#i also wanna sort out my kitchen Here. which will include clearing the counters of boxes and lego sets

[orcelito]

LARPing as a productive and clean adult is Going Well! Cleaned and set up the cat food/water station, then cleaned their litter box (and even SWEPT afterwards!!!!). Also brought in all the new stuff, & the dishes r set aside for now, but i went and washed all the towels... and FOLDED them after!!! And for the kitchen towels I bought, i even set one out in the kitchen!!! Hung on the handle of the oven like a normal person!!!! I may even dry my hands after using the kitchen sink instead of just letting them drip dry or wiping them on my clothes!!!!!

Having in-unit laundry is helping a Ton honestly. While my previous apartment had the laundry room in-building and it was next to my unit so I didnt even have to walk far for it, I still had to worry about quarters and all that business. And about grabbing my clothes from the washer and dryer as soon as they were done. It was an entire Production every time. But now, I can just toss some shit in the wash and get to it when I get to it. Still don't want it to sit for more than a few hours at the most in the wash, but theres still wiggle room!! And i did a 2nd load for blankets, put them in the dryer... and now im in bed!! Blankets still in the dryer, bc it doesnt matter!!! I will fold them tomorrow and they can stay in there for now. And since I don't have to pay per cycle, if my clothes arent entirely dry after the cycle ends, I can just put them in for a little bit longer!!!! No longer have to fucking hang dry my clothes on my bathroom shower curtain rod the rest of the way!!! Dry clothes every time!!!!!!

It's freeing. It makes it a lot easier to Do Stuff. And it's really really nice.

[helliontherapscallion]

Who? (Forlorn Tale of Dionysus Part 2)

Part 1

Warnings: Swearing

Word count: 2,843

(A/N): I’m not exactly sure if this will continue any further, this was just a fun little thing I had in my drafts for a while after some interesting convos in my discord server (which you totally should join, it’s a vibe). This is lowkey word vomit, but eh. This is all strictly platonic btw

“Michael, are you sure you saw a house out here? I really don’t think-” You were interrupted by your much shorter friend yanking on your sleeve to get your attention. You looked down at him in question and watched as he raised his hands.

‘I am sure I saw that house, (y/n)! It is here somewhere.’ 

You fiddled with the sleeves of your thick coat with unease, “alright, but if we don’t find it soon I wanna head back. Uncle Boo and Uncle Tubbo are probably going to start to worry.”

Michael huffed at the mention of his parents. You knew how overbearing they were, causing your friend to crave new experiences and adventures. You’d known him for a couple of years now and he was rebelling more with each passing day. You could relate slightly, Philza and Technoblade had hardly let you out of the house without another person to accompany you. You never really understood why, you were almost thirteen now so you should be able to explore what you want. 

An excited squeal left your friend’s mouth before he started to pull you towards something in the distance, startling you out of your trance. You matched his pace with ease and felt nervous excitement tingle in your chest. 

As you got closer, you could make out small details of the cabin. It was a simple small cabin built out of spruce planks with glass windows and a brick chimney, but you liked it. It strangely felt homey. 

You pulled Michael into a nearby shrub underneath a window and peered in. The interior was also as simplistic as the outside was, looking untouched and tidy as if nobody was living there. You could see that the ceilings were taller than average, perhaps a hybrid of some sort lived here? 

Michael tapped your shoulder, ‘it doesn’t look like anybody’s home right now. Let’s go in.’ 

You opened your mouth to object before the sight of his set jaw and his eyes dead set on something inside made you close it. You learned from experience that when he was this determined, there was no stopping him. You sighed, “fine, but the second we get caught, it was your idea.” 

You both made your way to the front door. Without a second thought, Michael twisted the doorknob and swung the door open. A startled snort left his throat as he stumbled inside, making you put a hand over your mouth to stifle your laughter. He jabbed the side of your lower torso, ‘shut up, I thought it was going to be locked.’

He pulled you inside and you both explored the living room. Bookshelves and portraits lined the walls, a single large couch sat off to the side, and the fireplace mantle was lined with a few small golden hooks. Michael made a beeline towards it, admiring the metal. It seems that’s what he saw that made him so determined to get inside. You hoped that he wouldn’t steal them and explored the area further. 

The portraits on the walls were a slight shock to you, they all included some people that you could recognize; in one you could make out a picture of younger versions of Ranboo, Philza, Technoblade, and Niki. Technoblade and Philza were sparring with shining golden swords while Ranboo and Niki sat in the grass on a hill watching with interest. Maybe this was just one of their old cabins? 

You saw people that you didn’t recognize as well. Namely a cat hybrid with striking sapphire blue eyes, a man seemingly human (you say seemingly because your eyes caught sight of pointed ears) wearing a white bandana keeping his jet black hair out of his face, a tall man with green freckles and a creeper mask, an anthropomorphic diamond block with beady black eyes and a wide smile, and a man that looked strangely like Ghostbur except he was wearing a uniform of some sort. However, a demon quickly caught your eye and made your heart leap for joy. There was someone out there that was like you! 

The man looked kind, always wearing a cheery smile and occasionally waving at the camera. He was tall and lanky, always towering over the others by a considerable amount. That made sense, Philza had told you that demons were naturally very tall when you asked him why you were growing faster than Michael when the zombie piglin was two years older than you were. Large wings and horns akin to yours sprouted from his back and head respectively. If he wasn’t constantly smiling, you would’ve thought that he was malevolent. 

You heard the rapid footsteps of Michael’s boots behind you as you turned around. You bounced on the balls of your feet excitedly, “Michael look, another demon! Do you think he lives here?”

You watched as he shrugged and pulled you towards the kitchen. ‘I don’t know, but look! There’s another demon that looks exactly like you!’ 

On the kitchen table surrounded by various trinkets (bottles of wine, gold bricks, stale bread, and the decomposed remains of flower crowns and bouquets being the majority of the items) laid a framed picture of said demon lazily smiling and looking off to the side. Michael was right, they looked exactly like you except at least a decade older. Everything matched your physical features to a tee; from the red accents on their black wings to the way they smiled, it was like they were your clone. The only thing of yours that they were missing was the three circular birthmarks on your forehead. It was eerily uncanny. 

Your eyes widened before you snatched the picture off from the table, studying them further. If you squinted, you could see that there was someone barely in frame. You flipped the frame around and took out the picture, unfolding it. In the picture was your adopted father and adopted uncles and aunt. What was going on? If they knew the demon, why didn’t they ever tell you about them? 

‘Woah, that was smart. Do you think you might be related to them or something?’ He tilted his head before he perked up, ‘could they be one of your biological parents?’ 

“Maybe, but if they were, why didn’t my dad tell me about them? I… have a right to know about them, right?”

He nodded firmly, ‘you definitely do. It’s kind of fucked up they haven’t told you anything about them.’ 

“Yeah, it is. Do you think something bad happened to them?... Oh shit, is this a memorial?” You hurriedly refolded the picture and put it back into its frame. 

Michael’s eyes widened and flickered around the table at the trinkets before he fished out two gold bars from his pocket and placed them onto the table. You crossed your arms, “what the fuck man?” 

‘I thought they wouldn’t miss a few pieces of gold! You would’ve done the same thing if you were a piglin,’ he defended himself before he paused and shuddered, ‘we’re in a dead person’s house, that’s creepy… What if their ghost is right behind us?’ 

You spun around and put yourself slightly in front of Michael, your heart beating in your throat. Nothing was there. Michael snorted, making you slap his arm, “not cool, man.” 

You were about to stomp off until a piece of paper caught your eye. It was a drawing of this person done in messy purple crayon, probably done by a very young child. It was signed by a Michael. 

You turned to the wheezing zombie piglin and patiently waited for him to stop laughing. When he did, you showed him the picture, “did you draw this? Did you know them?”

He scrunched up his brow in concentration, squinting at the paper. Eventually he shook his head slowly, ‘I don’t think so. At least I don’t remember drawing it… This is getting weird.’ 

You nodded in agreement, putting the drawing back onto the counter. You walked towards the stairs and climbed them. They creaked under your foot loudly, a part of you was scared that you would fall through them. It was clear they haven’t been used in some time. 

They led to a small loft, the ceiling coming to a point far overhead. A part of you was glad that this stranger (relative? Parent?) was a demon, it wasn’t often that you found lofts that fit all six and a half feet of you. 

Like the rest of the house, it was very simplistic. A gigantic bed laid in the center of the furthest wall, made neatly with multiple fluffy blankets, part you was tempted to catapult yourself onto it. On the nightstand next to it sat a redstone lamp and a frosted glass of water, cracks spider webbing up the sides presumably from the cold. 

You opened the lone drawer and discovered a book. Upon further inspection, you discovered that it was a journal with the name (y/n) written inside the cover. So this person had your name as well as your looks? This merely raised more questions than answers, so you slid the book into a pocket in your coat to read later. Under the book laid another picture of them posing with the strange group of people from the portraits downstairs. The de- (y/n) looked younger there. On the back, the word family was written and it was dated to be about twenty years old. You also pocketed the picture.

Michael walked over to the window and looked out at the vast tundra only to squeal in alarm. He ran over to you and pulled you downstairs. You looked out the window only to yelp when you saw a few crows standing on the window sill staring at you with their beady eyes. 

You and Michael ran out of the house as fast as the both of you could, the snow being slightly tough to run through for the five and a half foot tall zombie piglin. You could hear the crows following you overhead. After a while of running, you both finally got back to Snowchester and raced past Ranboo and Tubbo. You hid in Michael’s room with the curtains tightly drawn. 

You sat on his bed with your legs crossed and your back pressed up against the headboard. You let your head bang against the wall and you ran your hand down your face. “We’re fucked, dude. We’re literally so fucked.”

‘Uncle Phil’s still out of town so it’ll probably be a few days until they find out.’ Michael plopped next to you, panting and trying to regain his breath. “Still, we’re gonna be in so 

much trouble for going that far out. I didn’t think my dad’s crows were still here.”

‘Might as well read the journal you found before we get grounded.’

You nodded and took out the journal, flipping it open to the first page. You both read the journal until it was dark outside and Michael was passed out on your shoulder. Subconsciously, you wrapped your wing around him as you read the journal. 

The other (y/n) acted like you did for the most part, the only differences between you two was the lack of swearing and the fact that they felt alone even when they were surrounded by people. Your family’s names were dropped several times, especially when they were talking about ‘The Syndicate’. The code names they used were after various Greek myths, leading you to believe that Technoblade was one of the founders of the anarchist group. 

You had learned that their family (potentially your family?) was strangely possessed by an egg and that they were previously possessed by said egg. They had a brother named Sapnap (your potential uncle?) that helped them escape to the tundra. It was there that they found the Syndicate, reminding you of the found family tropes you would read in books. The last journal entry detailed their last mission, how they were going to destroy the Eggpire from within and get their family back. That entry in particular gave you chills, even someone with half a brain could tell what happened to them after that. 

By the time you had closed the book, it was dawn and the sun was peeking out from behind the closed curtains. You shook Michael awake and stretched out your aching body. Your neck muscles protested movement, sending a wave of pain across the area. 

‘Damn, did you stay up all night reading that?’ 

“Of course I did, why wouldn’t I? I needed to find out about my biological parent somehow. I just- nothing makes sense, Michael.” You growled out, your voice deepening and distorting slightly as your frustration rose. 

‘Chill! You’ll figure it out soon, let’s just focus on staying under the radar.’ 

“Too late for that.” 

You both jumped and fell off the bed as you heard Philza’s voice. In the doorway, Philza stood with Ranboo, Tubbo, and Technoblade by his side, all looking equally angry and disappointed. Next to you, Michael shrunk in on himself and smiled sheepishly. He was about to raise his hands to sign, but a pointed look from Tubbo next to him told him that there was no getting out of this one. 

Behind the anger, you could tell that something changed about the way the four were looking at you. You couldn’t tell what emotion they were hiding, whether it be wariness, longing, sadness, or just more unleashed anger, but you could tell that they knew something you didn’t. If the frustration that overcame you when you were reading the journal at the lack of questions answered burned inside of you, then what you felt now was a blazing inferno. 

“We’re going home, grab your stuff (y/n).” 

After a short staredown with the older man, you huffed in anger and gathered your things into your bag. The entire time, tense silence filled the room. Your hands were shaking with the rage you felt searing every inch of you. You could hear the sharp flicking of your pointed tail cutting through the air and occasionally hitting objects near you. 

When you were done you stomped over to your adopted family and shouldered between Philza and Technoblade, speed walking down the hallway. They quickly caught up with you after saying a quick apology and a goodbye, Technoblade grabbing your arm and holding it in a vice grip. 

They led you out of the mansion and into the harsh winds of the tundra. It wasn’t until Snowchester was far off in the distance that Technoblade shook your arm, “what the hell were you thinking, going into someone else’s house like that! You don’t know who lived there, you could’ve gotten yourself and Michael killed!” 

“You really thought I wouldn’t find out, didn’t you?” You ripped your arm out of his hold and spoke in a low voice, struggling to contain your full rage. “I have a goddamned right to know about them.” 

“...I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Philza muttered out and resumed walking back towards your house. “You’re grounded when we get back, no flying or dueling lessons for two weeks.” 

“Of course you know what I’m talking about, Dad! Why are you hiding them from me? I have a right to know about my biological parent even if they’re dead!” 

They both halted in their tracks and glanced at each other in slight confusion. “What-”

“You know damn well who I’m talking about. Gods, I can’t believe you thought I’d never find out,” you laughed sardonically as your hand subconsciously gripped your growing horn. “(Y/n)! You know, the demon that lived in that house? The one that looks exactly like me?! Does that ring a bell or do I have to show you this?” 

You rummaged in your pocket and ripped out the picture, shoving it into Philza’s hands. Technoblade looked over his shoulder at what you gave him. You watched as their expressions turned blank when they saw the demon in the picture. 

Minutes passed with them continuing to stare down at the picture and you were slowly getting impatient. “Why did you never tell me about them? Why are you keeping me from them?!” 

Without looking up at you, Philza mumbled, “you weren’t supposed to find out about them. You were never supposed to find out.” 

“Do you have any idea how ambiguous that is? Just tell me who they are!” You could feel your eye twitch as your frustration grew. 

You could see the internal conflict on Philza’s face growing by the second before he dipped his head downwards and stalked off in the opposite direction of the house. You spread your wings to chase him in the air, but Technoblade’s hand on your upper arm stopped you from lifting off. 

When you looked up at him, the look of regret and sorrow etched into his features caught you by surprise. “Let him go, he needs to do some thinking… (y/n), do you know what reincarnation is?”

General taglist (comment if you want to be added):

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Gender neutral reader taglist (comment if you want to be added):

@totem-awooga  @parkeepingparker  @whatislifebutlemons

[hauntedpizzaruins]

Yet another shitty wintersberg fanfic

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Ethan had just finished his sixth cup of coffee.

By coffee standards, that's a lot. By Ethan’s standards, he was already two cups behind yesterday. Not by his own volition though, Heisenberg kept moving the coffee every time he got the chance. This meant Ethan had to hunt for it every time he wanted another cup.

And so, every half hour, the hunt was on.

“Karl I swear to whatever fucking god is out there, stop moving the goddamn coffee!” Ethan yelled from the kitchen, his head currently under the kitchen sink.

There was no response from the other man, who had been doing this for a week now and had been insisting the whole time that he didn’t know what Ethan is on about.

A very tired looking Ethan soon stormed into Karls workshop, a place he had been told on multiple occasions to stay out of for his own safety.

“Karl. Where is it.” He said, looking at Heisenberg, who kept his head down.

Karl took his cigar out of his mouth and motioned towards the door with it.

“You’re not allowed in here, you know that.” He sighed, still not looking up from what he was tinkering with.

He felt like a bit of an ass keeping Ethan out of the place he spent most of his time, but he had no other choice. He can’t always keep an eye on where bits of metal are flying from, and he’d never forgive himself if Ethan got hurt because of this. “Tell me where you hid the coffee and I’ll-” Ethan was cut off mid-sentence by a rather large piece of corrugated iron flying into his chest and pushing him out the door, which promptly shut itself in front of him. The metal scrap dropped to the floor, landing beside him. Ethan was completely unharmed, but very pissed off.

“See you at dinner!” Karl yelled cheerfully, finally looking up at Ethan, giving him a smile that could only just be seen through the grimey window on the door.

Heisenberg then put his head back down, his smile quickly fading.

“Fuck- Why did the duke have to give him that shit…”

Ethan stormed back through the factory and back to the kitchen to resume searching, but to no avail. He started wandering around the rest of the factory.

He generally stuck to the areas he and Karl hung out in, the memory of Lycans still fresh in his head, even though Karl had cleared them out months ago and the factory was mostly shut down, aside from the things needed for necessities or things the other man used in his tinkerings.

He carefully walked through the rooms, a little scared of the chance Karl had missed a Lycan or two. He didn’t exactly feel like losing any more fingers.

After maybe half an hour, he stumped across a door he hadn’t noticed before, and when he tried the handle, it was unlocked. Dark stairs led down into some sort of basement, full of cobwebs and dust and dirt and… coffee?

He grabbed a can and read the label, “Damn, this shit expired 40 years ago-” He sighed, knowing 40-year-old coffee can’t be good for him. He looked around the rest of the shelves and found they were stocked with nothing but coffee. He held onto the can in his hand and headed back up the stairs, shutting the door behind him.

Soon it was dinner time, and Heisenberg was in the kitchen preparing whatever he felt like making that night.

Ethan walked in and set the can down next to Karl, “Care to explain?” He asked, leaning against the counter.

Karl looked down at the can of coffee, a shocked look coming across his face the second he saw it. He stopped chopping up vegetables and stared at it for a moment, chewing his cigar a little more roughly than usual.

“Ethan… Where the fuck did you find this?” He asked, looking up at him, his voice a lot softer than usual, a voice that Ethan knew meant something was wrong.

“In a cellar in your factory. Why was there so much coffee down there? You said you don’t drink coffee-” Ethan could vividly remember Karl saying he had always hated the stuff, so him having a cellar full of it made no sense to him.

Karl put the knife down on the bench, taking a deep breath as he stared at the can.

“Alright, you caught me, I used to drink coffee, happy now?” He said snippily, taking his eyes back up to Ethans.

“Now please, take that shit away and let me make dinner.”

Ethan knew better than to push Karl, he’s used to having to defend himself through every conversation that he starts to see Ethans calm words as threats pretty damn fast. He took the can and walked off, finding somewhere to put it where Karl wouldn’t see. There had to be more of a story behind the hundred and something cans of coffee, Karls reaction assured that.

A few days passed and Ethan still hadn’t found where his coffee was hidden, and he was feeling pretty rough due to it. He had considered drinking the cellar coffee but that stuff would probably kill him, so that was out of the question.

Sometime that afternoon, Ethan was sat on the couch watching a movie, rather grateful for the Duke and his questionable wares that now included films.

Heisenberg sat down next to him, who Ethan gently leant against, taking how close Karl sat as a signal that a little physical affection was alright.

After a few minutes, Karl sighed, looking down at Ethan, who he had just awkwardly wrapped an arm around.

“So uh… You really wanna know what’s with all that coffee?”

Ethan nodded, looking up at him, knowing that it was best to keep his words to a minimum right now.

“Alright… About 40, maybe 50 years ago, it’s hard to keep track at this point, I got a bit hooked on coffee, even worse than you- I was drinking around 20 cups a day and I was suffering because of it. There was a lot going on at that point and I guess that’s how I decided to deal with it.” He sighed, resting his head against the back of the couch. “Anyways, Donna found out what was going on and took it upon herself to help me. The best solution she could come to was hiding all of it. I assumed she took it to her house, I tore the place apart trying to find all of it. I had never even thought that she’d hide it here- She also told the Duke what was going on and he wouldn’t sell it to me after that. Eventually, I forgot all about it though, and I know Donna had to do what she did-”

Ethan nodded in understanding,

“So that’s why you keep hiding mine, I guess that makes sense-” He said, looking up at Heisenberg, who was staring at the ceiling.

“Alright, I’ll kick the stuff. But, can you at least tell me where you hid it?” He asked, out of curiosity.

Karl laughed and looked down at him,

“Flying metal isn’t the only reason I keep you out of my workshop.”

[old-hyper-super-clover]

Squeeze that bunny tail!

Part 3

Description: The RAD student council as well as the exchange students help out at a bar where, oops, the staff´s dress codes are those sweet bunny outfits that we all know and thirst for. The MCs, Violet and Clover, play a game of who can touch the most bunny tails over the evening without getting caught. Prepare for fluff, funny innuendos as well as my thirst over hot boys in bunny outfits.

Find the first parts on my masterlist.

Story continues under the cut. Enjoy the thirst!

[The amazing artwork belongs to @tokamiart, permission to post was granted, don´t repost!]

Clover and Simeon were giving out drinks at the bar.

The girl was handing over all sorts of bottles, glasses and ice cubes if needed. Simeon then put it all together with such grace and beauty that Clover often found herself gazing at him, until the brunet would turn to her with a smile and ask her to let go of whatever she had been wanting to hand him.

At one point, without any customers walking up to the bar, Clover sat down for a quick break.

"Tired?" Simeon asked, having decided to clean the counter in the meantime.

Clover chuckled at the sight. "Oh, is this going to be the classic 'I tell the bartender of my problems' scenario?"

The angel blinked in confusion. "I am afraid I don't know what you are talking about... But I'm always there to lend you an ear, if that's what you're aiming at."

"I'm fine", she laughed. "I was only joking... I must admit, though, you really suit this job. I'm sorry if I'm misjudging you, but how come an angel is looking so perfectly fit for serving drinks?"

Simeon blessed her with a chuckle. "Thank you for the compliment. As for your question... You might be surprised, but angels do know how to have some fun, too."

"Oooh" Clover grinned. "So the whole turning-water-into-wine thing wasn't just a myth?!"

At that, Simeon only put his finger close to his lips in a "shhh" sound, giving her a secretive little wink before both broke out in soft giggles.

A little while later, their attention got caught up by a situation at the tables.

Luke was cleaning dirty dishes off of an emptied table, when a demon approached him.

A little flustered, they exchanged a few words before Luke gestured towards the public toilets.

"He's doing so well" Simeon hummed, leaning on the counter as he watched his angel friend with a proud smile. "It had been very difficult for him to adjust to life in the Devildom... But I'm glad to see he is finally finding his own pace of things."

Clover's head jumped back and forth between the two celestial creatures.

"It's because he has a great friend who's watching over him" she smiled.

"Huh? Oh, no, I don't want to take any credit for that. It's all thanks to Luke's own strength that he's able to go through this so well."

Suddenly, Luke hurried over to them, a full tray of dishes in his hands.

He looked SO disgusted.

"Waaah... What's wrong with those demons...!" He let the tray slip onto the counter. "Has nobody here learned how to properly behave in a restaurant?! The tables are sticky, the food is all over the cutlery, or even worse...!"

He held up a fork.

... Or better, what was left of it. Which was only the handle. The upper spikes got bitten off almost completely.

"Who eats a fork?!?!", Luke cried out. "That's... That's... Ridiculous!"

Clover gave an awkward laugh, she got over the point of wondering long ago.

"I am pretty sure I know who would..." she mumbled.

And truly, stepping out of the kitchen, the culprit looked at the fork with a guilty expression.

"... Don't tell Lucifer" Beelzebub mumbled as he came closer. "He'll get mad if he sees that parts of the cutlery are missing..."

"... 'parts'?!" Luke repeated in disbelief. "You mean this isn't the only one?!"

"... Those were accidents..." Beel whined, holding his grumbling belly.

He let himself plonk down on a chair next to Clover, then huddled over the counter in a pout.

"Ugh... And what am I supposed to do with that now...?" Luke said.

"Hm..." Simeon thought. "Clover, Beel, could you watch the bar for a moment? Luke, let's go bring the dishes to the kitchen... And that thing into the trash."

They excused themselves after Clover gave her okay and Beel gave some kind of grumble.

The girl´s head drifted over to look at the demon...

And her heart skipped a beat.

She checked the situation.

His tail? Exposed.

His thoughts? In some far away land about food.

The others? Gone.

The perfect chance for a squeeze? Right fucking NOW.

Clover swallowed the raising anxiety in her stomach.

She had lurked around the angels in hope of squeezing one of their tails, but now that they were gone, she had missed that chance...

The more she thought about it, the more did Clover feel like hyperventilating. It was such a stupid thing to fuss over, but sadly, her habit of over-contemplating would always stress her out in unnecessary situations.

After what felt like eternity of convincing herself, she moved her arm.

Beel almost immediately turned his head.

"... You look like you want to eat me." He said.

"Wh-what?!"

His grumpy face mustered her.

"But I will eat you before you could possibly eat me, so don't even try."

Clover's already red face curled in confusion.

"I didn't want to..." she mumbled.

"Why were you staring at me, then?"

"I-I... Was thinking about how to help you with your hunger..." she lied.

"... Oh. Sorry for accusing you of something else, then."

"N-no, it's fine..."

Before Clover could talk herself into more bullshit, Simeon came back, and the holy boy was there to save her from her own misery.

"Beel" he called out. "Luke and I will soon return home for a bit. I can bring you some sandwiches, so stay strong, okay?"

"Simeon...!" Beel cheered as his euphoria made him stand up and engulf Simeon in a hug. "You're a true angel...!"

Clover felt quite shitty afterwards.

Beel hugging Simeon was an adorable sight, but she hated herself for being such a coward.

