#although I couldn't think why because I look hideous in them

[pourablecat]

What if I also gave Cheery glasses.

[g-xix]

i literally NEED dating headcannons for Ginge😰PLEASE IM BEGGING

☁️AngryGinge13 Dating Headcanons

-Right, we all know how this man loves his lil Lightning McQueen Crocs -Now imagine that was the first present he ever got you. -You always let him know that you HATED crocs and that you thought they were SO UGLY... -Which is why for your birthday when you opened up a pair of Lightning McQueen crocs to match his own "hideous" pair, you were completely deadpan whereas Ginge was almost crying from laughter -Unfortunately, when the strap of your sliders broke, you did have to resort to the McQueen crocs... -And they ended up growing on you... -First time Ginge showed up to your house unexpectedly and caught you wearing the crocs he was laughing and videoing it in sheer disbelief and triumph over the fact he'd won you over with the crocs -They're comfy asw, although you'd never admit that to Ginge... -Oh, and if you're ever packing to go to a hotel or an overnight stay or anything, Morgan always reminds you to take your McQueen crocs or just packs them whilst you're asleep with a post-it note with an annoying little smiley face drawn on. -He was so obsessed with these McQueen crocs asw, that he saw a TikTok on his fyp of a couple doing the shoes trend thingie and he joked with chat that he should do that with his missus... But then he came home and ACTUALLY ENDED UP MAKING YOU DO WITH THE LIGHTNIGN MCQUEEN CROCS AND ALL... -(Acc kinda cute though) -This is what it turned out to look like:

Cute!!!

-Anyways, we all know Ginge is a big football player -Our favourite goalie, blocked the goal more times than he's cockblocked himself and not realised it until an hour later -You love going and watching his games -Not massive on watching sports, only really like the world cup and euros... -But seeing your boyfriend out and playing on the pitch has you some type of way -You're either up on your feet cheering him on, sat down with your head in your hands absolutely bricking it, or trying not to pass out because of how hot Morgan looks with his hands above his head, hair messy and out of place as he grins and kicks the ball out to the midfield -Either way, you're always gushing when he comes out of the locker room- grabbing his hand and telling him how good that one save was -He loves it to be honest, even after in his eyes he's had a shit game, in your eyes he's always the star player and he loves how you never fail to show that -When he comes back as well, you make him lie his ass down -Get him to lie on his front so that you can give a back massage and get all those tight knots out his back bc he gets SO stiff (😏🤭) -You need to smack a hand over his mouth because he fully GROANS every time you're getting the knots -You're hissing at him shut up before everyone downstairs think we're- -He let's out ANOTHER ungodly loud groan whilst has you threatening to leave the massage right there and then if he doesn't get his act straight -He also INSISTS he doesn't groan but that he grunts (as if that makes it any better???) -Once you're done, you get up from the bed and smack his ass to indicate it's done (and just to get a grip of the WHOLE BAKERY) -One time there wasn't a Sunday match so he stayed home instead, and ended up asking whether you wanted a massage -You agreed, not thinking anything could go wrong... -WRONG. -Bro literally straddled you to "get the technique right" -It felt INCREDIBLY painful but Morgan was insistent that was just because you were stiff, and the massage was going to make it better -Came away from that feeling stiffer than before... -Later that night you lifted your shirt and looked back into the mirror... -You had fucking BRUISES from how hard Morgan had been pressing -Morgan was horrified seeing it as well, smacking a hand over his mouth and tracing over the marks with a finger as if he couldn't believe it -Apologised profusely and gave you a massive bear hug, apologising for a straight minute despite the fact he was amused by it, as indicated by the wide grin on his face. -Did make up for it by getting you your favourite takeout and cuddling you all night until you fell asleep though, arms around your waist and legs tucked up against yours until he felt your breathing rate slow, indicating you'd fallen asleep.

-And right, I know Autumn's usually quite shitty- rain and proper chilly.... But imagine forcing Ginge to do an aesthetic, couples Autumn with you. -Would do baking at least once a week with him and fight the urge to throw flour at him every time he slammed the oven shut, looked across the room and groaned as he realised he forgot to put the sugar in... -First time you baked together, you tried to make cinnabuns with icing and all, for a stream -Instead you ended up doing the spoon-of-cinnamon challenge, almost choking, Ginge going bright red in the face and coughing up clouds of brown, powder-cinnamon like a dragon... -Oh, and Morgan went super-sus as soon as you started making the icing- picking up the spoon and watching it dribble down time and time again, either making zesty jokes or asking "How many people watching this probably have a boner because of this icing?" -The image of Morgan with icing all over his tongue became all of Ginge's Twitter replies for the next month. -And Morgan buys you candles every time he goes out to add to your collection which you light up whenever the two of you do movie nights together... -Oh, and another stream the two of you tried: pumpkin carving: +You laughed at how the pumpkin was Ginge's third cousin (the ginger hair gene's proper strong in his family...) +Morgan ended up accidentally slicing his finger and yelling that Chucky was gonna sniff him out and BUM HIM that night (You watched Chucky just the other night but didn't know where Morgan got the bum stuff from...) +Morgan tried to spray stuff from an aerosol and light it on fire instead of lighting his little tea light... -Fair to say that the clips from that stream went very viral.

-The two of you have SUCH different date night ideas as well. -I wanna say that you'd have a lot more aesthetic, quite cute little date nights, a bit more indoorsy and intimate... -But whenever Morgan organises date nights, it's absolute CHAOS. -You organise movie nights with pillow forts and homemade snacks; boardgame nights with homemade s'mores; Mario Kart tournaments with forfeits... -Most outdoorsy date idea you organised was a Summer picnic on Primrose Hill the day after the Sidemen Charity match, as a little London date -You didn't plan any dates after that because that date ended with some teen-roadmen insisting on joining your picnic in their bally's and all, and a whole load of pictures of yourself and Ginge all over Twitter :/ -But aside from that, what date nights did Ginge organise? -Well, he liked doing stream dates like the pumpkin carving stream -But he also considers his fifa streams where he gets you in as dates, despite the fact you're bored off your arse opening packs -Most fun streamed date night that Ginge had organised was the one just a few days before Halloween where the two of you played horror games together. -You started with the classic FNAF game 1 as a warmup which had Ginge a lot more scared than you (although at one point you did a little jump... which did make you accidentally topple off the chair, much to Morgan's amusement as he scream-laughed at you on the floor) -Playing Silent Hill had Morgan silenced though, as he insisted on you sitting on his lap to play so that he could bury his head between your neck and shoulder and hide behind your body whenever there was a jumpscare -You'd be getting butterflies as he holds his arms around your waist, squeezing you tightly whenever he started getting scared there'd be a jumpscare and resting his head on your shoulder... You're absolutely trying your best to focus on the game and not get flustered and dopily smile whilst the stream could see your every expression -Lots of cutesy edits came out the next day of how Ginge was "so in love with you" from the way he held you and looked at you in that horror stream... And you favourited every single one. -Those were some of the less chaotic streams though. -One time he installed speakers in his room and little fireworks and got you to play fifa against him- whenever one of you scored he'd blow an airhorn and play GET HYPER! loudly from the speakers, making you let out a scream every time a fireworks was set off behind you, charring the ceiling from the mini-explosion. -Another time he arranged a theme park date which was all good and fun apart from when after the first rollercoaster, Morgan realised he HATED rollercoasters and you LOVED them. -And you had a strong stomach, whereas Morgan felt queasy after each ride despite not even eating a thing beforehand. -Meanwhile you were eating all of the festive food: Caramel apple? Scranned. Candyfloss? Gone. Chocolate-dipped and icing-powdered churros? Absolutely decimated. -Ginge only touched food when the ice cream man tried to do the tricks with the icecream cone, flipping it around your hands so that you couldn't TOUCH the ice cream. Morgan was too quick, swiping the ice cream when the icecreaman least expected it- but also accidentally crushing the cone over the head of a toddler who was stood in front of you. -You tried not to laugh as Morgan profusely apologised to the crying four-year-old, trying to silence the youngling with "Any ice cream you want! You can have three scoops- oh please stop crying!" -Also get off from a rollercoaster and saw they had a little photobooth! -Ofc forced him to go in there 😍😍

-You thought the photos were done after just 2 pictures and left Ginge confused in the last one looking like that... -Had a heart-swell moment the next morning when you saw Morgan had posted it to his insta story with a little "<3 @yourUser" despite not being overenthusiastic to take the pictures in the first place 🥰

----

Quick lil amalgamation of Ginge HC's following the sdmn vid - send in more ginge requests though! Mocks finish this week and the new vid has me a little bit FERAL for Ginge, so flood the inbox w all your ginge ideas or even your own Ginge HC's, and I hope you enjoyed this quick little upload!!!

Hope you enjoyed reading!! Feel free to interact- whether that be a comment, vote or follow! Requests open, feel free to submit what u wanna see... Much love!!

To see more, here's my MASTERLIST

And here's my WATTPAD, with 50+ more oneshots to read

[mybelovedwoo]

in which you go on a getaway

wooyoung x f!reader

fluff, established relationship / wc: 1.1k

warnings: a creepy looking man, kissing

note: this is the continuation of this drabble. so read it first if you haven't yet. <3

wooyoung masterlist - main masterlist

Wooyoung promised he would take you on a romantic getaway a couple of days ago, so you could reconnect with each other again. Although, when you said yes to him, you didn't know he has already everything planned out, and was ready to go. Lately, you've been both working a lot, so it seemed necessary for him to spend some time together, just the two of you, far away from your usual habitats.

You only left half an hour ago, but you already have to pee so badly. But you'd rather keep quiet and say nothing because you know if you admit it and tell him to stop for a bathroom break, he would tease you nonetheless and would say "he said so", that's just not gonna happen. Yeah, this situation happens quite frequently, but it's not like you haven't gone to the bathroom before you left your apartment, it's more like a nerve thing.

"You know I'm really surprised we didn't have to stop yet," Wooyoung told you. His eyes are fixed on the road, both hands on the steering wheel, you wouldn't think so, but he is actually a very careful driver, especially when you are in the car too.

"Yeah" You bite into your lower lips. You couldn't lie for god's sake, and you hated to too actually, especially to him. After that, you stayed silent.

Your boyfriend noticed how this unusuality, you both are very talkative people, and with each other silence is not known at all. It didn't take him long to figure out what was behind it.

"You really have to pee, right?" You looked at him very quickly, your eyes completely wide. As if he was reading your mind, kinda creepy. You just nodded, too embarrassed to actually say it out loud.

"Why didn't you say anything? I have to disappoint you, but I can't read your mind." It's a bit of a reassurance actually. "You have to tell me okay? Plus, I have to go too, but I didn't want to be the first one."

You pout "Babe?!" For him, you looked adorable, but you knew how hideous you must look right now. 

You stopped at the next opportunity, it didn't seem like the cleanest place, but what do you expect from a washroom next to a highway? Neither of you cared much about the look, the only thing you cared about at this moment where your needs.

At first, Wooyoung didn't want to let you go alone since, luckily for you, the women's and men's toilets were in completely different directions. He taught the place looked too sketchy to leave you alone, but you reassured him that nothing could happen, you both do your own things and then meet back at the car. So he finally agreed to it, you couldn't let him wait for you when he needed to go just as much as you had to.

You were walking towards the toilets when you saw a man sweeping in front of them, you were a bit hesitant to walk up there because the man looked a bit creepy, but you weren't someone to judge a person by his look. So you took the courage and walked past him, but politely greeted him in the meanwhile.

By the time you finished, Wooyoung was waiting for you outside of the women's washroom, his arms were folded in front of him and his eyebrows were a little bit knitted together. You wondered what is up with him.

"Wasn't we supposed to meet at the car?" When he heard your voice, he immediately turned towards you.

"Yeah, but you took forever and I got a bit worried." He confessed.

"I literally was inside for 2 minutes, babe." Now you couldn't believe him, your sweet boyfriend was worried about you, sure his a bit dramatic, but that's the way you love him.

You went back to the car and continued your journey. You should be there in an hour. You're not a big camping type of person, but your boyfriend has already everything sorted out and has been wanting to go see the sea for a long time, so who are you to say no to such an offer?

-

By the time you get there, the sun has been already setting. Neither of you went camping before ever, so of course you have no tents and Wooyoung was too lazy to buy one. So in the morning, before you left, you took all the pillows and blankets you found at home and threw them in the back of the car, it was your brilliant idea to sleep in the car.

Wooyoung took out two chairs and a small camping gas stove. You parked right at the beach so the scenery was breathtaking as the sun was slowly disappearing and the sky was painted in all different colors. It looked like a painting in real life.

It was getting kinda chilly so you took a blanket from the car at sat down on one of the chairs, while your boyfriend was struggling to put the stove together. You laughed a little to yourself, but without him hearing it. He was very determined to get this right and have a perfect night together, so this alone made you the happiest person.

"I think I made it." He got up and lit the stove. It lighted all of our surroundings, and your boyfriend's pretty face, it highlighted his already strong features.

"Nice job!" And you gave each other a high five. "Now finally sit down here next to me, and give me some company." You patted the chair next to you.

"As you wish my love." But before he sat down he grabbed a packet of marshmallows. "Can I get a bit of your blanket too?" You scooted a bit closer to him and put your blanket over his lap. He planted a loud kiss on your cheek in gratitude.

"Thank you for this honey." You told him as you leaned your head on his shoulder. Wooyoung stuffed a marshmallow in his mouth without putting it in the fire.

"For what?" He asked you with a full mouth.

"For you. For loving me. For spending time with me. For caring for me. Thank you." You raised your head to look at him when you heard no response. You had no time the analyze his face for reactions when he pressed his lips to yours. He kissed you so eagerly you forgot to take a breath. You had to pull away first or else you would pass out.

He didn't let you go too far, he held your face in his hands and your foreheads were pressed together. "You're not sleepy yet? I thought we could go to bed early." You couldn't help but smile at how cute he was.

-

taglist* @laylasbunbunny @yeow6n (you can message me if you want to be added or removed)

[gareleia]

Singable english lyrics for The Hideous Me Beyond The Mirror

Sadness of my naive, aimless youth, Harsh as the moon, so cold and so round. Sadness of my naive, aimless youth Jumped out of the second-story window to the ground.

Alone in the park, where I wouldn't be found, I smoke in the night, letting all of it out. Wind carries my soul and the smoke in different ways. Seems I already reached those 'happy future days'.

I'm looking down at the world from a forgotten rooftop, The city lights are like stars, so many people and scars. "And when I grow up", I thought, "I will become like them all" That's what I really thought, yes, that's what I truly thought.

"So, are you happy at least? So, are you happy at least?" Into the mirror I screamed and I screamed. "So, you happy at last?" until my throat had dried up - The little me from the past.

Sadness of my naive, wasted youth Lost all direction, shivering, unsure. Although the ground is smooth, asphalt is barely lit, Even sober I'm unsteady on my feet.

The bright future ahead that adults love to describe It's just a worthless pretend, just a pretentious white lie. The little me from the past, that's what I told him at last. And now it seems the future had come to be so fast

"So, are you happy at least? So, are you happy at least?" Into the mirror I screamed and I screamed. "So, are you happy at last?" and I just mockingly laughed. That little me from the past

Used to speak so much, always full of brightly colored dreams, Too afraid to stop, and let the gray tear him at the seams, So afraid of despair, trying hard just not to drown... Couldn't write the words down.

I'm looking down at the world from a forgotten rooftop, The city lights are like stars, so many people and scars "And now I grew up", I think, "Everything's just like I dreamed" The words I have to repeat, the truth I have to believe.

The bright future ahead that adults love to describe It's just a worthless pretend, just a pretentious white lie. The little me from the past, that's what I told him at last. A simple answer like that to every question he asked.

"So, are you happy at least? So, are you happy at least?" Into the mirror I screamed and I screamed. "So, you happy at last?" until my throat had dried up - The little me from the past.

