hand under his chin. “This girl spends the night at your house on a regular basis and she sleeps on the couch downstairs? Not in your bed? Are you losing your touch? Is that what’s happening?”

“I’m not losing my touch,” Alex grumbled. He looked at his friends who stared at him with raised eyebrows. “Look, I know she likes me. I overheard her talking with the other interns a few weeks ago. But she’s scared because she’s been through some things that gave her some major trust issues. That’s why I’m taking it slow and waiting because I am not gonna screw this up. Not this time.”

“Karev, you listen to me now,” Bailey pointed a finger at him. “Here is what you are going to do. My wedding is in three days. You are going to bring Wilson as your plus one to my wedding. You are going to be kind and charming and keep your hands to yourself and your eyes from wandering. You are gonna give her your full attention and then give her a ride home. And at the end of the night, you are going to tell her how you feel and let her think about what that means. Then, you just go from there. Understood?”

Alex huffed a slight laugh, “Yes Dr. Bailey.”

————

“Hey! I heard you were on my service again today,” Alex smiled as Jo approached him. It had been a couple days since he’d truly seen her. Sure, they’d passed by each other in the halls, but the past few days had been especially busy for the both of them and he hadn’t seen her since she woke up on his couch almost a week ago.

“I love peds. All the babies and kids and joy and magic,” Jo sighed dreamily. “Sure, it sucks that they’re sick, but kids really bring out the best in people.” Jo looked at Alex teasingly. “You especially. You’re a huge jerk to everyone else, but those kids bring this happy, soft side of you. It’s a good look. You should show people more often.”

“And ruin my reputation? Nah,” Alex scoffed. “Can’t freak my friends out by letting them think that I’m not cold and dead inside.”

“Well, I feel honored that I get to see this side of you,” Jo smiled.

Her smile always seemed to give him butterflies. Something about that beautiful smile that awakened something deep within him. It was mesmerizing. So much so, that he often found himself getting lost in it.

“Hello? Earth to Alex. You okay?” Jo waved her hand in front of Alex’s face.

“Yeah,” Alex shook himself out of his thoughts. “Yeah I’m fine. Let’s go check on my pre-ops.”

They did their rounds on patients before finally making it to the room of the child who’d be getting their surgery performed first thing today, “Hey Jenna! How’s it going?”

“Hi Dr. Kawev!” the small five year old girl gave him a toothless grin. “Look! I lost my toof last night!”

“Dude, that is so cool!” Alex high-fived Jenna and smiled at the parents. “Did you get money from the tooth fairy?”

“Uh huh,” Jenna nodded emphatically. “I got two dowwas.”

“Two dollars? Wow, the tooth fairy must really like you,” Alex looked back at Jo and pointed. “You see that woman over there? That’s Dr. Wilson and she’s gonna be helping me with your surgery today.”

“Girls can be doctows too?” Jenna’s eyebrows shot up in excitement.

“They sure can,” Alex nodded. “Girls can do anything boys can do. And a lot of times they do it better than the boys.”

“Woah! That’s so cool,” Jenna’s eyes lit up. “I wanna be a doctow too!”

Jo’s face broke out into a smile and she felt her heart flutter at the little girl’s words, “Really? Well, it’s going to take a long time and be hard sometimes, but you can do it.”

“Why did you wanna become a doctow, Dr. Kawev?”

“You know, nobody has asked me that before,” Alex paused and looked at the girl for a moment before responding. “Well, I have a younger sister and when she was a kid, one day she got really sick. So, I took her to the hospital to get some help because my mom and my dad couldn’t do it. And while we were sitting there, I saw all the hard work the doctors were doing to try to help my sister and it made me happy that somebody cared so much about a stranger’s life to save them. That day was the day I decided that I wanted to help people.”

“I wanna help people too,” Jenna decided. “But fiwst, I need youwe help.”

“You sure, do and we’re gonna take you up into surgery right now. Say goodbye to mommy and daddy,” Alex instructed and turned over to Jo. “Prep her for surgery and I’ll meet you in the OR in twenty.”

They’d been in surgery for about an hour when Alex finally got tired of the looks Jo kept sending his way, “What? You look like you wanna ask a question, but you’re too scared to actually do it. Spit it out.”

“I didn’t know that story about your sister that you told Jenna,” Jo stared up at him. “But, I’m guessing that’s not the full story and you only gave her the age appropriate answer.”

Alex took a second to collect his thoughts before saying what had really been on his mind when Jenna asked him why he wanted to be a doctor, “My whole childhood, I was surrounded by people who didn’t have a problem hurting others. My dad was abusive and neglectful, my mom was sick and most of the time didn’t even realize that she was hurting us, even my school nurse took advantage of me when I was fifteen, nowadays, she’d be arrested for statutory rape. Then there were all the foster homes and parents that treated me like crap, like I was trash, and for a long time I believed them. All of these people were people that were supposed to take care of me and keep me safe, but instead, all they did was hurt me. And I usually got the worst of it, too. I was the oldest and I needed to keep my little brother and sister safe, so I took the beatings meant for them, and I ate less food so they wouldn’t starve, and I even stole a car to get my baby sister to the hospital in time for someone to help her. She couldn’t have been more than eight months old.

“When I got there, it was the first time I ever actually had anyone take care of me and my siblings. The doctors went above and beyond to help my sister and gave me some food and let me stay with her in her hospital room that night. They gave a crap, ya know? And it was so damn refreshing because for at least one night, I was able to see that people weren’t all bad. Then we went home and I was back in that crappy, dirty house, with my abusive dad that was too strung out on drugs to even remember my name. That’s when I decided that I would never be like him. I would never be like the people that hurt me. I wanted to help people. I wanted to save them. I wanted to get out of that hell hole of a town and make something of myself. I wanted to prove everyone wrong when they said I would never amount to anything in life. And I’ve done that. I have proved them all wrong and I’m a freaking kickass peds surgeon and I don’t hurt people back . Not anymore. Not like I used to.”

The rest of the surgery was conducted in silence. Because what could you really say after something like that? Every time Alex opened his mouth, Jo found herself falling for him more and more, which absolutely terrified her. She was sure that if she would’ve opened her mouth after his speech, the only words that would’ve come out would've been ‘I’m in love with you.’

That was ridiculous, though. Jo couldn’t be in love with him. He was too good, too kind, too perfect. And she was all shades of messed up and complicated that he couldn’t possibly want. As much as she wanted him, she knew that she couldn’t have him. Not with Paul out there.

But sometimes the heart wins out in the end because Jo couldn’t bring herself to put distance between her and Alex. Instead, she kept getting impossibly closer to him. It was almost as if there was this thing pulling her, beckoning her to be with him and it scared the living daylights out of her because she kept giving into that tug ever single time.

By the time the day was over, Jo and Alex had successfully performed four surgeries and were on their way to the bar for some drinks. As they were walking, Alex stopped, “Do you want to go to Bailey’s wedding?”

“Huh?” Jo wondered aloud.

“Bailey’s wedding is tomorrow and I have a plus one,” Alex explained. “All my friends are going with their partners and I don’t really want to be alone so what do you say, wanna go with me?”

She knew what her answer should’ve been. It should’ve been no. Because this was not how you put distance between yourself and the person you were dangerously close to just word vomiting all your feelings to. That’s why she kind of surprised herself as the following words came out of her mouth, “Yes.”

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finallyaniguana · 6 years ago

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Watch The Eyes: Honesty to an Extent [11]

[10] masterpost ao3 [12]

"I'm sorry I couldn't make yours too, Adrien," she looked over at him, still standing in the doorway.

He clicked the door shut.

"That's okay, Mari. You know how my père is. Can't have the face of his company repping another designer. Especially one no one knows the identity of yet," he winked.

Her face warmed with pride. She was making a name for MDC in the entertainment industry, mostly doing tour pieces here and there for Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale. Those outfits were starting to get recognition by designers wanting to recruit the new up and coming talent.

After she was done showing off Marinette's hard work, Alya cleared her throat and looked at the designer meaningfully.

Marinette met her gaze, standing a little taller as if in challenge. Alya quirked an eyebrow, meaning the behavior did not go unnoticed. There was a solid ten seconds of staring before Nino cleared his throat too, trying to end the silent stand off.

Just as quiet as the stare down started, Marinette conceded, agreeing to share her news with the boys with a nod.

"I just recently found out I have a soulmate," she said matter of factly.

If Nino had been drinking something, he would have choked. Adrien was rather convincing pretending he didn't already know.

"What?! This is huge!" Nino exclaimed, excited for his childhood friend. "How did you find out?"

Alya glared down at her.

"On my birthday-"

Nino interrupted.

"But that was two weeks ago!"

Adrien shushed him, ignoring Alya's squint, imploring Marinette to go on.

"I switched bodies with him."

The boys thought for a second before Adrien spoke.

"I think I've heard of that... it's super rare," he said with the last of the awe summoned from the first time she told him.

"That would definitely explain why you don't have any marks or anything. Wow. I can't believe it, Mari. Congratulations," Nino said.

"So," Alya prompted. "What's the next step to finding him?"

Marinette scrunched up her nose at Alya's questioning. She sighed.

"Well, all the information I could find on this bond says I should meet them this year. I don't have to go find him or anything like that," she offered.

"Anything else?" she asked innocently.

"He does not have blue eyes." 'They're green.'

Alya looked confused before frowning at her and raising her eyebrows.

Marinette sighed again.

"He is from the United States. So, I will most likely meet him here. In Gotham. Since, you know, I don't have any other trips planned."

Nino stood stock still, his eyes blown wide.

"So soon?" he croaked out.

Alya nodded with a wicked smile.

"Which means Marinette has to leave the hotel everyday looking like the absolute goddess she is! We are watching out for our girl these next few weeks. He is going to love her!" the reporter said with conviction.

Marinette was grateful to have such... passionate friends. But there was the whole "secret identity" issue to work past. That was something she hadn't even told Adrien about. She didn't want to betray his trust before she ever had it. There was no telling whether or not 'Robin' would be accepting of her as an addition to his life. He wouldn't be the first to reject their soulmate and probably not the last. It was always sad when that happened. She didn't want that to be her, so she was going to do every she could to earn the vigilante's trust.

"He should recognize any of you. It happened right before "we" all walked to the park," Marinette informed them.

"Hold up, hold up. We were with you? How did we not notice something was up?" Nino looked shocked.

"He must be a good actor?" Adrien supplied.

Nino looked as though his mind had been blown. Alya jumped up and down and started animatedly explaining her plan for success to the two boys. Marinette just sat shaking her head.

"There is a boy out there who knows all of our lovely faces except Marinette's! Do not let him go unnoticed!"

Their little group eventually parted ways after listening to nearly a half an hour of Alya instructing the two boys on how to watch out for her best friend to make sure her meeting with her soulmate was perfect. Unfortunately, neither Alya or Marinette could answer any of Nino's questions; Alya, because she didn't have the answers and Marinette because she was pretending to not have answers. Adrien elected to keep his mouth shut, lest Alya become suspicious of his extensive knowledge of this bond.

Back in the hallway, the taller of the two let out one last warning.

"If you don't walk out of that room tomorrow in your absolute best. I am turning you around and picking for you."

Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Please, Alya, I doubt I'm going to be meeting my soulmate on a tour of Wayne Enterprises," she laughed.

"Better safe than sorry, babe. Goodnight!" Alya shut her door with a click.

MDC stared at the door her friend disappeared through, suddenly apprehensive knowing Lila was on the other side. She was probably going to ask about the dress. Alya shouldn't say anything. She knew what secrets she was supposed to keep. But it still worried her. She unlocked her own door and disappeared through it, the hallway now quiet.

"I'm glad Alya wasn't too mad at me, huh, Tikki," she said at last.

"Of course she wouldn't be too mad, Marinette! She's your best friend!" Tikki said back encouragingly.

As she got ready for bed, she finished unpacking the rest of her things, including the unfinished skirt and bodice of her gala dress, which she carefully hung in the closet.

"Tikki... have you seen my phone charger?" Marinette asked.

The little goddess blinked at her before shaking her head. The teen then proceeded to drop her face into her hands.

"Of course," she groaned around her fingers. "It's already almost 11 o'clock, so I don't think I'll be able to borrow from Alya."

Tikki flew over, patting her holder on the cheek.

"It's official, Tikki," she abandoned her face's perch in her hands in favor of staring deadpan at the ceiling. "I'm the disaster."

It was unclear to Tikki whether she should laugh or continue to comfort the girl. She she did both.

"It's not a big deal Marinette. We'll just get one tomorrow. I over heard Mlle. Bustier and Richard saying there is room on the schedule to look around Gotham for a bit. The safer parts of Gotham of course!" she giggled.

Marinette smiled gratefully at the little fairy before finishing up her routine, save plugging in her phone. She did set an alarm though, in hopes that what little battery she had left would last through the night.

Marinette laid out an outfit she was sure Alya wouldn't turn away. While packing, she had to resist the urge to pack much darker colors instead of her trademark pinks. She was going to tour Wayne Enterprises in a floral print grey skirt that ended a little above the knee paired with a soft pink sweater to match the flowers. She also set aside black tights and a pair of boot socks to complete it. Her comfortable black boots would be good for the amount of walking her class was sure to be going the next day. Nodding her head, satisfied, she turned her head to Tikki.

"What do you think? Good?"

Tikki smiled and nodded.

She laid it all out over the armchair in the corner. Stretching, she climbed under the covers of the full size bed. It was not near as comfortable as sleeping in her room, but it certainly exceeded expectations. She clicked off the bedside lamp she had been using.

Tikki settled down on the pillow next to the girl's head.

"Goodnight, Marinette."

"Goodnight, Tikki."

That night, Marinette had difficulty sleeping. All she could do was stare at the ceiling, straight as a board, thinking. She was suddenly uncomfortable in her usual sprawled out position that she usually slept in. Her mind was going a million miles a minute, running through every possibility for error and coming up with a contingency plan for every one. At three am, frustrated and tired, Marinette got up, leaving Tikki sleeping soundly on her pillow. She slipped on her flats, grabbing her room key and sketchbook on the way to the door. If she wasn't going to sleep, she might as well do something productive. Tiptoeing out into the hall, Marinette glanced around the dim passage.

The building was an eerie quiet. It reminded Marinette of the silence when an akuma is nowhere to be seen, but certainly nearby.

Perhaps it was because she was already tense about her soulmate, or maybe it was because she knew what lurked in Gotham's dark.

'You may not rest now, there are monsters nearby.'

She snorted and rolled her eyes at the bad joke she made to herself.

She wasn't dumb. In addition to her research on Bruce Wayne, the scholarship provider, she also tried to learn as much as she could about his city. Dangerous even during the daytime. Even more dangerous at night. Villains attacking every other day.

It used to be like that in Paris before Hawkmoth started taking fairly long breathers in between each attack.

The main difference was Gotham's heroes didn't have superpowers to protect them. No miraculous cure to bring back those caught up in the attack. If one of them lost their life out there... there was no coming back from it (presumably). That only increased her apprehension about meeting her elusive soulmate. Every day he put on a mask and jumped off a building. Being a vigilante is by no means safe. What if one day he goes out and never comes back and Marinette never gets the chance to meet him? She wasn't sure she could handle that.

She was sure footed down the hall way, evenly stepping where she was sure she wouldn't make any noise. The stealth was unexpected but involuntary, something in her encouraging her to blend into the shadows and not be seen. Her feet were moving of their own volition away from her room, no set course in mind. Marinette supposed she would wander the hotel until she found something of worth to bring out her creativity.

She found herself standing at a set of sliding glass doors leading to a balcony. Looking out, the city lights twinkling in the hazy blackness before her. No matter how creepy she thought Gotham looked in the day time, it was much worse at night. Beautiful in its own way but still creepy. But it was somehow refreshing to the unrelenting cheer and positivity The City of Lights instilled. Gotham had no such luxury and accepted as a whole its role in the world. It was a hub for crime.

Eyes unblinking, Marinette stared out over the city her soulmate lived in. Batman's city. She opened her sketch book to a new page and began to put down her ideas. A charcoal grey suit sewn with metallic silver accents. Sharp lines made way into a flowing dress beside it, halter with a low cut v neckline. The skirt of the dress carefully stitched with gold and silver beads for stars in a wide scatter at the bottom, following a line up to one side of the halter strap growing closer and closer together the higher you went.

An unexpected light flashed ahead of her in the night. The sky was lit up with a powerful spot that could only mean one thing. Batman was needed. Marinette waited, completely still.

Far in the distance, she saw them. Bounding over rooftops as if someone would catch them if they fell. Of course it was too dark and much too far away to see who was out there. He could be out there. A less observant person would have missed them all together, but after years of fighting akumas, she was adept at noticing the small things.

Suddenly overwhelmed, Marinette shut her sketchbook with a satisfying smack before turning on her heel and heading back down the hall the way she came. It was a wonder she hadn’t gotten herself lost. The hallways were even quieter than before, as though the walls themselves could witness her inner turmoil. She was hiding it well. All her emotions were carefully tucked away behind a neutral mask. Can't show weakness.

Back in her own hallway, she was startled out of her stupor by a figure standing there. Lila.

Marinette had no idea how Lila knew she would be awake or walking around. She was just standing there, hands behind her back, lifting herself up on her toes then back down again. She had her hair tied up in a neat sock bun.

'Ha. You look weird without your sausages.'

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lila snarled.

"Oh, did I say that out loud? Terribly rude of me," she gave the taller girl a tired smirk before attempting to walk on past her.

Lila put out her arms to prevent Mari from moving any further forward.

'End this.'

Marinette blinked that unexpected thought away. Aggression wasn't the answer.

"Where were you, Mari, sweetie? I was worried you'd gotten kidnapped by a villain or something!"

"Ugh. You wish. Excuse me, I'd like to return to my room."

Everything about this girl brought out the worst in the usually sweet designer.