After dodging another encounter with Solomon, she had pulled back to help Belphie at the casino area, trying to get her mind off of the competition for a little...

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

Alright. I hope you´re not bored yet, because the chaos hasn´t even properly started yet.

Also, nearing ourselves to half-time, now is a good opportunity to sum up a few events as well as the overall squish-score so far.

Violet was leading with a total of 12 points. Besides the mentioned scenarios, she had also encountered Mammon a second time, and she was lucky enough to find Luke having a life crisis over another eaten fork.

Heck, Violet even managed to squeeze Clover's tail once, and her friend hasn't noticed!

Clover, on the other side, has had a great start, but did rather poorly the later it got.

With five points, she only had another chance with Asmo, who, tbh, had been begging for someone to pay attention to his booty. (But to be clear, he did not notice the squish.)

Over time, she got desperate, but that only fueled Clover's fears of getting caught.

It nearly let her to internally quitting, if not for Violet to pull her back into the game once more...

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

Most of the crew was busy working when the clock struck midnight.

A nearby bell tower announced the change of day -- and with that, also the change of clothes.

The customers as well as the staff looked up when a certain voice echoed through the speakers.

"Good evening, my sweethearts~!" Asmodeus cheered, sitting on the bar counter and waving at the crowd. "Or should I say good night? Good morning? I hope you are having a good one, to say the least!"

He gained a small round of laughter.

"Yes, yes, a cheery mood is what we want! And now that we passed midnight... It's time for a special surprise!"

He stood up onto the counter, striking a nice pose while smirking widely.

"Those with weak minds -- and weak ovaries -- should brace themselves, cause things are about to get hot~!"

The crowd applauded and cheered. A group of thirsty (asmodeHoes) fans threw in some... naughty exclamations, but Asmo had already jumped onto the floor again, gathering the staff members around him.

Barbatos at his side, he was handing out another set of clothing. "Please get dressed quickly", the butler said.

And so they went off...

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

"VioLET."

"Cloverrrr..."

"I CAN'T go out like his."

"But... But Clover... You know what must be awaiting us outside..."

"ARGH... I'm not ready for that either..."

Clover was sitting on the floor again.

This time, their outfit consisted of a classic black playbunny suit, ears and tail still included of course, arm sleeves as well as a shirt's collar that was held together by a bow tie.

"Come onnn, I don't wanna go without you..." Violet protested.

"But HOW am I supposed to face those frickin´ snacks” Clover cried out. “I'm a fucking potato compared to them, also Violeeet, the moment I see any of them my mind will SIN and I won't ever be able to look into Simeon's eyes ever agai-"

They heard voices on the other side of the door.

"Woohooo, is that Lucifer?! Shirtless?!" They heard Asmo go. "And and, kyaaaa, Beel, those ABS!!"

The girls exchanged a glance.

Then dashed out of the womens' toilet once again.

Stumbling out of the room, however, there was no one to be spotted at all.

A little confused, the girls noticed too late how a cheeky Asmodeus had been hiding behind the door, pushing the latter shut to have a perfect view on his girls.

"Got you~!" he hummed, leading the girls to turn around.

He had a camera in his hands and seemed to be already filming.

"What a view~", he continued. "Could you do me a favour and turn around as well?"

"Asmo!!" Violet hissed, her cheeks gaining a pink blush out of angered embarrassment.

Not as much as Clover's face was heating up, though, as she prompted the demon to put his phone down.

"Not going to happen, sweetie~" he chuckled. "Devilgram will love those bashful expressions...!"

"WhAt?!" Violet covered her body immediately. "You WON'T upload this anywhere!"

"Uhmmm... That's kind of not possible, you know? This is a live broadcast."

"WHAT."

Then, another person stepped out of the males' bathroom.

"What's all the noise about?"

Lucifer's annoyed voice echoed through the corridor.

When he stepped closer, however, his attention got caught up by the girls' appearance.

"Oh~?" he purred, inspecting the girls (but Violet in particular hehe) with a pleased smirk on his lips.

"L... Lu..." Violet's voice broke off.

She just... Died. Nothing more to say about this, really.

Because only now both, Violet and Clover, realised that not everything of Asmo's bait had been a lie...

The demons were actually shirtless, their chests bare as they were wearing only arm sleeves and, in Lucifer's case, a bow tie around his neck, while Asmo's neck was decorated with a ribbon. Rather tight-fitting black trousers and the bunny accessories completed the look that had left the girls speechless.

Lucifer's smirk grew wider.

"No, that's no good... I think I will have to speak to the manager. Those outfits are way too distracting... Isn't that so, Violet?"

"H-huh?!" The girl did a little hop.

Thankfully, Asmo jumped in to her aid.

"Fufu~! Lucifer, do you mean the girls are getting distracted by us, or is it that YOU are getting distracted, hm~?"

Lucifer crossed his arms in a contemplative manner.

"Well... I admit to a pleasant view when I see one, so..." He pinned Violet down with his eyes. "I guess I will have to be extra careful from now on... Then again, I might need a more detailed view, just to be sure..."

Asmo gave an excited giggle.

"Lucifer, you beast~!"

Then Asmo turned to Violet again.

"But judging from her red cheeks, I feel Violet might think the same... Isn't that so, darling~?"

"U-uhm...", Violet stammered, trying really hard to make her brain function again. "Well I... Think there's no point in denying that... Uhm..."

She glanced over at Lucifer, but every time she did, her head got dizzy all over again.

"Go on, please" Lucifer suddenly said. "There is no need to deny what, exactly?"

And her brain got stuck in an endless loop of not being able to cope.

Lucifer seemed to have plenty of fun with that, so he kept teasing her for the time being.

-----

We do remember, however, that there was another still girl left to completely destroy.

And Asmo took it upon himself to achieve exactly that.

"Don't worry, Clover!" He said as he tackled the girl into a hug, simultaneously dragging her away from the two lovebirds. "You're just as charming, of course."

"Th-thanks..." Clover mumbled.

"Hm? You don't seem to believe me."

Clover pulled away, now only holding hands with him, giving a shrug. "You know what I think of my looks, Asmo..."

The avatar of Lust gave a sigh.

"There we go again... If you're so self-conscious… why don't we go ask for some opinions?"

"Eeh?!"

And if the god of fateful anime encounters had planned it, the remaining demon brothers happened to have finished changing as well. The door to the men´s bathroom swung open…

"Oh!" Asmo smelled his chance. "Look, there comes our audien-"

He got cut off by the weird sound Clover made.

In a single movement, she had let out a squeal that a human throat should not be able to do, had completely destroyed Asmo's pretty hand by squeezing it in excitement, while in the end she was hiding behind Asmo, only peeking over his shoulder to glance at the mass of hotness coming out of the bathroom.

"Clover…?" Asmo sounded confused.

"Too much hotness", she mumbled into his shoulder. “I can´t-“

"Huh?" Asmo sounded genuinely confused for a second.

Then a smirk curled his face.

"What?!" he spoke extra loud, extra dramatically, so everyone could hear. "What did you say, Clover?! You think they're all sooo hot?!"

"A-asmo, be quiet...!" Clover mumbled.

But he continued.

"What? You love how much skin we are showing?!" he yelled.

"Stop...!"

"Whaaat?! You'd even pay them to strip down even more?! Clover, you wild animal!"

She punched the demon in embarrassment.

The next second, a certain scumbag stood beside them.

"DiD I hEaR 'P-p-p-PAy'?!" Mammon stuttered, literal cash-symbols in his eyes.

Asmo grinned at him, covering Clover's mouth so she couldn't protest.

"Our dear Clover here wants you to strip for her~"

Clover shook her blushy head.

"That's not trrngh..." she tried to press out between Asmo's fingers.

Mammon stared at her for a moment.

"… 10.000 Grimm."

Clover had freed herself again.

"... What?"

"15.000 and I'll do pole dance too."

"MAMMON WHAT THE HECK."

The second born looked almost disappointed when Clover declined his offer.

But Asmo was already moving on with his mischiefs.

"What? Clover?? You want to do WHAT with Beel's abs?!?!"

"ASMODEUS, I'LL KILL YOU-"

"No you won't~" Asmo grinned, turning to give his brothers a view on Clover. "Guuuys, I need your help! I dare you to give this little lady a rating in this sweet costume of hers."

Most of them looked confused at first,

but, seeing one, her outfit, and two, how much she was unable to cope, a few were ready to assist in Asmo's tease.

"I'd need a full view to judge" Satan grinned.

"Yeah" Belphie agreed. "Could you turn around slowly, Clover? Maybe do some poses as well?"

Clover shot them some angry glares.

"... You could do that pose were you form ears with your hands…" Levi dared to add in a mumble.

"Hrrrgh...!" Clover was fighting her embarrassment. "All of you are awful... Beel over here is the only nice guy, honestly...!"

She glanced at him in a pout, hoping he'd defend her... Or at least say something as well...

"... So you're not going to pose for us?" Beel said in a pout.

Clover.exe stopped working.

"Fufu..." Asmo grinned. "See, my dear? Even Beel demands a show... Now come on, we're waiting~!"

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

You can probably guess that Clover wasn't going to get out of this situation anytime soon.

While this part of the group enjoyed this mess of a person, let's switch back to the other girl whose brain was doing about as poorly.

Lucifer had kept Violet by his side, making sure she wasn't going to help Clover in her dilemma… Or going elsewhere in general.

However, one certain jealous bean soon couldn't bear that Lucifer was hogging Violet all for himself.

"Oi, Lucifer, back off of Violet already!"

And Mammon pressed himself in between them. "She's one of my humans after all!"

Visible displease grew on Lucifer's face as he got cockblocked yet again.

"And what would give you the right to claim her for yourself?" The eldest grumbled.

Mammon crossed his arms.

"... Because I just said so."

Lucifer pressed out a sigh, to then simply push Mammon's body away again.

"LUCIF-", Mammon hissed. "STOOP...!"

"You are distracting us, Mammon."

"B-but... That´s not fair…” he shouted. “M-maybe I want Violet to notice me as well!!"

Lucifer stopped, while most of the surrounding people went silent.

Then Levi gave a laugh.

"Oh my god MAMMON, that was so desperate lolol, SO uncool!"

Belphie spared him a pityful laugh. "Are you really that desperate for some attention, you idiot?"

The avatar of Greed was gritting his teeth.

"Hnngh... Shut up, all of you...!"

The situation around them escalated a little, even more so as Diavolo and Barbatos joined in on the chaos, having changed clothes as well.

But Violet felt bad, especially since she wouldn´t have expected Mammon to act like this. So, in a silent second where everyone seemed busy in their personal chaos, she sneaked over to Mammon.

After -- of course, what did you expect -- quickly poking his bunny tail, Violet also gave his shoulder a tap.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Mammon looked a little surprised, responding with a huff.

"...'s a wolf..."

"Huh?"

"Lucifer's a wolf!" Mammon repeated, awfully loud and both feared that the eldest brother had heard him.

A bit more timid, Mammon continued as Violet could only look at him in confusion.

"... Ya can't just go hop around in such an alluring outfit when there're guys like Lucifer around. He could go full beast mode and, dunno, do some weird stuff to ya."

Violet suppressed the nasty thoughts approaching her brain, her heart beating drastically as she mumbled a faint "I see".

"Ya human should better stick to the great Mammon! I'd treat you nicely, y'know."

Violet raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"... 'Treat me' how, exactly?" She asked in an almost teasing manner. "What were you planning to do, Mammon?"

And it landed a critical hit.

"I-I-I-I mean tr-treat as i-in... I'd protect you from all those beasts around you!" he stammered, his cheeks a blushing mess. "Nothin´ weird, I swear!! Its just… There's plenty of those beasts! Actually, maybe you should go home. If all the customers see you like this... Argh... I have to tell Clover, too...!”

He turned his head to search for the other girl, only to realise the group was about to return to their work. "Ahh... Oh no, she´s already been caught..." Mammon pressed out.

"Mammon" Violet called out again and treated him with a smile. "I assume you´re saying this because you´re worried about us, right? Thank you for that, you´re really a good friend. We're having a shift together later, right? So, until later, okay?"

He seemed confused again, but nodded in the end.

"Ugh... Fine... Just stay safe, ´kay? Promise!"

"I promise" she laughed, then Mammon finally seemed to have calmed down.

At least he was fine enough to turn around and go bother Levi with something.

Violet was watching them in amusement, then felt a presence behind her.

"Turning your eyes off of me already?" A deep voice purred almost right into her ear.

Ah, yes, there it was again, the drastic heart rate.

"Lucifer..." Violet turned around at the mellow voice. "I just wanted to tease Mammon a little. He seemed a little down."

"Sure, suit yourself..." Lucifer mumbled casually. "But I seem to be a little down as well... To think you'd end our conversation so quickly..."

Violet exploded into a puzzled blush.

"N-no... That's not... I ... You..."

Lucifer was pinning her down with his gaze, waiting for a coherent reaction. “Then how abou we pick up where we left? I think there´s something you wanted to tell me…”

"Y-you look... A-... Amazing..." she stammered.

"Hm? Could you say that again? Your voice appears to be awfully thin."

She breathed a heavily stressed breath. So Lucifer continued.

"Pardon me? Violet, you appear to be overheating. How come? I would assume your clothing is revealing enough skin to make that impossible..."

Aaand Violet's brain shut down as well.

"Should I help you?" he hummed, stepping even closer. "In comparison to you, I seem to maintain a way cooler head than you do..."

And, being the most flustered he has ever been, Lucifer continued to tease the shit out of Violet for as long as he felt the need to...

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

The group was about to dissolve and (finally) head back to work.

The girls, however, had stayed back for a strategy meeting.

"This is bad", Clover blabbered as she was trying to calm down. "I couldn't get up to them with shirts on, how am I supposed to even TALK to any of them when they're in maximum sexy mode?! And it's not only maximum hotness, but did all of them collectively agree to unlock their secret teasing-modes, too?!"

Violet gave a blushing shrug. "... Are you complaining, though?"

"Hnngh... No... But I'm so short on points... If I don't start playing risky, I'll loose..."

Violet smirked at that.

"Yeah" she agreed. "That's a good idea. Look, Solomon's over there all alone, why don't y-"

"Nope” lover interrupted her immediately. “Not going to happen. Nope. I'd rather go up to the demon prince himself. I'd rather get killed by Barbatos TBH."

"Oh, you would get killed..." Violet shivered, thinking back of what happened in the store room earlier.

"Don't care" Clover persisted. "Like, come, demon lord, if I was to touch Solomon's tail today, you may kill me right this instant...!"

[gamerwoo]

[Tales from the Pack] Wonwoo: Protector (Part Four)

Characters: Wonwoo x female reader

Genre/warnings: werewolf au, fantasy, angst, fluff at the end though!!

Word count: 5,471

Summary: If there’s one thing Wonwoo hates, it’s feeling helpless; like there’s nothing he can do to stop somebody he loves from getting hurts. It’s happened to him once before, and he swears it’ll never happen again. Especially not after he meets you.

Tag list: @choiminjae0325​​​ @heolykpop​​​ @fullsun-donghyuck​​​ @yoonbabe-d​​​​ @exuwu​​​ @lets-get-1t​​​​ @sooooofrench​​​​ @vintageot5​​​ @sehunnies-hunnie96​​ @luvhannie​​ @childfmoonn​​ @wobwobkpop​​ @henloimawierdobye​​ @dirinast​ (if you wanna be added please send an ask or a dm!!)

Unable to tag: @uglyratlmao

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Wonwoo set the bags on the table for you and helped you put everything away. It was a lot easier taking care of your groceries than the pack’s since you were just buying for the two of you, but that also meant less work, which meant his brain could wander. As always, it went straight to two things: you, and Danbi.

He was frustrated with himself. He’d been with you for two weeks now, and he figured he should’ve marked you already. You already knew how all of that worked, so you would be fine with it. But he also hadn’t asked and he didn’t want to do that without asking, but he didn’t know if he even should ask. Was two weeks too early?

He would always do this. He’d go round and round overthinking it, and then do nothing and continue to be frustrated. He wanted you marked as his already -- especially with the nightmares he’d been having, but that was another thing entirely.

But that did have something to do with why he was thinking of Danbi. Was she doing okay? Was she still angry at him? Did she run off again? It wasn’t like his pack mates who came to check up on him were much help in getting answers, either. He’d ask a question, to which they’d only reply “don’t worry too much”. But when he kept dreaming of that day with Lilly, and now started having nightmares of something similar happening to you or Danbi, how could he not worry? Something bad could happen, and he would completely blame himself.

You could easily tell when he was thinking about Danbi, though -- at least, you always assumed it was just Danbi. He would stare off into space as he did whatever task he was doing, and his nose would scrunch in the slightest as his eyebrows sat low over his eyes and made a crease between them. You didn’t mind that his focus was on his sister, you just wished you could help. He didn’t deserve to be this stressed out and worried but what could you do?

“Your face will freeze like that,” you chuckled as you and Wonwoo sat on the couch together, his face still scrunched up as he thought about Danbi. “Come on, love, you need to relax.”

“I’m trying,” he sighed, the look finally dropping from his face as he laid his head back against the couch. “My sister is probably at home safe and sound, but I still can’t focus on my mate… I’m the worst werewolf to exist.”

Wonwoo didn’t want to tell you how he worried about you because he didn’t want you to see him how he assumed Danbi did. He didn’t want you thinking he was overbearing or thinking he was an awful mate and wanting nothing to do with him. He didn’t want to mess things up with you, so he kept his worries about keeping you safe to himself.

“That’s not true,” you stated, turning to face him as you sat on your knees. “Wonwoo, the only problem you seem to have is that you think you can protect Danbi from everything, including her own life and choices. You need to learn how to relax a bit more.”

“Relax?” he asked as if it was a foreign word to him. He sat up and looked at you. “Have you met the pack? We don’t relax; we fight.”

“Well, you definitely can’t fight anybody here,” you chuckled, looking around to find some sort of outlet for his stress. “Uh…maybe go punch a tree or something?”

Wonwoo’s laugh was deep, his eyes lighting up at your comment, “We don’t punch trees, _____.”

“It’s called a joke, Woo,” you giggled as he rolled his eyes, flopping over to the side and laying his head in your lap. Hearing the sad sigh he let out, you knew he wouldn’t be getting his mind off of his stressful thoughts anytime soon. “Love, I know you’re worried about her, but you know you can’t always be there to protect her.”

“But I need to be,” he sighed again, this time more deeply. “If anything were to happen to her, it’s my fault, _____. I’m her big brother; I’m supposed to protect her from danger.”

You had a feeling this was stemming from something else. The way his eyes bore into yours with such heartbreak in them, you knew this came from something much, much more than just fearing Danbi would run away again. But you didn’t know if it was too far to pry just yet.

“Sweetheart, she has Mingyu, too,” you told him, running your hands through his soft hair. “Mingyu’s your brother, so you know he’ll take good care of her. You can’t always be there for her now that she’s grown up and has a family.”

“Yeah, but--”

There was a loud knock on the door, interrupting your conversation. It made you jump a bit considering the fact it wasn’t only getting pretty late – the sun was setting as the sky began to fade to warm oranges that transitioned to cool dark blues – but the knock sounded forceful.

You let out a soft sigh before calling out, “coming!” as you stood, forcing your mate to sit up with a pouty huff. Despite the fact you informed the guest at the door that you were on your way to open it, they continued to pound impatiently on your door. You did your best to not snap at them before opening the door and being met with the last person you expected to see.

“Hello, _____,” the boy at the door smiled a little too sweetly. “I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time.”

His name was Donghae and he was this average height and clean-cut boy, always dressing up in the best clothes he could as if he were some sort of royal. Had he not been such a brat, you would’ve thought maybe Donghae was handsome with the way he always slicked his short, dark hair back, and how he was always clean shaven to show off his sharp, squared jaw. His eyes were a little on the rounder side, but his square brows were always set low so you couldn’t really tell unless he raised them in amusement -- much like he currently was.

Donghae was also the town mayor’s son. That meant he was the son of possibly the most important person in town, and that was scary. He had power, and people with power made you nervous because you knew they had the most information. Beom always instructed you to keep to yourself when around people with a higher status because you never wanted to give them a reason to pry. That was what confused you about Donghae suddenly showing up at your doorstep. You always kept to yourself, even earlier that day in the market with Wonwoo. So what could’ve made him come here? You weren’t even aware that he was in the market -- unless he had been watching you from a distance.

On top of being powerful, Donghae was, to put it bluntly, an asshole. He used his power just because he could, and he always got his way. He was one of the worst people you had ever been aware of, and you always steered clear of him whenever you saw him.

As soon as Wonwoo heard his voice, he moved quickly and quietly to the kitchen to be closer to you, afraid of what Donghae was planning. Despite not being too familiar with the town, he was well aware of Donghae’s family because they were who the pack had to be cautious around. Wonwoo didn’t know why the snobby brat would be visiting you – and at such a late hour at that – but he didn’t sense anything good about his reasoning.

“Of course,” you replied, trying to stay polite even though your heart was beating out of your chest. You didn’t know what he could possibly want from you; you were a very quiet member of the town. “What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to speak to you about a…werewolf problem,” he smirked ever so slightly, cocking an eyebrow like he knew you knew something.

Wonwoo softly growled, but tried to keep himself under control. There was no way he could be suspicious of you, right? And if he was, Wonwoo already knew the consequences wouldn’t be good.

“Werewolves?” you chuckled nervously. “Werewolves aren’t real, Donghae.”

“Oh, but I think Beom thought so,” he said as he clicked his tongue. “She is the one who raised you, isn’t she?”

You gulped, “Y-yes… B-but Beom was always coming up with crazy tales. You know that very well.”

“_____, I did notice something very...different at the market today,” he continued, the amused smile never leaving his stupid face. “You were with a man. That’s very new for you, isn’t it? You’re always alone.”

It was true that you were hardly ever seen with anybody, much less a man. You’d been in town with Danbi only a few times, and Jooyeon even less than that, probably. But the wolves, you had never been spotted with for as long as you knew the pack. 

“W-why were you watching me at the market?” you quickly tried to counter.

“Don’t avoid this, _____. Who is he?”

As Donghae continued to try to get you to slip up, Wonwoo heard the back door open. He was about to let out a warning growl until he sensed it was someone from the pack: Chan. The youngest wolf crept up the hallway and made his way to Wonwoo when he noticed him in the kitchen.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Wonwoo whispered to Chan who had his golden eyes glued on you.

“You need to get _____ out of here.” he told your mate. “I was on my way home from town, and I saw a bunch of guards lurking. There are some around the sides of the house; I think Donghae knows that _____ helps the pack. I can get her out but I don’t know how I can if Donghae keeps blabbing to her.”

Wonwoo eyed Chan, unsure of how this could work, but he knew he had to get you away from Donghae before something bad happened. He let out a sigh, running his hands through his hair as he tried to quickly think of a plan. He knew he’d have to do something now before Donghae either took you with him or worse – he refused to consider the second option.

Wonwoo bit his lip, closing his eyes with a soft groan in his throat, “I can only think of one way to do this…but you’re going to have to be involved. They’ll know you’re a werewolf.”

“I’m okay with anything if it keeps the pack safe,” Chan nodded, “but I don’t know how _____ will feel. This is her home.”

“It’s all we’ve got to keep her safe,” he said, his eyes watching your back.

You still had no clue the younger wolf was in your house. You were simply trying to answer Donghae’s questions, giving the little twerp as vague answers as you possibly could. He was two years younger than you and you felt like he shouldn’t be here scolding you, but he was the son of an important person in the town, so you had to listen to him. 

Donghae made it clear you were suspected of being involved with the werewolf pack, but you were denying everything. You tried to convince him that you were innocent, but you already knew that Donghae wasn’t the type to listen to reason, even if you weren’t lying – which you definitely were, but he didn’t need to know that. You were fighting a losing battle.

“Well, _____, I’m afraid I--”

“Excuse me,” an unfamiliar voice was right by your ear, cutting off Donghae as the stranger scooped you off of the ground, making you gasp, “but I’ll be taking her.”

Before you could even scream, you were moving at a speed so fast that it felt like you weren’t even moving. In seconds, you were near the familiar tree with the large hole in it that had been there since you were a child, signaling you were going the correct way to the wolves’ den. The smaller wolf -- you only knew he was a werewolf because of the eyes and the fact he was incredibly fast -- wasn’t even winded as he grinned down at you.

“Sorry to have our first meeting be under these circumstances,” he chuckled awkwardly as he set you down. “I’m Chan, the youngest; I’m from Soonyoung’s pack.”

They had mentioned Chan before. He was the pup and he had the power of speed. You got to witness that firsthand, and you had to admit, it was impressive. However, you didn’t get to even introduce yourself because it was then that it hit you: Wonwoo wasn’t with you.

“Wonwoo!” you gasped, gripping his shoulders. “Chan, where’s Wonwoo?”

“He left before we did,” he promised with a soft smile, “everything will be fine. It was all part of my master plan -- well, his, but it was my idea that he leave first since he’s slower than me.”

“But…” you turned, looking back the way you came as tears filled your eyes. You already knew that they were going search your house for evidence, trashing it and confiscating everything. “All of my things…my memories…my home…”

Chan’s proud smile faded as he watched tears slip down your cheeks, your bottom lip quivering. He stepped toward you, wanting to somehow comfort you, but unsure what would be okay.

“It’ll be okay, _____,” he promised softly, deciding to place a warm hand on your shoulder. “We’ll go back in a few days to bring everything back. I’m sure the alphas will help, and Wonwoo too.”

