#(my parents would hit me in the first tike since never)

[smashlovesscream]

MORE BLESSINGS. PLEASE.

Oh- OUH- GRRRRRRR GRRRRR

Here, I SEARCHED AND SEQRCHED FOR SOME/sar/j (you've probably seen these but... sweaty ulrich got me hhehahahsh)

Also I'd like to point out

Matt is sitting on top of Skeet, right??? I'm not the only one who noticed this bs... RIGHT?????

[lazyangeltreemoney]

The Sweetest Baker In Brooklyn 1/???

Description: Bucky Barnes is one of the most feared mobsters in all of NYC, however he finds himself falling for the sweetest Baker in Brooklyn who has her own secrets and troubled past.

Word count: 1770

Pairing(s): Mob!Bucky x Parent!Reader

Warnings: violence, organised crime, alcoholism, abuse, FLUFF

A/N:Hi so this is the first Fic I’ve ever posted to this account, honestly not sure how long it will be yet but here’s chapater 1

Bucky was smiling like a child. He had been for the last few weeks, everyday at 2:30 on the dot he would head to YN’s café. It all started with Sam getting a sweet craving, Bucky could never understand how a grown man could be so obsessed with cupcakes and anything lathered in frosting but when he saw who was serving it he began to understand. 

The pair had waltzed into a quaint cafe with pastries and cakes presented in the window. Sunlight shone through the windows and the whole place had a homely feeling. When the bell rang as they walked in, Y/N appeared behind the counter. She was dressed in a loose shirt with her black apron and skirt. A small spot of flour on her cheek and a warm smile on her face. Bucky would deny it to anyone who asked but it was love at first sight. 

Ever since then at 2:30 on the dot Sam and Bucky would head to that quaint cafe. Bucky would always convince Sam to keep quiet about their routine by paying for anything there his sweet tooth desires.

The sun was shining, the busy NYC streets seemed like heaven to Bucky as he waltzed into the cafe. 

“Mr. Wilson, what can I get you?” Y/N beamed seeing her two favourite customers walk in. 

“Why do you never ask what I want Doll?” Bucky asked 

“Because you always order a blueberry muffin and black coffee Mr. Barnes.” 

Sam raised an eyebrow between the two. He was insisting that Bucky should just ask her out already. Bucky however always refused, saying how she was too nice of a gal to get dragged into all of his shit. Sam finally decided to go for Y/N’a coconut topped chocolate puff twists. The pair took a seat and Y/N went out back to get some ready for Sam. 

As she did Martha, a young girl Y/N employed at the cafe wiped down their table. 

“You boys back again… appreciating the view again Mr. Barnes” Martha teased

Bucky however was too lost in his thoughts watching Y/N make his coffee. La Vie En Rose came on and she was humming away, ‘Maybe she speaks french?’ He pondered. He wasn’t pulled away from his thoughts until he noticed Sam and Martha staring at him trying to not laugh at the lovesick fool. 

Bucky, one of the most feared mobsters in all of New York had become infatuated by the sweetest baker in all of Brooklyn. 

“Here you are Mr. Barnes and Mr. Wilson.” Y/N spoke lying down on the tray on the table.

“You know Doll when are you going to start calling us our names?” Bucky teases smirking at her. 

Y/N couldn’t tell them the truth. The fact that it was because of how she was raised, that’s how she was told to always address men in suits. She was about to tell them it was just a formality she had with all customers until the phone rang. 

“If you excuse me gentlemen.” Y/N smiled and ran to the phone. 

Meanwhile Bucky took a sip of his coffee and Sam began to eat his pastry. 

“So… she remembered your order.” Sam smirked 

“I’m a regular, it means nothing.” Bucky argues back taking another sip. 

“We get a lot of regulars and she doesn’t remember their orders.” Martha teases some more.

“Don’t you have tables to clean.” Bucky grimaced 

Then suddenly Y/N came bursting out into the cafe holding her bag and coat. 

“Martha, you’ll have to close up, it’s Benny.” Y/N huffed, fumbling for her car keys. 

“Can’t your husband get him?” Martha smirked.

Martha knew Y/N had a husband but from what Martha has put together he was practically a deadbeat. Bucky on the other hand cringed, Y/N never seemed to be wearing a ring, although she could of just kept it off with all the baking she did? Was Bucky being a homewrecker? 

Y/N just sighed. She wanted to yell ‘No because he’s probably in some motel fucking some stripper and forgotten his own name, let alone that he had a wife and child!’ 

“He’s at work” was all Y/N could muster 

“So are you.” Martha stated

Y/N rolled her eyes and fumbled for her keys some more but couldn’t find them in her bag anywhere. 

“Where the hell are they?” Y/N muttered 

“Bucky could drive you.” Sam piped up. 

Bucky practically spat out his coffee. Sam couldn’t help but smirk at him taking another bite of his pastry. 

“I wouldn’t want to impose Mr. Barnes.” Y/N muttered as she searched for her keys some more. 

“Let’s make a deal, I drive you to the school and you have to start calling me Bucky, that okay Doll?” Bucky offered. 

