#Just in case y'all forgot I am never at any given moment in any way normal about cryptid sightings

[lavenoon]

Unfortunately, so can't any other monster

@naffeclipse Hi hello how are they gonna get out of this pickle and back into their vessel? I am SO normal about this chapter

[showrunnerihardlyknowher]

26 for the prompts? perhaps w the cat n mouse lads :3 (also look danny i did it i sent a prompt are u proud)

I...actually don't remember what the prompt was for this one, but I'm 87% sure it was "I'm not that scary, am I?"

So fine since y'all keep asking for 'em, here's more of the cat and mouse bois. Shoutout to @gabbydafurry and an anon for finally giving them names.

--

“C’mon.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“I said no.”

“I’ll make pollo asado for dinner, we can eat it together while we watch!”

Aaron sighed and rubbed his hands against his forehead, trying to ease the dull throb that had yet to wane over the past two days. His headache certainly wasn’t being helped by the constant badgering of his...roommate, for a lack of better words (as well as being a title so eagerly self bestowed by the cat in question) but much like many of their other interactions, his resolve was starting to wear thin. Usually, he was able to hold his ground for at least a week until he was bribed into giving the other some type of social interaction with the promise of his favorite foods. Today, however, the poor mouse just wanted a moment’s peace free from knocking on the walls or calling through the cracks until he answered, and if that meant watching some stupid movie then fine.

Plus, Lucas did know how to make some incredible Mexican food.

“...fine,” Aaron conceded after a pause, the pressure behind his eyes giving him a sharp pang before fading to its usual ache, almost like his own body was projecting how horrible of an idea this was.

As soon as the mouse slipped out from behind the curio, he came face to face with the massive grin of the cat mere inches away from the opening. Seeing the grin only split wider when he was fully in view of the other normally would have instinctively sent a shiver up his spine, it was kind of difficult to be intimidated seeing how Lucas had strangely contorted his body to lay on the floor between the curio and the bookcase. Most cats seemed to be fairly flexible, so it probably wasn’t too uncomfortable for him to be so bent and curled up, but he definitely lost some of that hunter’s prowess with his back twisted sideways and one leg leaning against the shelving.

In a flash, Lucas had managed to untangle his strange positioning to instead be crouched on his knees, now looming over Aaron in a way he wasn’t sure he would ever get used to. He flinched back when his hand started to reach out towards him, fully intending to scoop him up to dizzying heights without a second thought, but the appendage stopped just short of touching him at all. Instead, he dropped his hand palm side up and waited, smiling all the while. At least he was getting better at remembering Aaron’s explicit request to not be grabbed without permission, though he did always apologize with a sheepish look and some little treat whenever he forgot.

Once Aaron climbed onto the awaiting hand that radiated a delightfully intense warmth into his already aching muscles, Lucas was already jumping up a chattering a mile a minute about how much the mouse was going to love the movie he picked out, how dinner would be ready soon, how he wasn’t expecting him to actually agree to watch a scary movie with him since he never seemed like the type who would be into that sort of thing but--

“It’s a scary movie?” Aaron interrupted, the noise finally registering beyond the headache. Truthfully, he tuned a lot of what the other said out for almost every conversation, not that it ever seemed to make a difference. Yeah, sorry, I’m a bit of a chatterbox, he admitted once, but it’s less weird talking to someone who doesn’t respond than to talk to yourself, right?

Debatable.

Lucas tilted his head and snorted. “Uh, yeah? That was one of the first things I told you about. You know that one actress who’s in almost every one of those Christmas movies we watch, who’s always the jealous best friend?” Aaron has no idea who he was referring to given that he never absorbed anything from those stupid romance movies he was boarderline forced to watch, but nodded anyways, “Right, this is supposed to be her big break out role, or something. It’s the first thing she’s doing as a lead actress, and you know, good for her! I’m glad she’s getting out of that typecast she’s been in forever. Horror probably wouldn’t be my first choice for her, but I guess since she has those singing vocals it could carry over to being a scream queen. Kind of like when--”

And Aaron was out of the conversation again.

Lucas continued to drone on about the actress’s entire film career, or at least that’s what the mouse was assuming he was doing when he occasionally zoned back in to pick up a stray word here and there. The headache he had been staving off to the best of his ability was starting to come back with twice as much force as it often did in the later days. He probably could have just asked the other for some aspirin, maybe even some cold medicine as that was no doubt what this bout of illness was turning into, but asking the cat for anything was always out of the question. Of course, Lucas tried to sway him numerous times into thinking it most certainly was not and that he could always ask for whatever he needed, never to his avail. Aaron was indeed willing to prolong his suffering if it meant not having to stomach the dreadful embarrassment that would come to being indebted to the feline, no matter how insignificant.

Unfortunately, he was only setting himself up for failure in thinking this “agreement” would be providing him any sort of relief. His headache was treading dangerously close into becoming a full fledged migraine and the flashes of light and screams from the television would not be doing him any favors. His only saving grace was that, after he had been settled on the couch and Lucas scampered off to get the dinner he promised, the cat turned off every other light possible to, as he put it, really get them in the spooky mood!

The smell of the food was delicious and nauseating. His stomach both wanted and revolted at the idea of anything filling it, which would only serve to worsen his headache no doubt. Damn it all, he wanted to throttle both himself and this illness, the first for agreeing to watch this stupid movie when he was already feeling under the weather, the second for preventing him from getting his half of the deal. These movie-dinner dates deals were the only reason Aaron continued to stick around, even if he thought the torment of being forced to watch awful romcoms in exchange for a hot, homemade meal was a little unfair. No, that wasn’t entirely true, Lucas was a freaking culinary genius as far as the mouse was aware. It was a wonder why he wasn’t majoring in a cooking field.

“I’m not hungry right now,” Aaron lied when Lucas had asked why he wasn’t eating. “I’ll try some later.”

The cat looked at him strangely before shrugging. “Alright, just let me know. If you don’t like it, I can always make you something else.” There he goes again, offering things he knows the other can’t accept. At least he could let it slide this time as he had no appetite to think of any other dish.

Lucas finished his own meal in silence, completely fixed on the television as the opening scene carried on, introducing the canine main character that Aaron did, in fact, vaguely recognize. This was fine, he figured, the dark apartment coupled with a painfully slow movie, a warm body moving to curl up behind him as it so often did during these deals, he could probably get a few moments of real rest in before the credits rolled. As much as he loathed to admit it, the cat was actually rather...comfortable to be forcefully cuddled by. He wasn’t like other movie goers that needed to make a comment on every character’s decision, steady breathing and the occasional purr helping the mouse slowly relax.

That relaxation was cut short as soon as the romcom actress tore her tiny avian neighbor to shreds by the end of the first act.

Aaron had hardly been paying attention to the storyline up until this point, something to do with the girl being bitten and experiencing insatiable hunger lately. The sudden carnage of the otherwise trusting little prey creature made both of them flinch in surprise, though Lucas was quick to laugh it off. From then on the mouse’s unwavering attention was glued to the screen, but not by his choice. A chill ran through him each time she claimed another unsuspecting victim, always a prey animal, and ripped them apart with her teeth and nails like a starving animal. The way the tiny’s incredibly realistic viscera was slurped into her bloody mouth made him queasy, all too easily imagining himself in their shoes.

Eventually, her hunger became too strong and she began attacking fellow predator species as well. Ripping into throats and soft bellies was far messier than snacking on a tiny creature in three bites, making her feast all the more gory. While the violence still unsettled him, it was a touch more bearable now that he couldn’t picture his own body being mangled between the teeth of a predator he thought he could trust. Speaking of…

The mouse gulped and risked a glance behind him at the other who had hardly moved, save for a few jolts and snickers whenever a particularly good jump scare managed to startle him. It didn’t go unnoticed that every time Aaron had physically reacted to a sudden screech or attack, the cat would curl just a little bit tighter around him, hiding a laugh behind a rumbling purr. He wanted to believe this was meant to be an act of comfort and not something equally as nefarious as the canine plotting her next kill. Regardless, Lucas was equally transfixed on the movie, except he seemed to be enjoying every minute of the horror aspect. His tail would flick in interest during the high tension scenes, even more so when a chase sequence was underway. It made sense, considering that was his favorite game to make Aaron play.

Whatever the case may be, the mouse couldn’t help but be unnerved tenfold that the other had the audacity to enjoy a fictional movie he was interested in seeing. The last thing the mouse wanted was for Lucas to get any more ideas when it came to chasing him around the apartment, much less awaken any sort of primitive instinct to maim his prize after it had been captured. To this day, it remains a deep seated fear in the back of his mind that every time the cat cupped his hands over him, his teeth would be quick to follow. Natural instincts were hard to shake for a reason when it came to prey animals such as himself, he could only hope the same wasn’t true for predators.

His imagination was running rampant, enough so that he completely missed how the movie ended. Something about a cure, something about being put down, whatever. The only thing on his mind was the morbidly hilarious thought that if Lucas were to go feral like the canine, would he eat him raw or would he cook him up in another fantastic dish?

Aaron jumped when Lucas moved to sit up behind him, only now registering the credits scrolling across the screen. He stretched a bit, the quickly fading warmth that had been surrounding the mouse making him realize just how tight the other must have been snuggled around him. How did he not notice?

“Wow,” Lucas said, pursing his lips. “That...was one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life.”

That wasn’t the reaction Aaron had been expecting him to have, but it was certainly better than to hear him go on about how it was a brilliant masterpiece. He got up to flick the lights back on, still laughing as he recounted each poorly written scene and cheesy effects. “I mean, oh my god, right? The mail man saved everyone? Seriously? I actually feel bad for making you watch that, you totally have dibs on the next movie night.”

He turned around to look at the mouse who was still huddled tight on the couch, wide eyes glued to the screen even if it was just names moving along with ominous background music. Lucas gave him another quizzical look, smirking.

“C’mon, even you have to admit those tinies had zero survival instincts. Like, who goes up to a rabid dog and asks for directions? I get suspending my disbelief and all, but they could have made it just a pinch realistic. This is so going to tank her acting career…” The cat shook his head and moved closer to the couch so that he stood right in front of the television, finally drawing the other’s attention to himself. “Hey, you hungry now?”

Oh, absolutely fucking not. An hour and a half of being tensed up gave no relief to his aching muscles and now that the lights were back on, so was his pounding headache. His stomach rolled, the nausea a mix of dizziness and disgust from the special effects. He didn’t even want to think about food, he didn’t want to be out in the open anymore, and he most certainly did not want to spend another minute in the cat’s company right now.

“S-sure…” Aaron finally squeaked out. He just needed Lucas out of the room, distracted somewhere so he could make a break for it. In some instances, he would have just darted off whether the cat saw him or not, but that always resulted in a game of chase that had a 50/50 success rate, the other loving it anyways. All he wanted was some peace and quiet to rest up and heal and not think about how easy it would be for the other to bite off his head whenever he felt like it.

Lucas stood there for a minute, studying him, and just when Aaron genuinely feared he was going to pounce, he flashed an innocent smile. “Cool, just give me a couple minutes to get it heated up.” And with that, he disappeared into the kitchen.

