#(Me ' Holy sh*t it sounds {almost} exactly like I remember it ')

[albino-whumpee]

It was a sunny day

SO, I finally wrote the accident. God I had so so many doubts about this part. But hey, its ok. its just for fun. 778900´s POV first before we dip into Robert´s.

This is a series, here´s the Masterlist

Taglist: @castielamigos-whump-side-blog @giggly-evil-puppy @cowboysrappin @haro-whumps @burtlederp @neuro-whump @comfortforthepain @whumps-the-word @whole-and-apart-and-between @broken-horn @ashintheairlikesnow @rosesareviolentlyread @crowned-avery @starnight-whump @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @as-a-matter-of-whump  @whumpasaurus101 @grizzlie70 @boxboysandotherwhump

TW// dehumanization, slavery, human trafficking, narcotics and syranges, death, child death, car accidents, dub-con, dub con touching (sexual), kind of spicy, blood, conditioning, defiant whumpee, curse words, This one is messed up, so please be careful when going through it.

It had been two years.

778900 had been waiting for two years for someone to take him. As the days passed, as he tried completing his training with as little “incidents” that ended up in him getting yet another set of fresh bruises, the hope of getting out was starting to die out.

He tried being good.

He tried to do everything the handlers ordered him to do. Did his positions, however humilliating they were, ate the flavorless nutrition meals, kept his head down and his attention sharp. But it was useless. One way or another, he would fail.

So he payed attention to even the tiniest detail.

How the handler´s watch would always mark 5 am when they were told it was night, how the blond handler´s hands always stayed a moment longer than necessary when he was on position training, how the cooking classroom was essentially the handler´s meal prep, the direction all handlers walked to when they talked about “going for some fresh air”; How the handlers would shift the camera in the hallway next to the handler´s room after taking a boy with them for whatever lame excuse they would put and finally, how the medic at the facility kept syringes with a powerful narcotic in her coat´s pocket just in case.

You signed up for this

A voice inside his head told him, before he stared at the handler´s clock and found the needle pointing at five, just as expected. As he went to the medic´s office to receive his daily dosis of vitamins. “Special treatment” was not quite the reason he had to take them. It was just them making sure the precious money and time spent training him, wasn´t wasted on a defective product.

He didn´t remember anymore, but he had come weighting half the acceptable for a boy his age and size. It was no surprise he fainted with just a stretching routine. It had gotten better with the vitamins, but the handlers were forced by the medic to not beat him if he fell to the ground.

He was deeply thankful for the woman to go that far for him even with the handler´s threats. So, so very thankful he got vitamins thanks to her kindness. Or so he made it seem, as she allowed him to give her a hug. Not sensing at all his hand taking out the syringe before responding to her “take care” with a bright smile on his face that distracted her from his hands.

You wanted to not make any decisions for yourself.

He heard deep inside his head as he added something to the sauce for the dish they cooked at class that day. The trainee sneaked glances at the blond handler coming to his table to watch him clean up after cooking, noticing the last boy went through the door with his handler, he knocked the sauce all over him. Loudly. So fashionably eye catching, the blond whipped his head to laugh at him.

“I-I´m sorry, I didn´t see it and…I´m so sorry” He stumbled on his words, acting as if he was cleaning himself up. Smirking to himself, the man pulled him up and started cleaning him.

“Jesus, what a waste. How can you be that clumsy?” he asked him, not exactly sounding annoyed to put his hand over his chest. Slowly, 778900 took the man´s hand and passed it down his torso.

“Thank you…” he said with a honey toned voice, making sure he pressed his hand right above his crutch, noticing the hungry look the man gave him, he rocked his hips on his hand, letting out a breathy moan. With his hand teasing the edge of his trainee shorts, the albino leaned to whisper on his ear, “…For helping me clean up” he finished with a little pop, “We have position training after this, but I will need a bath…” almost to emphasize,  The boy pulled the man´s dripping hand and pressed it to his lips. 778900 gave him a kiss on the cheek as he pushed one glaced digit into the stunned man´s mouth. “Please. I wouldn´t like anyone but you to do it” he had said in that needy voice he would hear romantics talk in sometimes.

He took off his finger to let him speak, but he could still feel the warmth of his tongue licking him clean.

“Where did you learn to talk like that?” the man asked him wetting his lips, before the trainee gave him a bratty pout and leaned on slightly closer.

“Does it matter?”

The man had bitten the bait. Or more accurately, licked it. Directly or from his hands. The boy had even moaned to encourage him to continue. In his bliss, the man was completely taken by surprise when the albino put his hand over his mouth and felt something puncturing his skin and then warmth began spreading through his body. He felt his limbs growing so heavy suddenly, he slouched over the boy. 

“Shh” the albino trainee whispered on his ear as he passed his fingers through his hair “Be a good boy and go to sleep for me” he said, putting away the empty syringe while staring at the turned off camera on the edge of the room the whole time.

A moment later he had crawled below the man and started undressing him after futilely trying to cut off the shock collar on his neck with a kitchen knife. The boy took his clothes and covered his hair with the little cap with “WRU” embroided in bright blue, making sure to cover his neck properly.

You signed up for this

His mind rocked back and forth as he kept his head down. Navigating the halls to the handler´s room in a quick, anxious pace that tried to avoid every suspicious eye. The trainee waited a second for the men to come out of the handler´s room to sneak inside. He couldn´t make up any letters as words without a migraine attacking him. So he guided himself with the drawings on the level map.

Silently, he came out of the room with the elevator on the far right on mind. He walked the same direction as them when they said they would “go get some fresh air” but found a handler and a few boys cleaning the halls. It was part of their training. He quickly noticed the handler´s eyes fixing on him. So, he took one boy and quietly directed him to clean over a spot on the other side. Far from them. The boy obediently followed his instructions and he patted his back before walking to the elevator.

I signed for this

He told himself as he extended the card over what he assumed was a card reader. There were no buttons but to open and close, so the only way to get out was only through the handler´s and executives cards, each designated to an specific floor. Of course, that was something the panicking, albino trainee didn´t know. He only had the Handler´s card by pure chance, but for his audacity, he was rewarded with the doors closing to feel the vertigo from going up.

And I fucking regret it.

There was a loud ring when the doors opened up again to a floor, and he prayed, it was the highest point. That there was a door conducting outside.

And it was.

He pushed it open and found above, the almost forgotten sky. The sun was already high up and just a few clouds spotted the vast blue.

It was a sunny day.

He stepped out without letting go. The view of trees, the sun on his skin and seeing how blue the sky was, drove him to tears quick enough that he didn´t notice there were other handlers smoking there.

“Hey, got some reds? I ran out” one of them asked, eyeing him for a second before a frown formed on his face, “Who are you? I have never seen you” He ignored him, heart throbbing on his ears as he tried walking past them, into the woods, “Hey!” one of them launched himself to grab his wrist, pulling on the uniform enough to find the barcode and numbers. “HOLY SH-” the man couldn´t finish before 778900 whipped his hand back and sprinted towards the forest. As quickly and as far away from their screams and their batons and the range from his collar as his feet could carry him.

Unknowingly, going straight into the highway.

He could hear their yelling getting lost behind him. Adrenaline helping him to outrun them. He jumped and knocked over a few bushes on his way. Tearing the clothes apart in his rush. Sweat made his forehead slippery enough for the cap to get lost somewhere on the way, but he couldn´t stop.

So he kept running until finally, he felt concrete under his oversized boots. He didn´t know how far he had run, but he knew he wanted to collapse right there and then as the haziness of hunger overcame him. He couldn´t stop now, but he allowed himself to catch his breath with his hands on his knees.

It was a second.

Just one second.

However, it was all it took to pass from breathing triumphantly that he was out to be in front of a van driving pass the limit.

It was one second when he curled into himself and the van turned to his right, avoiding him by mere centimeters and crashing violently into the other side of the highway. Turning and turning and turning.

The boy rose to his feet when he stopped hearing the metal crashing into the pavement. The world seemed to slow down then. As his chest heaved making his wayt to the turned around car, hoping there had only been one person aboard, his heart leaped. He had seen too many shadows, too many clothes scattered around.

Then, he heard the screams.

For a hot second he stayed still, considering he could simply turn his back on it. He would be in serious problems if they found him… but he had provoked it, hadn´t he? It would be his fault if something happened to the poor people inside the van. If they died… they would have died on a sunny day.

People shouldn´t die on sunny days.

A voice different from the usual, a voice that made him irrationally sad, told him.

So, he tried to rush to help, but felt the familiar bolt of pain on his neck. So much stronger than normal, he fell to the ground, his hands up on his neck before he could register he had screamed. There were a row of convulsing bolts that pinned him down. The electrifying pain took away his consciousness bit by bit.

He let out a whimper as someone grabbed him by the uniform´s shirt and started beating him. Reflexes too slow to put up his hands to defend his head or face. It took little more than two hits to draw out blood. To make his ears ring and his eyes to mud everything. But he didn´t need to see or hear to know it was the blond handler, pissed out of his mind.

He was barely awake when his head was pressed against the concrete, while he was roughly handcuffed on his back, before being pulled up. Only to be slapped when he couldn´t stand for himself, and then, thrown into the unforgiving cold of the van´s floor.

The car started so quickly, as he tried to pull himself up the ground, he couldn´t avoid slamming the back of his head against the door´s sharp edged lock.

From then on, it was black.

—-

“Yeah, yeah. I called an ambulance” the man shouted into his phone as he drove back to the facility. A pissed voice on the other side yelled at him loud enough to make him separate the phone from his ear, “Do you fucking think this was on the manual? They´re supposed to be fucking broken! How the hell did he get his hands on a narcotic? How the hell did no one notice? He´s white like a paper sheet for fucks sake!” he screamed back, hearing attentively to the voice “What? No, he´s fine. Just some scratches and- FUCK” The wheels burnt when he stopped the car to whip his head towards the blood pond on the back of the van. Fuming, he passed his hands through his hair, failing to hold a frustrated scream as he slammed open the doors and checked for a pulse. 

He sighed in relief before he passed the barely breathing boy to the front, wrapping a discarded scarf around his head before fastening the seatbelt and driving back.

“Jesus, kid” he shook his head, eyeing the unconscious boy next to him   “Couldn´t you have tried to escape in a less flashy way?”

When he got back, he begged the doctor he had stolen the narcotric from, to treat the boxie. To give him the strongest serum they had, because it wasn´t only him risking losing his job or worse.

She had no other choice than to agree. In the worst case, he would have brain damage. Putting aside the possible motor damage luckily they would be able to fix before anyone noticed, however, a colateral would be damage to his short term memory. Meaning, he would do things without being able to recall them later. In the optimistic side, it wouldn´t last forever. He would remember some things eventually. Hopefully much time after he was bought. When he wouldn´t be the company´s problem anymore.

Hoping it would be that way, she began treatment.

The man made his way to the handlers above, then. The men laughed at his incompetence, but he had made up his mind.

“I´m gonna quit”

“Right call” one of them said.

“None of you will talk about this. EVER. Nothing happened. I´ll even pay you, but none of this ever happened, understood?”

The men exchanged looks before smiling at their ex coworker “And what are you gonna do about the van?”

“Bad accident, four people died in situ. A four year old between them I heard”

“And the doctor too. The one that CEO´, was marrying on March. Heard CEO´s on the hospital as well” the blond handler gulped. “Guilty, Sanders? Want some serum to forget like the boxie?”

“Nothing. Happened” The men said through gritted teeth. The other two stared at him before pulling their hands up. What did they care anyways? If they had cared about humans pain, they wouldn´t be in that line of work. Well, beyond their own amusement.

When Sanders went away to write his resignation letter, both handlers stayed there for a while. Looking at the sun go higher and higher. No clouds on sight. It was the kind of day kids would use as an excuse to go outside. The perfect day to go on a picnic. To grab your partner and have a nice date. One of them wondered if they people on the van were going to do just that when the boxie jumped on the highway.

“What a pretty day to die though” he said, sipping on their cigarette looking up at the sky.

—

A few months later, “nothing happened” made the freckled twenty year old college student, the costume order box boy for a broken hearted CEO and two years later, a lonely, grieving woman take out 778900 out of his box.

[arloelilly]

There You Are

Prompt: Y/n and Turtle were separated for several years for reasons they couldn't help. They finally find each other and have a heartfelt reunion.

Warning(s): Reader being injured, mutated, and held against her will.

So I've had this idea brewing in my head for a little while and wanted to write it out so thank you @redfoxgaming41 for requesting this one! And holy crap this is the longest I've written in a while.

The story

During the battle with Kraang, you had been injured badly and had to be airlifted to Mayo Clinic - Rochester, Minnesota to receive proper care. It was a long and grueling trip but you were transported safely and immediately taken into a prepped room. Many doctors were on your case, making sure you received the best care available. However, throughout the weeks of taking care of you, they noticed how quick a recovery you were making which astounded them.

The astonishment had been short-lived after a while as the doctors noticed, not only were you healing quickly but your appearance was changing as well. It first started with the texture of your skin becoming rougher and...scaley? Then the pigment of your skin began to turn a/an s/c color. Your back became hardened and formed what the doctors described to be a shell-like appearance. Growing fearful, they contacted someone to examine you.

Your eyes fluttered open as you stirred from your induced coma, your vision slowly clearing from the blurriness that glazed your eyes. Your brows furrowed in confusion. Where were you? The last thing you remember was being moved into a helicopter before you passed out. "She's awake, Ma'am." A feminine voice broke through the silence of the room. Then, through your blurred vision, you could see someone walk up to the bed you were in. You shook your head to shake the blurriness away and see who was standing next to you. "Where am I?" You asked, eyes trailing up as your blurred vision finally cleared.

Standing beside you was a black-haired woman. Her ebony skin glowed in the white lights of the room as she gave you a soft smile. "You're in the recovery room. You had a long trip, Y/n." Her voice was just a soft as her smile and brought a sense of calmness to you until something caught your attention out of the corner of your eye. You glance down at your hand, your eyes widen with shock as you lifted them and sat up. "W-w-what-what is-what happened to me?" Your voice was almost frantic as you looked over your body. The heart monitor beeped quickly as you began panting. "Now, calm down Y/n! Just calm down." The woman and her assistant pushed you down into the bed so you wouldn't do anything drastic.

"We're not exactly sure what has happened to you but we're running some blood tests to find out why." She said in hopes of calming you down. Then she cleared her throat and straightened herself. "I apologize, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Dr.Blood," She gestured to herself as she said this, "And this is my assistant, nurse Robin." Dr.Blood then gestured to a woman who looked down at you with a friendly smile. You looked from Robin and back at the doctor. "Doctor.....Blood?" You questioned. Blood chuckled at your quizzical look. "I know, it's an odd last name, but yes." She gave you a sweet smile before taking a deep breath. "You seem lively and healthy enough to move about. Robin could please go get her something to eat and drink?" Dr.Blood requested. "Yes, Ma'am." Giving you one last smile, Robing turned on her heels and left the room, leaving you and Dr.Blood alone.

"I'm aware that I'm in recovery but where am I exactly?" You asked looking away from the doors to Dr.Blood. Blood seemed to swallow hard before taking another deep breath. "Unfortunately, I can't disclose that information to you. When you were examined at the hospital you were immediately transported here in secrecy." She explained. "You mean no one knows where I am?" You gave her a stern look as you sat up. "As far as anyone knows, you are still in Rochester, Minnesota." Her voice was calm as she gave you this information. "You have no right keeping me here! You will let me go!" Jabbing a finger in her direction, you glared at her. "That isn't my call to make, Y/n. I'm sorry, my job is only to make sure you're healthy." Her eyes were apologetic as she gave you a sad look.

Six Years Later

You sat in your bed with your sketchbook, drawing yourself in your mirror before sighing as boredom crawled its way up your body. Leaning into your half-circle of a bed, your finger now tapping the scribbled page. Your eyes glance over at your digital clock with a hint of nervousness in them. It was almost time for another painful examination. Throughout the years you've been living here, you and Dr.Blood had grown close. She did all in her power to make sure you were comfortable not only during your examinations but in your life here. She was one of the nicer people you've met here, other than Robin, someone who didn't treat you like an abomination. And when someone stepped out of line or over a boundary towards you, she was a force to be reckoned with. She wasn't only like this with you, though, she cared for all of the patients in this facility even if they weren't her's to care for.

On days you were going through a depression, Dr.Blood would try to make time to come see you or even send Robin to give you company. Both Robin and Blood felt bad, knowing you most likely would never get out of here and back home to the ones you cared about. The thought affected Robin so much she had to take time off to breathe and recollect. What no one, not even you for that matter, knew that the two of them had a plan. A plan to get you out of the facility and back into society. They knew you couldn't just join the world again. You still had to be kept in secret, but anywhere would be better than rotting away in this facility.

"Knock, knock!" Robin's chirpy voice sang as she walked into your room. "Hey, Robin." A soft smile made its way onto your face while you stood from your bed to follow her. "Things are going to be a little different today so I just need you to not freak out and just follow me." Her voice was professional as it usually always was when she wasn't on break or spending time with you. "Alright." You reply with a raised brow, your smile never dimming. You then left your room, right behind Robin; however, something seemed a little off about her today. Her pace was a lot quicker and she walked a bit more straight. You were still able to keep up with her as you glanced at the room you were always lead to for your examinations.

A sense of anxiety began to fill your chest when Robin led you into an unfamiliar part of the facility. There was no one else to be seen, no patients, no doctors or nurses. Even the smell was different from the chemical smells that lingered in the wing you stayed in. "Hey, Robin...where are we going?" You asked with uncertainty. "Sh." She hushed you quickly. As you two walked in silence a familiar smell entered your nose. It was an all too familiar smell and it was stronger with your heightened senses. The outside world was close. Just then Dr.Blood rounded a corner. She looked to be in a hurry as she took long strides towards the two of you. "The boat is ready and so is the cargo plane. We need to hurry, though, c'mon!" Her voice was frantic but determined. Her hand found its way onto your shell and Robin's back, ushering you two along at a faster pace. "W-what's going on?" Confusion coated your voice while you looked down at her. "I'll explain later. Right now we need to get you onto that boat. I've already bribed the officers and the sailors." She said as you guys walked through heavy plated doors to be met with a loaded dock and the roaring of an ocean as waves crashed against the shoreline.

"C'mon, in here Y/n!" Robin called to you, and the two women moved you into a large cargo crate. "At least tell me where I'm going!" You call out to them. "Here! It's a list of places we are going to make sure you aren't found! Hopefully, it will give you some peace until I can explain later!" Blood hollered over the sudden rain and thunder. She tucked her hair behind her ear as the heavy wind blew. Robin and Blood then closed the doors to the crate and locked it but not after Robin gave you a flashlight so you could see. Silence filled the metal box, the sounds of heavy winds, pouring rain, and roaring thunder all muffed by the cold metal walls.

A sigh escapes your lips when you turn the light on. You back up into a corner and sit down as you looked over the list of states Dr.Blood wrote out in her neat handwriting. Ten states were listed but only one stood out to you, New York. Excitement fluttered in your chest but you knew it was going to be a while before you got there, seeing as it was the last state listed. You knew it was going to be stressful but you couldn't help the small smile that tugged at your lips.

Eleven Months Later

"Well, today's the day Y/n! You're finally going home!" Dr.Blood said as she patted the steering wheel with her hands. A big smile was plastered on her face as she talked to you over the phone. "I can't believe we did it!" Robin bounced in her seat excitedly and looked at Dr.Blood. A laugh escaped your lip as you sat in the horse trailer. "I'm excited too but I'm not celebrating until we get there." You chuckle, looking down at the phone in your hand. A sigh then escapes your mouth as the thought of how the turtles and April would react when they see you. How would you even go about showing yourself to them anyway? It's been almost seven years, would they even remember you? A pang of sorrow hit you at the thought of them forgetting about you, especially t/n. Over the time you two knew each other you grew feelings for him.

"What's up, Y/n?" Dr.Blood's voice asked through the speaker. "Oh, uh...it's nothing. I'm just worried about how they'd react is all...or if they even remember me." You replied. When you were traveling everywhere, you became comfortable enough to tell Dr.Blood and Robin about the others and that most of the police force knew as well and were on their side. You knew what you were from the moment you woke up at the facility but it still puzzled you. "Six years is a long time but that was such a big event that happened, I don't think they could ever forget you," Robin said, "If anything, I'd imagine them more likely to take you in." She added. Her words gave you a little hope, bringing a soft smile to your lips.

The rest of the car ride was quiet. When you made it to the airport, you were transferred to a cargo box. It was a bit snugger but not uncomfortable. You sat in the dark with your eyes closed, feelings of excitement and nervousness taking turns occupying your mind. Dr.Blood had informed the chief of police, Rebecca Vincent about you and that you were being transferred to New York. Vincent along with other officers were going to meet you all at the airport to make sure everything went smoothly.

It was a little bumpy getting off but you made it safely. "This is her?" Vincent asked as she looked the metal box up and down. "Yes, is everyone ready?" You heard Dr.Blood reply. "Alright, let's get a move on people!" Vincent called out as the door to the crate opened making you gulp as light began to fill the box. "Okay, Y/n, c'mon," Robin said grabbing your hand and leading you to a large police van. You hurriedly jumped inside and took a seat as the doors behind you closed. The medics inside the van checked you out to make sure you were in good health. "Okay, sweetie just look at me." A female said as she checked your eyes.

Thirty Minutes in

"Alright, well you seem to be in good health." The male gave you a small smile and took a seat adjacent to you. "Thanks. How long until we get to our destination?" You ask. Suddenly, a loud thud came from the top of the van causing your head to dart up. "What was that?" You asked. "The heroes of New York." The female medic stated with a side smile. "They got here quick." The guy mumbled glancing up at the ceiling then back at you. "Well, I'm sure Chef Vincent would have informed them about her arrival." The female replied, taking a seat beside you.

One Hour Later

"How much longer?" You huffed, now pacing to get your blood flowing. "Not much longer, about another five minutes. Chef wanted to make sure absolutely no one would see you." Addy, the female medic, replied, drawing another sigh from you. You sat down again, resting your cheek in your palm.

With Dr.Blood

"For the last time, she's being escorted to a secluded spot chef Vincent set out. Y/n is safe, no one knows about her besides the escort team." Dr.Blood repeated for the fifth time tonight after Raph questioned her about your situation again. "And Leo. He just hopped on the van now." Donnie pipped up after reviewing his tracker. "Where they at?" Raph asked walking over to Donnie to look at the tracker. "Dr.Blood, Vincent called. She said we should head out now." Robin informed after she strode into the room. "Alright boys, let's go!" Raph said with a growing smiling.

They all headed out, Robin and Blood took a car, and the guys followed Donnie as they hopped along the buildings in Leo's direction.

With You

You lifted your head, excitement slowly building as the van came to a slow stop. Standing up, you were ready to jump out and finally reunite with your friends. "Hold on there. We gotta wait for the other units to secure the perimeter before we let you out." The male medic, Rick said as he placed a hand on your shoulder. "Why? I'm ready." You argued glancing at him and the metal doors. "We know you are. When we get the orders we'll let you out." Addy said as Rick opened one of the doors and hopped out.

A low rumble came from you as you grew impatient. Your reptilian growl took you by surprise for a moment since you were still getting used to the new sounds you can make. Another hour had passed and the order still hasn't been given. Just as you were about to say something, a voice came over Addy's walkie. It was difficult for you to make out but Addy's smile gave you hope. "You ready?" She asked, her smile growing. "I've been ready!" You reply almost desperately. She walked over to one of the doors and opened it, hopping down before Rick opened the other door.

The cool soft feeling of dirt met your feet as you hopped out of the van. You took a few steps forward spinning a bit as you look around for your friends. "W-where are they?" You asked. You seen officers everywhere but no sign of your friends. "They're around, probably trying to find you. Just stay here and someone will lead them over here." Rick said, crossing his arms and leaning against the van. "Y/n?" You turn quickly hearing April's familiar voice. "April!" Relief and happiness fill you when your gaze lands on your friend. You both embrace each other. "Wow, when they said you changed a lot...they really meant it." She said before pulling away and looking you up and down.

"Y-yeah, I still don't know how it happened." You say, rubbing the back of your neck. "Where are the guys?" You look around again. "I believe they're talking with Vincent at the moment. She's probably filling them in on the situation. Dr.Blood was pretty vague when she explained it." April said, following your gaze. "Casey and Vern?" You look at her. "With the guys." She replied. You sigh again while shifting your weight. "How have you been. I hope nothing...besides this has happened." April asked, gesturing toward your mutant turtle body. "It's a long story." You say in a tired voice.

Just then you caught a glimpse of the brothers. They were still talking with chief Vincent, unaware that you were only a few meters away. "There they are!" You say. Anxiety seemed to creep up your spine as your hands began to tremble. April wrapped her arm around yours in an attempt to calm you down. You shared a smile with her before looking back up.

Leo

I kept myself composed as I listened to chef Vincent speak but on the inside, I just wanted to see her. For the past six years, I wondered if I'd ever see her again, and then yesterday, out of the blue, some doctor calls claiming to have Y/n in her care. I was skeptical at first but now, with all these officers around, it feels more real than ever. "To put it simply, Y/n has been turned into a mutant." Vincent's words snap me out of my thoughts immediately. "Come again?" Donnie asked. I could hear the puzzlement in his voice. My brothers and I all glance at each other before looking back at Vincent. "And the doctor couldn't have told us that when we were at the station?" Raph growled, his voice having a hint of anger.

"Relax Raph, at least she's alive and well bro." Mikey pipped in trying to calm our brother down. "Um, if you don't mind me asking chief, what kind of mutant?" Donnie asked as he adjusted his glasses. "A turtle....like you guys." We all look over to see the short brunette, Robin, from the station. "Where's Dr.Blood." Raph huffed as he shifted his weight. "Unfortunately, Dr.Blood had to go incognito much more early than we hoped. I'll have to do the same when this is all over and done with. The facility Y/n was kept in found our trail just a few minutes ago. It'll take them a while to find out that she's in New York so we have a team creating a fake trail from New York to many other locations."

"A facility? What else did that doctor forget to leave out." Robin gulped at Raph's rising temper. "Raph, that's enough. We'll worry about that later." I said, getting a grunt from him. "Where's Y/n now?" I look to Vincent as I ask. "Follow me. She's over here." Vincent said walking off to her left. We followed behind but it didn't take long before we slowed to a stop upon seeing Y/n. She was talking with April. "Y/n?" I asked. Her attention was pulled towards us as soon as she heard me. "Guys." Her voice was soft and a bit shaky. Even in the dim light, I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "Y/n!" Mikey cried out excitedly as he ran towards her. He caught her in a bear hug, picking her up and spinning her around.

"I thought I'd never see you guys again!" My heart broke slightly hearing her cry into Mikey's shoulder. Donnie wasted no more time in joining the hug. Raph seemed hesitant at first but followed Donnie's lead as he hugged Y/n and our two little brothers. After a few seconds, I walked over, a smile on my face as I joined the group hug. We stayed like that for a moment before separating. I watched as Y/n wiped the tears from her face before looking over my brothers. Mikey had his signature grin, Donnie was also wiping tears from his eyes and Raph was doing all he could not to cry.

"Sooo, what now?" Mikey asked looking over at me. Before I could answer, we heard Vincent speak up. "Well, the sun will be coming up soon. I suggest you all head back to the sewers." I nod in agreement. "C'mon guys, let's go," I tell them, taking the lead.

Back at the Lair

When we entered I called out to Sensei to let him know we were back. It didn't take him long to emerge. I looked behind me to see Raph helping Y/n down then looked down as Sensai walked past me and towards Y/n. He looked at her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a firm embrace. "It is nice to finally have you back my dear!" A hint of strain could be heard in his shaky voice after she hugged him. "It's good to be back, Spinter." She replied. Sensai then pulled away with a soft look in his eyes. "You must be exhausted. It would be best if we all got some rest."

