#a crumbling bluff = a lie that's falling apart

[daesungindistress]

Hi, me again, a long-time fan, especially of the Carnivores series. I saw you took down Carnivores. I understand why, but I would like to share my thoughts. Please hear me out.

Unlike some of the other stories you took down, Carnivores is all about Daesung. To me, it is about Daesung’s temperament, resilience, and all the little things cute and lovable about him. It is about how he copes with the world around him. It is not about that person at all. How can that very minor, irrelevant part of story, or person, take away something so beautiful. This, sadly, kind of already happened in the real world. I just hope it won’t repeat again here, or ever.

You and many of us probably gave that person too much credit. Do you find him remotely interesting enough to be really worth your time and struggle? Is that person worth you throwing away all the hard work and talent you put into Carnivores? Carnivores seems special to you, like it is to me, and he is not worth it. The world is a complex jungle, we can never overcome all the evil, but at least we can celebrate the light that we found.

Something more practical. In most chapters, except for Bright Like the Sun, that person didn’t really play much of a role. As far as I remember, he didn’t even show up in New Heights, Laying Claim, First of Many. These chapters also feel like they can stand alone. It is a tricky for my favorite chapter Dreams Like Ashes Float, but it is so beautiful that I just want to chop out that person's part. Or perhaps change the name? Just some ideas, not even suggestions. I am just sad that Carnivores is now gone for something so irrelevant and forgettable.

Anyway, if taking down Carnivores brings you peace of mind, please know that I respect and support your decision. I remember you were very happy and tremendously creative when you first came to this fandom. I hope you can get back to that good place, even if BigBang or even Daesung is not there. Just know that your work has inspired and is deeply appreciated by some fans.

Hi, wow, thank you 🥹

I quietly took down the Carnivores series in about October of last year, around the time I realized TOP's moon scene in Still Life was set in the future, not the past, and the music video was BIGBANG's way of telling us they were going to be apart awhile longer as they go their separate ways and pursue solo projects. I decided I should do the same -- focus on projects -- and turned my attention once again to Carnivores.

First of all, I took the series down for reasons only partly related to the former member. You're right; for the most part, his role in the story is relatively insignificant, with a few exceptions, the biggest being Bright Like the Sun, which, uh, is filled with a whole slew of problematic messaging given the state of BIGBANG today -- most notably the Seungri rescue scene toward the end (after a landslide, stuck in the mud under a crumbling bluff) and Daesung's insistence on not leaving him behind. Carnivores goes hard on the theme of family, of a "found" family -- in this case, a found family of five. Because a long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away...) that was my absolute favorite thing in this fandom. As it is now, I'm deeply uncomfortable with promoting that subject matter using the names and likenesses of the BIGBANG members, even in my past work.

I'm sorry you're sad about Carnivores being gone. I thought a few people might be when/if they found out, and I still feel a twinge of guilt over snatching it away from the few people who liked it. But my reasons for taking it private aren't all bad or sad. Not to me, anyway. I'm not ready to share in too much detail because it's still in the extreme early stages, but the plain truth is I took Carnivores down because I have plans for the series. Non-fanfiction plans. I want to turn it into original fiction with the goal of publishing it.

But before that... I need to rewrite the whole thing. Overhaul it all. No one will be removed from the story; everyone's names will be changed. Well, they already have been. After some brain retraining (lol) and a brief adjustment period, I don't even think of the guys in terms of their BIGBANG names anymore; I now think, talk, and write about them using their new names. Someone once said to me (once upon a time) that as much as the characters reflect their inspirations (the members), they have lives of their own. Though it's taken some time, in the years since I concluded the series in 2018 (and in a way, the hiatus helped with this) I feel I've finally managed to unlink them from their inspirations. While preserving their personalities, of course, and holding tightly to everything I came to love about them while developing and telling their story all those years ago. They're still familiar and dear to me, and I still want them to be known... just in a new and improved way. And to a wider audience.

On the one hand, I'm really excited about it. On the other, I'm a little overwhelmed. I spent a few weeks in the fall reading through the series slowly and critically, returning to it in a way I hadn't since its initial run in 2016-2018, and I thought, "Well, it's a start." I didn't hate it, but it was so much worse than I remembered haha. Yet, at the same time, it was neat to see my growth as an author from beginning to end, and by the time I reached Innocence and Instinct, there really wasn't much I felt required major revisions. All in all, what I used to view as a finished product I now see as a first draft. To take what I have, 300 thousand words in 8 parts, and reshape it to fit my new vision will be no small task!

You're correct in sensing that Carnivores is special to me. It always has been and I'm sure always will be. Unlike those other stories I took down, removing it from my list of fics is like gutting my body of work. Yes, the events of 2019 did dampen my fond feelings for it. But I've since found a way to love it again, and to even breathe new life into it. It's set to undergo so much change (expansion and enrichment) I didn't want it "out there" anymore in its original form, where anyone can access it and see what it used to be. And I needed to disconnect it from BIGBANG, preferably long before it reaches the publishing stage. If I can be successful with this, I think it will all be worth it.

[aulwil]

Absolutely no one is ready for this AU but I want everyone to just hear me out and walk with me for a moment here: what if Charlie was the head physicist at a research reactor that was nicknamed "Lucifer" because it keeps causing Problems (On Purpose). And then she fell in love with it.

"With the—" Yes. With the reactor. That's also an angel.

More under the cut for those who are interested:

The years: 1951 to 1953. The setting: Lazarus Bluffs Natl. Laboratory, a top-secret research facility in the New Mexico desert for the Y-7 research reactor, a graphite-moderated water-cooled reactor that was completed in 1942 at the height of the Manhattan Project.

Ten years on from the day it was first brought online, Y-7, alternatively nicknamed "the Devil himself" or "Lucifer," has begun to fall apart — but for the government, watching how a nuclear reactor crumbles is of significant interest. So they send some of their most promising scientists, students, and employees there — such as Charlotte "Charlie" Magne, who finds herself recruited straight out of her graduating class at the University of California and whisked away to New Mexico, where she meets Alastor Broussard, the facilities manager, Vivian Alvarado, head of security, Anthony Marino and Cecil "Husk" Strickland, instrumentation and control technicians, Audrey "Nifty" Kimura, janitorial, and Edward Peterson, engineering, along with the rest of the small crew and those in the small town nearby.

At first thrilled to be head of research at her very own reactor, even if the valves don't always like to turn, the monitors sometimes need to be thunked to display their scrolling data, and (most frighteningly of all) the control rods occasionally stick, Charlie throws herself into her new job with enthusiasm unmatched by any of her cynical colleagues. Yes, the data is endlessly identical, every day is the same, and the only scenery that's even slightly worth it is the desert sky on a clear night, but it's hers, and after over twenty years of fighting tooth and nail to be taken seriously, Charlie's going to grab it in both hands and never let it go.

As the days turn to weeks, and then to months, Charlie starts understanding the temperamental reactor. And sometimes, when she's sitting on the balcony above it, listening to the endless hum of water rushing through the cooling system and the impossible sound of atoms being blasted apart, she gets the strangest feeling that it's beginning to understand her. There's always a sense of being watched, as surely as she watches it, but Charlie tells herself she's imagining things, that she's merely overworked and stressed from the sudden change from purely theoretical work in a classroom to a real-life control room.

Then...Lucifer starts talking to her.

And to make things worse, as Charlie follows her course of research and turns her relentless dedication and optimism to studying everything she can about what she takes to calling "the angel in the core," the lie of Lazarus Bluffs begins to crumble around her as surely as the aging technology is.

