#and there’s a viewing tomorrow and my dad thinks i should go since it will be my last chance to see her but i don’t want to

[1ovestay]

won’t lie, experiencing some horrors

[leclerc-s]

track four - the men start wars yet troy hates helen

series masterlist

SPAIN 2023

liked by alex_albon, louieee, francesca.cgomes and others

ines_sainz we are back in the motherland 🇪🇸

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user01 YOU'RE A BARCA FAN??

user02 she was a madridista by association not choice ines_sainz força barça!!! user01 fernando was found screaming and crying in a corner somewhere logansargeant you should see them on game days...it's way too intense

jensonbutton is that why you texted me, 'fernando's going to disown me' or was that over something else?

fernandoalo_oficial she is dramatic, i would not disown her. i am not some people user03 OH SHIT! HE WENT THERE!! ines_sainz no, that was because [redacted] almost set the kitchen on fire fernandoalo_ofical OTRA VEZ?? SAQUEN LO DE MI COCINA!! [again? get him out of my kitchen]

user04 see, part of me wants to believe that she's actually dating charles or oscar but neither of them dress that way. so it can't be them.

user05 hear me out, she dresses them so people won't suspect a thing. user04 that's very possible

charles_leclerc that explains the scream i heard from his drivers room five minutes ago when lando ran in there.

ines_sainz fucking snitch. this is why he has no wins louieee someone get this girl a pr manager maxverstappen1 no, please don't i'm loving this.

pedri paddock passes🙏??

ines_sainz barca game tickets for me and a few others?? pedri do i finally get to meet the boyfriend?? user06 SINCE WHEN ARE THESE TWO FRIENDS?? pedri honestly, i don't know but i can't get rid of her anymore? ines_sainz fuck you, forget about the paddock passes pedri NO AMIGA PERDONAME!! [no friend forgive me!!]

fernandoalo_oficial eres una traicionera [you're a traitor]

ines_sainz dad, you knew this about me when you adopted me? fernandoalo_oficial yes, but i chose to ignore that when it wasn't public information.

patriciooward my ahijada looks so cute in her outfit [goddaughter]

ines_sainz yes, [redacted] squealed when he saw her in that alex_albon thank you for blackmail infromation pierregasly he's not special, kika squealed too. alex_albon this is a grown man georgerussell63 is he grown?? logansargeant poor him catching strays when he can't defend himself

user07 INÉS SAINZ IS A CULER??

ines_sainz AND PROUD OF IT!!

user08 hear me out, she's dating pedri and is trying to trick all of us by telling us it's charles and oscar.

user05 BOOO!! THIS GUY SUCKS!! user08 PEDRI'S THE SAME AGE AS HER!! IT WOULD MAKE SENSE?? user01 just say you don't want us to have a throuple in formula 1 and move on.

ines_sainz posted new stories

shoutout to the fan that gave me these socks. they are my newest prized possession track walks with jb and father nando this is the face of a man who i just told who i invited to the race tomorrow

georgerussell replied to your story

georgerussell WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE SOCKS?? I NEED SOME!! ines_sainz george, a fan gave them to me, i think they made them. georgerussell boo!! i want some

pedri replied to your story

pedri is he actually mad? ines_sainz i think he's disappointed i'm a culer and not a madridista pedri tell your boyfriend i can't wait to meet him ines_sainz boyfriends* pedri perdoname, que? ines_sainz would you look at the time, i have to go walk my gold fish

ines_sainz posted new stories

cheerios are all back together again!! fredrickvestiofficial liamlawson30 logansargeant theopouchaire oscarpiastri not pictured is arthur_leclerc because he as fighting with charles over which kart he wanted oscar's learned some moves from track terror leclerc 💞💞

liked by pedri, oscarpiastri, charles_leclerc and others

ines_alonso new name, who dis?

jokes aside, papá, thanks for showing me what unconditional fatherly love was. no one's ever loved me (familially) the way you have. i haven't stopped crying since i got the news, [redacted] can attest to that. it means the world to me that we now, officially, get to be father and daughter after so many years of us joking about it. te quiero mucho papá 🩷🥹

tagged: fernandoalo_oficial

user has limited comments

aussiegrit he called me crying when he got the news

jensonbutton you have to clarify that he demanded a groupcall and proceeded to tell us through tears. ines_alonso wait, who else was involved? lewishamilton think the group chat you created ines_alonso he loves me that's why 🥹 fernandoalo_oficial yes, the whole world now knows that i love my kid

lancestroll congrats! he hasn't stopped talking about this for weeks.

ines_alonso i hope you people know i'm going to keep crying if you keep saying things like this lancestroll it's true, i think everyone on the team knew how excited he was to be your dad, officially that is.

louieee oh baby, i'm so glad you finally have someone who loves you the way a father should love his child. i'm actually crying for you. things are just starting to look up for you 🩷🩷

ines_alonso lou, i'm literally sobbing. a big thank you to you for sticking by my side through this entire mess and for always thinking i was capable of being loved 🩷🩷 louieee you've always been capable of being loved, it's not your fault they have the emotional range of a teaspoon and never knew how to appreciate you.

charles_leclerc félicitations! i know you've waited for this day for a long time

ines_alonso i'm still crying charles, please stop..i'm going to become dehydrated soon. charles_leclerc please drink water

patriciooward VAMOS!! AL FIN!!

ines_alonso MY BROTHER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER (OFFICIAL) patricooward wait, does this mean i have to give [redacted] a shovel talk?? ines_alonso no. max, daniel, and fernando already did that patriciooward thank god. i am not cut out for that.

mickschumacher welcome to the world champion's children club inés!!

ines_alonso who else is in the club? mickschumacher me, you, nico (reluctant) and any other world champion children

oscarpiastri finally, just let out a huge sigh of relief

ines_alonso thanks osc

maxverstappen1 oh thank god, it's about fucking time this happened. can he adopt me next?

ines_alonso back off!! i just got him, get your own dad. i heard kimi is taking applications, but you might have to fight osc

alex_albon WAR IS OVER! SHE'S FREE!!

lilymhe we can throw a party for them alex_albon that might be one of the best ideas you've ever had

georgerussell63 the sigh i swear i just heard nico let out

lewishamilton 🤨 what are you doing with nico?? georgerussell63 mind ya business

pedri felicitaciones!! al fin tienes un papá que te aprecia! [congratulations!! you finally have a dad who appreciates you]

ines_alonso por favor, parale, no puedo llorar más. [please, stop, i can't cry anymore] pedri eso es una mentira, siempre estás llorando [that's a lie, you're always crying]

fcbarcelona felicitaciones a ti y a tu nuevo papa!!

ines_alonso the scream i just scrumpt charles_leclerc i can confirm that oscarpiastri i can also confirm that

sabrinacarpenter congratulations you beautiful girl 💝

ines_alonso holy shit- oscarpiastri i can't take much more screaming charles_leclerc neither can i. please stop. sabrinacarpenter i'm sorry??

AUSTRIA 2023

SPA 2023

liked by louieee, isahernaez, judebellingham and others

ines_alonso 🌊☀️

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ines_alonso oops, sorry *shared one last name

user08 STOP! INÉS YOU CAN'T DO THIS!! user09 ICON!! BEING ICONIC RUNS IN THE ALONSO FAMILY LADIES AND GENTLEBITCHES!!

user10 she's so family jewels coded

louieee i would say i'm sorry but i'm not and the people deserved to know the truth 🩷

ines_alonso speak your truth king!! maxverstappen1 if you didn't say something, i would've and trust me i would've been a lot less nice alex_albon trust us, we're aware

user11 i don't know what i find more shocking that isa is in her likes or that jude bellingham is

user12 a footballer for real madrid in her likes after the barca post is fucking funny user13 i feel like we're forgetting that she's probably close with isa, she told her about carlos' alleged (confirmed but i don't want the sainz family to sue me for defamation) cheating

user14 the pictures 😃🩷 vs the lyrics 💔💔

mickschumacher i rate your first scandal as an alonso a solid 6/10

ines_alonso i definitely could've topped crashgate but dad said no fernandoalo_ofical i can only handle so much from you and [redacted]. if he sets my kitchen on fire one more time i'm going to ban him for a few months.

logansargeant hey, who got you smiling like that?

ines_alonso your mom logansargeant i hate you

maxverstappen1 a not so kind reminder to judebellingham she's a taken woman. not by me but i'll defend their honor

danielricciardo just say you think of her as a little sister and move on dude maxverstappen1 shut your mouth ricciardo ines_alonso it's okay i already know he loves me maxverstappen1 debatable

isahernaez que lindura, estás brillando inés

ines_alonso isa!! te extraño 🩷 isahernaez igualmente pequeña 💞 user15 oh i bet c*rlos s*inz just shit himself

liamlawson30 do you think he wakes up in a cold sweat whenever you post?

ines_alonso god i hope he does jensonbutton it's what he deserves, xoxo ines_alonso what is your ass doing here? go take care of your children?? jensonbutton you are my child??

user16 YES BABE!! CALL OUT YOUR SHITTY FAMILY!!! SERVE THAT CUNTLONSO!!!

user17 cuntlonso?? is that what we're calling them now?? user18 kinda matches them because they serve cunt!!

patriciooward when you said i'm so marina & the diamonds coded this is not the song i had in mind

ines_alonso what other song could you possibly think of?? patriciooward bubblegum bitch? primadonna? how to be a heartbreaker?? anything but this?? maxverstappen1 she's so matilda coded, according to twitter logansargeant MATILDA?? BY HARRY STYLES?? maxverstappen1 i don't fucking know who sings it. ines_alonso it's okay max, we can both be family line coded patricooward STOP IT!! GET SOME HELP!!! oscarpiastri THERAPY!! BOTH OF YOU!! NOW!! maxverstappen1 therapy is a hoax

user18 racing is a serious sport they said. our drivers are so serious they said. the said drivers are arguing over what song is them coded

user19 and they're all depressing..FIA get them some therapy we beg. user20 but for the record max is so seven coded and inés is so matilda coded user18 STOP MAKING ME SAD?? user21 and charles is so mirrorball coded user22 alex is definitely this is me trying coded user23 logan is also this is me trying coded user18 YOU PEOPLE JUST MADE IT WORSE?! STOP IT!! user23 but is so fun to share our pain with others??

¡taglist!

@minmira95 // @lesliiieeeee // @vroomvroommuppett // @prongsvault // @justtprachisblog // @scuderiadevils // @cataf1 // @chezmardybum // @formulaal // @lilsiz // @norstappenvibes // @ironspdy // @nikfigueiredo @hinamesgigantica // @niniluvsainz // @matchaverse // @fakeikeastore // @theseus-jpg // @six-call // @81folklore // @emppusofi // @luvsforme // @nichmeddar // @loloekie // @luvpedro // @donttouchthegnote // @nothaqks // @inferiusreggie // @mochimommy2002 // @rach3164 // @clove08 // @clove0 // @lillysbigwilly // @jenxjar // @blupblupfish // @thereadinggremlin05 // @meowiarty // @magical-spit // @camdensreg // @laneyspaulding19 // @ocyeanicc // @yelenasloverrrrr // @percervall // @blushmimi // @spilled-coffee-cup // @michelleyw81 // @greantii // @ietss

¡not taggable!

@ashlovestoread1411 // @books-thingys-andstuff // @nothanqks // @yeanoskrrt // @ale-522 // @aandreea_2005 // @Katness1 // @mgmoore // @Scott-McCall-could-lift-mjolnir // @xxx-betty // @ririyulife // @landonorizzz // @moldyshorts1997 // @itstimeforutogo // @yar16 // @em-andemm // @killjoycra

¡leclerc-s speaks!

note: i know next to nothing about soccer or football, whichever you prefer, but i do know enough to know that barca and real madrid have a rivalry. so i decided for shits and giggles to make her a barca fan. i love giving my female ocs so much power because it's what women deserve!!! anyways, got caught lacking by the 30 image limit. i could've written a bit more but it was cut short. perhaps i should stop rambling when it's not necessary but i can't help myself. i debated on whether or i should've had inés adopted by fernando but i decided that would be the ultimate fuck you so i did it.

¡disclaimer!

this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

[fandomworld9728]

The Life of the Morningstars - Chapter 18:

Oh, how lucky Alastor was! Lucifer had grabbed his hand before Charlie could, not wanting to undermine her decision but did not want her to shoulder this burden. With that, the deal was sealed. The King of Hell owing him a favor! However, one question was constantly on Alastor's mind. Why didn't the King just demand the answer?

Alastor would get his answer later. Right now, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. They had more important matters to see to.

~

"Any luck, dad?"

"Not yet. I'm still trying but I'm this close to just ripping up the treaty." 

The people drinking and enjoying their last few hours before the battle stopped and looked over at the king. He knew what they were going to ask. It was the same as everyone else. Why did he allow the Exterminations in the first place?

"Okay, look. I've gotten a lot of shit for this in the past so listen up. Lilith was trying to create an uprising against Heaven. I didn't want that. Heaven used to be my home... my family was there. Along with all those innocent souls. That's the only reason they wanted some form of treaty and I only agreed to the Exterminations because I had to protect Charlie. I was backed into a corner. But... now she's all grown up and has all of you. I think it's time for this treaty to end."

"Yes! Way to go dad! Don't let them use anything or anyone against you."

"Yeah, short king. Stick it to the man!"

"I knew that night out with us would do ya some good."

Popping up in the middle of the group, Sir Pentious raised his glass to lead a toast. "Here's to being alive today and not dying tomorrow."

Taking the drink offered to him, Lucifer joined in the fun with a small smile. He loved his new, little family. This moment was so... perfect. He should have come here the first time Charlie had asked him to. Maybe then things would have gone differently, and he wouldn't be at risk of losing more people he cared about.

Watching the group from a small balcony with Niffty, Alastor couldn't keep the soft, fond smile off his face. "The celebratory night before a courageous last stand. It's been a surprising thrill to witness these wayward souls find connection. Almost makes one sentimental, eh, Niffty?"

"I really like them, Alastor. They let me put on roach puppet shows without booing."

"Ah, an enjoyable collective to be around. I admit, one could get accustomed." Especially to a certain father daughter pair. Did he use his knowledge to his advantage against them? Yes. But that's what he did with everyone. They could hardly hold it against him. Even if he wasn't fond of alpha fathers, watching Lucifer over the past few days had unfortunately started changing Alastor's view on the small man.

What really set that change in motion had been the way the fallen angel had protected Angel Dust and Niffty. Not only that, but the way he allowed her to climb him and treated her with care even with how uneasy he had been around her at first. It had the radio demon rethinking all of their encounters since they first met. What an odd little man that had captured Alastor's interest.

Feeling something in his hair, Alastor looked up to see a crown of twigs and dead roaches on his head. Courtesy of the small cyclops woman now on his shoulder. "I dub thee, King Roach."  

"Oh, to understand your twisted little mind."

Watching the two laugh, Lucifer couldn't help the fond smile on his face. Sure, Alastor was a creepy, manipulative asshole, but he wasn't the worst person he had ever met. Though, he could be biased. No. He definitely was biased. Lucifer wasn't going to think too much or too hard on it. He could come back to those thoughts on a different day.

Right now, the king had to help his snake friend with his love life. Pushing the sinner forward, he gave the guy an encouraging smile and thumbs up. Poor Pentious needed this win. 

"Uh... Miss. Bomb? Cherri?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to you tell you that I... I love..."

That's it! You got this! Just one more word and you got your confession out there!

"I'd love to wish you good luck in the battle ahead!"

Dammit Pentious! You almost had it! No. He could still save this attempt. Plus, Lucifer and Angel would still wingman for him after he left.

"You are- h-have always been a worthy opponent. With the most brilliant explosive contraptions I've ever seen."

"Uh... thanks?" Look at that smile! He had her! 

"Anyway, I guess please don't die tomorrow! Okay, bye!"

Fuck! He ran away! So close... Sighing, Lucifer stood on either side of the punk girl with Angel.

"You know, you could totally tap that."

"Stop being gross."

"Cause, y'know, i hear he's got two dicks."

"I know he has two dicks." Lucifer's face fell as soon as that comment left his mouth. Flushing gold, he didn't look at the two sinners. He was never going to hear the end of this. "Before you say anything! It was just two friends helping each other out!"

~

Alastor wasn't too thrilled about what he overheard. Lucifer? With that idiotic, pathic snake? Another thing he couldn't wrap his mind around. However, that wasn't what was important at the moment. Stopping the king on his way back to his room, he was going to get some answers. "Majesty."

"Oh. Hey Alastor. What's up?"

"...Huh... I figured you'd be more upset about being tricked into a deal."

A few beats of silence passed between them before the King of Hell had dissolved in a fit of laughter. "Y-You think- ha! You think that you tricked me into a deal? Oh, that's just fucking priceless."

His smile turned tight and painful on his face. "Care to explain what you mean by that?"

"You may have backed Charlie into a corner, but I knew your game from the very beginning."

"Then why didn't you just demand the answer from me?"

"Would you have given me the information if I did?" Alastor's silence was all the fallen angel needed. "Probably not without a fight and we didn't have time for that. Not to mention, it's Charlie's call on the matter. There's also the fact that even after that manipulation stunt you pulled, she still trusts you and cares about you. But I didn't properly teach her about this stuff with how things ended up. So, the least I could do was take the deal in her place."

Lucifer... was a good dad. And Alastor was a fool to ever think otherwise.

"Oh, and I figured out why you don't like me. You thought I was some sort of shitty alpha father, right?"

"That is correct. Why?"

The amused look on the king's face surprised the sinner, but not as much as what came out of his mouth next. "I'm an omega."

"...You're a what now?"

< Previous

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[cyber-phobia]

Hey, Cyber - since ya get so many dang fic searches/requests, I've made a list of some of my favorite (non-nsfw) MHA fics to throw to the rabbid hyenas that are your followers :)

Security by SuperiorDragonLorde

*Dad for one, Inko and small child Izuku are brought to live at UA for their own safety until AFO is no longer a threat.

Solar Flare by TheQueen

*A young Bakugo starts hearing voices that tell him what he should do, what part he should be playing in the world. He decides to do the opposite.

Stray Bullet by AnonymousTwit

*Theres a sniper attack at UA. Bakugo takes the bullet for Izuku.

Broken Trust by SkylerSkyHigh, Tereox_X

*Midoriya is suspected to be the UA Traitor. He isn't, but no one believes him until they're proven wrong. He isn't going to forgive so easily.

Voices by SquirrelWriter

*Hitoshi knows a lot about voices, and how to tell things about a person by what their voice is like.

Penpals by GhostIsReading

*Izuku and Hitoshi become pen-pals as part of a school project. They become pretty fast friends, despite neither one knowing what the other looks like.