“What about Wonwoo?” you sniffled, looking at the younger boy as you tried to control your tears. “Where is he now?”

“He said he’d meet us here. He should be-- Oh! There!”

Chan pointed to a sandy-colored wolf with dark paws, and a dark marking on it’s chest. You already knew it was your mate just by looking at him, and you ran to him, making him slow his pace before he ran straight into you. He was carrying something in his mouth, but you ignored it and threw your arms around him, cuddling into his fur as he hummed in content.

“Told you,” Chan smirked, resting his hands on his hips.

Wonwoo let out a tiny huff, so you pulled away. He held what looked like a frame out to you, and you took it in your hands carefully. You turned it over and saw that it was the picture of you, Beom, and the alphas – the last picture you took with her.

You wiped under your eyes, holding the frame with one hand as you looked at your mate, “Thank you.”

Wonwoo nudged your cheek with his nose before walking up a bit and lowering himself for you to get on his back. Before you could even climb up, Chan was helping you on and taking the picture so you could hang on to Wonwoo’s fur.

“Good thinking, Wonwoo,” he smiled as he studied the picture, beginning the walk back to the house.

-

Once inside the house, Chan began going through his bag from the market that he’d filled with your little pots, potions, and remedies before taking you. He placed the various items on the counter, and each new thing he pulled out seemed to raise you spirits just a little bit. You were delighted with what they got, but you knew you’d still need the rest of your stuff. However, you were grateful either way.

“I can’t believe Jihoon smiles,” Jun called from the living room where he was hanging your portrait up above the fireplace with a few other photos.

“Shut your mouth!” Jihoon huffed as he helped you and Jeonghan put your things away with the Jeon siblings’ things in the kitchen.

Honestly, between what you and the two siblings had, you didn’t have a bad stock. You could definitely add to it, but you’d have to wait a few days. You’d be fine waiting, though. You knew you wouldn’t want to see your house a wreck, but at least you could get your belongings.

“I know the circumstances are shitty,” Jeonghan began, “but I’m glad you’ll be moving in for a while, _____. It’s been a long time since we’ve gotten to see you for long periods of time."

“I have to agree,” Jihoon admitted with the traces of a smile on his lips. “Plus, maybe you can keep these morons in line.”

“Hey, I’m not a moron!” Seungcheol whined.

“Don’t you have a mate to be keeping an eye on?” Jihoon quizzed, raising an eyebrow.

You let out an excited gasp, turning to the older wolf, “Oh, where’s Jooyeon?”

Seungcheol chuckled as he nodded toward the front yard, “She’s outside with Seokmin right now. I think they’re--”

“Uh, guys?” Seokmin called. You paused to go look out of the kitchen doorway and down the hall where the younger wolf was standing at the open front door. “You might want to see this…”

The wolves went to the door, piling outside onto the lawn. They looked up in the sky, one by one, their faces showing shock and horror. You made your way out and looked up, and then your jaw dropped, and your legs started to shake before your knees completely buckled and you dropped to the grass.

A pillar of thick, grey and black smoke was swirling in the sky. It looked like it was towards the outskirts of town.

Your house was right at the edge of town, and in the direction of the smoke.

“No!” you cried as tears formed and quickly began spilling over your eyes.

“_____...” Wonwoo knelt in the grass beside you, pulling you into his chest.

“Fuck…” Soonyoung sighed, looking from the smoke to you as you sobbed.

You didn’t even bother to cover your face or hide away in your mate’s chest. You couldn’t take your eyes off of the smoke. Every picture, potion, article of clothing, and most importantly, memory was now gone from that house. Your childhood, your memories of Beom, and every other beautiful memory that was contained in that house was now erased with the smoke as it rose higher and higher into the sky.

It felt like everything was taken from you. Everything you knew; everything Beom left behind for you was in that house. You only had a few things that Wonwoo and Chan managed to get, but it wasn’t enough. You were thankful, yes, but what about the rest of the things you needed? You could never get them back now. Everything was gone.

“That little brat isn’t playing around,” Joshua mumbled.

“I’ll kill him,” Wonwoo growled, angry with how upset Donghae had made his mate, hugging you tighter. “I’ll tear every limb from his body.”

Chan sighed, unable to look away from the smoke filling the sky, “_____…I’m sorry we couldn’t get everything. We didn’t know--”

You broke his apology with a sob so loud that the pack looked away from the sky and down at you. Wonwoo forced your face into his chest, not wanting you to continue looking at the grey smoke clouds that seemed to never end. He knew how much that house meant to you. Hell, he even considered moving in with you permanently instead of having you stay with the pack so you could keep all of your memories that were in that house. You lived close enough that he could visit when he needed to, and you would always be protected by the pack. It would’ve been perfect.

Anger bubbled inside of him. It was difficult for him to contain, but he managed while he had you in his arms. You were the only thing keeping him calm and grounded. If it were just him, he knew he would’ve shifted and would’ve been on his way to murder Donghae in an instant.

“Come on, _____,” Seungcheol’s voice was soft as his hand rested on your upper back. “Let’s get you back inside for now.”

“Seungcheol's right,” Wonwoo decided, bringing you to stand with him. “We shouldn’t stay out here for long.”

“You’re only torturing yourself,” Soonyoung nodded, gesturing for the pack to start heading in. “I’m also worried Donghae will send his men to look for the three of you, so it’s best if we all lay low for a bit.”

You knew that he was right, but you couldn’t find words. Whenever you opened your mouth, more sobs poured out, and it worried Wonwoo and the rest of the pack. They knew you’d be okay eventually, but it would take time. For now, though, it was clear you were far from okay.

-

The pack was determined to take your mind off of what happened. While Wonwoo, Chan, Mingyu, Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Seungkwan sat with you in the living room, the wolves were scouring the house in search of the old photo albums that they hadn’t seen in years.

“I found one!” Minghao called from one corner of the basement.

“How many are there again?” Hansol wondered as he searched another dust-covered box.

“Three…?” Seungcheol guessed slowly. “I don’t remember, I haven’t seen them since Beom would visit.”

Jihoon groaned softly, standing up on his toes to reach another box, “Why do we have so many photo albums? We never do anything together.”

“Beom made them,” Jeonghan stated, a slight bite to his tone. “She liked keeping memories, just like _____. That’s why we need to find all of them.”

“Got the second one!” Jun announced proudly, holding the dusty book in the air.

Seungcheol turned away from where he was looking to smile softly at the fourth oldest, “One more and we’re good.”

Meanwhile, you were in the living room with a handful of the pack as they tried to cheer you up. Wonwoo couldn’t help but feel a little bit happy that the pack flocked to you so easily, even if most of them barely knew you. Chan seemed to take an automatic liking to you ever since rescuing you from your house, and the rest of the younger wolves seemed to be following suit. Even Mingyu seemed to have his curiosity of you overpowering the constant attention he kept on his mate and 3-month-old daughter.

“Please don’t cry anymore, _____,” Soonyoung frowned, one arm around you as you sat between him and your mate on the couch.

Your head hurt from crying, but the tears wouldn’t stop no matter how hard you tried. Wonwoo was continuously drying your tears with his sweater sleeve, but they just kept flowing out of you. Your heart was completely broken, and you didn’t know how to fix it.

“We’ll avenge you, _____,” Seungkwan promised, offering a smile.

You sniffled, rubbing your eyes, “Th-thanks, Seungkwan.”

“We’ll make things okay again,” Wonwoo swore, his voice soft like velvet as he ran his fingers soothingly through your hair. “I know we can’t get your house back, but we can make sure you’re safe until we can figure out how to get back at him.”

You nodded, wanting to believe your mate, but Donghae had so much power. How were you supposed to go against him? He had resources that the pack didn’t, and he had way more people than you. The pack were going to walk into a battle that they couldn’t win.

If anything happened to Wonwoo or the pack, you would never forgive yourself.

“Beom would know what to do if she was here…” you mumbled.

Your words made tears start to pick up again, and Soonyoung was quick to shush you, being the only one in the room who knew your connection with the old woman.

You always looked up to her and always wanted to be like her. The truth was, you could never be her. You didn’t know nearly as much as her, and you clearly sucked at keeping the one secret that you had to keep. The town officials now knew there were werewolves nearby, and they knew that Wonwoo and Chan were two of them because they wanted to protect you. You were the reason they had to expose themselves.

“_____, don’t compare yourself to her,” the alpha told you. “I know you think you’re not as good as her, but even Beom would never be able to stop Donghae.”

“She wouldn’t have been careless,” you sobbed, your voice breaking.

“You weren’t careless, _____!” Chan insisted. “It wasn’t your fault. How would you know that Donghae would be in town?”

“Yeah, you can’t just hide inside your house all the time,” Seokmin agreed.

“But now we have to hide inside all the time,” you sighed as Wonwoo pulled his sleeve down over his hand and used it to wipe the moisture from your cheeks once again. “I don’t even know how he got tipped off. I’m really sorry…”

“Don’t be,” Seungkwan told you with a smile, “Jihoon and Jeonghan will be very pleased to not have to go outside.”

His lighthearted – but definitely true – comment made you laugh softly, which made the small group of wolves smile. Seungkwan was very proud of himself for that.

“Oh, _____,” Junhui sang as he appeared in the doorway of the living room, holding a dusty book in his hand, “we found some things that might make you feel better.”

When the rest of the pack crowded into the living room and set the three books on the table, you recognized them as the photo albums and let out a soft gasp. You thought all your pictures were gone – it was very difficult to get your hands on a camera, but Beom somehow managed – but here they were with the wolves. At least, copies Beom had given them.

“Ooh, let’s see this one first!” Seungkwan grinned as he reached over to grab the book from the table.

“Uh, I think this one goes first,” Joshua corrected, taking a new book and sliding it across the table toward you with a soft smile. “It’s mostly pictures from when _____ was younger.”

“Oh god…” you laughed shyly, making the pack chuckle.

You flipped the book open, smiling as you looked over the pictures and pointed out a few of your favorites. The pack had just gotten a house built back then, and Soonyoung’s pack had yet to even show up, so you only really saw Jihoon, Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Joshua, so they were the ones in most of the photos. The older wolves also took turns to laugh at memories that they were reminded of from the happy pictures.

“Is that Jihoon holding a baby?” Chan asked, pointing at a picture of Jihoon holding a 3-month-old you as far away from him as he possibly could.

He burst into a fit of giggles as the rest of the wolves curiously leaned over for a look before they were joining in on the laughter.

Jihoon just frowned, “I’d never held a baby, okay!”

Jeonghan pointed to a picture of Seungcheol, who was cradling you in his arms and smiling down at you, “That’s how you hold a baby, idiot.”

The book was filled with pictures of you up to the age of eleven, either of just you or you with the pack. There were even pictures of just the pack at their home, which still looked the same as it does now -- like the one of them all outside the house after Soonyoung and his three pack mates had finally joined. All the memories were happy ones that made you smile and laugh with everyone else.

There were pictures of you on Jun’s shoulders as you pointed up at the sky, and Joshua and Jeonghan braiding your hair while you played with dolls that Beom had made you. There were pictures of Minghao and a wolf you recently learned was Mingyu as they tried to cook a large dinner for their equally as large pack. Pictures of Jihoon sitting on the floor with you in his lap at age four while he read to you, a genuine smile on his face – which earned plenty of ‘aw’s from the pack. 

And then you came across a picture of Wonwoo and his sister when she had just moved in – and boy, did he look different.

“_____, look!” Minghao laughed, pointing to the picture to get your attention.

You almost didn’t recognize him with the way his long, black fringe flopped in his face. You only knew it was him from the sharp features, and the fact that Danbi was smiling beside him with her arms around his neck.

You looked at your mate beside you, who was blushing profusely.

“Hey, shut up!” he whined at the pack who was laughing at how he looked back then.

“You were cute,” you giggled, kissing Wonwoo’s red cheek softly.

He pulled you closer to him as he sulked at his pack’s teasing.

The next book was you between the ages of twelve and eighteen from the looks of it, and you didn’t get to see the pack as often. You saw yourself slowly grow up between all the pictures, and each memory brought back more that weren’t captured in the books. Like the time Jihoon came to visit after not seeing you for a long time, and became grumpy because you were taller than him.

One picture that Wonwoo pointed out was of you with his sister, the two of you hugging and grinning at the camera in the middle of Beom’s kitchen. You could tell seeing pictures of you with his sister made him incredibly happy as his eyes became shiny like they were filling with tears.

You took the picture out of its place and handed it to him, “You should keep this.”

“Thanks, love,” he smiled, kissing your temple softly as he took the photo.

The final album wasn’t completely full yet. It was you from nineteen, up until Beom died, and it showed more of you and less of the wolves. You asleep on the couch with a potion you were working on left unfinished in front of you on the coffee table; you hugging Soonyoung when he came to visit after not seeing him for months; Joshua sitting across from you in the grass while you tried to teach him how to knit on a warm spring afternoon; even you on Christmas as you held the very picture that was hanging up in the living room. You’d forgotten it was a present from Beom, so it only made the picture that much more meaningful.

“We should find a camera somewhere,” Seungcheol suggested suddenly as you neared the end of the final book. “We could fill up this book and make more with pictures of the growing pack.”

Soonyoung’s smile widened, “Yeah! We’ll have to keep our eyes out for a camera.”

“I’m sure Jooyeon can steal one of given the chance,” Junhui scoffed, nudging the eldest alpha in the side.

“Speaking of our growing pack,” Mingyu said as he stood from the floor, “I should check on Jiwoo and Danbi.”

Seungcheol nodded, “Yeah, I should make sure Jooyeon is asleep in bed and not asleep out of it.”

As the two wolves went to check on their mates, the pack went back to teasing the older wolves for how they were with you -- specifically Jihoon. He did at least improve with holding you when you were a baby, able to cradle you in one arm while he did tasks with the other. Soonyoung, on the other hand, couldn’t be trusted holding you with only one arm.

"At least most of us were competent,” Joshua shrugged, “or at least became competent.”

“Yeah, the real fiend is Soonyoung,” Jihoon insisted. “Tell them, _____.”

You chuckled, but nodded, “Yeah, Soonyoung was a real menace but I thought it was hilarious as a kid.”

“Because I’m great with kids!” Soonyoung said.

“Great with almost killing them,” Junhui giggled.

Wonwoo sat back against the couch and smiled as he watched you go back and forth with the older wolves. He was happy that your tears had dried, and the streaks of them were no longer on your cheeks. Your mind seemed to be taken away from the events of today, and that was all he could ask for right now.

[mirahuyooo]

Nighthawk | ksj

Nighthawk

—No matter the effort, he always plagues your mind in nights like this one, reminding you of the feelings you let get out of hand.

Word Count: 1,638 Contents: AnGST, a smidgen of fluff and crack, jin and y/n are besties OwO Pairing: Kim Seokjin x Reader A/N: I noticed I haven’t written anything for jin in a long while (shame on me) so here’s this! I’m in mood for love—unrequited love. Hope you all enoyed! Today’s sad, sad piece is inspired by the word;

Nighthawk

n. a recurring thought that only seems to strike you late at night—an overdue task, a nagging guilt, a looming and shapeless future—that circles high overhead during the day, that pecks at the back of your mind while you try to sleep, that you can successfully ignore for weeks, only to feel its presence hovering outside the window, waiting for you to finish your coffee, passing the time by quietly building a nest.

P.S. I just wanna remind everyone that dYNAMITE IS COMING SOON oehgtiuabrgujbaufg prepare YOUR LoINS eveRYONE we’RE about tO gET deSTROYED ahksgabrigk

[masterlist]

A sigh leaves your lips as you close the door behind you, setting your bag down on the nearby kitchen counter. It was late—very late. Your face disappears behind the hand that you had brought forth to rub the furrowing of your eyebrows away. There was a damning silence that reigned over your empty Seoul city apartment, and you were attacked from it reflecting your current state, leaving you no choice but to throw yourself in bed.

The moonlight filters lightly through the curtains, casting over the lump of blankets you soon cocooned yourself in. Not even bothering to slip out of the clothes you’ve been wearing for the past twelve hours, you buried your face into one of the many spare pillows you had placed around you, hugging it closer to your chest as you dealt with the fissures seizing your heart. Alas, the frustration of not falling asleep adds to the weight you carry with you. At the very least, with the pillows surrounding you, whatever demons lurking in the dark won’t be able to add to the problems you were dealing with.

You knew it was a senseless and pathetic feat. All of this was practically your own fault. You were, after all, the architect of your own melancholy, and, for some unfortunate reason, you were exceptionally good at this particular skill.

Fuelling your despair, you deemed it befitting to punish yourself by reaching for your phone and further depriving yourself of much needed sleep. You’ve been lying around for what seemed like eternity—you weren’t quite sure. Your mind barely registers the numbers that the clock displayed before you, and in all honesty, you’ve lost the ability to care about it at all. You’ve stayed up well past the hours of 2 AM before, doing the same self-wallowing sessions you were doing right now. You had long been a seasoned connoisseur in ploughing through ungodly hours—something he’s always scolded you for.

As some sort of hilarious joke you couldn’t quite understand, fate throws something in your way as you scroll through Twitter—a picture of you and the very man who’s been plaguing your thoughts at 2:18 AM in the morning—Kim Seokjin. Even as your eyes start to blur with tears, they still drink his beauty in—his plump lips, his deep piercing eyes, and his confident gait. Combine those compelling factors with his welcoming persona, astounding cooking skills, and sheer talent, and you’ve got yourself one fine man that you’ve been simping over for the past decade or so. Oh, how blessed you’d be if he was yours.

Unfortunately, there also existed compelling factors that couldn’t make Kim Seokjin yours.

For instance, there was your remarkable trait of being a damn coward. Residing so long within the realm of the accursed Friend Zone had fashioned your fears into mighty beasts that bullied you into staying within the borders of the said zone, regardless of your countless attempts to escape it. Always at the last minute, your mind compels you to retreat at the nightmare of ruining the friendship you two had fostered over so many years—should he ever realize that you were a peasant compared to his princely attributes.

Speaking of being low beneath him, you very much were one. You’ve made peace with your inferiority to his beauty and lifestyle, so much that you could stomach sitting next to him in all of your bare-faced, broke glory. You were well aware that you were average—disagreeable next to him, but average nonetheless.

In other aspects, your mundane life also pales in contrast to his exhilarating endeavors. He’s a beloved icon—a passionate singer and graceful dancer who tours the world to meet the millions he’s touched with his words and his group’s songs. You, on the other hand, exist on the other side of the spectrum. You were no one special really, which you really didn’t mind since you weren’t keen on being in the spotlight. The closest shot to fame you ever had was when you were revealed to be Kim Seokjin’s non-showbiz best friend who once shamelessly dominated him on an episode of EatJin.

You weren’t even his type, which had greatly satiated the accusations of some fans—it’s still undecided if you should take full offense on that one. You weren’t the cutesy, feminine, soft girl that’s often alluded to be matched with him. You were capable of a meal or two, but you were no master chef. The only thing in the box that you know you fulfil very well is that you take care of him—and you’re enormously proud of that accomplishment of yours.  

As much as you mother him at times, there are still many a days where you wonder why on Earth he even remains as your best friend—what more if he was to be your boyfriend?

Another sigh leaves your lips once again, tearing your eyes away from the screen to stare up at the moon outside your window—the sole witness of the late night happenings that occur within the premises of your desolate life. Ah, but even the moon would remind you of him.

There was a sensation going abuzz within you—something you knew all too well. You’ve done your best to ignore the infestation of feelings that had apprehended your very being, even attempting to exterminate it by going on numerous blind dates. Unfortunately, the damn lovebug has always damned you, always surviving and multiplying with every sweet gesture, every dashing smile, and every uplifting heart-to-heart that he delivers to you.

All of a sudden, your phone rings. The screen reveals the face of the very man you’ve been having a debate with your mind about. Jin was calling you.

“Why does he have to be like this?” you whined to no one in particular, snivelling away as you were further left a mess. The moment your hand properly holds the device again, you glare at the image. “I hate him,” you grumble, but not really.

As soon as you answered, you weren’t given a chance to talk. “Why are you online?” he instantly asks you in that scolding tone you were so familiar with.

Your heart flutters, even you went to roll your eyes. “Why are you up?” you countered childishly, voice raspy from your recent breakdown.

Jin’s delectable chuckle makes you squeak into the plush of a nearby pillow. “Ya! I just woke up,” he defensively says, not seeming to take notice of your little stunt. “I’m just grabbing a little snack, and then I’ll go back to bed,” he informs you, “busy day tomorrow, after all.”  

You hum, as your insides continue with its attempts to betray you. “I couldn’t sleep,” you find yourself admitting to him in a weakened tone.

As you hear the slight ruckus in the background, Jin tsk-ed at your bad decisions. You prepared yourself to be told off. “Scrolling through social media won’t help, stupid,” he softly chastised, much to your surprise and damnation. “Drink the tea I got you from Japan,” he tells you, making you fluster. “You still have that right?”

You could only hum in response, as you further coiled into a fetal position—as if to say you were made as soft as a baby by this man. You held back a snivel, as your mess of emotions continued to make you cry over him.

“Good,” Jin says, still not aware of the true state of ruin you were in. “Go on and drink some, then. It’ll help you sleep.”

A sniff escapes you. “Okay,” you say with a whimper clinging onto the last syllable.

This time, your best friend doesn’t miss the sound. You could imagine him freezing, stopping whatever it was he was doing. “(Y/N), are you alright?” he asks, concern already pouring through in those few words alone.

Not wanting to conflict him, you went out of your way to fake a cough and a few more sniffles. “Yeah,” you said, in spite of your heart hammering against your chest. “I’m just tired from all the arranging earlier.”

The silence that followed was eventually broken by Jin clearing his throat. “Rest well then,” he tells you, before he goes to tease. “No one should look ugly at my wedding, and that includes you.”

Ah, there it was—the one last factor that cements you to the confines of your prison cell in the zone of unrequited love.

“Good night, (Y/N),” he says, voice gentle enough to destroy your heart.

In the silence that followed, Jin didn’t hang up. He never really does hang up first. You smile bitterly, tears silently flowing one after the other like a waterfall. “Goodbye, Jin,” you tell him, ending the call just as a sob wrecks through you. You put down your phone, and cry into your pillow.

Kim Seokjin—your best friend, your greatest regret—is getting married, and to a woman you knew would be perfect for him—a woman so graceful, beautiful, and skillful. After all, you were the one who had introduced the two of them together in the first place. You had no doubt that the two of them would be happily ever after.

You wonder then, if you hadn’t pushed your feelings aside so adamantly and went with the hell of it, would you have been the one in white to be waiting down the aisle? At any point in time, was there really a smidgen of a chance that Jin would’ve said that he liked you back?

You’ll never know.

Your puffy eyes wander towards the lone moon that shone brightly behind your sheer curtains. Your nightly companion was staring right back at you, but all you could hear were your thoughts.

It was all your fault.

[cakesunflower]

Quiet Hours [College!Luke AU] Ch. 15

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14

Chapter 15

LUKE WAS ALL sorts of pissed off; the kind that had his jaw aching from clenching it so hard and hands perpetually formed into fists to prevent himself from punching something. He was familiar with this type of anger, the one that stemmed from betrayal and hurt that skipped right past being upset and festered in the stage of something akin to hatred. Luke never thought he could truly hate someone, but not for the first time he was debating against that idea when it came to the two people he was thinking about.

“Just don’t go,” Ashton shrugged, looking at Luke as if he didn’t understand what the big deal was. “Then you won’t have to see them.”

Luke shot his friend an aggravated look. “It’s my nan’s seventy-fifth birthday, Ashton. I have to go.” If he didn’t love his grandmother so much, Luke would just spend the weekend on campus instead of going home to celebrate with his family—which included his cousin Max and Luke’s ex—and Max’s current—girlfriend Gwen. He was in no mood to see the two of them flaunt a relationship that was created at the expense of Luke’s heartbreak.  

“Take someone with you as your date,” Michael suggested from where he sat at the kitchen counter, busy on his laptop as he did an assignment. He then glanced up, looking at Luke, who sat on the couch. “And by someone I mean Ophelia.”

Glancing at his friend, Luke furrowed his eyebrows at Michael’s proposition. Propping his right elbow on the armrest of the couch, Luke used his fingers to worry at his lower lip as he thought about the idea. It wasn’t a terrible idea to bring Ophelia to the party, but introducing her to his family seemed to be a bit too soon, especially since they only just figured things out to be together. He didn’t want to use her as a way of spiting Max and Gwen to show that he was fine after what happened. He didn’t miss Gwen, by any means, but he was still pissed. Still hurt.

Ophelia didn’t even know about Luke’s ex, Gwen, cheating on him with his own cousin and Luke didn’t want to just tell her so she would come with him just to show the two people that betrayed him that he was better off—even if he was. Luke wasn’t comfortable with using Ophelia in that type of way, but maybe if he told her then she wouldn’t be offended. She’d understand.

So that’s why Luke was now knocking on the apartment door next to his, smiling as the door swung open to reveal Laurel. He was glad to see she was okay after what happened at the party a few days ago, and the pain in his knuckles that had followed was worth it. “Hey,” he greeted the blonde. “Is Ophelia here?”

Laurel opened the door wider, nodding inside the apartment. “She’s in her room,” she chuckled, earning a thanks from Luke as he wandered in and heard Laurel shut the door behind him. He waved at Tanya, who was munching on a bag of Cheetos as she watched The Bachelor on TV, before wandering down the hall and stopping in front of Ophelia’s closed door.