After Y/n got settled into her new room I knocked on her open door. She turned her head towards me before giving me a soft smile. "Can I come in?" I ask, returning the smiling. "Yeah." She nodded. As I walked in, I was sure to close the door behind me. I walked over to her. As I did, the feelings deep inside of me were quickly rising like a roaring flame. I couldn't control them any longer. "What is i-" I cut her off, my hands cupping her cheeks as I push my lips to hers. My hands slipped behind her head as she returned the kiss.

"You have no idea how hard it's been. When you didn't come back and we went to Minnesota to look for you but when Donnie could no longer trace you...I thought you were gone. I thought I'd never get to see you again. The thought of me never have gotten to say goodbye almost killed me." I could feel the tears stinging my eyes, making me close them while my brows furrowed. "I felt the same way. So many doctors and nurses told me I would never get to leave. That I was going to be stuck there for the rest of my life." I opened my eyes, her thumbs brushing my tears away. "I will never let that happen to you again...I promise." My voice was firm now.

"I believe you." Her arms wrapped around my neck as she closed her eyes and gently nuzzled her nose to mine before I bumped my forehead to hers.

Raph

I paced back and forth as I grew tired of waiting to see her. Why did they have to put them through all this just to reunite with their friend? It made no sense to him and frankly pissed him off. "To put it simply, she's a mutant." I stopped in my tracks at Vincent's words. I glanced at my brothers sharing the same puzzled look. "Come again?" Donnie asked while messing with his glasses. "And the doctor couldn't have told us that when we were at the station?" I almost bark as a deep rumble emitted from my chest.

"Relax Raph, at least she's alive and well bro." I gave Mikey a glance as he bumped his elbow to mine. "Um, if you don't mind me asking chief, what kind of mutant?" Donnie asked as he adjusted his glasses. "A turtle....like you guys." We all look over to see the short brunette, Robin, from the station. "Where's Dr.Blood." I huffed, shifting my weight. "Unfortunately, Dr.Blood had to go incognito much more early than we hoped. I'll have to do the same when this is all over and done with. The facility Y/n was kept in found our trail just a few minutes ago. It'll take them a while to find out that she's in New York so we have a team creating a fake trail from New York to many other locations."

"A facility? What else did that doctor forget to leave out." I could see Robin tense at my harsh tone but I didn't care, my blood was beginning to boil at the thought of Y/n possibly being experimented on. "Raph, that's enough. We'll worry about that later." Leo said. I let out a grunt and roll my eyes. "Where's Y/n now?" We look to Vincent as Leo asked. "Follow me. She's over here." Vincent said walking off to her left. We followed behind but it didn't take long before we slowed to a stop upon seeing Y/n. She was talking with April. "Y/n?" Leo said. I watch as her attention was pulled towards us as soon as she heard him. "Guys." Her voice was soft and a bit shaky. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes and her lip quiver. "Y/n!" Mikey cried out excitedly as he ran towards her. He caught her in a bear hug, picking her up and spinning her around.

My heart was breaking, seeing her and hearing her voice. "I thought I'd never see you guys again!" She cried into Mikey's shoulder. Donnie followed Mikey joining the hug. I hesitated but the feeling of wanting to comfort her was too much. I allowed my emotions to control my movements and joined my little brothers. Leo eventually joined in too. We stayed like that for a moment before separating. I watched as Y/n wiped the tears from her face.

"Sooo, what now?" Mikey asked looking over at Leo. "Well, the sun will be coming up soon. I suggest you all head back to the sewers." Vincent suggested. "C'mon guys, let's go," Leo said before we all headed for the nearest manhole.

Back at the Lair

I helped Y/n down as Leo called for Sensai. When I looked up toward Leo, Sensai was already walking past him until he stopped in front of Y/n. He looked at her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug. "It is nice to finally have you back my dear!" I could hear the relief and sadness in his voice as he held her. "It's good to be back, Spinter." She replied. Sensai then pulled away with a soft look in his eyes. "You must be exhausted. It would be best if we all got some rest."

I took Y/n to the guest room we prepared and helped her get settled in. As I was about to take my leave something stopped me. A part of me pulling me back to her. I look over my shoulder, seeing her stroke the soft fabric of her blanket while one of her arms hugged herself. I swallowed the lump in my throat and turn towards her. "Y/n?" I question as I walked up to her. She turned around to look at me, her e/c eyes locking with my emerald ones. I took a deep breath before letting out a heavy sigh.

"We....I really missed ya." My hand finds her's as I look down at the floor. "I had no clue on what happened to ya. I knew you was hurt but not having-to-be-airlifted-to-a-different-state hurt. Ya know, I thought after a month you'd come back but when you didn't we went lookin for ya. I thought something bad happened to ya when you weren't there and Donnie couldn't find a single trace of ya." I swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears that stung my eyes. Feeling Y/n's hand on my cheek, I look back up. "I never thought I would get out of that facility and see you guys again. I just wanted to shrink away into nothing so when I realized Robin and Dr.Blood were getting me out I was ecstatic. I was afraid you all would have forgotten about me after almost seven years."

"Well, no one is ever goin to hurt ya again. Not while I'm breathin!" I state, pulling her closer to me. Our foreheads met, "Plus..." I say, inching closer, "I love ya." My voice was just above a whisper. I didn't care if she felt the same way or not. I needed to let her know how I felt. My hands slid up to cup her cheeks, my thumbs gently wiping her tears away. A breathless laugh came from her as she looked up at me. "I love you too, Raph." She choked out, more tears streaming down her face. I then pulled her into me, closing the gap between us until our lips met. I couldn't help the tears that soaked my mask and stained my cheeks. She's all I care about.

Donnie

"Come again?" I asked when chief Vincent said Y/n was a mutant. So many thoughts ran through my mind, everyone else's voice being drowned out. "Um, if you don't mind me asking chief, what kind of mutant?" I asked, adjusting my glasses a bit. "A turtle....like you guys." We all look over to see Robin walking up. "Where's Dr.Blood." I look over at Raph who was becoming huffy. "Unfortunately, Dr.Blood had to go incognito much more early than we hoped. I'll have to do the same when this is all over and done with. The facility Y/n was kept in found our trail just a few minutes ago. It'll take them a while to find out that she's in New York so we have a team creating a fake trail from New York to many other locations."

Again, my mind raced. 'She was kept at a facility? I'll have to ask about that later. If anyone was going to make sure Y/n stays safe, it's me.' I thought to myself. "Raph, that's enough. We'll worry about that later." Leo said, pulling me from my thoughts. "Where's Y/n now?" Leo asked. "Follow me. She's over here." Vincent said walking off to her left. We followed behind but it didn't take long before we slowed to a stop upon seeing Y/n. She and April seemed to be having a conversation until Leo spoke up. "Y/n?" He asked. I watch as her attention was pulled towards us as soon as she heard him. "Guys." Her voice was soft and a bit shaky. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes as she took a breath. "Y/n!" Mikey cried out excitedly as he ran towards her. He caught her in a bear hug, picking her up and spinning her around.

I couldn't contain my excitement either as I wasn't far behind Mikey. We both hugged her tightly as Raph and then Leo joined the hug. Everything seemed to drown out when we separated. All the sounds becoming muffled as my attention focused on her. "C'mon guys, let's go," Leo said. I shook my head as I followed my brothers and Y/n to a nearby manhole where we disappeared into the shadows.

Back at the Lair

Time seemed to fly by, everyone but me was asleep. I got in contact with Robin who was happy to fill me in on everything. I went straight to work, creating a system that would make an endless trail of places Y/n could possibly be. I also took it upon myself to erase whatever digital records the facility had on her which seemed to be most of the information about her. I sighed, feeling relieved that Y/n would be safe. My fingers lightly tapped on the arms of my chair. I turned in my seat to look in the direction of Y/n's room and perked up a bit when I noticed her light still on. I stood and walked over.

"Still awake I see." I lightly smile at her as I walk towards her. "Oh, yeah. I guess I'm just not as tired as I thought I was." She said, her e/c eyes look at me. "Well, rest a sure, darling, you no longer have to worry about the facility finding you. I took the liberty of making sure of that." I inform while I took a seat on the floor next to her. 'Wait.....did I just call her darling?' I mentally slap myself for it but keep cool but the look she gave me says she caught it. "Ehm, s-so uh....It's been a long and interesting night." I say rubbing the back of my neck while my cheeks heat up. "Yeah." She giggled at me. "It has." She added before leaning into me. Instinctively, my arm wraps around her. Her head rested on my shoulder as she sighs.

"Listen, Y/n. I think this is a better time than never to tell you," I sigh and lean forward, my forearms resting on my thighs as I slouch, "I....really like you." I turn my head to the side to look at her. "You do?" She tilted her head before a small smile found its way onto her face. "If it's too much right now the-" "No, it's not because I like you too, Donnie." She cut me off, placing a gentle hand on my bicep. A smile spread across my face before I leaned closer to her. "Then...I hope you don't mind me doing this." I whisper before planting a tender kiss on her lips. I feel her hands wrap around my neck as she returned the gesture of affection.

I found myself pulling her into my lap, the kiss turning more passionate. We separated, looking into each other's eyes. "I won't let anyone harm you ever again. I promise, Y/n."

Mikey

"Relax Raph, at least she's alive and well bro." I nudge trying to keep the mood light. Sure she was kidnapped but at least she's back now. "Um, if you don't mind me asking chief, what kind of mutant?" Donnie asked as he adjusted his glasses. "A turtle....like you guys." We all look over to see that cute nurse, Robin, from the station. "Where's Dr.Blood," Raph said while he shifted from one foot to the other. "Unfortunately, Dr.Blood had to go incognito much more early than we hoped. I'll have to do the same when this is all over and done with. The facility Y/n was kept in found our trail just a few minutes ago. It'll take them a while to find out that she's in New York so we have a team creating a fake trail from New York to many other locations."

"A facility? What else did that doctor forget to leave out." I looked back at Raph who seemed about ready to lose his temper. "Raph, that's enough. We'll worry about that later." Leo said. Raph let out a grunt and rolled his eyes at our older brother. "Where's Y/n now?" We look to Vincent as Leo asked. "Follow me. She's over here." Vincent said walking off to her left. We followed behind but it didn't take long before we slowed to a stop upon seeing Y/n. The excitement when I saw her practically boiled over. "Y/n?" Leo said. I watch as her attention was pulled towards us as soon as she heard him. "Guys." Her voice was soft and a bit shaky. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes and her lip quiver. "Y/n!" I cried out excitedly and ran towards her. I couldn't bear seeing her so emotional. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, picked her up, and spun her around.

"I thought I'd never see you guys again!" She cried as she returned the tight hug. My brothers soon joined the hug. We stayed like that for a moment before separating. I watched as Y/n wiped the tears from her face. "Sooo, what now?" I asked looking over my shoulder at Leo while I held Y/n gently. "Well, the sun will be coming up soon. I suggest you all head back to the sewers." Vincent suggested. I looked at chef Vincent before looking back at Leo. "C'mon guys, let's go," Leo said before we all headed back home.

Back at the Lair

After Raph went to bed after helping Y/n get settled in, I happily strode into in to wish her goodnight. "Hey, Y/n!" I chirp and catch her gaze. When our eyes locked, I suddenly felt sheepish. "U-um, I just want to uh...wish you goodnight. We got a lot of catching up to do tomorrow!" I say, trying to keep up my happy-go-lucky tune, bumping her arm with mine. "Thanks, Mikey but are you okay?" She asked tilting her head at me. "Y-yeah, of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" I reply. 'Crap she's good.' I think to myself. "Because you aren't usually this nervous." The sound of her giggles filled the room and made my heart flutter. "Is there something both-" I couldn't help it anymore. My arm slipped around her waist as I pulled her into a deep kiss. "I really like you, okay? That's what's bothering me." I admit when we separate.

A smile replaced the shock on her now soft face. "I really like you too, Mikey. I always have." Her silky voice flooded my ears, my nervousness dissipating at her words. I was probably grinning like an idiot but I didn't care. She's all that matters to me at this moment. "Goodnight, Mikey." She said, planting a gentle kiss on my cheek. "Goodnight, Y/n," I reply before leaving her room. I closed her door on my way out and walked over to Raph's and my shared room. "Yes, yes, yes!" I fist pumped and whisper shouted as to not wake Raph up. I then flop onto my bed a dumb smile on my face. "I can't wait for tomorrow."

[kryptored]

She’s Shady and Sketchy...(2)

I’m back. I really want to thank everyone for the feedback I received for part 1 of SSaS. The amount of notes I got was phenomenal, I almost couldn't believe it. Really, thank you everyone. 

Now, about part 2 - the typos during the group chat portion are as intended, because it’s not a group chat if no one’s screwing up what they're saying. I know they're supposed to speak French so, the formatting of their words are different, but I'm referencing the use of English in - you all get the point, right? Je ne parle pas français; I’ve only finished the elementary course. I tried to make it look authentic, but we’ll see. Also, a shout-out to @writingishfanonsideblog​ for pointing out the pun (you have no idea how long I was waiting for someone to see that). 

PART 2:...when she goes on and raves

In a room above the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie

Marinette is severely stressed. At the moment, she is reminding herself that she needs a break from everything – being Ladybug and the new Guardian, keeping up with her commissions, helping out at the bakery, being the class representative, etc. Clearly, it was somewhat working as Adrien could see from his position. He watches the girl lying down on his lap as he treads his fingers through her soft, dark hair. Her eyes are closed in content (kind of), the lines on her forehead slowly melting away. He smiles lopsidedly as he notices her cute nose crinkle and wiggle every few seconds, her lips in a pout as her mind continues to spew thoughts and ideas inside her mind. He reaches out a finger to boop her nose and says, “Hey, I can hear you thinking. You’re supposed to relax.”

Marinette opens her eyes, her brows even more furrowed. “And I told you that I can’t help it.” She tries to swat his hand that hovers over her face. Adrien laughs as he avoids her hand, returning to combing through her hair. She closes her eyes again and tries to go back to her halfway-decent relaxed state that Adrien so often made fun of her for. Oh, did she mention they’ve gotten closer?

To her amazement, Adrien had finally understood the extent of what Lila was doing. It was quite awkward at first, what with how Marinette was struggling to keep her composure in front of the same person she had fallen in love with beyond his looks. Adrien, on the other hand, was starting to realize that Marinette is someone so precious to him that he would do anything to help her, even if it meant he had to grow a backbone or two. It was working, thankfully, and had not backlashed on him. He had started to be less lenient with Lila’s inappropriate approach and invasion of his personal space, to which he made sure to mention to his father. For once, he felt that he was his father’s son because the day after his confession, he had found himself free of Lila’s grasp (literally and metaphorically). She was still modeling for the brand, though (to the disappointment of him and the many staff who found her performance lacking).

That did not mean the same for Marinette, though. He may have finally stood up to Lila, but Marinette was taking the brunt of her anger. Just recently, his friend told him how Lila was being more aggressive in her approaches, to the point where most of the class were starting to treat Marinette at arm’s length. They could clearly see that the class was taking sides, and it wasn’t theirs. Alya and Nino had been at the forefront of convincing him to talk sense into Marinette and giving Lila a chance. For some reason, they forgot how uncomfortable and mortified he felt whenever the latter came close to him without his permission. They weren’t that close, let alone friends. They were working the same job, at most. Physical contact was definitely not acceptable when he says so.

THE GOOD KIDS (11)

It’syagirlALYA: Hey, Lila. good to hear you’re doing fine, girl!

DeLila: I just don’t want to worry everyone.

It’syagirlALYA: It’s okay, don’t worry about it.

rose-pink: that’s right, Lila!

DeLila: anyway, about what I said…

            I just really think that marinette needs to be…

           Controlled.

jabberwocky: controlled? She’s not an animal.

sea-monkey: yeah, it kinda sounds…

                     haarhs

                     hars

                     harsh

DeLila: Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. Im just saying she needs to be stopped.

            She needs to know what it feels like to be bullied.

brainf.Art: Hey, I think destroying her sketchbook is too much. I wouldn’t do the         

                 same if another person, especially an artist, was being mean to me. 

Jules: Nath’s right. If Marinette’s gone that bad, we shouldn’t stoop so low.

rose-pink: We’d be the bullies!

jabberwocky: besides, she already knows what it feels like to be bullied.

                      Remember chloé?

DeLila: Oh, Im not saying we bully her. Just, I dunno, give her a warning?

It’syagirlALYA: How bout this, lila: we try to keep you 2 apart as much as

                       possible.

DeLila: But…what if it doesn’t work? Or I just approach her again to really try be      

            friends with her?

It’syagirlALYA: Look, girl – we’ve known Mari for a long time. Well, more so the 

                       others, but yo get the point.

kneeknow: what Alya means is that you let us handle it for oyu.

sunflower: that way, no one fights anyone.

DeLila: Oh, that’s a nice idea.

sun: Yeah, it is.

DeLila: Anyway, I was wondering if one of you could help me with our math 

           homework? I was just os distracted thinking about the charity Ive been

           doing with Prince Ali on Tuesday that I wanst able to concentrate.

Maximus: I believe I can be of assistance.

DeLila: Thanks, Max! do you think you could send me a copy? It’s just, my mom  

            wants me to attend some very important meetings so, I won’t really have 

            much time.

Maximus: Oh. I suppose so, yes.

DeLila: Great!

It’syagirlALYA: Maybe you should take a break now.

sea-monkey: Sleeep.

Jules: Rest.

DeLila: Um, why?

Am I bothering all of you now?

rose-pink: No!

sunflower: it’s just, you said your head was hurting a while ago and we don’t 

                want to make it come back

rose-pink: or wrse!

                 worse.

sun: yeah

DeLila: Oh! Right.

             I’ll see everyone tomorrow, then?

It’syagirlALYA: Sure.

kneeknow: Yeah.

DeLila: Bye, everyone!

jabberwocky: Yup, bye.

sea-monkey: See ya.

brainf.Art: bey.

                  bye.

sunflower: bye!

sun: bye.

Jules: yeah, bye.

rose-pink: bye-bye!

Maximus: Good-bye.

HOLD THE EFF UP (10)

It’syagirlALYA: I just had a realization.

                         Lila kept claiming she’s Ladybug’s bff, but that kinda sounds iffy

kneeknow: what makes you sya that, Als?

It’syagirlALYA: I never relly got a chance to ask LB herself but…

                         why would someone like lila deliberately tell me, the   

                         LABYBLOGGER

                        That she’s Paris’s superheroine’s bff, knowing that Hawkmoth 

                        could easily use her against LB?!

jabberwocky: holy sh*t, youre right!

sea-monkey: I may not be the smartest, but even I know that’s dumb.

rose-pink: which means Lila is inn danger!

Maximus: as seen during Animan hunting you down.

Sea-monkey: MAX!

                        It wasn’t my best moment, okay?

sunflower: and her family!

Jules: she’s not in danger…

brainf.Art: Juleka!

Jules: let me finish: she’s not in danger, she put herself in danger.

sun: does that mean lila’s not really friends with ladybug?

It’syagirlALYA: guess I’ll have to hunt down LB if we want to find out ourselves.

brainf.Art: what if ladybug deflecting about it is just a tactic to protect her?

Jules: I’ll do you one better: why didn’t lila know better than telling other people 

           something tha could be passed on to HM

           No offence, Alya.

It’syagirlALYA: none taken.

kneeknow: Juleka’s right. It’s one thing when LB pretends she doesn’t know 

                    someone for safety reasons. It’s another when you don’t know who 

                    could possibly be listening or watching the interview and they plan 

                    to do with it.

sun: wasn’t there something on the news about someone claiming to be Chat’s 

        girlfriend who ended up being kidnapped by an akuma as bait?

sea-monkey: ooh! I remememember that!

Maximus: She was heavily reprimanded by Ladybug and Chat Noir, not to 

                 mention her parents for endangering herself.

jabberwocky: hey Alya, weren’t there somepoeple who tried to call her out on 

                       the interview?

It’syagirlALYA: who? The girl ivan was talking about?

jabberwocky: No.

                        I mean Lila.

Maximus: Alix is correct. I seem to recall about 27% of your comment section 

                 filled with doubts and proclamations of disbelief.

It’syagirlALYA: I think this calls for another meeting. But this time, for different 

                        reasons.  

Come tomorrow morning, 10 people in class had a wary look in their eyes. Lila had yet to arrive, but asides from them, Chloé and Sabrina were already seated and talking about whatever it was that had them busy yesterday. Along the front rows, Marinette is seen to be chatting excitedly with Adrien. Now that they think about it, they hadn’t realized when exactly those two got comfortable and closer together (particularly Marinette). After all, it wasn’t much of a secret except for Adrien that the girl had a huge crush on the model. Alya and Nino, mostly, were very confused on how they missed the development on the interaction between their best friends. But before any of them could comment on the newly discovered development, the real person who had been running on their minds had finally arrived.

“Hi, everyone! It’s so good to see you all this wonderful morning.” They never really thought much about it, but Lila always did have this overly sweet tone. It was different compared to Rose’s own way of talking. “I’m glad to announce that nothing too bad came off from my head injury, but I want to also let you know that I got…”

Huh. Not that they didn’t care about the well-being of others, but Lila always did have a way of putting a lot of attention on her. But really, for how long and how much she’d told them, it was too hard to ignore that she always did talk about herself.

“…I could also introduce you guys to…”

Introductions. Hm… well, that was one word they were well acquainted with. There wasn’t one a time they hadn’t heard Lila mention someone new and promise introducing them. it wasn’t that they were using her for her ‘connections,’ but she could at least try to avoid making promises she would suddenly forget about.

Their eyes narrow down on her, following her every move while she is none the wiser of the sudden change of how they see her. Things hadn’t been easy after the short meeting among those in attendance. Doubt had been planted among their minds and initially, none of them knew whether to weed it out or to water it with curiosity. Lila, thinking she has their trust still, goes on and raves of the many things she’s supposedly done.

Lila approaches the one person she knows is her greatest ‘fan,’ Alya, and proceeds to shower her with the many tales she had spun that involved name droppings and not-so-subtle self-praise. She goes on, thinking that all is well, but the others are actually more inclined to observe the same person they once believed at the drop of her hat. They are listening to her words carefully, only this time with more awareness.

TAGS:

@animergirlweeb @sturchling @plsltmesleep @theyellowfeverexperience @rudy-ruby @j-a-n-e--d-o-e @queenmj10 @krispydefendorpolice @the-delta-42

Is that everyone?

[i-loves-my-lemurs]

Fanfic writer's director's commentary! Thanks to @candycoloredwolf for the ask! I chose to talk about my first panchulien oneshot 'Wanna Dance?'. I wrote it in a single night on impulse so there's a few grammar mistakes and other stuff I noticed upon revisiting it.

I probably went way overboard on my commentary (oops) but it was so much fun going through it all. I hope this is entertaining.

.............

*the crocodile ambassador gave him an unusually soft smile.*

After everything that's happened in the show, I feel like the croc ambassador would have warmed up to Julien quite a bit and come to respect him as a leader. Also he's trying to butter Julien up before complaining about one of his subjects.

*provided they were on their best behaviour. It had said on the invitation that it was a 'sophisticated' event, so Maurice had managed to wrangle all of the lemurs into formal wear, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, dancing in pairs to the soft music*

Man, I just love it when characters dress up in fancy outfits and go dancing together (like in the prom episode). One of my favourite tropes in fact, so I just had to throw it in there!

*but still all this fancy partnered dancing wasn't entirely to the ringtail's taste.*

As much as I like the formal dancing stuff, it wouldn't be something Julien would enjoy, so he's already looking for an excuse to bounce and throw his own afterparty. He's only stayed so far to try and be polite and improve relations between their kingdoms or something else that Maurice told him to do.

*Clover, Sage and the rest of the mountain lemur kingdom was there, and the king and queen were happily sharing a waltz. Maurice was dancing with his sister while Prince Brodney was teaching their children the steps*

This takes place after the show's finale, but without the inclusion of the zoosters, so sort of like a parallel universe? Where Julien and Clover are monarchs together, which I think is neat. Also People tend to forget that Maurice has a sister, myself included really, and I kinda wish they'd had more cute bonding moments, so I gave then a brother/sister dance.

*even Pancho was leaning against a tree*

Aside from the main squad (excluding Mort of course) Pancho is the only minor lemur that Julien really mentions here. Almost like he was looking for him specifically. Hmmm....

*He caught Julien's eye and winked. Julien chuckled fondly.*

Casual flirt.

*"I do have a minor issue with the behaviour of one of your, ahem, subjects*

That little cough just feels like something the croc ambassador would do when he's embarrassed, or to sound authoritative, so he did.

*Julien tore his eyes away from Pancho*

"Tore his eyes away" almost like he didnt want to look away. Hmmm...

*The anxious lemur was currently giggling as he twirled his new boyfriend around*

Ah, I just want Willie to be happy and have a good time with his bf. He deserves to laugh more. New boyfriend infers that they're in the early stages of their relationship, so they're just messing around being silly and cute and having fun together.

*but Horst and Mary Ann weren't doing much better.*

Horst and Mary Ann deserve a nice romantic dance. It would be pretty awkward because she's twice his size and can only really walk on all fours, but they don't even care. They just cut their own path through the dance floor and ignore everyone else, no matter how annoyed the other dancers are because they keep getting in the way.

*"Well, they're both males!" He said. "It's completely unnatural, wouldn't you agree?"*

Oof, the croc ambassador wants that snooty monarch solidarity with Julien since he's the most popular king in Madagascar, but that ain't happening any time soon. Not with that attitude!

*Julien was lost for words. He had known ever since he was young that he liked boys. Every male in the kingdom liked boys! In fact, it was considered a little unusual if you WEREN'T interested in the same gender.*

I like the idea that homosexuality is just the norm in the party kingdom, kinda like She-Ra. People are just gay and nobody thinks anything of it and coming out is celebrated. Julien doesn't care if you're gay or straight though, he just cares for his peeps and wants them to love who they love.

*whatever their genders were*

A subtle difference between Julien and the croc ambassador, Julien says 'genders' while croc ambassador says 'sexes' because Julien is more open to the idea of gender not being confined to biology.

*Julien took a few deep breaths and tried desperately to not get angry.

"What's the problem man, they're just dancing." He remarked in what he hoped was a neutral tone.*

Julien tries to keep his cool here, a bit of his character development showing. He now knows that everything doesnt have to be a scene, so keeps his temper. It's also kind of to protect Willie and his partner though. He knows they're having a good time and he doesn't want to bring to their attention that their host doesn't like what they're doing, because he knows they'll be upset.

 *"rather not have it ruined by such atrocities being committed!"*

And this was the point where I started to hate the croc ambassador too while writing.

*"Oh, hey Julio." Pancho smiled at him. "I was just gonna-"*

Pancho was just gonna say that he was bored with the party and wanted to leave. He would have asked if Julien wanted to come with (he could tell Julio was getting bored and he couldn't have THAT), which would have been a different fanfiction entirely.

*"Wanna dance?" Julien said.*

I honestly can't remember if I thought of the title or this line first.

*He considered sticking his tongue out at the reptile's back, but ultimately decided that such a juvenile display wasn't the best way to get his point across.*

Again, character development. Julien has matured (a little) and realised that there are better, more fulfilling ways of getting revenge.

*"OK." Pancho said with a shrug, and slid his paw over to Julien's waist,*

Once Pancho can mentally catch up with what's going on, he rolls with it. In fact, he sorta likes the idea of dancing with Julien, and had been trying to gather the courage to ask him for most of the night. I wonder why...

*As they danced though, he began to feel his attention drawn to a different place: how smooth Pancho was on the dance floor,*

We all know Julien's attention span is not great, so there's no way he's going to be able to stay angry when he's too busy being distracted by Pancho's smoothness.

*He raised an eyebrow. "You just couldn't resist?"*

Not entirely subtle flirt.

*"But you know, you're not a bad pick." He patted Pancho on the arm.*

Not entirely subtle either flirt.

*"Abner over there's been missing steps and stumbling all night!" He glanced over at Abner and his wife with a small frown.*

Poor Abner, he's the one getting picked on tonight. Bit of a running gag here.

