#/trau replies

[traumxrei-archive]

What if Ortho get a cute little kid crush on us (real or just a set-up lol) and it's because of that that Idia starts crushing on us too? Goes from "stay away from my brother" to "oh no, we're competing for the same person"

HELPPP but ortho's oblivious about it. he just thinks that it's great that idia's also becoming friends with one of his best friends meanwhile idia is having a level five mental breakdown bc oh my god he had a crush on the normie that he thought was going to take way ortho but actually you were a decent person who was willing to play pvp games with him even though you lost—

at first, idia was suspicious of your intentions. because...to be honest, no one had ever tried to befriend ortho with pure intentions. (he couldn't count the amount of times he had an alert on his tablet and rushed over to find someone stun-gunned next to where ortho was. seriously, it was way too many times.) and idia had a bit of a protective streak when it came to ortho. okay, he had a lot of a protective streak, but that was besides the point !!

it wasn't like ortho needed help picking out his friends. he had equipped ortho with an interface that had a built in heart rate monitor, and surely with having the literal internet in his mind, it was easy to differentiate the mob characters from the friendly npcs.

and even so, friendly npcs stayed friendly npcs because he scared them away. he wasn't really trying to, it was just people found him...too depressing. hell, even idia found himself too depressing at times, so he couldn't blame them. all the affection points ortho gained were balanced by the negative points that idia gained.

but what he couldn't understand was how you took his presence in stride. he remembered the first time he walked in to you and ortho huddled on the floor of his room. he had tried to turn around and leave, but ortho had spotted him. and he couldn't just leave, because in scenarios like this if he left it would look like he was running away. he played enough rpgs to know at least that much.

so he stood there as ortho introduced you as his friend. friend. friend. not an npc, not a mob, but a friend—

idia was about to pass out. he snuck a glance at you only to find you staring at him. he immediately looked away, scolding himself because that was a mistake only an absolute noob would make. he clearly didn't have enough AP to try and deal with you now, plus he would attract ortho's aggro if he was discorteous toward you in front of him. so idia bided his time.

okay, so idia was both forgetful and a coward, both un-protagonist-like traits, but he still had them! this was the reason why he liked playing rouge or magician characters in his rpgs. but, okay, he was getting off topic.

it's just that you were...nice. you were nice to him, and he could see how happy ortho was whenever you two were together. his room became a place you visited often, and idia had gotten used to you. just a little bit.

(do not remind him of the first time ortho left you in his room together. idia had felt like he was about to explore. his brain was lagging behind and you were staring at him expectantly. he had said a couple of jilted sentences to you and now his social skill was on cooldown. but no, idia wasn't going to talk about that or remember it)

and he found that you weren't as normie as you looked. you liked anime and mangas, which was already a death flag avoided for your future in idia's eyes. if anything else went wrong, you could get isekai'd, you claimed, and idia had seconded your opinion. but he would've probably been reincarnated as a canon fodder character. you immediately told him that even if he was canon fodder, he could easily break the system.

(idia wouldn't admit it, but he found you extremely based for around 0.8 seconds before he regained his sanity. he wasn't supposed to like you. or get along with you.)

and you weren't that bad at the pvps that he showed you. you showed a lot of promise. your movements in-game were clumsy, but you had a pretty good reaction time. and you always voiced out creative strats that gave idia goosebumps.

over time, he even got you hooked into one of his favorite rpg gacha games. and whenever ortho left you two alone, you would proudly show him your levels and characters you had accumulated. idia would only snort, because you had barely scratched the surface of the game, but then you would launch a pillow at his head, so he learned to hide his gloating from you.

ortho was delighted by this progression. he exclaimed that it was nice that they could all hang out together now, and play three-player games that idia had been saving for years. (the three of did do that one weekend. they spent the entire time playing those games until even idia's back started hurting. but he was having such a great time that he couldn't stop.)

it was all fine and well until idia started noticing how you came up to him in the rare times he went outside. to be fair, he was grateful to have someone to hide behind whenever ortho wasn't there, but his heart was beating too damn fast.

like that time when you went into the mystery shop to get his box of snacks for him because it was rush hour. it was so....so pog, that he couldn't help but feel his heart flutter—

wait...was he playing too many otome games, or did his heart just flutter at the sight of you....?

oh no.

oh no, this was bad, this was nightmare level, death flag raising type of bad, because...you were supposed to be ortho's friend. you weren't supposed to be his irl, 3D, not-virtual-reality c-word ! (c-word. cru— no, idia couldn't bring himself to say it, it made it all more real)

and now he can't get that affection bar out of the his periphery, nor can he get the sparkles and roses out of his eyes whenever he saw you. he was playing to the rng gods that he would pick the correct dialogue options that led to the good ending. after all, he wouldn't mind you being his official player two.

— okay, that's it from me ^^ such a cute concept and i ended up writing a lot more than expected haha— i just love the idea of idia going from strangers to acquaintances to friends to gaming buddies to c-word. idk i love writing idia sm,,,and the addition of ortho being the oblivious but supportive younger brother is the cherry on top sjfkjdsfk

[hanafubukki]

for the fic writing ask game ^^ 1, 4, 16, 34, 41, and finally, 49 >:DDD looking forward to your answersss

[From this Writing fic ask game]

Hello Trau 💜🥰💕

Thank you for sending this in 💕💕

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

I had to think on this one because which one do I choose? and my writing style changed so many times too, but in the end I decided on: I Suddenly Became The Mother of the Red-Rose Tyrant?!

It's my latest work and it was such a self-indulgent work and I am so proud of it 🥰🥰

4. What detail in [insert fic] are you really proud of?

Does this mean the fic I would recommend? or any fic? Let's go with the fic I recommended, I just love the ending. I felt like adults need to take account for their actions and it was needed in that fic and that relationship. I'm trying not to spoil lolol

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

*unfurls long list* So...How much time do you have?? lolol I love to read many many AUs and tropes but the AUs that I will always love is: Soulmates, arranged marriage, royalty au, Reincarnation au, omg visiting the future, time travel au, children coming to the past, and I could go on forever 😂💜

34. What aspects of your writing are inspired by/taken from your real life?

Most of my fics are based on ideas or daydreams I have throughout the day. Most of them are very self-indulgent and comforting fics to me. Like  Bookish Delight was written when I felt especially soft for sebek and wanted someone to have a book buddy romance with. Just a Bite 🍓 and “I Want to Bite Your Ears” was written when I felt in a comedic type of way with certain characters and omg I didn't know I wrote two fics with biting but yeah, its mostly self-indulgent stuff, especially with my flower language fics too.

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

You can't tell me to link you a fic and just choose one so... *unfurls longer list* (these are not in any order 💕💕 I am literally going down the list in my head lolol)

Armband by @dulcesiabits I love reading this one. Its such a cute story and the competition and how the boys just basically want to be number one and I remember at that time, I was felt so intune with MC and how they wanted to belong so fics like these was a fave and I am so soft for twst characters damn it.

Mission failed successfully by @traumxrei-archive okay, I know I told you before but this fic made me laugh and it was so freaking cute and I remember it was during a time that I really needed a laugh and this fic just brought that more and I went "I love this writing and this person is cool and nice I want to follow them." it's still one of my faves that I come back too.

the stories told, the charm you hold by @zgvlt I wish I had the abilities Nath has and this fic is such a fave, literally the reading buddy romance was a direct hit to my heart. I was especially soft for sebek the day I found this fic.

in honor of our dying sun by @auugustus when I say this story hits every niche I have? it really hits it! stars and moons, time travel, love over time? beautiful! I am bracing myself for the angst though because I feel it to my bone in this fic

Meeting Our Future Children by @nanamisflowerfield her writing is so soft and I love it and I love this trope and she has such a comforting style too.