[solynaceawrites]

The ABCs of Demonology [1]: Aftercare

Fandom: Devil May Cry Characters: Dante, fem!Reader Tags: NSFW Alphabet, Drabble Collection, Smut, Fluff, Established Relationship, Aftercare Chapters: 1/26 Summary: A series of drabbles based on the-coldest-goodbye's NSFW Alphabet template. Each drabble has a different theme, but all of them star Dante Sparda.

Hello, and welcome to The ABCs of Demonology, a drabble collection I’ve been toying around with for a while. I wanted to do some fun, short things for Dante while I work on my longer fics, and thought there was no better way than this! I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I have writing them!

»»————-　⚜　————-««

Dante has lived a rough life. It’s one of the things you noticed long before he ever told you, a suspicion founded in the walls a mile thick he kept between himself and the people around him, even the ones he’d known for a long time. Sure, he might open up a bit every now and then, when Patty came to visit or Nero was talking about his latest job and you’d catch that barely there curl to his lips born from genuine affection and pride, but, for the most part, he rarely showed anything other than a devil-may-care nonchalance coupled with a biting wit. Hell, you hadn’t known he’d been interested in getting into your pants until he’d had you pinned to the top of his desk.

And you were usually pretty good about catching those sorts of signs.

But those jagged edges were just as apparent in your lovemaking and the moments after as they were in the rest of his life, at least in the beginning. The foreplay was quick, the sex brutal, and his version of aftercare was tossing you a towel and telling you where the aspirin was before heading out to a job or for food. It made you ache, and not in a good way, your chest tightening and an uncomfortable, prickling heat spreading through your veins: embarrassment and a dash of humiliation at how little you must have meant to him to get nothing more than the absolute minimum of courtesy. 

It had come to a head one night. You, tired of feeling not enough—you might have had your share of one-night stands and flings, but you made damn sure that they felt cared for and loved when you left—and him, telling you to leave if you didn’t like it. You called his bluff, and there was a two-month period of time where you saw neither hide nor hair of the Legendary Devil Hunter. Patty had dropped by your apartment a few times to tell you that he was hurting, more waspish than usual and drowning in cheap beer and pizza grease, and you’d told her that he’d made his bed and he could lie in it. So imagine your surprise when you’d gotten a text one night when you were spoon deep in a pint of ice cream with a cheesy black-and-white film on the television warning you Dante was on his way over.

The only reason you’d let him in was the giant bag of take-out he held up as an offering. It was all food from your favorite place, an Italian joint with the best alfredo you’d ever had in your life, and he’d pulled out the containers of pasta and bread and soup and cheesecake and set them all out nice and pretty on your chipped dining room table. You’d had a bottle of wine that worked well enough, and even two candles, and the two of you had eaten in a silence that felt heavy with anticipation, broken only by requests for a napkin or the salt. He’d waited until you were done to talk, and you’d listened as he apologized, a fumbling, earnest plea for forgiveness, a promise to do better. No excuses, not that he was prone to giving them, and the conversation that followed was genuine. An airing of grievances, so to speak, and he’d listened as you told him how you’d been feeling, how you didn’t want him to be anyone else, just a clear idea of what you meant to him.

After that, Dante had taken steps to improve. It was slow, at times, human fragility strange to him, but he tried, and that’s all that mattered to you. And he surprised you, too, with how much he already knew about you and your needs, something that led him to admit how much he watched you whenever you were around. 

“Hey,” he murmurs. You rouse yourself from your dozing ruminations on the past to find him settling next to the tub, a bottle of water in one hand that he sets on the floor as he kneels. “How ya feeling?”

You take the aspirin he offers gratefully, swallowing them dry. “Worn out,” you answer, and he chuckles and dips a hand into the bath to stroke over your thigh. “This is nice, though.”

He perks up, a pleased shine to his eyes that brings a boyish charm to his features. It’s one of the reasons you love him, you think, the eagerness to earn your approval that had come the longer the two of you were together, the more the walls crumbled between you. “Yeah? Good. You plannin’ to soak for a while?”

“If I do, I’ll fall asleep.”

Dante chuckles. “Probably shouldn’t. C’mon, let’s get you into bed.”

You offer no resistance when he lifts you from the tub to set you on your feet in front of him, and he remains on his knees as he carefully dries you off, planting a kiss to the red marks at your wrists. The towel he uses is warm, probably fresh from the dryer, and you’re yawning and swaying by the time he’s done. In fact, you’re pretty boneless when he scoops you up again, cradling you to his chest, which you nuzzle as he carries you into the bedroom and deposits you gently on the sheets, which are clean and soft. From the corner of your eye, you spy the ones that had been on the bed near the closet, but you’re distracted from the reprimand bubbling to your lips when Dante settles next to you and pulls the blanket around you both, an arm holding you snugly to his side. His lips whisper over your hair as you settle, using his shoulder as a pillow and draping a leg over his thighs, and you can’t even find the energy to complain when he shifts to grab the remote.

“Casablanca?” he asks, and you nod, already half-asleep. “Hell yeah.”

Dante’s had a rough life. But his love is genuine and warm, and the care he shows you now speaks volumes to how important you are to him.

[plus-size-reader]

The Deal

Jeremiah Valeska x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1115 words

Warnings: none 

Summary: Jim Gordon's daughter is willing to sacrifice anything for the people of Gotham...and Jeremiah simply sees the potential in that. 

——————————————————————————————————

You knew everything there was to know about Jerome Valeska. You had met him many times and you knew that he was nothing more than sick. 

You had made peace with that. 

However, Jeremiah was a mystery to you.

The first time you met, his name was Xander Wilde and it was abundantly clear that he was a paranoid recluse. In some ways, you found that to be relieving, considering what the alternative was. 

It wasn’t until you met again that you realized just how far from the truth that was. 

In reality, Xander Wilde didn’t even exist.

Xander Wilde was made up, a cover for the man’s new identity…

Jeremiah Valeska.

He was standing in front of the GCPD, holding a remote in the palm of his hand. He claimed that said remote would set off a bomb that would blow up the clock tower.

You all knew that a bomb of that size would kill everyone surrounding that area.

However, it would seem that there was nothing you could do to stop it. If Jeremiah wanted to kill them all, he could, and all those people would die.

Unless…

“Wait” you called, stepping out from behind the crowd. All eyes were on you as you arrived at the front of the pack. You had no idea what possessed you to do it, but you didn’t have time to figure it out.

Somewhere behind you, you heard your dad call your name but you ignored him too.

Right now, you had all those people’s lives on your shoulders and that was all you could focus on.

“Well hello Doll” Jeremiah purred, a wide smile finding its way onto his face as you approached.

It was no secret that Jeremiah liked you.

Every time you had seen him, or his brother for that matter, their attention had only been on you. As soon as they saw you, it was almost like everything else took the backseat and while it typically meant nothing, it was going to come in handy today.

You just hoped that it would be enough. 

“Jeremiah, you don’t need to do that” you started, reaching out to place your hand over his own, though he kept the button well out of your reach.

He may have been willing to hear you out, but he wasn’t going to risk letting his plan fall apart for a pretty face. 

This was your only hope at convincing him to spar the city you loved. At this point, you were willing to do anything. Still, the man only laughed. He wasn’t an idiot, he could see what you were trying to do, but even so, he indulged you.

