#IT WAS A COINCIDENCE OKAY. I CAME UP WITH HIS DESIGN THIS SUMMER

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[meet the guard!] guard 003: kuroki hinode

(this was supposed to be posted yesterday but.. i forgor...)

HE'S FINALLY HERE!!! THE THIRD GUARD!!! AND ALSO RIKU'S BIG BROTHER!! LET'S GO!!!

he gets not one but two drawings bc he's a very special little boy (and also bc i feel bad for him since he got introduced late for obvious story purposes but like.. i really need to make more content for him..)

(also fun fact: the first drawing actually was done in july and the second one just a few days ago.. i can actually see some differences in my art style hehe..)

another note is that when i started to work on hinode's character, my first thought was that i kinda wanted to create another physically disabled guard character (since i think eiji can count as the first one because kei's treatment of him had not the best impact on his body), it just sounded like a neat concept! but i also didn't want to make him.. how do i explain.. too sympathetic, maybe? too squishy? what really annoys me as someone who is physically disabled is that characters like that are often used to make people feel bad for them and don't really have any personality OR they turn out to be the bad guys who only pretended to be disabled for pity points. so instead i've tried to make hinode's problems realistic and a lot of it comes from my own experiences, but i still wanted to make him morally gray and kinda.. you know.. kinda suspicious. (you're more than allowed to joke about punching him or putting him in a blender and all that)

General info.

Name: Kuroki Hinode (黒木日出) (his last name means "black" and "tree" and his first name means "sun, day" and "exit, leave". yes, hinode's name has kanji for "day" and riku's name has kanji for "evening".. the parallels <3...)

Age: 22 y/o

Gender: Male

Status: Guard 003

Birthday: January 28 (Aquarius)

Blood type: AB

Height: 179 cm

Occupation: Unemployed

Personality: Hinode isn't as outgoing as his brother, but he still enjoys talking to others, learning more about them and just spending time with other people. However, he's used to being alone, so he won't complain if it's not possible for him to talk to anyone at the moment. It actually might be better for him, since he gets tired quite easily because of his poor health and can't be active for too long. He feels sleepy most of the time, so please don't judge him for suddenly dozing off in the middle of the conversation, even if it's very important. He's not as passionate about justice as the other guards and mostly just wants to do his own thing, not caring about morals too much, but still having enough common sense to punish those who deserve it (in his opinion). He dislikes the physical kind of punishments because he believes that they're too "basic", since pain can easily scare anyone and there's nothing special about it. It's also possible that he doesn't like them because of his own experience with chronic pain, but to be honest, Hinode is lying when he says that he doesn't like to see people in pain. Yes, he believes that pain is the worst thing that could happen to anyone, even worse than death. But also, as someone who has no choice but to spend most of his days in pain.. Maybe he does want to see the prisoners feel the same way as he does. Maybe just a little bit. He still prefers the psychological punishments, finding them more "effective" and "suitable".. mostly because he's too weak to punish anyone physically.

MV info.

His Milgram cover: Him and T1 Naomi are twinning and he'd cover Weakness! The lyrics remind me a lot of him and I think with an instrumental like that it'd be appropriate for Riku's brother to cover it.

His DECO*27 cover: Harinezumi. The lyrics remind me a lot of him in general, him trying to keep up with everyone even though his condition doesn't allow him and him feeling like a burden to others, especially his family, but also being jealous of Riku for being so popular, talented and living his best life (at least it seems so on the outside) ("I can still keep going! Jealousy, what a trifling thing", "Don't you sometimes feel a little dizzy? I'm sighing because I'm tired of my heart pounding", "People know their true forms after being broken and crushed") and also the song describes his dysfunctional relationship with Riku really well as two brothers who are both jealous of each other and who both want something the other has (Riku has friends, popularity, the time and energy to make music, meanwhile Hinode has the family's attention, others helping him and people not judging him for spending the whole day in bed) but who also still love each other and genuinely wish their life could go differently ("I'll embrace you, we won't be parted", "Don't be prickly with me, each time we touch, I throb. If I prick you, you might hate me, well, there's no way that will happen!.. At least, I think", "I'm an attention seeker! I want to be spoiled! I want to melt even more for you!") And also considering that one of them is extremely suicidal and the other one is afraid that his life won't be that long.. ("In the blink of an eye, which of us will die?")

His Non-DECO*27 cover: Waltz by Nashimoto-P. I imagine Hinode having this very soft and quiet voice that almost sounds like a whisper and I feel like it would fit the way Miku is tuned very well! Also the lyrics sound so much like him trying to cope with his condition, his relationship with Riku, other problems and slowly going insane in the process. ("Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, I ask what day is it today, regrettably thinking today will be a good time", "I don't know what's fun, but as I run out of things to do, I will accompany you", "My EKG is a straight line, I wonder how many decades ago") Some lyrics, especially the chorus remind me of the way he acts as a guard too. ("Stop trying to give up, the world is connected. Dance, smile, while you're being controlled. In the beginning, in the end, the details are non-existent. Don't resist, accept it, everything is connected") Also, Riku's T3 song is supposed to be by Nashimoto-P too, so :} They're matching!

His T3 Voice Trailer Voicelines:

"Ah, greetings, prisoners. Um, I apologize for such a late introduction, haha.. My name is Kuroki Hinode and I am the third guard of this prison. Nice to meet you. Starting from today, I'll be replacing Sanada Eiji-san as he's recovering. I hope we all get along. I'm really not the best person for this job, so I apologize if I end up falling asleep in the middle of the interrogation, haha.."

".. What was I supposed to do? I can't even get out of bed right now. If he wants to be saved, then I'm not the one who he should ask for help."

Trivia:

His eyes may not look like it because of the lighting on the first picture, but his eye color is supposed to be gray, meanwhile Riku's eye color is more of a mix of light green and gray.

Hinode's natural hair color is light brown, but a few days before Riku committed his crime, Riku suggested that he dyes Hinode's hair, hoping to make him feel at least a little better. They went with the brightest colors Riku had just for fun and it really did make Hinode smile and he was happy to spend time with his brother like that. In season 2, Riku dyed his hair the same way and noticed the colors only when it was too late, so it's possible that he missed his brother and did that subconsciously. It should be noted, however, that Riku's T2 hair is light green on the left and red on the right, meanwhile Hinode's hair is light green on the right and his hair is more pink rather than red on the left. Hinode also has a double ahoge just like his little brother and same goes for their little sisters. It's something they all share :)

He started putting his hair in a bun since he arrived because he found working with his hair down uncomfortable. Miki helps him with it now.

Hinode's illnesses aren't deadly, but a lot of them are chronic and dealing with them made Hinode a little bit paranoid and he has a lot of health-related anxiety. His condition is supposed to be mostly up to interpretation, but I can say for sure that he has anemia, narcolepsy and fibromyalgia.

He's the tallest out of all the guards (and that also makes Eiji the shortest). He's also the oldest one.

It's hard for him to walk because of how tired he feels most of the time, so he asked Miki if it's okay to hold her hand when they walk together. After a lot of internal screaming because of Hinode being so cute, Miki agreed. 

His room has everything he needs and he can see the whole prison on multiple screens, watch the interrogation recordings, adjust the brightness of the screens and the room temperature and whoever kidnapped him also somehow learned about all the medications he has to take. He was creeped out by first, but then went "Oh, it's kinda nice actually :)"

Speaking of him arriving to Milgram, he was kidnapped while he was asleep. So before Jackalope brought him his guard uniform, Hinode spent all his time wearing pajamas. He still thinks they're more comfortable than his uniform. (another fun fact is that the first "concept art" of him had him in his pajamas sjskkssl)

He's probably the best character to ask for medical help at the moment, since he does know a lot about things like that, but whether he's able to actually help someone depends on how he's feeling at the moment and what his relationship with that person is like. 

Hinode actually used to play the guitar before his health started to get worse and after he realized he doesn't have the energy to play anymore, he gave it to Riku. Riku still uses his brother's guitar and not counting the ones he got in Milgram, he refuses to get a new one. It also has a bunch of silly drawings on it made by Riku himself, Hinode and their little sisters. 

[saitama-division]

While the brightest orb in the sky has already turned low over the city of Saitama, one jet-black car has also reached its destination at Miyuki's residence.

*rings*

“Hello there, this is from Nara division! We’ve got some presents for Miyuki-san —But hmm, or perhaps there’s no one home at this moment?” 

After getting no reply from the nth attempt he tries calling for someone in the house, now the red-haired boy begins to have another thought. 

—Maybe they’re out for some special dinner. From what he has heard, Miyuki-san seems to be someone who strongly devotes her time to her family after all.

Thinking something like that, the boy decides to carefully carry the large box with his elder companion named Chishio and places it on the floor in front of their entrance, hoping that the birthday person will easily find it when she gets home.

“Okay, if there’s some camera recording this, tell Miyuki-san or someone from the house that the Nara division has come to say Hi and Happy Birthday! So, pardon me if I’m taking my leave soon. Haha, I can't let my teammates wait for the dinner.”

And then, the Yuuya and Chishio left.

Inside the box are the butterfly lamp which he thinks kids would love, the box of Mizu Yokan that his teammate specially designs to welcome the season of autumn, and the brand new coffee machine with butterfly wings.

——30 minutes later at somewhere on the road back to Nara City

“It’s a bit funny to find out that you kids and my young master are all sharing the same birth dates as someone else in the DRB.” 

The elderly man remarks it at some point when their car got stuck in the traffic jam.

“Yeah, coincidence is pretty scary huh,” the boy laughs a little at the surprising fact he heard from his older companion.

He soon averts his gaze to the faraway horizon with some glint of melancholy swirling in the enigmatic shade of his eyes.

“Actually,”

With the soft shades of pink as it is painted in the last light of the day, the scenery outside the window right now is so beautiful that one couldn’t take one’s eyes off.

And suddenly, once the traffic light turns green, their car starts rushing forward again. one crimson maple leaf has fallen from the nearby tree and was blown to the distant sky.

Summer has already ended and it seems like the next season is now arriving.

“…Today is also the birthday of someone precious to me too.”

September 23rd of this year is also known as the ‘Autumnal Equinox’.

An hour later, a car pulled up to the Miyuki Residence as Sayaka, Lola, Kureha, and Yoshiko all got out of the vehicle. The four of them had just came back from the park after having a picnic to celebrate Sayaka’s birthday which had gone very well, Sayaka humming a soothing tune as she held a sleeping Yoshiko in her arms. The group however stopped short upon seeing the box on the porch, Lola smirked and gave Sayaka a nudge on her side with her elbow. “Somebody’s popular~” The model giggled and Sayaka felt her face flush slightly, smiling bashfully.

“Ah, I feel bad, I should’ve left a note saying that I wasn’t going to be home. I hope it wasn’t left out here to long.” Sayaka spoke quietly, careful not to wake up Yoshiko. Kureha stepped up to pick up the box so that they could enter the house, after putting Yoshiko to bed, Sayaka went to the living room to find the box opened and Kureha and Lola looking through the gifts. Sayaka put her hands to her hips and pouted, “Excuse me, I don’t think those belong to you.” She jokingly scolded and Lola stuck out her tongue at her in response. “We’re just making sure everything isn’t broken, they aren’t by the way, looks like Nara Division decided to pay you a visit, man they always give the best gifts.”

Sayaka sat down with them and took one of the Mizu Yokan, plopping it in her mouth, she hummed in content at the taste. “That’s so nice of them.”

Kureha eyed the coffee machine with fierce longing, curling her hands into fists to stop their twitching. “Yeah, anyways, I’m kinda thirsty, I’ll be right back.” Before Kureha could stand up, Lola quickly took the coffee machine and held it out of reach much to Kureha’s annoyance. “Lola, are you serious?” The bluenette deadpanned and the blonde gave her a stern look. “You ain’t fooling me, moonlight. We had a deal, you get only 3 cups of coffee per week and you already used your last cup this morning.”

Sayaka covered her mouth to muffle her giggles and Kureha clicked her tongue and looked away, sulking slightly. “I should’ve never agreed to that stupid deal.”

Lola smirked smugly. “One of these days you’ll thank me.”

“Thank you?!” Kureha said incredulously and Lola beamed. “You’re welcome!”

“Shut up!”

Thank you for the gift!

[moved2usagiiboo]

That body belongs to me

Warnings: HardDom!Mitsuya, squirting, spanking, oral male receiving, manipulative!Mitsuya, breeding, spit, female fingering.

Mitsuya, a successful rookie designer and his stunning model girlfriend clash heads when his beloved wishes to wear a dress from another designer to boost her credibility as a model. Her boyfriend wasn't happy with her decision in the least bit.

Author note; I've been sitting on this for a while, it randomly came to me when I was day dreaming in things that would piss Mitsuya off. For some reason I love making guys mad ✊🏿

Mitsuya, ever since he was younger wanted to become a fashion designer and in the face of all adversity he successed. He never complained about living situation, about never having time for himself, nor how he grew up too fast. How he was never able to just be a kid, he faced his problems head on and worked towards his dreams through it all.

He was an inspiration to everyone around him, his sisters, friends, and you.

Y/n Kataga, you met him during your third year of highschool. Your family had just moved to Japan due to a travel assignment your mom accepted. You had been adjusting to your new life in Japan, trying to figure out where things were, what's what. You were trying your best to adapt to the change, for your mom's sake. Lord knows how stress she has been, going through a divorce, raising 4 kids seemingly on her own. You wanted to help her out, even if it was just a little bit.

Your mother has been working so hard that she hasn't been able to explore Japan, going to work and straight home. It's been a few months since you moved to Japan, still being on summer break you didn't have to worry about school just yet. You made your brothers breakfast, cleaned the house, and set out to explore the city.

That's when you came across two little girls crying at the park, you went to see what was the matter with them. At first they were weary of you.

"N-Nii-san said not to talk to strangers..." The older one spoke up.

"Well, I'm a nice stranger who doesn't like seeing such pretty little girls cry. I just wanna help hm?" You spoke in your softest tone to gain the trust of the little girls.

They were still cautious of you but something told them they could trust you, they told you their names. Mana and Luna. They were absolutely adorable, you held the youngest one in your arm while holding the hand of the older one.

"So, what's does your big brother look like?" You asked the girls while walking around the block to see if you could find him, realizing without a description it would be a lot harder to spot him.

"Like a prince!" The little one cheered joyfully. You could only laugh at how she admired her older brother.

"Ey? Is that so?" You looked down at the older sister, she nodded aggressively agreeing with.

"Well, we can't just say we're looking for a prince can we? Any distinctive things about him?"

"Oh oh! He has purple hair!" Mana recalled.

"And he has piercings." Luna interjected, putting a finger to her chin thinking about other things that would help describe her brother, "and he's really tall!" She finished.

"So purple hair, tall, and piercings, got it." You repeated their description of their brother wondering just what type of person he really was. He seemed interesting in the least bit.

The morning sun slowly began to set as you and the girls walked around looking for this boy. You lot went in and out of stores asking around trying to find this mystery brother, you began to think that he left off without them. What a dick.

As the evening sun began to roll in the little girls grew tired, as did you. In the end you all ended up back at the park sitting on the bench with the girls crying themselves to sleep while laying on your lap fearful for what would happen to them.

You caressed their hair trying to comfort them as beads of tears landed onto your pants. Maybe you should file a missing children's report, you zoned out as you tried to think of ways to bring these children back to their parents or brother.

"Mana! Luna!" A gruff voice called out, through the corner of your eye you could see a tall boy running through the streets calling the names of the little girls now sleeping in your lap.

"O-over here!" You yelled waving your hands like a mad man to signal the young man. You caught his attention. He began to run over to the park. As he got closer you could see him, his piercings, the purple hair.. The way his skin looked in the evening light, he really did look like a prince.

"Mana, Luna, look it's your big brother." You softly shook the girls awake.

"Nii-san?" Luna muttered wiping the sleep from her eyes, she looked up and saw her brother standing running towards them.

"NII-SAN!" She shouted, almost tripping trying to get out of your lap she ran up to him hugging his legs.

"Nii-san, nii-san, nii-san." She chanted it like a mantra, "was so scared, thought you left us!" She cried out holding onto his legs as her tears fell.

"I would never leave you guys, never." He comforted her, bending down to her height enclosing her in tight hug. You watched this sentimental moment with a soft smiled curled on your lips.

"Mana, look." You whispered softly. She opened her eyes and saw her brother hugging her older sister.

"Nii-chan!!!" She exclaimed running to him hugging him tightly.

You got up from the bench, dusting yourself off. You looked at the girls and they seemed okay, it was time for you to head home. You turned the opposite way and began to walk off.

"W-Wait!" The boy called out. You hummed in question, turning around to face him. The boy gets up bringing his sisters with him.

"Mana tells me you looked all around the city with them to find me... Thank you." He says gratefully, he bows his head forcing his sisters' heads down in the process with his hands.

"I-its okay! Please lift your heads, seriously!" You stutter out, you lock your hands together behind your back feeling shy all of the sudden, "It wasn't a big deal, they were really sweet." You smiled. They lifted their hands, Mana and Luna locked hands with their older brother watching you with their beady eyes.

"They seem to really like you, they normally aren't so accepting of people." He confessed with a chuckle.

"Maybe I'm special." You smugly say.

"I'd say... Takes a different type of person to spend all day with kids you don't know, just go make sure they get home..." He pauses locking eyes with you, "you're amazing."

He's so genuine every word was spoken with respect and appreciation, you never seen this before in a guy. Not a hint of sarcasm, nothing. Just pure. You felt your face heat up as you locked eyes, you quickly averted your eyes turning your body the opposite direction.

"W-Well, I'm just happy they found you." You stuttered out once again, you covered your face with your hands feeling the heat seep through. How embarrassing. You suddenly shook as your pocket began to vibrate.

"Oh shit!" You closed your mouth, "I mean, oh crud...." You look back at the little girls hoping they didn't catch that. "I, I have to go!" You looked at your phone realizing you had over 60 messages and 9 missed calls from your mother. You began to run off waving goodbye before disappearing into the evening sun. You didn't even catch the young boy asking for your name.

When you made it home, you got yelled at for what seemed like hours. Your mother took your phone and any freedom you thought you had. It was fine though, at least those girls made it home, you didn't have to worry, yet they were still occupying your mind.

Much less they and more like, him. He was running through your mind, over and over you replayed your interaction feeling more and more embarrassed everytime you think about what you did. You felt your heart beat faster when you hear him repeat the words, "you're amazing".

You didn't think you'd see him again, but you did. It was spring, the flowers were blooming, bees were buzzing, birds chirping, sun shining as beautifully as ever and the only thing you could think about was that boy. You didn't even get his name. It's crazy how much a first impression will impact you. You wondered if he went to the same school as you, actually, you hoped so, but that would be too much of a coincidence, it will start to seem like you guys were.... Soulmates. You couldn't help but squeal at the idea, how perfect would your life be.

"Snap out of it!" You slapped your face as you stood outside your classroom, you took in deep breaths trying to calm yourself down. Your first class of the day, go in, make good impressions and you'll be able to make friends. You hoped, you prayed you didn't say anything too embarrassing.

The first introduction went smoothly, despite stuttering a couple of times. You even got a few numbers from some girls in the class who liked the way you did your hair. Things were going great, only, your dream boy wasn't here. Why would he be? Stop being so hopeful for things that will never happen.

You made your way to the home economics club making a delivery for your teacher who was too busy grading papers to make the delivery himself. You had no problem doing it, it was lunch break and you had nothing better to do after all. Maybe you could make some more friends, plus side you could check out the club and see if it's something you want to do. After all, you always wanted to be a model, might as well see what this club is like.

You carried boxes that were twice your height but quite light despite the size of them. You could barely see the door but you could see the class number. Now onto the problem you now have, how to open the door, you held the boxes with both of your hands. If you even move one hand it will all come toppling down. Then comes, the bright idea. You stood there trying to open the door with your foot, trying your hardest not to fall over due to lack of balance.

You should've taken those yoga classes with your mom! Curses.

It wasn't long till the door opened up, your ears perked hearing the sound.

"Wow, you're carrying a lot, you could've called out I would've came sooner." You heard a soft voice speak out, it was smooth like honey yet deep. Whoever this voice belonged to was blessed.

"Sorry! I didn't want to disturb anyone....." You mutter softly.

"Come on in, let me help you." He spoke reaching to grab some of your boxes.

"Nu-huh, I got it!" You chirped back, you heard him laugh softly as you felt his hand touch your back as he guided you into the room, his touch oh-so soft. Normally you would feel uncomfortable with this but with him, it felt okay. Felt nice actually.

You swatted these thoughts following the guide of his hand.

"You can set them here." He stated talking half of your boxes setting them down on the table.

"Hey, I said I had-" Finally you could see, and thank god you could. You locked eyes with your prince. The boy from the park. Both of your eyes widened as it hit you guys.

"You're the guy from the park!"

"You're the girl from the park!"

You both yelled out, you could only laugh at accusations you yelled at the same time.

"Wow, who knew we'd end up in the same school?" Talk about fate." He smiled.

His smile was so bright, just like that day you met. He hasn't changed. He's so pretty....

"Y-Yeah, fate.." You cursed yourself for the person you became when you were around him, your voice felt soft and weak. Your face constantly felt hot, your heart beating out of your chest. Was it...

Love at first sight?

"You know, I never caught your name." He speaks out trying to lightening the mood after seeing your awkward disposition, slightly fidgeting your fingers, twirling the heel of your foot.

"Right! I never caught yours either, I'm Y/n Kataga!" You replied cheerfully with a huge smile that blinded him. He held his hand out to shake yours,

"Takashi Mitsuya, pleasure to meet you Y/n." He smiled back, you looked at his hand and shook it.

That was the start of something bigger than the both of you. You both became close very quickly, bonding over your love of fashion and modeling. He introduced you to his friends, mother, re-introducing you to his sisters, officially. They were so happy to see you again, soon enough you guys were like a small family.

You learned all about him through stories from Chifuyu and Draken, you knew about Toman and his past gang life, how he raised his sisters, you knew all of it. You felt special, even though you weren't present during that time, you felt as if you were there with him. It was perfect and you would cherish these stories forever.

Mitsuya learned everything about you, much less from asking and more by observing. He learned how stressed you'd get when meeting new people, how you bit your lip while concentrating, how you fidget your fingers and advert your eyes in the cutest way when you were feeling shy. He learned it all. He loved learning more about you, you were like a book he couldn't put down. You, Y/n had him completely obsessed, wrapping around your perfect little finger.

One day you told him about how you wanted to be a model, then and there he proposed you model for him and only him. He'd make you beautiful clothes that match your style and you wear them for him.

Of course you agreed, his designs are gorgeous. He's really talented, and now you had an excuse to be around him more. Not like you needed one, all it took was one text and he would be running to you, wherever you were.

Fourth year of highschool, final year, Mitsuya was going to the College of Designs and you had a job opportunity to work under famous models. You were separating, and only after a year of being together. You haven't even confessed yet. To be honest you didn't even know if you should, what if you ruined what you had. You didn't want to ruin a perfectly good friendship, but you wanted to be more than friends. You wanted more than hugs when he dropped you off, you needed more than your hand gently brushing against his. You deserved more than unnoticed glances at him when he was too busy making designs to notice your stares.

But he did, he noticed it all. He knew, kind of. He had a suspicion, after all Hina was whispering things to him about you and your little secret crush. It came out a few months back that you liked this guy but refused to say who he was. You only gave vague details about him, but in those details he saw himself, maybe he was being overzealous but he prayed it was him you liked and not some other guy. Only he could treat you like the princess you were, you were his since the day he met you.

"Y/n, wanna go to the park?" He asked pointing to the small park across the street.

"That's...." You said as you walked towards the park. You glided your finger against the slide where you first found Mana and Luna crying their eyes out.

You made your way over to the swing where you sat down softly smiling at the memories. When you first fell in love.

"Yeah, where we first met." Mitsuya smiled sat the memory, he walked behind you. Taking your hands and placing them on the chains holding the swing up. You got used to these soft touches, you hated them. They were the touches that could lead to more but never did, you despised them but took whatever you could get. You were greedy, you couldn't help it. Mitsuya began pushing you on the swing, comfortable silence fell over the two of you, you felt the wind softly brush against your face as he pushed you at just the right pace, the night moon looking more beautiful than it has before, maybe it's because you're with him.

"You were cute back then." Mitsuya spoke up.

"What? Saying I'm not cute now?" You scoff at his claim. Feigning to be hurt.

"Not what I'm saying." He rolled his eyes, you were his little drama queen.

"Then what are you saying Mr. Takashi Mitsuya?" You asked looking behind you to lock eyes with the man pushing you. He had that look in his eyes, the one he has when he's sketching clothes or working on bringing his design to life, the eyes of complete concentration and admiration. He leaned down, holding either of your eyes with his own bracing himself. He locked his lips with yours without a single word, not even a warning. His lips were slightly cracked yet soft. The kiss was one that told you everything.

"I've always loved you."

Since that day, it was official. You were his and he was yours. You were a picture perfect relationship, arguments were rare with him, he was kind, considerate, supportive. He was just perfect. You took each others' firsts and planned on taking everything from each other till their was nothing left.

Like said before, arguments were rare. Only sparking when Mitsuya wasn't talking care of himself like he should have been to finish a project, or you put yourself at risk for your career.

Arguments weren't a thing with you two, but when it happened, they were heated and here you two are, present day. Hashing it out.

"And I'm telling you I can protect myself!" You shouted at your lover who had his arms crossed peering at you over the kitchen counter.

"It doesn't matter if you can protect yourself or not, he's dangerous." He spat back completely ignoring your statement.

"He's not dangerous, he's an awkward kid trying to get his product out there," you groaned frustrated at your lover, "you know what that's like..." You mumble.

"Yeah, I do, but at least I wasn't shady." He gruffed, rolling his eyes.

"Mitsuya! He's not shady. Ugh!" You exclaimed throwing your hands in the air.

"You're in denial. You're not doing it. Period." He said the turning around no longer facing you, diverting his attention to the food on the stove.

"You don't tell me what I can and can not do." You pettily said walking out of the room and into your own slamming the door. You plopped onto your bed screaming into your pillow. Pissed at how stubborn he could be. You laid face first into the pillow not moving, until you got a ding on your phone. It was a text, you lifted your head to check your phone.

Aykoyama

"This Monday, 8am? How does that sound? 🙂"

Aykoyama, a new designer, you met him on a photoshoot and exchanged numbers. Normally you wouldn't model for anyone other than Mitsuya but you figured once wouldn't hurt. Besides, you need to build your clientele as a model, you would want him to branch out with different models as well. It's for work, nothing more.

Y/n

I'm sorry, I don't think I can anymore-

"You don't tell me what I can and can not do"

'Fuck you Mitsuya' you thought, time to build your clientele you smiled softly to yourself.

Y/n

Sounds great! Can't wait to see what you have in stored!! 😁

You know you didn't do anything wrong, it's not like you cheated on Mitsuya or anything, yet... Why do you feel so shitty.

You curled up in bed feeling as if you burned down an orphanage, the guilt was killing you.

Over the course of the week you and Mitsuya haven't been talking. You both went to work, lived your life as if the other person didn't exist. It was more you holding a grudge and Mitsuya giving you your space. He'd simply sigh when you would leave the room after he'd enter it, or how you would sleep on the couch to stay away from him.

Slowly it started to piss him off, who the hell said you could ignore him? He's just worried about you. You'll get over it, he'll apologize and you'll say sorry back. Soon you'll be in his arms again waiting for your daily kisses. Like normal.

Yet that time didn't come, what did come was the event. You left the house earlier than excepted, earlier than Mitsuya ever woke up.

He woke up to an empty bed, which has been this week's normal, he checked the time on his phone, 12:50 pm, he slept pretty late today.

No matter, it was his off day. He yawned with a stretch, pushing himself off the bed to check to couch and you weren't there. Matter of fact, there was no sign that you even slept there.

The house was void of all signs of life besides the small signs of his existence that he left laying around the house. He checked his phone to see if you left any message yet you haven't. Now he's worried. He sighs and texts your manager, Polly.

Boss's hubby

Have you seen Y/n?

Read 1:03 pm

"What the hell?" He mumbled to himself running his free hand through his hair.

Boss's hubby

Polly?

Wifey's manager

Sorry! I was busy doing Y/n hair! But she's here with me, we're getting ready for the Gala tonight, you should come 🤧

Boss's hubby

Gala?

Wifey's manager

She didn't tell you? She must've forgot, silly her. Shes helping Mr. Aykoyama With his debut today at tonight's Gala!

He couldn't believe it, you deliberately hide the fact that you were still working with him after he told you not to. It's safe to say he was livid, which is rare. Mitsuya is a calm man, after raising two little girls he had to be, you were one of the only people who knew how to push his buttons and do it correctly.

Boss's hubby

She must've, send me the address and the best time to arrive

Wifey's manager

Of course! The theme is "Golden shine" here's the address;

Read 1:20 pm

The time read 6:30 pm, just five minutes before the red carpet walk, you were sweating buckets. The event was fairly small but had a lot of big faces there in the modeling and designing industry. You couldn't help but be hit with a huge wave of guilt when you thought about what you're doing.

You snuck behind his back to go to a Gala, with another man, after he told you not to. Maybe you did it out of spite or you wanted to prove something but this looks bad all the way around. You're even wearing someone else's dress, you promised. You promised to only wear his clothes.. But you can't deny, the kid has talent. You look breath taking and Polly did a stunning job on your hair and makeup.

Your hair was put into a low bun with a deep side part. Your makeup was light but effective, you had soft red lips with a neutral soft glam brown and yellow look that complimented your eyes perfectly, and the dress.... Lord.

The way it framed your body, showing off each all your curves, the way it instantly perked up your breasts, cupping them like a corset would. It was a great dress but, it wasn't Mitsuya's. As you wore the dress you didn't feel that rush of excitement that you felt when you wore your lover's clothes. You felt tainted wearing this, it made you want to rip it off your body, but this is your job. This is what you signed up for as a model. You can't back out...

"Carpet time in minus 5 minutes!" One of the crew members shouted into the changing room for the models and other crew members to hear.