"So, are you glad you survived? Or do you still want to die?" Until the mirror just started to cry quietly. "But are you happy at all?" the truth is - I just don't know, So I will have to live on, until I know why.

Until I die. Until I can't lie. I'll continue to sigh.

because I feel like humanity failed me and somebody has to do it, even if it's me. if I could sing at all/had funds and skills for working with vocaloid, there would already be english covers for THMBTM, Punishment Game, Haiboku no Shounen, Chronophobia and the like. alas, I'm useless, so here's me yeeting the lyrics out into the void so they stop fucking haunting me.

[almostangrything]

More Fanfic

Back to the Land of the Living (AU)

Not a oneshot. Warning: This story has some angst. 

     Neil couldn't believe it. Manny, his best friend, had found a way for them to get back to the living world. He was going to see his parents again. He hoped that they would be excited to see him again. But what if they weren't? What if they didn't want him back? What if they thought he was hideous? He had no face, after all. He had no eyes, but empty black sockets, though he could still see. He recently got a mouth when Manny took him to a Face Shop the previous month. It had small lines around the top and bottom lips because none of the mouths there worked for him. The shopkeeper, Joe, told them that with a special needle and black thread, Neil could sew on his own mouth. It was painful, but Neil went through with it.

      It was nice being able to talk. He didn't have to rely on crude sign language or Manny to translate his thoughts. Because Manny was a spirit, he could choose to hear Neil's thoughts, which could get a little annoying at times. But Manny never listened to Neil's thoughts unless Neil wanted to say something because he didn't want to be too invasive. But now Neil could talk! He was so happy. That night, Neil and Manny had a little celebration. Manny ended up getting super drunk and was messing with Neil all night long. Manny got super clingy when he was drunk, although he didn't get drunk often. Only when they were celebrating something. It was kind of adorable. Neil often thought about how to explain their friendship to an outsider, as an outsider. The best one he thought of was, "This is Neil. He enjoys his personal space. This is Manny. He also enjoys Neil's personal space."  Neil didn't mind being near Manny; he liked it when Manny hugged him or patted him on the shoulder. Enough thinking about Manny, Neil thought. I have to get ready to go see my parents. He walked to his bathroom and looked in the mirror. He picked up his comb and tried to make his short-ish but very messy black hair to lie flat. He wasn't able to do much. Whatever he tried, his hair would bounce right back up. Neil liked it that way, but his parents might not. Neil walked out of the bathroom and grabbed his cell phone. They had pretty good service in Morteville, which was where Neil and Manny lived.

      "Are you up yet sleepyhead?" Manny's voice came from outside Neil's door. "I'm coming, I'm coming," Neil said. He opened the door at the same time Manny did, and they ended up bumping into one another and toppling over on the floor. "Woah, careful!" Manny said, surprised. "Sorry Neil, didn't know you were coming out." "It's fine Manny," Neil replied, smiling. He liked to smile because he could now, ever since he made his mouth. He could tell that Manny liked it too. Manny's smile widened a bit when he saw Neil smile. Manny was almost always smiling. It was the default position for his wide mouth. Neil and Manny got some toast, and then left their house. They passed the gates of Morteville, and Neil could see a thick white mist in the distance. He knew it was going to be cold, even though he had his coat on. He shivered a little at the thought. Neil hated the cold.

      Manny must have seen Neil shiver, because he placed one of his long arms around Neil's shoulder as he floated along. Manny didn't have any legs, so he glided along through the air like a snake, with his long, serpentine body. Manny's head was pale like a skull, but the rest of his body was black, like Neil's hair. "How are we going to get to my parents again?" Neil asked. "We'll travel down the River of Souls in a boat," Manny replied cheerfully. They went along a grassy path for about fifteen more minutes, not saying anything. Neil didn't know what to talk about. Finally he asked Manny to tell him about the river. "Hey Manny, why do they call it the River of Souls?" "Well it's easy, Neil," Manny replied. "They call it the River of Souls because all the souls travel down it when going to other realms." "Ohhh. Yeah, that makes sense, I guess." They went along for another couple of minutes until Manny said, "Here we are! The River of Souls." "I don't see it, where is it?" Neil asked, confused. Just then, the fog lifted. Neil gasped as he saw the dark blue river, with thin, light blue foam swirled on top. "Woah. It's so...pretty," Neil said, amazed. "It sure is a sight, ain't it?" Manny said, pleased that Neil found the river to be cool. "Well, hop aboard the boat and let's go!" "What boat?" Neil was very confused. "This boat!" A wooden boat, big enough for the both of them to lie down in comfortably, rose out of the water. Of course. Neil hesitated. Manny was already on the boat, but Neil really didn't want to fall into the river. He took a deep breath and stepped onto the boat. "Ummm...Manny? Doesn't the boat need oars?" Neil asked, worried that this wouldn't work after all. "Oh, we don't need oars, Neil. This one is self propelling and self piloting!" Manny replied, giggling a little at Neil's confusion. "Are you ready to go see your parents again?" Neil thought for a second about all his worries and doubts concerning his parents. Finally he said, "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go."

[gaoau]

You're a reflection of your own creations; what does it say when you scorn them?

Raison d'Être warnings — none. word count — 1.9k

prev. — next.

A day later, [Name] stepped nervously around the puddles on the street outside of Chifuyu's shop. Her fingers tightened and loosened repetitively on the canvas in her hands, wrapped in a plastic bag. People passed her by without so much as a glance. She stared with trembling eyes at Chifuyu sitting at the counter while chatting with Kazutora. Seeing how empty the store was, if either of them glanced out the window, they would catch her instantly.

And she was not ready for that.

In her grasp she held a painting she was not proud of. Usually, it didn't matter how awfully dreadful her creations were—mostly because she rarely ever produced anything concrete—since nobody else would see them. But Chifuyu had specifically commissioned her and her skill to create something he could hang in his shop. A black cat with dazzling blue eyes; it meant something to him and she should have done it justice. How was she supposed to look at him straight and give him a piece so hideous?

If it weren't for the eyes—those damned, horrendously colored eyes—she could have saved it. She tried to replicate Chifuyu's eyes the same way they replayed in her mind, but not even he could rescue her from colors.

So when he turned towards the window and trapped her in that little spotlight of intense blue, she felt her chest tighten. Those mesmerizing irises of his, holding an entire universe of aligning planets within them. They drew an eternity in a way she'd never known.

Chifuyu lit up almost instantly, grinning at her with the welcoming brightness of all his joy. Everything about him simply resonated so much happiness. He waved at her with enthusiasm and beckoned her to enter the shop. She offered back a hesitant smile as she psyched herself up to hand over the painting once and for all.

By the time she was inside, fingers gripping tightly onto the canvas, Kazutora had already vanished to the storage room. She chuckled to herself. It really did amuse her, but she probably should have a proper talk with the man. At least it helped her loosen her muscles. She almost forgot for a second why she was dreading walking into XJ Land.

"Hello, [Name]-san," Chifuyu greeted her, "Good news today?" His eyes flickered between her face and the wrapped canvas against her chest.

[Name]'s brain seemed to stop working appropriately. A laugh slipped, "Why do you ask?"

"I see you smiling."

"Oh, no, I just think Hanemiya-san is really funny."

Chifuyu understood instantly. He chortled, "He'll come around eventually." Gentle chuckles floated around them, both their voices blending into one another's. Although he laughed, Chifuyu couldn't keep his curiosity from eating at him. His pupils stuck to the canvas like glue. He could almost see the painting through the bag. "So? How did the cat anatomy treat you?"

He watched her deflate. Shoulders slumped and a heavy sigh, she fumbled with unwrapping the final piece he'd been waiting for. "I'm not going to lie to you…" she trailed off. A frown settled on her brows when she caught a glimpse of her own creation.

She presented the cat to him. Jet black fur that seemed to glow with the beautiful, elegant highlights of grey and white. The whiskers and the tiny nose and the sharp pupils staring back at him. But what caught his attention the most, what struck him and hung his mouth open, was the deep, intense blue of the wide eyes. Different shades of the same color blending into one another, adding depth and texture, so much he couldn't believe [Name] had managed this in less than a month.

His hands darted on impulse to hold it. She relinquished all responsibility over the painting the moment he took it from her, immediately relieved to have it gone. Chifuyu's gaze seemed to sparkle as he inspected every single millimeter of paint, every brush stroke, every bit of skill [Name] had poured into it. "[Name]-san—"

"I hate it."

"—this is wonderful!" He turned towards her to meet her eyes. The grin on his face froze as he tried to process the three sounds that had left her mouth, blinking owlishly at her in bewilderment. He failed to understand why she held so much hatred; it sounded like she had spat venom. He flickered back and forth between her pursed lips and the blue eyes of the cat. "I don't—[Name]-san, I'm sorry, what?"

"I hate it," she snarled again, each of her words dripping with scalding poison, "I hate the eyes. So much, really, I hate it. I'm sorry, I know you had higher expectations for me—for this."

His own brows furrowed while [Name] refused to look him in the eye. Her scorching glare fixated on the blended blues with such intensity that she could easily burn through the canvas. Chifuyu set the painting down on the counter and cleared his throat. "I love it, [Name]-san."

"No, I know you do, it's just that I see it and think ah, man, you're not growing at all."

"Why would you think that?"

A knot formed in her throat. It was pathetic. She really didn't want to start childishly bawling because of a failed project, but here she was tearing up in front of Chifuyu. Her chest was wide open to expose her rusty heart. "The color is just so… I don't know, it's awful." She gave herself a moment, choking back a crack in her voice. Thunder rumbled in the distance to mock her. "I wish you could see what I'm seeing…"

"What if you could see what I'm seeing, [Name]-san?" he spoke against her defeat. He was challenging every one of her insecurities and the issues that lay much deeper than what he could perceive. Loud and clear, words too bold for someone who didn't know the first thing about art. Not that [Name] did much, either.

But her head jerked up on instinct, features twisted with sheer disbelief. Had she heard him right? In only milliseconds, the intense blue of his irises drew her pupils in. His eyes reflected that glimmer of sapphire with the same brightness her creation did, and yet it didn't, because a poor imitation on fabric couldn't compare to the beauty of the real thing. They were so similar, they seemed like carbon copies, but for some reason she could bear to look into Chifuyu's eyes without cringing.

Chifuyu smiled to himself while [Name] gaped at him utterly flabbergasted. He knew she processed and analyzed the world in a completely different way he could never imagine. If her pitch black splashes of ink—those he had called striking and eye-catching because he knew no better words—were anything to go by, she had no trouble with the darkness of black. It seemed, though, she couldn't handle colors. He understood a little better why she'd chosen to name Ai after a color.

His fingers traced delicately over the blended depth of the cat's eyes. "I see colors, [Name]-san. I see blues. Very intense and very striking. It will look great when I hang it up."

[Name] cast her eyes away; first to the empty wall waiting for the canvas, then to the outside streets soaking in the first few drops of rain. She couldn't see a single color. The world in her eyes was only limited to black and white. It was fine, but she really wanted to know what Chifuyu was looking at as well. "I see…" Her vision blurred, out of focus. She returned to Chifuyu's hand on the painting. It seemed white.

"Do you see Ai?"

[Name] stared into his eyes. "Ai?"

"Do you see the indigo?"

She did. She saw the blue in his eyes and the indigo on the canvas.

"That's what I'm seeing. Here," he chirped. From behind the counter, he produced an envelope. He dutifully presented it to her with both hands, bowing his head in practiced formality.

[Name] paled. She had forgotten about this part—payment. They had agreed on a price, yes, but that had been before she absolutely decimated his commission. She gently pushed the envelope back towards him, trying her best to politely refuse the money. The frown on his face almost made her flinch. "Sorry, Chifuyu-san, I can't accept your money." Her teeth nibbled nervously on her lip. It wasn't modesty, it was her own expectations killing her brain.

"I hired you, [Name]-san. You spent time on this. You deserve to be paid for it."

"I know, I know, but I can't bring my—"

"Okay," he cut her off. His furrowed brows smoothed out to allow space for the softest of simpers. Before [Name] could even blink, he had already slipped the notes out of the envelope. "What would you like for dinner?"

Now [Name] did blink, mouth agape. "Excuse me?"

"Let's go out for dinner, my treat."

Her blood boiled in embarrassment as it rushed to her cheeks. She flared up like a torch, shivering a chill of heat out of her system. It was warm and surprising and welcoming and so real. Her feet felt inexplicably light, but her heart weighed on her chest like a boulder. The pitter-patter of the rain performed a soothing lullaby in her ears. She knew her heart was sore because Chifuyu was good; because Chifuyu had the ability to see the same world she saw without scorning it; because Chifuyu could think all she couldn't.

He really seemed to align the universe in his hands when he leaned in to whisper, "I'll share my comfort food with you, how about that?"

Chifuyu was everything [Name] wanted to be. The peace and the joy in his mind, the curses and events and sorrows that came to shape him as he was today. His way of walking, his way of speaking, the words he chose, the chuckles he puffed. She wanted to agree with him, because it was Chifuyu, and Chifuyu would never lie. If he told her that her art was worth it, then who was she to doubt him? Who was she to doubt herself? It was pathetic truly, the way tears gathered in the corner of her eyes with just a few sentences. She didn't even know why she was crying in the first place. Maybe it was fulfillment, maybe it was acceptance, maybe it was just Chifuyu toying with her weaknesses.

"Thanks…" she managed to mumble, voice shattering into a billion pieces of relief. Her fingers flicked at her eyes to swat the tears away. "I appreciate it, Chifuyu-san."

He offered her a tissue. "Anytime, [Name]-san. I'll go tell Kazutora-kun I'm leaving early." His palm landed on her shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze of reassurance

"Wait, right now?" Her tears halted.

"If not, when?"

"We can schedule it."

Chifuyu burst out laughing at her frantic tone. "You're not getting away from me, [Name]-san." He gave her a friendly slap on her back to shut down any other excuses for protest. Before [Name] could untwist her tongue, he had already vanished into Kazutora's hideout. When she gave herself a second to regain her composure, she found a smile on her lips she hadn't seen sneaking up on her. She didn't mind.

[darling-egg]

Pretty Girl ~ Steve Harrington x reader

Summary: Your best friend Steve, notices that something is off and tries to figure out what’s wrong

Warnings: body checking, insecurities, ED themes

Word Count: 4k

~ ~ ~

It was only 10am and it had already been a terrible day. It had been a terrible week actually. Nothing really bad had happened, you just felt…ugly. Although you hated the feeling you couldn’t help it and you couldn’t fix it no matter what you did, you just had to wait for it to leave. It brought down your entire mood but you tried your best to hide how you felt, and you did a pretty good job, but there were a certain few people who could see right through you. One of those people was Steve Harrington. You had known Steve since you could remember, he was your #1 best friend and favorite person. He also knew basically everything about you, he could instantly tell when something was wrong with you. This made it hard to hide how you were feeling, you hated keeping secrets from Steve but you were embarrassed.

Today had really been the worst for you. It was Friday and you were supposed to hang out with Steve, just like every other Friday. You really wanted to cancel but you couldn't do that to your best friend, you just had to put on a happy face and get through tonight.

You had tried everything you could to feel better for tonight, you barely ate anything all day, you put on your favorite outfit, and you did your makeup; all to no avail. You still felt disgusting, ugly, and fat. You tried to think of something else, anything else, but you couldn't keep those intrusive thoughts away.

'you look hideous'

'this outfit makes you look fat'

'your makeup looks horrible'

'nobody likes you'

~ ~ ~

Steve was meant to show up around 5:00 and it was now 4:30. You began to feel more and more insecure the closer it got to five. While you were waiting you stood in the mirror and just looked at yourself from every angle. You lifted your shirt and turned to the side, practicing sucking in, pulling your skin to see how you would look if you lost a few pounds, changing your posture to see which way looked the best.

Suddenly your door opened and Steve walked in causing you to instantly drop your shirt and turn around to look at him. It was only 4:45, why was he here? More importantly did he see what you were doing?

"Hey," you gave him your best smile, "you're early."