He knocked twice, hearing her call out, “come in,” before opening the door and stepping inside the familiar bedroom. Luke saw Ophelia laying sideways on her bed, watching something on her laptop. When her eyes landed on Luke, she paused her show and sat up. “Hey,” she smiled, crossing her legs.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Luke greeted, shutting the door behind him. The blinds were open, sunlight streaming in and drenching the small plants on the windowsill. “You busy? Wanted to ask you something.”

Ophelia shook her head, tilting it to the side curiously. “What’s going on?”

The Australian sat down on the bed, sliding off his slippers to sit cross legged right in front of her. He didn’t know why he felt so nervous. Ophelia was one of the sweetest people Luke knew, and if he explained himself he was sure she’d understand. “Okay, um,” he began, clearing his throat as fingers absently twirled one of his rings. “I have to go home this weekend for my grandma’s birthday and, uh.” He stopped briefly, but the encouraging raise of Ophelia’s eyebrows prompted him to continue, “my ex is gonna be there with my cousin and I was hoping you’d come with me because I just—I don’t wanna deal with them, y’know?”

Ophelia blinked at Luke, hazel eyes slightly widened in shock. Then, she blurted, “your ex is dating your cousin?”

Luke didn’t blame her expression as a humorless smile tilted at his lips. “Cheated on me with him, actually.”

This time her jaw dropped, completely taken aback. Honestly, she genuinely didn’t understand how or why someone would cheat on Luke. Other than him being confusing at times, Luke was a great guy to be around. It was no secret that Ophelia adored him; adored him as a person and was obsessed with the way he looked at, kissed, and touched her. To Ophelia, Luke was unfairly perfect, if she didn’t consider the mess it had been for the two of them to acknowledge their feelings—though she could be partly blamed for that too—so why someone would cheat on him was beyond her. Luke had Ophelia entranced by just his gaze, feeling excitedly powerless against him in the most enjoyable of ways, so leaving him for someone else sounded ridiculous.

She was also kind of flattered that Luke wanted her to come with him. The most they’d done was confess to each other that they wanted to be together—did that mean they were together? Ophelia wasn’t sure, but she found herself kind of okay with that. Because she told Luke she wanted to be with him after he’d told her the same, and with assurance, that was enough for now. Ophelia figured that Luke asking her to come with him was to distract himself from watching his ex-girlfriend be all over his cousin, and a nagging voice in the back of her mind wondered if there were still unresolved feelings on Luke’s part.

But the hopeful expression on his face, the way he chewed his lower lip and blue eyes seemed a bit worried, had Ophelia giving Luke a small smile as she shrugged. “Yeah, sure, I’ll come,” she finally said, watching as Luke’s eyes widened slightly.

“Really?” he questioned, brows risen. He hadn’t really expected for her to say yes right away—not that he was complaining. As soon as her answer had registered in his mind, Luke felt his heart do an excited leap. “I—you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to think I’m usin’ you to make my ex jealous or anything. It’s just that I don’t wanna show up alone and her be—”

“Luke, stop,” Ophelia cut him off with an airy laugh, finding it endearing how he was suddenly a nervous rambling mess. While she was still trying to work out if Luke had any feelings left for this ex of his—and bitterly hoping that he didn’t because that would kind of suck—Ophelia felt a small sense of relief at his reassurance. He looked genuine in the matter. “I don’t mind. No offense, but your ex sounds like a bitch and your cousin a dick for doing that to you. I’m happy to go with you.”

She felt her heart do that giddy flutter in her chest at the sight of the relieved smile that stretched on Luke’s lips, dimples appearing under the dark blonde facial hair that decorated his sharp jaw and around his mouth as his hands reached forward and grasped hers gratefully. “Thank you, darling,” he breathed out, squeezing Ophelia’s smaller hands. “You’ve no idea how much this means to me. I swear I’ll make it up to you when it’s over.”

Ophelia’s lips pressed together, the corners of her mouth tilting upwards as she grabbed her laptop and reached over to rest it on her bedside, eyes meeting Luke’s. Her smile turned slightly coy, hand that was still holding onto Luke’s as she used it to tug him closer. “You can start now,” she suggested boldy with a quirk of a brow, her smile widening as Luke mirrored her expression, not even hesitating to lean towards her as he immediately picked up on what she was saying.

A low, throaty chuckle escape Luke, though it was silenced the second Ophelia’s hands grasped Luke’s face and pulled his lips to hers, feeling the familiar thrilling shock course through her body as his soft lips met hers. Luke smiled against her mouth, never tired of kissing Ophelia as he got on his knees and grasped the back of Ophelia’s, using his grip to unfold her legs and pull her towards him. She effectively slid down, left hand going to the back of Luke’s neck as she laid down on the mattress and pulled Luke on top of her. Her heart rang in her ears and her body grew warm in excitement as Luke deepened the kiss, feeling his tongue against hers and the ends of his curly hair tickle her face as he hovered above her.

As he kissed her, hands sliding under her shirt and prompting Ophelia’s heart to skip a beat at the feel of his cool rings against her warmed skin, Luke couldn’t help but notice the change of taste in her lips. “Changed your watermelon chapstick for strawberry, huh?” Luke murmured against her mouth, supporting himself on top of her with his arms as he trailed open mouthed kisses along her jaw.

Ophelia let out a breathless laugh, eyes shut as she reveled in the scratch of his beard against her skin, fingers threading through Luke’s curly locks. “Yeah,” she whispered, heart thudding rapidly in her chest as she felt Luke lightly bite at the spot that connected her jaw and neck, “you like it?”

“Mhm,” Luke let out a deep hum, bringing his mouth back to cover Ophelia’s, licking at her lower lip as he smirked, “love strawberries,” before grasping the hem of her shirt and tugging it upwards.

Ophelia grinned, a pretty flush across her face that made Luke’s heart drum thuddingly as she leaned up slightly to allow Luke to fling it right off of her. The immediate tightening in his sweatpants could be felt against Ophelia’s clothed core as Luke let out a deep breath, blue eyes trained on her bare chest as his hands immediately came up to grasp her full breasts. “No bra?” he smirked, watching in satisfaction as Ophelia arched into his touch, eyes closed and sharp breath expelling from her parted pouty lips. Luke leaned down, keeping his gaze trained on Ophelia’s pleasured expression as he let his lower lip drag against her perky pink nipple, mumbling, “you’re too good to me, pretty girl.”

The way her head tilted back, exposing the expanse of her neck as a soft moan escaped her begged Luke to get rid of his sweatpants as soon as possible. But he took his time, wrapping his lips around her nipple while his right hand  ever so slightly squeezed the soft plush of her other breast. One of Ophelia’s hands were at the back of his head, fingers gripping his curls while her other pushed back her own hair from her forehead and teeth sunk to her lower lip to stop any sounds from escaping. Her roommates were still in the apartment, after all.

“Come on, Luke,” Ophelia finally breathed out, her voice uncharacteristically raspy from the pleasure his mouth and hand were delivering to her chest. Luke watched as she opened her eyes, hazel eyes darkened with pleasure as she begged, “get down to it already, please.”

Luke wasn’t one to deny her what she wanted, though when he lifted his head he kept his lips wrapped around Ophelia’s nipple, teasing it lightly with his teeth. Ophelia dropped her head back, muttering a soft, “oh, God,” as Luke smirked to himself before sliding down even more, letting his fingers hook into the band of her night shorts and pull it down her legs as he went.

Luke let out a throaty groan when he realized Ophelia was completely naked in front of him and completely ready for whatever Luke was about to do to her. But Luke couldn’t help but stop for a moment, sitting on his knees at the sight of the breathtakingly gorgeous girl laying on the bed. Whether she was naked, in sweats or dressed up—Ophelia managed to take Luke’s breath away and cease the beating of his heart in half a second. She was flawless in his eyes, and Luke found himself wondering how he got lucky enough to have someone like her interested in him.

When Ophelia let out another small whimper, Luke was thrown back into reality and he instantly reached to the back of his shirt, taking it off and discarding it somewhere on the floor before pulling of his sweatpants. The room was slightly cold, but goosebumps had no chance of raising on his skin at the brilliant heat he felt spreading throughout his body at the sight of Ophelia and the anticipated thrill of being inside of her in a matter of moments.

“Wait,” Ophelia suddenly said, reluctantly leaning up on her elbows and reaching over to pull open her bedside drawer. Luke watched, eyes following the lines and curves of her gorgeous body, before Ophelia tossed the royal blue packet towards him. He caught it, mentally berating himself for forgetting the condom as he used his teeth to rip open the corner of the packet.

His gaze was fixated on Ophelia, her chest rising and falling in eagerness while she watched through a hooded gaze as Luke slid the condom on, a hiss escaping pass his teeth at the feel of the latex. Luke leaned to hover over Ophelia once more, right arm supporting him once more as his left hand lined his shaft up to her awaiting entrance. Their hearts were thundering, which was ironic because they’ve done this a number of times yet the thrilled beating of their hearts and the dizzy pleasure they got in their heads never ceased.

Luke’s head was above hers, curly hair curtaining his cheeks as Ophelia’s right hand reached up to push it back, fingers tangled in and their breaths mingling together as Luke’s blue eyes locked with her hazel. “Ready, sweetheart?”

Ophelia nodded quickly, humming her agreement after hearing Luke’s words over the pounding in her ears, though she still felt the smile twitch at her lips. It immediately disappeared, replaced by her eyes shutting and lips parting with a quiet moan as Luke entered her swiftly, familiarly, his guttural groan joining in with the sweet sounds she was making as his forehead dropped to rest against Ophelia’s. “Fuck,” he rasped, unsure if he would ever get used to the way she felt around him, so ready and so fucking amazing, eyes squeezing shut. “Feel so good, pretty girl,” he couldn’t help but add, pulling out just a bit after she nodded in approval before jutting his hips forward once more, swallowing the moan that escaped Ophelia by pressing his lips to hers.

The movements of his hips meeting hers were slow, purposeful, and Ophelia’s arms looped under Luke’s, pulling him down on her and nails scraping down his muscled back that had yet another deep groan sounding from Luke’s throat. Their lips moved together bruisingly, every sense filled with each other as their bare chests pressed together while their tongues met. Ophelia felt that familiar overwhelmness she felt every time she and Luke were joined together so intimately, incredulous at how dizzyingly fantastic it felt to have him fill her up so completely. Every thrust had her heart threatening to burst out of her chest, and every whispered encouragement from Luke intensified the warmth on her face and prompted even more quiet moans of Luke’s name to spill from her lips.

It wasn’t long until both of them could feel the recognizable clenching in the pits of their stomachs, Ophelia’s legs that had wrapped around Luke’s hips to deepen the feel of him beginning to shake as he effectively brought her closer to the edge. “Oh, God, Luke,” Ophelia groaned against his mouth, their lips pink and swollen from the kisses they refused to end. “I’m gon—”

Their noses brushed together, Luke not letting up from the thrusts of his hips into Ophelia’s as her nails on his back egged him on, heart thumping and ring clad fingers clenching the bed sheets next to her head. “Let go for me, sweetheart,” Luke croaked, accent thickening as he buried his face in the crook of Ophelia’s neck. He breathed in her familiar fruity scent as her hands pressed against his back at the feel of his beard scraping her skin. The tension that had built up in their bodies finally released explosively as Ophelia’s back arched and teeth clamped on the skin of Luke’s shoulder.

Both of their bodies pulsed shakily, heavy breaths and moans they attempted to keep quiet falling past their lips as head spinning orgasms igniting their skin yet slowly loosened the tightness of their limbs. Once spent, the room full of the sounds of their heavy breathing, Luke found himself laying on top of Ophelia, still inside her yet not being able to bring it in himself to move just yet. Ophelia didn’t mind, eyes closed and a blissfully pleased smile tilting at her lips as her hands remained on Luke’s back. “Just so you know,” she found herself speaking, her voice still a whisper as she tried to catch her breath. “I still expect a little something after the weekend.”

Luke’s broad shoulders shook as a deep chuckle rumbled, face still buried in her neck as Ophelia felt his lips press a kiss at the skin there. “Absolutely,” he murmured back, before his arms slid around her bare back to swiftly flip them on the bed, earning a startled yelp from Ophelia as she was now suddenly on top—with Luke still inside of her.

They got rid of the used condom, throwing it in the trash as Ophelia remained laying on top of Luke, bringing her blanket up to cover their bare, spent bodies. She felt so small against his broad chest, laying with her cheek pressed against it as she felt the tips of his fingers lightly trail down the expanse of her back, the soothing gesture along with the thrum of his heartbeat making her eyes flutter closed. Ophelia smiled sleepily—she definitely wasn’t going to get tired of sex with Luke.

*******

Luke’s mother was the sweetest woman Ophelia had ever met. From the moment Luke and Ophelia showed up at the doorstep of his home, Liz Hemmings was all smiles as she hugged and kissed her son before greeting Ophelia with a motherly hug as well. She then had one of Luke’s older brothers, Ben, take her bag upstairs to the guest room before dragging Ophelia into the kitchen, asking if she wanted anything to eat.

Ophelia and Luke were the first to arrive at his house, and since his home was a near three hour drive from campus, the two were spending the night instead of making a total of a six hour trip in one day. Her stuff was in the guest room, much to the disappointment of Luke, but Ophelia didn’t mind—sharing a bed with Luke lately ended up in sex and Ophelia didn’t think it was a good idea to do that with Luke’s family under the same roof.

“Your mom’s adorable,” Ophelia commented once she joined Luke in the backyard, where the party was mostly set up. It was November but it was still warm enough on this particular day to have an outdoor party—Ophelia would fight anyone who said climate change wasn’t a real thing. “She’s into photography?”

She had noticed the Nikon camera the blonde woman had hanging from her neck, one hand almost always on it as if she was always prepared to take a picture. Luke chuckled, ripping open a bag of Tostitos and emptying it out in a bowl on one of the lawn tables that were set up outside. “When she’s not teaching math, she’s taking pictures,” he nodded in confirmation as he crumpled up the bag in his hands. “She’s pretty good, too.”

“Does she do it professionally?” Ophelia asked, hugging her cardigan closer to her as a light breeze blew past. It was warm out, but the occasional wind rose goosebumps on her skin.

“On the side, yeah,” Luke nodded, glancing over Ophelia’s shoulder as his older brother Jack walked out and towards a Bluetooth speaker set up on the side, connecting his phone before a Duran Duran song began playing. “Oi, Jack, when’s everyone gettin’ here?”

“Aunt Penny and the others just got here,” Jack responded, shooting Ophelia a friendly grin before going back inside the house.

Turning to look back at Luke, Ophelia raised an eyebrow. “Do you have a lot of family in the States?” she asked, a question she had been wondering about but never really prodded Luke on. He was Australian, obviously, but she didn’t know that he had lots of relatives here in New Jersey.

“My dad’s side, yeah,” Luke told her as he led her across the yard towards the backdoor. “He grew up in America and wanted to go to uni in Sydney so he moved back, met Mum, and then when I was five we moved here.”

“Your accent’s pretty thick for someone who grew up in America,” Ophelia teased, feeling her heart flutter happily as Luke draped his right arm over her shoulders to pull her closer as they walked.

Luke chuckled, left hand running through his curls as his boots thudded more heavily than Ophelia’s as they got to the porch. “Spent a lot of my vacations back in Aus, since Mum’s side of the family’s still there.”

Entering the house—Ophelia enjoyed the delicious smells of food inside—the two of them caught sight of a couple being greeted by Luke’s parents, as well as two young children running down the hall, squeals of laughter escaping them as they each latched onto Luke’s legs. “Wh—hey!” Luke laughed as Ophelia stepped to the side, a smile growing on her face as Luke bent down slightly to ruffle the tops of the two kids’ heads. Both blonde, one boy and one girl as they cutely grinned up at Luke. He mirrored their expression, blue eyes lighting up happily as he mused, “how’re you doin’, kiddos?”

“I missed you, Luke,” Luke’s eight year old cousin, Holly, smiled up at him as she and her twin brother, Jake, finally let go of Luke’s legs to let him stand properly.

“Yeah,” Jake piped up excitedly, and Ophelia crossed her arms over her chest as she watched them with a smile tugging on her lips. “You gonna play your guitar for us?” he then asked, and Ophelia noticed that unlike their older cousin, the two little kids were American—which, she figured, wasn’t surprising.

Luke chuckled, ruffling the little boy’s hair once more. “Maybe later, buddy,” he relented.

“Who are you?” Ophelia blinked at the sudden question directed towards her, eyes landing on Holly who was peering up at her with curious brown eyes, head tilted to the side.

Her brother looked up at Ophelia as well, both of them looking expectant as Ophelia’s lips parted, slightly taken aback at the sudden attention the two of them were giving her. Fortunately, Luke quickly swooped in, grinning, “this is my friend, Ophelia.” Crouching down to his knees, Luke put his arms around either of the twins’ shoulders, smiling up at the girl who was most definitely more than just a friend as he introduced, “Ophelia, these are my cousins Holly and Jake.”

“Hi,” Ophelia smiled at them, offering a small wave at the two children who easily returned her grin.

“Luke! Come say hi to Penny and Darrel!” Luke’s mother’s voice sounded, and the twenty-one year old ushered his younger cousins off to the backyard before meeting Ophelia’s gaze and nodded his head towards the front of the house, a silent request for her to follow him.

Luke’s aunt and uncle were gathered in the kitchen with his parents, immediately and excitedly pulling Luke into a hug as loud chatter filled the room. Ophelia stood idly, awkwardly by, making conversation with Jack’s girlfriend Celeste until Ophelia heard Luke’s aunt say, “oh, is that your girlfriend?”

Unable to help herself, Ophelia glanced where Luke stood with his aunt and uncle, taking it as her cue to introduce herself as she offered a smile. “Oh, uh,”  Luke fumbled, earning quizzical looks from the two adults as Ophelia pressed her lips together. Luke’s blue eyes then met Ophelia’s hazel, and she saw something flash in his. There was a gentle look of realization that fluttered across his features, before a smile quirked at his lips and he looked back at his aunt and uncle. “Yeah, she is.”

What they were to each other wasn’t something Luke and Opehlia had discussed, but to hear him put a label on it had Ophelia’s heart jumping right into her throat. Whether it was officially or not, Ophelia felt a sense of relief flood through her at the thought that being his girlfriend was something Luke wanted.

Even if her presence at Luke’s house was mostly to be by his side whenever his cousin and ex-girlfriend showed up, Ophelia was glad to be there. Sure, she hadn’t really expected to meet his family already, but there was a warm contentment that engulfed her being in Luke’s home with him. So she smiled at each and every relative of Luke’s that arrived, more than happy to meet them. Especially his grandmother, who they were celebrating today, and Ophelia loved that the small woman was lively as ever. Particularly when she had Luke bend down so she could reach up and pinch his cheeks like he was a ten year old.

Most of the guests had arrived by three, the music playing through the speaker as they all gathered outside. Luke’s father was manning the grill and if people weren’t eating the hot dogs and burgers being made on that then they were munching on the different pastas, mashed potatoes, and other foods laid out. Luke’s dad had two brothers and a sister, so they were all here with their spouses and kids, the yard full of people chattering and having a good time—and every introduction included Luke telling them that Ophelia was his girlfriend.

The smile that pulled at her lips wasn’t something she could ever hope to stop when the word left his lips. She never missed the brightness in his blue eyes, either.

“Oh, Max, you’re here!” Luke’s aunt Hilarie exclaimed, catching Ophelia’s attention as she lowered her can of Coke and looked towards the woman. Hilarie was hugging a blonde boy, another girl standing on his other side that Ophelia couldn’t quite see as Hilarie continued, “I thought you’d never make it.”

“Sorry, Mom,” the boy, Max, laughed lightly, and Ophelia immediately blinked in realization as the name sunk in her mind. Her eyes darted around the yard, no longer paying attention to the conversation she was in with Celeste and another one of Luke’s aunts, before they finally landed on the boy she was looking for.

Ophelia’s grip tightened on her can nervously, conscious of the nearly empty plate of food she was balancing on her lap, as she caught sight of the look on Luke’s face. He may be standing on the other side of the yard, but she could make out thinning of his lips and furrow between his eyebrows, gaze fixated on the newly arrived people. It was them; the cousin and the ex-girlfriend, and Ophelia wondered if she should go over to Luke to distract him in some way. That’s what she was there for, right?

“Luke, dude! Haven’t seen you in a while, man!” Max’s voice rung out, and Ophelia blinked in mild alarm as the new guy wandered over to Luke, casual and calm as if nothing was wrong.

Unable to help herself, Ophelia’s eyes wandered towards the girl following Max, feeling insecurity tightening her throat at the leggy, dark skinned girl with shiny, straightened hair that made Ophelia’s nicely French braided one look like a bird’s nest. The girl, whom Ophelia knew to be Gwen, was gorgeous and Ophelia understood why Luke would ever date her. By looks alone, this girl was a stunner.

Though, Ophelia tried to make herself feel better because if Gwen left her boyfriend for her boyfriend’s cousin, then that doesn’t say many good things about the kind of person she was.

“Oh, God,” Ophelia heard Celeste mutter, the younger girl looking towards the dirty blonde haired woman, surprised to see Celeste staring towards Luke in apprehension. “I hope Luke doesn’t take a swing at Max again. Nan’s gonna be pissed if they ruin her birthday.”

Ophelia was taken aback, brows rising slightly as she asked, “Luke and Max fought before?”

Celeste turned her body to face Ophelia, Aunt Leslie now having a conversation with Liz, as she nodded. “Oh, yeah,” Celeste informed, hazel eyes widening like she was confiding a big secret. She wrung her fingers together as she continued, “when we all went to Aunt Hilarie’s house for Thanksgiving last year and Luke saw that Gwen was there as Max’s date, shit hit the fan. Luke broke Max’s nose, he was so pissed off. And rightfully so!” Celeste shook her head, face scrunching in distaste as her eyes locked with Ophelia’s. “You ask me, Gwen’s not worth it. She cheated on Luke to be with Max—I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up cheating on him, too.”

 Ophelia pressed her lips together, processing Celeste’s words as she straightened her back in the plastic lawn chair she was occupying. Truthfully, Ophelia wasn’t surprised that Luke punched out his cousin, but a little ball of dread did form in the pit of her stomach at the thought of it possibly happening again today. She may have only been here for a couple of hours, but Ophelia already adored Luke’s grandmother—and, God, she adored Luke, too. That being said, she didn’t want this day being spoiled by Luke and his cousin throwing fists at each other.

“I think Luke’s calling you.”

Blinking at Celeste in confusion, Ophelia followed the older girl’s gaze as she nodded forward, and Ophelia’s lips parted slightly in realization as she caught sight of Luke looking right at her. Even from the distance, she noticed the pleading look on his face, and Ophelia immediately stood up and excused herself from Celeste, putting her plate on the chair before crossing the yard and making her way over to the three people standing near the hammock Luke’s younger cousins were swinging on.

Luke felt relief course through him as Ophelia approached, replacing some of the irritation and frustration he had been feeling the second Max and Gwen had stepped into the backyard. Only a single thought had entered Luke’s mind the second he saw Gwen; he couldn’t stand her. Any positive feelings he had towards the girl were now gone, instead replaced with a screaming reminder of what she had done. Fortunately, Luke knew subjecting himself to having feelings for someone capable of cheating on another person would just make him look like a dumbass, and it was a good thing he didn’t feel for her what he used to.

He was pulled out of his thoughts once Ophelia neared them, coming to stand to Luke’s right as he watched a smile pull at her pretty pink lips, one that he recognized as her faux sweet one. “Hi,” Ophelia greeted in a friendly tone, cheekbones prominent as both Max and Gwen’s gazes snapped to the brunette at Luke’s side. “You must be Max and Gwen, right?” She didn’t wait for a response, sliding her left arm around Luke’s waist, the taller boy allowing her to pull him closer as she continued, “I’m Ophelia, Luke’s girlfriend.”

Luke stared down at her in a mixture of awe and amusement. She looked completely at ease, a glint in her eyes that was equal parts mischievous and contemptuous. The smile effortlessly tugged on Luke’s lips as Ophelia’s gaze flickered up to meet his, green eyes bright under the afternoon sun and gleaming in mischief before looking at the two people in front of them.

Max smiled at her politely, and Ophelia noticed that like Luke, he had blue eyes that accompanied his blonde hair, though Ophelia easily preferred the taller boy standing next to her. Luke’s own arm casually wrapped around Ophelia’s shoulders, his body relaxing being so close to her.

“Oh,” Gwen returned, her hand sliding down Max’s arm to grip his hand, a smile stretching on her full lips that Luke knew to be as fake as Ophelia’s. “It’s nice to meet you, Ophelia.”

Luke was trying desperately to keep his lips from forming a smirk, unsurprised that Gwen’s reaction of false politeness went completely over Max’s head. While he didn’t hold any feelings for her anymore, Luke still could read Gwen the way he used to be able to, and he was going to use it to his advantage to provoke a reaction out of the fake bitch—not a word he liked using towards a woman, but there was no harm saying it in his head. Especially towards Gwen. Ophelia was more than happy to help.

“Yeah, you too,” Ophelia nodded, hand on Luke’s back under the leather jacket he wore, feeling the soft material of his shirt under her palm as she added sweetly, “Luke’s told me lots about you guys.”