Aaron decided to be bold and waste a few precious seconds of his head start to collect himself. Deep down, he knew he was being ridiculous. Lucas had been nothing but kind to him. Aloof, but still kind all the same. But as a prey animal that spent the better part of his life living in walls and stealing to survive, trust was a risk he simply couldn’t take. There was hardly any benefit to keeping up this con if the end goal was simply to eat him. For all he knew, though, Lucas was nothing more than a merciless sociopath that was willing to milk every ounce of fear he could before chowing down. A sociopath obsessed with romantic comedies and wore an apron when he cooked and had begged Aaron for two months straight to tell him when his birthday was so that he could make him a miniature cake.

...okay, so maybe Lucas wasn’t a sociopath, but that didn’t mean he was trustworthy. Evolution gave him sharpened fangs and agile reflexes for a reason and the mouse was not about to find out what it was like to be on the receiving end of those one day.

With his head as clear as it was going to be for the time being, sans the dull throb behind his eyes, the mouse finally pushed himself up to make his way over to the couch arm. Slowly, as to not overwork his stiff joints, he climbed his way down to the floor and skittered under the couch for a little extra protection. Strangely, he noticed that he didn’t hear any noises coming from the kitchen just up ahead and when he stopped by the doorway, he couldn’t see anyone either. Losing track of the massive cat should not be possible, especially considering this was a one bedroom apartment and there was literally nowhere else for the feline to go without coming back through the entryway. Aaron should have taken it as a blessing, but of course he couldn’t leave well enough alone.

He proceeded to be daring and come out from under the couch completely to peek into the kitchen, confirming it was empty. Again, that shouldn’t even be possible for Lucas to slip out without having to directly pass the living room to go somewhere else. Unless he had, which would mean Aaron missed him somehow. He had been in quite a deep thought process on the couch...but he could have sworn he was only collecting himself for a minute!

The answer became glaringly obvious when the mouse took a few hesitant steps back and turned to retreat under the safety of the couch, only to come face to face with Lucas. He damn near jumped out of his skin, slamming his back against the wall in an effort to gain another inch of distance between himself and the face taking up his entire view. Really, this was nothing too out of the ordinary for the cat, he loved to sneak up and pounce whenever the opportunity presented itself and Aaron wasn’t too obviously close to heart failure. What made his heart stutter, however, was the fact that Lucas didn’t look like...well, Lucas. There was no smile, no warm eyes, no words being talked a mile a minute about nothing.

No, there was just a frowning cat with his ears pinned back and pupils slit, stalking closer with a terrifying rumble in his throat.

Instinct overtook him as soon as he saw the other’s lip twitch, trying to dart under the couch for safety and having his path immediately blocked by a hand being slammed down, claw out. Aaron couldn’t even yelp, the bile in his throat threatening to turn into vomit if he idled around too long. So, he didn’t. Instead, he turned on his heel and scampered in the opposite direction with the cat hot on his trail. He very nearly dodged a swipe, Lucas hissing that his blow didn’t land while Aaron only tried to speed up his sprinting. They circled maybe half of the living room, the mouse weaving under furniture while the cat knocked into them in an effort to jarr his prey into taking a misstep.

It worked, unfortunately, when Aaron took a sharp turn at the bookshelf and caused Lucas to clip it with his shoulder. The small bump did nothing to deter the cat on his hunt, but the two books that came tumbling down were enough to make the smaller skid and trip to avoid being squashed under the novels. He ended up twisting his ankle awkwardly, stumbling flat on his face while the momentum of his running made him roll twice until he landed on his back. Despite being winded and the additional pain in his leg, he knew there was no time to waste, trying to pull himself. It was too late, though. The cat was already on top of him, hand coming down to pin him under his palm while only his head poked free from between his fingers.

That cold, terrifying face came nearer, eyes tunnel visioned on its prize. Oh God, Aaron would give anything to have the other Lucas back right now. He’d watch a thousand sappy movies, do a date night for every meal, actually move into his bedroom like the cat had suggested he do a dozen times. He wanted...fuck, he wanted his friend back. What he thought was his friend, anyways. Not this killer, not this predator who was baring his teeth and was now mere inches away from biting off his face and--

The growling above him broke off into a snort shortly before turning into a full blown laugh. Aaron wasn’t sure when he had closed his eyes in preparation for his certain death, but when he dared to open them and blinked away the budding tears, he saw that smile he had been wishing for again. Kind and warm, just like eyes, and it was like Lucas had never even taken the form of a starving hunter in his life. Like he hadn’t been moments away from devouring his beloved roommate.

“Oh, come on,” he howled with laughter, “You can’t be serious! That movie actually scared you? I mean, I thought you looked a little freaked out by it, but wow!”

The movie...so this...this wasn’t real. Lucas was just pretending, just playing a prank on him. He thought that the movie had simply wound him up and made him jumpier than usual, no different than watching a zombie flick and popping out from behind a bush at your friend later on.

Except it was different. It was different in the fact that zombies aren't real, but predators are. Predators didn’t need an excuse to go feral and maim and consume their tiny cohabitants, they simply could by the laws of nature. And yes, it may be illegal and have several laws in place to protect prey species, but if no body was ever left behind, who could say if foul play was involved? That was the whole plot point in the otherwise dull movie they sat through together, the reason why the woman was able to avoid suspicion of her sickness by feeding on tinies that could only be reported missing at most.

Lucas’s laughter had tapered off, still clearly enjoying himself. “Alright, note to self, no more horror movies.” Finally, he released Aaron from under his hand to sit back on his haunches. “Man, I really didn’t think you would scare that easily, especially from a B-movie like that. Anyways, are you actually ready to eat now? I put your stuff in the oven so it would reheat better, but it should be done by now….Ronnie?”

Aaron hadn’t moved an inch since he was originally pinned, not even after the hand had been lifted off of him. He just stared up blankly at the cat, trembling and wide eyed, unable to do anything as the rapid succession of events sunk in. The cat’s humor died down a little, smile hesitating.

“Hey, look, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist, you know?” He shrugged a little sheepishly. “You didn’t even notice when I came back so I thought...I don’t know, it was funnier in my head. I almost broke character and started laughing before you ran!” With still no verbal response, Lucas reached out a hand. “Aaron? You good? Come on, I’m not that scary, am I?”

The reaction he got probably wasn’t what he was hoping for with Aaron suddenly scrambling to push himself away from the outstretched hand that might trap and tear apart his limbs. He gave a sharp squeak, managing to find his footing only to come crashing down as soon as he took the first step, his ankle noticeably swollen by this point. His cry of pain was muffled into a desperate grunt, trying so hard to drag himself away as a last ditch effort to avoid the same fate as the bird and the squirrel and the mole in the movie.

Lucas gasped. “Oh, Ronnie, your leg!” Both hands were reaching for the mouse now, aiming to cup around him and scoop him up before they surely put him out of his misery. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry! I didn’t...oh my God, I hurt you.”

Yes and no. In truth, Aaron had been the one to hurt himself by making his body move in ways it physically shouldn’t. But that didn’t change the fact that Lucas had shown his true colors. Perhaps in hindsight, that wasn’t a fair assessment, as he really did think he was playing a harmless little joke on a skittish friend. The pain came from knowing that the cat could turn feral, though, no matter how genuine he was being. There was still clearly an instinct within him, one that knew how to hunt and bare his teeth and hiss, one that knew deep down where they both ranked on the food chain. It hurt in knowing everything he thought about his friend, everything that kept him from really letting down his walls like the other so desperately wanted, was right. Cats and mice were not friends.

“Get away from me!” Aaron shrieked when the hands came too close. Though they withdrew quickly, he didn’t bother to watch if they would move again as he forced himself up to stumble back to his nook behind the bookshelf.

“Aaron, wait!” It was a fruitless request and Lucas knew it as he didn’t even try to stop the mouse from disappearing behind the furniture back into the walls. It would only make matters so much worse. “Aaron, please, you’re hurt, just...at least let me help you. Please. I...I’m so sorry! It was an accident, I promise!”

The cat shuffled closer, leaning down in hopes that the other could at least hear his pleas better, could hear how sincere he was trying to be. “I would never hurt you, Aaron. You’re one of my best friends. Look, it was a stupid prank and I’m an asshole and I’ll never do it again, just please come out. Just let me know if you’re alright?”

It didn’t matter how hard or for how long he tried, Aaron was long gone within the walls.

[staytheb]

Hide ‘n Seek

Pairing: SKZ’s Chan x OC [Sieun] Genre: slice of life, slight fluff Word Count: 3,412 Summary: Sieun thought she wasn’t playing hide and seek, but finds out later that Chan found her.

Warning: curse words. semi-proofread, not my best work tbh

oh, look another SKZ story with Bang Chan... lol oh well. anyways, this was inspired by Jerrilyn’s Hide ‘n Seek, but then it came out differently than i had wanted and i just wrote on thinking i could bring it back to how i may have wanted it, but nope. so this is the product of it and it’s there. lol so it’s whatever as i did have fun, but it isn’t what i really wanted for it. but yeah, happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

"Quick, hide me!"

Sieun heard a male voice announced in a panicked-like tone before looking up with a questioning expression. She spotted a familiar face and her lips quirked upwards as she wondered what her friend did this time around.

"What did you do, Jisung?"

"Nothing." Jisung answered as he tried to hide within Sieun's belongings.

"You have to have done something because you hardly hang out in the library and people rarely come to this side of it."

"Which is exactly a great hiding spot for me right now."

He grinned at her while shuffling around her things as he pushed her out from her desk and settled himself underneath it while bringing her back to cover him. Sieun had her own private-like table at a secluded area within the library. After hanging out here since her freshman year and doing a work study, she had gotten along super well with the librarians that they made this her spot. Of course, it wouldn't be when she graduated this year, but for the time being this area was hers and hers alone. It was a perfect place whenever she had to study or needed a sanctuary from everything else.

"Stay like this and act like I'm not here." Jisung instructed her. "And if someone asks for me, act like you don't know me."

Sieun didn't respond and continued her studying before she was interrupted. Jisung frowned believing that his friend didn't hear him and patted her thigh impatiently as he repeated what he had said before. Still, Sieun didn't react and Jisung pushed her out to pop out his head to glare at her.

"Did you not hear me?"

Sieun paused and looked down at him.

"You told me to act like you're not here and that I don't know you."

"Oh, at least acknowledged that fact so I would know that I'm not talking to air."

"Do you wanna get caught for whatever you did or do you want me to help you?"

"Alright, alright."

Jisung backed off as he returned back to his position while pulling Sieun's chair back into its place again. She smirked as she went back to her books before hearing another voice loudly muttering stuff. Jisung started to slightly freak upon hearing a familiar voice as he began tapping at Sieun's legs. She slightly kicked him to calm down and he stopped while letting out a quiet ow. Sieun didn't have time to laugh at her friend's misery as the other male's voice got louder. She frowned while trying to make out who was making their way back to her secret spot through the limited open spaces of the book shelves.