"Yeah, your mom let me in," he smiled and walked over to you.

"Hmm, well maybe you could try knocking next time," you quirked up your eyebrow. You were trying to be sarcastic but you really did mean it.

"Um, nooo, I don't think I will." He said while playfully nudging your shoulder causing you to glare up at him.

"I could've been butt naked and you just walked in here!" Yes the two of you had taken many baths together when you were little but now it was different. Both of you had developed in different ways and neither of you were interested in seeing the other naked (at least that's what you thought). You had seen Steve shirtless and he had seen you in a swimsuit but it was never a big deal because the two of you were just friends.

"Okay, okay!" He threw his hands up in surrender, "I'll knock next time!"

"And every time after that?"

"Mmm I dunno abou-" you cut him off with a shove "Yes! Every time after that! Okay? Now please, spare me!" He leaned back dramatically, putting a hand over his heart.

"Okay, Mr. Drama, maybe you should’ve taken theater." You say and he rolls his eyes.

"Whatever, Stinkbug, are you ready?" Stinkbug was the nickname Steve had coined for you when you were 8 years old. You had found a bunch of Stinkbugs and put them in a box and then told Steve that you were the Stinkbug Queen. You had also told him that if he ever made you mad you would release your stinkbugs on to him and make him stink for the rest of you life. Later that day he began calling you Stinkbug and as an 8 year old girl you did not like that very much so you tried to get him back by releasing your stinkbugs onto him but half of them were dead and the other half crawled away. The name had stuck, and you hated it at first but now you loved it when he called you that.

"Ready as can be," you answered and grabbed your bag.

"Alright, let's go."

~ ~ ~

"So what d'you wanna do?" Steve asks once the two of you get into his car.

"Can we go to your house and have a movie and pizza night?" It was your turn to choose what you guys got to do and although the two of you had made a rule that you had to do what the other wanted it didn't mean that either of you couldn't protest.

"What?!" Steve's voice went up an octave, "you're telling me that your wearing makeup and your favorite outfit just to have a movie might?"

"Yep, that's exactly what I'm telling you." His face instantly morphed from shocked into a smirk.

"So what I'm hearing is that you got all prettied up just for me? Hmm?"

"Well, Harrington, that is where you would be wrong." Well now he was just confused.

"Okay then enlighten me, why did you get all dressed up if you just wanted to have a movie night.

"I just felt like it, okay?" You almost snapped at him but you caught yourself. He realized this and decided to back off for now, but that didn't mean he wouldn't bring it up later.

"Okay, movie night it is, let's go."

~ ~ ~

"Kay, pretty girl, what do you want to watch?" Steve asks after the two of you make yourselves comfortable on the couch.

"Don't call me that," you say and nudge him slightly. Steve had hundreds of nicknames for you but this one was new.

"Why not, it's the truth," he throws hims arm around you but you promptly push it off.

"Stop flirting with me!" You laugh and he gasps dramatically.

"Me? Flirting with you? Never!" He says sarcastically while a genuine smile displayed across his face. He turns his face so that he is looking directly into your eyes.

"You, Miss Y/N M/N L/N, are the prettiest girl I have set my eyes on." You felt yourself start to blush and you turned your face to the side.

"I think we should watch Grease," you change the subject and make your way over to the vast collection of DVDs.

"We've watched Grease like 100 times!" He whines and you roll your eyes while searching for the movie.

"It's my favorite movie!" You knew he didn't really care what movie you picked, he just liked to argue with you.

"Okay, Stinkbug, anything for you I guess." Steve did have quite the soft spot for you, even now he had a content smile on his face while watching you search for the movie. "You put it on and I'll go order the pizza."

~ ~ ~

By the time he came back you had the movie in and ready to play. "What'd you order?" You ask as he sits down next to you.

"Your favorite of course," he says and you glance over at him with a small smile.

"You know me so well," You say while grabbing the remote.

"Oh, hold on, I'll be right back," Steve gets back up and walks a few feet away to switch the lights off. "Are you gonna start the movie or what?" he asks while walking back and plopping himself next to you.

"I was waiting for you," you say and he shakes his head with a smile.

"I was right over there, stupid." You start the movie and the two of you get settled in.

~ ~ ~

It had been a few minutes in to the movie but Steve was only paying attention to you. Every few seconds he would glance at you but you pretended not to see it. You kept shuffling around partly because your clothes were uncomfortable and partly because Steve's glances were making you nervous.

"Are you sure you're comfortable?" Steve asks and you finally look back at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," you give him a small smile, trying to be convincing.

"It doesn't seem like it, you keep moving around."

"I'm as comfy as can be, Mr. Steve."

"Nuh uh, I don't believe you. Come on." He says and pauses the movie before standing up and holding his hand out for you.

"What're we doing?" You ask suspiciously.

"Just come on before I pick you up and carry you," Steve was stubborn and you knew that, you also knew that you definitely did not want him to pick you up right now so you begrudgingly took his hand and followed him.

"Steve," you paused for a second, "why are we in your bedroom?"

"Because you obviously aren't comfortable in those clothes so I'm getting you something more comfy," he raises his eyebrows and shrugs before turning around and opening one of his drawers. He pulled out a pair of pajama pants that he grew out of a few years ago and then one of his favorite t-shirts.

"I'm not changing, Steve," you say, crossing your arms and shaking your head.

"Oh yes you are, you are obviously super uncomfortable in those clothes and i can't focus on our beloved Grease with you fidgeting every 2 seconds. And after that we're going to take your makeup off because I can tell it's bothering your eyes." So that's why he kept looking at you.

"Fine, I'll change, but I'm not taking off my makeup." He was right, crumbs of mascara were getting into your eyes and it was really bothering you, but you did not want to take your makeup off.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," he says and walks out the room leaving you to change.

You put on the clothes and looked in the mirror, they made you look like a shapeless blob. You walked out of his and room and start heading towards the stairs only to see Steve standing right in front of you. "Let's go watch the movie," you try to walk around him but he puts his arm out in front of you and stops you.

"Uh uh, come on Stinkbug, we're going this way," he turns you around and puts his hand on the small of your back, leading you to his parents bedroom.

The two of you walk into the bathroom and he starts looking through some drawers before pulling out his mom's makeup wipes.

"I told you I'm not taking off my makeup Steve," you cross your arms and begin walking the other way but he grabs you and plops you onto the counter.

"I don't care," he opens up the container and pulls out a wipe, "Its obviously bothering you and I want you to be comfortable."

"Fine," you gave in, "but at least let me do it."

"Not today, pretty girl, I wanna do it," he pulls you a little closer to him and you start to fall causing you to wrap your legs around Steve as he grabs your waist.

"Sorry." The two of you say at the same time, you let go of each other and you steady yourself on the counter.

You start to blush again and look away from Steve but he grabs your chin and turns you face towards his. He takes the make up wipe and begins to wipe your make up off ever so gently. He starts at your cheeks, making his way around your face, to you eyes and then finally ending with your lips. He tilts your chin up and wipes your lipstick off, lingering a little longer than he should've. He throws the wipe away and brings his thumb up to your lips, gently swiping over them a few times. It seems like he's getting closer and you don't know what to do until you're suddenly interrupted by the doorbell. He moves aways from you and you hop off the counter.

"Pizza's here," he says quietly, "just in time."

~ ~ ~

The two of you sat and began to eat and although there was a movie playing the air filled with an awkward silence. After you finished eating you leaned into the couch, secretly thankful that he had gotten you to change and take off your makeup because you were much more comfortable. Steve sat his plate down before leaning back and tentatively putting his arm around you again, this time time you let him, scooting the smallest bit closer to him.

A few minutes pass by and you notice that he began to sneak glances at you again, you tried to ignore it but it really started to bother you.

You leaned over and paused the movie causing him to fully look your way. "What?" he asked.

"Why do you keep looking at me?"

"I dunno," he scratched the back of his head, "you just seem kind of off today, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He knows, of course he knows, you knew he would know.

"Are you sure?" He said turning his body toward you.

"I don't want to talk about it, Steve," you crossed your arms, contemplating whether or not you should move to the other end of the couch.

"You can tell me anything, Y/N, you know that." You look away from him and he sighs.

"I really don't want to," you can feel his gaze burning into the side of your face but you refused to look at him.

"Please, Y/N," he begs, "I want to help."

"I can't tell you because I'm embarrassed! Okay?" You raised your voice and threw your arms into the air, "now can you please just drop it, I promise I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll stop asking about it," he sighs and runs a hand through his hair, "but i just want you to know that you never have to be embarrassed about anything in front of me. never." and with that the conversation was over.

"I need some fresh air," you say as your hands shake slightly, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

You stood up and walked into the backyard, usually Steve would insist on following you but this time was different. He knew that you wanted to be alone and he respected that.

Once you made it outside you began to pace back and forth, taking deep breaths, rubbing your hands across you face, running your hands through your hair, doing anything you could not to cry. You hated crying in front of people and Steve was not an exception. He always tried his best to be comforting and he was quite good at it but you didn't want him to see you in one of your most vulnerable states.

~ ~ ~

After about 10 minutes your were finally able to calm yourself down enough to back inside. After you found your way back to the living room you were met by Steve standing in the middle of the room with Frank Sinatra playing from the record player.

"What're you doing, Steve?" You ask exasperatedly.

"Let's dance," he held his hand out towards and you let first genuine smile of the night cross your face. Neither of you really knew how to dance but you could figure it out.

You made you way over to him taking his hand and putting them around your waist before placing yours behind his neck. Since neither of you knew any actual moves you just swayed clumsily around the floor, and although it was silly it was the happiest you had felt all night.

After a few minutes of swaying and laughing a sudden wave of emotion flooded your body and you could feel the tears begin to well up in your eyes. You placed your forehead onto Steve's chest and continued to sway with him in hopes that it would pass but you couldn't hold it in anymore. You stopped swaying and hugged Steve tightly.

"Y/N? What's wrong, are you okay?" You began to sob into his chest and he pulled you impossibly closer.

"Oh no, Baby, It gonna be okay, come on," his tone was worried as he hugged you tight and rubbed your back. He walked you over to the couch and sat down pulling you onto his lap so that you were straddling him. He had never done this before but this time it just felt right, you needed to be held and he needed to hold you. And thats what he did, he just held you, running his hands over your hair and back, letting you cry into his shirt as he told you it would be alright over and over again.

You began to speak and even though your words came out as half gibberish Steve still understood you. "I- I just feel so ugly, and fat, and disgusting, and stupid," you sobbed and Steve paused.

"Are you kidding me Y/N? That's what all this is about?" He asks and pulls away slightly to look at you but you just buried you face back into his chest.

"Hey, hey, look at me," he says and tilts your chin up so he can see your tear filled face, "you are none of those things, okay? I meant it earlier when I said you were the prettiest girl I've ever see."

"Yeah, sure," you scoffed and rolled you eyes, turning away from him. He gently grabbed both sides of your face turning you back towards him before wiping your tears with his thumbs.

"I really did mean it," he says and you roll your eyes once again.

"Oh yeah? What about Nancy Wheeler?" You ask.

"Nancy Wheeler?" He replies incredulously, "pfft! she's got nothing on you, babe."

"Whatever," you sniffle, "you're just saying that to make me feel better." You go to climb off of him but he quickly moves his hand from your face to your waist to stop you.

"I am not, Y/N, I wouldn't lie to you." You wanted to believe him, you really did but you just couldn’t.

"Look, okay? Ever since I can remember I have thought you were the most beautiful, funny, and kind girl and I'm so lucky to have you as my best friend. I don't know what made you think the opposite but I can tell you with all my heart that those things are not true and I really wish you could see yourself as I see you. Even right now, with your face all puffed up with tears and snot every where, I can not think of someone who could compete with you. You are and will always be my pretty girl." He did not take his eyes off of yours as he said this and you could feel your tears begin to slow down.

"You really think so?" You ask with a sniffle.

"I mean it's not like I've been trying to tell you all night," he says sarcastically and you nudge his shoulder.

"Let's go get you cleaned up," he stands up while still holding onto you.

"I can walk you know," you say but make no type of effort to get down.

"Mmm, I'm not so sure about that, I think you need to be carried tonight."

~ ~ ~

You were sat on to the exact same spot as earlier patiently waiting while Steve dampened a face towel with warm water. He walked back to you and this time you didn't protest as he began to clean your face. Once he finished he handed you a tissue to blow your nose and once you were done he took the tissue and threw it away before pulling you into a much needed hug.

"Now, let's go finish the movie, kay?"

~ ~ ~

The credits began to roll onto the screen and you looked at Steve only to see that he was already looking at you.

"Steve?" You asked timidly while tucking your hair behind your ears.

"Yes, Stinkbug?" He replied.

"Can I maybe stay here tonight?" Blush creeped onto your cheeks as you turned away from him slightly.

"Of course," he smiled softly. How could he say no to you?

"Let's go lay down, yeah?" you nodded and began to follow him to his room.

You made it into his room and laid down on his bed while he made his way over to his dresser. "I have to change so close your eyes," he said as he began looking through his drawers.

"Okayy," you closed your eyes and put a hand over them.

"And no peeking."

"No peeking, got it." You heard a shuffling of clothes and sat for a few seconds but you couldn't help yourself. You opened your eyes and looked at him through a small crack in your fingers only to see him making direct eye contact with you, causing you the quickly close your eyes again.

"I saw that, little lady, I thought I said no peeking," you could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," you said trying to act clueless with your hand still over your eyes.

"Mhm, I'm sure you don't," he said in a low voice, "you can uncover your eyes now."

You moved your hand and opened your eyes to see him looking for something in the top of his closet. "What're you looking for?" You asked.

"My old sleeping bag," he glanced back at you and your heart jumped.

"Actually, um, I was wandering if you could maybe sleep up here...with me?"

"Oh, um," he coughed before continuing, "yeah sure, thats fine with me." You could tell he was a little flustered but you acted like you didn't notice. He closed his closest and walked over to his bed, carefully sliding under the covers next to you. The two of you just sat quietly each thinking of something to say. This went on for a few minutes before you decided to speak up.

"Hey, Steve," You rolled onto your side and and sat up on ur elbow so you were facing him.

"What's up, Stinkbug?" He asked, mimicking your body position.

"Thank you for helping me feel better," you say and he smiles.

"Anytime, love, that's what I'm here for," he reached over and tucked you hair behind you ear, his fingers gently sliding down the side of your face before pulling away.

"I think you should know that you're the prettiest boy I've ever seen," you smiled softly, gazing at him intently.

"Pretty, huh? Not handsome or anything like that?" He said playfully and you let a small laugh.

"Yes, I think you are very handsome as well."

~ ~ ~

After about an hour of the two of you talking about anything and everything you decided that you should go to sleep. He rolled onto his other side and you were facing his back. You closed your eyes and tried to fall asleep to no avail. After about 20 minutes of just laying there with your eyes close you felt Steve turn around, he scooted closer and ever so gently lifted your arm and draped it over his waist before putting both of his arms around you. You could feel him looking at you but you didn't dare let him know you were awake. After a few seconds you felt him plant a kiss onto your forehead. "Goodnight, pretty girl, I love you," he whispered.

Part 2

[nkogneatho]

Hello love 🥰 Can I request something fluffy with Levi? I just need it after the end of AoT (I won't give spoilers) so it will be one cliche request where you both have feelings for each other and you two are so oblivious and something happens and leads reader or Levi to confess and it's all fluffy, also female reader. Thank you, have a nice day/night

CONFESSION- Levi Ackerman x fem!reader.

►Genre: Fluff. ►Wc: 839

"Tch-Y/n, you're overreacting", no you weren't. He knew how much you cared for him yet he refused to take the meds Hange gave.

"I am not overreacting Levi. Just take the medication. How hard is it?", you argued.

"But why should I when I am fine- AACHHOO!", oh yes. He was 'fine'.

Levi and you've been friends forever. In this world of Titans, peopel barely last but you're glad that he is still there. By your side no matter what. You've overcame various obstacles together so you obviously can't help but stick by him.