Speak it free by Aloneintherain

*Izuku confesses that he and Bakugo aren't actually "rivals", when Hitoshi confronts him about their relationship. (Not bkdk)

where is my super suit by orphan_account

*Class 1a chatfic. It's hilarious.

Shadows In Their Veins by Inconsistent_Ametrine

*Izuku has a quirk. What does it do? It makes him a really shitty empath, basically. This turns out to be a good thing.

Febuwhump Day 3 - Living Nightmare by konan_konan

*Izuku is in a time loop. It sucks.

Animalistic Sympathy by WizardsGirl

*A Nomu finds Izuku in distress and adopts him. Yes it's weird, but also adorable.

Family Night by Hayato (TheLennyBunny)

*Short fic about Shoto being a... less than competent babysitter.

Cursed Children by Smurfee

*Hitoshi and Eri are both held captive by the same villains for their Quirks. When they're rescued, it takes a lot of time to heal.

The Thin Gray line by A_ToastToTheOutcasts

*Izuku is the most wanted Vigilante in all of Japan. And the best part? No one would ever suspect someone so infamous to be Quirkless.

Give me My Tomorrow with your Yesterday by sensibleshroom

*Izuku has a quirk that lets him see other realities. Unfortunately, this means the loss of his ability to view his own timeline, making him effectively blind. Thankfully, he's got a rather generous uncle who's willing to help him navigate the world in his own way.

gone was any trace of you (i think i am finally clean) by rosalyra

*A quirkless student has passed the entrance exam and has made it into UA. Izuku isn't sure how to feel about the comments his fellow second-years are making about it.

Catching Sight of the Storm by neo7v

*Izuku is blind and (not really) quirkless. He still wants to be a hero, obviously. He just has to figure out how to make that happen

I have plenty more if anyone wants to Dm me or something. And if there's any Bleach fans who like grimmichi or uraichi I have a wealth of knowledge and would love to share.

Security by SuperiorDragonLorde

Solar Flare by TheQueen

Stray Bullet by AnonymousTwit

Broken Trust by SkylerSkyHigh, Tereox_X

Voices by SquirrelWriter

Penpals by GhostIsReading

Speak it free by Aloneintherain

where is my super suit by orphan_account

Shadows In Their Veins by Inconsistent_Ametrine

Febuwhump Day 3 - Living Nightmare by konan_konan

Animalistic Sympathy by WizardsGirl

Family Night by Hayato (TheLennyBunny)

Cursed Children by Smurfee

The Thin Gray line by A_ToastToTheOutcasts

Give me My Tomorrow with your Yesterday by sensibleshroom

gone was any trace of you (i think i am finally clean) by rosalyra

Catching Sight of the Storm by neo7v

[jujumin-translates]

Event | 5th Anniversary: The Way Back Home | Chapter 4 - Autumn Planet Story

*Contains spoilers for Act 12 - eternal moment*

Azami: Took longer than expected, but we finally managed to get the tent set up.

Omi: The sun is setting, so we should probably start preparing dinner soon.

Sakyo: The ingredients we prepared in advance are in the luggage. Let’s divide up the work and get everything ready.

Banri: …Oi, give me that firewood.

Juza: …Yeah, yeah.

Azami: Kinda surprising to see you two working together to tend to the fire like actual adults.

Banri: Not like I wanna do it or anythin’.

Juza: Like hell I’m lettin’ myself be handcuffed to that guy again.

Sakyo: Hmph, that’s pretty different from back then. You really have grown up.

Taichi: Yeah, yeah! Omi-kun, I’m gonna take a pic! Ah, Sakyo-nii, you join us too!

Juza: Why are ya takin’ pictures, Taichi?

Banri: He must be takin’ Omi’s place since he’s busy cookin’.

Taichi: Hehe, I’m getting lotsa good shots. We could make like a behind the scenes album with these are something!

Sakyo: An album, huh…? It it’s profitable, we should do it.

Banri: ‘Course you’d say that, money-grubber.

Taichi: While I’m at it, I’m gonna send the pics to Director-sensei on LIME! And I’ve gotta take a good pic of the curry too, and…

Taichi: Here, here, Ban-chan and Juza-san, look over here~. ‘Kay, say cheese!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Omi: Okay, it’s done.

Juza: Looks good.

Azami: With Omi-san here, even camp food can be good.

Banri: Aight, time to dig in.

Sakyo: Let’s eat.

Taichi: It’s soooo good~! Camp food cooked together and eaten around the campfire is the best!

Omi: That’s one of the real charms of camping.

Juza: We’re gonna be on the pirate ship around noon tomorrow, right?

Taichi: I’m so hyped to be on the pirate ship!

Sakyo: However, to make up for that, we’re going to have to fit in a good amount of practice before we go. We’ll all be getting up at 5 a.m. tomorrow.

Banri: Are you being for real?

Azami: The sun ain’t even gonna be up then!

Omi: Haha, relentless as always.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Omi: Zzz… Zzz…

Juza: Zzz…

*Clanging*

Taichi: Uwah!?

Juza: The hell…?

Sakyo: All of you, get up quickly. We’re starting practice.

Omi: That sound of you banging on a frying pan with a ladle… that startled me.

Azami: Damn, it really is 5 a.m..

Taichi: I thought there was something wrong.

Banri: Couldn’t think of a more dramatic way to wake us up?

Azami: Typical way to wake someone up for an old man.

Sakyo: Shut your mouth. Stop wastin’ time and just get on with it already!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Azami: So this is the pirate ship, huh?

Taichi: It’s so big~...

Banri: You’re like half asleep.

Omi: Well, we did get up early and have an early morning rehearsal.

Omi: Here, Taichi, look at the great view.

Taichi: …Whoa!

Taichi: It really is a great view! They sky and the sea are so pretty!

Sakyo: It is a beautiful view.

Juza: ‘M glad it’s sunny out.

Banri: How about we look around the ship for a bit since we’re here.

Taichi: Ah, I’m gonna go to the bathroom first!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Taichi: Hmm, bathroom, bathroom…

???: Onii-chan!

Taichi: Waah!?

Taichi: Wait, huh!? Mi-chan!? What are you doing here…!?

Masato: What are YOU doing here, Nii-chan…?

Taichi: Ma-kun, too!? What’s going on!? Where are Dad and Mom!?

Mirai: Mom’s at home! And Dad’s over there.

Taichi: Huh…

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Taichi: So it turns out, my lil’ sis, Mi-chan, and my lil’ bro, Ma-kun, happened to be on the same ship as us!

Juza: That’s an incredible coincidence.

Azami: What’re the odds?

Taichi: Dad’s here too, but he got seasick, so he’s resting now…

Taichi: So I’m gonna stay with Mi-chan and Ma-kun until he’s feeling better.

Banri: Then how about they come around with us?

Taichi: Eh, are you sure?

Omi: Of course. The more the merrier. Right, Sakyo-san?

Sakyo: Do you really think I’m so heartless as to leave Nanao and those two behind?

Banri: You might be.

Sakyo: …Oi.

Juza: I got no problem with it either.

Masato: Thank you…!

Mirai: That’s great, isn’t it, Ma-kun!?

Mirai: Ma-kun said he started to love space pirates and regular pirates after seeing Onii-chan and everyone in the MANKAI performance~.

Mirai: That’s what he asked Dad to bring us here today.

Masato: M-Mi-chan, don’t say that now…!

Juza: Is that so?

Taichi: Eh~, you never told me that! You should’ve told your big bro.

Banri: What’d ya think of our play? Was it good?

Masato: Yeah… everyone was so cool. Nii-chan too.

Taichi: Ma-kun…!

Omi: I’m glad to hear you say that.

Banri: Come see us again in the future, yeah?

Masato: Yeah!

Juza: Well, this pirate ship’s got a top deck, right? Let’s head up there while we’re at it.

Masato: I wanna do that!

Taichi: Alright, let’s go!

Mirai: A-chan, let’s hold hands!

Azami: Huh? Sure, I don’t mind, I guess…

Sakyo: Never thought I’d see you walking hand in hand with a little kid like this.

Omi: It’s like you’re a big brother.

Azami: Hmph.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Masato: Waah…!

Omi: This is a great view.

Masato: Okay… Umm, so that direction is north, and this way is south…

Juza: You’ve even got a compass, huh?

Sakyo: Just like the captain or navigator of a pirate ship.

Masato: No, I’m just an apprentice.

Sakyo: An apprentice?

Masato: I read a book about an apprentice pirate the other day.

Masato: I’m sure it take a lotta skill to become a captain or a navigator, so I thought maybe I could just become an apprentice or something.

Azami: That’s oddly realistic of you.

Juza: Y’know, an apprentice could one day become a captain or a navigator.

Banri: …Yeah.

Banri: “Even if you’re an apprentice… if you’re willin’ to put in the work, ANIMS will gladly welcome you on board.”

Masato: …!

Mirai: Yeah~! Then I wanna be Bat’s wife!

Azami: Wife…

Sakyo: Hm.

Banri: Look at you, you’re quite the ladies’ man.

Azami: S-Shut up.

Taichi: I’m not just handing Mi-chan over to you that easily, A-chan!

Azami: It ain’t serious!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Banri: This cruise was pretty interestin’.

Sakyo: Glad to hear that Nanao’s father is feeling better.

Taichi: Thanks for letting Mi-chan and Ma-kun tag along, guys!

Taichi: They both had a blast and Dad was really thankful too.

Omi: We all had fun too.

Taichi: But in the end, we still couldn’t find any hints for what our spinoff should be about.

Banri: That ain’t true.

Taichi: Huh?

Banri: What about what Masato said? Y’know, “apprentice”?

Sakyo: I see. Something like the apprenticeship period of the ANIMS crew could work…

Sakyo: No, it’d be interesting to see a spinoff showing their past stories, not just their apprenticeship.

Juza: There ain’t a whole lot about it, but… some of Tig and Doug’s lines do mention their childhoods a bit.

Azami: It’d be nice to see a different side of the crew and see how they grow.

Omi: Yeah, plus that goes along with what Banri said about going back to the basics.

Juza: That’s true.

Banri: Aight, then that’s what we’ll choose for our request.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Azami: That was good.

Juza: Today’s camp food was delicious.

Omi: I’m glad you liked it.

Taichi: Hahh, I’m stuffed! I can’t possibly eat more…

Sakyo: Oi, don’t just lay down so suddenly.

Taichi: Can’t you just overlook it for today~?

Taichi: …!

Taichi: Hey! The starry sky is super pretty!

Banri: Hm?

Omi: Ooh… it’s like a natural planetarium.

Sakyo: Well, I suppose there’s some time to look at the sky for a bit.

Juza: …You can’t see this kinda thing in the city.

Azami: It’s kinda… magical.

Banri: The starry sky’s so clear, I wonder if that makes it ever prettier.

Taichi: Since we’re here, how about we all lay down and stargaze.

Banri: Ain’t six grown-ass men laying down together and stargazin’ kinda cringe?

Sakyo: Don’t be too harsh and just help tidy up.

Taichi: But this is one of the best parts of camping…!

Taichi: At least lemme take a pic of this view so I can remember it!

Taichi: …Yeah, that’s a good one!

Taichi: I can’t believe I got such a nice pic with my phone~! Maybe I’m just getting that good at using a camera!

Banri: Taichi, gimme a hand with washing this.

Taichi: ‘Kay, kaaay! I’m coming now!

Taichi: Hey, hey, since we all went and did our own separate things yesterday, let’s all take a bath together after cleaning up today!

Banri: You’re never lettin’ that one go, are you?

Juza: I don’t mind…

Sakyo: Tch, no point in fighting it. Let’s hurry up and finish tidying up then.

Taichi: Yeah!

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[starlightmoon96]

Yandere Optimus Prime/Yandere Megatron x OC character chapter 9

Sabina told Hiro how her new life as Sabina Rose went with her, she told him everything since day one she went to California. Even telling him how she met his cousin Yuko at her new High School, winning mutable awards and having every art collage fighting over her for scholarship. What Hiro wanted to know was when she started to Sugar Baby business, Sabina didn't want to be too dependent of Tōshirō on supporting her she starting sugaring when she turned 18 years old and a senior in High School. Looking up on what type of sugar babies there are she really like the Japanese version of it which was Enjo-kōsai or compensated dating, Hiro knew what it was since he was from Japan and was alright with it since Sabina has control over her relationships with her sugar daddy's."

Back in California Tōshirō had finished explaining everything to Richard, now Richard understood why she didn't want to go to New York or anywhere near there. Despite him now knowing most of the truth, he still wanted to help Sabina in anywhere he can, he still cared for her and wasn't like more women in his life that cared about money. Sabina was the only one that didn't she cared about him and what he wanted and respected his wishes, so he told Tōshirō that he wanted to help Sabina in any way he can. Which made Tōshirō very happy and grateful too Richard, though Richard was curious about Sabina's fiancé so Tōshirō told him what Sabina told him about Hiro."

Around 10 at night in New York Sabina was looking up at the stars from outside of the lake house's porch, though she wasn't alone. Hiro had his arms wrapped around her from behind since she was sitting on his lap and had a long warm blanket wrapped around the two of them.

"Hiro you pick a location the view is perfect for star gazing." While she still spoke she looked at Hiro

"Remember how we used to star gazing back in high school?" As Hiro answered her she leaned his forehead on hers

"I sure do, only this time its official." Right after he said that Sabina said to him as she laid her head on his chest

"To be honest Tōshirō was your replacement he was the closest to your aura and personality, but it wasn't the same as yours. Richard showed the same aura of love as you though which surprised me."

"From what you told me about him, seems like he really cares about you more than a sugar daddy should. I think you might be right about him purposing to you when you were supposed to go back to California." Hearing Hiro say that made Sabina a little un easy as she spoke back to him

"I don't want to hurt him, he's been so sweet and treats me like a treasure. Meeting you changed everything now, I'm not so sure how things are going to turn out now?" She looked at her engagement ring that was still on her ring finger while still speaking

"Especially this, who knows how long until we can start officially plan our wedding. Let alone tell your family that I'm not dead, I just don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me. I always hoping my dad would walk me down the ale." After she said that Hiro said to her

"And things are going to be very hard for the two, if we have our wedding soon it'll end very badly I'm sure of it. Caroline when are you going to Japan?"

" In a couple of months when I finish collage Yuko is coming with me, I leave her I know she'll be a target and I'm going to haft to tell her the truth soon I don't think it's far for her to be in the dark." After Sabina said that Hiro stood up and helped her up by taking her hand, after she stood up Hiro said to her

"Why don't we all it a night? You haft head back to California tomorrow in the morning. Cant oversleep."

Though Sabina was taking a privet jet back to California she still didn't want to oversleep, what she didn't like was separating from Hiro. To help communicate they decided to do this old fashion way and send letters and post cards to each other for the time being, Sabina also told Hiro that she would stop sugaring once she's in japan. It got him some relief even though she's very responsible about sugaring, which Hiro was VERY happy about. Though one thing did worry Sabina and that was being by herself, she didn't want to ask anyone seeing Hiro with her on security cameras or worse if any of the humans that worked for the decepticons spots them. Now it was hard for her to trust anybody anymore, she had to be even more careful she didn't know how many there are.

When it was time for Sabina to leave she arrange a driver to pick her up outside a starbucks, Hiro had to drop her off a block away from the building to avoid the security cameras. While Sabina was waiting for her ride she decided to grab a coffee inside, once she got her coffee her ride showed up and helped her get her belongings in the vehicle for her. Since she was taking a private jet she needed to go into a different entrance of the airport, when she arrived at the airport to her surprise she saw Richard waiting for her outside of the jet.

"Richard this is a shocker I didn't expect to see you here?" Right after she said that Richard pulled out her hand to her in his hand was bouquet of blue orchids as he spoke to her with his cheerful smile on his face

"And that's what you like about me Sabina." Sabina gratefully took the flowers out of his hand as they both started to walk into the jet together, then for the past few month's things had been surprisingly fine and her ankle was all healed up so she didn't need the ankle brace anymore. When September started to come around Sabina had started to pack some of her belongings from her small library in her apartment, she didn't need any help so she did it herself she wasn't doing any extreme packing it was just to get her ready for the big move once she finished college starting off in one room was a good start to her option. Sabina also loved that October was coming up, not only Halloween was her favorite holiday but her birthday was on that month. During the time she was packing it was on a Sunday so she didn't go to either her job or her college on that day, Sundays are her days off and she enjoyed the piece. Once she was done packing she decided for a little lunch which was coffee jelly and a side of almond milk, just as she was eating her phone started ringing and she answered it.

"Hey Jasmine what's up."

"Sabina I know this is last minute but I really need the help for a project." Hearing her friend say that over the phone surprised Sabina as she continued speaking to her

"What do you need help with?" After she said that her friend Jasmine answered her

"My model just canceled on me, she has strep and this project is for the autumn expedition. And I know you already turned yours." Before she continued Sabina interrupted her as she finished drinking her almond milk

"Sure I'll do it, it's been a while since I modeled for someone."

"Great can you come by around an hour at the campus dorms? Naerim is going to help out with the shoot as well she's here with me." After that call ended Sabina finished eating her coffee jelly and almond milk, then Sabina got to her college in the dorms where her friends where and the dorm where her friend Jasmine lived in. What she wasn't aware of from outside of the dorm Optimus was using his holoform to listening to their conversation, he had been very careful to not being caught now that he was aware of Sabina's gift for the past several months. Yet during those months he didn't spot megatron anywhere near her when he was around, he wondered in megatron knew.

"So what's this modeling thing you want me to do?" Sabina asked that question to her friend Jasmine as she sat down in one of the chairs as her friend answered her

"I'm wanting to do an autumn photo shoot with featuring the autumn leafs and trees, I'd like you to model as an autumn elf. You already look like a doll and I'm really curious as to how you would look as an elf." Right after she said that Sabina's other friend Naerim spoke to Sabina

"I'm curious about that myself, I bet you'll look very beautiful as one."

"That explains why you brought Naerim here, she's great at cosplay makeup." Sabina said that as she looked over to Naerim, then she looked back at Jasmine

"Alright I'll do it." Her answer made her two friends very happy as did optimus that was listening, he knew what elves where and was would love to see what Sabina would look like as one. Two of Sabina's friends did different works Jasmine was doing Sabina's hair while Naerim was doing her makeup, with two of them working at the same time would get things going a lot faster. For the hair it was Mother of Dragons braid, once Jasmine was done she put the very long elf ears on Sabina while Naerim was finishing up the touches on the makeup the style she went with was autumn fall fairy elf makeup. Once she was done putting on the lipstick both girls where so happy so see Sabina in the entire elf look, she was indeed very beautiful as an elf. Before the makeover Sabina did wear the outfit she was asked to wear for the shoot, then both girls took selfies with Sabina before heading out.

