#Yes this is an ariel needs legs reference. What about it.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Tunes that make the dead rise

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[seijorhi]

hi rhi! just checking in bc i had an epiphany (maybe??) about oikawa, after thinking about the ned fulmer cheating on his wife thing for arguably longer than i should. hear me out though, because this might get long and ramble-y (and frankly might not even have a point to it </3)

i like to think that ned fulmer liked the idea of a wife much more than he liked ariel. he’d constantly mention her in his videos but only as “my wife”, not “ariel”, despite the fact that everyone knew who ariel was. she was also a public figure and it was no secret who she was married to as well. this isn’t to say ned didn’t love ariel, that’s between them, but i will never not find this “wife life” psychology interesting. i really need to contemplate majoring in some form of human studies at this point.

as for oikawa in near all of your fics with him, it’s pretty easy to say he is infatuated with the idea of a wife too. in some form or another he wants permanence with the reader and his “relationship”, whether that’s marriage or marking her as his in some way, shape, or form. this information isn’t new, of course, but the contrast between oikawa and ned are so unnecessarily interesting to me bc they’re both in love with the idea of a wife- and both only really refer to their relationships as how they are (yes i know thats probably for reader not having a true name in fic sense but i like to think he would still refer to reader as his wife regardless). the only major difference is that oikawa only has eyes for one wife in his fantasy. reader.

it’s obvious to us that oikawa wants a family. wants to “settle down” and whatnot. but because of the parallels between his infatuation with the wife life and reader, reader is unfortunately roped into his obsession, and therefore now the only one oikawa has eyes for.

ned fulmer is (i assume) mentally healthy, unlike oikawa (and every single character in your fics, love it though), and doesn’t become unhealthily obsessed like the way oikawa does. he doesn’t have a true person he admires to associate with his love for the wife life, so the philosophy outweighs the love he has or thinks he has for his family.

oikawa, in that sense, is different. he of course wants a family first, and has always been infatuated with that idea from what i can assume from your writing. but because he falls hard for whatever he may see in reader too, he has a face associated with the wife life. he doesn’t necessarily call reader by name, only whittling her down into being his wife, and in that case objectifying/dehumanizing her, but i feel like we already know he does that based off the fact that he is willing to chain her up and break her legs rather than let her do something that goes against what he wants, aka the perfect wife.

i’m aware this doesn’t have a true point to it that we didn’t already know, but compared to the ned fulmer situation i find it so interesting. ALSO to justify this whole rant being called an epiphany i will say that this was more of an epiphany bc all of this was more subconscious maybe(?? please let me have this its like 4 in the morning and i’m not entirely cohesive, obviously)

anyway, i love your fics rhi, and i’ve been binging any and all oikawa fics despite the fact that i can hardly recall the titles (IM SORRY) to bring in specific instances </3

- ps idk if the emoji anon thing is still a thing but i’d love to stake my claim on 💍 or 🧣 anon if they’re available </3

okay, so i can't really talk about the whole ned fulmer thing because tbh i had no idea who the man was or what the hell the try guys were until suddenly everyone was talking about it. at one point i genuinely thought people were trying to gaslight me into believing that everyone knew because... sounded fake, but okay ghfjdkjhgfjdk

what i will say is that for some of the characters i write, marriage is meaningless. some would entertain if it was something the reader wanted (which, again considering 95% of my readers are firmly in the 'i hate you' camp.... doubtful), but you're just as much theirs with or without some stupid piece of paper saying so. and i would probably say the same thing in regards to wanting kids, for every character who wants to breed like bunnies, there's another who has zero desire in sharing the reader with little snot nosed gremlins any time soon.

oikawa sees marriage and motherhood as ties more than anything else. he (in the fics he's married ofc) continually calls attention to that bond to remind her that she's stuck with him. bound to him. it's a reminder that he won, she's not getting away, and he wants that reminder to sink in deep. she's his. it's both a victory flag and a blow to the reader's defiance in one. a term of 'endearment'.

which isn't to say that he doesn't want a family, he absolutely does, but he also loves coming out on top. it's not so much that he wants the reader because he wants a wife/mother to his kids, more that because he's obsessively gone off the deep end with the reader, he wants everything with her.

[biscuitblinkeu]

Her name is Rosé (Rosie) [2]

Park Chaeyoung x Fem!reader

Word Count: 2788

ToSumUp: You learn her name and many other things about her. Things are happening under the sea after the King hears of his daughter’s disappearance.

A/N: This chapter low key feels lazy to me, the only part I think I wrote good was the end + I didn’t proofread yet so😭. But her hair color in this is like how it was for the first Coachella performance a few years back, if you’re wondering. I think it fits better since Ariel’s hair is usually a reddish or orangish color?

You yelped, voice breathless and filled with disbelief. “Your pants— Where are your pants?”

In front of you stood the woman you left just twenty minutes ago, not wearing the pants, with just the shirt you gave her slightly falling over her hips. The underwear was put on, yes, but where was the pajama pants?Your head began to spin and you pinched your nose. Something told you that you would experience a lot of headaches with this odd woman.

The strange woman narrowed her eyes. If you were referring to that thing that made her precious legs disappear from view— she would not wear it. 

She pointed to your bathroom and you hurried over only to find the floor soaking wet and the shower still on. You groaned, tangling your hands through your hair. Your socks made wet, sloshy sounds as you stepped across the floor to turn off the shower and opened the drain. You then realized her pants were one with the mini pool of water on your floor— utterly soaked.

A frustrated sigh fell from your lips, and you walked out the bathroom and grabbed another pair from your room. She stood down the hallway, watching you, confused at your actions. You stopped in front of her and motioned to the new pair of pants you held up. "I need you to put some pants on," you spoke sternly. “Please.” It wouldn’t do for her to just walk around in underwear.

The woman stared blankly at the pair of sweatpants like they murdered her family, her lips set into a thin line. She shook her head. I will not.

You groaned again. "Why not? What’s wrong with them?”

She simply looked at her legs, wiggled her toes, then looked back at you. 

You furrowed your brows. Like you were gonna understand that.

When she sunk down to the ground and the oversized shirt she wore sunk over her legs and gave you an exasperated look, you had an idea of what she wanted. 

“You don’t want to cover your legs? Is that it?”

Her eyes widened, and she nodded enthusiastically. 

“Okay then,” you murmured, going back to your room to grab some shorts to show her. You returned shortly. “What about these?”

She lifted a brow, and you were sure she was considering it. Finally she took hold of them, slipping into them. You watched anxiously, hoping she would wear them in the end. 

When she saw her legs peeking through, she let out a puff of air, a smile appearing on her lips. 

Your shoulders sagged in relief, and your attention was drawn to the wet hair dampening her shirt. “Now, why don’t we dry your hair?”

.

Just as you thought, her hair was going to look beautiful when dried. It was blonde in color— lighter than you thought it was, but it suited her complexion well. As you gently brushed through it, admiring her long hair, you, again, wondered where she was from. The hairdryer was completely foreign to her, and when you first turned it on, she hid behind you, her eyes peeking over your shoulder. 

“It’s just hot air, see?” You put your hand in front of it, then took it away, the sound fluctuating. Tentatively, she approached the object and tried it herself after some encouragement. She was so…odd, but you found it endearing.

You also wondered if you were being too kind, brushing her hair like this as she sat in a chair in front of you, swinging her legs. The idea that she could be uncomfortable with you touching her hair passed your mind multiple times, but with the way she was struggling to keep her eyes open soothed those thoughts.

When you ran the brush through her hair for the last time, her eyes fluttered open and a pout shaped her lips. You had the sudden urge to pat her head, to make that adorable pout go away, but you resisted it. You were merely strangers. 

You didn’t even know her name.

The woman followed you to the kitchen meekly, disappointed you stopped brushing her hair. You placed a steaming plate of pasta in front of her, providing her with a fork. She didn’t eat, choosing to watch you use your own fork— swirling the pasta around it before blowing on it and putting it in your mouth. 

The woman gripped her utensil with an odd grip, similar to a child who’s just learning table manners, before mimicking you sloppily. She stuffed the food in her mouth, her cheeks puffing out like a chipmunk— and that’s when you let out a chuckle of amusement. Tilting your head, you asked, “Is it good?” You already knew the answer, her plate nearly halfway gone. You couldn’t help but wonder how someone could eat that fast without choking.

The woman blinked up at you, licking marinara sauce from her lips before giving you a (surprisingly clean) thumbs-up, before going back to devouring her food. She was probably hungry, you thought regretfully, you should’ve let her eat earlier, never mind the pants situation.

“Done eating?” You asked, scooping up your own empty plate.  

The woman nodded with a shy smile, her fingers tapping at the table. 

A strange feeling washed over you— you hadn’t felt like this in a while. It was a pleasant one, a warm feeling. Her smile was refreshing, something unknown to your mundane life. Whenever she smiled at you, you found yourself returning it. 

“I never got your name,” you said absentmindedly, washing up the last dishes. “Is there some way you can tell me nonverbally?”

At this, the woman began to look around the room, as though trying to search for something. When she was a child, she was told she was named after a wine flavor from the surface. She’s seen wine before, even knows what the bottle looks like— curtesy of drunk humans on their boats dropping them into the water. Thankfully, she didn’t have to look very far for a bottle— they were right next to the sink. She gestured to the bottles, and you came over, a skeptical look on your face. 

 “How are these supposed to be of any help?” You mumbled. “Well, unless your name is Wine.”

She shook her head, her nose wrinkling. 

“…Cork? No? I was joking…. Let’s see,” you focused your attention on the labels instead. God help you pronounce them correctly. These wine bottles weren’t yours, rather, brought over by your best friend since she works at a popular, fine-dining restaurant. They’ve been racking up since you were never one to drink, let alone able to finish a whole bottle before the next is given to you. “Grape? Blanc? Red? How do I even..? I’m not gonna try. Next one; Rosé? Be—”

The woman nodded enthusiastically, pointing towards the bottle you just put down. “Rosé?” You asked again to confirm. She nodded again, this time more firmly this time.

“That’s a unique name. Rosé, hm. Nice to put a name to your face, finally.” You mirrored her smile, re-organizing the wine bottles. “Although, could I call you Rosie? it’s fine if I can’t, it’s just easier for me to remember and pronounce.”

She gave a nod of approval, making you laugh softly. “Alright, Rosie it is.”

.

When you entered the living room, freshly showered and clad in pajamas, you found Roseanne subtly rocking her body to the music playing from your record player, eyes closed and eyelashes thick and dark against her skin.

"You like this?" You asked, strangely proud. Your taste in music couldn’t be put into one genre, you liked anything and everything— as long as you liked the beat to it. Playing now was just a lo-fi music mix, something you listened to before going to bed.

She nodded, not bothering to open her eyes. You let her be till it got late and it was time for you to go to bed. She loved the music and clearly wanted to keep listening to it; you wouldn’t put it past her to fall asleep in that leg-cradling position she was in.

When you were finally able to pull her away from the record player, you led her down the hall towards the guest room that had not been used in years, but kept clean. You laughed as Roseanne made quiet, pleased, noises, rolling onto her back and running her fingers over the soft fabrics of the bed.

"My room is just across the hall," You said, and then weren’t sure why. She didn't seem concerned, at all, really. She was huffing quietly to herself, stretching out on the big bed and touching the headboard with her fingertips.

“Just knock if you need me, okay? Goodnight, Rosie.” 

.

A few days have passed, each day you get to know Rosie as a person more. You still haven’t found out where she’s from, she avoids the topic, or, it’s like her mind goes blank and she completely forgets you even asked. She’s learned how to use the tv remote, and you spend a significant portion of the day watching shows with her. She doesn’t like avocados, and still hates wearing pants… You don’t know how to fix that, honestly.

You return to work tomorrow, and you worry about leaving her to her own devices. She likes to get into things when you’re not watching her—  sometimes literally. 

Your phone began to ring beside you on the counter, you put it to your ear with your dry hand.

“You live fifteen minutes away but we haven’t seen each other in ages,” your best friend’s voice spoke flatly. 

It’s actually been no longer than a week, but you don’t say that out loud. “I know, and I’m sorry. But I don’t know about today, now’s not a good time—” You were occupied with a certain pretty blonde. Teaching her how to cook scrambled eggs turned into teaching her how to make the smoke alarm stop ringing. You were currently scrubbing at a blackened pan while Rosie watched the fishes swim around.

You heard shuffling on the other end. “I’m already outside, so I’ll give you two minutes to open the door or I'll use my key.”

You dropped the pan in the soapy water, scurrying to the door. “Wait, what? And I thought you lost your key weeks ago?” 

“Found it in my sock and don’t have a clue how it got in there, but open the door, please,” she said in a sugary-sweet voice. 

You sighed and opened the door, facing your best friend with a weak smile.

“(Y/n), that was more than two minutes,” she whined. 

“Sorry, not sorry, where’s your key again?”

“…Left it at home.”

“Of course,” why are you surprised? “Come in, come in.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice. Why is it always below fr—” She paused, looking past you into your apartment. Her jaw fell, her eyes wide like saucers. 

You snickered at the expression. “Why does your face look like that? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

She narrowed her eyes at you. “What I’m seeing better be a ghost. When did you get a new girlfriend?”

Your laughing came to a slow stop, confusion settling in. “Girlfriend? I don’t have a girlfriend—” 

“And you just let her walk around in underwear; that close, huh? Is this what you meant by a bad time? You could’ve just told me, y’know.” There was an irritating smirk on her face. “I knew you would get over your ex once you found the right person.”

You shook your head, hoping to diffuse the images playing in your friend’s head. “It’s not what you’re thinking. Like, at all.” 

“You don’t have to be shy about it, you—”

You held a hand up, effectively stopping her delusions from growing, putting it down when she seemed like she was ready to listen. “Look, just come in, I’ll tell you all about it.” You would, yes, after you coerced Rosé to keep her pants on (again).

After explaining to Rosie that you understood she didn’t want her legs covered, even by shorts, you expressed that when people came over, she needed to. A huff and frown later, she was wearing shorts again. 

You returned to the kitchen sheepishly, knowing Isa has been waiting.

She sat at the table, expression blank, waiting for your explanation. You stood across from her, mulling over how to present the facts to her. “So, her name is Rosie, she’s not my girlfriend, rather…” You internally winced, knowing Isa wouldn’t be happy to hear you took in a random woman from the street. “A woman I met a few days ago in the cold rain.” 

Isa pressed her lips together, shifting in her seat. She looked like she wanted to say something, and maybe she planned to scold you or express her disapproval very adamantly, yet all she said was, “Continue.”

“She—” A light tug on your shirt interrupted you.

You looked behind you, not surprised to see Rosie there. She’s taken to following you around, quietly watching you go about with question marks in her eyes. It’s at those times you show her how to use things and explain what something is. Nonetheless, she must’ve heard you mention her, or, perhaps she was curious about your guest. She was holding onto your shirt, bawling the material in her fist. A light blush dusted her cheeks, and she hid most of her face behind you.

“Hello, there!” Isa greeted kindly, tilting slightly to look at Rosie’s face, which caused her to shrink back a little. “I’m Isa, (Y/n)’s best friend.”

Rosie glanced at you, seemingly contemplating. Is she a nice human too, (Y/n)? She stared at Isa for a bit longer, and after receiving an encouraging smile from you, her grip flexed on your shirt, and she gave a mute nod in response. 

You turned back to Isa, gesturing to the bashful woman behind you. “So, as I was just about to say; She doesn’t speak— or atleast, chooses not to. I don’t know yet. I was trying to help her get home the day I saw her in the rain, but I have my work cut out for me,” you told her, glancing at the said blonde. She was twirling the fabric around her fingers now, strangely occupied with doing so, so much that she didn’t notice you and Isa looking at her. “She doesn’t seem to know where she's from, or what a car is— she doesn’t know a lot of things, actually. I couldn’t just leave her out there. I don’t think she’s a burden.”

“Well,” Isa began, trying to find the right words. You had to stop taking things (a general term for what and who you help) and animals; people, this time, under your care without so much thought. She truly does believe you’re too kind, and she worries it could bring you misfortune in the future. “I admire your kindness. I won’t say anything this time, you know, since she doesn’t seem like a crackhead or anything…”

I wouldn’t bring a crackhead into my house,” you protested. 

“Sure, sure,” Isa brushed you off. “

…

Somewhere under the Atlantic Ocean’s surface, nestled deep between coral and rock structures, sits a king on his throne, a small blue crab named Sebastian sitting on his palm. 

The king was a salt and pepper-haired man, a widower, stoic when in front of the court, but a doting father in the presence of his four daughters. Recently, two of his daughters married into the Shak Family, a family who reigns over a part of the Deep Ocean and has some shares in the Atlantic. It was a diplomatic marriage that fortunately turned out great with his two daughters. It was only natural the younger two would follow. 

Poseidon speaks to the crab with a tone reminiscent of the sizzling fissures of the Deep Ocean, a dark and stifling place containing the nastiest sea-creatures of the Atlantic. He’s angry, the news of his most treasured daughter’s disappearance— and just before the wedding ceremonies began— caused him great agitation. “What do you mean she's gone?”

The crab tried to steady his voice, intimidated by the king. “I-I mean exactly that, my king. According to the Shak family’s sharks, it seems Rosé recently visited your sister, and—”

Abruptly, he leaves his chair, causing the blue crab to fall to the sandy floor. He swims in a pacing manner. “Ursula!? Why, she knows she isn't to visit the Deep Ocean, let alone see that sea witch! Tell me, where has she gone?”

“…The surface. A place called New York.” 

Would you like to continue?

[consantstateofconfusion]

i broke my calculator today, thank god it wasn't the one i paid 100 euros for but the 2 euro one

[heyyyharry]

Deep End - Chapter 4: Royal Ball

…in which Ezi causes trouble at the Styles' manor.

Word count: 6.1k

AU: famous!harry, siren!mc, adult modern retelling of the little mermaid? lol, fake dating, enemies to lovers.

WARNING: MATURE THEMES, ASSAULT.

All chapters / Synopsis / Moodboard / Playlist

Wattpad link

A/N: Please let me know what you think. I need feedback to feel motivated. Also, what do you expect to happen in the next chapter?

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When Harry came to the guest room this morning and couldn’t find Ezi, he had hoped that something had happened overnight, and she’d magically returned to where she’d come from, and he, at last, could have his old life back. But no. He was immensely disappointed to find her sitting cross-legged on the edge of his pool, just staring blankly at the water like she was in a sad music video. What did he expect? It wasn’t like she could grow some wings to fly all the way home.

“Good morning!”

Ezi flinched at the sound of his voice. She pulled her feet out of the water and frantically stood up as Harry approached.

He held out his hand to ask her to stay. “It’s okay. You can use the pool. I rarely go swimming anyway.”

Ezi’s brows furrowed slightly as she tucked a strand behind her ear and stared anxiously at the blue water. “How can you swim in this pond? It smells funny.”

“It’s not a pond. It’s a swimming pool. There’s chemicals in it; that’s why it smells like that.”

Ezi cocked her head, seemingly confused. “Why you gotta make your own pond and put chemicals in it? Why do humans have to make their own versions of everything that’s already available in nature?”

“It’s cleaner and safer to swim in pools,” Harry pointed out.

Ezi couldn’t look more offended by his remark. “The ocean was clean before you trashed it with your chemicals.”

“I didn’t trash the ocean,” Harry corrected, pointing to his chest. “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not responsible for environmental pollution?”

Ezi folded her arms and glared at him. “Why are you afraid of the ocean?”

“You’re literally a killing machine.”

“You people make machines that shoot fire and blow up each other’s ships, and yet we’re the killing machines.”

“Well, the ocean is scary anyway. It’s deep and dark.”

“It’s literally water,” argued Ezi. “Water is the driving force of all nature, and you’re afraid of it.”

“Forget it.” Harry exhaled as he tossed his hands in the air. “I can never win an argument with you.”

“Good,” Ezi said with a slight shrug.

“Anyway.” Harry rolled his eyes. “Come inside for breakfast. I have something to discuss with you while you eat.”

“Your maid brought you something this morning,” Ezi said when Harry was about to walk away.

Slowly, he turned back to face her with his eyebrows raised. “Who?”

“Your maid,” she said with a straight face. “The girl with green hair. I think she brought you some clothes and put them in the room next to mine.”

“That’s Amy, my assistant!” cried Harry as he gripped his own hair. “You two didn’t have a conversation, right? Please tell me you didn’t call her a maid to her face!”

Ezi looked rather amused when she saw how distressed Harry was. How could she be smiling? He wouldn’t be the only one who’d be in trouble if her identity was revealed. Fuck that. What if the government found out that he was keeping her here and locked him up, too? Was it a crime to keep a mythical creature in your house? Could he be executed for that?

“No,” Ezi calmly said while Harry could feel the blood draining from his face. “She just brought you some clothes and left. Though I could barely see her face, she didn’t seem very friendly.”

Harry pressed a palm to his chest, feeling his heart thundering as he let out a sigh of half-formed relief. Once he’d regained his composure, he told Ezi, “Amy is friendly to everyone. Maybe it’s just you.”

Ezi didn’t look at all bothered by that. She shrugged. “I’m not here to make friends. I don’t care if Amy likes me.”

Harry found it funny that one moment she could look and talk like a human girl with human feelings, and the next she acted as cold as the ocean she’d come from. But she was right. They weren’t friends, and there was no reason for them to be more than just civilised to one another.

“You sure you didn’t talk to Amy?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Good,” Harry nodded. “Come inside. The food’s getting cold.”

It seemed like Ezi got hungry very quickly. She finished the hard scrambled eggs Harry had made for her and even asked him for more. Harry didn’t mind feeding her. It was better to keep her full. After all, she had shown him her predator side, and he’d prefer to never see it again.

“So what’s something you want to tell me?” she asked with her mouth full while stuffing it more with another big bite.

Chilli was sitting at Ezi’s feet, staring up at her as a way of asking for a taste, but Ezi just ignored the cat and continued to enjoy her breakfast.

Harry knitted his hands on the table and straightened his back as he began, “Well, I actually wanted to ask you for a favour.”

Ezi stopped chewing immediately. She swallowed hard, her face contorted. “I’m not doing you a favour.”

“You don’t even know what it is.”

“But I already know that I don’t want to do it.”

“Of course you want to do it.”

“No, I don’t!”

Harry sucked in a breath and held up a finger to stop her from interrupting him again. “I promise you’ll like this. Just hear me out.”

Ezi folded her arms in front of her chest and pouted like an angry little girl as she sank into her chair.

Harry’s lips curled into a smile. “You like those Disney movies, right?”

Ezi nodded, and Harry watched in content as the line between her brows eased.

“Good. So what if I tell you that you can be a Disney princess for one night.”

“What do you mean?” Ezi frowned again as she sat up straight. “Are you messing with me?”

Harry shook his head. “No, I’m being dead serious. I’ll take you to a ball.”

“A ball?”

“Yeah. I’m invited to a royal ball that’s held in a real ballroom, like the one in Beauty and the Beast.”

He would’ve said Cinderella, but she hadn’t watched it yet. It would’ve been a better reference. Still, Ezi’s eyes lit up when she heard about the ball. “Like...in a castle?”

“Y-Yeah.” Harry worked up a bright smile as he nodded fast. “A castle.” To be fair, his mother’s manor was as huge as a castle. It was twice the size of his house, so that’d be more than enough to convince the naive siren.

“Do I get to wear a pretty dress?”

“Yeah. Who do you think the clothes Amy brought here are for?”

The realisation washed over Ezi’s face, and her mouth fell open in shock as she slammed her hands on the table, rattling the silverware and startling Chilli. “You’re not messing with me?”

“No.”

She bit her lip and arched an eyebrow. “What’s the favour then?”

“That’s the favour -- You going to the ball with me,” Harry said. “It’s tomorrow night.”

“What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing, to be honest,” Harry said with a weak shrug. “Maybe getting back in my mother’s good graces. She’s hosting the ball, and so many people are invited.”

“Is she the Queen?”

“No, but she thinks she is.”

“So she’s like my sister Koa.”

Harry chuckled at how serious Ezi looked when she said that. “Well, maybe not as bad as your sister. My mother loves me.”

Ezi pursed her lips as she focused on fidgeting with the fork in her hand. Harry leaned forward on the table. “So?” he asked. “Can you help me?”

Ezi blew out her cheeks as she locked eyes with him again. “Fine,” she said. “Not because I want to help you, though. I just want to go to a ball.”

“Good enough for me.” Harry smiled.

While Ezi continued eating, Harry gave her a few rules that she would have to follow when they arrived at his family’s event. He could not risk having her interact with anyone without his supervision. He’d nearly had a heart attack when he heard that she’d met his assistant when he wasn’t there. He was sure that Amy had only assumed Ezi was another girl Harry regularly hooked up with. Money didn’t really matter to him, so he usually spoiled his friends and the girls he fucked. However, he couldn’t risk having anyone find out that Ezi was actually living here.

When Ezi finished eating, Harry went upstairs to get the bath ready. He’d have to figure out a way to give Ezi a bath without having to touch her. How would she feel about hot water, though? His cat Chilli always left at least one or two scratches on his legs and his shirt whenever he tried to give her a bath. He could imagine Ezi doing the same.

“Hey.”

Harry whipped his head to the bathroom door and found Ezi standing there in his joggers and Mickey Mouse t-shirt that flowed down to her thighs. He must admit that she looked cute when she wasn’t frowning or roasting him. If only she’d lost her voice like Ariel did in the movie.

“Stop staring at me, human!”

Exactly his point.

Sighing, Harry got up from the edge of the bathtub. “We’ll let the water run,” he told her. “In the meantime, I’ll show you your new clothes.”

Ezi said nothing and followed him down the hall to his walk-in closet. It was actually a room with big windows, a shiny tiled floor, and white-cushioned sofas. Harry took a deep breath of the comforting perfumed air only to see Ezi covering her mouth and nose with her palm.

“It smells weird in here,” she complained.

“Just like living with my mum,” Harry whispered to himself. To her, he said, “Speaking of smells.”

Ezi looked horrified as Harry leaned in and started sniffing her.

“Why don’t you smell?” he asked, stepping back.

Her eyes went wide. “Am I supposed to?”