*Pancho's eyes widened and he instinctively pulled Julien closer, whether it was to shield him or to further prove the point, Julien couldn't tell, but the ringtail wasn't complaining.*

Pancho does pull Julien closer on instinct to protect him, he knows how badly homophobia would hurt Julien's feelings. Julien is just loving it though. He was more angry for Willie's sake than hurt anyways.

*"But us lemurs dance with guys all the time!" Pancho exclaimed. "I've seen you kiss four different guys at a party once! What's his problem?"

"That's what I'm saying, wait I did what?"*

Even if they weren't a couple, dancing together is just something the males would do. They're that casual. And of course Julien would go around kissing everybody at his parties when he gets drunk enough. Poor Julien doesnt remember half of what he does at parties though.

*"Oh no, I don't mind." Pancho remarked, then cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away.*

Awkward silence much? Internally Pancho is just screaming *why did you say that?!" because he doesn't know how to handle his feelings right now, especially not with Julien so close.

(For any other ballroom dance enthusiasts, what they're dancing would be a mix between a waltz and a slow dance. Like a casual, less fancy waltz that's quite easy for them to get the hang of, but still quite romantic and personal).

*"You know Julio, I don't think he's gonna notice." Pancho remarked.*

But eventually Pancho plucks up the courage. They're already dancing, he tells himself. And Julien just wants to make the crocodile ambassador mad. Julien kisses people platonically all the time so he won't question it. If he doesnt like it, say you were doing it to piss off the crocodiles. And if he does like it... well...

*"Well, I had an idea." Pancho was avoiding his gaze again."*

He's still nervous of course, but he's made up his mind. It's all or nothing, baby!

*"Lay it on me." Julien said.*

And he does! Literally!

*And holy Sky Gods.*

I was tempted to have this line be 'holy crap' or 'holy sh*t' because that's what I would say idk but holy sky gods just works better for the show's lore, and allows the story to keep a G rating.

*All thoughts of spiting the crocodile ambassador had been fully driven from his mind*

Julien just gets so caught up in the moment, he's all "what crocodile ambassador?" he just wants to keep kissing.

*Julien stroked his paw through Pancho's soft fur and deepened their kiss.*

I imagine Pancho's fur would be very soft, he's always playing around with explosives so he's bound to get his fur burnt off every now and then, and it grows back softer.

This was the first time I wrote the lemurs kissing, so it's not the most explicit thing in the world. I probably couldn't write an explicit kiss scene to save my life though.

*"Hoo-ah." Pancho sighed softly.*

Hoo-ah" is exactly what Pancho would say after having his mind blown by a kiss like that. Just no thoughts, head Julien.

*"Yeah, crocodile ambassador certainly thinks so." Pancho said, a wild grin overcoming his face*

Heh heh, Pancho's happy because he just got to kiss his crush (and he liked it!) But also because he can see the croc ambassador is pissed and he loves the opportunity to mess.

*some looking angry, some looking intrigued*

Some of the crocs are intrigued because they've never been able to be open about who they are or experiment because of compulsory heterosexuality in their kingdom. Seeing two guys just being so open about their attraction to each other would definitely help them rethink things. They've never seen gay love expressed like this and it's new and exciting.

*Julien's face broke out into an ecstatic grin.

"Yeah that's right!" He called wildly. "I kissed a guy! At your party! Boom, I like kissing guys! Ha, suck on that loser! Woohoo!"*

Oh the sweet triumph of proving a point. This rant was a joy to write, it just feels very Julien.

*He grabbed Pancho's hand and held it up.*

Grab your boyfriend's hand, hold it aloft like a prize.

*"I'm like ninety percent sure Ted likes kissing guys!"*

Haha, poor Teddy needs to be extracted from the closet, pronto. Julien just has an excellent gaydar.

* and tucked a protective arm around his daughter's shoulders, turning her away from Julien.*

I imagine princess Amy would have some questions after this, questions which her father would definitley struggle to answer. If she really wants to find out what Pancho and Julien were doing, I imagine she'd visit the party kingdom alone, and the lemurs would be happy to answer her questions. Pancho and Julien may have ushered in a new era for the crocodile kingdom and their relationship with LGBT+.

*There came a cheer from the crowd of lemurs and they all began to head off the dance floor*

Of course the other lemurs go with Julien immediately, he's their king after all and the moment he suggests that someone might not be cool with their sexualities, they're ready to bounce.

*Clover and Sage at the front hand in hand,*

Clover and Sage would definitley be behind Julien 100%. The moment he declares that they're out of there, they just drop everything to leave with him.

*some mountain lemur ladies holding hands too.*

Mountain lemur lesbians? Anyone? I just think it's neat.

*"You read my mind, Julio."

Julien pulled Pancho towards him and tried to ignore how it felt like there was a little party going on in his stomach when Pancho called him that.*

Julien really likes that name! I see it as an affectionate nickname Pancho gave him that eventually just evolves into a pet name that makes Julien a little warm and fuzzy inside every time he hears it.

*Julien's heart leapt with joy to see Willie clutching his boyfriend's hands as they danced.*

Daaaww, Julien might pick on Willie but at the end of the day he likes to see him happy. He's glad they don't have to stay at a party where their dancing is scrutinised.

*Pancho rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as they stood face to face. "I'm sorry about kissing you, I just-"*

Now that there's some distance between them, Pancho has had time to think and wonder "oh sheesh, what if I messed it up, what if he only felt like it was platonic" and he's now all embarrassed, poor leem. He's just a guy in love.

*He nodded, then cleared his throat in an attempt to get a grip on his emotions. "You know, um, while we were dancing*

And now we see Julien trying to hold it together, these two are just so precious and I can totally see them stumbling over their feelings like that.

*kissed Pancho on the forehead, giggling slightly at the other lemur's squeak of surprise.*

Pancho is the perfect height for affectionate forehead kisses, let's not forget it!

*Pancho and Julien headed onto the dancefloor together and moved their bodies to the beat.*

They would have spent the night together just dancing and vibing (and making out probably).

*Nobody there who gave them the stink-eye or who told them that they were wrong. They danced and had fun and kissed without a care in the world. Julien felt so happy that his kingdom was a place where he could kiss Pancho all he liked.*

Ah I really went to town on the "love is love" concept here, didn't I? Well, a theme is a theme.

Julien's just really happy at the place he's created. He's glad they can dance and kiss and all that jazz, and he did that, he created a kingdom free of prejudice. It's exactly how I can see the kingdom's relationship with LGBT+ going down, a place where they're all just happy to vibe and be themselves.

.........

And that's the end. I hope you enjoyed this premium insight into my writings, and if you want commentary on another of my stories, or just have random questions, then my inbox is always open :)

[jenn-i-guess]

The Sun’s Not the Only Thing That Burns//Kiribaku

Kirishima invites Bakugou to take a walk on the beach, but forgets to put on sunscreen. Insert extra strength aloe vera and a hot headed Kacchan to the rescue!

He quickly rapped his knuckles against the firm wooden door, not once-not twice-but three times, wanting to make sure the person on the other side heard it. Kirishima was nervous to say the least, clearing his schedule for the day to hang out with Bakugou had wracked his mind (as well as his heart but he wouldn’t believe that). He’d only ever hung out with the guy during classes-when he tutored him-and some small time outside of UA before they moved into the dorms, when they would walk home together. The more time spent together, the more Kirishima wanted to learn more about the moody blonde, and what exactly his deal with Midoriya was-but he assumed he wouldn’t get that far today.

The dorms were full of life as the rest of his friends were getting ready to go places, excited that they finally had a free day to relax after their intense training and sparring against each other. Kaminari, Sero and Mina were supposedly hitting the town, inviting Kirishima as well but smirked knowingly when he told them his plans.

“Just be careful! I hope you know what you’re doing.” Mina jokingly warned, dressed down in jean shorts and a white tank top, brushing his shoulder as she walked passed him. Kirishima rolled his eyes, clenching his fists as he heard the muffled sound of footsteps getting quicker as they approached the door.

“Oi! What d’you want?” A very tired Bakugou popped open the door, normally fuzzy hair spiked around in weird angles. So this is what bedhead Katsuki looks like...cute.

Bakugou was glaring straight at him, eyebrows furrowed as he waited for an answer. “Oh! Morning sleeping beauty.” Kiri joked, rubbing his calloused fingers against his neck in a anxious manner.

Katsuki narrowed his crimson eyes at him, and if Kirishima stared hard enough he swore he saw faint pink marks flushing his cheeks, maybe from the remark of him being a sleeping beauty? Whatever was the cause, the sight made his heart soar. “What do ya want?” He yawned, rubbing one of his still narrowed eyes.

Kirishima pouted at him, he could’ve sworn he asked Bakugou about his plans yesterday and the latter had agreed to come along. “Ah, well remember what I said yesterday? About...the beach?” He mused, watching as a look of realization dawned upon Bakugou’s face, his eyes returning back to their normal state of scowling.

His eyes darted down Kirishima’s figure, noticing his bright red swim shorts and plain white t-shirt, and scowling even more-maybe in disgust- at his also bright red crocs. Kiri felt slightly self-conscious underneath his gaze and crossed his arms in front of him, pursing his lips while waiting for Bakugou to answer.

The blonde slapped his large hand on his cheek and mumbled out something that sounded like “give me a second” while turning on his heel and walking inwards more into his room, leaving his door open. Kirishima stood in the same spot, staring into the darkness of Katsuki’s room like a deer caught in headlights.

“Eh, Katsuki?” Kirishima called out, slowly creeping into the dark room, crocs squeaking with every step that he took.

 “What, Shitty-Hair?”

Kiri flinched as he looked around the dimly lit room, searching for the source of his voice. He found Katsuki hunched over, stuffing what looked like a plastic bottle of water and a bundled pair of socks into his black backpack. As he stood up, swinging the backpack over his shoulders, Kirishima noted that he wore different clothes than what he saw him wearing only a little while ago.

Black swim trunks with red streaks across it and a black sleeveless hoodie, and if Bakugou moved to the side enough he could see the slight shape of his nipple, which if Kirishima thought about it for too long, made his face burst into colors. Luckily the room was so dark.

He felt a shoulder breeze past him and looked backwards as the blonde stood by the door, staring back at the red-head. “Well?” He asked, red eyes staring a little more softly into Kiri’s own red ones.

Kirishima cocked his head, but the realization suddenly flooded him and his toothy grin made its way onto his face. “Let’s go then!” He ran to keep up with Bakugou.

The beach wasn’t as crowded as it would’ve been on the weekends, but the vendors that sold various food and drinks were still on the boardwalk, greeting the two UA students as they walked by.

“S’fuckin annoying.” Katsuki mumbled, fists stuffed in his hoodie pockets as they walked down onto the actual beach, the sun’s rays beaming down on them, giving Kirishima a painfully tingly sensation but he put it off for now.

“Aww, it’s not so bad! They like us!” Kirishima cheerfully exclaimed, watching as the scowl on Katsuki’s face only deepened.

“Tch.” Was all that came out of his mouth as he stopped walking, staring out at the open sea. Kirishima stopped walking as well, looking back at the blonde as a strong wind wrapped around them both, rustling their hair.

The wind ruffled Bakugou’s hair more as his had less gel in it to get more spikey, and he huffed out a breath of frustration as he raked his fingers through his blonde locks, trying desperately to get it sort of neat. Neater than it was before. Kirishima laughed at the scene in front of him, wiggling one of his feet out of the crocs and digging his toe into the sand.

“Y’know, your crocs are fucking horrible.” Katsuki muttered, jabbing his own feet into the sole of the shoes.

The outburst made Kirishima laugh, moving his hand son that he could scratch a spot below his back that started to get really itchy all of a sudden.

But not the kind of itch that when you scratched it was pleasurable to get rid of. No, the kind of itch that...that burned.

“Ack!” He moved his hand away suddenly, the reaction causing Katsuki to move his head quickly to look at him. “The fuck was that?” He yelled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“I don’t...I don’t know.” Kirishima answered truthfully, carefully picking at the burning spot again, getting the same reaction though.

“Holy shit dude.” Katsuki muttered, moving so that he could take a look at Kiri’s back, “You’re red as fuck!” He touched the back of his neck, which was also red and also extremely painful.

“Didn’t you put sunscreen on, dumbfuck?”

“Ah,” Did he? Now that he thought about it, he doesn’t remember if he ever bought sunscreen to keep in his dorms. “No...?” He answered, which trailed off to sound more like a question, which he mentally face-palmed himself for.

“Fuckin hell.” Suddenly a hand brought him back from his thoughts as Katsuki’s own rough hands clasped his own, and Bakugou dragged him along, his feet stomping in the sand. Kirishima walked in a daze, his hand tingling under the others sweaty palm.

“Eh, sorry?” Kirishima chuckled nervously, trying to make the red on his face seem like it was from the sun.

They stopped suddenly and Kiri realized that they had stopped under a spot of shade, from one of the vendor umbrellas and Katsuki violently almost pushed him underneath to sit down. “Ouch.” Kiri joked, staring up at Bakugou as the latter shrugged his backpack off and crouched down to sit directly in front of him.

“Take off your shirt.” He mumbled, casually saying so as he zipped open his bag and reached inside, searching around for something.

Kirishima felt his cheeks flush furiously, and stammered as he nervously fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt. “W-what?”

“Just take it off so I can put this on it, Shitty-Hair.” Bakugou held in from of his a smaller plastic bottle, filled with greenish-clear gel. Aloe vera. Kirishima grimaced before pulling up the t-shirt over his head, wincing as the fabric brushed against the burns.

He knew how much aloe vera stinged, especially if you put it on a sunburn. Kirishima shuffled around awkwardly so that his back was in front of Bakugou and braced himself for rough hands pressing harshly against the burns.

Instead, however, he was met with gentle fingertips, lightly pressing against the mark and rubbing over the area. He shivered when his skin made contact with the cold gel, and also shivered at the fact that Bakugou Katsuki, mister I-don’t-like-any-physical-contact was touching him.

“Should’ve worn sunscreen, Hair-for-Brains.” Bakugou spoke, talking so lightly that Kirishima had to strain his ears to hear him.

“Aw, but then I wouldn’t have you taking care of me!” He smiled brightly even though he doubted that the other could see him.

“Sh-shut up!” Bakugou yelled, stuttering ever so slightly but still, he stuttered.

Kirishima turned around a little so that he could see his face, which was flushing a pretty pink. His eyes adverted from Kirishima’s gaze but it didn’t matter if he could still see him. 

“Ow! Be careful!” Kirishima yelped suddenly, when Bakugou pressed too hard on his damaged skin.

“Then stop moving dammit!”

Kiri pouted before turning around once more, fully facing Bakugou. He stopped moving his hand, narrowing his eyes up at him, aware that he was acting suspicious.

He drew in a quick breath before ducking down and pressing a quick chaste kiss to the tip of Bakugou’s nose, drawing back up quickly before the the other could say or do anything.

As he opened his eyes once more, he took in the sight of blushing Bakugou, mouth opening and closing like a fish, eyes cast downwards as if he was internally trying to figure out what had happened.

Meanwhile Kiri turned back around, hiding his flushed face between his hands, worried that he had possibly, maybe, just completely fucked up whatever friendship he had had with Bakugou, until he felt again fragile fingertips, hesitant in touching his skin once again, but kept continuing the actions of sliding the cool gel across Kiri’s burned areas.

Kiri’s skin was not the only thing burning in that moment, and he smiled to himself stupidly as he felt chapped lips press down a quick peck to the back of his neck. 

[pencilwritessometimes]

A Dragon’s Eccentricates (Part two)

Wattpad link

Part One

TW: Curse word

The next day

Lillian woke up to the sound of birds chirping. She yawned, not fully awake, then rolled over in her bed. She stayed in that position for about five minutes before realizing that her father was leaving on another business trip, and would expect her to be at the door to say goodbye. In gaudy clothes that he thought were “normal”. If this was normal, she didn’t like it that much.

So she got out of bed, and put on a fancy dress, a bit of makeup, then styled her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror. Tall, and a bit lanky. Fair skin, bright green eyes, and long black hair that was half-up, half-down. Instead of her usual lilac dress with a bit of black embroidery, she was wearing something pink and frilly, much like Lottie’s princess dress from The Princess and The Frog. But underneath the mess of frills, were a worn out pair of leather Victorian-Style boots her mother had slipped her once. (At least she thought it was her mother, they were sitting unmarked at the foot of her bed one day.) No one- not even her father- could make her take off her boots.

She looked at the clock- 7:25. Five minutes to get downstairs. It might sound like a lot, but as she never got used to walking in really fancy dresses, it might be a close call. 

As she walked downstairs, she thought of her father. She had mixed feelings for him. On one hand, she loved him with all her heart. He cared about her. He always made sure to be home on her birthday, even if he had to tell his work he was “sick”. But on the other hand, she didn’t much like his ideals. She remembered a day when she was five or six. She had told him about how she wanted to share stories with the world! But he said that it was a man’s job. That men were the ones to share stories. A women’s job was to get married, then have and raise kids. That was all.

And then came the part that she would never-could never-forget.

“But Father, what if a woman doesn’t want to get married, or have kids? Or what if she wants to do more?”

He gave her a look that she could only describe as terrifying. She almost cowered. “Women want to get married. Women want to have and raise kids. Do. You. Un. Der. Stand.” He snarled, each syllable of every word pressing down on her like a hammer to a nail.

“Yes Father.” she said meekly. 

She didn’t mention those things again.

By time Lillian had finished reminiscing, she was downstairs. “Hello Father!” Her father turned around, as he was just heading out the door. He was tall and plump, with salt-and-pepper hair and mustache. He was wearing his nicest suit, the one he always wore when leaving for a business trip. “Oh, hello Lillian! I’m sorry, but I must be leaving now. Goodbye!” He closed the door. “...Goodbye.” she said sadly. Unfortunately, this was not the first abrupt goodbye, nor would it be the last.

But now that her father was gone, she could finally start writing stories. She started towards the library, then thought that she should probably get out of her dress into one more favorable. 

After she had changed, she raced towards the library. She removed A Lesson in Practicality from a shelf, to reveal the quill-and-ink set she had gotten from A Dragon’s Eccentricities. She sat down at the desk, a piece of parchment paper already set down. And she started to write.

After about ten pages, she set the quill back into the ink bottle. She looked over it, to make sure she hadn’t made any spelling or grammar mistakes, when she noticed something odd. Random letters were written in red ink. She was quite puzzled, as she had been writing in black ink, and hadn’t switched ink colors. She looked at what the letters spelled, if anything.

“E”

“C”

“C”

“E”

“N”

“T”

“R”

“I”

“C”

“I”

“T”

“I” 

“E”

“S”

 “Eccentricites” A bright flash of while light emerged from the ink bottle. Out of the feather came an Albino dragon, starting as large as the quill, but growing steadily, until it was about three feet tall, and seven feet long. Lillian blinked, her mouth open in awe. “Holy sh*t.”

The dragon gave her a mom-type look. “Oh, sorry. But I mean, a dragon just emerged out of my quill. I think that’s a valid reason to say sh- The s-word.” The dragon rolled it’s eyes. “I’m Lillian. What’s your name?” The dragon lifted it’s head, to reveal a red ribbon with a medal. Upon closer inspection, Lillian realized it had words on it. 

Annabelinda

Female Dragon, Quill-and-Ink

A Dragon’s Eccentricites 

“So, your name is Annabelinda? Can I call you Anna? It’s much shorter.” Annabelinda snorted, as if to say, “Sure, why the heck not.” Lillian stood in front of her, not really sure what to do now. “What happens now? Usually, there’s a magical adventure after someone finds a dragon in the quill-and-ink bottle, right?” Annabelinda shrugged. “Well, if it’s not mandatory, I’d like to proofread my story.”

So Lillian sat down, and as she started to re-read her story, Annabelinda curled up around her chair. As she read, she traced her finger along the words, and mumbled under her breath. But suddenly, about five minutes into proofreading, Annabelinda let out a small burst of white flames.

“What the world Anna!” cried Lillian. “You could have burned something, and no one can know that you’re here.” But Annabelinda ignored her, and simply put a claw on her story. Lillian re-read the sentence. “Oh.” Annabelinda had simply been pointing out a grammar mistake. The girl fixed it. “Thanks Anna.” 

So, for the rest of the pages, Annabelinda assisted with her proofreading- as it turned out, she was quite the editor. After they had gone over the story about five or six times, she stopped. Without thinking, she put the quill back into the ink bottle. The second Lillian had done that, she realized that she might have just sent Annabelinda back into the feather! She quickly went to pull it out, but not before she heard something that sounded like a laugh-Annabelinda! 

“Anna! You scared me!” The dragon showed no sign of remorse. “Well, what do we do now?” Annabelinda smirked, and Lillian noticed a glint in her eyes. “Wha- Oh no. No, we are not doing this.” Annabelinda lowered down, and spread her wings, almost as if to say, “Oh yes we are!” Lillian looked at her. “Do I have a choice?” The dragon shook her head. Lillian sighed, put the quill in her dress pocket, then got on her back.

Annabelinda backed up a bit. She then took a running start, and forced herself through the wall, making a hole in the tower that was the library. Lillian looked back, and stared at what Annabelinda had done. “You- how- what-,” Annabelinda shook her head, suggesting that  Lillian should just enjoy the view.

Lillian looked down, and gasped. The bird’s eye-dragon’s eye?- view of the town was remarkable. She could see the sweet shoppe, the grocer’s, and even the lot where A Dragon’s Eccentricites had been only 24 hours ago. 

They kept flying- over lakes and rivers, hills and mountains, flatlands and plateaus. They flew for hours, until Annabelinda landed them in front of a small house. Lillian got off, and looked around. She knew this neighborhood! It was only about a fifteen minute walk from her house. Annabelinda pushed her forwards. She knocked on the door.

A middle aged woman with black hair greeted her. “Oh, hell- Lilian!” Lillian stared in shock at her. “Mother?” she said. Her mother had disappeared years before, so it was a surprise to find her right here, in front of her!

The woman ran towards her, and wrapped her up in a hug. Lillian started crying of happiness. “I can’t believe I found you!” They kept hugging, Lillian not wanting to leave her mother’s embrace. But she needed to ask her mother the question that had been bothering her for years  “Why did you leave?” Her mother released her from the hug briefly. “You know your father, and his ideas about women.” “But he loved you!” Lillian said. “No sweetheart,” her mother told her, “He loved the me that fit his ideals. That wasn’t the real me. I just couldn’t stay.” 

“How’d you find me anyways?” “My-” Lillian stopped herself. It might not be the best idea to tell her mom that a dragon brought her there. “I just stumbled upon the neighborhood.” Her mother nodded. “Alright. I’m making dinner, do you want to come in?” “Sure! I’ll be in in a minute.” “Ok!” her mother said, then closed the door.

Lillian walked around the house. There lay Annabelinda, in the small alley between the homes. She went over and hugged her. “Thank you Anna.” she said. “Is there anything I can do to repay you?” Suddenly, a voice filled her head. It was rich as chocolate, and sweet as honey. “Be my friend.” Lillian went up to her ear, and whispered into it.