Sieun's eyes followed the stranger to be alert of his presence for when he rounded the last shelf and came to full view of her sight. Her whole demeanor became super confused when she spotted Sigma Kappa Zeta's Chan standing before her. Although she was a part of a sorority, but she was more low-key about her appearance and got all of her updates from her friends who were all from different houses if not her own. Sieun just didn't understand why someone like Chan was here and looking for her friend. Then it finally clicked a moment later. Jisung had joined Sigma Kappa Zeta just last year when her friend raved on and on about it after being accepted. Sieun had totally forgotten that fact.

"Oh, hi." Chan greeted her with an awkward smile. "Thought I would find someone else back here."

"Hi." Sieun greeted back out of politeness. "What kind of person were you thinking of finding?"

"Uh, a male that's part of Sigma Kappa Zeta."

"Sorry, just me a female who's not part of any sororities." She lied about being a part of a sorority.

"Wait. Aren't you a part of Nu Chi Zeta?"

"No. That's my friend."

"Chi Rho Theta?"

"No. That's another friend."

"Mu Beta Beta?"

"Nope. Another friend."

"Alpha Gamma Sigma?"

"Once again, no. That's my other friend."

"I feel like I've seen you before." Chan stated with a pensive look as Sieun shrugged like she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Yeah, I dunno."

Sieun knew. She had classes with him over the years, but didn't want to state that.

"How many friends do you have in a sorority that you're not in any of the ones that I've mentioned and which one are you a part of?" Chan asked with a puzzled look.

Sieun cast the male a similar look before responding not really telling him the whole truth again.

"Just those four, but why are you asking me about that? Aren't you looking for someone right now?"

"Oh, right. I am."

Chan let out a cough as he sheepishly looked off to the side of him before casting his eyes onto Sieun again who went back to her materials.

"Say," He began, "You wouldn't happen to know someone name Jisung, right?"

"Define which Jisung." Sieun remarked with her focus still on her things. "There's quite a few of them on campus."

"Oh, right. Um, his name is Han Jisung. He's a second year and he's a part of Sigma Kappa Zeta."

"Nope, never heard him. Sorry."

She cast Chan a wide smile in hopes that he would soon go away so that she could get rid of Jisung and return back to her own thing.

"Oh, okay. Well, if you happen to chance upon him in some way, tell him that Chan is looking for him."

"Which Chan? There's quite a few with that name, too."

"Bang Chan."

"Okay. Got it."

Sieun flashed him another smile as Chan partially got the hint.

"Okay, thank you."

Chan backed up, turned around, and was about to round the corner when he did a one-eighty and came back to face her.

"Why do you have your own desk at the back of the library?"

Sieun tried to not make a face at Chan's continuous questions of making conversations with her.

"Um, is that really important right now? I thought you needed to find someone?"

"He can wait. He actually has until the end of tonight before the game's over."

"What game?"

"Hide 'n Seek."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. The fra-"

"Wait," Sieun held up a hand for Chan to stop talking, "Houses are not supposed to reveal their secrets unless the person is a part of it."

Chan shut up immediately with widened eyes. He then pointed behind him.

"I'm just gonna go."

Sieun nodded in agreement not wanting to say anything. Chan cast her one last smile before turning around and finally leaving. Sieun was about to go back to her studies when she was sudden pushed backwards having forgotten about Jisung's hiding underneath her desk.

"Were you hitting on one of my frat bros?" Jisung questioned her while sitting on his knees now as he blocked her from resuming her studying.

"I wasn't hitting on anyone and your friend was talking to me. Not me to him." Sieun clarified.

"So why did you lie that you weren't a part of sorority?"

"Was there a need for him to know that I was a part of one? I'm graduating this year and won't see him or you ever again."

She chuckled after saying that causing the male to pout.

"Hey, that's not nice. I thought we were friends."

"We were never friends."

Jisung gasped before a playful look cross his face that Sieun caught. She spoke before he could act upon it.

"Mess with me and I'll make sure to tell Chan where you're hiding."

Jisung stopped and groaned.

"Ah, always ruining my fun."

"Right. You're the one that came to bother me."

"Oh, I did, didn't I?"

Sieun narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"Why did you come all the way here when there were other places to hiding places?"

"Because you're here."

Jisung immediately shut up, but Sieun didn't probed further on that topic not wanting to involved with it.

"Whatever. Why don't you just run along and leave me alone?"

"I can't. I have to hide out until midnight tonight."

"Why?"

"Because it's part of the game. And the game states that I-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Sieun interrupted him by placing a hand over his mouth, "You can't reveal your house's secrets."

Jisung removed her hand from his mouth as a mischievous smile graced his face.

"I don't like your face." Sieun said with an unsure expression and shied away from Jisung.

The male frowned before brushing off his friend's words.

"Anyways, are you busy tonight?"

Sieun met up with her four friends, Sumin, Seorin, Chaewon, and Nayoung at CLOVER for dinner. While eating and talking about what they were gonna do tonight, Sieun found out that they were also given a small-like white placard like hers from members of Sigma Kappa Zeta.

"Wait, you guys have one, too?" Sieun asked in disbelief while bringing hers out. "Mine's from Jisung."

"Mine's from Seungmin." Nayoung stated as she brought out hers. "He gave it to me like last week."

"Oh, I got one last week, too." Seorin said as she showed hers. "It's from a kid I tutor named Jeongin."

"Hyunjin." Chaewon inputted while placing hers on the table. "He gave it to be like weeks ago in case he forgot."

"Oh, then that leaves me." Sumin piped up with a laugh as she flashed hers. "Felix gave it to be this morning."

"Did they say what it was for though?" Sieun questioned them with a frown. "I don't want to be associated with any of this."

"Sieun, you're a part of the Greek Life, you're always gonna be associated with it." Chaewon remarked with a laugh.

"I only joined because you guys did and didn't think y'all were gonna join different ones then I pledged to."

"That's just how things work." Nayoung deadpanned before casting them all a look. "This thing starts at ten. Are we all going?"

"Of course." Sumin answered. "Felix said that if I don't show up with this thing, then he doesn't get any points or whatever it is."

"He told you everything?" Seorin asked Sumin.

"No. He almost did, but I stopped him before he let out his fraternity's secret."

"So, you're saying if we don't show up, then the boys' won't get their points or something like that?" Nayoung inquired as Sumin nodded. "Yeah, something like that."

"Hmm, then Jisung's gonna get jacked shit. Serves that kid right when he almost got caught this afternoon when I was in the library." Sieun replied with a smirked.

"Why? What happened?" Seorin asked interested. "Is this that kid that bothers you all the time?"

"Yes, but his member, Chan, came looking for him and he confused me with all of y'all."

Sieun scoffed as she looked at all of her friends.

"Do I even resemble any of you?"

The other four looked at one another with a knowing look before all staring at Sieun.

"What?" She asked cautiously. "I don't like how y'all's faces look."

Sieun found herself outside of Sigma Kappa Zeta along with her friends. She didn't want to show up, but they dragged her over. Her friends still didn't respond to her questions and told her that she'll find out on her own if she came to the event at Sigma Kappa Zeta. She disliked all of this a lot, but she knew that somewhere down within her that she liked it even just a little. She won't admit it to them openly of course.

"C'mon, let's get inside."

Seorin hooked her arms with Sieun and began pulling her towards the house.

"Ohh, yeah, let's!"

Sumin joined in and hooked arms with Sieun's other side. Sieun groaned as she try to move backwards, but Chaewon came from behind her and pushed her forward. Sieun sighed knowing that she wasn't going to be able to escape any time soon. The quintet walked up to the door with Nayoung knocking on the door. Soon enough the door opened revealing another member, Minho, on the other side.

"Hel-Nayoung?"

His brows furrowed upon seeing Nayoung standing there.

"What are you doing here?"

"This." Nayoung answered as she held out the placard.

Minho took the card and frowned after reading it.

"How do you know Seungmin?"

"That doesn't matter. The others have one, too."

Nayoung ignored the male's question and instead motioned for the other four to present their cards. Minho reluctantly took them while seeming impressed by them. He glanced at all five of them with a charming smile.

"Ladies," He motioned for them to enter the house, "Welcome to Sigma Kappa Zeta."

"I thought you weren't part of a sorority."

Sieun heard from behind her as she looked over to see who it was and realized it was Chan. She was on Sigma Kappa Zeta's rooftop having chosen this spot away from her friends and not wanting to be surrounded by other people. She hated crowds and being stuck at someone else's place that she wasn't comfortable with. Also she thought that no one would want to come outside due to the cold weather. After entering the frat house, Minho informed them that they were allowed to roam the area, but cannot leave the premises until the event was over at midnight.

"I'm not." Sieun lied wondering what made him still think she was.

"Well, the only way you're here tonight is that one of the members had to have given you a placard, right?"

Chan walked closer to her, but kept his distance.

"Yes." Sieun confirmed. "What of it?"

"The condition of the invitation was that it was to be given to a sorority member."

"Aren't you exposing your house's secrets though?"

Chan ignored her statement and continued speaking.

"You're part of Sigma Theta Iota."

Sieun continued to stay silent.

"You're Park Sieun."

Sieun laughed it off not sure where he was getting at.

"Okay, and? What are you trying to get at?"

"Han Jisung invited you."

"Okay, and?" Sieun repeated not really getting it.

Sieun glanced up at Chan still staying put while Chan came over and squatted beside her. Sieun shied away not sure why he was so close.

"Is there something you want from me?"

Chan cast her a charming smile.

"I found you."

"Excuse me?"

Sieun seemed composed on the outside, but she was totally freaking out on the inside. She really hoped that whatever Chan was gonna say next wasn't what she was thinking it to be. No one knew. Not even her friends. Not even Jisung.

"Where. After. Love. Now."

Or so she thought.

"How the fuck do you know that?"

She wanted her tone to be more firm and fierce, but it came out more like a harsh unbelievable whisper. She couldn't believe that Chan had somehow found out about her hashtag project on Instagram inspired by a Thai music video. Let's just say that the project was related to Chan in a way without his absolute knowledge.

"I happened to noticed it during the class we shared a few months back when I saw it when I sat behind you."

"You were spying over my shoulder?"

"What? No. I more or less just saw you scrolling the hashtag and images and got curious."

Sieun turned away from Chan freaking out silently at the prospect that Chan now discovered the images she took of him and the overall set up for it. She could not believe he of all people found out. Then her mind went wild and wondered if everything that happened today was because of his doing. Like Jisung coming to see her at the library to lead Chan there and then later giving her the card. Her friends giving her funny looks when she mentioned Chan confusing her for her friends of different sororities. She groaned quietly at having being the last person to be oblivious about it.

"I gotta go." Sieun abruptly stated while standing up with Chan quickly following after with a puzzled look. "Wait. Why?"

"I'm not feeling well. I feel exposed. I just, this is weird and I don't know how to go about this. So goodbye."

Before Sieun could run off, Chan reached out and took a hold of her hand. He pulled her towards him and Sieun looked everywhere else, but at him. Chan found it cute, but he was more confused as he thought that now it was out in the open she would react differently.