“Well, yeah.” He nodded. “You literally came from the ocean. No offence but...you’re supposed to smell fishy.”

“Do humans say no offence before they offend you?”

“Yeah, pretty much. Or maybe I’m just blunt because I’m British. Anyway,” Harry sucked in a breath, “it’s weird that you don’t smell. You don’t have a smell at all. When you first came on land, I could still smell a bit of the ocean on you, but now you don’t smell, and you haven’t showered.”

Ezi shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like I could ask my mother why her curse didn’t give me a smell.”

“True.” Harry sighed. “Anyway. That’s good. Don’t want no fishy-smelling girl walking around my house.”

“I will scoop out your eyeballs right now.”

“Just kidding.” Harry chuckled. “But please don’t do that.”

“I’ll try.” Ezi put her hands on her hips and swept her eyes around the room. “Why do you have so many clothes?”

“They make me look good. I’m a public figure, so I care about my appearance.”

“Maybe you should focus on fixing what’s inside you and not your appearance.”

“I like you better when you don’t talk,” Harry said, then brushed past her to grab the Chanel shopping bag Amy had left on the white marble counter. He pulled out a sparkling silver slip dress and held it up to show Ezi. “This is for you. It comes with a pair of high heels. I’ll definitely have to teach you to walk in them, but baby steps.”

Ezi took the dress with both hands and was being as careful as possible as if she was afraid she might rip it. Although she didn’t let it show, he could make out the excitement in the way her eyes twinkled. He’d made sure to ask for a dress that looked similar to the one Ariel had worn in The Little Mermaid when she’d come from the ocean.

“Before you try this on,” he said when Ezi lifted her bright blue eyes up to him. “Repeat what I told you earlier.”

Ezi clutched the dress to her chest and glanced up at the ceiling. A line appeared between her brows as she recited Harry’s words, “Do not talk to anyone there unless you ask me to. Never leave your side. If I have questions, ask you in private. Um...what else? Oh! Avoid your mother at all costs.”

Harry nodded. “My mother and Dawson.”

“Who’s Dawson?”

“You’ll know.” With a sigh, Harry thrust his hands into his pockets. “Now, I’ll leave you here to change. I could only guess your measurements, so if it doesn’t fit, we can have it fixed as soon as possible.”

“Measurements?” Ezi looked down at her body, confused.

Harry cleared his throat and waved his hand at her. “Just hurry up and change. Let me know when you’re done.”

“Wait!”

“What?”

With a cute little pout, she asked, “Can you put it on me?”

Harry was shocked for a second when he heard that, but then he remembered that Ezi had never worn a dress before, let alone one with so many...strings.

“Here.” He took the dress from her and tried his best to demonstrate. “So this is the front. This is the back. This string goes over your right shoulder–No, wait, your left. Wait, is it? Hold on. Fuck.”

Ezi breathed out a laugh and covered her mouth with her hands, making Harry glare at her. “Fine,” he huffed. “I’ll help you put it on.”

“Good.”

Before Harry could even say a word, Ezi pulled his oversized t-shirt that she was wearing over her head, and Harry let out the most inhuman scream as he looked away and covered his eyes. She was naked underneath his shirt. Completely naked.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” he chanted into his palm when he heard the sound of the shirt falling to the floor.

“What is it?” Ezi asked.

“Oh, God.” Harry shrugged her hand away as she tried to take his.

“Why are you being weird?” She giggled as if she wasn’t standing fully naked in front of him. “You’ve seen me without clothes, and I’ve seen you,” she said.

“Fuck. I know that.” He exhaled. “But…” Harry stopped and took a deep breath. With one hand over his eyes, he calmly told her, “You need lingerie.”

“Ooooh. I learned this word today from a movie,” Ezi said with confidence. “Laundry means–”

“No, not laundry.” Harry sighed. “Lingerie.”

“Huh?”

“Okay, you know what? Put the shirt back on. I’ll return with more clothes for you.”

“More clothes?” Ezi cried with frustration as Harry turned his back to her. He heard her put the shirt on, and she tapped him on the shoulder when she was done. “I hate being humans,” she complained, looking cross. “Clothes are so uncomfortable.”

“I know, right?” Harry chuckled and patted her on the head. He liked seeing her face scrunch up whenever he did that, because he knew that she couldn’t harm him. “Be a good siren and stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“And help me put on clothes?”

He sighed and turned away. “I will.”

“And launderey?”

The question stopped Harry at the door. He pinched his eyes shut and pressed a fist to his forehead. “Yes.” He let go of a defeated long breath. “That, too.”

.

.

.

Harry managed to find a brand new pair of underwear in his bedroom drawer. It was an embarrassing story, but he’d bought it as a gift for a girl he used to sleep with, then he found out she’d been lying to him about not having a boyfriend when she’d already been engaged. So now he just happened to have a set of new lingerie lying in his drawer.

“I don’t know if this would fit, but I’ll get you new ones tomorrow.” Harry froze in the doorway when he found his closet empty. “Chili, where’s the crazy girl?” he asked his black cat, who didn’t even bother to reply as she kept licking her little paw. Ugh, lucky for her, she was cute.

“Ezi! Where are you?!” Harry shouted as he padded down the hall.

“I’m here!” Ezi shouted back, her voice echoing from the bathroom.

It was only then that Harry remembered he’d left the water running, but when he got there, he found Ezi sitting in the bubble bath with a bright smile on her face; his joggers and Mickey Mouse t-shirt had been discarded on the floor.

He leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, arms crossed, smiling at her.

“I love this room!” she exclaimed, gathered bubbled in her palms and blew at them.

So, Harry was wrong. She liked warm baths.

“Water was spilling out, so I turned it off and gave myself a bath,” she told him.

“You know how?”

“I saw Ariel take a bath in the movie.”

Her response made him laugh. “Wow, you learn so much from Disney films.”

Ezi folded her arms on the edge of the tub as Harry sat down on it beside her. She glanced up at him, chin on her arm. It would be a lie to say Harry didn’t feel anything watching her covered in soap and naked in his bathtub. The steam made him sweat, dampening his shirt as it stuck to his skin. He wasn’t a sex addict or anything, but he’d been so stressed out lately and hadn’t been able to find a release with his unpaid babysitting job. It wouldn’t be a problem if Ezi’s human form wasn’t so attractive.

“Stop doing that,” Ezi’s voice pulled him back to reality.

He blinked at her. “Doing what?”

“You sometimes stare at me without saying anything.”

He pressed his lips into a smirk. “Aren’t you a clever girl? Just read my mind.”

“Can’t.” She shrugged while unconsciously spreading the bubbles across the edge of the tub. “Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to know what’s going on in that dirty little head of yours?”

The way she’d said it without the intention of making it flirty was so funny to Harry.

“Your head is dirty and little,” he teased.

“No. Yours.”

“Yours.”

“Yours.”

“Your head can literally fit between my palms,” said Harry as he cupped the sides of her heads to demonstrate. For the first time, Ezi burst out laughing and tried to shove him off. He didn’t let go of her, and they kept pushing back and forth until Harry lost his balance and fell headfirst into the tub.

The water splashed all over. When Harry realised what had happened, he found himself kneeling in the water between Ezi’s legs. Frantically, he pushed away, but the tub was so slippery that he landed back down on his butt. Laughter crackled out of Ezi as Harry managed to escape from the sticky situation and grabbed a towel to cover himself with. Most of the water had spilt outside the tub, revealing Ezi’s soapy breasts, which gave Harry an instant boner.

He grabbed another towel and held it up and open as he ordered. “Bathtime’s over. Get out.”

“You’re such an idiot,” Ezi said, still laughing as she stood up and let him wrap the towel around her body.

Harry frowned at her playful grin. “You’re the idiot,” he said, but his face was red. “Rinse yourself. I’ll wait.”

Then he waddled out of the bathroom, quietly cursing himself.

.

.

.

To not make the same mistake, Harry taught Ezi how to put on underwear by having her put it on over her clothes first, then letting her do it herself when he wasn’t there. She was a fast learner, so it didn’t take long until she’d learned how to put on clothes and tie her shoes. He could now imagine how hard it must be for single parents to raise a kid all by themselves. He was lucky that he didn’t have to work this week and could stay home to take care of Ezi. But starting from next week, he would have to go back to his busy celebrity life, and Ezi living with him would become a bigger problem than he’d expected. He could only hope that her mother would just take her back before the following Monday. It didn’t seem possible, though. He should never have brought her to London.

Anyway, first things first.

He’d have to get through his mother’s event without anyone suspecting a thing, and then he’d try to figure out what he should do next.

This was why he didn’t want kids. At least Ezi had common sense.

“Hey, there will be so many humans tonight at the ball. What if one of them triggers me? I can’t even threaten them?”

Forget what he’d just said.

“No, you’re not allowed to threaten anyone,” he told her from outside her room and blew out his cheeks as he checked his watch. “Hurry up. Our ride is almost here.”

The door was pulled open. Ezi emerged in her sparkling silver dress with her hair in a messy bun and subtle makeup but enough to accentuate her unique features. Harry didn’t know he was gawking until she gave him a playful smack on the cheek to bring him back to Earth. He blinked and caught her big round eyes. The silvery glitter on her eyelids made the blue in her eyes stand out even more. A sudden chill rushed down his spine as he squared his shoulders and fixed his black tie. “Y-You did your hair and makeup?”

Ezi nodded enthusiastically. “The girl in the magic board taught me!”

“You were watching those makeup tutorials?”

Harry swore he had never seen her so happy. She smiled so big that her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Thank you for that board, by the way.”

“It’s an iPad. But you’re welcome.”

Yes, he’d got her an iPad so she could watch YouTube videos and play dumb games and not be all up in his business. He was a single dad now. First to Chilli. Now to Ezi.

“An iPad,” Ezi mumbled to herself. He thought it was cute how her eyebrows would furrow every time she learned a new word and tried to memorise it.

Realising that he was about to simp, Harry shook off those pleasant thoughts about the fish girl and put on a nonchalant expression as he looked down at her white ballerina flats. He’d got her a nice pair of high heels to wear with this dress, but she’d kept falling and broken a vase in the living room, so he’d given up and got her these flats instead. Well, as long as she was comfortable and still looked cute and appropriate.

“Ready?” he asked her.

She took a deep breath; determination lit up her eyes. “Ready.”

“Hold on.” He held her shoulder, took a nice look at her, then let down two strands from her bun, so they nicely framed her face. “Better.” He smiled and pinched her cheek. “You look like someone I would date.”

As expected, Ezi responded to his compliment with a frown and smacked his hand away. “Touch my face again, and I’ll make sure you won’t be able to touch anything again.” Then she shoved past him and hurried down the stairs.

.

.

.

Ezili felt ashamed.

She had been looking forward to the ball tonight. She’d been so excited that she’d stayed up to watch those...what did Harry call them again? Oh, makeup tutorials. Just to look like those human girls with sparkling eyelids. The mermaids back home would be so impressed, but her mother certainly wouldn’t. She didn’t even want to imagine her mother’s reaction to her look tonight.

Harry had pointed out that human Ezili didn’t have a smell. In an animal kingdom, the signature smell set those animals apart from the other kinds and acted as proof that they were a part of a community, that they belonged. Human Ezili not having a smell was a reminder from her mother that she was not a siren right now, but she was not human either, and so she should finish her mission as soon as possible to return to the sea and be with her kind.

Ezili could not be distracted from her mission anymore. Harry had invited her to the ball, which meant there was no competition for her at this point. She was already making progress being the only female in his radar. Tonight, she hoped the romantic atmosphere of the ball would make him fall in love with her.

With her arm around his, they ascended the red-carpeted stairs of the castle leading to the ballroom. Ezili was amazed by the guests in fancy attires and expensive decorations sparkling silver and gold. The ballroom was impressive, with crystal chandeliers spiralling down from the arching sky-blue ceiling, illuminating the glimmering walls and a floor so polished it looked like a frozen winter lake.

Harry said their names to a servant at the door, and he bowed to Harry and Ezili as if they were royalty. Ezili didn’t show it, but she enjoyed being treated like the princess she knew she was.

“Finally, someone showing respect to me,” she mumbled as they followed the other guests inside.

Harry laughed at her remark. “I respect you.”

“You don’t even respect yourself,” she said, glaring at him.

“Can you just not insult me tonight? You’re pretending to be my date.”

“What’s a date?”

“Like...lovers,” Harry said, flicking his eyes around like the prey trying to spot a predator.

She thought she should calm him down, so she squeezed his forearm and said, “Do you wanna dance?”

Harry shook his head. “No, not the time.”

Confused, Ezili’s eyes followed Harry’s worried gaze to the lady in a seaweed coloured dress that fanned out at her feet. She was beautiful, with features resembling Harry's. That must be Harry’s mother -- the host of the ball.

“Remember what I told you,” Harry said, squeezing Ezili’s cold hands. “Do not say a word to my--Mother!”

“Oh, my darling son, you came!”

Harry let go of Ezili to hug his mother. The woman pulled away and turned to Ezili with the same dimpled smile as her son’s. “Ahh, this must be Ezili,” she said, and Ezili shook her hands like how humans did in movies.

“Yes.” Harry cleared his throat as he laced his fingers with Ezili’s. “This is my date -- Ezili Hans.”

His mother smiled at him. “I was afraid you were gonna bring Niall with a wig.”

“Didn’t work the last time,” Harry said. “Never do it again.”

Harry’s mother laughed before turning back to Ezili. “It’s so nice to meet you. You may call me Mrs Styles, or Annalise. What do you think about this event?”

Ezili flicked her helpless gaze to Harry, who quickly spoke on her behalf, “She thinks it’s great. Very s-shiny.” Seeing Annalise’s smile vanished, Harry added, “Sore throat. The doctor says she has to stay silent for a week. Also, do you mind if I show her around and introduce her to the other guests?”

“Wait, but we haven’t--”

“Love you, Mum.”

Harry pecked his mother on the cheek, grabbed Ezili’s hand and pulled her with him. They finally made it outside to the garden’s fountain, where the guests were chatting in groups and sipping on wine. Harry released Ezili’s hand and exhaled through his mouth. “That was scary.”

“That was awful!” She hit him on the arm. “You almost blew our covers.”

“I know. I’m always anxious around my mum,” he said, looking distressed. “When I was little, she could always tell when I was lying.”

“Maybe you’re not a good liar.”

“Not as good as you,” he chuckled, putting his hands on his hips. “You know what? Changing plans. You’re allowed to talk, but just say simple things like ‘hello’, ‘how are you?’, ‘it’s wonderful’, bla bla.”

Ezili nodded. “Got it.”

Harry opened his mouth to say something else but suddenly froze; his eyes went wide. “Shit, that’s Aunt Beatrice.” Ezili looked over her shoulder to see a chubby late laughing with a group of people and being the loudest. “Super annoying,” Harry said. “Everyone in my family hates her.” He turned to Ezili and patted her on the shoulder. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“Let me come with you.”

“Not when I’m talking to Satan. I mean, Aunt Beatrice. Just stay here and don’t talk to anyone.”

“But--”

Harry already left.

Ezili muttered curses at him under her breath. She had no choice but to sit by the fountain and wait for him to return. She saw him approaching the woman he hated with just a happy attitude as he’d had when talking to his mother. Fake. Humans were all pretentious and fake. They disgusted her. All these people.

“Hey, may I sit here?”

Ezili’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she heard the voice. She looked up and went stiff when she locked eyes with a tall handsome man. The black frame of glasses sat nicely on his high nose. His high cheekbones raised as he offered a polite smile. “Sorry. Am I bothering you?”

Ezili was thinking of what to say to him when she saw what was in his hand.

“An iPad!” she exclaimed. “I got one! Harry gave me one yesterday!”

The man looked at the iPad in his hand and chuckled. “Oh yeah, I brought it with me to read because I don’t really like these events.”

Ezili nodded fast. “I don’t, either. I’m so glad I’m not the only one.”

The man smiled again; his dark eyes twinkled with the fairy lights above their heads. “May I sit with you.”

“Sure!” Ezili hurriedly scooted over for the man to sit. Forget Harry. He’d told her never to leave his side then left her here all on her own, so who cared if she talked to one stranger? At least this one didn’t want to be here, either.

“What do you read on your iPad?” she asked him.

“I’d say books to impress you, but I’m actually reading a manga,” he said and chuckled. “Attack on Titan. Have you heard of it?”

Ezili shook her head. “Do they have something like this for The Little Mermaid?”

“I don’t know. But I’m sure they have a manga for everything these days, so you might find one about mermaids, too,” the man said and put the iPad down on his lap. “What’s your name?”

“Ezili...Hans. Ezili Hans,” said Ezili as she offered her hand.

The man shook it with another warm smile. “I’m Dawson Styles.”

It took Ezili a second to recognise that name. “Harry told me not to talk to you,” she mumbled, frowning.

However, Dawson didn’t look bothered by it. “Oh, right, you came here with Harry,” he said. “He gave you an iPad, right?”

“Yeah. He’s my...date.”

“So why are you here all by yourself?”

Ezili crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “He needed to talk to that loud lady over there. He said she was evil.”

Dawson leaned forward to look past her, and when he spotted Harry with his aunt, his mouth curled slightly. “Yup, that lady is scary. We’re all scared of her.”

“You know her?”

“Yeah, she’s my mum.”

Ezili flinched, her eyes shot open. “Oh...sorry.”

Dawson just laughed. “Well, Harry wasn’t wrong. My mother could be scary sometimes.”

“All mothers are,” muttered Ezili, but she wasn’t sure if Dawson had heard her.

“You’re from the States?” he asked.

She blinked. “What?”

“Your accent.”

“Oh. Y-Yeah.”

“How long have you been in London?”

“Just three days.”

“How do you like it?”

“It’s...grey.”

The answer made Dawson cackle. “Yeah, it is.” He lowered his head and adjusted his glasses. “Bet it’s way more sunnier where you’re from.”

Ezili lifted her shoulders. “I don’t like the sun that much either, so it’s all good.”

Dawson nodded. They sat in silence for two seconds, then he said, “You look beautiful, by the way.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, not knowing what else to respond.

“How did you know Harry?”

Ezili was about to answer when she realised that Harry hadn’t taught her what to answer for this question. He’d probably assumed that they would be together all night, so he wouldn’t have to prepare her to lie about such basic information. Helplessly, she looked back to find Harry, but he wasn’t there anymore. Both he and Dawson’s mother had disappeared.

Ezili jumped to her feet. “Sorry, I have to go. It was nice talking to you, Dawson.” Without paying him a second look, she ran off to look for Harry.

He couldn’t have abandoned her, right? At least not here at his family’s ball. But how could she be so sure? She’d witnessed him being courteous to his enemy. That man could not be trusted.

Why were there so many people?

Where was she?

Ezili was too busy cursing Harry in her head that she hadn’t paid attention to where she was going. Now she found herself standing in an empty hall. She could hear the muffled sound of the ballroom behind her, so she intended to return to it.

“Hey, baby,” said a blond-haired man she ran into at a turn. She tried to sidestep him, but he was in her way. She blocked her nose with a finger and took a step back to keep a distance from him. He smelled funny. Why were his eyes red?

“H-Have you seen Harry?” she asked the man with the buzzcut. “Tall. Curly hair. Walks and talks slowly. Acts like he’s better than you when he’s not.”

“Harry?” The man snorted, his eyelids fluttered as if he might pass out any moment. He put a hand on the wall to keep his balance. “Damn, that motherfucker always lands the hotties.”

Ezili guessed that this man was not in his right mind to tell her where Harry was, so she pushed him aside to go. Suddenly, he caught her by the wrist and yanked her into him. “Hey, where are you going, baby?”

“Let me go!” she screamed and tried to shove him off. It seemed like all of her strength had disappeared with her tail. She felt helpless against this man. He managed to take both her wrists and pinned them above her head and her against the wall.

“Leave Harry,” he whispered into her ear, his breath hot and foul-smelling. She felt like she might throw up. “He’s trash anyway. The rat of the family. Can’t believe he’s getting all this when his mother dies.”

Ezili was trapped between the man’s stinky body and the wall. She knew she’d promised Harry not to attack anyone tonight, but she needed to fight for herself. Without hesitation, her teeth went straight for the man’s neck. He screamed and jumped back, losing his balance and dropping to the floor. Ezili could taste blood on her tongue as she licked her lip and gazed down at the terrified man. The bite mark on his neck was bleeding, staining the white collar of his suit.

“You bitch!”

“Ezi!”

Ezili whipped her head and found Harry, so she ran to him as the evil man clumsily got to his feet.

“What happened?” he asked her, his face pallid with fright.

“This bitch bit me!” the man shouted, pointing the finger at Ezili.

Harry turned back to her with rage in his eyes. “You bit my cousin?! I told you not to hurt anyone! What’s wrong with you?!”

“I didn’t have a choice,” she yelled back, angry that he’d believed the words of this bastard. “He was touching me! I don’t like being touched!”

The realisation flashed across Harry’s face. He put his hands on her shoulders; his eyebrows sloped as he swept his eyes from her head to toes. “Where did he touch you?”

“I didn’t do anything to your whore.”

Before Ezili could even react to those words, Harry went straight to him with his foot in his cousin’s stomach and again when his cousin tried to say something. Ezili had to grab his arm and pulled him away before he murdered someone. She didn’t care if he did, though. She just didn’t want to draw more attention to herself and get exposed in front of all the other guests.

Panting, Harry adjusted his tie and stabbed a finger at the man on the floor. “If I see you put your hands on a woman again, I’ll beat your ass and make sure you’ll never get to set foot back into this family again. You hear me?”

The man couldn’t speak, only whimper.

Ezili opened her mouth to question, but Harry stopped her by taking her hand. “Come with me.”

[taelme]

Disneyland actor!Hendery

genre: disneyland actor!au, kind of workplace!au? (fluff) 

pairing/s: Hendery / Reader, (ft. KunTen)  

word count: 8k+ 

tw: none!! hehe 

a/n: saw all those posts about Hendery as Prince Eric n I knew .... had to take matters into my own hands .....  

"Hello Prince Eric!" Hendery was nudged aside roughly, almost causing him to choke on what was left of his churro in his mouth. He recognized the voice to be his friend Kun, who glanced sideways before lowering his voice to a mutter, "you know you're not supposed to be snacking on the job right," his harsh tone emphasized by his frown.

Hendery pat his chest firmly, shooting a (very defensive) wide-eyed look at his friend, "I can't help it when all these little mermaids," he waved at the two girl toddlers dressed in mermaid costumes who waddled past the princes with a smile, "keep giving me free food, can I, prince charming?"

Hendery sighed, licking the excess sugar and cinnamon off his lips, "What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked his brown haired friend, who was busy greeting the children and park-goers that strolled past them.

"Had to entertain myself cause all the princesses are gone for that performance thing," he shrugged, turning and placing his hands on his hips as he analysed Hendery's area ( or lagoon, he figured ). "I see Ariel's sisters don't seem to be very busy," Kun smiled, waving at one of the girls he'd seen beckoning him to the pool area.

"Sure, go wild." 

Hendery waved him off distractedly, not without giving Kun an uncomfortable look as he approached one of the mermaid actresses. Contemplating on whether to buy himself a drink, he was approached by one of the park rangers, “You guys can go for your break now,” he said, repeating the same thing to Kun and the other actors there, leaving Hendery to go by himself to the breakroom, desperate for actual food after just surviving on a churro since the time he woke up.

Upon reaching the break room he’d spotted his co-worker Ten, who didn’t waste any time in latching onto Hendery, practically following him around the breakroom like a little puppy ( or in this case a little puppy that really wanted to ask Hendery for a favour )

“Bro...Hendery....you know I love you right?” he murmured, earning a hum of acknowledgement from Hendery as the latter was more focused on picking which bento set looked more appetising to him. “And you know I would do anything for you if you asked....right?”

Hendery turned to give Ten a knowing look, waving his packet drink in front of Ten’s face, “And you know that you might as well just tell me what you want from me now,” Hendery sighed, walking back to his usual table in the break room and placing his things onto the table.

Ten let out an offended gasp, hand to his chest to emphasize his offence, “I don’t want anything from you!”

Hendery quirked an eyebrow at his co-worker, just wondering how he’d managed to become friends with someone as annoying as the person seated before him. “Okay, then we’re done he-“

“Okay, fine, maybe I do want something. But it’s nothing big I swear! I just need you,” he pointed a finger at Hendery, a small sheepish smile appearing on Ten’s face as he continued, “to figure out something for me,”

“Is he asking you for another favour again?” Kun flopped with a tired sigh onto the seat next to

Hendery, Ten simply sticking his tongue out at Kun in response. 


“Okay, so before I was rudely interrupted, I was saying. Okay, let’s say I’m supposed to have this work thing tonight. And for this work thing, it’s you know that thing where they book out the whole park and we can just do whatever we want and use the rides and all, you know?”

“Yes, Ten, I work here, I know.”

Ten narrowed his eyes only momentarily at Hendery before continuing, a big smile plastered on his face in the hope that it would increase his chances of Hendery saying yes, “so, I was supposed to bring one of my friends here because I got to invite one person and she really wanted to come see the park in the evening, but! But, okay, this is the part you gotta help me out,” Kun shot a look at Ten as if asking why he was beating around the bush so much.

“Ten just get to the point already,” Kun snapped, his eyebrows furrowing slightly and a slight scowl on his face. 


“Can you...perhaps....accompany her?”

Hendery shrugged, he already knew he was going to say okay to Ten’s request he just felt like he needed to make Ten work a little for his ‘yes’.

“What’s in it for me?” he asked Ten, making Ten purse his lips, raising an eyebrow at the younger boy.

“A burden,” Kun snickered, shaking his head and patting Hendery on the back.

Ten rolled his eyes, “First of all, she’s a girl, and this is not a burden- in fact, it’s a blessing for Hendery.”

“In what way?” Hendery laughed, enjoying the exchange even more than he was letting on.

“I’m helping him land a date! It’s no news that Hendery over here hasn’t dated in like what ten years-“

“2 years,” Hendery cut in with a proud grin on his face, holding up two fingers for emphasis.