Lucky Ending by @mobagehelllocal I will never shut up about Lala's writing. she will literally have to tell me to shut up or sow my mouth shut. The first story I read from her was Can you Even Lift Bro? was what introduced me to her, but Lucky Ending just made me fall in love with writing again and the idea of love.

Baby Crazy by @streimiv THIS story was one of the stories that I first read in twst and made me go down the endless pit that made me love lilia. Strei's other works with Malleus and Vil are so good too and put me down that pit as well.

Prince by @leafity-writes I remember reading this and going 'wow' this is so precise and so in character I wish I could write like that. It says so much but in so little words. the hidden meanings you know?

I'll stop here because this list is never going to end 😂😂

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

I am SO glad you asked! I love sharing excerpts and am quiet evil at times 😂💕 from what my friends say but I will try not to be...try..

each one is different fic btw 💕💜

"I just didn’t know I could miss my husband when we are under the same roof.”

“Mind telling me why both Sebek and Silver are boiling tomatoes and Malleus is straining the juice…in a rather obsessive manner?”

"I don't want to break up with him." "Then why would you?"

"The way the rain made his carefully gelled hair stick on him...damn, he was hot."

Thank you again for sending this Trau 💕💜🥰, I had so much fun answering it 🫶❤️

[sunsethw4]

💝💘💯😘💋💝💘💯😘💋 Send this to 10 or more people you value and love so much here 💝💘💯😘💋💝💘💯😘💋

(sending u all the huggles n kisses :3 ily !!)

BESTRAU 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ILYSM /p

[jessicas-pi]

"Yes, I've been brokenhearted"? 👀

Yes, I've Been Brokenhearted (Blue Since The Day We Parted) WAS a funny fic in the Teenage Rebellion AU about Inquisitor Aayla's attempts to get her boyfriend CC-5052 put in her division of Purge Troopers, told through increasingly irate and threatening transfer request forms (and the replies from the exhausted imperial intern handling them.)

but then, as the TRAU is wont to do...

it got angsty.

So now it's about Aayla's escape from Order 66 and eventual Fall, and the silly fic is gonna be, like, a bonus chapter 2 or something. Anyway here's a snippet of the very beginning!

Aayla had an instant of warning; a single heartbeat when the Force screamed in more ways than one. Then Bly was shooting at her. All of her troops were shooting at her. Bewildered, reeling and half-blind in the Darkness closing in on her, Aayla whipped her blade in a frantic circle, deflecting the first four shots away. Away, but not back at her troops. Not back at Bly. The shots kept coming, deadly blue flashes that she blocked faster and faster. The threads of the Force were fraying around her; thin bonds with childhood friends snapped like old rubber bands, and she felt light after light go out. Whatever was happening here—whatever was turning her men against her—it was happening everywhere. Ten thousand candles snuffed out with a flood of icy Darkness. The only lights left were the blaster bolts coming at her from her own men. Itchy beads of sweat trickled down the small of Aayla’s back as she dug her heels into the fertile Felucia soil. The clones were in front of her and the plants were behind her and the ground was beneath her and the only way to go was up. Aayla jumped.

[marauderss-hp]

The Lord and His Lady

am i still fixated a little bit on this universe? yes. is this the first bit of writing i’ve looked at in six months? also yes. has this actually been finished since christmas? mhm. anyways, here is a little james and lily for you in TRAU. will this become more, maybe i’m not sure. a little insight into remus and sirius while we’re at it as well. sorry it’s not what people are asking for, but hopefully i’ll get there soon. here’s this to make up for it :)

word count: 706

My Lord,” James smiled, pushing his glasses further up his nose and straightening out his jacket slightly. He ignored Sirius’ quiet snort, turning around to see the face of the voice.

“My Lady,” he replied back, his usual smug grin resting on his face, much to the disappointment it seemed to the lady in front of him, who rolled her eyes in response.

“Must you always be so cocky?” She asked, hesitating for a moment before taking the outstretched arm he held out for her.

“Yes, of course,” he smacked Sirius’ arm when he started to talk, leading Lily away from the Prince and around the back of the palace to the greenhouses. They kept quiet for the most part, enjoying the scenery and the nature around them. Though, James wasn’t looking around them.

He looked over at the woman by his side, her flowing red hair tied back in a delicate braid cascading down her back, the light from the sun hitting it delicately, mixing the colours together, a soft ginger mixed with the dark auburn. Her dress blew with the wind, catching ever so slightly in the grass where the ends were too long, flowers brushing against it, the forest green blending in with the floor beneath. Her lips were parted ever so slightly, a light pink, shining and glossy and so tempting. But his gaze locked in on her eyes. Her beautiful, captivating gemstone green eyes, staring straight at him.

He coughed, looking away, catching a smirk forming on her lips. “Don’t say anything, Evans,” he warned, face relaxing when her calm laughter rang out across the empty space.

“I wasn’t going to Potter,” she answered back, earning a scoff from him. “Well, maybe I was. Do you always stare at me for so long when we walk?”

“Of course I do. You always look…” he paused, raking his eyes up and down her again before resting on her sparkling, curious eyes. “You always look so beautiful.”

Now it was her turn to blush, the redness standing out against her pale skin and dotted freckles ever so prettily. She turned her head away, picking up the pace of their walk, seemingly ending the conversation there. He wasn’t going to have that.

“You don’t believe me? I could go on for hours and hours about how beautiful you are. Ask Sirius, he’ll tell you.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second,” she answered quietly, but a small smile was there and he inwardly cheered to himself.

“Speaking of the Prince,” he started, eyes glancing around for wandering lords and extended ears. “Any luck getting him and Mr Lupin to be friendly yet?” It was a no from his end and would most likely be the same from her, but she was far more determined and far scarier when she wanted to be.

“Not on my side. I don’t understand why they won’t talk to each other. Sirius has warmed up to everyone around here but him, and Remus tries the very best he can to be away from his presence,” she sighed, reaching behind to pull her braid to the front, twisting it around her finger.

“Well if that’s the case he needs to find a new job. He can’t ignore him if he’s overseeing his stay,” he muttered, drawing yet another laugh from the girl.

“Well, I can talk to Remus again today and see what the issue is. I have an idea and I really hope I’m wrong, but if I’m right...then the two of them have some talking to do in order to gain trust.”

“I don’t suppose you could share your brilliant ideas with me?” He tried, instantly on the receiving end of one of her glares.

“No, Potter I can’t.”

James hid his smile behind his hand, keeping his eyes locked on hers, and she smiled back, reaching down and tangling their fingers together before dropping them instantly. He sucked in a breath and ignored the blush crawling up both of their faces.

“Okay,” he breathed out, reaching out himself this time and tugging her closer. “Okay.”

Her soft smile was breathtaking and he let his heart stop for a moment in his chest. God, she was everything.

[ask-the-reaper-conspiracy]

Sithe Locks: Blackmail? No. I just believe it’s the right thing to do. I’m privileged to be able to make decisions based on that; I don’t take that lightly. (…Oh. This is it. …Wait…head trauma?) …I don’t think we’re at the end of the road yet, Doctor. Look. This is Maria’s work. She knew enough to identify the damage to his heart; I’m inclined to think she could identify head trauma correctly as well. So what hit him? Why did she promise to hide “what happened” as well as “what happened after”?

"Is that right?" "What a life you must lead to have such privilege." "Ah-! You're saying you found it?" "L--let me see that!" "This handwriting is nearly impossible... but it does fit the age, I suppose. What does it say?" "Head... trau... ma....? Posthumous... bleeding..." "I...." "Maria, this was...." "This was.... all my fault."