Y/N was in a rush, the school did make it sound serious. Reluctantly she nodded and followed Bucky out of the cafe. Bucky led Y/N to a yellow mustang car. It was sparkling in the sun, looked imaculat and led Y/N to wonder what it was Bucky did for a living, however she knew better than to ask questions like that. 

The drive itself was long and Y/N’s anxiety seemed to spill into the car. The pair sat in silence while Y/N’s thoughts became more and more paranoid about Benny. Finally, in an attempt to calm her, Bucky switched on the radio and fiddled around with the dials until ‘Unchained Melody’ came on.  The music seemed to wash over Y/N and made a small sense of ease appear in her. Bucky smiled triumphantly at her. Y/N began to hum along quietly to the tune. 

“It’s nice to know someone else likes this kind of music, Sam always calls me an old man for listening to it.” Bucky mentioned, occasionally taking his eyes off the road to glance at her. 

“I usually dance around in the kitchen with Benny to this kind of stuff, he’s been my favourite dance partner since day one.”  Y/N chuckled at the memories of Benny dancing with his feet on top of hers. 

The two listened to the music some more until they were nearly at the school. Y/N’s anxiety seemed to peak again when she stepped out of the car.

“You’ll probably have to wait here, sorry.” Y/N explained as she ran into the school. 

Bucky simply waited outside. He suddenly realised how wrong it felt to enjoy her company so much. She was sweet and lovely, she had good taste in music… but she also had a kid and husband. Bucky had done many things but he wouldn’t ruin her like that. 

He waited in the some more and he turned the radio up some more to drown out his thoughts. He even lit himself up a cigarette and took one long drag until Y/N emerged holding a small young boy in her arms. It was clear he had been crying and was in some form of a fight, his shirt was dirty and he had scraps on his knees. Bucky quickly threw away the cigarette and Y/N got close to the car. She looked like she had been through some form of a fight herself, although more of a mental one. Bucky looked at her and was reminded of what his mother always used to say; ‘Never mess with a mother’s child or you’ll see the wrath of mother’s love’. 

“Should I ask?” Bucky raised an eyebrow. 

“I think I just need to get home” Y/N sighed and got into the car. 

Bucky happily obliged and drove them home. Benny was wrapped into Y/N’s arms as Bucky made sure to drive carefully as to not wake him. Y/N on the other hand looked as if she wouldn’t be sleeping for the next few nights. Her mind was playing through all the scenarios of what could happen if her husband was home. He was never the loving or caring kind, he wouldn’t be prepared to try and see things from Beeny’s side. He certainly would punish him if he found out he’d been suspended, which Y/N could never let happen. Deep down she hated him, hated how he made her feel so weak and useless, how he hit her, how he would go off for weeks at a time getting drunk or sleeping with various hookers. Above all that she hated how her father had practically married her off to him, only to try and get inside the Rumlow family. Her only joys in life were her son and the cafe. 

“I don’t mean to impose,” Bucky spoke, breaking her from her thoughts, “But you never seem to wear your ring.” 

“I don’t want to risk anything happening to it at the cafe, with all the baking I have a reoccuring nightmare of it ending up in a cake and a customer choking on it.” Y/N sighed. 

Benny murmured a little in his sleep and wringled around a little bit. Y/N smiled at her little boy. 

“He seems to be out cold.” Bucky chuckled.

“He’s always been a heavy sleepier.” Thank god.

The more Bucky looked at the little tike he seemed to remind him of Steve. His blonde hair, how small he was and the familiar scuffs on his knees. 

Bucky finally pulled up at the house, it looked almost exactly how he imagined it would look. It was a homely little house, no lights were on inside and he noticed how Y/N seemed to let out a sigh of relief. Y/N wanted so badly to thank Bucky, maybe invite him inside for some coffee, but Benny had to come first and she had to put him to bed before Brock came home. So instead she simply promised him the next coffee and blueberry muffin was on the house. 

“Thankyou again Mr- Bucky.” Y/N smiled. 

“Anytime Doll.” Bucky smiled back at her. 

He knew it was risky, he knew he shouldn’t… but she just looked so beautiful. So he  leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before waltzing back into his car and driving off. 

Y/N felt her face hot up, she wanted to run after him but Benny began to stir and wake up. 

“Mommy, where’s that man… he played nice music, like you do?” Benny murmerd 

“He’s mommy’s friend… he’s gone for now.” Y/N explained walking into the house, flicking on the lights. 

Y/N found a few empty bottles of alcohol on the kitchen counter but nothing more to indicate her husband was home. 

“I hope we see him again.” Benny yawned. 

“Me too, Love.” Y/N replied, taking Benny upstairs to bed. 

[iamaweechester-blog]

Children Again (Day 1)

I was just hanging out with Sam and Dean, my two idiot brothers, when the doorbell to the bunker rang. I didn't even know the bunker had a doorbell. I stood up to go get it and when I opened the door I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Chuck stood at the door with four kids behind him. One looked 15, another 13, another 12, one no older than 7. The eldest had black hair while the second had blond hair, while the second youngest had brown hair and the youngest black. I stared at them for a minute until I heard Dean yell. “Who is it Jade?!”

I tilted my head. “Chuck and.... four kids!” I heard footsteps running up the stairs.

“What the hell?”