“Already done.”

~~~

30 years later

1924, United States

Lillian was walking back to her home on Stars Ave.- her father had left it years ago- when all of a sudden, she stopped. Right there, in front of her, was A Dragon’s Eccentricites. 

1600 words exactly! (not counting this note, or part one)

Thank you for reading this! I hope you enjoyed it, and that this ending worked well.

If I misspelled anything, or made any grammar mistakes let me know in the comments, along with your general feedback!

If you enjoyed this story, please vote!

Have a great day/night!

(also, I know I spelling “Eccentricities” wrong, forgive me, this is old writing and if I edit it somehow it will end up a very different story...)

[ask-marcus-cally-and-ari]

Only Human

Chapter 7: Crappy Room, Crappy Day

Marcus was surprised to find that he was the first one to wake up. He liked sleeping in late. But no, he had to be up early. Sitting up, he wiped his eyes and blinked before looking down at his companions. 

Ari was on their side, sleeping peacefully. Cally had somehow ended up with her body in a weird position and an embarrassing bedhead. Marcus snickered a little as he got dressed, then looked out the window at the small town he and his friends had stopped at. 

It was small, simple. He could see the town hall from his window. It also seemed quiet; usually, there would be, like, 30 cars on the road out any hotel window he happened to look out. Instead, there were two. Only two. Marcus smiled at the sight. This town was clearly in the middle of nowhere; they were safe here. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to practice using his powers (which he still wasn’t sure he liked having; his Glock was much more reliable) just in case. So he sat on the bed and started focusing. His hands lit up with red and green energy, and a matching orb flickered into existence above Cally and Ari. 

It was so weird seeing an energy construct obey his mental commands as he made it move and twist, taking different forms. It also felt weird, and Marcus found himself almost dizzy within two minutes. He clenched his fists, causing the object to shatter, waking Ari up at the sound. 

“What the... huh... oh. Morning, Marcus,” He said groggily, sitting up. “Sleep well?” 

“Yeah,” came the reply. “Just up in here trying to figure out how to use these… superpowers. Holy sh*t, I still can’t believe I have to say that. Some fool attacks me and I get saddled with this.” 

Ari frowned. “Yeah. Who was he, anyway?” 

“Doesn’t matter. I shot him. Twice. Can’t nobody come after us again after that.” 

Ari nodded. “Good.” 

“So what do ya want to do? I mean, there can’t be much to do around here.” 

“We could go out. I know those girls wanted autographs. And we can listen to them sing.” 

Marcus sighed. “A bunch of girls saw us be attacked. How does this get us fame?” 

“I don’t know. Hopefully, they didn’t, like, post about us on Fakebook or something.” 

“I hope not,” Marcus smiled, ruffling Ari’s hair. “They didn’t get our good sides.” 

The two shared a laugh as Ari got dressed. 

The girls were singing "Circle of Life" when Marcus and Ari got down to them. "Hey," smiled Marcus. "Mind if we watch?" 

The girls squealed and crowded around the pair. 

Cally woke up and her friends were gone, only leaving her a note. 

Hey Cal, 

Went to go see if the choir girls are practicing. Not much else to do. Come join us when you finally get your a** out of bed. 

Marcus and Ari.

Cally sighed. “I should, shouldn’t I? But…” The place was dark, and it was far from their car. There needed to be an escape plan. So, grabbing a notebook and pencil, the intelligent teen got to work mapping out the place. 

There were three routes out Cally could see. One was out the window. The least favorable route, but the quickest. It was just one floor down. The second was out the door. If there was some way she could distract an attacker, her friends could move past whoever it was and run. The third was through the trapdoor in the corner, which Cally thought was a laundry chute. Man, she hated this place's layout, but it was a viable escape option. Easy. All she needed were supplies. So, grabbing her purse and getting dressed, she headed out. 

Marcus and Ari spent the day singing with the choir girls and even giving a couple pointers, and when they left that room, Marcus decided to go to a nearby restaurant and get himself, Ari, and Cally some food. “You go back to the hotel room, eh?” 

Ari nodded and headed back. On her way back, he happened to notice a weird guy with a brown hat, a red shirt, and a probably leather vest having trouble with a vending machine. Against their better judgement, Ari decided that it would be wrong to not help him out and came over. “Trouble?” she asked, hands in his pockets. 

“Hm? Oh, yeah. This d@mn machine won’t work,” the man grumbled, gesturing to the glass. A bag of Doritos was lodged awkwardly in the springs, keeping it from dropping down. 

Ari shrugged. “I could go for Doritos. I can just get another one and yours will drop.” As they entered the number in, she asked, “So your accent is funny- uh, interesting. Are you from, like, Australia or England?” 

“Australia,” the man replied. He crouched down and got the two bags out as they dropped, handing Ari one. “Where’re you from? Never seen you around town.” 

“I’m a runaway,” Ari sighed. “From Smallville. Where that video of One Punch Marksman was filmed.” 

“Oh, you’re that kid? Hardly recognized ya. Granted, that video doesn’t exactly have the best quality.” 

“No, I’m not. That’s a friend of mine. We had to run away because of it,” Ari sighed as she opened the bag. “I don’t even know why they don’t like us. I think it’s, like, the mafia or something and my friend said they were after our other friend. And he got a magic tattoo.” 

“Magic tattoos? Now there’s something you don’t hear everyday,” the Aussie said, peering at Ari. 

“Yeah. It’s of a red fist and it says ‘body’ in big, red letters. And he has superpowers now.” Ari sat on a bench in the hotel. “He doesn’t like them, though. He says his gun is good enough. And given that he got rid of the bad guy trying to kill him with it, I don’t blame him.” 

“Change can be scary for a lot of people,” the man shrugged. 

“Yeah. And he thinks that bad guy cursed him or something. If he was still alive, I’d ask what the big deal was that made him and his friends want us dead,” Ari sighed. “But it’s not like you can come back from the dead.” 

“Who knows. We live in strange times,” the man replied dryly. 

“True. I just want this to end,” whined the teen. “But it’s not fair to you for me to just dump all this on you; I should go. Thanks for listening, mister…?” 

“...Brutus.” 

“That’s funny,” Ari giggled. “I’m Ari. Nice to meet you.” 

“Likewise,” the man grinned, and Ari went back upstairs where they found Cally drawing out a layout of the motel.

“Hey Ari,” Cally greeted, not looking up from the sketch.

“What’re you doing?”

“Making a map. We need a way out if anything decides to blow up while we’re here.”

“Isn’t that a little much?” 

“Nothing is too much. We’re watching for superhuman people who want to kill us.” Cally finished the map and started writing out escape plans. “Where’s Marcus?” 

“Getting dinner. He was thinking of McDonnie's.” 

“Sounds good.” 

When Marcus returned, he happened to see a man in a suit carrying a tank around the side of the building. “People are idiots,” he mumbled under his breath as he headed back into the hotel with the food. 

When he came into the hotel room, he found Cally setting up what looked like a makeshift bear trap at the door.

“Oh, hey Marcus. Watch where you’re stepping, this thing can take off your leg in an instant.”

“Why are you putting a bear trap at the door!?” Marcus exclaimed, bewildered.

“Safety precaution. What if those weirdos come after us again?”

"HOW DID YOU EVEN GET THAT?!" 

"I traded for it." 

Marcus stared. "I don't even want to know. Anything happen while I was out?" 

"I met a guy with a weird accent. Had trouble with the machine, so I helped him out," beamed Ari. 

"Of course," Marcus chuckled. 

"Okay, I have three viable escape options here. I wrote them out for you. If someone attacks us, we use whichever one is closest." 

Marcus nodded. "Sure thing, Cal," he replied, boredly taking a note. 

About five minutes later, there was a knock at the door. 

Marcus blanched. "Wh-who is it?" 

Ari headed over to the door, watching their feet so they didn't touch the bear trap. She peered through the peephole in the door. "Huh? Oh, it's Funny Accent Guy! He looks different." 

"Different how?" Marcus asked, hand already going for his gun. 

"Well, I- wait. He just disappeared,” Ari frowned and opened the door, revealing that there was no one on the other side.

"WHAT?! WHERE DID HE GO?!" Cally shrieked. 

Marcus looked up, turned white, and pointed his gun at the ceiling. 

"HOW ARE YOU HERE?! I SHOT YOU!" 

Cally and Ari looked up, and Cally grabbed Ari's hand, pulling him behind her. 

“‘Ello there!” Brutal laughed, dropping down from the ceiling. “Did ya miss me?”

“Like I’d miss cancer! WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK?! I SHOT YOU! TWICE!” Marcus shrieked the question, pointing his gun at the Freak. 

"Maybe you should have emptied the clip on him," Cally said dryly before remembering that she was in danger. 

“Still wouldn’t have done anything to me,” Brutal chuckled, brandishing his shiv. 

Ari whimpered, and Cally held them. "Relax, Ar, everything's fine." 

Marcus, gun still trained on the Freak, glared. "The hell do you mean?!" 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Respawn before,” Brutal glowered, stepping closer to the trio. 

"Like a video game?" Cally asked. "How can you- Gah!" 

Ari held their arm, and Cally held her cheek as searing agony rushed through them and the sound of flesh burning got Marcus and Brutal's attention. 

Marcus turned. "Are you two alright? What happened?" 

Ari moved her hand, revealing a tattoo on his forearm. A beautiful swirly heart, along with the word HEART in lovely cursive. 

Cally moved her hand, revealing a rather computer like depiction of a brain, along with the word BRAIN in digital lettering. 

Marcus glanced at his own tattoo, and the three stared at each other, confused. 

“So I was right,” Brutal huffed, glaring at the symbols. 

"Right about what?" Ari whined, moving so he was behind Marcus and Cally. 

“Right about going after you three. You may not know it yet, but you’re real important to Freaks like me right now. Important enough for me to personally come after you.” 

Marcus glared, racking the slide on his gun. "What could three teenagers possibly have what you need?" He growled. Cally was busy looking for which exit would be safest.

“You three are the biggest roadblocks standing in the way of me and people like me turning everyone in the world into Freaks like us.” 

"You mean, like, they get superpowers?" Ari asked innocently. 

“They do. If they don’t mind going insane, that is,” Brutal replied coldly, palming the blade of his shiv in one hand. 

Ari whimpered, shuddering. "Why do you want to do that?" 

“Why not? Freaks like me shouldn’t be the only ones who get to enjoy this existence.” Brutal began to advance on the trio. “And you three are the biggest obstacles standing in my way of doing just that.” 

Marcus hissed. "Look, pal, I'm fine with you hurting me, but you stay the hell away from Cal and Ari. They didn't do a d@mn thing to you." 

“But they will soon. And so will you. And that’s why I need all three of you out of the d@mn picture.”

Marcus scowled. "I'm pointing a gun at you. And I already got you once. Back. Up." 

Ari whined, almost curling up. "What could we possibly do? We're kids!" 

Cally, as calmly as she could, reached into her pocket, pulled out a remote, and hit the button, and bright lights went off, blinding Brutal and Marcus. "Say cheese." 

“GAH! Why you little-!” Brutal swore, and then randomly lunged at the teens, hoping to catch one with his shiv.

He barely missed Ari, who looked behind her. "We have to tell the choir to get out of here. They could get hurt!" 

"Ar, we barely have enough time to get our @$&es out of here!" Marcus shouted. 

"But we can't just let this guy hurt them! That would be wrong!" 

Cally sighed. "Ari is right. Your gun is loaded, so hopefully you should be able to get anyone else here to back off." 

Marcus nodded. "Fine. Let's make it quick." 

The three pushd past a still blinded Brutal and bolted down the hall towards the ramshackle room that the choir used as a meeting room, where the lights were still on. Which meant the choir was still there. 

Ari went to open the door- and it was locked. "Oh no…" 

“You’ve got to be kidding me-!” Marcus grunted, shoving the door. “Hey! Hey! Open up! You guys are in danger!” He shouted, banging his fist on the door.

Cally grabbed a plastic card. "Look, maybe I can pick the lock and- WHAT IS THAT?!" 

A black cloud was slowly creeping into the room with the girls. They didn't seem to notice- yet. Which meant Cally had time. She hoped. As Marcus beat on the door, she worked the lock, hoping that she could get that door open before it was too late. 

“Come on - Open d@mmit! Open!” Marcus shouted. “Ari, give me your hair pin. I’m gonna try and pick the lock.” 

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?!" Cally screamed, furiously working. Ari handed Marcus the hairpin anyway, and he joined his nerdy friend at the lock, both of them working on it. 

There was coughing, and then Ari's eyes widened at the door. "Fear," he whispered, putting her hands to their mouth as he fell to her knees, eyes and tattoo glowing. "I can feel it. In there. They're scared… So scared…" 

“Ari?” Marcus looked away from the lock. “A-Ari, are you ok?”

"So scared… So scared," Ari repeated, the blue beginning to spread through their veins. "They're scared… Help them! Please! HELP THEM!!!" 

Cally winced. "We're trying, Ari! We'll get them out!" 

Cally and Marcus froze in terror as a chorus of screams rang from the door. The sound of chairs and tables being tossed aside erupted from the room, and the choir began banging on the door, screaming and begging to be let out. 

Ari screamed in what seemed to be agony, and Cally, now a sickening pale, went right back to work on the door. Marcus happened to see Brutal storming towards the Trio and roared, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THEM?!" 

“Exactly what I’m gonna do to the rest of this d@mn planet!” 

Ari, eyes a bright blue, shrieked again, and Cally looked at her. "Marcus, we have to get out of here." 

"After what he just did?!" Marcus scowled, gun pointed at Brutal. 

"Look at Ari. This is hurting her. If we really are supposed to stop this and this guy isn't a raving lunatic, which I haven't ruled out, then we can't risk anything. And if the screams are anything to go by, it's too late for these girls." 

Marcus glared hatefully at Brutal, then shot out the lights. "Let's go!" he shouted, picking up the agonized Ari. 

The three made their way to Marcus's van, where they were quick to get inside- and quicker to panic when they heard gunshots and popping. Which meant that someone had just shot out their tires. 

"HOLY SH@T! WHAT WAS THAT?!" Marcus shouted, pulling his gun and sticking his head outside. 

“You’re not going anywhere!” A voice called out, carrying a noticeable French accent, which meant that Brutal wasn’t alone. 

Ari, who was no longer in pain, albeit weakened, managed, "Wh-who are you?" 

Marcus, just to be sure, moved to shield Ari from the new arrival before raising his Glock back up. "Rude to just ignore a question, punk." 

The newcomer aimed his own revolver at Marcus. “Name’s Gentlespy. I’m a friend of Brutal,” He answered, leering at Marcus. 

"Any friend of his is an enemy of mine," Marcus snapped. 

Cally looked around the van for anything that could be used to help them escape. 

Ari looked weakly at Gentlespy. "You're a bad guy, too, huh? What a bad day," he whined, holding her head. 

Marcus grumbled something under his breath before asking, “So I can assume you’re here to kill us, too?” 

“What gave that away?” Cally asked dryly. “The gun he’s pointing at us or the fact that he shot out our tires?” 

"I'm sorry for being a little off when two lunatics are trying to kill us!" Marcus shot back. 

Ari made a squeaky noise of protest, and Marcus turned cold, remembering where they were. "Okay… so. Your boyfriend didn't give us a straight answer. What's the angle to… what happened in there?" 

“Didn’t he tell you? We’re turning people into Freaks like us,” Gentle sneered, stepping closer to Marcus.

"The angle means why, stupid," Marcus scowled, hands alight with red power. 

“Why? Because if we do, there’ll no longer be any consequences for us. Freaks will be able to run around and do whatever they please, as we did before organizations like HECU came around. Brutal calls them ‘partycrashers.’”

“I’ve got a couple things to call him,” Marcus snarled. 

“Too bad you’ll never get the chance,” Gentle glowered. He cocked his revolver and aimed right at Marcus’ head. “Any last words?” 

Marcus opened his mouth to reply, and the red energy suddenly formed a ball around him, Cally, and Ari. “WHAT THE-” 

Cally stared. “WHAT IS THAT?!” 

“DO YOU THINK I KNOW?!” 

The ball suddenly started rolling by itself, and Gentle had to move so he was out of the way. 

“Hey - HEY! GET BACK HERE!” He shouted, sprinting after the ball. 

Marcus, recovering from his shock, started running, piloting the ball through the parking lot with a lot of panicked swearing. 

Cally and Ari ran, too, and together, they managed to get the ball away from the hotel and onto the road. 

Cars swerved and honked, and people started filming as the giant ball barreled down the road on its way out of town. Marcus looked behind him to make sure nobody was there, then panicked. “CRAP! SPEED UP!” 

A rusty truck with a few people Marcus and Cally didn't recognize was behind them, catching up fast. The three ran like they had never run before, out of the city and into a forest. Marcus turned back forward once they got there to see where to turn- and winced. 

"Sh@t." 

In front of the bubble was a very, very long drop. "Wh- do we stop?!" Cally asked. 

"I don't wanna be up here with them!" Ari whined, pointing behind them. 

Marcus clenched his teeth. "Same. Here's hoping there's a soft landing." Closing his eyes, he piloted the ball over the cliff. 

Cally, on the other hand, kept her eyes open. So she saw the long drop, saw the ball hit the ground, and saw the very large rock about to hit her head. 

And then saw nothing.

[memorylang]

Pets! Pronunciation, Saints and Souls | #12 | November 2019

I was helping the Buddhist monks understand the English alphabet one Friday, when I found they had trouble hearing me teach the sounds /ch/ and /j/. These two sounds are and have always been two I’ve struggled with since birth. Finally, I just chalked on the board, /ch/ = /ч/ and /j/ = /ж/. So, those who understood explained it in Mongolian to the others. My speech problems go way back.

I often say, I struggled with my native language too, when my Mongolian students struggle to speak English. Today, I return you to my childhood to share how personal English pronunciation problems affect my teaching today (plus stories about pets).

While a Peace Corps Volunteer, I’ve watched over both a kitten and a puppy, too. They made me reflect on life. And November begins with Allhallowtide. So I’ll wrap up today’s stories living my first full triduum to the dead.

The Challenging Child

Growing up, I fumed when siblings and especially Father kept telling me to, “Stop mumbling.” I never intended to sound inarticulate. My words just came out that way. 

After graduating high school, while packing to move from home to university, my eye caught my kindergarten teacher’s file on me. I flipped through it. Astonishingly, the teacher’s notes described month after month her concerns that I seemed slow to make friends, seldom spoke and sounded hardly audible when I did. I never realized kindergarten-me troubled her. 

While in Catholic elementary school, a friend and I maybe a few times per month attended a separate speech class from our classmates. Among our activities there, we sometimes played “Uno” and “Go Fish”—games I now adapt to teach English here in Mongolia (though “uno” is a Spanish word, hehe).

Before the first of those years of sessions began, my entire class underwent phonics testing. I’ll never forget this particular moment. The tester raised cards with a picture and asked me to name objects. I saw a small box with a screen and button grid. “Cell-a-phone,” I spoke with certainty. 

I felt frustrated, then, when the card-holder asked me to repeat, insisting I was wrong. Finally, I said “cell phone” as she said, not, “cell-a-phone.” But I didn’t understand. Later, I later, that phonics person was correct. So I felt betrayed by my mother, who taught me wrong. 

Mother read aloud to me, while I was in kindergarten and first grade. She sometimes pronounced words differently than I heard at school. I felt grumpy wondering, who could I trust? Elementary school or Mom?

As I later learned in high school and came to understand after Mother’s death, her career as an English professor let her to immigrate to America from China. So, teaching English surely mattered to her personally. She taught her second language to me to learn my first.

My Pronunciation Improved

From late middle school into high school, I wore braces. I realized my speaking problems associated with my teeth. After braces, sounds like /s/ and /th/ became easier. I recalled that elementary school tutor had drilled me on those sounds, plus /sh/, /ch/ and /j/.

At university, while singing four years in choir, I learned to articulate to help convey emotion in music. Similarly, I realized articulation helped convey emotion in speeches to bring clarity. These took vocal warm-ups, as we did in my senior storytelling course.

But, in China last summer, I learned my Chinese pronunciation was terrible. I started new regimens, like using only audio recordings to communicate instead of writing messages. I also learned to listen for exactly the right sounds. And despite my poor tonal pronunciation, instructors commended my listening. I could transcribe the right pīnyīn, for even unfamiliar words. 

As a Chinese instructor now, though I, too, at times struggle to pronounce words from memory, I can recognize almost at once when I hear an off sound. For, I know how it should sound. My Chinese-instructing colleagues even notice I speak alright. I’ve come a long way.

Instructing English With Compassion

These memories lead to why, when I teach pronunciation, I give the benefit of the doubt that students aren’t trying to mumble, even when they seem to. I focus on asking students to speak louder and move their lips more. I focus on visual articulation, too, so I can see how they form sounds.

One of my university colleagues specializes in pronunciation and amazes me by how well she knows the phonetic alphabet. When I clarify pronunciations for her, she notes in phonetic letters. We bleat about English’s inconsistent phonetics sometimes, haha. 

Yet, learning phonetics helps me plenty. When I catch multiple students speaking the same error, I write a series of words to course-correct. For examples, to drill, “brown,” I might write, “crown, round, down.” Or, to drill, “orange,” I might write, “or, door, floor.” I link troublesome vowels to familiar ones. 

Curiously, the Mongolian language lacks the /ə/ sound, one I often spell as “uh.” I first noticed the missing sound while teaching Chinese, when my students struggled to pronounce the most basic question, “什么？(Shénme?).” It has /ə/ (or /uh/) in its second character. Thus, students misprounounced “么 /muh/” as /meh/, instead. This Mongolian lack of /ə/ makes authentic pronunciation of basic English words like articles “the” and “a” challenging. 

Still, my fixation on pronunciation has its fun. Apparently this trickles into my Mongolian! Lately, I find my students gleefully giggle with amazement when, as we might be walking and chatting together, they hear me slip briefly into Mongolian to say passing pleasantries to employees or locals I know speak no English. My students often insist I sound authentic and beautiful. And I assume there’s hyperbole in those. But my colleagues, too, have said I’ve improved. They’ve no doubt I’ll speak wonderfully by this time next year. More on this at the end.

Pets! Kitten and Puppy

During my Peace Corps service I watched in the capital, Ерөө /Yeröö/, the kitten of one Volunteer, and in my current city, Azzy, the puppy of another. I saw myself in those pets. 

I mentioned we Peace Corps Volunteers played, “The Shining,” for Halloween. As the film began, we Volunteers exchanged smirks when the mountain lodge’s owner explained concerns about fears of isolation during the harsh, trying winters. We sat through such talks about choosing to serve in Mongolia. But the film’s symbolism, about confronting our psyches in the mirror of isolation, felt fitting to me. 

Many Mongolians fear dogs. Dogs are protectors not companions, for many. In the States, even my mother feared dogs. In fact, we had two pet dogs. I feared them a bit, too. When my parents went walking with my siblings and I, neighbors’ dogs would run up beside the road and yap at us. But Dad would always laugh and yap back, teasing Mom about how they just wanted to play. I remembered those walks even throughout college, when I strolled neighborhoods and heard barking. They gave me peace. And whenever I visited friends’ houses, their dogs most always loved me for reasons I never knew.

Azzy the puppy he would weave around my legs or leap up and cling to me momentarily, when I visited to feed him. He seemed so lonely without me. Then he would hop down, zoom around at my feet and scamper to a corner of the room. He freaked out over the simplest things, too, haha. But one morning, after his owner had come back, while I was walking into the city, Azzy zoomed to me and accompanied me from the area where we live, all the way downtown. I felt surprised, though I appreciative.

Ерөө the kitten had fun darting about our hotel room, zooming with wide eyes at light speed to achieve nothing particular. And she would flick her paws at the jingling toy I dangled, while she lept from table to chair. And, when I was journaling a little, Ерөө would hop on the bed, then leap to the desk and plop on my arm. I would pick the kitten up by her middle and set her on the floor, then she would zoom back to me again. I loved her energy, even if she seemed a little too hyper, hehe.

The pets were ecstatic for me to visit. I considered my own longings for companionship. But pets are relationships that take responsibility. And I’m hardly certain I could commit. Still, maybe because I accept others, they come. Maybe that’s all there is to it. They don’t just want love. They want to love. How sweet.

I’m glad our Peace Corps Mongolia director allows pets. They let my energetic soul see itself in the crazy creatures. Such joys, even for the effort!

All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days

The second and third day after Hallowe’en, in the Catholic tradition, celebrate first, “All Hallows,” the Saints and holy ones, living and had lived. Then we celebrate, “All Souls,” all who have passed away. The triduum has always been difficult for me the past three years, since they inevitably return to mind my loneliness since Mom’s death. 

But this year was kind, for people asked me how I was doing when they greeted me. I also remembered to pray for my friends who’d lost close family. In my suffering, I remember my chance to heal others. At Mass on the last day, while others lit incense sticks for relatives, I lit one for Mother. I burned my finger. But I liked the sting. It reminded me I live. Hearing the readings of how we’re always surrounded by the saints and how the teachings assure that none of us can compare this life to the next, I felt consoled, these holy days. By the end, I’d attended Mass five days in a row! Woah.

Nowadays’ Love

I like the compliments from colleagues, students and friends that my Mongolian pronunciation’s rather good. And I know it can still be better. But they gives me great hope. My students can improve, as I have.

In our Toastmasters Club, I’ve been assigned weekly as Grammarian, tasked with correcting pronunciation for all speakers. They’re so grateful I come, and I’m so glad to help. 

I recently spoke on the topic of how I chose this English teaching profession, while chatting with my senior students to prepare them for their TOEFL exams.

I recounted how Mother was an English professor and her parents were both secondary school Chinese language teachers. And it struck me how I teach both English and Chinese at both university and secondary school levels. I teach everything those two generations before me had done.

Whether children from Номгон, adults from our community speaking clubs, or new friends from the orphanage, I love the little messages I get from locals striving to improve their English. And, sometimes, those many Mongolians striving in their English remind me of Mom. She always strove. Even before I became an English instructor like her, I helped her. Maybe that’s why I aid anyone trying in English, always. They’re her.

 Up Next: Thanksgiving and the Orphanage

I am extremely excited to share with you my next story, for it’s about the orphanage. I adore its community. Our children and teachers touch my soul.

As for the puppy, it’ll be a shame to say goodbye when he moves to the capital by Thanksgiving. But perhaps I’ll see him again when I visit the city sometimes! 

Meanwhile, check my Instagram at memoryLang and Facebook for this year’s Thanksgiving novena of photos and memories bridging my summer life to today’s.

You can read more from me here at DanielLang.me :) 

[butcanijustnot]

Avengers x reader preferences

How you two met:

-Tony Stark

He bought the company that ran your lab. You were a small bio-engineering tech company, specializing in Stem cell research and recreating lost limbs. Your lab conducted some of the most advanced biological work in the world, but it was also one of the messiest places on Earth. The litter of papers on the floor had never bothered you, but one day your new boss decided to take a tour of the facility.

"Y/N." Your manager said, attempting to grab your attention. You let out a tired groan, not looking up from the video you had been watching. It was of an arm bending backward and forwards. Your right hand was absentmindedly taking notes on the movement.

"Y/N." He said again. "We want you to meet the new owner of Magnus enterprises, Tony Stark." He said, before sighing at your lack of communication. He was about to say something else, but his buzzing phone silenced him. He looked apologetically at Tony.

"Sorry, It's my wife. I have to take this." He said, and before Tony could answer he walked out of the door and down the corridor.

Tony bent down, picking up a stack of papers off of the floor, rifling through them. "So, you're doing Stem Cell research?" He asked, you paused the video and turned in your chair, locking eyes with him.

~Holy sh*t, that's Tony Stark~

"I, umm, Hi," you mumbled, a little shocked. You desperately tried to make yourself look decent. "Yes, I'm doing Stem Cell research to aid in regrowing limbs. Now, its just skin and minor organs, but with research and development, could regrow whole limbs. I'm Y/N, Y/N L/N." You rambled, sticking out your hand for him to shake. He took it, shaking before turning back to the papers he had collected.

"Tell me more about your research." He said, and you were a little shocked when he seemed to be listening and responding.

 - Steve Rogers

You were in charge of souping up his motorbike.

"So you want a vintage world war two style paint job and customized accessories?" You asked, clarifying the order. You were standing in your garage, assessing the motorbike he had brought you. "Sounds like a difficult job..." You said, looking at the Harley Davidson sitting in the middle of your workshop. "Luckily for you, I love a challenge." You finished, smiling like an idiot. You never got to work with Harley's.

"So you can do it?" He asked, excitement creeping into his voice. He'd wanted this for a while

"Sure then, Ken Doll." You said cheekily, referring to his superhuman figure.

"Ken Doll?" He chuckled, remembering Tony drunkenly singing the "Barbie Girl" song, arm in arm with Steve in front of a thousand people, and later on the entire audience of YouTube. "No, I'm Steve Rogers." He said, introducing himself.

"I figured. The unique order tipped me off." You said, waving the clipboard in circles in the air. "That and... well, THAT." You said, gesturing to him. "Nobody has a body like that naturally. That's super-soldier right there."

Your cheeks turned red and you looked away, in awe of the fact that you actually SAID that. Sure, your headstrong and don't exactly have a filter, but that was seriously stupid! What were you thinking?

"I'm Y/N, by the way." You finally said once you felt your cheeks return to a normal color, picking up the spanner off of your desk and turning back to him.