—————–

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[traumxrei-chatters]

[ personal profile ]

name: trau ! (nicknames are okay ! none w/ negative connotations please ^^)

age/pronouns: 19 + they/them

currently playing: twst, enstars, tears of themis, (occassionally) genshin

currently watching: case closed + criminal minds

currently reading: the way of all flesh by ambrose parry + a shitton of fanfics jsfsjdfk

favorite characters: leona kingscholar, octatrio, jamil viper, eden, knights, switch, xiao, albedo, marius von hagen, vyn richter...so on and so forth—

special talents: procrastinating on schoolwork by pumping out a HUGE amount of fics bc serotonin. (help me this is such a bad habit)

[ tiny qna session ]

why did you make this account? i made it because i consume a lot of fanworks on the daily, but i end up only giving likes and such since i only had my main blog. i didn't want to saturate my reader's feeds with all my rbs, hence why i made a separate acc where i can yell freely about fanworks that i enjoy :D

can i send you asks? 100% yes !! i love to talk and if you have something to say then i'll try to answer it in a timely manner.

will you follow me back? maybe not on this account since this is solely for reading + reacting, but i definitely will on my main, @/traumxrei-archive ^^

any other rules on this account? yup, there are a few:

please refrain from dm-ing me on this account bc i will probably not see it.

please don't spam asks, i am a university student and i will be replying to things on my own free time.

if you find a like or reply to a comment from @/traumxrei-archive, that is me ! that's my main account hehe

and lastly, if you do follow this account,,,,get ready for all the screaming that i'm going to do in the tags. (listen, i'm a very verbose person...you can't expect me not to react to the things i love)

[creativeashproductions]

If I Stay Part Two (Final) // Luke Patterson

Summary: Life as you knew it shattered and now you’re left picking up the pieces with memories of a boy with hazel eyes in your dreams. A handsome guitarist who easily becomes your unseen number one supporter. If only you could see him again.

Warning: Swearing, mention of injuries, mention of car accident and talk of death.

Words: 2.5k (excluding the song lyrics of “I Won’t Let Go” by Rascal Flatts)

A/N: Second and last part to If I Stay! I really enjoyed this story because I adored Charlie St. Cloud and I really enjoyed If I Stay. The second part to Lost Time will be up soon when I feel confident in the storyline of it.

If I Stay Part One

Masterlist

In a split second for the first time, you felt yourself, poof, away to a sterile white room staring down at the person in the bed. Covered in cuts and bruises of all colours, was you. A broken version of you that made you sick to your stomach. You desperately yearned to go back to being unaware.

“I’m…a ghost?” You breathed looking at your blemish-free hands, a juxtaposition to the arm in a cast. Then in a nauseating thought, the grief faded for fear on your family. Had they survived? You ran out of the room straight to a nurse, “Where are my parents! Where’s my cousin Lou?”

Of course, the nurse was unaware of an upset, emotional teenage girl, a victim of a car crash and in a battle for her life. Realizing no one would answer you spent hours running around the hospital searching for your parents or Lou.

“Lou!” You shouted through the halls unfazed as you ran literally through gurneys and medical equipment even the odd doctor.

At the very last room, you found Lou sitting up in a bed staring silently at the white wall with an official man seated by the side of her bed. He held a clipboard in his hand.

“Lou, how are you feeling?” The man spoke, his white coat embroidered with his profession and labelling him a psychiatrist.

“Fine.”

“You’ve suffered a trau-“

“I’m aware. I was there. I saw a paramedic violently hitting my cousin’s chest, I saw so much blood. I didn’t know there could be that much blood!” Lou snapped glaring the man down, “I saw the brains of the idiot that caused the accident! You don’t know shit! Oh, your little degree magically has you able to understand what I’m going through?!”

“Lou-“

“You wanted me to talk! So, let me talk!” Lou screamed at the man startling you with the anger, “My cousin! My best friend, my SISTER is up in a bed in a coma! A coma because I wanted to go to a stupid resort to ski! It’s my fault! And no one will tell me anything about my aunt and uncle!”

You stumbled back at the pain Lou displayed, it broke your heart, and you couldn’t listen to it anymore.

“Lou, let’s talk about survivor’s gu-“

You fell through the closed door before you could hear anything more from the psychiatrist. You ambled around the floor aimlessly feeling the worst you ever had and to think for two weeks you hadn’t been aware of anything.

“Did you hear?” A nurse spoke from just outside your hospital room. You jogged over reading her name tag of Melissa.

“Heard what?”

“The father of the mountain accident he flatlined in surgery. Doctors got him back, but they’re concerned about brain damage.” Nurse Melissa told her fellow nurse with concern pinching her expression.

“That’s the father of the Y/L/N patient, right?” Nurse Lucy spoke glancing at your hospital door, “I hope they’ll be alright.”

“That poor girl has quite the decision to make. To live or to die. It’s all on her now.” Nurse Melissa replied, “Her mother died-“

“Little unprofessional to gossip about patients in earshot of everyone. Did you know that coma patients can often hear things while unconscious? Or my favourite tip…did you learn about HIPAA?” The doctor on duty asked, staring the two nurses down with a glared. Each nurse shifted on their feet, “Stop gossiping and do your job. I’m sure you can change bedpans or give sponge baths.”

The nurses scattered, leaving you standing in shock at the information given to you. Your mother was dead, your father could be brain dead, and Lou wasn’t coping well. Leaving you in a state of wondering what to do. Should you stay in a world without your parents or let go to join them in heaven. The thought had you collapsing into screams on the floor as everyone went about their work; walking through the hysterical teenager.

A warm hand slid into your own with a comforting squeeze, but all you wanted was to feel your father wrap you in a bear hug. To listen to your mother’s laugh, move in the air with that beautiful musical sound. You want Lou to be okay.

Luke was quiet as he sat the floor, squeezing your hand every once in a while. You slumped into his arms, staring unfeeling at the door that separated your ghostly form from your physical one. Luke poofed you to the Molina garage right on the couch where he held you tight for god knows how long.

“She’s dead.” Your voice cracked tears rolling down your cheeks once more, “My mom is dead.”

“Sh.” Luke cooed pressing his lips against your temple as you curled further into his body. His heart broke for you as the gravity of the situation became crystal clear.

“Hi.” Luke’s eyes met the concerned ones of Julie Molina, a girl that would undoubtedly know how you felt. The thing that connected you being the loss of a mother figure, “I’m Julie.”

Your blank expression lifted to see a girl you had often seen in the halls of Los Feliz High School and vaguely remembered her. She had been performing during the Spirit Rally months ago.

“I’m a friend of Luke, Reggie and Alex. I’m sorry you’re going through this, but you are more than welcome to stay here. You can be in my room or here if you’re more comfortable.” Julie offered knowing exactly how you felt when a year ago, she had been grieving the loss of her mom.

“Thank you.” You replied hoarsely. Exhaustion from sobbing closed your eyes, something that was different to Luke as a ghost was your ability to sleep. 

Alex theorized that you could sleep because your body was still alive, whereas the boys had no physical body. They were just ghosts. He and Reggie were in the studio sadly watching as you slipped in a deep unsettled sleep. Luke’s broken eyes met his best friends before he had Alex come over.

“Please stay with her.” Luke whispered, leaving the tall blonde to switch places. Luke disappeared without another word.

“Where’s-“Julie began, but Reggie interrupted her with a sad smile.

“Remember when we took you to Luke’s house? He’ll do the same but with her.” Reggie supplied coming to sit on the floor in front of the couch; his hand grabbing yours in support.