"It really would be a shame if Mlle. Bustier found out her class president was wandering the halls at night. Come now, Marinette, you know that's against the rules."

She rolled her eyes at the weak threat. There wasn't much Lila could do to her, but if she thought this would make her trip even a degree worse, she would do it.

"How would you know I was wandering the halls unless you were too?" she asked lightly.

The liar's expression soured.

"You aren’t going to ruin this trip for me, so I’m going to give you one last chance. It wouldn't hurt to just play along, would it? It's not like you have any proof. It's your word against mine and who would believe a nobody like you?" Lila taunted.

"Move."

"How do you want to go down? As the worst class president in history? Worst friend in history? I can make that happen. Just keep up your little charade and it won't be a problem."

Marinette's frown deepened.

"I'm not the one playing charades. You are. And you look ridiculous."

Lila scoffed with disdain at the insult.

"I wouldn't even bother getting up tomorrow. You and your little trashy designs aren't going to impress anyone. That's probably why you don't have a soulmate. Nobody would be able to put up with your self righteous crap," Lila sniffed.

Marinette stood straight, staring past the Italian and down the hallway. Her eyes narrowed the more she spoke.

"How much do you think it will take to make Alya hate you? Would you like to find out? I can start on that tomo-"

"Stop speaking."

She looked into the girl's contempt filled olive green eyes.

"I'm not some little girl who you can intimidate, Rossi. I would suggest backing off before you end up regretting your actions."

She brushed past the girl, leaving her struck frozen in the hallway. She had no idea where that burst of angry confidence came from. She only hoped it would help and not hurt whatever came next.

@vixen-uchiha @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @violatiger8 @mochinek0 @constancetruggle @yamadochie @seraphichana @captainmac6 @nataladriana9 @iggy-of-fans @riarkle-felinettelove @luciferge @mystery-5-5 @mellownieice @northernbluetongue @imanerddealwith @ayuchan07 @poshplumcot @annabellabrookes @legendaryneckjudgestudent @chez-pezeater @friedchickening @da-tasuky @crazylittlemunchkin @g-arya @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @witchbitch1998 @theatreandcomicfreak @lysslovsanime @zalladane @tbehartoo @goggles-mcgee @tumbling-down-hills-and-stuff @kanamexzeroyaoifangirl @melicmusicmagic @reichi-vogart @ladybug-182 @chaosace @mariae2900 @vivilakitty @xxmadamjinxx @akbtch @7701deathlyhalfbloodprincess @elspethshadow @danielslilangel @tinyterror333 @maynora @anjuschiffer @creator-josie @thecatnipmademedoit @jessigurl-design @allolale @caffeine-theory @zerotosiki @draco-kasai @schrodingers25 @cassiejaydee @synnesstra @oscarwilde-hellyeah @valeks-princess @winter-gardenflower @novicevoice @cadencehood @sassy-spocko @rogueptoridactyl @dast218 @kae690 @thequestionablyhuman @18-fandoms-unite-08 @beaversuenightly @graduatedmelon @dur55 @gaylord1027 @fertileleaf @bamagirl513 @kurogaya913 @littleblue5mcdork @completelypeccable @sassydepression @resignedcatservant @batmans-attic @linnyalou @shreky-boi @actual-disaster-human @kandi-pie @gingersnapnoir @disneyfoxuniverse @souleateralicestein @kand-roo

so I figured out the reason my tag list was getting capped is because I was using mobile. so I decided not to be a dumb dumb anymore and will do my best to update from my computer instead. im working on a masterlist so stay tuned for that. I hope you enjoyed!

#maribat #daminette

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miniherodesktales · 5 years ago

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Moonlight, Madness, and Magic (5)

There was a wolf waiting for him just outside his bedroom door. At first Artemis thought that it must be the moonlight that caused its fur to glow, but then somehow he realised that the silver light was the wolf.

‘Who are you?’ he heard himself ask.

The wolf grinned its wolf-grin.

‘I am the She-Wolf; I am the Moon,’ it announced.

Artemis reached out his left hand to place inside her waiting jaws, but just as his fingertips brushed her leathery tongue he woke up.

His fringe and Randomosity t-shirt were damp with sweat. He held up his arm in the darkness to check for teeth marks but could see none.

His phone began to buzz.

‘Artemis, hi! It’s me, Oliver.’

‘Yes, I know it is.’

‘Did I wake you?’

‘No, it’s only...’ Artemis glanced at his phone’s screen. ‘2.30 AM. I generally don’t sleep well anyway...’

‘Great, me neither.’ Oliver clearly was beyond the point of being considerate. ‘It’s the full moon, right? I can never sleep during a full moon, I have so much energy and everything feels wonderful. Do you feel like that?’

Artemis spared a thought for Holly and her team trying to manage the revelries of those fairies who could not resist the charms of a full moon night on the surface.

‘No.’

‘I knew you’d understand. Do you think it’s because I have ma-’

Artemis smoothly cut across him before he could finish the M word.

‘Why don’t you just come over, Oliver?’

With fairy tech constantly listening in on human conversations for certain key words, Artemis felt it would be a betrayal to allow Oliver to accidentally reveal his secret to the fairy folk. “Full moon” had probably been given a low level flag.

‘What, really? I’m already taking a jog over the fields, but I could double back to your place and be there in 15 minutes.’

Artemis sat up.

‘Jogging in the dark, Oliver? How long have you been out there?’

‘Oh, all night, I expect. See you in 10!’

He hung up and Artemis rubbed his forehead.

‘We’re all mad here,’ he quoted to himself.

***

It was close to 3.30 AM and Artemis was searching through the kitchen cupboards for chocolate drops while Oliver stirred the cake mixture with all the speed of an electric mixture. Splatters flew everywhere, even to the ceiling.

‘Will sprinkles do?’ he asked, lifting down a padlocked box from the very top shelf.

‘Yep, it’ll make look like a beautiful rainbow. But, why is everything sweet locked away in your - oh, wait -’

‘Twins,’ they said together.

‘Thanks for keeping me company, Artemis,’ said Oliver, upending the jar of sprinkles into the bowl. ‘I drive my family nuts. They used to try to keep up with me but eventually they gave up....Now I just spend every full moon racing around the countryside...I think it’s getting worse...’

Artemis was watching the stream sprinkles as they pour onto the cake mixture. He was waiting for Oliver to take the jar away but he never did, so the bowl steadily filled up with a layer of sprinkles.

Oliver was equally transfixed. ‘It looks like the Bifrost.’

Artemis nodded. ‘I was just thinking that. Imagine if Asgard was a baked cake floating in the sky and Utgard was a bowl of sloppy, unbaked cake mixture, and all the cake giants live in the cake mixture and the gods travel to Utgard via the sprinkle bridge.’

‘Sounds plausible. How many sprinkles do we need anyway?’

Artemis shrugged. ‘None. We’ve already mixed together the vital ingredients to create the cake. The sprinkles are merely an embellishment.’

‘I’m going to add all of them.’

‘I won’t stop you.’

Oliver look sideways at Artemis.

‘So. When are you going to tell me what you know about magic?’

‘I know nothing about magic. I only know that you possess it.’

Oliver snatched up the bag of flour. He held it aloft and tried to look threatening.

‘You know that I can tell when you’re lying, Fowl. Spill the beans or taste self-raising!’

Artemis glanced upwards at the bag.

‘We both know that your manners are too good for you to deliberately make a mess in the house of a friend.’

Oliver relented. He crumpled down the top of the bag and crumpled up his face.

‘I don’t know why you’re keeping secrets,’ he said. ‘Secrets that could help me. Are you afraid that you can’t trust me? Because you can. You know that I don’t want to be alone in this.’

That hurt.

Artemis lowered his head. ‘I told you I was sick. I have never been skilled in the ways of friendship and lately seem to have become even worse. But I do know that I can trust you; I just may need reminding sometimes.’

He held out his hand. ‘Come on, I want to show you something.’

Oliver took his hand.

***

A multitude of stars shone brightly over Fowl Manor, scattered and sprinkled over a dark night sky. The full moon looked like it had somehow become stuck in the tree tops and no one cared enough anymore to free it.

They stood together on the roof, pressed back to back, holding hands as they looked up at the stairs.

‘Close your eyes, Oliver,’ Artemis instructed softly.

Oliver drew in a breath and shut his eyes, gripping Artemis’ hand a little tighter.

He heard Artemis whisper: ‘For a short time I had also had magic; I had stolen a handful of sparks from a friend. Before I had to return the magic back to the Earth I could hear sounds that I never heard before...’

A cool breeze pulled at their clothes and hair, carrying a sweet scent with it.

‘The Musica Universalis...We’re living in the most magical country on the planet, Oliver; there’s more than just atoms and elements and empty space out there. We’re surrounded by magic, always, forever breathing it and out. Can you hear it?’

Oliver focused his mind. The faintest sound reached his ears, a mournful but sweet and scratchy sound floating around them. It grew louder. He opened his eyes: the sky above was no longer just a black canvas but filled with waves of colours. Blues and greens and pinks and purples, all shining and shimmering above them and around them, the music of the universe still playing its lullaby.

‘I hear it!’ he laughed. ‘I see it!’

Artemis tugged on his hand. ‘As long as you have magic you’re never truly alone in the world.’

As Oliver stared all he could say for the longest time was, ‘Wow.’ Eventually he managed a breathless, ‘Thank you, Artemis.’

Artemis’ expression darkened. ‘All people used to have magic, but then we lost it. Or maybe we didn’t. I would very much like to find out.’

***

‘Wha -what is that?’ Artemis Fowl Sr asked, pointing at the “thing” on the plate.

‘It’s supposed to be a cake,’ said Artemis.

‘It is a cake,’ said Oliver.

‘It’s a mess,’ Butler muttered.

‘It’s, uh, it’s....interesting...’ Fowl Senior managed. ‘Especially how it’s burnt on one side and almost liquid on the other.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Well, boys, you have two hours to go before school starts. I suggest that you roll up your sleeves and work quickly. I want this place back to being spick and span, just as Butler left it last night.’

‘But, Father, I’ve been awake all night!’

‘And whose fault is that? I don’t recall your mother or I giving you permission to invite a friend over in the early hours and bake a cake.’

Oliver threw an arm around Artemis’ sagging shoulders.

‘Leave it to us, sir!’ he cried, all enthusiasm and not in the least bit tired. ‘There won’t be a speck of dirt to be seen. All will be orderly; after all, the philosophers do say that dirt is simply matter out of place.’

He laughed, Artemis did not.

*****

Author’s Note: Concerning Artemis’ ramble about cake Asgard...maybe it’s sleep deprivation, maybe he’s a little mad too, perhaps it’s a combination of the two...either way, Oliver “gets” him.

#artemis fowl #artemis fowl fanfic #artemis fowl books

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mrs-i-have-too-many-biases · 6 years ago

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High Notes and Snow// Kim Woojin

Stray Kids Christmas Series

Scenario: A Christmas show at college turned out a little different than the both of you thought it would. Genre: Fluff Trope: Friends to Lovers // College!Au // non idol!Woojin // Theatre writer! Reader Pairing: Kim Woojin X Reader Word count: 8,9K Warning: Woojin’s a little bit of a jerk, but we all know that’s just for fictional purposes.

‘I’m late. I need to finish my paper. Did I rewrite my notes from yesterday. I want coffee.’ Were the thoughts that run trough your mind as you hurried in a sleepy state across the college grounds. You made your way to your go-to café and ordered your usual. You took a sip of the hot anxiety-juice and sighed in content. As you sat in your class, trying your best to pay attention even though the teacher made it hard for you with him speaking in a monotone voice.

Being a theatre writing major was something you loved doing and loved to learn about, but college life was hard. And just when you thought that you could rest for a while, since the holidays were coming up, you were proved wrong. “You will be organising your own Christmas show. You guys are free in doing whatever you want. It just has to be Christmas themed and you guys will be grated for it. Class is dismissed.” Was all he said, leaving the students speechless.

The teacher gave everyone in your class a paper with instructions on them, dividing people in smaller groups and assigning their tasks. There was a costume theme, there was a décor theme, a performance team and an organising theme. “Sir, why is the team for organising so small- why am I leading everyone?” You asked whilst still scanning the paper.

“It will be too complex for people to have too many people who lead everything. With just a few captains you can direct people easily. I’m sure you got this.” He says nonchalantly, making you choke on air as you realised his words. Your eyes started to frantically scan the paper and you saw that you had the lead over the whole organisation thing. “But I’m just a writer-“ You yelled after the teacher who was long gone. You sighed to yourself, feeling already stressed. And the notification coming from your phone didn’t make it any better for you. You saw that your best friend, who you thanked God for you got to work on this with apparently, had texted you.

Kira: ‘We’re planning on having a meeting in 2 hours. You better be there. I will get you some extra coffee and a bagel... I read the division...’ You: ‘I know right. Please just end me already. People are already stressing, causing me to stress.’ Kira: ‘Just calm down for a second and get your ass over here.’ You: ‘Aight.’

As soon as the meeting started, people stared at your awkwardly. You were not prepared at all and your anxiety-juice wasn’t helping you at all.

“So, what are we going to do?” Maddison groans in annoyance. You rolled your eyes, wanting to ignore her and roll her out of the room with the office-chair she was sitting on. She was one of the performers in her team and you weren’t going to lie, she had pretty good vocals. She was talented, but her annoying and arrogant personality didn’t make up for it. She was born in America and constantly reminded people of it.

‘I can’t help but speak in English sometimes. I guess it’s because I was born in New York.’ She would twirl her hair around her finger whilst batting her fake lashes. Boys seemed to love it, but girls knew she was just acting.

You are a theatre major, you knew when someone was acting or not. “We don’t know. That’s why we’re having this meeting. If we could just brainstorm some ideas, we could work it out from there.” You sighed as you took out your notebook and started scribbling down the ideas.

“We could do a talent show?” Someone suggested. “I mean, it’s a good idea, but there is honestly no such way on making it Christmas themed.” You explained, whilst still writing down the idea anyway. “We could make a musical.” “That’s also a great idea, but the décor and the costume team would have to work too much on different kind of décor. There would be individual scenes, group scenes. Plus we would need different décor for every scene. And since we have seven weeks to make and rehearse this. It will be too much stress for all of us. Shouldn’t we make this easier for ourselves-“ “We get it Y/n.” Maddison sighed, making you roll your eyes.

“What if we do a half-half kind of show?” Daichi suggests shyly. Everyone in the room now focussed on him and you could see him jump in surprise.

“What did you have in mind?” Daichi explained his idea where everybody could show off their own talents, but that it still had a story that worked along with the acts. Most of the performances would be sung, since you had countless of singers. So you guessed that it would be a sort of musical.

“We could just keep a simple décor for the background and make the stage look like a frame. As if the audience was actually looking at a magical Christmas show thingy- my brain isn’t working okay. It’s twelve o’clock and I’m barely here.” Your friend, Kira, laughs, causing the room to laugh along and lighten the mood. “Okay, so I guess we have a plan. Let’s brainstorm some more and meet again this Friday at three o’clock.” “Sounds good to me.” People in the room agreed before they all left. The performance room shot you dirty looks, but you chose to ignore it. They had a habit of feeling like they’re better than the rest for some reason, since they had a bigger chance on becoming the centre of attention and famous. Their words not yours, really. You packed your stuff and walked out the door with Kira on your side.

“Why do we have to work with Mrs brag?” You whined as you made your way in the cold to your dorm.

“I don’t know, but I guess we have to. We’re going to be graded for this and I’m not looking forward to get an inadequate because of her.” Kira sighs and shivers at the same time. “Let’s just focus on the other people we have to work along with. I mean, we have Daichi. He’s really artistic. Do you remember him designing the décor for the ballet performance.”

“I know! The designs were so detailed and he really got the idea of the Russian palaces. It felt like watching a fairy tale when we were attending the show.” Kira smiled as she recalled the memory. “We also have Woojin on our team.” She added. “Yeah, but he’s part of the singer’s team though, if you know what I mean.” “Woojin isn’t that bad though, I mean compared to Maddison he’s an actual sweetheart.” Kira stated. “Isn’t everybody a sweetheart when compared to Maddison?” You laughed.

“You have to admit though, Woojin is cute.” Kira doted whilst looking at you. “You’re starting to sound like the entire singing department. They also can’t stop gushing about how handsome and how brilliant he is. I mean I can’t say that he isn’t talented, the guy really has a great voice. But I really don’t get those girls who say that they are blessed with his present and that he’s so athletic, they can go on and on for hours.” “Speak for yourself. You seem to know a lot about him.” She laughed. “N-no I don’t. He’s the best singer of the singing department and people can’t stop talking about him. Even the teachers can’t stop going on and on about him. I’m from the theatre apartment, like why do we have to hear those things about him?” You asked whilst stepping into your dorm.

Your dorm was more like a little studio apartment. It cost you extra money, but you got a place for yourself and you didn’t had weird roommate who got into your face and interfered your space.

It has been two weeks from your first meeting about the abrupt Christmas show and everybody now knew what to do. The singing department obviously started to rehears singing, having Woojin as their leader. The décor apartment were off to make a picturesque décor that would people make feel fuzzy and warm when looking at the show. The show turned out to be just a concert since it would be easier, but to give the theatre kids a little bit of spotlight, they got to write songs with the singers and translate a story into the décor as well.

You were a little sad that you couldn’t participate as much as you wished. You were supposed to get a place to perform the show, to get a catering, people to do light and sound and everything else that came along with arranging a show. You asked around and you were glad that there were people who wanted to help out. It relieved you, because you know how busy everyone around college could be at times. “You’re nice, we would love to help.” They said, making your heart flutter at the compliment before thanking them once again.