"Nice to meet you, Y/N." He said, smiling his charming smile and holding out his hand for you to shake.

 - Thor Odinson

You were one of Sif's trainee's and one of the best young warriors in Asgard. You fought with honor, moved with justice and quickly became a known force throughout the Nine-realms. However, most of your time was spent on Asgard, training and preparing for war. Usually, you trained alone against stick-people, but one day Sif asked you to take a partner.

"Who?" you questioned, unsheathing your golden sword and slinging it over one shoulder.

"Thor Odinson." Your eyes almost bugged out of your skull. Were you training with the prince? "Usually, he trains with Loki, but he's dead," Sif said, her voice filled less with sadness and more with annoyance. You understood that.

"How many times is it now?" You asked, curious.

"Three." She said with a sigh, turning and gesturing for Thor to step forward. He bowed his head to her, then to you as you stepped into the training area.

"Your Highness." You said, bowing to him, a custom of ritualized combat.

"Lady Y/N, please, call me Thor," He said, before turning Mjolnir over in his hand, preparing to swing. You grasped your swords handle with both hands and swung a few practice strokes in the air.

"I hope you don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because you're the prince." You stated, smirking to yourself.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He said, before jumping into battle.

 - Loki Leufeyson

You were an "Avenger". Why the air quotes, you ask? Well, technically, you were the Avengers phycologist, as well as a woman with crazy telepathic powers. You preferred to stay off of the battlefield if it was possible. Instead, you focused on helping your friends and colleges feel better after long battles. Somehow, you always knew just what to say to help. You were a good person, or at least, you tried to be.

It was hard when people like Loki were constantly being dropped at your feet.

Loki had joined the avenger, you noted, and he seemed to do it of his own free will, which is frankly amazing for what seemed to be such a chaotic being. However, you were still dubious. Partially because of all the horror stories the Avengers had told you about his pranks and chaotic deeds and partially because he was half an hour late for his therapy appointment. You were about to give up on him and go get some food (You were starving, you'd been working all day) when he finally decided to make an appearance, strolling through the door to your office like he owned the place.

"You're late." You almost snapped at him.

He took a seat on the sofa across from you, looking you up and down and trying to evaluate you. "My apologies, princess, I had other matters to attend too." He said. His voice was calm and sensuous, like silk or marshmallows. Anyone else would have fallen under his spell.

You weren't buying it.

"That's not a good enough reason." You said, determined to stand up to him. "I don't know how things run on Asgard, but here on Earth, we turn up to our appointments, and we are nicer to the people who give up their time for you." You said, trying to look as powerful as possible and not at all like a woman who has more than once slept in her office. In fact twice. This week.

He was quiet for a minute, then he smiled a devilish smirk and leaned back on the sofa.

"I like you, Y/N." He said simply. "I think we'll get along."

You rolled your eyes. "Sure. Now, let's get started. we've already lost 35 minutes." You said, delving right into the session.

 - Natasha Romanoff

You're a CIA seduction specialist. It's your job to enter bars, restaurants and high society parties and seduce rich, powerful men for information. Once they were asleep, you'd steal from them. You were a spy, yes, but a very specific type of spy. You weren't a fighter, though you could protect yourself if you needed too, you preferred to love than to hurt. You were damn good, too.

Tonight, you were at a charity auction. You were dressed in some of your best finaries, a dress designed by the gods to make men drool, and sent to bid on a couple of items and seduce the main guest, a man named Alexander Brice. Little did you know, you weren't the only one there.

A beautiful redhead slipped into the chair next to you as the bidding began, the auctioneer showing of a vase that was both ugly and expensive.

"Hello there." She cooed, flicking her hair over her shoulder and looking you up and down. Your dress left little to the imagination, and you crossed your legs, the thigh slit showing off all of your leg and part of your lacy underwear. That didn't go unnoticed by her since she smirked. "CIA?" She asked. You were a little taken back but quickly put two and two together.

It was your turn to look her up and down, your eyes lingering on the low-cut neckline of her dress. "SHIELD?" You asked. She nodded, and you nodded in response.

"Natasha." She said, purposefully leaving out her last name, like any good spy.

"Y/N." You responded, taking the back of her hand and pressing a feather soft kiss to it. It was one of your seduction moves, but you thought that it might apply here too. She chuckled, patting your hand, obversely used to having the moves put on her.

"Which one are you aiming for?" You asked.

Natasha pointed to the Auctioneer with a red fingernail. "Daniel Liabre, believed to be smuggling diamonds through the underground market." She explained, and you nodded along. "What about you?" She asked.

You gestured to the main man, sitting in the front row. "I'm going for the big one." You said, licking your lips. She whistled softly under her breath.

"Good luck." She said, before bidding on the most hideous lamp.

 - Clint Barton

You were a SHIELD officer who was placed on the "Hawkeye project." You had no idea that basically means Hawkeye's babysitter. You go on missions with him and help him out with paperwork.

You met him a day after you were placed into the project. You walked into the kitchenette which was shared with the whole floor, only to see a man in a black and purple suit about to stick a fork into a toaster.

"What are you doing!?!" You shrieked, running over and knocking the fork out of his hand, He looked at you with a confused expression.

"What?" He asked, looking at the toaster.

"Are you crazy?!?" You screeched. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? That's metal and that's a toaster! Did nobody ever teach you not to do that!" You asked.

"Ummm... I'm sorry?" He said, not sure of what to do. "That was pretty stupid." He finished, looking at you. Your anger faded and you nodded, letting out a chuckle.

"I'm Hawkeye." He said, holding out his hand for you to shake. So this was the man you were supposed to be working with.

You sighed, shaking his hand. "I'm Y/N." You said.

"You seem very nice." He blurted out.

You blushed slightly. "Wow. Thank you." You mumbled, before sniffing her air. "What the hell are you cooking?" You asked, recoiling noticeably.

He smiled and proceeded to show you a beer-battered egg and bacon waffle.

 - Vision

You worked with Tony Stark, developing technology that Stark designs. You also helped to fix technology that got broken, which is how you met Vision.

He came in one day, whilst Tony was out eating lunch with Bruce and Steve. You were working on a couple of Tony's smaller robots when he floated into the lab, carrying on of his severed arms in the other.

"Tony Stark?" He asked as he floated through the door.

You looked up from the robot, putting down the soldering iron and walking around your desk to see him.

"Um... Hello?" You whispered, looking at him. He was unlike anything you've ever seen, amazingly detailed and stunningly regal. "Are you... You're the Vision, right?" You stuttered, anxious and in complete awe of him. If your sister could see you freeze like this, she would freak out.

"Yes, I am the Vision. Who are you, and where is Stark?" He asked, his voice monotoned and smooth.

"I'm Y/N, Stark's apprentice. He's not here right now, I'm sorry... What happened?" You asked, gesturing to his arm.

"I was involved in a battle with black market vibranium traders, they had a machine which tore it straight off. I was hoping that Mr. Stark could reattach it." He said, placing the severed part of his arm on a table.

"Well, He's not here and he probably won't be back for a while." You said, knowing full well that he'd probably be out drinking by now, and not back for hours, and even when he did come back, he wouldn't be in a state to do any good work. "But, If you're alright with it, I could try and help out. I'm pretty good with a soldering iron." You asked, looking for a solution.

He looked at you for a second, before smiling. "I'd be alright with that." He said as you lead him to your desk and began to solder the bend and soldered pieces off his arm off.

 - Sam Wilson

You were a waitress in a restaurant he happened to walk into. It had been raining that day, absolutely pouring down, and the man came in looking for somewhere safe and dry. You showed him to a table and gave him a menu. You couldn't shake the feeling that you had seen him somewhere before, but you couldn't quite remember where, so you just tried to forget about it. In fact, it wasn't until you were carrying food to him that it finally clicked, and you were so shocked that you almost dropped the plates you were holding.

"Your Sam Wilson!" You whispered, shock evident in your voice. He looked at you confused.

"Yes?" He said, confused. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked. You shook your head, chuckling to yourself. It seemed so stupid now.

"I've been to a couple of talks you did on PTSD at the DVA. It really helped me, what you said." You said, aware that you sounded like a total idiot right now. To your surprise, he smiled at you.

"Did you serve?" He asked. For almost anyone else, that question was a grave insult, but for some reason, you didn't mind when he asked.

You nodded. "Two tours in the army. Afganistan," you explained. "I'm Y/N." You introduced yourself, smiling brightly. You were about to say more when a shout pulled you away.

"Y/N! TABLE 9 WANTS THERE CHECK!" Your manager yelled. You smiled apologetically at Sam.

"Duty calls. I'll talk to you later." You said before running away to deal with other customers.

 - T'Challa

You were a journalist covering the opening of the Wakandan Outreach center.

Everything here was so nice. Everyone was wearing fine clothes and jewelry, drinking expensive wine and laughing merrily. You, on the other hand, were dressed in a white button-up shirt and black pencil skirt with bits of leftover lunch stuck on it. You looked like a fish out of the water. You looked like a total misfit. You looked like, well, a reporter.

The main event was being held in the biggest room in the outreach center, which happened to also be part of the museum. Glass cases lined every wall displaying Wakandan artifacts and history, and you loved all of it. In fact, at one point, you completely blocked out the rest of the party and just walked the room, reading and rereading every tablet, every piece of information. It startled you, and it excited you. This was new and amazing and incredible. You blocked out the outside world so much that you didn't hear the man calling out for you, or anything until someone placed a hand on your shoulder. Instantly, you snapped back, pulling away and shrieking, not loud enough to distract anyone but definitely loud enough to make the people close to you turn their heads. It was not a lady-like sound. You turned to face your attacker, ready to swear up a god-damn storm and found...

The king of fucking Wakanda.

"Your majesty, I'm so sorry." You said, looking down at the ground, embarrassment painting your cheeks red. "I'll get out of your way..." You said, moving to his left. He soft grabbed your arm, stopping you.

"Don't be absurd, it was all my fault. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that. Didn't you hear my approach? I called your name." He paused. "You are Y/N, correct?" He asked.

Holy sh*t, he knows your name. The king knows your name. for a moment, you hated yourself for taking up precious brain space in his gorgeous mind. Wait, what?

You shook your head, trying to gather yourself. "Yes, I'm Y/N." You said, holding out your hand for him to shake. You got a pleasant surprise when he raised it to his lips and kissed the back sweetly. you could feel your cheeks reddening.

"Thank you." You said, subconsciously rubbing the back of your hand where he had kissed. You looked around nervously at the other guests, who were looking at you half in awe, half in envy.

"You do not seem to be enjoying yourself? What brought you here?" He asked.

"I'm an international reporter, or, at least, I'm trying to be. My paper keeps trying to clip my wings, making me do those stupid little buzzword facebook articles with no real journalism, just pandering to an aisle for clickbait." You groan sadly.

T'Challa spoke thirty different languages, and yet somehow he only understood half of the words in that sentence.

"So I gotta make this article good. Not that that will be difficult, this place is amazing!" you fangirled almost relentlessly. "I mean, look at this!" you said, gesturing to the cabinets with a childish sense of awe and wonder. You pointed to your favorite things, asking questions and rambling facts like an overactive toddler. You couldn't help yourself. You were interested in this stuff.

He smiled. You were making an absolute idiot of yourself but damned if you weren't cute.

 - Scott Lang

You were Cassie's teacher, and a close personal friend of Cassie's mother, Maggie. You two had grown close, and you often spoke to her via phone conversations about her daughter or just your lives. You became, what's the word...

Girlfriends.

When parent-teacher interviews came up, you knew she'd be first in line to talk to you. Or, at least, that's what you thought. But three weeks went by, and whilst somebody had booked to see you as Cassie's parent, you didn't recognize the name. It wasn't Maggie, that's for sure.

"I'm sorry, but who the hell is Scott Lang?" You asked into the phone, trying to remember the name of the man Maggie had last been dating. You could have sworn it was Matt.

"Oh, that's...." She paused. "That's Cassie's father." She finally finished. The phone was silent for a minute

"The man who was sent to jail before Cassie was even born?" You asked in shock.

"Yes. I wasn't going to let him do this, but... He's really changed. He's Cassie's hero now, and I decided that maybe I should let them be... family. He's a nice guy, Y/N, I promise."

So the parent-teacher evening rolled around and the night was finishing up. You only had one more interview, and he was five minutes late already.

Suddenly, he burst through the door, wearing the weirdest suit and biker helmet you had ever seen. He was panting tiredly and his hair was a ruffled mess.

"Hi." He panted, walking over and taking a seat across the table from you. "I am just so, so sorry that I was late. I was finishing up some work and I totally lost track of time. Sorry!" he reiterated.

He wasn't at all what you expected. He had a dopey smile and a dorky charm to him. Not to mention, he was cute. Not the prisoner you had been imagining

"Hi, I'm Y/N, Cassie's teacher." You said, holding out your hand. He took it, shaking it excitedly.

"Hi, I'm Scott Lang, Cassie's Dad. She talks about you a lot, you know. You are her favorite teacher. She likes how you draw little pictures of animals next to her marks. She was so proud of her dolphin. It's still up on the fridge." He rambled. You guessed he didn't have much experience with this sort of stuff since he was trying so hard to make a good impression. You hated to admit it, but it was working.

 - Bucky Barnes

You were a Wakandan Therapist, one of the best in the business. Generally, you served the Wakandan royalty like Shuri or T'Challa, even occasionally Ramonda. However, one day, T'Challa brought you a white man that desperately needed your help. He had anger problems and unresolved issues, but you see deep in his eyes that he was a soft soul. You accepted the job, and thirty minutes later you were sitting in your office, across from him, watching him.

"Hello." He finally said, breaking the silence between the two of you. You jumped at the suddenness of his voice, something that did not go unnoticed. "Are you alright?" He asked. He was concerned, genuinely. He knew he was a monster, or at least he thought so.

"No, I'm alright, just a little... skittish. That's all." You said, adjusting your glasses and shaking your head. "I should introduce myself. I'm Y/N." You said, bowing your head respectfully like you did with all your clients.

"I'm James. James Barnes, but..." His voice trailed off before he finished, something you weren't going to let go.

"but....?" You asked, prompting him.

"I'd like it if you called me... Bucky." He finally said, lowering his gaze away from you. You gave him a warm friendly smile.

"Of course, Bucky." You said. He looked back up, and for a second, you swear you almost saw him smile.

 - Steven Strange

You were assistant to the Ancient One.

"He's looking at you again." The Ancient One stated as the two of you watched the students practice with there sling rings. Our attention was pointed at one of the students at the front of the class, a Mr. Stephen Strange, who had come in a few days ago. He was stubborn and seemed to be having trouble with taking up magic.

"He isn't looking at me." You stated stubbornly. "He's probably looking at you. You ARE the Ancient One." You said, making another valid point. You were good at that. As the Ancient One's assistant, you were very good at making points and teaching lessons. It was your thing.

His portal was sicking around at about the size of a dinner plate. He was trying, and he was getting better, but he still needed help.

"He did so well in the mountains..." The Ancient One said wistfully.

You rolled your eyes. "Perhaps the difference is that his life isn't at stake this time." You said.

"I think he's being distracted." She said, smirking and elbowing you in the ribs playfully.

Stephen growled and the portal disappeared. He shook his head in anger and muttered something under his breath.

The Ancient one shook her head. "Go help the poor man, Y/N. He's going to give himself a heart attack." she sighed.

You wandered over to the man, walking around him in a small circle. His body seemed to tense when you came near, but you tried your best to ignore it.

"Widen the position of your feet." You said, pausing to the left of him. "Straighten this arm." You said, tapping his left arm. "And close your eyes. I promise it helps." You finished.

"Alright." He mumbled, closing his eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. He breathed in, focusing his energy. Finally, the portal began to open, growing in size until it was big enough to walk through. You saw Wong's library through the portal and smiled.

"Good choice." You said, and he finally opened his eyes, looking at the portal. A slow smile crept onto his face.

"I did it." He said, in awe. The portal only stuck around for a minute or so, before disappearing into thin air leaving only an onslaught of sparks.

"I'm impressed, and I'm sure the Ancient one will be too." You said, waving at her. She nodded at the two of you, and you turned back to him.

"I'm Y/N, assistant to the Ancient One." You said, bowing your head as you introduce yourself.

"I'm-" Stephen started but you cut him off.

"I know who you are. You're Stephen Strange. The Ancient One has told me a lot about you." you said, turning and walking away, a sly smile creeping onto your features as you walked past the Ancient One.

"What are you doing, Y/N?" The Ancient one asked you as you walked past but before you could answer, Strange shot past her towards you.

"What sort of stuff? Y/N?!? Y/N, what sort of stuff has she told you?" Stephen said, tailing after you. You let out a cruel cackle, continuing to walk away. The Ancient One smirked, immediately shipping the living sh*t out of you two.

 -Peter Parker

You'd be friends since you were young kids, living in the same building and spending a lot of time together. so I'm going to substitute this with when you found out he was Spiderman.

You were both hanging out together on a Friday afternoon after school, a tradition of yours that went back years ago.

"So, what are we marathoning tonight?" He asked, opening up his DVD chest. You were both old-fashioned, you liked having a DVD copy of the movie instead of a digital.

You thought for a bit, before speaking. "I was thinking about an Alien Marathon. We haven't done that in forever."

"You're right. Let's do that. I'll put the disc in if you make popcorn." He said. You smiled and nodded, jumping off of the sofa and running over the kitchen. You were about halfway through making popcorn when something out of the window drew your attention. A fire in the building next to you.

"Peter!" You yelled to get his attention. He ran over, looking out the window at the fire. The color drained from his face as he looked out.

You knew some of the people who lived there, and you wished you could go and help, but you're only you and you couldn't do anything.

Peter, however, dove away into his room. "I'll be back soon!" He yelled, shutting the door.

"Where are you going?" You yelled, but you heard no response. A minute later, you saw the red spider-figure swing through the sky. You weren't stupid, you put two and two together.

Fifteen minutes later, the fire was out. Spider-man had saved two people, a woman, and her baby, from the building. He didn't even stick around to talk to the police, only swinging away. You heard a thump from inside Peter's room, followed by scuffling and the sound of someone running around, inside. YYou crossed your arms and scowled at the door. Eventually, it opened and a scruffled Peter walked out.

"Sorry about that. I was just-" He started when he saw your sour look, but you cut him off.

"You were just being Spiderman?" You asked, though you clearly knew the answer.

"No, no, what are you talking about? I'm not-" He started, shifting from side to side on his feet and avoiding your eyes, which was a sure-fire sign that he was lying.

"Before you say anything else, you should know that your shirt is on inside out and back-to-front." You hissed, pulling on the tag in plain view. You glared at him. He opened his mouth as if to say something else but quickly shut it again. For a moment, everything was quiet.

"You have to promise me that you won't tell a soul! This is my biggest secret!" He exclaimed. He was telling the truth, you could tell, and as angry as you were, you weren't going to ruin his life. He was still your friend. You anger began to melt away. You had to admit, it was kind of impressive, your best friend being spiderman all these years.

"Sure thing, Spider-boy." You finally said, smirking in a teasing way as you walked away from him and towards the TV.

"You know that's not my name, Y/N!" He all but whined, following you.

[frejahertziswritingthistime]

An education chapter 23

A/N: Holy Sh*t, I have broken a few hearts; I am so sorry (ish), and I hope you all forgive me. Here we go with the next chapter, and I’m planning on finishing this story within 24 chapters total. I might leave the ending open for a sequel, but who knows? Hopefully you’ll stick to the next two chapters! (this being one) I cannot tell you how much I appreciate every single like, reblog, reply and ask about this story – it truly means the world to me, because I’ve been working so hard on this; it’s become such a huge story, and I’ve researched SO much, so I’m really happy, that you guys can feel how much love I put into this one.

As always, remember I always say yes to requests and feedback feeds the writer (butter my eggroll, please)!

MASTERLIST

An education masterlist

Pairings: Dean x reader

Warnings: Angst (!!!),  language

As I opened my eyes again, I was met with darkness. It wasn’t the seemingly endless darkness, I had met a few months earlier, but the sort of darkness, you’d get, when you just turned the lights off, and your eyes weren’t used to the dark yet. I blinked a few times, trying to get my bearings. A low, guttural moan swelled behind me, like a choir of voices making the exact same sound in the exact same tone; I slowly realized it wasn’t behind me, but under me. My skin was crawling and my heart hurt. A mixture of different emotions ran through me, but mostly the feeling of absolute longing rested in the pit of my stomach – I wanted to go back. I wanted to go home. An image of Dean smiling flashing before my eyes and i squeezed them shut, trying to imprint his face on my mind.

My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and I realized I was standing in a round hall made up of different stones – all grey or black, or blackened with smoke. Scorch-marks were ever present on the walls, some from the low hanging torches, that were situated all along the walls, some shaped like hands, and some, it seemed, had come from nowhere. It gave an eerie feeling, that vibrated through my body.

It was cold as well. The grey slab of stone, I was standing on, radiated cold through it, as if there was a draft somewhere, and the stone walls around me hovered over me, menacing and strong. I wasn’t wearing shoes. I frowned and looked my body over, realizing I was wearing a grey sack, that reminded me of a toga mixed with a potato-sack. Not exactly my best outfit.

As I scanned the room, a shadow lurked right in front of me. I was shivering – both with fright and with cold – as I stepped forwards, slowly inching towards the shadow. The shadow was sitting on something and it seemed like the shadow was placed way higher up than I would have suspected when I approached. Either that, or the shadow was simply larger than my initial guess.

A low growl sounded in front of me, and my eyes whipped down to my feet. A black, tar-like matt of fur was sitting in front of me. It was so black, it looked like the fur dripped off it, and it raised it’s head – it was a dog. Not a hellhound, not a regular dog, but something entirely new. It looked menacing, black and the nostrils were smoking slightly; yellow, cracked teeth had been bared at me, as I approached.

“Garmr.” The raspy voice, that had made my deal, a few months back, sounded from the shadows. The dog instantly laid down, flat on its paws and closed his red eyes. I looked to the shadow, but I couldn’t see a face; it was just a darker darkness, than the one surrounding me. A slow chuckle sounded, with the voice breaking a little. I could hear a shuffle and then suddenly, a face emerged from the shadows. I recoiled at the sight. A menacing smile was stretched far too wide over yellowing and grey teeth. Black hair hung in clumps from the right side of her face, stringy and dirty. Her eyes were a deep black color, and her skin looked like it was slowly rotting away. It had turned grey and purple, even black in some areas. The skin stretched in an unnatural way over her face, her cheekbones jutting out like spikes on either side of her face. She didn’t have eyebrows, which made her eyes look bigger. It wasn’t the worst.

The entire left side of her face, minus the eye, was glowing dimly like embers. The skin looked broken and burnt, with a glow of coals, embers and flames, lighting it up like a Chinese lantern. Her neck cracked as she twitched and smiled even bigger. Her ear on the left side was just a hole, and her nose was two deep set holes, that once had been nostrils. She was way bigger than a normal person; she seemed to be three meters tall, with every feature on her enhanced in some way. In the one hand, that wasn’t leaning on her stone-throne, was holding a deadly looking spear. It looked to be made out of black stone and antlers, pointed ends in every direction.  

She was terrifying.

“And you came.” Her voice was raspy, more so than before, and the sounds of cracking bones and joints accompanied her voice. I had recoiled so much, I was almost on my ass in front of her. She was still smiling menacingly. “You were supposed to be a warrior, Valkyrie, and here you are. Cowering in front of me.” I swallowed, trying to get some sort of wetness in my mouth, but it didn’t work. My voice was flaky at best, as I tried to answer her.

“Are you…?” My voice broke off. She cracked her neck again, the joints cracking loudly enough for it to echo in my bones. “Am I Hel?” She leaned back in her throne, and for the first time, I noticed what she was wearing. It looked like her entire outfit was made out of black smoke. There were holes everywhere and it billowed on some way around her frame; it was never still. “Welcome, dear Valkyrie, to my realm.” She gestured around to the round hall, and the moans from below sounded stronger even. She narrowed her eyes somewhere to my left and I followed her gaze; a pair of hands, green and grey, had tried to climb out of the pit below us; I could see the thin line separating the wall to the pit under us, and Hel smiled at the sight. “There is always one. Every day.” She motioned to the dog with her head, and he bounced towards the hands with a ferocious growl. She turned back to me.

“Minn heimili vili sitja ykkarr enda.*” She said in a low, growling voice. I shivered. Old Norse could sound beautiful, but in her voice, and her choice of words made bile rise in my throat. I straightened my body and tried to ignore the loud screams and ripping noises from the dog and the pair of hands behind me.

“I assume you want to bargain?” She said. I shook my head and stared into her eyes. It was like looking into the void. “No?” I shook my head again. She sighed and moved her spear a little – it scraped against he stone-floor with the same sound as nails over a chalkboard. “Very well, then. You will have no bed, no place for rest. You will stay here with me. You shan’t have a moment of solitude. You will forevermore be in my realm, acting as my guard-dog, Valkyrie.” She suddenly – and way too fast – stood up, towering over me. She looked menacing and the embers under the left side of her face glowed stronger than before – fire liked her skin, but she didn’t pay it no mind. She bent down to me in a snake-like movement.

“Welcome to your new forever, rekkr.*”

I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to force my fear down. We’ll just see about that.

 2 weeks in Hel

 I missed my home. I was currently curled up in a ball next to the throne on a ragged blanket, the cold seeping into my bones. I missed Dean, Sam and my child. I didn’t even know how long I had been here – I had an inkling, that time went slower down here than in the real world, so my two weeks could have been two months or two years in the real world.

I stared after Garmr, the huge, black dog. That was the only light, I could find – Garmr, despite his appearance of absolute evil, was the sweetest lapdog in the world. Hel had been angry, when she saw me cuddling with the tar-dog, but she couldn’t get him to leave my side – he liked to cuddle. I didn’t mind. It was nice, feeling some semblance of normality in this damn hell I was in.

I sighed and sat up, wrapping my arms around myself. I could feel my bones through my clothes – my hands were cold, and my ribs were poking my side. Food wasn’t really a thing down here, despite the fact that I wasn’t a damn lost soul, but a breathing human (sort of), who actually did need nurture. Garmr had once tried to give me food, and while I appreciated the sentiment, the dead, rotting arm didn’t exactly seem like something, I should eat. The look of it alone had me throw up the meager contents of my stomach. I hadn’t forgot Freyja’s words about trying to get out, and I had decided on a plan; I was about to bring Hell on the queen of Hel.

I groaned as a chorus of moans and wails rose from the pit. I looked up at Hel, who were staring into the distance with that stupid smile on her face. She didn’t scare me anymore – she hadn’t tried to do anything to me, not yet at least. I suspected that she needed me to guard her, which seemed like a fucking horrible idea on her part. I was not going to protect her; even if I wanted to, I couldn’t – I didn’t have weapons on me.

“Yo, Hel?” I asked. The plan had now started. Garmr huffed as he ran to my side and laid down next to me. I scratched him behind his ear, ignoring the tar sticking to my palm. She whipped her head to me. “Listen, I get it. You’re evil, brooding and all that, but seriously, can we turn down the alternative music here? My ears hurt.” I nodded towards the floor, where the wails of damned souls rose from. She narrowed her eyes at me. “it is not music. It is my souls.” I rolled my eyes. “Souls or not, I accept and respect your lifestyle, but you’ve got me and Garmr here; we’re turning deaf.” Hel narrowed her eyes even more, and I could feel my heart pick up, when her she stared at me through slits.

She didn’t say anything, nor did I. she just leaned back in her throne with a sneer and the flames licking her left cheek. I looked down at Garmr. “Step one.”

 4 weeks in Hel