“I can explain!” Chuck cried. We motioned for him to go on. “Well, a witch came and caught me, Michael, Lucifer, Gabriel, and Castiel. Turned my children into... well... children!”

“So..... why weren’t you affected?” I asked. “And if you weren’t, why didn’t you turn them back into normal old ass angels?”

“First question, I was affected, but I’ve looked like this since.... well... forever,” he chuckled. “And I can’t turn them back. This is powerful witchcraft.”

“You’re God.”

“I don’t want them to be normal age again,” Chuck confessed. “To be completely honest with you Jade, I’ve missed Michael and Lucifer not yelling at each other.”

I stood in shock. “Why are you here then?” Sam asked.

“I want you give them the week of good parenting that I never did,” Chuck said. “Jade, you used to babysit. Dean, you took care of Sam. Sam, you took care of Jade. You will be better parents to them until I can find an actual cure. The spell weakened me.”

“I need ages,” I said.

“Michael is 15,” Michael had dark hair and pretty green eyes, obviously in John Winchester’s vessel when he was transformed, and wore jeans, a blue tee-shirt and a leather jacket. “Lucifer is 13,” Lucifer had dirty blond hair and icy blue eyes like his last vessel before Sam, and wore a simple green tee-shirt and jeans. “Gabriel is 12,” Gabriel had brown hair and brown eyes, which proved that he was in his normal vessel when the spell hit, and wore pretty much the same thing. “and Castiel is 7,” Castiel had messy black hair and blue eyes like Jimmy, and he wore a little trench coat and suit as usual.

“We have to babysit?” Dean asked.

“Just for, like, a week.”

“Fine. Come on in, kids. Welcome to the bunker.”

We led the teens and child into the living room, where Castiel ran to the couch and stood on it, giggling. Gabriel chuckled and lifted him into his arms like he weighed nothing but a feather. Michael shrugged and turned to Lucifer, who was smiling childishly at everything. The eldest grinned and went to the library.

“Mikey, you’re boring! You’re really gonna read when all you’ve seen is one room?!” Lucifer cried.

“Yes, Lucifer, they have a tremendous amount of books here,” Michael rolled his eyes.

“Do you like it Cassie?” Gabriel asked the little 7 year old boy.

“Yeah!”

“I’m glad you like it,” I smiled. “Now, let me show you you’re rooms. Come on, morons.” We started down the hallway while Sam and Dean stayed back to research the case a little. This was gonna be one hell of a week.

After all the boys had looked through their rooms and were gathered on the couch, I collapsed next to them.

“So. What do you guys wanna do?” I asked. Sam and Dean glared at me. “What?! They’re kids!”

“Lucifer and I are actually teenagers,” Michael corrected.

“There are some rules if you’re gonna live here. Don’t correct Sam, Dean or I unless it’s on a case. We are adults. I will take off this leather belt and beat your ass with it if you act out,” I showed them my belt. “Don’t act up, and you’ll be fine.”

“Yes ma’am,” they replied,

“Awesome. Do you four wanna play outside are watch TV or... what do you do for fun?” I asked. They all looked at each other before Castiel stood up on Gabriel’s lap.

“When I’m bored.... Gabe, Luci and I play monster,” he said.

“What do you do Michael?”

“Work,” he answered seriously.

“You’re 15. You can play monster with your little brothers and leave the work to me, Sam and Dean. You’re not the oldest anymore, let us take care of you,” I patted his back but he didn’t move. “Are you gonna do as I say or am I gonna make you?”

“Jade’s a beast man,” Dean called from the table.

“Yeah, she’s ruthless,” Sam agreed. “I’ve been on the receiving end more times than I can count. Just play with your brothers and you’ll be spared.”

“I’m that bad?”

“Jade, you’re worse!” Dean laughed. Michael was stubborn.

“No.”

“Fine, you asked for it sweetie,” I grabbed him around the waist and wedged him between the couch and myself with my arm around him as I started to wiggle my fingers in his sides. He instantly started giggling in surprise and the other children turned toward me. I put my face in his neck before he could do anything and started blowing raspberries on the sensitive skin. Michael’s laughter got harder.

“You're doing it all wrong Jade!” Lucifer jumped in front of me. “Gotta get under his arms.” The younger boy wiggled his hands under Michael’s arms that he had pinned to his sides.

“Ahhahahaha! Lucifer plehehehease! Stop brother!” Michael shrieked. The thirteen year old devil grinned at his brother’s struggle before bending down and blew a raspberry on Michael’s shirt. The archangel squealed and fell into helpless laughter once again.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

“Hey Zoe!” I greeted.

“I heard those angels were transformed into kids.”

“ZOE WHAT THE HELL DO YOU STALK ME?!” I yelled into the phone. How did she know? Hell, I just found out three or four hours ago.

“Me and Chuck are close,” she replied. “Anyway, I thought that you might wanna bring the tikes down to the farm. Chief and Copper are bored and I swear to Chuck if Copper scratches up another piece of carpet I am going to kill myself.”

“You know, the youngest, Castiel, is 7,” I said.

“I don’t care and you know that.”

“You’re funeral fam,” I chuckled before hearing Markiplier yell “FUCK I LOST AGAIN!!!!!”. “Are you watching Markiplier? Again?”

“You know I love him!!”