You were sitting on a sofa in the library, trying to look for the best place for the concert, until you were interrupted by your laptop shutting close, causing you to jump. Looking up to Maddison who stood in front of you with her hand on her hip, made you roll your eyes. “What?” “You better ensure to make us the stars of the show.” You didn’t even had to hear the words coming from her mouth, you already knew that Maddison and her little crew of minions wanted to be the centre of attention as soon as you saw their names on the list of division. You wanted to open your laptop again, but Maddison stopped you from doing so.

“Are you listening to what we’re saying?” “Are you listening to yourselves? You know Woojin is the leader of the singing department when it comes to the concert, you should ‘discuss’ this with him and not with me.” “I already talked to Woojinnie, but he said to come to you since you’re the ‘chief’.” She scoffed, clearly annoyed that she had to come to you for this. And trust me, you rather didn’t wanted to be around her either. You loved being as far away from her as possible, but this concert didn’t make it easy for you to do so. “It’s fine by me I guess, but you guys have to work for it yourself to make a memorable performance. We’re not going to do that for you, besides we’re going to be graded individually.”

Man, were you glad you were graduating next year. Maddison might be your age, but she was in a year lower than you. You could already picture her sulking and almost crying when Woojin graduates along with you. You had known him for some time, you were friends even in high school. You weren’t like the closest friends, but his friends hung out with your friends and together were you pretty solid. Being in different departments in college drifted you apart, the only one you got left out all of that friend was Kira. You didn’t mind, it saved you a lot of drama. And besides, it’s part of growing older and becoming an adult: everybody is going their own ways and living their own lives.

You suddenly remembered that Maddison hadn’t left and decided to leave for yourself then. It was snowing outside and you scrunched your nose slightly when a snowflake landed on your nose. You enjoyed the cold as you walked over the campus ground for the umpteenth time.

You then heard a gasp and someone fall, which made you turn around quickly. You saw a pair of long legs dangling from a bush and you swiftly made your way to the guy. “Are you okay?” You asked the guy, when you took a closer look, you saw that the guy who fell was Woojin. “Woojin?” You asked surprised, yet a little worried. “Hi, can you help me? It’s slippery.” He chuckles as he sat in the plant covered in snow and books that you supposed to be his. You took his hands and pulled him up, you almost slipped and fell on top of him, making you squeal in process. “Thanks.” He mutters, whipping off the excess snow, before picking up his books and about to leave. “Hey, you’re drenched. You should dry off and get warm.” “Why do you care?” He asked coldly, not even bothering to look you into the eyes. “I- you’re the leader of your group. You can’t miss rehearsal, besides I don’t think that getting a cold is good for your throat.” “I know, but I was trying to find my dorm key, but- why am I explaining this to you?” He says, his tone was harsh, belittling you a bit. “Did you find it?” “No.”

Both of you sighed and stood in silence across one another. “Do you live far from here?” “Why do you want to know all of this, stalker?” Woojin scoffs. “I’m asking this, because you need to warm up and if you live far away, you could just come to mine to dry off and warm up.” You explained. “But you know, if you’re going to be a pain then just forget it and enjoy being cold.” You snapped irritated, before wanting to walk away. You suddenly feel a shaking hand grab your arm. You looked back to see Woojin shivering in cold.

You felt bad for him and sighed. You grabbed his hand and dragged him to your dorm.

Woojin sighed happily as soon as he felt the warmth. “I will grab you some sweatpants and a hoodie. I’ll lay them in the bathroom so you can change. In the meantime I will make us some tea, or do you prefer something else?” “Tea is fine. But aren’t your clothes like too small for me?” “Trust me, they’ll fit. I buy my sweatpants and hoodies at the men’s department.” You laughed, whilst searching into your closet the items.

Sooner enough Woojin had changed out of the drenched clothes and sat under a blanket with tea in his hands in your clothes. You looked at him and laughed to yourself.

Woojin usually looked very classy and neat, like those elite rich boys would walk around. Right now he looked like the boy next door people from a movie where they would fall in love with each other. The thought surprised you, just the fact that you even thought about something like that made you blink slowly in confusion.

“What?” He asked, still shaking a little from the cold. “Nothing-“ “Clearly, there is because you’re laughing at me.” He snapped. “First of all, I was laughing to you. Secondly, don’t you dare to take my kindness and hospitality for granted Kim Woojin. I will not hesitate to make you regret that.” You stated in a serious matter, taking Woojin by surprise. “Sorry. And thank you by the way.” “No problem.” You muttered back.

You took another look at him and now he didn’t dare to look back at you, making you shake your head in disbelief. “If you’re wondering why I was ‘staring’ at you. You look so different from how you usually look.” You chuckled before sipping your tea. “How is that- I mean, I’m just wearing different clothes obviously.” “That’s the thing, you’re always so dressed up. I’ve never seen you dressed down like this. You look like a normal student, instead of a posh elite boy who always walk around in a three-piece suit.” “It’s not a suit, it’s just trouser, a blouse and a blazer-“ “Exactly! I mean, yes you do have a good fashion sense and it looks good on you, but don’t you ever want to-“ “Okay, I’m going to stop you right there.” Woojin suddenly says, interrupting you.

“What-“ “If you think that this is going to make me fall in love with you and date you. It’s not going to happen, let me just tell you that.” That was it. His arrogance and cockiness had gone to his head and you had enough of it. You grabbed the tea, still rather carefully, but harshly out of his hands and placed it pissed on the side table. He looked at you in confusion and surprise and was about to talk again, but you were quicker. “You’re not welcome here anymore.” “Excuse me?” “You hear me Woojin. I wanted to make sure that you were in good health for this concert. We’re graduating this year and every grade needs to be better than the one before. You and I both know that. Yet, instead of being nice to me as a sign of being thankful, here you are. Acting like an arrogant jerk who had his head stuck a little too far up his ass and thinks that everyone wants to date him. Just because I’m nice to you, doesn’t mean that I want to date you!” You snarled more irritated than ever.

You couldn’t remember Woojin being this much of a jerk when the friend group was still together.

“Y/n, I’m-“ He started. “No, I don’t want to hear it.” You stressed as you went to grab his stuff. They were still damp, but he was wearing dry ones at least. “Y/n-“ “Just leave, you know how to get home right? Go call Chan or something if you’re still even friends with him.” You muttered as you pushed him out of the door.

The door shut right into Woojin’s face as he turned around to say something once again. “This is humiliating Y/n!” “You’re wearing men’s clothes! Fucking act like one and walk yourself home!” You yelled back, taking Woojin by surprise once again that day. He sighed and decided to walk home, since he had nowhere else to go. He took his phone out of your sweatpants and went to call Chan to pick him up.

When he arrived as soon as he could, he looked at Woojin weirdly. “Whose clothes are you wearing? Why are you holding your own? Why aren’t you at home- what’s happening?” Chan chuckles. “Just drive.” Woojin sighs. “Did you hook-“ “God no! I-“ Woojin sighs once again, before telling Chan what happened.

Chan starts laughing and Woojin groans in embarrassment. “Wait, you mean Y/n y/l/n?” Woojin just nodded in responds. “I haven’t seen her in years. How is she?” “I mean, she seems fine. She has her own dorm, so I guess she’s doing quite well then.” “Her parents must be earning a lot then.” “No, Y/n never wanted her parents to support her financially, she’s done that on her own.” “Well won’t you look at that Mr Sherlock Holmes.” Chan chuckles as he made a turn. “What?” Woojin asks. “You seem to know a lot about her.” “I do not, I just remember her stating this very fact when we used to hang out with the whole group.” “Man, that was way back.” “I know right. She doesn’t hang out with much of them anymore. I only see her hang out with Kira still after all these years.”

“Sure Mr ‘I really don’t know her that well’. Freaking liar.” Chan muttered playfully, loud enough for Woojin to hear, receiving a well-meaning punch from his friend.

A few days later, you were sitting at the school café, looking outside as you rent Christmas decoration for the concert. You were lucky that the school gave you a budget, with a generous amount, so the concert could be a great ending show for the year.

As you were working, you didn’t notice Woojin standing a few meters from you. He didn’t know how to approach you after being a jerk to you. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He looked around and saw that people were staring at him, I mean who wouldn’t. He just stood there creeping on you with a gift bag in his hands. He could hear Chan in the back of him mind, telling him to suck it up and just give you your clothes back.

Woojin took a deep breath and gathered his courage and started moving towards you. He had no idea why he was tensed up. He had known you for a long time after all.

You didn’t notice Woojin standing next to you, causing you to jump in surprise when he softly placed the bag next to you. “Woojin?” You asked in confusion. “Here.” He could only make out, gulping loudly as he didn’t dare to look you into the eye.

“I’m sorry for the other day.” He mutters before walking off. “Thank you!” You called after him. Obviously not planning on screaming ‘thank you for returning my clothes’ in the middle of the freaking canteen. People would simply get the wrong thing and rumours would be spread around. You certainly weren’t planning on having that on your plate as well, this concert was already giving you a permanent headache. Woojin sighed in relief when he finally gave you the clothes back. He washed them with extra softener and air-dried them because he was scared that he would damage or shrink the clothes. Chan couldn’t help but tease Woojin for being this caring about some clothes, when he usually just throws his clothes in the washing machine, turns it on, shrugs and walk off to do something else. When Woojin had left, people were already whispering their presumptions of what Woojin was giving to you, if the two of you were dating, or just hooking up. None of that obviously, to you and Woojin at least, was true. But Maddison for some reason decided to make it out to be the end of the world.

As soon as she heard the rumour from one of her minions she stood up and started to throw a tantrum like a little child who didn’t got what she wanted. A spoiled little brat, that’s what she is. Maddison made your way to you in an irritated and jealous state. You could swear that you felt something inside of you tingle as if it was your sixth sense.

You could hear her heals clicking through the canteen, along with the other four pairs that rushed behind her. “Are you dating Woojin?” “Nice to see you too Maddison.” You sneered. “Answer my question.” “Have you never been taught to respect your elders?” “We’re the same age you du-“ “I’m a senior and we’re in Korea, show some respect.” You smiled painfully to her as she rolled her eyes and ‘bowed politely’. “Can you now answer my fucking question?” “Why do you think that Woojin and I are dating?” You sighed as you looked at her.

“He gave you a gift bag.” She stated the obvious. “Okay, so just because he gives me something, means that we’re automatically dating. Honey, you must be so confused at birthdays.” Maddison started to scoff in annoyance, especially when she heard people giggle in the background who overheard the conversation. “Well, are you?” “That’s none of your business.” You smiled once again, whilst packing your bags. It was as if Maddison didn’t know how to do anything else but scoff that day because she did it again. You took the giftbag in your hand and swung it past her face as you passed her. You sighed to yourself. ‘Poor girl doesn’t have a life, what a shame.’

Apparently, Maddison wasn’t the only one who wondered if you and Woojin were a thing, even the teachers got involved. You hoped that they would stop this nonsense, but instead they started to ask you questions about your so called ‘relationship’ with the best singer in the university.

Even Kira started to rant to you about it. “How dare you to not tell me that you were actually dating Woojin! We’ve been friends for so long and stuff like this isn’t supposed to be a secret among friends. And I thought we were best friends, apparently not because you didn’t bother to tell me that you were dating Woojin.”

“I never told you anything, because there isn’t anything to tell you.” “What do you mean you’re-“ “I’m not dating Woojin.” “Oh.” “That’s all you can say?” You laughed as you threw a pillow to her face.

And so more days passed and the day of the concert came closer and closer. The décor team was already doing a great job and were really being productive. So was the small writing, the lights and sound team. The singing department on the other hand, were rather procrastinating. Woojin tried to get them to work. But without a vocal coach they were just sitting back and chatting their hours away.

Woojin would sigh and continue rehearsal by himself. He knew he was the leader of the group, but they would be graded individually and Woojin would like to graduate that year, especially since college was expensive and he didn’t wanted to spend yet another year so much money on school. He was grateful that he could attend school, but working this much and spending this much on learning something became a little too much for him eventually and especially for his wallet.

You would often participate rehearsals and see how everyone was doing. Woojin would be on stage and everyone’s eyes seemed to be focused on where he was looking and how you were reacting to him. The rumours hadn’t burned out unfortunately. As you were observing the rehearsal, Woojin seemed to be very confident, which was logic since he was very talented and also well aware of his great singing voice, yet it almost seemed cocky. You didn’t know Woojin like this, you wanted to make a comment on it, but it would start yet another rumour. You were waiting for that, so instead you waited to talk to him backstage. “What’s going with you?” You ask him as soon as you spotted him alone backstage.

“What do you mean?” He asks, a sudden feeling of jitters rushed through his body. He never experienced something like this before, but he seemed to only feel it when he was around you. “I know you’re confident about your voice, but acting cocky when on stage doesn’t seem a good idea.” “Why are you so concerned about the way I act on stage. I’m the singer, aren’t I?” He says, whilst his arrogant side jumped out once again. You sighed, feeling a little disappointed but also not that surprised. He had been like this ever since the two of you went to college.

“I get and know that you’re the singer, but I’m just concerned that people will think something wrong about you.” “Why are you saying things like this as if you know me. It’s not like we’re friends or dating or even something close to that.” “You know what, never mind. Go and do your thing then if you know it so well.” You snapped before walking off.

‘Gosh, what is up with that guy.’ You asked yourself. ‘What is wrong with me?’ Woojin asked himself.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration and went after to you to try and talk to you.

“Y/n, we’re going to need a Christmas tree. Can you pick it up? I heard that we could use the principal’s car if you don’t have one, he owns a truck too after all.” Woojin overheard Kira say to her friend. “Sure, but I might need a pair of extra hands for that.” You stated, knowing that the Christmas was almost as high up to three meters.

“I would love to help you, but I have a test coming up.” Kira says. “And Daichi is busy with the décor team.” “Is there an issue?” A teacher asked who walked into the room and overheard their conversation. “No, I just need a second person to help me with picking up the Christmas tree.” “Oh, well Woojin why don’t you help Y/n? You seem to have your performance under control-“ “But sir! Woojin is the leader and he needs to guide us!” Maddison interrupted. “Well, I can get a vocal coach to help you with getting the techniques under control. Well, since that’s settled, keep up the great work guys! It’s looking great!” He said before leaving. More like leaving you and Woojin speechless.

You was thinking about avoiding him as much as possible and then just to ignore him completely after the concert, but you guess that wouldn’t be the case then.

Looking up to Woojin who stood sheepishly on stage, made you sigh and roll your eyes.

The action made Woojin’s chest ache slightly. He just doesn’t know what was happening to him. You just got him feeing some type of way and he didn’t know what to do about it. Later that day when he talked to Chan about it, he reminded Woojin of years back, when they were still in high school and Woojin felt similar like this towards Y/n.

Woojin recalled the memory of him and the entire friend group at someone’s place. They were having a dinner night with some music as they hung out. They were celebrating something, he didn’t know what exactly, but he knew that they were celebrating something, because he remembered that you looked as beautiful as ever. You wore a simple black sequin dress, a diamond necklace that Minho had given you. Everyone was surprised that you and Minho were so close. Minho had quite some walls up when it came to new people, but he seemed to have a soft spot for you. Unfortunately, college drove the two of you apart. The university that you and Woojin attended did had a dance department, but it had a different location, which was on the other side of the city. Which was one of the reasons why you and Minho sadly grew apart.

He remembered feeling in his gut against Minho at the time, now that he was older, he realised that it was jealousy. He still doesn’t get why he was jealous of Minho, but Chan did. Chan knew that his friend had a crush on you, Woojin himself just never knew. Woojin was, as weird and cocky as it sounded, used to girls gushing over him and confessing their feelings to him. He declined them all respectfully and Chan didn’t know what happened but somehow it went to Woojin’s head.

Chan eventually got frustrated and stopped trying to set you and Woojin up. You were a busy person and often hadn’t even have time to hang out with people. You were working and studying all the time and when you did have time for people, Kira would had all your attention.

Right now, after Chan and Woojin had the talk about this old familiar feeling, Chan tried to make Woojin realise that he has a crush on you and that he should just think about his feelings for you. “That’s absurd. I don’t have feelings for Y/n.” Woojin scoffs in denial. “Stop being so stubborn and just admit it.” Chan mutters under his breath. “What was that?” “Nothing.”

It was a week now before the concert and everybody was feeling the tension of the deadline coming closer. Everybody was as stressed as ever, not that it was something new for a college student. You were teaming up with the décor team to decorate the theatre.

You got a great deal with the people who owned this old concert hall. The venue looked gorgeous on the inside, it had this old-timer vibe and everybody was absolutely living for it. The ceilings were painted romantically and the pillars were cut out in the magnificent details.

“I still can’t believe we got this place for nothing.” Kira says in awe as they all started to work. “I know, it’s unbelievable. I hope there’s nothing wrong with this place though. I did my research, but I couldn’t find anything else-“ “Y/n!” Daichi yelled from on stage. “Yes?” “We’re done with the background!” “Alright thank you! We will be decorating the rest then!” You yelled back.

‘Time to get the tree.’ You thought to yourself.

“Woojin, shall we go?” You sighed as you walked up to him. He seemed too busy talking to Maddison and her minions to hear you. “Woojin, I will take credits off if you don’t come-“ “Alright, alright. I heard you the first time, dang.” He muttered, making you roll your eyes in annoyance, before walking to the car with him.

The car ride to the shop was awkward and the tension was high. Woojin was busy on his phone as you drove the two of you to the place. You were very relieved when you finally arrived, an excited feeling had replaced the bothering pressure that was earlier resting on your chest. You were smiling brightly as you almost ran onto the place in excitement. Woojin saw it happen and couldn’t help but smile to himself. You were like a little child, he remembered celebrating Christmas with you when the two of you were in high school, with the whole friend group as well though.

You were so excited to celebrate, you always loved the little lights that covered many places and the decorated tree was something you could stare at for hours. It was easy to say that Christmas was one of your favourite times of the year.