"You ready?" Polly asked popping up behind you out of nowhere, scaring the hell out of you causing you to shake.

"Didn't mean to scare ya. Nerves?" She questions holding your hand to try and comfort you.

"Yeah... First time doing this." You muttered staring down at the floor feeling almost lightheaded.

"Don't worry, you'll do great." She cheers you on, "Besides, I invited your fiance so you don't have to worry." She smiles giving you the finger heart sign, clearly proud of what she did.

"You did what!?" You shouted softly gripping her shoulders, "Why did you do that?"

"Because he should be here to support you? Is everything okay?" She asks now worried looking at your form.

"Carpet time people, let's go!" The same crew member shouted. The models get up making their way to the door.

"You too Y/n!" The crew member calls you out after not moving. Polly pushes you wishing you a good luck to the door.

You had to calm down, you had to do well. You have to do well not only for yourself but for Mr. Aykoyama. You can't let your personal life get in the way of your work, you're a professional Y/n. Act like it.

You are one of the last people to get on stage, you grab your umbrella prop and begin to sway your hips as you walked down the stage. You looked over to the side to meet eyes with the patrons there, you meet eyes with a happy Mr. Aykoyama who's giving you thumbs up and a not so happy Mitsuya who's leaning forward in his seat, his elbows on either side of his knees with his hands clenched together.

He just watches you, stares you down, your every move, the sway of your hip, the way you averted your eyes when you saw him.

You met the end of the stage and did put a hand on your hip, the other hand pulling the umbrella back giving the lookers a closer, more clearer view of the dress that was on your body. You tried you best to be professional, to focus on your job, but the way Mitsuya glared at you, you could feel your core heating up. You were honestly terrified.

You spun on your heels turning around to leave the stage as the onlookers clapped cheering your name. Mitsuya didn't move a muscle, he just flashed a tight close eyed smile your way.

You're fucked.

The event couldn't seem to go any slower, Mitsuya was standing behind you with his hand on your back gripping your waist shining a soft smile towards the fellow designers there. He hasn't said a single word, just holding a death grip on your waist as you socialize with the people there.

"Y/n! You were amazing out there!" Mr. Aykoyama cheered running up to you, he had a glisten in his eyes, his smile was so wide.

"It was all thanks to your design, it's stunning." You said returning his smile.

"No-no, I can't take all the credit... The way you strutted down the runway with grace and ease, everybody was enchanted by you.." He scans your body blatantly ignoring your lover's presence.

"She is beautiful isn't she?" Mitsuya interjects, holding his hand out towards the younger man standing in front of him, "Takashi Mitsuya, senior designer." He introduced himself with a smile that seems genuine at first glance yet his filled with annoyance and slight anger. It's a smile that could kill a man.

Mitsuya has mastered the art of passive aggressiveness, especially working in the fashion department, he had to learn or he would be eaten alive.

"A-ah, yes! I'm Aykoyama Lin!" He shakes his hand. The young man winces at the grip your fiance had on his hand, "Firm grip! My father would love you." He laughed and Mitsuya joined only entertaining his bullshit until the event was over.

"Thank you for giving my beloved fiance here the opportunity to work with you. However, she must politely decline any future work with you." Mitsuya pulls you by your waist closer to him, you could only blush looking down at the ground.

"Excuse me?" He glared at Mitsuya, "Whatever do you mean?"

"Ah, well, there's no reason for her to work with you any further, after all...." He pauses, "She has me." He gruffed out, "Now if you'll excuse us, my princess seems to feel sick. We'll return the dress immediately."

"No, no, that's not necessary, she can keep it!" He beamed. Mitsuya just flared at him, taking his anger out on your already bruised hips, tightening his grip on your waist.

Mitsuya said nothing else, he turned around and guided you out the building. He walked you to the car garage. He swiftly pushed you against a random wall in the parking garage, pushing you by your hips. Smashing his lips against yours, taking your breath from your mouth with his own, the grip on your waist lightened up but was soon taken over by the same pressure being around your neck. You gasped into the kiss as you felt his hand ring around your neck. His tongue pushed further into your mouth exploring your mouth, swirling his tongue with your own.

He applied more pressure to your neck as he deepened the kiss. You both pulled away to gain air, your chests heaving trying to pull oxygen back into your body.

"S-Suya—" You moaned out.

"Take it off." He gruffed out of breath.

"What?" You questioned him, looking baffled.

"You heard me, take the dress off. I'm not fucking you with another man's design on you." He spat. You must've been taking too long, Mitsuya span you around making your back face him, he unzipped the dress, gently removing your arms from the sleeves before pulling it down.

There you stood, practically naked in a parking garage, you thanked the stars that you left early, it seemed to be only the two of you. You felt the cold air hit you like a tidal wave, goosebumps covered your body as you wrapped our arms around your most delicate places.

How shameful, you should be ashamed. Embarrassed, disgusted, yet there was a pooling in your panties that said otherwise, Mitsuya was never aggressive with you, he treated you like a precious China set, something to be protected. Now you felt like nothing more than a cheapened slut.

"Such a slutty little thing, you didn't wear a bra?" He whispered into your ear, licking your neck before biting it, leaving small bruises. You felt Mitsuya cup your breast from behind, massaging your nipples in between his fingers, the cold air aided in making them hard under his touch.

"W-Was told not to— Ah." Moaning out as he caressed your breasts and biting your neck.

"You're enjoying this hm? Being violated in a parking lot, here I thought you enjoyed being pampered..." He ranted on, "Being treated like a princess, if you wanted to be treated like a cock hungry slut you should've just said that." He cooed, leaving a trail of kisses on your shoulder.

"Don't wanna be treated like a slut.. Suya." You mumbled, feeling his hot breath against your shoulder, his gentle kisses, knowing this was the last time tonight that he would be this kind.

He turned you around, taking his suit jacket off and wrapping it around your shoulders, buttoning just the middle of the jacket.

"Wouldn't want you to catch a cold before I finished with you."

Your body felt hot, hotter than ever. Your panties getting wetter by the minute. He walked you to his car with his hand back on it's designated place, your hips. Digging into his right pocket with his free hand to grab his car keys. He unlocked the car door, opening the passenger side for you. He tossed you in the seat, muttering a buckle up before closing the door and getting in himself.

As soon as he got into his seat, he grabbed you by your hair, pushing your face towards his own, locking his lips with yours once again. He licked your lips with your tongue signalling you to open your mouth further. Moaning into the kiss as Mitsuya made his way to your wet panties.

"Soaking are we?" He chuckled into the kiss, pushing your panties to the side prodding his finger at your entrance. You struggled to kiss him back as his finger pushed passed your tight entrance, moving at a gentle pace, hitting all the right places. You moaned louder as you felt his finger curl inside you hitting your G-spot ever so softly with the tip of his finger.

"I've barely done anything to you doll... You can last longer than that can't you?"

He pushed another finger past your entrance, scissoring them together inside of you. You gripped his hair trying your best to continue the pace of the kiss but struggling as he was teasing your hole. You broke the kiss,

"Suya! R-Right there—" You moaned as he moved his fingers in and out, pushing them against your G-spot just before taking them out all to do it again, inching you towards your orgasm,

"M'gonna cum Suya~" You purred out. Arching your back wanting to feel more of his fingers. "Close, m'so close...."

Just before you were able to have your high he pulled out, before you could protest he shoved his fingers in your mouth muffling you.

"You thought it was gonna be easy? Hm? Whoring yourself out to another designer, going behind my back? What makes you think you should cum?"

He shoves his fingers down your throat forcing you to gag on his slender digits.

"Bad girls like you should be punished, not rewarded." He pulls his fingers from your throat watching you cough catching air, he pulls your face towards his once more before, forcing your mouth open with his thumb before spitting in your mouth.

"Swallow." With that you struggled to gulp down his saliva, yet you did, with the bob of your throat you swallowed what he gave you. Opening your mouth and sticking your tongue out to show him that you swallowed it all, hoping he'd praise you.

"What? Wanna be praised for doing the bare minimum? You're gonna have to do a lot more than that. Now spread your legs."

You opened your legs further allowing him a full view of your soaking area, he brushed his hand past your clit, only to reach into his glove compartment. He pulled out a small pink bullet vibrator, he looked at you with a closed eye smile. He teasingly poked your entrance with the toy, nudging you with just the tip. You let out a soft hum of pleasure as the vibrator brushed across you.

You were so aroused you couldn't handle it, you just wanted him to fuck you, pin you down and use you however he wanted to. Your walls clenched at the thought of being his ragdoll.

"What are you dousing off for?" He scoffed in annoyance before pushing the vibrator in, "You better not make a mess in my car. If you go the entire ride without cumming, I'll fuck you. If not, you'll go to sleep without feeling my cock inside this slutty pussy of yours."

"T-Thats just mean Suya—" Being cut off by the vibrator turning on, feeling it deep in your core. The pleasure was immense, it felt so good, so deep inside of you. You bit your finger muffling your moans, not wanting to show Mitsuya how good it felt. You couldn't cum yet.

"What? Gonna cum already?" He cooed rubbing your clit with his fingers, whispering against your neck, peppering you with small kisses. "You can do it, go ahead princess, cum." He encouraged you, he wanted you to suffer. He was pissed despite how sweet he cooed at you.

"D-Dont wanna! Wanna cum on your cock Suya!" Your back arched as he picked up the pace on your sensitive nub.

"Yeah? Wanna cum all over my cock? Wanna feel it deep inside you?"

"Yes Suya, m'wanna feel you inside, only you."

He moved his face away from your neck, the movement on your clit stopped.

"Then you better not cum before we get home."

The drive home was long and excruciating. Mitsuya purposely grazed your clit or breasts to amplify your pleasure, trying to get you to lose yourself and have an orgasm. You were fighting it so hard.

The car was filled with your soft moans and whispers, you chanted his name begging him to turn down the vibrator, it was too much. You couldn't handle it, he only replied telling you,

"If you want my cock then you'll be a good girl and hold it in."

And so you did. He purposely took the long way home, followed and obeyed every traffic law to the T. He even had the audacity to make a pit stop to get some more fabric while he made you wait in the car.

You couldn't help but cry as you forcefully help in your upcoming orgasm. Tears ran down your face, Mitsuya cooed at you caressing your face kissing your tears away. You were doing good, you were doing well, so well. You watched as Mitsuya pulled into your driveway feeling great relief.

Your relief was brief, as he parked in the driveway you felt his fingers push the vibrator further into you.

You arched your back, letting out a loud moan in response.

He had that look in his eyes. His orbs were focused on you entirely, watching your every facial expression. The way your eyebrows furrowed together, your mouth agape, the way you put your fingers to your lips trying to muffle your own moans.

He selfishly captured your lips in a kiss once again, sucking on your tongue, exploring your mouth as if he's never tasted you before. His free hand turned up the power of the vibrator.

"Suya— too much! I don't wanna-" You panicked at the rush of pleasure.

"Then don't."

You couldn't help it, you were doing so well, so well... All of those efforts gone as you released onto the vibrator, your juices dripping out of you as you closed your legs tightly letting out a prolonged moan, coming to your release.

Mitsuya clicked his tongue as he watched you come undone on the vibrator. Your chest heaving up and down as you tried to catch your breath after having such an intense orgasm.

"N-No, unfair! Suya, please." You pleaded gripping his dress shirt,

"How unfortunate, we just made it home too.." He sighed, looking down at his hardened cock confined in his dress pants. Bringing your shaky hand to feel his cock through his pants,

"It was all ready for you too, at least you got to cum hm?" He smiled, before helping you get out of the car and bringing you inside the house, placing you on the couch. He undoes his tie and kicks off his shoes, leaving you a broken mess on the couch.

"I'm going to shower first okay?" He chirps as kissing your forehead before leaving.

"Suya please!" You cried out, "M'sorry, m'so sorry" You begged as he walked off,

"Princess, don't be a brat. You knew the deal, you agreed to it."

"Please don't leave me like this, I— need you..." You walked up to him pressing your breast against his back, "Need you so bad.."

He hummed in response,

"Now why should I? Last time I checked, I told you not to work with Mr. Aykoyama didn't I? You didn't listen, you wanted to do your own thing, surely you can cum on your own." He smiled as he faced you. That same smile he has plastered on his face all night, the one that says he's pissed but not showing it.

"You even went as far as ignoring me, sneaking behind my back.." He trails off, wrapping his hand around your throat, "Why should I do anything for you?"

"... Y-Youre right, Suya, I was being stubborn, I didn't listen like I should have... M'sorry, it won't happen again." You cried out, coming down to your knees slowly rubbing his entrapped cock with your hand. "Never again, will be your good girl." You promised as you undid his belt buckle, working your way to his zipper. "I love you Suya... Love you so much."

"You want it so bad? Do it yourself." He spat while watching you pull down his pants, he unbuttoned his shirt to get more comfortable, you were still in his suit jacket before telling you to take it off.

And you did, along with your panties.

You kissed his pelvis making your way down to the hem of his underwear, the final layer before meeting with his harden cock. Despite being angry he could never say no to your pretty mouth, his cock always told you want he truly wanted even if his mouth didn't.

You pulled down the final layer, his cock sprung out gently hitting your face. You stared at it like it was the greatest thing in the world. Your eyes sparkled as you saw it, you began kissing it from the hilt up to the tip.

Even his cock looked angry, pale base color with light blue veins pulsating against your lips.

[tinybriewrites]

Like A Drama - 2

Climbing into the attic, Marinette could see her brother Lewis working on his latest invention.

"We need to talk."

"Can it wait? I just need to fix the last bits of wiring," he said without turning around.

"It's serious," her voice cracked, catching her twin's attention. Looking at his upset sister, he gave her a gesture to start talking.

"I think we're adopted," she said with her face in her hands.

"That's ridiculous. Maman kept a pregnancy diary. You've even seen all the photos in the album," he said.

"I know, I know, but I just can't shake this feeling off."

"You saw something," he deduced. "When you got hit by the akuma."

"I saw a woman leaving twin babies in front of the bakery."

"That could just be another soap opera plot. Heck, a guy claiming to be my future son came to me with a time machine during the fight."

"That's what I thought too, but then I saw him. He was a boy who looked exactly like you, except with my hair. It was uncanny."

"That could still be a coincidence," he argued.

"I can feel it," she whispered. Lewis took a deep breath at the implications. Ladybug instincts were rarely wrong.

"Okay, alright, um," he said. "Here's the plan. We'll confront maman and papa after dinner."

"Forever together."

"Forever together."

 ---

Sabine turned pale the moment the twins brought up what Marinette saw. Tom immediately pulled her into his arms.

"We never meant for you to find out this way. We were going to tell you when you were a little older," the man admitted.

Lewis winced. Marinette gasped. They were adopted. It slowly sunk in for the two. Their birth mother had abandoned them on the steps of a random Parisian bakery.

Tom pulled the two teens into the hug, as well. "This changes nothing," he whispered. "You are our petites étoiles. No matter whether you're related to us by blood or not."

"But what about the pregnancy pictures? And the ultrasounds?" Lewis questioned, a weak attempt at denying the truth in front of him.

"I had a miscarriage," Sabine said, eyes closed. "The night after we returned from the hospital, we found you two. It was fate. I'll forever be grateful for that one summer night. You twins brought light into my life when it was darkest. My little lucky stars, don't you forget it. We love you so, so, so much," the small woman said, silent tears streaming down her face.

The family of four spent the rest of the night talking openly about everything that had happened sixteen years ago. There were tears, and there were laughs, but this was undoubtedly the clear, unblemished truth. Marinette and Lewis Dupain-Cheng were loved.

 --- 

On the outside, nothing had changed for the twins. They were both still absorbed in their respective hobbies: Marinette with her designs and Lewis with his inventions. Secretly, however, the two burned with determination to crack Hawkmoth's identity. The only clue they had to their birth father was Batman. Of all people, it had to be Batman. That made things complicated. Ladybug had met him at a meeting with the Justice League International two years into the Hawkmoth situation. He was respectful of her and Chat Noir's abilities, considering their positions as untrained teenage heroes. Although, from what Tikki and Plagg had said, Wonder Woman and Aquaman may have played a bigger role in that. She hadn't seen him since she requested all associated heroes to stay away from Paris while Hawkmoth was active.

Marinette couldn't leave Paris. The city needed their Ladybug. If their father was in any way related to the big old bat, then he was probably nowhere near France, and Marinette couldn't take any chances. So, the twins had to end Hawkmoth once and for all before they could even begin the search.

Lewis spent hours creating different prototypes of miniature trackers for Ladybug to place on the purified akuma. Each time, the signal magically disappeared without a trace. Tikki told the twins that it was likely Nooroo's instinctive protection at work.

"Fusing miraculous magic with the tracker might be helpful, but you'll need really high precision for that. It would be dangerous to attempt otherwise," the small goddess had said to the two.

Marinette became more devoted than ever to honing her creation magic. She wasn't slacking before, by any standards, but now she was driven with purpose. And, that made a load of difference when it came to magic - willpower. Her skills with the magic skyrocketed, both in and out of the suit. Akuma attacks, in turn, became more manageable for the Parisian heroes. Hawkmoth was improving, but Ladybug's speed left him in the dust.

Two years passed before Tikki had told them that Marinette was ready. The two were one step closer to unmasking Hawkmoth and freeing all of Paris. They were closer to the starting line of their search for their father. Their efforts were finally bearing fruit.

But just like some sort of cosmic joke, Hawkmoth chose that very day to suddenly go radio silent for three weeks. No akuma attacks, no public disturbances, nothing. Paris was the most peaceful it had been in half a decade. Newspapers questioned whether Hawkmoth had finally left. Everyone was celebrating, everyone but the twins.

As each day passed, they hoped more and more than an akuma would show up. They, along with Chat Noir, knew better than anyone that Hawkmoth wouldn't have left Paris alone. No, he was planning something. Something big.

Prev  |  Next

@maribat-bdbwm

[creativeashproductions]

What's a Knife Between Onscreen Family // Charlie Gillespie

Summary: Filming an emotionally wrought scene on the set of your current role as a regular goes very wrong very fast. Expecting the scene to be the most taxing of the day you find yourself in the ER getting a transfusion. It’s all fun and games until someone’s holding a sharp knife incorrectly, guess it’s just something in common with co-star Jared Padalecki.

Warnings: Swearing, blood, fear, injuries, hospital, needles, angst, and fluff

Words: 3.5k (including lyrics)

A/N: I watched a part of a panel from a Supernatural con and found it hilarious that Jensen accidently stabbed Jared. So I had to write that for a Charlie Gillespie fic. Link to the video talking about the stabbing is right below this message.

Jensen Ackles Accidentally Stabbed Jared Padalecki during filming From 1:00-6:00

TO BE TAGGED SEND AN INBOX PLEASE!

Masterlist

It had to be one of the most emotionally taxing scenes in your entire career as an actress on a physically demanding show. The scene had been incredibly mentally draining the daughter of a Winchester. It had been once season recurring, one series regular and now filming the third season. As the teenage Winchester, it threw a wrench in all the plans and the reckless character gave no shits.

“Okay, this is our last scene for the day!” Robert Singer, the director of his episode, called out from off stage. Standing at the top of the stairs in the Bunker, you jumped in close with a scrunched nose at the squishy sound.

Over the railing, both Jared and Jensen nodded their support from the ground level with concerned expressions. Ever since you joined the cast in season 13, they had become fathers to you. The sight of you drenched in stage blood was enough to churn their stomachs.

“I gave you the barebones of the scene so work with it. Briar’s traumatized after fighting for her life and has been gone for a while.” Robert explained, “Cas couldn’t find her. I want this to be a tribute like Dean in season 10 episode 14: The Executioner’s Song.”

Taking a deep breath in your emotions channelled into a hurricane in your chest, clenching your fingers on the knife.

“Action!”

Pacing the floor plan of the Bunker is two brothers bonded by sorrow, pain, sacrifice and love. Each throwing out locations on where Briar could be, Jack and Cas had been little help. Sam’s heart clenched tight bypassing images straight to torture. The kind of torture he had endured over the years.

Dean’s mouth opened to suggest another place when the Bunker door creaked open. The red converse appeared before the soggy jeans as the teen slowly made her way down the steps. Briar Winchester shook like a leaf staring off in the distance as the blood congealed on her face and hands.

“Briar.” Dean slowly spoke, moving towards the girl. His green eyes lit up in fury as the seventeen-year-old flinched back. Dean’s hand gently took the stained knife from the young girl.

“I-I didn’t mean to do it.” The meek voice appeared so unlike the usual confidence Briar talked with. In exhaustion, Briar’s knees collapsed, sending the teen right into Dean’s arms.

The stoic man gripped the youngest Winchester as his waist bearing her weight against his while Sam circled to be behind Dean. The choked sob echoed by another escaped the family huddle; one from Briar and the other from Dean.

“Dad.” Briar choked clenching her arms around the green-eyed adult’s shoulders, craving the safety of her father.

Ever since Dean could remember he had had a strict rule of always practising safe sex, he didn’t want a kid. Not in a world that had it out for Winchesters and not one where he might hold his child’s dead body in his arms. That all changed when Cas delivered Dean to a county jail where Briar was held just for a minor assault charge on a wealthy bully.

Dean never let himself want a future with the picket fence and the dog in the backyard but when Briar changed that. Dean would do anything for his family no matter the cost. Example: Selling his soul for Sam.

“Sh.” Dean spoke kissing the crown of her hair he savoured having his child safe in his arms, “I’ll help you to the bathroom to get cleaned up. We’ll heat some soup and toast.”

On autopilot, Dean helped Briar down the hall to the bathroom where she would freshen up and later burn the unsalvageable clothing. As Dean returned to Sam’s side, Castiel came with a sombre expression and an explanation.

“Dean. Sam.” Cas greeted them, flicking his blue gaze between the two brothers. The faint sound of the shower only picked up by the trained heightened sense of hearing from years of watching over their backs.

“Cas what the hell happened?” Dean demanded, “Why the hell is my little girl bruised and coated in blood?”

END FILMING SCENE

“Cut!” Robert called out to the large room with a big smile on his face, “I’ll watch it back. See if we need more takes.”

Jared and Jensen wiped the tears that fell from their cheeks just thinking on how wrought that scene felt. As fathers seeing a young adult in such a state severely agonized them. The duo jogged to see your back against the cold wall—a pinched expression marring your young face.

“How are you feeling after that?” Jensen asked, coming closer to squeeze your shoulders unfazed by the sticky fake blood. It was already all over his clothes from hugging you in character.

“You shouldn’t be allowed to have sharp objects.” You spoke glancing down at your knee that had been punctured by the knife. The dark jeans soaked in stage blood now concealed the real blood.

 “Jensen, did you really stab another person.” Jared deadpanned his best friend referencing back a few years. Jared shoved one hand through his hair, receiving a nasty glare from the hairstylist on call.

The glare on Jensen’s face blistered the taller actor, “I didn’t stab you. You walked into the knife.”

The two bickered as they guided you back to the main stage where Robert had reached a final verdict. He had watched the replay twice along with his crew finding the raw emotion to be perfect. The little detail the three had added was well played. Dean unexpectedly consoling his daughter in tears; no threats to kill or push her to tell him what happened. The first time Briar referring to Dean as her father. Lastly, Sam’s unsure actions in consoling a young girl sucked into life like he was in his youth.

“We got a one-take winner!” Robert called out sending the entire crowd into loud applause and cheers. Jared taking most of your weight as you hobbled to the costume trailer.

The lovely costume designers helped remove the sticky shirt, jewellery and the red converse that had once been white. Only the jeans remained on your body to not mess with the wound. As much as you’d love to shower the blood off, it was near impossible, moving your knee stung and it was best to avoid aggravating it.

“Someone needs to ban Jensen from knives. Just wait till his wife finds out about this, she adores Y/N.” Martha chuckled from her sketches she designed on her breaks for a future in fashion design. Often in your free time, you would be her guinea pig with her designs using refurbished material.

Normally the banter would continue but not when your leg was bleeding, and Jared was taking you to the ER. To make time faster, Jared had scooped you into his arms to the black car their driver waited in.

“Towels are in place. Sorry, you got hurt, Kid.” Clif spoke, opening the door to the backseat where Jensen sat patiently. Unlike usual, he had seated himself in the front so you could stretch in the back.

A weak chuckle met air in the packed car from the blood loss that wasn’t overly bad but enough that Jared took the towel. His pressure on the wound caused a yelp that had Jensen flinching in guilt.

“The knife must have been sharp to cut a mouse in half,” Clif muttered turning towards the hospital close to set. Coincidently the drive took you passed the set your boyfriend currently filmed at.

“Might as well call me butter.” You retorted wincing at the throbbing pain, “You aren’t allowed any more sharp objects, Mr. Ackles.”

“Danneel already threatened to hide all the knives in the house.” The on-screen father laughed as the tension decreased in the small car. Despite the dizziness, it didn’t hide the guilt in Jensen’s green eyes.

Time flew by as you found yourself in a bed for observation and pictures for the knee. It came as a shock when the doctor requested one blood transfusion for the blood loss. The hope of being in and out had evaporated like water beads on a blistering summer day.

Julie and the Phantoms Set

Charlie adored his life as an actor where he was free to visit places, he might not have had the opportunity to do. He made friends with everyone he spoke to and even met the love of his life as an actor as well.

That being said today had been the longest one with a full schedule and barely time for lunch or snacks. Even a nap was unachievable, and he desperately wanted one for being awake for hours by now.

“Charlie! Did you know you’ve got missed calls?” Jeremy inquired, staring at the phone that went black once more. Charlie’s eyebrows came together at the mention. His family had the rough outline of times he would be unavailable to talk.

Stepping back from the craft table’s supper options, he lifted the phone from the table, bringing it to life. His lock screen showing multiple missed calls and voicemails from you, his family and two unknown numbers.

His jaw dropped further when Meghan called for the first time out of the group, “Megs?”

“Finally! Where have you been?” Meghan demanded pacing in the studio she had been using when she got the call. The pretty and successful young woman had gotten terrified at learning about Y/N.

“Filming? It’s the longest day of filming the show. It’s on the family schedule.” Charlie spoke, settling into one of the empty tables. His eyes watching the people entering and exiting the tent set up for food.

“Jesus. Mom called me when you didn’t pick up. Y/N’s in the hospital.” Meghan revealed sending the Canadian actor into a stiff posture. His hazel eyes blow wide and panic flooding his entire system.

“What?!” Charlie didn’t mean to shout nor turn paler than a piece of white paper, but it happened. The volume contracting looks from everyone in the vicinity. Owen even dropped the donut back in the box by the volume.

“She got stabbed with a knife. I sent the address earlier, and I haven’t gotten a lot of info.” Meghan told her older brother, “I know she’s getting a blood transfusion, but nothing else was released.”

Charlie couldn’t tell you what happened between Meghan telling him and reaching the hospital frantically. Nor could he figure out how Owen was in the back of the Uber with him guiding him through exercises; all thanks to Owen’s therapist for his anxiety.

His sneakers squeaked on the polished white floor in his mission to the receptionist transferring information from a chart to digital. Charlie’s painting brought him attention from the kind nurse acknowledging his presence.

“Just let me finish this one sentence.” The nurse hummed saving the information before turning their full attention to the frazzled male, “How can I help you?”

“What room is Y/N Y/L/N in? She was stabbed and needed a transfusion.” Charlie demanded deflating as Owen placed a hand on his shoulder. The Canadian’s eyes bright with panic and a deep fear

The nurse’s eyes softened, “I can’t give out information on patients unless your immediate family members.”

“I’m here-“

“Husband! He’s her husband, they eloped so she hasn’t changed her last name or updated her information.” Owen blurted out, rubbing the pad of his index finger on the black jeans he had worn for his role. The two hadn’t even bothered changing into their street clothing.

The nurse nodded their head-turning back to the computer to enter the name for the patient for the information. It took seconds before the nurse wrote on the miscellaneous sticky note of the ward and room number.

“My name is Riley. If you need any help, you can come back here, and I’ll do my best to give you answers.” Nurse Riley informed the duo with a kind smile nodding in the direction of your hospital room.

Owen’s long legs ate up the distance Charlie made in his sprint to the stairwell, “Shouldn’t we take the elevator?”

“My girlfriend is in a hospital bed. I can’t wait for an elevator.” Charlie rebuked the suggestion on the second flight. Owen’s sigh was the last sound made as the duo slammed into the door to the floor level.

Charlie and Owen appeared in the doorway of your hospital room panting from the exertion meeting the gaze of two actors. Charlie’s heart stuttered at the sight of the high volume of blood in your clothing and your hair.

The sharp gasp brought your attention to the shaking Canadian actor solely focused on scanning for wounds. His eyes barely staying on the two adult males you had been starring with for a few years. Schedule conflicts often led to no introduction to each other’s co-stars.

“What the hell?” Charlie choked stumbling to the chair beside your hospital bed next to the pole holding a blood bag, “Did you get mugged? Are you okay?”

“Char, take a breath, man.” Owen’s blue eyes shadowed with the worry as Charlie’s breathing shuddered. Owen could barely look at you covered in blood.

“Whoa! Charlie. I’m fine. This is stage blood. We had an intense scene, and there was a minor accident.” Your voice soothed the man gently taking Charlie’s hand to comfort him, “I lost a bit of blood. The doctor decided to give me a blood transfusion to bring my levels back up a bit before stitching it up.”

“How do you get stabbed accidently?” Owen questioned glancing at the two men standing silently in the corner. Due to contracts on the Supernatural set details of scenes and storylines was off-limits.

“Well, during filming, I took a knife from her, and she walked into the blade?” Jensen trailed off, shoving his elbow into Jared’s side at the scoff. It happened every time it was brought up.

“I-“Charlie blinked, shaking his head as he took a deep sigh in pushing that to the back burner to focus solely on you. His hand rubbed his face while he settled on squeezing your one hand in both of his.

The touch of your skin grounding him back to earth with the shattering visions of walking into the world without you. It would be both ways, the second his calloused warm skin brushed your hands; it was like the pain faded. Only a sense of content settled in your weary bones.