"You're not fine.", you dragged him to his bedroom while everyone else in the office room started making comments.

"See. You can't tell me they are not dating. They are so oblivious.", Sasha whispered in Connie's ears.

"But Levi Hechou is too cold. I don't think he has emotions", on the other hand Connie's voice was a little too high to be a whisper. High enough to reach Levi's ears and make him feel insecure about his emotions.

.....................

When you forced him to lay on his bed while you go and get the water, he held you by your wrist.

"What? Do you need something else?", you turned to him.

"Yes....you", he mumbled.

"Oh ohkay. Let me get the water and then we can talk about the documents-......wait......WHAT?", you panicked. It wasn't your fault cause anytime Levi was serious, it was always something related to work.

"Sit here.", he gestured towards the space on the bed. You settled on the bed as he felt it stumble.

"Do you think I am capable of emotions?", why is he asking such questions. The sobriety in his eyes were genuine.

"Yes. Yes of course you are capable.", you answered immediately although still processing what was up with him.

"Do you think I deserve to be l-loved?", the stutter in his voice was enough to make it clear how sensitive he is on such topics.

"Yes of course. How can you ask that? Can't you see how much I love you-", you stopped to rethink your own words. You've always loved him but were still scared. You did plan to confess long back but in this world, Freedom matters more than your selfishness. You couldn't confess. Not when you saw him and everyone else working hard for a bigger goal.

"Umm....I am sorry. Uh- I didn't mean- Nevermind I'll let myself out", you swayed your face away from him when you felt almost a tear drop from your eyes. The fear of losing your bestfriend just because you were selfish with your emotions, struck you. He once again gripped your wrists and this time you fell on top of him.

His face was too close. You gulped a lump of air and your teardrop fell on his cheek.

"Why are you crying?", he asked but you looked away. His fingers motioned your chin parallel to him but your eyes still wandered around the wall to not make more tears fall down.

"Please don't cry. Am I that hideous to look at?", what did he just say?.

"What? Are you stupid? You're the prettiest man I've ever seen. Don't you know how many fangirls you have within these walls?", you snapped.

"Mhmmh hmm", he grinned at you. His fingers now left your chin and proceeded to wipe the tears.

"Y/n........we both have gone through a lot. Losing friends, gaining new ones and losing them again."

"I know", you nodded.

"This cycle has been continuing for the past 25 years. Yet, I am glad that I still have you", your heart skipped a beat.

"I don't want to protect you. Cause I know you are strong enough to do it yourself", your cheeks were flushed at how he knows everything about you. "I just want to continue fighting by your side. And I want to tell you that I love you and I appreciate you. Like I always have.", yeah like saying those words will prevent you from shedding tears. Now you were crying even more.

"Levi. You stupid ass. Why are you making me cry? This better not be a test or you are dead", your knuckles rubbed your eyes.

"I am not THAT cold. Why would this be a test? I genuinely love you."

"Tch. Why are you crying?"

"It's all your fault, you chibi.", you sobbed.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME? I change my opinion. Petition to rewind this please so I can just take the meds and go to sleep.", he always teased you and there he went again. You slapped his chest in annoyance.

"Heh. Just messing.", he guided your head to shoulders. "I will always love you, you stupid woman", you rubbed your nose in his shirt. "Stay with me. Please.", it's very rare coming from him.

"Always", your fingers interlocked with his.

I don't know honestly what's yet to come, but staying here by her side peacefully, no one but only us, is what you would prefer life to be like -Levi.

[antiherocorner]

Huh... Alright, I'm doing... I think I'm doing it...

This is my very first fanfic ever... I'm still learning... This is a part 1 thing... I'm currently in the middle of a university exam period, so I couldn't finish the whole story yet, but I will as soon as I can, but I don't want to wait anymore... My English is okay-ish... It's not my native language, so there maybe some grammatical mistakes, I hope it's still readable... I tried my best... Just bear with me, I'll try to learn and improve... I'm very nervous...

Facts about the story: there is no age mentioning, Reader is around 25-26, I made Daniel younger in my head, 34-36 (single, no wife, no kids, let's respect the real Brühl family), Reader is female, I am Hungarian as well (possible Hungarian language in the future), I'm studying Russian (possible Russian language in the future), and I just started learning German, I used translater (sorry if I messed it up but, I really tried, please tell me if it's horrible), and one more thing... I have never met Daniel, nor I went to Berlin (yet, I really want to, and planning)... All of this are imagination, dreaming, and a little searching...

Warnings: none?... i think?... Apart from the horrible language uses and horrible jokes... Maybe swearing.

(Bad) Summary: a Hungarian girl goes to Berlin with a Russian friend of hers, as tourists. They always wanted to visit the city (not because Reader has a crush on the one and only Daniel Brühl, and wants to go to his tapas bar...of course). When the Reader goes back alone to the bar, Daniel is there too... The big meeting, adventures, fun, love, shitty romcom vibes ahead... (i hope the story is better than the summary...)

And now, after this awkward rambling, I present to you:

-----------------------------------

With Love from Berlin

Part 1

You couldn’t believe it. Finally, after months of preparation, you and your best friend were finally here, in the heart of Germany, Berlin. It was very different from what you were used to. Coming from a small city from Hungary, this was way bigger than your imagination. All kinds of people from different cultures merged into one. Museums, cafes, bars, restaurants, you didn’t even know where to begin. You took a deep breath in your hotel room. Your friend insisted on getting different rooms, in case she or you find someone to have a good time, if you know what I mean. Well, rather your friend, than you. You wanted to come here after many years, and you were finally here, so you want to experience as much of this city as you possibly could, you’re not gonna waste your time on a random (or more, glancing at your friend) man. 

You arrived at the hotel around 1.00pm, so you decided to go get some lunch somewhere close. You were a little bit tired of the long hours on the train. Just around a corner from where you were staying there was a tapas bar. Bar Raval. Your friend wasn’t really into movies that much, or actors in particular, but you knew that place, although you have never been there. You didn’t think about yourself as a “fangirl”, but you really admired the work of Daniel Brühl. You knew there was little to no chance that you could get even a tiny glance of him, but in over all: you would be happy just to say that you were in his bar. Your friend liked Spanish cuisine, so it didn’t take much to convince her to eat there. 

A Hungarian and a Russian woman walked into a Spanish restaurant in Germany, Berlin. Sounded comical. The place looked very friendly and funky. There were some people, not really a crowd. You decided to sit in the corner, with your back to the wall, so you can observe your surroundings. Your friend sits down opposite you. A waiter comes up to you:

- Willkommen! Was möchten Sie gerne? - he asked, looking between the two of you.

- Oh, sorry, we don’t really speak German. - you said with quite a thick Hungarian accent, because you got nervous due the potential language barrier.

- I see, It’s okay. We usually have all kinds of tourist here, so you’re good. What can I get for you two? - he asked with a welcoming smile.

You weren’t sure what you wanted to eat, you weren’t familiar with Spanish food at all, so you just trusted your friend to order something. She ordered something with pasta, and another thing with pasta. You had no idea what she just said. And some juice. She smiled at the waiter who scribbled down your order, and of he went. You looked around while you were waiting.

- It’s nice isn’t it?

- Yeah, it is. Quite bohemian. I would have guessed you would want to go to a traditional German restaurant. Why are we here? - smiled your friend knowingly.

- Well… You know…

- Is this the place of your man?

- What?! Shut up… - blushing - I just like his movies, that’s all… Anyway, I just liked the pictures of this place…

- ...and him…

- ...AND I wanted to check it out myself, ok?

- Ok-Ok...

You smiled at each other. You were best friends for years now, you could communicate without much of words. The waiter arrived with your plates. The food was good. In fact, more than good. In general, you prefer other cuisines, but you really liked this Spanish place. In Berlin. Odd, in the best way. After the lunch you went back to the hotel. Your friend wanted to go to a small club in the evening, so you decided to just chill throughout the afternoon. 

The traveling took the better of you, as you didn’t just not feel fresh after your nap, but you actually felt like shit. Your friend on the other hand really wanted to get going. So you assured her and yourself that it’s fine if you didn’t go to a club. She was a strong woman, and the club which she picked was just a couple of blocks away, so she decided, after she made sure that it is truly okay, to leave you behind in your room. You have never been a party-animal anyway, and you really just wanted to plan for tomorrow. There were so many things you wanted to watch in the city. After a few hours of planning and searching, you eventually fall asleep on the couch.

In the morning, luckily, you felt much better, more of yourself than in the previous afternoon. You took a shower, get dressed (purple converse, dark skinny jeans, blue tank-top and a blue/black checked shirt...nothing can go wrong dressing like this, you thought), grabbed your camo, ex-military little gym bag, locked your room’s door, and went to knock on your friend’s door. It took a few minutes, some groans, and other small noises, when she finally flung the door open. The sight was hideous.

- The hell happened to you? - you really tried not to laugh.

- Laugh, as you like… I had a good time. Drank more vodka that I could handle though…

- Are you alone or…?

- I am… Calm down, I didn’t get lied… Although I tried… But I didn’t!!! - she said quickly after she saw the frown on your face. - But I feel very shitty… My hangover is killing me, I didn’t give out anything yet… But I might throw up at any minute now…

- How can I help you? Stay with you? Bring you something from that little shop we saw yesterday?

- Some water would be nice… But I don’t want you to see me like this… And I will be fine, i’m just gonna rest today… You can go on on your sightseeing trip.

- Are you sure? I’m gladly staying with you…

- No, no! You wanted to come so badly, I don’t want to take a day away from you. I will be alright.

- You promise?

- I do. Please, just go. - she smiled at you.

- Alright. I’ll go grab you some water, and… I don’t know, go for a walk or something. Get breakfast.

- For the mentioning of food, your friend’s face went green and particularly jumped into her bathroom.

- I’m coming back in a minute or two! - you shouted after her, than closed her hotel room’s door.

You went down to get some water, some bread and some crackers which would be easy on her stomach, yet she still would be able to eat something throughout the day. You knocked on her door, which opened just slightly, an arm came out to take the bag from your hand, a small, weak “Спасибо” and just like that the door was closed again. You giggled to her door before you headed down to the street.

You honestly didn’t really want to explore many things without her, so you tried to keep your excitement low. You decided to go back to that bar where you ate your lunch yesterday. You liked it a lot, and it wasn’t a new place to discover, which meant that your friend wasn’t missing out on anything. You went to the bar. It was still early morning, not many people were there. A few old people, some of them are couples. The younger generation (yours) was probably still sleeping. Besides, the place was more like a lunch/dinner kind of place anyway. The waiter looked up and recognised you.

- Good morning! Alone this time?

- Good morning to you too! Yes, my friend had a wild party last night, and she is standing at the gates of Hell right now.

- That sounds bad. - he laughed.

- It is, she looked scary… - that made him chuckle.

- So what can i do for you today?

- I would like just a cappuccino, please.

- Alright, just sit down, I’m on it.

- Thank you!

You sat down at the exact place where you did yesterday, next to the window, with your back to the wall. You put down your bag, and looked around. With less people, the place looked cozier. You really did like it a lot. Eventually, your cappucino arrived. You thanked it, and tasted it. It was delicious. You were one of those people who liked to read next to a fresh coffee, and you always had a book around you. You took it out from your handy-dandy bag and started reading it, holding it a little up in your hands, leaned back on your chair. You were reading one of your favourite books (Pushkin - Anyegin), while sipping a good morning cappuccino, in a nice place. You just relaxed to the small sounds of the bar and sounds of the city, which infiltrated through the door and windows.

- Eine interessante Wahl von Buch am Morgen. Interessanter als eine Zeitung, das ist sicher...

No. Just...no. You were hallucinating. You felt like everything was frozen around you. From out of 2.8 millions of people (roughly), you would recognize this voice. His voice. You physically could not look up.

- Omm.. I’m sorry, I didn’t understand what you just said… - you said with the weakest voice and in the thickest accent ever, in your whole damn life. You hoped that if you make this man say another thing you fall back to reality.

- Oh, my bad - he giggled - I just said that it is an interesting choice of read in the morning, it sure is more interesting than a newspaper.

Shit, this was the reality. 

You dared to look up, and your eyes met the most chocolaty eyes ever on this whole planet, but at least in the whole of Berlin. The owner of those eyes was leaning on the chair opposite you.

- Hello. I’m the owner of this Bar, I’m Daniel. - he offered his hand to you.

- Hi, I kno...i mean I’m (Y/N), I’m the costumer…? - you finished with a questioning voice and all you wanted was for the ground to open, swallow you, and with that wipe you out of this universe. You shook his hand, without looking at him directly. His hands were warm and secure. After he released you, you closed your eyes, already feeling the burning sensation in your face. You heard a deep chuckle.

- Yeah, I guessed that. You’re not from Germany and you aren't British either, aren’t you?

You opened your (Y/E/C) eyes only to meet his curious ones.

- No, I’m not. I’m just a tourist here, I’m from Hungary.

- Oh, I’ve been there. It’s a lovely country. Would you mind if I sit down? - gesturing to the empty chair opposite from you.

- Yes… I mean no… - you took a deep breath - If you would like to you can sit with me. - This is just going great...

You earned another deep chuckle from the man in front of you, while he sat down.

- So… What are you doing here alone, in Berlin?

- I’m not alone.

- Oh… Anniversary? - for a moment you thought you saw something in his eyes. Sadness?

- Not that either. I don’t have anyone to celebrate such things. I came here with my friend, but she got wasted last night, and probably at the moment she is agonizing in her bathroom above the toilet.

- Hm… that’s not nice. - curiosity was coming back to his face.

The two of you stayed in silence. It wasn’t really uncomfortable, you were just terribly shy, and couldn’t stop blushing. You even tried to hide some of your face by leaning on one of your palms, and sipping your coffee.

This is aweful. Daniel f*ing Brühl is sitting opposite me, and I can’t even look at him. He must be thinking I’m one of those fangirls who just can’t keep it together before their idols. Which is true, but he shouldn’t have to know that…

But he wasn’t thinking that. Quite the opposite actually. You were so out of place in his bar, he had to approach you. There was something in you which made him intrigued. While you were trying to hide, which he found a little bit cute and entertaining, he tried to study you as well. There was something in you. He felt like he wanted to know your story.

- So what’s the plan for today?

...........

[saturatedboy]

I was in the mood to write some angst-fluff writing for Donna Beneviento x M!reader so I hope you all enjoy if you chose to read it ^^ (This one shot can be found on my wattpad account Nerd_Dragon_Writes)

Mentions:

Just a sad fluffy chapter

This is a male!reader

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Narrator’s POV

(Y/n) was minding his own business tinkering away at fixing the recently broken rocking chair that Angie, the loud and hyperactive doll, loved to bits- literally. Once Angie was sat in the rocking chair you barely could get her out of it. Angie adored the way it would rock, she found it better when her owner Donna would read a book beside her as (Y/n) would gently rock the chair as he normally sat beside it on the ground. However due to some disagreement over the outside world, Angie had thrown a fit and out of anger had broken the chair. Donna on the other hand had silently backed away out of the room and went somewhere in the small mansion to have space to herself. Mostly likely from the distress and headaches she most likely was getting, (Y/n) could only guess.

As (Y/n) hammered in the very last piece of cork into the wooden frame, the all well knowing screech of the wedding dressed doll came from the left side of his ear. "You fixed itttt!" She carried out, floating around the male and sitting in it after getting herself comfy in it. "Ahhhhh! It so good!" Giggling and quickly flying out of the rocking chair, Angie had rammed herself into (Y/n) and engulfed him in a hug as her small wooden arms could reach. The attempt at a hug had lead (Y/n) laughing slightly at her excitement and appreciation. Moving his arm, (Y/n) had cradled the doll with one arm under her to support her weight and used his other hand to gently pat the top of her veiled head. "You're very welcome. It's the least I could do for you after you and Donna didn't kill me-"

A finger was pressed against his lips, the doll's face had a serious look- one that you wouldn't expect Angie to even be able to create from knowing her having a really expressive emotions of being positive. "You were fun to play with and Mother Miranda did say that if you did somehow survive we could keep you for our own needs~ Ow! Hey no fair!"