"Sieun."

Sieun grew alert, but she just couldn't face him.

"Please look at me."

She contemplated on doing that. She didn't have to as Chan moved so he would be in her line of sight. She finally focused her attention on him.

"Alright, Chan. What?"

It came out more hostile than she had meant it to.

"Sorry." She apologized while correcting her tone. "Alright, so you know it's me, but don't get all cliche and whatever."

Chan chuckled at her words.

"Okay, but you're the one that was like playing hide and seek this hold time."

"I wasn't playing anything. You were never meant to find it."

"But they were such great photos of me although you did take them when I didn't know about them."

"You have a lot of photos of yourself circulating around campus okay. Don't think I'm some weird stalker or whatever."

"I never did."

"Oh."

Sieun then remembered that Chan was holding her hand and tried to shake his grip on her hand, but he held onto it firmly.

"Aww, I thought this was what you wanted."

"There's a difference between what I created with that hashtag and real life."

"So why not make the hashtag real?"

"You know I would die by like all your little fangirls or whatever."

"Which ones?"

"You really gonna play dumb when you have a whole entourage of girls that wanna get with you, right?"

"I'm not. I just never really noticed them until you mentioned it."

Sieun rolled her eyes while eyeing their held hands.

"Okay, Chan. You know now and I know now, but why are you still holding onto my hand."

"Didn't I say to make Where After Love Now real?"

"Bullshit. Please don't tell me that you like me, too?"

"And if I do?"

"That's some cliche shit right there."

"You do know that we've had classes over the years together, right?"

"Yes, but why asked me about what sorority I was in then?"

"I was just testing you."

"For what?"

"If you would tell me who you were or not."

"And why would I go and do that?"

"It would've made it easier to talk with you instead of having Jisung set this up."

"So Jisung did know and this is now cliche."

"I mean, one way or another, it was bound to be cliche."

Sieun sighed as she looked at Chan expectantly.

"Alright, Bang Chan, what now?"

Chan smiled at her knowingly before pulling out his phone and waving at her.

"How about a picture to commemorate our official status?"

"Official status? The fuck. We're not a couple or even dating."

"Not yet, but this can be the start of it."

"Wow."

She wavered for a bit.

"Could we like, not, do it?"

"No. We're definitely doing it."

Before Sieun could reject the idea again, Chan took a photo of their held hands. He let go only to type away on his phone. A moment later, Sieun's phone dinged. She knew that Chan had just tagged her with whatever he did on Instagram.

"Look at your phone."

"I'll do it later."

"Okay. Let's make more."

"I would rather hide."

"And then I'll seek you out."

"There's really no escaping from you is there?"

"Nope. Seems like you're stuck with me."

"Okay, well it's not bad. We just have several months with one another before graduation and then off we go to other things away from one another."

Chan rolled his eyes before laughing a second later.

"It's okay. We can talk about all of that when the time comes for it."

"I guess, but alright. So what do you wanna do?"

"Is it midnight yet?"

Sieun checked her phone and saw that there was still half an hour left before then.

"No."

"Alright. Let's grab something to eat and let Jisung suffer."

"Ohh, I like that. Let him stay and hidden."

The pair laughed as they got off the rooftop.

[wrestlingbabe]

Angels and Demons

Finn/Demon- A fallen Angel must find their purpose to become an angel once more, but what if they already had a purpose...and what if it included a demon.

Warnings: Fluff/Angst and thats it.

This was for @hardcorewwetrash Supernatural Writing challenge, which I picked number 9  “You can stay, but no longer than two nights. Word Count-  3.4K

I hope y'all enjoy it. It has been a while.

It had been a few months since you arrived on earth. You don’t remember much about how you got here except for a searing heat that you had never felt before. You vision went blurry before that heat hit your wings and your body felt like as if it shut off. When you finally awoke, you were in a city, dazed by the lights, rain and fast moving traffic. Your hands immediately went to your back before you let out a soft cry. They were gone. What allowed you to be an angel were gone, or so you thought. This is when he became involved.

*2 months earlier* You looked up at the bright lights of the city before walking out of the back alley you had landed in, “What am I to do?” The words a mere whisper as you felt your chest tighten. That is when you heard it, another voice, but not of an angel, oh no something different, worse, “A demon.” You hissed as you turned to look for it. Your eyes darted through the crowd as you tried to look for the knowing red glow, signaling just where they were.

A man in a black suit stood at a bus stop across the street, the red glow orbiting around him. You tilted you head and thought for a moment. If you were still an angel he would see the soft gold glow that you gave off, but if not, that answered your question. Were you still an angel or not?

You quickly crossed the street as the bus pulled up. You got on right behind him, glancing at where he was sitting. Before you could go any further, the bus driver stopped you, “Do you have a pass?” You looked at them confused, “Any cash on you?” You looked around knowing little about human currency but why would you have any. You felt that panic feeling in your chest and as you turned around to get off the bus, the man swiped his card over the machine, “I have them.”

His deep voice captivating you in a way that you couldn’t describe, “Stop!” You told yourself as you knew demons could tempt any angel. You looked up at him and thanked him before sitting across from him. You wanted your eyes on him just in case. He hadn’t given you a second glance yet and you began to worry, “This says it all. I’m done.” You let out a small sigh as one of the last people on the bus left. You glanced around to see only you and him on the bus. As your eyes did a quick sweep over him, you noticed he was looking.

“Is there something I can help you with?” His glow becoming darker, making you curious.

“It’s a darker red. What does that mean?” You whispered as you leaned forward some. You had always heard that if an angel and demon touched, one would be burned. You wanted to see if it was true as you slowly stuck your hand out.

The man gave you a puzzled look as he squinted his eyes and moved further into the seat, “I don’t think that is a smart idea.” You moved your hand back and looked at him with wide eyes. He looked over you before creasing his eyebrows together, “How do you see my glow?” He moved up in his seat, inspecting you.

“I’m an angel.” You said with only a slight bit of hope. His slight frown said other wise, “Oh no! You don’t see any glow? Not even a slight bit of gold-” Your words were cut off as he lean forward and placed a hand on your knee. You couldn’t hold it in and a small cry fell from your lips, “no.”

The man looked up and saw that the bus was coming to a stop, “You can stay with me, but no longer than two nights.”

You looked up at him as a few tears streamed down your cheek, “What is your name?” You sniffed as you realized you didn’t remember your own name.

The man stuck out his hand towards you before you cautiously took it, “My name is Finn and please don’t worry, I don’t bite.”

Your eyes widened as the thought of him hurting you raced into your head. You went into this with open arms, but you didn’t have a choice. You were to either sleep outside on the streets or take a demon’s kind gesture.

You both exited the bus and walked into a small building. He motioned to the stairs as you slowly trekked behind him. The only sound was the light breathing from both of you. As you got to the top, there was a single door, “It’s small and cozy but there is a bedroom for you.” He said as he looked at your wet clothes, “I think I might have a shirt and pants you can borrow.”

You softly said thank you as he held the door open for you. You felt that panicked feeling again as you saw symbols on the wall, “What do they mean?” You backed up a little only to run into him.

“Protection.” He mumbled as he step beside you.

His words confused you as you went up to one and slowly traced it, part of it smearing off. That burning feeling that you had felt was back as you fell to your knees, “AH!” You clutched your hand as you scurried away from the symbol.

Finn came rushing in, “Which one did you touch?” You were in too much of a state to say anything. You felt that. You felt that heat that you had felt when you fell. He wasn’t telling you something.

“Is there a glow?” Your voice loud as tears started to brim your eyes, “Am I still an angel?” Your voice soft as you slowly got to your feet.

Finn looked down at the ground before slowly looking at you, “You have a very soft glow but only in your hands. I felt a slight sting when I offered my hand to your earlier but when I placed my hand on your knee, I felt nothing. I don’t know the answer to your question.” Silence filled the room as you thought of everything you had ever learned. Was it actually possible to still have some angel in you?

“What are the symbols?” You asked as you sat on the ground, looking over your hands. You couldn’t see the glow and soon your eyes became tired, “What are you doing here?” Was the last thing you could make out before your eyes went heavy and you fell back against the floor.

Finn smiled as he looked at you as you quietly fell asleep. He saw the glow but couldn’t figure it out, “Did they finally come back?” Finn asked himself as he brought a pillow out from a room and threw a blanket over you.

As you awoke, you slowly took in your surroundings. This was the building from last night. You were in Finn’s place, but where was he. That man was quiet and seemed to keep to himself but you wanted to explore. You got up and quietly walked around his place. You studied the symbols, making sure not to touch any. Today you wanted to know more about him, seeing you only had a day or two with him. You walked over to the sliding doors and barely opened them, just enough to peek through. There was the man from last night laying in his bed. His chest bare but covered in old scars. You let out a gasp as you saw a scar that you had seen before. You lifted up your shirt and traced a scar identical to his, the angel scar. At this time you couldn’t help yourself. You knocked on the door loudly before walking in, “You were an angel? When and how did you become a demon? Why did you become a demon of all things?”

The man groaned as he placed a pillow over his head, “Too early.” He grumbled as you paced the room, trying to put things together.

“Please! I have to know, can you help me?” You felt something, something different. A different kind of heat, but you couldn’t put your finger on it. You placed your hand over your heart and took a deep breath.

“You feel it too?” Finn’s words making you look up at him. Before you could say anything, he lifted his finger at you to stop you, “We all have a purpose. Angels and demon alike. When I was an angel, I was asked to do something I didn’t want to do. I didn’t want to hurt the person that I loved. I don’t remember much except for a burning heat incasing my whole body and then I woke up here.” He looked down at his hands and let out a sigh. Finn knew he was lying but didn’t want to scare you. He thought of a quick lie to tell, “Though that feeling of being more superior was something I craved. I had heard about some demons who would take me in only if I swore to never allow that gold glow to take over me again.” At this time you had sat down on the edge of his bed, yearning to know more, “My gold is gone now. I always thought it  would stay but that isn’t true. It is either red, gold or gone. You’re here for a purpose, I’m sure. Finn glanced over you before moving closer to you, “What do you think your purpose is?”

You looked into his eyes and saw a hint of red, “I don’t know, but I know I want to be this.” You raised you hand to see a small shimmer of gold, “It’s all I have.”

Finn shook his head, “I don’t know why I want to say this but it’s not all you have, you have me too.” He gave you a small smirk, “I’ll help you, but know, that that is not what I want. I enjoy my life now.”

“Then what is the protection symbols for?” You tilted your head as you got up and walked out to the living area. You started to study them again and forgot about the other creature in the room.

“To keep away demons and angels.” His voice was soft as he walked over to the symbol you smeared yesterday, “That one was fresh. It’s to keep angels away, but as you see, it is now open, which I assume is why you’re still capable of being here, or it is the fact that you’re not strong enough.” His words also had you wondering.

“What do you think my purpose is?” You followed him into the kitchen as he turned on the coffee maker. The sound of the coffee being made filled the apartment, “Maybe it’s you.”

Finn gave you a quick glance before grabbing a mug, “Maybe.” He muttered.