“Okay Miss Y/L/N.” Dr. Clancy walked into the room only halting to grab a pair of medical gloves, “I see your entourage grew. I’m Doctor Jim Clancy, and you must be Miss Y/L/N’s husband.”

Three pairs of eyes widened at the doctor’s words aimed towards the brunette actor turning a blushing mess. The words mouthed by Charlie to go with it gave barely any insight, but you did it. The moment you had a free minute with Charlie, you would interrogate him in the new title you had.

“Yeah, my husband.” You spoke flicking an expression to Jensen and Jared that caught on from the years together. They had taken you under their wing on your first day on set, and then you became family with their immediate family.

“I can confirm that my initial observation is that the wound doesn’t have anything that shouldn’t be in there. We stopped the bleeding, the x-ray came clean, we’ll set you up with IV fluid, and tetanus shot to be safe.”

“Nurse Gellar here will cut the rest of the jeans off, get you in a gown for a few hours of observation. Just a precaution for blood transfusions. We’ll have some scrubs you can wear when you can leave.” Dr. Clancy motioned to the tall redhead with a quiet demeanour.

Charlie’s lips lingered on your temple at the fear that flared in your expressive eyes, he would give anything to take your place. He softly sang your couple song as a whimper fell from your lips as the jean tugged the dried blood from the wound. The painful pressure felt as you guessed it had started to bleed again, the feel of liquid rolling down your skin, confirming it.

“I’ll sing anything.” Charlie whispered going through his mental catalogue of songs on your shared playlist, “Oh!”

I’m booking myself a one-way flight

 I gotta see the color in your eyes

 And telling myself I’m gonna be alright

 Without you baby is a waste of time

The tears falling no longer came from the pain but the sheer amount of love you had for the man there. Eyes glittering with pure adoration as his voice came off absolutely heart-melting. So, lost in each other neither of you noticed Owen had been filming from the moment Charlie had said ‘oh’.

Yeah, our first date, girl, the seasons changed

 It got washed away in a summer rain

 You can’t undo a fall like this

 ’Cause love don’t know what distance is

 Yeah, I know it’s crazy

Charlie’s hand slowly slid up your arms to cup your tear-streaked tacky cheeks in his warm grip. The hospital faded as it became just you and Charlie. Completely oblivious at the audience in the room.

“He loves her,” Jensen whispered to Jared out of the camera frame that the blonde-haired kid’s phone. It was such a pure moment it felt disrespectful to see this exchange but also honoured to see it firsthand.

“I’ve only seen the look in your eyes for Danneel,” Jared replied, cupping his hands over his face listening to the near inaudible wet chuckle you gave.

“As I have between you and Gen. They have the real kind of love.” 

But I don’t want “good”, and I don’t want “good enough.”

 I want “can’t sleep, can’t breathe without your love”

 Front porch and one more kiss, it doesn’t make sense to anybody else

“Charlie.” You sobbed at the best part of your life serenading you in such a romantic moment at the odd setting—his hazel gaze greener in what would come to be a very dear memory to reminisce about.

The calloused thumb caressing your cheek wiping a teardrop away he continued to see as the doctor finished suturing the wound. 

Nothing mattered other than the couple currently in a bubble.

Who cares if you’re all I think about,

 I’ve searched the world and I know now,

 It ain’t right if you ain’t lost your mind.

 Yeah, I don’t want easy, I want crazy

 Are you with me baby? Let’s be crazy

Charlie’s voice faded with the rest of the song bringing you back to reality with the nurse cleaning up around the wound. That’s how the rest of the day went on waiting for the blood transfusion and IV fluids to finish. You stuffed the tetanus shot while Charlie sang between different genres.

“Thank you.” You softly spoke with Charlie being the only one left in the room with you.

Owen had headed back to their set to finish a scene while giving the updates on you while Jared and Jensen grabbed food. J2 had been very clear they would get Martha to grab some clothing for when they came back. Jensen was determined to deliver you to your home as the first action to make it up to you.

“For what?” Charlie questioned as your index and thumb picked at the cuticles of the opposite hand. Your eyes were hidden from your boyfriend’s gaze.

“For dropping everything to be here.” The words were quiet in the room only filled with breathing and the heart machine you had to be hooked up to.

“My girl-“

“Don’t you mean wife?” You teased brushing a lock of his hair from his forehead taking in the man you had the honor of loving. Of waking up next to in the apartment, you’d been renting ever since you landed the role on Supernatural; overtime Charlie’s things had just accumulated there.

“It was the only way they’d let me in.” Charlie spoke sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, “It’s a little early to call you, but I’m excited to make you my last girlfriend and then my only wife.”

The chuckle fell from your lips, “So, you want to marry me?”

“In front of all our family and friends. Tucked away from the media to celebrate the love we have for each other.” Charlie spoke, “There’s no one else I’d like by my side for the rest of my life.”

A new flood of tears welled at the sincerity in his voice and the warmth laden in his eyes of kaleidoscope colours. Sometimes, depending on his emotion or his clothing, his eyes would be greener, or when he was happy, they had a blue tinge in the green in sadness or your favourite; brown with the swirls of green.

“How did I get so lucky to have the absolute honour to fall in love with you?” Your words created a swell of emotion in the Canadian’s heart.

“The same way whatever deities there are took pity on a boy from Dieppe by bringing him an angel.” Charlie words preceded the kiss on your lips with a grin as you chased his lips after. With one last peck, he leaned back with a fond expression.

“Seriously how do you get stabbed accidently?” Charlie chortled with that gorgeous smile lighting up the room more than the white lights.

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[nightshade-minho]

-Blue Book- (9)

Warnings: parent death, daddy issues, abandonment and ~le angst~

Wc: 4.1k

You sat at Dea's desk, your eyes drooping heavily as you explained a sum to her. The girl opposite you was wide awake though, energetic as she solved the problem in her worksheet.

You were glad she had warmed up to you after the first session, but her endless enthusiasm towards mathematics at the moment was diametrically opposed to how you were feeling. The numbers on the pages swam as you decided to let your cheek rest on the table, your eyes fluttering closed for just a moment.

"Y/n?"

You darted awake, turning your head to her. "Y-yeah?"

"I solved it. Also, are you okay? You look tired."

That's because I am. "I'm fine." You assured, flipping through her workbook to find another page for her to do.

Could anyone blame you for being tired? You'd stayed awake all night in anticipation, your heart thrumming as you thought about what was going to happen today.

After this session, you were going to go straight to the park. If Chan showed up...you would know he felt the same. What if he didn't?

You shook your head, dispelling the negative thought. Fuck no. You'd gone without pessissism for so many years, despite having many reasons to be the same. This wasn't going to be the day you surrender to it.

You felt your phone chirp, signalling the end of the session as you looked over at Dea, who had finished her worksheet. You smiled and took it from her, putting it in your bag to correct later.

"Our next session is going to be day after tomorrow, okay? Your mom said you have a sleepover to attend tomorrow." You said as you packed your bag, getting up. "Remember to do your homework though."

She nodded. "It's the sums on page 38, right?" She asked, pulling out a pink book from her drawer and writing in it.

"Yeah-" you narrowed your eyes as your eyes fell on her book, confusion filling you.

The book was covered with brocade, a very familiar pattern on top. It was the same design as yours, except pink. The color was the only difference. The print, the shape, the size....everything was the exact same, down to the signature on the bottom of the cover.

The signature of your father's.

You opened your mouth, words failing to leave you as you watched her write in it, your mind hurtling back as the memories drove into you, full-force.

You were extremely young when your dad had gifted you the little blue book you'd come to love and cherish. It was the last good memory you had of him. The tiny books were handmade by him, a result of a hobby he'd picked up one summer. Your dad had always been somewhat of an artsy man, and this was his latest project.

He'd made a dark red diary for himself, one for work purposes. You remembered marveling over how pretty it looked, begging him to make a similar one for you. And he did.

And now here was an exact copy of the book you'd kept for years, in the hands of this young girl you'd never met before. Was it a coincidence?

"Earth to Y/n!"

You snapped back into attention, looking at the girl who had her eyebrow raised. You opened your mouth, wondering if you should ask.

But you couldn't. Shaking your head, you decided to bring it up to your mom when you got home. For now, you simply bid adieu to Dea, leaving the house as your mind swam.

***

Minho looked to the side, thanking the heavens that Jisung and Felix were still asleep, despite it being morning already. Thankfully, the heavy curtains in Changbin's guest room ensured that the sunlight didn't manage to wake up the two.

Last night after the match, he'd decided to spend the night at Changbin's house along with Felix and Jisung. And now he was just waiting for the right opportunity.

As the snores increased in intensity, Minho carefully took out your book from his pocket, using the light of his phone to illuminate the pages as he flipped through each one to find what he was looking for.

Drawings. Drawings. A few poems. Even more drawings- huh. Drawings of Chan. They were well done, yet clearly drawn by someone who was in love with him. Minho rolled his eyes as he checked the back pocket and the front one, searching the book thoroughly and letting out an angry sigh when he found nothing inside.

Anger surged through him as he threw the book roughly next to him on the bed, rubbing at his tired eyes in disappointment as he tried not to let the frustration bubble up. Why did the universe hate him so much? Was it all for nothing?

A minute later, he felt Jisung stirring, snapping him out of his thoughts. Swearing under his breath, he grabbed your book and moved to hide it again- frowning when his eyes fell on the long note written across the page.

He'd obviously missed this the first time he flipped through. Narrowing his eyes, Minho started to read the poem, slowly realizing it was a love letter, meant for Chan. His eyes moved to the last sentence. Ah...

So, you were planning to confess to Chan at the park. Minho grinned, knowing Chan wouldn't show up. After all, he never saw this letter. His smirk grew as he reread the sentence.

Not to worry. Even if Chan didn't show up, he would.

***

It was way too early. Chan hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, his heart twisting with anxiety.

He'd lost the book.

Last night, after he'd gotten out of the shower, he checked his pants for your book, deciding he was feeling calm enough to read what you'd written for him. As he'd searched his pockets, finding them empty, his stomach had filled with dread as he realized it was gone.

Trust. You'd trusted him enough to give him your closest possession, and he'd been careless enough to lose it. He cursed himself, turning over and burying his face in his pillow, wondering how he was going to face you. Usually, he called you every morning to make plans to hang out, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to.

He didn't want to see you sad and disappointed, knowing he was the reason behind your ever-present smile disappearing.

***

Minho walked home, sipping on the can of beer he'd stolen from Changbin's fridge. It was definitely too early for this, but he honestly couldn't care less. As he neared his house, he tossed the can in the trash, running a hand through his hair as he walked closer.

The front door opened suddenly, and he frowned. His mom usually went to work much earlier than this, so who was leaving his house right now?

Minho's eyes widened as the person finally came into view, shutting the door and walking down the street.

Quickly darting behind a tree, he watched as you walked away, your feet moving quickly.

What were you doing in his house?

***

As Chan made his way into the locker room, he searched everywhere for the little book. He couldn't comprehend how it could have just disappeared like that. He was so sure he'd kept it in his pocket...

He let out a frustrated groan as he left the stadium, pulling his hood over his head as he noticed how there were a few dark clouds accumulating in the sky.

He'd done everything he could. He'd already called Felix and told him about the situation, but he didn't have a clue either.

Now, there was nothing left to do but face you. He wanted to curse, wanted to kick something or punch someone. You were never going to trust him again after this, and the thought broke his heart more than it should have.

****

You sat on the park bench, nervously, twiddling your thumbs as you waited for Chan to arrive. You stared at the lake, your heart pounding impossibly fast as you expected him to come at any moment now.

The sunlight shone on the water, and you observed the pair of ducks swimming together, a soft smile on your face, desperately wishing you could draw them in your book. It felt weird being away from it. It was usually always in your bag, the proximity of it always giving you comfort.

You couldn’t bring yourself to regret giving it to Chan, though- The book had been replaced. Chan made you comfortable in a way no inanimate object ever could.

The view in front of you was extremely peaceful. Love really was everywhere. You'd never really understood it before, but now you could...And it was a beautiful feeling, yet scary at the same time. You felt like confessing had taken a huge weight off of your heart, but you were deeply terrified of Chan's reaction. Sure, he'd been the one to approach you, take you on dates...he'd been the one to initiate the hand-holding and the kiss. Yet you couldn't help but be self-conscious. Your father leaving you had given you trust issues, and your mind started coming up with worst case scenarios even as you desperately tried to bat the negativity away.

But all of it melted away as you felt someone tap your shoulder.

This was it.

Your heart fluttered as you turned around slowly, your mind filling with happiness at the prospect of seeing him again after last night-

Wait.

The smirk facing you definitely did not belong to Chan.

You stared at Minho in shock, standing up from the bench and backing away slightly as he raised an eyebrow. Why the fuck was he here? The dread in your stomach was back, and this time it was heavier.

"Surprised to see me?" He snarled, moving forward. You continued to move away as he moved closer, fear filling you as you stared at his slightly deranged expression.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He chuckled, and you swore as you realize you were cornered, having unintentionally backed up against a tree.

"At least, not yet." He said nonchalantly, trapping you against the bark as he hovered over you, making you gulp.

"W-why are you here? I'm...I'm expecting Chan soon, so p-please leave." You mumbled, summoning all your confidence as you avoided his heavy gaze. He narrowed his eyes, smirk reappearing as he shook his head at your naïvety.

"Oh, I hate to break it to you...Channie's not coming, dear." He said in a matter of fact tone, relishing the way your expression dropped further.

"What? B-but, the book-" you mumbled under your breath, almost to yourself. Minho scoffed, slipping your book out from his pocket roughly and holding it up in front of you.

"You mean this book?"

Your eyes widened. No. No way. How did this happen? How did it end up in his hands?

"You must be wondering how I got this, hm?" He let out a small snort. "Well, your precious Channie gave it to me last night. In fact, we all looked through it. Had a nice little laugh. The guys will definitely thank you for the fun night." He smirked, the devastation on your face pleasing him incredibly. He put on a mock face of surprise at your expression.

"Wow, is this some sort of surprise for you? Did you really think he had feelings for you? I'm sorry, but he was just using you, darling. He's always been in love with Miyoung, and he was just using you to get her."

The nonchalance with which he uttered those words was throwing you off as you tried to understand.

No...

This couldn't be happening...was what he said true? You felt your heart breaking slowly, completely as the image of Chan laughing at the contents of your book with his friends came to mind, tears springing to your eyes as it sunk in. He'd been using you, all this time? But...his smile, the kiss...it had all felt so fucking genuine.

Minho's expression turned incredulous as he noticed your tears. "Wait, are you crying? Bitch, you don't deserve to cry." He spat, holding the book up to you and shaking it slightly.

"Now that those little truths are out of the way." He cleared his throat. "Tell me where the fuck it is."

Wait, what? Confusion filled your face as Minho glared at you, his tone growing angrier.

"I don't know...what you're talking about." You said slowly, cowering as he raised his eyebrows, scoffing again.

"The money." He said sharply. "Tell me where the money is. Cause I know your father most definitely hid it in this pathetic book."

Your dad? The confusion quickly became more potent as you stared up at Minho, his expression twisted with such pure wrath that it caught you off-guard.

"How do you...I- w-what?"

"Don't play dumb." He gritted his teeth. "Don't act all innocent and pretend to not know what your fucking father did to my family."

"I-" you narrowed your eyes, lip trembling as you spoke. "I have literally no idea what you're talking about."

The sky was darkening.

"Looks like I need to spell it out for you." Minho inhaled deeply, looking up before looking down at you again.

"Your father stole all my mother's money before leaving us." His voice shook a little as your eyebrows knitted together. "He left her destitute and pregnant, with a little boy to support. And then he had the balls to go and fucking die. Sound familiar?"

The words sunk into your head, like teeth. Your brain couldn't comprehend what he was saying properly and you opened your mouth, your voice stuck in your throat.

You couldn't believe it. He was your dad's stepson? The child you'd seen in the faded photos your dad had sent you of his shining, amazing new family?

It was starting to rain. The drops of water came down on the two of you, not entirely soaking you thanks to the tree above. The air was icy, and your teeth chattered- out of nervousness or the cold, you didn't know.

"So now, all I want to know is where the money he took is. I've searched this stupid book inside and out, but it's nowhere. So you tell me where it is."

"W-why would it be in my book?" You asked quietly, the implications of what Minho was saying overwhelming you beyond compare. You'd never really put much thought into your father's new family, having just seen a few old photos of them. Somehow it all made sense, and at the same time didn't.

"I know he made this book. It's the only heirloom he left for you. I know because he made the same one for my little sister, before he up and left. When I saw you with it at the cafeteria, I knew you were his daughter. And I just- I assumed it would be in here-" his voice was starting to break as he scrunched his eyes shut, realizing how far-fetched this was.

"I...M-minho...I haven't seen my dad since I was 9. I don't know where the money is. I'm..." You swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry he screwed up your family like he did mine. There's nothing I can do about it." You mumbled, looking down and avoiding his gaze.

His eyes softened a little as he let go of you, stepping back slightly and letting out a shaky sigh. He tossed the book to you and you caught it, looking up at him and his distressed expression. He'd known it was a bit of a reach- this whole thing was. Always had been. But he'd been desperate. He'd chased after this long shot of a theory ever since he laid eyes on you for the first time, writing in that book. The sudden self-loathing he felt was blinding as he realized what he’d done.

Minho turned to you. "I...I saw you leaving my house today. So you were the tutor Mom was talking about?"

"Yeah." Everything was slowly sinking in as your heart was still thudding. You understood why Dea's mom had looked so familiar. You'd seen her in the photos. Of course she'd been heavily pregnant then, a glow in her eyes that just wasn't there now.

"So you...you really hadn't seen him again since he left you? When he left us, he wrote a note. Said he was going back to his old family." He tilted his head at you, running a hand through his hair and baring his vulnerability. It was tiring having had to hide it for so long.

"No. He must have...must have died before he could. Or he was just lying. He wasn't always the most honest man in the world."

"You could say that." He shook his head, sighing as he went back over to the bench, flopping down on it and burying his head in his hands, not wanting to look at you. The guilt wrecking him was overwhelming, and he felt his heart shake.

You hesitated a little before going over and sitting next to him. He looked up at you, and you noticed small tears mixing with the raindrops running down his face.

"I'm...really sorry." He said in a small voice. "I was angry at him and I took it out on you." He looked back down at his lap, his eyebrows furrowing. "My childhood was spent trying to support my mom and my little sister. I guess I didn't stop to think about the fact that he did the same to you. Left you alone." He mumbled, his tone genuine.

You nodded, sighing and staring at your hands. "I...can forgive you, Minho. I understand the pain."

"I was just so...so stupid." He shook his head. "I don't even know why I thought that the money would be with you. I...fuck, I was an absolute asshole, wasn't I?" He said, tone filling with anger directed towards himself as he sat up.

You shrugged. "Well, I won't deny you were. But I guess you had a good reason." You said softly, thoughtfully humming. Maybe you were forgiving him too soon, but to be honest, your heart wasn't build to hold grudges. The boy next to you looked devastated enough.

"So...isn't Dea my sister, too?" Your mind swam as you realized you'd already met your half sister and hadn't even known it.

"Yeah. She would be excited to know she has a sister. She's always wanted one. Says I'm too serious for her." He laughed, smiling at you before clearing his throat and looking away.

There was a silence for a few minutes as the two of you let everything wash away with the rain. Both your hearts were still pounding from the heavy truths you'd learnt...but there was an odd sense of peacefulness filling you, now.

The same man had messed with the both of you, ruined your families. You'd come to terms with what he'd done, but Minho clearly hadn't. You were still surprised how easy forgiving him had been, especially after everything that he'd done.

The regret filling him was immense. Minho looked over at you, and slowly he decided to shift closer until your thighs were touching. Your clothes were wet, but neither of you could bring yourself to care. He slowly put his arm on the bench behind you.

There was a sense of comfort from knowing the two of you shared a reason to be fucked up. Sighing, you let your head rest on his shoulder.

Calm, finally.

***

Chan walked through the rain, not wanting to stop his search for you despite the heavy downpour. His clothes were soaked through as he made his way to the park, knowing it was probably where you were if you weren't at your own house.

As he made his way to your bench, he mentally rehearsed what he would say to you. Hi, I lost the book you value more than life itself at a football game- fuck, he'd really messed up this time.

As Chan walked on the path to the lake, he frowned as he noticed two figures on the bench the two of you always sat on. Shit, maybe you weren't here after all.

However as he came closer, his heart thudding impossibly loud, he realized he recognized the heads.

It was you and Minho, looking awfully close as your head rested on his shoulder, the two of you looking at the lake even as the rain poured down on you.

Chan felt his throat dry up completely as he stood there, feeling the betrayal hit him squarely in the chest and almost forgetting how to breathe.

Turning around, his expression stiff, he walked away as quickly as he could, thankful for the rain in that moment. He wouldn't cry, not over you.

He couldn't believe he'd been foolish enough to let you in. At the end of the day, he was destined to be miserable. Nothing could save him, and he winced as his heart leaked, slowly emptying itself of you, and all the memories he had of you.

Happiness was a fucking scam, and he was glad he realized it sooner than never.

***

You adjusted Minho's jacket around you as you waited for your mom to open the door. It was still raining heavily, and you were entirely soaked.

You still wanted to talk to Minho, and ask him a few more questions. Even more than that, you were excited to see Dea again. A sister. You finally had a sister, and an amazing one too at that. The girl was a sweetheart, and she really was a mini-you, now that you thought about it...

The rain had forced you to separate ways though. You scrolled through your phone out of boredom, shivering.

You checked your texts, frowning as you noticed the absurd amount of messages your mom had sent you. Wow, she’d been really intent on contacting you...was something wrong?

Worry growing, you knocked on the door extra hard, letting out a relieved sigh as the door was finally opened.

You'd had your fair share of shocks since the morning. However, nothing could have prepared you for what you saw.

Your mother opened the door quickly, peeking outside before ushering you in. As you entered the house, you swallowed as you noticed the amount of boxes and cartons that were lying around.

"I..mom? What is going on?" You asked, frowning as you watched her dart around in a hurry, dumping things into random boxes.

"Y/n, change and get ready, quick. Come on, we don't have much time-"

"What? Why? What's...what's happening?" You asked, clutching your saddlebag tighter as she went from one room to the other, tossing nearly all of your belongings into the assorted brown boxes littered around.

"What's happening is we're moving. And we have to do it right now." She glanced around. "I may have gotten into some... trouble. Thankfully my new boyfriend has a place up north, so we'll be fine-" she continued rambling, causing you to tune her out as you swore.

You felt tears prick your eyes. You wanted to burst out, the anger and sadness clawing at your throat insufferably. There was no way this was actually happening. Just when things were coming together a little bit...and now she wanted to uproot you again?

In all these years though, you'd come to realize that sometimes, there was just no other option.

Sometimes, you just had to accept the hard truths without complaints.

***

You sat in your mom's car as she drove, knowing better than to ask her what exactly the problem was. You stared at your phone, yearning to call Chan.

Don't, Y/n. You deserve better.

In the midst of all the revelations Minho had brought forth, you'd completely forgotten about the first truth Minho had let you in on.

Chan had been...using you. To get Miyoung. Unfortunately, you couldn't say it had come as a surprise. In the beginning, you'd noticed his lingering gazes on her, the way his demeanor changed every time she was around. After all, who wouldn't like Miyoung? She was lovable and sweet. Nothing like you.

But...but it had all seemed so real. How could he have been faking it the whole time?

You finally threw all caution to the wind, dialling his number and sighing when it went straight to voicemail.

Your heart was still broken, but that didn't mean you were going to be a complete asshole and disappear from his life without notice.

You started off just telling him you were leaving. However, you couldn't just...stop. There was unfinished business between the two of you.

You took a deep breath and decided to recite the love poem you'd written for him in the book, omitting the last sentence and sighing.

"I guess we were just not meant to be, after all. Thanks for everything, though. For just a while, you made me feel like I belonged."

And with that, you dropped your phone next to you, staring out at the raindrops running down the car window. The tears were making a reappearance, but at this point you couldn't bring yourself to give a fuck.

Something told you tears were going to be a regular occurrence from now on.

***

Note: Act 1 is over. Act 2 will commence from the next chapter, and there will be a time-skip of a few years.

[i-will-be-your-ace]

How a cruel live changes us.

Send me asks and prompts

Marinette always thought about her future. How she would be a famous designer, how her friends would always support her, about having a happy family.

Maybe being Ladybug, the hero of Paris, changed it a little, but it wasn't something drastic.

Marinette still imagined being a famous designer, having a beautiful family with Adrien, having her friends on her kids' birthdays, seeing her parents' proud faces, how they would play with their grandkids.

Right now, Marinette would only laugh at this thought. She was a kid back there. A young, naive kid.

Her life took a different path. More ruthless, more hollow for her own liking path.

Being Ladybug, having Lila, Hawkmoth and Mayura trying to break her, having a lot of responsibilities and, recently, being a guardian.

She couldn't talk with anyone about this. Telling Chat wouldn't help. How could he help her with her life without knowing her identity? She couldn't risk it.

She took two weeks off, hoping, praying that it would help her situation.

But Lila played dirty. Lila made Marinette's friends believe that she didn't want to see and talk to anyone because she didn't reply to Alya's, to her best friend's, question about wellbeing and offer of help after a whole day.

At first everyone brushed off italian's comments. But the seed of doubt was planted. And slowly it grew while Lila watered it with even more lies.

But that seed didn't grew in some hearts. It quickly died instead.

Alya, Adrien, Nino, Kim, Nathaniel, and Juleka knew that their blunette isn't like that.

They visited her as much as they could.

Hawkmoth was stronger each day. And each day Ladybug became even more afraid.

She was afraid to give out more than one miraculi. The fear that the same thing that happened with Master Fu will happen with her.

The pressure of her civilian life was too much. She needed one part of her life disappear.

Marinette talked with all of the kwamis. Including Plagg.

All of them argued, one louder than other. She calmly said that she won't disappear as human being, only as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She reminded them that after defeating Hawkmoth she'll still be a guardian. She will still have a big responsibility.

"It will benefit me if Marinette Dupain-Cheng goes missing. I didn't designed in a long time, and it became more of a hobby than a dream by now. And while it's painful to leave my friends and parents in the dark but I can't risk losing them to Hawkmoth or anything else. I know what I'm doing is stupid, cowardly and it's the worst decision I could take, but I still want to. I will be alright as long as I will be with you guys.".

By the end of her dialogue she and kwamis were crying.

This is how, during the summer, Marinette Dupain-Cheng went missing. This is a beginning of a story when Renee Desvormunds appeared.

Marinette is grateful to Master Fu. For all the things he done, for how much he helped her calm down. And for leaving to her his massage parlor and big amount of money for her to use.

Marinette changed her look with the help of kwamis. Now her skin was more pale that made her freckles stand out, her became eyes brighter, and somehow she grew in height. Her hair, now was white and wavy.

She was grateful that as Ladybug her look didn't change.

On the second day, when eighteen year old Marinette Dupain-Cheng didn't return home, everyone close to her tried to find her.

On the third day, it was police that tried to find her. Chat Noir helped too.

On the first week, all of Paris was informed about the missing girl.

On the first month, Tom and Sabine didn't know what to do.

On the second month, Tom and Sabine lost faith.

Mari studied all places where akumas were. Looked through all the videos of them. Observed everyone who was suspicious. All of this with help and thoughts from kwamis.

Chat was more quiet and sad each battle. She couldn't blame him and offered comfort whenever she could.

Each day Marinette, Renee, Ladybug was closer to finding Hawkmoth. And she will succeed.

The girl crossed out the people who were akumatized on Heroes Day because Scarletmoth was present during that event.

She looked through all akumas that weren't present.

Maybe Hawkmoth wasn't akumatized, but she needed to cross out as much people as possible. And what a surprise it was when she found out that her first suspect, Gabriel Agreste, was on the list.

Each small copy of Multimouse stayed near suspects.

At first everything seemed okay. Until she saw how Gabriel pressed buttons on the painting of his wife. Either he had a secret lair or was insane. Maybe both.

And what a coincidence that after he disappeared under the floor an akuma appeared.

On the next day each mini Multimouse was in his room. Waiting for him to put the combination so she could remember it.

Mari waited all day and he didn't go to the painting. And the fact that today no akumas appeared only fueled her suspicion.

On the next day fortune was on her side.

Mari memorized the code, and waited until Gabriel went to sleep.

And it was so boring. All day just looking at busy man and listening his and Nathalie's talk about business. She hated it.

Right now Multimouse pressed all the buttons, doing just like Agreste did. She was glad that she almost immediately went lower after the code, because she wasn't sure if this thing had an alarm in case someone failed to do it right.

Lowering all way down she indeed was in some lair. Suddenly there were a lot of butterflies flying around her.

Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth there's no denying it. Just like Mari thought in the beginning.

Now it was time to make a plan of how to get his and Mayura's miraculous.

But there was another problem. She didn't know how to get out from here. Damn it, now she had to wait at least eight hours. Great. Just great.

Mari detransformed and went to sleep. She didn't know what else to do, plus she needs to sleep either way. Even if she'll have hard time falling asleep on this hard, cold floor.

But when Mari was almost asleep, she remembered something really bad.

Gabriel will go here only to transform into Hawkmoth. And if Hawkmoth is present that means that there will be akuma and she will have to deal with it. But she can't transform into Ladybug when he's here, and Gabriel definitely will notice if someone leaves his lair.

" Mullo, Tikki?"

Both kwamis looked at her with tired eyes.

" Yes, Mari?"

" Could one of you bring Pollen and her miraculous?"

" I'll be quick." And with that Tikki was gone.

After what felt like a minute, Tikki appeared with a hair comb.

" It's good to see you, Master. How can I help you?"

" Pollen, just call me Marinette or Renee. I'll need to paralyze Hawkmoth and take his miraculous, even if it will be harder for me to find Mayura."

" But what if both Mayura and Hawkmoth will be here?" Tikki asked.

" I don't know Tikki. I think I will paralyze Mayura and take her miraculous as unnoticeable as possible. Right now I just want to sleep. Good night everyone."

Sleep came to her fast after that.

---

Marinette heard annoying sound of her phone alarm. She wanted to ignore it but three kwamis thought differently.