With an outstretched pointing finger, the male had flicked the doll on her head to keep her thoughts to herself. He was left with a a small frown from the small doll in return."Sooo?" She dragged out, looking up at the male with a sad glint in her eyes. "Shouldn't you go find Donna, I'm sure she's still upset with earlier."

Sighing, (Y/n) could only nod however he didn't move from his spot on the floor next to the chair. He didn't know why but he felt like Donna didn't want to see him at the moment after the disagreement earlier. "Why don't you both want  me to leave- I'll only be going down the the village to go collect some materials?"

Angie had stayed quiet, thinking on how she should word her next words since she didn't want their new playmate to go and leave them after hearing what she had to say. Squirming her way out of his arm, she heaved herself out and floated in front of (Y/n), twiddling her fingers. "You've been with us for a while now and Donna had the sudden idea of maybe you wanted to be a fam-"

"I apologise for my sudden departing. I did not mean to worry you." A soft voice came from behind, the sound of small patters could be heard to along with some scattering on the floor. Turning around, (Y/n) could only be met with a heard of smaller puppets and dolls crawling, running and even skipping towards him with welcoming smiles. However past them, The Lady of the mansion stood with her veil covering her face and still in her black gown stitch and created from her sorrows.

As the dolls climbed onto (Y/n), he could only fight against their resistance to be able to stand up. However with the help on Angie moving some, he finally managed to stay standing with at least a total of twelve dolls hanging and clinging onto him. Taking a step forward, the male had smiled in joy seeing the other stand before him. "Donna," (Y/n) had spoken out gently, using a hand to lift a doll that was about to fall off him back onto his shoulder. "I wish to speak of today's event, however I had no intentions to mean to upset you or Angie."

Donna moved to lay against the door, her shoulder slightly making ridged movements every now again. With worried eyes, (Y/n) continued stepping forward until he was right in front of the doll maker. Being face to veil, the male had tilted his head gently, his smile still plastered sweetly onto his face. "May I take your veil up please?"

As the request left (Y/n) lips, Donna raised a hand to her veil and pressed it against her face. The sudden feeling of self-conscious had fled around her body and made a sudden noise of a sniffle come out from her. She hadn't revealed her face to anyone in a while- except Angie and her own creations. "Ma, it will be okay." Angie had floated next to her owner, whispering to her after that so (Y/n) couldn't hear what she was saying. It seemed it worked though because next thing he saw was Angie backing away with a her hands rapidly shaking happily.

Moving her hand down, Donna had pulled the black sheet up, letting her stray hairs from a bun she had stick to her face. Her pale skin had turned a cherry red on her cheek bones, her eye had steamed up with a blur and a light streak of water and sweat had trail down her face. Shyly looking away from embarrassment, Donna had focused herself on staring at the door frame, running her finger up and down the wood not caring is she would receive a splinter from it. With wide eyes in both wonder and enchantment, (Y/n) spoke out, "Lady Donna- You're-!"

"I'm hideous. This is what happened to me after the...incident." Biting her bottom lip and splitting it a small amount, she scrunched her eye up and stopped running her finger up and down the frame. Breathing deeply, she gathered the courage to stare at the other with a forced tone of happiness and curved lips "I didn't want you to leave because I thought I had everything back. I thought you would like to be a family. We acted like one and I believed that, you were the one to fix everything."

Angie looked at (Y/n) to see his reactions. Although she couldn't do that much in the very moment, all she knew was that the fate of everyone in that house, was laid in the male's hands. Using his hand to place the dolls and puppets on him onto the ground, he walked forward towards Donna and grabbed her chin gently with one hand and used the other to stroke her cheek-leaving Donna to be very flustered. "Oh Donna, hideous is no way to describe a women who laughter is the most perfect composed music to ever exist. Hideous is no way to describe a women who's hands fit perfectly with my own and create the most alluring pieces of art in my opinion."

"But!-" Her argument was cut short with a gentle kiss against her cheek. With her mouth left hanging open slightly and Angie laughing in the background, she felt sudden comfort wrap around her frame and brought her closer to them.

"And hideous is no way to describe the women who deserves a family which I am willing to hopefully be accepted in." (Y/n)'s soft whispers in her ear had left her speechless. It felt like the first time in forever she felt safe in the arms of someone. No more hiding herself away from the guilt she thought she deserved to feel. The warmth and sweet smell of flowers that came off (Y/n) had made those thoughts stop, like they were just stories from a fairy-tale. Slowly lifting her own arms up, she rested her head between the shoulder-blade and neck of her other, hugging tightly and letting tears that showed compassion and love fall from he eyes. Opening them slightly, she was met with Angie sitting back in her rocking chair and the other dolls and puppets surrounding her as she read a book to them, trying to mimic Donna when she would show the pages when reading.

It was Donna's turn to sniffle out a giggle when she watched Angie struggle with turning the page since it was so far away from her. Pulling out of the loving embrace (Y/n) was giving her, she moved her hand down to wrap around his hand and gently brought them both of them over to the chair. "Would you like me to read it Angie?" She asked watching the bride doll swell in happiness and nodding swiftly.

"Yes please mama!" She screeched out, jumping out of the chair and moving the other creations about so she could sit down on the floor with them. Donna let go of (Y/n)'s hand but once again she was left without words as he kissed her cheek again. "Ooooo~ mama and papa are kissing each otherrrr~" Angie sang out, leaving the room to be filled with other voices from the other creations. Feeling flustered and worried that them words aren't correct, she stand corrected when (Y/n) had sat down in the rocking chair and gently pulled her onto his lap. His arms once again wrapped around her as he leaned his head onto her shoulder looking at the others.

"I'm just showing my love to my wife, is that an issue children?" He said leaving the doll's to quickly quieten down, only a few whispered were left.

"Wife?" Donna muttered and she moved her eye to stare down at the other.

"That is, if you'll let me love you?" (Y/n) asked slowly. Donna smiled, a real smile and nodded.

"That's more than fine by me," She said as she felt her heart race in speed.

"Well that's good now can we hear the storyyyy?" Angie whined out, crossing her arms in a huff as she let the book lay in front of her. Donna turned to her and nodded.

"Of course you can."

Within the office room was the two new lovers. Donna was still in her mourn clothing, however pinned to the clothing where a breast pocket may of been was a flower. A daisy to be precise to signify new beginnings for her and (Y/n). Donna had leaned back against a green leather sofa facing the projector in the room. The faint noise of snoring was heard above in the more safer rooms, the snores and sounds were mostly likely coming from her creations of her handy craft.

Soon a pair of footsteps had lead in her way, only for them to stop and the sound of a sneeze coming out. Donna looked behind her to see (Y/n) walking towards her with two glasses of water. Gently giving her one from behind the sofa, (Y/n) had walked around and sat next to her, him taking a sip of water. "Say Donna," (Y/n) had started, turning to face her. "How do you feel about you coming out with me tomorrow. We don't have to go to the village so instead how about we explore? That way we both get what we want. I go outside and you don't have to worry about me leaving hm?"

Donna stayed quiet, focusing on drinking her water. She normally wasn't much of a talker but she talked so much today that she felt breathless. Bringing her glass down from her lips, she sighed.

"Maybe," she spoke out. A short laughter was heard from the other as he leaned behind himself and placed his glass on the table behind. After he gracefully wrapped an arm around Donna and brought her into a side hug which she was more than happy to accept and snuggle into.

"Don't worry my love," (Y/n) spoke out as he gave her a kiss on her forehead, letting his lips linger there for  while to pull away soon after with a toothy grin. "I understand my maker."

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[willow-salix]

The Shirt

This little thing is for @misssquidtracy and @soniabigcheese and was supposed to be a ficlet (tell that to the 2.5k that came out). It came about after a throw away comment to Sonia last night and then John ‘helpfully’ dropped the whole thing in my head fully formed. Enjoy!

Thanks to the awesome @myladykayo​ for the gorgeous shot of this dude!

"I don't need any new clothes, I told you that."

"And I didn't listen. Come on, John, you haven't bought anything new since college."

"And I'm happy with that, all of my clothes are perfectly serviceable," John continued to argue as Gordon towed him into yet another shop. 

As always they drew attention, Gordon because of his loud voice and, according to him, his swimmers body that the women loved. Gordon had always loved to be the center of attention, he'd reveled in it back in his Olympic days, proud of the knowledge that his promotional pictures had graced many a teenagers phone backgrounds and lock screens. 

John, on the other hand, had no idea what people saw in him and why they still watched him even when he was with his brothers. He knew his hair always drew looks and over the years he'd heard more than a few people whispering something about checking if he was a natural redhead, although he'd never wanted to stick around to listen too closely and had gotten out of there sharpish. He'd much rather just be left alone to fade into the background where his introverted wallflower tendencies could be appeased. 

"Well, I need new clothes and you can't leave a man to shop on his own, it's just not done," Gordon continued. 

"I'm pretty sure there's no such rule."

"I'm making it a rule, it's part of the bro code now," Gordon shot back, flicking through yet another rack of eye-wateringly bright shirts that even Hawaii would have disowned. 

"I reject your rule."

"You can't, I'm your baby brother, you have to be nice to me, that's in the bro code too."

"I demand to see written proof of this rule book that you seem to keep pulling things from whenever it suits you."

Gordon glanced at his brother, seeing his lips twitch as he fought valiantly to keep any display of amusement firmly at bay. John didn't often get the chance to hang out with his younger brother but he always enjoyed it, not that he'd ever admit that out loud, that would only encourage Gordon to up his annoyance level by at least five points. 

"Ha! You smiled, I'm off the hook!" 

"I did no such thing."

"You did, I saw it! The robot had a feeling- ow!" Gordon ducked out of the way, avoiding another cuff around the back of the head from his, far too lanky for his own good, brother who apparently had the reach of an orangutan. 

"I'm not a robot, you little jerk. Stand still so I can hit you properly." And there went the warm fuzzy feelings. Back to reminding himself just why said hang outs didn't happen more often. 

"Yeah, right! Like that's gonna happen." Gordon shimmied backwards through the rack of shirts that made the sun look dull and out the other side to freedom. "Too much time in space has made you slow, bro!" 

"What? HOW DARE YOU!" Without thinking John dived around the side of the rack, stretching out to grab at his grinning brother. "I'll show you who's slow!" 

"I am lightning, I am the wind!" Gordon dodged aside with perfect ease, avoiding the grasping fingers of his brother. 

"Full of wind, more like! Stand still!" How was the squid so fast? 

"Come on, old man, keep up!" 

John made another grab at the back of Gordon's shirt but the little shit wiggled out of his grasp like an eel. 

"Ha! Victory is mine!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about th-" WHUMP! John spluttered, screeching to a stop as he got a face full of fabric, evidently thrown by Gordon who'd decided that weapons were now in play. 

He flailed, tripping over the leg of a clothing rack as he stumbled blindly. He made a grab for the first solid feeling thing he could find, although his judgement of solid was woefully inadequate. He landed on the floor in a tangle of limbs, both his own and plastic, as the mannequin he'd inadvertently grabbed fell with him. 

"Gordon," he gasped, winded from his tumble, but the sound of his brother's hysterical laughter was all that he received by way of an answer. 

He yanked the material off his head, a shirt of some description by the looks of it, and staggered to his feet, dragging his dance partner up with him. 

He managed to get her upright and back on her stand after a great deal of huffing and many swear words muttered under his breath as Gordon continued to howl like a hyena, hanging onto a mirror to stop his own downward descent. 

Yanking her skirt back up where he'd accidentally yanked it down, John finally got the mannequin back in place and decently covered up. 

"Gordon stop laughing!" he ordered as he bent to pick up the shirt that had assaulted him before angrily turning to face his brother. 

"What a clumsy idiot," he heard someone whisper a few rows over, stopping him in his tracks. "Keep out of the way, he'll take us down with him next."

John ducked his head, his cheeks as red as his hair, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He hated being the center of attention and now, he risked a peek to confirm his suspicions, yep, now the whole store was looking at him. Great, just perfect. 

"I'm never coming shopping with you again," he hissed in Gordon's direction. 

"Too right. Did you see the shirt he's holding?" the woman's friend whispered back. "Anyone that picks out something like that should be avoided at all costs."

"He's looking, quick, pretend you haven't seen him!" Both women quickly looked away, suddenly extremely interested in a nearby coat. 

What were they talking about? John glanced down at the pile of fabric still clutched in his clenched fist. It was definitely a shirt of some description, beigey-brown in colour, but not just one shade, oh no, this monstrosity had at least four other shades of brown thrown in for good measure, all coming together in wavy lines of what-was-this-designer-thinking to form some kind of texan nightmare, complete with gaudy gold piping. It truly was hideous, quite honestly the most disgusting thing he'd ever laid eyes on and he'd trained with astronauts who didn't have control of their digestive systems yet. 

He looked around desperately to find somewhere to hide it away from his sight, ignoring Gordon who was taking deep breaths in an effort to calm down. 

There! He spotted a convenient looking pile of sweatpants on a shelf and moved over to stuff the offending article back into the depth of hell from whence it had crawled when a single, solitary thought tickled at the back of his brain. 

He paused, thinking, his brain hamster now awake and racing at top speed around its wheel. He glanced from the shirt to the women who had spoken before, then back down to the shirt. 

"I'm going to try this on," he announced to his stunned brother, marching past him to the changing rooms. 

He quickly stripped off his T-shirt, the one that declared that he was a communications engineer not a magician, and pulled on the horror shirt. Surprisingly enough it was actually made of quite a soft material, something his overly sensitive, due to time spent in low gravity, skin really appreciated. 

He pulled it closed and buttoned it up, rolling his shoulders to allow it to settle into place. It was remarkably comfortable, actually long enough in the body. He stretched out his arms, pleased to see that the cuffs didn't immediately hike up to his elbows. All good so far, but only one thing would assure its purchase…

He pushed open the changing room door and stepped outside. The effect was immediate as two men, three women and a toddler that had been independently milling around near the entrance took one look at him and, as one, turned as quickly as they could in the opposite direction. 

Grinning to himself he tugged the tag off the sleeve, grabbed his T-shirt from the changing room and headed to the counter. 

"I'll wear it out," he informed the cashier, loving the way he not so subtly averted his eyes, unable to look at him. "And I'll take as many as you have in stock in this size and the next one up too." The cashier rushed to do his bidding, desperate to save what remained of his eyesight. 

"See, I told you coming shopping with me was a good idea," Gordon grinned as they made their way back to the parking lot, their arms filled with bags. 

"I will admit that it had its advantages," John answered as they strode easily through the crowd that parted like the red sea, unwilling to risk being contaminated by their fashion flu. 

John breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he could relax for the first time since they'd gotten there three hours before. 

"That shirt is magical," Gordon declared, watching in astounded awe as eyes all around them shifted to avoid looking in his brother's direction. "It's like a people repellent in clothing form, it's….it's…" he groped around for the right words. 

"It's perfect," John declared, lovingly stroking a sleeve like one would a beloved pet. And it truly was. It was like people had a filter, an ugly shirt firewall in their heads that made them avoid it at all costs.

He couldn't remember a time that he hadn't been stared at since the year he'd turned seventeen and hit his second growth spurt. In that year he'd shot up six inches, his lanky frame had filled out a little, his weedy arms turning into tightly packed muscles and he'd developed abs and a voice that had deepened a few octaves. Then, for some reason, his anxious aura with its go away vibes had become nothing but a challenge for most people, acting as a kind of siren call for them to latch on to him and decide that he needed to be included, chatted to and made the center of attention. 

Now it was like he was practically invisible and it felt amazing. Even with the neon orange shirt Gordon was wearing, people were mostly ignoring him. 

"I'm never taking this thing off again."