You slowly rubbed your hands together, as if the glow would spread to the other one, “What if they realized they made a mistake?” You glanced up at him through your lashes and hoped he wouldn’t become mad, “What if they want you to come back?” As the words left your mouth, his glow became a more bright red and you knew you might of went too far.

“No!” His voice booming around the apartment, “They didn’t make a mistake. They never make mistakes.” He turned to you to see you off of the stool and in a fighting position, “Oh no! Oh no! I’m not going to hurt you! I promise..I just. It isn’t for me anymore and soon you’ll see you will have make a decision. Return to an angel or stay here.” You let your guard down slowly as he kept talking, “If you stay here, you don’t have to become a demon. Don’t think that you have to be something other than you.” He gave you a small smile before turning back around, “I know that decision won’t be hard for you seeing you’re glowing more.”

 You gasped as you ran to the closest mirror. He was right, your glow was stronger, but it wouldn’t matter if you didn’t have wings. You reached back and as felt the empty space, a small sigh fell from your lips.

You saw Finn walked into the view of the mirror, “They can grow back if you fulfill your purpose, but you have to figure out what it was.” You nodded at him as you walked into the bedroom that had clothes on the bed.

“Can I take a shower?” You asked as you scooped up the clothes. Finn nodded his head as you walked into the bathroom.

Finn let out a sad sigh as he sat on one of the stools, “I won’t make them stay. If they remember then they remember but I won’t force anything upon them. There is no purpose for them and that will be the hardest for them.” He rested his head in his hands.

As the water heated up, you let it run over your sore back as you thought everything over, “Think! What is my purpose? Why would I be here? Was running into him a coincidence or was it part of it?” As you reached behind you to turn off the water, you heard something. A voice, but not Finn’s, this one sounded familiar. You wrapped your towel around you as you barely poked your head out of the bathroom door.

“Where are they?” The voice spoke with a condescending attitude.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.” You knew that voice, Finn’s powerful voice was echoing in the building.

“Don’t play stupid with me demon! The angel. Where are they? I know they are here. I followed them.” Your head cocked to the side as you tried to match a face to the voice. You poked your head out more to see Finn still in the kitchen and an angel with their wings wide. You felt a feeling in your stomach, was it pity, jealousy, anger, you weren’t sure but you wanted to know more of what was happening. You slowly stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Your eyes glanced over to the symbol that you had opened and quietly cursed to yourself. You had let this angel in and now if needed, you were going to take them out. A small can of paint sat underneath the symbol if needed.

“Why would I keep an angel here?” Finn said as he walked more into your view. He must of felt something because he glanced over into the area you were at and caught eye contact with you. You felt that burn from earlier when his eyes hit yours.

“You know damn well why. They fell for you when they were doing what was needed for their purpose. They wouldn’t back down after we told them to leave you. Soul mates aren’t real in our world but they kept spewing that worthlessness at us. So now we have a banned angel with a burned out demon. A demon who is keeping them HERE!”

Your scurried back further into the room as everything hit you at once. You had a purpose before all of this and instead fell for Finn, a demon of all things. You felt your head get heavy as you glanced down at the once gold glow becoming slightly red, “Wait! What did I do?” The tears were streaming down your face. You didn’t remember anything about Finn and now an angel was here to make sure that you didn’t even exist. You felt the room become tighter as the room became bright with a gold light, “No!” You knew that light, the angel was ready to fight. You scurried to your feet as you dashed out of the room.

“NO!” You heard Finn yell as you grabbed the paint brush. You glanced at the angel with a smirk as you ran the brush over the smeared paint. A loud wind filled the room as the angel’s wings brushed, trying to escape. All you heard though was ringing in your ears, you felt that burn again, this time more powerful than before. You watched as the gold glow slowly crept away. This was it and you knew it, but you were willing to do it for him. As the last bit of gold dimmed away, you fell backwards with a thud.

 “I won’t leave him!” You shook your head as you awoke. You felt like your were in a dream. There you were in front of yourself yelling at a group of angels. You were hidden in the back watching as you told the angels of what had become of you and this angel you could not see.  Your eyes widened as you saw your wings again. You felt the tears well up before you gasped in horror as you saw what was kneeling beside you, “Finn!” You whispered to yourself. Finn was here and was an angel. You heart sunk as you realize what happened and that he lied to keep you safe. You went to lunge forward but you couldn’t move, you could only watch what angel you did.

“This was not your purpose. Angels have their own purpose, each other is not it!” An older angel stood in front of you. You took that same stance you took earlier towards Finn, “What is your purpose?” The angel crouched in front of Finn.

Finn glanced up at the angel you before back at the older angel, “My purpose is right there. My everything.” The older angel swung his arm back before connecting his hand across Finn’s face. Both you and the angel you snarled as the older angel looked back at the group.

“I know what we are to do.” He beckoned something or someone and soon the room went quiet. You looked up to see something swiftly flying in, you gasped as you started to remember just what happened.

“Oh Finn.” You couldn’t watch. You knew what was to happen. Finn never arrived on earth as an angel, no, he arrived as a demon.

“You called.” The tall dark creature hissed at the older angel.

“He will make a great demon don’t you think?” He directed his question directly at you, looking past the angel you. Just as you went to speak, you heard Finn’s cries.

Your eyes shot open as you jerked awake from the dream, “FINN!” You cried out before seeing him kneeling beside you, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t remember and I couldn’t stop them-“ Finn stopped you by pulling you into his chest.

“Shh. It is alright.” You let our a small sob as he sat down more, “I knew at some point of time, you would be here. I hoped it wouldn’t happen because you fit so perfect there, but it did. They never sent you here for a purpose because you had already found yours.” Finn pulled back to look you in the eyes, “I’m sure you don’t remember but it was you who banished yourself. That angel was here to make sure there was no angel left in you, but you had some.”

You didn’t feel any shock anymore, you totally believed it. You glanced down and noticed your red glow, “Oh no.” You fell quiet for a second, “Am I a demon now?”

Finn shook his head, “No you just have the protection of one, so you have that glow. Unfortunately when you closed that symbol, it took all your angel from you. I’m sorry.”

You head hung low for a few moments, “That is okay. If they didn’t realize that my purpose was you, then I have to realize that my purpose isn’t them.”

“Our purpose was each other.” You smiled at Finn before slowly standing up, “I’m going to have to stay a few more days to make this a home.”

*Present* Finn pulled you closer as you two laid in bed. You had recently become interested in astronomy and had painted the ceiling with constellations, “This is exactly what I envisioned our future to look like, well maybe with wings kind of being in the way of cuddling.”

Finn chuckled at your statement and kissed your forehead. He looked up at the bottom of the painting and smiled at the words written, “Our purpose.” You glanced up at him with a smile before looking around you. You couldn’t see the red glow anymore being that you have no angel in your, but you knew that it burned brighter than ever before.

[neshabeingchildish]

Hello Stranger Part 3

At this point, I don't even feel like redoing the final authors notes. Thank y'all all. Edit: So, okay... I’m feeling better, so lemme say that I am trying out deadlines and discipline for ff WIPs. This one I planned as a three parter. So, hopefully you like the conclusion.

Hello Stranger Part 3

Henry had woke up on the couch with a start! He had been transported into the past while he slept, and was right at that moment where he let Charlotte walk out of his life. That day he didn't know he wouldn't see her for 10 years. Now that he did, every time she walked away was a nightmare. He checked his phone. He'd only gotten about 2 hours of sleep. But he still got up and headed straight to the florist shop.

Making floral arrangements gave him some peace of mind. The decision to open a real store occupy his time and set appointments for people had been one of his best ideas. Most people ordered online anyway. And it was nothing to hire a few people to just man the shop, for when he couldn't be there because of his real work as Captain Danger.

None of the staff knew of his lifestyle, nor did they have access to the Man Caves. Schwoz reprogrammed the elevator to be code activated, and they replaced a few of the damaged caves with other burrows that Henry needed. His gym, his spa, a man cave for Schwoz, one for Jasper, and Ray's retirement home… which was currently the active Man Cave, because he didn't have friends or plans but didn't want to work as Captain Man anymore.

Henry's biggest concern about Ray retiring was that he didn't want Ray to "Jason Todd" him. "If you want to relinquish Captain Man, I take up the mantle-hood for sure and for good. Schwoz works for the Man Cave, meaning me and you can't have the right or even the ability to take anything over from me." Ray had agreed to that, only because he assumed Henry would be lax about it.

Sometimes he would try to threaten Schwoz to get something his way, but Henry had given Schwoz the option to escape Ray's threats by grounding him in the Man Cave until he calmed down. The first time was a doozy. The fight that Ray and Henry had when he came to see if he'd cooled off was their biggest yet. At the end of the conversation, Henry clarified, "As long as I'm in charge of the Man Cave, you don't get to attack, threaten or violate Schwoz or Jasper. They work for me and it is a hostile work environment that I won't allow on my watch. If you can't deal with that, Schwoz will bring Halley back to babysit you, if need be." He had his tough dad voice that he sometimes had to use with his own dad and when Ray stormed to his retirement cave, he locked him out of the Man Cave for a while,just in case.

But, seeing Charlotte and recalling their argument, his words, and recollection of examples of her truth over the years… he had to make it right. He built her a bouquet and sent it to where the search engine told him her office was. The high point of his day,nope.. his decade, was seeing the reaction she posted and all of the replies.

Followers trying to guess who the mystery man was. All the heart eyes and jealous drooling. The compliments on the bouquet itself because he appreciated respect for his craftsmanship.

.

Taking things slow, Charlotte soon realized meant that Henry needed them to work at his pace. Not necessarily slow in general, but he seemed more at ease whenever he could make the first move. She could handle that. She didn't like to chase anyway, so that was preferred to her.

They were spending time together, going on dates, talking about themselves and their worlds, and not dwelling on the fight and forgiveness between them - just the future. They were helping Jasper with wedding plans, both silently thinking and wondering what their own might look like if that was ever an option. Charlotte absolutely lived for Jasper's engagement ring and whenever they went to help him pick out Don's wedding ring, she couldn't help but notice Henry looking at various other ones. So, just for laughs, she said, "Be sure to consider that it's either an ethically sourced diamond, if not just crystals, something that says she's sift and dainty, but also don't get it twisted, she's a god-damned boss."

Henry blushed and giggled, "I don't even know what that means but I'll repeat it for the vendor if I'm ever in the market. I'm more of a 4 c's, reputable jeweler with genuine care for the buyer… I feel like just like with food or with flowers, the gift of a ring has to have all of the steps outlined in love. Like… I agree with ethically sourcing, and raise you ethically selecting. The jeweler needs to help the fiance find the perfect ring for their spouse,to feel that energy in that little piece of jewelry. But also, the jewelry has to consent. She has to call you and let you know that she's willing to be that symbol for the rest of her existence…" He looked at a particular ring whenever he said that. Charlotte definitely peeped it. It was perfect. It was probably the most visible representation of her desire for a ring that she had ever seen.