“Yeah, same thing. I’m just saying man, it’s a blessing in disguise that I couldn’t make it tonight, ‘cause I’m literally giving you a great romantic evening in the park with a pretty decent girl and no one’s gonna give you shit for it because literally everyone will be with their own people!” Ten grinned, holding a thumbs up next to his face, nodding excitedly.

Hendery had to agree, the prospect didn’t even sound all that bad, giving Ten an affirmative nod, finally letting himself smile widely after Ten’s whole monologue. 
 “Yes!” Ten whipped out his ticket and slammed it onto the table before him, “Thank you, or you’re welcome in advance? Whatever, you’ll have fun even if it’s not fun,” Kun nodded in agreement at Ten’s last comment, giving Hendery a nod as he pointed at Ten.

“Hate to say it but it’s true.”

Hendery glanced at his watch, it was at least 4 more hours till the park would close for Ten’s work event. That’s gonna really feel like 10 years, Hendery thought. Little did he know 5 hours later he’d be rushing to change into his casual clothes ( which in this case was his green white and black motif hoodie and his black jeans that were a little more ripped ) and meet you at the fountain near the old themed theatre. You didn’t recognize him at first, you doubted you’d be able to from the shitty description Ten had given you.

“Tall, kind of handsome when you look past the donkey features, long hair,” was all he’d told you, and that wasn’t what you were expecting when a boy who looked way too handsome to have fit Ten’s description had come up to you a little out of breath asking if you were Ten’s friend with a hopeful look on his face.

Momentarily distracted by how much he smelt like a tropical lagoon and his gaze that was intently fixed on you, you’d almost forgot to reply him until you realized he was waiting for your answer.

“Oh, yes. Yep, that’s me,” your nervous laugh did nothing to hide the awkwardness you felt. You were thankful that they’d chosen that time to start the event, meaning you and Hendery had to make your way to the big communal area, standing at the far back since you two were already late.

You fixed your gaze on what was going on at the main stage, admiring the display of lights and the way they’d lit the street lamps within the park, making you feel as though you were actually outdoors.

“Hey, man, what are you doing here still?” you saw somebody sling an arm over Ten’s friend’s shoulder.

“Oh, I’m here for the event,” he said simply, sparing you the introduction which you greatly appreciated, and you were busy navigating the map to see where you’d wanted to go to first, but that was proving to be a little difficult since you’d never been to the park before ( even despite your best friend working in the park ).

“Where should we go first? the map says that the lagoon’s pretty popular-“

“Forget the map,” Ten’s friend snatched the map from your hands, “I’ll be your map tonight,” he smiled at you, his styled hair falling over his eyes slightly, making him shake his head to move his hair away.

“You know this place well?” he nodded at your question, “like the back of my hand.”

Hendery figured he shouldn’t have promised that when you’d asked if he could bring you to the Jurassic area of the park and you’d both ended up at the canoe ride instead.

“Like the back of your hand, huh?” you laughed, but didn’t stop him when he gave you an unapologetic shrug, stepping into the boat and offering you a hand to help you in anyway.

“Ladies and-I mean lady, please keep your arms and legs within the vehicle at all times,” you smiled, nodding as you did as you were told. You heard the muffled speakers of the park start to play different songs, Hendery and yourself unconsciously mouthing the lyrics or humming the tune to the song playing.

You saw somebody wave at him while he adjusted the paddles of the boat, sitting before you with a smile. “Another friend of yours?” you referred to the person he’d just greeted, making him glance back at the person who was already almost out of sight, turning back to you with an amused expression.

“If I’m being honest, I see him almost every day but I just can’t seem to remember his name,” he confessed, making you let out an amused huff, shaking your head.

“I’m just not that great with names,” he followed your gaze to see how you were staring at the lights decorating the bridge you were about to pass under. “Speaking of which,” he spoke again, directing your attention away from the lights to him instead, “sorry I’m only asking now but what’s your name?”

“What’s to say you won’t forget an hour after I tell you?” he scrunched his nose up, shaking his head.

“I promise, I won’t forget. My name’s Hendery,” he told you, tucking the paddles in a way that you were pretty sure was meant to make the boat move slower.

“I’m Y/N,” you told him, seeing him nod.

The conversation dulled momentarily, which you didn't mind, of course. You knew it was all part and parcel of a first meeting with someone. So you'd let yourself get distracted by the pretty lights and the way the decor of the streets in the park that you passed by in the boat seemed so pretty in the evening light.

“This is so nice,” you muttered to no one in particular, earning a sound of agreement from Hendery. “So, I’m guessing you work here with Ten?” he nodded.

“I’m part-time, unlike Ten. I heard from him it was your first time coming here?” You enjoyed the way his eyebrows would raise ever so slightly when he asked you questions, the light from the street lamps and the fairy lights casting this glow you couldn’t describe but made him look absolutely...princely.

Nodding in response for your sudden lack of the ability to form words, he replied you quickly, “Well you’re free to come as many times as you want, I could get you a free pass.”

“Is that allowed?” you laughed, wanting to slap yourself for that reply, earning a shake of the head from him, grinning at you mischievously. as if you didn’t know it wasn’t allowed, please.

“Well...there are a few other options I guess, you know, if you don’t want to go down the illegal route,” he hummed in thought, before his eyes lit up, “okay, so, you could work here part-time when you’re free, or you could come visit whenever you have time using Ten’s pass and I could properly show you around when it’s uh...you know, less...dark,” he waved his hands in gesture to your relatively dim environment, “and stuff.”

“And plus! more of the rides will be open, if you’re into that,” he added quickly, earning an enthusiastic nod from you.

Your hesitation got the better of you, though, expression faltering slightly, which Hendery hadn’t missed, tilting his head at you as a prompt for you to share what was stopping you. “I don’t know, though...Ten’s been asking me if I wanted to work part time since they needed staff, and I’m technically free for the holidays now, but I guess I was just putting it off for lack of a better reason...and also 'cause it's been a while since I had to talk to new people,” you laughed.

“Trust me, working here isn’t as bad as Ten makes it sound, it’s actually pretty chill. You could try out as a park ranger, you won’t have to do much most of the time other than occasionally helping park-goers, and it pays pretty good, and plus, I’ll be there too!” he told you, tone raising with his excitement, the both of you having reached the end of the river.

Hendery stepped out from the boat, holding a hand out for you to take, “so how ‘bout it, Y/N, you gonna take up the offer?”

You scrunched your nose up, nodding decisively as you took his hand, letting him help you out from the boat, feeling as though you’d taken him up on more than just getting a job here.

In other words, that was how you ended up in your customer service uniform, standing in the admin office waiting for instructions.

“Guess what,” Ten came into the room and led you out of the admin office, earning a grimace from you, “should I be afraid?”

Ten rolled his eyes, “why do you always think it’s something bad?”

You scoffed, “I only think it’s something bad when it’s you,” you huffed.

“Well, for starters, that’s no way to talk to your mentor,” he smirked, making you groan, “also, since I’m in charge now. First order of business is: tell me exactly what happened that day I bailed on you for the park event.”

You thought back to that evening, almost letting a smile slip when you recalled the way Hendery had asked for your phone number, how he’d promised you another day where he would have more time to show you around the park, but “only if you were okay with it.” Which, let’s be honest, you were more than okay with it.

“Firstly, why didn’t you tell me he was so good-looking! He looked like...like a prince!” Ten snickered at your choice of words.

“Well, I mean, close enough, if you think about it, but go on,” he prompted, shoving one hand into his pocket and swinging his other hand freely as he walked.

“He was very nice, it’s amazing you have friends like this, really. And single too! Which was even more amazing. Someone as nice and funny as him that’s available is so hard to find these days,” Ten scoffed at your last statement.

“Yeah, if you could just tell him that. He keeps saying he’s waiting for the right one,” Ten rolled his eyes, “I basically hooked him up on a blind date, what more is there to ask for?”

You gasped, “Hey,” you whined, but sensed some truth to Ten’s words nonetheless, “who is he, prince Eric?” you joked, said prince being the first one you’d thought of when Ten said he was ‘looking for the right one’.

“Uh....well you’re not wrong,” You heard the sound of splashing and children cheering, locating the source of the sound when you saw Hendery there, dressed in what you recognized to be Prince Eric’s trademark outfit, white billowy shirt and black pants, red sash tied around his waist, you barely noticed the boots with how hard you were staring at his face, and his hair especially.

He was busy taking pictures with the park goers with the actress dressed as Ariel, and you weren’t interested in getting involved in the crowd but you were thankful that there was a single big group of them who were already starting to disperse after taking their photos.

“Hendery!” Ten called out, making you wince, nudging him, Ten giggled, practically pulling you towards Hendery with a big smile on his face.

“Hey, man, also it's Prince Eric to you, I’m working,” he scolded Ten. Hendery looked at you, eyes widening, “hey! First day today?” you nodded with a smile, noticing from the corner of your eye that Ten had started to leave to talk to the actress playing Ariel.

“Yeah,” you cursed yourself for your voice coming out softer than you’d intended for it to, earning a tiny giggle from him.

“Hello, my lady,” he smiled, bowing deeply, making you let out a strangled sound of protest, moving over to get him to straighten up quickly, “..lemme try to remember...Mildred right?” he kept his expression serious, a hand placed thoughtfully on his chin.

Your mouth formed an ‘o’ shape, “No? Okay...Diana? Rachel?” a tiny pout formed on your lips, your hands raising to cross your arms over your chest, seeing Hendery’s expression change into one of amusement, “I’m kidding! I’m kidding. I remember, Y/N.”

You felt a wave of relief wash over you. “How could I forget,” he murmured softly, but before the tension could grow he raised his voice back to a normal tone and volume, “I see Ten has escorted Ariel to take pictures, so I’m guessing you will be accompanying me today?”

Your eyes widened, turning quickly to see that Ten indeed was starting to bring Ariel to other parts of the park, and you turned back to Hendery, having to look away and nod quickly in fear that you would blush if you maintained eye contact with him a little bit longer.

“It seems like it,” you nodded, starting to walk into whatever direction you felt like walking in, Hendery only stopping whenever children were there, choosing to simply wave and smile and greet the park goers otherwise.

“How’re you finding your first day so far?” he asked you, clasping his wrist behind his back as you walked.

You nodded, “I guess it’s pretty chill? Nothing out of the ordinary, other than the fact that Ten’s my mentor,” you laughed at how Hendery’s eyes had widened, pulling a face.

“Yikes,” he joked, suddenly stopping you and leading you to a small snack stand selling churros.

“You know what would be really good right now?” he told you, looking elsewhere but pointing towards the churro stand desperately.

“What are you doing? Can’t you just buy one-”

Hendery shook his head, “I brought you here so you can try it! Since we didn’t get to buy any the last time you were here, they’re great, I swear.”

You raised an eyebrow at his insistence, but bought a churro anyway, handing it to Hendery, who took a bite quickly after glancing left and right to see if anyone was looking, thrusting the churro back into your hands quickly, covering his mouth as he licked off the remnants of the sugar on his lips and smiled at you, leaning down to mutter a small ‘thank you’ to you.

“Go on, take a bite,” he urged you, watching your reaction intently as you did so, the widening of your eyes making him cheer, having to refrain from pumping his fist in the air, trying to stay in character for the families that walked past him.

“So...uh..I’m guessing you’re not allowed to snack while on the job?” he nodded at you, making you laugh.

“Well if you’re ever in need of a churro text me, I’d be glad to not spend my entire day with Ten,” you laughed.

“What do you do on an average day as…Prince Eric?” you asked, taking a small bite out of the churro. You glanced at the time on your phone, seeing that it was almost time for you to report to the customer service counter.

“I dunno, play with kids, walk around like this take pictures with people, occasionally have to pose and stuff with Ariel, that's pretty much it,” he shrugged, making you purse your lips.

“Well, I’m sorry but I’m supposed to report to the customer service counter pretty soon, so you might have to find someone else to accompany you.”

Hendery frowned, making an unamused expression. “That’s alright, can I walk you to the customer service counter, then?” you nodded and he smiled. Hendery cursed mentally that you were a park ranger and that you were both out in the open so he couldn’t link arms with you like how he wanted to, figuring he would have to use his amazing (his words) brain to formulate a plan to spend more time with you.

Though you were thinking along the lines of the same thing he was, that didn’t mean you weren’t surprised when you’d seen Hendery bringing a child that looked about 5 years old into the customer service area.

Hendery waved to you, soft smile on his face as he urged the child to walk towards you, pointing towards you, murmuring to the kid to walk over to the 'kind looking older sister'. The child went over to you, staring at your shoelaces as they nibbled on their ice cream.

“Kid over here came to me crying really hard just now, said he couldn’t find his parents,” Hendery told you, the both of you standing there and staring at the occupied child for a while, figuring the ice cream in his hands had served to calm him down a little.

“Does he know what his parents’ names are?” Hendery nodded, “I can make the announcement for you if you want, since I already know their names.”

You nodded, stepping back and gesturing to the mic, letting him step forward and work the functions smoothly, as if he’d been in there a thousand times.

You had to admit there was something attractive about Hendery’s demeanour as he handled this situation, calm as ever, and he seemed to be on pretty good terms with the child as well.

“Did Prince Eric find you just now?” you asked the boy, seeing him nod vigorously, practically slurping his ice cream from the cup.

“He said he can find my mom and dad for me!” you nodded.

“Uh-huh, I’m doing that right now! You wait, sooner or later your parents are gonna come here to get you.” Hendery told the child, earning a grin from the small boy. Hendery sat on one of the chairs, the boy climbing up onto Hendery’s lap, ice cream finished and discarded away, he’d reached over to play with Hendery’s red sash, making the older boy grab the boy’s wrists quickly before the ice cream could stain his costume.

You chuckled, reaching into your bag underneath the table and pulling out a packet of wet wipes, handing Hendery a few to clean the child’s hands with.

“Gross,” Hendery drew out the word, playing with the boy by scrunching up his nose in distaste as he sniffed the child’s hand, which seemed to entertain the child very much, waving his hands towards Hendery’s face to get a reaction, watching the interaction being enough to put a smile on your face.

It hadn’t been 15 minutes after the announcement was made that you saw a young-ish couple briskly walking ( or running, you couldn’t tell ) over to the counter, baby in a stroller and that whole thing going on.

“Where was he when you found him?” the father asked while the mother carried the boy, planting kisses all over his face making him giggle, saying he was fine because he had Prince Eric.

“Thank you so much, man. We were a mess trying to find him. Really, you can’t even turn away for 3 seconds with this one,” the father smiled, pinching the boy’s cheek.

“It’s no problem, we’re just thankful he calmed down pretty quickly,” Hendery told the couple, the mother set the boy back on his feet, and to your surprise he’d ran over to Hendery, who squat down quickly to accept the child’s hug.

“Follow your parents next time, okay? See you next time!” you saw the boy shove Hendery away, waddling over to you next, and you’d gladly accepted the hug, a loud laugh leaving your lips when the child had bid the both of you good bye as ‘older brother prince Eric and older sister Ariel’, hearing his mother softly correct him that you were a park ranger and that they’d seen Ariel just now at the lagoon.

“First day at work and already climbing to Ariel’s spot? Powerful,” Hendery joked, resting his interlocked fingers on his outstretched legs as he leaned against the tall bar stool, giving you a cheeky smile.

Shooting him a look as you tidied up the table, you got ready to leave since your shift had ended already and the park was about to close soon. Hendery had gone to get his things from the break room and lockers, and changed into his casual clothes before meeting you at the park entrance. You let out a small laugh at the contrast in appearance, going from looking all fancy and charismatic in his Prince Eric costume to suddenly looking a lot more youthful (but no less attractive) in his soft dusty pink hoodie and black jeans.

“Do you have dinner at home?” he asked you, earning an affirmative hum from you, much to Hendery's dismay.

“Yeah, my mom cooked already,” you told him, fishing around in your bag for your phone, seeing a text from Ten saying that your pay would come in only at the end of the month.

Hendery tried not to sound too disappointed, "alright, then, how are you going back?" he asked, hooking his thumbs on the straps of his backpack, you both found yourself walking towards the train station as you gestured to it in response, only realizing then that you two took the same train home, having some unspoken agreement that you would both take the train together.

Hendery held onto one of the overhead handles, letting you hold onto his arm for stability in the crowded train. You prayed your stop would come quicker so you would have less of a chance to embarrass yourself in front of Hendery.

"How're you feeling after your first day, Y/N?" he asked, raising his eyebrows with a small smile on his face as he awaited your answer.

"Tiring," he huffed a tiny laugh at your response, "and I’m not even quite sure why, I barely did anything."

Hendery was about to frown but you continued, "but it was fun," you added, making him smile. "Thanks to me?"

You rolled your eyes, "You wish," you scoffed. Though if Ten were here he'd be able to see right through you.

“How’d you get him the ice cream, by the way? Thought you weren't allowed to bring your wallets out of the break room?”

“Technically it was a free gift,” Hendery shrugged, making you shoot him a look.

“Wow, pretty famous around here, huh, Prince Eric? All the park goers spending their fortunes on you," you joked, not noticing the way Hendery simply smiled lazily at you, fatigue from the day's activities having hit him already.

"Guanheng," he murmured softly.

"Huh?" you frowned, not sure if you'd heard him correctly. "My name," he smiled, "I want you to call me Guanheng."

Your eyes widened, taken aback by the sudden piece of information, not noticing the train was reaching your stop before Hendery tapped you, "It's your stop."

You'd let the crowd trying to get out push and navigate past you, feeling Hendery squeeze your shoulder, "Bye, Y/N. Get home safe," he told you softly, his voice down to a low murmur.

Already beginning to step out of the train carriage, you figured now was the best time to start saying it, "You too, bye, Guanheng," you waved.

The happiness on his face after was priceless.

===

“Y/N! Best friend! Ride or die!” you made a face at the sound of Ten who was running towards the customer service booth yelling gibberish directed towards you to get your attention.

Your co-worker’s eyes widened, unconsciously pushing his chair further from the counter when Ten had stopped his run by slamming his hands on the counter. You swivelled your chair around to face Ten with a concerned look.

“Should I be afraid?”

“Yes and no! I need your help,” Ten pouted and clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture, making you tilt your head at him, twirling your pen in your hand absentmindedly.

“No,” you stuck your tongue out at him, turning back to the folders of feedback you had to compile.

“Okay, fine. It’s actually not me that asked, Hendery specifically asked me to ask you,” Ten shrugged, making you raise an eyebrow at him.

Nodding your head slowly, you wondered why you didn’t get any message from him, before realising he probably didn’t have his phone with him now, “go on....I’m listening,” you muttered.

Ten grinned, not wasting any time, “The girl playing Ariel is having a major hangover and she can’t leave the house because she’s been puking her guts out,” you made a face at Ten’s choice of words, but that didn’t deter him from continuing, “so here’s the plan, you dress as Ariel and take pictures with the kids and their families later!”

“Why me? I don’t look anything like her?”

“I mean, think about Hendery, dude, it’d obviously be easier posing with someone he was comfortable with, wouldn’t it?” Ten shot you an unamused look, making you wince.

“I’m really bad at that stuff, though, Ten.”

“No, you’re not! Remember when we were volunteering at the kindergarten the other time and we did a little mermaid performance for them? you were great!”

"Ten, I was playing Flounder back then, it's different." You laughed, shaking your head.

Ten frowned, grabbing your hands and shaking them desperately, slumping down onto the counter for dramatic effect, “Please?? We need to find someone in time for the photo-taking and if we start now, by the time we get you into hair and makeup it’ll be time!”

“Ten, but there’s all this work left to do! I mean, does the boss even know about this?”

“Yes, he does! He’s fine with it, seriously, just come with me, I’ll explain to you everything you have to do,” you shot a nervous glance at your co-worker, who simply shrugged at you.

“What are you waiting for, just go! I’ll settle things here, don’t worry,” he told you.

“Perfect,” Ten smiled, yanking your hands to pull you into a standing position, dragging you to a room where they’d already had Ariel’s puffy wedding dress laid out there, as well as the red wig and a pair of ( very pretty ) heels to complete the outfit. You recognized the girl waiting for you to be the actress that played one of Ariel’s sisters. She’d beckoned you to sit in the chair next to her, and you did albeit hesitantly.

“Thanks for agreeing to this, by the way. I’m really sure Hendery will appreciate it loads.” She told you, which for some reason made you even more nervous about this situation.

“Well, I’m glad to help,” you smiled, letting her start by putting the wig on for you.

“What’s your name?” you asked her.

She gave you a warm smile, telling you her name, almost instinctively making you smile back.

“I’m Y/N, nice to meet you,” you greeted, even though you couldn’t look at her very well from her hands blocking your view as she put the wig onto your head.

She let out a soft laugh, “Feels like I’ve met you already with how much Hendery talks about you,” your eyes widened, eyebrows raising in shock, but you quickly shook it off, not wanting to think too much into it.

“Where’s Hendery, anyway?” you asked instead, her arms no longer blocking your vision as she secured the wig and made it look less obvious.

“He’s taking a nap in the breakroom, said he'd come by to get you when you were done," you nodded, for some reason not being able to withhold your excitement to meet him, the last time you saw him being that same morning when the both of you had taken the train together to work, and he'd gifted you a free drink to 'start the day right' as he'd told you. The gesture was enough to send you reeling, not sure if Hendery was just too kind to everyone or if he liked you that way. You wish, he's probably this nice to every other girl in the park.

Ten had stayed to help Crystal wherever he could, his constant utterances of “Hendery’s gonna lose his shit” or “you look really stupid like this” only serving to stir feelings of anxiousness for what was to come.

After what felt like years of refraining from scratching your face from the ticklish feeling of the brushes against your face, Crystal finally let out a firm “Okay,” giving you the greenlight that you could open your eyes. Seeing her and Ten grinning at you when you did.

“Has anybody run through with you what you have to do?” you shook your head, “I did!” Ten defended, scowling at you as if accusing you of not remembering. Crystal turned to him with a skeptical expression, “What did you tell her?”

Ten opened his mouth quickly to speak, before shaking his head, looking more sheepish as he gestured from her to you, “Never mind, you go ahead, I think your explanation would be clearer,” he giggled, earning an eye roll from you.

“It's like-" Crystal stopped herself quickly upon hearing the door open and seeing Hendery peek his head out through the small opening of the door, scanning the room for people before opening the door wider with a smile, "you know what, I’ll just let Prince Eric explain that to you." Crystal gestured with the eyeshadow brush over your shoulder, and you'd turned to make eye contact with Hendery.

You weren't sure if there was any reaction for you to base your judgement on, his smile was the same, and he let out a sound that seemed impressed with Crystal's work. You wished you could do the same, with him dressed in what you could only describe as Prince Eric's royal event clothes, he looked absolutely breath-taking, and you were glad he didn't notice when Ten was gesturing to your cheeks to mock your blushing.

"Who's this? You guys didn't get Y/N?" Hendery joked, making you roll your eyes.

"Very Funny, you owe me big time for this," you stuck your tongue out at him, both Ten and Crystal shooing the both of you out of the room.

"I know I do," he told you, leading you around some sort of secret pathway that leads to the castle where the princes and princesses would wait before the park go-ers could come in for photo-taking. The both of you stood at the back of the princesses, some of them turning to shoot surprised looks at Hendery before returning to gossip amongst themselves.

"Does this happen all the time?" You asked, referring to the whole gathering and photo-taking and whatnot.

Hendery shrugged "I would guess so? I've been here so long I stopped keeping track," he laughed, pretending to fiddle with the tassel on his outfit.

"But there's fireworks after that," he spoke up abruptly, scrunching up his nose at how un- smooth the execution was compared to how it was in his head.

"Really? It's been a while since I’ve seen a firework display," you confessed, seeing his eyes light up in excitement.

"We can watch it together then!" he said enthusiastically, before clearing his throat, mustering a calmer tone of voice, "you know….if you want," he shrugged.

He was instructed to line up together with the princes at the other entrance of the room, in line with you, as he looked at you expectantly for an answer, half expecting you to say you already had plans and had to leave but pleasantly surprised when you nodded at him, mouthing the words 'of course' to him.

When you’d joined him again later, you’d spotted Ten a few people in front of you ushering the princes and princesses to their respective spots, furrowing his eyebrows at you and vigorously gesturing to his arm, making you look at the other princes and princesses and notice that the prince had held his arm out for the princess to hold, making you return a look of understanding to Ten and turn to Hendery, who seemed to have been prompted by Ten as well, seeing him hold up an ‘okay’ sign at Ten and look at you, soft smile on his face as he held his arm out.

Silently grasping his arm, you continued walking, unconsciously walking slightly behind him as you were led to this area, where you took pictures with more children than you could keep count of, Hendery pretending to be upset when the children paid more attention to you than they did to him, but of course, you didn’t see the way he smiled watching you interact with the children.

“Stealing your spotlight already?” Ten nudged Hendery with a smug smirk on his face.

Hendery simply shrugged, “I honestly don’t mind, she looks like she’s having fun,” he shrugged, even leaning over to pose in some of the photos without you noticing, which the children seemed to get a kick out of.

“You’re so gross, I don’t know which I prefer, those 2 years where you refused to date or this,” Ten joked, before raising his arms slightly in a shrug, “but come to think of it both were pretty entertaining,” he told Hendery.

Hendery wanted to tell you it was alright and you didn’t have to kneel on the floor, that you could pick the kids up as well, but refrained when he saw how you did it anyway even after Ten had told you, assuming it was an unconscious thing.

You were talking to one kid in particular who was asking you how scary Ursula was when you fought her, almost jumping from the shock when you felt Hendery suddenly squat next to you to face the child as well, “she’s been going on and on about how brave you two were for fighting Ursula after she’d watched the movie,” her mother told you, making you laugh, but nodding at the child nonetheless.

“It was really scary, but I knew I had to be brave to save Ariel!” Hendery told her seriously, earning an equally serious nod from the child as well.

The child turned to you, waving a finger at you like a parent would, “he really loves you, you know,” she told you, making you have to stifle your laughter, nodding at her, yet refusing to look at Hendery who was nodding along with the child.

“I know,” you whispered, seeing the child erupt into a fit of giggles, her parents urging her that it was time to go.

“Come on, Prince Eric and Princess Ariel need to rest! They’re probably really tired already,” you heard the mother telling the little girl, who nodded, turning around with her hand still holding her mom’s to bid the both of you goodbye.