 I had done good. So far, I had questioned her about her “lifestyle”, telling her the black clothes and alternative music was only a phase, but I’d support her through it. I had managed to get Garmr to nibble at her ankles, and I had spent a majority of a day (night, maybe? Time didn’t matter much down here) singing call me maybe, each time more loudly and higher pitched. She was trying desperately to tune me out, and I managed to get food out of my troubles – which was a good thing, but I hadn’t yet annoyed her enough for her to let me go. Yet.

As I sat at the makeshift table in the middle of the throne-room, I stuffed my face with apples and goatcheese – the only thing, we got sent down to us, and glanced around. “Hey, Hel?” She growled. “If you start your incessant singing again, I shall rip your spine clean out of your body.” I rolled my eyes. “All those dramatics. Are you sure you’re not a drama-major?” I swallowed a piece of apple and then I pointed to her. “Wait a second, I know. You’re Loki’s daughter or something, right?” She nodded courtly. I grimaced in mock-sadness. “shit, sorry. I’ve been calling you Freyja’s sister for all this time! Damn, I even stabbed your dad. That’s really bad mojo. Sorry, dude.” She sneered but kept her eyes fixed on the stonewall in front of her. “Anyway, I was just wondering… Like, your decorating kind of screams ah, look at me, I’m so sad and it just… Have you ever thought about redecorating? Maybe some white walls. Someone other than the torches on antlers?” I glanced at her and bit back a smug grin. “not that I don’t respect the antlers, I really do, but there’s just so many of them! I just thought maybe some lights in the ceiling or something. A carpet, maybe?” She sighed deeply. “would you stop with your constant bickering?!” I shrugged. “Chill, it was just a suggestion.”

We sat in silence for a while – I could feel her radiating annoyance, which was the end-goal; I was trying desperately to return to my family, by any means necessary. It was hard work, but my general snark helped me a lot – apparently, the Queen of Hel wasn’t a fan of sarcasm. Or fun.

“Also, I know that Baldur is somewhere around here, isn’t he?” She growled. “Baldur is not one to be discussed with you.” I put my hands up in defeat. “Alright. Juuust curious.” I sighed deeply and leaned back in the chair, I was sitting in. “So, about the decorating…” Hel roared with annoyance and stood up, her huge frame towering over me, with the flames licking her chin, eyes and side of her head – she looked downright like the end of the world, as she stood, burning in front of me. “Leave this room. Go… I do not even care but leave me alone. Stray as you like, but Garmr will follow you. I cannot stand to look at your face or hear you speak.” She sat back down and stared at the wall again.

I grinned. Garmr bounced up and down, ready for a walk, and I followed him out of the throne-room – my plan was working. Garmr was bouncing through the long, cold halls, adorned with antlers, dead warrior’s weapons, and the ever-present echo of moans under me, vibrated against the walls. “Gammie, listen, we gotta find Baldur.” Garmr woofed gently and ran down a corridor to the left. I followed him, picking up my pace.

Baldur was the only one, I knew could help me. He might be dead and trapped down here until Ragnarok, but he was a God. He must have some sort of connection with the Gods above – I needed to know, that I had Freyja, that she would help me. Something. Just a friendly voice could make my day a little more bearable. My stomach clutched, and my heart doubled, when I thought about Dean and my daughter; they were living their life without me.

Was she okay? How old was she now? Who did she look like? I gasped as a wave of emotions ran through me, and I had to squat against the wall, tears welling up in my eyes. I couldn’t handle this. I couldn’t do this. Garmr came over, as soon as he realized I wasn’t following him, and whimpered at my tears. I sniffled a little and scratched him behind his ear again. My daughter. The love of my life. Both of them were in the living world, hopefully happy and content with life. Maybe Dean had even found someone else. The thought made new tears spring to my eyes and I sobbed a little at the thought of having lost them. Maybe I shouldn’t go back. I should stay here and let them live their lives. A soft, echoing voice reached my ears. “Am I not alone anymore?” my eyes snapped up and I scouted the corridor, but I couldn’t see anything. I quickly dried my eyes and stood up – I walked slowly, Garmr by my side, until I reached the very end of the corridor; a small cell was situated in between the stones, and a young, very beautiful man stood there, staring at me with wide, blue eyes. An almost unnatural light emitted from the cell, and I remembered that Baldur was the god of light. Of course, he would have more light down here than I would.

I stepped in front of him with a soft smile. He recoiled a little, but I simply held my hand out, reaching through the bars. “I’m not here to hurt you.” He stepped timidly forwards and grabbed my hand; he felt warm and it reminded me of sun on my skin. “Who are you?” he asked in a small voice. “it’s not that important. I need you to help me.” He frowned. His golden-blond, curly hair bounced as he cocked his head to the side. “what can I do for you? I am as trapped as you are.” I smiled a little and let his hand go. “I know. I…” I didn’t know what to say. HI, can you ask the gods to come pick me up? I know they haven’t done it for you, but like, I’m special? He smiled a little. “You do not belong here, do you?” I shook my head. “No, I don’t.” He stared at me.

“What will you have me do?” I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “Can you contact Freyja?” He nodded. “Can you ask her, if she is ready for me to leave?” He nodded again, and closed his eyes, tilting his head up towards the ceiling. I waited. Garmr was at my side, whining and whimpering a little. I nuzzled his ear, the only part I could reach standing, and kept an eye on Baldur.

He tilted his head back, opened his eyes and gave me a sorrowful smile. “She is.” I nodded and smiled at him. “I’m sorry, you’re stuck down here. I wish I could help you.” He smiled again and grabbed my hand. “I shall be fine. I am a strong man. A sliver of hope rests in me, after meeting you. You might be the one thing, that will stop Hel. No more prisoners.” I smiled at him.

“I’ll damn well try.”

 * “Minn heimili vili sitja ykkarr enda = my home will be your end

* Rekkrr = Warrior 

A/N 2: Sorry for ending it here, right before all the good stuff happens, but a writer’s gotta write, y’all! One more chapter to go – it’ll be updated Wednesday or Thursday, depending on my schedule (and I’m really sorry for using a gif of Happy!Dean, when in reality, there isn’t any happy Dean in this chapter).  

If you liked this, let me know!

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[wigglywormy]

fair victory [bakugou/deku, 1.7k]

ahhhh i know i haven’t psoted anything in 10 thousand years, for which im sorry lol, but anyways! this is my squealing santa fic for @heartsywritesthethings !!!

their bnha prompt was ‘bakugou getting wrecked by another classmate’, and since i haven’t written any bakudeku for this blog yet, i went with deku as the ler 8)

merry christmas! i hope to open up prompts again soon so i can start posting more consistently on this blog again xoxo

--

Bakugou admits that UA has a really damn nice gym, and he intends to get a good use out of it before he graduates in the next few months. As a third year, he doesn’t have as much time to train and exercise like he used to, because his current internship and all of his finals before graduation really keep him occupied.

He finds that working out at night tends to be the only time he gets to utilize the gym, so it becomes a sort of routine for him. Wake up, go to class for half a day, take a bus over to the city to patrol and help Best Jeanist with paperwork (and occasionally - more often than not, now that he’s a third year - go on investigations and actually partake in beating the shit out of some local villains), then he comes back to the dorms, has dinner, maybe hangs out begrudgingly with his friends for a bit, then treks down to the gym below the first floor of the dorms for an intense work out.

It’s an exhausting schedule, but he doesn’t mind it too much.

What he isn’t expecting is for Deku to weasel his way into his routine, almost like he belongs there.

Their patrol routes cross streets, and after the first couple times of nodding amicably, that start actually chatting (because Bakugou’s fucking eighteen now, he has no reason to be a petty bitch to Deku anymore. Some might even say they’re friends now, though Bakugou still cringes at that word.)

Then, Deku starts hanging out with him when Uraraka or Iida were busy. And eventually, he starts following Bakugou to the gym for his nightly workout.

“I’ll spot you!” Deku says as he bounds after Bakugou, gym bag slung over his shoulder. “And then you can spot me? It’s unsafe to lift weights alone, y’know.”

“I haven’t hurt myself yet,” Bakugou grumbles, but holds open the door so Deku and his over sized gym bag can clamber in.

“Yeah, yet,” Deku rolls his eyes, and damn, the kid’s gotten fucking sassy after their second year. Bakugou’s reasonably impressed, to be frank. He blames it on all the time he hangs out with fucking Todoroki.

“Watch your mouth, you shit,” Bakugou snorts, arching his back and doing a few warm up stretches.

“Or what?” Deku shoots back, tossing his bag onto the floor and pulling an arm across his chest as he follows suit in stretching.

“I’ll kick your ass, that’s what,” Bakugou narrows his eyes, and when his gaze locks with Deku’s, he doesn’t spot any fear, not like there used to be. Now he merely sees an inviting glint of… excitement? Of a fucking challenge?

“Bet I could kick your ass now, Kacchan,” Deku says breezily, and he not-so-subtly flexes a bicep. Bakugou’s eyes zap to the defined muscle, and he desperately tries to ignore the way his stomach tightens up at the site. The fuckin’ nerd is right - he has gotten buff as hell the past three years. It’s impressive, and sickeningly attractive, and all sorts of other things that Bakugou does not want to address now, or any time in the future thank you very fucking much.

“Wanna eat those words, you fuck?” Bakugou hisses as a distraction to himself, mostly.

“Alright,” Deku rolls his eyes, walking to the center of the gym area where a large padded mat is laid on the ground. He gets into a fighting stance, and he smiles at Bakugou. “Wanna spar?”

“Do you actually have a deathwish?”

“No quirks,” Deku says, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Fuck,” Bakugou sighs, because he knows this new-and-improved Deku will just provoke him further if he says no. And yeah, sure, the excuse to kick someone’s ass always gets his blood boiling, but being in such close proximity as Deku - after realizing some things last year - isn’t exactly what he wants to do right now.

He sucks it up though, because refusal will cause even more questions than answers, so he sheds his shirt, leaving his tank on, and cracks his neck as he charges without a countdown. What? Deku’s the fucking one who started this, he doesn’t deserve a warning.

Unfortunately, Deku seems to have predicted this, and he quickly grabs one of Bakugou’s forearms and wrenches him forward, attempting to unbalance him with raw force.

Bakugou growls, because these are all moves that he knows for a fact Deku has learned from watching him fight. He manages to get a good shove in, his palm flat against Deku’s broad chest, but the next thing he knows, Deku’s on the ground, sliding behind him and elbowing the back of his knees until he buckles and falls.

“That was a dirty fuckin’ move,” Bakugou manages, impressed, as he rolls away, but Deku grabs his ankle and tugs him back, getting him face down on the mat with his wrists pinned against his lower back behind him.

“Shit,” Bakugou hisses, thrashing and trying to dislodge Deku, who’s now straddling him as he uses his weight to pin Bakugou down. “Get - off.”

“Do you surrender?” Deku says, and Bakugou can hear the smug grin in his voice.

“Fuck no.”

“Kacchan, c’mon,” Deku laughs, tightening his hold on Bakugou’s wrists. He leans down a bit, and Bakugou turns his head so his cheek is squished against the mat, his legs kicking behind him as he tries to escape. “Just give up.”

His palms crackle, and Deku tsk’s. “No quirks, remember? Just admit defeat, and then I’ll let you go!”

Bakugou feels his cheeks burn, trying to ignore the heavy weight of Deku on top of him, holding him down, his strong, scarred hands squeezing bruises into his wrists. He doesn’t respond, opting instead to growl and buck like a wild animal because the rest of his body is heating up now too and this is not good.

He hears Deku sigh, a quiet murmur of, “you asked for this,” before Bakugou feels determined fingers pressing into his ribs, right over his tank top.

Bakugou jerks as if he’s been electrocuted, a strangled noise escaping his lips, and his eyes widen when Deku starts tickling him.

Simultaneously, having Deku’s hands on him is something he’s fantasized about for months now, but not like this, holy shit. Bakugou’s biting his lip so hard it nearly bleeds, and he’s already pinned down, already practically defeated, he’s not going to give Deku the satisfaction of -

Deku slips his hand underneath Bakugou’s tank, fluttering his nails up until he can scratch right below Bakugou’s ribs, and Bakugou shrieks.

“F-Fuckin’ Deku, you sh-shihihit, get the fuck off!”

“You’re still super ticklish, huh?” Deku giggles - giggles at him, like this is funny, that fucker - before drilling his thumb into Bakugou’s ribs, causing the blonde to choke on a laugh, kicking his legs and panting.

“I’m not!”

“You aren’t?” Deku says, the teasy little fuck. “Are you sure?”

He releases Bakugou’s arms, but before Bakugou has half a mind to flip himself over and roll away, Deku grabs his wrists and pins them above his head, stretching Bakugou out taut. He slips his free hand underneath Bakugou’s tank again, this time tickling up his spine until he can scratch his nails along his shoulder blades, and Bakugou hates himself for how hard he giggles, shoving his face into his arm to try and muffle himself.

“Aww, Kacchan,” Deku coos, leaning down so his breath fans across Bakugou’s nape. “Do you give up?”

“F-Fuck you - ah - aha shit!” Bakugou gasps when Deku tickles under his arm, fingers deft and sure as Bakugou writhes underneath him. “Get off!”

Finally, Deku fully releases Bakugou’s wrists in order to bring both hands down to attack Bakugou’s waist, fingers slipping underneath him for a brief moment to pinch his hips and prod into his stomach. Unfortunately for Bakugou, he’s already pretty worn out, and steadily getting even more exhausted because every time he tries not to laugh, Deku just tickles him harder until he’s forced to wheeze out these pathetic giggles that Deku keeps cooing at god fucking damnit.

“Kacchan, you’re so cute,” Deku laughs, and when Bakugou manages to roll onto his side, Deku claws at his belly until Bakugou snorts.

Cute, Bakugou thinks deliriously, his body tingling and warm as Deku tortures him. What the fuck -

“Stop!” Bakugou laughs, rolling onto his back and pushing weakly at Deku’s chest. “Fuck - st-stop, Deku you piece of shihihit!”

“That doesn’t sound like a surrender,” Deku whispers, reaching a hand up to scratch under Bakugou’s neck. His hands seem to be darting everywhere, and Bakugou’s brain feels fuzzy, desperate for some sort of mercy but too prideful to speak it. Besides, though the tickling is fucking awful, Deku’s so warm on top of him, and his hands are like honey against his sweaty skin.

Once Deku wedges both of his hands underneath Bakugou’s arms though, Bakugou arches his back so hard it pops, his head thrown back against the mat, and god, he can’t - he can’t take it anymore, fuck.

“Deku - Deku, I’m - ” Bakugou squeezes his eyes shut, giggling wildly. “I’m gonna f-fucking d-die - ”

“You’re so dramatic,” Dekiu laughs, “you’re not gonna die, I promise.”

“Yes I fuckin’ am,” Bakugou wheezes, finally peeking open his eyes, damp with tears as he sees the fond, endeared look on Deku’s face as the sadistic fuck keeps fucking tickling him. “Fine - shit, f-fine, okay, stop, you win, you fu-fuhuhcking win, get off - !”

“Wow,” Deku says, slowing his touches but not stopping completely. He trails his hands down, tracing over Bakugou’s protruding ribs gently until Bakugou squeaks breathlessly. “It only took you nearly passing out to finally admit you lost. So stubborn, Kacchan.”

He sounds… incredibly happy about this fact, and Bakugou finds himself flushing deeper, panting as he catches his breath. Deku’s still on top of him, and Bakugou trembles when those scarred hands trail over his waist. It’s electric and terrifying, how much Bakugou doesn’t really want him to stop.

Fucking…. Shit. Stupid fucking feelings.

“So,” Deku says after letting Bakugou calm down, though his hands are still touching him, almost absentmindedly. “Wanna go again?”

“I’m gonna murder you,” Bakugou wheezes pathetically, but there’s a grin on his face, and when Deku smiles back, Bakugou knows that he’s officially completely fucking whipped. Any other person, and he would’ve blown their hands off for pulling a stunt like this, but Deku just looks at him so earnestly, and Bakugou begrudgingly admits to himself that maybe… maybe it wasn’t all that torturous.

Though, next time, Bakugou’s not above a little bit (or a lot) of revenge. He guarantees that Deku is just as ticklish as he was when they were kids, and Bakugou intends to find out very soon just how true that fact is.

[aros001]

Read through light novel vol. 9. Random thoughts.

Odyssey reference. Always a win, especially when Priestess is Noman.

“If it comes to nothing, then it was pointless.” He sounded like he was dismissing his own efforts. “I’m certain my teacher could have thought of something at least a little better.”

“But your teacher isn’t here right now. You are.” Before he could object, she continued, “You’re the one who’s rescuing me.”

“...Is that so?”

It's a nice little parallel Goblin Slayer and Priestess are going through. Both is without their mentor and both are in a situation they feel their mentor would do better in but they have to act anyway. I love how much Priestess has clearly grown, even if she herself doesn't see it or views it as her simply mimicking what her companions would have done.

One of the reason I have more attachment to Priestess' relationship with Goblin Slayer over Cow Girl's is because Cow Girl is usually up at the farm, away from everything that's happening, thus she and Goblin Slayer don't have a lot of scenes together from them to interact. And as they've know each other for years prior to the story's beginning, a lot of their relationship's development happened off-screen and the interactions they do have now don't develop it much further. By contrast, Priestess and Goblin Slayer's partnership is, in a way, the main backbone of the series. They're together quite often and they're constantly developing their relationship through their experiences with each other.

That's why I like this volume mixing things up a bit, having Cow Girl alone with Goblin Slayer for most of the book in the heart of the action. She can't help as much as Priestess can but she's not an adventurer, so that's not really a fault. And their scenes together, especially in the well, are very touching.

Holy sh*t, the Seeking Candle came back! I love how this series is written! Rarely does anything feel pointless. Almost everything that gets introduced comes back in some way. Heck, even the freaking ogre came back into relevance in this volume with his brother wanting revenge on Goblin Slayer for killing him!

No... Those weren’t shadows. They came on, chittering, like a rising tide to consume Priestess...

“Giant rats?!” she exclaimed.

Even before Rookie Warrior attacked, the moment I saw "rats" I could almost hear the "Hallelujah!" orchestra come in around him. Poop Patrol's moment to shine!

Cold, she hunched forward, only to discover something that felt soft. Her fingers were touching bare skin.

“Wha...? Oh... No...?!”

I’m naked...?!

As she realized she wasn’t wearing a thread of clothing, Priestess blushed furiously and curled into herself.

...

An illusion... Or maybe a charm.

It was one of the supernatural powers that vampires were said to have. Priestess shivered; she could still feel the cold, sharp stinging in her neck. What would have happened had she simply let things go on? It was terrifying to think about. What would have happened if she hadn’t been so quick to remember the Monster Manual?

He would have continued to act the way she wanted him to. Worrying about her, praising her, touching her face. Of course, for quite some time now he had been showing her consideration in his own awkward way, but...

“But never quite like that.”

He’s pretty much hopeless, after all.

So the illusion of how Priestess wanted Goblin Slayer to act with her just had to include her being naked around him, did it? I refuse to not look too deeply into this!

Also, holy sh*t, it's a vampire! The one time Goblin Slayer might actually recognize a monster that isn't a goblin and he misses it! And he killed all the goblins in the nearby village, so we never even (thankfully) got to see Ice Witch turn one of them into a Vampire Goblin.

He couldn’t have fathomed that Goblin Slayer had taken the pieces of ice that he had cut and Cow Girl had polished, and had placed them in various locations around the village. That while he had been waiting, encamped, for Goblin Slayer to appear, the adventurer had been calmly laying a trap. Or that sunlight focused through a piece of ice could achieve temperatures high enough to start a fire. Or that the dry wood of these houses, along with pieces of wood and buried branches, could burn perfectly well in spite of the snow. Or that this man knew a thousand and one ways to interfere with goblins’ ability to see in the dark.

I'm a firm believer in trying to judge a story primarily by its own merits and not in comparison to other stories. That said, something I like about Goblin Slayer in comparison to many other series I've read and watched is that everything doesn't come down to stat numbers and power levels but rather tactics and strategy. Goblin Slayer doesn't defeat the new, stronger enemies he meets by increasing his own strength or power. His power level, that of his companions, and that of all enemies throughout the series, stay fairly consistent. The only person whose power has been increasing is Priestess, but only in regards to gaining more non-offensive Miracles she can use. How she's grown and become a better fighter is primarily through her experiences, polishing her rough edges and giving her more tools to work with ("What do I have in my pocket?"). Don't get me wrong, I like series with power boosts, awesome fights, and the MC getting stronger and stronger, but it is still a refreshing change of pace to have an MC who has to use his head more to win, as he is and is always going to be just a normal human man with those human limits. How he and his companions work within those limits in order to pull out a victory is always exciting and incredibly satisfying, as each win feels earned.

And even with those limits in this tight spot, he still made saving the captured women his immediate priority. One of the first things I was curious about upon starting the LNs was whether Goblin Slayer killed goblins to prevent what happened to him from happening to anyone else or if it was just a way of getting revenge for what happened to him? I'm sure there's some overlap but I'm glad it seems to be the former.

Sad the interaction between Burgler and Cow Girl didn't last longer. Hopeful he'll show up again soon. Apparently he's busy with Wizard Boy and Rhea Scout right now, so Goblin Slayer's words actually did matter more than he thought they would. The flashbacks to GS's training is always kind of interesting, as Burgler's teachings aren't exactly wrong and clearly they've been no small help to Goblin Slayer's war against goblins over the years...but they definitely didn't help in helping him deal with his trauma. If anything, they probably made it worse. Burgler gave him a way to fight but it was also saddled with Goblin Slayer blaming himself for everything that happened because he, a little boy, did nothing to fight against a horde of goblins that destroyed his village, and becoming completely obsessed with killing goblins, to the point that he can't live any other life.

I'm really glad the fans recommended I keep going with the series after episode 1. I've enjoyed Goblin Slayer way more than I ever would have thought after that first episode. The darkness works because it takes it and the trauma it causes seriously. The darkness works because this series has humanity to it. These characters have heart and personality. The care about each other. They love each other and feel like actual friends and companions. Their world is dark, thus why they support each other and work to make it a little brighter. I'm really looking forward to vol. 10, when it comes out in August according to Amazon.

Now, on to Re:Zero; the only LN series I was more scared of starting than Goblin Slayer!

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoblinSlayer/comments/g5geie/read_through_light_novel_vol_9_random_thoughts/

[gyeommark]

Without You || Kim Yugyeom

Genre: Angst (University!AU-ish, sort of?? idk)

Yugyeom x Reader

Words: 4,4k (holy shit did I get carried away I’M SORRY)

A/N: Honestly, this is so long and I felt kind of a weird vibe from it so I really hope you like it because maaannnn I don’t know, I don’t know. Let me know!!! Also, it took longer than expected because something came up so I’m sorry about that tooooooo but here you go :)

A/N2: Excuse my typos and sh*t, I didn’t proof read it :(

You two had met in the most common of circumstances; maybe too common for you to believe that he’d end up meaning so much to you.

–Y/N, this is Yugyeom, Yugyeom, this is Y/N–. One of your friends officially introduced him to you one day. You had a couple hours free before you had to go to another lecture so you were hanging around in a coffee shop near campus waiting for said friend to join you. She walked in the establishment followed by the tall, fair skinned guy.

You’d seen him around before, of course. You even had a couple classes with him so you knew his name too but you had never actually talked nor made the effort to hang out since he had his own group of friends, as well.

–Hey… I know you, don’t I?– You smiled, nodding at them and silently inviting them to take a seat with you. He chuckled, looking down at the chair before hesitantly occupying it.

Your friend frowned, looking at you and then at him with a confused expression.

–We have a few classes together, don’t we?– He spoke up again, looking at you shyly to which you nodded quickly.

–We’ll you could’ve told me before I made a fool of myself–. Your friend complained and gave Yugyeom a not-so-gentle slap on the shoulder. –We were talking about her on he way here and you decided to say this now. You guys are awful–.

She got up angrily, dragging her chair on the floor, causing a loud screeching sound to echo through the small shop, making you both wince even when you were still chuckling.

And thus, that’s where it began with you and Kim Yugyeom.

After that day, you started talking and hanging out sporadically for a couple months, only polite greetings on the halls or quick coffee runs before your shared classes. Then it started evolving onto him saving you a seat next to him when you slept in and were late to class (which was a very common thing to happen, to be honest) and you waiting for him with a chocolate frapuccino after his dance practice.

He was startled when you showed up at the practice room one day with two cups on your hands and a gentle smile adorning your face. Yugyeom didn’t want to make it obvious that he noticed your presence but it was hard to keep his eyes off you, even if it was only your reflection in the mirror.

You had lost track of time while you worked on an essay at the same café you two had ‘met’ almost six months prior. It was considerably late, taking it that it was pitch dark outside and you remembered overhearing Yugyeom talking on the phone and mentioning something about an afterhours practice. You sighed in relief, hoping he’d still be there so you wouldn’t have to walk all alone at night.

He was startled to see you there, to say the least. He almost missed a couple steps when he noticed you and that was unforgivable. He wondered what where you doing there and how exactly you knew he was there. He was sure he didn’t mention it to you but there you were, sitting in a corner while mindlessly scrolling through your phone with an absent smile.

Once his practice was done, he was nervous to approach you, to say the least. He felt the thump of his heart against his ribcage getting stronger. It always happened when he was around you but he always attributed it to the fact that he wasn’t really used to being around females but somehow it felt different.

Hesitantly, he walked up to you with his hands tugged inside the pockets of his black hoodie.

–Hey…– You heard his soft voice near you and you stood up as fast as you could without falling to the ground. Yugyeom smiled widely at your clumsy mannerisms. –What are you doing here?–

You smiled, taking a sip of your beverage to hide your embarrassment behind the steaming cup as you extended your other to hand Yugyeom the one you had gotten him.

He gladly took it and started heading out with you walking by his side.

–I sort of overheard you saying that you had a late practice… And I didn’t want you to head back on your own–. You felt yourself blushing and you knew it was because you had twisted your motives but you didn’t want to seem like a scaredy cat to him.

He laughed out loud and nodded happily. His laugh always made you smile, it was so careless and sincere.

As you walked, you tried to fill in the silences with trivial talk about assignments, teachers and how you probably wouldn’t be able to sleep with the amount of caffeine running through your veins.

Yugyeom listened intently to every word that escaped your lips, always glancing at you; still unable to shake off the erratic beating of his heart and he wondered if you were feeling the same or if there was another reason for you to obviously lie about your motives to be there for him that night.

Your apartment wasn’t that far from campus so, after fifteen minutes of walking, you arrived and sighed, grateful that he was there to keep you company.

–Thank you–. Yugyeom blurted out as you fidgeted with the door lock. The door finally opened but you looked at him, not understanding what exactly he was thanking you for. You frowned. –For the shake and walking with me, it was nice–.

You smiled when you noticed his ears starting to gain a rosy tint.

–You don’t have to thank me, it’s the least I could do for all the times you’ve saved me a seat–. You chuckled, disheveling his hair with one hand in a playful manner. –Thank you for walking me all the way here, though. You should get going before it gets even darker–.

His eyes widened when he felt your hand tangle in his locks and his breath was almost knocked out of his lungs. He stuttered.

– Y-y-eah, I-uh… I’ll see you tomorrow–. You smiled and nodded as you took a step to give him an one-armed hug to which he responded with one of his arms around your waist.

It was an impulse reaction. Your skinship had been limited to kisses on the cheek when saying hello or the occasional slap on the shoulder when he said something inappropriate.

Yugyeom went on his way and you closed the door behind you, trying to shake off the uneasiness that formed in your stomach. Yugyeom walked silently to his small apartment with goosebumps covering every inch of his body; goosebumps that started making appearances every time he was with you, every time he saw you walking up to him from afar, hell, they appeared even at the mere thought of you.

He knew he was in too deep.

It became a habit for you to wait for him after his practices, so much that you wouldn’t let other plans get in the way and Yugyeom loved you even more for that.

Everyone could see how you’ve gotten closer over time, spending your free periods together, going to lunch and occasionally dinner dates.

Dates.

You weren’t dating or at least that’s what you told yourself. Never did you see a hint of interest from Yugyeom and as much as that made you feel uneasy and a bit sad, for some reason, you were totally fine with how close your friendship grew to be.

–So you went to dinner with Yugyeom again, didn’t you?– Your friend asked with raised eyebrows as you watched some show on the t.v.

–Yeah–. You replied, mindlessly. –This new restaurant had a couple’s discount so we went there–.

–But you’re not a couple, are you?– You almost choked on the chip you were chewing. Your whole face turned red. No, your whole body turned red and you turned to look at her with a contorted expression that ranged between shock, anger and sadness.