In a medium-sized house with a backyard kept tidy by the neighbours, Luke found his way to your room. His grabbed a few items of clothing and sneakers into a discarded bag before he dropped the bag off in Julie’s bedroom. His next stop was your hospital room. Luke settled himself in the chair beside you watching your chest go up and down from the breathing tube.

“Hi. I don’t know you in this form, but I know your spirit. I’m not good with my words, but I’m going to try. Two weeks ago I met you in a record store, and I fell in love faster than I can tune my guitar and believe me I have the record in the band. I never believed in love at first sight, but I also didn’t believe in ghosts, but here we are!” Luke chortled leaning to place his hand on yours, but it slipped through.

His smile saddened, “As much as I love holding you and kissing your head… I’d much prefer feeling that aching and yearning feel in my gut. If I felt that then it meant you would be alive and well. I’d rather be sad that I can’t feel you than have you die so young.”

Luke saw your eyelids flicker and he hoped it was because you could hear him.

“You have so much to live for. It’s gonna be hard. I can’t deny that, but I need you to stay. Stay alive and fight for me. For Lou.” Luke choked, squeezing his eyes shut grateful when a hand rested on his shoulder. He knew it was Alex.

“Whatever you’re saying. Continue.” Alex whispered, “It’s working, her body is slowly becoming transparent.”

Alex’s words were further proven as Nurse Melissa jogged in surprised as she took vitals, “Well I’ll be damned. You decided to fight.”

Alex and Luke shared a relieved expression as you got even more strong. Together they returned to the garage. Luke was able to press one kiss to your forehead before you flickered once, twice, thrice before you dissipated.

In that hospital room, a beautiful thing occurred. Your eyes opened. Luke swore the birds sang better at the moment.

Recovery was hard. Relearning the little things, you took for granted was frustrating. Lou would hover as if you would disappear and you thought you were going insane. If you were waking up screaming by nightmares of the crash than it was waking confused on dreams that felt like memories.

The small victories helped like when you walked the entire hospital or when you were able to use the toilet and not the bedpan. The best win was being discharged to Lou’s parents and only needing outpatient physical therapy. Six months later, your father was awake and getting better; the loss of your mother still burnt hot and red.

It was on the sixth month anniversary when you walked down an oddly familiar street. Merritt happily trotting on his afternoon walk; Merritt had been an immense help. In your first month of recovery post coma, you met Merritt who would become your service dog.

A sense of déjà vu nudged you as you took in a vintage styled record store you swore you knew before. Continuing on you stop again at a toy story with a dollhouse.

 “My cousin had one…for her unborn niece.” The sentence floated in your mind, but you couldn’t put a conversation.

 “Caspar?” A male voice recalled in a distant memory of a dream a few days ago. You couldn’t think of anyone who had that voice, and absolutely no way had you ever seen that dollhouse before.

“Just coincidence.” You mumbled scratching Merritt’s head as his wet nose nudged your head before you could worry more. You watched people roaming thankful that you could do that, that you survived.

It was the building on the very end that confused you the most. Your eyes scanned the name proudly announcing itself as a tattoo parlour. A gasp left your lips as a vivid memory popped into your head with a boy that matched that voice you had thought of earlier.

“Luke. My name is Luke. Hey! I know this shop!” Luke beamed, stepping back to take in the storefront. In the twenty-five years since he last saw it, the blue faded into a teal, but the door was still the same as it always was.

“You have a tattoo?” You asked, scanning his arms bare in the cut off shirt he wore.You couldn’t see any ink on his skin. Luke couldn’t help the smirk on his faceat the blatant heated gaze.

“No.It was 1994. We just played our biggest gig at the time, and Bobby decided we should get tattoos.” Luke’s mouth twisted at the mention of his former friend, “Of course we were sixteen and Alex just about fainted in the shop. The guy took one look at Reggie and laughed at our fake IDs. Told us to come back in a few years.”

“So, you’re a ’90s kid.” You raised an eyebrow coming to a stop on the edge of the street, pressing the button to cross.

“Technically a ’70s kid. We died in ’95 a few hours before a life-changing gig.” The mood turned sombre as Luke thought back on that one night that life decided to raise both middle fingers at his dreams, “Death by a hot dog.”

You were so thankful for Merritt as he nestled up into a dog version of a hug as you felt the crippling anxiety. He was always there and knew about to help, support dogs don’t get enough credit.

When your eyes opened, it is like a dam broke and suddenly you remembered walking this street with three guys. The conversations and even the garage where one had held you in an incredibly vulnerable moment. Three ghosts that helped you when you needed it but didn’t know.

“Luke.” You breathed seeing a form shimmer in the sun as it flickered into a hazy form. Similar to how you did in the garage before going back to your body, he flashed three times. He solidified on the fourth with a great big grin.

“You can see me.” Luke cried, walking closer as he felt on top of the world when your eyes focused on him. He finally felt that yearning to meet your gaze fade away, “I missed you.”

You followed him to the Molina garage.

“I thought we’d never be able to talk again.” Luke sighed, reaching over, and he physically grabbed your hand, “I don’t know if I can touch you because of your former state or because of Julie.”

“Hm?” You questioned sitting cross legged on the bed.

“When I wasn’t watching over you, I was with Julie and the guys.” Luke went into detail about Caleb and the jolts, “We didn’t cross over because it’s not our unfinished business, but the stamps were destroyed when Julie hugged us. We’re sure that just like our instruments are connected to our souls that Julie did as well.”

Your hand brushed Luke’s cheek taking in the silky feeling of his skin, “I thought I was going crazy. I had these dreams of things I didn’t do in reality. My mind just wasn’t ready to remember the beauty of our connection.”

“This is an interesting little relationship you and I have.” Luke chuckled, thinking on how lucky he was to even know you, “You’re so beautiful.”

“Thank you.” You whispered gratefully to intertwine your fingers with Luke’s hand as well. It was like they were made for each regardless of the circumstances that brought you together, “I’m not ready for anything more than friendship, but I do strong feelings for you.”

“Being dead has an advantage. I can wait for eternity, and for you, I would. Just so you know, I have strong feelings for you as well.” Luke beamed scanning your face, taking in the blemishes from the crash. In the time you hadn’t been aware of him following coming out of the coma, he had become acquainted with your injuries.

When those little victories of weight-bearing, walking one step then two and finally that entire hallway Luke had been there unseen cheering you on. When you ‘graduated’ from the inpatient therapy Alex, Reggie and Luke had been there in silent support.

“Do what you need to do, and I’ll be right here for you.” Luke smiled gently, removing his guitar from the case, “Can I play something?”

You nodded in response as started strumming to a new song he had created in the last handful of months.

“It’s like a storm

 That cuts a path

 It’s breaks your will

 It feels like that

You think you’re lost

 But your not lost on your own

 You’re not alone

I will stand by you

 I will help you through

 When you’ve done all you can do

 If you can’t cope

 I will dry your eyes

 I will fight your fight

 I will hold you tight

 And I won’t let go

It hurts my heart

 To see you cry

 I know it’s dark

 This part of life

 Oh it finds us all (finds us all)

 And we’re too small

 To stop the rain

 Oh but when it rains

The song touched you so intimately as he sang the last few lines softly keeping eye contact with you.

“…Oh I’m gonna hold you

 And I won’t let go

 Won’t let you go

 No I won’t”

You pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek that flushed at the feel of your lips against his skin. His heart fluttered and knew that you were his soulmate and he truly hoped Julie could find someone that could love her like she deserves. Luke’s heart belonged to yours and yours alone and vice versa for you as well.