“And why not?” he countered, smiling at you wickedly as you tried to think of a reason that would be good enough to convince him otherwise.

There had to be something he wanted more than to blow the building to bits, you were sure of it…

Then it hit you.

The one thing that Jeremiah wanted more than his chaos, was you.

It was so obvious. 

This whole time, he had been practically begging you to join him by his side. If there was one thing that could convince him to change his mind, maybe it was that?

At the very least, it was worth a try. 

“What if I went with you? Would you spare the clock tower?” you wondered, stopping him in his tracks. As soon as the words left your lips, it was all made clear.

You were desperate to save your precious city, so desperate that you’d be willing to give up everything…

It was quite the gesture.

At first, all he could do was smile, searching your face for any sort of bluff. However, nothing ever came.

You were completely serious.

“You would do that? You care about that old thing so much?” he laughed, gesturing to the left of you both, toward where the clock tower was currently sitting.

Hopefully it would stay that way.

In truth, you didn’t care at all about the clock tower. What you cared about were all those people below it that would be squashed and smothered with all the rubble.

There was no way you were going to just stand back and let them all die, so yes. You were willing to do anything it took to keep them all from meeting their death. 

Anything would be worth it. 

“I do! It’s very important to me” you lied, batting your eyelashes at him as you did your best to lay it on thick. In any other situation, you would be making a fool of yourself but not with Jeremiah. 

There was no reason for him to consider the fact that you actually cared.

In fact, maybe this whole routine would have fooled his brother but Jeremiah didn’t care in the least. It was the fact that you were willing to lie that really caught his attention. 

He needed someone loyal like that. 

“Okay Doll, I’ll bite. You’re saying that if I leave the clock tower standing, you’ll come with me? No tricks?” he clarified, just doing his best to make sure everyone in attendance understood what you were suggesting. 

It was clear that he was getting the better end of the deal, but that wasn’t going to deter him from accepting. 

In fact, it only made him want to agree that much more. If you were willing to uproot your entire life for a bunch of strangers, what would you be willing to do when it came to furthering his plans? 

He couldn’t be sure yet, but he certainly wasn’t going to pass up the chance to find out. 

You only nodded, keeping your eyes on him. 

“No tricks, that’s the deal” you agreed, realizing that if this whole exchange took any longer, someone was liable to intervene. Not that you could count on it, because they were all too shocked to even think straight.

Thankfully, after a few more seconds of silence, he nodded. “Sounds good to me, see you later folks” he grinned, addressing the entire crowd behind you…

Before turning back to you “Are you ready?” it was nothing more than a smile, a few words but for you, it was so much more. It was the start of a new life, a life that you weren’t completely sure you wanted to be a part of yet. 

Still, you took the man’s hand in your own, following him into the waiting car. 

The deal had been made and you were satisfied with it, though you wouldn’t have been if you turned around in time to see the clock tower crumble to the ground. 

[just-another-obsessed-fangirl]

reputation (2017) sentence prompts

Every love I've known in comparison is a failure

In my dreams, you should see the things we do

I know I'm gonna be with you, so I take my time

Touch me and you'll never be alone

Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted

Younger than my exes but he acts like such a man

No one has to know

I wanna be your end game

You and me, we got big reputations

I got some big enemies

You and me would be a big conversation

You like the bad ones too

I got a bad boy persona, that's what they like

I don't wanna touch you

I don't wanna be just another ex-love you don't wanna see

I don't wanna miss you like the other girls do

I don't wanna hurt you

I just wanna be drinking on a beach with you all over me

I know what they all say

But I ain't tryna play

I got issues and chips on both of my shoulders

In rumors, I'm knee deep

We tried to forget it but we just couldn't

I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put 'em

I swear I don't love the drama, it loves me

Your hand prints on my soul

It's like your eyes are liquor

It's like your body is gold

You've been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks

Here's the truth from my red lips

I never trust a narcissist, but they love me

For every lie I tell them, they tell me three

I can feel the flames on my skin

If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing

I don't regret it one bit 'cause he had it coming

They say I did something bad, then why's it feel so good?

I'd do it over and over and over again if I could

I let them think they saved me

I never trust a playboy

You gotta leave before you get left

Don't throw away a good thing

If he spends my change then he had it coming

They're burning all the witches even if you aren't one

Light me up

Love made me crazy

My drug is my baby

Lord, save me

Toyin' with them older guys

Just playthings for me to use

I've been breakin' hearts a long time

For you, I would cross the line

(They say,) "She's gone too far this time"

My name is whatever you decide

I'm just gonna call you mine

I once was poison ivy, but now I'm your daisy

For you, I would fall from grace

If you walk away, I'd beg you on my knees to stay

I get so high every time you're loving me

Trip of my life every time you're touching me

My reputation's never been worse

You must like me for me

We can't make any promises now, can we, babe?

You can make me a drink

You can meet me in the back

Just think of the fun things we could do

Is it cool that I said all that?

Is it chill that you're in my head

I know that it's delicate

Is it too soon to do this yet?

Handsome, you're a mansion with a view

They say I did something bad, then why's it feel so good?

I'd do it over and over and over again if I could

I let them think they saved me

I never trust a playboy

You gotta leave before you get left

Don't throw away a good thing

If he spends my change then he had it coming

They're burning all the witches even if you aren't one

Light me up

Love made me crazy

My drug is my baby

Lord, save me

Toyin' with them older guys

Just playthings for me to use

I've been breakin' hearts a long time

For you, I would cross the line

(They say,) "She's gone too far this time"

My name is whatever you decide

I'm just gonna call you mine

I once was poison ivy, but now I'm your daisy

For you, I would fall from grace

If you walk away, I'd beg you on my knees to stay

I get so high every time you're loving me

Trip of my life every time you're touching me

My reputation's never been worse

You must like me for me

We can't make any promises now, can we, babe?

You can make me a drink

You can meet me in the back

Just think of the fun things we could do

Is it cool that I said all that?

Is it chill that you're in my head

I know that it's delicate

Is it too soon to do this yet?

Handsome, you're a mansion with a view

Do the girls back home touch you like I do

Long nights with your hands up in my hair

Stay here, honey, I don’t wanna share

(Sometimes I wonder when you sleep) Are you ever dreaming of me?

I pretend you're mine all the damn time

I don't like perfect crime

You laugh when you lie

You said the gun was mine

I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

I've got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined

Look what you made me do

You asked me for a place to sleep, locked me out, and threw a feast

The world moves on another day, another drama

All I think about is karma

Maybe I got mine, but you'll all get yours

I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me

I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams

You make everyone disappear

Cut me into pieces

Gold cage, hostage to my feelings

Tripping when you're gone

When you get me alone, it's so simple

I'm yours to keep and I'm yours to lose

You know I'm not a bad girl but I do bad things with you

I make all your gray days clear

Wear you like a necklace

I'm so chill but you make me jealous

I got your heart skipping when I'm gone

Scratches down your back now

You did a number on me (but honestly, baby, who's counting?)