“Okay. I’ll leave your weird obsession to be dealt with later. Right now I’m going to ask the boys. Gimme a sec,” I started over to Sam and Dean. “Hey can I take to boys over to Zoe’s house? She’s got a farm and two hound dogs. And she knows all about the little incident with the angels.”

“Yeah sure. Just don’t get in trouble or lose a kid,” Dean replied, getting a smack on the arm.

“They said yeah,” I said to Zoe. “We’ll be there in an hour... maybe.”

“Okay. Good luck fam.”

“I’ll need it.”

I turned to the boys, who had all ganged up on Michael. The poor teenager was laughing so hard he had tears falling down his fire red face. “Guys, stop torturing Michael and come with me to Zoe’s farm. I promise, you’ll love it there.”

Once we arrived at Zoe’s place, the angels got out of the car and smiled. I knew they would like it. “Zoe’s inside. She’ll have more clothes for you Cas.”

“Why do I need clothes. I’ve got these,” he played with the hem of his trench coat.

“Yes, but maybe something more comfortable. We’re on a farm, and there’s no way she’s gonna let you walk around like some business boy,” I ruffled his hair and knocked on the door. She opened it very quickly and ushered us in before clicking out of YouTube on the computer.

“Markiplier?” I asked.

“It’s a guilty pleasure!”

I started laughing. “Okay, so, boys, this is Zoe. She’s awesome. Zoe the oldest is Michael, he’s fifteen. Lucifer is thirteen. Gabriel is twelve, and Castiel is 7. Hey, got any clothes for Cas? I know you’re nephew is about his size.”

“Yeah, sure. Follow me Cassie,” she motioned for him to follow her up the stairs and he did as he was told. Gabriel looked a little worried, as he didn’t know Zoe and his little brother was going off with her alone.

“Don’t worry, Gabriel. Zoe is a good person,” I promised. Lucifer had gone to the window and was staring in shock.

“Hey, what are those?” he pointed at the dogs bounding across the field, chasing a squirrel.

“Those are hounds, Luci. They use their strong sense of smell to find whatever they are looking for,” I explained. “That’s Chief, right there in front, and behind him is the clumsy puppy Copper.”

“Cool! Can we go play with them?” Gabriel asked.

“Let me ask Zoe when she comes back down,” I said as she walked down the stairs. “Speak of the devil,” this caused me to get a glare from her. Castiel came down in jeans and a light blue shirt.

“It feels weird,” Cas mumbled. I smiled and ruffled his hair, causing him to whine a little playfully.

“Can we go play with the hounds? Please?” Lucifer begged. Okay, if Lucifer is begging, he really wants something.

“Sure thing kiddo. Let me call them up here to get to know you,” Zoe went outside and called for the dogs. Both ran up to her, their tales perking up a little when they saw the boys. “Chief, Copper, sit.”

“Woah...” Gabriel smiled. I saw Michael and Castiel’s face. Both of them were fearful of the large dogs, so I walked over to them and put my hands on their backs.

“Chief and Copper are good dogs. They’re obedient and will not bite you unless you try and take something you’re not supposed to. It’s fine,” I promised. Michael didn’t want to show weakness in front of his brothers, so he went up to Copper and gently pet his head. Chief was behind him and knew the boy was scared, so he playfully nudged his butt. Gabriel burst out laughing when Michael fell, and Lucifer immediately pet the dog, showing his great affection. Michael gave a sort of unmanly squeal when he fell, causing Copper to start licking his face. Michael was giggling like a little kid.

Castiel still clutched my arm, scared of the dogs, and he buried his face in my shoulder. “I’m scared Jade.”

“Don’t be scared, Cas. These two dogs won’t hurt you. Come on, we can go to them together,” I took his hand and slowly started over to Chief. Chief noticed immediately and shook Lucifer and Gabriel off. Castiel slowly reached out to pet him, and Chief sat down in fear of scaring him off. When the little boy’s hand came in contact with his head, he quickly nuzzled it lovingly and stood up a little. Castiel smiled and pulled away from me, overcoming his fear of dogs.

“See, not so bad,” I smiled. Zoe was leaning on the doorway, enjoying how Copper pinned Michael down, making him laugh with the rough tongue tickling his ears while Gabriel, Lucifer and Castiel played with Chief.

“They’re just too cute,” Zoe smiled.

“They are,” I agreed as Gabriel shrieked when Lucifer tackled him in play fight. Castiel was still playing with Chief.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen grown Michael smile. It’s nice,” Zoe chuckled when Michael shrieked from Copper licking his neck and his tail brushing over his sides.

“He’s ticklish as hell. I don’t think he ever got over that, so as soon as he is grown I’m testing it,” I promised. Zoe laughed and I saw both Lucifer and Gabriel fall off the porch. I immediately went to check on them but only got laughter. “You two okay?”

“We’re good!” they called as they dusted themselves off. Lucifer grabbed Gabriel and started game all over again. We heard Castiel giggling and saw him rocking back and forth and Chief licked his bare feet.

I turned to Zoe. “Awwwww.”