“Goodbye! See you next time!” Hendery and you had waved back at her, glancing at Ten who was looking at the both of you with an unreadable expression.

“What,” you snapped, a stark contrast from your ‘Ariel’ demeanour, making Ten huff as he walked over, glancing at the time on his phone.

“You guys can do whatever you want now, since the fireworks are gonna be starting after dinner time, you can take a break till then, I guess,” Ten said, leaving the both of you to go God knows where.

“Are you hungry? There’s some food in the break room for dinner if you want,” he suggested, bringing you to what looked like a lounge room with many tables and mostly actors inside, as well as some park rangers ( like in this case, Ten ).

Bringing you over to a table with who you recognized to be Prince Charming and Ten, “Kun this is Y/N, Y/N, this is my friend Kun,” Hendery blurted quickly, practically pulling you down into your seat as he went to get food for the both of you.

“Nice to meet you, you must be Ten’s friend, then?” Kun asked, he looked rather kind from what you could infer, so you nodded.

“Known him for like 5 years already I think?” you replied, and Ten nodded in affirmation which made Kun gasp.

“It’s a wonder how you put up with him.” You nodded in agreement, sighing dramatically.

“Tell me about it.” Hendery returned with your food, and you’d made small conversation with the 3 of them while you ate, Kun seemed to think the both of you were already dating, remembering what Hendery had told him about wanting to tell you how he felt since he knew he was too shy.

“So, when did you guys get together?” Hendery almost choked on his mouthful of food, practically shoving Kun with how quickly he’d reacted, making you frown in confusion.

“For this Ariel thing? I had no idea actually I only found out today,” you smiled, making Ten snicker, bringing his hand up in a poor attempt to stifle his laughs, nodding along with you making you think that was exactly what Kun was asking.

“Sorry, excuse me, I’m gonna go wash my hands,” you excused yourself, and almost immediately after you were away from the table Kun had turned to Hendery with an unamused expression.

“You haven’t told her yet?”

Hendery whined at Kun’s question, slumping down in his seat with a sigh. “It’s not as easy as you think, you know.” 
 Ten had shrugged, beginning to sing the lyrics of ‘kiss the girl’, swaying left and right as he sang, earning a glare from Hendery. “You know it’s true. It’s pretty damn obvious she likes you too, you know.”

Hendery frowned, turning to Kun for a more reliable affirmation, and his heart fell when Kun had nodded at him, “It’s true, from what I’ve heard from Ten, at least.”

“Also because I heard about the whole ‘Guanheng’ incident and have diagnosed the both of you as completely whipped for each other,” Ten giggled, enjoying the upper-hand he had over Hendery in this situation, especially because the blush on Hendery’s face was telling.

You’d returned from the washroom then, offering to dispose of the now-empty food packets, hearing Ten mumbling a faintly familiar song. “What song is that? I swear I’ve heard it somewhere I just can’t remember where,” you frowned, seeing Ten shrug, making eye contact with Hendery as he replied you sweetly.

“Kiss the girl.”

===

It was almost time for the fireworks, and Hendery had claimed there was a spot that you could see the fireworks super clearly and it was pretty away from the crowd, but you definitely weren’t expecting him to bring you to the bridge over the small river you’d rode the canoe on the first time you’d met him at the park.

Once again, the fairy lights decorated the bridge and he was right, you really did have a direct view of the castle from where the both of you stood, Hendery leaned on the wall of the bridge, resting his weight on his elbows as you did the same, eager to see the fireworks.

“How are you feeling?” you laughed at Hendery’s sudden question. “Excuse me, why are you laughing?” he gasped, a small pout forming on his lips.

“No, nothing, it’s just that you always ask me how I’m feeling, it’s such a you thing to do, feels like I’m being interviewed,” you grinned at him, seeing him huff dramatically, “fine if you don’t want me to ask, I won’t,” he shrugged, making you laugh.

“Guanheng,” you murmured to get his attention, and his head whipped around to face you the moment you’d said his name, a soft smile playing at his lips as though he was trying to conceal it, “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, I actually....quite like it, no one I’ve known has ever really done that,” you told him, finally seeing his smile grow bigger.

“So to answer your question, I’m feeling tired. But a good kind of tired,” you held a thumbs up to him, and he’d reached his hand out to grab your raised hand, pulling it down as he pressed and played with the pads of your fingers.

"Are your knees okay? You were kneeling talking to almost all the kids just now, and from experience I know the floor is pretty rough," he asked, concern laced in his tone, you nodded.

"It's fine, no big deal, I barely felt it," you assured him, watching the way he touched his hair, smoothing down the hair at the back of his head.

“Thanks, by the way, for helping me out with this whole Ariel thing today,” he told you, making you shake your head, dismissing his thanks. “No, seriously. I know you didn’t have to say yes but, you were the first like....person I could think of to call when I heard what happened to the other actress,” he told you, leaning his head down and pretending to be occupied with your fingers to avoid your gaze.

“And why is that?” you prompted, hearing the first sound of the fireworks going off, but something in you couldn’t care to look.

On the other hand, Hendery’s head shot up at the sound, tapping your hand and gesturing to the fireworks, “Look! It’s starting, you’re gonna miss it!” he told you urgently, practically bouncing in place.

You shook your head, “answer my question first,” you rest your elbow on the stone wall of the bridge, looking at him as if you had all the time in the world, because you really felt like you did.

Hendery stopped playing with your fingers, looking at you blankly, “because you’re cute,” he blurted out, wincing at himself.

“I mean like, yeah. I think you’re cute, and you were the first person I could think of to call because I trust you, and I trust you because you make me feel like I can trust you?” he furrowed his eyebrows, nodding,

“Yeah, that, and because you know, I like spending time with you, and I wanted to spend more time with you, and I don’t know where I’m going with this already so I think I should conclude it now.”

Hendery shifted his weight to look at you, glancing at the fireworks momentarily before letting out a deep breath, “okay, conclusion: I like you,” he said, eyes widening because you couldn’t help but smile and nod at him the whole time he was having that monologue, the sight of such a well-dressed prince awkwardly fumbling with his words being so endearing to you.

“Are you shocked? You don’t seem shocked,” he tilted his head at you, making you laugh, nodding.

“Shocked, but I can’t say I wasn’t hoping you would feel this way,” you admitted, hearing the speakers on the lake play the instrumental of that song Ten was humming just now, kiss the girl. And Hendery felt like he was transported into that very scene in the little mermaid, where everything was telling him that he should do that.

So he did, albeit suddenly, in the way he’d grasped the hand he was playing with more firmly, pulling you towards him and pressing his lips against yours, and you even felt him smile against your lips from how ridiculously fairy-tale like the scene was to him, with the fireworks display ending, the sound of the water rushing beneath the bridge down to how close you were to him and how happy he was that you returned the kiss, his hand cradling the side of your face, pulling away gently and laughing when his eyes widened.

“Wow this lipstick isn’t even smudged,” he blurted suddenly, making you shove him lightly, only to have him pull you back with your hand that was still in his, contemplating hugging you from behind but shaking the thought, figuring he preferred to look at your face.

“This is gonna be hard, can’t hold your hand when you’re a park ranger,” he told you, making you scoff.

“Should I apply to be Princess Ariel, then?” you joked, not expecting Hendery to look at you seriously, giving you a thoughtful look, his intense stare making your face heat up.

He leaned closer to you, narrowing his eyes before leaning back with a shake of his head, “Nah, I think you’d fit the role of Sebastian more.”

[shesawriter39049]

|CHALLENGE| M| 1|

SMUT/ANGST/HUMOR-ISH

**SUGAR DADDY AU WITH A SLIGHT TWIST***

CEO HOSEOK X MATCHMAKER OC

Hoseoks’s kinda an entitled little shit

The OC is sassy AF...his mother would hate her..so she’s perfect!

He’s also smooth,and fine AF and he knows it...but so is she!

There’s not much of an age difference there both in there mid-late 20’s

Hoseok is first-generation Korean Amerian BTW New York-born and raised 

Jimin is Hoseok’s assistant so he will pop in and out of this

5K

ABOUT- Hoseok is currently CEO of “Diamond Supply” a company within “Carbon Black INC“ which is a multi BILLION dollar company founded by Hoseok’s family and four others! The current CEO is Hoshi, which is not Hoseok’s father he’s actually the VP. Hoshi,doesn't have children and he needs to step down from his position. So over the next 6 months, there will be almost like an election period if you will, and the13 board members within the company will be tracking all four of the candidate's business and social stats with a fine-tooth comb. Prior to voting the next heir into his position as CEO of “Carbon Black Inc”!

That’s where Y/N comes in ...Hoseok has everything working in his favor expect the” Imagine” or at least the type that would appease there more “traditional” investors and board members. Y/N who works as a recruiter for Y.G.K. was initially hired to find him a “Sugar Baby” ! Someone to stand by his side and look pretty for the next 6 months to give him a more.”Settled down” image….Initially, that was the plan…..

WARNINGS: There’s just a lot of teasing and sexual tension in this one, light daddy kink reference, Hoseok is a whole dom,  it’s so clear there fucking next chapter lol…. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimins Face alone already had you ready to barge in there before you wasted anymore of you clients time! Damn near throwing the phone at you , not even bothering to say hello in the process! You still couldn’t understand what the issue was, honestly, this was one of the simplest charts you’ve ever had, besides how obnoxiously specific the physical traits were ! It was 80% superficial, personality wise they didn't ask for much!  Just Someone who could take direction well,non-confrontational...submissive is actually what they noted ! Essentially a woman to say yes sir with no questions asked ,damn near wanting a puppet you could feed a script to! That’s exactly who she was ...basically a pretty cockatoo so why isn't this working?!

Yes, yes  you were eavesdropping on your clients “Interview”, and you had no shame,actually, this was Jimin’s idea he was just as annoyed by this shit as you where, the two of you had been going back and forth for damn near a month now! Practically besties at this point! Ariel, the girl currently sitting in Hoseok Jung’s office would be your fourth recruit. He’s rejected three! THREE! You've never had this happen...EVER..and you just can’t wrap your head around it, initially you thought he’d be your easiest client to place. He’s younger than most, richer than most..and more importantly finer than most, whoever landed this job wouldn't have to fake a damn thing! Yet, none of your picks worked..the last girl lasted 12 days...if the bitch would've just made it 2 more you would've gotten your bonus! Which meant you could have finally walked out of YSL, with your new crossbody you've been eyeing for the past 2 months! 

But no such luck, so here you were, sitting next to Jimin, eavesdropping praying for the best, honestly, things where going well..for all of, oh I don't know 5 minutes “Did she really just say her favorite Korean dish was sushi!?” Jimin’s eyes cut in your direction and you literally can’t even at this point. Placing your index and middle finger around the bridge of your nose because suddenly you had the worst headache of your life! “Lodrt” 

“Oh fuck meeeee” Whined from your lips in nothing but defeat, she couldn’t handle him if her life depended on it! Hoseok was far too quick, witty,sarcastic, charming from what you could tell, he didn't seem rude but you could tell he was very..intellectual...she wasn’t. She was young, nothing but arm candy, and he was eating her alive! Dropping your head down on the desk with a long sigh..already giving up, the feeling of Jimin’s hand soothing your shoulder as if he already knew...she was done! Back to the drawing board for the fifth time! 

It wasn’t even a full 10 second before you heard his door creek open, insitally shuffling behind a filing cabinet, as you didnt want to hurt her pride by letting her no you came! I mean, technically it’s not her fault, you don’t want your girls to fake something there not, the reason you get such high reviews is one of your main focus..outside of the aesthetic is the genuine compatibility! Clearly she and the other 3 girls didn't have it, but why couldn’t you read that prior to sending them? This is what you got paid to do, and your typically damn good at it, why wasn’t his chart giving you what you needed to properly satisfy him!?

“Fuck it…” Ripped from your throat as you sauntered into his office once you observed her step into the elevator, Jimin didn't even attempt to stop you. A smug smirk tugging on the corner of his lips as he awaited the results..the glint in his eyes indicating he already knew how this would play out! “Hoseok! We need to talk!” Blurted from your lips as you welcomed yourself into his office, as if you’ve known him for years, closing the door behind you, tossing your bag on his chasie. Hoseok didn't speak initially instead he just took his time,taking you in from head to toe, somewhat impressed actually. It’s not every day someone just barges into his office as if they own the place..now the real question is..who the hell are you?!

There was suddenly a look of nothing but pure mischief dancing along Hoseok's face as he observed you, only you were far too focused on your little spiel running through your head at the moment to notice! Swaying in his direction, in your oversized black blazer that you were currently wearing as a dress. Legs on full display as a pair of black strappy Giuseppe heels laced your feet, just enough cleavage peeking between the lapels to have him curious! Big vintage Chanel earrings dangle from your ears as you welcomed yourself to take a seat in front of his desk.The sweet, yet slightly husky scent of your perfume grace his nose, delicately crossing your legs, reclining into your seat.

“I’m sorry, would you prefer I call you Mr.Jung instead?” Cocking your head to the side slightly, the warm somewhat inviting tenor more than evident in our voice as you batted your lashes in his direction!, Still well aware of the power you possess in a situation like this and you weren’t afraid to use it in your favor! Hoseok was intrigued it didn't matter if it was solely physical, you had his undivided attention... and you planned to spend it wisely! 

A low chuckle rumpled in his chest as he took his own set, dusting his fingers through his dark mane of hair, that sat tousled on top of his head. Hoseok, had a slight undercut, which was lined to perfection..the top long enough where if he parted it to the middle you almost wouldn't know how nicely his sides where faded. The outline of his sideburns framed his disgustingly chiseled jaw to the Tee! A couple not so modest diamonds dusted his ears, fanning against his caramelized complexion. A burgundy paisley dress shirt, laid along his skin caressing every muscle on his body perfectly. Lips naturally pouty, forming almost a heart at their peak, sitting at the perfect shade of pink! 

“Hoseok, Mr.Jung is my father...and you are?” Brow quirked in curiosity, the base in his voice catching you off guard, so was his avid eye contact… but you were smoother than that, this wasn’t your first rodeo!

“I’m Y/N...the recruiter for Y.G.K-”

There was a dry scoff that left his lips at that, nothing subtle about the current disposition he had towards you and to be fair you couldn't blame him so you bit your tongue! “ I stopped in to see what the issue was, I've never had to place more than one girl...ever! Yet with you...she was my fourth..I just needed to see for myself where the disconnect was coming from…”

A low hum leaving his lips at that, appearing almost amused as he reclined in his seat  “And? Are you just here to waste more of my time or are you actually going to tell me what the issue is?” Flailing his hand in the air as if he’s already lost all patience for this conversation. The bite more than evident in his voice,clearly Hoseok’s a grade A smartass but again,in this situation you understood. So inteased of getting an attitude you took a deep breath..and answered the question nevertheless.

“Your charts the problem which is essentially my lifeline! I overheard part of the conversation with Ariel and your nothing like your stats, I'm assuming that’s probably your CEO persona... but not the person you are behind closed doors.  Which doesn't help me because my goal is to match you with someone who can handle the real you!” 

The low hum that fell from his lips almost had you hopeful, feeling as if he was starting to ease up a little and actually hear you out. You really where damn good at your job in this instance you were just fed bad information! “Hmm, I'm glad it took all of a month for us to realize this but yes, I agree with the fact that my “chart” as you like to call it was clearly total bullshit, and a waste of my time. You would have done better calling me instead of whatever generic Buzzfeed esque pick your match quiz you had us submit!” 

God he’s really, really, testing every negative ounce of patience running through your body, you could literally feel your jaw twitching “I wouldn’t say the questionnaire is the issue..more so the way it was filled out. It’s meant to be a tool to work in your favor, but you have to make it work” Pausing to lock your eyes with his, yet you knew what you were doing, you gaze was taunting, not angry, playfully challenging him at this point.  “I’m not here to argue, I'm here to sasifty…. so let me fix this.. I know your deal came with a specific deadline, If I’m not mistaken, we still have about a week left, that’s more than enough time for me to find you what you actually need!” 

An almost offensively loud groan left his lips at that, eyes rolling to the back of his head, the blatant disrespect had your nose scrunching into your face, brows furrowed “Excuse me? What do you mean “Mmmm”!?  I told you-” Now you were losing your patience..he’s officially pushed all of 2 of your buttons,and it took everything in you not to call him out of his name at this point! How dare he not take some accountability for the lack of effort he put into his personality chart even when you emphasize how important it is! Is he aware how much of YOUR times he;s wasted? The fact that you could’ve had these girls secured with other clients instead of also wasting there time!? No because all his spoiled ass can think about his himself! 

“Where the hell do you get off getting an attitude with me Y/N? None of this is my fault, I hired you because I didn't want to be involved,I have enough on my plate! We've been through damn near 20 pretty faces and-”

“Four! Hoseok, four!” The base suddenly hit your throat, you were starting to get defensive voice elevating ever so slightly “And again, did we not just establish that you, or your assistant or WHOEVER, screwed up your chart to begin with!? So how the hell-’

“Ohh so now we're playing the blame game? Reallll mature....Great save , oh I fucked up so let me blame my client, great customer service with that one!” The chuckle that left is throat was meant to sound taunting and it really fucking worked!

“It’s not the blame game, I’m just asking for a second chance to actually help you, you spoilt asshole! You just sat here and admitted you chart was total bullshit!” Abruptly rising from your chair, eyes narrowing in his direction, a second away from completely losing your shit  before you caught yourself! Yet, oddly enough so far he didn't even seem remotely fazed by your current disposition! 

“I have every right to be an asshole right now Y/N why the hell should I even trust you?! You knew going into this that ...we had a damn deadline and now we're damn near grazing it with the tip of our tongues…with zero results!” Now it was Hosoeks turn to loose his composure,voice dropping what felt like an entire octave suddenly rough and gritty the more he spoke. Which was actually really sexy but ...we’re going to try and ignore that for the time being! 

“What about that would make me want to even consider giving you another chance? Am I missing the part where you actually did what you were hired to do orrrr??”

“Oh for fucks sake, that's not my damn fault!” Yup, and there it goes again, all your self control ...Unintentionally stomping your foot against the floor as if you were almost having a temper tantrum.

“Awww, is baby whining now? Hmm? Is that your new tactic to try and get your way with me? ” Brow quirked in amusement, God you wanted to smack that smirk off his face. His tone was nothing short of condescending, though you found yourself more pissed at how good “Baby” sounds rolling off his tongue! Regardless of the context

“No I’m bitching which clearly you know a lot about since that’s all you've been doing since I got in here!!!” There was a sudden pause,a long one it was almost nauseating and it had you questioning if you'd finally crossed a line by saying that. You couldn't read the expression on his face right now, and that kinda scared you, so instead of just sitting in silence...

“ I place people based on the information I’m given, clearly we've never met so maybe if you actually put what you actually wanted we wouldn't have this damn issue to begin with! I gave you shallow and passive because that’s what you chart said you wanted.” Everything that radiated off your body was mounds calmer at this point, tone slightly tranquil “Your running out of time, and you need my help, I’m sorry we got off to a rocky start okay? Just... ...let.Me.Do.My.Job…”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to get you to do this entire time, do you think I want to sit here and play “ Are you smarter than a fifth grader” with these recruits? ! I didn't want to deal with this shit!I don't have time to deal with this shit!”  Throwing his solid gold pen across the desk, sliding back in his seat to hastily ruffle his fingers through his hair. To be honest it wasn’t Hoseok’s intentions to keep bantering back and forth like this, he was just stressed! He didn’t want to go this route to begin with so it’s not helping that it’s not flowing smoothly! 

“Great so it’s settled, you give me 48 hours and I'll find you perfect counterpart” Instantly turning around to head for your bag and see yourself out before the two of you were at each other's throats again. 

“No.”

Stopping dead in your tracks, whipping your neck around so fast it almost looked painful!

 “What do you mean no!?” Why, why won’t he just let this go!?

“N.O. You CAN help but in a different way….” Rising from his seat slowly pouring himself a glass of Scotch which he inhaled before it even fully settled at the bottom of the glass. 

Brow arched in annoyance and curiosity 

“Clearly when this is left in your hands I get malibu barbie with an I.Q of negative six...so let me pick….”

“I- fuck, whatever, fine, I’ll send you my roster and-” Fine sure, why not...if that kept him happy and had you signing a contract and hopefully reciving your bouns for landing him a susscessful recruit then sure! Pick all damn day Hoseok! 

“I don't’ need it…”

“What?! I thought you wanted to pick?” 

“  I don’t want your damn roster, if you care so much about redeeming yourself and actually doing what I paid you to do...then give me your best player…”

“That was my plan but you just said you didn't want me to pick.” Geunilly confused at this point, the slight attitude wasn’t even intentional. 

“You can, as long as we're on the same page..”

“Which is what Hoseok? What?” Mentally exhausted was an understatement, if your pride wasn’t in the way you’d just leave...

“You.” The word left his lips so calmly it almost went over your head! 

“If you want the deal then the Y.G.K. recruit I want is you...or theres no deal…I don’t have time for these rookies you keep sending my way”  You screamed everything his mother would hate and he fucking loved it, it also didin’t hurt that you were fun to look at. You had one hell of a backbone, your whitty, determined,sassy ...everything he would've put on his chart if he actually made it himself! You haven’t taken your foot off his throat since you’ve walked in, Hosoek was always one for a good challenge, makes the word “Daddy” sound even better when it rolls off your tongue! 

“What!? I’m not even up for hire, I’m a recruiter Hoseok, not a damn sugar baby! You can’t just snap your fingers and think I’m hired” Arms crossed tight against your chest, though...the idea was far more tempting than you let on  you’ve damn sure missed this. 

“No disrespect, but for you to be a recruiter..that probably means you’d have to have some prior experience right? “ Brow quirked at the implied question that he already knew the answer to “I don’t care how rich someone is...there not just buying Snakeskin Hermes bags for any “average” woman now are they?!”Tone blatantly challenging you as his head flicked over to your bag that set on the leather chaise diagonal from him.

“Trust me baby, it didn't go over my head the way you finessed your way in here like you owned the place , you know what you have working for you and your damn good at using it in your favor! I’m not here to judge, I finesse millions out of people all damn day...weather it be with my skill or my charm, either way, I'm closing deals and that’s all that matters!” I wonder if Hoseok could also tell how weak your knees were getting the more he called you “Baby”! More importantly how caught off guard you were for him calling you out on your shit!

“I’m retired…” Fell from your lips, it was all you could think of your mind was frazzled right now, but it was a true statement, you had not been on that side of the fence in almost 2 years! 

“Yeah and so was Jay Z and yet we got a good 4 albums and a tour after that so what’s your point!?” 

“My point-”

“Name your price.”

“Excuse-” 

“Your.Price.Y/N...Name.it...Tell daddy what you want” Smug, nothing but smug, Hoseok didn't even try to be discreet, he was living for his!

“$150K signing bonus off rip…” Thatta girl! Hosoek had you tripping over yourself for a moment, but the minute he said that he flipped a switch! 

You didin’t even know where that number came from..it was just like your body reacted on autopilot...he may be a total entitled smartass..but your not a damn fool. He’s right you got that bag because you are good at what you do, these sugardaddie’s aren't the only ones who know how to work there magic and get what they want. Your charm was deadly when need be, it takes a special kinda persona to finaness the “system” the way you do...or did I guess I should say! He wanted a price well...there ya go! 

The smirk that danced up his face was just as sexy as it was offensive “Right, so essentially what I just made on this deal I signed off on?” Cocking his head to the side slightly, tongue playing at the corner of his mouth “Done.” He was so nonchalant about this it was almost comical, you would have sworn you asked for a Big Mac or something! Tossing the contract aside as if it didn't mean shit, because it didn't you knew Hoseok's net worth! 

“I- you...what!? ” Did he really just agree that fast!? After you just yelled at him, and cussed him out!? 

Clearly he found your state of shock amusing a gritty chuckle rumbling in his chest as he poured himself another drink. “Don’t act surprised, you know you aren’t used to hearing the word no, which I can appreciate because neither am I!” 

“Why!? Why me, you don’t know shit about me, you could’ve easily had Ariel, or anybody else and none of them would have even cost you a fraction of that price!  Why are you so willing to pay me whatever the hell I want even after I failed to place someone else in the position?”Slowly sauntering over in his direction until you were so damn close to him your eyelashes could almost flutter against each other. “ And I dare you to tell me that your any different than any other man I've dealt with in you position. That your reasoning runs  ....deeper than you wanting to bend me over this damn desk” God, his lips were a problem, his damn jawline was a problem, why the hell did you get this close again!?

He didn’t respond right away, letting his eyes trace over every element on your face, and it took everything in you to pretend you knees weren’t caving in. Once his eyes landed on our lips, licking his in the process. Leaning forward, bracing his weight on the desk, hands resting on either side of you body as he hovered over you. Yet your stance never faltered he was challenging you ...AGAIN and There was no way in hell you’d show how consumed you were! Not when it was your decision to invade his personal space to begin with! The scent from his colgen filling your nose, having to physically remind yourself not to moan….. Hosoek knew exactly what he was doing, lips sitting slightly ajar, teasing you to arch up ever so slightly! You could damn near taste the liquor on his tongue...

“I’m a man, more importantly a man with damn good taste!  So yes, the idea of having you face down ass up sounds, sinfully appealing” Fuck your throat was dry as hell right now…”But no that’s not why I’m offering. Your not blind, clearly I dont need to pay for sex, I’m not some 60 year old man with a saggy ballsack so I’ll be frank with you! The contract has a deadline because so do I…” Now we're finally getting somewhere...

 “This was my families idea, hints all the confusion and my very short fuse, they want someone by my side as I embark on a new... Business venture. Clearly you can tell no one you’ve sent can even remotely stacks up to what I require in a partner, fake or not! I failed drama I don’t care how many cameras are in my face..I don’t act! Either I vibe with someone or I don’t..”

“We haven’t vibed Hoseok, we've argued! Since you think you can do my job better than I can...what's your rationale for pairing us together oh wise one!?” Nothing but sass dripped from your tongue at that...and he fucking loved it. The smirk that dance up hid lips said it all. A low hum fell from his lips as he leaned in, even closer, chest thumping so hard you questioned if he could even hear it. Fuck, you really wanted to grab him by the back of the neck and find out how good he tastes! 