“Hello, we’re here to pick up the tree for the concert hall?” You said to the nice man who greeted you. “Ah, Y/n! You called me on the phone earlier this month, right? We reserved the best tree for you!” He smiled before going off to get it with four other man following him. He saw how excited you were as you walked around. There were families trying to find the perfect tree for their home, the children would run around with laughter lighting the place up besides the lights that were hung up.

He saw the way you smiled and it did something to his heart. He felt warm and fuzzy and he had a sudden urge to hug you. A sudden memory was recalled to Woojin’s mind where the whole friend group would go ice skating. You all had a great time and it was one of his greatest memories, but also one of his saddest, since it was also the day where he had found out that you had someone else on your mind and he wasn’t that person. Woojin realised and accepted your feelings that day. His best friend, Chan, had told him your secret about your crush and Woojin could just feel his heart break at that moment.

He started to feel awkward since the two of you went to the same school and spend a lot of time together. Eventually when the two of you went to university, his ego was fed by the girls who constantly threw themselves onto him. He never knew why, he still doesn’t know why they do it, but he took this as a big compliment and gained confidence from it. Maybe a little too much since he turned out to be quite cocky as well.

Suddenly, as he was surrounded by hundreds of trees, he started to feel gloomy. He didn’t want his heart to be broken again or get his hopes up this time, since he didn’t know if you even liked him at all or if you had someone else on your mind. You noticed Woojin’s sudden mood change and decided to cheer him up. You gathered some snow together and pressed it into a ball, before throwing it towards Woojin’s chest. He looked up at you in surprise and he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw you smiling brightly at him. At him. You were smiling at him and he could feel his mood change once again. Yes you were still annoyed at him for earlier, but he seemed a little sad. And since it was almost Christmas you didn’t want that. He was an old friend after all.

Woojin appreciated the gesture and thanked you for it in a soft whisper, but loud enough for you to hear after running after each other for a good fifteen minutes. The pair of you now shivering, wet from the snow you had thrown at each other, but laughing and happy. That moment had become a very cherished moment to Woojin, because he finally realised that he should not hide his feelings for you anymore. He realised that I always had been you. The two of you now walked back to where you and the owner had agreed to meet. “Wait my laces are untied.” You said, before bending down.

When you got back up again, there were multiple people looking at the two of you. “Is there something on my face?” You asked Woojin in slight horror.

“No.” ‘-thing but beauty.’ He thought.

“You two are under the mistletoe!” The owner roared in laughter, making you and Woojin shot your gaze up to see the little branch indeed hanging above the two of you with a little shimmering red ribbon around it. “I- we can’t-“ Woojin started. “C’mon! Got to keep the tradition going, don’t we?” The owner laughed once again. You swear you could hear children scream ‘kiss’ at the two of you, making you giggle slightly. Woojin’s heart was beating loudly. He looked at you, who was focusing on the people who were staring at you. He realised that this could be the chance to finally do something he had been longing to do years ago.

He took your face in his big hands and made your head turn towards him, surprising you in process. You looked at him with shocked eyes and quickly closed your eyes when you noticed him slowly leaning in. Before you knew it were his warm lips connected to yours and moving in synch together. Your arms found their way to his neck and wrapped them around them. Woojin smiled into the kiss as you heard people cheer. An elderly couple cooed at the two of you after you pulled back from the kiss.

“Kira, I swear I think I’m falling for him!” You whisper yelled through the phone after you and Woojin had arrived back at the concert hall. “I fucking told you so you little shit!” She screamed whilst laughing on the other side of the line. “Shit he’s coming back- I’ll call you later- no I’m not giving you my notes.” You quickly lied as you saw Woojin appear once again. You hung up the phone and went to decorating with Woojin.

Christmas songs were blasting through the stereo as the two of you adorned the tree. You would be running in circles around the tree as you put the lights on it, making Woojin laugh as you ended up dizzy and almost fell of the stage. Fortunately for you were Woojin’s reflexes quick and caught you before you fell down two meters to your doom. You looked at him in shocked eyes once again and stayed in his arms for a moment.

The moment didn’t last long when Kira and Daichi suddenly barging into the room, making Woojin almost drop you in surprise. “Shit you okay?” He asked you as he helped you back on your feet. “What are you two doing?” “N-nothing!” You both shrieked back at the same time.

Woojin and you returned to your awkward selves at school and it was almost like the other hadn’t happen. Almost, one thing did change though. “What do you mean Woojin isn’t sitting with us at lunch?” Maddison cried loudly to her minions- I mean friends. “He said he’s having lunch with someone else.” One of them stuttered. “Who?” Maddison demanded more than asked.

In the meantime was Woojin carrying a bag with food he had bought in a café, a tea and a coffee for himself in his hand as he made his way to you, who was working in a classroom on the last things for the concert. “Knock knock.” Woojin chirped as he pushed the door open with his butt. “Hey!” You chirped brightly back as you pulled out a seat for him to sit on. “I got you some food and some tea.” He says shyly as he placed the food in front of you. “Why, t-thank you.” You smiled as you accepted the gesture.

The both of you enjoyed the sandwich Woojin had bought as you two enjoyed each other’s company. And someone, who saw the two of you enjoying each other’s, wasn’t so happy about it. That sour plum was Maddison. She scoffed in annoyance when she saw the two of you laughing together and saw the affectionate touches coming from the both of you. She was about to barge into the room, when suddenly a teacher called her, making her groan this time in annoyance before leaving the classroom and the pair of you be.

“Can you help me with something?” Woojin asked you after a while. “Yeah, sure.” You said, before turning to him to give him your full attention. It surprised Woojin a little but he had prepared this. He had practiced all night for this moment. “I’m trying to sing this song, but I don’t know if it sound good.” “So, you want my advice or opinion?” ��Yes-“ “Shouldn’t you ask a teacher for stuff like that?” “I wanted to hear it from you.” He admitted shyly, making your heart flutter.

Wise men say only fools rush in But I can't help falling in love with you Shall I stay? Would it be a sin If I can't help falling in love with you?

Like a river flows surely to the sea Darling so it goes Some things are meant to be Take my hand, take my whole life too For I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows surely to the sea Darling so it goes Some things are meant to be Take my hand, take my whole life too For I can't help falling in love with you For I can't help falling in love with you

When Woojin stopped singing he looked at you with hopeful eyes. You were speechless, his voice was just incredible. “Wait are you singing this for the concert?” You asked him in confusion. “No silly.” ‘I’m singing this for you.’ But Woojin couldn’t find the courage that day to confess.

‘You got this Woojin, next time for sure.’

Twenty-fourth of December, the day of the concert had finally arrived and the students were nervous and a little stressed. Someone couldn’t find an accessory for their costume, the other broke a string of their guitar and another needed a pep talk.

You had everything under control and helped them all through it. You were the host after all. Everybody’s bellies were filled with a warm meal that you had prepared, through a catering team. You were lucky that there was a big kitchen in the back of the concert building where you all could prepare the food and eat.

And so the concert begun. Everybody were doing great. The crowd loved every second of it and the place was filled too. The ticket selling went more well than you could imagine. Families thought it would be a nice family outing to see their child perform on Christmas.

It was now time for the final act, which was Woojin. He was after Maddison and well, her performance went rather odd. Everyone noticed Maddison pushing her minions out of the way to steal the spotlight. You could swear her mother dancing the routine along as she filmed. You loved the fact that they were doing the Mean Girls’ routine of Jingle Bell Rock as well. The teacher didn’t seem to impressed and swiftly wrote down notes.

But now it was Woojin’s time to shine. The music started and the spotlight was focussed on the young man who stood in the middle of the stage. Everyone eyed the performance from the side of the stage as Woojin began to sing ‘Holy Night’ by Mariah Carey. He had changed the notes beautifully so it fitted his voice perfectly.

Everyone was in awe, first of at the song of choice, but mostly at his singing skills. The high notes were sung perfectly. You really could tell that he was the best singer of his department. He really had earned the title. When the song had ended, the crowd jumped to their feet and applauded loudly for him as he bowed to them. Woojin looked to you and gave a quick wink.

“Everyone thank you for coming tonight. Can we give all the students another round of applause?” “Can we get Y/n a big round of applause for arranging everything and organising this event for us?” Woojin say after he had stolen the mic from you. You almost blushed at his words and you became even shyer.

You could feel Maddison’s eyes burn through the back of your head. Everyone bowed one last time before the curtains closed. They all cheered because it was finally over and now, they got to go home to relax, and celebrate Christmas and vacation with their family. You were all about to leave the stage when suddenly a male voice called for you.

“We’re snowed in.” Was all he said with panic layering his tone. You all were shocked and you quickly made your way to the balcony of the concert hall and looked out of the nearest window. You indeed were snowed in. You saw the trees sticking out slightly above the high snow. The cars and roads were hidden under the white blanket.

You were about to announce the situation, when the lights suddenly cut off and made people scream in surprise. “Everybody please remain calm! The electricity may have fallen out, but there is a backup generator for light! Daichi can you turn it on? It’s under the stage.” You called out from the balcony. Daichi got the lights back on in no time and people were starting to get impatient.

“How long do we have to stay here?” Someone asked. “I’m hungry!” A child added in a whiny tone.

“I don’t know for how much longer we will be stuck here, the snow is really high. I’m going to make some calls for try to contact someone who can rescue us out of here, but there are blankets in the back and some candles. If everyone divide them under each other we will have some kind of warmth here, since it might get a little chilly here. The generator doesn’t work that well on the heater, but at least we have light. And when it comes to food. There is a kitchen in the back. I can try and make some food for all of us, but I can’t assure that it will be a lot.”

“I’ll help you!” Woojin says as he helped you back down.

After an hour of being stuck with a whole bunch of people in an old concert hall, you finally made some food from scratch. You found some bread, some rice, potatoes, eggs and some juice boxes from earlier and divided them over the people. The meals weren’t very special, but at least they were warm. You couldn’t help but apologise to everyone for the current situation they were in. “If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be in this situation.” You could hear Maddison hissed softly after you handed her food. “How the fuck is the snow Y/n’s fault? She had no power over that!” One of her minions said, making you smirk in amusement. The minions were finally done with Maddison’s shit.

“You did well Y/n, thank you.” She added whilst smiling at you. “Your welcome.” You said before going back to the kitchen. Woojin, Kira and Daichi were working hard to make everything for the people. Kira handed out the juice boxes to the kids and they thanked her politely. You were all tired and you just wanted to sleep. You saw Woojin cooking in the kitchen and you walked up to him, only to lean into him and hug him from behind as you buried your face in his hoodie.

Woojin was surprised by the act and so were Kira and Daichi, but mostly Kira who almost screamed the whole place together. The girl was losing her mind and it was your fault. “Tired?” Woojin asked, wrapping his arm around you to warm you up a little. You nodded your head in responds and hugged him tighter. “I’m sorry it turned out to be like this.” You whispered to him. “It’s not your fault. You’re not that powerful you know.” He joked to cheer you up a little. “I know, but I feel responsible. Besides we will be still stuck here for another two to three hours.” You sighed sadly.

“I don’t mind being stuck here, especially since I’m with you.” Woojin managed to say, even though he felt like he had a lump in his throat. You looked up to him and he looked down to the side to face you. “I mean it. I enjoy being around you.” “Daichi let’s go, we should give the two some space.” Kira yelled before dragging her friend out of the kitchen, leaving you and Woojin laugh at the chaotic duo.

You turned your focus back on the man in front of you who had placed his hands on yours. “I never realised this, but I always had liked you. Even back in high school I had already eyes for you. I didn’t go through with my feelings, because you had eyes for somebody else and we didn’t know each other that well. So, I kind of stepped out of the picture and when we both went to college, I guess that my ego got fed a lot. And I mean a lot, it went all to my head and I became a dickhead. I’m sorry by the way for acting so dumb. But besides that, I just really like you. I have for a long time and I felt like you needed to know. Besides, we’re young adults now.” He chuckled nervously. You look up to him with a pout. You were so touched by his words and you couldn’t help but think how cute he was being.

“I’m not going to lie, I didn’t have these feelings for that long. I know we go way back, but I realised that I felt more towards you a couple months ago. I would always deny when Kira joked around that I liked you. I would claim that she lied, but I deep down knew I did. I would talk about you a lot and I guess that gave the fact away that I had you on my mind a lot. You’re a really nice guy and I really like you too. I’m glad that you’re not this cocky guy you made it seem for the past few years.”

“So, does this mean that you will be mine?” Woojin carefully asks. You smiled at his cuteness and took his cheeks into your hands. You pulled him closer to you and brought him in for a kiss. Woojin was taken by surprise and sooner enough his hands had found your waist and brought you closer to him. You blushed harshly when he pulled away and shyly hid your face in his chest. “Cutie.” He whispered into your hair as he held you. Eventually the two of you went back to where everyone else were seated. The both of you stood under the doorframe as you watched everyone. “Hey Y/n!” Kira yelled out of nowhere. “What?” You yelled back playfully. “You got to kiss your man!” “What!” You could hear Maddison yell. “What?” You yelled in surprise.

Daichi didn’t bother to say anything since he was too busy laughing his ass off as he pointed to something above the both of you. Woojin and you looked up once again and saw a mistletoe hanging above the two of you. “Kiss! Kiss!” Was being yelled by some people and you could swear to hear Maddison object in the background. Woojin’s hand on your cheek caught you by surprise once again and you smiled at him as he was about to lean in to kiss you. You wrapped your arms around him tightly, his hands were wrapped around your lower back, pulling you as close as possible to him.

Christmas was going to be even better than you thought.

“You’re crazy.” You giggle softly as you playfully slapped his chest. “Crazy for you-“ “Stop it!” You squealed, hiding your face in his chest, making him laugh before just hugging each other and enjoying each other’s warmth.

Gif isn’t mine.

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cashtonismyweakness · 6 years ago

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Teach Me (Part 3- Luke)

(A/N decided not to go with 3rd person pov. Took quite a bit of time with this one but I think it was worth it)

Warnings: smut, forced orgasms, cheesiness

Word Count: 2.7k

Part 1 Part 2

You woke up to the gentle chatter occurring in the kitchen. Peeling yourself from Michaels bed, you went to go join in on the conversation. Michael insisted that you stay with him last night and you were too busy basking in the afterglow of your first orgasm given to you by someone else, to even think of a reason not to stay. It also didn’t help that Michaels room had a heat vent right above the bed, making it too warm and cozy to even reach a hand out.

You bid them all a quiet “good morning” while you rubbed the sleep from your eyes. You weren’t used to the change in your relationship with all of them, suddenly fairly shy around them with the power shift noticeably prominent. You knew they were all quite dominant in their previous relationships, having found that out during your game of truth or dare, and you were too inexperienced to even really know what you liked.

The conversation continued on as you poured a bowl of cereal before going to sit in your regular spot next to Luke. You weren’t awake enough to really pay attention to what they were talking about and didn’t notice when the conversation shifted to the topic of last night. You heard Calum speak, his words not processing through your mind until Luke was waving his hand in front of your face.

“Huh what?” You dipped your spoon back into your bowl, bringing a bite to your mouth.

“I said how did it go last night?” Calum asked while noticing how cute you looked just out of bed.

You nearly choked on your bite of cereal, not expecting the question. You finally got it down before answering. “Um yeah... it was good” the sentence came out rushed, words squished together. Your cheeks were heating up from recalling the events of last night. God damn it how did they make you blush so easily!

“Yeah? Mikey’s thigh felt good?” The question only made you blush more as you stirred the flakes in your bowl.

“You left quite a mess on my jeans that could answer the question for you” Michael teased. “We do have to work on your listening skills though. Nearly had to ask her to do something twice”

You met the gaze of Ashton. You could tell he was thinking, a playful glint in his eyes as he butted into the conversation. “We should have a safeword. That way if you’re uncomfortable with anything, say the word and we stop”

The suggestion was smart. You didn’t know what they were planning and it would be a good idea to have a way to tell them you were uncomfortable. The rest of the boys agreed with Ashton. It made sense especially if it’s your first time doing something.

“How about...Lemon?”

“Lemon?”

“Yeah. It’s gotta be a word you don’t use often. I’d say stop would be a safeword but some girls have a habit of saying stop when they don’t actually want to stop”

You wondered if you were one of those girls. Wondered in what kind of situation you’d be begging them to stop without actually wanting to stop.

“Lemon works”

——————

Since moving out on your own you’ve grown to find doing the dishes quite relaxing. The bubbles coming up to nearly your elbow as you scrubbed the pot. Calum decided he wanted to make spaghetti for dinner and it actually turned out quite delicious, but it did leave tomato stains on a few items. You’d offered to do the dishes since Ashton and Michael had to study and Luke did them last time.

You could feel eyes watching you as you placed the pot in the drying rack, only to grab the cutting board. Deft fingers moved the hair from your neck before soft lips placed a kiss over your pulse, making your breath hitch in your throat.

“How about I finish up and you go wait for me in my room?” Luke spoke lowly, a mischievous undertone in his voice.

You could only nod as you rinsed the bubbles from your hands before drying them quickly.

——————

The soft glow of the cheap fairy lights that adorned the walls of Luke’s room made the space feel cozy and inviting as you went to sit on his bed. He had a lot of artwork decorating the walls and you admired them, trying not to let your mind race to think of what he’s got planned.

Time felt slower as you waited, it felt like an hour before he entered when really it was about six minutes. He was clad in a simple black t-shirt and a pair of grey sweats, his hair pulled up into a bun with a few curls cascading down the side of his face. Even in such basic clothing, he looked like a god.

“Should I tell you what I got planned or should you just wait and see?” He pondered aloud, the mischievous look still on his face.

“I think I’ll tell you” he said finally before peeling off his shirt. The lights complemented his skin, giving him a golden tone and showing off his natural highlights.

“Tonight we’re gonna work on your listening skills while I finger ya. Sound good princess?”

You wanted to melt into the sheets with the way his words affected you. Butterflies in your stomach was an understatement.