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[traumxrei-archive]

Suddenly getting emotional thinking about Jamil and how his life was chosen for him when he was born. If he would take the chance to leave his position if he could- if he'd feel lost with his newfound freedom or resentment at all his skills that, while he's great at them, were gained because he served Kalim.

I wonder how it is that others can't notice Jamil, how others can see him as just Kalim's shadow, how anyone can say, "Just have Jamil do it." And then there's you, who will look past Kalim to look for Jamil. You, who can ignore Kalim unintentionally because your staring at and daydreaming about Jamil. When you ask something of Jamil, you're not asking because it's his duty as a servant or tossing him some task while not caring if he can do it or not- we ask specifically for him because we know he can do it.

And trying to imagine how Jamil would be able to see the difference. How he'd be used to not really being seen- the name Jamil is not an individual, just the name for a faceless, identity-less thing in the background who's supposed to live for others. How he is confused when you show up at the dorm and brush off Kalim's friendly advances because you came specifically for Jamil. How you invite him to be on the other social side that he's always served- "Jamil, you haven't eaten yet, come join us!", "Jamil, you keep doing homework, I can go get that for Kalim", "Leave it for someone else to clean up, we weren't the ones responsible in the first place."

How those sitting with Kalim don't even register that he's in the room, but when it's you, your whole face lights up when you spot him. How you can't look away from his face until you've given him a smile that's brimming with your love for him. And how foreign this feels to Jamil, but maybe he doesn't hate it.

(Aka how I hadn't fully understood how Jamil felt because I acknowledged him as an individual from the start and didn't think properly about how he's typically seen as just an object in the Al-Asim household)

anon.............anon you should open a writing blog. like. i am at a loss. because you put into words the inexplicable sadness that i feel about jamil... this is so perfect that i don't think i'll be able to add much onto it, but i'll try anyway. maybe we'll take jamil's perspective, since you wrote so in depth about the prefect's perspective....

of course, your existence kind of greatly irritated jamil—at first. especially after you ruined his perfect plan to take over scarabia....but that doesn't matter now. now, he's perplexed.

he thought that you would avoid him like the plague, especially after all that he subjected you to during winter break. but instead, he started noticing you. it did help that you had a literal flaming cat next to you at all times, but he started seeing you a whole lot more.

and he felt like you were seeing him.

usually, he would wait on the side in busy hallways as kalim chattered happily with his classmates, waiting to deliver him to his next class. but he found that he was the one being sought out by you. which was weird, everyone had always wanted to talk to kalim, not him. but there you were, asking him mundane questions like how did he make that potion so easily? (practice, he answered.) what did he have for lunch? (kalim's favorite shawarmas. no, he didn't have extras.)

and he wouldn't be lying if he wasn't waiting for a certain question. one where you would ask him for a favor of some sort, and where he would have to don a mask and agree to whatever they wanted but... that question never came. he heard grim hollering for you, and just like that you were gone. huh. now that was new.

jamil noticed it happening more and more as time went by, especially as your visits to the scarabia dorm increased. at first he thought you visited solely for the food. which would mean more work for him. but he found that you weren't with kalim most of the time. rather you were rejecting kalim's proposals for holding feasts quite effectively.

instead you came to him, sometimes for a quick chat, sometimes you'd ask if he needed help. (he would always say no, the response trained into him for years upon years) but you would insist anyway, and he always found a small smile on his face whenever he was faced with your antics. (of course, he tried hard to make sure to hide those smiles behind a carefully placed hand)

jamil didn't really know when "resenting you" became "tolerating you" and he was even more clueless on how that feeling had evolved into "being fond of you".

maybe it was the time where you pushed him right past a messy-looking scarabia lounge, claiming that it wasn't his mess to clean up. or maybe it was one of the times where he was about to bunk basketball practice because kalim had called, and you said you could could meet kalim on his behalf. or maybe the time you pulled him into the school kitchens to show off lopsided-looking vada pavs that you made from one of the cookbooks he lent you.

maybe it was all the little things.

but around you, he didn't feel like "jamil viper, firstborn of the viper family" or "jamil viper, attendant to kalim al asim". no, he felt like "just jamil viper".

and maybe that's why jamil doesn't stop it when he felt that fondness turning into something brighter and more explosive. maybe that was why he started going to you— sitting next to you in your shared classes, bringing you snacks he made during lunch, or even visiting ramshackle. he found that he couldn't get enough of spending time with you. and jamil found that he didn't hate that.

(though jamil never said it outloud, you could see it in the way his eyes sparkled when he was with you, as cliche as it sounded. though his expressions remained schooled, there was something there that told you that jamil viper really, truly cared about you.)

n e ways, that's it for me. i hope you enjoyed reading my addition anon,,,,even though idk if you'll even see this since it's been so long. but i thoroughly enjoyed that sudden jamil brainrot ^^

[nguyenngockhoa]

Nhân ngày tớ trở lại cuộc sống an nhiên, tớ muốn gửi 5 bức thư tay cho vài bạn. Dù mình viết chữ không đẹp, nhưng sẽ cố gắng trau chuốt. Lời văn tuy không hay nhưng chứa niềm vui của mình bên trong. Muốn gửi chút năng lượng cho các cậu giữa tâm dịch thế này. Nếu các cậu không chê, thì hãy reply cho tớ nhé.

[james-stark-the-writer-wips]

A Year At The Opera - Excerpt

A/N: As promised, it’s here before december. Anyway, I hope you like it. Part 2 will be out soon! If you haven’t yet, go read part 9.

Chapter 9

Anyway, onto the story! WC: 4000 words.

*

Ingram and Aaron

Ingram arrived at the scene of the crime about ten minutes after Aaron’s call.

“There you are!” He said. Aaron turned around to see them. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, we’re mostly fine but that person isn’t.” Aaron said.

“Who?” Ingram asked, approaching Aaron, Mason tagging behind.

 Aaron pointed at the hand sticking out of the ground.

“What. The. Fuck.” Ingram said, taking a step forward to look at it closer. “Is that a hand?”

“A what?” Mason walked up next to him, peeking over his shoulder.

“I think there’s a body under there.” Aaron said. “Can’t be that old, ground’s still fairly wet. Someone buried it recently.”

“What the fuck!” Mason took a step back, unable to process how casual Aaron was being about this.

“Look, what do we do?” El asked, shoving herself into the conversation.

“We call the police, obviously.” Ingram said.

“How are you all this calm?” Mason asked, pacing around in the same place, shifting his weight from one foot to another. “There might be a dead body buried under there!” He said in a forced whisper, trying to keep his voice down as if someone was listening.

“I don’t know, man.” Aaron said. “If we call it in, we’re opening ourselves up to be suspects.”

“Did you not hear me? There might be a dead person buried a few feet from you!” Mason clutched his face in his hands and continued to nervously pace in place.

“We heard you, Mace. But panicking isn’t going to help us, right now.” Ingram said, semi-calmly. “We’re all scared but we need to keep it together.” He turned to Aaron. “And I don’t care if we incriminate ourselves, there might be a dead person there. Someone might be looking for them. They might have a family. If we’re innocent we have nothing to worry about.” He gave Aaron a weird, accusing look. “We are innocent, right?”

“Ohmygod, yes, we didn’t kill and bury whoever is in there, there’d be mud on our clothes and body, wouldn’t there be?”

“Just confirming, man.”

“Look, we are innocent,” El interjected. “But are we sure we want to be involved in this? We could just leave an anonymous tip or something.” 

“No, I’m pretty sure they can track that shit.” Aaron chimed in. “One way or the other, if we tell them, we’re in this. If we don’t—”

“Not an option, don’t even think about it.” Ingram said.