You should take it as a compliment that I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk

You should think about the consequence of your magnetic field being a little too strong

I got a boyfriend, he's older than us

He's in the club doing I don't know what

You're so cool, it makes me hate you so much

You've ruined my life by not being mine

You're so gorgeous

I can't say anything to your face

I'm so furious at you for making me feel this way

I'm talking to everyone here but you

You should think about the consequence of you touching my hand in a darkened room

If you've got a girlfriend, I'm jealous of her

If you're single, that's honestly worse

You're so gorgeous, it actually hurts

I feel like I might sink and drown and die

You make me so happy, it turns back to sad

There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have

Guess I'll just stumble on home to my cats alone, unless you wanna come along

Nothing good starts in a getaway car

It was the best of times, the worst of crimes

I struck a match and blew your mind

The ties were black, the lies were white

I wanted to leave him (I needed a reason)

"X" marks the spot where we fell apart

He poisoned the well

I was lying to myself

I knew it from the first Old Fashioned, we were cursed

We never had a shotgun shot in the dark

We were flying, but we'd never get far

Don't pretend it's such a mystery

Think about the place where you first met me

There were sirens to the beat of your heart

Should've known I'd be the first to leave

You weren't thinking

I was just drinking

With three of us, honey, it's a sideshow

A circus ain't a love story

And now we're both sorry

It hit you like a shotgun shot to the heart

We were jet-set Bonnie and Clyde (until I switched to the other side)

Us traitors never win

I left you in a motel bar

Put the money in a bag and I stole the keys

That was the last time you ever saw me

I'm better off bein' alone

Now you try on callin' me "Baby" like tryin' on clothes

You move to me like I'm a Motown beat

We rule the kingdom inside my room

'Cause all the boys … never took me quite where you do

You are the one I have been waiting for

King of my hear, body and soul

You're all I want

I'll never let you go

Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep

The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury

Is this the end of all the endings?

My broken bones are mending

All at once this is enough

I loved you in secret

We love without reason

My love had been frozen

Deep blue but you painted me golden

I could've spent forever with your hands in my pockets

Picture of your face in an invisible locket

There was nothing in the world that could stop it

I had a bad feeling

You had turned my bed into a sacred oasis

People started talking, putting us through our paces

I know there was no one in the world who could take it

I loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us

I'm a mess but I'm the mess that you wanted

It's gravity keeping you with me

If I could dance with you again

Our secret moments in a crowded room

They got no idea about me and you

There is an indentation in the shape of you

Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo

My hands are shaking from holding back from you

Say my name and everything just stops

I don't want you like a best friend

Only bought this dress so you could take it off

Carve your name into my bedpost

If I get burned, at least we were electrified

I'm spilling wine in the bathtub

You kiss my face and we're both drunk

Everyone thinks that they know us

Flashback when you met me

Even in my worst times, you could see the best in me

Flashback to my mistakes (my rebounds, my earthquakes)

Even in my worst lies, you saw the truth in me

I wake up by your side

My one and only, my lifeline

Jump into the pool from the balcony

Everyone swimming in a champagne sea

There are no rules when you show up

Why'd you have to rain on my parade?

I'm shaking my head and locking the gates

This is why we can't have nice things

You break them, I had to take them away

Did you think I wouldn't hear all the things you said about me?

It was so nice friends again

There I was giving you a second chance

You stabbed me in the back while shaking my hand

Friends don't try to trick you

And so I took an axe to a mended fence

I'm not the only friend you lost lately

If only you weren't so shady

Here's a toast to my real friends

They don't care about the he-said, she-said

And here's to my baby

He ain't reading what they call me lately

And here's to my mama, had to listen to all this drama

Forgiveness is a nice thing to do

Haha! I can't even say it with a straight face

My castle crumbled overnight

I brought a knife to a gun fight

They took the crown but it's alright

All the liars are calling me one

Nobody's heard from me for months

I'm doing better than I ever was

My baby's fit like a daydream

I'm the one he's talking to

So call it what you want to

Love's me like I'm brand new

All my flowers grew back as thorns

He built a fire just to keep me warm

All the drama queens taking swings

All the jokers dressing up as kings

They fade to nothing when I look at him

I know I make the same mistakes every time

Bridges burn, I never learn

At least I did one thing right

I'm laughing with my lover

Making forts under covers

Starry eyes sparking up my darkest night

I want wear his initial on a chain round my neck

Not because he owns me but 'cause he really knows me

Which is more than they can say

I recall late November

You don't need to save me

But would you run away with me?

Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby

You and me from the night before

Don't read the last page

But I stay when you're lost, and I'm scared, and you're turning away

I want your midnights

I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day

You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi

I can tell that it's gonna be a long road

I'll be there if you're the toast of the town, babe, or if you strike out and you're crawling home

Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you

I will hold on to you

Please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere

You and me forevermore

[thecloserkin]

fic rec: in fire, in ice by moirariordan

fandom: Wizards of Waverly Palace

pairing: Justin Russo/Alex Russo

word count: 25k

Is it canon: Yes

Is it explicit: No

Is it endgame: Yes

Is it shippable: Like fire

It’s an on-the-run story! Where they get fake married! For real this fic is #sibcestgoals. It’s justifiably the most widely read and influential fic in the fandom, whose influence transcends the fandom itself: the tagline ought to be “come to the dark side, we have incest-flavored cookies.” Say you had a friend who had never read a word of fanfiction in their life. For a starter pack you would hand them something like The Shoebox Project, right? Something accessible, for a pairing that’s ludicrously shippable, something that would rip their heart out and leave them aching for more. That’s what this story is. I would have no qualms recc’ing it to anyone on the street. Just look at the testimonials on Fanlore or on the TVTropes rec page —these people can’t all be incest shippers right?

Wizards of Waverly Place was a teen sitcom that aired from 2007-2012 on the Disney Channel, starring Selena Gomez and David Henrie as the titular brother-and-sister wizards. They have parents and a younger brother too but for shipping purposes Justin/Alex is the six-ton orca whale in the room. Justin is two years older, boring and responsible; Alex is the wild child. There’s a lot of banter and a lot of snark and it’s that dynamic where the older male does everything by the book and the younger female character categorically refuses to even crack open the spine of a book. There was a made-for-TV movie in 2009, and 87% of people who caught it while channel-surfing came away under the impression that the male lead was Selena Gomez’s boyfriend. I know this because I conducted a highly scientific poll, obviously.

Let me say upfront that I love this story but every time I read it it’s like I just watched Schindler’s List. It’s literally a story about a wizard Holocaust.

It starts with an old man who accidentally torpedoes the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy (or the in-universe equilavent). It’s important to emphasize how he gives the game away, which is by conjuring a specter of his dead wife, one that unfortunately winds up outliving him; when the police broke his door down they found her weeping over his corpse. He loved her so much he preferred a flimsy facsimile over the lack of her. Or is it that he loved her so little he would settle for a cheap echo? Either way, love is the downfall of the wizarding community. The tension between love and magic is at the heart of this fic, for love is about sacrifice and at its root, so is magic.

The muggles’ initial reaction is consternation. The dead old man was unfortunately in possession of an extensive and illegal magical library, and pretty soon “every New Age hippie who ever read a deck of tarot cards” descends on New York City to pore over it. Consternation turns to fear turns to anger/mistrust turns to outright persecution of wizardkind.

Alex keeps waiting and waiting for someone to do something, to stop it, to make it go away, but nothing happens.

Alex is still in high school. There are people out there every day braying for her blood and calling for her family’s heads on spikes. Plot happens.

“Is this a good thing?” she asks, because Justin always knows what’s good and right and what’s not, and she really needs to know. He’s silent for a very long moment. “I don’t know,” he says, and for some reason this is more terrifying than anything.