“It’s rude to not answer when someone asks you a question” he stated while sifting through his bedside drawer before placing a small clear bottle with a black label on the table.

“Y-yes” you finally got out, your fingers pulling nervously on the sleeves of your long-sleeve. Luke came to stand in front of you, your eyes drawing to the silver cross that hung around his neck. His hands tugged yours away from your nervous habit, pulling you to stand up.

Your tallest roommate never really intimidated you, his personality not quite matching with his looks. But now that you were in his room, with him shirtless and knowing what he was going to do to you, it was safe to say you were intimidated.

You were too shy to look at him, choosing to focus on where your hands met instead of looking at his smug face.

“You’re cute when you’re nervous” he mentioned as a hand came up to tilt your head up to look at him, the action only making you blush deeper. He leaned down to place a gentle kiss to your lips before taking your previous spot on the bed.

The new position made you both closer in height as you stood between his legs.

Your lips met again this time with a little more urgency. A hand held your jaw while the other was heavy on your waist. Yours came up to rest unsurely against his chest and you could feel his steady heartbeat.

You pulled away from the kiss to breathe, taking a slow shaky breath in a feeble attempt to calm down.

Be he made sure that didn’t happen.

The hand on your waist moved to pull the strings on your shorts, loosening them before watching them fall to the floor.

His eyes met yours, quirking a brow in question to see if you were going to protest but you just bit your lip and let him continue.

He pulled your shirt over your head, tossing it to the side, before moving to lay against the headboard. You forgot you weren’t wearing a bra and moved to cross your arms over your chest but that only lasted for a moment.

“C’mere” he instructed, holding a hand out to you. You took it, now just realizing how large his hands were compared to yours. He guided you to sit between his legs, your back to his chest. The whole situation made you flustered already, but what only added to your nerves was the large mirror hanging on the wall across from the bed, giving Luke the perfect view of whatever he decided to do to you.

“You’re gonna be good for me right princess?” He questioned before pressing his lips to your shoulder, trailing along the curve of your neck. The action made you shiver and gulp. Again, you nodded but that didn’t suffice.

“Use your words”

“Yes”

But that still wasn’t enough for him.

“How about you try ‘yes Luke I’ll be good for you’...and look at me when you talk”

You desperately wanted to disappear into thin air. Eye contact was never your thing. You took a shaky breath before looking at him in the mirror. He had the biggest smirk on his face. He knew exactly what he was doing to you.

“Yes Luke I’ll be good for you”

The sentence came out needy, almost whiny. You were quickly losing your patience, just wanting him to get on with it

“Good girl”

The praise sent a pleasant tingle throughout your body, prolonged by the fingers running up and down your thighs. You tried to press your legs together in an attempt to relieve the ache between them but Luke wouldn’t allow that. He moved his knees under yours and spread his legs, causing yours to spread with him.

A single finger skimmed across your clothed entrance causing goosebumps to appear across your skin. He pressed into you, causing your legs to twitch as he rubbed.

“Princess you’re soaking. I’ve barely even touched you” he shook his head, chuckling at your arousal. You didn’t really notice how wet you were. You guessed you’d just become used to a constant state of arousal now that your relationship shifted with your four roommates.

“Let's get these off yeah?” He murmured before pressing a kiss to your cheek.

He didn’t leave time for you to respond before he was pulling the fabric down your legs, throwing it over to where your shirt laid. He spread your legs again, this time a bit further. If he asked, you could’ve cum right then and there from feeling so defenseless against the beautiful man behind you. He finally took pity on you, offering some relief from the tingle between your legs and working gentle circles on your clit.

Suddenly a rush of anxiety flooded your body. You wanted this. Bad. But the size of his fingers made you unsure. They were so much bigger than yours.

One of his fingers dipped to your entrance but before he could get any further, you spoke up.

“Wait…”

A hum signaled for you to continue.

“Will it hurt?” You focused on the thumb rubbing against your thigh, forgetting his previous instructions.

“Look at me” he reminded and you met his eyes again. His gaze wasn’t harsh, more concerned for you. “It shouldn’t hurt. You’re pretty wet but if it makes you more comfortable I can use the lube. But if its too much use your safe word okay?”

“Okay” you whispered and you were met with a grin. He leaned over to grab the bottle from the side table, popping the cap and squirting a decent amount onto his fingers.

His other hand reached up to play with your breasts in an attempt to distract you from what he was about to do.

he came back to your clit, working his slick fingers on you before moving down to your entrance. He dipped his middle finger into you up to to the knuckle before a whine slipped past your lips.

“Good?”

“Yeah... more” you breathed out, making him chuckle at your neediness. He pressed on till his whole finger was in you before curling it and pulling back out. He repeated the rhythm a few times, you nearly losing your mind at the feeling, before adding a second finger.

“Oh my god” the stretch sent a delicious burn throughout your body, making your head spin while you leaned against him.

“Not god. Just me” you could practically hear the smirk on his face as he teased you.

You wanted to scream when he curled his fingers in you, the sensation unlike any other you’ve felt before. Your legs were shaking with how sensitive he made you and he could tell you were close. His thumb aided his assault by torturing your clit and you were clawing at his forearm in pure desperation.

“Gonna cum princess?” He spoke lowly

“Uh Huh” was all you could get out, to breathless to think never mind speak. But he didn’t care.

“Beg me”

“Wha-?” You weren’t sure if you heard him correctly.

“Beg me to let you cum” His tone was demanding.

Oh my god. This guy was relentless. But you knew you couldn’t last much longer and so swallowed your dignity before looking up at him.

“Please Luke...please let me cum” you were nearly crying with how needy you were. He made sure to keep eye contact with you, his gaze fierce, before speaking.

“Cum for me”

He watched the way your eyes rolled back and your back arched off his chest as you released onto his fingers. Little gasps and moans fell from your lips as your vision went white and you collapsed back into him, struggling to catch your breath.

His attack on your center slowed only for a minute before he sped up to an even harsher pace than before. Your sobs echoed in the room, the only other sounds being his breath and the slick torment of his fingers. You tried to pull his arm away but your previous orgasm left your limbs feeling like jelly. Your further attempt to move away didn’t work either. His other arm wrapped around your waist, holding you to him. You were trapped.

It wasn’t long till you felt the knot in your stomach become tight and ready to snap. Your cries became louder and little pleas whispered into the space let him know you were close.

“I want you to look at me when you cum princess”

You were gasping “yes” over an over again like a mantra, just begging him to give you the release you craved.

His fingers hit a spot inside you that made you scream before demanding you to cum for the second time. It took all the concentration you had to keep eye contact as you gushed over his fingers. He admired the tears that kissed your pink-tinted cheeks and the way your lips parted in an attempt to catch your breath as he worked you through your orgasm. Your entire body trembled as you came down from your high, eyes slipping closed from exhaustion. You felt his hand move from in between your legs causing you to whine from the loss of warmth.

“Good girl. I’m so proud of you” he praised before moving to lie you against the pillows.

He left for a moment, coming back with a damp cloth and a glass of water. He cleaned you off, the sensation of the cloth causing you to whine in protest of any more stimulation. The cloth was tossed with the rest of your clothes before pulling you to sit up and handing you the glass. You watched as he searched through his wardrobe, pulling out one of his shirts and handing it to you. It was the one you borrowed that one time when the dryer was broken and all your clothes were soaked. It also happened to be your favorite shirt of his.

He took the glass so you could put it on. It fit you more like a dress rather than a shirt but it was soft and smelled like him.

He marveled over how adorable you looked in his clothes, tired eyes threatening to close from the two orgasms he gave you. Crawling in beside you, he placed a kiss to your lips and you moved closer to be in his arms again.

“Sleep princess. I’m not going anywhere”

And with that you fell into a deep slumber, your last thought being how lucky you were that you had these boys in your life.

Tag List: @you-of-ghost @sillygoopghostalmond @allamerican-betch @madformichael @lilpeepkin96 @holographic-world @grreatgooglymoogly @the-disrespecc @rbforsmileycal @ashtonskitten138

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lazarevadmin-blog · 5 years ago

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https://lazarev-international.com/news/author/1604-how-to-not-get-infected-with-coronavirus-and-how-to-strengthen-our-immunity/

How To Not Get Infected With Coronavirus and How To Strengthen Our ImmunityScientists already confirmed that praying to God strengthens the immune system.10 JULY 2020 0 13

Extract from a Youtube video, the 1st July 2020

Any change is a danger. Development is not a wide road that leads to a bright future, it is a rock on which you climb. Any inaccurate move and you can be dead. This is why many are afraid of development. They prefer old, reliable stereotypes. And at present this is especially dangerous in religion, when a lot of things depend on religion. But the priests cling to the old dogmas, hoping it will work out. It won't.

Actually, if you think about it, coronavirus exposed a terrible thing. Do you know which one?

No.

Representatives of religion have admitted that they do not believe in God.

Interesting.

I'll explain why. In the past, when we had pandemics, what happened? The church bells rang, the priests prayed in churches, it was explained to people that this is God’s punishment, that they need to return to morality. They need to return to mercy, they need to pray, to fast, to donate, and then it would be easier to overcome any troubles or problems.

So in the past during the epidemic priests prayed in churches. Bells rang, and then even scientists came to the conclusion that the bell ringing has real positive effect on a person’s state of mind. And when a person's soul is in harmony, then his body begins to recover. That's what any religion is based on, right?

Yes.

That is, in the past any pandemic or invasion by an enemy was recognised as the Will of the Almighty and a reminder that it is necessary to change for the better, right?

Yes.

If the enemy comes and we see only the enemy in it and are eager to destroy it, it means that we are pagans or atheists in our mentality. The word «religion» or religare in Latin means a bond with God. In other words, religion must strengthen the bond with God. Christ explained that the will of the Almighty is all around us and even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

And this sense of the presence of the Divine Will in everything and the God’s image in every person allows us to develop as individuals. It allows us to be filled with love, respect, compassion. In the past when there have been serious trials, diseases and so on, what did priests had to talk about? They talked about what Christ taught us.

«Your faith saved you,» he said. Through faith, through prayer, through a change of character, a person receives the forgiveness of his sins, a person recovers, and a person improves his destiny. The example of Poor Job who kept his love for God and managed to resist the blasphemy, despair, despondency, discontent of his fate with the result that everything was returned to him. That is, Poor Job’s story is an instruction on correct behavior in a critical situation. Does it make sense?

Yes.

Now imagine: Poor Job is ill. People come and say, «Oh brother, you've got leprosy.» This is followed by drugs, pills and so on. He is despondent, he's cursing everyone, and he’s told to take an antidepressant.

Laughter.

So what's next for Poor Job? I'm afraid he never recovers. Because as a result of trials his soul would not improve but would get worse. Because when the body is more important than the soul, the soul is forgotten, it begins to degrade. And then the situation is like in the film Apocalypse: «This man has a very clear consciousness, but his soul has gone mad.»

Yes.

So the priests, the representatives of Christian Church, at the first glance, had only two options. The first was to open churches and say, «We insist that the churches continue to perform church service and God will save us.» But the church is separate from the state, and this would be a challenge to the state. It would be a serious conflict in which two camps could appear, and could even result in civil war.

Well, perhaps that to some extent, it would be the elimination of human logic?

Yes, it would be the elimination of human logic, but human logic can be eliminated with a nuclear war too.

Yes.

Another option is to accept the requirements of the state, that is to switch to human logic, and talk about self-isolation and so on. That's what was done. But it was also possible to do the same thing that was done in the past, not in form but in essence.

How?

If in the past during the epidemic bells rang helping people to remember God and pray why didn’t the representatives of Christian faith, Islamic faith and Jewish faith arrange to meet on television and declare that problems would be solved by science and technology, but there is a God alive, and it is God’s Will.

If the pandemic has happened, then we probably need to think about our soul and our character. We need to think less about money and profit. It is as if the pandemic is tearing us away from dreams of money and temporary things, as if the pandemic is making us think of God. Why weren’t people reminded of that?

What are rabbis, muftis and priests for? To remind people of God and lead people to God. And here it turns out that at a critical moment they forgot about the Almighty and think only of the physical body. There were no calls to us to accept the Divine Will, that we need to become better people, that we need to pray, and then our immunity will get stronger.

Scientists already confirmed that praying to God strengthens the immune system. The development of the soul, the overcoming of sins leads to recovery. Christ talked about this and the Christian Church is based on it. Then the priests are obliged to say that through the love of God we can overcome the essence of problems. Then medicine and technological advances are all secondary.

What have we seen in fact? We have seen none of this. That is, all representatives of religion around the world have behaved like secular people, forgetting about God, forgetting about morality, forgetting that it is necessary to change our character and that pandemic is a push for development.

Then we can ask the question — what was the truth before the coronavirus in Judaism, in Islam and Christianity — was it a fairy tale, a bluff? Does it mean that representatives of religion didn't believe in God?

Yes, and they had no hope.

They had no hope. That is, the very behavior of priests shows that they do not believe in God.

If you think about the essence of their behaviour, it shows that they do not believe in God. They do not believe that the Almighty can help when a person prays. They do not believe that it is possible to recover through the care of the soul. They do not believe that the preservation of love and morality will strengthen the immune system and improve the fate. No one said anything about it. That is, in fact, the priests tacitly said, «We do not believe in God”.

So if representatives of all religions on Earth have now announced that there is no God, and all this has gone not to the mind, but to the subconscious, what can be expected? The same coronavirus, only 10 times stronger.

Well, of course, yes.

That is, the logic of the Almighty is simple — he can say: „If you did not believe in my existence and turned away from me at the first small test, well, then I will help you remember me in more serious ways”.

The worst losses are those we don't notice. No one here understood that at the level of religion there was a mass abdication of God. Religious logic has disappeared, and only human logic remains. There are wonderful priests, but they are wonderful contrary to the system.

The system is in crisis, that's the problem.

I just want to address people through the Internet and say, “GOD EXISTS!”

So in fact, if you look not at the surface, but at the essence of what is happening, then everything is as Christ said: “You do not go to God and do not let others.»

And it turns out that those who are supposed to help the soul be saved through faith in God, through prayer, through transformation of the character, they do the opposite. This is a very serious crisis. Because when the ship's navigation system is destroyed, we can only count on our own vision, and when there’s a storm at night, and it is the beginning of the night and the beginning of the storm, then this is a serious problem.

Imagine a person, who is very advanced and ambitious, rides a horse in a carriage and he feels like a king and a master of the situation, controlling the horse. And if you ask who is more important: the person or the horse? It is clear that the person is more important. The person here is an absolute priority. But when the person is lost and he does not know where to go, he throws the reins and the horse finds the way itself. In this situation, with all his abilities and ambitions, a person is no help. It’s similar for people. In a critical situation when religious representatives are lost, the people must intuitively understand how to find their way to God.

It looks like it’s started to happen.

People need to know what to do, how to prepare. And the Bible it was said very clearly 2000 years ago: How the Kingdom of God can be approached. What we should be and what our character should be like. The Bible talks about this, what we need to do: not judge, how to treat God, that God is our father, and we are his children. We are Divine in nature. That is, this was all laid out in the Bible 2000 years ago, and we still buy into these stereotypes that were created more than 1500 years ago by those who did not really understand the teachings of Christ.

It's time to change these stereotypes. The time has come.

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writingissues · 6 years ago

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Name: Real Fandom: Fairy Tail Pairing: Gajevy but mostly Levy centric Words: 1,790 Summary: Levy finding out she is pregnant. takes place sometime after the last chapter but before the sequel. This is for the #mamalevy event at @gajevyevents

Levy had been sick. It was something she had been trying to ignore for weeks now, it was such a strange feeling since she would feel fine for most the day but in the mornings or late at night she would throw up to the point Gajeel would have to sit in the bathroom with and her hold her hair out of the way and rub her back in a soothing motion (it was something Levy appreciated and made her love him even more since she knew it had to be hell on his sense of smell but he never complained once.) and making her drink water and then helping her back to the bed. All to do it over the next day.

Later she would wonder why she was so stupid.

Then came her missed periods. Which was fine and seemingly normal for her to skip a month or so but after two months a lump of fear formed in her chest but she would push it out of her mind because there was no way it could be that. It was just some strange sickness and it will pass and Levy would laugh at how she thought it could be that.

But those forced reassurances didn't stop her from going to the grocery late at night and stopping in the intimate aisle and grabbing several boxes and rushing back to her and Gajeel and Lily's apartment like she had done something wrong. But it would be the only time she would be alone since both of them were on a weeklong mission, it would give her time to process whatever the results were.

But she already knew the results, she totally was not pregnant. ___________ She was totally pregnant.

Levy sat on the toilet in shock staring down at the floor were four pregnancy tests were laying side by side each showing either a plus sign or saying the word positive in bright red. She had only taken four, each a different brand and it was the same result.

Pregnant.

Levy was going to have a baby.

Gajeel's baby.

Her baby.

But the script mage's mind felt cloudy as she tried to process this, neither sadness or joy, but there was fear. Her chest felt tight and it was like a stone now occupied her stomach. Of course, her and Gajeel discussed the future, especially after that confession, and they were serious about each other. That in the future they would start a family, when they were stable enough and not just barely in their twenties.

Levy hesitated for a moment and then finally picked up one of the tests her brown eyes staring at it intensely.

Pregnant.

Slowly Levy smiled but she still trembled and her thoughts were jumbled and out of sorts that it felt like she was more in a dream than in real life. But after pinching herself multiple times the young mage defiantly concluded that this was not a dream.

It wasn't that Levy didn't want this. If anything, underneath it all she was overjoyed, becoming a mother was something she's wanted in forever but always seemed so far off to the point that she couldn't really believe it would happen. But when she would watch Bisca and Asuka a coil of jealousy would always settle in her chest but even so the script mage knew it wasn't the time, especially since her and Gajeel had something so good happening at that moment. But it seemed that the universe (and a broken condom) had other plans instead.