" A lot of people on campus where so surprised seeing Sabina dressed the way she was, they came up to her telling her that she was beautiful and wanting pictures with her. Optimus though watching from the shadows was so shocked seeing Sabina the way she was, he didn't think it was possible but she was even more beautiful than normal. It was thanks to that some of Sabina's admirers wanted to help with the photoshoot with the lighting and setups, having that help would make things go more quickly so all three of then agreed with the extra help. Sabina also liked that idea for a couple of security guards during the shoots in case something happens, luckily over ten of her admires where helping and three of them agreed to help with the security. Sabina felt a lot safer and she saw that they were determined to keep her happy from the colors she was seeing from them, when she shoot started it was one pose after another. One's with autumn leafs raining down on her to a Northern cardinal actually landing actually landing on her hand that surprised her followed by a blue jay that landed on her shoulder, Jasmine was so happy seeing the results of the photos the same with Naerim and Sabina. What Sabina didn't know that she was under surveillance from one of Megatron mini flying drones, they were the size as sakata bugs. They didn't pose any threats which was why she didn't notice them even with her sight gift, now that Optimus was in the picture Megatron didn't want to risk being spotted by him. Though Megatron didn't like the male attention Sabina was getting either, but he did like her new appearance and how surprised it turned out on her.

"When autumn expedition started a lot of people showed up to see the students art work a lot of people were impressed by Sabina's work with was very large paining of a deer in a mystical autumn forest with a mysterious black hooded girl that had both her hands on it's back, though people were equally as impressed seeing her friend Jasmine's photography gallery of Sabina in her elf attire. Sabina was there for her friends since there was no point for to be at her finished piece, a lot of people told Sabina how beautiful she was in the pictures and she thanked them. Sabina say the several colors of envy and jealously from young women around her and jasmine's age, though she was used to seeing those colors from both of her High Schools. Despite that she was quite popular and wasn't hated or bullied because of her then background with being Tōshirō's adopted daughter from her second High School, though after some time Sabina wanted to get something to eat not wanting to spend any money Yuko made her a little bento box for her that she had in her work studio. Plus she wanted to get a little peace so she decided to eat in her work studio, Sabina said to goodbyes to her friend before she took off and before things got more busy."

"Excuse me." Hearing that male voice surprised Jasmine, it also caught her attention that made her look over to see who was speaking to her. The person that was speaking to her was Optimus using his holo form once he got her attention he continued speaking to her

"If you don't mind I would like a moment of your time?" Jasmine found herself a little speechless seeing him, so she did answer a few questions for him. What Optimus didn't know was that Ratchet followed him to the college he to use a holoform to avoid human attention. Ratchet's holoform didn't look that much older than optimus's, slick back light dark green hair like his armor color. A short sleeved torn jacket that almost went with his hair along with a black shirt, with dark blue jeans like with optimus black boots. Ratchet found it odd that Optimus was speaking with a human the way he was. Though it look like he wanted something from her, he couldn't get close enough to know what they were talking about. All he could do was watch from the shadows seeing what Optimus was up too and get some answer to his new behavior, during that time Sabina was enjoying her bento lunch in her work studio in the peace she wanted. She also wanted to wear her new engagement ring without anyone seeing it, to her it felt like Hiro was with her even though he wasn't. Just as she finished eating Sabina pulled off her ring and put it back in her pocket, then her phone started ringing and she answered it.

"Hey Jasmine, good timing I just finished eating."

"Oh good I got lucky." While Sabina was supporting her phone from her shoulder she was putting her bento back in her bag

"Listen this really hot guy showed up not long after you left" Hearing that surprised Sabina then she asked her

"Really what did he say?" After she said that her friend answered her

"He was asking about the photos in the art gallery at first, though it seemed he was interested in you in general." That surprised Sabina a little bit then she asked her with a little worried look on her face

"Um this guy? Was he polite and easy to talk too, none threating? Had a calm caring voice by any chance? Maybe leader type?" From Jasmine end she was surprised her hear that it described optimus and the way he acted to Jasmine perfectly then Jasmine answered her

"Yeah how did you know? He had a jacket with red and blue flames." After Jasmine said that Sabina's line was silent that made her friend speak to her again

"Sabina?"

"Jasmine listen to me very carefully, I do know him. You need to stay away from him he doesn't look it but he's bad news like that guy Tom I told ya'll about." That set off a few red alarms in Jasmine's head that made her run off as she spoke to Sabina again with a very worried look on her face.

"Sabina get the hell out of your work studio right now, I might have told him about your lunch break. Met me at my dorm." Sabina quickly ended the call as she grabbed her belongs and running out the door before locking it from the outside.

"Why didn't I see it before they meeting the guy twice was no coincidence that was Optimus using some sort of avatar. No wonder he seemed familiar."

[fireheartedpup]

Weird to have a supportive family that triggers the fuck out of you. Dad asked me to get dinner, which he paid for, and we ate together. He gave me meat from the freezer.

I tried to help with the puppies, and he didn't like me messing with their routine, and I'm nervous about them resource guarding, and they still have puppy pads in the house because for some reason the rescue they're working with recommends this???

I don't remember the rescue's name, but one of the first things you learn in house training is that if you use pads AND try to get them to pee outside, it can confuse them. You keep them in a room with you, tether them to you, or keep them in a crate until they're potty trained.

They are not doing this.

Little Bit is still scared of the puppies, and it's not funny anymore. I really only thought it was funny the first time because I was able to control the situation and I was trying to keep her safe.

Mom thinks it's fine and that she should get used to them, and tried to bring her up close to the puppies more than once. This is NOT how you're supposed to do it.

They got upset that I put the puppies back in their pen so we could leave in peace. It's the perfect place for them to get used to each other, since they can see each other but can't get to each other, but God forbid I don't follow the schedule exactly.

My dog was shaking when we came in. I was holding her, and the puppies were at my feet. I don't think bringing her over there is worth the stress.

Dad didn't want puppies, mom did, and she's the one who agreed to foster. Mom is also flying a lot, so dad is left to take care of the puppies on his own for long periods of time.

Before all of this, mom invited me to an event so I could meet her friends' adult kids. I know that no one there is going to be masking, or even give a shit about covid.

Called grammy. She's sympathetic about my dog's health issues. She said she'd help. She also said that she doesn't believe in covid.

Dad sent me a promotional email for a job fair. It's in person and I'm sure it's another crowd that doesn't give a shit about masking. I don't even know if I'd be interested in any of the companies there. Maybe some of the remote roles.

I was going to talk about the budget and what's realistic, but dad was tired and sad so I just told him I'd made a little money this week. Someone tipped me $20. It's the most hope I've had in a while. It's also a drop in the bucket. It's a huge deal to me, but I'm going to have to do this about a thousand times over if I want to survive on my own.

I avoided mentioning what it was because I do not want my parents anywhere near my current writing in any way, shape, or form, so I have no idea what he thinks I might be doing. "I get paid per view and people can tip me." What does that sound like? I'm not gonna clarify.

When I see my family I usually stay up even later than usual because I can't deal with it, but I have a vet appointment tomorrow. I can't fuck around this time unless I cancel before 9am, and I don't think I should cancel. I'm stressed about the money.

Dad's stressed about money too. The roof is going to cost about 10k to fix.

I should ask for help finding a therapist. I don't know how to make myself do things. I don't know how to stop feeling sad.

[thenovelartist]

Second Chances, Epilogue 2

In honor of publishing my popular Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction Second Chances as a novel, I've decided to release the new epilogue, both to drum up some hype and just as a thank you for all the readers of the original story. Maybe marketing-wise, I should have withheld it and made it exclusive to the book, but you all have been so awesome and supportive that I just couldn't do it. Thank you all again, and hope you enjoy ;)

For several years, Emma had had a question: just what were all these crates in the basement?

It was a simple question, yet she had always been scared to ask. But no longer! It was her fifteenth birthday tomorrow. She was plenty old enough to know.

“Hey, Em!” a voice hollered from upstairs. “Where are you?”

… Or, she could gather the courage to ask her dad now. “Basement!”

She heard the drum of footsteps as her dad came down the stairs. “We didn’t hide your presents down here this year, ya know.”

“Oh, I know,” she lamented. “Last time I found them, I was nine. I have no freaking clue where you’ve hidden them since.”

Her dad shot her a fingergun. “Exactly the point.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “However…”

That was all she got out before she hesitated.

No, no Emma. You’ve got this! “Question.”

“Shoot.”

She walked over to one of the many crates stacked up and drummed her fingers against the top of it. “I’ve always wanted to know what these are.”

Her father’s expression fell, which made her second guess asking.

Staring at the crates, he rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Em... you know how Mom was married before she married me?”

Although a rock settled in her gut, Emma nodded. She’d heard about it from Mimi and Papi. They’d shown her pictures of… well, technically, her step-mom, but Marinette would always just be “Mom” to Emma. And in those old pictures, there had been a red-headed guy that always seemed close to Mom. When Emma had asked, that’s when Mimi confessed Mom had been married beforehand, and that guy had been her late husband.

It was weird to think about, considering Marinette had been in Emma's life for almost as long as she could remember. It was a lot to wrap her mind around. Emma always felt guilty for being thankful that Mom came to marry Dad, so she just shoved it into the back of her mind every time so as not to think about it.

“Well,” Dad continued. “Her first husband was a painter. Those are all his paintings.”

With wide eyes, Emma looked over the crates. All the crates. They were all paintings?

“It’s been a while since they’ve been opened,” Dad continued. “I bet if you asked, Mom would be willing to show you.”

Emma hummed as she looked down at the crate in front of her. “Like… what kind of paintings are they? Do you know?”

He nodded. “They’re… they’re pretty cool. Saw them… dang, ten years ago now? Am I that old?”

“Yup.”

At her quick retort, her dad pantomimed being stabbed through the heart. “Oh, oww. Daughters are ruthless.”

Fighting a smile, Emma rolled her eyes. Her dad was so dramatic. It was so weird considering Grandfather and Grandmother were so… stoic. But then again, she hadn't ever met her biological grandmother—it was bizarre that all the women in her living family weren't related to her, but Emma just accepted it as her reality at this point—and she could have been where Dad got his theatrics.

That's when Mom’s voice echoed down the stairs. “Adrien? Are you down there?” 

“Oh, you’re home early,” Dad responded.

“Yeah. Managed to finish everything up in good time.”

“Hey, come down a moment? Emma’s got something to ask you.”

Emma pursed her lips. Dad was really going to put her on the spot, wasn't he?

The sound of footsteps down the stairs grew louder as Mom came into view. “What’s up, Em?”

Before she could ask, Dad gave Mom a quick kiss on the cheek, then he slipped up the stairs, Mom smiling at him all the while.

It was times like this that made it feel extra weird to think about Mom having a previous husband and Dad having a previous wife. To Emma, those were just her parents being her parents. The fact Mom wasn’t actually her mom and her mom was actually someone else Emma had never met was too strange to comprehend.

Slowly, as Mom realized what Emma was standing by, her smile faded.

For the second time today, Emma almost regretted asking, but she'd come this far. No turning back now. 

Wringing her hands together, Emma awkwardly motioned to the crates. “Dad said these are all paintings.”

With a bittersweet smile, Mom nodded. “Yeah. They’re from a long time ago.”

Emma shuffled her feet against the dingy carpet, trying to find the words to say. “Dad also said if I asked, you might let me see them?”

Mom’s breath caught, her eyes widening for a moment. But as she let out a sigh, her shoulders relaxed and she nodded. “Okay. I… it's been so long. I've been thinking about looking through them again. But I should get dinner on the stove, so—”

“I’ve got dinner and the boys!” Dad called down. “Bond with Emma.”

His words got both Emma and her mom to giggle, all previous tension easing away. 

“Well, I guess that settles that.” Mom then came forward toward the box Emma stood by. With a dazed fondness in her eyes, she rested her hands over the crate. Carefully, Mom took the lid off the crate, then began taking the paintings out one by one to show her. 

Dad had described them as cool, and as Emma looked over the pieces, she had to agree. They were like those paintings that would be in the old part of an art museum but with superheroes. All the while, Mom told Emma about the subjects of the paintings, most of them her friends from the past, and why they were painted the way they were.

Emma would say she found the most joy in the paintings of people she recognized. Auntie Alya, Uncle Nino, and even Miss Sabrina.

Then came one that made Emma… uncomfortable.

“This is your mom.”

As Emma stared at the painting of a blonde woman staring down from a throne of gold, she crossed her arms in front of her as an unsettling feeling twisted her gut. Because that woman there faintly reminded Emma of how she looked, but that woman also looked so haughty and arrogant that Emma felt herself shrinking under that sharp gaze. However, that wasn’t the most disconcerting thing.

She just couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that was her mom.

Certainly, she had seen pictures of her mom before, and there had been plenty of times her family commented that she looked quite a bit like her. But for Mom to say that woman was her mom…

Siding up to Mom, Emma wrapped her arms around her.

Though Mom tensed for a second, she gently set the picture down and wrapped her arms around Emma. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re my mom.”

Mom sighed, relaxing into the embrace before squeezing Emma tight. “I’m not officially your birth mother. I’m just the only mom you’ve known.”

“That’s okay with me.”

Mom didn't answer, but no words needed to be said as she continued to hug Emma.

“Thanks for being my mom.”

Pulling away from the embrace, Mom stroked Emma's hair, smiling all the while. “Thank you for being my daughter. I love you very much.”

“I love you, too.”

~~~

“Hey, Aunt Alya," Emma began over the bustle of the busy cafe. All these years, and she hadn't gotten tired of the food, but maybe that's because her grandparents' restaurant just tasted like home to her now. "You know how Mom has all those paintings in crates?”

Her aunt nodded. “Yeah. What about them?”

“It’s kinda weird they’re all in crates. Like, don’t artists put their stuff online to see? They’re just kinda… there.”

Aunt Alya hummed in understanding. “Back in the day, your mom was trying to get Nathaniel—er, your mom’s first husband—to show his stuff in a gallery. He could have done it.”

“Why didn’t he?”

She shrugged. “Beats me. I still think it’s a shame. It would be cool for those images to see the light of day. Especially to show off to all our friends. I bet they’d love to see them again.”

Absently, Emma stirred her soup as the gears in her mind turned. “Could you convince Mom to do it?”

Sandwich halfway to her mouth, Aunt Alya froze. “I don’t know," she said, setting it down. Slowly, a mischievous smile crept across her lips. "But… I have the sudden urge to be a really bad friend. Is your dad at work today?”

“No, he’s at home. Mom’s at work today.”

“Even better.”

~~~

Emma had never kept such a big secret from her mom. It was extremely difficult to keep her mouth shut, but considering just how many others were in on this secret, she was determined not to be the weak link in this chain.

Thankfully, that would end tonight. Dad had successfully dressed the family up, first by telling Mom that they were going to a surprise at a classy place tonight. Dad then managed to get Emma's younger brothers into matching button-down shirts and even clip-on ties, convincing them that doing so would make Mom happy. Emma had to admit that her little brothers, who were growing fast for being nine and seven, were adorable all dressed up.

Currently, they were driving through downtown, with Dad and Mom trying to find a parking spot.

“Just where are we going?” Mom wondered, looking around.

“I wanna know, too!” Hugo chimed in.

“You’ll find out soon, Bud,” Dad assured. “It’s something very special for Mom.”

“See, now I’m twice as curious," Mom muttered.

“It’s really cool, Mom,” Emma piped up. “I hope you like it.”

“Oh, so you’re in on this, too?” she asked, leveling a quizzical look at Emma.

Feeling the pressure, Emma struggled to keep her smile from faltering. “Yup. But don’t pressure me any more because I’m about to explode.”

“I’m not sure if that should make me happy or worried.”

“Happy,” Dad answered. “I have the feeling you’ll love it.”

They eventually managed to find a spot, then all disembarked to walk through the streets. Dad led the way, Hugo and Louis on either side of him. Mom followed behind with Emma at her side.

“Do I get a little hint?” Mom questioned.

“It’s somewhere close.”

Mom rolled her eyes, which, with an answer like that, Emma had fully expected.

After one more block, Dad stopped in front of a deceptively small shopfront. “We’re here.”

Emma bit her lip to temper her smile as she watched for her mom’s reaction. 

Mom's brow furrowed in confusion as she stared at the sign. “An art gallery?”

“We’re here to look at pictures?” Hugo lamented. Louis didn’t seem too keen on the idea, either.

“Yes, but they’re very special pictures that your mom loves.”

Which only served to confuse Mom more.

If they didn’t get inside soon, Emma felt like she might burst. As it was, she was already bouncing on her toes like they were springs.

That’s when Uncle Nino came to the door, pushing it open before Dad could open it. “Are you going to stand there forever?” he asked.

Mom’s eyes narrowed at him. “You’re in on this, too?”

“For sure,” he said with a beaming grin. “Actually, I’m the one who made it happen, so if anyone dies tonight, it’s me.”

Mom's gaze somehow grew sharper as she placed her hands on her hips, and the summer evening suddenly carried a chill. “What did you do?” she growled.

“Only something that should have been done a long time ago.” With that, Uncle Nino grabbed Mom’s hands and pulled her inside.

Chuckling, Dad pushed Hugo and Louis inside after Mom. Then he motioned for Emma to head inside, and they shared a subtle fist pound as she passed by him.

“Oh, you are kidding me!”

Her mom’s cry might have been heard outside even with the door shut. She whipped around to face Emma and Dad, her hands over her mouth while tears began forming in her wide eyes.

Dad grinned as he approached her and wrapped her up in a hug. “Pretty cool, isn’t it?”

“They’re superheroes!” Louis cried, pointing at the paintings.

“Cool!” Hugo agreed. And just like that, they scampered towards the closest painting to marvel over it.

Which was great because Mom was currently crying, and Emma knew her brothers would freak if they saw.

“You okay?” Dad whispered, rubbing her mom’s shoulders.

Silently, she nodded as she looked over the room, taking in all the artwork that had been framed and hung on display.

Uncle Nino rubbed Mom’s back in support, too. As much as Emma wanted to give Mom a hug, she would wait her turn and keep an eye on the boys. Not that they needed her to keep an eye on them seeing as Aunt Alya was doing just that.

“Do you like it?” Emma tentatively asked.

Nodding, her mom stepped up to Emma with open arms, and Emma gladly hugged her back.

“You helped?” Mom asked, voice warbly with tears.

“I… kinda started Aunt Alya on the idea trail that lead to it,” she admitted.

Her mom chuckled. “Thank you.”

With those two little words, all the worry Emma had stuffed away for weeks on end disappeared.

As her mom pulled away, she looked over the gallery again. “I cannot believe you pulled this off under my nose.”