Whenever Henry caught her staring at it with him, he noted the expression in her eyes. She blinked it away and smiled, saying, "Well, Henry Hart, you and some ring are going to make some person… to be honest, if anybody proposed to me having said some stuff like that, they'd better have the entire ceremony in their pocket because how do you not just marry them on the spot?" He laughed.

Jasper fussed from across the store, "I really am happy that you found love, and I'ma let you finish, but I'M the one trying to buy a ring right now!"

Both friends blushed and, and bumbled over their words, and got back to business. Henry gestured to the jeweler at the ring when Charlotte was devoting her visible attention to Jasper. He didn't know when or if he'd ever actually use it, but seeing that look in her eyes, he certainly couldn't just leave it behind… not that he was letting either of his friends see him take it today. There were so many conversations and milestones before… he could even fathom breaching that subject.

Months passed of something that he couldn't put into words. Charlotte gave him the space and speed he needed all of the time and didn't seem pressed about it. They were going to be each other's dates to the wedding, even though they were both actually in the wedding as part of Jasper's wedding party, and he was simply floating on air lately.

Three months into their relationship, he was finally ready to be sexual with her. He'd explained the first time that they got physically intimate that he "didn't really get around to gaining any experience." It took quick work for her not to facially respond to Henry admitting to her that he was not only a virgin but sort of a prude. "I just couldn't for a long time, then after a while, it was pretty embarrassing and I've never met anybody or gotten close to anybody that I could be vulnerable enough to admit this to. I hope you don't think I'm as much of a loser as I feel right now."

She collected him and strummed his face, "There's no reason for either of us to feel like you're a loser. So you haven't had sex yet. So what? There's plenty of people who haven't for various reasons and all of them are valid. The reasons and the people."

The months of kissing, cuddling, and watching Henry figure out what he liked and loved and wanted was really satisfying for her. She had forgotten what it was like to have longer journeys than a fling and sometimes forgotten how it felt to feel something for the person that she was physically connecting with. Besides that, by the time he was ready for her, she was working with a combination of 10 years of him longing, 28 years of him waiting, and the 15 years of hero physical training and working that had his body magnificent to her. Plus, she was super in love with him at that point. It was hands down the best she had ever had and as they grew, it just kept getting better.

For him, it was the fulfillment of everything that he had waited for. Charlotte was always careful not to make him feel upset or unsure. She didn't make him feel inadequate. She was clear and concise about what she could do for and to him, always making certain that he was comfortable and consenting. It was way more beautiful than he thought his first time would be. He expected her to look annoyed when he fumbled or chuckle uncontrollably when he asked what he felt like were stupid questions. She was the perfect partner though - equal portions companion and friend.

It was like he'd been living in a bubble. It was like he forgot that real life had a way of bursting bubbles. It was like he forgot that just because Ray wasn't around her, Ray didn't exist on the same plane. He had definitely forgotten that Ray had agreed to give Jasper away…

.

From the moment that he and Charlotte came into contact, Ray was pretty much at her neck. The thing about it was that they hadn’t seen each other in 10 years and the last time that he’d done this to him, she had told him about himself and didn’t take it back nor regret it a single moment. So, on this day, she certainly wasn’t going to have any of his shit.

“Ah, if it isn’t world renown problem solver Charlotte. Are you here to make sure nobody has any fun at Jasper’s wedding?”

Henry sighed threw his head back. Why hadn’t he considered that Charlotte and Ray would have bad blood.

“Oh, look - Ray Manbabychester. Riding fifty and still going on fifteen,” she commented right back. He fumed and she smiled and added, “Great to see you, Old Man.”

“I don’t look a day over 35,” he said, and while he did still look pretty good for his age, she couldn’t resist.

“Maybe not, but you don’t act a day over 5. Moving on to rehearsal, because we do want this to go on schedule, right Jasper?” Jasper fought off laughter as he nodded. For the rest of the rehearsal, Ray and Charlotte had it out. He’d try to get under her skin and she’d redirect him to what he could kiss. By the end of it, she announced to everyone, “Okay. People that we all claim to love are getting married on tomorrow. Hundreds of thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours, and immeasurable dedication has been given to this event. If I am the fun police, I’ll be that, because I’ll be damned, if anyone,” she looked directly at Ray, “jeopardizes Jasper’s special day.”

“Bridesmaid of Buzzkill, everyone!” Ray cheered.

“That doesn’t even make sense, you MASSIVE idiot!” she fussed, finally losing her cool. “I can’t believe that you’re still exactly the same as you always were...” Her voice was high pitched and screeching and she was honestly ready to sock him in the face, now thinking about the fact that he was pretty much the reason that she and Henry hadn’t spoken in as long as they hadn’t and she knew that even though Henry never said it that he probably spent that time bad mouthing her, just like he was currently doing. And now that she was thinking about it, she was a little bit mad that Henry hadn’t defended her today, not once and was getting ready to drag his ass for that too, as soon as she got him alone, but he injected himself into her fussing at Ray.

“Dude, you’ve been on her all day, and everybody is exhausted with it. Just stop.”

Ray scoffed. “Don’t. Don’t do that. Look, when I was an 18 year old kid, I let that stuff fly, but you know what she means to me and even if you don’t like her or don’t respect her, I’m not gonna just stand here while you bash her. It’s offensive to her, to me, and to Jasper, who we’re all here for… And you know… His spouse-to-be too…”

Ray folded his arms, “You’re siding with her after everything that she did to you?”

“Everything she…?” Henry clenched his fists and said to Jasper, “We’re gonna go, okay?” Jasper nodded. Ray moped as he stomped out of the building and Charlotte tried to keep steam from exploding from her ears. Henry gently pulled her aside, shook his head and said, “I am so sorry that I let that go on for so long. I promise, I was gonna get him together when he first jumped off, but you seemed like you had it and I didn’t think he was getting to you until that part. I would’ve protected you if I thought you needed it..”

She nodded, “I did have it at first. Then, he just kept taking jabs and I thought about all of the years that I put up with that kind of stuff from him. I thought about all of the realizations that I came to in my self discovery of how toxic and traumatic a lot of his verbal and emotional abuse was and the times that he literally almost killed me multiple times while I was a kid at a part time job. Then, I thought about everything that he’s done to you, and I just snapped. I know you love him. I know that I don’t fully understand your relationship. I just…"

"You're right. You were then and you are now. It took me awhile to realize it, that over the years as I was coming into myself, I saw examples and I know that you were spot on about a lot of it, even if I couldn't handle hearing it yet. I do love him and I always will, but I'm not letting those feelings get in between you and me ever again.I'm still working on me and I'm working on him. I'm working on us. I let my loyalty to Ray make us strangers, once. We were never supposed to be that. Look, I know that you don't believe in "the one" or forever, but whatever it is that you think about journeys, I think that you have to know that some of those don't end until you die. And that's what I want, with you. This journey until I'm done."

She leaned into him with a smile and said, "Henry Hart, that sounded suspiciously like a proposal."

"Well, it was definitely the set up to one. Certainly can't ask any time this weekend. Do you realize the level of Bridesgroomzilla that Jasper would unleash?"

"Oh, he would kill us."

"Precisely, and I'm not in any position to die, now that I've finally found my reason for living."

It would be an utter lie to suggest that he didn't frequently make her gush. This eas above and beyond that, though it was interrupted when Ray yelled from the door, "Henry, are we leaving or not???"

Henry groaned, forced a smile and said through his teeth, "He might wind up getting killed."

"Yeah, by Jasper if he keeps it up," she said and they parted ways. A couple of hugs and kisses later, that is. "Good luck getting Gramps settled."

He met up with Ray, scolding him while he pouted and Charlotte waved at them and watched them bicker from the window of the venue. Ray was a lot, but Henry said that he was working on him, on them,so maybe there was hope for him yet.

As for her hope, she was staring at him. He looked back, smiled and the world stopped for a while. Maybe she hadn't believed in soul mates because at the time, hers was a stranger and they were estranged. She didn't know that it could ever be this way. But, it was and her next journey just might be the longest. The stranger was gone now and her soul mate had entered the journey with her and he wanted that journey… for life.

The End.

[artificialqueens]

party chapter ten - shalaska - pureCAMP

A/N - how the fuck did we make it to ten chapters y'all… I’m shook.

Hope you enjoy this, anyhow! <33

Alaska could almost categorise the room full of people according to how they looked – the sallow skin and hooded lids of the alcoholics, the drawn faces and manic eyes of the drug abusers, the nervous glances and shuffling of the first-time rehab attendees, and the disappointed glances and blushing skin of the accompanying family members. It was a relief that Sharon didn’t appear to fit in with any of these people. They looked sick and sad and beyond help. She just looked tired and thin. A little bored, too. It had been almost two hours and her patience seemed to be running out.

“Two more minutes,” She leaned over and whispered in Sharon’s ear. “Then we can get the fuck out.”

Sharon hadn’t spoken to Alaska much since they’d been at Sharon’s home. It wasn’t like Alaska had any expectations on what it would be like to stay with her, but she didn’t expect the strange sensation of being stuck in a limbo. Sharon slept a lot. Alaska would do laundry and organise her drag just to pass some time. Sharon would grumble about the detoxification process. Alaska would crack a joke about Detox, and they’d laugh. Sharon would have peculiar dreams and wake up sweating, but refuse point-blank to talk about them. Alaska would watch TV, her eyes flitting from the screen to the closed bedroom door in case Sharon woke up.

She’d been told already that Sharon wouldn’t display any physical symptoms of withdrawal, but there would be fun little quirks like irritability, agitation, nightmares and possibly depression. A few times Alaska wondered why she’d agreed to do this, to stay with Sharon, but in the rare moments when she talked and cracked jokes with her, those thoughts left her mind. The older queens seemed to be doing her best to control her foul moods and hide her weak moments, even if she was unsuccessful. It was the thought that counted.

“Oh, thank fuck.” Sharon murmured back, her voice low. “I’m about to lose my fucking mind. The amount of self-control I’m using right now is terrifying.”

Alaska snorted appreciatively. “Oh yeah?”

“As in, this place is making me want to do drugs more than I did before I walked in the door.” She joked, her eyebrows knitting together.

Sharon had hated every single activity they’d had to do. First was group sharing; Alaska had an inkling that Sharon wouldn’t bother to censor herself for the sake of the rehab therapists or the patients, and she was entirely correct. When asked to introduce herself, she said, “I may not look like a Sharon but that’s how most people know me. I’m here because I fucked up and did more coke then I intended to.” Alaska had smacked her face into her palm, not missing the raised eyebrows that had been sent the blonde’s way. Sharon didn’t seem to care.

Next was one on one therapy. Whilst Sharon was doing her best not to be rude, to her credit, her old bluntness and unfiltered speech ran amok throughout, which appeared to make the therapist very uncomfortable.

“Is there a reason you decided to take drugs?”

“Yeah. They’re pretty fun.”

“Was it a suicide attempt?”

“No.”

“Was the overdose on purpose?”

“Nope.”

“Were you perhaps crying for help?”

“I just wanted to have a good time.”

“Are you incapable of having a good time without drugs?”