“Look, all I’m saying is, let’s weigh our options here. Either we call the police, tell them their might be a dead body in the woods and open ourselves up to being suspects. Considering we don’t know how old that body is, and the fact that we don’t have alibis beyond each other for last night, that might be a risk, and a headache considering how many interviews and interrogations we might have to give and sit through. These cases can last for a looooong time. Or, we pretend we never saw this, enjoy another day or two at the cabin, go back and never talk about this. Just be chill about it.”

“I say we call the police. I don’t mind the interviews or the interrogations. My mom’s a very good lawyer, she’ll do her best to keep the press and reporters away if that’s what you’re worried about. But that might be an actual person in there, with a family probably waiting for them to come home, worried sick. Don’t you think they at least deserve to know what happened to him?” Ingram crossed his arms.

“I do. And your mom might protect you and Mason but what about me and El?” Aaron said. Ingram looked at him, astounded.

“Guys, I can’t do this.” Mason said, somewhere in the corner, having a panic attack against a tree.

“Mason, it’ll be okay.” Ingram reassured him. “We’re figuring it out.”

“No, it won’t.” Mason muttered, sliding lower on the tree.

“Can we focus for a second?” El asked.

“She’ll protect you, Aaron.” Ingram said. “You don’t have to worry about that. She’ll protect you both. You know she will.”

“Okay, let’s not worry about that right now, what do we do about the police?” El said.

“If we don’t call it in, there’s a chance nobody will. This isn’t exactly a bustling area of the woods — and they aren’t even that popular in the first place. Most people just use the hiking trail anyway. By the way, what the fuck are you even doing all the way out here?”

“Eleanor wanted to see the stream.” Aaron said. “And you’re right. If we don’t, then probably no one will ever find it.”

“All the more reason we could pretend it didn’t exist.” El said.

“No, El. If it decomposes, there’s a high chance evidence might get destroyed or tainted. The longer we wait, the harder it will be for the police to actually catch this killer.” Aaron replied.

“Exactly.” Ingram said.

“So, are we calling it in or not?”

“Let’s just put it to a vote.” Aaron said.

“All right. Show of hands, who wants to call it in?” Ingram raised a hand.

Eleanor raised a hand too.

“Who doesn’t?” Aaron raised a hand. So did Mason.

“It’s a tie.”

“Of course it is.” Aaron mumbled. His phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out.

“What are you doing?” Ingram asked. He couldn’t believe Aaron was going to respond to a text right now.

“It’s my mom.” He lied, “She’s just asking if everything’s okay, if I don’t respond, she’s going to start calling. Just give me a second.”

What do you want? He texted me.

Call the police.

Why

It’s how it should be done. I vote to call the police.

Your vote doesn’t count.

Doesn’t it? I’m here too, theoretically.

Hi, observing us from a pocket dimension doesn’t count. If anything, it makes you sound like a stalker.

Just call the fucking police, Aaron. Or I’m going to start talking and I promise you that’s going to be infinitely harder to explain to your friends than that corpse will be to the police.

Fine. God.

“Ugh, fine. Let’s call the cops.” Aaron said, defeated. He shoved his phone back in his pants.

“All right, you wanna do it now or do you want to head back to the cabin?” Ingram asked.

“Let’s just call them and get this over with.”

“I’ll do it.” El reaching into her pocket and grabbed her phone.

Ingram took out his phone as well. “I’ll call my mom and tell her.”

“Wait, shouldn’t we call her and ask her what we should do before calling the cops?” Aaron suggested.

“Good idea. Eleanor, stop calling the police.”

The phone rang slowly. But she finally did pick up.

“Mom?” Ingram said.

“Oh, Ingram, did you need something?”

“Yeah, there’s a bit of a situation here.”

“Oh?” She said. Ingram heard a drawer slam shut. “What’s the matter, everything’s working, right? There should be a guy coming up soon to fix the issues with the generator.”

“No, that’s fine. But the issue is more…legal, let’s say.”

“What’s the matter? You’re okay, right? Did you get into any trouble? Don’t talk to any cops without me there!”

“That’s actually sort of what we want to talk about. So, listen. Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, there was a body buried in the Shadow Woods, just a little further north of our cabin and it looked freshly buried, hypothetically, should we call the cops?”

“Hypothetically, is there a body buried behind the cabin?”

“Hypothetically, yes, there is.”

“Listen to me carefully. Hypothetically, if there were a body, I’d advise you to stay put, go nowhere, touch nothing, don’t move. Call the cops and send me your location, I’ll send someone to pick you up, hypothetically.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay. Thanks, mom. I’ll send you the location.”

“Do that before calling the cops.”

“Yep.” Ingram cut the call.

Everyone stared at Ingram waiting at the edge of their seats, anxious to hear what the lawyer had to say.

“What’d she say?” Aaron asked.

“She said we should text her our location, then call the cops.”

“All right then.” El said, unlocking her phone.

-

The four stood by for about half an hour before the cops showed up. Quickly, police tape was set up around the area to maintain the integrity of the scene and as soon as the area was cordoned off, the four were escorted back to the cabin by three policemen, where a bunch of cops stood huddled around their car, seemingly conversing.

“Finally.” One of the cops said as the four drew closer. The group stopped talking and one of the cops stepped forward.

“Which one of you called it in?” He asked in a rough voice.

“I did,” El replied calmly.

“And were you the one to find the body?”

“No, that was me.” Aaron stepped in. “She’d sprained her ankle so I was carrying her when I noticed the hand sticking out of the ground.”

“And did you touch anything or go near the body?”

“No, we just stood far away, right where we were when you came.”

“I suggest you stop interrogating minors, officer.” An authoritative voice came from somewhere. The cop turned to look where it came from.

A man, clad in a custom-made suit and carrying a wave of authority around him approached the car.

“Especially without a lawyer present.” The voice said.

Ingram gasped. “Dad?”

*

David

Ingram stepped forward. “What are you doing here?”

“Your mom sent me, filled me in on everything. Officer, you’re not talking to minors without a lawyer present.” Mr. Shaw said.

Mr. Shaw was tall, maybe around six-two, probably in his mid 40s. A slightly greying stubble accompanying a thick cover of hair added a lot to the authority he talked with. The man always carried himself with enough poise and dignity to put royalty to shame. Even the cop looked intimidated.

“And you are?” The cop asked, trying to mask his fear. He lifted his pants over his extruding stomach, trying to be subtle about unclipping his holster.

“David Shaw. Attorney at law, but presently his father.” He pointed to Ingram. “And you’re not talking to any of these kids without me there.”

“Well you can be here if you want.” The cop said.

“Could I talk to you for a second over there, officer?” Mr. Shaw motioned towards a slightly secluded corner.

“Sure, I guess.” The officer mumbled, following Mr. Shaw.

“Officer, it’s obvious these kids are tired and traumatized. Why don’t I take them home for the day and bring them down to the station for questioning tomorrow?”

The idea didn’t sit well with the cop. “I don’t know about that.”

“Oh come now, Officer.” David’s voice was immediately softer and warmer. “Let’s be reasonable here. Your guys need to finish examining the scene and getting the forensics and stuff. These kids are tired and in no shape to answer questions and I don’t think you want to have a conversation like this out in the cold. I’ll just take them home and bring them down tomorrow. Plus then you have less paperwork to do.” Hook. “All the paperwork would be the detective’s to do.” Line.

The cop chuckled. Got you. “All right, I suppose. I’ll just ask them some preliminary questions so we can get a starting idea and then you can take them home.”

“Thank you officer.” David said. If the officer hadn’t backed down, David would have been forced to call his old friend Mayor Gilbert and he really didn’t want to disturb the man this early.