Finally, in a rush she picked up the tests placing them and the boxes into the grocery bag and then stuffing it in her corner of the closet. There would be time to deal with these later, there was much more to do. Books to buy and appointments to make and to tell....Gajeel. Levy froze in that moment realizing that she would have to tell Gajeel, and it wasn't like she doubted the man she knew more than anything he wanted to have a family with her, but she wouldn't blame him if he also was scared.

Part of her also wanted him to be scared.

But she had a week to plan that out and there was much more to do than sit around and think about how her whole life was now changing. How their whole life would be changing. ____________________________________ It felt impossible but at the same time strangely easy not telling anyone. Having a secret like this to herself, it reminded her when she and Gajeel started their relationship sneaking around and keeping quiet in a way that wasn't on purpose but at the same time it was. Her heart would pound and it seemed like everyone was talking about pregnancy or babies even though she knew it was because she was just paying more attention now to those words, but still it gave the girl a heart attack each time.

When she would go back to the apartment, she would lay on their bed her hands covering the area of her abdomen where she guessed the baby was. Her brown eyes staring holes into the ceiling. It honestly still did not feel real to the script mage; all of this happening and she hated that Erza and Lucy were gone on that mission. Of course, there were other women she could talk too and were close-ish too but it would feel strange. Part of her also wished Gajeel was there, Levy had been tempted to send him a message urging him to come back but, in the end, would stop herself, she knew it would give Gajeel a heart attack thinking something was wrong when it was only that she was pregnant. Something that could wait just a few more days.

She sat up then swinging her legs over the side of the bed her eyes moving to the stack of books she had bought but have not opened yet. In all honesty it was just not real to her yet, some kind of denial and fear seemed to pervaded her mind. Maybe seeing the doctor at one of the new clinics that had opened up after Magnolia started to rebuild after the war, would help. _______________________________________ The waiting room was cold and everything seemed shiny and new. It was strange thing to see Levy wasn't used to seeing something so stainless as the waiting room was, new things didn't last long in the guild. But it had a strange calming effect on Levy, the coolness and the nurses who smiled and were so nice. It was nice.

Finally her name was called and she made her way back to the doctors room, small tests were performed and she finally had to wait on a strange bed with strange footholds, Levy's face burned realizing just what exactly it was for as her hands turned into fists and grabbing her paper gown until her knuckles were white.

"Levy Mcgarden?" an older woman's voice filled the room causing her to jump slightly as she looked up to see a woman around Porlyusica’s age but with a much gentler expression and smile as she tilted her head.

"T-thats me!" Levy laughed as she raised her hand. She felt like an idiot she should have asked Bisca to come with her since she was the only woman around Levy's age to even have a child, but she chickened out and she was alone.

The woman laughed and Levy could feel her whole body burn, "It's okay don't worry just going to check you and the little one out." she smiled as she stepped closer to Levy taking out a stethoscope to listen to her heart. Minutes passed as she checked Levy out until finally telling her to lay back on the chair for her to look down there. Levy tried to not look at her and found the ceiling very interesting despite the strange pressure she had happening to her.

"Well everything seems fine." the doctor finally said as she sat up. "I'm going to do an ultrasound now." Levy sat up on her elbows and looked at her with a confused expression.

"Ultrasound?"

The woman nodded with a smile, "It's something new for mothers and fathers," Levy could hear her hesitation on the word father it amused her slightly considering Gajeel was and would be anything but a very involved dad. "to see the baby, though you can't really see much but." she shrugged, "for many it makes it real." Levy nodded and laid back then watching as a machine was brought closer to her. "Now lift your gown a bit." in which Levy did making sure the paper blanket kept her covered still. "Now this will be a bit cold." she instructed as Levy let out a small yelp as the gel was applied to her lower abdomen and before she knew it the strange device was now on her belly and a strange swishy wooshy sound could be heard.

Levy looked up then her brown eyes widening in wonder, it was grey and black and it was hard to really tell what was what but she knew it when she saw them. Small and round but obviously there.

There were two strange, surprisingly large, balls.

two babies. Levy was having two babies sound seemed to leave the room as she stared at the screen not hearing the doctor's words outside, she was around 10 weeks pregnant and congratulations. Levy could feel the tears build up behind her eyes, the burning sensation as she smiled her chest heavy but this time the heaviness was warm.

Later at home she sat on their small couch and held the ultrasound picture before her touching it slightly. Everything now seemed to make sense, and she honestly knew she should be more scared at this moment with the fact there were two babies inside of her.

Two!

But strangely there was only warmth.

Warmth over the fact she was going to be a mama.

Levy sighed as she placed the picture against her chest leaning back into the couch and sighed. There was so much she needed to do. So much needed to be done but at that moment she just wanted to enjoy that moment, that feeling despite the tinge of fear that lingered there, despite the doubts and worries that entered her mind (two babies!) but in that moment Levy sat there in her apartment alone clutching an ultrasound of her babies to her chest with her brown eyes closed and a peaceful small smile covering her lips.

In that moment it was all finally real.

And it was going to be okay.

#my fanfiction #gajevy #mama levy

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windschildfanfictionwriter · 6 years ago

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Hi again! Quick question, do you have any tips for writing battle scenes? Because I can write emotions and angst, but action? There is too much going on and I don't know how to touch it.

Battle Scenes: Crafting Action Scenes

Okay, so I’m going to tell you how I started writing battle scenes… I was terrible at it and it frustrated me to no end. There was too much going on. I wasn’t sure what to focus on.

First: A big tip is that when things are happening too fast, it usually means the five senses- Touch, smell, hearing, sight, taste are all in hyperdrive. Remember that. If one of those senses are taken away that’s a huge deal. It causes the body to tense up. It’s foggy? Play on that. There’s ash in the air and mc can taste that on their tongue because there’s SO MUCH of it? Play on that. The light is blinding because it's reflecting off the snow? Huge. The mc gets knocked for a loop and they bust their lip or bite their tongue and there is a shit ton of blood in their mouth? On their tongue? That’s important.

Remembering ALL five senses will vastly improve any action scene.

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

Tip 1

You’ll have to trust me on this: When it comes to action, its best to split it up.

Take three separate documents and split them into

Dialogue:

Now, this can be between the mc and antagonist or a friend or lover or whatever, but if it's in an action scene then you must remember that the words have to be short powerful bits.

Example: [I just have this scene randomly up so I’m going to take the dialogue from this].

Scene

“Leif! Leif! You got him! We have to go! You got him. There’s more coming!”

“Come!”

“A car? Leif, I can’t see!”

“My eyes see!”

“Are there keys? I need keys.”

“Weasley.”

“Lean left!”

“Straight.”

“Fuck.”

“Is good, keep straight.”

“Fuck.”

End Scene

I took this from the scene I’m working on at the moment.

Here you’ll notice that they are all very short.

Emotions: Panicked. Angry. Frustrated.

Intent: Instructions. Directions. Plans. Questions.

If you are having full-length conversations in the middle of an action, then that’s a red flag that the scene isn’t an action scene at all.

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

Movement:

[I suggest you look up youtube videos. It doesn’t matter what. Cartoon or a show or a play… as long as there are people. Do an exercise or six of just… describing how they are moving. The way their body moves. Be as descriptive as you want. What stands out about their movements? What would you normally NOT notice? It helps to work on describing the little everyday movements so that when you work on an action scene the body movements are more natural.]

Example:

Scene

They did not have time to argue. He fumbled for the door, it opened up and he fell inside, his fingers fumbling along the length of the contraption.

She looked around and spotted the metal keys on the seat next to him. She picked them up and handed them to her boy. He trembled as he tried one key… the metal scraping and crunching as he tried to fit it in, but it would not yield. He tried the next one and then the next., shoving them forcefully into the crack

The third key worked.

The thing roared to life, startling her. She covered her ears as her boy slammed the door shut.

A death had come out of the building.

End Scene

**Here I need you guys to take note of how I move from long sentences to short. The long sentences are meant to make the reader anxious. We know there is a time crunch. We, the character and reader who is along for the ride, are running away, but the long sentences of failing to get the key in is stressing the reader out.

‘The third key worked.’

Is a relief not just because we’ve succeeded but because it is a short fast sentence that allows the reader to pause and breathe.

We’ve also focused on touch and hearing. Everything feels so much louder when trying to escape a pursuer. If I had them in a cell though, I might have focused on how Ron had sweat so much against the stone that he would not be surprised if it tasted like salt. It smelled like salt. And an odd stale smell that reminded him of the inside of Hermione’s parent's new fridge from two years ago. The utter silence of it all might have driven Ron mad if it were not for the antics of Leif outside his window. [Something like that].

Action requires short descriptions though, involved with the movement. This is a big thing. In Action the MC is not wandering off in the distance or brooding. Everything must revolve around the acts being performed.

Which brings me to the final piece.

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

Background:

This should be used sparingly. At the start of the action scene or at the end of the action scene.

Scene

Blue fire rose up within her as she threw herself at the death. She heard the man curse as her boy screamed at her to run. She would not! She would not! Her young one belonged to her and she would not allow this death to have him!

End Scene

***Now you might say that this is not background description, this is part of the action, but I disagree.

We are in her head, going over her actions as they are happening. We see her actions, but we also see her reasoning. This is brooding even in the briefest of forms. This is her motivation. This is her reason for fighting, but there is not much fighting being done.

This is Background For ACTION scenes.

There should be no description of how the moving Staircases in Hogwarts works and why they are moving. The only thing that should be involved in a scene with the moving staircase is if Ron has to leap from a staircase currently moving in order to make it to the third floor in time to save Harry from unspeakable evil. And in this case, we should only be told that it was moving in the wrong direction than what Ron needed.

No workings. No observations of the paintings. No brooding about how the fall would kill him. We, the reader, will know that the fall will kill him because if you’ve done your job as the writer right then he would have made this observation in a much earlier chapter.

Say, in chapter one, Ron notes that Seamus very nearly fell and that he was sure one of his friends would have caught him, but if Seamus had been alone… well, it was a very good thing he wasn’t because Ron was rather fond of Seamus and would prefer his head remain intact and his bones not broken.

And there, THAT, is the foundation for an action scene. BUT these observations should not be noted in the moment of the action scene.

Try to keep internal dialogue and observations and brooding out of an action scene, but if you feel its necessary then it needs to come either at the start or at the end.

You won’t always have to do this. I found I only needed this concept for the first ten or twenty ‘action’ scenes I wrote. But it's a brilliant way to get things started when you are struggling.

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

NOW let us look at the scene altogether:

Leif roared in fury.

The death used his stick to fling magic at her but she dodged and burned his mask. The twisted ugly smile turning black as she tore at the fangs. Killer of fairies! Foul beast of death! She took every scrap of her magic and burned through the mask and to the thing beneath.

The death screamed, clutching at his face and dropping to the ground.

“Leif! Leif!” Her young one yelled. “You got him! We have to go! You got him! There’s more coming!”

She zipped back, hearing now what her young one did. The stampede of feet. Her boy opened the door and together they threw themselves outside. She spotted one of the fast things on the pavement.

“Come!”

She dragged him to the contraption. Forcing his fingers onto the metal.

“A car? Leif, I can’t see!”

“My eyes see!”

They did not have time to argue. He fumbled for the door, it opened up and he fell inside, his fingers feeling along the contraption.

“Are there keys? I need keys!”

The third key worked.

“Weasley!”

A death had come out of the building.

Leif hit her boy’s shoulder as the metal creature shot forward. Glass shattered and Leif clutched at the wild red hair as she looked around her.

“Lean left!” She shrieked.

Her young one moved the thing left and they missed a gate by inches.

“Straight.”

They hit a bump and the metal creature lurched too far right, hitting wood and cracking the glass in front of them.

“Fuck,” her boy muttered.

“Is good, keep straight!”

“Fuck,” he repeated.

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

Background: Leif’s motivation, is right at the start. We don’t see this again until there is a very dramatic pause.

Dialogue: Is necessary communication between Leif and Ron. There are no flowery speeches of devotion or family tie or friendship. There is no time. They trust each other and it's not necessary to STATE it because we can SEE IT.

Movement: This is the primary driving force of all actions scenes. Remember to keep body language a thing and to keep in mind the five senses. Practice writing observations of everyday movement and sooner or later it will become more of a natural habit to include those things in action scenes than to have to force it.

----------------------Tip 2: FLOW

You’ve designed the scene. You split it into three parts. You pieced it together. Now you want to make sure you have rhythm and flow. This is going to sound odd, so I want you to bear with me for a moment.

Pick a song that fits the scene. Not the story. The single scene.

And remember, this is an action scene, so you want the song to be a bit upbeat, you want it to be fast paced.

Now, a song usually starts off soft, before it picks up, it emphasis certain words over others. It has a hook. It has power. It has flow.

Take that scene you wrote and I want you to picture it flowing with the song you picked.

How easily can you picture the scene? The bodies moving? The action taking place?

If there is too much dialogue in the scene then chances are that when you are matching the scene to the music that there is a lag right? It means you need less dialogue.

If there is too much action and no pause for those slow moments in the song then it will show too… you’ll need to add a few powerful lines.

If you can’t picture your character’s movements in the song then you need to flesh that out.

If you have no connection, emotions in your action scene then the song and your imagined scene won’t feel so powerful.

Music, in this sense, helps a writer to see where they are missing things. When you have a powerful scene that plays well with a song, it usually means that its good to go.

At least, this has been my means of working through action scenes.

Now, there’s usually a powerful ending before the song pitters off right? Same for an action scene.

These are the two things that have helped me in my writing for Action Scenes and I hope this helps. The biggest help though is practice. These tips will help you to practice, but if you are not writing on a regular basis then they can only do so much.

Anyways, thanks for the great ask, and I hope that this is what you were looking for!

-Windy

#Writing Advice #Writinglife

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matildainmotion · 6 years ago

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A Fairy Tale School, and A Chance to Change the Story

Once upon a time there was a very special school. It was the flagship Steiner school, the longest-running one in the UK, on the edge of a great forest. Let me tell you about it.

The grounds are stunning – great old oaks, rolling lawns, deer, a stream, an iron spring. The facilities are amazing – a big gym, a proper theatre, a huge vegetable garden, a carpentry workshop, even a forge where you can make a real sword which they showed us on the school tour, the jewellery, the axes and blades that students had made in the fire, like something straight out of a story. I could see my son, the proud owner of three lightsabres, being happy there. My husband and I are theatre-makers and writers: story is the stuff of our work, and here was an educational system with stories at its heart - fairy tales, fables, saints’ tales, Norse and Greek myths, shaping the curriculum.

So we went for it. Like many others we made momentous changes in order to bring our son, now aged 7, to this school, and in time my daughter too, now aged 2. My mother sold the family home after 55 years so that she could buy a small house in Forest Row where she and I and the children could live. My husband had to stay in London because of work – we’d see him at weekends and in the holidays. It would be hard but it was worth it, for the school. I have heard many similar tales – of people coming from much further afield than London, from Japan, from America so their children can come here.

To make such major changes people are following big dreams, high ideals, deeply held convictions. What are mine? I do not necessarily want ‘the best for my children’ – I think ‘best-ness’ is overrated. Coming from a family of highly powered Oxford academics I tried to be the best and get the best for many years and it left me in a mess. I want rather to give my children a good chance of coming out of school in one piece, whole, connected to themselves, to a community, not ready for the big wide world – that old narrative of adventure and conquest – but rather already in it, present in the world and ready to care for it and each other as well as they can in these uncertain times. Wholeness, community and connection, an ability to be vulnerable and to act from a place of integrity - those were the things I was after when we upped and moved ourselves here at the end of last summer, ready for the start of the new school year.

Very soon after our arrival on the edge of Ashdown Forest, full of hope, I was struck by the amount of cynicism I encountered. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised – where you find dreams that big, you are going to find disappointment on a similar scale. In the woods where Winnie the Pooh lives, there also dwells Eyeore: “Your son’s going to Michael Hall? Oh well, good luck with that – I hope he fares better than me, but I doubt he will,” – heavy sigh, returns to thistles and damp, lonely corner. The pessimism, juxtaposed with the optimistic dreams that also surround the school, have reminded me not only of Eyeore’s gloom but even a level up - the desperate, intractable situations found in many fairytales and myths: the most beautiful king’s daughter that has fallen terribly sick and cannot be cured; the monster that haunts the lands that were once full of wonder; the evil empire that is trying to take over the universe and kill off the amazing Jedi.

Meanwhile, sometimes all is well in the woods, the kingdom, the universe. Peace reigns. I have heard hopeful stories too. I was amazed and encouraged by how many parents are old scholars. I am much more used to the narrative of “I am never letting my child go through what I had to endure” than the story of “I had such a great time at school, I want the same for my little one.” My son was and is having a good time in class one. He is an intense lad, with big emotions and grand ideas, and so far the school have been very quick to respond to his needs and challenges. His teacher is wonderful and there is a gradually growing sense of community amongst the parents of the class. For all of this I am deeply grateful.

As far as I can tell, from the anecdotes I have gathered in the short time I have been here, the school is brilliant until it isn’t - until something goes wrong, until the monster/ sickness/ evil fairy turns up. I realize this is tautological – the problems begin when the problems begin – but problems will always show up, so the true problem is not the monster but how we respond to it. All too often our knee jerk response is to blame another, and with this ‘us’ and ‘them’-ness kicks in, the good guys and the baddies, the innocents and the guilty. First off, inside this story we are in, there is the parent body versus the school – ‘us’ being the parents and ‘them’ being the school - how the school does not listen and never changes. I have encountered the story the other way round too- the school versus the parents – the parents who are always complaining, ready to attack, but rarely listen, or turn up in low numbers when the school has tried to lay on an event in response to a parent request. I have also heard about internal ‘us’ and ‘them’ dynamics: the teachers versus the management and an iteration of the same story and Eyeore-like complaint, “They never listen. No one understands.”