The uncomfortable expressions on Gwen and Max’s faces threatened a smug smirk to curl at Luke’s lips. His anger towards the two of them made him want to make them feel as uncomfortable as he could manage, and clearly Ophelia was on board with that. God knows Ophelia would’ve blown a gasket if her ex dated her cousin that they cheated on her with. It was just wrong.

Fortunately, Luke’s mother called everyone towards one of the circular tables that was pulled in front of Luke’s grandmother, placing the sheet cake in front of the older woman so she could blow out her candles and cut it. Everyone gathered around as Luke’s grandmother held the knife, his grandfather right by her side as Liz snapped pictures of everyone singing happy birthday to the seventy-five year old woman.

As they sang and clapped, Ophelia’s eyes flickered across the round table where Gwen was standing next to Max, and though the girl’s lips were moving to sing happy birthday, her gaze wasn’t fixated on the blonde to her left—rather, she was focused on the blonde next to Ophelia. “You know, if I didn’t know any better,” Ophelia spoke up quietly, hands still clapping as she leaned her head towards Luke. The taller boy leaned down slightly to his right, stopping his singing, though mouthing along, to listen to Ophelia’s low tone while keeping his gaze on his grandmother. “I’d think that Gwen still has some type of feelings for you.”

Luke blinked, expression morphing into one of weirded out incredulity as the singing turned into loud cheers, everyone clapping as Nan cut the cake. Luke clapped along, but he looked at Ophelia in bewilderment. “What?”

She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest after she finished clapping and the sounds of Luke’s family members clamouring over his grandmother filled her ears. “She keeps looking at you like you’re a piece of meat and she hasn’t eaten in days,” Ophelia murmured, scoffing slightly with a slight shake of her head as she tore her gaze away from the other girl, meeting Luke’s eyes. Lowering her voice even more, Ophelia whispered conspiratorially, “a girl only looks at a guy like that if she wants to get dicked down.”

Luke pressed his lips together, stifling the snort of laughter threatening to blow past as they dispersed from around the table, walking further down the yard as he looked down at Ophelia disbelievingly. “Are you serious?” he said, allowing a short laugh to escape as the two of them settled on sitting on the grass, leaning back against the tall wooden fence that surrounded the yard. “Sweetheart, Gwen doesn’t want to get dicked down by me.”

Ophelia suppressed the smile from growing on her lips at Luke’s repetition of her words, finding him saying them somewhat amusing as she crossed her legs. The floral romper she wore allowed for the occasional goosebumps on her legs whenever there was a gust of wind, and now her bare skin was being tickled by the grass they sat on.

The yard was full of the light hum of everyone chattering, mixed in with laughter and music playing and it felt nice to Ophelia. She had just met these people only hours before, but she felt comfortable around all of them. Eyes wandering around, they landed on Gwen once more before she let out a breathy laugh and glanced at Luke. “Yeah?” she responded to his statement, watching as he turned his head to look at her with a quirk of his brow. “Then why hasn’t she taken her eyes off of you since she got here?”

Luke frowned, looking away and to where Gwen was. When his blue eyes met her dark brown ones across the yard, Ophelia noticed the way Luke’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat before his frown deepened and he looked back at Ophelia, stretching his jean clad legs out in front of him and lacing his ring clad fingers together on his lap. Ophelia couldn’t help the bit of relief at the sight of Luke looking completely turned off and disgruntled by Gwen’s gaze. “She care stare all she wants,” Luke said, “doesn’t mean she’ll get anything in return.”

He tilted his head back, leaning it against the fence and eyes going skyward, and Ophelia couldn’t help but keep staring at him. Luke closed his eyes as a gust of wind blew at their faces, tousling his curls, and Ophelia’s own eyes followed the curve of his nose, the fullness of his lower lip and the sharp line of his jaw, before having to look away quickly as suddenly images of his facial hair scratching her neck from last night began flashing through her mind.

Ophelia let out a breath. This was gonna be a long day.

--

tags: @irwinkitten​ @softforcal​ @astroashtonio​ @valentinelrh​ @sweetcherrymike​ @meetashthere​ @hereforlukescruff​ @novacanecalum​ @captain-what-is-going-on​ @angelbbycal​ @singt0mecalum​ @hopelessxcynic​ @lfwallscouldtalk​ @bodhi-black​ @findingliam-o​ @softlrh​ @calntynes​ @calumsmermaid​ @erikamarie41​ @quintodosuniversos​ @longlastingdaydream​ @babylon-corgis​ @lukehemmingsunflower​ @imfuckin10plybud​ @pastelpapermoons​ @conquerwhatliesahead92​ @rotten-kandy​ @metangi​ @neigcthood​ @ohhmuke​ @old-zeppelin-shirt​ @5sos-and-hessa​ @trustmeimawhalebiologist​ @vxlentinecal​ @pettybassists​ @vaporshawn​ @lu-my-golden-boi​ @buggy-blogs​ @visualm3nte​ @isabella-mae13​ @dontjinx-it​ @lifeakaharry​ @neonweeknds​ @antisocialbandmate​ @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave​ @calpalbby​ @grreatgooglymoogly​ @gorgeouslygrace​ @cocktail-calum​ @miahelizaaabeth​ @madelynerin​ @dramallamawithsparkles​ @theagenderwhocriedwolf​ @kaytiebug14​ @hoodskillerqueen​ @bitchinbabylon​ @empathycth​ @xhaileyreneex​ @inlovehoodx​ @calistheloml​ @aestheticrelated​ @bloodlinecal​ @sublimehood​ @madbomb​ @raabiac​ @britnicole11​ @outofmylimitcal​ @fluffsshawn​ 

[naturaldisasterfanfiction]

33.

I went alone for the walk today, doesn’t bother me but Robyn woke up late and also Fenty is being a little pain with her crying, so she stayed at home and I am alone. Being off social media has been a blessing, but I do find myself checking my phone and have nothing there to look on. I did try twitter, but I am not feeling it like that, it’s boring but Mijo has told me that I need to come back and take care of the business I left, Ant wants me back. I did like run off here, but I don’t want. to go back, I just want to stay here now. I am comfortable with the peace, the open fields and it’s a weird feeling to be spoken too like I am only normal, it’s calm “hi there” some older gentleman waved at me “you remember me? We met at the pharmacy” squinted my eyes at him yanking Zeus back as he tried to sniff him “oh yes, you told me you seen me around and you live around here. We meet again” getting my hand out to him “we do, I saw you yesterday, but you had your Rihanna with you, I didn’t want to harass you now” I chuckled “it’s ok, she won’t mind. She says I need to make friends; I am sure she won’t mind you now unless you’re a bad influence on me” he just laughed “maybe back in my youth but I have the missus at home, she is driving me crazy, so I walked out. You should come over and visit, I told the grandchildren I met a gentleman named Chris and they said Brown, I goes possibly. He is just a nice young man, and what a beautiful dog” looking down at Zeus “yeah, I bought him with me from Cali, I couldn’t’ leave him behind. I have so many other dogs but he made the cut” watching him pat Zeus’ head, Zeus is staring like he is about to give him treats “nice seeing you, we will meet again I am sure of it” nodding my head “and I will visit your home of course, I need to know my friend now” I chuckled “you do that son” he has such a weird and funny accent, it’s so strong too and I like it.

Throwing Zeus leash to the side, this home has been more entertaining and loud too like now. Taking off my jacket and making my way to where the commotion is, Robyn has been ever so happy with everything, like we are all getting along just the weakest link left the chat so who cares. I hope they ain’t annoying my daughter with all the loud noises and shit, they have music on too. I stopped midway just looking at Noella, Majesty and Robyn in the kitchen “you’re back!” Robyn half shouted over the music “clearly yes, y’all singing or cooking?” I questioned; Robyn stuck her tongue out at me as she made her way around the kitchen counter “I could stay awake just to hear you breathing” Robyn sang to me “Watch you smile while you are sleeping, while you're far away and dreaming” I laughed at Robyn being stupid “I could spend my life in this sweet surrender, I could stay lost in this moment forever. Where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure. Sing with me!” Robyn placed the pan at the side before she came into me, wrapping her arms around my neck “Don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep cause I'd miss you, baby. And I don't wanna miss a thing” Robyn sang to me “you’re stupid” laughing at her “we are singing and cooking, I love you” Robyn pressed a kiss to my lips “I love you too” mushing her forehead “also your boyfriend is back, he is his bedroom, Dennis that is” oh yes, Dennis is back “I will go and seen him, and Robyn” moving back from her “keep that smile, I love you” I am excited that Dennis is here.

Knocking on his bedroom door “it’s the maid” I said outside his door “I hope the maid bought snacks, come in!” he shouted, opening his bedroom door “my man, welcome the fuck back with extra luggage!?” his room is filled with cases “I am moving in, come here. I actually missed you” Dennis climbed over the case “Robyn calls you my boyfriend now” hugging Dennis “she is jealous, I was going to tag you in a post, and I see you deleted the page. I wrote such a beautiful post too” I chuckled “you can tell me in person, I been bored without you. What did you post!?” Dennis got his phone out of his pocket “I saw you struggling on Instagram, I felt really upset for you. Everyone was getting at you for nothing, innocent man I say. Yes here, I posted it anyways” he turned his phone to me, taking his phone from him “wow, look at that smile! Too many teeth showing” I laughed, this was taken on the wedding day in Mexico “the sparkle in your eye, the happiness on your face and I captured that. I mean nobody can see much but a white background from the wall but read it friend” looking at the caption “He is a friend which I have known longer then just the months I have spent time with, he is a good man and a good heart. Misunderstood to many but not to me, here is to more memories with this man, love looks good on you, the look of happiness and nobody will take that from you” I read out, that got me choked up “wow, thank you Dennis. Robyn made me get rid of it but it’s the best thing to do, clear my mind” Dennis nodded his head “not just me, when you deleted it many people were worried about you, I have messages under this post from fans” Dennis took his phone from me “oh please tell me Chris is ok but you are loved, but we have some more things to do. We have got more footage to do, voiceovers also, so work is not done” I can tell Dennis has his work cut out for him.

It sucks so bad that I can only smoke in the games room because it’s classed as my own room, Robyn said I can do it in other rooms but like what if Fenty is there, so I have to be good. A blunt a day keeps the stress away, and also I am having to facetime that bitch, when I say that bitch I mean Amikka but this time she said she will let me see Aeko on his own, the facetime connected and I can just see my son stood there looking “champ! What’s good my boy?” Aeko ran over to the phone “dad” he waved at me “you look so grown, look at your ginger hair” he touched his head “yes, your hair. I miss you; I really do. I love you” Aeko ran off “I play ball, look” he ran out of the camera, god knows where he is going to get “you’re getting ball, showing dad your skills?” I can hear Amikka say “tell him how you have been doing so good at practice” Aeko is staring at his mom ad he walked back to the camera with the ball in hand “my ball, you say it” he said to his mom “tell him, say daddy I did good” my son speak so well, proud of him “I did good” he dropped the ball “show him your award, go on. Get it” Aeko ran off again, my son is just everywhere right now “you don’t need to hide, if we have to speak it had to be about him and you don’t like that” I said to her “I rather not, go on show him your award” I grinned down at the phone as Aeko placed the paper all up in the camera “awwww, I am so proud of you son” he is doing well “I come dad house now” Aeko asked, the thing is Aeko hasn’t asked that unlike Royalty that does that a lot “you will be, we just need to sort some things out and you will see me” I am taking her ass to court.

Robyn held her hand out to me, holding her hand as I sat next to her “how is Aeko?” she asked, I didn’t think she would ask about my son in front of her family but she did “he is good, showed me his awards he got from football practice, super proud of him. He looks so grown, happy I would say and then he asked about coming to me which he never has asked that before. I am guessing she has been putting it in his mind, so I am like I need to take her to court quick. She didn’t come into the camera at all, she stayed away. I think she is getting it but like, I want to feel more towards my son. I see his happiness and he does make me happy but like, I need more” Robyn squeezed my hand “that will come once you remove the toxic bitch, he can come here, and we will help get you to feel more for him. He deserves to see your love too, things will happen. Don’t worry” Robyn is such a good woman to me “thank you, you think I could have them both here?” Robyn smiled “yes of course, I mean it’s a big thing, but I married you for everything around it, including the kids. I see us being happy, hopefully this Christmas. I would like Fenty to see them as their older siblings, to know them. I feel like Royalty is fine, but your son is a little I don’t know but we shall see, don’t worry” I sighed out “thank you” Robyn shook her head “so we are going bowling, just a little time out. Well mommy said it, Noella booked a place for us” nodding my head “that is dope, I am down for it. It will be nice to do something together” we can have some fun.

Fenty is not happy at all, she keeps on having these crying performances, but she is ok once she is picked up “you want me to put her in the car seat?” I asked Noella, Robyn is still upstairs but is coming down “we will wait until Robyn is down” she has a point, god knows how long she will be, my phone started ringing in my pocket “first family outing” Dennis said, his camera is out so he is working ���and it’s a disaster, we are late” answering the call from Ant “what’s up nigga?” walking around Dennis “did you get the gifts I sent?” he asked, I paused thinking “no, when did you send them? You know the UK mail can be long” walking into the second living room “Zeus, come on boy” let me put him away while we’re out “should be there soon, I got the little princess some clothes and dresses. I wanted to actually ask you, when are you planning on coming back. We need to go through some things with you, being your manager I need to be in the know and I feel like I am not” opening the garage door for Zeus to go down “that is the thing, I am literally under Robyn. Like whatever Robyn want me to do, I will do it” closing the door and walking off to see what they are doing “Robyn’ bitch then?” he laughed “not exactly, it’s called being there for your other half. Ant, if I needed to hear you just be a dickhead to me I would have asked, I am doing just fine here. I don’t think I need to be going back to Cali when there is nothing for me there, just Royalty but I will be back for her” I was expecting Robyn to dress up but she stole my sweatshirt and made it look cute, she has put minimal makeup on, she just dressed up a little bit “we ready? I have packed it all” nodding my head “I heard that you are going under Roc Nation, you can deny it all you want but you will fall under that umbrella. Fenty Brown entertainment? That has been popping up, if you don’t need me then say it, I won’t be offended” I have no idea what is happening “Ant, I don’t know. There is a lot of things in the air. Once a special project is being done then it will be back to me” I mean what else does he want “well I will be waiting” I know a lot of people are.

Climbing into back of the car next to Fenty in the car seat “it’s the longest I have heard her silent you know” she is asleep “I know, she has been just wanting nothing but snuggles and kisses. I adore her so much Chris, she even smiled at me, but I am excited to be going out, well not out out but just something, you know” nodding head “yeah, it’s a change. You know what, I don’t get why people are angry that I am with you, like you are helping me. They are calling me your bitch, it’s like they want me to be in a dark place. They want me back in Cali” I thought I would tell Robyn this, she deserves to hear it “of course they do, we will go there Chris” squinting my eyes at Robyn “would you trust me to go back there alone?” I mean that is the real question, I am sure she doesn’t “honestly, probably not. And that is not because of you but what is around you. There is a lot of temptation around and I still think you are healing from the abuse you put yourself through, I feel like your friends are pieces of shit that want you back for their own gain, that is the truth. If you want to go Chris then, I mean who am I to stop you, I say that and I am your wife, but I feel like you are an adult, but I am just on the fence. If you want to go back then” Robyn drifted off “as your wife I will let you but deep down I don’t want you too, and I know it will be stupid shit. I know there will be something like Rihanna’ baby daddy seen out with another female you just was walking with, do I need that when I am trying to build an empire with us both and trying to push away my record label and telling everyone he is a changed man. Yes fuck their opinion but I can’t hide you, you need to be an adult too. But I think you at times have lose that sense, you have your moments” I couldn’t help but laugh, I don’t know why but it’s Robyn knows me “I have a lot of things there still, if England is my home then I do need to go there” Robyn is looking at me in fear, I mean it’s scary “not now but like maybe sooner then you will be going” Robyn is not impressed.

[princessthotty]

Catch Me (Villa Dell’amore Series)

Catch Me

Ravn x (y/n)

Rated: M for later chapters

Chapter 2 “What Was That?”

"So cute" You replayed the words over and over in your mind. 

The extremely attractive young man you made a complete fool of yourself in front of called you cute. YoungJo. Ravn. Even his name was cool. It was enough to make anyone's heart flutter. 

You're standing in the kitchen roughly chopping vegetables with the stupidest grin on your face.

"Ew, why is she making that face " came the disgusted remark from KeonHee, who sat at the kitchen table behind you flipping through a magazine. "Is she having a stroke or something?” DongJu snickered next to him at the table, helping you peel potatoes for dinner.

Sending a half hearted glare over at the two, you turn back around and rub your cheeks that were sore from smiling so much. Even you knew your expression was disturbing, but you couldn't help it. It had been such a long time since anyone has made you feel all soft and bubbly inside, you couldn't help but savor the moment for as long as possible.

"Besides," You thought, continuing to chop what was in front of you. "The way he said that was way too smooth, he probably talks to everyone like that." Though that didn’t seem to help ease your thoughts.

The staircase creaked loudly under the sudden weight as three young men barreled down into the kitchen. "(y/n)," SeoHo called, one of his stunning smiles spreading across his face as he entered. “Is it your turn to cook dinner tonight?” He came over and wrapped an arm around your shoulder, curious on what you were doing.

You playfully pushed him off of you. "Yes, and if you don't wanna end up becoming part of the meal, you better be careful when someone has a knife." You waved the knife exaggeratedly in the air away from you both, not wanting to actually injure either of you.

A gentle hand grasped your wrist, removing what is potentially, in your clumsy hands, a deadly weapon. "That's enough of that. For such a good cook, I'm surprised at how clumsy you can be." Leedo sighed, placing the knife down on the counter.

Everyone snickered at the young man's comment, including yourself knowing how correct this was. Though it had only been a week or so since you had moved in, all of you had become very comfortable around one another almost instantly. They all felt like the older, and younger, brothers you had never been able to experience growing up.

Through the voices, an unfamiliar yet sweet laugh caught your attention. You whipped your head around to see YoungJo nonchalantly leaning against the door way, his laugh filling the room with a sweet sound. A small blush spread across your cheeks watching him laugh, his beautiful lips curled into a smile and his eyes that are staring directly into yours-

You immediately turn your head away, not realizing you had been staring straight at him, and he straight back at you. Heart beating out your chest, you felt yourself nervously sweat hoping no one noticed how incredibly weird you were being.

"Wow, you're so lucky Ravn, your first night back and you already get to taste the best cooking you've ever had!" Seoho bragged for you, feigning tears from how delicious your food was. You rolled your eyes pretending to ignore his praise, though you were still trying to calm your hot blush.

"Oh, Ravn already met (y/n)?" Dongju innocently asked, looking between the two.

Your eyes wide with panic you look over to see Ravn stifling a small laugh. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, attempting to compose himself as you send him wild pleading looks to not disclose the nature of your first meeting. "Of course, it would be rude not to introduce myself to our new house mate." He said coolly. If anyone knew how relentless they could be with teasing, it was Ravn, and it was also something he did not want to deal with.

"Oh thank god," You mentally cried, a sigh of relief leaving your lips.

"Oh, I know what happened!" Keonhee suddenly shouted.

You both instantly froze.

Keonhee pointed at the older man. "Ravn must have hit on (y/n), that player." He sat back down, a self indulgent smirk across his face.

Leedo walked over and put a hand on his shoulder sadly. "Good try." Everyone burst out once again as the room filled with loud talking and laughter, the whole conversation totally forgotten.

You slightly slumped over the counter, exhausted. It felt as if three years had been taken off your life.

---

Supper was a rousing success if you did say so yourself. About the time everyone was getting rouddy after Keonhee's daring comment, Hwanwoong came home and stumbled straight into whatever craziness was happening. Hwanwoong, being Hwanwoong, joined in without any hesitation but as soon as the food was ready, everyone immediately scarfed down every bite of food.  Everyone who lived at the Villa took turns with cooking and housework, and you learned very quickly that quantity was more important than presentation with a house full of very active university students. Especially with one of them being a sports scholarship student and one a dance major. Any dish that yielded large portions and was filling always went over well. It didn't hurt that you fancied yourself a pretty damn good cook too.

You lay in your small single bed, slightly regretting that second helping, mind attempting to process everything that happened today. In less than a day, you fell into the arms of a half naked man embarrassing yourself, had said man flirt(?) with you, acted totally weird once again, and the only saving grace of the night was you were able to escape upstairs while the others took care of clearing the kitchen. 

"uuuugh" you groaned into your pillow kicking your legs against the mattress. If this was only the first night with Mr. Confident around, how were you gonna last the next x-amount of time you would be staying here?

You turned your head to face the wall that connected both of your rooms.

"The walls between rooms are pretty thin, so be careful about being too loud or anything." You furrowed your brow, remembering his implicating words and suggestive wink. You knew he was just messing with you, but you couldn't help the tight feeling that appeared in your chest. It was annoying how much this was affecting you.

A Light knock on your room door brought you back to reality. "Come iiin," you called out, still frowning at the wall.

You figured it was just Hwanwoong or Xion coming to get you for your recently started nightly ritual of watching your favorite drama series. It was quickly started as soon as you moved in once you found out you were in love with the same series.

Unfortunately, it was not Hwanwoong or Xion, but rather a very surprising guest. The door quickly closed behind Ravn as he stood in the entryway of your small room. It took you a moment to realize who it was, but with a quiet gasp you quickly moved from the bed to stand face to face with him attempting to straighten your clothes.

"Uh, h-hi," You stammered. "Do you ne- what's-... Hi." The ability to speak suddenly seeming to have disappeared, you shyly looked up at the other silently standing in front of you.

Ravn, not quite understanding why he was there himself, one hand rubbed the back of his neck unsure, he took a step towards you. "Well, since classes start tomorrow," he started, taking another step forward causing you to step back unconsciously.

"I just wanted to say good night,"

Another step.

"And wish you good luck,"

Another step.

"In case we don't see a lot of each other."

You felt the wall press against your back, the young man but a foot apart from you. This wasn't the first time you had been this close, but it was the first time you were able to properly look at the others face. With what little courage he had left, YoungJo placed a firm hand against the wall next to you and leaned in bringing his face to eye level with his own. You swallowed hard as a lump formed in your throat, staring into the dark, round eyes a mere inches from you.

"So, good night," he whispered, his warm breath tickling your cheek.

"G-Good night..." Your voice trailed off, almost a whisper.

Lingering for a moment longer, the man pushed off the wall and quickly left your room, gently closing the door behind himself. Once you heard the door to his room click close you slid down the wall to sit on the floor finally able to breath. You clasped your hands over your hot face, the sound of your heart beating in your ears deafening. What had just happened? Why did he suddenly…

A million thoughts were flying through your mind, attempting to understand what could have possibly prompted this sort of action from him. What’s worse, was how much you wished he kissed you in that moment.

"Oh no," You muttered, grimacing. "I think I'm in love"

=============================================================

Wow, I’m kind of surprised I actually made it to chapter 2, and now I’ve left it on this huge weird cliff hanger so I now HAVE to write chapter 3 which I may or may not have already started lol. I’m glad people are enjoying it, this makes me want to go and finish my forgotten fics. Thanks for the support <3

[thorne93]

Unforeseen Chasm (Part 2)

Prompt: Two sisters fall for men that are absolute enemies. The love they have could tear all of them apart, or it could bring them together.

Word Count: 3284

Warnings: Language,

Note: This is by far the longest thing I’ve ever written (including my novels). It’s a collaboration with the amazing @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo. It started as a funny “What if…?” and it evolved and got huge. This took two years to write. We are both proud and happy and we hope you enjoy it. It follows from Thor 1 to Endgame in the MCU. Some of the timelines may be off in order to fit certain people, and some characters may show up earlier or in different ways than they have in the movie. But for the most part, it follows the MCU. It also has a bit of crossover with some other Marvel characters throughout the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once you dropped the man known a Thor off at the hospital, you all returned to your research trying to figure out just what the hell that was last night. What was the light? What was that funnel? What kind of tornado appears like that out of nowhere? 

“Jane,” you said, looking at the pictures, “does something seem off to you here?” you asked, holding a photo up. 

“Yeah… Where’s Ursa Minor?” she asked.

“My thoughts exactly. We better show Selvig.”

And so you did. You showed him all the oddities from last night, when Darcy noticed that Thor was actually inside the weird event. A few photos were taken and a silhouette of a man was inside of the cloud, that man had to be Thor, and he would have all the answers you needed. 

The four of you went back to the hospital, only to find that he'd broken out of his restraints. Feeling defeated, you went back to the car, where Jane hit him again with her car. He had come out of nowhere and she backed into him. 

“Jane, are you just determined to kill our only evidence?” you asked in a slightly irritated tone as you got out of the car.

“I’m not doing this on purpose!” she snapped back. 

You knelt beside him and examined him. “Are you okay?” you asked softly. 

He looked up at you and gave a slight frown. “Yes, I’m quite alright.”

“Good,” you kindly said. “Would you mind coming with us? We… want to talk to you,” you said, glancing to Jane who nodded, affirming your request. 

“As you wish.” 

With that, you and Erik helped him up, got him in the camper, and got him back to the lab.

All of you introduced yourselves while Jane got him some clothes he could wear instead of the hospital gown he was in. He went to change and you stared at him, not because he was muscular and attractive. You stared at him because of that familiar feeling you got when you were around him, and for some strange reason, you felt… better when you were near him. You felt energized, stronger, like you could take on the world. 