The officer started to walk back to the car to join the other cops and David followed him. The cop whispered something to the others and they dispersed in different directions.

“Just answer a few questions the cops have and then I’ll take you home.” David said.

“So,” The cop took out a notepad and flipped it open. “Who found the body?”

“I did.” Aaron said.

“And your name?”

“Aaron Adler.”

“And you made the call as well?”

“No, that’d be me.” El said.

“And you are?”

“Eleanor Easton.” She said. The cop scribbled something onto his notepad.

“And did you touch anything or see anyone around the area when you found the body?”

“No.” Aaron replied. “Besides the tree Eleanor was leaning against, we didn’t touch anything. We stayed put right where we were. And there wasn’t anyone around when we got there.”

“Alright.” The cop said, flipping his notepad closed. “That’s all for now. You’re free to take them home but don’t go too far.”

“I promise, officer.” David said. “Thank you so much. Hey, you don’t mind if the kids grab their bags, right?”

“Yeah yeah.” The cop mumbled before walking away.  

“Get your bags, everyone. We’re going home.” David said.

Ingram nodded and everyone headed inside the cabin to grab their stuff.

*

Ingram

Ingram shifted lower in his seat, sitting quietly, clutching the edges of his jacket.

“So,” David began. “Where am I dropping you guys off?” He glanced back at Eleanor and Aaron sitting awkwardly besides Mason.

“Uhh, just at your house is fine, we’ll make our way home from there.”

“As you say.” David said. The car fell into silence again. 

Ingram loosened his tight grip on his jacket and reached for his phone in his pocket. He reached into his other pocket to grab his earphones and felt a tap on his shoulder.

The voice was a forced whisper. “Hey, could we talk?” It was Aaron. He was leaning forward, his seat belt restraining him from bending too much.

“About what?” Ingram asked.

“Just… last night. And everything.”

Ingram froze. Last night. Oh no. He was more comfortable talking about that dead body they’d found. Last night was painful for everyone involved. Best to forget it. But, Ingram was trying not to be rude. After the thing at school a few days ago with Thea and that guy, whatever his name was, and Liz… he’d realized he’d started to get more irritable. And he was really trying his best to not let it show.

“Uh, maybe later?” He whispered back. It wasn’t a permanent solution but it was something.

Yes, it sure was something. It was avoiding the problem but for now, he was okay with it. Plus he really didn’t want to have this conversation with his boyfriend and his dad in the car.

“Later. Sure.” Aaron said, leaning back.

Later. And unfortunately, later was inevitable.

As the car neared Riker’s bridge, Mr. Shaw turned to Ingram. “I hope you don’t mind, I have to make a quick pit stop at the offices, pick up some files for your mom.”

“No, I’m good. We don’t have any plans anyway.”

“Oh.” David said. “You three call your parents yet?”

“Uhhh, not really, no.” Mason said. 

“Well, today sure will be something for the family history books, huh?”

“Yeah.” Aaron said quietly. 

The car fell silent again and stayed as such until it pulled into to the law offices of Shaw, Myers and Co.

The building stood tall, a behemoth of glass and concrete, towering over Athea, in direct competition with the public library and the Church of St. Peter to have the highest spot in town. In the last decade since Rebecca had become a lawyer, Ingram had never been inside the offices nor did he want to.

“Stay in the car, I’ll be back in five.” David said, releasing his seatbelt. He quickly exited the car, leaving, once again, four awkward teens; each desperate to talk, no one willing to start. Each stayed glued to their phones, pretending the others didn’t exist. Being alone was easier than talking. You didn’t need to deal with any complex emotions and honestly, none of them had the mental space for that right now.

And all eight and a half minutes passed in excruciating emptiness. A certain hollow void. It was not the feeling of nothingness. If anything, it was the opposite of nothingness: everything-ness.

The sort of void you’d feel at a funeral but more sinister. Too much all at once, a grim, dark feeling.

The sort of void you’d scream into and the scream would return ten times louder. Like sinister music ramping up in a horror movie — except you can’t see the scare, because it’s never coming. It’s a disturbing feeling to be sure, unnerving and creepy.

But as the car door opened again, the void began to fade, lingering just a little as Mr. Shaw sat down, carrying a stack of thick files.

“Here, hold these.” He said with a strained voice, handing the files to Ingram.

Ingram quickly took them, barely aware of what he was doing, and David put on his seatbelt.

“Hey, could you put those in the back?” David said, glancing into the rearview mirror at Aaron. “There should be an empty box there.”

“Yeah, sure.” Aaron replied, taking the files. He strained to turn in his place with the seatbelt on but finally did manage to place the files in the box.

“All good?” Mr. Shaw asked.

“Yep.” Aaron said. “They’re in there.”

“Good.” He turned the car key. “Let’s go home.”

*

Aaron and Ingram

As the car pulled into the Shaw’s driveway, Aaron felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach. It had taken everything he had to ask Ingram to talk. And now that they would finally have a chance to be alone, they’d actually have to talk.

He’d thought a lot about what he could say but nothing seemed right, nothing seemed to encompass all the things he’d wanted to say.

“We’re here.” Mr. Shaw announced, unlocking the car doors.

The doors opened quick, everyone stepping out. The inside of the car was suffocating — not in a literal sense obviously but it felt suffocating. There was just too much to deal with right now.

Even when he’d mentioned last night before, he’d seen Mason tense up. Mason clearly didn’t want to talk about it. Or was there something else afoot?

Ingram took a deep breath, letting the smell of home overcome him. Gone was the wet damp smell of the woods — not that he hated it — replaced with a light whiff of smoke from cars.

“Hey.” Aaron said, walking next to Ingram. 

Ingram’s shoulders tensed up and he put a hand in his pocket as he turned to Aaron. “Hey.” His voice was a soft whisper, like he didn’t want anyone to overhear. Anyone was probably Mason.

“Could we talk?” Aaron said.

Later had come already and Ingram was nowhere near ready to talk. But there was no avoiding the situation now. At best, he’d be delaying the inevitable. At worst, he’d be pushing Aaron away after they’d come to this weird middle ground. 

“Uh, sure.” Ingram said unsurely. He looked around to see where Mason was. He couldn’t see him and assumed he was unloading the luggage. “Come over here, yeah?” Ingram stuck a thumb out towards a secluded corner near the bushes and Aaron nodded.

The two quietly walked over to the corner and Ingram leaned against the wall.

“So…” Ingram prompted.

“So,” Aaron said. “I just wanted to—” He stopped.

“Yeah?” Ingram asked. he didn’t want to know but he desperately wanted to hear it.

“Well, I’m just—” Aaron sighed. “You know what, this was a bad idea, just — forget this happened, okay?”

“No, come on, tell me. What’s the problem?” Ingram was standing straight now.

“It’s just… I shouldn’t have interrupted your trip. It should have been you two and I felt like a third wheel so I brought El and I shouldn’t have done that and it was just really stupid of me. I’m sorry I ruined your vacation.” It flowed out before he could stop it.

“Hey, that’s okay. It’s fine, trust me. Plus, if you didn’t come, there’d still be a dead body in the woods. Now, because of you, whoever’s body that is, their family will at least know who it was. You coming was a good thing, eventually.”

“I suppose. It still doesn’t feel right to me though. And to be fair,  I was the one saying we should leave it as is. You’re the one who convinced me to call the cops. You did more than I did. I just saw a hand sticking out of the ground.”

“Fair enough.” Ingram chuckled. “And relax, you’re all good.”

“And just, about last night,” Aaron began slowly.

“It’s fine.” Ingram reassured him.