She’s relied on Justin all these years to be her moral compass and when he admits he’s at a loss her whole world crumbles. They’re not canonically codependent, I think, but Alex does a lot of shit she wouldn’t otherwise if she wasn’t relying on Justin to bail her out. Likewise Justin resents how Alex’s raw gumption allows her to brazenly bluff her way through stuff he has to work his tail off for. I think Justin gives himself less credit than he deserves because Alex is right, he is insanely smart and talented. There’s an actual no-word-of-a-lie witchhunt going on and Justin still manages to graduate valedictorian.

There’s an underground railroad of sorts that smuggles wizards out, endowing them with new identities and new memories. The Russos grow desperate after Justin and Alex’s mom falls pregnant, but for plot reasons they can’t all be relocated so Justin and Alex stay behind. There are tearful farewells. The plan is to wait until Alex finishes high school, then rejoin the rest of the family. Things get even darker, but Justin “makes her smile like it’s his job.” LIKE IT’S HIS JOB. My friends, this is the good shit right here.

They eat in his room, most of the time, and do homework. Alex knows that he finds it soothing.

It’s a ritual, don’t you see? Other people meditate; Justin does homework. Alex does it too to keep him company. In fact Alex spends a lot of time in Justin’s bed. She’s always falling asleep there or waking up there and it’s not sexual but it gives you an idea of where her head’s at. Once, she slams out of the living room during an argument, and after a disorienting moment realizes it’s not her room she’s retreated into, it’s Justin’s. Her subconscious has obviously decided Justin’s room is the safest sanctuary there is.

Justin takes her out to dinner to celebrate her grades

IT’S A DAAAAATE only neither of them know it yet haha!

When Alex’s lifelong BFF announces she’s joining the Youth Nazi and invites Alex to join up with her, Alex runs away to a bench in Central Park. Justin shows up in short order:

“How’d you find me?”

“Are you kidding? You always come here when you’re upset.” He sits next to her. “Remember the time you ran away when Mom and Dad wouldn’t let you get a ferret?”

Nobody is conflating the pain of being denied a potential pet ferret to the pain of being deemed subhuman by one’s best friend, but the point of this scene is (1) that Justin gets her, in all her melodramatic over-the-top pettiness, and (2) Justin notices and remembers which bench she prefers — it’s a big gorram park after all. Eventually the political situation comes to a head and Justin and Alex decide it’s not safe to stay in New York City any longer, and they gather up their cash and bounce. Once they leave they have no way of getting back in touch with their parents but they have no choice; it’s too dangerous to stay:

They sleep in cheap motels and pay in cash under fake names, staying under the radar as much as possible because they’re not sure what else to do. They run out of cash in Maryland and get a decent hotel room under the fake account name.

They stop in Indianapolis to celebrate Justin’s twentieth birthday. Alex scores some champagne with one of the fake IDs she’d snagged before leaving New York and they drink it in a hotel room, the TV off and knees touching on the bed

They make it to Denver and get a small apartment and tell everyone they’re newlyweds and Alex dyes her hair red

OMG THEY’RE FAKE MARRIED I AM DECEASED

p sure there was also blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bedsharing in the hotel room

Alex’s hair color is a solid proxy for her state of mind

They save half their money each month in case they have to run again, and for a little bit, things are kind of nice. After her shifts, Alex will walk to the library where Justin works and sit at a table behind the corner with him, reading history books and novels.

Ladies and gentlemen I give you Alex Russo, the girl who a few months ago wouldn’t know which end of a book was up. She learns to love BOOKS and LIBRARIES on JUSTIN’S account and that is everything. Well, this is a nice respite but it doesn’t last and they have to keep running because Alex is assaulted at her waitressing job by a creepy customer who won’t take no for an answer. It’s a highly unrealistic stranger-in-a-dark-alley attempted assault situation but I will let that slide because the point is she instinctively spews magic in self-defense, which of course will bring the authorities down on them in no time. She’s scared shitless and she runs straight into Justin’s arms, the only place she feels safe:

Justin nearly freaks when he sees her, dragging her into the back office and touching her face, her arms, over and over as if to reassure himself that she’s okay. He sees the scrapes on her back and frowns, pulling off his soft cotton jacket and wrapping it around her as she explains what happened in a monotone voice. “We have to go,” she says, “tonight.” He nods and kisses her nose. “You did what you had to do,” he says, and something tight unravels because he’s not mad.

There is so much tenderness in that nose kiss. I feel like they’ve been partners for a long time but this is where it really clicks that Justin’s not “in charge” anymore, he’s not the older brother who knows best, they’re just two teenagers clinging to each other on a life raft because they are everything the other has left.

“The baby must be three years old now,” Alex muses. The champagne they’re drinking isn’t nearly enough to get them wasted, and she suddenly wishes that they were the type of people who get drunk. “Max is fifteen. In high school.”

This made me so sad, how they used to be a five-person family unit and now Alex and Justin are cut adrift and they’ve formed a unit of their own but they’ll never stop missing the others.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you with straight hair since New York,” he says when she emerges from the bathroom. He flicks her bangs away from her face. “You usually look like a street urchin.”

All the hairstyle changes for disguise purposes but she’s still his sister underneath. He’d know her anywhere. Here’s the scene where they first kiss — they’re standing on their own doorstep, having gone out to celebrate his birthday, and Alex (as you would expect) initiates it:

He narrows his eyes at her and she looks, looks, because she can’t have read this wrong – no, she didn’t. There is nothing in the world that she knows better than Justin – his face, his body, his head, his mind, his heart.

Yesssss I need it like air. Later:

(They don’t talk about what happened on his birthday, but they’ve started asking for single rooms.)

Eventually they settle in rural Italy, which I guess doesn’t have the same 24-hour surveillance panopticon that we have here in the USA so it’s easier for wizards to slip through the cracks. I like to imagine them in in the Tuscan hills. Justin is a schoolteacher and Alex a graphic designer. They remain for many years below the radar, until Alex is recruited into the Resistance to help smuggle other wizards out through the Underground Railroad the same way she and Justin were smuggled out. She feels a moral obligation to do it, even if it kills Justin to watch her diving repeatedly into danger and him unable to follow.

She’s never been that great at protecting people, she knows. When she was seven and Justin was nine, there’d been a bully that lived in the apartment  building across the street who used to try and steal her lunch money every day, and every day she would offer Justin’s in return for her own relief. When she was twelve and he was fourteen, they broke Theresa’s glass statuette from Barcelona during a fight and she blamed him without a second thought, and when she was seventeen and he was nineteen, she let him pass up freedom in order to protect her and she will never forget all that he gave up the day he made that decision.

Alex’s great grief is that Justin has given up an assuredly brilliant future, in which he would have shone as a superstar and had his pick of careers, in exchange for being hers.

“You’re so smart, and grown up and good and – and handsome, and I’m irresponsible and immature and –“

She sees his being with her as a sacrifice. She doesn’t know anything about sacrifice yet. She finds her parents living in the same apartment in New York they fled so many lives ago. They’re waiting for Justin and Alex to come back, or send word, or something. It exposes them to an acute degree of risk, of course. Alex orchestrates the Resistance mission to evacuate/relocate her parents, but she does not reveal herself nor reconnect with them. She lets them go. It’s unclear why, although I suspect it would be tough to have a relationship with them without dealing with the elephant in the room, the fact that she and Justin are now together. Yet I think it was important for her to see her parents one last time, because it gave her closure. After she returns to Italy she and Justin welcome their first child. The baby is a mini-dynamo and a nexus of magical potential, sending up trails of rainbow sparks even in utero, so Alex makes the painful decision to give up her powers for good. This means she will be mortal, and so will the child, and any future children or grandchildren. It also means she and Justin will be allowed to stay under the radar and hang onto the life they have painstakingly built. Remember how I said that the root of both love and magic is sacrifice? This is the sacrifice that defines Alex Russo, that she was willing to give up magic -- the thing that has shaped her identity for twenty-odd years -- in order to be with Justin.