“Nope.”

“Do you have a drug history?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me about that.”

“I’ve used drugs before.”

“For how long?”

“Since I was a teenager. I worked in bars.”

“Was your life difficult?”

“A little.”

“Were drugs a coping method?”

“No, they were just for fun.”

Alaska had to fight back giggles during their exchange, which probably didn’t help. The second they left the room, Sharon burst into laughter and had to clutch the wall, gasping for breath as Alaska cackled along with her. They both started to complain through their laughter about how it seemed like a virtually useless method of healing, even though they knew it helped some. Sharon clearly had enjoyed antagonising the therapist.

The final one was team-building and group work, having to coordinate with the other patients to solve puzzles and problems that they were given. Sharon had spent the whole time sending withering looks in Alaska’s direction every time someone annoyed her, communicating through a series of forced smiles, cocked eyebrows and long sighs. To their relief, the rehab session was coming to a close, and they were arranged in a circle – like fucking preschoolers, Sharon had said – whilst their group efforts were being evaluated.

“You’re dismissed, we will see you all again at the next meeting.”

Sharon practically sprang from her seat, the most active Alaska had seen her in days, and shot out of the door at a speed significantly greater than that of the rest of the attendees. Some slunk away to their rooms in the facility, others filed through the exit on their way home, and Sharon was out of the door like a bullet fired from a gun.

“Fucking hell.” She swore, releasing a deep breath out through her lips as if she were smoking a cigarette. “Alaska, how much do you care about my wellbeing?”

Alaska frowned. “Way too fucking much, why?”

She pulled a face. “Please don’t make me go to this shit again on Thursday. Michelle doesn’t have to know.” Alaska started to laugh. “I was gonna lecture you about taking care of yourself, but I completely understand your thinking.”

“See!” Sharon cackled, pointing. “Of course I wanna recover! Just not by visiting that Westborough Baptist Addicts bullshit twice a week. We can do better than that at home.”

Alaska’s breath hitched at that – hearing the words we and home in the same sentence. It felt familiar. It felt right. She stopped herself before she could reminisce about the days where they did live in a home together. Even if she had promised that someday, somehow, she would make things work between them, they did need some time. Sharon wasn’t as stable as she seemed. It wasn’t like she was going to go out and find as much blow as she could, or drink herself into a state, but the fact remained that she was weakened from the ordeal and needed time to strengthen again. The last thing she needed was the extra stress of love in the mix; even if she was aware of it and had admitted to feeling the same way herself. They just needed time.

“You okay?” Sharon asked, her face creased in concern as they walked. Alaska snapped out of her funk and nodded.

“Sorry, yeah. It should be me asking you that.”

Sharon snorted. “Please. You just look deep in thought, that’s all. I know you and I know you don’t think because your brain was rotted away by makeup and hairspray inhalation through years of being a drag queen. Something up?”

Alaska smiled at that. “Not particularly. It’s just weird, you know? This whole fucked-up situation. But I have to admit you do seem kinda better, after that shit. Maybe you should carry on going to that place after all.”

Sharon shook her head violently, a grin on her face. “No way! Never. I guess I am talking more, you’re right about that. If I’m honest, it’s probably because I wanted to die so much whilst I was in there that my only distraction was to talk to you. I forgot how much fun properly talking to you is. I need to do it more often.”

Her heart fluttered. “I know you do. I might only respond with one word texts but you never answer your goddamn phone!”

Sharon lightly slapped her arm. “Incompatible. You’re a phone talker and I’m a text person. This is why we broke up.”

Any other time, Alaska might have looked away, but the words reminded her of something Sharon had said earlier, and she cracked up upon hearing them.

“When they asked about who had accompanied you, and you said ‘My ex boyfriend!’…Girl. Did you see their faces?”

Sharon grinned a second time. “Wasn’t it hilarious? I’ve never seen anyone look so awkward!”

“Anyway,” Alaska continued, resting her face on her fist as she pretended to think. “Should I let you off from Thursday’s session… should I talk to Michelle… hmm…”

“I’ll cook tonight if you don’t make me go. Fuck, I feel like a kid asking for permission to do something. Considering I never asked for permission as a kid, this is a weird feeling.” Sharon begged, laughing at the end of her ramble.

“For the next two weeks.”

“Five days?”

“One week. Final offer.”

“Deal. I’ll pay for takeout too.”

Alaska nodded. “Damn right you will. Hey, we’re here.”

Sharon pushed the key into the door, fumbling a little from the cold. As she began to busy herself with tidying round, muttering apologies for letting Alaska do it when she volunteered, Alaska took the time to read through the messages she’d been sent, flopping down on the couch.

Willam: we didn’t send this to sharon just in case, have you guys been online? There’s some shit

Alaska: of course there is. I haven’t looked yet, dreading it

Courtney: some of it’s nice

Willam: mixed responses really

Willam: some hate, some love, lots of “IS SHARON DEAD” and “ARE SHALASKA TOGETHER AGAIN”

Alaska: fucking shalaska

Alaska: the dumbest thing i’ve ever heard

Courtney: the couple or the name

Alaska: duh, the couple

Alaska: kidding. The name

Willam: i think we’re too old to get why the kids do this kinda shit. I think court and i take the cake with witney tho.

Courtney: AND IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE- Bianca del rio.

Willam: don’t even start. I heard they call you two bitney.

Alaska: how original

“There’s some shit online?” Sharon said suddenly. Alaska started, her heart pounding as Sharon somehow managed to creep behind her without her notice. Placing a hand on her heaving chest, she shoved Sharon as she dropped down onto the couch next to Alaska.

“Hmm…” Sharon hummed, as Alaska let her scroll through Courtney and Willam’s texts. “Hate, love, asking if I’m dead and asking if we’re together. Ooh, I wanna go on twitter. My phone’s in my pocket, let’s use yours.”

Alaska giggled uncertainly, half-amused, half-worried. “I don’t trust you with twitter. Were you planning on tweeting?”

“Maybe.” The mischievous glint in Sharon’s eyes gave her away. “Just something dumb like ‘to all the responses: fuck you, thank you, no, maybe.’”

“For fuck’s sake.” Alaska chuckled. “No, I’m not letting you on mine. You’re a terrible person and I do not trust you in the slightest.”

Before Alaska could say anything more, Sharon had opened up twitter on her phone and was scrolling through it. Her eyebrows shot upwards and she let out something like a shocked cough mixed with a laugh.

“Wo-o-ow…” She murmured. “This is… something.”

Alaska cringed. “How bad is it?”

“If the Hiroshima bomb and 9/11 hit twitter at the same time, it looks a little like that.” She admitted.

“Sharon!” Alaska chastised her. “You can’t say that!”

Sharon coughed. “Just did. Seriously, take a look.”

She began to read a few of them, switching between tweets sent to Michelle, Alaska, Sharon herself and even the official Drag Race account.

“Sharon Needles finally took it too far, such a shame… aw, that’s a nice one. She deserved what she got… lovely. Alaska please tell us sharon is doing ok. I’m convinced sharon is dead, no one is talking about her. You can so tell lasky still loves sharon in her tweets. Agreed! I don’t know why they don’t get back together. Unless sharon’s dead.”

Sharon coughed again. “Amongst others. Most of them are along those lines.”

Alaska quivered; whether it was with rage or nervousness or relief she didn’t know. She was thankful that a large number of them were concerned, sending well wishes and hoping that Sharon was okay and would quickly recover. But too many of them were hateful – even one was too many. She didn’t know if it was better or worse, but the amount of tweets speculating about the two of them made her feel some type of way too. Of course she still loved Sharon. Sharon still loved her. It just wasn’t that easy.

“Oh shit, I just forgot that we haven’t told them if you’re alive or not. No wonder they all think you’re dead.” Alaska commented, feeling wan and exhausted. The last thing she wanted was to deal with social media bullshit.

“I’ll tell them.” Sharon said, resting her head on Alaska’s shoulder as she saw the look of turmoil on her face.

Sharon Needles - @SHARON_NEEDLES  - Jan. 6th

If you’re already dead you can’t die again .. dead girls never do blow ..

Sharon Needles - @SHARON_NEEDLES – Jan. 6th

Please don’t harass my friends and family about me . They don’t need any more hassle on my behalf than they’ve already had ..

Sharon Needles  - @SHARON_NEEDLES – Jan. 6th

And no I’m not alone . There is someone here with me and I am safe . Thanks for the love .. cunt wait to be on stage again

Sharon paused suddenly. “Thank you. I’ve been meaning to say that.”

“Huh?” Alaska asked.

“I know I haven’t been the best person to be sharing a house with – I never really was – but especially these days. I’ve been living in my own head, just letting you get on with doing the shit that I should be doing, and it’s kinda unfair. You should be out there doing gigs, you have hundreds of thousands of fans who want to see you doing what you do best, and rightly so… but you’re here. With me. Stuck in this house, watching TV and cleaning up all my shit whilst I lounge about feeling like shit.”

Alaska swallowed, her cheeks heating up. “Think nothing of it. It feels like old days.”

Sharon shook her head. “I was a terrible boyfriend.”

“You were great.” Alaska corrected her. “The only cleaning I had to do was picking up beer cans. You did the rest.”

Sharon smiled weakly. “I guess you’re right. But you should be out there screaming about anus and pussy and nails and instead you’re with me. I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess.”

“You didn’t drag me into it.” Alaska said. “I dived headfirst when I saw you like that. It was scary, Noodles. You were shivering, boiling hot, and completely erratic. I never want to see you like that again.”

Sharon looked down, ashamed, as Alaska’s eyes stung with tears. She had done her best not to think of what Sharon had been like before she passed out, only focusing on the fact that she was alive. Moments later, she felt Sharon’s hand grab at her own, and she clung on tight as she spoke.

“You said some horrible things, too… so horrible. It wasn’t you. You were like a different person.”

Sharon’s eyes glistened. “W-What was I saying…?” She asked uncertainly. “I’m almost afraid that I don’t want to know… I have no recollection whatsoever.”

Alaska tried to laugh, but the sound that came out was mirthless. “I wouldn’t expect you to remember. It was awful, it really was.”

She coughed. “You said that… you said that I didn’t give two fucks about you. That people who care about you should try and help you instead of making jokes about you. That people who say they love you don’t really care what you do to yourself until it hurts us.”

Sharon’s grip on Alaska’s hand went slack, just for a second. The tears she had been fighting so hard to keep back broke forth, flooding silently down her cheeks. A pregnant pause went by, neither of the queens sure of what to say, before Sharon took hold of Alaska’s hand once again and buried her face into the younger queen’s shoulder.

“Why do you…” She started, tongue-tied. “How did…”

Alaska rested her head on top of Sharon’s, her own cheeks growing damp from tears. With her thumb, she gently rubbed circles into Sharon’s hand, not forcing the blonde to speak nor interrupting her.

“Why are you here? I was so awful to you. You should be slandering my name out there, condemning me for taking drugs and saying horrible things to you. Why are you here?”