“It was a challenge,” Dad said, “but I thought it was a great idea. I had Father and Nathalie stall you long enough to sneak the boxes out of the house.”

Mom huffed, tossing her head back as she rolled her eyes. “Is there anyone who wasn’t in on it?”

“The boys,” Dad returned.

“So my parents were in on it, too?”

“Yeah,” Uncle Nino confirmed. “They helped send out all the invitations for the event.”

At that, her mom’s expression pinched with confusion as she glared at Uncle Nino. “What invitations?”

“The ones inviting all our school friends to this showing.”

Blinking in shock, Mom’s jaw hung open, no words coming out.

Chuckling, he gave her shoulder a bump with his fist. “Better pull it together because we have a full house tonight.”

It took a moment for Mom to form a response. "I. Cannot. Believe. You."

Uncle Nino just grinned like a fiend. "You are so welcome."

Over the next twenty minutes or so, a barrage of Mom’s old friends entered the gallery. Mom had to introduce many of them to Dad and Emma, who had stayed close by. Louis and Hugo were now being attended to by Mimi and Papi, who had promised to take them out around town later to keep them entertained for the evening. If Emma had to guess, they'd do so after the official introduction she and Uncle Nino had planned.

“Can I have your attention, please?”

Standing on a small platform in the middle of the now crowded gallery, Uncle Nino started speaking, and Emma took it as her cue to join him. She weaseled her way through the crowd to hop up on the platform right beside him. Only then did he start his speech.

“Thank you all for coming tonight. I see many familiar faces here, so while I doubt I need to introduce myself, I will anyway. I’m Nino, organizer of this event and a friend of the late Nathaniel Kurtzburg.”

“I, on the other hand,” Emma began, looking over the crowd, “should introduce myself because I do not recognize many of the faces here tonight.”

At that, a chuckle rumbled through the crowd.

“My name is Emma, co-organizer of this wonderful event. Sadly, I never got the chance to meet Mr. Kurtzburg, but he is the late husband of my stepmom, for whom we organized this event tonight.”

As Emma motioned towards her mom in the crowd, Mom returned her smile, laying a hand over her heart while the crowd around her cheered.

“We are so happy to have you all here this evening,” Nino spoke. “Thank you for coming, and we hope you enjoy this showing of the late Nathaniel Kurtzburg incredible paintings, ones that portray many people in attendance now in a more fantastical reality and likely evoke memories of the past.”

“For those who, like me, are new to these works,” Emma continued. “We hope that you will be able to admire the artistic ability and unique vision of an incredible artist. Each piece holds its own unique story, and we wish to share those with you. There are a couple people throughout the room who will all be wearing special lanyards—” At this, she lifted up the colorful lanyard around her neck with an artist palette charm on the bottom. Nino waved his around as well. “—that are ready and able to explain the art in further detail, so please feel free to ask.”

“Thank you again for coming,” Nino concluded. “We hope you’ll enjoy the exhibit.”

The crowd applauded as they stepped off their platform.

“Good job,” Uncle Nino whispered.

“Thanks,” Emma returned.

After giving Emma a pat on the back, he removed the small platform from the floor, setting it out of the way of guests. Emma, for her part, returned to her parents.

Her mom was misty-eyed but smiling proudly. “You did a great job.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“One question, though.”

“Yeah?”

She pointed to the lanyard around Emma's neck. “Do I get one of those lanyards?”

In response, Dad pulled one from his pants pocket to hand to her.

Shooting him a smile, she took it. “Good grief, it would be downright embarrassing if I couldn’t speak the most on these.”

Watching her mom sling the lanyard around her neck, Emma couldn’t help but be relieved. She’d been worried Mom might be overwhelmed tonight, but instead, Mom seemed eager to join. “We wanted to get your opinions on each piece so we could be better prepared, but spoiling the surprise was out of the question.”

Placing her hands on her hips, Mom shook her head at Emma, but she couldn't completely hide her smile. “What am I going to do with you?”

There was no need to answer that question with anything other than a smile and a shrug.

That’s when Mimi and Papi appeared. “We’ll take Hugo and Louis out for a treat so they don’t get antsy,” Mimi said. “And if the event runs late, we’ll take them home. They can have a sleepover.”

“Sleepover!” the boys shouted, throwing their fists in the air.

Papi laughed. “Or we can just call it now.”

“Thanks, Papa,” Mom said, giving him a side hug.

“No prob, Sweetie. We’re always glad to take them. We figured we’d let you enjoy the night.”

“By the way,” Mimi added, grinning as she pointed behind them. “Did you see who’s here?”

Mom looked over to where Mimi was pointing, only for her to gasp and flail her hands. “Oh my gosh. Okay, excuse me! Bye, love you!” With that, she scampered off.

Mimi chuckled. “Nathaniel’s parents,” she quietly explained.

Dad just nodded in understanding. “Thought I recognized them.”

Emma, who had been looking the direction that Mom took off in, turned back to Dad in confusion. “You know them?”

"I got to meet them on a couple of occasions," he easily answered. "They’re very nice people.”

It seemed a little weird to Emma that Dad would know them, but Emma just shook it off as something she didn’t understand.

“Emma.”

At Papi calling her name, she turned towards him.

With a beaming smile, he gave her shoulder an encouraging pat. “You did a great job helping and hosting tonight.”

Next to him, Mimi smiled. “Agreed. You did a wonderful job.”

Emma felt herself preen under the praise. “Thank you, but seeing as I am one of the hosts, I suppose I should be walking around.”

“You’ll do great,” Mimi encouraged. “Did you learn about the pictures from Nino?”

From a pocket in her dress—Mom had thought of everything when she had made it for her last year—Emma pulled out a little notebook. “Yup. I’ve memorized everything. And I have even more written down here in case of an emergency.”

“Someone was very well prepared,” Dad commented.

“We can tell,” Mimi agreed. “Well, then best of luck. Have fun tonight. We’ll take the boys.”

“Thanks, Sabine,” Dad said. “Really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” she said.

After waving goodbye to her grandparents, Emma started walking around the gallery, watching as people observed and chatted about the artwork with various expressions.

Throughout the night, she got to meet a ton of people. Some asked her about the paintings, but many of them were more informed than she was. She even had the honor of meeting several of the subjects of the paintings, including the cupid, the clocktower girl, the stone monster, and the alien hunter. They were all so kind to her, gladly telling her about the paintings and the stories behind them in more detail than she knew. While thrilled and honored to learn so much, it made her feel even more conflicted towards the artist of the night. It was hard to rationalize how happy she was that Mom had become her mom when the cost was that someone so kind and creative had to leave this world.

It was a heavy topic to put on the heart of a fifteen-year-old girl.

Nevertheless, Emma made it through the night with a smile. As the gallery began to empty, she found herself continually drawn to one piece in particular. There, in black and gold, sat a rendition of her mother, a woman that had been hated by most of the people Emma had met tonight. Yet, despite so many knowing Emma was this woman’s daughter, they never treated her with anything other than genuine kindness.

“What are you thinking about?”

Emma turned to see Miss Sabrina siding up next to her. Unsure how to answer, she shrugged and turned back to the painting.

With a sigh of understanding, Sabrina turned back to the painting as well. “It’s a little odd for me to see. I hadn’t realized Nathaniel had painted her picture considering… everything.”

The ball of lead in Emma's gut only grew. “Was… er... my biological mother that mean?”

Sabrina cringed. “I wish I could lie, but I’ll be truthful with you. I'm ashamed to admit I wasn’t much better.”

Which only made things more strange to Emma. To her, Miss Sabrina had been nothing but kind. Awkward, sure, but kind all the same. 

Biting her lip, Emma looked back at the picture. It felt… wrong to ask so many of the questions she had. But then again, Sabrina had always been honest and patient. “Do you think I would have been like that, too?" Emma hesitantly asked. "If she hadn’t died?”

Sabrina paused, her lips pursed in thought. “I can’t say,” she finally answered. “Who knows what Chloe would have been like had she not passed, or how you would have been raised. I might have been her close friend, but I can’t speak for her or how she would have changed after you were born. I don’t want to make assumptions just to give you an answer, but beyond that, there’s no point to that answer. We can’t change the past. We can only live on in its wake. Speculation will only lead you down dark paths. I would know.”

The sadness in Sabrina’s tone hung heavily in the air. So heavily that Emma almost didn’t want to ask the next question. But the weight in her heart was heavier than that of the silence. “Is it mean… to be glad she died so I can have Mom?”

The bluntness of the question caught Sabrina off-guard, but ultimately, she shook her head. “I’m going to guess you’re not glad she died, per se. You’re just thankful to have Marinette as your mom?”

Emma nodded.

“It’s not mean,” Sabrina assured. “Your life just happened to turn out this way, and you’re thankful for it. Yes, sad things happened to get to this point, but it’s not wrong to be thankful for what you have now. If those sad things never happened, you never would have known this life. You would have lived your other life believing that was just the way things were. I highly doubt you ever would have wished for your mom—that is, Chloe—to die in that hypothetical life. Nor would you have ever wished for Marinette’s husband to die. Being thankful for how your life turned out is not the same as being happy about the tragedies that happened that led to your life being the way it is.”

Paired with Sabrina’s encouraging smile, her words brought a sense of peace to Emma’s stormy mind. The weight on her heart eased with it. Not all the way, but enough to relieve the suffocation.

“If you want a piece of unsolicited advice,” Sabrina continued. “I’d do what I could to escape the ‘what if?’ rabbit hole as soon as you can. It’s a heavy weight to put on anyone. That might sound like some flippant life advice from an adult, but it’s a lesson I wish I could have learned sooner.”

Those words somehow held both sadness and hope, and they stuck to Emma’s heart. “Even if you feel guilty for shoving those thoughts away because they’re too confusing?”

“It’s not always bad to shove away feelings like that. It's admirable to face your feelings head-on, but deciding not to engage in a downward spiral is something most adults still need to learn. So don’t feel guilty. I’d say let that weight go and learn how to love what you have. Maybe it deserves so much love because of the cost it came at.”

Nodding, Emma turned back to the painting of her mother. Suddenly, it didn’t feel so intimidating to look at, nor was the storm in her mind as dark as it had been. “Thanks, Miss Sabrina.”

She smiled. “I can’t speak for Chloe, but I can speak for me. I’m quite proud of the woman I see you becoming. I hope you continue to grow up as wonderfully as you are.”

Bashfully, Emma bit back a grin. “Thanks.”

“Emma,” Mom called as she approached. “It’s time to head out.”

Briefly looking around, Emma realized there were only a few stragglers left in the gallery, and they were all making their way toward the door. “Oh.”

“What’s got you so lost in thought?” Mom asked, glancing at the painting of Chloe.

Before she could answer, Emma felt a little pat on her shoulder. Turning to the side, she saw Sabrina give her a smile and a wink. “I’ll head out, now. Thanks for all your hard work, Emma. You did a great job.”

Emma beamed. “Thanks, Miss Sabrina. I’ll see you later.”

“See you. You have a good evening, too,” Sabrina said, smiling at Mom.

Mom returned the gesture. "You, too."

With that, Sabrina headed towards the door, only to get stopped by Dad for a short conversation of their own.

Turning back to Mom, Emma smiled, but when she couldn't find anything to say, she gave her mom a hug.

Mom accepted it easily.

“Thanks for being my mom," Emma said. 

“Of course. What brought that on?”

“Nothing,” she dismissed. “Just… thankful to have you.”

With a sigh, Mom squeezed her tight. “I’m thankful for you, too.”

“Best mom in the whole wide world.”

Mom giggled. “Best daughter in the whole wide world.”

[pimento-playing-hopscotch]

Work In Progress Wednesday

There's still two and a half hours left in Wednesday, so this counts... I posted this earlier but now I've been tagged so I wanted to officially post it, post it... basically I'm the B99 meme, changed to- "you posted that already- and I will post it again!"

Thank you to @kiloskywalker for the tag, and anyone who reads this and puts up with my ramblings- you're the most, you really are

This is from my Owen and Gwyn have another kid, TK has a little sister fic- this is further down the road from where the story is currently but I've had this scene kicking around my head since I rewatched the episode (you can probably guess which one)

2017 -

Sophie stood frozen in the open doorway. From the telltale purse on the counter, she knew that her mom had beat her home. But that wasn’t as surprising as the fact that the voice she could hear was a male voice, and definitely not Enzo’s. “Do you think this has been going on since the accident?” Sophie heard her father say. “It’s crossed my mind,” she heard her mother answer. “I know one of the guys he met in grief therapy was arrested for dealing”. “How did you know that?” Owen asked. “That’s the part you want to focus on?” Gwyn replied. “No,” Owen answered. “But I talked to him when that happened. He told me that he was fine”. “Owen”. Sophie was always amazed at how many emotions her mother could pack into one word. “Owen, our son is struggling with battling addiction for the third time in his life. You don’t think that maybe, he lied to you?” There was a long pause after that. Sophie took another step into the apartment but she kept her hand on the door; she knew her parents wouldn’t keep having this conversation if they knew she could hear. Finally, Sophie heard her mother say, “Is this you saying that you think I’m wrong?” “No”. Owen answered. “Because I don’t. But if you’re right, that means I’ve been sending someone on calls and putting people’s lives in the hands of someone who’s high off his ass”. More silence followed this. Sophie heard her dad say, “Do you want me to be there? When you tell him?” “No,” Gwyn answered. “I think I should tell him myself”. Sophie let go of the door. It slammed with a loud crack. The view of the dining table was a little obscured, but she could tell that both of her parents had turned around at the noise. “Soph, hi,” Gwyn said, going to greet her daughter. “I didn’t realize what time it was”. “I didn’t know you’d be home yet”. Sophie replied. “Dad, what are you doing here?” “Your mother needed me to sign for something”. He answered. “Sign for what?” Sophie asked. “Is this about TK?” “How much did you hear?” her mother asked her. “Enough”. Sophie said. “To know this has something to do with TK”. “It’s a grown up matter, Sophie,” her mother told her. “Well, then, it’s a good thing I’m eighteen,” Sophie said, dropping her bag on the floor with a thud. “Gwyneth”. Owen interjected. “She’s going to find out”. “Fine”. Gwyn sighed. “I needed your dad, or rather, your brother’s fire captain to sign this to approve your brother not being at work for thirty days while he is in rehab”. “Rehab?” Sophie repeated. “Like, rehab… rehab?” Sophie wasn’t a little kid; she knew that her brother had problems with addiction (she was the one who found his near-lifeless body on the roof alone when she was twelve years old). But packing him up and sending him to rehab; that was a first. “Exactly like rehab, rehab,” her mother answered. “I’m taking your brother to an inpatient facility in California tomorrow”. Sophie had a lot of questions, but knew she had to choose carefully. The window of information her mom would share with her willingly would close very soon. “Why California?” she asked. “Because it’s supposed to be the best”. Gwyn said quietly. “And I want this to be the last time we need to do this”. “Okay”. Sophie said. “Can I…” she wasn’t sure what to say. “What can I do?” “Actually go to school?” her mom said, reaching out and tucking a stray piece of hair back into her daughter’s braid. “Don’t give your dad any trouble? Enzo’s still helping his mom, you’re going to stay with your dad while I’m gone”. “And I have known you slightly longer than Enzo has,” Owen muttered. “You can’t help yourself, can you?” Gwyn sighed. “Sorry”. Owen said. “When are you going to tell him?” “I’m going to see if I can find him tonight”. Gwyn said. She looked back at Sophie. “Do you need anything else to go to your dad’s tonight?” “No”. Sophie shook her head. “Dad, don’t you work today?” “I switched my days off”. Owen answered. For the first time, Sophie noticed how tired both her parents looked.

***

No pressure tags: @dreamingofmickeywaffles, @lightningboltreader, @firstprince-history-huh, @ellena-asg, @reyestrandd, @statueinthestone and anyone else who wants to participate

[trash-monkey]

A Sunrise Is A New Day

Chapter 3

A new day starts with Eden's new forming habit of the pass few days of crying at the first sign of daylight as it seem she trying her best to become a rooster which caused Naoto to laugh when I told him the joke before we come into town and after I got her settled down with a bottle I start on fixing my own breakfast before hearing a wagon pulling up to the house only find it's Hinata with the other two after stepping out see who it is.

"Breakfast?" I gesture to what I had cooked but they shook their heads no.

"No but thank you, I'm here to inform you about things you'll need to know now that you're settled down...." She trails off after I had help her into Mother's rocking chair I put by the fireplace once she notice Emma walking in her working clothes of a button up plain colored shirt as dark brown pants cover her pants with brown suspenders laying comfortably on her shoulders while worn dirt dust covered working boots on her feet as a worn hat sits on her head but what caught my attention is the two small wire cages in her hands with a chicken each squawking.

"We bought these and a goat for you." Emma smiles at me when I thanked the two after taking ahold of the wire cages to set beside the door for now and follow her out to the wagon where a almost grown white goat is calling in the back.

"The mother clearly didn't want her as she won't let the little lady eat with her siblings so I had to feed her myself until she's got winged." Emma places the goat into my arms where I set it next a post to tie it to with the rope around its neck until I can build a pen for it before going back inside.

"Every Sunday the whole town gets together at lake Miyu to talk, gossip, and among other things." Hinata started talking after I fixed everyone some tea and got comfortable as Eden is laying in her rocking crib that's been move next to her.

"As you know Shin and Imaushi owns the Vallen supplies store in town which Shin is one of Emma older brothers, There's Mikey an Omega that a year older then her and there Draken another Omega though his been adopted into the family while his two years older. Now we have one doctor in the whole town which is a Beta named Tetta Kisaki and mated to Hanma Shuji an Alpha, there's one teacher for the school he's Mitsuya Takashi an Omega which reminds me that you should be careful around here as there's many unmated Omega living in the town as for some reason Alphas don't tend to come here much." I nod, having so many unmated Omegas in one small place isn't really a good thing for a unmated Alpha like me.

"There's Takemichi Hanagaki thought everyone calls him Takemitchy a very good friend of mine, he sews clothing for work with another Omega named Chifuyu Matsuno which he's mated to two Alphas Baji and Kazutro....." She continues on as we all sip on our teas and she plays with Eden while gently rocking her cradle until around late noon.

"I thinks it's time to get going, my love. We got things to finish before the days finished." Emma gives Hinata a kiss before helping her up and to the wagon with Naoto following behind.

"If it ok with you two, can you look after Eden until tomorrow at the gathering so I can get things settled with animals which I'm go thankful for!" I quickly asked once they're settled into their wagon.

"Of course, she's such a little sweet heart! You thinks it's ok?" Emma nods at her Omegas request since she doesn't want to cause her to have one of her mood swings, I go to retrieve little Eden and carefully hand her to Hinata.