" Marinette! You need to wake up!"

" Noooo, Tikki, I want to sleep."

" Mari, what if Hawkmoth appears."

With that Marinette's eyes snapped open and she reluctantly sat up. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she looked at kwamis.

" Are you ready?"

All three nodded. She transformed in Multimouse and divided. One minimouse transformed with Pollen, other with Tikki. Now, the only thing that was left is to wait.

All of her parts were scattered throughout the lair near the walls, and all of them were bored as hell.

But the sound of lowering platform made them concentrate on their surroundings. They saw how Gabriel and his assistant, Nathalie, transformed and used their powers.

Multibee slowly walked to Mayura, who fortunately stood behind Hawkmoth. She whispered venom and quietly stung her. Multibee quickly climbed to the miraculous and without any second thought took it off. And when a bright blue light appeared Marinette cursed and jumped from paralyzed body and also separating from Pollen.

Hawkmoth turned around and when he saw detransformed Nathalie rushed to her not understanding what happened with her.

Seeing a possibility, Multibug quickly grabbed her yo-yo and tied him. She wasn't sure if she'll be able to hold him for long so others grabbed the string too. The nearest Multimouse sprinted to the captured man. Getting to his miraculous was hard when he angrily struggled. But Multimouse still got a hold of the brooch. And when he tried to shake her off, the miraculous went flying with her.

Every Multimouse that was left ran to those who held the yo-yo. Gathering into one, Marinette pulled the string and made him fall.

And without knowledge of how to escape she jumped to the big window, breaking it in process.

Marinette felt as glass cut her skin but right now it didn't matter. A lot of white butterflies could be seen as they flew behind her.

None of the passing Parisians knew what to think.

Marinette detransformed in her parlor and put on both butterfly's and peacock's miraculous. Both kwamis were overjoyed about finally being free. Other kwamis were happy about finally seeing their friends after so much time.

Marinette for a moment observed as kwamis interacted and begun treating her cuts. They noticed it and started helping her, insisting that she needed to rest. Nooroo and Duusu were hesitant but she reassured them that they are part of the family.

Now to complete her mission she needed to inform Chat Noir and Paris about Hawkmoth and to take black cat's miraculous.

Mari sent a message through her yo-yo about meeting at Eiffel tower to him after she transformed into Ladybug.

At their meeting place, Chat Noir was a little bit disappointed that she never told him her plan, but still happy. And while he was sad about giving Plagg back, he understood. When Adrien revealed himself he was expecting her to do the same.

" I'm sorry Chaton, as a guardian I can't do this. Do you need a ride to your home?"

Adrien gave a small sad nod.

After that Marinette informed all of Paris about Hawkmoth and Mayura. Later that day Mayor held a big celebration.

Renee observed the party on the nearby roof with all kwamis near her.

" Our mission is completed. What now? Anything you would like to do?"

And immediately all of them started talking. Everyone listed what they wanted to see and do.

Marinette wrote everything in her notebook. They had a lot of places to see.

During night Mari wondered what she will do. While she knew what her little friends wanted, but she never thought about her wishes. Other thing that worried her, is that she could be easily killed. And then there will be no more guardian to protect the kwamis. She'll ask about this when all of them will wake up.

" Well, if you need a temporary solution we could teach you how to make spells that will help out. But if you want a permanent one..." said Wayzz after some thinking.

" I'd like a permanent solution. I want all of you to be safe."

Tikki sighed and looked her in the eyes.

" We can make you a half kwami. You'll be able to change between human and kwami form and transform with our miraculouses, even with your own. You won't need water, air and other things that are necessary to humans. You'll still need to eat something to recharge energy like we do and you'll also stop aging." She said with a hint of happiness.

" But the chances of success are always different." Wayzz added casting a look towards ladybug kwami.

" Will I die if it fails?"

Theirs eyes widened.

" No no, you'll just be tired for some time. Nothing bad will happen, don't worry."

Mari nodded and with determination in her eyes she said.

" Then, I want to try it."

The process was long and tiring. All kwamis concentrated on Marinette's soul, rebuilding it in something different, something powerful. Their quiet murmuring filled the room where Marinette layed.

And when they were almost done, they saw as white glow slowly covered her body. It became brighter with each second until her body disappeared and something else appeared in the air. It was a silver feathered heart locket. Slowly it lowered to the floor.

All kwamis just stared at it, surprised that they managed after the first try. Duusu was the first to snap out of it. Without any hesitation she came closer and slowly touched it's surface.

Immediately after that a white orb emerged. And when it stopped a snowy owl kwami levitated in the air. Faster than ever, Duusu hugged a newborn god and other kwamis joined them.

" How should we call you."

" Well, Renee is my human name and I want it to stay like this. I'd like to honour my first name somehow. Also I noticed that all of you have double letters in your name. So perhaps Maari?"

Tikki looked proud "Then I, the ladybug kwami and kwami of creation, gladly accept you Maari, the snowy owl kwami, as one of us and wish you luck with finding and training your powers."

After that their journey began. Renee and kwamis traveled everywhere, they met a lot of friends, and escaped from not so friendly people.

And almost six years later they finally thought about settling somewhere.

A lonely figure appeared on one of Gotham's street during night.

A lady in white and black with a wooden box in hands stood on the highest building waiting for kwamis, who were looking for a long abandoned house. Soon, a small horse flied to her with a smug expression.

" I found a mansion that was abandoned for a long time and it isn't visited at all for some reason. Perhaps people are afraid of the stray dogs that are always near it."

" A mansion?"

" Only the best for my sister and guardian!" Said a cheerful Kaalki. She was obviously proud of herself for being able to find something incredible.

Renee smiled gently and mentally told her siblings about Kaalki's discovery.

" A mansion. A big, abandoned mansion. Why am I not surprised?" Plagg looked at the small horss with paws crossed over his chest.

" I don't see anything bad in it. Only the best for the best." He facepalmed but a fond smile could be seen on his face.

" So what all of you think? Should we look for something different or everyone agree?"

Different agreements went from kwamis. With a nod from Renee Kaalki opened the portal to their destination.

The building was definitely abandoned for a long time. Different plants, that formed cracks in place where they grew up, surrounded the first floor. Everything was coated in dust, the furniture was barely holding.

Every kwami went in different directions.

Renee found a lot of strange, interesting, old things. Every room had something like that. One in particular had a beautiful table in front of fireplace. It looked like an office room as far as she could guess. Many books, plants and small animal statues adored the shelves along the walls.

The half-kwami liked the room. With another mental message she waited for everybody to fly over here.

The interior was adored by many kwamis. Others enjoyed that this room was hard to find.

In the end, the decision was made. The box would stay here with everyone, including Maari, inside the room. The protection spell, that will protect the box from someone with bad intentions, would be casted.

---

Somewhere in the Gotham

A lonely mansion stood

For a long time forgotten

But still looking good

Somewhere inside there was a place

That looked like a boredom

Where a lot of small gods rest

Waiting for the worthy person

---

One red vigilante was moving from roof to roof, searching for anything suspicious. The silence was interrupted by his comms.

" Red Robin, the patrol is over. Return to the cave."

" Be there in few."

With that, Tim jumped in the direction of his destination. After quite a lot of roofs he found himself at the unknown to him place. He stopped and started looking around hoping to spot anything familiar. Tim's eyes landed on the tall building of the Wayne Foundation.

But something else caught his eye. A lonely mansion. Tim felt as if something was pulling him there. Quickly looking around for anybody or anything strange, he made his mind and started crossing the distance.

The old looking gates were open, same with the front door. Stepping inside Red Robin noticed that this house was abandoned when he saw how ruined it was in some places. But the need to go somewhere still was present.

Tim found a lot of old things and paintings while walking through the hall. He continued exploring until he found a door. Unlike other doors this one was closed. The vigilante opened it and found a room filled with books, plants, small statues, a sofa, fireplace and an eye-catching table with a strange wooden box on it. Tim moved closer and saw a silver necklace shaped as a heart made from two wings near the box. Picking it up he examined it and found out that it was a locket. Tim hesitated to open it at first, but his curiosity won. He opened the two halves of a heart. Inside in the middle there was a small mirror, inside the right half was a miniature compass that looked like it actually worked. In the left half of the heart he saw a picture of a beautiful smiling woman. She had a midnight blue hair, that reached to her shoulders, freckles and blue eyes. Tim stared at her until his comms sounded again.

" Red Robin, we are waiting for you in the cave. Do you need help? Or is everything okay?"

" Yeah, don't worry. I just... got distracted. I'll be there soon."

Tim took a picture of the lady in order to research her and after putting the locket down he exited the mansion.

A white orb slowly emerged from the locket...

tag list:    @vixen-uchiha

Locket inspiration (tap me)

[4haechie]

son of apollo!donghyuck

pairing: son of apollo!donghyuck x child of athena!reader genre: fluff, comedy, some adventure/action, pjo au, e2l au words: 3,173 warning: couple of curse words here n there a/n: i reference a bunch of pjo characters in this so if u haven’t read pjo *crowd booing*

so donghyuck’s the son of apollo right

there’s like no arguing when it comes to that

he’s extremely talented at singing and making music, dancing, rapping, songwriting, so he’s no doubt apollo’s offspring

and he’s naturally gifted at archery as well

you can’t spell haechan without ACE teehee

u on the other hand

you’re athena’s child

you love to read and write you’re incredibly smart ofc

you love competing and winning and taking part in strategy making to bring your opponents DOWN 💅🏼

athena’s the goddess of wisdom as well as warcraft so needless to say you’re exceptional in both fields

you’re not just textbook smart, no no, you’re able to apply all the knowledge you learn…well…irl

not to mention you’re good with all kinds of weapons

ur fave weapons include swords and spears :D

you’re okay w knives too!!! and daggers!!! you’re not picky

but you’re better w longer blades just cuz u have more experience w them

fun fact: you’re the head of the athena cabin and donghyuck’s the head of the apollo cabin

you’re both great leaders, always doing your best to make the best strategies to win capture the flag, the chariot races, and other fun activities chiron plans for the campers 😁

but . you guys are Sworn Enemies

actually the better term to use would be “rivals”

you guys r So competitive to the point where you actually developed a rivalry during your first few years at camp half-blood

donghyuck LOVES to win but so do you… so obv he’s gonna go out of his way to make sure he/his cabin wins

that doesn’t mean you’ve ever backed down from his challenges…

if he’s competitive you’re twice as competitive

one day after breakfast during your fifth year at camp when you’re both about 18, chiron decides to host a good old game of capture the flag

u know . for old times’ sake 😼

once he makes the announcement you immediately turn to your cabin mates

“we have to win no matter what”

“y/n, it’s just capture the flag. we’re not fighting gaea”

“bitch are u in or not”

the entire dining hall is buzzing with excitement

nothing makes a demigod’s day like a capture the flag announcement 😌

chiron suddenly grabs the megaphone again and calls out “this time however there’s a little twist,” he chuckles as everybody goes silent

you raise an eyebrow

“you’ll be in teams of course. everybody has to play. there’s twenty cabins, so there will be ten teams of two cabins each. i’ll pair you guys up myself. each pair gets a flag–so there’s ten flags in total. the game will be won by the pair who manages to collect all flags and brings them back to their base before anyone has the chance to steal their own flag.”

the demigods burst into intense chatter and discussion once more

you turn your head back to your siblings and tilt your head in slight confusion

you’ve never played capture the flag in teams before

“anyone but apollo. i’m literally begging. sam, pray to athena right now”

“y/n RELAX”

“i think if we’re partners with apollo’s cabin i’ll actually jump into tartarus”

“…”

“what? percy and annabeth survived” 🙄

chiron pulls out a scroll and calls out the pairings one by one

poseidon and demeter, hades and ares (good luck to them), so on and so forth

your heart keeps racing . athena’s name has not been called out yet

and just like that your worst fear comes true

“athena cabin with apollo cabin. the game will commence in thirty minutes, which is how much time you have to prepare. good luck and stay safe!”

you drop your head into your palm (aka head in hands meme jpg)

“this is the worst day of my entire life”

“y/n, you’re hands down the most dramatic person i’ve ever met”

maybe it’s just you–bc your siblings seem fine with the apollo kids

they have so many apollo cabin friends :(

curse u and donghyuck’s little rivalry that the entire camp and chiron knows about

so him putting yall together definitely was not a coincidence cough cough

can u blame him

🌤🌈 he just wants all of u to get along 🌈🌤

he’s seen w his own two centaur eyes what happens when demigods fight between themselves

it’s not healthy

he needs u guys to get along bc u and donghyuck are some of the best demigods at camp rn

ur quick wits and amazing sword skills

his position as the camp’s best archer

imagine how powerful yall would be if u two worked together

if only you got along from the start.. but nooooo

ur egos r just too high F

but anyway, back to the present

you’re sitting there, head in your hands, dreading this already when some of the apollo kids swagger over to your guys’ table

donghyuck is in front of them as he scoffs after seeing your dreadful state

“why the sad face, y/n?”

you lift your head up to see him hovering over your seat and roll your eyes

you get up and your siblings follow

you’re just gonna have to make do. you don’t have time to complain

the thing is

you’ve only lost capture the flag once 👎🏼

a few summers ago the apollo cabin defeated the entire camp leaving everybody speechless

it’s true they didn’t defeat JUST you but somehow you thought it was personal

you had the PERFECT record 😕

zero losses . only wins

but bc of the apollo kids your cabin’s record was tarnished

which is sorta why you started hating them (esp donghyuck their leader) so much

donghyuck caught on immediately and made it a point to compete just as hard as u

so yea. that’s how you became rivals

he knows how much ur gonna hate working with him but u don’t really have a choice now do u :/

so he knows exactly why u have a sad face

but this is donghyuck we’re talking about

just bc yall r “rivals” doesn’t mean he’s not gonna tease u 😂😂😂

(or maybe he teases u bc he thinks ur cute and he hopes one day u realise him teasing is actually donghyuck for flirting 🤭)

“you know damn well why, lee donghyuck”

“oh c’mon i think it’ll be fun! if we combine our skills, we definitely have a hundred percent chance of winning”

you cross your arms and glance at your siblings who just shrug in agreement

you sigh loudly

“don’t even think about fucking this is up, donghyuck. and just so we’re clear, i’m in charge”

he laughs, “yup! got it”

so you start talking strategy

you only have 30 minutes so you need to make the best of it

you divide the two cabins into pairs so that an athena and an apollo kid will be paired together and in charge of smth diff

you have plenty of people on your team – 5 in athena’s cabin and 5 in apollo’s cabin

some will handle weapons and safety gear, some will handle mapping out the playing area which was basically the entirety of the woods, some will be setting up traps near your team’s flag to prevent others from coming close

30 minutes quickly pass and after dividing the work and planning your strategy with donghyuck and friends you turn your attention back to chiron who has his megaphone in hand

everyone’s told to gather outside the dining hall at the open field before the game commences

you, donghyuck, and your teammates briefly talk strategy once more . just to make sure everybody knows what they’re supposed to do

“let the game begin!” chiron blows a loud whistle and the demigods scramble out of the field, going to their designated flag locations

your spot is near a little creek, but the forest around your flag is quite dense so u figure it’s relatively hard to locate

it’s not that late so the afternoon sun makes your skin glisten with sweat

“damn, can you tell your dad to chill tf out for a while,” you tell donghyuck jokingly

he just rolls his eyes but on the inside he’s kinda glad you’re being casual with him rather than 😡😡😡😡😡 like u normally are

u don’t know what it is about him today but u swear he’s acting different around u

he wasn’t… as annoying while discussing strategy ????

he actually ?????? listened ?????? to what u had to say 🤔🤔🤔🤔

he didn’t argue, he didn’t even throw around witty burns like he usually does w/o hesitation

u were like… is he ok

little do u know!!! he actually l*kes u 🤭🤭🤭

well… it’s not a 100% fact that HE himself knows as well

but his siblings caught on to his weird behaviour n figured smth was up

mark being one of hyuck’s closest friends n siblings in the apollo cabin, realised he was acting weird ever since yall got grouped together

he seemed nervous ⁉️ which he never ever is

he’s like the most confident person mark’s ever known

so mark was like *thinks*

after putting two and two together mark came to the conclusion that he might have a small crush on u

bc hyuck kept glancing over at u, kept talking abt how ur a good leader (he’s never gonna tell YOU that tho. he crossed his heart on that one)

mark was like i didn’t even ask but ok

mark was confused at first tho cuz everybody and their mom knows about your guys’ rivalry so why tf would hyuck have a crush on someone he considers his rival

mark decides not to get ahead of himself bc hey!!! maybe he doesn’t have a crush, maybe he just thinks ur a good leader

like that’s it u know?

LMAO 🤫

so anywayz where was i

ah right

the flag

OK SO ur team’s flag is yellow ! :D

it’s like the colour of sunflowers

you and donghyuck r in charge of guarding the flag while ur team members scout around for the other flags

easy peasy

you and donghyuck are at your base now, weapons drawn just in case

the flag is hung on a poll couple feet taller than you

you’re dressed in ur usual training clothes – a pair of washed out shorts, a very old orange camp half-blood shirt; your sword’s sheath hanging from one of the belt loops of your shorts

donghyuck’s dressed similarly – a pair of blue ripped jeans, the same orange camp shirt tucked into them, but he has a purple flannel on, which he takes off and ties around his waist

“it’s so freaking hot,” he says, mentally agreeing with the comment u made about apollo earlier

“tell me about it”

there’s a silence that follows, the only sound heard is the subtle flow of the creek water

you’re thankful for the silence

it’s easier to keep an ear open for opponents on their way to steal your flag

just as you think about it, an ares and a hades kid approach your base

they’re on the other side of the creek, less than ten to fifteen feet away

“hi y/n,” the hades kid you’re kind of close to says

you shoot him a fake smile before holding your sword in front of you

donghyuck pulls out an arrow from his quiver and nocks it in his bow, aiming for the two demigods in front of you

the creek isn’t that deep, so the two demigods cross it with ease

they have their weapons drawn; they’re now a couple of feet away from you and more importantly the flag

no words are said as donghyuck lets his arrow fly and knock the hades’ kid sword out of his hands

he didn’t use an arrow with a sharp tip, you note

the hades’ kid stumbles backwards, imbalanced after he gets unarmed

you stand your ground as the ares’ kid scrambles forward, attacking you with her sword

your blades clash defiantly

you continue to spar with all your might

from the corner of your eye you see that the hades’ kid, sword back in hand, is battling donghyuck on your left

the flag is right behind you and donghyuck; you can’t let the two demigods get near it

you and the ares kid are still battling each other, putting all your strength into making sure she surrenders

but u should know better

ares and athena kids have many similarities like their love for winning, their confidence in battle, etc.

it’s like looking in a mirror

you don’t have anything against this particular ares kid, though

“c’mon, y/n, give up already”

that REALLY makes your blood boil

you never give up, no matter what

with one final blow of your sword, you knock her sword out of her hands, making her think she distracted you with her words

she goes flying back, half her body landing in the creek water

her sword lies in between you and her, but you doubt she’ll have the courage to fight again

the hades kid sees this and quickly scrambles away from hyuck, picking up the ares kid’s sword and giving her a hand up

“this is why i hate you and your siblings–your huge ego always gets in the way,” you hear the hades kid grumble to his partner as they run away from you, shame written all over their defeat

hyuck laughs and wipes sweat from his forehead

you can’t help but laugh either

you love it here at 🧡 camp half-blood 🧡

a few moments pass as your teammates emerge from the dense woods, each pair with a different colour flag held between them

you smile in victory

you quickly bring down your flag from its pole and give it to hyuck

“me? it was your plan…”

“yeah, but i couldn’t have done it without you, hyuck”

he almost passes out at your choice of nickname

back at the main hall, chiron announces your team as the winner, and that the prize yall being excused from doing chores all week long!!!!

it’s not much, but hey, at least you and hyuck ended up working together and winning the game, right?

later, hyuck pulls you aside from your cabin mates, and walks you to the lakeside

you two sit at the deck, side by side, watching the water doing nothing in particular

you watch as hyuck swings his feet lightly, his toes barely touching the water

“y/n, do you hate me?” donghyuck asks out of the blue

you’re like 😳 what

now that he asks you that . like straight up . it makes u think

do u REALLY hate him

or do u just hate losing to him

“why would i hate you?” you question back

“i don’t know? i guess because of our, um, rivalry thing i thought you can’t stand me”

you play with the beads of your camp necklace

“i don’t hate you, donghyuck. i just hate losing. i guess it’s the athena in me,” you laugh at how lame you sound

“i hate losing too, but i don’t hate you, in case you’re wondering.”

he takes a deep breath

“i know we started going against one another ‘cause of that one time my cabin won capture the flag, but i don’t want things to stay this way,” he pushes his hair back

“i guess what i’m saying is… i like working with you.” he pauses

“yeah,” he says, as if more convinced now, “and i would really like to get to know you better,” he clears his throat, very clearly embarrassed

you laugh at his flustered state

“stop laughing at me,” he stretches the last syllable as he lightly shoves you with his shoulder

you’re trying even harder to not laugh now, but for his sake, you hold it in

“that’s probably the cutest thing you’ve ever said”

he crosses his arms, “i’m always cute”

you’re like. THE NERVE?????? 😒😒😒

“how ‘bout we go slow? i mean, we just became un-enemies, we’re gonna need to be friends first, right?” you poke his shoulder

“you make a good point”

“i’m literally athena’s child, but okay”

“shut up!”

✨ time skip ✨

both u and hyuck stay at camp over the holidays which means more bonding time!!! yay!!!!!

a year has passed and u and hyuck r basically bffs, attached at the hip, and everybody except mark is surprised as fuck

rmb the days when hyuck thought u were “cute”?

welp 🤭 he’s at that point where everything u do makes his heart flutter

yeah… he likes u Like A Lot

u have no clue abt his feelings for u and he has no clue abt ur feelings for him either

exactly a year after the iconic capture the flag game, ur both seated at the deck by the lakeside, side by side, again

“y/n…there’s something you need to know”

“if you’re gonna tell me about the mixtape you’re dropping with mark, i literally don’t want to hear it”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME”

“YOU GOT THE ENTIRE CAMP’S HOPES UP FOR NO REASON”

both of you burst into fits of laughter

after calming down, he shoves your shoulder lightly with his shoulder, like he always does (only to u tho)

“no, seriously, i need to tell you something”

“what’s up?”

“i,” he pauses, clears his throat, “like you. a lot–i have for a while now.”

you swear your heart stops beating and your brain explodes

HE? LIKES? U?????????

he continues, “i don’t know if you like me back, but i’ve been wanting to tell you this for so long–guess i didn’t have the courage until recently,” he lets out an airy laugh

you’re looking at him in the eyes now; a subtle shimmer of the afternoon sun sparkling in his eyes

“hyuck, i like you too. how could i possibly not?” you chuckle at his shocked expression

he goes :O

he’s genuinely speechless when you lean forward and press your lips ever so softly onto his

you literally feel him freeze, which worries you for a second, but your worry is washed away when he slowly kisses you back

you melt right then and there

he takes your hand in his, interlocking fingers, as you pull away, a faint pink blush painting both your cheeks

“wow”

“really, y/n? that’s all you have to say? what happened to being wisdom’s child, huh?”

“donghyuck, i SWEAR to ALL THE GODS–!”

your sentence is cut off when he presses his lips onto yours again, you smile into the kiss which causes him to smile with you

he kisses you again and again, and then again, until you’re both a giggling mess

“let’s stay like this forever, yeah? what do you say?” he says, bringing his lips to your forehead, lingering there for a moment before pulling back and looking at you

you look at your intertwined hands, and then back up at him, “i’d like that”

[anangelicday-mrwolf]

Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 68 – The Secret of Resurrection and the Outing

“Greetings to you, O Lord of the nobles. Pardon me, for I cannot rise from my respite.” 

“Have no concern. We are all aware of the state your body is suffering.” 

Lascrea raised her hand in a salute-reply to Lunark. 

When Rael learned from Seira that the werewolf who was as immobile as a corpse finally opened her eyes, he scurried back to the Lord's Hall, which he had emptied for less than 10 minutes, to share the news with Lascrea. 

Lunark also requested to the Central Knights stationed at the ward that she must speak to their lord, and their meeting was scheduled shortly afterwards. 

And they were not the only participants for today's meeting.

“I pray for your patience, although this room is not big enough to allow all of us. Our speaker must not leave her bed.”

“Have no concerns, my lord.” 

“We are alright.” 

Kei and Rosaria were standing next to Lascrea, rendering Lunark's room rather crowded. 

Her room may be the best that Lukedonia can offer, but it was designed for a single occupant. 

And the room felt even smaller because they also had virtual guests for this meeting.��

<May we begin?> 

Lunark flinched at Frankenstein's voice, transferred through Lascrea's phone that was switched to the speaker mode. 

No one would have missed it, yet no one pointed it out, for none of them paid attention to anything other than what Lunark was about to unleash.

“I believe all of you would know by now with what power I defeated the Dark Spear.” 

“We all happened to be shocked and perplexed. How did a werewolf like you got to wield power that was most certainly begotten by Raizel?” 

Everyone solemnly focused their sights and hearings upon Lunark.

Even she was still trying to wrap her head around what happened.

Upon accepting the mysterious power that offered its hand to her as she sunk deep into the sea, her abdomen punctured by the Dark Spear, Lunark realized the oh-so-familiar-for-some-reason power was none other than Raizel's power. 

As of now the power was rinsed off her like snow met with summer sun, but her psyche had been etched with memories that had connected to her during her carriage of the power. 

“This would be a long story, for I must start off from the Noblesse's disappearance into slumber 820 years ago.” 

The nobles surrounding Lunark implied fluster with their eyes. 

They knew discussion on Raizel is a must, considering that he is the source of the power Lunark made use of. 

However, they did not expect her to wind back at least six books on noble history, to land right onto Raizel's slumber that took place 820 years ago. 

“Noblesse, sir, you fell into sleep immediately following your duel against my lord, didn't you?” 

<...I did. I chose dormancy as I was stranded upon the oceanic spot not far from Lukedonia, and the zone of water and salt directly beneath became my sanctuary.> 

“Actually, I fell into the sea nearby after I was fallen as the result of my first showdown against the Dark Spear. Geologically speaking, it was near a human city called Miami, stationed in United States.” 

<Miami...? It happens to be one of the three vertices composing the Bermuda Triangle, at the center of which Lukedonia lies.> 

Lunark coerced her voice to activate, painstakingly shifting her attention away from the now-automated wince in her heart in reaction to Frankenstein's voice. 

“As you were recovering in the ocean for 820 years, your power was leaking from your coffin little by little. And after 8 centuries, the underwater domain centering on your ex-sanctuary came to absorb your power.” 

“What? You mean... Currently there is a submarine area not far from Lukedonia that holds power from Raizel?” 

“Correct. And that happens to be one of the three reasons why you, the Noblesse, and two of your heads of clans could return from death. During the nuclear missile incident, the three of you stood in defense of your homeland right above the Noblesse's ex-sanctuary. Which also served as the vessel of your remains from the clash. There the three of you absorbed the power of Noblesse teeming within, to rise back to life. Speaking of which, don't you feel there has been an increase of your power?” 

Silence heavily dawned upon the chamber as Lunark spoke; the three nobles knew she was absolutely right, their awareness of the phenomenon prevalent within them, unbeknownst to them. 

Once they defeated death, in contrast to their resolve, they could feel their powers have become somewhat more durable, more invulnerable. 

Which was forgotten momentarily due to series of huge events that promptly tagged along the nuclear missile incident, such as the downfall of Union and the QuadraNet Project. 

Hence the question regarding the resurrection of the three of the five affiliates of the nuclear missile incident was gone, but their curiosity was yet vivid. 

No, it has gotten vivider. 

“I beg your pardon, but I need more details regarding what you mentioned earlier. Now I understand how my lord, I, and Kei could return to life, but... Are you saying the return of Noblesse is also related to the place where we met our temporary eternal sleep?” 

No one emitted a breath at Rosaria's question-slash-accusation, for she touched on the spot that had been itching ever since Lunark held in her lips the “three factors” that had brought Raizel, Lascrea, Kei, and Rosaria back to the world of the living. 

All ears grew keen on Lunark's mouth, waiting for her words to water their thirst for knowledge. 

“Yes, but it wouldn't have been possible without the other two factors, one of which happens to be the half of Ragnarok that you yielded to the Noblesse.” 

Lascrea's, Kei's, and Rosaria's mouths turned agape, for they did not expect to hear the name of the noble lord's soul weapon from a werewolf.

No sound could be heard past Lascrea's phone, an evidence that Raizel and Frankenstein would look no different from them. 

“You permanently forfeited the half of your soul weapon to the Noblesse, did you not?” 

“...I did. It was left behind for Raizel by my father the lord, which Raizel gave back to me upon his return to Lukedonia after 820 years. Nevertheless, I handed it to him in order to replenish his life force.” 

“The power that used to compose the half of the Ragnarok would have by now changed into Noblesse's life energy, fully absorbed into his body. But it's not completely gone. Its remains must be there. Even though it is only half of its original form, Ragnarok stemmed from the bloodline of the noblest nobles in the lead of your kind, therefore forged with might beyond any mortal understanding. I'm sure you, O Noblesse, would have felt the weapon flowing within you ever since you received it.” 

Raizel spoke no confirmation, which in turn served as a confirmation.

It was his habit of speech; whereas he does not necessarily confirm what is right, he will deny anything that deserves his denial. 

<...Okay, so what's the final factor?> 

“...The fact that the four of them met eternal sleep, albeit only briefly, on the same day, at the same hour.” 

That was when Kei and Rosaria exchanged glances, their eyes flickering precariously, and Lascrea failed to conceal confusion marred with inquisitiveness from her face. 

“The key is that you, O lord, and the Noblesse fell into eternal sleep at the exact same moment. As your remains dropped into the Noblesse's ex-sanctuary, the power of the Noblesse embedded in the area created a reaction with the remains of the Ragnarok, its power not far behind the former. And this reaction reached out to its twin - yes, it reached out to the Noblesse, now a biological container of the half of the Ragnarok.” 