Her voice cracked, wobbling and pitching as she tried to speak through her tears. Not even needing to think about it, Alaska wrapped her arms around Sharon and pulled her close, holding onto her as though it were the very last time she would. Something told her, however, that it definitely wouldn’t be.

“Because I’m stupid and I love you. I told you so in the hospital.” Alaska murmured.

“It’s been all I’ve thought about.” Sharon admitted. “You said that we could make it work, we could try. I wish it was that easy.”

Alaska nodded. “Aren’t we just the dumbest pair ever? You admitted to me that you love me, I got mad about it, then realized I love you and now we’re just… Here. Doing nothing about it.”

“I think a few… less than helpful obstacles got in the way of us. Mainly the fact that I’m a fucking mess.” Sharon pulled herself upright and laughed. Alaska noticed with a pang in her chest that their hands were still entwined.

“At this point I don’t even know what we’re doing. Feels like we’re gonna be stuck like this forever. So fucking close and yet nothing. I love you and you love me and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.”

“Fuck it.” Sharon whispered.

In an instant, Sharon closed the gap between them and a pair of warm, soft lips were pressing against Alaska’s. She relaxed against them, kissing back without bothering to even think about what was happening. Her hands threaded through Sharon’s blonde hair as she pulled her even closer, reclining backwards on the couch with the older queen on top of her.

Finally, she thought numbly. The familiar scent of Sharon; the clichéd cigarettes and beer and boyish musk that hung around her, it all felt like home. It felt like travelling back in time to a boxy apartment in downtown Pittsburgh and kissing because it was the only thing they knew how to do. It felt like coming home and going on vacation and merging their very souls with the stars that were shining up above, unseen in the evening sky. It felt like fire and ice and passion and power. Most importantly, it felt safe. Like home. Like love. Like the first signs of a frosty winter thawing for a warmer, softer spring.

They broke apart for air, their chests heaving as they just stared at one another, pupils blown with lust, lips swollen and red. Alaska watched Sharon, the way that her tongue darted out and wetted her lips, the way that her blonde hair was dishevelled from Alaska’s touch, the way that her skin had flushed red. They had spent time apart, years of wondering and thinking and regretting, but Sharon still kissed like she had the very first time. Sharon still kissed like that drag queen who did weird drag in a shitty downtown bar and had Alaska enthralled. Sharon still kissed like a queen who was entirely jealous of Alaska’s fame and completely enamoured with her look.

Alaska was the one to connect their lips this time, lifting her shoulders up from the couch to reach Sharon before feeling herself getting pushed down again, the weight of Sharon on top of her pinning her down. It was less gentle this time; instead of communicating all of the forgotten words, the tentative whispers that they couldn’t find the words to articulate, it made up for lost time. It was needy and insistent – Sharon’s teeth dragged against her bottom lip as she kissed with bruising force. It compensated for so many years apart, four years of not being able to touch her and kiss her the way she wanted to. Years of pent-up emotions and feelings and love and hate poured out through that kiss, a thousand unsaid I love yous and I miss yous finally breaking free.

“Fuck the articles online,” Sharon breathed. “Fuck the people saying we were better apart.”

“Maybe we were,” Alaska panted back. “But why should we care?”

“They don’t have to know yet,” The older queen decided. “No one does. Michelle, Willam, Courtney, Jinkx, the fans.”

“Agreed,” Alaska said breathlessly. “Keeping it a secret is our fucking prerogative. I’ve waited too long for this.”

“You’re telling me?”

Things had changed. They were older; wiser. Both had bigger lips than they had before, two albums, different lives. Alaska didn’t see the point in waiting. They were only getting older.

“We can take this slow.” Sharon said finally, shifting her position so she was next to Alaska rather than on top of her. Almost instinctively, Alaska leant against her, smiling when Sharon’s arm snaked around her. “We don’t have to jump into this and call it a relationship and tell the whole world. But I love you and I want to kiss you and I don’t want to hold back.”

Alaska’s heart skipped a beat, and then another. She wanted to cry and scream and hug Sharon and kiss her all over again. Her mind was entirely addled and she didn’t mind in the slightest.

“I like that. I like that a lot.”

Sharon grinned. “So articulate. So eloquently worded.”

“I will end this.” Alaska threatened, giggling. “Don’t try me, Noodles.”

Sharon laughed and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You would never. I know you love me. Even with all these needles in my face.”

She prodded at her face, pretending to model as though she were posing for a photograph. Alaska snorted.

“Of course, Miss Lepore.”

“A woman after my own heart.” Sharon joked, her hand hovering over her chest.

“You know it.” Alaska whispered, and leaned forward a third time to kiss her.

[alo-piss-trancy]

Are there any sdr2 characters that you don’t like or just aren’t very interested in?

BIG SPOILER WARNING FOR SDR2 BELOW! DO NOT READ THIS POST IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE GAME!

It's actually neat getting this question because I can see where some characters I used to dislike/find annoying in the beginning have worked their way up. For example, I initially despised Te/ruTeru, but after his backstory reveal I ended up feeling some sympathy for him and realized despite some traits, he wasn't entirely a bad guy (and I'm assuming his social link will endear him to me a little once I get around to it in island mode).

In fact, I can only really think of two I actively dislike/hate now: Nag/ito and Hiy/oko.

Real quick: Obviously these are all solely my opinions! I have no problem with my followers viewing characters differently, so even if you're the biggest fan of these chars I hope y'all know you're always welcome on my blog! 💛 Feel free to ramble in my inbox about them or chatter about omo, I genuinely enjoy discussing things or seeing different hcs even if I don't share them and I love seeing people be passionate about whatever makes them happy! Heck, sometimes fan ideas even end up changing my mind or at least make fun aus!

Now back to the question:

Hiy/oko's behavior in many instances was just appalling, and the way she cared about Mah/iru, while sad/sweet, still couldn't make up for all of her other bullshit. I can't stand little snots and I don't like 'loli' characters, so she's basically a 2-for-1 special on tropes I find irritating. Also high pitched voices are grating on my ears. After finishing the game I still stand by my original sentiment: Good Riddance Bitch. She will not be missed. As a note, I haven't done her FTEs yet so maybe it'll change, but I think it's pretty unlikely.

Na/gito is just. Idk where to start with him tbh. He definitely serves his role in the plot well, has great interactions with the rest of the cast, and really made me feel like I was struggling and he was so smugly one step ahead. I appreciate him as part of the story and it wouldn't be the same without him (Some of the memes about him are also really funny lmao). That being said, as far as his character and my personal tastes go, I fucking hate him lmao. Not 'villain I love to hate'. I just can't stand him and am lowkey annoyed at how popular/'woobified' he is in some parts of the fandom. My feelings on him are pretty similar to Ak/echi from p/5, except at least Ake/chi was understandable, whereas every time Nag/ito goes on a long spiel I'm just braindead and confused lmao. That or annoyed because he repeats himself like 30 times. I really thought doing his FTE's would endear him to me a little but it actually just made me dislike him more. He's just... he goes 120% ALL THE TIME and he's all over the place, it was overwhelming and gave me whiplash. Also while I do feel bad for him and the clear issues he had, the CONSTANT 'I'm worthless trash please kill me haha I don't deserve your kindness' talk really got on my nerves. Maybe it wouldn't have bothered me so much if I played the game back in the year it came out? But in this day and age all it reminded me of was certain 'Crabs in a Bucket' people I've known or witnessed who formed their entire identity around self-hatred and desperately tried to drag others down with them. (Note: I'm not talking about the general struggles with depression, etc. here. But I don't want to go into a lecture on exactly what I mean so I'll just leave it at that.) Nag/ito's not entirely the same thing and I get that, but it just rubbed me the wrong way because of that association.

Overall I just find him obnoxious and tend to avoid stuff that focuses on him. I might try writing a short omo thing about him being tied up because, like, how could I not? But besides that don't expect much from me. All of that said, I don't mind other people talking about him and y'all are free to send me asks with your own opinions or hcs, I might give my own occasionally. And I do like seeing art sometimes.

Also though, I ship him hard with Ju/nko (and in a poly with her and Mik/an). I'm also interested in him x Chi/aki since they're yin/yang parallels and have some similarities in design and the art of them together is neat. Not sure how much I ship them as far as actual canon or writing goes, but aesthetically it's pretty neat.

I think it's also worth mentioning that Ka/zuichi So/da toes a real weird line for me. Not in the sense that I actually hate him (his design is neat and he can be likeable at times), but that I hate what the game did with him. Which was not doing ANYTHING with him. His character had a lot of potential to be interesting, but they never let him break past the two running gags: Being confused about EVERYTHING, and obsessing over So/nia (to the point about making multiple sex jokes/getting flustered over her during the middle of the most serious trial in the game (Na/gito's death), which makes no sense even for him and completely ruined the mood). Every other survivor had important spotlight moments in the plot, developed their character as they went, and formed meaningful relationships with at least one other character to drive them forwards/give them angst. Kaz/uichi had none of that and I can't think of a single instance where he ACTUALLY had bearing on the plot, positively or negatively. He's basically the Fortune Teller Guy of this game: completely useless and ignored unless he needs to question something for exposition or drag the protag somewhere, scraping by only because he isn't hated or liked enough by anyone to get murdered and is too scared to kill. He didn't survive because he was genuinely fighting/had the ability to, but because everyone just forgot about him and left him alone.

A lot of his issues could have been fixed by just having a point in the game where he learns to treat So/nia as a person instead of being so obnoxious about following her around (he dislikes Ter/uTeru but then pretty much is just as annoying, only difference is he's a little less immoral and more just unable to take hints). Haj/ime even pointed this out in the last chapter with his thoughts of 'Dude just take a hint already'. If the game put them on more equal footing and he like, actually got to know her, it would've been way easier to believe he was fighting FOR So/nia in the same way all the others were fighting for someone they loved, and he might have actually done more throughout the game. He might have had some actual development and maturity, but instead he's pretty much the exact same person he was at the start of the game (I don't remember them even really touching on how he felt about the final chapter's Big Reveal). Because his obsession and cluelessness was one of his defining traits, they never let him do anything besides that. I spent most of the game convinced he was going to get a case in a trial or big moment eventually since they kept giving him so much screentime and let him make it so far, but there was just nothing. He's just a giant mass of wasted potential and for that reason I struggle to enjoy him without getting irritated.

Quick note to clarify: I'm not hating on him because of the ship with So/nia or because he 'gets in the way' of Gun/dham. I honestly don't mind that, the problem is just the lack of development I mentioned above. I could def enjoy the ship or a love triangle if they gave him smth. (And I realize part of that was the point, that G/undham 'gets the girl' bc he actually respected and talked to her, but still. The chapters after that point would have been the perfect time to let So/da have some viewpoint shifts and make efforts to change but they didn't).

Actually tbh even if they wanted to keep his obsession, I would've been fine with that, IF they had given him some other plot/character besides that. Like if he had some important tasks to do and was pretty good at them, but they also turned it into a flaw where he would prioritize helping/following her sometimes over what he was supposed to do and caused problems as a result, that could have been interesting. Creating tension within the surviving group or having her get mad at him over it, just SOMETHING.