[marzipandox]

The Witch of The Wilds has been harassing the town of Adlersbrunn for years, but it comes to a head when Fareeha finds herself trapped between a terrible circumstance; let herself fall into the hands of The Witch, or let The Witch destroy her town. But The Witch is not all that she seems either, and Fareeha may just find a horrific past and an ulterior motive under the sweet honey smiles of The Witch.

Oh snap, its a Pharmercy halloween fic!! I’m going to post the chapter under the cut as well, but it’d mean a lot if you read the original and its other chapters at the source!

    Overhead, quiet as an owl, soared a woman of extraordinary intelligence. She was a fey individual, a terrible trickster who spent her free time ruining the lives of others in any way she saw fit. Her mouth watered and her eyes stretched wider as she stared into the darkness about her, like she could see through the fog and gloom into the very souls of every living thing that existed below her, all the way down to bugs and beyond. She couldn’t help but let out a delighted squeal, leaning harshly to one side to spin her about on her long, thin broom. With unearthly speed, she zipped above the thick forest below her towards a tall, crumbling castle high upon a cliff. Below her the forest cleared where a lake had formed, and seeing her own reflection below her almost spooked the Witch enough to crash, but she recovered from the shock of seeing her own shape and pulled on her broom to bring herself back up. She continued to make a beeline for the castle before her.

    As she drew closer, she saw something that made her giddier than a child with a new toy: the castle was packed with people, lights shining in every window, and the trail leading up was packed with carriages and carts and groups of people, funneling further into the castle. This was going to be just wonderful! She thought with utter certainty. She slowed her travel, swinging around the back of the stone structure to see if there was some unguarded entrance she could sneak in through. She found a window with no lights in it: just an empty, abandoned room. She wrestled the glass pane in, slid it to the floor, and wiggled in after it, rolling away giggling. Getting up and dusting herself off, she kept the window open, in case she needed to make an escape.

    "Oh, Reaper~!" She called into the darkened guest room. It made sense in her impish mind for her to take it; she was a guest, after all, and had one of her own on the way. The darkness grew and swelled, and before her stood the hunched form of what looked to be a headless horseman, minus a horse. He was tall and strongly-built, and filled the room with light from his well-carved replacement head. The collar to his coat went high along the sides of his head and cast strange shadows upon the wall when he looked about.

    "Gabriel, darling," The Witch purred, clasping her hands and setting them against her cheek in a begging motion. "Will you be so kind as to guard me tonight?” She asked, syrup-sweet, though she knew full well that he could not refuse her. “I don’t want to be interrupted when I step outside to do a touch of work."

    "Fine…" He grumbled softly, turning away from her towards the door, but left opening it to her, out of spite. The Witch saddled her hovering broom and pulled a thick book from her hip, flipping through it leisurely. The Reaper pulled two large shotguns from his coat and leaned against the door, grumbling with his impatience. The Witch sat up suddenly, pleased with what she’d found. Returning the book to her side, she yanked the door open and flew out with incredible speed, squealing giddily as she zipped down the corridor towards the festival halls, huge and bright and decorated. The Witch delighted as what was originally the cheer and chatter of partiers turned into screams of fear and surprise as they noticed her and the Reaper trailing after. She looked below her and saw their shocked faces. Being All Hallow's Eve, they were all dressed up, but not a single one had dared dress up as her. Good choice on their part, she thought. The Reaper had taken the form of unearthly black smoke which swirled and morphed as it slunk behind the speeding witch.

    Wasting no time for fear of his escape, the Witch dove through the doorway of the throne room, coming to a screeching stop before the King, who stared up at her like a man caught stealing. The Witch found his surprise and fear absolutely adorable, and couldn’t help but lick her lips as she soaked it up. How she wished she could have it frozen and hung on her bedroom wall – but this was not the time to lament. No, she was much too busy. The guards that protected the King rushed to get him from the hall to a safer location, but the Reaper quickly took care of them, leaving bloody pools lifeless corpses where they once stood. The civilians still in the room raced out, fearing for their lives. Unprotected and outmatched, the King could do little more than sit there to see what the Witch wanted.

    "Reinhardt~! Long time no see, darling!!" The Witch giggled like a schoolgirl as she stared at him, lying down on her broom before flipping over to hang upside down. The Reaper stood off to the side, his guns drawn threateningly.

    "What do you want, witch?" The King growled, leaning forward in his chair.

    "So rude! To think the only reason I would visit the great king was because I wanted something? I'm truly hurt, Wilhelm!" The Witch set her hands over her heart, pouting at him. She couldn’t keep her serious attitude for long, and couldn't help but laugh as she dropped to her feet.

    "No, you're correct," she purred, sauntering up to the larger man. "All I want from you is my payment! It's All Hallow's Eve, dear King! And I was true to our pact – but you, you haven't even lifted a finger to fulfill your side. You owe me quite a lot of books! Books I know you can’t pull from behind your chair like I know you wish you could. How terrible would it be for your citizens to learn that you're this untrustworthy! That the whole reason they've been safe this past year has not, in fact, been because you're the strong leader they think you are? That it's because you made a pact with a terrible witch?!" She wailed dramatically, collapsing against the arm of his throne. She theatrically set a hand to her forehead, barely containing a giggle. "Oh no, we couldn’t have that, could we~?" She walked her fingers up his arm, fluttering her eyelashes at him, before she pulled herself back up and waltzed away to drape herself over the Reaper.

    "And, as incredibly powerful as I am, my dear Reaper could very well go rogue, having been betrayed like this – he's tied in too, you know – and that'd just be terrible, wouldn’t it? So –" she stood before him again, arms crossed and feet set wide apart. "What shall you do, dear King?"

    The King was visibly conflicted. Frankly, he had no clue what he could offer her; the Witch was a picky woman, and convincing her would not be done easily. "Will you take money? Land? What can I give you?" the King asked, cursing himself for showing his ignorance.

    The Witch grinned wide as she realized what he’d said, eyes shining bright. She nearly drooled with the thought of the opportunity, rising high on her broom. "Oh, dear King, I don’t want money! No, I want something of true, usable value! Perhaps… a life or two~?"

    She landed gracefully again, drawing close with her broom in hand. "Do you remember that one woman you hired? A certain… Alchemist? Yes, the Alchemist. How rude that old bat is! Did she tell you she shot me in the chest? Hurt terribly, too. The only reason she didn’t take me down was that you didn’t give the poor woman iron bullets! Your loss, too." She pouted once more, tracing a nasty little circular scar upon the skin above her heart. "Well, I learned she has a daughter – how wonderful for her, yes? So, all I want from you is her daughter. Bring me the Alchemist's daughter, alive, and all will be forgiven~."

    "What!? That is an impossible demand!" He finally stood, stepping forward to intimidate The Witch but she didn’t move at all from her position.

    "It's difficult yes, but I'm certain you can do it! Besides, if you don’t, it'll go poorly in your favor." She lowered her head, staring at him with hardening eyes.

    "And if I don't?" The King challenged, crossing his arms as he stared The Witch down.