The three nobles listening to her gaped at her, looking as if they were hammered in their heads. 

“The point is that the bond between the two parts of Ragnarok still exists as we speak, even though a half of it now pulses through Noblesse's blood and soul. As the two Ragnarok's caused a chain reaction of resonation with the Noblesse's power under the sea, there formed a temporary spiritual bond between you and the Noblesse.”

<...So are you saying the resurrection allowed by the power from my master's ex-sanctuary managed to apply to my master as well?>

“...Precisely.” 

As Lunark's speech was closed, no one did not as much as mumble, too starstruck by the elements that felt so much like part of destiny, in joint with coincidence like fate. 

At then Lascrea's eyes gleamed in remembrance. 

“That reminds me of the tale I picked up from the human reporters who used to be short-term tenants of Lukedonia. There is this marine zone near Lukedonia dubbed as 'Bermudan Treasure Chest' among humans, flaunting innumerable number of rare marine species, its individuals much bigger than those from the identical classification inhabiting other areas. However, recently there have been mysterious shifts in the ecological system of this zone, such as mass deaths of marine species, including the blood-red corals exclusive to this zone.” 

“True. This place you speak of happens to be a favorite dining spot of mine, where I would often drop by to feast on the fish.” 

“...Now I am reminded of how it all began upon our homecoming.” 

<...I see. That zone must have flourished thanks to the power from my master's ex-sanctuary, which is not surprising. It has been bearing the greatest force of life on Earth for more than 8 centuries. But now its power is lost to you, two of your heads of clans, and my master, thanks to this spiritual bond thing, resulting in the end of the golden age for its marine population.>

“...Don't forget that I received unimaginable amount of power from that spot as well. So things can only take the worse turn for the natives of that zone.” 

Kei started to speak as soon as Lunark finished her mutter. 

“Quick question - how do you know all this? And how come none of us remember this?” 

“...The ex-sanctuary of the Noblesse absorbed along with his power the psyche he had harbored. I'd say the power that is held there is basically semi-animate. So after the nuclear missile incident, the entire process of spiritual bond and resurrection that touched on your lord and the Noblesse was engraved into the power within the ex-sanctuary. I managed to absorb all this when I accepted this power. But the reason why none of you remember this is because... I'd compare it to the rupture of glasses that could not stand the multiple resonance of sound waves. What you had gone through was a miracle that transcends life and death. So it'd be no wonder that it left an unseeable scar upon your memories.”

Kei was not the last one to fling questions, and Lunark answered all of them. 

The meeting was closed following Frankenstein's offer that Raizel might be able to gain more life if they are to make use of the power that is left in Raizel's ex-sanctuary (and they sort of saw it coming).

Lunark was left alone, and only then someone approached her. 

“Lady Lunark.” 

“You...? What are you doing here? Your lord and your fellow heads of clans are gone.” 

Lunark's pink pupils were sketched with puzzlement as she recognized Rael. 

“There's something I must tell you.” 

The werewolf warrior tensed, in understanding that Rael chose to confront her after Lascrea, Kei, and Rosaria at last went away. 

On the other hand, Rael was fairly calm, for there was no trouble that required his presence. 

It was but a small reason that he requested the Central Knights from the ward to notify him as soon as she awakens, even though they share nothing in common except for the QuadraNet Project. 

It was but a small but legitimate reason. 

When Lunark awakens, relay her a gratitude from me, I pray. 

That was the concise yet packed-with-meanings request from Raizel, as he sent Rael away to Lukedonia. 

That was supposed to be the sole reason why Rael was waiting for the moment Lunark opens her eyes, but lately things have changed a little. 

During the course of arrest of Deneb, the Central Knights confiscated the walkie-talkie he forced away from Yuhyung's bag. 

Which was passed on to Rael, before it can return to its rightful owner.

The QuadraNet Project may be on a hold, but everyone knew it would be on a hold only for the time being. 

When the project is to commence again, the chances are high for Rael to reassume the ambassador of Lukedonia. 

So it would be logical for Rael to keep the walkie-talkie for now, though no one can certify until when he must keep it with him. 

So Rael had no idea the walkie-talkie dropped right onto his hand would spill Frankenstein's voice all of a sudden. 

I decided to bet my hopes on Mr. Jang's walkie-talkie just in case. Boy, am I glad it didn't turn out to be a fool's hope. 

S-sir...? What's going on...? 

I need a favor. And don't fret. It's nothing huge. 

Back then Rael was busy trying to think of a favor that Frankenstein could possibly ask from him. 

He knew Frankenstein was a man of reasons, but he could not help getting anxious, in consideration of the speaker.

When Lunark wakes up, tell her to go back to her homeland as soon as she becomes mobile. 

Sir...? What do you... 

Tell her not to even think about sticking around Lukedonia and go back as soon as her body becomes good enough for her to move around like usual. 

Frankenstein did not assume any coldness in his words, but Rael could not ask what is the matter, due to the just-deal-with-it attitude he wore at the time. 

Nonetheless, Rael presumed there was no misfortune or problem that Frankenstein had in mind that had urged him to make such delivery to Lunark. 

But please tell her that she doesn't have to run back home right as she opens her eyes. Please. 

He could feel generosity, not at all feigned or halfhearted for the sake of the least of the courtesy he could pull off, as Frankenstein added one more “please.” 

Retracing his experience, Rael finally started off with his job as a messenger. 

*****

Few days later, KSA 

“And that's it for the whereabouts of the remaining lots of the Union.”

A series of nods and regards from the table headed to Tao, who had been making his laser pointer busy with the satellite images from the beam projector. 

Seoul at last regained its daily life, thanks to KSA and RK's joint administration. 

All boxes on the to-do list of treatments and examinations were checked off, and the protocol on media management and operation in case of national crisis met its closure. 

And today, the key personnel of KSA, the RK, 3rd Elder, and Yuigi were gathered at the meeting room for the briefing on the progress up-to-date. 

First of all, Yuhyung was officially discharged, permanently expelled from the registered catalog of KSA employees and staff, imperatively relieved from all his duties and privileges. 

At the same time he was charged, with the recent case in Seoul, as a result of the internal investigation on the matter.

His true crime will never be printed on the public document housing the details of his charges, but he will be legally punished in one form or another, via the man's request. 

I don't care what or how. I want the heaviest penalty you can throw upon me. 

They have yet to decide on the exact what or how, but Yuhyung's career and life are now as good as over. 

And the Union agent who was captured at the end of the calamity at Seoul was eliminated the day before. 

Before which came the interrogation on the location of and the melee force possessed by the remainder of the Union, which provided a basis for Tao to plot a satellite map. 

“The international summits over the globe are not yet very cooperative, which means we are the only manforce we can hire for this job. So my opinion is that in terms of efficiency, it'd be much better for us to select and dispatch people for extermination and shutdown, rather than to have us travel back and forth for the job.” 

“So you're saying the said people must live as wanderers until the Union is completely gone, keeping in touch with us for the sake of communication and progress report.” 

“Which is why we need someone equipped with the energy and combat abilities that will allow them to cope with years-long travel and non-stop combats, as well as flexibility in improvisation against the unexpected. And thorough knowledge in the a's-to-z's of the Union would be a plus.” 

The second Tao, Yeonsu, and M-21 finished their speech, a hand was raised in the air. 

“I'll do it.” 

The hand belonged to none other than the 3rd Elder, gaining a dozen spotlights from the spectators' wide-open eyes. 

“I'll join him.” 

And Yuigi was the second to raise a hand. 

“W-what do you mean by that?” 

Takio - obviously - posed a question in alarm.

“I'm the perfect candidate for the requirements you just listed, M-21. And unlike you and your team, with duties to protect this place, I have no requisites that will bind me from travels.” 

“Same could be said of me. Since the 3rd Elder has lost his power, he would need a bodyguard to carry on with his mission against the modified humans potentially as powerful as Helga.” 

Their logics were without a flaw; in fact, they made an appeal that was only essential. 

The results for 3rd Elder's check-up revealed that his power did not altogether vanish; however, now he has become weak, no longer capable of firing an impact on par with that from a tank upon a single glance. 

Not to mention they learned through Helga that Union was still armed with combatants including her teammate named Sol. 

A proof that it will take a miracle, not hope, for them to bypass any physical collision during their mission. 

A proof that the 3rd Elder and Yuigi are basically candidates sent from above for the job. 

And they knew they would not need to be apprehensive for another betrayal, as the two ex-agents were the ones who supplied the key solutions for the catastrophe at Seoul, thereby earning themselves virtual badges that will certify their allegiance. 

The briefing took itself through the introduction, body, and conclusion without a haste, until the 3rd Elder and Yuigi were classified into a special team to search and destroy the hidden survivors of Union around the world. 

Partially because Frankenstein curiously hurried with the briefing.

“Now, I shall take my leave. You guys stay here and... Do whatever you need to.” 

“What? Where are you off to, boss?” 

“Outside.” 

“Outside? You mean outside Korea?” 

“Yup. But don't worry. I'll make sure I'll be there to say good-bye to the special team as they leave.” 

The three men of the RK could only tilt their heads in confusion, staring as Frankenstein hustled away without even telling them where exactly he was headed to. 

“But is it just me, or... Is he kind of excited?” 

“Thought I was the only one.”

“Well, you weren't.” 

The three men felt their curiosity stacking up by the end of their chat. 

Just what could urge the blonde human to leave in urgency, with a face in full bloom with such roseate excitement so very pronounced? 

(next chapter)

There you have it - the secret behind the four nobles’ return from death. As a reminder, in this fic Muzaka was not dead during the nuclear missile incident, which was mentioned in chapters 1 and 2. It took more than 60 chapters for me to finally unleash the secret for the remaining four. XD

This is part of the reason why I wanted to write this fic. I wanted to talk about Frankenstein and Lunark’s relationship, which was never officiated or portrayed in further depth in the original webtoon, and also attempt my take on the why’s and how’s on the nobles’ resurrection. As I was coming up with theories, I was reminded of the half of the Ragnarok that Lascrea gave to Raizel, and then I remembered how Lascrea, Kei, and Rosaria stopped a missile headed to a human city. The name of the city was left unknown in the webtoon, but I decided it’s Miami, since it didn’t take that long for them to stand upon the ocean to stop the missile (meaning it’s nearby Lukedonia and stationed at the coast of the continent, which would meet the demands to describe the American city that happens to be one of the three vertices making up the Bermuda Triangle). Thus I could come up with the grand secret behind the nobles’ return from death. This “Bermudan Treasure Chest” that I created was in a way a huge spoiler, and the blood-red corals that inhabit this zone was also a hint, in a way. And of course, none of this is canon; this is purely my theory, my creation.

At last I revealed the secret behind the return of the four nobles from the nuclear missile incident, and the two villains of this fic - Helga and Yuhyung - made their official exit. And you also know what will become of the 3rd Elder and Yuigi, and now all that remains is the relationship between Frankenstein and Lunark & the reason why Muzaka’s body moved on its own for survival during the nuclear missile incident. Which means that once these two are settled as well, this fic will be over. There are only 2 more chapters to go, and I can’t tell you how thankful I am to you for staying with me all this way. I’ll see you next week and the week after that with chapters 69 and 70, respectively! Thank you so much! :)

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, a-wolf-and-his-boy!

For @a-wolf-and-his-boy. I hope you enjoy this work, I had fun writing it.

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*****

A Summer Night's Ball

Chapter 1 - The Ball and Garden

“Come on, Stiles. Everybody is going to be there and who knows, you might run into your mate!” Scott said. He was (unsuccessfully) trying to tug Stiles from his bed without ripping any blankets. “Sitting in a ball of misery isn’t going to help things. So Lydia isn’t the one for you, so what? You’ll find someone just as good.”

Stiles poked his head out of the cocoon of blankets he’d made to say, “Scott, there’s not going to be anyone as good as Lydia and I’m probably doomed to be alone for the rest of my very short life. Just because you met your mate at the masquerade ball doesn’t mean I’ll meet mine. Why is that even still a thing? There are better ways to meet people than dancing with a bunch of masked strangers that you’ll never see again.”

Scott made a grab for Stiles’ head, getting a handful of hair before Stiles could retreat back into his cocoon. “It’s the biggest event in the country and plenty of people go to see if they might find their mate.” Scott grew claws on the hand not holding Stiles and slowly brought it closer to the chunk of hair in his grasp. “So get out of bed or you’ll be getting a new haircut this minute.”

“Don’t mess with the hair, dude!” Stiles tried to toss the covers off, knocking Scott off-balance who ended up falling on top of him.

“No crushing the Stiles either. Get off of me.” Stiles shoved Scott to the side, who ended up on the floor given how small the bed was. Stiles got up and reached for his closet doors only for Scott to stop him.

“Dude, my mom and your dad got something for you to wear to it so go to the bathroom and change into the clothes hanging in there and then we can go.” Scott turned Stiles around and shoved him out of his bedroom. Stiles mumbled as he walked to the bathroom about the traitor keeping him out of his own kingdom, got in and saw a full suit hanging. Never had Stiles felt so betrayed since that time in school when Scott refused to watch Star Wars with him, only to end up watching it with Allison later that year. After changing into the uncomfortable outfit, Stiles got out and saw Scott in a similar suit, though thankfully not matching like a couple. Both of them were wearing half-masks covering only the upper half of their faces, one of the more traditional choices. The bright red mask Stiles wore was slightly less traditional but he’d already given in to wearing appropriate clothes, he wasn’t going to wear a boring white mask too. He’d worn it to every ball and he wasn’t going to break that streak for anyone, luckily it looked like their parents knew that since the mask matched with his suit.

“Well, let’s get going. Sooner I’m done with this, sooner I can go back to my den of despair, misery and hopeless pining.” Stiles said.

“That’s the spirit! Who knows, I still think you might meet someone.” Scott said.

“And that’s why I have you, a ball of infinite optimism and sunshine.” Stiles said. The pair got into Stiles’ old beaten jeep and went to the old castle near the center of Beacon Hills. The country’s royal family lived elsewhere (nobody sure where the Hales currently lived after their last home burned down. Luckily, none of them were hurt.) but the castle itself was still used for major events like the Annual Ball that happened in the summer on the solstice. Being a spark, Stiles knew it was one of the major days of performing magic and the ball was originally a ritualistic event performed by the community to shelter them from anything evil. Nowadays, there were quicker, easier and safer methods so the ritual itself had stopped but the gatherings took on a new purpose. They were a chance for people to get together and possibly meet their mate or let people gossip about the latest incident or talk business. It was a day devoted to love according to the romantics like Scott or business to the less romantic like Stiles.

They pulled into the designated parking lot, almost full because it had taken Scott a long time to drag Stiles out so the pair were late since it started at six pm and it was close to eight and sunset. Stiles was feeling a little jitterier than normal, his spark was acting up a little but he put it down to what always happened at this event. It wasn’t like that last year when part of the Hale family didn’t show up but that was a coincidence as far as Stiles was concerned. After walking past the security, they entered the crowded ballroom.

“I’m supposed to meet Allison near the refreshments table so I’ll be heading on over. Go socialize a little, maybe dance a bit. My mom should be floating around if you are really bored but I think she finally got your dad off for one of these things and invited him.” Scott said.

“Dude, you should’ve told me that earlier and I would’ve come without a fight!” Stiles said. He gestured a little too strongly and almost hit a woman next to the pair. She glared at him and walked away so he turned back to Scott. “We’ve been trying to get them together for ages now, I thought it was agreed we tell each other any developments pronto.”

“I thought you already knew! You always seem to know everything before I find out so I thought you knew about them coming together too. Look on the bright side, we might be brothers soon!” Scott held his hand out with Stiles giving him a high five. Scott turned and his face took on a dopey grin.

“Guess I can’t bother Melissa then. She’d kill me if I ruined her chance.” Stiles noticed Scott was no longer paying attention to him. He shoved Scott and said, “Go on, I know where your mind is.”

“Thanks, Stiles. I’ll see you in a couple hours. My mom said we could be out as late as we want so don’t expect me to ride back with you.” Scott blurted out and then took off running, knocking a couple people over in his rush to get to his mate. Stiles shook his head and walked the opposite direction, the band switching over from the high-paced song they had been playing when the pair walked in to something slower. Stiles spotted his dad and Scott’s mom on the dance floor, swaying to the song, his dad in a similar suit to him and Scott while Melissa was in a matching dress. It was obvious they have been planning this for some time now and Stiles was pretty disappointed he hadn’t seen this before Scott.

The area near the dance floor was crowded as can be, a mix of people leaving the floor and trying to get on causing a traffic jam with no end in sight so Stiles gave up on dancing after trying for a few minutes. Spotting an exit nearby, Stiles took it to get some fresh air and maybe see what else he could see in the castle. While it was generally open to the public, there were still some parts that were off limits that he might be able to see this time around, even though he’d tried last year and failed so badly his dad had to bail him out. The exit he took led to a hallway he’d been in before, with less guards around to block him from snooping luckily. He peaked in a few doors only to see empty rooms with no furniture. Some had obvious cobwebs in the doorways and dust stir after he opened the door so that was a major disappointment for Stiles. He’d been hoping for something interesting given he was never allowed in but the rooms were filled with nothing after nothing after nothing.

His last hope for anything of interest was the last door at the end of the hall. With a quick charm, he was able to unlock the door and exit into what must have been a garden. He hung his jacket from a nearby tree branch and placed his mask on top of it, glad for some cool air after being inside the hot room. Most of the gardens were open to the public so he figured he’d probably seen this place before during daytime. He turned to leave until he noticed the large white wolf statue in the center straight ahead on the path from the door. That was something he had never seen before. Stiles approached the statue, noticing that the fur was extremely detailed, every strand was lovingly carved. The wolf was posed as if to threaten any intruders, teeth bared as if in anger.

He was almost to the statue when he heard a growl which he jumped and thought came from the statue itself until he heard it again. Turning around, he saw a large black wolf, eyes glowing a haunting yellow, staring right at him and felt a shock at the sight from his spark. He froze and saw the wolf do the same before it took a deep breath and softly whined at him. Stiles had no clue what to do about the obvious werewolf and stood still, slightly trembling. The wolf crouched down and approached him, Stiles wanted to back away but doing that now would be a giant mistake. He had to hope that the wolf wouldn’t do anything to him for obviously trespassing on Hale property.

“Nice sourwolf. No need to get violent. I can go back to the party and we can forget I ever did something this stupid, okay?” Stiles held his hands up in surrender. The wolf was almost to him, still taking what he thought looked like a submissive stance, before it reached him and shoved its nose up against him and loudly breathed in. “Whoa there, don’t you think that’s a little too personal? Buy a guy lunch before you start sniffing him like that at least.”

The wolf rolled its eyes before it gently grabbed his vest and tugged him away from the statue and away from the door he had come from. He followed along since he didn’t have much choice, ending up approaching a small bench that was hidden further into the garden. He saw a basket full of clothes next to a small bump on that side of the bench but ignored it as the wolf shoved him at the bench. He flailed for a moment before landing on the bench, mostly upright. “Hey, be gentle! You could have nudged me and I’d have sat down.” The wolf turned, grabbed the basket by the handle with its mouth and walked behind a bush. “Oh, so that’s for you to change back. Might actually get to talk to the man behind the wolf, huh? Don’t take too long.”

A couple branches shifted and one cracked loudly while he waited, probably the wolf turning back into human form while crouched down, Stiles guessed. A hoarse masculine voice said, “You aren’t in trouble for coming back here. I didn’t expect to find my mate here but I’m glad to see the white wolf is still looking out for my family.”

The man came out fully only in a shirt and jeans, eyes no longer glowing a bright gold. It was hard to tell what his looks were from how late it was getting until the man walked right by Stiles and pressed something on the other side of the bench and lights sprang to life in the garden. The gentle glow illuminated all the flowers, breathtaking in how they were arranged like rays of the sun coming from the center where the wolf statue was vaguely seen from where they were.

Stiles looked the man over, his shirt was tight against muscles he’d love to see, stubble he’d love to rub his face against but the eyes were the man’s best feature. They sparkled in the light, flecks of gold and possibly other colors glittering within. His admiration of the man’s perfect body halted when he registered what he said. “What do you mean, mate?”

“Can’t you feel the bond? I knew from your scent you were my mate. I have been catching your scent at these things for years, today was the first time I’ve seen you. I never expected my mate to be the local sheriff’s son.”

“And who are you? You’re obviously a werewolf, you are allowed back here and are an unmated man so you have to be a Hale but there are a couple it could be.”

“Derek Hale.” Derek stepped forward, hand out for Stiles to grab. “Grab my hand and you should recognize the pull if you haven’t already.

Stiles looked at him, eyes slightly squinted, before grabbing Derek’s hand and felt his spark leap out of his skin, reaching deep inside the werewolf to embrace Derek, both man and wolf. Stiles lost his footing but Derek pulled him close, holding him steady against his chest.

“Now do you feel it?” Derek said.

“Yeah.” Stiles breathed out. It took a couple moments for him to steady himself but he didn’t leave Derek’s embrace. “So what do we do next?”

“I was hoping you can come meet my family, they’ll be thrilled to see I’ve found my mate. It will have to be after the ball ends, could I convince you to stay until then?”

“I think that can be arranged.” Stiles said, pulling Derek down to sit next to him on the bench. “Why don’t we sit here and get to know each other a little before you drag me in front of your family.”

“Deal.” Derek said. “But can I have a kiss first so we can seal the deal? I’d rather do that here under the stars, in the garden, with nobody around to see.”

“Fine with me, dude.” Stiles said.

“Don’t call me dude.” Derek said.

“I’ll call you dude if I want, sourwolf. Guess you’ll have to shut me-” Stiles said before Derek interrupted by kissing him, slightly too forceful and at an awkward angle that soon changed to something much more enjoyable.

Derek pulled away and said, “Good to know that works.” He kissed Stiles again, the garden hiding the pair from other eyes while they found ways to entertain themselves while waiting for the party to end.

TBC On AO3!

[fridayfirefly]

Lost and Found [Part Nine]

Masterlist | Ao3

It took Damian two weeks to get Marinette's bedroom prepared for her. Fixing up the guest bedrooms of Wayne Manor was a task that Alfred usually undertook. However, Alfred was busy with wedding preparations, and Damian wanted everything to be perfect for Marinette's upcoming visit, so he took it upon himself to get everything ready for Marinette's stay.

Damian hadn't realized how many guest bedrooms Wayne Manor had until it was time for him to choose one for Marinette. It wasn't an easy choice. Despite the fact that Alfred was meticulous in his upkeep of Wayne Manor, most of the guest bedrooms had been overlooked during the various renovations of the house. Friends of the family (such as the Kents) slept in the family wing when they stayed the night, so there was never any reason to maintain the guest bedrooms. However, the upcoming wedding meant that some changes were necessary. There simply weren't enough rooms in the family wing to house all of the wedding guests, so a strict "Bats Only" policy (Richard's words, not Damian's) was put into place for the family wing. So Damian had to find Marinette a suitable room somewhere else in the house.

Damian toured every guest bedroom in Wayne Manor before choosing the best one. It was his room of choice for many reasons. It was only one hall down from his own bedroom. It was painted rose pink, one of Marinette's favorite colors. Most importantly, it had east-facing windows, which meant that it faced the Wayne Manor gardens. Marinette had spoken at length about how she found nature to be an inspiration for her designs. The Wayne Manor gardens were considered some of the best in Gotham. Damian hoped that Marinette approved of the room.

Choosing the perfect room was difficult, but decorating it came in a close second. Alfred had done a quick renovation of all the guest bedrooms at the start of the summer, so they were all perfectly livable, but Damian didn't want to put Marinette in just any guest bedroom. He wanted it to feel personal, to show her that he cared about her enough to make it feel like home.

Damian brought his box of Marinette's things to her new room and got to work decorating. After five years at Wayne Manor, Damian no longer kept the box hidden in his closet. He kept her lost things in a wooden chest pressed up against the footboard of his bed. Now, that chest sat in Marinette's new room. Her lost clothes were hung up in her closet. Her lost pens and markers were put into a desk drawer. Barrettes and scrunchies were placed in a dresser drawer, chapstick and hand lotion put in her bathroom, the stuffed animal cat she sent to him years ago when he complained of nightmares was placed at the foot of her bed.

Damian got new things for her, too. Vases decorated the bedroom, though they would be empty until the morning of Marinette's arrival, to prevent the fresh flowers from wilting. Art decorated the wall of the bedroom, as well as three strings of fairy lights (once, Marinette commented to Damian that she had trouble falling asleep in complete darkness since she was so used to the lights of the city).

Decorating the room reminded Damian of all the progress he had made since he first came to live with his Father. Five years ago, he would have found it impossible to give Marinette her things back. He hoarded everything special to him back then, still traumatized from his childhood in the League of Shadows. Now, after years of talking with Marinette, he felt comfortable enough in his relationship with his Soulmate to finally return her lost things to her.

Two days after Damian finished getting the room ready for Marinette, the Kents arrived. Jon had his own room to prepare for his own Soulmate, Nino, who was also attending the wedding.

"Are you ever going to tell her that you're a Wayne, or are you planning on waiting until she recognizes you in the airport to let her know?" Jon asked from across the guest bedroom.

Damian refused to dignify that question with a proper answer. "Do you want my help getting the room ready, or did you just ask me here so that you could criticize me?"

"Damian, I'm being serious. Marinette is going to be here - at Wayne Manor - in nine days. Whether or not you tell her beforehand isn't going to stop her from recognizing you."

"It's complicated. I would rather tell her in person than through a letter, but there's no way for me to do that without our meeting first. She is French, though, so there's a possibility that she wouldn't recognize me on sight."

"She'll recognize the name though. The Wayne family isn't just famous in America. You're like the royal family of Gotham."

Damian wrinkled his nose. "Stop. Don't say it."

"The Ice Prince of Gotham," Jon teased.

"You know how much I loathe that nickname."

"I just think it's funny," laughed Jon. "The media thinks you're cold and arrogant when in reality you're a closet romantic who's planning on hand-picking flowers for his girlfriend's room."

"Marinette and I aren't officially dating."

"I bet you twenty dollars that the two of you will be official by the time she gets on her plane to return home."

"I don't gamble," Damian grumbled, but his retort was half-hearted at best.

"If you want to date her, you should just ask. The week that she's here at Wayne Manor would be the best time to do it. It's always best to do that sort of thing in person."

"I'm not sure-"

"Just consider it. I'm sure you'll spare both of you a lot of drama if you just ask her out already."

"I'll think about it," Damian agreed.

"Good. Now help me move some furniture around."

"You have super-strength," Damian rolled his eyes. "You don't need me to help you."

"Yeah, but it's not like you have anything better to do, except wait for Marinette to arrive."

Damian shrugged. "It might be amusing to watch you struggle to maneuver furniture through the hallways."

"Or you could help me, and I'll put in a good word for you to Marinette."

"She doesn't even know you. Your 'good word' wouldn't mean anything to her."

"I'm naturally likable. We'll be friends within a day. I guarantee it."

"Is that a bet, Kent?"

"If you want it to be, Wayne."

"Twenty dollars says that she doesn't find your golden retriever personality charming."

"Okay. Twenty dollars says that we'll be sharing memes by the end of the wedding."

Damian picked a lamp up off of the nightstand and lobbed it at Jon's head. Jon caught it with one hand, and set it back down. "By the way, do you think Bruce would mind me borrowing a car next Wednesday? Nino's flight arrives at 2 AM, and I don't trust Gotham taxis."

Damian's eyes narrowed slightly, suspicious of the coincidence. "Is it an American Airlines flight from Paris?"

Jon checked his phone. "How did you know?"

"That's the flight that Marinette is arriving on."

"What an odd coincidence," remarked Jon. "I suppose we can drive together, then."

"Sure," replied Damian. He paused a moment to ponder the realization that had just occurred. "I wonder if Marinette and Nino know each other."

"Wouldn't that be serendipitous, if our Soulmates were already friends."

"It's probably just a coincidence," said Damian, but the thought stuck with him the whole rest of the day.

——————————————————————

The drive to the airport was rather animated, for it being 1 AM. Jon spent the entire drive announcing exactly how many minutes until he got to see Nino in person for the first time. Damian rolled his eyes every time, but in reality, while he didn't outwardly show it, he was just as excited to see Marinette in person.

Jon was practically vibrating as Damian parked the car in the airport parking lot. "Fifteen more minutes until their plane lands."

Damian let out a deep breath as they walked through the airport, feeling unexpectedly anxious. Maybe he should have told Marinette about his rather prestigious family name. Would she resent him for keeping it a secret for so long?

What Damian didn't expect to see when they entered the airport terminal was his brother Jason, who stood off to the side, glaring at his phone like it personally offended him.

"Todd?"

Jason's glare turned to Damian. "What are you doing here? Did Bruce send you?"

"No. We're here to pick someone up."

"Who? I thought everyone was already in town for the wedding."

"My Soulmate, Marinette," Damian admitted.

"And Nino, my Soulmate. They're arriving on the same flight," said Jon.

"American Airlines from Paris? Arriving at two AM?"

Damian nodded, already feeling a sense of déjà vu back to his conversation with Jon just a week prior.

"My Soulmate is on that flight. I invited her to Dick's wedding."

"And where is this Soulmate of yours going to stay? Your one-bedroom apartment?"

Jason shook his head. "I was planning on dropping her off at the Manor. I already checked in with Alfred."

"Dropping her off? You aren't staying?" asked Damian.

"No," Jason wrinkled his nose. "It's not as if that's a surprise. You know that I wouldn't last another week under Bruce's roof."

Damian did know that - Jason and his Father fought every chance that they could get. Anything was fair game to be ruined by Jason and Bruce's tumultuous relationship - family dinners, birthday parties, even Dick's engagement party ended with Jason storming out. "Does your Soulmate know that you're dropping them off at someone else's house and then leaving?" Damian further inquired.

Jason glared at Damian. "I'm sure she'll survive."

"Do you really want to piss off your Soulmate on her first day in Gotham? You're pretty much setting yourself up for failure."

"Well, if you're the Soulmate expert now," Jason's sarcasm was scathing. "What do you suggest I do."