       ***

"Why am I always the one doing the laundry for you lazy arses?" Selene bitched as she dragged a massive basket of assorted Tracy clobber into the lounge where the assorted Tracys owners sat around in various states of lazy. 

"Because you love us?" Gordon answered, grinning cheekily. 

"Nope, that can't be it," Selene retorted, sitting down on the steps of the seating area to begin the mammoth task that was sorting and folding. She dragged out one of Virgil's plaids and folded it into some semblance of order and dropped it on the floor to start his pile. 

"Let me help," John offered, moving to sit beside her and take some of the pile from her lap. 

"Thanks, gorgeous."

"Whipped," Scott teased, reaching for his coffee cup. "Hey, Sel, if you're the only one doing the laundry as you claim, how comes you haven't managed to wreck John's ugly shirts?"

"Why would I?" she shrugged, balling up a pair of Scott's socks. 

"Because I know you. Any excuse to shop, right?" 

The socks made a handy projectile as she threw them at his head. 

"Thanks!" Scott grinned, effortlessly plucking them from midair. "Seriously though, look at it."

Selene looked at the shirt that was currently hiding the delightful chest of her even more delightful husband. 

"I fail to see the problem with it."

"Really?" 

"Hey, leave my shirt alone, it's perfectly serviceable, thank you."

"It's old, it has to be at least seven years since you bought them," Gordon joined in. "They probably don't even make them any more."

"They don't," John said, concentrating on folding one of Alan's T-shirts into a perfect square. "So nothing had better happen to the ones I have left."

"Now's your chance," Alan whispered to Selene. "Kill them with fire and you'll never have to see them again."

"Yeah, you know that he's got much nicer clothes in his wardrobe," Scott added. 

"I've actually grown quite fond of them," Selene answered, carefully folding one she'd plucked from the depths of the pile, smoothing it out like it was something precious. 

All three Tracys, minus one Virgil who was down in the hangars no doubt creating more washing for her to do by getting covered in grease and muck, stared at her like she'd just announced that she was going back to blonde. 

"What? How? You said that he's never looked better than when he's wearing a decent shirt, I had to give you a drool cloth at your wedding."

"All true," she shrugged, folding one of Virgil's vests to the best of her ability. 

"Yet you continue to let him walk about in, what was it you called it, his rodeo clown shirt?" Gordon asked, completely bemused. "Are we missing something here?" 

"I'm a witch," she started by way of explanation. 

"Duh," Alan snorted. 

"And I have a healthy respect for glamour magic, and that right there," she continued as if she hadn't just been rudely interrupted, pointing at the shirt that John was wearing, "is the most magical thing I've ever seen in my life." 

All three of them burst out laughing, unable to believe what they were hearing. Selene waited patiently for them to finish cackling like they had just cursed Macbeth. 

"Allowing the shirts to live is doing the world, and my arrest record, a huge favour. Now, if you'll excuse us…" she got to her feet, relieved John of the socks he was busily matching and dragged him to his feet.

"OK, OK, I'll bite," Scott continued to chuckle, wiping the tears from his eyes. "What makes you think it's so magical?"

"That should be obvious, nothing short of a miracle could hide that amount of sexiness. Why do you think I'm good with him hiding in Five when he's wearing that space suit?" She dumped the half folded pile of washing back into the hamper.

"I've decided that you lot can sort your own laundry, because I've got the sudden and overwhelming urge to see that shirt on our bedroom floor. Later, fashion rejects."

John put up zero resistance. 

"I love this shirt," he grinned, waving a cheerful goodbye to his stunned brothers as his wife yanked on his hand, towing him bodily from the lounge and on to far more pleasant things than chores. 

[fandominvolved]

Safe is dangerous | SamBucky

Sumary: Bucky has a crush on Sam. Plotless fluff

Warnings: Swears, and just fluffy shit.

Bucky shifted slightly on the couch, the loose pillow strings kept getting caught between the vibranium plates in his arm. He didn't want to seem rude, but he really was considering destroying the whole pillow. Bucky shook his head and rubbed his flesh hand over his eyes, he has been shifting on the couch for what seemed to be the past hour. 

It wasn't even an uncomfortable couch, it was nice and soft. Not as soft as his bed back in his apartment, but still soft. Still, the softness made him feel as though he was falling. Yet, it somehow made him feel safe. And safe, something he hasn't felt in so long, is dangerous. 

Bucky sighed as he sat up on the couch. The couch groaned out from his weight. Bucky raised his eyebrows as he stared at the couch, silently judging it. He seemed to do that a lot, at least that's what Sam said. 

Sam and his perfect skin that seemed to glow under the sunlight. And that smile he had, the way his eyes crinkled whenever he got happy. The half smirk half smile he did whenever he teased Bucky, could-did-make him fall for Sam. 

And it's terrifying, the way he sees pieces of his old self coming back, whenever he is with Sam and his family. It reminded him of Wakanda, except this time he didn't feel alone. He had Sam. And that was enough. 

Bucky shook his head bringing his thoughts about Sam to a stop. 

Was it going to bother Sam and Sarah if he took a glass of water? He didn't want to push their hospitality any further. (Although he did technically force Sam to let him stay, but in his defense he didn't have enough money for a hotel)

Bucky stood up, the yellow (hideous really, but so, so, soft) blanket,  that was draped over his lap, fell onto the floor. A soft thud disturbing the silent living room. He walked towards the kitchen, keeping his footsteps light. He didn't want to wake them up, they already did so much for him.

He reached towards one of the cupboards, a yellow sticky note was pinned onto it. Sam's neat handwriting scratched into it. Bucky opened it, and reached towards a glass cup. Closing the cupboard he stilled, his muscles tensed up. Uneven footsteps descended down the stairs, almost as if they were trying to be silent yet didn't have experience doing so. It's fine. It's probably Sarah, or one of the twins. Maybe even Sam, he was a light sleeper after all.

"Buck?" A deep voice groaned out, his voice slurred slightly, it was obvious they had just woken up. 

"Yeah?" Bucky asked, turning his attention towards Sam. Sam, who didn't have a shirt on. It's normal to sleep without a shirt, it shouldn't be getting Bucky all flustered. Except it was. 

Bucky shifted his gaze towards the cup he was awkwardly holding in the cupboard. He-finally- moved the cup towards the sink. Turning on the tap, he watched as the water poured out and into the cup.

"Couldn't sleep?" Sam asked, walking towards Bucky, leaning his weight against the counter besides Bucky. He looked at Bucky's face, noticing the bags that seemed to get darker with each day that passed. 

Bucky shook his head, he brought up the, now full, cup towards his lips. He tilted his head back letting the water fall into his mouth. The coldness it brought enveloped him, bringing a satisfaction to his previously dried throat.

Bucky shifted his gaze towards Sam. He was staring at Bucky through half hooded eyes, it was clear he was tired so why was he up?

"What're you doing up?" Bucky asked, some of the water spilling down his chin disappearing under the collar of his shirt, leaving an icy trail in its wake. 

Bucky noticed Sam's gaze following the small droplets of water, before he settled his gaze back onto Bucky. Examining every single one of his features, as if he was committing them to memory. But, he couldn't be. After all, they didn't like each other. They're not friends, they just are fighting towards the same goal. Whatever that might be. All Bucky knew is he was following Sam wherever he went, no matter what. And that scared him. It wasn't the first time he followed someone without doubt, but in the end it was all a lie. A fantasy that was too good to be true. 

"I needed to drink something," Sam slurred out, one of his eyebrows twitching slightly. 

It was a lie. Bucky could tell easily. Especially since he spent so many hours just staring at Sam. Examining him. Memorizing every single quirk, smile and imperfection that made him Sam. Perfect. It was kind of funny how Sam thought he did it to annoy him, but the truth is he did it because he wanted to memorize him, scared that if-not if when- they went their separate ways it would be a goodbye. 

"You're lying," Bucky croaked out, finally finished with the glass of water.

Sam raised an eyebrow, a teasing smirk, that made Bucky want to kiss it off his face by how much it annoyed him, making its way onto his features. 

"How d'you know?"

Bucky swallowed down the saliva that was building up. "Your eyebrow, it twitches whenever you lie" Bucky huffed out feigning annoyance that Sam didn't know that already.

"No it doesn't,"

"It does,"

"It doesn't- wait a minute, how do you know that?" Sam asked, shooting and accusatory glare at Bucky.

"I am used to noting these things about people," Bucky explained hoping that Sam didn't catch on to the somewhat lie.

"Right, so that's why you stare at me all day? Noting down every single thing I do?" Sam asked, walking closer to Bucky, his shoulder bumping into Bucky’s left one. 

He would give everything just to feel Sam's bare shoulder rub up against him, to touch his chest. Bucky felt his right hand slowly get clammy, he shouldn't be thinking about this. 

"It's a force of habit," Bucky forced out, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly. He only hoped it wasn't noticeable to Sam. 

Sam hummed. He stared at Bucky with his wide brown eyes. "I'm sure that's all it is, right?"

Bucky tensed up. This wasn't good. Did Sam know? He was surprised Sam hadn't picked up on his obvious pinning before, but maybe he did know but never mentioned it. That's worse than Sam mentioning it, because at some level Sam must have been disgusted with him. Disgusted that Bucky let himself feel this way about a friend. No, not a friend. 

"What?" Bucky whispered out, he breathed out shakily trying to calm down his racing heartbeat. Sam felt closer than before, almost like he moved closer to Bucky. 

Sam wrapped one of his arms around Bucky's waist. Squeezing slightly, a gentle reassurance. 

Bucky's mind blanked. The only thing that he was thinking, feeling, was Sam. He feared that his heart was going to burst out of his chest any second. This wasn't what he expected when he decided to drink water, doesn't mean he didn't like it. It was good, but it was also scary. But he wanted this didn't he?

"Sam?" 

Sam shook his head, "a force of habit? Then why do you look all flustered right now?"

Bucky closed his eyes trying to calm himself down. It was useless, with the way Sam's body was a comfortable warmth on his. Like puzzle pieces, they fit with each other perfectly. Bucky only hoped Sam felt the same way that he did, and this wasn't a cruel joke. 

"Come on Buck," Sam murmured against his ear, the deep voice making goosebumps rise up in his skin. "Don't get all shy on me,"

"I'm not getting shy,"  Bucky mumbled. He stared at Sam out of the corner of his eye. 

Sam exhaled out of his nose, almost like Bucky wasn't understanding whatever he meant. And to be frank he didn't, he was scared he understood the signals wrong. That there was nothing there. It was just dude being- Oh.

Sam's mouth fitted perfectly against his. And  shit, Sam was kissing him. His mouth moved slowly against Bucky's , almost as if he was terrified to do anything else. That if he took it a step further Bucky would tell him to stop. 

But Bucky would never tell Sam to stop. Especially not for this. 

Bucky brought his metal arm towards Sam's jaw, careful not to hurt him. He angled Sam's head slightly deepening their kiss. Their lips made a dance that only they knew. 

Sam's tongue poked out of his mouth, tracing Bucky's lips. And he couldn't stop the sigh that fell out of his mouth, only to be swallowed by Sam's.

Their lips separated, Bucky opened his eyes to find Sam already staring at him.

"This isn't going to end well,"  Sam panted out. And he was right, thus was going to end in a big mess that would leave Bucky more broken than he already was. But, did it have to?

Who's to say Sam has to be another Steve. That all was for nothing. There's a chance of whatever happens between them being beautiful. And that single thought kept Bucky going. Because they can only heal, if they're together. 

Bucky shook his head and reconnected his lips with Sam's. Sam's lips were soft, they reminded Bucky of falling. Yet, it made Bucky feel safe. And maybe safe isn't a bad thing after all. 

[bcxvi]

Episode IX - Lufenian Eidolith

-

"It's beautiful," I said while one of my paws got gently wet when touching the water of the stream we were navigating on. For the last three days, we had been sailing on the shores of Djose, making the least time we could towards the Moonflow.

"You should see it at night," said Hezmush, his sweet voice making my ears go into the position of shyness right away. "It's a gorgeous sight, you and Kimahri surely would love to-" He paused, pretending to care about our recent breakup.

During the time of our detour from Djose towards the Moonflow, Hezmush had been giving away tiny flirting signs, all whenever Kimahri wouldn't notice him of course. Whenever Kimahri isolated, Hez would pass by my side minutes later and drop phrases like "If it weren't for Kimahri, I would already be hitting on you sweetie," or "we should hang out one day, you and I." All of these ending with a wink of some sort, one time he even stuck his tongue out. I was aroused.

As for me... I felt something tingling inside me, yet felt an awkward sensation. As if getting to know him better would be something I shouldn't be making.

Kimahri on the other hand had been quiet, he understood that hearing his voice suddenly made my fur stand on its end. At first, he was confused, I could see in his look that this was, perhaps, not the first time he saw my hairs react in such thrill. His usual smile suddenly turned into a saddened face, I felt terrible too... so ashamed of disliking him without reason, I had no balls to address the issue or talk about it.

"We Should be reaching that shaggy old Salamander friend of mine," interrupted Cid, coming out of Hezmush's cabin while buttoning his trousers up. "He tends to move the camp around, but I'm sure he's around here, we paid him a visit just a week ago."

"I hope he can help," replied Kimahri, "I'm eager to hear what he can find out." He turned at me and looked straight at my eyes while finishing his sentence.

A few minutes pass with the three of us in a quiet mood. We left Barrett at Djose to fix the ship for a while, if he succeeded, he would come to pick us up. Cid missed him, we would constantly stumble with him, shamelessly pulling out his erect cock and stroking to it while seeing some recorded clips and photographs on his portable screen device, it usually was Barret's fat ass being fucked by Cid's large dick. Both enjoyed recording their sessions to enjoy them whenever they would be separate or inviting others to join their adventures during business trips.

Kimahri would simply turn the opposite direction and try to give him privacy, but Hez would stay around while doing stuff and pretend not to care about Cid's moans while peeking on him few feet away.

As for me... well, hearing those passionate masturbations of his made me feel odd. I certainly knew that sex was something sacred, I mean, Cid and Barret's love was genuine, they made it clear for me before we boarded Hez's ship. But they had no shame when having 'fun' while doing what couples in love do.

A few times I peeked at him, some while he started, others while he finished and large shots of cum spurted all over, staining the carpets and leaving his clothes smelling of chlorine.

I knew I had lived those experiences as well, the eating of my ass, my manhood being sucked gently until my semen covered up the place and face of someone...

"Ah! I think we are finally here!" yelled Cid, loosely buttoning his crotch and putting away his pornographic comforter. We all exited the cabin, Cid hastily waving towards a rustic campsite. While Yelling "So vneaht, so vneath!"

So vneaht? Was he speaking another language?

To our surprise, a greyish green-skinned colored man came out of the tent, his face was mostly covered in a tangle of gingery dreadlocks. His body was in the nude except for a graceful fundoshi concealing his genitals, he was mostly covered in fascinating tattoos and marks. His bearded chin gave a wide smile, while his large ape-like arms waved us in almost a rhythmic greeting. "Syo dra kutacc Adnu pa fedr oui," he yelled us back, "E famlusa oui so vneahtc."

"It's the AlBhed tongue," whispered Hezmush to my ears, "don't worry, this is a greeting some adepts of Etro developed through the years, we might not need a translator. Relax."

Hezmush gave me a quick rub on my shoulders, ending with a quick pat at the back. Cid couldn't wait to reach the shore, so he jumped out of the boat, swam, and greeted his friend "Amarant!" he yelled, while both kissed each other so passionately... A flash hit my head while watching them both, suddenly it was me and Kimahri, both nude in the wild, against hard cold stone floors and walls.

My vision is interrupted by no other than Kimahri, who accidentally stumbles and trips down towards me. I catch him in my arms. He is so tiny compared to my overall size. Suddenly I smile at him, his eyes shine and he smiles back.

"Well, well, what have we here?" demands Amarant, while hugging so friendly Hezmush, then Kimahri, and finally me. "You should've told me you wanted an orgy Cid!" All start to laugh but I, probably because I didn't catch the joke.