I tried to learn more about the structure of the school and found it incredibly difficult. Even those who have apparently been here for many years could not easily explain to me how it actually operates. I gathered there were different elements- a council, trustees, an Education Management Team, teachers, office staff – but how these positions fitted together and ran everything remained mysterious, a kind of tangled thicket of roles growing around the mansion and keeping princes and parents from being able to break in and have any impact. I had come in quest of wholeness, connection, community, integrity and I was finding people who felt disempowered, fractured and stuck.

In the absence of any head teacher, a hallmark of traditional Steiner schools, from the way people talked ‘The School’ had become in itself a kind of mythical authority figure, hard to reach and impossible to change. I like a challenge and I am not very good at cynicism (though I do a good line in imagining terrible happenings and did, in fact, identify with Eyeore as a child) so I joined the Parents Working Group (PWG) to see if I could make a positive contribution to the school. I had spent the first term feeling like a failure as a Steiner parent because I cannot sew to save my life, had to buy instead of make my son’s crayon roll and could be of very little help in crafting anything for the Advent Fair, so I figured I had better find another way to play my part in the school community.

When I told people about the PWG and its aim to initiate and hold space for constructive dialogue with the school and support positive change, I was hit by a fresh wave of cynicism: “Ah, be careful the school will take all it can get from you, suck you dry and spit you out!”; “Well, good luck with that. You might make a small dent in its side but that’ll be it!” So there we have it – the school as the monster, the dragon that can devour you and that has such massive scaly flanks it can barely be dented, despite the beautiful swords that its pupils forge on its grounds. Or the school as an institution wrapped in creepers and thickets, under a heavy curse that cannot be lifted.

Enter stage right a strange knight in heavy armour with clipboards for shields and a knife of regulation, an outsider, called Sir Ofsted - hero or villain? He rode from the city to the woods, slashed through the thickets, confronted the dragon, gave Sleeping Beauty an “Inadequate” kiss – blessing or further curse? - and lo and behold we all woke up. And, as in the original story, everyone woke up: the kings, the courtiers, the cooks and the gardeners, the parents, the teachers and the management. After 100 years of Steiner education we all have an amazing chance to wake up and decide what happens now, shape how the story unfolds from here. Let me pause at this cliff hanger to introduce a new strand of narrative.

15 years ago my husband, Phelim McDermott, was feeling fed up. He works in theatre. He runs a company called Improbable, which makes big shows and tiny ones, with improvisation at their core. He had dedicated his whole life to theatre, he felt passionate about it, and he spent much of his time complaining about it. He was often angry about how it was carried out, about how people did not listen to each other and things did not change (notice the parallels to our other story). He was doubly fed up – frustrated by the ways things were done and frustrated by hearing himself moan about it but unable to do anything effective. He came across a book: Open Space Technology, A User’s Guide by Harrison Owen. It described a way for groups to self-organise around issues of shared concern, a way that was radically non-hierarchical, refreshingly playful, able to cut to the heart of complex situations really fast and allow truths to emerge and change to begin. He thought he would give it a go. It sounded like a good improvisation exercise. He followed the instructions in the book and wrote an invitation (step 1). He called it ‘Devoted and Disgruntled’ because that’s what he was feeling. It’s a good title and if I could I would steal it to use here at Michael Hall for all the many deeply devoted and disgruntled people whom I have met here. To his amazement and delight people responded to his invitation – about 200 people turned up (step 2). And it was incredible. Now, instead of the constant moaning, people were getting to work, fuelled by their passion and devotion, connecting, taking action, agreeing on change (step 3). 15 years later Devoted and Disgruntled has transformed the landscape of the performing arts in the UK. We have run literally hundreds of Open Space events under this banner, in every corner of the country and even overseas. We have an entire website dedicated to this great, unfolding conversation. Check it out: www.devotedanddisgruntled.com. Some people worry that it is ‘just’ a conversation, a talking shop – but almost all change starts with a conversation and an enormous number of actions have come out of our Open Spaces: shows made, companies formed, new initiatives, collaborations, even marriages (my own included) have emerged out of our events. It is an amazing practice, a brilliant tool – not a sword, but a circle, an open space.

Having witnessed first hand the impact of opening space on the UK theatre scene, how it harnesses the devotion and helps to shift the disgruntlement, I want to bring it here, to our school, now in this moment more than ever. I think it holds the power of a forge – the hot, glowing place that can make hard things soft and malleable again, where change and transformation is possible. And yet it is beautifully simple. You send out an invite. (I have done this– it was in the last Friday Flier (You can read it here: http://www.michaelhall.co.uk/friday-flier) People who want to be there come along. We sit in a circle and a facilitator explains how it works – anyone who wants to call a session can do so, by writing the title on a piece of paper and putting it up on the wall. Together we co-create an agenda. Then we get to work and we follow the magical and yet entirely pragmatic ‘law of two feet’: you don’t stay where you don’t want to be, you follow yourself and go where your time and energy will be best used, and only you know where that is. This is the radical non-hierarchy of it – the fixed roles can fall away and a new fluidity is possible. Not ‘us’ and ‘them’ but me and you, listening to each other and having a conversation on an issue about which we both care deeply and on which we both want to act.

There are many things that I am sure need to change within the school, but fundamentally, for me, the underlying shift that needs to happen is a cultural one. I think we need to start to model the sense of agency and possibility that I am sure we all hope the education is giving to our children. We need to wake up inside the story and notice how we are part of shaping it – we are not passive victims of a terrible curse from a wicked fairy or an evil dragon, or at least as well as playing the part of the victim, there are times when we also step into the role of the dragon, steam coming out of our ears, and curses falling out of our mouths. Notice these. And this fire, these strong words, whomever they come from – teacher, parent, manager - are not bad. They are potent, they are passionate and they are integral to our ability to bring about change.

When my son was in Kindergarten, at another Steiner school in London, he came home one day, in his first term, with a complaint. It was Michaelmas and they had been told a story about a dragon, “But the dragon didn’t do much! It wasn’t scary enough. They tamed it too quickly.” So there we have it. In opening space I don’t want to tame all the dragons. I want them to come. All of them. I want the dragons, I want the kings and the queens, the princes and princesses, I want the peasants, the wicked stepmothers, the caring fathers, the confounded leaders, wise teachers, the witches, the wolves. If you identify with any of these roles, please come. If I have left your role off the list please come and put it on there – make sure it is part of the story. Because right now we have an incredible opportunity to shape what happens next – this is in fact always true, but thanks to the dubious Sir Ofsted we just all managed to notice it.

I am not looking for a happy-ever-after ending. Or even an ‘outstanding-ever-after.’ I want what I wanted when I and my family decided to move here: I want connected-ever-after. Actually even ‘ever-after’ sounds like rather a high demand from which we might all come crashing down with a sense of failure. I will settle for connected-a-good-deal-of-the-time, whole as much as possible, in community through the rough and the smooth. What do you want? How do you wish your story and the school’s story to unfold from here? I am inviting you to come and tell me, and others. Because telling is the beginning of making. Making is the start of happening. The details of the dates and the times are here- http://www.michaelhall.co.uk/pwg- I look forward to seeing you there and to hearing your tales and those of others – the more diverse the better - and to us creating a new one together.

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shewhowantsmouseears · 6 years ago

Text

2 weblena fairy-tale au drabbles

TBH I don’t think they’re as good as the last one I wrote, but eh, least I tried.

Lena ignored the exhaustion in her body, with her drooping eyelids being the most difficult to ignore. Despite her body begging for sleep, she continued to flip through the book in an effort to find anything useful she could practice. If she ever wanted to get out from under Magica's thumb, she needed to become a better sorceress than her wicked aunt. Even now, all alone, she could hear Webby gently chiding – Bad spells will lead to bad ends! Just leave the work to me, I'll get you the destiny you deserve! - but after shaking her head, she managed to get the young fairy's voice away. Webby meant well, but Lena was going to find her own way to freedom. Somehow. Eventually.

That's when her eyes fell upon the “Heart's Desire” spell, and the wording of it was enough to interest her. She sat up straighter on her makeshift bed, following the letters with a finger.

Many of us have goals in mind, but they can be vague and obscure. I want to be rich. I want to marry. I want power. But what is that exact definition? With this illusion spell, you can find a solid goal to work towards by unlocking your subconscious desires.

Huh. That... wasn't a bad idea, all things considered. Lena wanted freedom, but when you put it that way, freedom to do what? What would she even do if she lived without Magica? It always seemed like a far-off, distant date so she never figured out the next step. Her eyes flew to the ingredients – along with stealing away any tomes Magica had instructed her to burn, Lena had also gotten away with snatching extra ingredients to several potions. This would work out perfectly, and it didn't take long. Leaves of a four leaf clover, milk from a cow that's given birth exactly three times, two pieces of silver, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, drop of blood... and then the combination would be lit like incense.

Fire spells were easy enough – one snap of her fingers and she could get a decent flame lit. As a small stream of smoke began to shudder forth, she waved it towards her nose, trying to get a good whiff in – and immediately regretted it. Yuck, that smelled worse than the royal stables! She resisted the urge to hack just as she heard her door open, and she froze up – oh, gods, if Magica caught her, she was going to be punished, she was going to be hurt, she was going to be sent to the shadow room -

“Hi Lena.” Webby stood in the doorway, her typically cheerful demeanor not as big or bright tonight.

Lena exhaled deeply, her body sagging. “Sheesh, Web, you almost gave me a heart attack.” She blew out the flame, not wanting the magic to irritate Webby's own fairy magics. “What are you doing here at this hour? If Magica catches you, she'll rip your wings off and place them above the mantle.”

“I know, I know.” Webby slowly closed the door behind her, and then began to fidget, unable to look Lena directly in the face. “It's just... there's... it couldn't wait.”

Frowning, Lena slid off her bed, placing the world's smelliest candle aside. “What is it? What, did Prince Charming turn out to be just a duke?” A lame attempt at humor, but sometimes it was all she had. Even her worst jokes could get Webby to crack a smile, so when Webby went silent, Lena knew it was serious. “Webby? … Everything okay?”

Finally Webby raised her eyes towards Lena's, and there was something in there that Lena couldn't quite name. A mix of confusion, sadness, hopefulness, and... and what? Webby swallowed, wringing her hands together, and when she spoke, her voice was softer than any flower petal. “Lena... will... will you kiss me?”

Lena had heard the expression about eyes bulging out of people's heads, and thought it was always a stupid exaggeration – until now, as she could literally feel her eyes expanding until they almost emptied the sockets. She didn't hear that. She couldn't have heard that. Her mouth formed to say something, didn't, tried again, still didn't, she raised a finger in the air, maybe she misheard! Yes! “Wuh... wuhhh... what?”

“I know it's selfish of me!” Webby suddenly cried out, grabbing both of Lena's hands with her own, eyes beginning to fill up with clear tears. “But... I don't want to let Prince Charming have you! I want you all to myself!”

Hang on hang on hang on - “I-it-when did-” Lena backed up, her entire face reddening.

“I just can't stand the thought of anyone else kissing you, or dancing with you, or being with you!” With every step Lena took back, Webby took one forward, her grip tightening, desperation growing.

“S-since when – Webby – wait a minute-WHOA!” Lena bumped into the side of her bed and fell onto her back, unceremoniously bringing Webby on top of her, who didn't seem to mind this turn of events.

“I love you, Lena!” Webby pleaded, her hands now pinning Lena down – when did she get so strong?! - torn between crying and begging. “I love you so, so, so sooo much!” Without waiting for any permission, she smashed her mouth into Lena's, and Lena felt her mind exploding. What was happening?! She needed a minute to think! Why couldn't she remember how to breathe anymore?! She wasn't even being allowed to recover from the – what was essentially a rather fantastic – initial kiss as Webby now began to cover Lena's face in tearful kisses, repeating over and over how much she loved Lena, Lena was so pretty, Lena was so perfect, I love you Lena, I love you Lena, so so so so so so much!

THUNK.

Lena blinked.

She was laying on the floor, all alone in her room, having fallen off the bed. Her eyes very slowly went to the spell candle that was still burning, and the pieces clicked together in her head.

Her body trembled with anger before finding the strength in her legs to get up, grab the spell book, and throw it across the room. “Think you're real funny, don't you!” she snapped.

Out in the hallway, Magica snapped back. “What's all that noise?”

“Nothing, Auntie.” Lena automatically replied, and went very still so that Magica would believe it. After several minutes of silence passed, Lena felt it was safe enough to go back to bed, and muffle her annoyed screams into her pillow.

~*~

The bad news is that they were being chased by a horde of angry unicorns. The good news was... um... let's see... Webby's mind faltered. She was usually great at finding the silver lining in any cloud, but this was a difficult situation. All she needed was a few hairs, and surely they could've spared that! But, well, Lena hadn't listened to Webby's instructions, thinking that a bunch of “prissy show-horses” couldn't do much harm, so why not take several hairs at once... but there was no point pinning the blame on anybody. It wasn't going to save them now.

“Can't you talk to them?!” Lena shouted as they ran through the forest, not daring to look bad at the army getting closer by the second. “I've seen you talk to all kinds of animals, tell them to back off!”

“Talking to them is one thing!” Webby tried to remind her friend as they scrambled past bushes and trees. “I can't make them listen!” She struggled to think back to her lessons back under Granny's watchful eyes. “Unicorns, unicorns... they fear the darkness and only come out during the day! They only respect creatures with higher magical energy than they have!”

Interesting information, but ultimately useless. Lena did know a spell that could create a giant wave of darkness, but she could only do it once per day – if she missed, they were dead. With they way they were running down, it'd be impossible to nail down the trajectory she needed.

Things only got worse when Webby tripped over a steep cut in the ground, and she squeaked as she hit the grass, her wand rolling away and fall off into a nearby riverbank. “My wand!” She shrieked, trying to get up. “I need it!”

“Leave it!” Lena commanded, trying to grab Webby's hand pull her up to her feet.

“I can't, it's my conduit! I need it to channel my magic into spells!”

“We can't stay here, we'll be mauled to death by 'my little pony'!” Lena could see them in the distance, hearing the hoofbeats echoing. Think, think, come on! There had to be something she learned in the things she stole from Magica, there had to be a payoff for those risks! Webby kept trying to reach for the riverbank, and Lena kept trying to pull her back. A higher magical energy... a higher magical energy...?

Suddenly, a memory flashed back into Lena's mind.

“It's not like regular mortals have no magic of their own.” Webby had said, hanging upside from a tree branch, as Lena was whittling a makeshift voo-doo doll. “The most powerful magic is fueled by emotions. The stronger you feel it, the more powerful the outcome.”

Lena was on and off paying attention, trying to carve Magica's likeness into what would be a failed project. “A-huh. So if you're saying I'm happy enough, I can totally trounce you?”

“Not exactly.” Webby swung back and forth, trying to think of a good example. “The most common display of mortal magical energy is True Love's Kiss.”

Lena stopped carving and glanced up, mostly out of disbelief. “You can't be serious.”

“I am always one-hundred-percent serious.” Webby had said, just in time for her recently created flower-crown to fall off her head. “It's powerful enough to break some of the strongest spells, even when done by an Enchantress! And if it's the first one, that ups the power by sooo much. It's like, a huge explosion of magic!”

“You're making this up.”

Webby looked offended. “I would never lie to you.”

This was true, and Lena winced, because she had certainly lied to Webby about several things. “Okay... I just wouldn't get your hopes up about seeing that in my lifetime. Not really into kissing, or true love, or any of that garbage.”

“Oh, you will be.” Webby easily enough was back into smiles and sunshine, swinging back and forth. “Once you fall in love, I bet your First True Love's Kiss is going to be one for the history books!”

… Lena spared a glance to the heavens, wondering if some deity was having a great laugh at her expense. Desperate times called for desperate measures. She grabbed both of Webby's arms to spin her around. “Webby! That thing about kissing – you said it's super powerful, fight?”

Webby blinked rapidly, having no idea where that came from. “What? I – well, yeah, true love's kiss is mega huge!”

“If you used me as a conduit instead of the wand, would that work?”

“I – I don't know, I've never heard of a person being a wand-”

The unicorns were getting closer, there was no more time for analysis! “I'll apologize later, okay!” Before Webby could ask what Lena intended to apologize about, Lena yanked her friend in close and pressed her lips as deeply as she could to Webby's. Having never kissed anyone before, Lena hoped that there was no magical rules or guidelines to make this count. All she could do was hope that lips to lips was it.

One second passed. Then two. On second three... Lena opened one eye, and had to admit Webby wasn't exaggerating. This sure looked like a magical explosion.

Webby's fairy wings, which were normally the size of her palm, had suddenly grown ten times their size, encompassing all the colors of the rainbow, with stain-glass framework of flowers and falling petals. They flapped once, coating the entire area around them in glitter and pink dust, and suddenly all the grass bowed down in reverence, newly planted roses sprang up with rich red colors, vines hugged the trees and even the nearby river was suddenly clear and beautiful. The clouds had parted and a brilliant beam of sunshine glowed down upon the two girls, and several birds in the branches began to sing the sweetest songs.

Webby, for her part, hadn't moved.

The unicorns stumbled upon this and whinnied loudly, not making any further advancements but still kicking up their feet. Seizing the moment, Lena pushed Webby behind her and held out her hands. “All right, you rejects from the glue factory, go home before I use your horns as toothpicks!” She slammed her hands together, muttering ancient tongues as black sludge began to spew from her palms. She then waved her hands apart, and the darkness rose high above, her, creating the beastly image of the darkest minds, and the unicorns cried out in fear before turning tail and running for their lives. Lena let the fake monster stay in the air for a moment longer in case there were any stragglers, and then let her arms drop – the monster faded, the nightmare was over.

Webby still hadn't moved.