And although he seemed… not quite right, something was just too coincidental that his name was Thor and he knew of a Bifrost. Unless he was just entirely loony, and decided to take on that persona, he looked the part of Thor, and knew at least a few key things about a world in which it looked like he belonged. 

“This mortal form has grown weak. I need sustenance,” he suddenly said and you jumped up. 

“I could make you some food,” you offered. 

“What? No. He can eat some PopTarts,” Jane countered. “We need you to tell us what happened last night,” she instructed as Thor walked towards the kitchen. 

“Jane, please. Give him a few minutes. You’ve run him over twice and clearly he’s still a little dazed,” you pleaded.

“Fine, but I want answers,” she informed firmly before sitting down with the other two at the breakfast table. 

You walked over to the cabinet and pulled down some pop tarts and handed them to him. “Sorry about her, she can get a little… passionate when it comes to her work,” you said quietly as your eyes drifted to her. 

“What is this?” he asked, taking the box.

“Oh,” you said, laughing. “These are pop tarts. A breakfast food. Do they not have them where you’re from?” you asked, noting his accent. 

“No,” he informed.

“Ah, well all you do is--” you popped open the box, pulled out a silver package, ripped it open, and handed him a piece “--open the box, open the sleeve, and eat.”

He looked at it for a moment before shoving nearly the whole thing in his mouth. “I like this. This is good. More!” With that, he yanked the box from you, making you laugh. 

“Have them all if you want.”

After he downed the entire box, he informed you all he was still hungry so you went to a diner down the street. The entire time you sat there, all you could try and think of was where you’d seen him before, other than in the mythology books -- which, that couldn’t be real. Thor seemed to be intrigued by you too because he seemed to steal a couple of curious glances your way as well. 

As soon as Thor seemed to finally be full, he heard about the “satellite” wreckage that landed fifty miles west of town. Once he heard of it, he seemed hellbent on getting it. 

“It’s not what they say it is,” Thor insisted. 

“Well what is it?” you inquired.

“It’s Mjolnir, and it belongs to me. If you take me there right now, I will tell you all the answers you seek,” he promised and your heart swelled. 

“Jane!” you said, turning to her in joy. “Let’s go!”

“Can I have a word with you two?” Erik requested and you glanced back to Thor before walking a few feet away. “Please don’t do this.”

“Do what? Take him to see some wreckage? He’s promising us answers, Erik,” you stated, pleading. You couldn’t explain it, but Thor seemed sincere and kind, and all you wanted to do was help him. You didn’t get any sort of odd feelings from him.

“Do you hear yourself? Do you hear him? Thor? Bifrost? Mjolnir? It’s all stories, all tales I was told as a child. That’s all they are, are tales. He’s delusional and he’s dangerous.”

“We’re just giving him a lift to a crater site,” you insisted.

“Jane,” Selvig started, turning to her, trying to reason with her. “Please. Don’t. I don’t like the idea of this.”

Jane gave him a torn look before glancing at you with apology in her face. 

“Jane, no...No! Come on!” you pleaded but she just gave you a sympathetic look before telling Thor she couldn’t take him. 

“Then this is where we say goodbye,” he said before bowing, saying goodbye to you all and kissing Jane’s hand. His eyes lingered on you for a moment when he told you goodbye, but then started to walk off, but something about him retreating made you feel… sad, almost... homesick.

Just as you all began walking away, a truck with Jane’s equipment stopped right in front of you all. 

“Uh, Jane--”

“What?! Hey! That’s mine!” she shouted before the two of you took off running towards the lab. “What the hell is going on here?” Jane demanded as you stood beside her.

“Ms. Foster, I’m Agent Coulson, with SHIELD,” a man in a black suit stated and you recognized him. You’d seen him once before… hanging around Stark’s tower. 

“Is that supposed to mean something to me? You can’t do this!” Jane shouted as she tried desperately to grab at the things that were being taken.”

“Jane. Jane. This is a lot more serious than you realize. Let it go,” Selvig advised in a cautious voice, making your eyes scan the man and the other men in suits working diligently to clear all the work from the last several weeks. 

How could they do this? How could some company or government program just waltz into a private scientific lab and seize any data they see fit? Which reminded you… there was a recorder in your pocket from last night, a recorder in which you used all the time to take notes out loud to transcribe later for Jane. You thought better when you spoke. You subtly felt it to make sure it was still there, then rested your hand inside your jeans to keep it secure in your hand. 

“Let it go? Let it go? This is my life!”

“We’re here investigating a security threat. We need to appropriate your records and all your atmospheric data,” Coulson informed.

“By ‘appropriate’ do you mean ‘steal’?” Jane asked as she followed the men to a van where they were loading the last bit of your things. 

“How can you do this?” you asked in an oddly calm voice, sadness tinging every word as you looked at the man in the suit. 

“Here. This should more than compensate you for your trouble,” he tried, handing Jane a check. 

“I can’t just buy replacements at RadioShack! I made most of this equipment myself!”

“Then I’m sure you can do it again.”

“And I’m sure I can sue you for violating my constitutional rights!” Jane yelled. 

“I’m sorry, Ms. Foster, but we’re the good guys.”

“So are we! I’m on the verge of understanding something extraordinary. And everything I know about this phenomenon is either in this lab or in this book and you can’t just take this with--”

At that, another man in a suit grabbed Jane’s prized journal and tossed it in the van and closed the doors.

“Hey!” she said and you held her back. 

“Jane,” you tried. 

“Thank you for your cooperation,” he said before disappearing around the side of the van, making you feel hollow. Weeks of research. Weeks of work. Hours upon hours of math -- gone. How could the world be so cruel? At this point you weren’t sure what to do. The ethical thing would be to stay with Jane and help her rebuild her research, but you needed funding. Maybe some labs back in NYC would have an opening. Maybe Tony would take pity on you and -- 

Your phone began ringing and you stepped away to answer it. 

“Hey, Shannon, could we talk later? I’m kind of in the middle of something…”

“Yeah, so am I,” she said with a knowing tone. “It’s called being in your city, well, town. You can’t call this a city.”

Your eyes lit up and some form of warmth refilled your body. Between saying goodbye to the strange Thor and losing your work, you needed something like this. You looked out of the wide windows of the lab into the streets of the town, expecting to see Shannon just standing there.

“You are? Where?” 

“I’m on my way back into town, actually,” she corrected. “Wanna get some coffee?”

“Of course,” you said. “Meet me at Izzy’s Diner.”

You grabbed your purse and told the three researchers you’d be back. You left the lab like your heels were on fire and skated into the diner. You ordered a coffee and a plate of toast. About ten minutes later, Shannon emerged and a giant grin grew on your face. Within an instant you jumped up and wrapped her in a tight embrace, really needing your best friend. 

“So what the hell are you doing here?’ you asked quickly, and excitedly, with a dash of strong curiosity. 

“Did you hear about that satellite crash? About fifty miles west?” she asked, leaning forward on her arms.

“Yeah, kinda,” you said. 

“It’s not a satellite. But anyway, Tony wanted me to investigate. Grab some readings off of it, so we can study it. I got there early this morning got my data, and then the SHIELD goons showed up, so I hightailed it. I pretended I was a tourist. Tony gave me this nifty watch that lets you read from a distance of 100 feet." She went to show you the tool but you shook your head and lowered her hand.

"That's great, but...SHIELD showed up and took all of our data."

"All of it?" she asked, shocked.

"Every bit. Just now. We saw them load it and haul it away," you noted, the sorrow in your voice not hidden as your eyes dropped to your plate.

Shannon sank back in her chair. "That's a bummer. I was going to ask you if you had anything I could bring Tony. I knew you were working in that area. I was hoping you had swiped some info."

"I've got something small but... not here," you said, glancing around.

"Right." She nodded.

"So how is Tony?" you wondered, wanting to get your mind off the bad events.

"He's... you know... Tony," she said with a laugh, that made you want to return the laugh.

"So he's still a stubborn, egotistical, asshole, genius?" you inquired.

"Bingo."

"And has that asshole-genius asked you out yet?" you asked with a quirk of your eyebrow.

"What? No," she responded, blushing, covering part of her face with her hand as if Tony were in the room now and could hear. "We aren't like that, okay? He doesn't like me like that."

You let out a loud, short laugh. "Oh my god, Shannon. You can bullshit Stark all you want, but me? No. You know damned well that I know how you feel about him."

"Yeah, well that doesn't change the fact that he doesn't like me," she quipped in a whisper.

"It does, because I know he does."

"Oh, and where is your proof?" she asked with a playful mocking face. "Hmm? Please, paint me a picture of how Tony Stark wants to be with his lab assistant."

"The way he looks at you," you said point blank, your tone making it clear it was obvious to everyone. "The fact that he made you lead lab director."

"That's qualifications, Y/N."

"He could've put you on bigger projects. Projects that don't take place inside Stark Tower? Projects that are all over the globe? but what does he do? He sticks you in the same floor, the same main room he works in."

"We are not discussing this," she said firmly, her cheeks getting redder.

"Why not?! He's into you! You should just ask him!"

"I'm not going to ask my boss if he's harboring feelings for me!" she whisper-shouted.

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms.

"Well if you won't be reasonable, then maybe you'll listen to something crazy."

You launched into how you met Thor and everything he was saying, and you how believed he was telling the truth.

"Wait, let me get this straight. Jane runs over a guy with the research van, and you think he's some Norse God reborn?"

You shook your head. "No, I think he is the Thor. I think he is very old and very powerful."

"What makes you think that? He probably read the same books you did in college but he took them a little too far," she noted.

"No, I'm telling you, Shannon. He talks about this like it's his home. He talks so comfortably about it as if I were to say 'Hand me your phone' or 'Get in the car.'"

"Okay so he's been crazy a long time. Since when do you defy logic and reason?" she challenged, wondering why you were believing a man who was probably insane.

To be honest, you knew how it sounded. You'd been dwelling on it all day since he said his name was Thor last night. But there were too many coincidences for this not to be something weird.

"Since Newton was called crazy, since Einstein was ridiculed, since Copernicus was railroaded."

Shannon started to roll her eyes but you pressed on.

"Come on, you have to admit, it's pretty weird that the night he shows up in the middle of the desert, some weird 'thing' crashed nearby. You saw it, did it look like a hammer?"

She seemed to stall, which meant you were right.

"Well... yeah, but that doesn't mean--"

"Aha! See? I'm telling you... This is the real deal."

"I think you studied that crap too much that you forgot what's real and not real," she muttered.

"Shannon, science is always telling us to broaden our minds, our thinking, our understanding. We've all agreed that it would be wildly arrogant to assume we're alone in the cosmos, why is this any different?"

“Because it’s insane,” she stressed. “You’re talking about magic and realms and teleportation devices.”

“Yes, but thirty years ago nearly all of Tony's inventions would've been called impossible. And now look where he is! Look where science has brought us.”

“Okay, and what if what you’re saying is true? What are you going to do?” she pressed. “You gonna tell everyone? You gonna ask him to take you back with him?"

A small sparkle twinkled in your eye before Shannon began going, "No. Oh no. I know that look. No! Are you mad?"

"Possibly," you said, tilting your head to the side. "But what do I have to lose? I just lost all of my most recent work, he didn't threaten me. The least I can do is ask!"

"Y/N! Y/N!" she shouted as you got up from the table, throwing some cash down and making your way outside. "This is crazy. You don't even know where to find him!"

"Can't be hard in a population of five," you muttered, looking around for him on the street. "I need a car. Dammit. Give me your car," you instructed. "We'll take him.”

“I’m not so sure I want some homeless crazy dude in my car,” she stated as the two of you walked down mainstreet. 

“Please? We’re just taking him to that hammer. He said earlier he would tell us information. This way we both get what we want. I can see if he’s telling the truth and you get more data for your boy toy.” You flashed a cheeky grin and began walking again.

“He is not my b-- Ugh! Fine. Only because I love you and I want to prove to you that Norse Mythology is just that -- myth. Something made up for children or for primitive beings with primitive gods.”

“I don’t care what your reasons are so long as you take us,” you said with a smile. Just as you said that, you found Thor inside a pet store. It seemed easy to find him, almost like… Almost like he was a beacon to you. Without even seeing him, you were drawn to him. 

You texted Jane and told her where you were going and she said she wanted to take you all, to come along. So, instead of taking the fancy ass car Tony bought Shannon, you took the broken down camper. Jane and Thor sat up front, chatting a bit while you and Shannon caught up some more. You introduced the two of them and set off. 

Eventually, talk turned to Thor and his life. 

“You’re brave to do this, you all are,” he noted.

“I’m just trying to find answers,” you stated honestly. 

“Yes, it seems we all are. But you three maidens seem to be rather clever in this realm. Much like my friends back home,” he said with a fond smile. 

“Maidens? Realm?” Jane asked, her voice saturated with amusement and confusion.

“You think me strange?” 

“Yeah, I do.”

“Good strange or bad strange?”

“I’m not quite sure yet… I’m sorry but, who are you? Really?” Jane pressed. 

“You’ll see soon enough.”

“You promised us answers,” she reminded.

“What you seek, it’s a bridge,” he started. 

“Like an Einstein Rosen bridge?” she asked, excitement in her voice, meanwhile you began to tingle all over. 

“More like a rainbow bridge.”

“A rainbow bridge… like… Like in Asgard?” you questioned.

Thor turned around to try to face you better from his position in the passenger seat. “Yes, exactly. I thought Midgardians didn’t know anything about us.”

“I… I studied your… culture.”

“She means,” Shannon started, “that she studied mythology that happens to sound like where you came from but I’m sure it’s just a coincidence,” she said with a pointed look. 

You gave her a look back, before the four of you settled in for the rest of the drive. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[angrylizardjacket]

the last house at the end of the street {Daniel Webber}

A/N: 2871 words. This is for @rogerandhishair and also batnon, both of whom I love, but especially Gabs for helping me along the way and inspiring me, and yelling about Daniel a lot. Was this meant to be cabin!Daniel? Yes. But it’s lakehouse!daniel now! So part of my family is originally from Wangi Wangi, and I used to go there a lot when I was a kid, esp. around Christmas/Summer time. It’s a very chill, picturesque place. God I hope this is coherent to anyone who’s not Australian. Feedback would be great!! Fluffy As Hell and AGGRESSIVELY Australian.

“This is where horror movies happen.” You tell Daniel, the two of you stopped for lunch at a spot you’re told is only a five minute walk from the property he’d bought once he’d had the means. It’s in a place called Wangi Wangi, which you’d never heard of before, but you’d been assured that you’d love it, and, alright, looking over the sparkling water of the Lake, seeing the little boats bobbing their way across the water, the smell of the gentle breeze as it whistles softly past the native trees, you’re actually rather charmed by it. But you still can’t help yourself. “Seriously, this is where Crocodile Dundee himself crawls out of the lake to kill his helpless victims, which probably includes us.”

“Crocodile Dundee isn’t a horror movie,” Daniel tells you flatly, his lips quirked in the barest smirk, and your expression turns to a frown as you consider it. “You’re thinking of Friday the Thirteenth.”

“No, I’m thinking of... - Wolf Creek!” It’s like a eureka moment, your eyes lighting up, and oh, somehow it’s just so endearing, the light of the sun glinting off the water to highlight your smile. “I’m thinking of Wolf Creek,” you tell him with a self-satisfied conviction, going on to half-jokingly explain that ‘wolf is going to crawl out of the creek and kill us, just like in the movie’. You’re fully aware that that’s not what Wolf Creek is about, but it doesn’t really matter, because it makes Daniel laugh.

The property is the last house on the street, a dark gravel driveway leading to a spacious garage next to a handsome, red brick home. The windows are large, filling the rooms with air and light, looking out over the Lake, a view you know you could really get used to.

It’s empty, bare walls and plush, clean carpets, linoleum you’d replace with actual tiles when you get a chance. He’d always said he wanted a house by the lake, always told you how much he’d adored coming out here as a kid, and now, seeing him lean against the balcony out the back, smiling like everything was right in the world at this very moment, you can’t blame him. Wrapped your arms around him, you press a kiss to his back, between his shoulder blades, before perching your chin on his shoulder.

It’s so serene.

It’s going to end up as a holiday home, but you’re both between projects, so you’ve got the time to fix it up, to make it perfect. But for now, tonight, the first time you’ll ever sleep in this quiet little dream you’ve picked out for yourselves, you sleep on a blow-up mattress in the main bedroom, talking and laughing and dreaming up schematics in the Summer air. The window is open, and if you’re quiet, you can hear the lake lapping at the shore. 

Tomorrow, you can start the process of making it perfect, but for tonight, it sort of feels like it already is.

It’s not easy work, it’s the tail-end of Summer, though February is still painful at the best of times. You’re covered in grime and grout and paint, and retiling a bathroom and a kitchen is far more involved than you’d realised. Painting room after room hurts your back, and you know that when you’re done, you still have to do the skirting boards, and replace the counter tops and furnish the whole house. You’ve got the basics, a refrigerator, and wifi, and deck chairs, though they’re uncomfortable metal fold out ones, but you get through the day, jamming out to Spotify playlists that keep your spirit up. 

Naps become common, as does having at least three water bottles in the fridge at all times. Each. You’re sweaty more than you’re not, but it’s worth it, it has to be. 

One particularly hot afternoon, Daniel wraps his arms around you where you’re reaching into the fridge for some cold water, and you squawk at it. You’d just been taking a break from painting the main bedroom, giving yourself a rest before powering through to the marginally-cooler night.

“I’m so gross right now,” you protest, feeling every point where your shirt is sticking to you, but he doesn’t release you from his loose grip.

“So am I,” he laughs, pressing his face to your back, wiping his grubby forehead on your back, covered in sweat and grim from where he’d been replacing the wood of the back porch. You wriggle, yelping at that, though you don’t protest, and when you shut the fridge, you turn to him with two bottles in hand. He takes the one you offer, finally letting you go, grinning from ear to ear. 

“You wanna head down to the lake for a swim?” He offers, and it’s almost four in the afternoon, still feeling hotter than hell, and the lake sounds so enticing right now.

“Absolutely.”

Daniel always seems to know when your mood is dipping, he takes the paintbrush or tool that you’re working with, and you want to protest, because you’ve still got some of the wall to do but -

“Tomorrow, there’s always tomorrow.” He’ll assure, and something about the way he says it eases the tense set of your shoulders. Tired and covered in paint, he’ll grab a drink for the both of you, so cold it feels like a godsend, and you’ll walk down to the shore. There’s a little, stone pier that’s a ten minute walk from your house, with other people’s overturned canoes resting in the grass nearby, and something about the sight is so full of implicit trust. You sit, side by side, on the pier, feet in the water, watching boats cross the skyline. Some days it’s clear enough that you can see Swansea on the other side. 

The stress washes away with the water, leaning against Daniel, your head on his shoulder.

“I was thinking of getting, like, a dinghy or something,” he muses one evening, sunset having painted the sky lilac. You yawn, having spent the day finishing off painting the skirting boards; it meant you’d officially finished painting the house, and all that was left to do was replace the linoleum countertops in the kitchen. It had thoroughly sapped the energy from you. “Maybe not a dinghy, maybe something bigger; we could go out on the lake and swim, maybe fish, just have a time of it.” He sounded tired too, and he takes a swig of his beer before resting his head against yours. The moment hangs in the air, warm and gentle like the last rays of sunshine, and you tuck your arm into his, basking in it.

You’re rather wrapped up in refurbishing the home for the stretch of time that you spend there, you’d missed Christmas and Australia Day, and before you know it, the house is done. It smells like fresh paint and plastic from your new furniture and appliances, and you find yourself burning candles everywhere to make it smell like home.

You get used to the comforting sound of the lake, the rustle of the wind through the trees, and it becomes routine to walk through the park that borders the left of your house, going out to the picnic spot where you’d stopped that first day, overlooking the whole town and it’s surrounds. Daniel takes comfort here like you’ve never really seen him before. Seemingly stress free, he finds himself enjoying afternoons exploring the Conservation Park nearby; sometimes you join him, sometimes you take a nap, and wake up when the sun’s setting, the air’s cooling, and you find yourself with a blanket over you, and a little bunch of wild flowers on the coffee table. Daniel, you can hear, is cooking dinner in the next room, listening to music and humming along. Something about it makes your heart melt, just a little.

It seems like it’s all too soon before you’re both off again, to work on new projects, the real world calling you back, but at least now you know you’ve got this refuge when you need it.

The year drags on, and for all it’s filled with fun and achievements, you find yourself longing to go back to the little lake house. 

You return just after New Year’s. It’s the middle of Summer, and this time you buy a barbecue for the back yard, and a tent, because you’ve got a beautiful park right next door, it would be a shame to under utilize it. You get to know your neighbors, the people around the street, and it’s surprising how friendly they are. You suppose you do live at the end of the road, no-one further down apart from the animals in the park, and the vacationing families in the holiday homes a few kilometers away. 

Johnno, who lives four doors down, baulks when you call him Johnothan, and in the same breath invites you and Daniel to his Australia Day get-together that’s happening next week. You tentatively accept, but he seems to sense your hesitation.

“Listen, it’s just a little thing, get all the neighbors round and have a splash in the pool, get the barbie runnin’ and listen to Triple-J’s Hottest 100,” he pauses, shrugging, not even giving you time to process everything he’s said, “I don’t really go in for all that patriotism stuff, but it’s a good excuse to get everyone together, you know?” Daniel accepts with a bright smile, and Johnno’s on his merry way.

“Please tell me you understood anything he said,” you half laughed, and Daniel grins, nodding, explaining that you’d essentially been invited to a very casual lunch.

Personally, you think having a pool while living so close to a lake seems like overkill, but you wouldn’t turn down a kind invite. 

“I feel like I’ve seen your face before,” Johnno’s expression is thoughtful as you and Daniel hover by the barbecue, feeling a little out of place in the spacious backyard, surrounded by people and their families. There’s kids splashing about in the pool, older women sitting on the porch under an umbrella holding glasses of champagne, and men scattered about, talking to each other like old friends. Johnno, for his part, is diligently sweating away, cooking enough sausages to feed a small army, with plates piled high of more food to be added when there’s room. He’s not even wearing an apron, just a pair of board shorts, wielding a pair of tongs with one hand, a beer in the other.

Daniel laughs a little at that, the sound warm and good natured, and a woman comes out of the house holding a bowl of freshly tossed salad. 

“Jen, babe, where have we seen him before, he’s got a face I recognise,” Johnno asks, and the woman, Jen, joins him after putting the salad on the fold out table that had been set-up beside the barbecue. She frowns for a little, but it’s not unkind, and Daniel beats them to it.

“I was on Home and Away a couple of years ago.”

And both their faces light up, talking over each other with their own realisations as they nod, agreeing that that’s where he’d seen them. It’s slow at first, once Jen leaves to head back inside, a few of the people who come out after her, carrying drinks of their own, or more food for the table, they give you and Daniel an appraising look. As time passes, it seems the news of a celebrity in their midst spreads to the rest of the gathered neighbors, though it just means that everyone’s more excited to talk to them, well Daniel, than they were before.

“He’s the cute one from Teenage Kicks,” a teenage girl whispers a little too loudly to her friend, maybe her sister, while they’re all lining up for food. Daniel tries to hide his smile and pretend like he didn’t hear them, stepping up, grabbing himself a paper plate, and collecting food. 

“I feel like they’re too young to have seen that,” he mutters to you, though he’s grinning a little, and you can’t help your own smile at his amusement.

Soon enough, just like you’d watched earlier, the others start to talk to the two of you like you’re old friends, but Daniel never leaves your side. You’re a little bit surprised at how much you find you’re enjoying yourself. You and Daniel take up residence on a set of banana lounges beneath an umbrella. At one point, he goes to get the both of you new drinks, giving you a quick kiss on the forehead before he goes, and you’re pretty sure you actually hear the two teenage girls give a dreamy sigh from where they’d been trying to inconspicuously watch the two of you. While you found it a little strange, they obviously meant no harm by it, and when you smiled at them, they both averted their gazes quickly, embarrassed at getting caught.

The whole day feels surreal, like a moment from someone else’s life, where the sky is always blue, and grilled pineapple is a delicacy, and it feels like a home away from home. 

You don’t stay long; his shooting schedule for his next project has him in America in late February, and your own project is set to enter pre-production only a few weeks after; you’re sad to leave the haven of the lake house, but excited to say goodbye to the heat of the Australian Summer.

Every so often, you get invited to neighborhood events, usually by Johnno or Jen, though you’ve actually kept up communications with a few people from around the neighborhood, having enjoyed that Summer afternoon too much to let the people you’d met go completely.

You return sooner than anticipated, at the start of July, the two of you having a few weeks off and wanting to see what the property was like in the Winter, out of sheer curiosity.

It’s absolutely freezing. The wind cools as it crosses the lake, and chills you to the bone. It’s only made bearable when you and Daniel wrap yourselves in various duvets, curled up on the sofa you’d bought for the porch, drinking hot drinks and enjoying the view as much as you could. You think you prefer the view in the Summer, everything seems that little bit more gold around the edges, but here, now, he wraps his arm around you, lets you wrap yourself up against him.

“We should bring people out here,” he muses, breath warm against your cheek, a small comfort on this overcast evening, “like friends and stuff, ‘nd family. In Summer of course.”

“Spring,” you suggest, “before it gets too hot.” He nods, but doesn’t answer for the crack of thunder that rumbles ahead of you, and the two of head inside quickly before being pelted with rain. The rain itself sets the atmosphere nicely when you head back inside, curling up on the sofa, planning on who you could invite to your little lakeside paradise.