"See you tomorrow!" I wave them bye, once they're out of view I roll up my sleeve and get to work on the pen for the goat which I decided to connect to the wall there since it doesn't have a window, using my Dad's old jackhammer I drive stake I had found in the small barn with some boards into the ground and lucky there's enough space in the barn for them to sleep in for nights with the horses. My shirt clangs to me with sweat after a few hours of working in the hot summer sun which I decided to take off my shirt at lunch and splash water on top of my head after taking a few sips before getting back to work. In the afternoon with at least two or three hours left of sunlight when I finally got the pen done to move the three animals in which I remember about the job opening at the mill.

"Shit" I cures before quickly putting back on my shirt and saddle up Warwick my all black male horse while Thane my other all black male horse calls after us as we leave into town.

"Oh, oh, oh" I mumbled as I pull Warwick to a stop outside the mill and jump off to quick tie the reins to the post to walk to the first person I see that finally up their work.

"Hello, I'm look for the owner?" Which they point me to a small office which I thanked them before walking in, an old man is sitting in a rocking chair while reading as he waits for he's workers to finish up so he can lock up and go home which he looks up when hearing the door opening to see me walking in.

"Hello sir, I heard you need a worker for the mill?" I bow my head slightly in respect for the older Alpha.

"Yeah, what you heard is true and I heard there is a new Alpha in town which that is you correct?" I nod at his question.

"Yes sir that's correct." I remind formal and respectful until the older Alpha says otherwise.

"Drop the sir and formality, son." He folds the newspaper and throws it onto the desk before getting up.

"I'm getting too old to care about that stuff anymore. Well, I'm Mansaku Sano but everyone in town calls me Grandpa Sano." He holds a hand out to shack which I did.

"You want the job?" He asked after sitting back down in his rocking chair and though he's an old Alpha I can clearly see he still stand tall and strong like he's still in his earlier years, I nod again.

"Yes, Hinata informed me about the job and the one at the blacksmith but Mr. Wakasa had said that one is already taken." The older man nods before looking me up and down.

"Just understand that I can get rid of you easily if you step out of line and I understand you got a kid to raise which I heard is the reason you moved here."

"Yes, you heard correct but I can let Hinata and Emma babysit her while I'm at work." He looks up at me.

"My granddaughter and her wife?" He gestures me to a wooden chair which I thanked him for and set down, I nod.

"Little Eden seems to have already taken their hearts as soon as we got here." He nods with a smile.

"Haha, Emma had told me that over lunch! I can see that the both of them will be great parents! Plus it was all that Draken and Mikey could talk about over supper after attending the usual Omega gatherings when they saw little Eden in Hinata arms!" I smiled at the imagine that appears in my mind of all the Omegas cooing over little Eden.

"Hey Grandpa....." Emma trails off when seeing me sitting in the office which she says a quick hello.

"Everything is finished and the last person just left, you ready?" Grandpa Sano stands from his seat one again and places his hat on his head, we all left the office so he can lock it up before following Emma to her wagon and got on which he turns to me.

"You got the job and the mill opens at 8 in the morning until four in the evening on Sunday,I suspect to see there." With that Emma snap the reins to get the horses into moving which I move to get onto mine and back to home but Imaushi flags me down before I could completely leave the town.

"Sorry if I'm bothering you but my wife wishes for you to stop by the house and pick one of the calves out of our lot as a home welcoming gift!" He calls from the stores poach which I nod and call by.

"Ok, I'll be there after getting my wagon!" I move on to the house to get Warwick and Thane hook to the wagon before making my way over to the larger Sano family which Hinata had told prior in case I need to go there for any reason, soon I see a medium size house with two levels to it as it's wooden roof is slanting on one side almost touching the ground as it over hangs the front door and the balcony of the second level as a stone chipney sticks out of the roof. I can also see a garden is siting in the front big enough to feed a nice size of a family while having extra on the side but my attention is taken by the person that had step out the front door and the one peeking around the frame, even from here I can tell the one on the porch is short with blond shoulder length hair as some of it sit in a small pony tail on top of their head wear a long blue dress that's cropped with ruffles and the one around the frame is quite tall but that's all I can tell anything else until my closer.

"Hello!" Shin waves once seeing who I am after the short one called into the house and watch as I pull the horses to a stop.

"Imaushi had told me to come over and said that you wanted me to pick a calf as a welcoming gift?" I questioned which he nods before turning to the house calling the two over.

"(Y/N), this is my younger brothers Mikey and Draken." Shin gestures to the two by his side, the short one I had seen from afar is Mikey and Draken is the taller on. He had long blond hair that's pulled back into a braid while the sides of his head are shaven with one side tattooed which isn't seen a lot on Omegas and wears the same dress as Mikey except it's green.

"You're the talk of the town!" Miley blurred out once I tip my hat to them after pulling the brakes on the wagon and hop off which Draken hissed at him before Shin calls my attention from around the back of the house which I jog over with the two behind me.

"Everyone is nice here! Hinata and Emma give me two chickens with a goat and now you want to give me a calf!" I expressed after Shin gestures over to four calves that have already been winged from their Mammas.

"Well, you have to start somewhere!" He lays a hand on my shoulder as I lean over the pen to look at the calves.

_______________________________________________

Who should be paired with the Omc?

[kraekat29]

Scream- Chapter One

That same night a different house was shown, one much bigger and fancier, clearly a rich family lived here.

John B climbed up and towards the window, watching his girlfriend Sage type away on her computer. 

He crept through the window, his foot getting stuck on the ledge and making him trip, falling inside her room.

Sage turned, letting out a surprised scream before relaxing, realizing it was was just John B. 

" what are you doing here? You know my dad will flip if he catches you in here" She scolded as she helped him up, brushing some dirt off of his shirt, he didn't get a chance to reply before her dad was knocking on her door, quickly ducking under her bed to hide.

" what's going on in there?" Her dad asked and Sage ran over to her door, making sure to keep it a crack, " nothing dad" she said and he gave her a skeptical look, " I heard screaming" he said, " no you didn't" she fired back. 

" alright.. well I'm gonna go to bed. Early trip." He said and she nodded, " night" she said before closing her bedroom door.

Sage sighed in relief as she turned around, spotting John B laying on her bed and playing with one of her stuffed animals.

" y'know it occurred to me I've never snuck through your window before" John B said with a smile, " oh really? Well you've got it out of your system now" Sage said, taking the stuffed animal and playfully swatting him with it. 

" so.. what did you really come here for?" She asked, " I was watching the exorcist, reminded me of you" he said and she grimaced.

" it was edited for tv.. got me thinking of us y'know? Two years ago we were R rated on our way to NC-17 but now.. it just feels like that, like we're edited for tv." He explained and Sage sighed, " you know why.." she mumbled. 

He sighed and sat up, pausing as she placed a gentle kiss on his lips, " care to settle for PG-13?" She teased and he smiled, " why the hell not?" He said and pulled her into another kiss.

His hand started to travel up her thigh, almost under her nightgown before she moved his hand away and sat up, " You should go.. before my dad catches you.." she said and pecked his lips.

John B stood and went over to the window, turning around as she tapped his shoulder- his eyes widening as she showed him her left boob before pulling the nightgown back up with a laugh.

" see ya tomorrow dork" she teased and closed her window, watching him fade away from view.

*********

The next morning there were news vans and reporters all around the school, Sage looking them over in confusion.

" howdy bitch!" Ruby said and looped her arm through hers, laying her head on her shoulder, " what's with all the reporters?" Sage asked, walking with her.

" no shit you didn't hear? Kiara and Steve were murdered last night- full on slasher style, Anna and Mike found them both, insides on the out." Ruby said and Sage grimaced, " oh god.." Sage muttered, feeling sick to her stomach.

Ruby continued to walk, "this is the most gruesome murder since well.." she trailed off and Sage nodded in understanding, glaring at the reporter.

Gale Weathers, total bitch who gets a thrill off of telling lies to the public, it's her only gain in life otherwise she'd be a total nobody.

Sage walked past her, the disgust evident on her face as she made her way into the school, Ruby trailing behind her and scrambling to butt her cigarette out before going in.

Everything was different, that was for certain.

Tag list🔪🩸: @cristina-t @lilac-fangirl @maze-runner1118

[drawing-way-outside-the-lines]

➖ Mature content, 18+ ➖ check the trigger tags each time ➖      

Chapter 37 - Caught in the rain. Episode 1.

------Andy's point of view-------

Andy: It was 24 hours before the wedding, and the past 2 days things had been weird in the house. Well not super weird like after Evan's dad walking in on us, but there were definitely a weirdness fog surrounding our house. And I was just about fed up with it. Yes, I get it. I was once straight too remember? I have been in the same position quite a few times, letting your guards down, cause you needed to. And then ending up feeling awkward about it afterwards. But it was 24hours count down for my re-wedding day, and I would prefer things would be a little less…. tense 24 hours from now… I had to do something since Congo and Evan seemed to mostly avoid contact. So, after a grocery run I had told them I didn't get enough beers for the wedding since it was too heavy, and convinced them both to join me for a second trip to the grocery store. What they didn't know was I had bought more than plenty beers, and they were all loaded on Congo's truck, but it was the perfect excuse for me to get them both out of the house, and execute my evil plan. It was dark, and just before closing time, so they started questioning my intentions as I suddenly made a detour, driving towards the beach instead. I was thankful when I 5 minutes later parked the car and got out of it, the air in the car was so tense, it nearly gave me a headache! Alright you two! Get out of the car! I glared at the both of them and smiled satisfied as they slowly got out I need you both to do me a favor… I looked at Evan who grunted softly and stuck his hands in his pockets

Congo: He looked at his watch and sighed softly Andy, it's getting late… we need to get going in order to make it to the store before they close.

Andy: Yeah, about that… follow me please! I started walking across the small parking lot and down onto the sand Guys! As I turned around I saw them both following up. As they reached me by the sand, they both looked at me suspiciously, so I decided to make a bail, and started padding my pockets Shit! I forgot my cigs! I'll just I pointed towards my car stay here! I turned around and started jogging towards the car

Evan: Andy!… you can have one of mine…

Andy: Nah, I'm good… As I reached the car and started it, I observed their faces, as they realised I was going to leave them there, and I can honestly say I was happy I was far away! Congo looked like he was about to give up, but Evan… Evan looked like he was either gonna burst out crying… or strangle me. I drove close to them and rolled down my window, yelling at them in a teasing voice Ey! You two patch this shit up! Or you're both uninvited for my wedding tomorrow! I'll pick you up in 30 minutes, that should be enough to swallow your pride! I snickered as I drove off, watching them in the mirror, turning smaller and smaller as they stood there in disbelief, observing my car drive away. I gotta say, it kinda felt good… but I also felt shitty for leaving them there. But something had to be done!

------Congo's point of view--------

Congo: I sighed deep as I could no longer see the car and half smiled at Evan I'll take one of those cigs if you're still offering?

Evan: He shook his head softly, grabbed his cigs from his jeans pocket and handed me one, lighting one himself

Congo: There's a bench over there I pointed about 12-14 meters ahead of us Let's sit down at least?

Evan: He nodded softly but tried his best to avoid eye contact

Congo: As we had been sitting on the bench for about 5 minutes, trapped in dead silence, I cleared my throat and spoke in a lowered warm voice, keeping my eyes firmly planted on the sea Evan… I… I know I said we could pretend it never happened, and we never had to speak about it… but… I think it's safe to say things has gotten tense between us, and I'm pretty sure that's why we got ditched here. I only did what I did to try to help you, I hope you know that. I assumed it was what you wanted at that given moment, and I just wanna be clear, for me it has not changed a single thing between us. I do not expect more from you, it was a casual stress relief, nothing less, nothing more. At least from my side. I was just trying my best to help.

Evan: 5 minutes went, and still he said nothing, I felt like the silence was so thick I could almost taste it

Congo: I looked up at the sky as a lightning pierced the darkness, followed by a loud roaring thunder. And then… rain! It was as if the ocean had become the sky, and decided to leak! In a matter of seconds we were soaked! I looked around us, desperately trying to find somewhere we could take cover from the rain, and sighed relieved as I saw one of those life guard houses lifted from the ground on wooden beams. We could easily stand tall under it, so I pointed towards it and yelled at Evan There!! Over there!!! The life guard house!!!

Evan: WHAT???

Congo: The life guard house!!

Evan: I can't see!! I got fucking eyeliner in my eyes!! GOD!!! It stings!!!

Congo: I turned my head and looked at him, he was all black around and under his eyes, black lines travelling down his wet cheeks. He looked like a mess, and he kept blinking his clearly stinging eyes Come here! Without further notice I grabbed his hand tight and started running fast, dragging him after me, chuckling warmly as we few seconds later reached the shelter under the small wooden house. I gasped for air a few times and turned around to look at Evan Are you okay?

Evan: His eyes was barely open at this point, and he sighed from pain Not exactly… ahh! He frowned lightly and grunted

Congo: Come here I smiled softly and grabbed a pack of paper tissues from my jeans pocket, sighing relieved as I saw they were still dry Alright… lean your head backwards please, and try to open your eyes as much as possible.

Evan: He grunted softly and did as I said. His eyes were very red as I looked into them

Congo: Alright… hold still… I gently dried the soft papers under his eyes, trying my best to get the worst of the black mess off, without touching his sore eyes too much. Once I was done I repeated process on the eyelids and around the eye area, smiling softly as I was done There… that should help… hopefully. I gazed into his brown eyes, I never fully noticed the outer circle of his iris being THAT green… but here, up close, even in the darkness I could definitely see a nice forest green color. I smiled softly as I noticed I was starring Are you better now?

Evan: He nodded softly Yeah…

Congo: I chuckled softly as I removed a wet strand of hair from his cheek We're soaked!

Evan: He nodded agreeing and stuck his hands in his pockets I'm fucking freezing!!

Congo: I looked at him a bit hesitant Maybe I shouldn't?

Evan: He looked at me with no certain expression

Congo: I sighed softly… well here goes nothing, I guess.. I planted a firm hand on his shoulder, dragging him closer to me, and as he was only few cm's away from me, I wrapped my arms tight around him, dragging him close to my body. I sighed relieved as he didn't struggle, but instead buried his face at my neck. We stood there about 10 minutes before I spoke in a lowered voice How are you?

Evan: He sighed deeply Not good.

Congo: I gently rubbed his back a bit Still freezing, or is there more?

Evan: Both…

Congo: Is there something I can do?

Evan: He shook her head lightly No… I'm sorry I'm acting weird. I do remember everything….I don't regret, it's not like that at all… I just… I don't understand. I don't have feelings for you…. I'm not gay…. I just….

Congo: I squeezed him a bit tighter

Evan: I have had casual sex with females before… or casual handjobs…. uh…. he grunted softly I just can't figure this out since you're a guy. he paused a bit and I could feel him shiver from the cold Where do we go from here?

Congo: I sighed softly First of, we didn't have sex…. so don't think of it like that… it might be easier to swallow if you see it as me and Andy simply helped you relax. That's all. Yes, I touched you… in a sexual way… but there were no body fluids exchanged in the process. It was more an extension of my hug so to speak. You needed more than a hug…. so I provided you with what you needed. You and I are still on the same page, don't worry. You and Andy are a couple, me and Andy are a couple… and you and I are family, right?

Evan: He nodded softly

Congo: I squeezed him a bit again Are we okay then?

Evan: Yeah… thank you.

Congo: I chuckled warmly No need to thank me. If we don't fix this, he might just leave us here the whole night! Speaking of, he should be here by now… I looked at my watch… yeah, he should have been here 5 minutes ago. I looked out on the rain, hoping he was okay. I would be hard to drive in this much rain, even for a skilled driver like Andy.

Evan: He looked up at me with worried eyes You think he's okay?

Congo: Yeah… just relax, he will be here any minute now, I'm sure.

Evan: I felt him starting to shake more

Congo: Evan… you need to relax. Take a deep breath, please.

Evan: I can't! I feel like he let go of me and backed a few meters I feel like I can't breathe! What if something happened to him? Should we go after him?

Congo: Evan… first of we don't know where he went, so it wouldn't make sense to go after him… secondly if we leave, he can't find us when he shows up, and it will all end in a mess. You have to try to calm yourself down, please. I took a few steps forwards and planted my hands on his shoulders, squeezing them gently Breathe…. just breathe.

Evan: I can't!

Congo: Evan… listen to me, please. You're having a panic attack, I know this from Andy. There's nothing wrong with you, and you can breathe just fine. Just calm down, okay? Trust me.

Evan: I can't! I can't! His legs started shaking as he started sobbing, and he lowered himself to sit on the sand, sobbing so much his whole body followed up on the shaking

Congo: Evan… please…

Evan: I can't breathe! Fuck!! I don't wanna die! Please!! I looked into his terrified eyes

Congo: Come here I sat down next to him, wrapping my arms and legs tight around him, rubbing his back in a soothing way Everything is gonna be okay, I promise you sweety… everything will be okay. Just let it all out.

Evan: He sobbed loudly and pressed himself hard against me, as if he wanted to hide from whatever he was scared of

Congo: Shhh shhh, I got you… I got you…

Evan: Please don't let go!

Congo: I won't… I promise… I wont. We sat there about 2 minutes before I spotted the car lights as Andy parked the car and honked his horn a few times Alright… that's our ride. Let's go home, huh?

Evan: As I got no answer beside a soft sniffling from his nose, I slowly stood up, lifting him along the way, wrapping his legs around my waist, and started a slow run towards the car, smiling softly as Andy got out from the passenger seat to open the back door for us

Andy: I'm fucking sorry! I lost track of time!

Congo: It's alright sweetheart… we're okay! I quickly lifted Evan in on the back seat and jumped in next to him, slamming the door after me, smiling softly as Andy got in on the other side of Evan, then took a look at the front seat where Gaby was sitting behind the wheel Oh… so you're the driver?

Gaby: Nodded in the mirror Good evening guys! Yeah, I needed a car, and George weren't home. So I called you, but there were no reception… So I tried Andy and got a hold of him. As he picked me up it started raining, so we had to do my business a bit slower than intended… and suddenly time flew by. I apologize… hope you weren't too worried?

Congo: I smiled warmly We will manage, Gabriella… don't worry.

Andy: Wrapped a blanket around Evan's shoulders and looked at me with an apologizing smile There's only one in my car..

Congo: It's alright sweetheart… my body heat is higher, I will be fine on the short drive.

Evan: His teeth were clapping, and his whole body was trembling like leaves in the wind

Congo: I wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and so did Andy Alright, let's get you home!

Gaby: Is he okay?

Congo: Yeah I smiled at her softly in the mirror a panic attack, nothing we can't handle.

Gaby: She nodded at me with a cheeky smile You know, sex is a brilliant way to lose tension. Maybe one of you should give him a blowjob?