After the kids got bored, we headed down to the farm house that held the horses and cows. Lucifer reached in to pet a horse, and Michael walked off to look at the chickens, and Gabriel started to look at the cows with Cas. Zoe and I let them out of our sight for a while to play so that we could go solve a problem dealing with her pigs. They were fighting over the food, so we just put more in there and talked.

“How long are they going to be like this?” she asked.

“Chuck said he’s leaving them with us for a week. I’m not sure if it’s a blessing or a curse,” I chuckled as I went to put the bucket of slop up. Zoe wiped her hands on her jeans.

“I’d say blessing. They’re so sweet, they don’t fight.... perfect!” she smiled.

“And they’re really adorable,” I added. “So yeah it’s a-”

I was cut off by a scream from the stables. I instantly took off to find the source, and I saw Lucifer sitting on the ground, clutching a bleeding arm to his chest. The cut was massive, and I noticed that he got it from a nearby pickaxe that he was probably looking at. Gabriel went to check on him, but I held out my hand. “Gabriel, go inside!”

“No! Lucifer’s hurt!” he whined. Castiel was staring in shock, and Michael had ran across the field to get to us. He reminded me of Dean, running faster than sound to get to his brother when he screamed.

“Gabriel, take your brother inside!!” I ordered. A kid his age, even an angel, shouldn’t see this. “Zoe, get me a med kit.”

Gabriel looked reluctant but still grabbed Castiel’s hand and ran to the house. Lucifer had tears falling down his cheeks. “Let me see,” I ordered softly. He held out his arm and I saw a deep, long cut going down it. “Oh, baby,” I whispered. “Michael, comfort-” I didn’t even get to finish the sentence, because Michael immediately wrapped an arm around his brother. Lucifer buried his face in Michael’s shoulder as he cried, and Michael looked terrified.

“Jade... he needs stitches,” Zoe whispered. Lucifer looked up with wide eyes and I ran my hand through his hair.

“Hey, buddy, once I clean it, put the stitches in, and wrap it, it’ll be over. I promise, it’ll feel a lot better then,” I kissed his head. “Michael, hold him tight.”

“Hey, little brother. Come here,” he whispered, kissing Lucifer’s hair before nodding to me. I poured the alcohol over his arm and got an ear piercing, heart-breaking scream. I had to stay strong for him though. “Sh, it’s okay. I know... it hurts,” Michael sounded very calm, even though his eyes scattered for something other than the horrible cut to focus on. I put my hand on his cheek and met his eyes, showing him it was going to be okay. I had Zoe hold the teen’s arm down as I readied the stitching string and needle.

“Okay, buddy, I’m going to put the stitches in. You need four, okay. Focus on Michael,” I said. Lucifer clutched Michael’s shirt and stared into his eyes, begging for something to think about other than pain. Michael started singing something in Enochian, and Lucifer relaxed. “Okay, here we go.” I started to stitch up Lucifer’s arm and the angel just flinched, gasped, and yelped a little, but Michael’s soft song kept him steady so that I could finish the stitches quickly.

“Hand me the gauze,” I ordered. Zoe tossed it to me as I cut the string. As I started to wrap it, I saw Lucifer put his head back on Michael’s shoulder and say something, causing Michael to kiss his head and rub his back. Finally, I taped the bandages together and was finished.

“All done, baby brother,” Michael whispered. “Now we can go see Gabriel and Cassie.”

“I’m weak, Mikey,” Lucifer whispered. Michael wrapped an arm around his waist and put his good arm around his shoulders.

“Then let me be your legs,” he smiled. Zoe was freaked out a little, but stood up firm and kissed Lucifer’s head.

“You were a very brave angel,” she whispered to him before going to Michael. “And you were a very good big brother.” Michael blushed a little before smiling and starting to the house.

Finally, we had to leave to go to the bunker, and as we drove away, I saw Michael passed out beside me while Lucifer, Gabriel, and Castiel slept in the backseat. I smiled.

“You are just too cute.”

Okay.... this is day one of the week of Jade, Sam and Dean watching over the cute little angels. This was long.

[twilightprince102-blog]

Some Moral Support

Summary: A “Sing!” (2016) AU in which Meena has a friend that supports her along her journey. But at what point does it turn into too much?

Chapter Three: Take Two

In which Jude tries to get Meena to try again at auditions.

[Previous] [Next]

The two animals walked out of the theatre, with the looks of shame on both of their faces. In their mind, Jude hit themself constantly, screaming at them for how she lost control. ‘You blew it! You blew it for her and it’s all your fault!’ they heard from themselves. Jude retracted their claws as far as they could into their paws, in hopes of it being a good enough punishment for their actions.

Jude wanted to talk to their friend, and apologize for what they almost did to the mouse-Mike-on stage. They weren’t going to do anything, they know they didn’t! At least, that’s what Jude believed. Bits of the past started to appear in their mind as they walked away from Moon Theatre, as the animals line wondered what happened. One of the first days the two met, when they were just little kids in Elementary school. ‘And about four weeks after…’

The two tikes were talking on the playground together during a lunch recess. It just seemed like a normal day two the two of them, and Jude really wanted to play with Meena after school was over! But some other kids came up to them; Baboons. They all ran past the two and swiped their lunch boxes from them before they even knew what was going on. They had tried to recover their lost meals, but the baboons were too fast for them. No other child or adult came to their aid. Then, as the two finally gave up, the baboons mocked Meena for how heavy she was, and how she didn’t need to eat because of how fat she was. Those bullies made a mistake that day; they made Meena cry.