Cid tries to suppress his wild libido and starts explaining to his friend (who he constantly called Salamander), the reason for our visit. Amarant's tent is like a spiritual shrine, full of charms, bells, and decorations that shine with the few Pyreflies and candle lamps he has dimly lit. Nightfall is nearing us, so he pulls out luxurious cushions and blankets in case we want a sleepover.

"We need to know if you can help us identify his Maladie," finished Cid, while pointing in my direction with a nod. Amarant scratches his chin and wets his lips with his tongue. He asks if the situation is urgent, he probably was about to go to sleep soon. Cid answers in a begging manner that the situation cannot wait.

Annoyed, Amarant looks above us, as if trying to find a sign of distress in any of his charms hanging on the ceiling. He gives a soft 'yes' and proceeds to pull down a large claw hanging on a leather string. He gives a soft kiss to the item and proceeds to put it around my furry neck.

"I know you are not used to being touched by strangers," he says to me in a kind voice, somehow he accurately read my thoughts at the moment, yet I believed my corporal language gave me away, "but my ways are effective. Controversial, I must admit... but effective."

I understand his speech. Probably he would have to engage more intimately with me to understand what is the state of my disease. "I accept your methods," I respond without thought. I DO want to know what is the matter with me.

"Good." Amarant gives his commands, he needs me to lie down in the center of the tent, comfortable and without gears on me. I agree without hesitation. We are all boys after all. Although I blush heavily while my gaze crosses with that of Hezmush and Kimahri. I try to understand that maybe the whole party will stay to watch, but after a few minutes, Amarant asks everyone to leave. Perhaps he needs privacy to summon spirits of some kind.

After my company is out, he unties his fundoshi and starts his rituals. At first, I'm nervous, but slowly I can smell an incense so sweet. It makes me feel calm and slightly dizzy. He chants and prays while rubbing delicious oils in my chest, passing through my belly and then all over my genitals. It feels like an erotic massage to me.

He stops his chants. Then sings a soft prayer into my ears, which makes me go into a state of slumber.

At first, everything is dark, then I feel my body wet, floating on the surface of a pond in the middle of the dark.

"Hello?" I whisper, an echo resonating through the area. Somehow I understand this is my unconscious of some kind.

"Hello, my friend," replies Amarant, he is right next to me, yet his voice is all around.

Defying laws of physics I get up on a solid floor, still wet. "Is that you?" I ask. Out of nowhere, a body materializes next to me, it's Amarant.

He grabs my hand and kisses the back of my paw.

"I will be your guide," he explains, "hold my hand and walk along. If we want to find out what happened, we'll have to go through some veils."

"Some veils?" I ask. Suddenly I feel my crotch getting warm and a visible erection pops up. I try to apologize for it, but Amarant says I must not be ashamed of it, he has one as well, yet I only notice it until he points it out.

"To maintain our connection you must enter my body," he explains, "I will not Lie, you feel amazing."

We both let out a low chuckle. I guess I can't help but enjoy the ride.

We keep walking for a couple of minutes. At first, I'm quiet, but he is humming that tune that made me go into stasis again.

"Sometimes I feel that I know him," I say, more comfortable now that he seems to give me time to open up willingly.

"You do?"

"Yes," I continue, "as if Kimahri and I are close somehow, a hunch I feel all over my body, my chest starts to race and I want to hug him madly...! Yet the idea makes me sick..."

"What happened the night you fell into a coma?"

"I have no idea... they say we were asleep...."

"And?" Amarant and I stand face to face, he holds both my hands and we are now floating in the void, yellow and golden hues surround us.

"Someone came into our room," I continue, somehow speaking suppressed memories. "I felt how a dark presence was approaching me, it penetrated my mind and found its way into my dreams." I was questioning how violated I felt when I realized something new, "he could read me completely, found out I was human within but hideous outside."

"That explains why you feel torn," tells Amarant, "probably this intruder tore a half of you, but was unable to touch your human heart." He hesitates and asks, "did you see the face of this creature?"

"Yes." My reply is solid, yet I hesitate. "But I can't see him... not anymore..." I struggle for a second, suddenly I feel my eyes and mouth open wide, a burst of light coming out of them as if I were in a kind of supernatural trance.

I can see myself, my spirit is exiting this body I did for myself within my mind. Amarant is embracing the lights and turns to hug me from behind. I turn towards his direction and see what's going on, somehow the rays flooding out of my cavities are unfolding into visions. As if I were screening the events of that night. I see how a black shadow is on top of my body, pulling out my fundoshi and arousing my genitals with a cold touch.

Kimahri is next to me, but he doesn't notice the intruder. The vision reforms into particles, shaping the shadow and myself, both kissing. I ejaculate and he eats all of my seed. I try hard to see who he is, but when I'm about to unveil the stuff covering his face I wake up.

"STOP!" I roar. Amarant is surrounding my neck with his ape-like arms, hugging me tightly while my cock pops out of his hole, juices oozing out and wetting between us. I come to my senses and realize I'm out of the trance.

"Amarant is panting and damped in sweat, his dreadlocks tied up on a ponytail. I can see his face completely.

Panting he replies "You... are... a bull... honey."

I find myself sitting down, grabbing him by those tiny hips, and realizing I was probably fucking the guts out of his mind while being in our stupor. I imagined I would be still.

Amarant tries to get up but falls to his knees, I figure he took the ride of his life. And I didn't even enjoy it!

"I apologize," he says, while I assist him to stand up and walk him to a nearby couch full of silk sheets and soft pillows. "You must've been the victim of some powerful magycks... and oh goddesses! You are so in love with Kimahri. I felt every inch of it," he made a pause, reluctant to speak, yet he does, "you are a victim of some powerful dark spell... and I don't think there is an easy way to benefit you, at least not from me."

And if it's not you then who? Who is going to help me? I never felt this way, shattered within and feeling sick of someone who makes me taste special feelings... yet tempted to be into an affair with a man I just met.

Amarant tries to regulate his breath, I bring a glass full of freshwater, which our tired guru sips eagerly. Then give him a minute of silence, I tie down my undergarments and put on my belt. Amarant asks me to stay by the door, he says that coming out of the tent without me would not be beneficial for us.

"Usually I don't have a problem with leaving people I connect with right away," he explains, "but the link we accomplish was so strong... I'm worried you might experience... side effects."

After he rubs out the sweat off his body and ties up a fresh piece of cloth around his pubic area, Amarant grabs me by the arm. He is now limping and needs me to help him walk. "It's been a while since somebody forced me to use a cane to help me walk," he chuckles.

The guys are outside, sitting by the shore. Kimahri is the first to see me, he gets up and approaches. Hezmush wants to come too, but Cid holds his arm and gently asks him to leave us be. I happen to see him rubbing his crotch, implying they might jack off each other while the wait is up.

"Oh boy, we have a problem," Amarant speaks right after Kimahri is within hearing range.

"How did it go?" asks Kimahri. I divert my gaze, ashamedly. If only I could explain that I broke Amaran't ass hole.

"We did well," replied Amarant quickly, winking at me, he sat down at a log that had the shape of his buttocks carved in because of all the time he spent sitting on it. "But the news... not good. Are you sure you want to hear them too?" Kimahri nods, he has decided to help me out no matter what.

"There is no impossible for me to handle," he assures.

Amarant explains the situation, "Lufenian Magyck," he says. "Are you familiar with the term? It's one of the most ancient kinds of powers to ever step foot on our world."

Lufenia was a civilization that was so great yet their fall down was inevitable due to the power they harvested. To conceal the practice of Lufeninan magycks the ancient survivors locked down their greatest sources of power into synthetically refined crystals: the Eidoliths.

"But they are legends," replies Kimahri, "midwife stories to scare children. Even as a kid I was told those tales."

"Oh my child, you would be surprised at how many legends end up being true. Many thought Etro was."

"Well, assuming you are right," continues Kimahri, "how can we break a Lufeninan spell?"

Amarant chuckles in shame and explains there is no way. "Kill the caster if you can," he adds, "the spell is locked with an identity veil, something the Eidolith can grant to the one who curses. If you want the strength to break this affliction, you must find a Goldling Lufeninan Crystal."

Kimahri stays in silence, Amarant knows he said something practically impossible to get. If Lufeninan Crystals were the containers used to seal this antique civilization's magycks... it would be obvious that most of them were hidden who knows where, if not already lost.

"There are many tales," adds Amarant, "yet some of them might or might not be where these tales talk about. I would recommend you reach someone who might be accustomed to the lore of Lufenia. I know little and my understanding is limited."

"Would Yuna know about them?" asks Kimahri.

"Probably," replies Amarant, "she doesn't stop being a summoner. Eidoliths hold the power of creatures that are alike Aeons."

"Then it's decided," I say without thinking, Kimahri looks at me with some kind of relief. I try to turn down my voice, but I realize this was something I said from within my soul, so I make up my mind and finish the sentence: "We are to see Yuna. If she knows something, we could find out where the Eidolith might be hidden."

[shiningamongdarkness]

Chapter 42.Look what I did

Shining among Darkness

By WingzemonX

Chapter 42. Look what I did

While everything outside was in absolute chaos, the real culprit of that horror watched her work from the hospital security room with particular pride and satisfaction. Lily Sullivan was still sitting in front of the console, her hands resting on it. From her position, she observed everyone who appeared and disappeared from the monitors. Although, in reality, she did not need them to see all her current victims. But they were a good guide, as a small map so as not to get lost, since the number of people she had to reach was more significant than any she had previously achieved.

Lily created horrible visions in the heads of all these crazy people, altering them and letting their fears consume them and act on them. She made them see all other people as hideous creatures, with rotten skin hanging from their faces, yellowish teeth popping out of their mouths, and reddened pus-filled eyes. Of course, the reaction of all was of aversion, terror, and above all of the violence; a lot of violence.

The show was a real treat for her. So much chaos, so much confusion, so much fear… She was delighted, even intoxicated, by it all. Her father always thought that fear was like food to her; that fed on her and made her stronger. She never quite believed that statement, but at the moment, she was tempted to consider it. The sensation that ran through her body was exquisite.

Suddenly, out of all the frightened and confused faces that appeared on the monitors, one caught her attention in a particular way; one that she managed to recognize immediately: the hateful Portland detective who interrogated her and dared to lock her in that room (with everything and guard at the door). She knew immediately that it was him, and it took her slightly by surprise. What was that guy doing there? Was he looking for her? It did not matter because without knowing it, he had just entered the cave of the worst wolf he had ever known.

Lily smirked.

"Well, look who we have here. My old detective friend. Just in time for fun..."

All the ideas that had crossed her mind to do with that man as soon as she had the opportunity came to her mind. And this one apparently was being presented on a silver platter. Indeed his square and simple mind could not understand what he was seeing, and he was naively wondering why everyone was acting so… "crazy." Of course, he still wasn't able to see anything they saw. He was just standing there with his gun in one hand and barely managing to hold it as he moved on those crutches. Surely he wanted to have a clear target to shoot at, as it was what he did best: aiming and then "bang!" If that's what he wanted, why not help him a bit with it? That would surely make him feel better.

"What are you afraid of, detective?" Lily whispered, focusing most of her attention on that single individual.

- - - -

Vazquez and Cole kept trying to calm things down in the hallways, but there seemed to be no favorable resolution. It was all a horrible pitched battle of everyone against everyone. Faces were scratched, heads smashed against walls, and even hands, arms, or necks were bitten in desperate defense. Vazquez, due to his condition, was the one who had it the most difficult. Still, his stubbornness was much more powerful than his physical limitation.

Suddenly, the Portland detective stopped abruptly without Cole noticing at first. He stared at the crowd of people in front of him in puzzlement as his appearance began to change, little by little, with each blink he gave. The faces of patients and nurses alike grew emaciated, leaving in their place only dangling skins attached to their skulls. The detective backed away, stunned. In a second, all those hideous faces turned towards him simultaneously, and one by one, they began to approach him.

"Stay where you are!" He yelled loudly at them, raising his weapon towards them. "Back off now!"

Vazquez backed away in fear, stomping on his crutches and falling to the ground. His injured ankle ached intensely, but he made no exclamation. All his senses were focused on those faces with hollow cheeks and eyes, ashen skins, and stained and missing teeth. Those faces, they were all alike; they were all the face of...

"Deja de llorar, Roberto," he heard one of those faces pronounced hoarsely in fluent Spanish.

"¡Deja de llorar como una puta!" One more of them added, with the same voice as before.

They kept getting closer, shuffling step by step. One by one spoke with the same voice, pulled from some cold and forgotten corner of Vazquez's memory.

"Miren a la niña de mami."

"¿Vas a ir a llorarle a mami?"

"No, no, no," the policeman muttered, totally petrified. However, his right arm was still raised, and his pistol pointed straight ahead. The following words also escaped him in Spanish: "Tú estás muerto… Hijo de tu puta madre, ¡estás muerto!"

"Soy un viejo que se caga encima, y aun así sigues temblando al verme, niñita."

"¿A quién crees que engañas con tu disfraz de policía?"

"Eres un pendejo, un inútil, y un malagradecido."

"Sólo sabes responder a putazos, igual que tu madre…"

The one who was closest to him raised his arm in the air. From his perspective, his hand looked immense, as he saw it when he was just a six years old little boy trembling in the corner of the room. The face accompanying that hand was not yet consumed by the alcohol and the coca.

"¡No me toques!, ¡no me toques bastardo!"

Vazquez gripped his gun, his finger on the trigger.

Another of those creatures lunged at him with great speed from the side, grabbing his arm and deflecting the weapon upward. The gun went off, and the bullet hit a ceiling lamp just above them, creating a small explosion and shower of sparks.

"Vazquez!" Cole shouted while he struggled on the ground with the Portland detective, trying to take his gun away from him. "Whatever you are seeing is not real! Give me your gun!"

Vazquez wasn't listening to it. He was still kicking and roasting, spitting screams in Spanish that Cole couldn't quite understand. The gun fired once more, now hitting a wall. The nurses who were not prey to hallucinations had no choice but to leave the place scared. The affected patients, some ran in terror down the corridor too, but others remained in place screaming in terror and hitting the walls and faces.

From the control room, Lily was laughing more than happily. All of this was much better than she expected.

Cole kept struggling with Vazquez, trying to disarm him before he hurt someone else. But the despair and fear invading him had given him more strength than expected to defend himself. This guy was an annoying stubborn, but he was a cop like him, wounded in the line of duty. He was also hallucinating because of a third party, or at least that seemed to Cole to be the safest thing to think. The last thing he wanted was to hurt him, but he didn't have much choice in the end.

Midway through their struggle, he dug his knee hard against Vazquez's abdomen, knocking the air out of her. Vazquez doubled over, exhaling a deep groan of pain. Cole immediately withdrew his gun and threw it away from him. Next, he punched him hard in the face that caused the Portland officer to fall sideways to the ground, stunned but still defiant. Cole stepped over him and gave him one more blow, and it seemed to affect him even more than the last.

Vazquez remained on the ground, semiconscious and complaining of the pain that was indeed invading his body. Cole stood up, waving his sore hands slightly from the blows. Before he could recover, he dragged Vazquez off his feet into one of the open rooms; the cop did not resist at all. He was able to put him inside the room and locked him up; for his protection and the others.

Cole took a deep breath with some relief. He took a few seconds to try to digest it all, settle down, and then think of his following action. Instinctively, he raised his gaze to a corner of the hall, where one of the security cameras was located; it stared at him like a single accusing eye, the red light above it blinking every so often. He had a hunch that the telepath who was causing all this might be looking at them right through that camera. And therefore, in theory, he was staring into their eyes right now, him or her.

"So boring," Lily muttered from the other side, staring at Cole's angry face on the monitor. Soon after, the detective began to walk down the hall in a hurry, but not before bending down to take Vazquez's gun from the floor. "You come for me? Don't make me laugh. I could make you shoot yourself with that gun whenever I want." Her attention was diverted at that moment to another of the monitors, where she could see Esther walking stealthily. And right on the board to one side, she saw another person also wandering, but with more modest steps, dare he even say fearful. "But I think we won't be around much longer to see it."