Andy: Bit his lips Gaby! Not the right time to give sexual advice! He moaned softly, and I could see he was cursing on the inside

Congo: I chuckled softly and smiled at the sexologist in the mirror as she shook her head

Gaby: Just pretend I'm not here. I won't look, I promise. She chuckled softly, started the car, and after orientating herself a bit in the rain, she started driving slowly It will take a while guys… the rain is getting stronger, I can barely see where I am driving. So… you have plenty time to loosen up back there… she chuckled softly as I sent her a soft glare in the mirror Alright, I'll stop teasing. She turned on the radio, and started tabbing her long nails on the starring wheel at the rhythm of the song

Andy: He looked at me with a worried smile Are you okay?

Congo: I nodded softly I'm fine, please don't worry about me.

Andy: He nodded and looked at Evan, observing him with a worried frown on his forehead How are you?

Evan: Shook his head and looked most of all like a scared mouse, hunted by a cat

Andy: He's really tense again…

Gaby: I'm not saying anything….

Andy: Look at her with a deep frown, then looked at me hesitating Well, it wouldn't be bad to get him out of the wet clothes soon! Gaby, how long will it take before were home?

Gaby: Looked out the side window I can barely see the road Andy, and it will only get worse as we hit the mountain… So I would say at least 15 minutes!

[fifteenleads]

The Proposition

Based on this tweet by Stewart Clarke.

Prequel side story to Happier Ever After.

-

“Unco Dion, faster, faster!”

“Kihel wants to go faster?” Dion doesn’t wait for Kihel’s reply before pushing the stroller a little more forcefully, lengthening his strides as he did. They don’t really speed up but it‘s enough for Kihel to feel the wind on her face, giggling as she did.

Dion smiles. In truth, taking care of Kihel’s a rare treat he gets to do on his days off work. His housekeeper Ethel would sometimes leave her granddaughter in his care when she had to visit her doctor, apologizing profusely every time as she did. She never really needs to; it‘s a small thing compared to all she‘s done for him and his family to this day.

She would often ask Dion when he’d finally settle down. “I’m not growing any younger, my boy. I need to see you and Terence kiss on the altar before I die.”

“Please don’t joke like that, Aunt Ethel. You and Kihel will be invited for sure when it happens.” They’ve had this conversation at least once a month now, it’s making Dion consider if he should make the first move instead.

Dion’s phone vibrates in his pocket, at the same time his wireless headset informs him of an incoming call. He slows down and parks the stroller beside an empty driveway. “Hey, Phoenix. What’s up?”

“Shin Kamen Rider Day!” Joshua’s definitely jumping around somewhere, if all that stomping accompanying his excitement is of any indication. There are also kids squealing the same thing in the background, so he probably found out about it from his students after class. The two of them have been following tokusatsu shows since they were children, an interest they picked up from Joshua’s dad, Elwin.

Apparently Prime Video’s picking up this season, and it was coming out today. Dion had forgotten. “Nice! Are you watching tonight?”

“Sadly not,” Joshua’s mood immediately deflates at the question. “There’s a faculty meeting tonight for the school sportsfest. Maybe tomorrow?”

“I see. Good luck with that,” Dion says. They catch up on a few more things before Joshua excuses himself for his next class. Kihel’s getting antsy from waiting, so Dion quickly dials another number before getting back on the roadside.

Terence picks up after a couple of rings. “Hello, love. You rarely call during work hours.”

“I’m off today, silly. Are you on break?”

“Just for a few minutes. What is it?”

Dion proceeds to tell Terence about what he’d learned from Joshua. “I’m thinking we should sit down and watch Kamen Rider on Prime Video tonight,” he offers earnestly, speeding up a little again. “Joshua said we could watch ahead of him, but no spoilers in the group chat.”

“Oh, okay,” Terence agrees. “Can’t help it if he has work. I’m free tonight, actually. Does seven PM work for you?”

“Sure, Ethel’s already picked up Kihel by then.” Dion thinks to himself for a while then adds, “You could bring refreshments.”

Terence immediately chokes on whatever he’s drinking at Dion’s statement, and if he guessed right, would also be blushing to the tips of his ears in full view of his officemates. Bingo.

“R-Right, I’ll take care of that. See you?” There’s a hint of breathlessness now in Terence’s voice, and Dion knows his boyfriend totally gets it. “Yeah. See you.”

The call ends right then, and Dion grins to himself excitedly. Kihel is giggling again, none the wiser to the proposition that had just happened. Oh, to be young and wild and happy—and hopefully engaged by the end of tonight, if he had anything to say about it.

[wowowwild]

Clay and his best friend spend a long weekend in seventh grade camping in the mountains. Some things change, and some things never will.

This is the bag-verse (a regretfully non aa6 inclusive au) Apollo name origin story. He starts off the fic as going by Jason so that's what that's about.

I had the concept for this already but decided to actually write it in time for Claypollo day! (This is way pre-ship but bag-verse is going to include plenty of claypollo in the pollycule.)

Seventh grade was a breeze for Clay Terran. The only problem he had was that his last period was not shared with his best friend, so he’d have to find him everyday after school. Luckily, that wasn’t hard since he was always wearing bright red and easy to pick from the crowd.

"Jason! Jace, did you see what they're doing in Miss Trawley's class?" "With the bugs?" "Yeah! I heard Jessica puked on sight." "That sucks. They probably should have asked if anyone had any aversions beforehand." Clay laughed. "Totally. I'll bet her parents will get her excused from the rest of it, so she'll probably be in our class during science. You know what that means…" he wiggled his eyebrows. "No?" "Dude, she totally has a crush on you!" "She doesn't know me, how can she have a crush on me?" "She thinks you're cute, duh." "I'm not cute…" he grumbled. "You're not really into girls, are you?" "I don't know. I don't have time." "And what are you so busy doing?" "I have to catch up on Case Closed and do the history report." "In that order?" "... Maybe." "Such a slacker." "It's not due for another two weeks! And I know you won't start yours until 3 days before." "History just doesn't do it for me like it does for you. I'm a science guy." "Maybe you can show Jessica how much of a science guy you are when she joins us." "Maybe I will. I think I'd rather get Freddy's attention." "You're too much." "I think I'm the perfect amount." "You would." "You're still coming with my dad and I tomorrow, right?" "Yeah. My moms' said it was cool." "You're going to love it! You can see the stars so well up there. You'd never know from down here that there are so many. We're going to bring the telescope, too. I'll show you Ceres." "And you're sure there won't be other people there?" "There never have been. It's our secret spot." "Good. I know you guys don't care but…" "But you care. And that's fine." "Yeah."

Clay did not envy his friend. Being born all wrong had to be hard.

-----------

It was a long weekend, and long weekends for Clay were spent in the mountains with his dad. His mom had loved the views and being in nature, so they made sure to keep going. It’s what she would have wanted.

They picked Jason up early so they’d have plenty of time to hike to their spot and set up.

“Hey, kiddo. You’re going by Jason, now, right?” “Yes.” “Sounds good. Alex didn’t really suit you anyway.” “That’s what I thought, too.” “Got everything you need?” “I do.” “Great, I think Clay fell asleep, but you can wake him up when you get in.” “Thank you, Mr. Teran.” “No problem, kiddo.”

When Jason hopped in the car he decided not to disturb Clay. He knew his friend wouldn’t mind, but he had some scenic thinking to do first. Once they were on the road it didn’t take long for Clay to wake up with a yawn and a stretch.

“Hey, Jace. Are you ready for the best long weekend ever?” “Yeah, I’m excited to see the stars.” That had been Clay’s main selling point. Whenever he talked about space, Jason couldn’t help but listen. “They’re so bright out there, you can see so many constellations, I’ll point them all out to you.”

They chatted brightly, pausing only to eat, until they reached the base of the mountain.

“Alright, kiddos! Are we ready to go?” “Yeah, let’s go!” Clay cheered. Jason always joined in when his friend got rowdy. “Yeah!” Mr. Terran chuckled. “Alright then, don’t let this old man stop you.” “You’re not old, Mr. Terran. You’re 33. You probably have double what you’ve lived so far left, so that’s pretty young.” “Thanks, Jason, but I’ll let you in on a secret.” “Really?” “Being old is a mindset,” Mr. Terran and Clay said at the same time, though Clay’s tone was significantly more sarcastic. “So you’re old at 33?” “Mom said he was old at 15.” “I was! So don’t be afraid to be old. Now let’s be off, we’re burning daylight!”

It took a couple hours to get up to where they would be camping, mostly because Clay insisted on showing Jason all the best views and Jaason kept spotting little critters the others would have missed. By the fifth salamander Clay was already begging his dad to bring Jason with them more often. Up at the camp site, they still had plenty of time after they set up their two tents.

“Alright, kiddos, let’s eat lunch and then you two can explore while I get things ready for the fire tonight.” “Ok, dad. Jason, when we’re done, I’ve got to show you the clearing. There are lots of rocks to climb and sometimes deer wander in.” “Ok! That sounds like fun.”

The clearing was pretty big and there were lots of rocks as promised surrounded by a few patches of grass and wildflowers.

“C’mon, Jace! Let’s climb that one!” “That one’s kinda big, Clay.” “Exactly! It’ll give us a great view.”

Clay began scrambling up the rock and Jason tried to follow.

“Clay, are you sure this is ok?” “Course, Jace! Need help?” “N-no, I’ve got it.”

He did manage to get up to the top where there was a flat part. Clay was standing, but Jason chose to sit. It was a bit high up…

“This is my favorite place to see the stars from. We should come back here during the summer. A bit before my birthday, meteor showers come through.” “That’s cool. I’ve never seen any before.”

Clay wasn’t as perceptive as his friend, but he could tell when something was eating at him.

“What’s up?” “I just don’t know if my mom’s will want to keep me that long, so I don’t know where I’ll be. They’re only fostering me for a little while.” “Wherever you are we’ll come get you. You know my email and my dad’s so we can talk even if we can’t see each other all the time like we do now.” “You’ll forget about me after a bit. They always do.” “Well I’m not like the other ones. I’m not letting you go, ever.” “You say that like it’s simple.” “It is. You’re my best friend, Jace. Plus my dad thinks you’re great. Do you know how much trouble I used to get in before I met you?” “I’ve heard it was a lot.” “Sure was. Who else is going to keep me from doing crazy stuff if I don’t keep up with you?” “I’m sure you could find someone else.” “I don’t want someone else. I want my best bud, Jason. Unless this is your way of saying ‘Clay you’re way too annoying please leave me alone.’”

Clay ‘mimicked’ Jason’s voice as far lower than either of their actual voices making Jason laugh.

“Ok first of all, I don’t sound like that, thanks though. And second of all I wouldn’t come up a mountain into the middle of the wilderness with you and your dad to tell you to leave me alone.” “Just checking. So what do you think of my spot?” “You really can see the whole clearing from here.” “You can see better if you stand up.” “I’m good.” “Aw, why not?” “I don’t really like heights.” Clay froze. “You don’t like heights?” “Not particularly.” “Why did you come up here then? We didn’t have to climb anything if you don’t like heights! Is that why you were so nervous at the overlooks? Let me help you down.” Jason smiled. “If you want me to answer your questions you’ve really got to start asking them one at a time.” “Ah, sorry. Why didn’t you say anything?” “It’s not like a huge deal to me. And if you’ve been doing it this long, then theoretically it should be fine. You were really excited to show me this so I wanted to see. And it’s really not a problem if I just sit here. Can’t fall if I’m sitting on a flat rock.” “Oh, ok. Let me know when you want to get down. We can go to the stream that runs by here next… You’re not afraid of water, right?” Clay sat down next to Jason. “Not in a stream.” “Jason.” “I’ll be fine at the river, I just never learned to swim.” “Oh! I can teach you. I’m a very good swimmer.” “I’m pretty sure everyone at school knows that you think you’re a very good swimmer. You need a new pick up line.” Clay burst out laughing. “So what would you suggest, Mr. I’m-too-busy?” “I dunno. But if everyone’s heard it, you need a new one.” “Alright, I’ll think of something and let you know.”

They sat and watched the breeze run through the grass and flowers.

“My mom used to braid the flowers into circles and put them on our heads.” “Do you want to?” “I was never any good at it.” “How hard can it be? I’ve gotten pretty good at braiding, it can’t be too different from hair.”

Jason started his way down and Clay marvelled at how he was one track minded enough to forget his fear of heights when Jason decided he had something to do. It wasn’t all that surprising, he was always like that when he was doing something for someone else. All his anxiety would seem to slip away.

“Hey, wait up!”

Jason found a nice spot with a variety of wildflowers within reach. Obviously the stems weren’t long enough for a singular braid so it must be something like french braiding. The placement of the flowers was also probably important, but he figured he could adjust how they stuck out after the whole thing was done. The real question was how he was supposed to finish it off and get the front to connect with the back. Maybe he could twist the stems and tie it. That was a future Jason problem though. No use worrying about the end if you haven’t even started.

Clay watched Jason pick flowers and wind them together. He made it look so easy. Of course he was muttering to himself the whole time, barely audible and definitely not intelligible. That happened during math, too. Once he got to the end and appraised his work, he motioned for Clay to come next to him.

“What do you think?” “I think Mom’s were a little wider. She must have stuck extra flowers in after, too. But it looks really-”

Jason tossed his first attempt aside and started on another, this time using five strands. It would make sense to add more flowers after if you wanted it to look more full. Now that he’d gotten the hang of it, he made quick work.

“How’s that?” “Yeah, that’s… Mom might as well have made it herself.”

Clay choked up a bit looking at it. It was something so small to miss, but he couldn’t help it. He felt Jason put a hand on his leg, waiting for Clay to indicate what he wanted. Wiping his eyes, he turned to look at the crown once more. He picked it up and placed it on Jason’s head, whose eyes grew wide.

“She would have loved you.”

Jason could feel himself blush and looked away.

“She sounds really nice.” “The nicest.”

Jason started on another flower crown, weaving quickly and carefully. It would sit nicely in Clay’s fluffy hair. When it was done, it looked about the same as the first, and was placed carefully on Clay’s head.

“Thanks, Jace.” Clay leaned against him and Jason returned the gesture. “S’no problem.”

After a bit, Clay righted himself, which was probably a good thing because Jason definitely could have fallen asleep like that.

“Let’s go to the stream before the sun goes down too much. It gets darker faster in the woods with all the trees.” “Ok. Lead the way.”

They stayed at the stream splashing about, finding frogs and fish, and hopping from rock to rock until their stomachs protested the lack of sustenance.

“Let’s see if Dad is making dinner yet.” “Mm, I’m starving.” “I think we brought ravioli. There’s also stuff for s’mores.” “With regular marshmallows, right?” “Yeah? What other kinds are there?” “Well there are flavored kinds, but my moms get the sugar free kind and they’re really bad.” “Ew. Aren’t marshmallows just sugar? How do you replace the sugar in sugar?” “I don’t know but not well.”

Getting back to the camp the boys found Mr. Terran relaxing next to the campfire he’d set up in their absence.

“Ah, you’re back- Oh. Look at that.” “Dad?” “Did you figure out how to make those or did Jason figure it out?” “Oh,” Clay said as they both patted their heads remembering. “Yeah, Jason figured it out.” “Come here, boys.”

They did as told and were both pulled into a hug.

“Now I bet you boys are hungry. Who wants some Chef Boyardee?” “Yes please!” Jason bounced on his toes.

Clay got out the necessary equipment and plopped three cans of ravioli into the pot.

“So I see you went to the clearing.” “Yep! And then I brought Jace to the stream. We caught lots of frogs.” “You should’ve brought them back, we could have cooked some up.” “What?!” “Woah, I forgot about that. You’ve got quite the set of lungs on you. I was just kidding.” “Oh, sorry.” “No need to apologize. From what I’ve been told, outdoors is where you’re supposed to yell.” “Yeah, he sends me out back to yell all the time.” “So how’s school been, Jason?” “It’s fine. We’re doing a history report on Mesopotamia.” “Are we now?” Mr. Terran eyed his son who made a point to stir their dinner. “Do you like history?” “Yeah. I’m doing mine on their laws.” “You’re interested in law?” “Yeah!I learned a lot about it so I could help the other kids and found it really interesting. I’ve been studying a bit of case law in my free time.” “I thought you were watching Case Closed,” Clay said “That too.”

They chatted for a bit until dinner was ready. It was strange for Jason, not that his moms didn’t care or ask him about all this, but they were busy sometimes and he felt like if he bothered them too much they’d send him away. It wasn’t anything they had done, but some of the other places he’d stayed hadn’t been exactly pleasant. With Mr. Terran it was nice. And of course Clay was there which was always a bonus.

Taking the time to sit and eat they could hear the birds and sounds from the nearby river. The trees rustled peacefully and the sun was low in the sky, creating a golden glow.

“I don’t suppose you boys have room for dessert.” “Sure do! Mallow me,” Clay implored. Mr. Terran chuckled. “Here you are.” He passed the bag of supplies. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Jason asked Clay. “Umm… Sticks! Stick me.” Jason poked him with it. “Ouch! Hey…” Clay was rubbing his side. Jason laughed. “You told me to!” “Yeah, yeah. May I please have a stick?” “You may.”

Clay had at least five s’mores, he lost count. Jason had a sensible two, as did Mr. Terran. They chatted some more until the sun went completely down.

“Alright, this old man is going to get some shut eye. You boys are going to share a tent, but don’t stay up too late, talking, or else you won’t have any energy for swimming tomorrow!” “Thank you, Mr. Terran.” “Aw, call me Loamy. You’re around enough you might as well be my second son, you could even call me ‘Pops’ if you wanted.” “Um, thank you Loamy.” “No problem, kiddo.”

The boys quickly decided they would settle in as well. It was cloudy that night, so they didn’t stay out stargazing. Instead they turned on the electric lantern and talked for far too long about anything and everything.

-----------

The next morning Clay and Jason found themselves tangled up together. That was how most mornings after a sleepover found them. Jason would always have his own place to sleep, but they would both pass out on Clay’s after talking too much.

“Hey, hey Jace.” Clay nudged his friend. “Are you up?” “Nnngh. Too early.” “C’mon, we gotta get up! Dad packed sausage, potatoes, and tomatoes for breakfast today.” “Mmm?” “Yeah? That do it for you?” Clay chuckled. “I like breakfast.” His voice was gravelly from sleep. “C’mon, get dressed. Don’t forget to put on your swimsuit, I’m going to teach you how to swim.” “Ok. Then breakfast.” “Yes, then breakfast.”

The boy stumbled out fully dressed and ready to bother Loamy about breakfast only to find he was already cooking.

“I thought I heard you rustling around in there, so I went ahead and started up breakfast. Might be closer to lunch at this point, though,” he laughed.