Jude blacked out, and when they finally came to their senses, they were in their dad’s car, watching the bullies being carted off to the hospital.

The two stayed friends, but it took some time before they saw each other again. Jude got a scolding from their parents, and was suspended from school for a couple months. They hated how the other kids went quiet when they walked into the classroom, how the other kids were scared to get too close, how the other kids ran away. Meena was scared as well, but she still understood why they acted that way. She didn’t support what Jude did, but she at least got why they did that. It took a couple more months, but the two were friends once again, and Jude tried to keep their rage in check from that point onwards. It didn’t always work, but they at least didn’t send anybody to the emergency room.

But they were *this* close to repeating their actions again. If Meena wasn’t there to snap them out of their rage mode, things could have gotten ugly. If Jude had went berserk on stage like they did back on the playground, they would never forgive themself or face Meena every again. So while they kept retracting the sharp claws as far as they could go, the two walked in silence.

“L-let’s get some lunch.” Meena said, breaking the silence. Jude jumped slightly from her offer, but willingly nodded, still staying silent. They walked into a diner that wasn’t too far from the Moon Theatre, which wasn’t too crowded since everybody was waiting in line instead of eating here. The friends sat down at a booth, and after Jude said that they were going to go to the bathroom, they left Meena alone to look at the menu.

Meena wondered why she even decided to eat here. ‘I’m not even that hungry.’ She thought as her stomach grumbled. With the time of solitude she had, her mind raced to the events of the Theatre. The moment she saw Jude’s claws come out, she knew what was coming. It was a while since Meena saw her friend get that angry; a couple months actually. But to the extent where they would bring out the claws? That was very rare. The only times that happened was ‘When somebody made me upset.’

Meena has seen the pattern before: If she was ever upset or crying because of what somebody did, Jude would go crazy. She never understood WHY Jude went to such big lengths to do those things. She assumed it was to make her happy by stopping the bullies, but that just led to the opposite effect. Ever since the incident from Elementary, Meena goes into a sort of shock whenever she sees Jude’s claws. Those terrible memories of the baboons and the jaguar never sat well with her when they came up. But that was what her mind decided to switch to anyways!

After that horrifying day, Meena tried to keep her distance from Jude; which was relatively easy since they got suspended for a couple months. She didn’t wave whenever the two saw each other, never said “hi” or even started a conversation when they met up outside of school. Her parents understood as well; she just wanted some time to recover away from her new friend.

But being alone in school didn’t help at all. The day after Jude’s rage, the effects rippled throughout the school. To the outsider, it seemed perfectly fine! Nobody would pick on her like they used to; she was untouchable! The problem was just THAT though; she was untouchable! Not a single kid dared to even talk to her, because they felt that if they accidentally did something to her, they would end up on Jude’s hit list. After seeing how strong her wanting to stay away from Jude was, the jaguar became more retracted when it came to school than ever. It took some time, but the two eventually became friends again as long as Jude didn’t rage anymore. And they certainly did try to go along with her demands!

But seeing those actions again today swept away any and all confidence left in her body to go on with auditions. All day, she had been preparing to try and sing her song in front of some sort of large crowd! But she couldn’t even muster up the courage when facing a koala and a lizard. The elephant held her face in her palms as Jude walked back from the bathrooms. They sat down and still sat in silence as they ordered their meals and ate their food (For Meena, a salad and for Jude, a black bean burger). But having enough with the silence, Jude put their meal down on the plate and spoke.

“Meena, can you just talk to me? Please?” Jude said with honest sincerity. “I just-I know what I did. But I just want to talk.” Meena put down her fork as she was about to eat another lettuce leaf.

“Jude, you can’t-y-you have to stop”-

“I know I know!” Jude cut in with guilt. “I just wanted to let you do you thing! If that stupid mouse didn’t say anything”-

“Just stop!” The elephant slammed on the table, causing it to shake and crack slightly underneath. Some cooks and servers looked from their posts to see what was going on. Jude raised their hands up in defence.

“I-I knew what you were trying to do; I knew you were just trying to help me. But… It was too much. You went too far and.. And you almost hurt somebody!” Meena grasped her shoulders and looked away in shame while hiding behind her large ears. Then mumbling under her breath, Jude could hear her whimper “I just want to go home.”

“Meena wait.” Jude picked up before Meena could say anything else. The elephant did nothing, and showed more of her shoulder to her friend. “Meena…” Jude got up on their seat and grabbed their friend by her arm. “Listen to me, please!”

“Hey hey hey! Off the seat!” A nearby turtle janitor yelled. “Do you have any idea how long it takes to clean those things?!”

“Sorry! Sorry.” Jude hopped off of the booth bench, but still held onto their friend’s hand. Holding it with both paws, she looked at Meena directly in the eyes.

“Meena, it was my fault for everything at the auditions. I know that it was my fault that things didn’t go right and I’m sorry. But you shouldn’t give up because of my mistakes!” The elephant pulled back her ears slightly to face her friend. “You came here because it was your time to shine, not mine. I just want to make sure that you get happy here and have fun.”