Bit by bit, as you collect memories in the house, you collect knicknacks, and then there’s photos on the wall, and props from projects on display, and you have friends and family around, you invite the neighbors for a barbecue of your own, and then there’s little scratches and knocks along the walls, and someone spilled something on the carpet that didn’t manage to come out entirely, but you find that you sort of love it. It feels lovely. 

There’s a little yacht docked to the bigger pier that’s only about a twenty minute walk from your home, but it’s yours. The guest room is always neat when a friend comes to stay. In 2019, you politely decline the invite to ‘Johnno and Jen’s annual Australia Day Shindig’, you tell them you have family plans. In a sense, you’re not lying; you have the other three stars of The Dirt over for Australia Day, and they make themselves at home on your sofa, on your spare bed, on a blow-up mattress. There’s something freeing about the lake house, about being away from prying eyes, and while you watch the boys toss themselves into the water from the yacht, you feel contentment spreading from the warmth in your chest to the tips of your fingers.

You have your own little barbecue that evening, everyone still in board shorts, hair curling from the salt water and sitting around the back porch. Colson’s singing along to half of the Hottest 100 as it plays from your bluetooth speaker, and later, you’ll all watch the fireworks over the water. Daniel seems in his element, grinning from ear to ear as you’re all discussing your upcoming projects, how they’re all looking forward to the The Dirt premiere in only a few months. Iwan’s got a few television opportunities, Douglas is going to be doing some philanthropy, and Colson’s got his album coming out soon. Both you and Daniel have films going into production in the near future, and you can see him regarding his friends with a quiet pride.

This is what had been missing, you realise. 

The house was finally perfect.

[thefinalexperiment]

The Final Experiment Chapter 30: My Story

Peter Parker x OC

A/N: Kind if an expositional filler part, but here you go. Once again, sentences in italics = Russian

I will no longer be linking things on new part posts due to dumblr and the link censoring, and just to be safe from any potential image post censoring, I will also not be including covers on my stories. All previous parts can be found in my masterlist, in my bio!

---

        “How is he?” Kaitlynn asked as she poked through the cabinets for breakfast the next morning.

        Steve didn’t hear her right away. He was distracted by what Bucky had said…

        “Steve.”

        He looked up. The other few team members who were also in the kitchen, Natasha, Peter, and Sam, were all focused on him as well.

        “Hm?” Then her words caught up to him. “Oh… Well he woke up last night, but he fell right back asleep… Cho’s assistant said he’s feverish. They’re trying to bring that down.”

        Kaitlynn frowned, but nodded, choosing to hide her feelings on the matter by glaring up at the cereal on the top shelf - the shelf which she was too short to reach.

        “Right… did he say anything?”

        Steve shrugged, shaking his head helplessly.

        “A bit, but he wasn’t makin’ much sense.”

        “What was he saying?” Sam asked. “Anything important?”

        Steve stood and reached over Kaitlynn’s head to retrieve the box she’d been eyeing. She gave a small huff of faked irritation, but grumbled a thank you nevertheless and began to prepare her bowl.

        “Nothing I could make heads or tails of,” he finally replied. “Something about a birthday… he was real worried about finding somebody named Sarah, said they took her to America. It was like he was only half here…”

        Kaitlynn froze, mid-cereal pour.

        “Does that mean something to you?” Steve asked.

        “I…” There was a faraway look in her eyes, like she was fighting hard to remember something. She stared down at the counter, but it was clear that the granite wasn’t what held her focus.

        “Kait?” Peter tentatively called, touching her shoulder.

        “Something…” she murmured. Then, the look cleared like a lightbulb turning on. “He means me.”

        She turned to Peter with a hopeful spark behind her eyes.

        “Sarah, that’s what he called me! I have to go see him…”

        With that, she shoved her half-filled bowl of cereal to the side and moved to rush out of the kitchen, but Steve stepped into her path.

        “Whoa there, kid, slow down. What do you mean?”

        “Sarah, Steve!”

        He shook his head.

        “I don’t follow.”

        “After the toughest lady he ever met, his best pal’s ma!” she said again, with more emphasis. It was tricky to understand her when she got tangled up in her mile-a-minute thoughts like this, but Steve had a pretty good feeling he knew what Kaitlynn was trying to say this time.

        “He named you after my mother?” His breath caught when she nodded. “When? How? I don’t--”

        “I’ll explain later,” Kaitlynn said quickly, nimbly stepping around him. “I have to go see him!”

        And with that, she was gone.

---

                                                       Kaitlynn

        When I rushed into Bucky’s room, one of Cho’s people was checking over his vitals. It seemed he had just woken, but he wasn’t quite fully present. Peter was hot on my heels, no doubt wanting to make sure I was okay. Natasha I had also expected to follow, but I was a little surprised to see that Steve had come too. Although I suppose I had sort of just dropped a bombshell on him.

        All the memories that were returning to me seemed to be cluttering my mind. I understood how Bucky was feeling right now. I almost felt feverish with the way my thoughts were swimming. It was difficult to separate the present and the past at the moment.

        When he caught sight of me, it became ten times harder to breathe. Though his expression was clouded with the confused look of disorientation, his eyes lit up in recognition. I vaguely heard Natasha asking the medic about his condition. Something about the fever beginning to decrease, but still enough to disorient him. His super soldier genes would have him with a clear head by tomorrow.

        My feet moved as if by a will of their own, carrying me to his side. He reached out to me weakly and my hand gripped his like a lifeline.

        “Sarah?” he whispered.

        “It’s me, papa,” I said softly.

        “They took you from me,” he murmured in Russian. “I couldn’t stop them…”

        “I know, dad,” I said, squeezing his hand. “You did your best… You’re here now. We’re together again.”

        He smiled sadly at me, as if there were something else on his mind.

        Barely two days ago, I had been angry enough to want to kill him, but none of that seemed remotely important now. All that mattered was that he was okay, and he was here with me.

---

        “What are they saying?” Peter whispered to Natasha. It was kind of weird watching how Kait’s demeanor had changed over the past few days. Not in a bad way, just in a different way. They hadn’t been dating long, but Peter could tell she had a lot of layers to her. It was nice to see her being more open, but he couldn’t deny that her past wasn’t normal.

        “You’ll have to ask Kait later,” Natasha said, raising an eyebrow.

        “Oh,” he said awkwardly. “Right… I guess I should just… Wait. Outside.”

        Peter quickly ducked out of the room. He’d always thought Natasha didn’t mind him, but ever since her relation to Kait was revealed, she’d been watching him more carefully. Having the Black Widow stare you down over breakfast was a little unnerving to say the least.

        Not that he was scared, or anything.

        Maybe just a little intimidated.

---

        Steve chuckled as he watched the kid scurry out of the room.

        “Might wanna take it easy on him, Nat…”

        She shrugged, not taking her eyes off of Kaitlynn and Bucky.

        “Why would I do that?”

        “He’s just trying to help,” Steve said.

        Nat scoffed.

        “He’s trying to get me to like him is what he’s doing.”

        “You liked him well enough before.”

        She gave him a warning glance.

        “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

        Steve raised his hands in a placating gesture.

        “I’m just saying… Kaitlynn has a certain tendency to get overly protective or defensive… and maybe it runs in the family.”

        Natasha crossed her arms, but didn’t reply. Just then, Kaitlynn came over.

        “He fell back asleep. The nurse, I think his name is Lee, he said the fever’s gone down more already.” She had a bright smile on her face, a look that Steve hadn’t seen in ages.

        “So,” he said, “Now that everything has calmed down, care to explain what just happened?” He nodded at Bucky.

        Kaitlynn was about to respond, but then she paused, looking out the window of the room.

        “Where did Peter go?” she asked.

        Steve shot a glance at Natasha, who still wasn’t looking at him. Kaitlynn raised an eyebrow at the two of them, then frowned at Nat.

        “What did you say to him?”

        “Nothing!” Natasha said, a little too defensively.

        Kaitlynn sighed.

        “Nat… please, lighten up, okay? If you wanna play protective mom, then just sit him down for an interview and get the cold shoulder over with. This half-commitment to it is sending mixed signals.”

        Natasha raised an eyebrow but nodded.

        “Okay. Fair enough…”

        Kaitlynn gave her a small smile, then turned to Steve.

        “Now, I believe I promised an explanation…”

---

                                                    Kaitlynn

        Before we got started on the whole “explaining my past” bit, I insisted on sitting down in the commons area with a cup of tea. I fiddled with the string of the teabag, curled up on the loveseat. I had debated whether or not to tell the whole team, but I decided it would be best to tell just the few closest to Bucky and I first. That was limited to Natasha, Steve, Peter, and Sam, who, as much as he liked to irritate Bucky, really did consider him a good friend.

        Peter sat beside me, leaning against the seat’s arm. He was still within arm’s reach for moral support. Natasha, Sam, and Steve sat on the couch across from us. On any average day, “their” spots were more spread out among the common area, but right now, they were grouped together, making me feel like I was some kind of relationship counselor.

        “So…” I began, “I’ll do my best to explain here, but my memories are still fuzzy, and the files we recovered from that base only tell half the story.”

        I took a deep breath, gripping the mug a little tighter.

        “As soon as HYDRA deemed me old enough, HYDRA started my training. I can’t remember how old I was, exactly… The man who trained me… I never knew his name. They called him…” I shuddered, but steeled myself.

        It’s not like he’s Voldemort… just say his name…

        “They called him the Foreman. He was horrible. I have a couple minor scars from the Winter Soldier’s training… but the rest are all from him. He laid the foundations, taught me as much as a kid that young could be taught… Then when I turned nine…” I paused. My throat had gone dry. I gulped some tea from my mug, feeling the barely-steeped liquid scalding my throat on the way down.

        “When I turned nine, they brought the Winter Soldier out of cryo to train me. They told him who I was to him, but that made him resist them, so they had to rethink their brainwashing methods… He trained me for about four and a half months before they decided he’d recalled a little too much of his past. So they put him in cryo for three years… and during that time… the Foreman took over my training again.”

        Peter gently pried the mug from my grip and set it on the coffee table. It was only then I realized that my hands were shaking. I shook my head a little to clear my thoughts, shrinking back against Peter a little, as if his presence could ward off the horrors in my memories.

        “When they made the Winter Soldier train me in knife combat, he cut me pretty badly…” I couldn’t help but rub that curved scar. “Dad managed to convince them to let him patch me up, and while we were alone, he told me who he was to me. And… he asked if he could name me. I said yes, and he said he was going to call me Sarah.” I smiled a bit at Steve. “That was the only name I knew for a year… Sometime during that year, they wiped his memories and sent him on a mission. When they brought him back, I reminded him of who he was, and we started to make plans to escape together.”

        Peter’s hand found mine, and I was glad for the comfort it brought.

        “But HYDRA had plans of their own… they wiped my memories and made him watch… then they wiped his memories. They sent me to start a new life as Kaitlynn Grace, and they sent him to Alexander Pierce in New York. And you guys know the rest…”

        I slowly exhaled, letting it all sink in.

        “Wow…” Sam finally said. “That’s… a lot.”

        “How much does Bucky remember?” Steve asked.

        “Honestly, I don’t know,” I said. “He didn’t seem to remember that compound, but he remembered training me. He’s never called me Sarah before, though… so maybe the fever brought back some things he hadn’t been able to remember.”

        There was a silence as we all soaked in this revelation.

        “Well,” Natasha said, “I guess we won’t know until he wakes up for good.”

        Steve stood.

        “Until then, I’ll be in the training area, if anybody needs me.”

        Sam got up too.

        “Anybody know what Bucky’s least favorite flowers are? I’m gonna put a giant bouquet of ‘em right next to his bed with a note that says “You’re still alive, how disappointing.” They’ll be the first thing he sees when he wakes up, it’ll be hilarious.”

        I laughed softly, and Steve chuckled before he replied, “Daffodils, but if he asks, you’re a lucky guesser.”

        The two of them waved, and went their separate ways. Natasha eyed Peter, as if she wanted to say something, but she seemed to come to a different decision and stood to leave as well. She didn’t say where she was going, but she nodded to me, and I knew she was going to wait to clear the air with Peter after all this with Bucky was over.

        Now, it was just me and Peter.

        “Are you okay?” he murmured. “It’s snowing a little bit…”

        I looked up, and sure enough, it was snowing again. Not as badly as the other day, though. With a wave of my hand, the flurries dispersed and vanished.

        “I’m fine,” I said, “Just a bit…” But I couldn’t think of a word to appropriately describe how I was feeling.

        Peter nodded anyways. That was one of the reasons I adored him. He understood what was going on with me even when I couldn’t necessarily articulate it.

        “I get it,” he said. “That must have been hard to relive…”

        “It was… but I’m glad the four of you all know now.” I relaxed against him, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I wanted so badly to kiss him in that moment, but I still didn’t trust my powers yet.

        “Thank you, Peter,” I said softly.

        He tilted his head, his forehead crinkling adorably in confusion.

        “For what?” he asked.

        “For being so understanding, for supporting me… just… everything.”

        “You’re… welcome, I guess?” he replied, laughing a little. “I’ll always be here for you, Kait. I… I care about you.”

        His voice cracked a little as he said that, and I wondered if maybe he’d almost said something else…

        “I care about you too, Peter Parker.”

--

A/N: Aw, cute Kait and Peter... My ship name for them is Spider Bite. Like Spider Man and Frostbite... get it? Lol, anyways, I hope you enjoyed this new part. Thirty parts now, by the way! How exciting! What would you like to see in the next part? Be sure to let me know in the comments!

Series Tags: @shamvictoria11 @mla02 @fanficcrapforme @goodbyefornow123 @thebookisbtr @what-inspirational-name

Everything Tags: @coconutknees @hollymac79 @jordan-ia @ace-marvel-chick

[eryiss]

Gambler’s Luck: Chapter Four

Summary: A drunken night at a bar; that’s how it always starts. A few shots, some self loathing and a decision you would never make when sober. But for Laxus Dreyar, the morning after doesn’t include regret, copious amounts of aspirin and a stranger in his bed. For he only made one drunken decision, becoming the personal driver for professional gambler - Freed Justine. [Fraxus Multi-Chap]

You can read it on FanFiction, Archive of Our Own or under the cut. You can also see the chapter list here. Hope you enjoy ^.^

Chapter Four - The Dreyars 

Standing at his kitchen counter, Laxus began to drizzle store bought salad dressing over a plate of pre-cooked chicken, damp lettuce leaves and overly stale croutons. His stomach all but rumbled as he looked down at the practically completed meal, the pizza he had eaten earlier obviously hadn't done much to satisfy him and he found himself starving. The salad looked even more appealing now that his headache had returned, the adrenaline rush now gone from the impromptu meeting and job acceptance that had occurred with Freed moments ago.

When Laxus had referred to Freed as his boss - out of panic and indignance at Makarov's ambush - the other man had taken it in his stride. It was like he expected Laxus to cave in and take it. Makarov had apologised for being rude, Laxus having to bite his tongue on the comment of that being his natural state of being, and Freed excused himself and drove away. And that was it. Freed was his boss, apparently.

Once Freed had left for the gym, Laxus had turned back to his grandfather and invited him into his apartment. Laxus had immediately walked to the kitchen, pulling out whatever food he needed for his salad, and Makarov made his way to the sofa that looked towards the television. Laxus vaguely heard a news report in the background but didn't pay attention to it, his mind was solely focused on the food.

When his salad was complete, he picked the plate up and sat down in an armchair that was only just big enough to fit him without it looking completely ridiculous; he couldn't afford anything bigger. As he picked up some of his food, he looked to his grandfather.

"You sure you don't want anything?" He asked after swallowing his food.

"I ate before I came." Makarov said, looking away from the political update on the TV. "And if that's all you're making, I'm glad I did. When you were younger, that wouldn't have been a snack to you."

Laxus shrugged, biting into another forkful of chicken and lettuce. "You gotta look after yourself, y'know."

Makarov nodded, with a slight hesitation that irritated Laxus more than he was willing to admit, and looked back to the TV. The blonde continued to eat, joining his grandfather in watching a heated political debate about something that probably wasn't that important and was only being shown because it was a slow news day and they needed to fill the time.

As Laxus ate, he noticed Makarov glance at him every few moments, also giving the salad the same side-eye. Laxus put up with this for a short while, but when Makarov's glances began to drag out longer and longer, his irritation got the better of him. He placed his fork onto the plate with more force than needed and looked at his grandfather.

"What?"

"I was just thinking that, maybe if you're not eating that out of choice, I could loan you some money to-" Laxus cut him off with a groan and annoyed expression, but Makarov continued. "I saw that you hardly have anything in your cupboards, and with the pizza box and take-out trays I thought you might not be able to pay for any real food." Makarov explained, Laxus still glaring at him, prompting the older man to mutter under his breath. "Well excuse me for caring."

"I ain't a kid, gramps. I hardly have anything in because I buy all my groceries once a week and I do it tomorrow. I've got frozen vegetables and potatoes for dinner, and I was gonna buy a cooked chicken because I usually don't have time to cook one." Laxus said, shoving some more food into his mouth. "And have you had taken out lately? It ain't cheaper than cooking."

Makarov raised his hands in mock surrender, not wanting to reignite the argument that the two had engaged in multiple times. Instead, they both turned back to the TV and watched the news; it had moved onto the next topic.

During the lull in the conversation, Laxus' thoughts wandered back to Freed. Did his immediate decision to call Freed his boss mean that he was going to be Freed's driver now? Surely, he would have realised that Laxus had said this out of panic and it wasn't a serious acceptance of Freed's job offer. But Freed had seemed fairly enthusiastic about employing Laxus so maybe he would use the proclamation to force him take the job. Was that something Freed would do? Laxus barely knew him, so how could he know if Freed was that kind of person?

He decided not to worry about it, focusing on the TV and deciding to text Freed when his grandfather had left, so he could clear things up. The news was still focused on the menial problem from before, something about a pothole 'epidemic.' Laxus had to wonder if this really was the most interesting they could talk about.

Makarov was apparently just as uninterested in the filler piece on the TV, so shifted his position on the sofa and looked to Laxus. The blonde, fully expecting to be engaged in a conversation that would lead into an argument, placed his half-eaten salad on his knee and looked to his grandfather.

"You didn't say what you'd be doing?" Makarov said, not bothered by the sour expression on his grandson's face. "Earlier, you said that man was your boss, but didn't say what he was going to make you do. What are you going to be doing?"

That wasn't too bad, actually. Maybe he needed to give Makarov more credit…

"Gonna be his driver." Laxus picked up the fork again, noticing Makarov's frown. He sighed. "He does something that means he had to travel around the city a lot. Said he doesn't enjoy driving so needs someone to do it for him, so that's what I'm gonna do. And I get why he doesn't enjoy driving, half the people in the city seem to wanna get in an accident. Anyway, yeah, so I'm gonna be his chauffeur or whatever."

"A step up from hauling trash." Makarov nodded, a small smile on his face. "Your wage better reflect that, I'm not having you get less money when you can barely make ends meet now. What does he even do, if he can pay your wages?"

"He's a, erm, professional gambler." Laxus mumbled quickly, trying to brush the question off. "And I don't struggle with money. I don't know why you think I do."

He wasn't avoiding the subject of Freed's job because Makarov was against gambling. In fact, Laxus was almost certain that his grandfather had monthly high-stakes poker games with some of his friends, so being against gambling would be hypocritical. He just expected Makarov to have the same kind of apprehension that he'd had, and Laxus honestly didn't want to deal with it now. He just wanted to finish his salad in peace.

But of course, that wouldn't happen. Usually, Makarov would have retorted to the claims that Laxus didn't struggle with money – either by saying he was naïve if he actually thought that, or that he didn't mean any offense by saying it – but he was annoyingly quiet. Laxus readied himself for whatever he grandfather would eventually decide he wanted to say.

"A professional gambler…" Makarov repeated with hesitation. "That's not the most secure source of income. Are you sure that's the best idea?"

Laxus, on a regular day, might have seen this as his grandfather second guessing his decisions. This would have lead Laxus to reply with a hostile statement that would eventually form an argument between the two men's egos. But the hangover and headache Laxus was experiencing meant he really didn't have the energy to yell at his grandfather, so he tried not to react.

"He seems to be doing pretty well. And promised me job security, told me a load of stuff about why I didn't need to worry about it. He's got savings or something that I'll get my wages from. Hold on a second." Laxus stood up, placing his near empty plate on the coffee table.

He walked to the kitchen, picking up the folder that contained the contract Freed had given him to look at. As he picked it up, he began to wonder if showing this to Makarov was him accepting that he was going to take the job. As far as he was concerned, Freed must have realised that he'd accepted the placement on impulse and might not want to continue, so it wasn't completely settled on. But giving this to Makarov meant that he couldn't back out on the job. Not without either a patronising response, or a smug response; Laxus didn't know which he would prefer and decided he would try to avoid receiving either.

Again, he pushed that thought to the back of his mind. He was probably thinking about things too deeply. And even if he wasn't, he could just quit if he realised it wasn't what he wanted to do. Just because he'd never done it, that didn't mean it was abnormal.

After handing Makarov the contract, he picked up his plate of salad and began to eat; he sadly noted that he'd eaten the majority of the chicken now. He glanced at Makarov as he flicked through the pages of small text, who seemed to be slightly appeased by the formality of the job offer. Laxus decided he probably wouldn't mention they met in a bar and Laxus was offered the job while they were drunk.

"That good enough, or should I make him swear a blood oath?" Laxus muttered, only slightly hostile.

"Well, he does seem to be taking this seriously." Makarov nodded slightly, looking up from the contract and placing it beside him on the sofa. "He's made it pretty obvious that, if he doesn't pay you what he's promised, he's in breach of the contract, so there's no obvious loopholes. I guess he knew you might be concerned. I still think you should have a lawyer look over it, in case he hid some sort of way out in it that I didn't see."

"Do you really think that's needed?" Laxus sighed. "You just said it looks airtight. I'm sure he's not that kind of guy."

"I'm just trying to look out for you. There's a lot of con artists in this city and with him being a gambler, its not too large a jump in logic to think-"

"Yeah, I know. And I appreciate it." His voice almost sounded defeated. "I guess it's just that, I don't know, I wanna do something that isn't just laid out for me and easy. Just wanna do something with the smallest amount of risk to it."

It was more than that. He felt as though he was stuck in a rut and this was the way out. For years, he'd woken up at the same time, driven down the same roads on the same days, had basically the same conversation with the same boring people. He couldn't do something like that again and that was all most jobs could offer. But driving for Freed sounded different; Freed had made it seem like every day they'd be driving somewhere new; every day would be different. And Laxus had been craving something like that for a lot longer than he realised.

"And I know normal people want that kind of stability. But, well you raised me, I never wanted to conform." They shared a short laugh, lightening the small amount of tension that had formed. "So, if I get it checked out, you won't disown me? I'll still be in the will?"

"I suppose. You're only getting the grandfather clock though, didn't think you'd be too bothered about losing it." Makarov laughed at the sour expression on his grandson's face. "I'm joking. I'm always trying to give you money, you don't think I'd stop just because I snuffed it did you? And anyway, that clocks a family heirloom, you should be proud you get to own it."

"Heirloom huh? Funny, 'cause I remember being there when you brought it." Laxus crossed his arms. "I also remember being embarrassed because you were haggling to get it cheap."

"It was expensive." Makarov said defensively. "You never know if you can get a better deal if you don't try."

"We were at IKEA! I think the day a company like IKEA gives price cuts just because an old man asked the guy at the counter is the same day Steve Jobs comes back to life, gives up technology and runs a fruit store at some random market." Laxus exclaimed, though wore a good-natured smile. "But you think it's okay, the job I mean? It gets the Dreyar stamp of approval."

"Not that I think my opinion will change your mind, I do approve." Makarov smiled. "In fact, I think you need something like this. And if you took some stupid office job, I don't think I could take how mopey your ass would become."

Annoyingly glad of Makarov's approval, Laxus looked back to his TV and began to finish off the small remains of his salad. Although, at this point, it was more like lettuce spread thinly across a plate. He shifted back into the chair, watching as some overly enthusiastic man relayed the results of some football games, or whatever sport they were talking about. It made his mind flicker back to Freed, simply because he had mentioned he would be at the gym.

So, he had to just accept it now, he was going to be Freed's driver. He'd been denying it and second guessing whether he wanted to do it basically since he first saw Freed's text that morning. But now he'd told both his grandfather and Freed himself that he'd taken it, he needed to stop thinking like that. He'd taken the risk; whatever repercussions came his way couldn't be changed now.

He grinned a little, that thought sent a buzz through his body. It really had been a long time since he'd done something exciting. He was free of the repetitive lifestyle he had basically fallen into and was going to do something that had some passion for. And he was going to do it in a pretty badass car, too.

Both men fell into a comfortable silence, watching the TV but neither really paying much attention to what was actually said. Laxus had placed his plate on the floor beside his chair and was mindlessly scrolling through his phone while Makarov picked up a newspaper Laxus had brought a few days prior. It was an enjoyable few moments, reminding Laxus of when he and his grandfather lived together. They would often spend time like this, doing completely different things but spending time with one another non the less.

Upon hearing the news-stations signature jingle that accompanied the beginning and end of the sports section, Laxus glanced up towards the TV. Had they really been talking about sports all that time? They really were struggling to fill the time. Even now, the two hosts were talking to each other as if they were on a morning chat show.