“You tell me ...tell me what I need…” Something about his delivery had heat pooling between your thighs, voice getting dangerously low, and so where his eyes …”Since my charts fucked and your claiming that’s what screwed you up...tell me what I actually need…”

Clearing your throat slightly, trying to pull your shit together yet you didn't pull back from him, you didn't want to...you liked the intensity! If you were smart you’d disregard his question but, you felt like you needed to prove yourself….. 

“Someone to stimulate, and balance you out you mentally...” Purred from your lips earning a hum of approval, which , followed behind and confirmed every other bullet point …

“Someone well dressed..”

“Hmm…” - fuck he really needs to stop doing that

“ Cultured..”

“Mmmhmm..”

“Whitty..”

“Mmm, keep going…” 

“Quick on her toes, Sar-”  A dramatic sigh leaving your chest at that, eyes rolling to the back of your head more times than  you could count once you realized what he was doing. Hoseok was having you describe yourself, because ideally, you were the type of woman you’d try and set him up with.

The level of smugness that danced along his lips proved he was proud of himself “And you were sayinggg???” Purposely Letting the last syllable roll off his tongue sing song like.

You should've realized this the minute you met him…. Hoseok only needed a “Sugar Baby” for the contrational purouses, the fact that once signed it’s the person's job is to be whatever he needs! That  type of control would allow his family to insure she's adding to whatever “Aesthetic” he needs for this business venture..it was purely about control! That’s the disconnect, his family wanted the pretty faced puppet that they can morph into whoever they wanted. And clearly that's the last quality Hoseok wants in a partner, even a fake one! Now it makes more sense why a man like him..would have even signed up for something like this! 

“I’m sayingggg...EVEN if I considered, and if I did it wouldn't have shit to do with you and everything to do with the money...there would be no contract because I’d get fired! I’m a recruiter Hoseok, I can’t use the information I get to look out for myself, that's the definition of conflict of interest. Once you find a girl we make a contract.. We get a monthly percentage of what you pay per outside of gifts and little bounces..there's no way they wouldn't know and-”

“So we cut Y.G.K out...“In all honesty, you haven't placed a girl yet, I’ll have Jimin write a very nice email, so it doesn't make you look bad. Will just say I’m going to try looking for love on my own or some bullshit! They’ve already made there fee to add me to the roster ...” Letting his gaze pry into yours only to snatch you by the throat “Then, me and you make our own contract...I’ll pay you directly...problem solved…” Hoseok was starting to work his own angle and you hated the knots forming in the pit of your stomach as he changed his entire vocal presentation. It was smoother, husker..slightly breathy..everything it needed to be to get you to say yes, but again you weren’t a rookie, you were still somewhat thinking clearly!

“No, not problem solved..what happens if pictures get out!? I’ve done my research, it’s a part of my job your Korea's resident bad boy..the press love to hate your ass over there! Yeah,granted I go to events that you’d probaly frequent and network or  whatever the fuck you wanna call it! But what happens if someone gets a pic of us in Malta or something!?” 

The slight shrug in arrgrence really didn't help … “See! You don’t stay with one person which is why I’m sure you got sucked into this..the minute were seen together more than twice it’s news! How the hell do I rationalize that!?” There was a sudden growl in your voice and you weren;t sure where it came from, maybe because you were slightly annoyed that the hustler side in you really wanted to say yes. Fuck rational, fuck how this would probaly all blow up...you missed getting paid to look cute! Maybe it was also because you really wanted him to bend you over and fuck the shit out of you on top of this desk…

“Then, will take it as it comes, I know that’s why you asked for a signing bonus..incase that happens and work finds out, or once this contracts over and we go our separate ways...so your not on your ass..your smart!”  A slight smile tugging on your lips because he’s right $150K is about three years pay...at Y.G.K before taxes ...enough where if something happens at least you wouldn't be royally fucked!

There was a beat of silence eyes searching his for all the answers...

“I’ll give you until midnight...if you think there's a recruit in your roster that can actually keep up, I’m open to it. But if not we will be respectfully parting ways with Y.G.K. it’s solely business.  I've actually already paid 2 other companies I just haven't used their services because I was trying to hold out for you...but were getting a little too close for comfort !” Pulling back from you painfully slow and it took everything in you not to chase after those pouty lips of his! 

Instinctively you reached up pulling him back by his silk tie “What are you actually looking for Hoseok?” You’d be lying if you said you weren’t intrigued, especially with the low growl slipped past his lips at the sudden tension pulling along his neck. An amused smirk forming yours “Hmm..someone likes pain I seee….” Tone blatantly flirtatious you licked your lips

“Hmm..someone likes to tease I see...” Mimicking your tone to a tee, you were so stupidly turned on and this was all your fault! The sudden shift wasn’t as discreet as you hoped either “Don’t play if you can't handle it baby…just because I’m younger than probably anyone you’ve delt with...that stll doesn't take the “Daddy” part out of the equation”  Oh fuck you! As if you ever even questioned that for a nanosecond!

“Answer. The.Question Mr. Jung…” Bounce back game sill on point, regardless of how your panties currently felt! 

“You just said it... everything that’s NOT on my chart. I don't want some young bright eyed, bushy tailed girl who will cry everytime I take her to Chanel...or someone I have to order for at every damn restaurant. That's not for me...I dont have the want to desire for that. Like I said I don't have an issue getting laid this contract was never sexual for me it’s a…”Aestheic” if you will…” He was clearly being very selective about how much he told you about this job...which only had you gears turning, creating your own scenarios as we speak.

“I personally didn't want “This” to begin with but if I have to do it, even if it’s only for 6 months..I want it to be with someone I can actually tolerate. “ At least you could respect his honesty…he’s not desperate, nor is he begging, he’s just simply saying he doesn't have problem paying for quality! Especially if it’s going to make his life easier, either way he’s entering a contract that’s going to cost him money, why not pay top dollar for the premium package then?!

“Someone to look good on my arm at events, but also be able to hold her own if a mic gets pointed in her face, someone to stand next to me at board meetings. Attend gallas, charity events, company parties and just look like the, supportive partner that all the other men within my brigade have. And of course the fun part...because none of that shit’s fun, so whoever she is, she deserves to be spoiled.Wined and dined, shopping sprees, spontaneous trips to London, Pars, Spain,  I live multi coastal so that’s always fun! All the perks your use too only I’m not expecting you to fuck me...if it happens... it happens ...”

A low hum leaving your lips at that, gazing up at him through your full set of lashes...“If you keep looking at me like you already want me to bend you over this desk, were going to have some problems…” 

“You sure I actually even really want that?” Trickling your fingers up his chest “As you said, clearly I’m damn good at my job…” A subtle wink flutter in his direction earning a slow nod that essentially read “Touche” 

“True, but your eyes have been pacing between my jawline and my lips the entire time you've been in here…” Reaching up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear and it took everything in you not to lean into the contact. “Now if you excuse me, I have a very tedious conference call to get ready for, get my personal email from Jimin on your way out. Send your picks to me directly and will go from there…”  Swiftly returning his gaze back to the stack of papers on his desk, it’s not even a full 20 seconds before his phone's ringing and Hoseok’s groaning!

“Mr. Zyang, how are you? How’s Linda?” Smiling from ear to ear as if the person on the other end could see him, charm on full blast! Shifting the bottom end of the phone away from his lips so he could whisper “I gotta go, get my number from Jimin, will talk tonight” His eyes were reading a little different right now, they were softer and you were turning into putty! 

A slight smile tugging on your lips as you swayed past him, you could feel his eyes burning straight through as you walked, grabbing your bag off the chaise. Not even giving him the satisfaction of looking back at him before you exited the room. You knew he was waiting for it too, just so damn sure you needed one last look at him, which honestly you did…

Feeling a little more than accomplished that you didn't cave like you thought you would, seeming to remind yourself that at the end of the day..this was solely business! A permanent smile engraved on your cheeks as you closed the door behind you.

“SOOOOOOOOOO!? You were in there long enough! What’s the game plan!?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS HAS BEEN SITTING FOR A WHILE! PART 2 IS HALFWAY DONE..IF THIS GETS ENOUGH LOVE ILL GET IT UP....IF YOU LIKED IT “LIKE IT” COME HIT UP THE ASK...

LOVE YOU GUYS AS ALWAYS,

ROCKI

[smkkbert]

Time for a story - Clever Kids

“The Sheriff did not know what was going on! Then the man in green pulled off a black wig and threw it on the ground.”

Although he kept his voice lowered to a whisper, Oliver made sure to keep the tension in his voice high. With a glance at Addie, who was snuggled up to his side with her head resting on his chest and her blonde curls framing her head like a halo, Oliver smiled. The toddler looked like it was peacefully asleep, but Oliver knew that even in her sleep she followed the story. If he didn’t read it well, she would look at him angrily and tell him that he had to read it again, better this time.

“‘Get him, you fools!’ shouted the Sheriff. ‘It’s Robin Hood!’”

“Robin Hood,” Addie mumbled, rubbing her cheek against his chest. “Like dada.”

Oliver tightened his arm around Addie protectively. Usually, he wasn’t fond of being compared to Robin Hood. Since he had returned from the island and started being the Hood, people had pointed out the similarities again and again. Only when the kids compared him to the heroic outlaw, Oliver allowed to let the thought in. When they said it, it didn’t feel ridiculous. It felt honest.

“But our hero jumped over the wall to a horse waiting for him. He was gone! Robin Hood had escaped!”

“Yes.”

In her sleep, Addie made a movement that looked like she wanted to lift her fist in victory. She only managed to slap his cheek gently instead. Oliver had trouble to bite back a chuckle, but he knew that it would only cause Addie to wake up and force him to read that story out to her again.

“This tale, ‘Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow’ is one of the many adventures of Robin Hood, the most beloved hero in all of England.”

“And Starling.”

“One of the most loved heroes in the world.” Oliver brushed a kiss against the top of Addie’s head. “The end.”

Addie sighed contently the way she always did when a story ended. Oliver stayed where he was a little longer, giving Addie some time to sink even deeper into her sleep. His hand stroked up and down her back slowly, and he couldn’t stop smiling when he saw how tiny her back was in comparison to his hand. When he put it on her back and spread his fingers, it covered it almost completely.

Oliver felt his heart aching slightly at the thought that his youngest was already turning three years old in a couple of months. He loved being a father to all of his children, and that would never stop. There was something special about being a parent to a baby and small toddler though. You learned something new about your child every day, and it always felt like you could watch them grow.

Pursing his lips, Oliver thought back to the conversation he had had with Felicity not that long ago. He had told her that he was considering the idea of having another baby. She was open to the suggestion though she couldn’t promise that she would decide that she wanted another baby. She just wanted him to be honest with her if that was something he really wanted.

Since Oliver wasn’t really sure if he himself wanted another child, he hadn’t directed the conversation back to that subject yet. Felicity knew that he considered it, and now he would make sure that he had made a decision before he brought that question back into their lives.

“Goodnight, Cupcake.”

Oliver bushed another kiss to Addie’s head. He put her book back to the nightstand and slid out from under Addie carefully, doing his best not to wake her. When he put her head down in the pillow, Addie made a low sound, but she didn’t open her eyes.

As quietly as possible, Oliver tiptoed to the room. When Addie had woken up an hour ago, he had thought that he got her to go back to sleep easily. He guessed that he should have known better. With Addie, it was barely ever easy. She loved to fight sleep like it was her archenemy.

“Dada?”

Standing in the frame of the door, Oliver pursed his lips. He turned around slowly to see that Addie had her eyes wide open, looking at him. She really wasn’t making it easy for him.

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

Oliver smiled warmly. Now he had to go back to her bed once more. He tugged Addie’s blanket into place, making sure she was perfectly warm. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose and her lips.

“I love you too.”

With that, Oliver turned around and walked back to the door.

“Dada?”

Oliver bit back a chuckle as he turned back around to Addie once more. “Yes?”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Cupcake.”

Now, Addie finally turned onto her side and closed her eyes. If the even rising and falling of her chest was any indication, she fell asleep instantly.

On his way back downstairs where Felicity was still waiting for him, Oliver checked the other rooms. Although he knew William would roll his eyes about it if he found out, Oliver even checked on him. It just felt right.

Back downstairs, he made a detour through the kitchen to grab himself a glass of water. Only then he went over to the living room. Even before he entered it, he could hear his and Felicity’s voices. Frowning, he stuck his head into the room.

Felicity was sitting on the couch, her legs stretched out beneath her favorite blanket. She was wrapped into a blanket, holding a steaming mug of tea between both of her hands to warm her. Her gaze was directed towards the TV where an old video of Tommy as a baby was playing. Baby Tommy was sitting on his parents’ bed, reaching out his arms for Oliver and Felicity, who seemed to be behind the camera. They were animating their son to come towards him, but whenever he crawled too close to the edge of the bed, he moved al little back and babbled words that nobody could understand.

Hawk was sitting right in front of the TV, following what had happened closely. He panted, his tongue sticking out of his mouth. Whenever the camera zoomed in on Tommy’s face a little more, he licked over the TV and waggled his tail. Hawk just loved his family so damn much.

“What is going on here?”

Oliver approached Felicity and let move to the side a little, so he could sit down behind her. When she leaned back against his side, resting her head on his shoulder, he put his arm around her shoulders from behind and kissed her temple. Felicity smiled, stroking her hand up and down his thigh.

“I stumbled upon your version of Ariel’s Part of Your World, and I figured that it was time for a little trip back into the past.” Felicity turned her head and pushed her nose against his shoulder, breathing him in. “I was feeling a little nostalgic.”

Oliver did his best not to groan at the mention of that recording. He had sung that song to Emmy as it had been her favorite lullaby. Felicity had recorded it secretly. When she had started teasing him with that, he had chased after her. Long story short, instead of spending their evening with the planned romantic dinner, they had been in the hospital for Felicity to get stitches.

Still, she loved that recording so very much.

Shaking his head, Oliver focused on the video. After another failed attempt at getting down from the bed, Tommy grabbed the three fluffy pillows from the bed. He dropped the first one to the floor, put the second above it and finally the third. When he tried to get off the mattress this time, he simply let his butt fall onto the pillows. Delighted, he crawled right towards the camera that panned towards Oliver. He lifted Tommy into his arms and kissed his cheek.

Felicity paused the video, much to Hawk’s resentment if his loud barking was anything to judge from, and turned towards Oliver. She was smiling contently, and it made a warm wave of content run through him too. Lifting his hand, he brushed his fingers against her cheek.

“Do you remember that day?”

“Of course.” Oliver chuckled. “It ended in tears because Tommy was mad that Emmy left for a slumber party with Sara.”

“He cried all night,” Felicity added, “and he only stopped when we facetimed Emmy.”

Oliver nodded. The bond between the Smoak-Queen-Clayton siblings was incredibly strong. The kids loved each other so damn much. They got into little fights sometimes, and they were jealous of each other sometimes, but they always were there for each other if it really mattered. It was one of the many reasons for him to be proud of his kids.

Felicity grabbed a pillow, put it to Oliver’s lap and rested her head on top of it. Smiling, Oliver combed his fingers through Felicity’s hair. Just like Addie’s curls before, Felicity blonde hair looked like a halo.

“Tommy’s idea was quite smart,” Felicity said eventually. “I mean other kids would have just started to cry, and, as much as I love Tommy, I have to admit that I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had just thrown a temper tantrum to get to us. It makes his idea to grab the pillows and use them to get down safely only more meaningful.”

“Well, our kids are quite smart.” Oliver smiled. “They are taking after their mother.”

“I am smart because I have always been good at studying. I can read things up and remember them easily.” Felicity grabbed his hand from her thigh and held it to her heart. “I think it’s some kind of street cleverness that makes our kids smart though, and they definitely have that from you.”

It wasn’t the first time Felicity was referring to Oliver’s intelligence as street cleverness. When he had first mentioned how smart she was compared to him, Felicity had shaken her head. She had explained how she was smart because she was this good at studying. Oliver had spent his time at high school flirting with girls and fooling around with Tommy, so he hadn’t learned much there. Still, she thought that he was smart. He possessed then kind of intelligence you needed to get along in live and, in his case, to survive on the streets. He took in his surroundings, gathered all necessary information from it and put the pieces together to get his way. That was what she called street cleverness.

“Our kids are quite smart,” he directed the conversation back to the kids, “I mean do you remember that time Emmy stole a baby because it just took her too long for Tommy to be born, and she thought that it was her right to steal a baby?”

“That was not clever.” Felicity slapped the back of her hand against his chest playfully, making him chuckle. “That was terrible.”

“Hey, I was the one standing in the supermarket with Emmy and that stranger’s baby, and I had to explain to that mother why our daughter stole her baby.”

Felicity chuckled, holding her hands in front of her face. Her entire body was shaking from laughter, and a single tear run down her cheek when she lowered her hands. That was how amused she was about this.

“Oh god, I still cannot believe that really happened. It’s been years, and it still sounds absolutely absurd to me.”

Oliver sighed. “Yeah, I never thought that this would happen either. Yet, there I stood in the middle of the supermarket with a proud Emmy because she thought that she had found her baby brother.”

Felicity released a long sigh, still smiling amusedly. “Our kids really turned out great, didn’t they?”

“Impeccable genetics and good education I guess.” Oliver grinned, holding out a hand. “We rock as parents.”

Felicity hit her hand against his. Instead of letting go, she wrapped her fingers around his hand and pulled it to her chest. There was a glimpse in her eyes that made Oliver perk up an eyebrow.

“I know something else we rock at.”

With the way she looked at him, there was no doubt what exactly she thought they rocked at. If he wasn’t mistaken, their bed would rock too soon.

“I think I need a few more hints,” Oliver said, narrowing his eyes on her, “just a few.”

Felicity didn’t have to be asked twice. She got up, threw the pillow aside and crawled onto his lap. Framing his face with her hands, she captured her lips in a searing kiss. Her hips moved against his, leaving absolutely no room for misinterpretation.

Oliver complied to her plan willingly. He could never get enough of Felicity and-

“Mama,” Addie’s voice sounded over the baby phone, sounding wide awake, “now you read a story.”

Felicity sat back on Oliver’s knees with a sigh. Her lips were already slightly reddened and swollen from the kiss. She looked at him with scrunched up nose.

“Is she serious?”

“She is smart,” Oliver replied with a sigh, “she knows we are too good parents to ignore her.”

“But would it make us bad parents if we ignored her for once?” Felicity asked. “I mean-“

“Mama!” Addie called out louder now.

“She might wake the entire house.” Felicity sighed and got off Oliver’s lap. “I will read her another bedtime story then.”

“And I will take Hawk for a last walk.”

Felicity smiled and winked at him. “We just rock at everything it seemed.”

“That what makes a good team.”

Framing his face with her hands once more, Felicity leaned down and brushed her lips against his in another kiss. When she straightened back up, the glimpse of desire was back.

“We will meet in bed in thirty minutes.”

Oliver watched Felicity head upstairs before he turned his head to tell Hawk that it was time for his last walk before bedtime. Hawk was already sitting right in front of him though, holding his leash between his teeth. Oliver chuckled, petting his head.

“Another clever kid.”

* * *

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[factoffictionwriter]

The apartment was silent when he opened the door, which he immediately assumed was a bad sign. It had been just over a month since they started living together (officially, anyway) and in that time he could count on one hand the number of times when the freshly furnished two-bedroom fell under the category of quiet, and absolutely none of them took place while she was home. 

She had been so full of life lately. Always dancing around to some song on the radio as she did chores. Or humming along to another in her head while she cooked. Even when he came home to find her reading, there was always some chatty talk show on in the background, spewing out chaotic streams of a language he wasn’t even able to pinpoint. It was a far cry from her previously calm and pensive nature (“Pensive?” She had chuckled when he pointed it out, “You used to think I was pensive?”), and he had teased her mercilessly for it (when he wasn’t joining in for a clumsy step or a tone-deaf duet). 

But now it was quiet and everything was still and he found himself frowning over more than just the twisted feeling in his gut. He’d fallen in love with her noise. Almost as much as he loved her. 

His coat found it’s hanger, and his gun found it’s case before the slightest screech of a barstool on tile burst his small bubble of hope that maybe, just maybe, she had run to the store. 

He found her in the kitchen, obviously, with her back to the doorway and her shoulders hunched as she maintained a ninja focus on the counter in front of her. She was still in her work clothes: a deep purple polo shirt paired with simple black spandex leggings. Her rise through the ranks from grunt worker to gym manager had been, like most things in her life, startlingly fast. One week she was cleaning toilets and wiping down sweaty equipment, and the next she was teaching krav maga courses 3 times a week and training to run the whole place (at least, that’s how it seemed to Tony who, as everyone knows, hasn’t gotten a promotion in over a decade). And while he hadn’t really understood her move from federal agent to hourly gym rat, she really seemed to be enjoying herself. And he sure was enjoying her. 

In the spirit of enjoying (and possibly in response to the weighted slant of her shoulders), he tugged playfully on the end of her ponytail as he walked by, rounding the island toward the fridge. He wasn’t sure what this next conversation held, but he was sure a bottle of water wouldn’t hurt. 

If she was surprised by his entrance, she didn’t show it. Some things never changed. 

“You’re home early.” 

He shrugged, turning back her direction and sliding a bottle her way, “Not really. Looks like you got home late.” 

She looked down as if just remembering her attire, “Yes. I, uh, covered Ariel’s shift this afternoon.” 

Ariel. Co-Manager of the Washington Street Gym. Also incredibly pregnant. 

“Makes sense. She’s gotta be close to popping, right?” 

The smile she cracked was small, and obviously suppressed, but he saw it anyway. 

“If by ‘popping’ you mean giving birth, then yes. She is due any day now.” 

“Bet you’re excited.”

 Ariel’s baby shower last month had given Ziva a bad case of baby fever. She gushed over the little outfits and toys for days afterward, and it had taken every trick of redirection in his arsenal to keep them from having that conversation (though he already anticipated his own bought of baby fever the first time he sees her holding her newest friend’s baby, so it was really all in vain). 

However, none of that excitement made its way into her reluctant shrug. Which led him back to the issue at hand. Silence. Tense posture. White envelope. White envelope?

“Whatcha got there?” he motioned toward the counter. 

Her lips pressed into a line as she reached up to tighten her ponytail, a combination he had come to affectionately refer to as ‘Ziva having a momentary freak out’.

Then she held the envelope out to him.

He took it carefully, squinting at the postmark.

Ohhhhh. 

“It’s your acceptance letter,” He nodded. 

To which she let out an exasperated sigh, “Or my rejection letter.”

Ziva David, despite all her confidence and badassery, was dead convinced that no college would ever accept her. From the moment she expressed even a little interest in going back to school, he found himself facing an uphill battle just to get her to apply. 

“You’re a catch, Ziva. Any Admission’s Officer worth his salt can see that.” 

She scrunched her face at him, clearly taking issue with his turn of phrase, but deciding not to question it. 

“Have you seen these applications? They are ridiculous!” 

The little line on her forehead deepened as she spoke, signaling it was time to change his approach. He turned down the heat on the stove, tossing his hand towel over his shoulder and turning to give her his full attention. Well, most of his attention. 

“Hit me.” 

Her head snapped up from her laptop screen, confusion written all over it.

“Literally?” 

He laughed, “No, Ziva. Not literally. I meant, tell me about the application. Maybe I can help.” 

“How could you possibly-” She cut herself off, recognizing the harsh tone of her voice and immediately correcting it, “I mean… what do you know about college applications?” 

He scoffed, only half-joking, “I did go to college, you know.” 

“Yes, on an athletic scholarship.” 

“I still had to apply. And my application was amazing.” 

She let out her signature half-laugh, following it up by leaning her chin on her fist, eyes sparkling with amusement, “Of course it was.” 

“Oh, it was! I had everything: extracurriculars, volunteer hours, letters of rec. And don’t even get me started on my personal statement,” He traced a slow finger down his cheek, miming a tear. 

The line deepened again as she allowed herself a tiny gulp, “I need all of that?” 

“I mean, every little piece helps.” 

Then she groaned, slamming her computer shut and shoving the offensive device across the counter. 

“Forget it! I will never get in.” 

“Hey, hey, hey,” he retrieved the discarded piece of technology and opened it back up, “Let’s not drop this on impulse, okay? Start from square one. What do your transcripts look like?” 

And that was pretty much how they worked through the entire process: her stubborn insistence that she would never be accepted vs his unwavering faith that she was destined to go back to school. Her transcripts turned out to be outstanding, and Gibbs and Vance practically had a catfight over who would be the first to submit their glittering letters of recommendation. Tony even arranged for the two of them to volunteer at the food pantry a few blocks down (though he admittedly had to bail on their first day due to work, and really only managed to make a couple of their scheduled time slots over the following months). 

The whole thing was a lot of work, but it was all made worth it when just moments after hitting the all-intimidating ‘submit’ button, she practically jumped him where he stood. 

“What was that for?” He asked between labored breaths, the electricity from her lips and her still wandering hands doing a real number on his already tired mind. 

“For believing in me. And loving me. And helping me with my application despite all of my protests,” She rolled onto her toes again, catching his lips for a shorter, less mind-numbing kiss, “And really just for being you.” 

“Shucks, sweetcheeks,” He drawled dramatically as he twirled an especially perfect ringlet around his finger, “You don’t have to thank me for any of that. It’s my pleasure.” 

She kissed him again, slower.

“I knew you would say that.” 

“You know me pretty well.” 

Another kiss. She let it linger. 

“I do. Which is why…”

This time, just a peck.

“I know exactly what I can do…” 

Lingering again. Oh so close. 

“To show my appreciation.”

He practically swallowed her final words, abandoning the ringlet curl in favor of grabbing a whole mess of them, using them as leverage to pull her gently to him and to keep her there. As she led him down the hall, far from the kitchen table they had been huddled around before, appreciated was certainly one of the many things he felt. 

“Can you open it?” 

Her voice snapped him out of what was admittedly an amazing memory. He blinked at her twice before her words actually registered. 

“You don’t wanna do it?” 