Meena looked at her friend’s paws on her hand, seeming to get comfortable by it. But she turned away again a second later.

“Jude, y-you saw how I froze up there. I was terrible, I couldn’t even sing the song that we chose!” Jude, hearing their friend’s argument, pulled back a paw and pondered for a second on what to do. After hearing a slight “Hmmmm,” the elephant heard her friend snap their fingers and say “Hallelujah!”

Meena’s expression turned from guilty to a confused one. She turned her head to face the jaguar, whose face was glowing like a star. “Wh-what?” The elephant asked. Jude pulled their arms away and started to pace slightly back and forth with some hand gestures.

“You know, “Hallelujah”! By Sheepard Cohen! We’ve been thinking about this whole thing wrong, we chose the wrong song!” Jude stopped and turned to their friend again. “When we were picking out different songs, we were looking for one that would show off your singing the best. But you barely even listened to the song, and that’s why you had to listen to it on repeat while we were waiting the whole time! But that song; You know the entire freaking thing by memory! It’s like, your favorite song, it’ll be perfect for you!”

“Bu-but what If I freeze up again? I’ll just…” Jude realized really quick that they were going a little overboard, and toned down their excitement a little. So, kneeling down to Meena’s eye level, they put a paw on her shoulder, causing the two to finally look at each other again from eye to eye.

“Meena, I promise that I’ll be there this time. I’ll make sure that this time, I’ll give you the proper support you need.” Jude said with absolute honesty. The elephant pondered for a moment, thinking for a moment that it would feel better if she just went home and hopped back into her bed. But seeing how much Jude wanted to support her, it filled Meena with a bit of the hope and courage that she was lacking. She teared up a little, but then pulled Jude into a tight, warm hug.

“Thank you Jude.” The jaguar paused for a moment, then hugged back.

“No problem Meena.”

“Okay, now I’m not even lying.” The wolf cashier by the front door was watching the two talk, resting her cheek on her hands with a childish grin. “That, was adorable.”

After finishing their meals and paying up the money needed to the cashier (who wished the elephant some good luck), the two friends walked back to Moon Theatre for their second shot. Much to their sanity, the line had shortened while they were making amends to both each other and their stomachs. But since Meena had already filled out her form, they decided to wait in the lobby for their chance to talk to the Theatre’s koala. That, however, wouldn’t be for about another hour later! In the meantime, they listened to other performers and made certain comments about the each of them. Meena was showing signs of stress again, but Jude made sure to be right next to her and help calm Meena down, which was greatly appreciated.

So then after their long, long wait session, the final song cut off. The performer exited stage left, and then the two judges let out a long, relieved sigh from (seemingly) finishing all of the auditions. Meena and Jude looked at each other, and then pushed the doors to the audience seating open with an echoing CLICK throughout the room.

“Mr. Moon?” Meena spoke up from across the seating. The two saw the koala’s large, fluffy ears perk up, then he peered around his seat to face them. His expression was… mixed. He seemed surprised to see Meena return and possibly even excited to hear her voice. But the sight of Jude made him anxious; Jude couldn’t blame him for that.

“Oh, you’re back!” Buster said, then told his lizard assistant that the two had returned. Jude and Meena walked up to the owner of the theatre; this time Jude getting nervous to what he’d say to them. The jaguar took a deep breath to prepare for what the koala would have to say.

When they reached the front row seating, everyone stayed quiet for a moment or two. Meena nudged her friend, who then just blurted out their apology.

“I’m really sorry for what I did earlier! I couldn’t control myself and I promise it won’t happen again, just please give my friend another chance!”

“Now now, settle down!” The owner stepped up onto the armrest of his chair to get as high as he could to talk to Jude directly. The lizard woman next to him waved at Meena, and she waved back.

“First, while I do appreciate you coming back to apologize, I’m not the one you should be saying that to.” Jude didn’t seem to get it at first, but when Buster gestured to backstage, they understood. The koala nodded. “He should be somewhere with the rest of the contestants if you want to go now. And secondly?” He turned to face the big elephant.

“They said you wanted to try again?” Buster questioned, seeming intrigued. To make sure that she didn’t stutter or back out, Jude put a gentle paw on her back. Meena nodded, responding to the owner “Y-yes sir. If, if that’s alright with you though. Jude and I realized that we might have chosen the wrong song, s-so”-

“Don’t worry! It’s fine, that’s perfectly fine.” The koala said comfortingly. “Besides, we’ve made it through all of the contestants, what’s one more? Right Miss Crawley?” Buster turned around to see the lizard’s answer, which was a generous head nod yes.

“Yes mister Moon, I would very much like to hear her song. She seems like a nice child, so she must have a nice voice!” Miss Crawley answered with her old, shaky voice. Meena was flattered, and let out a quiet “thanks.” Buster turned back around to face the two friends.

“Okay, I’ll let you two do your thing. But, Jude right?” He pointed to the jaguar, who was mainly trying to stay quiet for this whole thing and let the three talk. They nodded, grasping their shoulder out of impulse.

“If by some chance Meena can’t get into the show, can you promise not to do, whatever it was you did earlier? I don’t want any violence in my theatre.” Jude turned away a little more, feeling guilty after he reminded them about their outburst. But the jaguar nodded in understanding. The koala smiled, and clapped his hands together optimistically.