    "Oh, but you will, King. Because if you won't, your knights and dear hailed heroes will not be able to protect you, for I have a weapon I have not yet unleashed upon you, one that no one could stop. So you will do this, or you will die." For the first time, her face went hard and cold, a deep, angry scowl on her face.

    The King wanted to call her bluff, say she was lying, but he had experienced her enough in the past to know The Witch did not lie. “Lying is a sin, and I do not sin.” The Witch would say, as if her mere existence wasn’t a sin. With no other choice, The King agreed. "… Fine, Witch. But if I do this, you will not return to my castle under any circumstances, understood?" The King threatened as much as he could.

    The Witch only sighed and nodded as her face went soft with her smile, knowing well that she had won. "I promise on my life, I will not return to your castle if you pay me this. But, that does not bar me from your town. Know that, dear King.

    "Oh, and one last thing," she hopped back onto her broom, facing away from him to fly her way out of the hall. "I would like The Alchemist's daughter by the 13th. I will visit you that day for her, and if you do not have her, that night I will attack you. Understood? Wonderful. Goodbye King! And good luck!" And without waiting for his response, she took off laughing, knowing she had won this battle and prevented any in the future. The Reaper took off behind her once more as a cloud of smoke, and just like that, the two were gone into the night. This left the poor King to sit alone and ponder how he was to accomplish this terrible task he was forced to complete.

[asunafairywizardessheart]

Unplanned Date

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS PROMPT: KLAUS/ASANA

REQUESTED BY: @roseinaloiney She requested number 2, pretend to be dating.

SUMMARY: Asana’s parents are alive in this one and she has an older brother, but her parents are away and her brother doesn’t land until the morning, so a customer to the vet clinic, Klaus Goldstein, asks her to be his pretend girlfriend to show up his parents.

Extravagant and elegant dinner parties is not she is used to, and she looked and felt out of place sitting at this table. Though, she sat here as part of a lie, pretending to be the girlfriend of Klaus Goldstein in the face of his parents and his extended family, invited to their annually, and very private, elegant Christmas feast.

Expertly designed, a large wreath of green ferns and Christmas cherries, topped with a bow, and with three large ignited red candles, created a beautiful centrepiece on the white clothed and golden-legged table. Set on dim, the crystal chandelier hovered above the centre of the dining table, enchanting the ignited wicks of the candles and filling the room in a warm light.

Shadows of the guests reflected in the white polished marble floors, even the walls and the ceiling, though shining with golden features, reflected the fusion of colour of the beautiful designer gowns, worn by women who had the faces of Princess, and the luxury suits of the men, who had the handsomeness of Princes. Looking down at her own dress, she felt second-class compared to the other women sitting at this table. Fine art, antique furniture and well-designed vases of flowers, big and small, gave the Goldstein Mansion a palace feeling.

Weaving between the gaps in the various lively conversations, a smooth melody of violins and piano playing the hymns of Christmas is just audible, giving a joyous mood to the festive holiday. Then, there was the food, as if the elegance of the party had not already been showing off.

Gourmet creations, cooked by a hired chef and served by hired wait staff, the food centralised around Christmas: delicious works of art presented on a plate. On the back of the place card, Asana had already read the course of the meals for the dinner. To start, honey roasted carrot soup, the main course a choice of roasted duck with applesauce, roasted potato and asparagus salad or a butternut squash tart for the vegetarians, and lastly, for dessert, an apple, cinnamon and raisin tart with cream. Optional, a mini mince pie and a fill of tea.

Right now, as she looked around the beautiful room, she wondered how she managed to get into this mess and really wanted to be at her family’s ranch outside the city, with her family. Though, she was alone this year, and tasked with looking after her father’s clinic for the next three-months, her brother, though, returning home in the early hours of tomorrow morning after more than one year abroad.

She pinched herself in the arm to assure herself she wasn’t dreaming, “Ow,” she complained, pinching herself a little too hard.

“Why did you pinch yourself?” a familiar voice asked her, and she glanced to her right.

Sitting beside her, is the son of one of her father’s most valued customers and top donors to their wildlife shelter, and a man she often sees around the city and in her father’s veterinary clinic, where she too works as a veterinarian, Klaus Goldstein. Through the clinic and working nearby each other, they had developed both a professional relationship and a personal friendship.

“Oh, just making sure…I’m not dreaming, that’s all,” she answered, cheerfully smiling at him but internally crumbling at the thoughts going through her mind, hoping the night was nearly over, “Um…this night is nearly over, right?”

All evening and into the night, various members of his family, especially his parents and older brother, had been asking all kinds of questions about their relationship and how they become a couple. She struggled for answers, and, like an actor fooling people into believing his performance, Klaus remained calm and cool.

Apart from imagining her father’s scolding voice, her own little voice in the back of her mind convinced her, his family were beginning to suspect their lie, and images of all kinds of scenarios began to plague her mind. How would she explain herself to her his family?

“Do you want to run away from me that quickly?” he laughed, his lips curling into a teasing smirk that both frustrated her and yet, made her weak to him. He has an honest yet harsh nature about him, but she could see a decent man and wouldn’t lie in saying she felt an attraction to him. Aside from being rude and mean when he talks, Klaus has a handsome physique and face to rival the mythological Gods of Greece. “Relax, would you? If you remain tense, they will see through our lie.”

Voluminous chatter shielded their conversation, so they could talk freely about the little façade but in body language they looked like a couple completely in love. “Relax, huh? I’m glad you don’t have to think about the consequences if they find out that we’re lying.”

“Oh, you mean the unprofessionalism in dating the son of the family who donates money to your family’s shelter?” Klaus wondered if that was the case, and smirked at her, flicking her little nose, “We donate willingly, not because we have a contract with your father’s business or anything, but because my parents love animals and the Way Veterinary House, Wildlife Rescue and Animal Shelter are passionate about the animals they care for. We respect the work you and your family do.”

“Did you have to flick my nose?” she glared at him in response.

He smirked, unthreatened by her narrowed pink eyes, “Well, I did get to see your cute angry face so it was worth it.”

Hearing him tell her that she’s cute, caused her cheeks to change colour by turning red, “That blush is cute too,” he teased, pinching her cheeks this time, and vanishing the embarrassment and turning it back into anger.

“Are you always this rude and mean?” she questioned, looking him directly in the eye, “…I didn’t have to do this tonight, so be nice to me. Seriously, I had plenty of things to do tonight then pretend to be your girlfriend,” that was a lie, but she hoped the bluff would work.

Knowing that she couldn’t tell a lie, her gaze averted to the side after she had told her bluff, but it was not convincing him. A bright smirk braced his features, “If you had plans already, why did you agree to do this for me? You could have said no.”

“…I…,” caught, she should have been prepared for that question, but the truth was is she would be sitting at home, watching romantic Christmas movies eating popcorn and ice cream in her underwear, but she was not about to tell him that, “…Shut up. Still, why did you ask me to do this?”

She deserved to at least know that much, even if she had nothing to do and was asked by Klaus so suddenly to pretend to be his girlfriend for the night. “I’ll tell you that later, but I am happy that you are here. It makes tonight…bearable,” his words this time were honest, and that teasing smile had vanished.

“…Okay,” she agreed to that condition, and felt herself blushing.

“Seriously, though, why are you alone this Christmas?” Klaus wondered, taking a spoonful of his dessert course, the last meal of the night before this party would finally finish, “Did your parents go somewhere?”