“That was... way too close for comfort.” Lena sighed, running a hand through her hair, and she blinked at the glitter on her fingers when she pulled it back. “Huh... This stuff comes off, right? Not a huge fan of the sparkles.” When there was no reply, she turned around. “Webby?”

Webby, whose wings had just now shrunk back to their normal size, made a sound that could've been a “hee” before falling face-forward into the dirt. Lena wondered if she should've considered that reaction flattering. Now that their lives were no longer in peril, she could think about what she'd done, and she blushed. W-well. It's not like... she planned it, or anything. It just happened. But they definitely had to talk about it, didn't they? She hesitated, then walked to Webby and tried to roll her over.

“I am sorry,” she began, stopping when she saw Webby's deliriously stupid smile. The closest thing she'd ever seen to something like that was when Magica had downed six bottles of the good stuff from Ithaquack. “Webby? Can you hear me? Earth to Webby. You good?” She began flicking Webby's forehead.

“I'M GOOD!” Webby suddenly shouted, sitting up so quickly she almost bonked her forehead into Lena's. “I'M SO GOOD. I'M THE BEST AT BEING GOOD.” If she noticed all the extra flora and fauna around her, she didn't say so. Her mind was, unsurprisingly, on one thing. “That was... that was...” Words failed her, and she made futile gestures with her small hands.

Lena looked away, embarrassed, but she was also starting to smile. “Mmm. It was.” Maybe this wouldn't be as gut-wrenching as she first thought. People didn't make ridiculous faces like that if they hated a kiss, one could argue. She offered a hand to help Webby up. “Can you walk?”

“I can do many things.” Webby felt her intelligent hit a new low. “Including walking.” Once on her feet, she brushed down her skirt. Neither girl could quite look at the other's face just yet.

“We should get your wand.” Lena suggested.

“My wh... OH! Wand. Yes. Wand, I need the wand! Can't do spells without a wand!” With that, Webby raced to the riverbank to fetch it. She found it easily enough, and wiped off the mud with her sleeve. “There we go, no harm done.” Then, after a moment, she looked back at Lena with a new understanding. “You remembered my lesson!”

“I do pay attention sometimes.” Lena leaned against a tree, content to watch Webby. This was a step towards something, although Lena wasn't keen on giving it an exact definition. They could take it nice and slow, they were still young. Even better, they could finally put that whole “destiny” nonsense away, dead and done with. “So... this really says a lot, doesn't it?” She asked as she watched Webby climb back up.

“It says sooo much.” Webby agreed, flipping back onto the grass. “You have no idea how happy this makes me! This is so great!”

Lena's cool demeanor was, as usual, shattered before Webby's sheer adorableness. She felt her cheeks getting redder, and she turned her head away, trying to cover up her smile with her hand. “It... It really is, isn't it.” Her heart began to beat harder. Webby was so cute. So great. So, so so...

“Yeah! If that's what it's like to kiss me, Prince Charming is in for a real treat!”

… So amazingly DUMB.

Lena dropped her hand from her face. “What.”

Webby began to walk back to their original destination, twirling her wand here and there. “He won't know what hit him! Man, when you actually fall in love, that magic will be a real miracle to see! I kinda hope I'm there when it happens. All the other princes of the past are going to be super jealous.”

“You... you... you...” It was a good thing Webby had her back to Lena, so she could miss Lena strangling the air. “I... can't... BELIEVE YOU!”

Webby jumped – she'd rarely heard Lena yell like that before, and she whipped around. “Huh? … I'm serious, he'll like it!”

“I am going home!” Lena shouted, inches close to a full-blown snarl. “And I don't want to see you, or your wand, or anything magical, for a LONG TIME!” With one final stomp in the dirt, she began to march off, smacking away one of the sweetly-singing birdies.

“L-Lena!” Webby tried to trail after her, but Lena's march turned into a sprint, and she was gone. Webby scratched her head, puzzled as to what set Lena off this time. Maybe she could ask the boys, they tended to have solid advice every once in a while. She tapped her wand to her beak. What went wrong? Was this Lena just being stubborn about her destiny again? Why was so adamant about fighting it? She'd be so much happier if she went along with it!

If anything, this told Webby she had to get Lena to kiss one of the princes pronto. Because if someone had been kissed by Lena, and they didn't immediately fall in love with her, they'd have to be a blithering dunce.

#ducktales 2017 #fanfic #weblena #webby vanderquack #lena de spell

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writings-from-unknown · 7 years ago

Text

La Vanille

Pairing: Army/Aloha

This is based on a song called “La Vanille” sung by Chalili

A bright day shone overhead. With hardly a cloud in the sky, it was perfect whether to many. Most everyone in this tiny town seemed to agree too. Inklings and Squidlings alike were wondering about, running after each other in a game or simply enjoying the warmth of the sun while caught up in a friendly conversation. It was lovely to feel the light breeze as it came, making the leaves of the trees that lined the streets dance above the residents that lived here and it was certainly a treat to see everyone so relaxed.

The last comment applied especially to two Inklings, walking down the street with a particular shop in mind. The two were just adjusting to being able to stay in a humanoid form longer than a few hours, the pair had only mastered it within the last year… Though one really shouldn’t be able to keep their form yet. He had certainly rushed himself to keep up with his friend. However, as much as one of them would like to scold the other, they really couldn’t complain as it appeared to have no side effects.

In a light fitting, transparent blouse, the pink fay certainly looked wonderful. The flowery design and white crop top underneath the blouse made it look just a bit more charming. The black jeans contrasted well with the white everywhere. A gold necklace with an amber jewel in the centerpiece decorated his neck, a gift from his companion. He looked rather feminine with his tentacles all down, the length rivalling most of the girls in the school the pair went to.

The other was dressed a bit more simply. He wore an open, black, light jacket and a black t-shirt underneath. He wore a similar pair of black jeans with his outfit. Simple but it looked good on him according to the pink Inkling. It certainly gave off a noble aura, a perfect reflection of the family he comes from. Of course, his tentacles also reflected that, done up in a neat ponytail like most other boys in their town.

The pair turned when they reached a familiar cafe. The music lazily drifting throughout almost instantly made them slightly tired. The familiar smell of the baked goods in the cafe didn’t help much either… But they wouldn’t fall asleep, they never did. With a grin, the pink Inkling looked over at his companion.

“The usual Ari? I’ll order while you get our usual table~”

“I told you, it’s “Army”... But yeah, sure, whatever Peachy…”

“Hey! I told you to expect me to give you a nickname when you picked your name~”

With a roll of his eyes, the orange Inkling took off to get their table near the window, staring at the blooming roses with a blissful sigh after sitting down… For as annoyed as Army seemed, the pink Inkling knew better. Of course, no one else here would be able to call him “Ari”, but he would have argued much more if he didn’t want want the fay-esk Inkling to call him that. No, of course Army didn’t mind his companion calling him that. If he minded, he would listen to his parents and avoid being around him. They certainly didn’t approve of the other’s quirky nature… But the orange Inkling had kept seeing his friend behind their backs. Something about the fay just fit well with the blaze, even if their personalities should clash.

However, such thoughts were cut off as the pink jewel-eyed Inkling came over with their drinks. A simple caffe macchiato for the orange Inkling and honey lemonade for himself. Disappearing with a slight smile at the other, he came back again after a bit, a plate of pink lemonade cupcakes placed next to his own drink and a plate with vanilla cake placed next to his companion’s drink. It was their usual order, so much so that the cashier had asked if the pink Inkling had wanted his usual when he got up there. It certainly made him giggle as embarrassing as it would be to others.

Once the jewel-like Inkling sat down, the pair picked back up the conversation they had outside. It didn’t last too long through. That chat was almost finished by time they got here. Instead, a comforting silence fell over the two as they ate. The melody still danced around them, lulling them into daydreams as they ate… The pink Inkling softly started to sing part of the melody… The lyrics were a creation of the fay, with new additions each time he heard the sweet tune.

“... Macciato and,

A slice of vanilla cake.

It’s easy to forget the rest of the world.

Slow music fills the air,

An old record’s spinning round and round in the dim light.

Drowsier ‘n drowsier we get…

Look how the time flies.

But it’s not like we need to care.

Relax, there’s nothing to worry about…”

The fairy broke off into humming the tune as the lyrics were lost. The song wasn’t completed but it was working out decently well… The orange blaze stays silent a bit longer to listen to his friend. A rare, playful smile dances on his face when he finally interrupts.

“If you keep singing, I might actually fall asleep… Your voice certainly doesn’t help the drowsy part.”

The jewel-like Inkling laughed from the comment, a bright smile dancing on his face. A conversation picked back up soon after… And that's how the pair spent most of their days. Up until the day Army disappeared…

The fay knew it was bound to happen eventually… He just wished it would have been when he could run away with dear Ari. But he was too young to hold his own in turf and that was really the only way to support yourself without a job in most places… With the drift that formed between Army and his family, it was unlikely the fay would ever see him in their hometown again…

It wasn't until years later that the pink Inkling saw Army again. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if the fiery Inkling even recognized him. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. He had changed quite a bit since they last talked…

With a fruity and flirty attitude, he had taken Inkopolis by storm nearly over night. Two tentacles done up in a ponytail with another hanging over the side of his face and an all around tropical look to him, the partying king who called himself “Aloha” had quickly become the heartthrob of many in the utopia. A few carefully chosen words in a pleasant, teasing tone and he could wrap just about anyone around his fingers. He was certainly quirkier and more dangerous than the elegant, if not somewhat fruity, Inkling that Army used to know.

With a sigh, Aloha dragged himself out of his memories. It had been at least two years since he saw Ari again and he had been avoiding reminding the other of their shared childhood. Army didn't seem to remember and, in all honesty, that might be good. He already ran away from it once and the fay wasn't keen on risking him running off again. He had just played along, acting purely as “Aloha” without even suggesting the other may have once known him as someone else… But he always did hate restraining himself from calling the other “Ari”...

Though, even if he slipped up and said something that might remind the other of their past, would Ari even notice? He's been so stressed lately… Constantly running around, trying to do too many things at once, refusing to take breaks… The orange Inkling was sure to burn himself out soon at this rate… But really, what could Aloha do? There wasn't all that much he could do… His partying mannerisms only irritated the other. He was too chaotic and energetic for his old friend now… Though it still appeared as though Army was willing to at least tolerate his actions, like he used to with “Ari” and how clingy the pink Inkling got some days…

With a bit more concentration on how he could relax the other, a bold idea came to mind. It could go badly… But if it worked, it would certainly be a surefire way to help the other relax from now on. It used to work like a charm after all… Though, he'd have to do it himself now… Their usual spot was hours away by now. They'd have to stay there for at least a full day if they went there… Not like he could talk Army into it anyways…

Slightly nodding, Aloha called up an old friend. The scratch of a pen on paper broke the silence in the house as the pink Inkling wrote down the answers the other provided to his questions. With a “thank you” and a promise to visit when he can, the phone call was ended, a soft thud when the phone was placed on the table. A quick shopping trip was made and the fay was dancing through the instructions he had asked the other for, singing as he read the instructions over and over to make sure he didn't mess up a step.

“Now we've all grown up. Oh how long has it been, Since we moved far from that little café? You're always busy with, All those little things in your life; I wonder if you Remember that vanilla cake? That's half a cup of milk and one cup of fine white sugar, Two eggs and two cups of flour, a stick of butter, And last but not the least, Add three vanilla beans to the mix~ Sweet aroma fills my whole kitchen~”

For as careful as he was, it wasn't due to inexperience. He used to bake with his mother quite frequently when he was younger… But everything needed to be perfect. No less than perfection for once, this was important after all. When everything was set up, the fay texted his friend to give him a warning… Thankfully it was just becoming noon. Everything should be ready as a pleasant snack sometime after the other ate lunch, just when he was starting to get peckish again. That's when they used to have their snack after all.

Thankfully, Ari seemed to be in a good mood today. Despite the usual comment that he didn't really have the time to come over, within a couple pleading messages, the blaze gave in. He'd be over not too long after the treats would be done, all there was to do is wait. With a slight sigh, Aloha returns to his room, dropping off his golf visor and taking out his hair tie. He may be lacking the old blouse and crop top and his hair may look a bit different from being partly shaved on one side… But it would be obvious in time.

Heading back to kitchen, the pink S4 member idly spent his time on his time on his phone, though nothing really held his attention. No, his mind kept drifting back to the countless days that ended up in the cafe. Kept drifting back to the friend that likely didn’t even recognize him… Gods he could only hope this plan wouldn’t blow up in his face…

A ding dragged the Inkling back from his worries. The first batch of the goodies was done, time to switch which one was in the oven and then set up one of the drinks… Along with making sure the ingredients for the other drink was ready. He wanted no time wasted after all. He wasn’t sure how long he could hold Army here without the blaze deciding that Aloha was just toying with him to make him late...

Eventually, the second baked good finished too, the drink was stored away where it was needed and Aloha was left to drift in his thoughts again… Ari would be over soon though, so it wasn’t as if that was really an issue… Within a few minutes, a light knocking at the door sends the pink fay’s heart fluttering. Of course, there’s only one person it could be… Getting up and swiftly heading to the door, the pink Inkling greeted his orange companion with a smile, stepping aside.

“Just have a seat at the table~ I’ll go get our snacks, though it may take a few minutes if you don’t mind~”

The orange Inkling nodded in a bit of a daze. He hadn’t expected Aloha to answer the door like that or be so eager to get their snacks… The party king was usually a bit more lax… However, the blaze recovers a moment later, following his pink teammate before taking a seat at the table nearby… Though that certainly didn’t help stop the daze that came for him when the pink Inkling returned.

The drinks the other chose were… Peculiar to the drill sergeant. A caffe macchiato placed in front of him and what appeared to be lemonade in front of the empty seat… If he had to guess, he’d assume that it was honey lemonade. Looking up at the jewel-esk Inkling in confusion, all he received was a soft smile before the other disappeared once again… No… Aloha couldn’t be playing out one of the scenes from his childhood, could he? Really, only one person should know about this scene and he really did desperately convince himself that no one from his hometown was here or could recognize him… Even if such a change hurt…

However, when the pink Inkling came back again, Army really couldn’t deny that this was his childhood friend. The one that rejected his name almost as soon as he could talk. The one that immediately clung to him as they were growing up. The one that ambitiously excelled in just about everything he decided was a necessity to keep up with his older friend… He really never expected to see the pink fay that he gave that silly, yet affectionate nickname to again. But there was no doubts this was Peachy as a piece of vanilla cake was placed by his drink, pink lemonade cupcakes placed down across from it before the pink Inkling sat down with a grin.

In his stunned state, the orange Inkling could almost see the other in their blouse and crop top combo… He could almost see the light that lazily drifted past the blooming roses as they sat by that old window. Starting to come back to reality, he noticed the familiar scent of the cafe drifting through the house, likely due to his teammate’s baking. A soft melody drifted into the room from somewhere else in the house. Of course Aloha would have the old cafe’s tune. He adored it so much… Speaking of the tune he adored, it seemed as if he planned on dragging the other out of his daze with a few more lyrics he had thought of between the time they last sat together…

“I have to admit…

It was no easy feat,

But I just want to see you smile again~

Life’s not a race with time.

Never forget to take a break every now and then,

To savor the tiny moments~

To savor the tiny moments~...”

With the pink Inkling drifting off his singing, with glee he could see the stress and tension starting to melt off the other’s shoulders as it used to. Army gave his companion the same adoring smile that he did when they sat in the cafe together… And that’s all it took for the two to act as if they were back in that time. Chattering mindlessly about everything, joking around about life as they used to… Occasionally the conversation was interrupted as the pink Inkling left to get more snacks and refills on their drinks, but it wasn’t as if the pair wasn’t more than happy to just pick right back up the moment the fay sat down again.

The pair spent much longer in their blissful world than they had anticipated spending there. It was only about three when Army had arrived… And now the light changed color as twilight settled over Inkopolis… Ah, there goes that plan to call his team back to turf in thirty minutes… Perhaps Army should at least go apologize for that… As the pair got up, Army hesitantly looked down at the table.

“Ah, don’t worry about the dishes Army. I’ll take care of them, I always do~ Besides, aren’t you running a bit late?”

“Yeah, I guess I am…”

However, there was still something that needed to be done. He always used to thank his companion for bring him out in some way… Whether it was just childishly saving him the last bite of the vanilla cake he always ordered or buying him something on the way home, it was a silly ritual that he was reluctant to let go of… Though, it’s not as if he can offer much right now… Perhaps…

When the orange Inkling moved away from the table, Aloha had expected that he’d head to the door. However, the blaze surprisingly stepped closer, gently taking the fay’s hands. A slightly confused tilt of the head on the pink Inkling’s end only made the fiery Inkling smile softly. Within a moment, a gentle kiss was placed on the pink Inkling’s lips. A blush dusted his cheeks and a soft glow came from his tentacles, but he had given in to the kiss the moment to surprise wore off. When the two broke apart, Army only gave a bright grin to the other’s awed look.

“See you again tomorrow Peachy? I’m sure we didn’t finish everything…”

The pink Inkling only stayed silent a bit longer. Too many thoughts were trying to catch up with him right now… And it seemed as though the blaze knew this based on the patient smile. Eventually though, the party king did finally realize he was asked a question and that he should likely respond.

“S-Sure! S-Sorry about t-that Ari… Guess I was just caught a bit off guard…”

“Heheh… Then I’ll see you again soon, okay?”

The pink Inkling could only nod in his stunned state, a rarity for the heartthrob of Inkopolis. He usually left others in a daze… A light kiss on his cheek gently pulls him back to reality as he watches his partner. A slight wave says goodbye as he leaves the house, the door shutting with a quiet thud behind him… Perhaps the pink Inkling would need to start spending his weekends making sure he had enough of their treats to last the week from now on.

#Splatoon #splatoon manga #army #aloha #army x aloha #aloha x army

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