“Alright then! Whenever you two are ready, you can step onto the stage and start!” Mr. Moon said enthusiastically, hopping back down into his seat like a small child. The two friends did just that; they walked onto the stage and back to where they were just a mere hour and a half ago. As they walked, Jude pulled up an instrumental version of “Hallelujah” on their phone. But as they got closer to the microphone, Jude could hear Meena do Rosita’s deep breathing technique again. They tried to think of some way to get their friend to calm down; then it hit them! So with their free paw, Jude got Meena’s attention by tapping their shoulder.

“Hey Meena, remember the karaoke machine from back home?” The elephant nodded, not fully understanding.

“This is just like that, there’s nothing different between the two. Here, try closing your eyes.” The elephant did as she was told, and Jude kept rolling along with it.

“Here’s the microphone, it may not have a chord, but it connects right to the machine. This is no different from what we do back at home.” Meena was starting to understand where Jude was going with this. Both this and the karaoke machine from back home had things like it. They both had microphones, they both played songs, and sometimes the two would sing in front of an audience. Granted, the difference between that last part was that the audience size would be much greater if she continued on with it. If she continued with this, the entire theatre would be filled with seats, with everyone staring right at her and listening to her sing.

But Meena opened her eyes, and just saw Buster Moon and Miss Crawley in the audience, who were waiting patiently in their seats for her to begin. Then she looked to Jude for comfort, and realized something else. ‘Three listeners, three people in the audience.’ It was just like singing to her family back at home, her Mom, Grandpa and Grandma. It was different in little ways, but it was also the exact same! Jude was right, this WAS just like singing back at home!

“Alright, are you ready Meena?” Jude asked, looking at their friend in the eyes. With one final deep breath and Jude’s knowledge in mind, Meena nodded. So Jude went back to their phone, turned up the volume as loud as possible, then pressed play. The calming tune of the song’s instruments washed away any fears she had about herself, and she felt her heart drum to the beat. Dum, dum dum, dum, dum dum.  With one final inhale, Meena closed her eyes and began to sing to her audience.

“Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the lord.

But you don’t really care for music, do you?”

Jude could feel their friend sing the lyrics with absolute flow; much different from the disaster earlier. Not a single stutter or quiet whisper came from the first verse, and when they heard the perfection, Jude knew that their friend had this in the bag. The jaguar looked to the two judges in the chairs, who were already intrigued by Meena’s voice. Miss Crawley quietly clapped her hands together, while Buster had his pen and paper ready for notes. As the song progressed more and more, Jude could see their intrigue transfer into pure awe from the elephant’s vocal chords.

“There’s a blaze of light in every word,

It doesn’t maaaater what you’ve heard,

The holy or the broken Hallelujah!”

Meena kept her eyes shut and continued to sing her favorite song. What Jude had said earlier was true: she knew the entire song by heart. Whenever she or somebody in her family felt sad, Meena sang their troubles away with this song, and all was well. Her Grandma even said that she could be even better than the one who originally sang it, and Jude agreed with them 100%! From the left of the stage, some of the contestants peered around the curtain to see who was singing now. Jude could see Johnny and Rosita watch Meena sing her heart out, and join Buster and Crawley in their level of awe.

“I did my best, it wasn’t much.

I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch,

I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you.”

Jude realized that one of her best parts was coming up, and they tapped their feet in anticipation.

“And even though it all went wrong,

I’ll stand before the Lord of Song!

With nothing on my tongue but HAAAllELUJAH!!”

The jaguar pumped their fists in the air as Meena put her effort into that last word. Buster had put down his pen and paper in order to fully listen to Meena’s astonishing performance. But that wasn’t it yet, oh no. Jude’s favorite part was going to happen any second now.

“HallelujAAAAH!

HAAAAlelujaaah!

Halleluujaaah,

Halleluuuu-

Halleluuuuuujaaa.”

The last of the instruments faded away with the final piano chord, and the song came to an end. Meena opened her eyes and regulated her breathing; tuckered out from her over the top singing. She carefully put the microphone back down on the stand, then looked at Mr. Moon for approval. For twelve long seconds, the koala sat in his chair, nothing but agape. And then he clapped. It started slow, but with every clap, more speed and emphasis was put into his cheer. Miss Crawley did the same, but not with too much effort as Mr. Moon did.

Meena smiled, but then stumbled backwards from the intense hug that Jude gave her. Both of the two friends giggled, then laughed with each other on stage. Jude kept saying “You did it! I knew you could do it girl!” and that just made Meena laugh even more! Some of the observers from backstage looked at the two, seeing promising competition and fantastic effort! Even they couldn’t help clapping with the koala!

“Meena, let me just tell you something.” Mr. Moon said as he picked up his pen and scribbled some notes down on Meena’s form. The two stopped their laughing, but couldn’t stifle down any giggles that they got. Miss Crawley peered over Moon’s writings as he both underlined and circled a phrase on the elephant’s contestant form. Then when he was done, he looked back up at the two once more.

“That was the best singing I’ve heard all day.”

That night, Jude and the Inis celebrated together for Meena’s successful entry into the competition.