"Wait here until the plane arrives so that you can properly greet your Soulmate. Then, Jon and I will drive your Soulmate back to the Manor while you return to your apartment and pack your bags to stay at the Manor for the rest of the week."

"No."

"Alfred already got your room ready earlier this week."

Jason paused for a second. Damian knew that while Jason could barely stand to be in Bruce's presence, he was still fond of Alfred, and viewed his as something of a father figure. "Fine. But before you two ask, Chloé is my platonic Soulmate."

"And you're telling us this because..." Damian questioned.

"She's seventeen."

Damian's eyes widened, for two reasons. The first reason was that Jason was twenty-two years old. Five years older than his Soulmate. The other reason was that both Marinette and Nino, his and Jon's Soulmates, were aged within a year of Chloé. The probability that the three Parisians knew each other wasn't certain, but it was likely.

"Don't give me that look," snapped Jason. "Our bond is strictly platonic. Just because Bruce doesn't believe that I have any morals doesn't mean I'm into underage girls."

"I'm not judging you," Damian said cooly. "I merely found it interesting that all three of our Soulmates are approximately the same age, and all three are arriving on the same flight."

"Do you think they all know each other?" asked Jon.

Damian shrugged. "It's completely possible that they might."

"Well, wouldn't that be a funny little coincidence," scoffed Jason. "My Chloé who - mind you - I only met after I was brutally murdered and revived by the Lazarus Pit, and your Soulmate, the girl who's first Soulmate object was a knife, might know each other."

"Don't forget about my Soulmate," piped up Jon. "Nino's pretty cool too."

Jason barked out a laugh. "God, our lives are so fucked up, I guess this might as well happen."

"By the way," said Jon. "The plane is landing now."

Damian's eyes immediately darted over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. The bright lights on the landing plane were the first thing that caught his eye. He watched as the plane hit the runway, then slid to halt on the tarmac.

"Just a few more minutes," Jon cheered. "Just a few more minutes until Nino gets here."

"Is he always so painfully optimistic?" asked Jason.

"Only when he's awake," Damian responded. "You get used to it, after a while, but it can be kind of jarring at first."

Jason shrugged. "I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to get used to it during my two-week stay at the Manor."

Jon rolled his eyes. "Why is it that you two can only have a civil conversation when you're being mean to someone else?"

"Todd is like that with just about everyone," Damian responded.

"Shush, they're coming," Jon interjected.

The first-class passengers of the plane started filtering into the terminal. Damian briefly wondered if he should have made a sign before he pushed the idea away. It was too late now.

Besides, Damian figured that he would know Marinette when he saw her. It was a common theory that your Soulmate was the most attractive person in the world for you - that every feature you ever found attractive on someone else was ultimately because it was a feature that could be found on your own Soulmate. If that was true than Marinette would have blue eyes and dark hair, a light dusting of freckles across her nose, and a smile that could light up a whole room. No matter what she looked like, though, Damian knew that he would love her. He had already fallen in love with her, and he hadn't even met her in person yet.

Damian froze. It had always been a thought that lingered at the back of his mind, but he had yet to admit it to himself. He was in love with Marinette.

"There's Nino," Jon rushed forward to greet a spectacled boy wearing a pair of headphones around his neck.

"That must be Chloé," Jason sighed, gesturing to a blonde girl, texting away on her phone.

And then he saw her. Marinette.

She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Shiny dark hair, gorgeous blue eyes, freckles - she was everything that he imagined and yet more because she was real and right in front of him.

"Hello, Damian," Marinette greeted with a smile.

Damian was right about that prediction too. Her smile was bright, and it made him feel warm inside. "Hello, Marinette. It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you, too." Marinette looked at him in the eyes. "I know it's a little late, but I have one last birthday gift to give you."

Damian was about to ask her what it was - because she didn't even have her luggage with her - when she leaned forward on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips.

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[thebigladjake]

AX3001: Oddyssey - TV Show Research and Development: Giygas and the Intrigue of having an unexplainable villain

When it came to making a TV Show, I always had an idea for an Earthbound spiritual successor since 2018 and over this last Summer when we were briefed to make three TV Shows. I had to really think about what ideas I wanted to do. However, during my downtime, I suddenly remembered one specific thing about my Earthbound experience...

Giygas

The Embodiment of Evil, the Universal Cosmic Destroyer or the Almighty Idiot according to who you ask, Giygas is the main antagonist of Earthbound and appropriately serves as the game’s final boss before your adventure comes to a close. Granted, him being the very last thing you fight leads to you leaving with that boss fresh on your mind. But, I hadn’t played Earthbound for a few years... And Giygas just suddenly popped into my head. And a lot of the questions were “Why is he like this? This cute and friendly game has a boss that looks like a nightmare?” I was absolutely fascinated by this boss and it led to my second playthrough of the game.

Onett, the start of the Adventure

This is the hometown of our main character, Ness and effectively our window into the world of this game. We see the town he lives in, it’s so bright and colourful with all the town essentials! A burger shop, a town hall, an arcade, hospital, police station and library, it’s familiar to us as our hometowns most likely have similar locations. The vibrant colours of all the buildings is eye-catching and welcoming! 

The music is also worth noting as it’s very peppy and upbeat, it feels like the theme of a small town with a nice community. Most of the music follows this formula.

Most of the towns in the game follow this design and it does feel like you’re exploring more and more of the world, like you’ve ventured further than you have ever gone before and you’re not going to stop because this world is so interesting and welcoming!

Some towns deviate from the formula, but the good people in the towns help to established the same welcoming energy that we’re used to.

Now, let’s take a look at the final map before Giygas’ lair...

The Cave of the Past, the end of the Adventure

Complete contrast to what has been established this entire game. There are absolutely no colours, there are no buildings, no operations of Giygas’ in the background. It’s just a path to the end of the journey and it’s so simple... But, it’s super effective! The lack of colour helps to make it feel otherworldly, makes it feel alien to the world that you’re used to and that’s exactly what Giygas is, he’s not from the world. 

Even our main cast of heroes could not be transported back in time without being transferred into robot bodies, all of their colour is gone too. All except Ness’ hat, showing a small bit of colour almost as if it’s that one bit of hope of beating Giygas.

At the end of games, usually going to the final boss’ lair will be some huge event where you see all of their plans, what they’ve built over time and will be accompanied by some epic score. Earthbound does things differently.

Just give that a listen, it’s a eerie, droning piece that doesn’t sound like a great confrontation theme. It sounds like ambience more than a score to me and I think that makes it scarier, like you are in the positions of the kids who are probably incredibly scared of what they are going to have to face once inside that cave. It’s so incredible and it’s a sample of the Beach Boys song, ‘Deirdre’.

It’s the opening note and I find it amazing how a single sample can do so much! There is another Earthbound track that I will link here which features a sample of the trumpet in the intro of the Beatles song, ‘All you need is Love’ and again, it sets up so much with just a tiny little sample.

This is used just before going to the Cave of the Past, instead being the Cave of the Present. It’s technically just two notes with a reverb, but the sample adds so much and it just feels uncomfortable. However, we don’t need to talk about this for long, let’s go right to Giygas’ lair!

Giygas Lair, the true contrast to Earthbound’s style!

I apologise for the size of the image, but it’s pretty much a straight path but LOOK AT THIS! A trail of organs and entrails twisting and turning through this dark void until you find this uncanny monstrosity of a machine made of the same organic material you were walking on. This. This is what made me come back, it’s such a disturbing idea. 

This is open to interpretation, but the way caves are represented in Earthbound is to only make sprites of the ground and walls. All the stuff you can’t see is black, just like how a cave should be. Giygas’ lair has this same motif, but there doesn’t really appear to be any walls around. So depending on your view, they’re either walking through a tunnel or entrails or walking through the void as previously stated. Personally, I think both are terrifically terrifying but I definitely see the void more.

The organs pulse as you walk up them, the only noise complimenting the atmosphere is the clanking of robo-feet and the breathing of Giygas which is what I feel gives it the whole void feeling. It’s so unnerving that this is the final confrontation, but the fact that it is actually puts us in Ness and his friends shoes.

Getting to the Machine causes everything to stop, the ambience vanishes. Giygas’ intro music plays as the Machine changes to show the robots a picture of Ness’ face. Ness was prophesied to be the one who brings down Giygas and the first thing we see from the Machine is Ness, already suggesting to us that Giygas knows that we’re here...

Pokey, Ness’ childhood friend and eventual enemy over the course of the game, descends in a Spider Mech and just like that the Final Battle is about to begin!

The Final Fight

Of course, the final boss begins with Pokey standing before you with Giygas’ number one thought right now... Ness is here and he’s come to defeat me. This is a pretty standard affair for a boss, only Pokey can be harmed and he is much more a threat in this Spider Mech than he was previously in battle. 

Giygas has a shield that is impervious to any kind of physical or psychic attacks and cannot be destroyed or disabled. He attacks using the special power that only Ness knows ‘PSI Rockin’’. His shield will always reflect your shots back at the character who attacks him and even when they have shield themselves, they will get hit regardless. The Machine is what keeps Giygas stable and alive, making him completely invincible...

However... He has one big idiot on his side...

Pokey can be damaged and the strategy of the fight is to focus on him and avoid any attacks that hit the both of them. Pokey, like the main cast, is a kid and he’s incredibly immature. So as soon as his mech is defeated, he taunts the main gang and turns off the Devil’s Machine... The one thing preventing Giygas’ defeat...

Giygas Released

Once released, Pokey explains that Giygas isn’t even himself anymore. He became so powerful that his body was destroyed and had to be contained into a machine in order to maintain some sort of grasp on his thoughts. Without that machine, the four heroes are taken into a dimension of Giygas’ thoughts and since we play as Ness we hear his thoughts directed towards us the player.

He reaches out with such thoughts as repeating Ness’ (The player’s) name, saying “I feel... Sad.” or “It feels good.” and added upon these thoughts Giygas’ attacks cannot be comprehended by our characters. It really helps to add a sense of hopelessness because we have no idea what is truly going on and we can’t fight what we don’t know. 

An Unconventional Resolution

Attacks don’t work, defending won’t work either, you can’t heal or save yourself. All hopes seem lost until you notice a certain act that Paula can do. Pray.

When Paula prays, she reaches out to the world she left behind and the folks that are waiting for their return get the feeling that something bad is happening. So, they too pray from the bottom of their hearts...

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=320&end=374

If you watch the small clip above, once he feels the support from the Earth. The sound cue to signify that Giygas has been damaged and that Giygas is not okay.

Onward to his next form.

Now I would like you to take a close look at this image, I’ve asked a few people about this and sometimes they get it without me saying anything and others don’t. So, just take a moment to find an image amongst the Giygas’.

Got it or have you given up? In the realm of Giygas, here in the black void is a pretty damn distinct shape of a baby. And this is what fascinated me about Giygas, there is a theory that this is symbolism for abortion as you go back in time to kill Giygas but that theory has been disproven by Shigesato Itoi, the game’s creator. There’s evidence that goes against this theory anyway, but this fetus imagery always stuck out to me. 

It’s said to be a coincidence that the Super Nintendo generated these sprites and in this pattern. But, it’s such a definite shape of a baby and I find it absolutely mental that it’s just a coincidence. And that curiosity is what brought me back to Earthbound, just this happy go lucky game where you make friends with a little monkey that chews bubblegum, make friends with a man who converts himself into a huge dungeon man and at the very end, you’re faced with this. 

It’s not only impactful imagewise, but storywise it’s just as impactful for the opposite reasons. As Giygas can now be damaged by feeling the love and support coming from the friends Ness has made across the world. Each time Giygas is hit, it gets worse, but the moment he really breaks down is when Ness’ Mother wakes up in the middle of the night and rushes downstairs with Ness’ little sister and their dog. They all feel uneasy and begin to pray for the safety of Ness and his friends.

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=702&end=738

This is the moment Giygas truly breaks down, feeling the support of a loving Mother looking out for her son is a feeling he had long since buried. It’s about time I talk about the backstory of Giygas, while it’s not touched upon in Earthbound/Mother 2, in Earthbound Beginnings/Mother we see Giygas as an alien and we learn about how he came to be.

Giygas and Trauma

Giygas was an alien that was raised by Maria and George, a couple that was abducted by the other members of Giygas’ race. Maria adopted Giygas and looked after him while George studied their powers without their approval and eventually escaped with this knowledge, never being seen again. Once Giygas grows up, he was instructed to ensure that no human is capable of using PSI powers and not wanting to betray the people who raised him, he forcefully detached himself from Maria to prepare for the invasion.

Maria was sent back to Earth, but with amnesia and once the Eight Melodies are obtained, she regains her memory and explains that it was a song she used to sing to Giygas when he was young. This is very important.

Giygas’ first attempt to take over the world. He comes down, looking upon the gang and the battle begins. Starting the trend of Mother/Earthbound games having a unusual way of defeating the final boss. This time, the group begins to sing the Eight Melodies which brings up emotions in Giygas that he thought he had long since repressed or even got over. Giygas has a complete mental breakdown and recalls his forces, swearing revenge on the planet and that he will return.

In Earthbound, Giygas has worked on himself and made sure that what brought him down before cannot bring him down again. However, he didn’t do enough since the feeling of a loving Mother reaching out to her son in his time of need still hurts him severely and it’s at this point where Giygas can hardly do anything. His sprite starts contorting, the colours shift and the audio turns into a droning whirring noise.

Ness’ Mothers love is one thing, but it’s not enough. Giygas is wounded, but he is still fighting. Paula keeps praying for one more person and with a few more attempts, that person is you. There’s a moment in the game where the fourth wall is broken and asks you to enter your name. It can even be your full name, my name is pretty long and my name fits into it perfectly. It’s emotionally engaging since it includes you and you feel like in a way you are defeating him rather than Giygas being defeated by the world of the game. 

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=838&end=938

After this Giygas loses control, the whirring increases, his sprite distorts further to the point where he is unrecognisable, the visuals cutting in with static occassionally. Static that appears at the very beginning of the game, suggesting the approach of Giygas and showing pictures of the invasion, and at the end of the game it suggest that he’s retreating, he’s getting out of reach and eventually he is gone.

And after all of that craziness, the robots are outside of Giygas’ lair. Everything is quiet, “The War against Giygas is over.”

What was Shigesato Itoi thinking?

Shigesato Itoi drew inspiration from an event of his childhood, where he had walked into the wrong screen at the theatre. He walked in on a murder scene which as a kid he mistook for a rape scene which had such a potent effect on him. He drew inspiration from it for Giygas’ final battle and some of the things Giygas says. 

In an interview, Itoi claims that there was a scene where a guy grabbed a woman’s breast which distorted it into a ball shape. He said “It all hit me really hard. It was a direct attack on my brain.” despite the fact that this doesn’t actually happen in the movie, which Itoi admits that his memories are a little fuzzy. It’s probably because it all happened so fast and his child brain may have created false memories or just failed to understand it. Itoi also goes onto say, "this sense of terror having atrocity and eroticism side-by-side, and that’s what Giygas's lines at the end are. During the end, he says, “It hurts,” right? That's... her breast. It’s like, how do I put it, a “living-being” sensation." and the purpose of the scene is to get the player’s mind working.

Another interesting part of this interview is when Itoi talks about typical villains and says this, “Well, you know, having a villain there who simply goes, “Wahahaha!” and the like would clearly be bad. But, actually, when I think about it, having villains go, “Wahahaha!” is a really intriguing pattern. But there’s no point in wondering all by yourself for days on end what it means for a bad guy to go, “Wahahaha!” at the climax of a game, you know? I get the feeling that there aren’t many people in the game industry who would do that sort of thing, though.” Which is something important to consider, Earthbound is such a colourful game bursting with personality, so having it end with just a standard final boss affair probably wouldn’t feel satisfying.

What the Earthbound/Mother series taught me about final confrontations?

Giygas’ character and what it taught me that even “Universal Cosmic Destroyers” can have trauma that they are trying to avoid and bury. It humanises them in a way and it can make the final confrontation that more powerful as it’s a problem we can all relate to. They’re not all evil for the sake of being evil, sometimes they don’t have a choice. 

I think this is a good thing to take on board and I have already begun planning on my main antagonist’s motivations on Oddyssey. It might be changed since it’s a sensitive topic for me right now, but these motivations won’t be brought up in Season 1 anyway

[marshmallow-phd]

Mutual Desires

Guardian Angels are everywhere. They look out for their charges and keep a distance. But why? What happens when they get too close? The answer is love. And between an angel and a human, it is the most forbidden connection.  

Genre: Angel!AU

Pairing: Baekhyun x Reader

Summary: Baekhyun had been watching over you since you were child. Now as a grown adult, something new was brewing between the two of you. But with neither of you willing to admit it, with those feelings continue to grow, or will they push you apart for good? 

A/N: Part 3 of the special angel series inspired by @wolveswithblackpearls angel reaction! I hope you enjoy it! (moodboard made by admin C!)

Kyungsoo I Sehun I Baekhyun I Jongin I Chanyeol I Junmyeon

**

The wind was whipping at your face, but that didn’t stop you from giggling, eyes wide in wonder at the sight hundreds of feet below. Baekhyun had taken you flying over a dozen times before, but that never dimmed the amazement or adventure you expressed in your face. He was so focused on the fireworks in your eyes that he’d stopped paying attention to where he was flying.

“Baekhyun, look out!”

The angel barely noticed the flagpole he was headed towards in time to avoid a very painful collision. Finding a rooftop of a nearby building, Baekhyun set you down to both clear his head and give himself a rest. Angels didn’t really get tired, but somehow being around you always made him feel a little weak.

He’d been watching over you since you were a small child. There was always something a little different about you, something that the heavens deemed needing of close protection, so Baekhyun was designated to be your protector full time. He found it entertaining as he’d never actually witnessed a single human go through the different stages of life before. From a stumbling toddler to a curious kindergartener to an awkward middle-schooler, he watched it all like an endless movie.

He thought that he’d been cautious in those early years, keeping his distance and staying invisible. It turned out that he could have been as frantic and panicky as Junmyeon about being caught and it never would have mattered. Because you had The Sight.

It was a rare and unexplainable phenomenon. A handful of people throughout the centuries had been gifted with this strange ability to see all other-worldly beings – whether they be the good or the bad. It took Baekhyun a long time to realize that you had this gift. When you were younger, there were moments when you would be talking to yourself, but it sounded more like you were trying to converse with him. He’d boiled it down to an imaginary friend coinciding with perfect timing and thought nothing more of it. It was when you were a teenager that he finally learned the truth.

He'd been waiting outside of your school while you talked and laughed with your friends, taking your time before having to head home and work on your assignments that were due the next day. When the group decided to part ways, instead of heading in the direction of your house, you walked up to Baekhyun with determination. He was too stunned at this bold and unexpected move that he couldn’t run away or disappear.

“Is there a particular reason you’ve been following me around?” you asked blatantly.

Though there was no one else around that you could be talking to, Baekhyun looked in the surrounding area comically, shocked at this sudden turn of events. Then he pointed to himself. “You can see me?”

You laughed just a tiny bit and smiled. “Yes, I can see you. I’ve always been able to see the angel who’s been stalking me.”

“I’m not stalking you!” he argued. “I’m assigned to watch over you.”

You pursed your lips thoughtful. “Wow. Your life must be pretty boring, then.”

“Since I only have you as an assignment, yeah, it is,” he snarked back. But rather than taking offense, you just laughed, your smile widening even more.

Ever since that day, Baekhyun no longer stayed in the shadows. He’d walk down the street with you side by side, most of the time being visible to everyone else as well so you didn’t look strange talking to yourself. He became more than just your guardian – he became your friend. Your constant friend as you grew even older, graduating and moving on to college and then your first job with your degree.

But it was only recently within the last few months that Baekhyun began to realize that he didn’t just see you as his charge anymore. He didn’t even see you as a friend he could talk to when the other angels just didn’t get it. He saw you as the colors of the sunset mixing in the horizon. He saw you as the first few flakes of snow welcoming in the winter season. You were leaves changing color and the breeze that cooled the skin on a hot summer’s day. You were… everything.

He knew it was wrong. He knew it was against the rules. But he let himself feel this glow inside himself anyway. He just didn’t tell you about it.

Instead, he took in moments like this; when he could take you flying or get into a little mischief. The amount of pranks the two of you had played on poor, unsuspecting people you came across should have gotten him reassigned, but no consequences ever really came from them. The jokes were harmless, mostly just having you distract the target while Baekhyun moved their suitcase or switched out the sugar with salt for their coffees. Yes, it was childish, but he’d do anything just to hear you laugh and watching you smile with tears in your eyes. On days that were rough or when life was getting you down, he was always there to pull faces or imitate the actors on TV to make you feel better. He just wished there was a chance that you maybe you could see him in the same way – as something more than just your guardian.

“I swear, if you kill us by running into a flagpole or something equally as stupid one of these days, I’m coming back and haunting you,” you teasingly threatened. There was something in your eyes – soft and hidden – that he couldn’t quite read. He might not have even known it was there if he hadn’t been staring at you so intensely. But before he could get a better look, you turned away from him. “It’s getting dark out. We should probably head back.”

Baekhyun nodded in agreement before walking over to you and scooping you up in his arms. You let out a surprised yelp before frowning at him. He shrugged as he flapped his wings and lifted the two of you up in the air. Usually, he held you around your waist so you could as if it was your own set of wings carrying you through the air, but he liked this better. He could hold you closer and see your features as they changed along with your emotions. The surprise didn’t leave your face even as he soared through the air of the city, landing on your apartment balcony a few minutes later.

“Thank you for taking me flying,” you said as soon as you were on your feet. “I really needed that today.”

Baekhyun waved it off. “That’s what I’m here for.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “I’m pretty sure you’re actually here to make sure that a piano doesn’t suddenly fall out of the sky and hit me in the head.”

He could hardly believe that you just said that. “Do you suddenly live in a cartoon?”

“I have the ability to see angels and demons everywhere and I have a guardian angel for a best friend,” you deadpanned. “My life is definitely an animated children’s education show.”

“Not with some of the things that come out of your mouth.”

Your only response was to stick your tongue out at him.

He simply laughed at you before nudging you towards the sliding glass door. “Go on and get some sleep. I doubt your boss would want you to be taking a nap at your desk.”

“Okay, mom,” you giggled. When the sound died down, you paused, your hand hesitating on the handle. That soft, just-for-him smile grew on your face as you met his gaze. “Good night, Baekhyun.”

“Good night,” he nodded back before disappearing from view.

**

When you exited your bathroom, you searched all around your apartment to see if Baekhyun had returned. There were a few occasions that he came to see you before you fell asleep, but that was becoming a rarity lately. When Baekhyun said good night, you usually didn’t see him again until you were about to walk out the door to head to work the next day. Tonight was apparently not going to be one of those nights where you saw him again.

Sighing to yourself, you crawled under your covers and stared out the window that faced your bed. The bright lights of the city buildings spilled into your room giving it a comforting glow. It was usually this time of night, when you were alone with nothing but your thoughts and your imagination, that you taunted yourself.

The very thought of being in love with your guardian angel was laughable on the small scale and a disaster in the making on the larger one. But you had been in love with Baekhyun practically your whole life. He’d been your one constant companion as your human friend group changed throughout your childhood and into your adult life. He was the one you talked to whether he was there or not and you knew you could always rely on him. But the closest you would ever get feeling his lips against yours was in your dreams. And you’d certainly dreamed about it plenty of times.

You had no other choice but to keep this information to yourself. The fear of losing Baekhyun if the truth were to come out was paralyzing. Whether because he deemed it necessary or because whoever assigned him to you in the first place decided to replace, you knew that couldn’t voice what was in your heart out loud. You couldn’t imagine what your life would look like if he wasn’t around and you didn’t want to know. So, if living with this torturing feeling of him always being slightly out of reach kept him around, then so be it. You’d lived with it this long, what was the rest of your life?

**

You didn’t sleep very well meaning you were up way too early to be getting ready for work. But there was nothing else to do and Baekhyun still didn’t seem to be around, so you went through your morning routine as usual, albeit ahead of schedule. That didn’t stop you from hoping to see his smiling face waiting for you when you opened your front door. However, the hallway was empty so you made your way to work, alone.

Did you do something yesterday? Had your teasing finally gone too far? Did he, perhaps, see your deep, dark secret in your eyes and run away?

Your mood worsened as the day went on and your guardian angel was still MIA. He didn’t even bother to send word to let you know why he wasn’t around.

What if something happened to you? What if you got kidnapped while out at lunch or hit by a car when you crossed the street? So many things could happen to you and he wasn’t here to prevent them. What kind of angel was he, anyway?

The dark cloud roaming over your head was very much apparent to your coworkers. Their idea of trying to cheer you up was to invite you out for drinks. Normally, you would have turned them down, but not tonight. It was Friday, you had nowhere to be and – now it seemed – no one to spend the evening with. So when the clock struck five, you were waltzing out the door arm in arm with your wild coworkers for a liquor-fueled night of fun.

**

Baekhyun was in a panic. He’d stayed away too long and this was his punishment for it. Following the grid system of the city blocks, he flew over every inch of the area you lived and worked in, trying to find some sign of you. He could tell you were close, but angels didn’t have exact GPS built into their systems. A bit of a flaw, if you asked him.

After leaving you the night before, he thought he would give it a try to see how long he could go without seeing you, just to make sure that he wasn’t being delusional in his feelings. The emotions he felt for you were very much real, he discovered. All day long he thought about you, fought with himself as to whether or not rush back to you. Did you even miss him? Probably, but only because you were used to his presence.

It scared him, if he was being honest. It scared him how much he needed you, wanted you. He was always the angel without any cares. He was the one who could be relied on to make jokes or ease the tension in a heated conversation. Seriousness wasn’t really a part of his make-up. But now, nothing was more serious than the need to find you. If something had happened…. He didn’t even want to think about that, but he knew he would never forgive himself.

Flying no longer being of any help, Baekhyun landed in an alleyway near your office, changed his appearance to be more human-like, and began running through the streets. He whipped his head back and forth, searching every window he could see for any sign of you. After three blocks, he could breathe again.

Inside of a semi-crowded bar, you were sitting at the counter, laughing and talking to a few coworkers that Baekhyun recognized. It was obvious that you’d been drinking from the way you swayed back and forth. Confused, Baekhyun entered the establishment.

You didn’t notice him at first, continuing to sip at your cocktail and chat with the girl on the stool next to you. Before he could reach you, however, another guy slid in, blocking you from view.

“No, thank you,” Baekhyun heard you slur sternly.

“Oh, come on, baby,” the guy purred. “It’s just one little drink.”

“Go away!” You tried to push on the creep’s shoulder for emphasis, but he just snatched your wrist up. And Baekhyun marched forward, grabbing the guy’s arm and slamming him face down on the counter.

“She said no.” Baekhyun maybe not be built like Chanyeol, but he still had that angel strength that could take down Mr. Universe.

The guy struggled under the angel’s grip. “Let me go!”

“Only if you swear to leave this bar right now,” Baekhyun growled. The guy nodded, looking more like a bobble-head than a person. So, Baekhyun let go and the guy ran out the front door.

“So, I’m going to guess that you’re Baekhyun,” one of your coworkers cooed. She had a smirk on her lips, like she’d just hit the gossip jackpot.

Ignoring her, he looked to you, but you were blatantly ignoring him, tabbing out with the bartender who didn’t seem phased by the incident that just happened.

“Hello?” Baekhyun waved a hand near your face that you just swatted away. Sliding off your seat, you marched right past him and out of the bar. He chased after you, bringing you to a halt out on the sidewalk. “Whoa, whoa, where are you going?”

You staggered on your feet. There was no way he was going to leave you alone now, even though you were very obviously mad at him. “I’m going home!” you pouted. “Without you! Like I have been all day!”

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun sighed. “Some… things came up.” He hated lying to you, but what else was he supposed to say? That he was in love with you and so he needed space in order to keep his big mouth from blabbing? “But I’m here now.”

“So what?” Little pools of water began to form on your bottom lids, spilling over after your failed attempts to sniff them back. He reached out with both hands, cupping your cheeks as he wiped the tears away with his thumbs. But instead of feeling comfort, you pushed him away. “Stop it! That’s not fair!”

Tilting his head to the side, Baekhyun couldn’t help but be utterly confused. “What’s not fair?”

You didn’t answer. You just broke down right there on the sidewalk while nosy people glanced at the two of you as they walked on by. Feeling extremely uncomfortable due to the fact that he was completely clueless on how to comfort you, Baekhyun pulled you into a secluded spot before taking off in the air to fly you back home.

The whole way back, you squirmed and fought against his hold, making him lose his balance several times. Back on the balcony, he let you go and you stormed inside the apartment, ripping off your work clothes and shoes and throwing them in every random direction until you were just standing there in your underwear and a tank top. Baekhyun stared up at the ceiling to avoid any possible ogling.

“Where were you!” you shouted as you whirled on him.

“I told you,” he whined, hating that you making him repeat the lie all over again. “I had other… things that I needed to do.”

“Am I not important anymore?” Your voice now came out in barely a whisper, the weight of his possible answer too heavy for your depleting energy.

Stalking up to you, Baekhyun pulled you into his chest, whispering back, “You’ll always be the most important.”

Rather than making you happy like he’d expected, you started to cry harder, the tears from your eyes soaking his shirt. Lifting you up, Baekhyun carried you over to your bed and laid you down on top of the comforter. He meant to sit in the chair that you kept by the bed, but your grip on his shirt was tight and forceful, so, against all the alarm bells going off in his head, he slid into the space next you and held you as you cried yourself to sleep.

**

Somehow, when you woke up the next morning, you were in both a blissful and painful existence. Your head pounded from all the alcohol that you’d consumed while out with your coworkers, but at the same time, a soothing motion that felt like fingers gently brushing the side of your face seemed to ease the pain. You buried deeper into the mass that was next to you, sighing in content. Until you recognized the smell of the fabric you nose was pressed up against.

Opening your eyes wide, you gasped at seeing Baekhyun… in your bed… holding you….

You sat up, flustered, and cleared your throat. “What are you doing here?”