You didn’t even have to speak for her to put her hands up in surrender.

–Hey! Don’t blame me! Everyone thinks you’re together and how can I blame them?! He looks at you like you’re some divine creation and you gravitate around him… Jeez–.

A minute of uncomfortable silence fell upon you as you thought about what she had just said and how creepily happy it made you feel.

Did you have feelings for Yugyeom?

You probably did and just were too stupid to realize, even after almost two years of friendship with the boy.

–You like him–. She stated. It wasn’t a question, it was an affirmation and you couldn’t deny it now.

–It doesn’t matter. You’re wrong, he sees me as a friend–. Your emotions were riding the most intense rollercoaster because as you spoke, it had dawned on you: he’d never see you as anything else.

Time passed by after the conversation with your friend and since then, you had tried to guard yourself for building up even more feelings for Kim Yugyeom. Your heart still beat erratically when you saw him walk into the lecture hall, the air in your lungs still dissipated when he smiled at you and your limbs still turned to gelatin when he gave you a side hug while joking around.

Somehow, in the process of trying to distance yourself from Yugyeom, you started talking and hanging out with a guy from your philosophy class. He was good looking, too, tall (but not as tall as Yugyeom), black wavy hair and olive green eyes.

First time Yugyeom saw you with him, he felt something inside of him crack. You were sitting on a bench in the quad, your body facing the guy completely and you were laughing loudly. The wrinkles around your eyes were noticeable even from where he was standing.

Then, he snapped; he snapped when he saw how the disrespectful excuse of a man put his hand on your thigh but what made him lose it was that you didn’t flinch. You didn’t push him away; he hoped you would, but you didn’t, instead you put your own hand over his and Yugyeom felt his fists start to shake.

He power walked to the practice room and started dancing away his feelings.

Had he not meant anything to you? Were you not feeling the same thing as was he? Were all the laughs, the serious talks and the dates meaningless to you?

Did he misread the signals? Was he an idiot?

That night, as he laid flat on his bed, staring at the ceiling with all of his energy drained out, Yugyeom told himself that he’d let you be. He wouldn’t meddle, he wouldn’t reach out to you. He didn’t want to be put in a position where you’d just go to him for comfort or pass the time when your little boyfriend wasn’t around.

Every night that passed you found your mind drifting to Yugyeom, wondering how he was doing. For the past months you had barely talked, let alone hang out. You gave up on getting him chocolate shakes after practice when he changed his schedule without letting you know.

Your heart shattered when you texted him one night.

You: [6:48 p.m.] “Heyy. They opened a new italian place downtown and got discounts! Wanna hit it?”

Yugyeom: [7:14 p.m.] “Sorry, got a date. Rain check”

It was unfair for you to feel left out and heart broken when you read those words, since you had been the first to practically ditch him over another guy but it still stung.

The majority of your efforts to hang out with Yugyeom weakened after that.

You’d see him walking to class with who you thought it was his new girlfriend. She was pretty, you couldn’t deny it and he looked content. He had an arm wrapped lazily over her shoulder as he walked to the lecture you shared with him.

He didn’t save a seat for you anymore. You didn’t bother to say hi, you only smiled politely at him and he’d do the same in silence.

You learned afterwards that he had met her in the dance lessons he sometimes taught. The Arts department held a showcase for the end of the semester (and for you and Yugyeom, the end of your college years); of course he was participating. Your boyfriend had practically dragged you to said showcase much to your delight.

You regretted not protesting the minute you walked around the corner and saw the big stage built on the quad. Your whole body froze and not even the boiling hot chocolate that you held in your hands could’ve warmed you up.

That’s what jealousy felt like, then? Like you freeze with shock for a minute, then boil with anger for a few seconds, only to end up pooling into sadness until you can forget about it?

Jealousy sucked and you were being selfish for feeling like that when you had a perfectly good boyfriend standing next to you; smile plastered on his face and feet bouncing a little to the rhythm of the music.

He had no idea about Yugyeom. For all he cared, Kim Yugyeom was just a classmate of yours that you only rarely said hi to.

Yugyeom was too lost on the routine he had worked on with his girlfriend to notice that you were there but he did feel something in the air change. Maybe he was just nervous.

The routine was a strange mixture of tango, house and something else you couldn’t pinpoint. It looked rather intimate and that made you uncomfortable but everyone else seemed to be engrossed by it. Great.

The music stopped and maybe it was planned or maybe it was a spur of the moment but the world stopped for you when you saw Yugyeom kiss his blonde partner with a grin on his face. Everyone in the crowd cheered and clapped but you wanted to throw your beverage at them and sprint away into Pompeii.

–Y/N!!!!–. The extremely loud mention of your name made you come back to your senses, making you shake your head a little before being attacked and engulfed into a deathly bear hug.

By the sequined pattern on his cardigan and the sound of his heeled boots you knew who it was immediately.

Everybody else ignored the yelling; everyone but Kim Yugyeom, who was about to walk off stage. It wasn’t only because it was his best friend’s voice causing the outburst but because he hadn’t heard your name being spoken in ages. He spotted his friend jogging across the quad and then his eyes fell on you.

Your hair had gotten longer and you even looked thinner and taller. Maybe it was the shoes. You were frowning and you looked upset by something before BamBam crashed into you.

You grew fond of BamBam in the time you were ‘close’ with Yugyeom. He was hyper and his dumb sense of humor baffled you sometimes but it was nice being around him. You also very much liked how happy Yugyeom got when they were together. They turned into little kids, cracking jokes, laughing way too loud, eating way too much.

–You disappeared from the face of Earth suddenly, what happened to you?– The skinny man asked once he finally let go. –Yugyeom’s been moping around for almost a year and it’s getting kind of annoying–.

Your eyes widened, immediately looking over at your boyfriend who was pretending not to pay attention.

–We grew apart, that’s it–. You muttered, now looking at BamBam with daggers in your eyes, hoping he’d get the hint to stop talking about Yugyeom.

–Yeah, right–. BamBam rolled his eyes at you but nudged you on the shoulder, trying to lighten the mood. –Anyways, I know it’s not of my business or anything but it’d be nice if you came to dinner tomorrow, you know… To celebrate–.

–Celebrate?– You questioned out loud. What was there to celebrate? You losing your best friend over a silly crush that you didn’t know how to handle? Using an innocent, decent guy to try and get over Yugyeom? There was nothing to celebrate. You were miserable at best.

–He got engaged last week–.

BamBam probably didn’t know the effect his words would have on you and so when he saw you spacing out, he mentioned something about texting you the details and walked away.

You couldn’t be bothered to react. You were too lost in his words.

Engaged.

Kim Yugyeom was engaged.

But he was so young and he had so much ahead of him. He had met this girl only a couple months ago, was it really love?

Would you let him go on with his life without telling him how you truly felt?

You left for your apartment as quickly as you could, so much that you didn’t even bothered on letting your actual boyfriend know. Your phone vibrated unceasingly inside your pocket and you ignored it completely, knowing that it was the poor tormented boy probably scared to death that you had vanished.

You got home, showered and just sat on your bed with your phone in front of you. It had been well over two hours since you had left him alone and he was still calling non-stop.

You built up the courage to answer the hundredth ninety-sixth call. You didn’t bother on greeting him.

–I can’t do this anymore–. You said bluntly. Your boyfriend (if you could even call him that) laughed dryly onto the speaker, perfectly understanding what you meant.

–Is this because of the Yugyeom guy? The guy you never talked about and pretended you didn’t know? The one my friends asked me about and told me they thought you were actually dating him instead of me?–

You gulped but didn’t have the strength to say a word.

–Do you love him?– His voice got deeper, almost cracking. You hated that you were doing this and that you have been so heartless towards him. You were a monster but you knew he deserved to be with someone who actually loved him; someone who wouldn’t waste almost a year of his life like you had.

–Yes–. You affirmed before hanging up.

–You told her what?!– Yugyeom cried out in the kitchen of his own apartment, the one he shared with BamBam, conveniently enough.

–Listen! I don’t know what the hell happened between you and why you suddenly stopped hanging out and cut every line of communication to the point of behaving like fucking strangers but she was your best friend! You were so close it actually made me nervous I’d lose my spot at times and you’re a completely different person without her!–

–Nothing happened between us, get it? Nothing, that’s the point. She chose to replace me and cut me from her life! She decided to hurt me so why would I want her at my engagement dinner?–

BamBam was just about to open his mouth when the front door opened slowly. The two guys looked at it with a mixture of fear and confusion.

There you were, standing on the other side with disheveled hair tucked under a hood and blushed cheeks, looking down at your feet.

–Because she’s really sorry about being an idiot…–You murmured, scared to look up to them, but more so to see Yugyeom. It had been months since the last time you were alone in a room with him. –Because she misses you…–

The two guys looked at each other. BamBam’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ before quickly fleeing the scene and gently pushing you inside on his way out.

You hesitated for an instant but caved nonetheless, closing the door behind you and finally looking at the man that still held your heart in his hands. He looked great, honestly. He had lost the remains of baby weight you remembered him with. His jaw was way more defined; his hair was longer and lighter.

He looked great whereas you were well aware you looked like a mess.

–She misses me?– Yugyeom wanted to be stern; he didn’t want to be vulnerable again. He wanted to be mad and visibly angry towards you but he also wanted to hug you close to him. His emotions were betraying him.

You nodded quickly, tears filling your eyes and slowly clouding your vision.

–A lot…– Your voice cracked due to the knot in your throat that you had been fighting ever since you opened the door to his place. You dried the tears from your eyes with the sleeve of your oversized black hoodie.

A hoodie that you had stolen from Yugyeom a long time ago. A hoodie that you always wore to bed because it reminded you of him.

–Then why did you push me away? Why did you replace me with him?– The pained words made you look at him in the eye. He was disappointed; his eyebrows were furrowed slightly and the corners of his mouth hung low. It broke your heart.

–Because I’m dumb…– You laughed dryly at your own words. When Yugyeom didn’t say anything, you took a deep breath and mentally prepared yourself to say everything you had been holding back for a year or so.

–I figured… Maybe if I started hanging out with someone else, a boy, it’d be easier for me to be around you–. Yugyeom’s frown grew deeper and subconsciously took a couple steps towards you. –I didn’t want to be the silly girl that fell in love with her best friend and fucked everything up because of those feelings but I ended up doing just that, didn’t I?–

The girl that fell in love with her best friend. Those words resonated in Yugyeom’s head and he started feeling dizzy so he sat on the nearest coffee table, looking up at you.

–I knew that you didn’t feel the same way about me and I tried really hard to hang out just like before but I felt you slipping away and I thought ‘okay, maybe he’s too busy, maybe he just doesn’t feel like being around me’ but I kept trying because I couldn’t imagine a life where you weren’t there. Every scenario I pictured, whether it was one, five, ten or fifteen years from now, you were always there and maybe it was silly, giving it that we hadn’t been friends for the longest of times but I couldn’t help it so… when you texted me that night, telling me that you had a date, well… I just stopped trying–.

Yugyeom was having a hard time processing the words that escaped your lips. You loved him. Was that what you were saying? You started dating someone else because you liked him? That was the most twisted logic ever.

–BamBam told me you were having an engagement dinner tomorrow…– You mumbled, trying hard not to cry. Yugyeom couldn’t peer his eyes off you. You looked beautiful even when you were fighting the tears and dealing with a stuffy nose. He nodded slowly.

–Well…– You continued. –I’m not going, obviously… But I just wanted to come and tell you, at least once… That I love you, Kim Yugyeom. I love you a lot and I hope you’re really happy from now on… Even if I think you’re too young to get married…–. You chuckled even if it stung to say those words out loud.

He squinted his eyes but said nothing; his mind was racing. You turned around to leave, thinking that you had no more business there, when you heard him speak up.

–You can’t just come back into my life and tell me you love me–. He groaned. You were too scared to turn around and face him again because you knew he was right. You were being selfish again. –You can’t do that, Y/N. It’s not fair!–

The moment his voice’s volume got higher, you instantly turned around, astonished, only to find him mere centimeters away from you. Your breath hitched and your eyes widened. Your heart was beating so fast and hard that you were afraid it might come out from your mouth.

–I’m sorry–. You whispered, pursing your lips and looking up at him.

His eyes darted from your eyes to your mouth, making you gulp.

–I liked you from the moment I first saw you, stumbling to get to the lecture on time. Even before we were introduced. I loved you the moment you appeared with a choco shake after my dance practice and I have loved you since then; my love hasn’t quivered the tiniest bit and every night I prayed that some miracle happened to make you realize you loved me too but I knew that would never happen. So I found someone who adored me like I adored you and I knew no one could love me the same way…–

A single tear escaped your left eye because you had no idea where he was going with that.

–And now, you’re here. Telling me that you love me, telling me that you can’t picture your life without me. Making me realize that my love wasn’t unrequited but I was just stupid to do anything. Making me love you once again; making me want you once again… It’s not fair to her–. Yugyeom sighed, pressing his forehead against yours and trapping you against a wall. You bit your lip.

–I know…– You murmured, his eyes boring into yours, making your stomach churn and your heart go into frenzy.

Slowly but steadily, finally letting go all the bottled up feelings, Yugyeom leaned in for a kiss and you didn’t push him away. It wasn’t fair but it also was unavoidable. His soft lips pressed firmly against yours; your eyes fluttered closed and you sighed when you felt him nibbled at your bottom lip, softly.

His body molded onto yours, digging his hands onto your waist as your own rested on his chest, feeling his heart beating just as chaotically as yours. You tugged at his black cotton t-shirt to pull him closer.

Your lungs started to sting due to the lack of oxygen and reluctantly, you pulled away. You kept your eyes shut, afraid to open them.

–I can’t picture my life without you, either–. He said, softly; his breath tickling your nose. You opened your eyes to see him smiling sweetly at you and it suddenly hit you: he wasn’t living without you.

___________

M A S T E R L I S T

[furinjuru]

Our Sea Of Today - Chapter 15 - Impact

Weekly updates! Vague relationships! Thinly veiled angst! And more! On this week’s chapter.

Dia whistles softly as the three members of Aqours step out into the field, sunlight warming her body. They had decided to get some fresh air before doing final preparations, something that in Dia’s opinion was a waste of time. Now that she’s out here, however, it does feel nice. She wishes they’ll be able to hold a performance out here soon.

“It’s a nice day, isn’t it?” Yoshiko asks while staring directly at the sun, no clouds obstructing her view. As always, Dia quickly takes action.

 “Don’t do that, you’ll ruin your eyesight.”

 “Okay, mom.” Dia scowls. “I’m just happy...that my bad luck isn’t so bad today.”

 “Bad luck?” Chika asks. “What do you mean by that?” Yoshiko visibly flinches at the question.

 “Nothing. What do you mortals call it again...a Freudian slip, that’s what it was.” Chika continues staring at her until she relents with a sigh. “Just...something that happens occasionally.” More like every time. “Usually it would rain whenever I want to do something outdoors.”

 “Oh.” Chika nods, putting on a thoughtful expression. “I see. So...in other words.” Chika poses the way Yoshiko would whenever she’s in fallen angel mode. “A god has cursed you since birth, sending holy water from the heavens in order to keep your power in check.” She says with a knowing smile gracing her features. “Did I get that right?”

 “Huh?” Yoshiko blushes at Chika’s fallen angel act. Somehow, it makes her seem a lot cooler than usual. “T-that’s the gist of it, yes.”

 “Then don’t worry!” Chika giggles. “You can borrow some of my good luck!”

 “What?” The idea is absolutely insane, even by Yoshiko’s standards. Chika is unfazed by Yoshiko’s blatant confusion.

 “And I’m sure Dia wouldn’t mind sharing some of her luck too!” Said dark-haired girl tenses up at her name, then begins to scratch at the mole on her face.

 “I don’t have that much luck either.” She shrugs. “Buuuut, I suppose I can help relieve you of your misfortune.”

 “Wait a second, you two can’t do that,” Yoshiko says indignantly. “It would be unfitting for a fallen angel of my caliber to burden you with such a powerful curse.”

 “Oh?” Chika smirks mischievously. “Are you sure? Aren’t we your little demons? Wasn’t it our job to help you in any way we can?”

 “U-uhm,” Yoshiko stutters, “I changed my mind! Yohane can handle this herself.” She hears Dia sighing.

 “Give up, Chika’s too fired up to quit now.” She smiles as well. “Just accept our gift.”

 “That’s right! So please borrow our power, Yohane-sama!” Chika beams at her, and Yoshiko remembers why she likes Chika so much as her heart threatens to burst out of her chest. She’s so nice! And when Dia is her smiling, more laid-back self, she gives off a similar feeling.

 “...you two are weird. That’s so dumb,” she says, confidence filling her tone. “Fine. If you want it so badly, then Yohane will accept your gift.”

 “Great! And in return,” Chika grabs Yoshiko’s arm and begins dragging her towards the auditorium. “Yohane can help us with preparations. Isn’t that right, Dia?”

 Dia nods, looking as smug as ever. It takes a while for the gears in Yoshiko’s head to begin turning, but when they do she tries to break free of Chika’s grasp. “Y-you tricked me! You can have your stupid luck back.”

 “Sorry, no refunds,” Dia answers seriously. “You’ll just have to suck it up.”

 Yoshiko sighs as Chika continues to lead her by the arm, trying not to focus on the physical contact. “I don’t feel very lucky right now.”

 “I do~,” Chika says in a sing-song tone. “I know something good’s gonna happen! I can just feel it. No bad luck here.”

 Even though that sounds like the opposite of Yoshiko’s experiences throughout her life, she can’t help but smile at her friend’s optimism. “We’ll see.”

 ---------------

 “There you are!”

 The three first-years had been walking aimlessly when someone approaches You from behind, putting their hands on her shoulder. As the three turn to face the newcomer, You smiles brightly while the other two stare at her in awe.

 “Kanan-chan!” You greets the blue-haired girl, shocking Hanamaru with how informally she addressed her.

 “You-chan.” She returns the smile before turning her gaze towards Ruby, the redhead letting out a squeak as she locks eyes with Kanan. “Ruby-chan, good to see you. It’s been a while since we talked normally, hasn’t it?”

 “Y-yes!” She stutters. “Uhh, it’s been a while, Kanan-san.” Kanan chuckles, causing Ruby to turn bright red.

 “You don’t have to be so formal, Ruby-chan. Dia isn’t here right now.” Ruby nods, and Kanan finally turns towards the last person. She remains silent, putting on a contemplative expression while Hanamaru sweats under the attention. Then, Kanan snaps her fingers. “Then you must be Kunikida-san, am I right?”

 “Yes, I’m Kunikida Hanamaru. Pleased to meet you, zura.” The words hang in the air as Hanamaru processes what she had said. “Wait, I meant-”

 “Don’t worry, it’s your verbal tic, right? I know about it.” Kanan walks towards her, offering her hand, which Hanamaru takes. “Matsuura Kanan, although I guess you already knew that. I’ve heard a lot of things about you.”

 “Really, zura?” Hanamaru looks happy, but You notices that Ruby is sweating profusely.

 “Yep!” Kanan says, grinning. “Ruby talked about you a lot whenever I came over. A lot.” She emphasizes.

 “Kanan-chan, please don’t....” Ruby moans, covering her reddening face with her hand. Hanamaru looks equally embarrassed. The reactions only fuel Kanan to continue.

 “Did you know that the reason Ruby wanted to be moved up a year was so she can be in the same year as you?” Kanan asks, the teasing smile still etched on her face. Now even more embarrassed, Ruby launches herself at Kanan, trying to cover her mouth using her hands.

 “Don’t listen to her, Hanamaru-chan! Kanan-chan, you’re just a big liar. I never said anything like that!” She shouts, eliciting loud laughter from Kanan. “Stop laughing, this isn’t funny.”

 “It’s kind of funny,” Kanan replies, out of breath from laughing so much. “You’re a lot more forward nowadays, aren’t cha?”

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ruby pouts, crossing her arms.

 Kanan hums, ruffling Ruby’s hair as the redhead tries to maintain a neutral expression. “Yeah, you’re kinda like your sister in that way. I just hope you don’t become as much of a workaholic as she is.”

 “I’ll keep that in mind,” Ruby says genuinely. “Thanks, Kanan-chan!”

 “Of course, Ruby-chan. Anything for my favorite underclassman.”

 “Wait a minute, favorite?” You interrupts, seeming to have taken offense to Kanan’s statement. “What about me?”

 “I don’t even like you most of the time,” Kanan replies jokingly. “Same with Chika. Both of you are too much of a sh- too much to handle most of the time.” She corrects herself after realizing that cursing in front of Ruby is a big no-no.

 “What about Sis?” Ruby asks curiously.

 “Second favorite,” Kanan assures, Ruby giving her a wide smile at the answer. “And Kunikida-san, even though I only met you today, I already like you a lot, so you’re number three.” She then adds, “Especially since Ruby-chan is so fond of you.”

 Ruby hurriedly changes the subject, “By the way, why are you here Kanan-chan? I thought you’d be in the student council room.”

 “Well, You-chan here,” She clasps the girl’s shoulder, “told me she wanted to sign up for the swimming team, but for some reason kept forgetting to take the form from the student council room.”

 “Oh....” Now that You thinks about it, she remembers having a talk like that with Kanan. But the following days were so hectic that she completely forgot about that. “Right. I forgot about that.”

 “And this is why you’re not my favorite underclassman,” Kanan says, laughing at You’s displeasure. “So, you’re still interested, right? I can help you sign up right now.”

 You sighs. “Sure, I guess.” Gleefully, Kanan leads the three first-years towards a nearby booth. After a brief conversation with the girls managing it, they hand You a form and a pen, which she quickly fills out. The process is quick, and when she’s done she can feel an encouraging pat on her back.

 “See, wasn’t that easy?” Kanan asks. “Doesn’t take more than a few minutes. You must’ve been really busy if you can’t even spare that much time to come to the student council room and fill it out.”

 “I wasn’t busy, I just forgot about it,” You says, although both are just as bad.

 “Either way, thanks for joining! And just so you know, I was lying about before. You and Chika are my 35th favorite underclassman.”

 “Thanks, I guess.” Kanan gives her one last pat on the back before walking away.

 “Woah,” Hanamaru whispers. “Matsuura-san is really cool, zura.”

 “You think so?” You shrugs as the three begin to wander around again. “I guess I’m used to hanging out with her, so she isn’t really that cool to me.”

 Still, You remembers when she was younger and saw Kanan as an older role model, unlike Chika who was also older, but not exactly respectable. And at that time, she probably thought Kanan was indeed cool. So Hanamaru does have a point.

 “Did you do something to make her mad? She kept joking about not liking you. I-it was a joke, right zura?”

 “Yeah, it was just a joke.” You waves off the concern. “Plus, it’s not that bad. At least I’m number 35 in her books.”

“Do you know how many first and second-years there are?” You gives her an inquiring look. “36. So the two of you are tied for last.”

 Dammit. She didn’t notice that. Ruby looks like she hadn’t known about it either. “That’s not a lot of people, huh?”

 “No,” Hanamaru says, almost solemnly. “I wonder how many people are gonna apply next year? I hope it’s more than this year.”

 Ruby nods, but seems different, somehow. Like there’s something she’s hiding. Since Dia is her sister, maybe she knows something they don’t?

 “Well, we can only hope for the best, right?” You offers. “It’s a nice place. I’m sure more people will come if they know about it.”

 “Yeah,” Ruby smiles. “You’re right. We shouldn’t be worried; let’s stop talking about this.” “Oh, let’s see the other clubs, zura!” The three of them find themselves agreeing with Hanamaru’s idea, and they continue to walk around, checking out all of the stands and going to the cafeteria when they finally get bored.

 ------------

 Hours pass until Kanan’s voice blares through the school’s sound system, announcing that the club performances are about to begin. Ruby was practically shaking in her seat in anticipation of it, something You found both funny and endearing. They quickly made their way to the auditorium, wanting to get a nice spot to watch from. Luckily, they’re able to stand right in front of the makeshift stage, waiting for the performances to officially start.

 While Ruby excitedly talks with Hanamaru about school idols, You sees a flash of crimson in the corner of her vision. A second-year stands to her left, her red ribbon causing her to stand out in a sea of first-years. You recalls seeing her before, although she struggles to remember her name. “Sakurauchi-san?”

 The crimson-haired girl freezes up, slowly turning her head to the source of the voice. When her eyes meet You’s, she furrows her brow as if attempting to remember her as well. “Watanabe-san?”

 “That’s me!” You grins, trying to lighten up the mood. Riko seems relieved that she got her name right, her shoulders relaxing. “Didn’t expect to see you here. Usually the second-years are the ones running the show.”

 “Well it’s not like I’m a member of a club, so I’m in the same position you are.”

 “Oh, right.” You blushes, sheepishly rubbing her neck. “You’re a new transfer, right? How’s Uranohoshi?”

 Riko shrugs, her gaze wandering back to the stage. “I’ve only been here for a week, so I don’t think I can form a solid opinion on it just yet.”

 “But what’s your first impression?” You asks, hoping that she’s not being too much of a nuisance, especially since they’re pretty much strangers.

 “It’s...different,” Riko mumbles out. “Compared to Tokyo. That’s where I come from. It’s a lot quieter, so I prefer it here.”

 “Oh, so you’re more of a quiet person?” She nods, and You feels even guiltier now. She probably isn’t even interested in talking. But she hopes that Riko will forgive her, because You would rather die than stand awkwardly fiddling her thumbs or third-wheel Hanamaru and Ruby. “I guess you’re pretty close with Kurosawa-san?”

 Riko seems to put some thought before answering. “Somewhat. She’s the one who asked me to watch their performance, but I don’t think she’d consider us as friends. I believe it’s just her showing her appreciation for letting her borrow my piano.”

 “I remember Dia saying that yesterday.” Riko’s eyes snap open, staring at You with a mixture of shock and awe.

 “You’re on a first-name basis with her?”

 You shrugs. “I guess so, but it’s mostly because of Chika.” At that, Riko looks understanding.

 “Well, she’s a nice person, even if she’s a bit too forward.” You nods in agreement. “Her and Yoshiko-san. They’ve both been very kind to me in my first week. Even though I’ve rarely interacted with people other than those three, they seem to be nice.”

 Before You can respond, the sound of a microphone turning on from somewhere fills the room. In the middle of talking, more first-years have entered the room, but there’s still a lot of empty space. Once everyone is quiet, the blonde headmistress from before steps up on stage. Her smile wavers slightly when she sees the number of people in front of her, but it quickly returns twice as strong. “Everyone! Good morning! I hope you’ve all had a shiny day.”

 Murmurs of confusion spread through the small crowd, which are quickly silenced when the headmistress continues. “As you can see, we have a few very beautiful performances from the clubs of Uranohoshi. First, let’s give a round of applause for the Choir Club!” She exits the stage as another group steps up. Hanamaru’s paying extra attention to them, as she’s considering whether or not it’s worth it to join.

 Club after club finishes up their demonstrations, all of them eliciting a positive response. Hanamaru says that she’ll join the choir, but might join other clubs that pique her interest. Ruby is still restless, while Riko looks...bored?

 But finally, it’s time for the performance they’ve been waiting for. The curtains part and three girls step forward. Chika stands in the middle, Dia to her right, and Yoshiko to her left. She hears Ruby letting out a shocked gasp when they walk out in their outfits, and You admits that she’s also surprised by how good it looks. It seems like all the effort she and Yoshiko put into it didn’t go to waste. Riko, however, seems concerned more than anything else. “Aren’t those skirts way too short?”

 “I think they’re wearing shorts underneath.” You says, although warmth spreads to her cheeks as she imagines what a disaster that could be.

 Chika steps forward, drawing the stares of everyone in the crowd as she does so. “We’re school idols. The three of us are...” She pauses, and when she continues all three of them speak at the same time. “Aqours! We’re pleased to make your acquaintance.”

 “Today, we’re going to be performing a song for everyone. Please listen.” She nods towards the person managing the sound, and the three of them get into position. She holds her breath, waiting in anticipation until the first notes ring out.

 “Sparkle! I noticed the new thrill in my heart. Because of you, standing there in front of me.”

 --------

 “As long as I’ve got love, I’ll be okay!”

 The music fades out as the three idols pose one last time, panting quietly. Ruby is the first to clap, then You and Hanamaru. Riko stares on in amazement before she remembers to clap as well, and finally, the applause spreads through the room. Chika turns around to face the other two, and from You’s position she can barely hear what she says.

 “See?” She exclaims. “What did I tell you? No bad luck here!” You smiles at that, watching the three girls on stage grinning ear-to-ear. They face the crowd and bow before leaving the stage.

 “Hey Ruby?” The redhead stares at You. “I’m gonna go for a bit, can you watch my spot?” She nods, You saying a quick thanks before running off backstage.

 “Good luck!” She hears Chika shout to the next club. Her eyes light up with joy when she sees You. “You, come here!”

 She doesn’t have to, though; Chika runs over to her, pulling her into a big hug. “Ew, gross, you’re all sweaty.” Chika frowns, but continues to hug You. Dia and Yoshiko approach her as well, clearly satisfied with their performance.