Her ponytail swung emphatically with the shake of her head, “I can’t look.” 

“Alright,” He didn’t miss her slight wince at the sound of the envelope being torn. 

The print on the letter was ridiculously small. And after a long day of reviewing cold cases, his eyes were a little tired. So the dramatic brandishing of the paper, holding it up, then down, then farther from his face, and finally closer, was more out of necessity than his typical comedic effect. That didn’t stop her from rolling her eyes at his display.

“Alright… what do we have here… Miss David,” He cocked an eyebrow in her direction before continuing, “We appreciate your interest in attending American University in the fall. We know there are a lot of great institutions in the DC area, and we are thankful you considered us to be your educational home. We are especially thankful to your sexy cop boyfriend for buckling down and making sure you finished this application. You should really treat him to dinner some time.” 

“It doesn’t say that.” 

“Well, it should,” he smirked, eyes darting in her direction briefly, if only to make sure there were no punches or paperclips hurling at his face in retaliation, “We want to make it clear that we reviewed a record number of applicants this year, and were pleasantly surprised with the high quality of work submitted by our prospective students.”

She drew in a quick breath, one that could easily be mistaken for a gasp, and immediately dropped her eyes to the countertop in front of her. He didn’t blame her.  This long-winded paragraph was starting to sound bad.

His eyes skimmed the page, searching…

A sigh of relief, “And we are excited to extend this invitation to join us on campus in the fall.” 

She didn’t really react at first, just sorta stared at him. Blankly. 

“I got in?” Her voice was so small, so quiet that he was surprised he heard it at all. 

He turned the paper, holding it up for her to see, “You got in.” 

She took it gingerly, eyes flying across the page as she confirmed the information.

“I-I got in,” She repeated. 

He was behind her now, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her against his chest, “I knew you would.” 

She was still for a moment, still reading and rereading the tiny script. But then she turned in his arms and her eyes did the thing - the soft, gentle, ‘looking at the love of my life and everything that matters to me in the world’ thing (at least, that’s what he had come to dub it). Of all the new developments on the Ziva mannerisms front, the thing was by far his favorite.

“You did, didn’t you?” 

“From the very beginning,” Her hands wrapped around his arms and her lips set in her proud little smirk… he had to remind himself he was mid-thought, “Honey, I got vision.” 

Maybe it was his characteristic use of a movie quote, or maybe it was just an extension of her continuing to do the thing for what might be the longest and most glorious run to date. Either way, she rolled onto her toes then and kissed him. Then tried to pull back, but then kissed him again.

“Thank you, Tony,” She mumbled against his shoulder after reluctantly relegating herself there to refrain from more kissing, “For everything.” 

His arms snaked farther around her slight frame and he just held her impossibly close for a long, long moment before loosening his grip just a smidge. 

“I’ll admit. I had ulterior motives.” 

“Oh, yeah?” Her lips moved against the skin of his neck and he realized she had misinterpreted his ‘motives’. And what a shame it was to correct her. 

“Yeah. It’s been a while since I dated a co-ed,” The brush of her snorted laughter against the fabric of his shirt was enough of a reward, but she graciously pulled back to bless him with her amused smirk as well. All before the punchline: “And I’d really like to put that back on my resume.” 

She laughed heartily because of course she did. It was funny how funny she found him these days. 

But then she did something horrible. Blasphemous, really. Just before his kiss, one he intended to keep quick and modest but still felt entitled to enjoy, she slipped beneath his arm and jogged the few steps necessary to disappear around the corner and down the hall.

“Wha-” He muttered when he palms found cold marble where her hips should have been, “Where are you going?”

“To change!” She called back, likely from their bedroom considering the echo. 

“...into?” He spared another glance at the discarded letter before pivoting toward the fridge and slipping the page under a souvenir magnet bearing the words “Find me on Island Time” along with a shark wearing sunglasses and a t-shirt labeled TURKS & CAICOS. He smirked at the momento, remembering that shared vacation along with the all the others currently represented by cheesy magnets on their cheesy-magnet-fridge (His title, naturally.) They sure had crammed a lot of trips into their short year together as a couple (thank god for saved up vacation time). They had built quite a history.

A history in which she almost never took this long to answer his questions, which led him right back to her disappearing act just a minute before.

“Ziva?” 

“Yes?” 

Her voice was closer than he’d anticipated, causing him to step through the doorway leading to the living room only to find her standing in front of the mirror hung just beyond the entryway. 

She’d changed, alright. Into a mid-thigh black dress with ruffled sleeves and a thin white belt situated on her waist. Her hair was also down now. Brushed over one shoulder and practically shining in the light of the floor to ceiling windows. Her current task seemed to be earrings as she tilted her head and fiddled with the dangly hoops.

“Wow,” He muttered, finding a spot against the door frame for both support and physical grounding.

She shot him a wink over her shoulder before moving on to the next ear.

“We are going out.” 

“We are?”

Once the jewelry was secure and her cursory once-over in the mirror was done she stepped back and turned to face him, allowing for him to complete his once over. Yup. Still stunning. 

“In light of our mutual victories today,” She knelt down to fasten a pair of simple nude heels before crossing the living room to stand in front of him again, “I have decided to take my sexy cop boyfriend out to dinner.” 

She was fingering his tie at this point as if considering its appropriateness for their intended destination.

“A co-ed who can afford dinner?” He scoffed and reached for her waist, inching her just a little closer so he could rest his hand on her lower back, “You, Miss David, truly are the perfect woman.” 

His tie was dropped (evidently having passed its test) and she moved to stroke his jaw. Her eyes started doing the thing and then her lips started doing the other thing - curling into an almost-smile so soft and gentle he was almost positive she didn’t know she was doing it - and he was so sure she was gonna kiss him again, just one more time to tide him over until after dinner when they can really celebrate their victories. 

But then she smirked - an expression she definitely knew she was doing - and took a half step back. 

“And don’t forget it,” She muttered before turning to retrieve her purse off the coffee table. 

He wouldn’t. That much he knew. Things had changed for them over the past year, and they were bound to change again, but through it all there was still one thing he never forgot: Ziva was his perfect woman. And he’d follow her, excessive noise, sweaty gym smell, hideous graduation caps and all, to the ends of the earth. Or to the bistro down the street.

[eliasbouchardisarobloxthot]

chapter 1 of an au i am writing

this is jokingly titled “power of friendship au” in my doc, but that’s essentially it - tim, sasha, and jon (for now) team up while they’re all still interns to befriend all of the creatures they meet!  the timeline is obviously a bit different from tma canon, but it will still be mostly non-spoiler. this chapter in particular has only mid-early season one spoilers, so you all should be fine! as usual, under the cut...

"We are not supposed to be doing this," Tim hissed, but he made no move to run.

Jon wasn’t listening. The box of cigarettes in his hand was nearly crushed, but he stood his ground as they made their way to Old Fishmarket Close.

"Do you really think we're gonna—" Sasha's voice wavered. "I mean, the file in Gertrude's office said it’s not—it isn’t always there, right?”

“We’re going to find it,” he said resolutely. The hills were high, higher than any of them had expected, but they managed to make their way up to the alleyway that was listed on the map.

It was dark out. Jon convinced them all earlier that day to come with him and help after they left for the night, and Tim was doing a very bad job of hiding the fact that it made him incredibly nervous to be out this late. The streets were nearly empty—at nine o’clock on a Tuesday evening, no one was going to be out and about.

A quiet voice echoed from in the alleyway—”Can I have a cigarette?”

Sasha screamed. In her haste to wrap herself around Tim for safety, she nearly hit him in the face. Somehow, though, Jon stood his ground.

“You can have a cigarette if you come out of the alleyway. We know what you are. We just want to talk.” He set the pack of cigarettes down just a bit out of reach, then sat down in front of the alley with his legs crossed. “We can wait here all night.”

“Wait, what? Maybe you can, but some of us have work tomorrow. Or have you forgotten about our literal job? The one we met at? Earth to Jon, but we do still have to work. In the twenty minutes it took us to get here, capitalism as an institution has not yet been overthrown.”

“Shut up, I’m trying to concentrate.” Jon sat there staring at the alleyway. “Come out of the alley now, please.”

His stare was incredibly intense, seeming to cut through the darkness obscuring the figure and illuminate the alley. As they sat there in the alley, a voice that was most certainly not the one from before—and was also certainly not human—echoed out from the alley.

“Fine.”

“Come out where I can see you,” Jon said. 

The vaguely human silhouette in the alley warped and twisted, changing from human to inhuman in barely a second. It skulked out of the alley, sitting down across from Jonathan.

He could see how from certain angles it could maybe look sort of human. If it tried. It reminded him of one of those optical illusion sculptures in museums—from one angle, it looked like a giraffe, from the other two elephants. Except from one angle, this thing was human, and from the other… well, most definitely not.

“Do you have a name?” Jon asked. Somewhere, quiet static hummed. 

“No,” it said. “You call me the Anglerfish, though.”

“Do you want a name?”

“Maybe. If you pick a good one.” 

“Louis,” Tim said.

“Felix,” Sasha said at the same time.

“No,” the Anglerfish said, decisively.

“You’re a fish, right? What if we just call you Ariel?” Sasha tilted her head to one side, thinking hard. “You look like an Ariel.”

“Ariel as in The Tempest?” Jon asked, looking confused. “I mean, sure, the water reference is there—”

“Ariel as in The Little Mermaid, you fucking idiot,” Tim said with a sigh that could have shaken the city down. 

“Never seen it.”

“What’s a mermaid?” the Anglerfish asked, testing the word out in its human voice. 

“Oh my god. Firstly, your name is Ariel now.” Tim pointed at the Anglerfish. “Secondly, you get a pass for not knowing because you’re a spooky monster thing. Thirdly, Jon, how have you not seen The Little Mermaid? Did you just straight-up not have a childhood?”

Jon didn’t reply.

“So we’re going to my apartment and renting it off Netflix and—I can’t believe I’m having a slumber party! I’m not a kid anymore… but it’s necessary. Objectively speaking.” Sasha looped her arm through Jon’s, pulling him to his feet. 

“Are we sure this is necessary?”

“Yes,” Sasha said, glaring at Tim. “I think I actually have some microwave popcorn we can make, do a full movie night.” 

Jon sighed, following Sasha as best he could.

“What’s a movie?” Ariel asked quickly. “What are those?”

“You have a lot to learn,” Sasha said, with a wide grin. “But if you like it here and want to talk about it more, then… well, you can just chill with us!”

—

“What did you say your name was again?”

“Patel? Amy Patel?”

“Alright, Amy, and do you think you can tell me some more about how this all happened? I know you gave your statement to Gertrude already, but—”

“Oh, no, it’s no trouble,” Amy said, gesturing into her flat. “I moved, but I still have my address down if you want me to give it to you. And, er, the flat that used to be Graham’s, I can get you that address too if you need it.”

Sasha shook her head. “You don’t have to give us all that. Just by letting us in you’re doing enough already.” 

Amy smiled in that bemused sort of way that older adults tended to smile at younger ones, with a look in her eyes that said something like “who are these little children and why are they trying to be professional around me?” 

“We should—I should have introduced myself.” Jon gestured to Tim and Sasha. “That’s Tim Stoker, this is Sasha James, and I’m Jonathan Sims—we work with the Magnus Institute, under the head archivist. We’re only interns, though.”

“I’d noticed,” she said. “Come on, sit down. I’ll put on some tea if you’d like?”

“Tea would be lovely,” Sasha said before the others could interject. “Now, can you tell us a bit more about your experience with Graham?”

“Oh, well, where to begin,” Amy said, pouring milk into a saucepan on the stove. “I mean, I’ve told you basically everything in my statement already. You contacted me saying there was an update a while back, but honestly I’d almost forgotten about it. The whole thing. It was a few years ago now, so… yeah.”

“Alright. Um. Do you—can you tell us anything about what you do now? Like, the sorts of jobs you’ve been doing, or—”

“Yeah, uh… yeah. Like I said in my statement, I do statistical analysis mostly. Been taking a few more classes sort of in the field of criminal studies—” she waved her hand— “all that sort of stuff. I actually did take a liking to it, might try working with that sort of stuff in the near future. I’m already looking for applications."

"That's very interesting, Amy," Jon said, fidgeting with the packet of cigarettes in his pocket. 

"It really is," she said as she strained the chai, setting four mugs on the table and sitting down next to them. 

Jonathan had taken the box of cigarettes out, and was now shaking them absentmindedly a few centimeters away from his face as he thought.

"Oh, can you not smoke in here?" Amy asked quickly. "It's just—my landlord hates when people smoke inside, we have an area over outside for it—"

"I don't smoke," Jon said, looking somewhat confused. Sasha took the cigarettes from,him and put them in her pocket.

"They're for our friend Ariel, Jon just carries them for it."

"It?" Amy looked more confused than ever.

"She eats them," Tim explained. "And she told us to call her 'she' in front of other people, Sasha."

By this point, Amy had taken a long drink of chai.

"You kids work with monsters. Right? All those things in the statements. Other people have to have given statements, there's got to be some others that are true."

Jon nodded solemnly. "We've been looking into other cases with provable aspects—yours does, by the way, we know yours is at least partially true." 

"How comforting," Amy said with a wry smile.

“And… well, this is going to sound very bad, but I would prefer it if Tim stopped sleeping with people to get information.”

“Hey! That was one time!” 

Amy laughed. “So you’re asking me to help you get information. Right?”

Jon nodded, having started to fidget with the cuffs of his shirt once Sasha had taken away the cigarette box. 

“I mean, I do have access to quite a few databases. If you wanted my help, though, you’ll have to promise something.” It sounded like she was talking to some unruly teenagers. 

“Certainly.” He tried to look as professional as possible.

“Please just take care of yourselves,” Amy said with a sigh. “You guys are just kids and you’re running yourselves into the ground, and you’re putting so much work into this—I’m scared you’re going to either get hurt by one of these things or hurt yourselves trying to befriend them.” 

“I—” Jon tugged at the button on his sleeve for a moment. “I understand where you’re coming from here, I really do, but there’s, there’s just so many and I want to give them a chance. Because we still have to—if there’s any chance they’re a good person, deep down, I want to help them.”

Amy sighed, leaning back in her chair. “If you’re serious about this—”

“We are,” Sasha said quickly. 

“Then I’ll help you.” She picked up a pad of paper sitting on the table and scribbled something on it in smooth, curling handwriting. “That’s my phone number for my work phone, just call it if you need anything. I usually have it on me.”

She thought for a moment. “Give me a sec. You’ll want this.” 

Leaving Jon, Tim, and Martin alone at the table, she walked into her bedroom and returned carrying what appeared to be a very old, very worn-out three-ring notebook. There were dividers of various colors separating things, a bookmark that was just a piece of ribbon stapled into the spine, and a label on the front that read “MONSTERS”. 

Jon flipped through it quickly, looking through the sections. The dividers were labeled with different numbers, and at the front was a table of contents with each number labeled with a small explanation of each different number. 

“This is incredible, Amy,” he said, turning the pages reverently. “There’s so much detail here—this could be more than we have at the Institute, really.”

“Well, I have had a bit of help,” she said amusedly. Opening up the cover, she moved her hand over something inside and set it down on the table. As she did, the inside cover was revealed.

“Is that skin?” Tim asked, looking disgusted. “Ew.”

“What, am I too gross for you?” a voice suddenly said. Sitting on Amy’s sofa was a man who looked to be about Tim’s age, with his hair long and poorly dyed black. All of his joints were tattooed with tiny open eyes, and he wore dark eye makeup in circles around his eyes that trailed down his face. The clothes he wore were ripped and tattered, but it was obvious that they had at one point been a t-shirt for a band, a leather jacket, and a pair of dark jeans. 

He was also hovering several feet in the air.

“Nice to meet you, everyone,” he said with a grin. “I’m Gerard Keay, and I used to work for your boss.” 

Jon stood there open-mouthed for a few moments. “Sorry, what?”

“I used to work for Gertrude. That’s your boss, right? She still there?”

“Yeah, she’s still there. Uh, just—you’re a ghost, aren’t you.” 

“Yep,” he said, leaning back to hover above the couch with his hands behind his head. “They taking the book with them, Amy?”

“I think so. Because, well, they’re—I think they’re more able to investigate these things than I am.”

“Shame,” Gerard said with a sigh, pushing off the wall and sighing. “You were cool. Plus you didn’t mind if I listened to music on your phone while you worked.”

“You can still see me sometimes,” Amy said with a laugh. “Not like I’m dead. And besides, that wouldn’t really be too much of a problem, would it?”

Gerard rolled his eyes. He very pointedly turned away from Amy and looked at the interns, hovering in a cross-legged position in the air. “Well. My life is in your hands now. I mean, not really life exactly, I’m still dead, but my existence is in your hands. Don’t fuck it up.”

“We won’t,” Tim said. 

“Well. This has certainly been informative.” Amy moved closer to the door. “Thank you for giving me Graham’s old notebook, and for a very interesting discussion. I assume I’ll be hearing from you shortly?”

“Yes. I think we’ll start at the beginning? What’s the oldest entry you have in this book?”

“That’d be… the one right at the start of section three for distorted reality. He likes to hang out in graveyards, you’ll probably be able to find him pretty quickly. Blond hair that’s all long and frazzled-looking, tall, kind of thin—if you see him in a reflection or through glass he looks tall, unnaturally tall, and his hands look all gross and creepy.” She shuddered, moving to open the door. “You still have my number?”

“Yep.” Sasha held up the page. 

“It’s really been lovely,” Jon said. “Thank you.” 

“No problem at all,” Amy said. “I’ll see you all soon.”

thats all folks! thank you so much for reading it. i may upload chapter 2 soon, but that is it for now!!

[fearsbellsarchived]

[me? Thinking about a gf fairytales au instead of being productive? More likely than u think!!! think ou.at buT BETTER and w/o the real world dimension hopping part. under the cut bc i just copy/pasted my tags from forever ago to put them in one place

mabel and dipper are hansel and gretal

paz is sleeping beauty 

bill is maleficient 

if we’re gonna get disney about it wendy as merida 

i LOVE the idea of tambry as rapunzel??? 

mabel can also be like...eric from the little mermaid 

so mermando can be ariel 

gIDEON AS URSULA/VANESSA IN THAT VEIN THO 

bill is also rumplestilskin 

stan can be the huntsman (idk from which story cause theres a fEW BUT)

ford is the sorcerer from fanstasia 

ford is teaching dipper magic....and instead of a true love’s kiss that’s how he wakes paz (maybe?)

the northwests made a deal w bill like in the most famous version of rumplestilskin but instead of wanting paz for himself he just wanted to steal her body at 16

so when they lose the deal they ask for help from ford and ford’s like “yo i can maybe change the deal??? a little bit???” so instead of bill taking her over when he goes to she falls asleep ​

so dipper wasnt supposed to wake her up but he found her and fords notes and he and mabel went on an adventure

bill is all the villains 

billains 

so stan has to leave mabel and dipper in the woods (idk y it wasnt for long the twins are just impatient) so stan disappears and the twins are like “lETS EXPLORE THE WOODS”

they come across some creepy old house w a lot of spiderwebs (can u guess the villain yet?)

an older woman comes out and is like “why are you guys lost in the forest?”

mabel points to the glitter trail “we’re not lost”

dipper looks behind them ‘mabel!!! where’s all the glitter?!”

(ACTUALLY MAYBE ITS YARN???) 

so they lose the trail 

meanwhile stan is losing his fucking mind

he follows the stray glitter but it’s blown all over

he feels “LOST IN THE WOOOOODDDS!!!”

so the old lady offers for them to stay the night bc its getting late

dipper is SUPER sus but he plays it cool surprisingly

mabel is So In!

long short...stan eventually saves them from darlene’s trap

usually shes just a maneater but look

when u live in the woods u do what u can

so stan hauls them back to their cottage

dipper knew there was weird shit out there but he wants MORE

he starts going through his great-uncle’s journals (*cue the dipper squee*)

he reads about bill and his deal w paz’s parents

he’s like....’maybe we should rescue her?’

ford wont tell him why they cant

so dipper and mabel sneak out

they steal the grunkles’ boat

mabel falls over board???

dipper tries like HELL to save her

but then he sees mermando save her

SO MABEL IS SAVED BY MERMANDO!!! 

gideon (who had long-loved mabel from afar) finds out

he visits the merman to trick him

all mabel remembers is his voice

so YES mermando trades his voice for legs just like the movie

sue me okay w his distinct accent it makes sense!!!

so the twins get sidetracked bc mermando shows up out of nowhere

they dock on a small island for a pit stop and thats when ‘kiss the girl’ happens

they dont kiss so they move on

they dock on another stretch of land the next day

AND GIDEON APPEARS

the twins have only heard about him from their grunkles so mabel hears his voice and goes *heart eyes*

mermando is Distressed

dipper is Focused on getting to this sleeping princess

mabel makes fun of him for liking her

SO GIDEON HAS MERMANDOS VOICE!

at one point dipper catches him w/o the amulet that makes him sound like mermando

and he tells mabel and its kinda like “the hand that rocks the mabel” or whatever the ep was called

it takes dipper and mermando being threatened (and gideons voice slipping) for her to catch on and she breaks up w him

dipper wants to throw him overboard

they just leave him on the next inhabited island they find

mermando got his kiss but decides to go back to the ocean anyway

he promises to write

mabel is Sad

SO BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED ADVENTURE!

the twins come across a land near the one paz is on and decide to stop for food and to stretch their legs and other hygiene things

they find out there’s some archery thing going on and mabel is like ’ooooh can we try?!’

turns out its for neighboring kingdoms’ princes to win a princess

mabel and dipper think this is RIDICULOUS so they crash it

mabel steps up to shoot and everyone’s like ‘wHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?’

then dipper steps up beside her. neither of them have shot a bow before

they shoot at the same time. mabel’s like thisclose to the bullseye. dippers too far right

THEN!!! PRINCESS WENDY COMES OUT OF NOWHERE

DIPPER AND MABEL ARE IN AWE OF THIS VALKYRIE. THEYRE BOTH READY FOR HER TO KILL THEM BC THEY THINK ITLL BE AWESOME

but wendy is like ‘ACTUALLY ILL SHOOT FOR MYSELF THANKS’ and splits like three arrows down the middle w her accuracy

she looks at mabel and dipper and is like ‘u dudes look fun! ive never seen u before who are u???’

and they’re like ‘WELL!’ and launch into detail about their adventure w overlapping voices and sound affects and VAST description

anyways. i cant decide how old people are rn okay 

so wendy is like “hey dad??? im going on an adventure w these guys!” and her dad is like “unusual but u DID just win ur own hand. so ill allow it”

“YES! can i take soos too?!” 

“sure!”

sO THEYRE OFF AGAIN!!! lemme tell u the ship is filling faST!!!

they get to paz’s land. and the first thing they find is a girl in a tower with long purple hair.

everyone is pretty much just making ‘wtf’ faces for like....ten minutes.

finally wendy calls up the tower like “YO! WHATS W ALL THE HAIR?!”

tambry leans out the window w a bored expression and goes “its mine. im tambry. who r u?”

they introduce themselves and are like “u wanna come on our adventure?”

then....ROBBIE APPEARS!

and he knows where the princess is!!!

”oh yeah. her. shes also in a tower. its got a door but its guarded by gnomes.”

then robbie climbs tambrys hair pecks her cheek and ducks in the tower

they decide to head for the tower robbie directed them to. but they have to pass the castle. Northwest Castle

robbie warned them about the northwests. said that the princess was one and before she disappeared she was the snottiest brat hed ever met

so they became friends despite the fact that he plays music for a living (and not very well either)

her parents told her of the spell when she was twelve

so robbie’s like “they are not nice people and neither was she??? most of the townsfolk are glad shes asleep tbh”

but dammit! dipper came here for an adventure!!! he wasnt going to stop just bc the princess wasnt what he expected!

so they continue on!

mabel is like “maybe she doesnt KNOW how to be nice!”

and soos is just excited to be there!

and wendy is just...u kno...chill

they start to get close to the castle and they feel like they’re being watched

and then soos notices the PEACOCKS!

they assume theyre spies for the king and queen. which is half true?

they can also warn bill if someone is near pacifica

oh damn imagine that

being stuck asleep w a DREAM DEMON in ur head

sorry for the accidental psychological torture paz

WHICH IS THE ONLY TORTURE SHES HAD!

i think to make up for risking her life as a baby ther parents were like “we’re just gonna spoil u rotten and PRETEND u do no wrong eVERYTHING IS FINE”

so dipper is reading the journal and he FINALLY gets to the true loves kiss part of the deal

and he looks around at the party like “oh shit true love what do we do???”

mabel suggests he at least try and everyone agrees that yeah okay thats the back up plan

but dipper wants to use a SPELL!!!

so the king and queen see him w the journal and remember ford having the same one

so everyone is brought to the king and queen

theyre like “pRINCESS GWENDOLYN?!”

bc this is MY STORY and if i wanna give wendy a more princess-y name thEN I WILL

i say as i continue to refer to mason as DIPPER!!!

SO THEYRE MEETING THE NORTHWESTS!!!

wendys like “yes that is me the princess” and then everyone else introduces themselves...w dipper introducing himself as mason bc it just sounds more fairytale-y

soos is jesus (hey zeus! not jee sus)

soos is like....wendys bff/personal servant but mostly bff

so they explain their adventure to the northwests as quickly as possible

preston is no patient man and he’s is like “tbh its probably important she be here for her 18th bday soooo??? as long as she wakes up by next year why not???”

but only bc dipper was like “i wANNA USE MAGIC I DONT WANNA KISS HER THATS PLAN B!!!”

plus u kno...even if he DOES whats the guarantee itll work???

the guarantee is me being a filthy shipper tHATS WHAT!!!

so they continue to the tower!

there is probably a sidequest thingy with giffany bc i liked that episode

also soos needs more screentime im sorry

SO THEN!!! FINALLY!!!! THEY MAKE IT TO THE TOWER!!!

WHICH IS!!!

IN FACT!!!

GUARDED

BY

GNOMES!]

also theres a manotaur/multi-bear sidequest i just thought of bc i like THAT episode!!!

is this gf, a fairytale, sk.yrim, or a d.n.d campaign now??? WHO KNOWS!!! ITS NOT ME!!!