“You drank a lot last night,” Baekhyun explained as he straightened up as well. He reached out to touch your face again, but stopped, letting his hand fall down to his lap. “I didn’t want to leave you alone and you wouldn’t let go of my shirt, so I stayed.”

“You didn’t mind leaving me alone during the day,” you grumbled.

He sighed. “Are you really going to make me say again how I had things to do?”

“I don’t remember much of last night,” you admitted shyly.

“You don’t?”

You shook your head, embarrassed. Just as Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something else, your stomach growled, loudly, making you giggle. Even Baekhyun cracked a smile despite the previous tension.  

“You should eat something,” he sighed.

Nodding, you slipped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. As you took ingredients out of the fridge and set them down on the counter, you caught Baekhyun staring at you. “What?”

“Nothing,” he answered a little too quickly before sitting down at the small island. You looked down and realized how little clothing you were currently wearing. But, both out of laziness and a bit of spite, you didn’t go put more on.

For a few minutes, the kitchen was silent, save for the sound of you putting your breakfast together. There was an awkwardness in the air that you’d never felt before with Baekhyun and you couldn’t explain what had brought it on. Something kept telling you that this was the time to confess, but that same old fear of losing him held you back.

“Hey, (y/n)?”

You glanced over your shoulder. The deepest frown was cutting lines into Baekhyun’s face, making you wonder what was going through his mind. “Yeah?”

“What’s it like?” he asked cryptically. You waited a few seconds before he clarified, “The domestic life?”

“The domestic life?” you echoed. “You mean, paying rent, cleaning, and doing laundry? You’ve seen me do that a hundred times. Don’t you know how boring it is by now?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “No, not that kind of domestic. I mean… for couples?”

W-what? Why was he asking you that?

In the past, you’d had a few boyfriends to try and get over Baekhyun, to see if a plain, boring human could mask what you felt for the angel, but none of them really lasted. You could never put your whole heart into the relationship and they deserved better than that.

“It’s… nice,” you finally answered. “Kind of like… home, I guess? Home becomes a person and even the simplest things, like cooking or watching TV, can become intimate moments just because you’re together. That’s what it's like.”

Baekhyun nodded, taking in your answer, but not replying in any way that would explain why he asked that in the first place. So, you turned back to the skillet that was cooking your eggs, more confused than ever as to what that boy could be thinking.

Suddenly, a pair of arms snaked around your waist and a chin pressed into your shoulder.

“Intimate moments like this?” Baekhyun whispered in your ear.

Your hands froze, the eggs in the pan popping from the heat. A small speck of oil landed on your arm, making you jump from the stinging sensation. You hissed at the tiny burn before taking the pan off the heat and turning the stove off.

“Sorry.” Baekhyun began to withdraw, but you twisted around in his arms to face him and keep him close.

“Why did you do that?” you asked breathily.

“I shouldn’t have.” Baekhyun avoided your gaze as he once again tried to step back.

You held onto his arms desperately. Leaning in, you took the chance, your heart pounding in your chance. But before you could get closer, Baekhyun took the liberty of closing in the gap, capturing your lips in his.

Wrapping his arms around you once more, he pulled you in close. His lips were soft yet teasing, acting like he was about pull away before he dived back in for more.

When you finally separated, both of you were breathing heavy. The wisps of each release of his lungs brushed your face. You felt like you were still dreaming, falling into the trap that was your own mind giving you just a taste of happiness before you woke up to reality again. You hated reality. Reality was what kept the two of you apart, held you back from saying out loud what you’d longed to confess. And now, those few short seconds of pure joy were immediately crushed as you remembered what is was that held you back in the first place.

“We’re not supposed to do that,” you said. Although reluctant to do so, you started to push on his arms to get him to let go. He refused to budge.

“I know,” Baekhyun swallowed thickly. “But after yesterday, I realized that I couldn’t continue to hold myself back. I lied. I wasn’t out doing other things. I was seeing if I could stay away from you. And I found out that I can’t. And it has nothing to do with my assignment. It’s just… you.”

You laughed, just once. “So, you don’t have to go away now?”

He shook his head, giving you back your hope. “I’m never going away. Who else will be my partner in crime?”

You rolled your eyes, unable to hold back the even greater laugh. He could always make you smile even when you felt like crying. It was one of your favorite things about him. But you couldn’t stop your thoughts from going down the darker road. “Will something bad happen-”

“Nothing bad will happen while I’m around,” Baekhyun scoffed nonchalantly. “Angels and humans go together like… bees and honey.”

“Bees and honey?” you said skeptically. “That was quite the analogy.”

“I’m not good at poetry,” he pouted.

What were you going to with him?

As if proving that he was here to stay, Baekhyun pulled you back in for another kiss. You could feel his smile against your lips as he led you out of the kitchen. Empty stomach or not, it appeared that breakfast would just have to wait.

[whatevshollandarchive]

Peach Scone (T.H. x Reader)

Pairing: College!Tom Holland x Reader

Words: 5.9k 

Warnings: Swearing, Cheating-esque events, Some angst, Mostly fluff

Summary: Tom finds himself falling for you the moment you begin as his co-worker, but then finds out about your relationship - and where it is heading - and has to try to keep his feelings out of the equation.

A/N: Hi, so I wrote this for @tominhoodies ‘ 900 challenge and I’m actually kinda proud of this. It took me a while to write it in a way that I wanted to but I was very inspired by the song prompt and the actual story behind the song. I didn’t follow the lyrics to a T, and I didn’t really set it up in a way that I’ve seen song prompt fics in, but hopefully, it’s enjoyable. I used lines from the song in two different parts, so if you know Peach Scone, you’ll probably catch those parts. Also, there are parts in here that I literally did not know how to write less confusingly so if you’re confused at certain parts, I probably was too lmao. P.S. There are so many italics in this and I have no idea why. I guess I was in an emphasizing mood.

Prompt: “Peach Scone” by Hobo Johnson

Masterlist

Summertime in Virginia was beautiful. It was always so warm and pretty around town, but instead of taking advantage of the nice weather and pleasant sites, Tom was spending his summer break in a pizza parlor. Not the ideal situation he thought he’d be in while out of college for the summer months. He wanted to go home and visit his family back in London, but rent spiked up again and he couldn’t afford to fly across the ocean, try to keep up with loans and tuition and pay rent every month. So, serving pizza was all he got.

It wasn’t terrible. He had time off and could do things. He didn’t always smell like pizza. but the part that made it the most sufferable for him was you, his favorite co-worker. You’d started working at the shop two weeks after summer started, and Tom, having been working there for two months at the time, was tasked with being your mentor of sorts. Which gave the two of you the same shifts all summer long, mostly just because the manager was lazy and didn’t want to change it around when it was already looking okay. So, because of that, the two of you became close. Too close. Lines became blurred for Tom after some time. He was immediately attracted to you, but he wasn’t sure where you stood with your feelings. It seemed like you liked him back and flirted with him, but Tom had come to find out that you were in a relationship. A very serious relationship, at that.

The sun was beginning to set as Tom drummed his fingers on his steering wheel as he drove to work for the evening. His thoughts were racing as he pulled into the parking lot and searched for a place to park. He noticed your Mini Cooper sitting in a lone area and saw your figure still inside, staring down at your phone. He sucked in a breath and boldly whipped into a spot next to yours. You’d glanced up and smiled when you saw that it was Tom, setting your phone on silent before getting out of your car.

By the time Tom had gotten out of his truck, You’d appeared on the other side of your Mini Cooper to greet and walk into the store with him to begin your shift. He smirked when he saw you.

“What a coincidence,” He said and you both fell into step beside each other as you crossed the parking lot. “Didn’t expect you to be here.”

You rolled your eyes and bumped his shoulder with yours before stepping up onto the sidewalk in front of the doors to the parlor.

“Very funny, Tom. You definitely take after your father, for sure.” Tom opened the glass door for you.

“I can hear the sarcasm in your voice and I think that it’s unnecessary, Y/N.”

You ignored him as the two of you walked behind the counter to drop your personal items into your designated cubbies. Three other workers who were just ending their shifts said hello to you and Tom, as they usually did, before explaining to you how things were going. Tom watched as another co-worker that shared the same shifts as him clocked in and then walked back into the kitchen to pick up where the previous cook left off.

It was a normal day so far, Tom reaching over your shoulder to clock in the second after you do so yourself. It would change though, as soon as Tom was given both the chance and confidence. He wanted to make things less ordinary and more “Hey, I like you a lot.” But he also knew about your boyfriend and didn’t wanna seem like he didn’t support you and your relationship. He just kinda wanted to let his feelings be known, so he didn’t have to hide behind the compliments that were seen as him being a good friend. He had a lot to think over before he actually said something, but he felt like tonight was the night.

It was empty this shift. No one wanted to have pizza, it seemed, but that was normal. This particular pizza shop did not have tons and tons of customers at this time of day, ever, which made it a breeze to work there. But there was generally someone out there who wanted pizza and came in. This day just wasn’t one of those days, you supposed, as you leaned forward on the counter, resting your head in your hands. Tom stood a few feet away, admiring how perfect you looked, with your hair spilling down your back and your painted nails tapping your cheek. 

Tom forced himself to look away before you caught him staring. He shook the thought of spilling the beans about his feelings away. You had a boyfriend, why would he wanna mess with that? And besides, he wasn’t sure if he actually liked you, or if he just felt lonely because all his friends were in relationships and he was single. He wasn’t sure if he loved the thought of specifically being with you or just the thought of not being alone. He still had to think it over.

You sighed from where you stood and looked over at Tom, who was seemingly interested in whatever it said on his uniform’s hat. You dropped your hands and stood up straight.

“This is so boring.” You broke the silence and Tom smiled, looking up at you. You melted at the sight but immediately cursed yourself (and maybe Tom a little bit too) because you could not see him in that way. You had Luke, and it was going...okay with him. You didn’t wanna mess it up just because you worked with an attractive guy from England. 

You watched as he placed his hat back on his head and nodded slightly.

“It’s a bit boring, yeah,” You tried to fight the smile growing on your face, but it didn’t work. “What do you think we should do?”

You glanced around at the empty tables, tapping your nails on the counter in front of you before shrugging.

“Just anything but this.” Tom looked back into the kitchen where the other person was napping. Then, he swiftly walked in and found the fresh batch of garlic knots that the previous workers said they’d made before they left. 

“Hungry?” He asked, eyebrows raised, as he walked back to where you were standing in confusion. You laughed, nodding, and he slid the basket across the counter to you. You took one and carefully pulled it apart, putting some of it in your mouth. “How’s it going with Lucas?”

You scrunched your nose when Tom mentioned your boyfriend, and Tom gave you a knowing look. Something must’ve happened before you came into work, he could tell. You swallowed and pushed yourself up onto the counter, swinging your legs back and forth.

“He’s being a lame-o,” You rolled your eyes, recalling the argument over text you’d been having before Tom pulled into the parking spot beside yours. “Just some stupid stuff.”

Tom watched as you shook your head and pulled another piece off the garlic knot you had in your hands.

“You wanna talk about it?” You smiled softly.

“He was just...you know when you just have all these pent up things that you’re frustrated about and then someone can just do one little thing and it’ll set you off?” Tom nodded when you met his eye. “It was like that. We both just were not having it with each other today and it showed that it was more than the fact that he didn’t do the laundry when I asked him to and that I was ‘expecting too much of him.’” 

“So, what do you think it is?” Tom leaned forward and took a garlic knot himself as you shrugged. 

“I dunno. Sometimes he just bugs me to the point where I’m just so irritated with him, you know? I hate feeling like that.” 

Tom didn’t know Luke well enough to have an actual opinion on him, but he could tell he wouldn’t really like him, just judging by the stories and conversations you talk about. Not all of them are ones where you’re hurt by your boyfriend, Tom’s heard general mishaps or funny situations and hated the approaches Luke took. But when you were hurt by him, it made Tom dislike the guy even more.

“Understandable. Did he apologize?” You gave Tom a look that said, ‘Seriously?’

“Of course not. We were still mid-argument when you pulled in beside me.”

“Have I ever told you how much I don’t like him?” He joked and you laughed.

“You just haven’t met him,” You explained, tossing the garlic knot back into the basket, not that hungry anymore. “Though, I’d suggest not doing so. He’s kind of addicting.”

You and Tom talked for hours until it was time to close up shop, having only one group come in during the night. Tom had been jumping back and forth between whether or not he should ask you to get coffee with him the next morning. But as you walked towards your cars, he figured he should just do it, and if you took it the wrong way, the weekend you two had off would shake off any awkwardness that would ensue. 

As the two of you walked, you were talking about how you and your brother became obsessed with trying all the different Pop-Tart flavors growing up, swinging your keys around on your fingers while Tom studied your profile, smiling to himself. You both came to a stop when you got to the cars and you leaned against the bumper of yours as a comfortable silence emerged between the two of you. Tom was beginning to panic, wondering how he should bring up coffee to you and mentally yelling at himself for not practicing what to say.

You looked through your notifications on your phone and saw the latest text from Luke, groaning. Tom looked up at you.

“I need to get out of ‘talking everything out’ with Luke tomorrow morning. Can you help?” Perfect timing, Luke, thanks for being annoying right now.

“I was just about to ask about coffee and scones tomorrow. Is that alright?” You grinned and pulled the Holland boy in for a hug.

“Thank you so much,” You said, pulling away. Your phone beeped in your hand and you looked down. “9?” 

You showed him the new notification on your lock screen of your boyfriend asking about 9 AM himself and Tom nodded.

“Sounds lovely.”

“Great. see ya then, Tommy.”

As Tom drove to his townhouse, he couldn’t help but smile. He’d done it, although you brought it up first and you were just using it as a way to get out of talking to your boyfriend, which, in retrospect, probably isn’t the best idea. But, Tom had asked you to get a cup of coffee with him and you’d said yes, and it was done and settled. It wasn’t a date, but beggars can’t be choosers. Tom would just have to suck it up and wish for the best. He looked back at nearly 10 minutes earlier and wondered why he was so nervous to just ask you to coffee in the first place. It’s not like he knew for sure that he liked you. He was still in the dark about if it was just that it seemed like everyone around him was in love while he was single, or if it was indeed how pretty and kind and clever you are.

After Tom walked into his rented home, he tossed his keys onto the counter and threw his hat down on the couch. His mind wandered off as he flung himself onto the couch next, thinking back on what you’d said about Luke. You had told him that Luke was “addicting.” Tom pursed his lips, remembering how the scene had played out. Maybe you didn’t want to be in that relationship anymore. Sometimes you certainly acted that way. He thought of you walking away from that fool, who had no clue that he was letting the best girl around slip right through his fingertips.

The next morning, Tom met you at a predetermined - more like frantically decided over text at 8:45 when you’d both remembered a specific place had not been said the night before - cafe, wearing a casual gray hoodie and some dark wash jeans with a gray baseball cap. You quickly pulled him in for a hug, thanking him once again for getting you out of having to be the first to apologize.

Tom chuckled, and said, “Anything for you, love” which had made your heart melt.

You had decided on the way to the coffee shop that this meetup for Saturday morning coffee was not cheating because guys and girls who are in relationships with other people can still go get some scones and some mochas and lattes and just talk. There was some flirtatious seeming banter between you and Tom often, you could admit that, but this was simply just a time to hang out with your co-worker outside of the usual greasy pizza place for once. Luke, if he were to ever find out, would understand, you were sure of it. For the most part, anyway. You were just sick and tired of listening to Luke’s shitty excuses and guilt-tripping. You were glad to be spending time with someone other than him outside of work. Luke was a handful sometimes and it got on your nerves.

The two of you got your coffee and scones and took a seat at one of the tables outside of the shop. You sighed after sitting down, leaning your head on one of your hands as you looked at him sitting across from you. he smiled before taking a sip of his coffee, he definitely wouldn’t mind if he got to see that across a table all the time. He set down his cup, and you both gave each other a look that everyone who was walking past would’ve described as lovingly. 

It was quiet between the two of you, but a good quiet. It was comfortable, and it felt like you were both there to be with each other, no need for comments and conversations. Tom’s heart picked up as you reached across the table and took a piece of his scone to try. It was slow motion, he watched as you tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear with your free hand, while moving to pop the part of his scone into your mouth. A smile fell onto his face as you leaned back in your seat, absolutely in love with the food that you just tasted.

“I love-” He didn’t even realize that the words were coming out of his mouth until he could stop himself. He started to panic before he pointed at the pastry in front of him. “...these scones.”

He nervously glanced up at you, and you were smiling, it going over your head that Tom had almost confessed his love for you while you were avoiding your boyfriend. You nodded in agreeance.

“Me too. I didn’t know they had them here.”

“The different flavors to choose from are amazing,” He went on, trying not to show his nervousness in his voice. “Blueberry is really good, and so’s the raspberry.”

“The peach one you got is delicious.” You giggled swiping another piece, but Tom didn’t mind.

“Did you see the pumpkin one? How do you even make a scone out of a pumpkin?” He laughed. “It’s basically a squash!” 

“Mind-blowing, Holland.” You quipped, raising your eyebrows. Tom rolled his eyes.

“So, what’s the newest installment with my man Lucas?” You nudged his foot with your own.

“Stop saying his name like that. He’s not that bad.” You told him, lifting your cup to your lips.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Y/N.” You shook your head, grinning.

“Anyway,” He raised an eyebrow. “He’s just...ugh, I don’t know it’s like he makes me mad because it’s funny or something. I’m getting sick of it.”

Tom bit his lip, nodding. He watched as you just stole his entire scone this time. 

“Maybe he’ll come around? Could be a phase.” A phase? He cursed himself for sounding like an old man. You shrugged, and Tom stood up straight in his seat.

“I think I’m gonna break up with him soon.” You sighed, staring at Tom’s scone.

“Really?” He tried not to sound too surprised or excited. You nodded.

“Yeah, if things don’t get better over the next few days,” He gave you an encouraging smile and you returned it, before leaning forward. “So, got any hot plans for tonight?” 

A sea of witty, flirtatious remarks flew through Tom’s mind. All of which included a way to invite you out or just to his place. But he settled for a less direct and more playful response, without actually checking his schedule first.

“For once in my life, no.” You watched as he smirked.

“That is unbelievable,” You replied, mockingly. “You? With no plans on a Saturday night?”

“Leaves me more time to hang out with you.” You snickered.

“Well, what’re we gonna do, then?” Tom’s face lit up like he was a child on Christmas morning opening the gift they’d wanted for so long.

“We could stay at mine and watch some movies?” 

“Fair enough,” you’d shrugged, smiling. Friends watched movies at other friends’ houses, right? What’s the harm in that? “Well, I gotta go deal with Luke. I don’t think I can hold off any longer without him breaking into my house or something. Text me your address?” 

Tom watched as you stood up, smiling at him as you pushed in the metal chair you’d been sitting in. He found himself nodding enthusiastically. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just come on over whenever.” He replied, picking up his coffee and taking a long sip as you took his scone in a napkin, lifting it up, silently asking if you could take the rest of it. He nodded, waving it off.

“Alrighty then,” You quickly leaned down and gave him a kiss on his cheek, surprising the both of you, before you whispered in his ear. “Thanks again.”

And then you walked off, leaving a blushing, brown-haired boy smiling widely to himself as he finishes his coffee.

You found yourself a few hours later, pulling up to a cute white townhouse. Things with Luke were not getting any better and you needed to get out of there before you pulled the plug on the relationship. Tom, of course, was there with open arms, allowing you to hide out at his place away from Luke. You smiled when you saw the front door open and Tom’s smiling face appeared as you got out of your Mini Cooper. 

“Hey, I brought cookie dough. I figured we could bake cookies or something.” You called out as you walked up to his front porch. He nodded, grinning, which made you grin back.

“That sounds great!” He said as you stepped inside of his clean home, kicking off your shoes. You looked around at the place that Tom called home, taking in the decorations and furnishings as he lead you into the kitchen.

“Wow, I love your place. How’d you get so lucky in the market?” You laughed. “My apartment sucks and it was all I could find.” Tom rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly, as he looked around.

“My mom found it for me and my roommate when we were deciding on coming over here from London. She’s really good at finding deals and negotiating.” 

“That’s so cool. My parents just sent me off saying ‘It’s adulthood. Get used to it.’”

Tom’s face scrunched up as he caught the cookie dough package you tossed at him.

“That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?” You smiled softly and shrugged, before pulling your hair up into a messy ponytail.

“It’s generally the attitude they’ve always had, you know? You get used to it before your turn 15 when it’s all that you grow up with.” He cast you a sympathetic look before reading the directions on the back of the cookie dough package, beginning to pull a cookie sheet from one of the cabinets.

“So,” Tom tore open the package, and you moved to his side, bumping his shoulder with yours as you both began to ball up pieces of the cookie dough. “How’d it go?”

You didn’t say anything for a moment as you carefully and strategically placed down your ball of cookie dough on the sheet, before grabbing another piece to roll into a ball.

“It was not going well,” You frowned, thinking back at the sharp words you and Luke had been saying to each other. “I think if I’d stayed any longer, it would’ve been over.” Tom nodded, glancing at you for a moment.

“Right, that’s understandable.”

You smiled softly at that, putting another piece on the cookie sheet.

“I think towards the end he knew it was gonna end with a breakup. Before I left to come here, he was trying to ‘fix’ things. But, it only made them worse.” You murmured the last part and fiddled with the cookie dough in your hands.

Tom looked back down at you, and his heart broke. You looked so sad, and lost, wondering how a seemingly fine relationship could be seen ending shortly. 

“Hey,” He called out and your gaze lifted to meet his. “Feel free to stay over whenever you want. And for however long.”

A smile, slow but sweet, grew on your face.

“Thank you.”

Almost as soon as Tom pulled the freshly baked cookies out of the oven, his front door swung open, with his twin brothers and his roommate standing in the threshold of the home. You looked over at Tom, startled, wondering who these people were and why they just barged into Tom’s place. 

“Hey, Tom! Did you miss us?” One of the boys said, with an English accent that matched Tom’s. He had about a million freckles dotted on his face. Tom’s face was scrunched up in confusion.

“Uh, yeah, I did,” Tom replied, sounding caught off-guard as he set the hot cookie sheet on some potholders you’d set out. “So, what are you guys doing here?” 

The blond one threw his keys onto the counter in front of you frowned at Tom. And the curly haired one gave a look of disbelief, glancing at the others he walked in with.

“Tom. We’ve been planning this visit for a month.” He also had a British accent, so you only assumed the blond one did too. The realization hit Tom and he groaned.

“Oh my god. I’m sorry, guys,” You stood there, very confused. Tom turned to you, gesturing to the three boys in front of you. “Uh, Y/N, these are my brothers and my roommate.” 

“I’m Sam!” The freckled one waved.

“Harry.” The curly-haired one said.

“And I’m Harrison. I’m the one who’s not related to these divs.”

You giggled and waved back.

“I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you all.” Tom bit his lip as you started a conversation with Harry and Sam. Harrison pulled him into the hallway out of your earshot.

“Uh, thanks for letting me know we’re having company,” Haz said, sarcastically. “I didn’t know coffee as “just friends” lasted seven hours.” Harrison knew all about Tom’s crush on you. It was practically all Tom talked about, going on and on about how he didn’t know his feelings about you, to which the blond always rolled his eyes. There definitely was feelings. And a lot of them.

Tom sighed and glanced around the corner to look at you. Harrison did the same. He had to admit, you were gorgeous. He could see why Tom liked you so much.

“I-well, she asked if I had plans and I told her no, and invited her over on impulse.”

Tom muttered, turning back to his best friend.

“Right. Well, what do you think is gonna happen when her boyfriend figures out she’s at your house?”

“They’re on the verge of breaking up. She even said so herself that she’s going to soon.”

“And?” Tom didn’t know what to say, and he figured it’d be best to not respond to Harrison, who continued after a moment. “You both thought baking cookies alone would be the best idea in the middle of her relationship ending?”

“Hey, it was her idea. I’m just trying to console her about all this.” Suddenly, the maroon wall in the darkness of the hallway was very interesting to Tom.

“Tom, this is going to be a mess.” Harrison told him.

“It’s all for her.” 

Harrison looked at the oldest Holland’s face a moment longer, before shaking his head with a small smile on his lips. He playfully smacked Tom’s shoulder before leading the way back to the kitchen, where he and Tom didn’t seem to be missed all that much, as the conversation that you and the twins were in was very engaging for the three of you.

Tom began to transfer the cookies on the sheet to the cooling rack, smiling at your laughter.

“That must’ve been so much fun.” You giggled. Tom finished moving the cookies and focused on you. He still had a smile on his face as he watched you talk and laugh at his brothers’ stories.

“So, are you two dating?” Sam asked, and Tom’s head snapped to look at his younger sibling. Sam and Harry were both completely in the dark about all of this drama - if you’d even call it drama - so it wasn’t like Sam was trying to make Tom flustered. But, there Tom was, a blushing mess.

“Um, no,” Tom cleared his throat. “No. Y/N is in a relationship with someone who is-uh-not...me.” Harry furrowed his brow, nodding slowly. You smiled, embarrassed.

“Tom’s actually helping me figure out how to end that relationship since it isn’t, um, doing...so...well.” You trailed off, and the twins between you and Tom, confused. Harrison just shook his head as he yanked open the refrigerator door.

“Okay, well, I wish you the best in all that.” Harry smiled, and his twin nodded.

“Right, well, she and I were just gonna hang out and watch some movies tonight and-”

“Oh, we’re going out to a bar or two, so we won’t be in the way or anything,” Harrison spoke up, and everyone’s eyes looked to him as he shut the fridge door, a water bottle in hand. “What?”

“That’s cool. Fine with me.” Tom said, looking down at the countertop, wishing they would just leave now so it wouldn’t be so awkward.

“Well, if you wanna go with them, Tommy, you can. I can go hom-”

“No, it’s fine, I invited over to hang out.”

“Are you sure? I mean, you don’t get to see your brothers that often, right?”

“It’s fine, they’ll be here all week.” You nodded.

“I’m sorry, but what’s the deal with this relationship? I need the juicy details.” You laughed at Sam and went into the whole story with Luke, and how Tom is always there when you need to vent to him at work, and all the stupid arguments.

“Good for you for dumping him. Or beginning to, anyway.” Harrison told you after you’d finished, glancing over at Tom for a moment, who just made brief eye contact. You smiled and let out a breath.

“He sounds awful. Kudos to you.” Sam added, and Harry held out his fist for a fist bump, which you cheerfully obliged to.

“Well, we should get going. We wanted to get something to eat before we left. You guys sure you don’t wanna join?” Harrison offered but you and Tom both shook your heads.

“We’re just gonna spend the night in.” And with that, the boys left the house, leaving you and Tom alone once again.

“Well, they’re pretty cool.” You giggled. You turned to Tom, a smile on your face.

“Yeah. a bit of a handful, but cool,” It became silent between the two of you before Tom started talking again. “Look, I’m sorry about this. It totally slipped my mind that they were coming by and-”

“It’s alright, Tom.”

“Okay,” he said. “What’s the movie for the night?”

Three and a half movies later, Harry, Sam, and Harrison walked into the house to find a movie paused on the screen and Tom emerging from the hallway, but you were not in sight.

“Did Y/N go home?” Harrison asked, hopeful Tom wouldn’t be getting himself into more trouble with this Luke guy, but Tom shook his head.

“She fell asleep, so I put her in my room.” Tom made his way to plop back down on the couch, turning off the tv, as his brothers and best friend sat down beside him.

“Where exactly will you be sleeping?” Harrison raised an eyebrow and Tom gestured to the couch.

“And what about us?” 

“Yeah, there’s only two couches.” Tom frowned.

“Right. Well, I guess I’m gonna have to share a bed with Y/N…”

“Or you could wake her up and tell her to go home.” Harrison offered.

“No, no, no,” Tom replied and Harry shared a glance with Harrison. “I told her she can stay whenever she wants and however long she needs.”

“Oh, so you like her?” Sam asked, grinning.

“Wha-”

“So, that’s why you’re helping her with her relationship troubles. Not just because you’re that good of a person.” Harry shook his head, pretending to be disappointed.

“I’ve been telling him to stay out of it, but here we are.”

“Look, I don’t know if it’s actual feelings or if it’s because I’m just-”

“Tom. It is not because you’re single. It’s so obvious that you like her.”

“I honestly thought you guys were dating because you looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing in the world. That’s why I asked.” Sam told his brother.

“Well, we’re not.”

It was silent for a moment before Tom pushed himself up off the couch and went to his room, trying to figure out how tonight was going to work with the two of you in the same bed. But, after a half an hour of lying awake on top of the covers next to your sleeping figure, Tom decided to just sleep on the floor. That didn’t help his inability to fall asleep, but he figured it was better since you were still in a relationship with someone else.

A few days later, you and Tom were back at work, and this time, people showed up, much to your surprise. 

Aside from the casual customers, there was a surprise visitor, and he was not there for pizza, despite entering a pizza parlor.

You were having a fine time, checking up on the few tables you had been serving. Things with Luke were still on halt since you’d been avoiding him like the plague since your coffee/movie night at Tom’s. Luke had indeed found out about you being there with him for the night. Or at least, he knew you were not home that night. Apparently, Luke had seen that you weren’t at home, because your car wasn’t at your usual parking space outside your apartment building, so he questioned you. But after that, you were ignoring him. You knew it would’ve been best to just end the relationship right then and there, but you were dumb and didn’t. So Tom was left to just telling you to do it because it would be best for you.

You asked your third and last table how things were going before heading back to the front counter where you were hoping you could ask Tom if he thought you could steal some lemonade without getting caught by your manager. But when you got there, you opened your mouth to talk, when something - or specifically, someone - over Tom’s shoulder caught your eye.

“What is it?” Tom asked, turning to find a tall, blond guy walking towards the shop and he looked back at you, confused.

“Oh no. Oh no.” You made a beeline for the kitchen, with Tom calling out behind you, not wanting to leave the counter since there would be a customer there soon.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?”

“That’s Luke.” You hissed as you whipped around to watch what he was gonna do. Tom’s jaw dropped and he nodded, as his heartbeat picked up. He was nervous now and wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but before he knew it, the glass door to the parlor was yanked open and Tom was faced with Luke, the guy he’d been trashing for the past few weeks. He figured he should pretend like he didn’t know him like he was just another person who wanted some pizza.