 “So, did you see us?” Chika asks. “Did we wow you? Did you immediately think ‘I want to join this club right now’?”

 You giggles, nodding to all of Chika’s questions. “Alright, I get it. I’m gonna join the club.”

 “Thank you so much!” Chika hugs her even tighter, and Yoshiko decides to join in on the hug. After some prodding, Dia joins in as well. “Let’s commemorate the occasion. Let’s take a picture together! Hey, Mutsu!” A brown-haired girl turns around to face them. “Can you take a picture of us?”

 “Sure!” She smiles, walking over to them. “Uhm, whose phone should I use?”

 “Here, use mine.” You hands over her phone as they get into position, Chika in the very middle. They take a few pictures before Mutsu returns You’s phone. “Thanks a lot!”

 “No problem. That was a great show, you three. Keep it up!” She congratulates the three school idols before walking away, helping her friends manage the other performances.

 “I’ll send you three the pictures later, okay?” You says.

 “Perfect! I’ll add you to the group chat, and....” She trails off, realization slowly dawning on her face. “I left the sign-up form on the stand...I’ll give it to you tomorrow?”

“Sure, I’ll be heading back out now.” She runs back, returning to where the rest of her friends are. She thanks Ruby for guarding her spot before turning her attention to the stage. The Drama Club had already started their act, performing a short play that helped soothe everyone’s nerves after the energetic live.

 But as the performances wind down, You notices something odd. It started off as a small suspicion that grew as more clubs took their turn. By the time all of the performances are finished and Mari goes back on stage to end off the day on a high note, she knows that something is wrong.

 Yoshiko has a lot of explaining to do.

 ------------

 “And then, did you see how high we jumped? I’m so glad we decided to wear shorts.”

 After saying their goodbyes to the others, Yoshiko and You walk towards the bus stop together, although for Yoshiko it seemed more like a march. The earlier success has kept her mood high, and even after the tiring performance she seems energetic, like she’s ready to do it again.

 The same couldn’t be said about You. The energetic girl is deep in thought, too calm compared to her usual personality. Eventually, Yoshiko couldn’t take it. “Okay, what gives?”

 “Huh?” The pair stops walking as they reach the bus stop. Yoshiko looks at You expectantly. “Sorry, I guess I’m a bit out of it.”

 “What’s wrong?” She asks, and You can’t tell whether Yoshiko is irate, concerned, or something entirely different. “Aren’t you happy? We did it, You. Our hard work didn’t go to waste. Everyone was talking about us. So what gives?”

 You stays silent at first, but eventually reveals the question on her mind. “Are you actually happy, Yoshiko-chan?”

 “What?” Yoshiko stares at You as if she was crazy. “Of course I am! What would make you think that I’m unhappy?”

 “You’re a member of the Supernatural Activity Club, aren’t you? That’s what you told me.” Yoshiko grimaces. “I noticed that the club didn’t have a stand or a performance. It’s like you’re giving up on it.”

 “Well, you’re not that far off,” Yoshiko answers with a sigh. The bus arrives, and they quickly get on. It’s a bit more crowded than usual as people return home from work, but luckily, their usual seats are empty. “Don’t think too much about it. The club’s gonna get disbanded, even if I did do something. It wasn’t exactly popular.”

 You continues to ask questions. “Why? I thought you liked being in that club.”

 “I-I do, but...I just didn’t have time to get anything ready. I barely finished the outfits for the performance on time, do you really think I had time to set up something?”

 “You could’ve asked for my help.”

 “Well, I didn’t want your help.” You flinches. “Sorry, that came out wrong. I mean, it doesn’t involve you, so I didn’t want you to work overtime just to help with the club.”

 “I wouldn’t have minded,” You argues. “I had a lot of free time.”

 “And I know that,” Yoshiko replies, her tone exasperated. “You’re really nice, You. And it kinda felt like I’d be using you. You’re already a big help with Aqours, I couldn’t bother you with something so selfish like my own club.”

 “Because it doesn’t involve me?” Yoshiko nods. “So would it be fine if it did involve me?”

 Yoshiko faces You, her expression unreadable. “What do you mean by that?”

 “Weeellll.” You smiles. “I’d be splitting my time between swimming, Aqours, and this, but I want to help you with the Supernatural Club, too. It seems like fun.”

 Yoshiko goes silent, then looks away from You. “...are you sure?”

 “Yep!” You places her hand on Yoshiko’s shoulder, causing her to return her gaze to You.

 “I feel like I don’t deserve to be this selfish.”

 “Now you’re just spouting nonsense.” You shakes her head. “You’re the exact opposite of selfish. I mean, look at everything you did for Aqours! You deserve to be selfish every once in a while.”

 You pulls back. “Besides, I like spending time with you. It’ll be fun, okay? For now, it’ll just be the two of us. I’ll make you an angel outfit that you can use for the club, or something.”

 Yoshiko snorts at the weird nickname You’s given her. “I’m a fallen angel, get it right.” Yoshiko opens her bag and pulls out a sheet of paper, handing it to you. “The club form. Just write down your name there,” She says, also handing You a pen. “...thanks You.”

 You signs her name on the paper, increasing the number of members from one to two.

 “That’s what friends are for, right?”

A single drop of a smile

Diffuses into happiness

[my-happy-little-bean]

A Moment You’ll Never Remember (And A Night You’ll Never Forget)

a/n: i want to start posting more of my writing on tumblr, so here’s a quick sander sides fic i wrote some time ago, which was based off a really really weird dream, lol. i hope you enjoy it nonetheless ^-^

Thomas quietly hummed songs from Moana as he put the boxes of mac and cheese on the conveyer belt and placed a product separator in front of it. He let out a small yawn, giving the cashier a friendly smile as she started to scan each item. Joan and Talyn were behind him, making small conversation.

The cashier brought up the final price and it's only when Thomas put his hand in his pocket that he finally realized his mistake.

"I cannot believe you forgot the wallet," Logan muttered with his forehead in the palm of his hand. "It's literally the one thing that you need to buy things; how you forgot, I'm not sure; it's just simply il—"

"Illogical to forget it; yes, we know," Roman cut in, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "Look, it wasn't my fault that Patton was too distracted by the dog sweaters to notice that we were missing a wallet."

"Hey, now don't go spinning this on me, kiddo — the whole reason that we forgot the wallet in the first place was because you were too busy singing the Moana soundtrack in the car."

"Hey, Joan was singing too! As for me, I was simply living up to my name," Roman said defensively. He added feebly, "And I am not a kiddo, Patton, I am the prince."

"Well it's merely a nickname, kiddo — I am the dad after all," Patton replied as if it were obvious. Logan pressed his hands together.

"I mean, Roman is right — we are of sufficient age to not be classified as children. However, Roman, none of us are of regal blood to be considered royalty—"

Virgil's loud groan cut them all off. "Can someone please stay on topic here? I swear you guys are always leaking with exposition. Meanwhile, there are people who are going to keep staring at us and judge us if we don't do something."

"Just let someone in front of you and run quickly to get the wallet," Logan finally said, pushing his glasses slightly up to rub the bridge of his nose, clearly annoyed. "It can't take too long."

"You can even make a funny joke to the cashier!" Patton cheered.

"It's 1 am, Patton," Roman moaned. "No one is in a fabulous mood — they just want to go home."

"And you're stopping everyone from doing just that," Virgil snapped. "Chop chop; they're staring."

"I, uh…" Thomas stood there, a bit dumbfounded as he smiled shyly at the cashier.

"Dude, is there something up?" Joan asked. Thomas grinned sheepishly, still patting down all of his pockets in hopes that the wallet was in one of this pockets.

"I may have left my wallet in the car," he said hastily, and Talyn just stifled their laugh in the palm of their hand. Joan gave him a half-amused look, and Thomas looked at the cashier apologetically.

"I'm just gonna grab my wallet quickly," he said with a nervous smile, and the cashier nodded unenthusiastically. Joan sighed, stepping out of line and letting an old woman pass by. The cashier proceeded to check out the lady's groceries.

Thomas jogged outside, fumbling with the keys as he frantically unlocked his car. The lights flashed at him, almost angrily; as if it knew about Thomas' frustration.

He quickly opened the door and grabbed the wallet out from the glove compartment. He stuffed it in his sweater's pocket, went out of the car and when he slammed the door, he was met with a man's face staring at him.

"Um, hello?" he squeaked, slightly surprised. The man—seemingly in his mid-thirties, with grey hair that practically glowed in the dark surrounding—smiled at him in a way that sent shivers down Thomas' spine.

"Hello." His voice was deep, almost soft. Thomas blinked.

"May...may I help you?"

The man flashed a crooked smile. "I see you just grabbed your wallet."

Thomas' heart began to race. He slowly backs up against his car.

"You know, I am just gonna go back in the store now," he said, slightly panicked. He slowly sidestepped past the man and was about to make a break for it when the man grabbed his wrist.

"You're going to give me your money," the man growled. His eerie smile from before was replaced by a snarl. Thomas' eyes widened, and he tried to escape his grasp.

"What the— let go! I am not giving you anything!" Thomas exclaimed, hopefully loud enough for someone to hear. The man looked at him, almost amused at his attempt of defense, and used his free hand to pull out what seemed to be a pocket watch out of his jacket. Thomas gulped.

"You see, Mr. Sanders,"—Thomas heart pounded upon hearing his name—"I am not any regular mugger. I spent a while learning a few tricks up my sleeve, and…"

He dropped the pocket watch—that seemingly glows brighter than any street-lamp surrounding the two—in front of Thomas' face and grinned.

"I would love to show you a few tricks."

"We're being mugged?!"

The Sander Sides were clearly going crazy. Virgil was working overtime, pacing back and forth.

"This is it." His voice merely broke out of its dull monotone, snapping out of his usually-dull persona into a full-fledged panic. "This is how we are going to die. We are going to die because Princey couldn't stop singing 'How Far I'll Go' thus forgetting the wallet. We are going to die because of a wallet, oh my God—"

"Alright Virgil, let's calm down," Patton said slowly. Virgil swung his head to face him.

"Calm down?!" he nearly screeched. "Morality, I am Anxiety; nice to meet you, by the way!"

Patton was almost taken back by Virgil's sudden outburst. He was about to respond with something witty, but he suddenly heard the man talk to Thomas and his eyes widened.

"Did he just say Mr. Sanders?!" Virgil exclaimed. "Holy sh—"

"M-Maybe he's just a fan?" Roman prompted nervously, tugging the hem of his sleeve. "Thomas is quite the online super-star — I mean, who can blame the guy? I gave Thomas the spotlight!"

"Yeah, thanks a lot for that!" Virgil snapped at him.

"The only logical explanation is that he knows Thomas from YouTube," Logan said, trying to stay calm. "Perhaps Roman is correct and he is simply just an avid supporter of Thomas."

"An avid supporter or a middle-age creep?!" Virgil exclaimed. Patton tugged his collar.

"Goodness, I feel hot." Roman rolled his eyes.

"Patton, now is not the time for complimenting yourself — especially considering that we all look exactly the same," he said sarcastically. Patton shook his head.

"That's not the kind of hot I am feeling right now," he replied nervously. "I mean I am feeling hot. Or...or not so hot. Or— goodness, Princey, you confused me. I meant that I am feeling hot; temperature wise."

"You're rambling, Patton," Logan said, putting his hands in front of him calmly. "Let's just slowly sidestep away from the man, and then we can return back to the grocery store and reunite with Joan and Talyn to calm down. Does that sound like a plan?"

"Yup," Roman said. "Better make it quick though — Virgil looks like he is going to pace right out of here, and Thomas' heart is literally racing."

True to his word, Patton was speeding all over the place, passing by Virgil's anxious paces. Logan sighed, and watched carefully as Thomas sidesteps according to plan, before—

"By Zeus' beard!" Roman yelled. "He has Thomas' wrist!"

Logan was spluttering, clearly panicked. "W-Well that cannot be good; Thomas has to get out of there as soon as possible. He needs to pull out right now."

"What is happening?!" Patton exclaimed loudly, and Virgil stopped in his tracks.

"Alright Morality, if you don't calm down right now, you are going to send me through the roof," Virgil gritted out, trying not to either break down and scream at someone.

"We need to fight him!" Roman announced. "I shall simply ask Thomas to show this guy what he's made of!"

"Thomas is mainly made of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorous," Logan hissed; "none of which are fighting material in any way."

"Alright, I am panicking," Patton rambled. Virgil clenched his fist, silently panicking alongside Patton. Roman took a deep breath.

"Okay, Logic," he yelled, "what do you propose we do?! 'Cause your last plan just went just peachy, didn't it?"

"Alright, let's just try and focus on making a plan before something bad happens," Virgil cut in, stepping in between the two.

"I am telling you what the plan should be and it should be a punch to the face!"

"Um, guys?" Patton suddenly said, his voice eerily quiet.

"He cannot defend himself if he is suffering from an injury, Roman!" Virgil argued.

"Guys, you're going to want to see this," Patton said again. He looked to Logan, who had stepped away from Roman and is apparently the only person to notice what Patton was looking at. However, he was too dumbfounded to say anything. Patton's heart raced at Logan's reaction.

"He can't defend himself if he is dead, Virgil!"

"Guys!" Patton finally yelled, catching both sides' attention. "Guys, this guy is doing something to Thomas. It's...it's something bad."

Virgil and Roman paused and exchanged nervous looks and hurried over to Patton's side when they realize what's happening.

The man was swinging a pocket watch in front of Thomas, and Thomas—and seemingly Logan— both mesmerized by its movement. Patton winced, a hand flying to the side of his head in attempts to lessen the sudden sharp pain.

"Patton?" Roman stammered, surprised. Virgil squeezes his eyes shut.

"T-This is hypnosis," Virgil managed to say. Roman eyes widened.

"What kind of maniac uses hypnosis for money?!"

"This one apparently!" Virgil retorted, and for the first time that night, Roman noticed that Virgil is completely and hopelessly afraid.

His first instinct was to protect them.

"Logan, you're gonna have to help me with these two," Roman said slowly, tapping Logic on the shoulder. But he didn't say anything in response; all he did was stare at the pocket watch that Thomas was entranced by.

"He...he wants money," Logan said slowly. "We...we need to give it to him."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Roman yelled at him, grabbing Logan by the shoulders and spinning him around to face him. "Logan, snap out of it!"

Logan blankly stared at him. Roman whipped his head towards Virgil. "You want to explain what is happening to Logan?"

Virgil took a deep breath and explained shakily, "If this guy is hypnotizing Thomas, then he is putting Thomas in a state of trance-logic; it's an altered mental state that opens Thomas to suggestion."

"Oh sweet heavens," Roman murmured, the intensity of the situation dawning on him.

"I am going to be sick," Patton whispered scratchily. Everything was spinning, and the Sander Sides were slowly descending into chaos.

"Roman, what do we do?" Virgil said, his voice nearly cracking. Roman glared at him, the pressure of the situation making him feel more frustrated than ever.

"What do you mean 'what do we do'?!" Roman yelled, almost angrily. "I'm not his logical side! I don't know what to do!"

"Well we have to do something before he gets to all of us!" Virgil snapped back. Roman's eyes widened at the thought, and then they both heard Patton moan behind them. They turned around in time to see Patton stumble into a nearby chair. The two quickly rushed towards him.

"I don't feel so good," Patton groaned. Virgil ran a hand in his hair, more panic starting to build up inside of him.

"Patton is Thomas' morality and conscience," he realized. "He...he distinguishes the difference between what is right and wrong, but a hypnotic state can alter that. If this man is really hypnotizing Thomas, he is altering his morality."

"Whatever is happening to Thomas, it is affecting me too," Patton managed to say. "I don't know what to do...maybe we should just submit."

"Submit?!" Roman exclaimed. "No, no, no! We are not giving into this...this scoundrel! I shall take the lead and we are going to fight back!"

"And how do you suggest we do that, Roman?" He turned around to see Logan, eyes glazed and standing completely still. He almost mirrored Thomas, who was still staring straight ahead at the pocket watch. "We are safe. Thomas is safe. This man is just helping us. He wants something...we should just give it to him."

Roman heard a whimper from behind him and turns around just in time to see Patton close his eyes for a split second, hands to the side of his head in pain.

"That's two of them," Virgil said nervously, walking away from Patton and leaving Roman to watch. "Roman, it's going to be us next. We are going to give in and then Thomas is going to be gone. He's going to get hurt, and none of us will be able to stop him.

Roman pressed his hands together, about to start giving into the panic too, but then gets an idea.

"Virgil, you're Thomas' anxiety," Roman said, walking hastily towards him. Virgil stares at him, backing away. "You can get him out of this somehow. You just need to snap him out of it."

"I-I don't know how," Virgil stuttered. "I...the man is telling Thomas to relax. Should...shouldn't we be relaxing?"

Roman's eyes widen; he couldn't lose Virgil too.

"Virgil, Thomas is not safe here," Roman said, grabbing Virgil's hands and pulling him close, hoping that he'd stay with him. "We're not safe here. He is the villain, Virgil — we are not to submit to the villain!"

Just when Virgil began to slump against his chest, Roman heard familiar voices.

"Thomas?!"

"What the hell are you doing?! Get away from him!"

"It's Joan and Talyn!" he exclaimed, stumbling to the front of the room and watching the scene unfold. He turned around to see Logan still standing, entranced by the man's actions, but Patton was starting to get up again. Roman rushed to help him up, gently leading Virgil alongside him.

"Patton, what on earth happened to you?" Patton winced at the sudden noise, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I...I am not entirely sure," he finally said. "But we can deal with that later — right now, we need to save Thomas; before that man can hurt any one of us again."

Roman nervously glanced at the tranced Logan and Virgil, who looked as if he was going to pass out on the couch — he knew Patton was right, but he couldn't help but feel scared for what would happen next.

"Thomas?!" Talyn exclaimed, nearly dropping the grocery bags in their hands. Joan stuffed their wallet back into their jacket pocket and raced towards the man in front of Thomas, who pulled the pocket watch away as soon as he got caught. Thomas, still entranced, followed the watch, but nearly fell forward.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Joan yelled. "Get away from him!"

The man stumbled off, running away as soon as they approached. Talyn grabbed Joan's wrist before they could go after the man, and put all of their attention on Thomas.

"Thomas?" Talyn said slowly. "Thomas, can you hear me?"

Thomas said nothing, staring straight ahead; his eyes glazed and his mouth parted slightly.

"What did that guy do to him?" Joan asks, a sudden rush of fear passing through them. Talyn shakes them head.

"I am not sure, but he had a pocket watch," they replied. "Maybe—and now this is going to sound crazy but hear me out—the guy hypnotized him?"

"You're right," Joan said after a moment of silence; "That sounds absolutely crazy."

Talyn rolled their eyes. Joan sighed.

"Alright, say this is hypnosis; how do we snap him out of it?" Joan asked. Talyn frowned, looking at Thomas; who was leaning on the side of the car, his eyes beginning to flutter closed.

"We can shock him awake?" Talyn prompted. Joan immediately shook their head.

"I don't think that's the best decision?" they said, a bit unsure themselves. "Like, he is pretty still right now — maybe he'll sleep it off and it will wear off with time. After all, hypnosis is just is a state of human consciousness — we just need to wait until he's...out of that state of consciousness."

"Alright," Talyn said nervously. "But what do we do with him now?"

When Joan turned to face Thomas, they watched him slump against the car as if it was the only thing helping him stand straight. He moaned a little in his semi-trance. Joan sighed.

"I guess we should put him in the car and drive him home," they said. "I'll take the wheel and you help Thomas into the car."

Talyn nodded, and gently wrapped Thomas' limp arm around their shoulder. Thomas whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Tal…?" he sleepily muttered. Talyn smiled.

"Don't worry, Thomas," they said softly. "We are getting you home."

Virgil finally flopped on the couch, rubbing his head.

"That was exhausting," Roman sighed. "I don't think I've ever worked so hard in my whole life."

"Are you serious?" Virgil grumbled.

"Er, I don't mean to bother you, but I would love a hand with Logan over here, kiddos," Patton called them from the kitchen. Virgil and Roman exchanged looks and sighed, heading over to where Patton was.

Logan was in a chair, slumped over on the table. He stirred every now and then, but was mostly still. Patton rubbed his head.

"Yo Roman," he said once they entered, "can you pass me an ice pack?"

Roman frowned, slightly taken back. "Did you...did you just say 'yo'?"

"Now is that really the priority right now?"

"Good point," Roman replied, grabbing an ice pack from the fridge and tossing to towards Patton.

"Woah!" The ice pack slipped a few times in his hand. Before it could hit the ground, Virgil grabbed it quickly. Patton looked at him, impressed.

"You have really fast reflexes!" Virgil shrugged.

"I usually think fast," he replied. Patton grinned.

"That's funny!" he giggled. "Hey Roman, did you hear that? See, he thinks fast, because he is the one who usually causes Thomas to thi—"

"For the love of Disney, Patton," Roman groaned, raising a hand quickly before Patton could continue. "Can someone please tell me what is going on with Logan?"

"Logic must still coming out of the trance," Virgil explained. "His drowsiness is what's causing Thomas to be drowsy as well."

"How long do you think this is going to last?" Patton asked nervously, looking up at them, still holding the ice pack against Logan's head.

"Not long." Virgil adjusted his sweater. "Maybe we should just let him rest."

"Fine," Roman huffed, crossing his arms. "Let's all take five."

"Good theater pun!" Patton exclaimed, standing up. "You should say that joke at—"

"Don't say it," Virgil gritted out.

"—opuning night!" Patton finished with a big grin. Virgil grumbled something incoherent as he stalked off. Patton followed Virgil out, and Roman looked nervously at Logan; still slumped over the table.

"Get well soon, Logan," he muttered, hoping part of Logan could hear him. To his surprise, Logan groans in response. Before Roman could say anything, he heard a crash in the living room and the annoyed groan of Virgil. He sighed.

"And that's not sentiment," Roman added.

"Alright, I'll take Thomas' left arm, and you take his right," Joan instructed, climbing out of the car. They open the back door, and Talyn came out first. Both of them gave all their effort in pulling Thomas out, and when he was, Talyn swung Thomas' left arm around their shoulder.

"Geez, Thomas, pick up your feet a little," Talyn grumbled. Thomas perked up suddenly, surprising both Talyn and Joan, and wordlessly went on the ground, grabbing both of his feet. Joan stifled their laugh in the palm of their hands and Talyn, panicked, yelled, "Sleep!"

Thomas immediately slumped face first against the driveway, asleep once again. Joan giggled, and Talyn sharply nudged them.

"Well now we're back to square one," Talyn muttered, a bit annoyed.

"I can't believe that worked!" Joan laughed. "We should tell Thomas to act like a dog or something!"

Before Talyn could reply, a loud bark was heard below them. Talyn and Joan looked down to see Thomas on all fours, panting with his tongue out and running around in circles. Joan was in hysterics now, and Talyn sighed.

"Maybe he's still in that trance-state," Talyn said, ignoring both Joan and dog-Thomas. "This could mean that we could just tell him to snap out of it?"

"Or we could just film it and show him later?" Joan prompted, pulling out their phone. Before they could hit record, Talyn pushed their arm down, and Joan rolled their eyes.

"Fine," they said. They faced Thomas—who was still running around circles, chasing his "tail"—and said, "Uh, sit."

Thomas immediately obliged, going on his knees and placing his arms in front of them. Joan grinned.

"Good boy!" they giggled, going on one knee to ruffle Thomas' hair. He grinned widely, almost proud at the praise. Joan looked up at Talyn.

"Come on, this is cute!" Talyn flashed a small smile.

"I never said this wasn't cute," they said, grinning. "But we do need to bring him inside, and out of the hypnosis."

"Fine," Joan huffed. "But I'll have you know that I love dog-Thomas and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"I wonder what hypnosis does to the brain," Talyn mused. "Imagine what's going on in his head right now."

"Logan!" Patton exclaimed, chasing after Logan; who was running all over the place on all fours, barking and panting with his tongue out. "Uh, sit! Heel! Just— gahh, stay!"

Logan continues to run around, going to Virgil, who was on the couch, and nuzzling against his leg. Virgil immediately pulled away, annoyed.

"I can't believe I have to share a brain with you morons," Virgil grumbled.

"Come on, Anxiety!" Patton cheered. "Logan's a dog! A cute, lovable, dog!"

"I'm getting this on camera," Roman said smugly, pulling out his phone. Logan looked up at Roman and without warning, tackled him onto the ground. Roman yelped, Logan on top of him and licking his face.

"Sweet Cole Sprouse!" Roman yelled, trying to get Logan off him, but to no avail.

Virgil smirked. "Never mind, I like this a lot."

"What's a Cole Sprouse?" Patton asked cluelessly.

"Oh cut it out, J.D-elightful," Roman grumbled, ignoring Patton. Virgil smiled smugly, slipping on his headphones once more and watching the scene unfold in front of him.

"Wait a minute kiddos," Patton said. "I think I hear Talyn!"

"Uh, Thomas? Sleep!"

And Logan flopped face first on Roman, his body limp. Roman winced.

"Good...Gucci," he managed to grit out. Virgil smirked.

"This is the most I have ever smiled in one day," Virgil chuckled. Roman rolled his eyes.

"Someone get him off me!" Roman snapped, and Virgil rolled his eyes, standing up and slowly dragging Logan off Roman and onto the floor.

"Buzz-kill," he muttered under his breath, and Roman looked at him incredulously.

"Seriously?" he retorted. "Me, the buzzkill?"

Virgil rolled his eyes, dropping Roman back onto the ground. Roman huffed, standing up himself and brushing him off. Virgil slipped on his headphones again.

"Touché, Princey," Virgil hummed. "Touché."

"Alright, alright, on the couch we go," Joan muttered, gently laying Thomas—who was now sleeping calmly in their arms—face first onto the couch. Talyn rubbed their head, almost frustrated.

"This is so ridiculous," they muttered. "He has been in this trance-state for nearly two hours now — I am almost certain that hypnosis doesn't work this way!"

Joan looked at Thomas, whose cheek was smushed against the fabric of the couch.

"Let's just slowly bring him out of it," Joan suggested. Talyn's eyes widened.

"We can't do that!" they exclaimed. "We don't know a thing about hypnosis. We could mess up or something!"

"I mean, I've been doing a pretty good job so far," Joan boasted smugly. Talyn rolled their eyes.

"Fine," they huffed. "Just...do it slowly."

Joan nodded, and sat beside Thomas on the couch.

"Okay, can you hear me, Thomas?"

Thomas murmured, "Yes." Joan looked at Talyn, almost excited, and they prompted them to go on. Joan cleared their throat.

"I'm just gonna bring you out of this trance permanently, alright?" Joan asked, and Thomas nodded. "When I snap my fingers, you're going to wake up. You're not going to remember anything that happened tonight, and you are just going to carry on as normal. Do you understand?"

"I...I understand," Thomas said slowly.

Joan paused, and added, "And when you wake up, you're going to want to get me a soda!"

"Joan!" Talyn scolded.

"What?" Joan protested. "I am kinda thirsty."

Talyn rolled their eyes, and snapped their fingers.

Logan's shot up off the ground at the sound. Roman, Virgil, and Patton exchanged looks, and rushed to his side.

"Logan?" Patton asked nervously. Logan winced at Patton's loud voice, and rubbed his head, pushing his glasses up.

"God...what happened?" he murmured, about to stand up. Roman pushed him down gently.

"It's a really long story," Roman said, "but it's a story for another night."

"How are you feeling?" Patton asked quickly. Logan squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, adjusting to being awake.

"Fine," he replied lowly. "Whatever did happen to me was truly...an experience. It was interesting, to say the least."

"You...you were hypnotized," Virgil said in disbelief. "Are you telling me that you enjoyed that?"

"Hypnosis is a truly fascinating tactic," Logan replied, standing up and brushing dust off his tie. The other sides' stand up beside him as well. "The state of consciousness hypnosis promotes is something I would enjoy to study more through experience."

"I totally agree!" Patton exclaimed, raising his hand up excitedly. "Besides, Logan makes a great dog!"

Logan glared at Patton sharply. "Wait, what?"

Virgil stifled his laugh through his sweater sleeve. Roman rolled his eyes.

"Let's just go and get some rest," Roman prompted. "Thomas is probably exhausted, and we mustn't tire him out more."

"Why on earth was I a dog?"

"I hate to agree with Princey, but he's right," Virgil said, ignoring Logan. "I worked overtime tonight, and I am going to get some rest."

And with that, Virgil sunk out, saluting everyone goodbye.

"I think I am going to hit the sack too, kiddos," Patton said. As he sunk out, he added, "We should get a dog!"

Logan rolled his eyes, and Roman looked at him.

"You should be getting some rest too," Roman said after some silence. "I don't see how you're not exhausted."

"The experience has left me quite...energized," Logan replied nonchalantly. "But it is best to take a break for the night, I suppose."

Roman nodded, about to sink out himself when Logan stopped him.

"Roman?"

"Yeah?"

"You did good tonight," Logan said slowly. "I am sure chaos occurred during everything, and while I am not sure what that 'everything' is, I am glad you took control."

Roman smiled. "A prince has to protect the ones he loves after all."

Logan managed a small smile, adjusting his glasses and sinking out wordlessly. Roman smiled to himself, closing the lights and sunk out.

Thomas' eyes flew open as soon as Talyn snapped their fingers. His breath hitched momentarily, but he slowly calmed down as he looked around him.

"Wa— Talyn? Joan?" he asked, confused. "When did we get home?"

Talyn was the first to hug Thomas. "Oh God, you're back to normal."

Thomas slowly hugged back, still confused. "Um, I...I'm glad to be normal again, I think?"

"It's a really long story," Joan explained. "We'll tell you everything later, but we should probably get some rest — it's almost 3 am and I am exhausted."

"It's really strange," Thomas said, rubbing his head. "I feel pretty awake; like I was asleep for hours."

"Yeah," Talyn said nervously. "Weird."

"But yeah, I wouldn't mind going to bed." Thomas stood up from the couch, and before he could go up, he paused, turned around and added, "Do you want a soda, Joan?"

Talyn's eyes widened, and they glared at Joan, who was flashing Thomas a big smile.

"A Sprite would be great," Joan chuckled.