"And now onto something I'm sure all our German viewers will already know." The younger, female host said as she smiled at the camera. It was almost convincing; Laxus had to wonder if she was satisfied reading this filler when she intended to be a journalist.

"Indeed." The elder gentleman continued, also smiling. "Today, Germany is going to be celebrating its own version of thanksgiving: Erntedankfest." Laxus had to wonder if the show's German audience would appreciate one of their national holidays being directly compared to an American one. "It's a celebration that's thought to go back over a thousand years and originated as a way to give thanks for the harvest."

"And where better to learn more about this holiday than Hamburg?" The woman spoke up again. "So, we can go over to our German foreign correspondent, Sophia Dr-"

Laxus had picked up the remote control and switched off the TV, ignoring the glance he got from Makarov as he placed it down with a slight amount of force. He began to look down at his phone again, scrolling through his twitter feed as Makarov opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself. Laxus tried to ignore the obvious look of worry on his grandfather's face. He continued to scroll down on his phone.

Now without the sound of the TV, the silence between the room felt heavy and harsh. It didn't take long for Makarov to shut the newspaper and place it on the sofa beside the contract. He stood up and looked to Laxus, who placed his phone down and looked back at him expectantly.

"You know where the shitter is if you want it."

"Actually, I think it's about time I head home." Makarov smiled, walking to the coat hangers that were beside the door. Laxus stood up and unhooked both his grandfather's coat and scarf, handing them both to Makarov. "Well then, I hope everything goes well with your job, I'm sure it'll pay off for you. He seemed like an honest young man, so I don't think you've got any reason to worry. So just have fun, I suppose."

He smiled as he shrugged on his coat and wrapped his scarf around his neck. Laxus opened the door and leant on it, looking down at his grandfather as he adjusted his coat in the mirror. Why the old man was so conscious of his looks, Laxus didn't know. It wasn't like he had anyone to impress. At least, Laxus certainly hoped not. Thinking that your parents have sex was bad enough, let alone your grandparents.

"Well, I'll see you soon. As long as I don't die first." Makarov cackled, spouting off the joke Laxus had gotten used to. "Seriously though, if you ever need anything from me, you just need to-"

"I know, I know." Laxus said, lacking the hostility that would normally sneak into his voice when Makarov offered him money. "Now go home. I could have someone coming over, don't want you ruining my image."

"Hah! I doubt I'll live to see the day when you have any kind of guest in this place." Makarov grinned, walking through the door and turning to Laxus. "See ya, brat."

"Later, old man." Laxus grinned. "Don't break a hip on the way down."

Laxus closed the door to his apartment, clicking his tongue as he looked around. It suddenly felt incredibly quiet. He picked up the plate from the floor and placed it in the sink, filling it with lukewarm water and dish soap. He also turned on the small, slightly tinny radio that he kept by his sink. He tapped his fingers against the kitchen countertop along to whatever song was playing as the sink slowly filled with soapy water.

The tapping soon got boring, so he walked around the room and picked up any stray piece of cutlery and crockery that he had left out for whatever reason and placed them in the sink. He then picked up his phone and continued to scroll down his twitter feed. There was nothing really interesting on it, as normal, but it was at least something to do while he waited.

As he reached to the faucet and turned it off before the sink became too filled up with water, his phone buzzed and lit up with a text. He glanced down at it as he plunged a hand into the water, seeing Freed's name appear at the top beside a text. He opened it before both his hands were wet.

From: Freed (Job)

Sorry to disturb you, I'm sure you're still speaking with your grandfather, but I just wanted to make sure you know I won't take your acceptance of the job to be a definite decision. So, don't worry.

Also, if you're still undecided about whether you should take the job, may I suggest that, sometime in the week, you can try driving my car. Perhaps it'll sway your decision slightly. I'm free all week, so if you wish to try it out you can pick any time you want.

I might take a little time to reply, as I'm still part way through my workout but please reply as soon as you're ready.

Thanks, Freed J.

Laxus grinned slightly at the invitation, finishing washing the plate he had picked up and placing it on the draining board beside the sink. He flicked the water off his hands and dried them on a nearby towel, picking up his phone and sending a quick reply.

To: Freed (Job)

Hey. That sounds great. Tell me if I need to do anything to get insured on it or whatever. and I dont have anything planned either so I guess we can talk about what say is best for us both. And don't worry about texting back now. If anyone knows how annoying it is to be interrupted when doing a workout its me. See you in a couple days I guess

The blonde placed his phone back down and continued to wash the dishes, silently wondering why he had added the last part of the text. He could have easily said Freed didn't need to worry about replying immediately and ended the text there, but he added a personal aspect to it. Maybe Makarov's teasing about him never having anyone around had affected him somewhat.

But that didn't matter. Sometime in the week, Laxus was going to take Freed's car out. The two of them driving through the city for the first time. The first time of many. And it sent an excited, inexplicable chill down his spine as a smile snuck onto his face.

[promptis-imagines]

A fluffy little prompt (writing or drawing or whatever you prefer!) for you: A stormy day indoors. Like the sort of day where you cuddle up in the softest, poofiest comforter you can find with a shitty movie to make fun of and lots of snacks. And maybe the rain lulls Noct to sleep and just. Cuteness all around.

This was really fun to write! Also I apologize for the movie selection, it was admin Snake’s decision and I was badgered until I agreed.

I hope you like it! -admin Moogle

“What is that?”

“Um, it’s a couch, Iggy,” Prompto grunted. “What does it look like to you?”

Ignis regarded Prompto with a skeptical gaze as he folded his arms over his chest. Noctis’ high school friend was carrying in a large box with Noctis lifting the other side, and they’d just made it through the doorframe when Ignis intervened.

The two had spent nearly an entire day hunting for a new piece of furniture for the prince’s apartment, but judging by the box picture their choice was…questionable to Ignis. Simply put, it was hideous.

The box landed on the ground with a loud thud. Noctis stretched his arms while Prompto cracked his back, and they both yawned in unison. Prompto soon went behind the kitchen counter and began digging through drawers.

“If you’re looking for scissors, third drawer from the right,” Ignis instructed.

Prompto flashed him a thumbs up and a grin. Thankfully he at least knew better than to run with scissors, walking over to Noctis with his grip on the blades. Noctis was busy staring intently at the couch already in the room, most likely trying to figure out the placement of the new one.

Ignis adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. “Are you sure you need a new couch? Just yesterday you bought a new television set, and now this,” he said cautiously. “Maybe I can look past the wasting of your expenses, but shouldn’t you both be studying?”

For all his efforts and constant reminders, Noctis still shrugged him off. “Plenty of time for that. It’s the weekend, and we don’t have any exams for a couple of days.” Of course Ignis couldn’t hope for him to study. “Oh, and Prompto’s staying over tonight.” The boy raised his head at the mention of his name and gave a curt wave and a smile.

With a small sigh he didn’t even try to conceal, Ignis straightened his back. “Very well. In that case, I’ll be taking my leave. There’s plenty to eat in the fridge, and I suggest eating at a reasonable time tonight. And do try not to make a mess.”

“Yeah, alright. Bye.” Noctis barely glanced at him, helping Prompto to open the box.

“Bye, Ignis!” At least Prompto acknowledged him more.

Ignis retrieved his shoes by the door and looked back one final time before he left. He couldn’t help but wonder if one day he’d check in to find Prompto fully moved into the place.

As the door closed Prompto slid the scissors over the thick tape along the sides of the box. “Shouldn’t we tell Ignis about us sooner or later?” he asked.

Noctis pulled the final flap of the box so that it stood open. “I have a feeling he already knows. He’s just not saying anything about it.”

“Wait, for real? Aw, I thought we were being careful!” Prompto pouted and flicked a speck of stray foam packaging onto the ground.

“Around Ignis?” Noctis shook his head with a laugh. “Prom, you’re just short of making out with me right in front of him. Trust me, he noticed.”

Prompto fished around the inside for the instructions. “But I like kissing you,” he joked. “He should be fine with me kissing you, yeah?”

Noctis shrugged. “I hope so.” He leaned over to place a quick peck on Prompto’s cheek. “Now let’s get this couch together before we get too lazy and tired to do it.”

“Good idea,” Prompto agreed, turning his attention to the instructions.

“Alright, it says here that the parts are numbered, so…ah, here!” The numbers on the pieces were a bit difficult to distinguish, but he was putting them nonetheless. One, two three, four for the bottom supporting beams on the thing. All the other ones were more confusing, smaller pieces meant for attachments.

Prompto was beginning to have a difficult time trying to decipher the instructions after the first few steps. Even Noctis was still struggling with one of the springs, putting it in various places not even remotely near each other in attempts to fit it somewhere.

After nearly twenty minutes of getting nowhere and grumbling frustrated noises, Noctis finally spoke up. “Okay, these instructions aren’t making any sense.”

“I know!” Prompto exclaimed. “Can you do some magic thing to make it finish itself?”

“You know I can’t do anything even remotely like that.”

“Worth a shot.”

A deep rumble of thunder cut through their conversation. Prompto hadn’t even noticed how dark the sky outside had grown throughout the day. “It’s about to rain,” he pointed out.

Noctis nodded. “Yeah, looks like it.”

“Well,” Prompto announced, “now we have to finish this soon.”

“Because of the rain?” Noctis asked, a look of confusion on his face that Prompto found cute on him.

Prompto was already beginning to scan through the directions again. “Duh. You think I’m passing up an opportunity to wrap up in a huge blanket with you and watch movies in the rain? Don’t think so.”

It had always been Prompto’s routine during a storm to find the softest blanket he could and cocoon himself in it while watching a movie or even just taking a nap. The idea of finally sharing that with the person he cared about most made him ecstatic.

Noctis only shrugged. “Alright. Do you want me to call Gladio over to help?” he offered.

“That guy? Nah, I think we’ve got it,” Prompto said. In reality, he was just the slightest bit intimidated by the prince’s shield, especially since he barely knew him. So he just began to work faster. “Look, I got it to fit!”

The two ran through the process more quickly after that. Noctis yawned at least four times while they were working, and Prompto began wondering how long he could stay awake.

Once they were finally done, Prompto took a few steps back to admire the new couch. It was a short thing, a weird greenish-gray cloth that was the kind of fuzzy material where you could run your finger over it to create darker patterns. It was hideous and didn’t go with anything else in the room, but both Prompto and Noctis had agreed in the store that it was the absolute softest thing they’d ever felt. Now was the problem of where to put it.

“Maybe if we put it on the side of the other-”

“Aw, but that’s too far from the TV!” Prompto interrupted.

Noctis sighed and moved around the couches to see the different angles, Prompto following him around to do the same.

Once Prompto realized that there was no other optimal spot, he decided that the only possibility was to move the old couch.

With a quick heave, Prompto pulled the arm of the couch closer to the other end of the wall just enough to make space for the new one. A decorative pillow fell to the ground in its place, which Noctis picked up.

“I’ll help,” Noctis said as he walked over to the new couch. Together they managed to fit it into the space between the two, and Prompto was very ready to fall into it the moment they were done.

The rain was beginning to drum harder against the large windows, and Prompto hurried to the kitchen in search of food as a distant rumble of thunder reached his ears. “Hey, Noct, you wanna just make cup noodles real quick?”

“Sure, I guess.” Noctis snatched a few blankets from a nearby closet and tossed them onto the couch. “We can use those.”

Prompto was already getting out the food. He’d learned Noctis’ kitchen structure even before they’d started dating when he would visit, and since Ignis always kept it organized the same way, he could easily find whatever he wanted.

While Prompto stood by the counter waiting for them to finish heating up, he felt a gentle pair of arms snake around his waist. “Look at you, acting like you live here.”

Prompto chucked. “Not yet I don’t. But I do think I know this place better than you do.”

“Oh yeah?” Noctis asked. “Prove it.”

Without looking at him, Prompto tilted his head towards the furthest cabinet. “Ignis hides the extra food behind the bowls you never use so you don’t eat it.”

The look of shock on Noctis’ face was priceless. “He what?”

“Wait, don’t tell him I told you that!”

“Nope, too late. You already told me.”

Prompto pouted. “Don’t get me in trouble, please,” he begged. “Ignis isn’t even in charge of me and I feel like he’s my parent.”

With a small laugh, Noctis rested his chin on Prompto’s shoulder. “Imagine how I feel.”

“Dunno, my parents are always out for work.” Saying it out loud, Prompto felt a dull pang of sadness at the reminder that his parents were always gone for days, sometimes weeks at a time. He wished they would check in more. “I don’t think they even know we’re friends, honestly.”

He felt Noctis’ embrace tighten ever so slightly and breathed a quiet sigh. “Sorry, being dramatic again. Didn’t mean to turn the joke to be about me,” he said.

“Don’t be sorry, I understand. But I’ll do my best to be there for you in their place.” His words brought a warm smile to Prompto’s face. He felt really lucky to have someone like Noctis around to keep him company.

The moment was cut off by the beeping of the microwave.

“Noodles!” he yelled in excitement.

“Let them cool off for a minute,” Noctis said. “Wanna pick a movie while we wait?”

“Will do.” Prompto flashed a thumbs up and hurried over to the small shelf of movies, kneeling to see the ones at the bottom. The stack of movies—most of them were brought by Prompto over many visits—had a selection across a few wildly different genres, including a few more romantic comedies than he would readily admit.

Prompto glanced outside again. The rain was only getting worse. “You up for horror tonight?” he asked with a small smirk.

He wasn’t entirely sure of his boyfriend’s stance on horror, but he wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass. Noctis would either enjoy it and they’d laugh at all the dumb characters, or he’d be terrified and they’d hold on to each other the whole time. Either way, it was a win.

To his slight disappointment, Noctis only shrugged and leaned against the counter, looking apathetic and dramatic as ever. “If it’s fine with you,” he said casually.

“Aw, come on, I need a little more enthusiasm here.” Prompto stuck his bottom lip up and stared at him like a hurt puppy. “Tell me you really want to?”

Noctis looked momentarily stunned. “Okay, I really want to watch a horror movie with you.”

Prompto beamed. “That’s the spirit!” He shuffled through several of the films as Noctis came to kneel beside him. “How’s this?” he asked, holding several up for Noctis to see.

“What's…The Babadook?” Noctis looked him in the eyes quizzically. “That a weird name.”

“Oh, that,” Prompto said with a laugh. “I’ve heard it’s really stupid. We have to watch that.”

Noctis tilted his head slightly as he looked over the cover, but didn’t seem to mind. “If you say so. Let’s go for it.”

The noodles had cooled down enough by the time Prompto retrieved them, and Noctis had already inserted the DVD and was waiting for him under the pile of blankets. To say Prompto was excited was an understatement. He was a sucker for being sappy.

With all the lights off and the movie starting up, Prompto plopped down into the space between the arm of the chair and Noctis. He situated himself so that the four blankets covered him and Noctis with allowed arm room to eat their cup noodles.

“Ready?” Noctis asked.

Prompto nodded. “Hit it.”

The movie began, and they fell silent.

Of course, they couldn’t even make it past the first scene before they began ridiculing it to no end.

“Can you tell what’s going on?”

“I really can’t, Prom.”

Prompto slurped his noodles and watched the woman onscreen flail about in slow motion.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Noctis squinting. “Did they get in a car wreck or something?” They both registered the confused look in each other’s eyes and shrugged.

Several more minutes into the movie, the empty cups set down on the coffee table, Prompto pulled the blankets up to his chin. Noctis leaned into his side and laughed a bit. “This is the weirdest beginning to a movie I’ve ever seen,” he mused.

“And that kid really likes to scream a lot. Just look at him, mom lady!” Prompto yelled at the screen.

Prompto felt Noctis’ arm wrap around his side and his lips press against his cheek in a small kiss. “Pretty sure they can’t hear you.”

“What, you want me to say it louder?”

“Please don’t.”

They both tried to suppress their giggling as Prompto leaned in for a proper kiss.

Noctis smiled. “This is absolutely the most unromantic movie we could be watching right now,” he said.

With a grin, Prompto shrugged. “We both picked it.”

“Hm, kiss me again,” Noctis muttered.

Prompto gasped dramatically. “But what if the Babadook sees and tries to get me?”

Noctis snorted. “He can try.”

“Alright, alright.” Prompto figured he could spare a few kisses for him.

While they sat on their awful couch and locked lips in a sleepy kiss, the movie played on. They only stopped when a scream onscreen jolted Noctis back.

“Maybe we should…watch this first,” he suggested.

“Uh-huh, yeah.”

They spent a while still criticizing every bit of the movie and laughing at each other’s comments. Prompto was glad that they could find time to do these things, fairly sure that Noctis felt the same.

It was a bit of surprise to Prompto to see that Noctis had stayed awake for over half the movie. He had slowly snuggled up to Prompto, who was leaning against the arm of the couch. Prompto could feel Noctis’ warm breath against the base of his neck as the other boy rested his head on Prompto’s shoulder and breathed a soft sigh.

He wasn’t really paying attention to the movie anymore either, so he shut off the TV for the night. As the rain continued to drum its dull pattern behind him and Noctis’ breathing evened out, Prompto smiled.

“Hey, Noct,” he whispered. “Thank you. I really love spending time with you, and I’m so happy we can be together here. Love ya.” He ended the sentence with a kiss to the top of Noctis’ head.

Since Prompto was fairly sure neither of them would be very comfortable in the morning if they stayed sitting up, he gently hooked his arms around Noctis and lowered him to lay down on the couch. Prompto positioned himself so that his back was pressed against the couch and Noctis was facing away from him, since he knew Noctis would inevitably throw his leg off the side of it during the night.

A low roll of thunder drowned out any final thoughts Prompto had as he held Noctis snugly against him, knowing he could sleep soundly that night. He was content to stay that way for as long as possible.

[theendlesssummerstory]

Endless Summer, Chapter 7/44 - Words make war, but pies make peace (Part 3)

I joined Quinn at the kitchen counter she was at, where she had baked 48 perfectly fluffy cupcakes.

I quickly calculated that 48 cupcakes meant 4 for everyone, and decided to joke about me needing more than 4.

“While I appreciate your efforts, Quinn... I’m afraid there’s a big mistake.” I told her.

Quinn looked at me, sadly. “What... what’s wrong?”

I had planned to drag out the joke, but looking at her sad expression, I couldn’t. “There’s only 4 cupcakes for everyone. I need a lot more than that.”

Quinn laughed, relieved that there was nothing wrong with her baking. “I’ve always thought there were two certainties in life... you’re gonna die, and you can never have too many cupcakes.”

“That sounds about right.” I joked.

“Now, you get to help me with the most important part of baking cupcakes!” Quinn told me.

“The eating!” I joked - I felt comfortable joking around Quinn, unlike the others. She was fun and had this... infectious energy and positivity.

“Okay, the second most important part.” Quinn smiled, correcting herself. “The frosting!”

She pointed to the end of the counter, where there was vanilla, strawberry and chocolate frosting.

“Which do you think we should use?” she asked me.

“How about we do 16 of each?” I suggested. “That way, there’s something for everyone.”

“Oh, wonderful idea!” she beamed, handing me the vanilla frosting, while she started expertly working on cupcakes with the chocolate frosting.

“It seems like you bake a lot.” I pointed out.

“When I was younger, my mum and I would be at home together, and we’d bake a lot.” she explained. “We’d whip up pies and trays of cupcakes.”

After a brief pause, I noticed she didn’t mention her dad, probably on purpose, and after some reluctance brought it up.

“Your dad... did he bake with you and your mother?” I asked her.

“No.” said Quinn. “But he’d come home from work every day and say ‘Darn it, you two! Where’s my steak and potatoes? I can’t live on just cupcakes!’ But then when he thought we weren’t looking, he’d stuff himself with them! Hee hee!”

Quinn’s laugh was the same as Lila’s, but it was more genuine... less cold.

“Your childhood sounds great.” I told her, truthfully.

Quinn suddenly had a sad expression on her face. “...parts of it were.”

She shook off her melancholy. “I always wanted my own bakery, ‘For Goodness Cake’... but sadly, that’ll never happen.”

I was curious about her last comment, but decided to change the subject back to baking - that’s what seemed to cheer Quinn up after my joke, after all. “Do you and your mum still bake? Does your dad still steal the cupcakes?”

Quinn shook her head. “They got divorced years ago.”

I instantly regretted bringing up the subject. “Oh, Quinn, I’m sorry, I had no clue-“

“It’s fine.” Quinn assured me. “You couldn’t have known. And things did start to improve between them... until January at least.”

“What happened in January?” I couldn’t help myself.

Quinn thought a while before answering. “Let’s just say, I was afraid... but I don’t need to be afraid anymore.”

We finished the frosting in silence, working together to complete the strawberry frosting.

As we grabbed the cupcakes and went to leave the kitchen for the pool area, Quinn turned to me, smiling widely. “Thanks for helping, Taylor. This was fun.”

“No problem, Quinn.” I assured her, and decided to apologise. “Sorry if my questions... upset you back there.”

Quinn shook her head. “No, no, nothing to worry about!”

We left for the pool area, and I was anxious as to how Raj’s feast would go.

“Raj has to pull this off.” I remember thinking to myself. “...he has to.”

inn and I arrived at the pool area to see it all set up by Raj for the feast - from speakers, a festive playlist played, and from torches, ambient lights flickered.

On the table itself, Raj had placed sizzling roast pork, savory sauces, juicy fruits and sweet deserts.

On a side table, he had a tray with 13 alcoholic drinks - a beer, a glass of wine and some cocktails, some of them alcoholic.

I walked up to Raj. “Can we start eating now?”

Raj shook his head. “That comes after everyone’s here, Taylor! Grab everyone, get them here... and experience the awesomeness of a Raj Feast!!!”

15 minutes later, I had gotten everyone and they were seated at the table. On the left were the group who had investigated Rourke’s Office (including Zahra) and on the right were the group who had relaxed by the pool.

Raj had seated Sean and Jake at the top end of the table, so they were directly opposite each other, followed by Lila and Diego, Grace and Michelle, Aleister and Quinn, Zahra and Craig, then finally Raj and I sat at the bottom end of the table.

Some ‘pairs’ were getting on well...

“Oh wow... this pork is sublime.” Grace commented.

“I know, right?” Michelle agreed. “Raj definitely outdid himself.”

...whereas others were not.

“Pass the fries, would ya?” Sean demanded of Jake.

“You’re the jock, aren’t you?” Jake countered. “Grab ‘em yourself.”

My heart sunk - although the two groups were coming together, it didn’t seem like there was any hope of Sean and Jake ever reconciling.

After everyone had eaten, Raj grabbed the tray with the drinks and started handing them out - Jake got the beer and Michelle got the wine.

“Dare I ask what is happening?” Aleister asked him.

“I’ve prepared for everyone a ‘signature drink’ - a drink I think is right for them!” Raj explained. “Thanks to Taylor, Zahra and Craig, I had enough alcohol to quite literally make everyone the creme de la creme of drinks!”

“Can we drink first?” Craig asked him. “I wanna drink!”

“How can you drink right now?!” gasped a bewildered Zahra. “It’s taking all of my willpower to not be sick.”

“We’ll drink soon.” Raj assured Craig. “But in the meantime... I want to propose a toast.”

Raj stood up, drink in hand, and gestured for everyone else to do the same.

“Right now, we’re standing around this table, but all of us are holding a different drink. That’s not just because I like mixing things up - it’s also a pretty good metaphor.”

“When you look at us all from a distance, we’re all different. Some of us are confident leaders... some of us are rebels, testing the boundaries to find new solutions... some of us are jocks, hackers and nerds... and some of us are insanely cute foxes with ice powers!”

“But that’s just the surface. Underneath, these drinks are all delicious. And they all have the same purpose, same goal in mind - to bring us together.”

“We all have the same goal in mind - we want to get back to our families, our friends, our lives. But we’re never gonna accomplish that unless we resolve our superficial differences, and come together.”

“If we keep fighting, we’ll tear each other apart. If we come together, we’ll escape, and go back home with the greatest memory of our lives.”

“So! Can I get a toast to THAT!”

We all looked at each other, silently contemplating what Raj had just said.

Eventually, Sean reached out his glass to Jake.

“To coming together.” he toasted.

We all stared as Jake looked at the glass in Sean’s hand... and eventually, with a slight smile on his face, reached out his glass and clinked it with Sean’s.

“To getting back home.”

“And to Raj!” I said. “Who brought us all together.”

“Aw!” said Raj, trying (but failing) to not blush. “Thanks Taylor!”

Relieved, we all sat back down, the conflict apparently over.

We all started talking to each other, and to my great personal relief, Sean and Jake were talking in a calm manner.

“So, shooter, any luck calling for help yet?” Jake asked him.

“No.” said Sean, shaking his head sadly. “Every radio I’ve tried brings back static. It’s like we’re in some sort of communication bubble.”

“It’s clear this island is cut off from traditional communication channels.” Grace joined in. “We need something really sophisticated in order to break through whatever’s interfering with the signal.”

“Correct.” Aleister agreed. “And I believe a satellite uplink would be strong enough to do that.”

Something about that seemed familiar to me... satellite uplink...

“Wait!” Zahra realised. “Taylor, didn’t that note in the V.I.P lounge mention a satellite uplink? In the L.H.O?”

Zahra was right.

“L.H.O...” Lila mused. “La Huerta Observatory! It makes sense... the La Huerta Observatory is a state-of-the-art facility with access to Rourke’s satellite relay...”