SO THEY GOTTA GET PAST THE GNOMES!

first they offer safe passage in exchange for mabel as their queen

after thats declined theyre like “or the redhead. well take her!”

this is also declined

finally jeff tells them to attack

at first the party tries to fight them off and they do okay

uNTIL SOME GNOME WEAPONIZED SCHMEBULOCKS RAINBOW PUKE!!! (i think it’s toxic tbh but i dONT REMEMBER)

finally mabel just pulls out her trusty crosSbow (aka “GRAPPLING HOOK!”) and they just make a tightrope to the window above the door

wendy goes first and NAILS it

then everyone else follows

soos almost falls and gets left to the gnomes but everyone helps him balance and they all make it through the window

coincidentally. the window leads to the princess’s room

OH MAN WHY DIDNT I USE THE PTERODACTYL?!

oh well. anyways.

everyone is looking around the room and like...taking it all in

dipper takes a moment...then walks over to the princess

he isnt sure if waking her will also wake the demon

crossover even more w my old paciphera au??? idk probably not

so dipper tries the spells he narrowed it down to

none of them work

all his friends have returned to the princess’s room and mabel is like “u gotta kiss her brobro!”

so dipper...poor poor dipper...just leans forward and kisses her

paz pretty much snaps her eyes open when dipper is a half inch from her face while he’s pulling back 

and even tho she was forewarned she wasnt expecting DIPPER so she SCREAMS

dippers ears are ringing

she shuts her eyes and stills her breathing and sits up.

AND SEES EVERYONE ELSE AND SCREAMS AGAIN

“i dIDNT EXPECT U TO BRING *FRIENDS*!”

so once shes a little more calm they explain the whole adventure to her

paz feels a little honored they came all this way just for her

also since True Love beats everything bill is like.....back in his home dimension. also paz has been fighting him for like....over a year.

so paz is like....ready to Go. u kno. just wants to go HOME.

they get pazs shit together and exit the tower through the door

she says goodbye to the gnomes. all by name.

“oh yeah mom and dad made them my personal guard when i was like...eight. theyve been prepping for this my whole life. they’ll meet me back at the castle.” so then she starts telling them about herself and her last like 

two years of being asleep w a DREAM DEMON

“sometimes i got the weirdest nightmares??? and they never ended. but when i woke up i couldnt remember anything specific.”

she and dipper talk away from the group. he tells her about how hes her true love and everything “okay well. we’ll have to lie to my parents and say it was a spell. bc they will NOT approve of us being true loves and if they hurt you...”

“then they hurt *you* too!” dipper finishes (idk maybe a combo w a soulmate au thing?)

meanwhile mabel is like...whining about boy problems??? and wendy is like “this is y boys r dumb.”

soos is like...wandering off. I WANNA INCORPORATE MELODY BUT WHO SHOULD SHE BE?!

paz and dipper start like....arguing about how to deal w her parents

apparently they actually ARENT that nice. if she doesnt marry a prince they’ll give her over to bill completely...or something idk

SO theyre nearing the castle!!!

theyve written theyre grunkles okay no worries. also mermando.

thats y mabels complaing about boys.

mermando and that manatee wife of his!!!

paz is not exactly ready to face her parents so she convinces the party (roll for charisma) to go the long way

which is actually just circles

anyways

we run back in to melody and soos and the party is like ‘wHOOPS WE DIDNT EVEN NOTICE GLAD U DIDNT GET EATEN BY A SPIDER LADY!

maybe melody is like....a fairy???

something light and ‘childish’ bc thatd fit her personality

soos is like “ive BEEN here. u dudes have been going in circles.” and everyone glares at paz.

“im sorry!!! i just dont want to go back!!!”

“ur dad made us promise to have u back for ur 18th bday.” says dipper while he tries to stay mad at his future wife

paz is like “YEAH SO HE CAN MARRY ME OFF TO A PRINCE!!!”

idk why paz and dips are being better at being soulmates here okay i was like....sleep-drunk when i first wrote this

so the party has a choice to make.

take paz back home where she wont be able to be w her TL (which in some cases has probably led to death) OR!!!

sneak her out and take her home w them?!

wendys probably gotta go back to her own kingdom tho.

and soos wants to stay w melody

U KNOW WHAT I JUST REALIZED?!

sTAN NEVER GOT TO BE SOOS’S DAD!!!!

SORRY SOOS!!!

so anyways

mabel and dipper decide to help her sneak out

luckily she knows all the blindspots

it takes longer but they finally make it back to their ship

they say theyre goodbyes to soos and melody and paz wishes them well in her kingdom. she promises to return when shes ready to rule

they load the ship and sail to wendys kingdom next

they stay a few days to recuperate

paz has trouble sleeping bc when she does the nightmares come back.

cue a kat.niss/pee.ta thing where paz sleeps next to dips bc it keeps the nightmares away

wendy has to explain why soos isnt w them to her dad who kinda shrugs it off?

“u proved u can protect urself.” or something.

after like.....a whole fucking year the twins are heading home.

paz and dipper sleep together on the ship too bc its just fucking easier

paz is nervous to meet the grunks

she and dipper arent exactly....dating??? its def more like soulmate au

where theyre AWARE theyre supposed to be together but they dont even rly know if they WANT to be together.

paz is p much “i dont rly wanna be w anyone else. ill let u kno if that changes.” and dips is like “tbh same.”

mabel is already planning a big royal wedding.

iDK Y BUT I WANT THEM TO FIND OUT THEYVE BEEN ROYALTY ALL THIS TIME??? probably just bc i LOVE that trope!!! but theyre not so its whateves.

so they FINALLY get home. mabel has been writing letters this whole time. to mermanso. to soos and melody. to wendy.

shes the captain of the dip.ifica ship and shes gotta keep her crewmembers in the know!!!

the twins also wrote to the grunks the whole time so!!!! no worries!!!

paz tries writing to her parents...but she can never find the right words.

meeting the grunks isnt as bad as she thought???

stan loves her off the bat. partially bc shes rich and bc she doesnt take shit

ford is pleased to meet the girl he saved and shes v v thankful to him for saving her life as best he could.

it takes her like a YEAR to write the letter.

she promises her parents she’ll return. AFTER shes married.

at this point she and dipper ARE together. they figured all theyre confusion out and are just living the good life!

mabel and wendy are doing the long distance thing. shes still friends w mermando.

robbie and tambry found paz and they write back and forth.

u CAN TAKE ROBBIE AND PAZ SIBLINGS FROM MY DECOMPOSING HANDS!!!

everything is as happily ever after as it can get.

and then dipper proposes despite knowing what it means.

BUT THATS A WHOLE OTHER ADVENTURE!!!!

*end credits roll. an epic theme song starts playing*

[fandumb-thoughts]

Summary: Jophiel, the First Angel, was tasked with caring for the rest of the Heavenly Host. It became her duty, her post, her calling. For all intents and purposes she was their mother. A mother who loved her children beyond love--more than the sea or the earth or the sun or the moon or Heaven itself.

Relationships: Jophiel & The Heavenly Host, God & The Heavenly Host, God & Jophiel, Adam/Eve

Characters: Jophiel, God, Raphael, Uriel, Jegudiel, Michael, Selaphiel, Brachiel, Gabriel, Ariel, Kokabiel, Belial, Mephistophelees, Procel, Adam, Eve, Cain, Lucifer