“No, it’s not. I’m sorry I got weird and made everyone leave. I seriously don’t know where that came from.”

“Trust me, we were starting to get bored anyways, you’re fine.” Ingram said. It wasn’t even remotely true but it was somewhat comforting to Aaron.

“Thanks.”

“Hey!” Ingram heard Mason calling him.

“I have to go.” Ingram said, walking away.

That wasn’t that bad, was it? Now we never have to think about it again, hopefully. Ingram thought.

On the steps leading to the house, Aaron spotted Rebecca, waiting for everyone to get in.

“Come on in, it’s cold outside. Don’t worry about your bags.” She said as Aaron approached the steps. “Oh, and your mom left the car in the garage, for when you came back. You can just take it from there whenever you feel like going home.”

“Hey.” Eleanor approached Aaron from behind.

“Hey, El.” He said.

“Oh, come on in. I’ve got some hot drinks for everyone.” Rebecca turned to Eleanor. “I hope you’re fine with hot chocolate. Oh, who am I kidding, everyone’s fine with hot chocolate.”

“Yeah.” El said, following Rebecca inside. Aaron turned to see Ingram and Mason helping Mr. Shaw with the bags and the files. He sighed quietly and walked in, closing the door behind him.

*

Aaron

“You WHAT!” Mary’s voice was loud through the speakerphone. “Are you okay?” 

“We’re all fine, mom.”

“Well why didn’t you call me sooner!” She said.

“I didn’t want to worry you. We’re fine, we’re at the Shaws’ right now, we’re heading home in a little bit.”

“I’ll come pick you up.” She said.

“No. We’re fine. You don’t have to worry.” Aaron reassured her. “I’ll call you when I get home.”

“Call me the second you get home.”

“I will, I promise. Bye.” Aaron cut the call.

“So?” El asked, as if she hadn’t heard everything. “How’d she take it?”

“She’s worried but she’ll be fine.” He shoved his phone back in his pocket.

“You wanna get going?” El suggested.

“Yeah.” He took a final sip of his hot chocolate before gently placing the mug back on the table.

Aaron turned to Rebecca. “That was excellent, Mrs. S.”

She smiled. “There’s some more if you’d like.” She pointed to the kitchen.

“No, that’s quite alright. We need to get going.”

She stood up along with Aaron and Eleanor. “Very well. Just remember, if any detectives come calling, say nothing. Just call me and I’ll be there ASAP.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Shaw.” El gave her a warm smile.

“Oh, don’t mention it.” Rebecca said. “Come, I’ll show you to the garage.” She gestured for Aaron and Eleanor to follow her. And they did.

El and Aaron got into the car. And, with a final wave to Rebecca, the car pulled out of the garage and began to drive away.

*

[thekeyten]

Who Killed Jesse Valentine? // WIP intro

Jesse Valentine was murdered, but the police investigation goes suspiciously cold almost immediately. Ezekiel Novikoff decides to take matters into his own hands when he realizes that the police can’t–or won’t–help him.

genre : thriller

audience: ya/adult (undecided)

pov : 1st/3rd omnicient (undecided)

themes : revenge, justice, death, politics of comas, medically being kept alive

warnings : graphic violence, swearing, blood/gore, homophobia, racism

“…Young man found outside the Mericorp building last month–”

“–high school senior passed away due to cranial and cardiovascular trau–”

“–Sudden Cold Case. Investigators declared the murder cold after only a few weeks of investigation. Poor Police work, or crafty killers?”

“Anti-Bullying and Hate Crime Awareness foundation “Jesse’s Voice” shows amazing take-off after tragic–”

“…still in our hearts and prayers. All of us are still wondering who–”

“It’s the question everyone is asking: Who Killed Jesse Valentine?”

It’s here!! the Backburner comic! this is a long-standing story for me, but I often put it aside because I want to do it as well as I possibly can. I haven’t decided if this will be a prose or graphic endeavor (or a combination of both) so i made this to test out an art/comic option?? hope you like it!!

tag list: @incandescent-creativity (if you’d like to be added to the ‘who killed jesse valentine’ tag list or any other backburner tag list reply to this post or just send an ask/message me!)

[atlantis-prince]

seethingrider replied to your post: "What're ya doin' for christmas?" He... might need...

“This explains so much about my trau- Uh, Ah mean. … Ya should… celebrate?”

“I’ve not ever stopped you celebrating the event, Valon. I even brought you a gift this year, which I do not do, ever since the fall of my home.”

“..Take it or leave it.”

[vietnamesebeauty]

Nữ chính trong MV ‘Trốn tìm’ của Đen Vâu: Đẹp cổ điển, toát lên ‘chất Pháp’ vì được rèn từ nhỏ -

Amandine sinh ra tại Paris nên học hỏi được phụ nữ Pháp về cách thể hiện sự quyến rũ và thanh lịch.

MV Trốn tìm của Đen Vâu ra mắt tối 14/5, trong đó nữ chính gây chú ý bởi nét đẹp lạ. Không mắt hai mí to tròn, không da trắng bóc, cô gái này mang vẻ đẹp “mới nhìn thấy bình thường, nhìn lâu chỉ có mê đắm”.

Đó là Amandine Trinh, sinh năm 1992, đang là người mẫu sống tại TP HCM. Cô có phong cách mộc mạc nhưng vẫn toát ra thần thái quyến rũ, thanh lịch như gái Pháp. Bởi đúng vậy, cô được tôi luyện “chất Pháp” từ khi còn nhỏ.

Amandine Trinh có bố mẹ là người Việt Nam nhưng sinh ra và lớn lên tại Pháp. Amandine học hỏi được phong cách của những người phụ nữ Pháp nên toát ra vẻ gợi cảm, sành điệu. Nữ người mẫu từng sống tại Melbourne và Berlin trước khi chuyển về TP HCM để trau dồi tiếng mẹ đẻ và khám phá cội nguồn.

Chia sẻ với tờ Beaubit Daily , Amandine cho biết năm đầu tiên về Việt Nam, cô làm thiết kế tự do nhưng mọi thứ dần thay đổi khi có cơ hội đóng chính trong MV Cần gì hơn của Justa Tee và Tiên Tiên. “Nhiều thương hiệu trong nước bắt đầu liên hệ với tôi để làm mẫu cho chiến dịch thời trang ”, Amandine nói.

9x có quan điểm vẻ đẹp không nằm ở phong cách, vẻ ngoài hay sự hoàn hảo mà nằm ở năng lượng. Cô nói: “Tôi thấy có một cái gì đó quyến rũ ở sự không hoàn hảo. Ý tưởng làm đẹp của tôi được truyền cảm hứng từ phụ nữ Pháp. Lớn lên ở Paris, tôi thường xuyên nhìn thấy họ đi dạo trên phố, và ấn tượng của tôi là họ rất thanh lịch, tinh tế và tự tin”.

Amandine mang khuôn mặt đẹp kiểu cổ điển…

… cặp chân thon dài…

… và thân hình cân đối.

Amandine luôn giữ cho gương mặt mình được tự nhiên nhất. Mỗi khi trang điểm , cô chỉ mất 5 phút, gói gọn trong các bước: che khuyết điểm để che quầng thâm mắt và các khuyết điểm nhỏ, một lớp bronzer, má hồng và son môi màu nhẹ nhàng.

Bronzer là bước không thể thiếu mỗi ngày để Amandine tôn lên làn da nâu khỏe khoắn.

Cô tập trung vào bước chăm sóc da nhiều hơn make up . Thời gian trang điểm của cô còn ít hơn thời gian skin care. Đó là bí quyết để làn da của Amandine trông bóng khỏe và tràn sức sống chuẩn gái Tây.

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