She nodded and replied after swallowing a spoonful of her dessert, “…My parents celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary on the 28th of December, and they have always wanted to travel across the southern hemisphere, they will be gone for three-months and I will be in charge of the shelter and clinic while they are gone. I have an older brother who’s coming home tomorrow, though.”

“I had no idea you had a brother.”

“You never asked if I did have a brother.”

“Are you two close?” he asked, interested.

“Yes, but I don’t get to see him often because of his job.”

“What does he do?”

“He’s a photographer and cinematographer,” she replied, and tried to put into words the best way to describe his job, “He takes photos and videos of animals in their environments and publishes his findings in magazines and documentaries. His work has been included in heaps of documentaries for biologists. He travels to some of the most remote places on the planet, like he’s been to the very top of a volcano, he’s climbed mountains where the air is really thin…he’s like a daredevil.”

“Sounds interesting,” Klaus laughed, giving her his full attention and finding it hard to peel his eyes away from her. He asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend because his parents were trying to arrange for him to marry, but he insisted he had a girlfriend, when really, he still pursued her.

After sorting through his own feelings and realising he has feelings for her, he needed the right time to properly ask her out on a date, especially after tonight has confirmed how much he truly does like her. The “fake” kisses they have so far shared were anything but fake to them.

“Hey, I will walk you home after this, alright.”

“Thank you.”

Finally, saying their goodbyes, she could sigh in the relief she no longer had to lie and felt the tension fall off her shoulders with the chilly breeze floating low between the city buildings.

Calling a taxi, Klaus escorted her home and never realised how much time had passed them, “It’s later than I expected. I apologise for brining you home so late,” he turned to her but her head was on his shoulder and she was fast asleep.

Pushing her fringe back, he decided to let her sleep off some of the wine she had been drinking. He knew the wine was vintage and the alcohol percentage would likely have been higher than she could handle. Wrapping his arm around her, he let his body warmth keep her warm from the chilly air, and looked outside the window.

Visible streaks of fog floated between the high buildings of the city, blurring the traffic lights and people walking along the sidewalks. Hardly a car was on the road, but a few police cars were patrolling the area. Asana lived in an apartment in a well secured area of the city, and not far from where his apartment either.

With her street in view, Klaus gently woke her up but the task was more difficult than he thought. He shook her but her eyelids refused to open, he spoke loudly to her but he still received no response, “You leave me no choice,” he motioned, and pinched her nostrils together where she struggled to breath. Finally, he could see her eyelids open and her pink eyes staring back at him groggily.

“Sorry, but I tried everything else to wake you up,” he apologised, “We are nearly at your place.”

“Oh…thanks,” she blushed, and straightened herself out as the taxi pulled over to the curb and parked in front of a tall building with secured doors with surveillance cameras out front.

Klaus helped her out of the taxi and paid the fare, leaving the taxi driver with a festive tip and walked her to the door of her apartment. “Aren’t you getting back in?” she asked, seeing him pay the driver.

“I only live a street away, so I’ll be fine if I walk from here.”

Digging around her handbag for the door key, she faced Klaus once she found it, “…Um…did you want to come inside for a cup of tea or something?”

He shook his head, “I’ll raincheck that,” he smiled and watched her hopeful face crumble, that look tugged at his heart and his smile widened, “Listen, about tonight. Thank you for doing it. Like I said, if you had said no, I would understand.”

She smiled at him, “Are you going to tell me why you asked me to do it? I’m sure a man like you could have hired another girl to be your girlfriend, why did you chose me?”

“My parents…have been trying to set me up with the daughter of a wealthy Lord over in England. I have never met her, and I am not the kind of person who would marry for money. To get them off my case, I told them I am seriously involved with another woman,” he paused and looked her straight in the eye as he spoke, “I chose you because it was the easiest option.”

As they talked, another yellow taxi pulled over to the curb on the other side of the road. A handsome and tall man with shoulder length dark brown hair stepped out of the vehicle and removed his luggage from the trunk, leaving the taxi driver with a fare and a good tip, “Happy holidays, sir,” he spoke kindly and softly, and attention turned to the two figures in front of him.

His sister with a blonde-haired man, he didn’t recognise, “Oh? Little sister, who is this?” he wondered, and waited, keeping a close eye on the pair, not aware she had boyfriend.

“What do you mean by ‘easy’?” she asked, not growing offended yet until she had a full explanation.

“…Because, I can’t act unconvincingly around my parents…if the girl I like is helping me,” he confessed, “I have feelings for you, and I have for quite some time now. Honestly, sometimes, I use my pets as an excuse to come see you by the clinic and I know every morning you stop at McJeffery’s Coffee House…,” he trailed off, not wishing to sound creepy or uncool in her presence.

“…Oh, I see…,” she didn’t quite expect him to come right out and admit it so confidently.

Her eyes averted and her response, didn’t leave much room for encouragement, “You don’t feel the same way?” he asked, and at some point, had started holding her hand.

She shook her head and returned her gaze to him, “No…I was surprised to hear you say that…,” she shyly replied but felt triumphant in her heart because she felt the same way, “…It’s just…I have feelings for you too.”

Tobias looked on like he was watching a romantic comedy, and watched this unknown man move his body closer to his little sister. Seeing her smile, Klaus smiled too, and pressed his lips to hers. Her hand moved from where it rested on his chest to wrap around his neck while his arms wrapped around her body.

Deepening their kiss, Klaus hugged her close to his body to keep her warm from the cold air. With the flow of the kiss, her lips parted to invite in more of his taste, self-control starting to fade. “Um…awkward now,” Tobias scratched his head from behind the kissing couple, breaking up the kissing.

“Tobias?! When do you land?”

“I took an earlier flight because I felt bad that you were alone, but I see you’re not alone,” he smiled, and turning his attention towards Klaus.

Before, in the shade of the night and in the light of the apartment’s outside lights, he couldn’t make out the figure of a Goldstein hugging his little sister in his arms. Having never met Tobias, Klaus turned to Asana for an explanation, “Um…Klaus this is my brother, Tobias. Tobias…this is my…um…,” she didn’t know if she was supposed to call him her boyfriend since they’ve only just come from a party where she had to pretend to be his girlfriend, and just now confessed their feelings for each other.

Klaus extended his hand out to Asana’s brother and finished the sentence she was unsure about putting into words, “I am Asana’s boyfriend, Klaus Goldstein. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you Tobias. I have heard a lot about you.”

Tobias laughed, “That’s funny, because I’ve never heard anything about you or how on this planet my little sister managed to nab herself a Goldstein?”

Stomping on his foot, Asana glared at him, “How am I supposed to talk to you when you go to remote places where we can’t reach you? Secondly, quit embarrassing me,” she whispered to him, “Make yourself useful, and disappear for a minute.”

“Geez, talk about a greeting,” Tobias screwed up his face in slight pain, “Gone for a year and a half and the first thing you do is stomp on my foot. I just want to know your boyfriend, why don’t you come upstairs for a cup of tea? I have something really exciting to show you Asana, and your boyfriend is a Goldstein, so he’s an animal lover too, right?”

Klaus was about to go home, but seeing that he had the rare chance of meeting her brother, he accepted the offer of going upstairs. “I accept your invitation,” Klaus agreed, “Did you need help carrying your bags upstairs?”

“Oh no, I travel light with all the places I go. The other bag is just my camera equipment,” he smiled and carried his bags with ease.

With his offer of help declined, Klaus took her hand as the stepped inside the elevator that would take them to the floor of her apartment. This time, they didn’t have to pretend being couple because their love story had just begun.