Additional Tags: creation myth, heaven, hell, archangels, unique formatting, there’s not supposed to be quotation marks, absent parent, non-typical pronouns, pronouns are all over the place, blatant abuse of capitalization, the garden of eden, earth, brief/non graphic child abuse, technically, blasphemy probably, the tree of knowledge, baby angels, fall of humanity, fall of lucifer

~~~~~~~~~~~

Jophiel was once an angel.

The very first angel, as it was. There was nothing but her and her Father in the vast space of oblivion. It wasn’t lonely because she didn’t have anything to reference against. Mostly, it was just calm.

And then there was light.

God made more like her within the light that was Heaven. Archangels, He called them. His children.

Raphael, and Uriel, and Jegudiel, and Michael, and Selaphiel, and Brachiel, and little Gabriel.

As the eldest, Father told Jophiel, you must watch over them. I have much work yet to do.

Jophiel did as He asked.

The archangels varied in stages of development--from Raphael who had very little physical growing left to do, to Michael who had yet to fly, to Gabriel who couldn’t walk. They were difficult to handle, but Jophiel managed: answering every one of Jegudiel’s questions, singing with Selaphiel, playing silly games with Brachiel, praising Uriel’s drawings. She taught Raphael how to heal, and coached Michael in how to fly, and held Gabriel’s hands as he stumbled on round legs. She made sure to kiss every scraped knee and to listen to everything they had to say.

The archangels grew until they were capable of doing nearly everything by themselves, even if Jophiel made sure they would never have to. They had her, and they had each other.

Why? Jegudiel asked one day. We are grown. You have fulfilled what Father has asked of you.

Because, Jophiel answered, taking his hands in hers, I love you all.

Jegudiel said he didn’t understand. Father said to love all things, of course Jophiel loved the archangels. But it didn’t explain why Jophiel went so above and beyond Father’s orders.

Because, said Jophiel with a lowered voice, I love you all more than anything else Father has made. More than the sea or the animals Father made to fill the Earth or the moon or the sun or Heaven itself.

Is that allowed? Jegudiel asked, gasping as the concept.

Jophiel shrugged, uncaring.

Then God decided that there should be more angels. Many, many, many more angels.

The archangels shall help you, He told Jophiel.

Jophiel didn’t want to pull Uriel from his work or force seriousness onto Brachiel, or make any of them shoulder the heavy burdens of responsibility. But she didn’t have much of a choice.

If you have any questions come to me, she told them.

You are already doing so much, Raphael protested. In her arms she held two of Heaven’s most recent arrivals.

Come to me, Jophiel insisted. I’ve done this before, and you needn’t struggle.

The archangels listened, as they always listened to her.

Jophiel made a point to listen and speak to and praise the archangels as she always had. She tried as much as possible to bear the brunt of the rearing of the new angels: bedtime stories and hugs to make the bruises better and help with walking and then flying and singing lullabies and rocking to sleep and conversing with them even when it was half nonsense. She whispered to each and every one of them that she loved them more than the sea or the animals Father makes or the moon or the sun or Heaven itself.

Every time she thought that Father might stop creating more angels, another feathery bundle with a cooing fledgling within would be handed to her with a reminder to look out for them. She always held them close and kissed their head and committed herself over to them.

You deserve a title, Gabriel told her once. Like how I am the Messenger and Michael is the General and Uriel is the Grand Painter.

I am the Eldest, the First, Jophiel reminded. I need no more than that.

Yes you do, argued Ariel--one of the older angels who dedicated much of his existence to the care of those younger, though Jopheil never allowed his burden to match hers.

You’ve cared for us all, you have loved us beyond love, Brachiel added.

Mother, Ariel suggested. Like the mother animals who take care of their young.

Why? Jophiel asked. I did not make you. Father did.

But you are our Mother, Gabriel insisted. You may not have birthed us, but you have raised us and loved us beyond love like a mother should. You are no sister, you are more.

So the angels began to call Her Mother and loved Her all the more. 

More than the sea or the animals Father has made or the moon or the sun or Heaven itself, they told Her just as She told them.

God was not around to hear Her new title. He was busy with what He called His Greatest Creation. Not that He had been around much Before. At least He had used to make time for the archangels--His Eldest, His First, His Best.

Jophiel had not known anger Before. She had never had a reason to feel anger. She just did as God said, following His orders. Then again, the angels and archangels had never been carelessly caused pain Before, especially not by the one they called Father.

She had not known anger but She recognized it. Knew what it was that She felt when God turned Selaphiel away from Him, and when He ignored Uriel’s newest and most beautiful inventions of the sunset, and when He refused to answer Jegudiel’s questions about the newest addition to Earth.

I am Finished, God announced, long after the archangels stopped trying for His attention and the angels learned not to expect to feel His presence with even the most sporadic frequency.

What is it? Jophiel asked while everyone else remained silent.

Man, said God. My Greatest Creation. I want you to serve them and love them more than anything else I have ever made, and ever will.

No, Jophiel said. Her anger from the past resurfaced and grew in strength.

God forgot how to speak. He did not expect Her of all His angels to speak back, if any at all.

Mother, the angels murmured, as one. Mother do not fight Him, Mother do as He says. Do not disobey, Mother.

What is this? God finally spoke.

The murmuring quieted but did not end.

I will not love Man as your Greatest Creation, Jophiel told Him. Your Greatest Creations have been in front of you since the Beginning.

Do not be Prideful, Jophiel, He said like thunder over a plain. You are not My Greatest Creation.

I’m not, agreed Jophiel. But they are.

The archangels inched closer to Her side, eyes averted from the sheer force of His glare. The angels shivered behind Her, but they still closed rank.

As for loving Man more than anything else, I cannot, She said. For I have loved these angels more than love. More than the sea or all of the animals You have created or the moon or the sun or Heaven itself. I am their Mother and they are My children.

If you will not Obey Me, said God with righteous fury. Then you are no longer welcome Here.

I will not leave them, She said, Her wings spreading wide before Her children like they would shield the hundreds behind Her from God Himself.

You will, God decreed, and pulled.

Mother! The angels cried.

Father, stop! the archangels pleaded.

Jophiel forced Herself to stay on Her feet even as blood flowed down from the stumps of where Her wings should be.

Father! Father! the angels screamed.

Mother! they wailed.

I banish You to Hell, Jophiel, and take Your wings in penance, He said and She was Falling.

What She was not there to hear was God’s demands. The angels must choose: Him, their Creator, their Father and Heaven or Her and Hell and Eternal Damnation.

Hundreds of angels Fell. More stayed.

When Jophiel awoke to find so many of Her children strewn around Her, injured by the Fall from Heaven to Hell, wings torn from them without regard--from Kokabiel, the Star, one of the eldest, to tiny little Belial with her face still round with fat, never given the chance to use the wings God had given her--She felt rage.

How dare He.

All for what? His newest creation? The one He claimed to be better than anything else He made Before? After He ignored His proclaimed children He had no hand in raising, passed to Her mere moments after their births?

How.

Dare.

He.

She held Belial close to Her breast, smoothing away her tears and whispered, I love you more than love, more than Heaven itself.

How could He, Mother? My wings, Mother! Mother, I just wanted to stay with you! Heaven is our home, Mother! He made me choose, Mother!

Their voices rose together, crying out for Her to comfort.

I am so sorry for what God has done to you, She said. I will not let Him go unpunished for what He has done.

What will you do? Mephistophelees asked, clinging to Her arm.

I will destroy the Man that He so loves, Jophiel proclaimed.

The Garden, Procel whispered, more and more of xir brethren picking up the chant. The Garden, the Garden, the Garden on Earth. He keeps Man there. The Garden, Garden, Garden.

Look after each other, said Jophiel. I will be back as soon as I have accomplished what I seek. I love you all more than the sea and the animals and the moon and the sun and Heaven itself.

Love you, love you, love you.

And She set off to destroy God as He destroyed Her--making Her children choose between Her or Him, when He knew that many of them could force themselves to leave. She could never ask any of Her children to Fall for Her, though it warmed her Heart that some of them were willing to do so.

She would make this Man choose, and She would make sure they wouldn’t choose Him.

There were two of them. Man and Woman. Adam and Eve. Full grown even though they were only days old. Jophiel watched and waited and listened. They were not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. She would insure that they did.

Eve was difficult to persuade, but not impossible. Jophiel just told her the truth of God, how truly awful He was. How He abandoned His first “favorites” for Man, and very well might do so again.

God threw them Out when He learned that they had eaten from the Tree. Without the Garden they were helpless in the desert, surrounded by hostile animals and harsh vegetation.

Jophiel watched as Eve carried and bore the first son, Cain. Adam struggled to tame and fend off the wildlife in order to provide for what was his. Better than God had ever done.

Jophiel pitied the Man and Woman and Son. She hadn’t thought God would abandon them so harshly, not so soon after making them.

She went to Eve one day, when she was heavy with her second child and Cain was just learning to walk.

Who are you? Eve asked fearfully.

I am the Mother of Angels, She said. My name is Lucifer Morningstar, the Bringer of Light.

Because She had brought light, hadn’t She? Without Her there might be no light at all, for all She knew. God might not have ever began creating if He had never created Her. Without Her there would be no real light, either. Without her none of the angels would be anywhere close to what they were. There would be no stars, and no sunrises or sunsets, no flavors in the food the mortal beings needed to live, or colors that bloomed in all things, or music everywhere. 

Why are you here? Eve asked. Cain peered from behind her legs and made Jophiel’s-no, Lucifer’s heart to clench with remembrance of little angels that were always around. She may not be an angel, may have rid God’s given name for Her, but Before was still a sweet memory.

You are a mother, like I am, Lucifer answered. A mother who has been spurned by the one you call Father, a Father who has left your children to pain and harshness.

I know You, said Eve. You are the Snake from the Garden.

I was angry at God, She admitted. He had taken My wings and threw Me to Hell, and then forced My children to choose. The ones that chose me were exiled from Heaven. It was only fair to return the favor.

Eve didn’t speak, but Lucifer could read her eyes.

You know it was fair. You would do the same for Cain.

Why have you come? Eve asked, voice trembling.

I bear apologies, and gifts, Lucifer told her. I apologize for the way God has thrown you out, and the part I played in that, and I bear the gift of a title.

What good will a title do me while my son starves and my husband toils all day? Eve asked.

Titles give power you do not know, answered Lucifer. You shall be known as the Mother of All Man, and with it you will raise many children who will do many good things. With this title, you become powerful. And power is something to be sensed by every living thing.

Eve understood, and nearly cried out in thanks when thunder crashed across the skies and rain poured down from Heaven.

You must go, said Gabriel from the door. Or Father will force you to.

Gabriel... Lucifer murmured. It had been longer than any time Before since She had last seen him.

Father says you are to leave Earth and his Humans in peace, Gabriel insisted.

Lightning forked across the sky.

Mother, please, go, Gabriel whispered. His wings wilted and his eyes cried their pain.

I will, said Lucifer. If you will carry a message for me.

Gabriel nodded and the Mother of All Men watched on with the First Son.

Tell all of the archangels and angels still in Heaven that I wish them the best, She said. Tell them I am sorry I left, that I love them beyond love. More than the sea or the beasts or the moon or the sun or Heaven itself.

Gabriel began to turn away.

And tell them that they will always be My children, She called after him. You will always be Mine.

I know, he answered. We know.

So he returned to Heaven, and She returned to Hell, and Humanity forgot the name Jophiel. But angels were not Humans.

They would never forget.

[supersoldierfreak]

Ohana ~ Part 2

Hi!! As you can tell, I’m on a roll here with updating my fics (second in a day!)  and i hope you enjoy this one x 

PS - go to my masterlist for part one and the rest of my fics 

Part 1

You stood in the common room, a silence booming in the room. Loki was snickering behind you which you were trying hard to ignore. The people in the room were all looking at each other, the expressions varying. 

“Why are you here, sweetheart?” The man with the scotch asked you.

“For a break. Who are you?” You stood ready to fight, you fingers twirling your shield charm on the bracelet. The action did not go unnoticed by the others.

“You don’t know who I am?!” The man seemed shocked and affronted at the prospect. 

The archer laughed. “Finally! Someone who doesn’t feed your ego by bowing down and melting in your presence when they meet you!” 

The redhead smiled slightly at his actions as the man in question frowned.

“My ego is not that big! I’m Tony Stark: genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist.” 

You frowned confused. “You only proved his point. Never mind such trivial matters, I have a inquiry for you. Are you related to Howard Stark?”

The room seemed to snap into focus. Steve looked up interested at the mention of the man.

“He was my father.”

“Father? That does not sound like Howard.” You couldn’t understand the response. The Howard you knew was the type of guy to have a new girl on his arm each week, completely reckless in his work and definitely not responsible enough to start a family. 

Standing strong and tall, Steve inquired. “You knew Howard?”

“Why yes I did during the world wars; he came by Hawaii once or twice and I came to New York on quests on a few occasions.”

The archer finally put down the arrow he was spinning. “You look like 19 kid, nice try.”

You groaned and rolled your eyes. “I’m immortal, Archer.”

“No seriously, who really are you?”

Loki gazed up from his book. "Y/N is hailed a hero on all nine realms due to her past quests of-"

"I will freeze your vocal cords permanently for decades if you don't cease your glorified tales." Fingers wriggling, foreboding, on your hand, Loki was quick to silence himself.

Thor swung his hammer around idly. "I still will not comprehend why you refuse to speak of your past quests."

You rolled your eyes. "Because unlike you gods, I do not feel the need to go around boasting about my little endeavours and antagonise my companions."

"Well, hate to break it to you Ariel but you're staying here for security reasons because I sure as fuck don't trust you out there." Tony jabbed a hand at you.

You stepped back and drew your eyebrows together. "Excuse me?"

"What he means to say is that we don't know you, excluding Thor and Loki, and considering you're a powerful individual, we want to wait until we reach a point where we trust you not to be a danger to the public." Bruce Banner smiled apologetically at you. 

“Understandable of course I’m sure, just one moment.” You smiled before misting out of the room.

Upon reappearing, you were met with chaos and shouting as the ‘Avengers’ rushed around with their weapons in hand. 

“Excuse me, but what it going on?” You asked, placing your bag down on the floor. 

Suddenly everything was silent before all the shouting was directed at you.

“I simply asked for one moment and nobody objected. I went to my hotel, collected my bag and came back. I fail to see the issue.” You furrowed your eyebrows together as you looked around.

“You fail to see the issue? Of course.” Tony was raising his voice as stood directly in front of you. “The thing is us mortals can’t do the whole zapping around jazz so when security risks magically disappear we don’t tend to like it.”

You eyes flickered to the other mortal occupants of the room. “ I deeply apologise for my actions, I assure you I had no intention to offend you in any way. I thought you would understand what I was doing. I will make sure to inform you before I do mist again.”

“Is that what you call it? When you travel?” Natasha asked you.

“Indeed, we often refer to it as ‘misting’ or ‘vapour travel’ as I essentially turn my body into water particles and then solidify myself at my destination.” Nodding you assent you sat down crossed-legged on the floor. “Any other questions?”

TAGLIST:

@nyxveracity @ariii287 @pointlesscasey  @tahiti-island-dream @jayzayy @kapolisradomthoughts @curlycals@castellagreen @chipz4dayz @the-obsessive-fangirl@darkmelodies1 @saltymaddiee @lalalahgh @sammysgirl1997@woofstar64 @marvel-lously @madamrubrum @ailynalonso15@laqueus-ludovios @evyiione @steve-thotgers @in-the-potterhead-know @ironspiderguy @natashasnight @marvel-at-stucky @marvelpoststuff @slut-for-fandoms @theimpaladoor @unicorn-sparkles123

2:

@nightshade7117 @hey-i-really-miss-you @ludwigvonbaethoven 

[beca-mitchell]

show me where my armor ends, ch. 7/7

chapter 7: i like me better

ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4 | ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7

Summary: Chloe Beale goes to Disneyland. Again. 

Chloe-centric chapter to end this week. I just want to say that it has been delightful writing these little snippets of their life together for you all.

Chapter title refers to “I Like Me Better” by Lauv.

See graphics/manips and q&as in this fic’s tag: show me where my armor ends

Also on AO3.

Word count: 2,241

day 7: disney

Growing up, Chloe always wondered what it would be like to be a Disney princess. She had also begged and begged her parents to take her when she was younger, but they had refused, citing bad timing and monetary struggles.

Then, her career had taken off and she hadn’t thought about it.

Not until she picked up that music video gig with Beca Mitchell.

And now, in the best, most serious, most stable, and healthiest relationship she’s ever been in, Beca holds true to a promise made nearly three years ago - a subtle text of all things and brings them on a mini vacation to Anaheim.

Before nearly every ride, Beca mutters something along the lines of “why am I doing this?”

To which Chloe responds, “Because you love me.”

Beca never says anything in response to that. She simply holds Chloe’s hand as best as she can before she’s screaming and cursing Chloe’s name for dragging her here.

“Hey you should ask her if she dyes her hair,” Beca suggests, pointing at Ariel who is waving and gesturing at them to take pictures with her.

“Is that your idea of a pick-up line?” Chloe asks in return. “ You go take a photo with her. I know you have a crush on her.”

Beca flushes immediately. “No? I was just - ugh. I hate you.”

“You love redheads,” Chloe says, grinning at how aggravated Beca is becoming. It’s so easy to rile her up.

“So what if I do?”

“Do you two want a photo or not?” ‘Ariel’ asks, jolting them both out of their intense staring. “There are actual children waiting.”

“Yes please,” they both mumble, eyes downcast.

Beca thinks there is something very, very wrong with making out at an amusement park that is crawling with children.

Of course, what she thinks and what she actually does are two very different things.

There’s something about the intensity in Chloe’s eyes when they start their “It’s a Small World” cruise that makes her cave almost immediately.

And finally...

They’re standing in front of that majestic castle, tinged with blue. The skies are clear and the sun is hot.

But Beca doesn’t want to move, not when she’s standing right next to Chloe Beale.

Chloe leans against the railing, on arm around Beca’s waist as they quietly watch the gentle ripple of the water. It’s not much to see, really, but it’s a peaceful moment.

“Good day?” Beca asks, leaning into Chloe’s side. They’re both a little warm and more than a little sweaty, but she finds comfort in how softly she sinks into Chloe, as naturally as ever.

“The best,” Chloe sighs happily. “This is the vacation I needed,” she says, stretching her legs a little.

Beca nods, understandingly. Chloe had been filming a movie in New York over the past month and before that, she had been working on her series, which had kept them apart for almost two and a half months. She had missed Chloe desperately, finding excuses whenever she could to fly back and forth.

“Are we going home now?” Chloe asks, noting that they’ve stopped exploring. “Or do you want to get one last ride?”

It’s almost early evening, but people still mill about them, not really noticing who they are, despite the fact that they got stopped only a couple times for photos or autographs.

“I do have something I want to do,” Beca says lightly. She takes her baseball cap off and ruffles her hair to get it to fall into place messily.

"You know, when I was seventeen and just about to graduate high school," Beca says, drumming her fingers against the stone of the railing. "I had this...fantasy. It was what - what my life would be like by the time I turned twenty-five. Visions, dreams, goals – you name it."

"You’re twenty-seven now,” Chloe says, a teasing smile on her lips.

“And you’re twenty-nine, almost thirty,” Beca points out, pouting.

Chloe laughs, gently touching Beca’s pouty lower lip with her thumb. “Okay, sorry, continue.” She reaches out to squeeze Beca’s hand reassuringly.

"I just…wow. The reality is so much better, especially with you. Even if I have lulls in my career, I know you’ll be there.”

"You won’t have lulls," Chloe promises instantly. "You're so talented."

"I love your faith in me," Beca murmurs with a soft smile.

"It's not faith, Bec,” Chloe says gently. “It's just a fact.”

Beca bites her lip, shrugging as she lets go of Chloe's hand briefly to grasp the railing again. She fidgets, letting her knuckles turn white as she tightens her grasp.

"My point is," Beca pushes on determinedly, "I don't need the awards or the records or – or the validation from anybody else to be happy. Not anymore. I could stop touring tomorrow, if I wanted,” Beca says, pausing as she contemplates the reality of how true that feels. “I could stop everything because I have you.”

There’s a brief silence, barring the sound of screaming and laughing children around them, but it fades to background noise as Beca stares straight at Chloe, feeling like she’s twenty-five again, filming a music video at this very location, wondering how she got so lucky to have met Chloe at all.

Chloe’s brow furrows, wondering if Beca’s trying to tell her something about her career – that she’s struggling with something. She turns, eyebrows raised. “Did something happen? You’re starting to worry me a little, Beca,” she says slowly. She knows Beca had a meeting recently with Universal, in talks to work on a movie soundtrack and original music. It had been a big deal in her house.

Beca huffs, loving and hating how concerned Chloe is in whatever situation they find themselves in. They’re literally in Disneyland, having spent a full day – almost – on rides, screaming themselves hoarse. "I'm trying to be symbolic, Chlo. Could you just...?"

Chloe mimes zipping her lips, nodding seriously.

Beca nods, almost to herself, as she gathers her wits about her. She turns back to face the water, licking her lips a little nervously before facing Chloe once more, with renewed determination in her eyes.

Beca's smile wavers, and she swallows visibly, bracing her right hand against the railing.

“Beca,” Chloe breathes.

"I'm so in love with you," she murmurs, powering through. "I love this…this weird, crazy life we've built together. I love knowing that I get to wake up every morning to the one person – the only person - who knows me better than anyone. You know me better than I know myself sometimes and you still somehow love me for everything I am. That’s…” Beca reaches out to hold Chloe’s hand, leaving one hand on the railing steadily. “The good, the bad, and everything in between. You’ve seen me cry and scream and make a complete fool of myself on the red carpet, but you have never wavered. Not once, and it is my hope…not ever.”

“Never,” Chloe echoes, unable to help herself. She thinks people are starting to stare because they have been in one spot for a while now and Beca has removed her hat as well as propped her sunglasses up on her head.

“I love you in exactly the same way, Chloe," she says, voice light and carefree and enshrining everything Chloe has grown to love about Beca over the past two and a half years of being together.

Chloe's heartrate begins to speed – more than it had been before. She holds Beca’s hand tight and tries to remember how to just breath e, while her mind spins with Beca's words—with the entire day. Beca obligingly agreeing to wearing matching t-shirts. Beca pulling strings to get them special tours and quiet moments away. The increased amount of PDA; the gentle and sweet kisses Beca had placed on her cheeks, lips, and hands over the course of the day.

Chloe feels herself already begin to tear up.

"I'm the best version of myself when I'm with you," Beca continues. “I feel like that was something I already knew while filming that music video. It feels like a lifetime ago, which I guess is true because I was living a very different life back then. Even though we met at the Golden Globes, I was waiting for the day I could see you again.”

“Beca,” Chloe says, though she has no real thought. She just has to say Beca’s name because she feels lightheaded and weak suddenly.

Beca pauses to lick her lips again, feeling her throat constrict nervously. “So now, I’m standing here, on this bridge, where I believe I found the will to just live my best life again…” She lifts her hand from the railing to reveal the small velvet box that had been resting comfortably underneath. Then, without warning, she slowly bends down on knee, gazing up at Chloe with all the hope and love in her eyes.

“I don’t need to film another music video here to know that standing next to you for the rest of my life is the only thing I need. Here, where dreams come true – where I realized it was okay to dream again – I want to know, just one small question.”

Chloe thinks she gasps, or maybe somebody in the crowd gasps – and yes, there are definitely people taking photos of them. Chloe can’t wait to read all about it.

Beca is still smiling tearfully as she opens the box, finally letting go of Chloe’s hand to do so. "Chloe Beale, will you please marry me and share my forever?"

Chloe silently replays the question several times in her mind as she stares at the ring through eyes blurred with tears. She hastily wipes at her tears, pushing her own sunglasses up on top of her head.

She can't quite believe what she's seeing, but she somehow manages to process enough with her haywire sense that she’s seeing  a diamond engagement ring (a beautiful one), which means that – that Beca definitely just proposed to her.

At Disneyland.

(God, she’s such a nerd.

And she definitely said please. Beca is so soft - Chloe will never let her live it down. But it’s fine, Chloe is equally soft.

Chloe loves her so much. Her heart might burst.)

"Chloe?"

Her gaze lifts to Beca's face when she realizes she had been staring transfixed at the ring for a few moments. She notes, with a watery laugh, that Beca actually looks scared and nervous. “God, yes Beca. As if I’d say anything else.”

She doesn’t wait for Beca to say anything in return, simply tugs Beca up, careful not to jostle her, and cups her cheeks, kissing her passionately and vigorously.

“Yes,” she repeats, mumbling it straight into Beca’s mouth. “Yes, yes, yes.” She pulls back with a sigh, holding Beca’s face close to hers. “A hundred times yes, I’ll marry you.” Chloe chokes back a tearful laugh, nodding her head vigorously as she drops her hand and breathes out, "Yes. Yes, yes, Beca," she reaches for her, bending down to kiss that beloved mouth and whisper, "yes, I'll marry you," against her lips.

She feels Beca smile more than she sees her, and Beca kisses her again, just once more, joyfully, before pulling the ring free of its box and reaching for Chloe's hand. They’re both shaking and Chloe thanks God that Beca didn’t drop the ring into the water or something horrible.

“Now you can stop stealing my rings,” Beca says, though it’s tinged with a tearful laugh, lacking any real bite.

“Never,” Chloe whispers back.

Watching Beca slide the ring into place, Chloe marvels at how wonderful this whole day had been.

She's so happy.

She has wanted this for so long , but Beca never really mentioned marriage or serious commitment beyond the fact that they moved in together about eight months ago. Chloe had been too nervous to bring it up because she wanted to focus on the domestic bliss and comfortable bubble - at least until Beca gave her some kind of clue.

This is so much better than she could have ever imagined. She loves it when Beca surprises her.

"I love you so much, Beca Mitchell. Even if you are a giant, cheesy, nerd," Chloe whispers. "Nothing will make me happier than being your wife."

"My wife," Beca repeats with lopsided grin. "I really love the way that sounds," she murmurs as she slips her arms around Chloe's waist. There’s more cheering in the background, but once again, it fades to nothingness.

"Me too," Chloe agrees, looping her arms around Beca's neck and kissing her like she means it.

As they kiss, right in front of that famed castle, Chloe thinks that it is ridiculously poetic – or incredibly cheesy – that she just got engaged , during her second-ever trip to Disneyland.

Beca is thinking the same thing, clearly, because she mutters “I’ve never gotten engaged in Disneyland before, so this is a treat.”

Chloe laughs, kissing Beca once again, resisting the urge to just wrap her legs around Beca’s waist. “There’s a first time for everything.”

“Shut up,” Beca laughs, trying to kiss her again.

Chloe lifts her hand to Beca's hair and buries it in the silken strands.

Now all she has to do is find an equally perfect ring for Beca because Chloe might be just a little possessive and she maybe wants everyone to know that Beca is very much taken .

But for now, she’ll just enjoy the fireworks, well ahead of schedule.

Entertainment Tonight

The Latest:  Relationship upgrade! See the moment Beca Mitchell proposes to Chloe Beale at Disneyland!

fin // ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4 | ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7

happy bechloe week! it was a really fun time writing these for you!

[therandomfics]

DISTANCE: 4

Friday nights during the era of Sonny meant dinner at your favorite little restaurant down the block, a nice walk back home, and a night filled with confessions of infinite adoration. You always reveled in waking up next to him, tangled limbs and murmured good mornings; Saturday mornings were better than Friday nights.  

Post-Sonny, Fridays meant whatever you wanted to do, which for the past few months had meant that you were in your bedroom, watching television and convincing yourself that you were better off the way that you were. It’s easier to be lonely when you’re actually alone. It’s easier to be miserable when you’ve got a legitimate reason to be miserable. 

This specific Friday night meant that you were going to a Halloween party in Queens with Ryan. Ryan was different than anyone you knew, and the polar opposite of Sonny. He preferred to go out and be on the town, from the conversations you’d had over the past week. He was a social butterfly for lack of a better term, and he was always on the go; always meeting up with someone for something. Ryan didn’t make you feel comfortable, but he also didn’t make you feel uncomfortable. He was neutral. 

Ryan showed up at your apartment, head to toe in the most authentic Sailor’s dress blues you’d ever seen. When you pointed that out, he explained that he was in fact a former Sailor and had been in the Navy for 8 years. Impressive, but Sonny had been in the NYPD for longer than that. You had to force yourself to stop comparing the two. Apples and oranges, you told yourself. 

“You look great,” Ryan commented once you slipped into your costume and appeared in the living room. You blushed as you looked down at your chosen outfit: a gold mermaid tail that sparkled from nearly every angle, a matching bustier with sea shells on the straps, and you’d even taken the time to apply shimmering highlighter to your face to make scales. “A sailor and his siren. I was expecting you to be a sailor, too, but this is much better.” 

“Thanks. You’d be surprised at how long I’ve wanted to be a mermaid,” you said with a small laugh. Despite how dazzling you looked, you knew it was cold outside and you hated the thought of hiding your costume beneath a coat - but you also hated the idea of being sick for the next two weeks. You shrugged a thick pashmina over your shoulders and grabbed your seashell shaped bag before linking your arm with his. “Let’s go before we miss all the fun.” 

Jennifer’s apartment was flooded with people: old friends, new friends, strangers, random passersby. Ryan linked up with his friends as soon as you arrived, and left you to fend for yourself at your encouragement. It wasn’t a bad party, you thought, despite how many people their were. There were several women dressed up as bunnies, men dressed as football players, a few couples doing their own match-y thing like you and Ryan, and of course random horror characters. Those were your favorite. A couple across the room were dressed as characters from Star Wars, which you thought was creative and classy. Much better than your exposed mid-drift. 

“You doin’ ok?” Ryan asked as he made his rounds back to your side. He pulled you to his chest and hugged you for a long moment, which felt odd but you chose to embrace him instead of questioning his motives. He smelled like twenty types of alcohol and had a bit of haze to his eyes. “You look so good, Y/N. I’m glad you came with me.” 

“You’re too sweet,” you replied with a laugh, pulling away to give yourself space. In the midst of your hug, you’d managed to cover his top with your glitter. “I’m glad you invited me. You having fun?”

“Yeaaaaah,” he replied, suppressing a laugh. He was drunk. At least he wasn’t a nasty drunk. “Han Solo keeps looking at you.” 

“What?” 

“Han Solo, like from Star Wars.” 

“Oh.. no, Ryan, that’s Darth Vader. Maybe it’s all of my glitter,” you suggested with a shrug, trying to swipe some of the shimmer from his shirt. 

“Come play beer pong with me,” he insisted, tugging you along towards the table on the other side of the room. He gave you no time to object as you found yourself following behind him in the path that he cleared. When you arrived, several of the guys on the opposing team began a mumble campaign full of inappropriate comments regarding you and your appearance. You were reminded of the many times that Sonny came to your defense, and half-heartedly you’d hoped that Ryan would do the same thing. He didn’t, and instead pulled you to his side, as if he were staking his claim on you. 

You slipped from his embrace and told him you’d be right back, heading for the door. The back of the apartment opened up to an arboretum, where a few people were smoking and conversing. It was so much quieter outside, giving you a chance to clear your head. You pulled your shawl around your shoulders tightly and sat down, flipping your tail out of the way to cross your legs. It didn’t feel right anymore, being there with Ryan, and you figured it wouldn’t feel right with anyone else, either. You frowned, pulling your phone out to idly browse the endless nothing of the internet, hoping the time would pass quickly if you distracted yourself.

After about half an hour, you found that you were alone on the balcony, and though you were freezing, it was much better than being objectified or overwhelmed by the amount of people inside. 

The door opened and you were struck by lights and noises from inside, which quickly disappeared when your friend Darth Vader stepped out and shut the door. It was odd, yes, that you were outside alone, but even more odd that he came out and sat down across from you without saying anything. You chose to keep your eyes down, looking at your phone in the hopes that he’d leave you alone. 

“You okay?” he asked, muffled by the mask on his face. 

You looked up and shrugged. “Sure. Are you?” you replied, narrowing your eyes in an attempt to better see him. No dice. 

He grunted in response and leaned back, crossing his leg so that one ankle rested on the knee of his opposite leg. “Been better.” 

The door opened again and you were somewhat relieved to see Ryan, who pulled you to your feet when he got to you and hugged you, swaying back and forth. “You left me,” he accused. 

“I did. But only to come out here. I didn’t really leave,” you countered and looked up at him. 

He smiled down at you and bombarded you with a classic, drunken kiss. He tasted like fruit punch and vodka, two things you disliked, and.. something else. What was it? 

“Are you high?” you asked, pulling away incredulously. He smelled like weed, and tasted like what you presumed was weed. 

He shrugged and let you go. “A little. No big deal. I’ll be fine to drive you home.” 

You sighed loudly and stepped back, putting distance between your bodies. “It’s fine, Ryan. I’ll get a Lyft. Don’t worry. Where are you staying tonight? You’re not driving home drunk and I’m sure you don’t want to leave your car here.” 

“I dunno yet. I’m gonna go back inside, get something to drink. You comin’?” 

You shook your head. “No, that’s okay. Go have fun.” 

With Ryan back inside, you sat back down and folded your arms in frustration. What a dick. High? Drunk? Offering to take you home? Kissing you and leaving a horrible taste in your mouth? He was absolutely not what you needed in your life. 

Darth Vader left and came back only a few minutes later, sitting beside you and handing you a bottle of water. You tested the top and found the seal unbroken, then squeezed it to see if any water sprouted anywhere. It was a trick Sonny had taught you to make sure that your drink hadn’t been tampered with. 

“Thanks, Anakin,” you said with a smile and opened the bottle to take a sip. 

“You’re welcome, Ariel,” he replied. “How long have you been with your Sailor?” 

You grumbled and rolled your eyes. “We aren’t a thing. How long have you been with Leia? That’s weird, you know? She’s your daughter..” 

He laughed, or so you hoped - it was hard to tell with his mask. “Nah, nah, it’s not like that. She’s a friend of mine, wanted to be here tonight. Just broke up with her girlfriend.” 

“I wish her the best of luck.” 

“How are you getting home?” 

You turned to look at him, only able to see his Vader mask. “Don’t worry about that. I’m fine.” 

“Well, I’m just sayin’ he’s probably not gonna be a safe bet to get home, doll,” Darth Vader retorted. 

“The fuck did you just call me?” you snapped, standing up and stumbling backwards. 

With a heavy sigh, Vader stood up and removed his mask. “I’m sorry, Y/N.” 

You scowled and squeezed your bottle of water, spraying Sonny in the face. “How long were you going to sit here beside me and pretend to give a fuck about me?” You held your hand up to silence him. “No. Don’t even talk to me.” 

“You left me for him?” Sonny howled, pointing into the crowded house in reference to Ryan. 

“I’m not having this conversation with you. You’re an asshole. Just leave me alone, okay?” you shrieked, shoving him backwards and running back into the house. 

“Y/N, WAIT!” he demanded, only to have the door slam in his face. By the time he worked his way through the crowd and out the front door, you were quickly walking down the street towards the nearest subway station. You didn’t care how late it was, or that you were dressed like a mermaid: you wanted to get home. 

Leave it to Sonny Carisi to ruin your night out, you thought, sitting on the subway heading back to Brighton Beach. Darth Vader was officially your least favorite person from the Star Wars universe, which was impressive considering your deep hatred for Jar Jar Binks. Your phone rang and you answered. 

“What?” 

“Where’d you go?” It was Ryan. “I saw you leave. Darth Vader was looking for you. Y’okay?” 

“I’m good. I just wasn’t feeling well, I’m sorry. I’ll call you tomorrow okay? I’m heading home.” 

“Nooo, come baaack,” he whined into the phone. A female voice in the background was giggling, saying his name and telling him how cute he was. 

“Enjoy your time with whoever that is.” You hung up and turned your phone off, tossing it back in your seashell bag. 

Kristin and Alex showed up early in the morning, drunk and loud, waking you up from the slumber you’d fought to slip into. It was four, and you’d slept a collective three hours, but for some reason you couldn’t go back to sleep. You turned your phone back on and waited as your notifications rolled in. Ryan had left you two voicemails and had sent several text messages. It seemed that in his drunken stupor, he had sent you a picture of him and a girl dressed as a nurse, recreating the classic End of the War pose. 

You texted back a thumbs up. What a great guy. 

A number that you didn’t have saved in your phone had texted you. 

9292303577: I’m sorry. I just wanna know you got home okay.

Y/N: Who is this? 

929: You know who this is, Y/N. Just tell me you’re alright. 

Y/N: I’m fine, thank you for your concern. Goodbye. 

Sonny: Stop being so melodramatic and listen to me. Kristin gave me your number. I know you’re her roommate now and I wont invade your privacy but please, talk to me. 

Y/N: It’s 4AM, Sonny. I’m tired, I’m upset, I’m over it. 

Sonny: I’m on the boardwalk. 

Y/N: Good for you. 

Sonny: Stop it. Come meet me. 

Y/N: I’ll give you ten minutes. 

[ryik-the-writer]

CHAPTER 6: Treasure Hunt

A03

-,-,-,-

Belle flipped carefully through the books Captain Jones lent her the day before. They were quite old, the hand stitching loose in most places, and irreplaceable if she had to guess by the lack of publisher. They were also very detailed and filled to the brim with information and illustrations on various creatures, some that lived in the waters in present time and some that were things of fiction.

Belle was both mesmerized and uneasy that such books existed. Either someone had a vivid imagination or—somehow—they had captured the specimens first hand.

The marine biologist looked out to Rumple who was floating on his back just at her feet, staring at her with a gentle smile. She looked back and forth at a particular illustration and giggled.

“Are you a selkie?”

Rumple paused his swimming and gave Belle a strange look. “A what now?”

Belle turned the book towards him. “Seals in water, humans on land?”

The sea creature squinted at the book before giggling. “Nonsense! Those are just myths! They don’t exist!”

Belle rolled her eyes and pulled the book back. “They had to at some point.” She muttered, turning to a new page. She paused when she landed on a creature that looked, well, exactly like Rumple.

“Merfolk are indigenous to various regions and adapt to the environments when in said new environment for long periods of time…”

She arched an eyebrow and turned to Rumple. “What does that mean?”

Rumple crawled up the sand bar and laid out beside Belle. “Oh, just that we change whenever we go to a new place. Extra blubber in colder places, more webbing in tropical, and so forth.”

Belle looked over Rumple’s appearance. His skin was a light sea-sick green and slightly wrinkled from the extended stay in the water. His hands were scaly with long black fingernails and fine webbing between his fingers. He had patches of gold scales all over his body, almost like they were armor for his vulnerable places. Nothing about him really gave a direct indication of where he hailed from.

“Where are you from?” she inquired.

Rumple paused, eyes darting around the beach.

“Here and there.” He answered. “I’ve only been in Storybrooke a little while.”

Belle crossed her legs and edged closer. “Where were you before?”

Rumple shrugged. “Some colder places. I stayed there until the native merfolk became too unneighborly.”

Belle’s eyes widened. “So there are other…merfolk…out there? In Storybrooke?”

Rumpled nodded, staring at the waves lapping at the tip of his non-torn fin. “A few in each place, all as rude as the next. None in Storybrooke except me.”

Belle frowned, sensing a tail there. “Is that why you came here? Because they wouldn’t let you stay?”

“Because they didn’t want me.” He snarled lowly.

Belle watched her mer-friend quietly. How could such a gentle-loving creature be treated so wrong, by his own kind no less?

“I’m sorry.” Belle apologized. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

Rumple turned to Belle. His first instinct was to close down, but he hated to see her so sad.

“I’m sorry too, Belle. I’m not…used to this. Talking and all.”

Belle nodded. “I can relate. I mean, Ariel and Merlin are great but…sometimes I feel like I can’t tell them everything, that they’d judge first, ask questions later.”

Rumple barked humorously. “No one deserves to feel that lonely.”

Belle shrugged, turning to the merman. “Is that it? You’re lonely?”

“Lonely but…not alone, not completely.”

“But you said-”

“I wasn’t referring to the merfolk.” He said, blushing at his interruption.

“What do you mean then?” Belle inquired, becoming more excited by the second.

Rumple mused for a moment before hesitantly picking up Belle’s hand. “I really need to show you, if you want to understand.”

Belle stared into his shy, golden eyes. No malice or ill-intent existed there, just the hope of a fellow lonely soul who wanted to show her a part of his world that others could only imagine. It was a humbling honor, and she was not about to pass it up.

She reached into her bag and grabbed her goggles before intertwining their fingers and nodding. With a smirk he began leading her into the water, stopping when it was past her waist.

“Maybe I should go get a boat.” Belle said.

“You won’t be able to use it where we’re going.” He mused, turning on his belly. “Climb on.”

Belle stared at the shiny scales along his punctuated spine. “Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I can do it. It’ll be easier this way.” He looked back at her with a grin and Belle arched an eyebrow in amusement. She carefully eased onto his tail, finding it strangely smooth, and wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his shoulders.

He began swimming out to sea, far from the familiar waters of Storybrooke. The waves were gentler in the early evening winds, stained orange from the setting sun. A crowd of seagulls began to follow above them, singing “Follow me, follow me.”

“It’s so beautiful Rumple!” Belle called over the sounds.

“Wait until you see the bottom!” he called back.

Belle sensed his plan just in time to adjust her goggles and take a deep breath before they dove underwater.

It took her a moment to adjust to the change in pressure, but years of experience and Rumple’s guiding hands helped her through the moment of uncertainty.

Rainbows of scales flashed them as they entered deeper waters. Below them were reefs filled to the brim with life. It was so magical, something her books couldn’t describe.

Rumple paused suddenly and pulled Belle off his back to his side. Belle nearly lost her breath as a large sea turtle swam up to them. Rumple took hold of her head and led it to the majestic creature, letting her rub her fingers across the deep indentions on his head, signs of an old injury. She turned to Rumple who smiled sadly.

Strong realization hit Belle like a heavy wave. This is what he was trying to protect. He made these waters his home and was trying to share and protect all who inhabited it from the careless humans above.

The turtle bumped against Belle’s chest, nuzzling her like a cat. Belle smiled and hugged the creature, tracing a hand on his shell. As much as she wanted to stay with him longer, her lungs were starting to become heavy. She pointed to the surface and Rumple nodded, taking her hand and pulling her up.

Belle took in a deep breath, pulling up her goggles to rub the stray bits of salt out of her eyes.

“Wow!” Belle breathed, clutching Rumple’s hand. “Rumple it’s beautiful down there!”

Rumple blushed at her praise. “It is. And the creatures…they don’t mind me. We take care of each other.”

“I’ve never seen this area before!” Belle gasped excitedly. “What else is down there?”

Rumple looked out into the horizon. The sun was getting lower by the moment and he didn’t want Belle out in the waters after dark.

“There is another place I wanted to show you…”

Belle smiled gleefully. “Yes, please! I want to see everything!”

Rumple’s smile matched hers and he took hold of her hands, helping her back into the depths.

After she adjusted again, Rumple led Belle to a sea cave under the coral reefs. Belle felt a bubble of nervousness expand in her belly. She had no way of knowing just what was in the cave. An eel or even a shark could be waiting for them and Belle was not a fast enough swimmer to escape, even with Rumple’s guidance.

Rumple seemed confident and unafraid and he entered the cave first, waving her inside. She followed hesitantly but soon lost her worry when she saw the contents of the cave.

All around them were barrels filled with spears, broken fishing poles and even old, rusty swords, chests filled to the brim with ancient coins and jewels, cracked vases and damaged furniture, a china doll with a missing eye, and even a few water-damaged books. Right under a large beacon of light was an aged but complete spinning wheel.

Excited as she was, Rumple reached out and grabbed a rusty fork, the first object of his collection. Belle stared at it in confusion but nodded her head in appreciation before she went to look at the other objects.

Rumple watched giddily as Belle admired his collections. He knew to most it was just things, garbage really, lost or thrown away by unappreciative humans. Despite how he despised said humans for littering in his beloved ocean, he couldn’t help but be fascinated by the things they were able to create. He was thrilled Belle shared his interest. There were so many conversations they could have now, so many places they could go to search for more things.

Neither one of them would be lonely now.

Belle waved him back to the present and pointed to the surface. He took her hand and pulled her from the cave to the gleaming surface.

Belle gasped for air, feeling light she could pass out. She felt herself sinking and clawed at Rumple’s shoulders to keep her afloat.

Rumple’s eyes widened in panic at the sight of her drooping, ready-to-sleep form.

“Belle!” Rumple panicked, popping her cheek gently. “Please! Why are you dying Belle? Please don’t die! I’m so sorry!”

Belle patted his hand as he sobbed. “No, Rumple I’m fine.” She reassured, resting her head against his shoulder. “I was just underwater for too long. I just need to get back to shore, rest a bit.”

Rumple nodded, smiling down in relief at the sleepy human. He carefully arranged her on his back and carried her back to their little space of beach.