Clay looked at his watch and grimaced. 11:45.

“Don’t worry about it. If all you have planned today is swimming then there’s no need to get up early anyway.” “Yeah, I don’t think I could have dragged Jace out any earlier anyway.” Clay grinned. “Clay…” Jason groaned. “Oh, I do recall that you’re not quite a morning person.” “Mm.” “That’s ok! We all have different skills. I couldn’t stay awake late if my life depended on it. One of these times, though, I’m going to watch a movie that starts at 7 PM all the way through.”

Clay laughed and Jason smiled. He’d be able to wake up a little more once they ate and got moving. Breakfast was really good and eaten in comfortable silence.

“Thanks for breakfast, Mr., um, Loamy.” Loamy laughed. “Not a problem. Now you two have fun at the river. Be careful.” “Yes, sir.”

Once they got down to the river, Clay scrambled to get his socks and shoes off then threw off his shirt and jumped in. Jason removed his shoes and made sure not to get anything on his socks before he took them off and put one in each shoe. He brought down another shirt so he could swim in his black one. Clay didn’t care, and his dad didn’t care, but Jason didn’t really like to have to look at his chest, at least not until he could get surgery. He wasn’t particularly busty, but it was there.

Jason found a spot where he could wade in. It might have been a river, but it was wide like a lake and he could barely feel the water flowing. He went out to his stomach before he felt the chill.

“That’s why I jumped. You don’t have to wait to adjust if you throw yourself in.” “But jumping would require me being able to swim.” “Oh, right. Once you get used to the water I can help you.” “Ok…” “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. We can just hang out by the shore.” “No, I trust you. I can do this.” “That’s the spirit!”

Jason took a moment to compose himself more than anything. He’d nearly drowned in a swimming pool when he was younger and wasn’t keen to repeat the experience. Honestly he probably wouldn’t even be in the water at all if Clay wasn’t there.

“Ok, I think I’m ready.” “Great.” Clay made his way over to Jason but stopped out a bit deeper. “Are you ok coming out to me?” “I’m trans.” “Very funny, Jace.” Clay rolled his eyes but was smiling. “I thought so.”

Jason walked out to where Clay was.

“What now?” “Now you’re going to hold onto my shoulders and practice kicking your legs a bit, just enough to keep you above water.” “You’re sure?” “Mostly.” “Clay…” “Just go for it! I won’t let anything happen to you.” “Ok. I trust you.” Jason did as he was told. “Like this?” “Just like that. Not so bad right?”

And that was when Jason looked at him. Clay blushed at the proximity.

“Right. It’s not so bad.”

Jason was blushing as well. It felt like a slow dance. Especially when Clay started to turn them around.

“So right now you’re treading water. Would you be ok letting go and seeing how you do on your own? I’m still right here, I’m not going anywhere.” “Yeah, ok. I think I can do that.”

When Jason let go he sank a little, but Clay refrained from lunging out to him to see how it would go. He stayed above water.

“If you use your hands too it’s a little easier, I’ll show you.” He took a few steps farther out and demonstrated what he meant. Jason copied immediately and seemed to be having an easier time. “It’s not so hard once you get the hang of it.” “See? Then if you want to move you just lean in that direction. Here.” Clay swam backwards a few feet. “Do you want to try swimming out to me? It’s still shallow enough here, I can get you back to shore if you need.” “Ok, I trust you.”

Jason was very nervous. Maybe he should have brought a life vest. Clay would never make fun of him for something like that. But he’d already come this far, what was moving forward a few feet? Ok, Justice. You’re fine. You can do this.

“There you are. I knew you could do it.” “I did. I did it!” He tried to celebrate but sunk a bit further in the water, not being used to it all yet. “Woah, hey, don’t get cocky. You’re still a beginner, but you’ll get there. Do you want to try some more?” “I think I’ll hang out by shore, but you can swim. I just like to sit in the water.” “Are you sure?” “Yep!”

Jason went back the couple of feet and walked himself in to sit in the shallows. He watched Clay swim and occasionally dive down. A couple of times he brought back a snail or a rock that he found at the bottom to show Jason. If it was long enough in between, small fish would be surrounding Jason when Clay got there. They saw a couple deer on the other side of the river and watched them silently until they disappeared back into the forest. Eventually the boys were getting pruney and decided to get out of the water and dry off.

Clay let Jason start with the towel so he could change shirts. It was once he had dried off he realized something. In his haste he’d accidentally flung his shirt into a tree. He tried to jump for it but could just barely hit it with the tips of his fingers. He heard a snort and found Jason trying not to get caught laughing at him. Clay just grinned.

“Jace, you’re taller, can you reach?” “I think so.” He jumped and grabbed Clay’s shirt from the tree. “There.” “Thanks. I’ll return the favor when I’m taller than you.” “Ugh, don’t remind me. I have like two more years of growing, tops.” “Hey, at least you’ll always have me to grab things from the top shelf for you.”

Jason shoved Clay who laughed. They got their shoes on and explored until dinner. That night it was much of the same until the sun started to set.

“Ok, I’ve got the telescope, you have the flashlight?” Clay asked. “Yep.” “We should bring a blanket, too.” “I’ll get one.”

They set off for the clearing in time to set the telescope up before it was too dark to see. Clay pointed some stars and planets out as they appeared, Polaris and Mars being among them. Once it got dark enough, Clay followed through on his promise to show Jason Ceres.

“It looks like the moon.” “It’s a lot smaller than the moon, less than a third of the size.” “What are the bright spots?” “That’s light reflecting off of salts that were in the water that came up.” “There’s water?” “Yep! Most likely in liquid form beneath the surface. Isn’t that cool?!” “Yeah. I thought water was supposed to be rare.” “It is, technically speaking. Several bodies have water, mostly in solid form, but it’s still pretty rare. Liquid water is widely believed to be necessary to the creation of life, but we actually don’t know. Any evidence we have in support of that still only comes from a sample size of one.” “Huh. So all those documentaries about like the ocean or whatever that start off saying water is necessary for life?” “Have no clue what they’re talking about. They could be right, but not because they actually know. Water is necessary for the way carbon based life developed on Earth, but may be entirely unnecessary to other types of life that may or may not be possible.” “Science is way too complicated.” “And law is easy?” “Easier at least.” “No way.” “Well I’ll let you do science and I’ll do law and we won’t have any issues.” “That ‘s fine by me.” “Show me something else.”

Clay was able to find more interesting things to look at until they eventually laid out the blanket and switched to stargazing. Clay knew every constellation and its story, or at least it seemed like he did to Jason. Story after story, Jason took it all in, wondering what life was like for the people who had spun these tales. One in particular caught his attention for another reason. It was innocuous and unremarkable in most capacities, a single sentence with barely anything to it. But to him it felt like coming home.

“Over there is Corvus, Apollo’s bird, riding the hydra.”

Apollo’s bird. His bird.

"That one." "Huh?" "Apollo. I like that one." "You're going to have to be more specific." "Do you think you could call me that?" "Hmm? Sure! Apollo… I think it suits you. It would pair well with your last name and interests, considering he’s the god of law.” “Really?” Apollo rolled over and propped himself up so he could look at Clay proper. “Yeah. He covers the sun, prophecy, lyrical arts, medicine, healing, archery, and is patron of the shepherds and the ideal of male beauty as well.” “That’s a lot of things.” “A lot of people needed him to be a lot of things. I think you’ll be a lot of things too. And I’ll be an astronaut.” “Just an astronaut?” “I like to keep it simple.” “Being an astronaut doesn’t sound very simple.” “Well I’m a simple guy so I’ll simply be an astronaut.” “... That’s not how that works.” “Not with that attitude it isn’t.”

Apollo laughed. Maybe things could be that simple. A lot of people said being a boy wasn’t simple either, but he thought it was simple enough.

“Ok. You’ll simply be an astronaut and I’ll simply be a lot of things.” “That’ll be fun. We should live together.” “Obviously.” “We can get an apartment for college and then when I’m a rich and famous astronaut we can get a house. Maybe a dog.” “I like cats better.” “We can get a cat too. If we get them at the same time they can be friends so they won’t be lonely when we’re out.” “That would be nice. We should have a big yard and lots of rooms.” “Yeah! And at least one balcony, and we have to be able to get on the roof to see the stars.” “Our bedrooms should be next to each other. We should get a bath that’s giant and we can swim in.” “Oh! And we could have an arcade.” “And a library. And the kitchen has to be nice.” “You’ll have to cook. Everything I don’t burn tastes bad.” “You can get better. I’ll teach you.” “I appreciate the optimism.” “You’ll get better or you'll starve.” “Seems I’m destined for an early grave.” “Clay!” “I’m kidding. You can teach me how to cook that rice thing your moms make.” “With the chicken?” “With the cinnamon.” “Clay, you can’t live off of rice pudding.” “I can try.” Apollo sighed. “I can teach you how to make it, but you’re learning other recipes, too.” “Fine by me.”

They looked at the stars a while longer, Clay occasionally mentioning something about them which would lead them off on tangents. After they both nearly fell asleep, they packed up and returned to the tent where they passed out in their day clothes, not bothering with blankets.

-----------

When the boys woke up, Loamy was off somewhere, probably having hiked up to see the sunrise. That was one of his favorite things to do. Clay walked over to a tree and began inspecting it.

“What are you looking for?” “I’m looking for… I think it’s… Aha! Here, my mom and da carved their names into this tree, see? I thought we should do it too.” “Really?” “Yeah! Unless you don’t want to. I know you might change your name again, so if you don’t want this one written in stone… or tree, you don’t have to.” “No, I think this is the one. I can’t explain it, but it feels right.” “Ok! Then here we go. Clay and Apollo.”

Clay found a knife and carved his name in a bit lower than where his parents had done it, then passed the knife to Apollo. When they were done they took a look at their handiwork. Their names would be there as long as the tree was, quite possibly long after they themselves were gone. Clay and Apollo.

“You boys are up early this morning!” “Gah!” “Oops, I think you startled Apollo.”

Nice one Clay. Seamless introduction.

“Jason not work out?” “I found something better.” “Well I’m glad. You know I had a friend once. She identified with the gender she had been given, but when she was 18, she changed her name. I asked her why and she told me that a name should feel like home. Every time someone you care about says your name it should feel like coming home. I didn’t quite get it at first, but after a while I realized she was right. So no matter how many names you’ve been through, it’s important to find the right one.”

Like coming home. That’s exactly what he’d thought when he heard Clay say it.

“That’s how I feel about this one.” “I’m glad. So how do you boys feel about pop tarts?” “Oh, what kind?” Clay asked. “Let’s see. Hot fudge sundae?” “Those ones are the best!” He nodded vigorously. “Yeah those ones are good. Sometimes Lisa will give me hers in the morning.” “Gee, Pollo, how come you get to have two girls with massive crushes on you?” “What?! They don’t either. She just does it cause we’re friends and she prefers strawberry.” “There’s no way that’s true.”

After breakfast, they packed up the site, but had a couple hours before they had to head back down the mountain. Loamy stuck around the site and relaxed while Clay and Apollo went back to the stream to see who could catch the most salamanders.

Heading back down the mountain was as lively as going up, filled with laughter and shenanigans. On the ride back they watched Shrek on the portable player they kept in the car. Apollo’s moms were out when he got dropped off, but that was fine. They were probably shopping sales. A saying Apollo had heard often was ‘Never pay full price for anything.’ and as far as he had seen it was good advice. Clay waved him goodbye with the promise of seeing him Monday and then they were gone. Apollo approached the small whiteboard on the outside of his door and erased ‘Jason’, replacing it with ‘Apollo’.

[freyasigtryggrsdottir]

Song of memories: Chapter 1

Summary: The Archeron  family members are high faes, parents are divorced. After a hertbroken day, Elain moved into the house of their dad, to forget Lucien, her firs love, the boy, who didn’t have parents, who went far away.

But sometimes things happen, and Elain needs to move back to Prythian, because her mother wants to find her a husband.

Azriel works in the Archeron house as a helper, his past is full with painful memories, but a little fawn helps him to open, and they need to remember the true meaning of love.

Pairs: Elain & Lucien, Elain & Azriel, Nesta & cassian, Feyre & Rhysand

Note: Sorry for my bad english --------------------------------------------

I excitedly opened the letter that my mother had sent, but the news immediately expressed my displeasure, which I voiced, because I grunted not very femininely, and my face became paler letter by letter.

Elain

Your father and I have decided that it is time for you to return home, you have already wasted too much of your dad’s time. Leave tomorrow, as sson as possible. I've had troubling news and I don't want you to stay a place, where the war will began soon.

Your mother

I sighed and sat down trying to digest what I read. It is true that the situation between the village and Prythian became more and more tense, at least it was whispered in certain circles, but not so much that a possible global catastrophe would threaten, which would spill so much innocent blood. Moreover, I trusted my father, whom I had made happy with my presence for almost seven years now, that he would speak in advance about such a far-reaching matter. I loved our village, I didn't want to be separated from it, but my mother's word is sacred, and it had been a long time since I saw my parents' house, which I didn't miss, because of the painful memories. Nesta, who visited many times, and for this very reason our dad already kept a separate room for her inside the villa, from which there was an exceptionally magnificent view of the garden and the forest, so I often sat on her balcony with a book of poems in my hand. I leaned back on the soft pink silk blanket and put the letter next to me. I tried to imagine our estate, but the memories were so worn out and seemed so fragmented that it didn't work, only the wild smell of the fresh forest and the images of the old hills, where I liked to hide and play with Lucien, the village orphan, never faded.

I sighed and looked at the clock, it was four in the afternoon. I walked over to my large trunk and opened it for Jesminda to fill it with my clothes and other belongings. I took out my lilac leather handbag, in which I packed the most important things that could be needed for such a long trip. The carriage will take me to home, the carriage had our huge golden coat of arms flashing on the side, because my mom thought everyone should have known in advance that a nobleman was coming, which sometimes I felt was a curse, because many people are not very wealthy and they hated my kind, and I admit that sometimes I didn't understand all this fuss either, because we were more like peasants, my father loved the land, so most of our income came from it, and the other part from the leased estates here, which my maternal grandfather had acquired.

Somebody knocked on my door, and after a 'come', dad and Jesminda entered with a worried look. The young girl bowed and immediately started tidying up, making sure that the fragile things, especially the perfumes, were carefully packed, and my dad and I sat down on the white couch. Now, as always, he wore black pants and a shirt, which highlighted his tall stature. His wrinkled face was still red from a fresh shave, and his short black hair showed the first gray hairs.

‘I guess you read your mom's letter’ he sighed -’that's why I'm not going to make a big deal, the trouble is big, but not as big as that woman told this’ he rolled his eyes, and I laughed.

He was able to inject some hilarity into even the most tragic situations. I think this is how he survived the divorce from his wife, which has been a heavy burden on his soul for the tenth year now. Since then, he has not remarried, because he believed that such love and such a pure-hearted woman are given only once in every man's life, so even the thought of a second reconciliation did not make him feverish. Instead, he built his relationships and got on well with all kinds of high-ranking politicians, who I think liked his directness, kindness and openness the most. .

‘I've already made arrangements for the trip. I'll follow you with the rest of your belongings, I still have a couple of small things I need to sort out.’

I could see in his eyes that he was trying to be lighthearted, but something else was undoubtedly weighing on his mind, which I wanted to ask about, but I knew it was unnecessary, because he proved to be stronger even than me in stubbornness.

"Okay, thank you," I bowed my head sadly.

‘Don't worry, you will come back here’ he stroked my back consolingly

I just nodded in response and hoped that the truth of the future was hidden in his words. Whatever anyone thought, this village was home for me, mainly because of poetry and art. Although I did not form close friendships with the upper class, the members of the staff grew to my heart, even the always grumpy old butler, Andras, who liked to sit outside smoking a pipe in the garden, and in the meantime chase away the suspicious looking figures, in such cases it is enough he had to raise his already deep, rumbling voice and swing his hooked walking stick.

Part of the day passed uneventfully. For dinner, we ate onion soup, beef bourguignon and lemon pie, washed down with grape juice. I wanted to say goodbye to the village one last time, so I asked for Jesminda, we put on our shoes and hit the warm streets before sunset, but now this momentum didn't stick with me, for the first time in a long time I was observing as an outsider, so a veil of disappointment was thrown over me, like the village would have already denied me, and I, as a stepchild, tried to stay afloat alone.

‘If your dad allows and you also agree, I would like to visit you” Jesminda blushed shyly.

‘I wouldn't be happier with anyone else ‘ I uttered the words meekly, before the other's face brightened up again.

With her, I got not only a maid, but a sister who supported me and taught me a lot. At the beginning of my stay, I wasn't really attracted by the hustle and bustle, I got used to the fact that nothing ever happened in the village, except when my mother organized balls.

The village comforted me when I shed tears because of Lucien, or when I couldn't find my place in this huge world.

‘What are you thinking?’ Jesminda asked cautiously.

It is already so well known that I have often valued silence more than chatter, especially in my garden that has become so close to my heart

‘I hope that Prythian will treat me like a stepfather, so that I can be here as soon as possible again’

‘How much easier it would be if we women didn't depend on society's expectations’ he shouted angrily

My maid and I were of the same opinion on many points, including the fact that girls should be worth something in their own right, on their own, and not just through an advantageous marriage, which, if it doesn't happen within a certain period of time, people will cast them out, because so they think that he is not even capable of becoming a wife and increasing his nation with the blessings of children. Most people my age already had at least one baby in their lap, even though our mother got pregnant with Nesta at the age of twenty-one, right after her wedding night.

‘My mother has no greater desire’ I uttered the words bitterly ‘but Lucien...’

‘I believe in the love of two of you’ she stared intently at the water. I told her everything about my childhood friend, and I think he also laid the foundation for our friendship, because I opened up to him, trust for trust's sake ‘and all I want is to be able to one day beat Lucien, because he left you’

I laughed at her words, and she just smiled, so we headed back to the mansion in a good mood. In my imagination, I said goodbye to the street people, to the old man in shabby clothes, who stood up on the bench by the bridge every morning and afternoon, regardless of the weather, and recited poems about happiness and unhappiness. He wasn't even interested in the many pairs of sullen eyes, who had already registered him as crazy. But I appreciated his art.

Andras opened the back door for us. Now he didn't seem as grumpy as usual, although he was still puffing and shooting a piercing look at the strangers.

"Everything changed," growled the deep voice, while Jesminda stood protectively in front of me.