“Hey, welcome to-”

“I’m looking for Y/N L/N. Is she here?” Tom paused for a moment.

“Oh, she’s busy, uh, working right now. But I can take a message?”

“Look, uh, Tom,” Luke said, squinting at Tom’s name tag for a second. “I just need to talk to her for one second.”

“Wait, are you Luke? Her boyfriend?” Tom asked, feeling a bit bold, but immediately regretting it. He nodded, confused.

“Uh, yeah. Why?” 

“Well, Y/N has told me a lot about you. And you know, she’s like-she’s so nice. And she cares about me in a way that I don’t think anyone else has. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that before. She’s like..she’s like a peach...scone. A peach scone,” Luke gave Tom an impatient look, his arms crossed against his chest. “Yeah, and I love the thought of being with that girl. You are just so incredibly lucky to be with her and you’re throwing it all away by being so ridiculously stupid. And I really hope that she doesn’t get hurt because she’s way too good for you.”

“What are you trying to say?” Luke was upset now, even more so than before, and that’s when you appeared in the entryway to the kitchen. You heard everything that Tom had said and it made your heart melt, and it gave you butterflies in your stomach.

“He’s trying to say that I-I’m breaking up with you.” Tom looked at you over his shoulder, smiling softly.

“You’re kidding. You’re dumping me for this guy?”

“You know what? I am. Because I’d take him over you any day, Lucas.” Tom looked back at Luke, grinning.

“Will that be all today? Or do you need some ice to heal your beat-up ego? Because that would be 50 cents.”

With that, your ex-boyfriend hesitantly turned and left the shop, leaving you and Tom to celebrate your victory. You turned to the brunette after a moment.

“Did you really mean what you said?”

“‘Course, Y/N. I’ve felt that way for forever.”

A smile spread across your face as you turned to go hand a table their check.

“Wanna go for coffee tomorrow morning?” You called out and Tom nodded, chucking.

“As long as we get scones.”

-------

PSA: I do not own or claim to own anyone involved/written in this writing. It is purely fictional and I am purely writing fictional scenarios involving these people. I respect them and anyone who is associated with them, which includes family, friends, and partners - meaning I do not intend to ‘erase’ anyone in the parties mentioned previously or any others that aren’t included in said parties, and anyone’s privacy.

[thetokenmuggle]

Of French and Ice Cream

Sailor Moon Au : Part Two

“I can’t believe you all crashed my morning coffee date,” Jane huffed looking over at Minah, Tyler, Lucas and, sadly even, Tara and Enzo. “And I can't believe he actually bought you all coffee,” she grumbled as they stepped into Astor Academy.

“Well in my case I am going to assume that I am M’s favourite, other than you of course,” Tara said. Jane's nose scrunched up, she couldn’t even argue against that. Tara was everyone’s favourite, to be honest, many a time she had heard Luna wish she could stay with Tara instead. “And I offered to pay him back for mine,” she said with a frown.

“Maybe M felt guilty about the bad news he shared and realizes he made a stupid decision and is trying to win our forgiveness by giving us coffee,” Tyler snapped taking a sip of his coffee. “Honestly how M even made it to college with his bad decision making,” he continued ranting ignoring the way Jane was plotting his death. Jane took a deep breath in trying to stop herself from snapping, hearing Daehyung or Daniel as he was called now was in town was a bit of shock but if he didn’t shut up soon Jane would have no choice but smacking him across the back of the head.

“Tyler,” Minah warned, “Maybe you boyfriend, bless his heart, understands that going to school is an impossible task without a little caffeine,” Minah said. “Especially when you consider we have to deal with Lucas fangirls and worse - Tyler fangirls,” Minah said with a shudder. “Why would these girls do that to themselves,” she said shaking her head. “They could at least fangirl over Lucas and Enzo instead,” she said earning a glare from Tyler and a smirk from Enzo.

“Maybe M is just nice,” Lucas offered, Jane turned to face him, brows furrowed. “Just saying,” he muttered, shrinking into himself which admittedly was an impressive task given his height. Unlike Tyler’s reaction to hearing about Daehyung, Lucas was a ball of excitement about Eunha possibly coming to their school though he had become more subdued when they got closer to the school.

“Also notice that neither Lucas nor Tyler have been swarmed by their rabid fanbase yet,” Minah said, raising an eyebrow. “Do you think a miracle finally happened and they managed to grow some brain cells?” she asked sarcastically.

“Ha ha ha,” Tyler said with an eye roll.

“It's kinda true though,” Tara said with a frown. “No fangirls and none of the lovestruck fools that normally follow Minah either,” she said, causing Minah to scoff. “You’d think after a whole Summer of not seeing them in person they would be waiting for them to arrive,” she pointed out. “Also where are those girls who usually wait for Jane and Minah to show them how to style their uniform for the year?” she said. Jane and Minah looked over at each other and smirked, it was kinda fun seeing how everyone tried to recreate their style.

“Maybe Minah was right but an even bigger miracle happened and they went and got a life?” Enzo suggested.

“Too unrealistic,” Jane commented, shaking her head. “I bet it's an alien invasion,” Jane half-joked. She was enjoying just being a normal teenage girl who was just trying to figure out how to see her boyfriend but ever since that Asteroid had landed at the start of Summer, Jane (and Luna who hadn’t been able to shut up about it) had a feeling something bad was going to happen.

“Well, maybe we should see what that crowd is looking at?” Enzo said pointing to the staircase where everyone was standing around. Jane’s eyes narrowed as she looked over, spotting the majority of the senior year gathered around the stairs. She even spotted a few of Lucas’s more loyal fangirls.

The group moved over to the staircase, frowning as the sound of a guitar being strummed assaulted her ears. She couldn’t explain it but something about it just seemed weird. Like she knows it should sound nice but it was just off.

“Can anyone see anything?” she asked turning to her friends, Minah and Tara both shook their heads.

“It’s just some guy playing the guitar and a girl standing next to him,” Enzo said, sounding bored. “How boring,” he shrugged, stepping away from the crowd.

“And it’s not Eunha,” Lucas frowned in disappointment. Jane tried not to coo at how cute Lucas was, if Eunha did come to this school she better treat this boy right. “Honestly it’s nothing special,” Lucas shrugged. Jane frowned, she knew her classmates had a habit of idolizing their fellow peers but this was a little ridiculous.

Minah scoffed next to her, “This is so dumb,” she said with a scowl. “Come on let's go, I am not waiting here all day,” she said linking arms with Jane and Tara (who had grabbed onto Enzo not letting him escape this). “Lucas, Lee, let’s go,” she called as she moved forward, Jane was pretty sure she stepped on some people’s feet by accident, unlike Minah who may or may not have dropped her coffee on someone on purpose.

They stopped at the top of the stairs where the guitar boy and his friend stood. Guitar boy stopped playing while the girl looked extremely annoyed by their presence. “Excuse me,” the girl said in an obnoxious and potentially fake french accent.

“Maude no,” Guitar boy said, his eyes solely focused on Minah. Jane raised an eyebrow as this boy stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing Minah’s hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it.

“Julien,” Maude all but growled at the guitar boy. “What are you doing?” she asked glaring daggers at Minah. Jane moved forward just enough to shield her friends from this girl.

“Yeah what are you doing?” Tyler said, stepping in front of Minah, puffing his chest out to make him seem tough. “Keep your hands and lips to yourself,” he snapped. Jane rolled her eyes at this testosterone-induced staring contest, men, how tragic.

“Mind your business chipmunk,” Minah said elbowing Tyler.

“Don’t talk to him like that” The girl, Mauve?, snapped, racing over beside Tyler. “Are you okay?” she asked sweetly. Jane turned to Tara wondering if she had any idea what was actually happening but even she looked confused. “I’m Maude, do you need to go see a nurse, I can’t believe that girl you were only looking out for her… how ungrateful,” she continued as Tyler looked at her perplexed.

“I am fine?” he said, raising an eyebrow as the Maude girl leeched onto his arm.

Tyler was saved by the bell ringing and the entire student body pushing past in a rush to get to class leaving their group behind, the newcomers seemingly disappearing in the rush. “Well that was interesting,” Jane said as the six of them stood at the now-abandoned staircase.

“That’s a nice way of putting it,” Enzo said, Tara and Lucas nodded in agreement, all four of them looking over at Minah and Tyler curiously. “Well we have to get going,” he said nodding to Tara and Lucas, “good luck with those two,” he said gesturing to Tyler and Minah who were now bickering.

Jane groaned, “Lucas, your know how you are Tyler and Minah’s favourite?” Jane asked sweetly. “Maybe they would like it better if we swapped classes … just for today -” she said pouting. If Enzo wasn’t around she would have bought up the fact that Lucas was one of her sailor guardians who swore to protect just to make sure she got her way.

“I am not,” he started to say when a girl came running down the hallway cursing herself for being late. They watched said girl crash into Lucas, Jane winced feeling sympathetic for the girl, Lucas was like a wall. “Hey are you okay?” he asked, an arm wrapping around her to stop her from stumbling back. His eyes widened as he took in the girl, mouth hanging open.

“Oh i am fine, sorry,” The girl said, causing Jane, Tara, Minah and Tyler to turn and look at her. They all knew that voice, it was Eunha, well Emily as she apparently goes by now. Jane didn’t think it was a coincidence that she did end up going to the same school as them, just like them being in the same apartment as M wasn’t whether it be by design or fate.

“Why are we all staring at that girl?” Enzo whispered. Jane snapped out of her thoughts to see the girl shifting uncomfortably.

“I am just gonna,” she said as she wriggled out of Lucas' grip. ”Excuse me,” she said nodding before racing down the hall leaving a pouting Lucas in her wake.

“Well that - let’s just go to class,” Jane said with a frown. “We can figure out what is going on during lunch,” she said.

      ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

  Jane never imagined being the fifth wheel at their table despite being the only one of her friends who was actually in a relationship but here she was watching as Minah and Tyler both dealt with the school's newest students. Julien and Maude, two exchange students from France who in Jane’s oh so humble opinion had some of the worst french accents she had ever heard and she had heard a few.

She had zoned out halfway through this lunch, Tara and Lucas had stayed for a few minutes but after the Julien and Maude show decided that they had to catch up with their other friends and they would talk about Emily and Daniel later.

“I find it hard to believe someone as beautiful as you doesn’t have a boyfriend,” Julien commented looking at Minah with what could only be described as heart eyes. Minah hummed, looking down with the smallest smiles on her face. Jane raised an eyebrow, she had never seen Minah be affected by any guy flirting with her, especially not with such a basic line. If anything it was usually Minah flirting and reducing the boys to a puddle only to leave them because she wasn’t interested in anything serious.

“I can, she isn’t that pretty,” Maude said haughty, looking down her nose at Minah. Jane’s eyes narrowed a silent plea for the brunette to continue so she could punch her stupid face for saying such nonsense.

“Oh that is because she isn’t looking, we have a will they won’t they thing going on,” Tyler said glaring at Julien. Jane covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. “Plus our dear Minah is dealing with some issues thanks to her ex,” he pretended to whisper before letting out a yowl. It didn’t take a genius to figure Minah had kicked him under the table.

“We have nothing going on,” Minah said, eyes narrowed.

“That’s not what you said last night,” Tyler shrugged, a cocky smirk on his face. Jane looked between the two of them not noticing the way both Julien and Maude looked practically murderous. “Why must you hide our love like this?” he said dramatically.

“I will end you,” Minah said through gritted teeth.

“I think we should go,” Julien said standing up, Maude followed suit. Jane felt a little sympathetic for the pair, mostly for Julien (if she was going to be completely honest.) having to witness this argument it was disturbing for her to watch she could imagine what it would be like to be an almost stranger watching along.

“Oh no don’t leave, especially not because of that fool,” she said reaching out to grab Julien's wrist. Jane raised an eyebrow at the way Maude seemed to fume, her eyes narrowed at Minah’s hand. “Or how about I come with you,” she said sweetly, eyes fluttering and a soft smile on her lips. Jane rolled her eyes knowing that Julien was a goner. The boy nodded, a dumb smile making its way onto his face and like that the pair had gone, walking off to the other side of the schoolyard. Maude had been completely forgotten.

“I am still going,” Maude said, eyes darting to Tyler hopefully.

“Okay see you in class,” Tyler shrugged before turning to Jane. “Can you believe her? What is Minah thinking?” he ranted. Jane once again had to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing at Tyler’s complete dismissal of Maude. “What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep covering your mouth?” he said, sparing Jane an annoyed glance. “I swear everyone is losing their mind today,” he said shaking his head.

“Just a cough,” Jane lied. “And you say that like you are not included in the mind losing,” she said shaking her head. “Saying all that stuff to Minah, it’s like you have a death wish,” Jane commented.

“I am saving her from her own terrible taste,” Tyler shrugged. “Between Minah and Lucas, i swear i am going to be exhausted. Let's hope Enzo does his job and keeps fools around for Tara,” he grumbled, a determined flash behind his eyes.

“You could just, you know, mind your own business and not get involved,’ Jane said in a sing-song voice causing Tyler to roll his eyes.

“Clearly i can’t,” Tyler said simply, “Lucas wants to run into the mess that is Eunha and Minah is going around with Julien who by the way smells like dead roses,” he huffed.

“You were smelling him?” Jane asked, scrunching her nose up. “That’s a little weird,” she said looking at Tyler judgmentally.

“Tyler’s being weird again, nice to know somethings don’t change,” Lucas teased, making his presence known. Tyler rolled his eyes, flicking a crumb up at Lucas. “Did you really smell him?” he asked looking at Tyler curiously.

“Oh shush,” Tyler said with a huff. “You can’t judge me, mister. I've been following Eunha around like a sad little puppy dog,” he said, judgment clear in his voice.

“Her name is Emily now thank you very much,” Lucas corrected. “And i have not, I’ve been with the guys,” he said proudly before pouting. “Plus even if i did want to talk to Emily she has become friends with Mimi,” he said sitting down where Minah had been sitting. “Why is life so unfair?” he questioned.

“Oh stop being so dramatic,” Jane said. “Who cares if she is friends with a girl who doesn’t like you because you beat her high score at some silly Sailor V game,” Jane said, rolling her eyes at the whole situation. “I am sure one proper look at you and Eun- Emily will be in love,” Jane said patting his back. “And if she isn’t there are plenty of other girls who would love to be with you,” she added.

“Though your fan club as dwindled thanks to that new weirdo,” Tyler said with an eye roll. “You know I saw him making eyes at Eunha just before,” Tyler teased, smiling faintly.

“Please that boy only has a heart eyes for Minah, mon cheri ,” Jane said mockingly, Julien’s use of the French language irked Jane but to his credit, he did better than Maude who seemed to just make odd noises. “And if Lucas’s fan club has dwindled then yours must be non-existent now,” she said looking at Tyler who blanched at the thought.

“Look just because neither you nor your boyfriend are fan club worthy but -” Tyler started to speak but was cut off by the sound of an ice cream truck jingle. Jane’s brows furrowed together, she would never say no to ice cream on a hot day but they had never heard an ice cream truck around their school, well ever.

It was like everyone paused as the truck's song continued to play, “creepy,” Lucas muttered under his breath. The day got even stranger as the school gates opened allowing the truck to come in. Their principal was notably strict about what was and what wasn’t allowed in their schools, Jane can recall that one time Antoine tried to order a pizza at school - he was in detention for two months and had to work as a delivery driver for one of them.

Within the blink of an eye majority of the student body had surrounded the truck causing Jane to pout. She wanted to get an ice cream cone but with that line lunch would be over before even half of the crowd disappeared.

“You’d think they’d have never seen an ice cream van before,” Tyler murmured, face contorting into one of thinly veiled disgust. “How childish,” he said with an eye roll.

“Okay Mr I’m too cool for ice cream,” Jane said, watching as Tara and Minah made their way over. She raised an eyebrow last time she looked over at Tara was chatting away with her friends and Minah had disappeared with Julien, probably to find an empty classroom ‘to get to know each better’.

“Problems?” she asked as they arrived, the pair couldn’t look any different, Tara’s eyes were downcast and she chewed her lip while Minah stood with her hand on hip and annoyed huff escaping her lips.

“Apparently Julien really likes ice cream,” Minah said rolling her eyes. “As soon as he heard it he was all like i have to go excuse me and just disappeared on me, people do not disappear on me,” she ranted.

“Julien and the entire school,” Tara said, “Does anyone else find it weird how literally raced over?” she questioned.

“Everyone but us,” Lucas pointed out rather unhelpfully.

“Yeah, but at the same time it’s the first day of school, who doesn’t need a mid-afternoon pick me up?” Jane questioned, trying to squash the nerves in her stomach. This year was going to be normal, she was going to have a normal senior year dealing with normal girl problems. No negaverse. No Beryl. Just homework and boy problems ( not that she has those.)

“I know but everyone, I am pretty sure one of the girls in my grade is lactose intolerant,” Tara pointed out.

“Oh and Stephanie told me once she doesn’t eat ice cream because it ruins your skin so -” Lucas frowned. “But maybe it’s the first-day blue’s, I felt little nuts after Mr Warren’s class,” he added hopefully.

“Hey T, i got you an ice cream,” Tara’s friend Ara called out, tossing a wrapped ice cream at Tara before taking a bit of her soft serve and fainting.

“Ara,” Tara raced over to where Ara had just fallen, Tyler followed after her. While Minah and Jane shared a concerned look.

“Looks like the negatrash is back,” Lucas said looking around the schoolyard as students rapidly started to fall to the ground.

“Unfortunately,” Jane said with a frown. She couldn’t believe it though, she had beaten Metalia, the evil force had been defeated by the power of the silver crystal. It couldn’t be Enzo she thought, maybe Daehyun and Eunha? But why would they? Sungjae was a possibility, no one had seen or heard from since the rebirth and he was the most heavily influenced. Maybe he was calling the shots, somehow got Daehyun and Eunha to work for him. Regardless she needed to deal with the problem at hand. “Moon! Prism! Power,” she shouted to transform. Minah and Lucas had followed suit transforming into Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter respectively.

“Mimi,” They looked towards the van seeing Eunha crouching down next to her new friend. “What the hell did you do?” she shouted towards whoever was in the van. The only thing that could be heard was maniacal laughing and icy tentacle springing from inside the van. The tentacle wrapped around her waist holding her in place as it started to drain her energy.

Jane and Minah didn’t have time to react as Lucas raced forward. “Supreme Thunder!” he called out as a lightning bolt sprung from his crown at the tentacle creature. Eunha crumbled to the ground barely able to move. That ruled her out as a possible suspect.

The monster leapt out of the van, as expected it was as ugly as ever. A vaguely human esque blue creature with tentacles for arms, its eyes were shaped like snowflakes and its midsection was covered in what looked like sprinkles. The creature hissed at Lucas who was now standing protectively in front of Emily.

“Venus love chain,” Minah called out, her power whipping the monster causing it to swirl around to face herself and Jane.

“Hey Ugly,” Jane called out, causing the monster to turn around to see her and Minah. “Yeah you, I get that you aren’t from around here but this isn’t going to end well for you,” she said down at the monster in contempt. “I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice and i say on the behalf of the moon, I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means you,’ she said with her usual arm movements. By this point, she had her speech down a fine art.

The creature turned to hiss at her before lifting one of it tentacle arm up and aiming it directly at Jane. Jane watched in morbid curiosity as it opened revealing a slimy ball of what looked like at icecream. “Gross now icecream has been ruined for me forever,” she muttered. The ball of icecream grew bigger that closer it got to Jane, she leapt out of the way only to see Minah got caught in a ball of ice cream.

Despite the seriousness of the situation Jane had to stop herself from laughing because honestly, the image in front of her was hilarious. She couldn’t look for too long because the monster hadn’t forgotten about her and started to rapidly fire at her causing her to run and jump all over the yard. The one plus side with a Jane sized distraction the monster had forgotten all about Lucas who had moved to aid Minah who was less than happy about her situation.

“Can you give me a break,” Jane panted, she had to get back into her old Cardio program if she was going to be doing all this running again because right she was really struggling. The monster hissed, using one of its tentacles to reach and grab Jane. “Crap,” Jane snapped as she was hung upside down by the monster.

Jane struggled to fight her way out of it. “Mars fire ignite,” was heard before a fireball hit the tentacle causing Jane to be released with a thud.

“Everyone say thank you Sailor Mars, you have the best power,” Tyler boasted. He was served a piece of humble pie when the creature took aim at him, he just escaped. “Mercury a little help right now,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Oh i thought Sailor Mars could handle this since he has the best powers,” Tara called out from whatever she was, Jane spun around trying to figure out where exactly she was but had no luck. “Mercury Aqua Mist,” was heard before the whole school was covered in mist. Any chances she had of finding Tara was gone now all she could see was the ugly ice cream sundae in front of her.

Jane knew that this was her opportunity to finish that creature off. “Moon Tiara Magic,” she exclaimed, attacking the creature watching as it let out a pained screech and turning into a vapour leaving nothing but what looked like a card. That was new. Jane stepped forward tentatively picking the card up. It was empty except for a border. She hummed pocketing it, she would show Luna it when she got home. Maybe she had an idea of what it meant.

She knew soon the rest of the school would be waking up and if it was anything like when Shitennou attacked they would have no memory of what happened at all, it was as weird as it was annoying. Luna had tried to explain why it happens to her once but Jane at the time didn’t really care and now she was too afraid to ask knowing that she will get a scolding from her moon guardian.

“I am never eating ice cream again,” Minah said shivering, “That was disgusting,” she whined. Jane looked at her sympathetically as they began to de-transform. “So much for a normal life huh,” she said somewhat bitterly. “Let’s just go to class before the rest of the masses wake up,” she huffed.

“I thought you look pretty…. Cool,” Tyler said chuckling causing everyone but Lucas who was moving an unconscious Emily into a more comfortable position. What a gentleman. “Hey it’s not my fault she looked pretty sweet, too bad Julien wasn’t around i am sure he’d tell Minah she looked yummy,” he continued.

“Oh that is it,” Minah said smacking his side causing Tyler’s eyes to widen. “I’ve had enough of you today,” she said as Tyler raced away, Minah following after him threatening to cause him serious harm.

“Do you think it’s the negaverse again?’ Tara asked quietly. “Should i be keeping an eye on Enzo?”

“I don’t know,” Jane sighed, that was her answer to both questions. She didn’t know what was going on anymore but Minah was right their hopes of a normal year were dashed.

[koriahorrocks]

The Format

The Format

             I come from Mesa Arizona, a teen in the early years of the 2000’s. What a great time to be a teenager. A simpler time. No real social media or politics (for teens to care about at least). Music was life. Alternative and indie rock was in a unique prime. From angsty emo tunes to mellow ballads.

           In middle school I had been really into Weezer and The strokes. I sported a strokes patch on my binder and a kid burned me a Pinkerton Cd to which I was very grateful. My sister had shown me modest mouse which I liked but some of it still felt weird. While navigating my way through music during that music age and during those pivotal coming of age years in my life; I needed to decided what music was “me.” It was a process to select music that felt my own. I didn’t really enjoy most main stream stuff like hip hop or rap. But I didn’t totally feel myself listening to some of the underground music I was exposed to either. Of course there were classics but those were beloved by everyone.

           The Format was that band whose songs felt like my own. The music was mellow but fun to sing out loud. Nate had a unique voice but it didn’t sound strange. On the contrary I soon craved that voice. I had found MY music.

Most people first heard of the Format with “tune out” I think I first heard it on the radio. “The first single” and “give it up” really were the first tracks that called to me when I listened to a bit of interventions and lullabies. The EP songs were really good too. I wanted more but it was enough to last through the start of High school. I got my first car. An old blue 96’ Honda Civic with a faded roof. I saved up for a black paint job and named her black beauty. (With the fuzzy blue interior still included) I sang my heart out in that car. Through speeding tickets and every social event of my life. My trusty cd’s saw me through. The selection of music for each drive in that car were the bread and butter to my teenage days.

My senior year I worked part time at mesa public schools for class credit. I didn’t have a lot to do there so I spent most of the time in my cubical using a program to design CD labels. Using the school’s dime to print dozens of them I decorated my favorite cds. Music was life. I loved singing certain songs in my car more than I loved any boy I dated. I felt more feelings during a show and at concerts than I did at a dance with a date.

When Dog Problems came out I can vividly remember driving around for an hour with a car filled with teens to listen to the whole album. My best girlfriends and I had befriended a group of guys who loved the Format as much as I did. They definitely encouraged my girlfriends to like the band more, for that I was grateful. These boys truly got the talent of the format. We drove up and down the 101 and around the valley just reveling in the new album.

“It sounds more circus-y”

“Ya, more instruments and jazzy.”

“It’s so different. Play dog problems again so we can learn the words at that one part.”

           It was an album to play on repeat. While getting ready, driving to Scottsdale to nanny on the weekend, down the street to the store or to the Harkins movie theatre. 

Any chance I got to hear Nate’s voice and Sam’s guitar. Then the summer after I graduated, I finally got to see them live on the dog problems tour. To this day it holds the greatest moment in my long history of live music.

           During the song dog problems when Nate sang “flew back to phoenix…” he paused and then stopped altogether and put the mic down while the crowd cheered for probably three minutes straight. He looked like he might cry and we all were. Then he finished that part with the spazy yell/singing while his hands shook at his sides (the way only he can do) and it was incredible. It was then I discovered I needed to hear some songs live. I didn’t need to be in the front row, just present in the same room to hear songs that I had long loved on my car stereo. The compromise was always the song on that album that was mine. I sang it in my car and in the shower with all that I was. Matches was such a new sound and feel for me with Format music and it starts off the album Dog problems so well.

            I saw All American Rejects in concert twice on the same tour just to see The Format open for them. I went in AZ and UT, not so much for them, but it was my only way to see The Format live again. After a while, The Format didn’t have enough albums to fill my music needs. Especially the more I had to commute for work and all the driving during weekends for my social life. 

But it has consistently remained the band that I feel the most connection with for whatever reason. Most bands I really like one or two songs. Maybe more. But The Format I love every song and know every word. That isn’t impressive but it’s consistently true. 

Life has gone on I left Arizona and now live elsewhere. Arizona isn’t my home anymore but when I drive back to visit family I can’t listen to anything else from the 101 to east Mesa than The Format. Nate’s voice brings me back to my roots and my teen years that I rather enjoyed. I don’t have many regrets. What could be better for a teenager in Mesa during 2006 than driving around listening to the Format?

           When I heard the news that Sam and Nate were parting ways I was sad. The news of FUN down the road intrigued me. I went to a show in Tucson the first time FUN went around. Some of the songs were so dang catchy and new. Anything new and anything more with Nate’s voice was like a breath of fresh air for me and my burned out playlists. But during the show I found myself mostly excited to hear some old Format songs. It was a small show, we snagged the set list that was scribbled on a ripped sheet of lined paper in heavy black marker. And we even met Nate.

           He seemed pretty high but that didn’t matter. We took a picture with him and it wasn’t as pivotal as I thought meeting a singer would be. It was very underwhelming and honestly that was okay. Hearing him live was better than meeting him. I realized it wasn’t the band or the singer, it was their work that I loved.

           I got to see Fun again when their next album and tour came. It was last minute and I went with a friend whom I didn’t know from high school in my early Format days, but she and I sang and danced to the new hit songs now playing on the radio, super bowl commercials and TV shows. FUN had certainly taken off. I felt very happy for Nate, and I truly loved hearing him sing live again. But it didn’t live up to that dog problems tour when I first saw The format, and nothing ever will.

           Sharing music you love and the joy you feel when you hear someone listening to it is almost as wonderful as hearing it for the first time yourself. A cousin of mine really appreciated The Format. I remember him calling me and asking me what I thought about certain lines and lyrics from certain songs. We speculated about Nate and Sam’s lives and wondered what they meant.

           I also remember hearing his dad randomly sitting down with a guitar while I was visiting them once and I heard him start to play something from interventions and lullabies. They gave me the credit. It felt good. Another time this same extended family of mine were driving me somewhere and excitedly turned on a song by pink and awaited my reaction. Curious why they were showing me the song I waited until my ears perked at a familiar voice.

           “Hey is this…Nate from the Format singing with her?”

           “Took you long enough” they laughed.

I could have done nothing better for my cousins than share my music with them. And it certainly was MY music. I claimed ownership of loving the Format. As I’m sure many teens from Arizona at that time did too. But for me, it was especially true!

           It’s been more than a decade since I found them, so much life and music has occurred but today my sister tagged me in a post about the Format reuniting this year. 12 years after their split. Even more years since I first heard them. I immediately wanted to buy a plane ticket to go back to AZ this coming April to be present for it. I’m not sure if I will be able to though. I have kids and responsibilities so I decided to write this in case I don’t. Just to try out painting a picture with my thoughts and words about a band I love with songs I know every single word to and will never forget. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my Spotify playlist today kept playing format songs while on shuffle.

            When my kids are teens I doubt they’ll like my music that I show them.  They don’t like it now when I play it casually some days. Times are different. Music is different. But I am so glad I lived where I did and at the time I did. A time when those simple days called for simple and wonderful alternative music. 

I’ll always clap at that part in the first single after he says

“Cause a scene..” and again after he sings “Clap our hands and stomp our feet..” 

When I hear someone say Tempe I’ll think of “A save situation.” When he sings “I need to get back to Tempe.” When I hear the word calm I’ll think of “Be calm” from FUN. When I hear Nate’s solo stuff like “I am nothing without love.” I will think of The Format. And when I hear anything about Lena Dunham my mind will undoubtedly go off road to a trail about her and Jack Antonoff and how he was in FUN and Nate from Fun then I will circle back to: you guessed it, The Format. I will wonder what Sam is up to and think about the song “A mess to be made” or “Career day.”  

Thank you Nate Ruess and Sam Means! Maybe I will see you in Phoenix in April. But if not I’ll watch you live on Amazon Prime and I’ll keep playing your songs on Spotify, even if my young kids don’t like it. I’ll love your sound forever.