A tall man jogged out of the dining room with long, springy movements, and he didn't even bother to greet us, taking a few huge steps he was already breathing the street air while his knee-length, long-sleeved, black coat was whipped by the wind. I couldn't see anything of his face, thanks to the poor lighting and his wide-brimmed hat, which he pulled deep on his head, but the darkness and evil swirling around him made me recoil too. Evil emanated from that someone. Relieved, my maid blew out the air trapped in her lungs, and my dad leaned against the door jamb in agony, with his head down. A few moments were enough for the anger to rekindle in me. Did this man threatened dad? Did he blackmail him? If so, he's lucky that I'm traveling to back, otherwise maybe even I step on his foot to make him limp for a few days.

‘ What did he wanted? ‘ I asked.

‘It's just politics’ he brushed it off too easily, which made me know right away that he was lying, but who am I to question my father's words?

But inside, it still hurt that he didn't trust me. I nodded, said goodbye, and walked up to my room.

It was a foolish thought to think that this time the images of my old life would let me rest, especially the most painful ones, but emotionally, I was so filled with sadness that I couldn't escape from them even with my eyelids closed.

I sat there again in the mill on the dusty, ancient stool and waited for my best friend Lucien. The summer had already gone on for a long time, so the cool walls of the trenches were comforting. I nervously stroked the skirt of my long, pale pink dress. We always came here to play and talk. We retreated from the evil outside world, for whom I was just a flower lover, inexperienced girl, and Lucien was an orphan who was so disliked by his parents that when he was just a day old he was left at the door of our house wrapped in an old rag, so he was just a stranger who didn't have with roots, and it depended only on the mercy of the priest that he accepted and raised him as his own child.

The door creaked and I jumped up excitedly. My heart was already pounding in my throat and butterflies were flying in my stomach.

I recently realized that my heart chose him as my first love, and although I saw a small chance, that he would reciprocate these feelings, I accepted that we walked a lot holding hands and lying on the grass dreaming about our future together. Sometimes I even believed that I meant more to him than a friend, but as soon as I fantasized about it, the painful web of hope continued to weave itself in me, so that I would take in every word of his with a sense of doubt.

I smiled involuntarily when he arrived, but the happiness immediately faded from my face as I found myself face to face with the boy's sad face. His hair was held together with a white string, his brown pants had mud stains, and his black shirt was torn in three places, which I intended to sew, I was good at the needlework anyway, Alis taught me all kinds of stitches. His eyes, on the other hand, reflected a pain that I had never seen before, not even when a couple of boys grabbed him for the first time and her mouth was torn open.

‘What's wrong? ‘ I asked worriedly and reached for him, but he dodged my touch, causing the butterflies in my stomach to be replaced by a lump in my throat.

‘I'm leaving today’ he sighed and stared into the distance through the broken window.

‘What? But why?’

I barely got up, he broke my heart. I did not understand anything. I hoped it was just a bad joke, although he never supported such jokes, but I realized he was serious. My legs were shaking and threatening to collapse into the dust, so I grabbed onto the window frame and held on as if my life depended on it.

‘My place is not here’ he shook his head ‘The others hate me, and I don't want to be a noose around the priest's neck.’

‘But I love you’ I looked at him pleadingly and tears were already glistening in my eyes ‘Take me with you’

I wanted to grab the sleeve of his shirt, squeeze him until we were out of Prythian, but I had never felt him this far before.

‘You know I can't, my little Elain’

He weakened for a few moments and hugged me tightly. The smell of sweat and pine mingled on his warm, tanned skin, and I inhaled it for the last time. I never wanted to forget. I tried to sketch every detail of him in my memory, his strong, wiry arms, his face.

‘Will you come back?’ my voice was full of hope.

‘Yes, yes to you, I promise’ he pressed a soft kiss on my forehead ‘The tenderness and love you gave me will always be with me’ he smiled ‘This is yours.’

He slipped a silver necklace into my hand, the pendant of which held two true pearls, which he probably found in the shells he fished in the stream, one white and one pink. Me and Lucien. I took it until now. My tears flowed like wild rivers after rain, I sobbed loudly and grabbed his clothes. No, it can't end like this. What about our dreams? With the fact that we will live happily in a small house by the forest and keep chickens, ducks and all kinds of animals and a big garden full with plants and flowers? He hugged me again and caressed my back until I calmed down a bit, but inside I vowed to wait for him and not become anyone else's wife, even if the desire consumes me for decades.

I woke up gasping and immediately stroked the chain, which has been hanging around my neck ever since. I wanted to cry because even after all these years, I missed him terribly. He saw who I was and didn't judge me for it. I stayed true to my promise, even though sometimes it only lived in my head as a childish, silly thing, but then Lucien's blurred face always appeared in front of me, and the desperate, sadness that always surrounded him, especially when we first met by the river. Nesta told me many times that I was too good-hearted and that this would cause my downfall, but I didn't care. If we are good-natured and kind, then what is the point of turning to others with indifference? And the boy needed warmth.

I squeezed my eyes shut and dug deep into my memories, but I could barely recall his voice, and it filled me with despair. His existence began to fade, what if I woke up with no memory of anything? I buried myself under the tears again, and I repeated his name. No no and no. He promised to come back, I promised to wait, and my stubbornness knew no bounds, especially when it came to my Lucien

[mak3itr7ght]

pair: Seokjin x fem!reader (The astronaut x Over the moon au)

genre: platonic relationship, fluff.

Movie: Over the moon

'And then... here comes Chang'e, he shone brighter than ever on that stage.. and his voice? Better than a siren's.'

My big sister Fei fei was telling me for the umpteenth time about her trip to the moon... yes, I call her big sister, but we are not actually simblings. I was still a child then, but, I hardly believed in that kind of stories, after the trauma of discovering the non-existence of Santa Claus... Fei Fei was the only one who spoke to me when I moved to China with my mother, that's why I cared a lot about her. I loved listening to her story, and the great thing is that even her brother was agree with her journey on the moon, at that point, I was forced to do it too, even though I didn't believe it.. Yet it seemed so real and full of details, that bizarre story. The goddess Chang'e and the two winged lions and, the city of Lunaria...

'Oh.. now I have to go, Y/n, dad needs me! See you tomorrow, and be careful when you get home, okay?'

I nodded, Feifei also loved me so much, he showed it by worrying about me. Returning home, I discovered a red bicycle, left in an alley. It seemed like it was just bought and never used... maybe the child who received it didn't like it..

I observed it but, not knowing how to ride it, I went home, leaving it there.

I passed in front of that alley several times in those days and I didn't say anything to my mother or to Fei fei about that bike.

One day, however, curiosity won out and I took that bicycle, deciding to try to ride it, I got on the saddle and tried to move.. But.. The fact that my first ride was done on a downhill.. wasn't the best.. Going down, the bicycle picked up speed, I was unable to brake and

BOOM

I crashed into a pile of wooden boards in front of Fei fei's father's restaurant. If she hadn't seen me, maybe now I wouldn't be able to tell this story.. Since then, the trauma led me to be afraid of bicycles.. Just seeing one, gave me goosebumps.

About a year has passed since that incident. My arm was completely healed and the wound I had taken on my head too. That day the Lunar Festival was approaching, we were all sitting around the table eating and telling each other stories! At one point, however, observing the moon, I thought I saw something similar to a shooting star, but bigger.. actually I should have made a wish.. but then, I didn't wish for anything, everything was fine.

After dinner, Fei fei and I decided to go for a walk near the lake, it was our favorite place, especially when there was a full moon! We sat on the dock, just to get a better view of the night sky. I have always loved the stars, the moon, the planets! I find them so fascinating and mysterious.

'You know big sister, before I saw a shooting star in the sky..'

'Really?? Did you make a wish, right? It has never happened that in this period there were shooting

stars'

I thought about it, and actually Fei Fei was right, the period in which there are shooting stars is August... we were at the end of September. I was perplexed for a few seconds but then, I didn't pay much attention to it.

Just before I was thinking about the mystery that resides in what is above our heads.

'Well.. I think it's time to go home, Y/n, let's go'

'I think I'll stay a little longer, don't worry, I can go home by myself ahaha'

'Okay... i'll trust you ahah goodnight Y/n'

I smiled and stayed there, looking at the moon.

'Maybe there was a desire... I would seriously like to overcome that trauma...and be able to ride a bicycle...it may seem like an almost useless desire, but if I wasn't afraid, I could definitely go out on a bike with Fei fei and panic wouldn't come to me the right moment I see one..'

As soon as I finished saying the sentence I heard a noise coming from the woods... I jumped and, looking in the direction of the noise, I saw a silhouette.

I stiffened with fear, thinking what that thing was. It approached me, and the moonlight illuminated him.. showing, such a boy..he was handsome.. Really..he looked like an alien, with quite long, wavy hair, dark almond-shaped eyes, full lips, light skin and body that seemed to have been sculpted by Michelangelo..

'Hey.. girl, do you know a place where I can rest? I traveled for many time to get here..'

I was taken aback by that simple request.. I nodded without speaking, I was still a 10-year-old girl, come on, that situation was too unusual. I took the boy to a house near to mine, as its owners would be away for the next 3 months.

'Thank you so much, baby girl'

He said, stroking my head. I tried to give him a little smile, but I was quite embarrassed, so I nodded and quickly ran into my house. The next day, I looked out the bathroom window, tried to peek at what our new neighbor was doing.. and I immediately saw that he was talking to my mother, but what struck me the most and that made me dizzy, was seeing that he was cleaning a bike, a bike too small for him.. red.. shiny.. like the one of that time..

I thought it was just a coincidence.. But I had a bad dizziness for a few minutes.

It was the effect that even just looking at a bike made me, sometimes even just thinking about it, caused me anxiety.

While brushing my teeth though, I was thinking about the wish I made the other night.. Who knows if that was a chance to beat that trauma. So I decided to go downstairs and join that mysterious boy and my mother.

'Oh! Here she is, my little girl. Meet our new neighbor! His name

Is'

'Seokjin, Kim Seokjin, nice to meet you, baby girl'

Said the boy, winking at me.. as if we hadn't seen each other the day before.. But, actually, forgetting the detail of running away last night without saying a word...

'I am Y/n'

I said smiling, looking Seokjin in the eyes. It had something different.. I turned around hearing Fei fei's voice, she was in the car with his family.

'Heyyy sis! Where are you going?'

'On holiday! Remember? I will be away for a week!! Don't worry, it will pass soon. Be careful!!' I smiled, glad to see that Fei fei was finally getting along with her stepmother now. But then I realized that her and her stepbrother's eyes widened slightly, looking at Seokjin. I didn't have time to ask for explanations, because the car left immediately.. but, in hindsight, I should have already understood everything, but in the end, I was still too young.

'Well, Y/n, would you like to give Seokjin a tour? I'm going to do the shopping, today you will be a guest to us and I won't accept no!' Mother was keen to give the best possible hospitality. Meanwhile, I turned to our neighbor, but my gaze kept resting on the red bike behind him.. And Seokjin had noticed it well..

'Do you want to ride it?'

I swallowed, already feeling the anxiety rise up in my throat. I ho indietreggiato un po' i backed off a bit.

'N-no.. thanks'

He nodded and smiled at me.

'Don't worry, when you're ready, this bike will always be here.. well, shall we go for this tour?'

It was embarrassing to talk about my trauma, but strangely, Seokjin didn't let me feel embarrassed. I smiled at him and took him to visit the town.

'How long will you stay here?'

'I don't know.. let's say.. as long as it will be necessary'

.. He had a vague answer to my questions.. sometimes even strange.. I liked him. It intrigued me. We had lunch and spent the afternoon outside.

The absence of Fei fei was bad, especially in the evening.. I was looking out the bathroom window while observing the night sky, as usual.

'Do you miss your friend?'

I jumped, hearing Seokjin's voice out of nowhere. I then realized that he was right in front of me, looking out from the balcony of his bedroom..or rather, that of the couple who were on vacation.

'Are you able to read minds?'

'Maybe..'

He said to me and then started laughing, he had a rather peculiar laugh.. but funny. He remained silent, observing me for a while, and then he turned to the moon.. He even started to sing a melody, he had such a sweet voice, he rocked me, so much that I fell asleep leaning on the window. When I opened my eyes it was morning, I stayed all night in the bathroom.. the song that Seokjin sang to me was almost a lullaby for me.. I haven't slept so well for a long time. I got ready and went out, since Fei fei wasn't there anyway, I decided to take a walk and my eyes turned again towards that red bike that the sun lit up even more.

'Are you going to ride it today?'

Seokjin liked to make me scare every time.

'Mh..'

I hesitated, almost stiff with fear.

'Let's do this, I'll hold your hand, and you at least try to touch the handlebars of this beautiful bike, okay? As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you'

Mh..it was strange..and to tell the truth, despite being a little girl, I didn't believe him much, but something told me to trust him. So I did. He took my hand, and I tried to take the bike by the handlebars. I hesitated a bit but I succeeded..

'Do you want to try to get on the saddle?'

I thought that if I really wanted to make my wish come true, I had to work hard too. Seokjin kept holding my hand and so I got on the bike. And.. I really felt like my fears were starting to slip away from me. Seokjin gave me security, it was as if he himself was balancing that bicycle.

'I think you've already made huge strides for today, haven't you? Tomorrow-'

'I want to try to pedal at least up to the mailbox of my house, over there'

I could do it, and I didn't want to stop right at that moment, in which I had all that courage and so I did. I started pedaling..

From that day I felt as if a weight was slowly leaving my body. And Seokjin was constantly by my side. I began to think that it was a certain guardian angel who came to help me make my wish come true.

It was only a week but I became so attached to him, and to his "strangeness". On Sunday evening we went to the pier as usual, to look at the starry sky, Seokjin seemed quite thoughtful, more than usual at least.

'What's going on?'

I asked him.

'Baby girl, I'll have to leave soon..'

I jumped, sprinting straight up.

'I told you I'd stay as long as necessary, didn't I?'

He was right.. but hearing those words made room for a huge emptiness in me.

'Do you want to ride again on the bike?'

He changed the conversation. But I understood it .. despite being young, I knew that he was sorry and did not want to make me weigh it.

So, along the pier, I started pedaling with Seokjin who, as usual, held me. I was no longer afraid, as long as he was with me.

We got to my house..

'You saw, Seokjin! We did it-'

I turned around, but he wasn't there to hold me, there was no one.. I panicked so I went back on the road, back on my bike , all the way to the pier.. Seokjin was right there, sitting, with such a genuine smile on his face, it made all my worry go away.. rather, I understood why he was smiling.. it was the first time he let me go, but, even without him, knowing that he was with me even if not physically, I was able to overcome My fear for all intents and purposes. I ran to meet him and hugged him, starting to cry, tears that was neither of joy nor of sadness.

Maybe that's what TRUE happiness.

'Do you have to leave?' I said among sobs.

'I can't bother you forever, can I?'

'What are you saying! You turned my life upside down'

'But baby girl...'

He said stroking my head.

'You are still a child, there will be a lot of things that will try to scare you, and you will have to face them'

We stayed all night hugging each other, in silence, on that pier, with the light of the full moon illuminating us. It was a moment that forever engraved my life. Probably, towards dawn, I fell asleep in his arms and woke up in my bed at home. I ran to the bathroom window and tried to see if Seokjin was looking out, as usual, ready to shoot one of his morning jokes, but he wasn't there.. I looked towards the garden and he wasn't even there.. he truly was gone.. and I already missed him so much.. At one point I heard a horn

'HEY LITTLE SISTER WE'RE BACK!!'

It was Fei fei, but strangely, it didn't relieve me much to see her, although I was happy with her return. From that day on I frequented the pier even more often in the evening, almost every day, even when I was ill. In the hope that Seokjin would reappear. Years passed, around 8 or 9, I started university and this took me away from my hometown. Feifei had grown up, she finished college before me and was soon to get married. And now what was the memory of Seokjin almost seemed like just a dream I had as a child.

'MY BABY IS BACK'

'MOM!!!'

I ran to hug my mother after being away for about 2 years, I have 15 days off from university, in Los Angeles, and I took the opportunity to come and visit my mother, Fei fei and everyone else.

'Little sister!!!'

'Big sis!! Good to see you!'

'Tell me, how is university going?'

'Do you want to go to the pier? We'll talk about it there.'

We went to the dock and it looked just the same as I'd left it.

'Tell me, have you met your Houyi? Eheh'

'Again with this story of the goddess of the moon? Mh.. I don't think there is a Houyi for me, you have found yours, Fei fei..but for me..it's hopeless'

'Come on you're still young! There's someone special in store for you too'

'If you say so..I think my Houyi escaped from me so many years ago..'

I never spoke to her in detail about my relationship with Seokjin, I just told her that it helped me with my phobia.

'Mh.. you know, the goddess Chang'e told me to suggest you take a look at your garage'

I looked at Fei fei even more confused, this story of the goddess Chang'e is haunting her even more than when she was younger. Those two weeks went by quickly, and one day, before leaving, the very words of my "little sister" came to mind, I went to the garage and in a corner I glimpsed that red color, that red that had now somewhat lost its shine, that bike was covered by an old beige sheet but I could see a part of it. I finally took off the sheet and spent a few minutes contemplating it. All the best moments of that magical week came to my mind, the last week of September, I missed Seokjin terribly.. even if it was only for one week, it remained imprinted in my life. At one point, between the spokes of the rear wheel, I found a crumpled piece of paper. I opened it and it was nothing more than a drawing, made by myself at the time, of Seokjin and me.. I had drawn it with an astronaut suit.. Yeah, he told me he was a sort of traveller, a traveler of the stars, so the figure of the astronaut immediately came to mind. I shed a tear looking at that drawing, badly done, but full of love.

When it was evening, I decided to go alone to the usual pier. I watched the sky for hours, when at one point, just like that time, I saw a shooting star.. This time I was sure what to wish for.. so I closed my eyes and whispered my wish. As I finished, a dazzling light sliced through the sky. It made me gasp, but after that phenomenon, nothing else happened. The next day, I said goodbye to everyone and walked towards the train station. When I returned to LA, on the way home, I passed by the desert, the sand was illuminated by the twilight, looking at that landscape, I remembered the melody that Seokjin sang every evening. I closed my eyes for a moment and thought back to my desire, once they opened, I felt something attracting me in the middle of those sand dunes and hills. I asked the taxi driver to stop and leave me there and albeit with some confusion, he helps me get my suitcase out of the trunk. I began to walk and to sing that melody in an ever louder voice, until I sang it at the top of my lungs, at a certain point, again that lightning in the sky brought with it a roar that made me lose my balance.

'SEOKJIN WHERE ARE YOU?'

I screamed at the top of my lungs. But nothing... this time too. Disappointed, I decided to get back on the road and try to look for a ride to home. A quarter of an hour passed, when I saw a van stop just ahead of me, I heard the rider that invited me to get on board. But first I looked out the driver's window and.. there I almost heard Chang'e's voice tell me "Here is your wish".

I Smile.. and then get on board.

'So…where should I take you?'

'Wherever you go.. my astronaut..'