- - - -

Samara wandered lost for a while among the hospital corridors, not knowing exactly where she should go. She hadn't come across anyone to that point, nor had she seen firsthand the havoc Lily Sullivan was wreaking on the minds of those present. However, the loneliness that was breathed caused her some confusion and anguish.

What had happened? And whatever it was, was it happening because of her? And who exactly was doing it? She couldn't believe it was caused directly by the Other Samara; she didn't have that kind of influence unless she allowed her to somehow.

She kept roaming for a bit longer. She was getting ready to go to where she seemed to remember the reception and the main door of the hospital was. She had been locked there for too long, and the exit door was not exactly a place they used to or even want to take her to.

A few steps to her right caught her attention. She thought for a few moments that it would be some nurse trying to get her back to her room. She thought fleetingly about what she would do if that was the situation. Would she give them a "push" like the one she gave Dr. Scott? Did she wish to go out so badly to do that? Samara turned slowly in that direction. The person she saw was not a nurse. In fact, it was a girl, a little shorter than her, with a backpack on her back and who was looking at her with some anxiety in her eyes.

"Samara," the stranger said firmly. "You're Samara Morgan, right?"

She looked at her carefully without answering her immediately. She was unfamiliar, and she was not dressed to be a patient here. And besides… there was something strange about her. She perceived it just when she saw her, but the girl could not identify what it was exactly. Something in her did not agree, and that caused certain distrust to Samara.

"Who are you?" She murmured uneasily, backing away a little.

"Hey, don't be scared," the girl whispered slowly, throwing her hands towards her. Her face abruptly softened, and she gave a gentle smile, which would perhaps be adorable if it weren't for the fact that it seemed totally fake. "I don't have time for long explanations, okay? Let's leave it in that my name is Esther, and I came to get you out of here. And I'm going to do it by hook or by crook."

Still smiling, the stranger subtly reached her left hand toward her backpack while her right was still up, perhaps in an attempt to distract her.

"I really don't want to hurt you. I'm your friend..."

Samara narrowed her eyes a little, still suspicious.

"Are you who she said would come for me?"

The girl became excited in confusion and slowly made her hand recoil from her attempt to grab her backpack.

"I don't know what 'she' you mean. But yes, someone sent me for you. A very handsome boy; I think you'll be pleased to meet him." She commented that last with a very notorious gossipy tone. "What do you say? Are you coming with me?"

Samara stared at her in silence for a moment, and then she raised her gaze just a little above the stranger's head. And there it was, that dark figure standing in the middle of that perfect white corridor, highlighted by its haggard and opaque state. She looked back at her; among all the sea of ​​black hair that hid her face, Samara could notice it, and as well that creature was slowly nodding her head with a sign of affirmation.

The girl hesitated for a few moments, but then she nodded in the same way too. The girl with the backpack seemed surprised, perhaps by how (apparently) easy it had been to convince her.

"Perfect, quick." Esther held out her hand to the girl to take it. Samara did, and in less than a second later, they started running. Samara was almost flying because that girl turned out to be stronger and faster than she looked, or perhaps she was much thinner and lighter than she thought.

"What is happening?" The young from Moesko murmured slowly, watching the orange sirens of the alarm as they advanced. "You did this?"

"Me and another new friend," Esther replied. "You'll also like her. Beneath her unfriendly mask, it's kind of nice."

Samara didn't understand what she meant, but she didn't think about it too much. She didn't know precisely where she was taking her but trusted her to know.

As they walked, out of the corner of her eye, Samara noticed a figure moving down another adjacent hallway they were going. She turned slightly toward it, and as soon as she saw that, she stopped, apparently applying enough force so that Esther's grip was dislodged. Esther nearly fell flat forward from the sudden change.

A woman with long black hair, a white patient suit, and a gray sweater over it walked forward, looking around, disoriented. Both of her hands were firmly grasping in front of her, seemingly holding something.

Samara recognized her immediately, and her heart leaped with excitement.

"Mommy?" She exclaimed loudly enough to be heard in the echo from the hall. Anna Morgan stopped advancing and turned quickly toward her, her eyes wide in amazement and confusion. Yes, it was her. "Mommy! Mommy!"

Samara, without thinking twice, began to run quickly down the hall towards her before the stranger who had come to get her could do something to stop her. For the first time in weeks, Samara's face lit up even a little, drawing as close to a joyous smile as she could get. Even the way she ran towards her mother was in stark contrast to the sleepy, absent demeanor that almost always characterized her. Now she was running, practically jumping with happiness, like a normal girl happy to see her mother.

The adult woman, by her side, remained standing in her place, watching silently as the girl approached her, having both hands still firm in front of her.

"I'm happy that you're fine, mommy…" Samara whispered, only a few steps away from her. And it was at that moment that as she took one of those last steps, she caught a glimpse of that same dark and gaunt figure from a few moments ago, standing just off the side of the hall as she ran past her.

"Stop!" The Other Samara yelled at her loudly, her voice echoing only in her head. "Don't get any closer!"

Samara turned to look at her for only a fraction of a second, confused by such a warning. However, as she turned back to her mother, the cruel reality of those words struck her head-on.

Anna quickly pulled out the scalpel she held hidden in her hands and waved it in the air, making a long cut across Samara's cheek. The girl backed away and fell to her seat in fear, clutching her cheek that was beginning to bleed.

"You did this, right?" Anna asked sharply, holding the scalpel in front of her. "You caused this chaos. Wherever you go, everything you touch is corrupted and destroyed. You are the Devil, the very Devil walking this earth!"

Esther looked alarmed at such a scene. She approached hurriedly, and by mere reflex, raised her weapon, pointing it at the woman. But at that very moment, Samara stood in front of her, preventing her from shooting.

"No, mommy, please… I didn't do anything… Please, mommy… I love you…"

Samara took a fearful step towards her mother, extending her free hand towards her. At that moment, Anna waved the scalpel again, now making a deep cut into her palm. Samara doubled over in pain, clutching her hand and backing away, groaning.

"I'm not your fucking mommy! Spawn of the Devil! I wish I had never met you! You just made my life hell!"

Anna Morgan's voice echoed loudly in the hallway, and so did Esther's own head, who was watching everything paralyzed in place. She had already raised her pistol at her again, her finger on the trigger, ready to blow her head off without the slightest hesitation. But those words paralyzed her...

"I'm not your fucking mommy!"

"I'm not your fucking mommy!"

"I'm not your fucking mommy!"

That scream was repeated in her head over and over again, creating a pain that ran through her neck and back. Her hand shook, and she was unable to shoot. She was unable to kill that woman. She was unable to kill her mother... again.

The ceiling lights began to flicker suddenly, and heavy air completely covered the corridor. The ground at Samara's feet began to corrode and break, taking on a dirty ocher hue as if a strong acid were starting to consume it. Slowly the girl raised her face back to her mother. However, her eyes were wholly filled with fury, totally oblivious to the jubilant ones from just now, and they were pinned right on the woman in front of her.

Terrified, Anna took only two steps back before being completely paralyzed and lost in the deep darkness that consisted of Samara's eyes. Those eyes... they were the same as that occasion, the one in which all those horrible and unpleasant images flooded her head, preventing her from thinking about anything else. But now, it was a little different. There were no images slowly consuming her sanity. Actually... there was nothing. Anna didn't feel anything; she didn't think about anything. She just seemed to be floating in a deep, murky sea of ​​darkness...

Without saying anything, Anna Morgan firmly took the scalpel in her hand, raised it to her neck, and then, before Esther's astonished eyes and Samara's angry gaze, she stabbed it directly into the right side of her neck, until depths.

Matilda had arrived in the hallway just at that moment, stunned by such an image. Anna pulled out the scalpel once and reattached it. Blood spurted from her wound, covering the wall and staining her white coat. She did it again a second time and a third time as if she could not feel any pain. But she did feel it; she felt it all...

"Samara! No!" Matilda yelled from the end of the hall and quickly used her telekinesis to snatch the scalpel from Anna Morgan's hand before she repeated the abominable act a fourth time. But it was late enough.

The woman fell to the ground, first on her knees and then collapsed on her side. Blood kept pouring from her throat and mouth, trickling down her body and staining the floor. Only then did Samara seem to react and realize what she had done. Her face softened, and she looked in horror at her mother lying in front of her.

"No, no, no!" She screamed in horror and approached her mother, hugging her and trying to place her hand on her wound. Samara's clothes were stained red, as were her hands. "No, mommy... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to..."

Anna stared at her with empty eyes as she spat blood from her mouth. She coughed a few times, her breath hitting a bit near the end, and then… she just went still… Her eyes kept pointing to her daughter, but they weren't really looking at her. They weren't looking at anything at all, and Samara knew it.

"No, mommy... Nooo!!" Samara yelled loudly, and the walls and windows rumbled. Then she hugged her mother's body tightly, beginning to cry uncontrollably and staining herself even more with her blood. Their screams rang out loud, drowning out even the incessant sound of the alarm.

Matilda was astonished for a moment at the horrible scene she had just witnessed, but gradually she forced herself to react. Then she approached fearfully towards her patient.

"Samara," Matilda whispered very slowly. "Samara, listen to me…" The girl lifted her face covered in tears and blood (hers and her mother's) towards her. "Nothing of this is your fault, no..."

"You told me you would help me, Matilda…" Samara whispered suddenly between groans. "You told me that you would help me control my powers! You said to me that I wouldn't hurt anyone else anymore! And look what I did! I killed my mom! I killed her!"

Matilda froze again at the image in front of her: the image of a girl covered in blood, embracing her mother's lifeless body. The same image she had seen four years ago when she entered into that house in Chamberlain.

Esther was in a state quite similar to hers. Also, that image brought a wave of memories and feelings that drowned her. Suddenly she felt something that she hadn't felt for a long, long time: the urge to cry... but she wouldn't, not now or in that place.

Esther started abruptly and without much thought to shoot Matilda. The first bullet hit the doctor in the right shoulder, knocking her out of her thoughts and knocking her to the ground. Esther shot her three more times, but this time Matilda could react, focus, and stop the bullets before they hit her. This did not surprise her attacker, and, in fact, she expected it to happen just like that.

"Let's go!" Esther yelled loudly, and then she took Samara by the arm and yanked her upright. Samara didn't have the strength to resist and just let her pull as she continued to let out bitter sobs.

Matilda shook the bullets off her and tried to stand. But as she did so, she felt a great stabbing pain in her shoulder that brought her to her knees again. The bullet had entered and left without touching bone or anything, but that didn't take away the pain or the bleeding that was beginning to soak through her blouse. She tried again to stand up, now with better luck. She stepped past Anna Morgan's body and ran after the girls, clinging her left hand to the wound as best she could.

As they ran, Esther quickly took out her walkie-talkie.

"I need a damn distraction!" She yelled loudly, hoping Lily would hear her from the other side. "The woman who follows me is very dangerous."

There wasn't as such an answer from Lily, but she hoped she had heard her.

The two girls turned a corner, out of sight of Matilda long enough. When the psychiatrist turned the same corner, she stopped for a moment and looked around confusedly because there was no sign of who she was chasing. In front of her was only a long corridor, long enough so that at least she could see them in the distance because she had not been so far behind. But from the shape of the corridor, they couldn't have gone anywhere other than to the front, so she started to dash in that direction.

Her shoulder burned, and she had started to sweat.

She continued down the lonely corridor until she came to an end... and it really was. There was no other adjacent corridor. Instead, it ended in a wall with a window, perfectly closed and impossible to open. But there was no sign of Samara and that woman, who she was sure was the same one she had seen in Portland.

She turned on her feet, gazing thoughtfully at the doors on the side of the hall, suspecting that perhaps they had been hiding in one of those rooms. A reasonable thought, but wrong. Unbeknownst to Matilda, the little one hidden in the security control room had gotten into her head. By the time she finished going through half of those rooms, she had realized that the long hallway did indeed connect with others that she did not see or rather could not see. And at that point, that would be too late.

- - - -

"Mission accomplished," Esther said, pleased from the radio she had left for Lily in the security room. "I can't go back there. You'll have to go to the van on your own. Can you do it, brat?"

"With my eyes closed," Lily replied sarcastically.

She looked back at the monitors. Little by little, she let the illusions she had caused dissipate one by one. It would be difficult for her to keep everything working while leaving that place without being seen (literally). The monitors showed the reactions of relief, confusion, and, of course, the terror that did not disappear completely. Even some of the fighting that had started seemed unwilling to die down anytime soon.

Lily would have loved to stay long enough to see how far this could take. Could she even have her little puppets burn that whole place down on their own like Emily had? That would have been fun to watch. But indeed, it was time to go.

She placed her hands on the console and pushed herself back slightly to make the chair roll away from it so she could lower herself more quickly. However, before she could get her feet low enough, something stopped her tracks. At first, she didn't understand it, and later... she couldn't either. She felt her wrists clench, holding them steady and motionless on the armrests. And looking at them, she saw that it wasn't just the sensation: her wrists were surrounded by thick chains of shackles that had come practically out of nowhere.

"What?" She exclaimed in surprise, and a second later, more of those chains emerged, tying her entire torso to the chair and her two angles to each other. The latter gave her a painful cramp, as her injured leg had stuck and rubbed with the good one.

What was happening? Who had done that?

The chair turned on its own a hundred and eighty degrees, making Lily's face look right at the door. Her captor, or who she supposed this was, was standing there staring at her with sternness and deep concentration through the transparent glass of her thick glasses.

"You must be Lily," Cody commented somewhat harshly, approaching her without taking his eyes off her. Lily was looking at him too, with a combination of confusion and mostly anger.

"Are you doing this?" She questioned sharply. "They are not illusions, are they?"

"They are, but not like yours."

Cody stood right in front of the girl, analyzing her carefully. He could see a little of the bruise still present from the blow her kidnapper had given her, showing under her dark hair that covered part of her face. Cody noticed as well as the crutches that had leaned against the console. The skirt she was wearing wholly covered her thigh and, therefore, the bandage that wrapped her not very pleasant wound.

The next thing Cody noticed was much more horrible, and it scared him so much that he couldn't understand how he hadn't seen it at first: the two bodies lying on the ground, each shot in the head. Both in security guard uniforms, both obviously dead.

He was tempted to look away. He didn't want to have those horrible images in his head; the perfect recipe for a good nightmare. But it was late, well the image of their faces stuck against the pool of their own blood would not be quickly erased from his head. He decided then to turn entirely towards Lily and try not to look or think of anything else.

"Are you here with Leena Klammer? Why are you helping the woman who kidnapped you?"

Lily was silent for a moment, but then gradually, her aggressive expression softened, abruptly changing to a look full of anguish.

"I didn't know what else to do," she whispered almost painfully as if she were about to burst into tears. "She is not a girl as she seems. She's totally crazy! I thought she would kill me. Please help me…" She cut off her words abruptly, letting out a deep snort of exhaustion and perhaps frustration. That supposed fear and anguish, which for a second Cody was very close to swallowing, was gone in just a flash. "You know what, Cody? I'm too tired, and possibly high for so many drugs that crazy woman has given me, to play that now."

Cody didn't get much of a chance to think about how rare that abrupt change in attitude was, even despite what he had read in the file about her that Matilda had taught him. All his attention abruptly turned to one thing: the way she had called him.

"How do you know my name?" He murmured, quite confused.

After seeing what that girl had supposedly done in the past, one of his theories was that she could possess telepathic abilities. With that, it would not be so strange if she discovered some information about him. But… he hadn't thought about her name at the time, or not unless he realized it. Also, wasn't he supposed to have a specially placed protection on his mind to prevent such things?

Cody began to feel nervous… and perhaps more than that.

Lily, for her part, smiled, satisfied with his obvious reaction.

"How do I know the name of the scary little Cody Morgan who's afraid of falling asleep? People's fears and worries are the easiest I can perceive, and both are screaming loudly from you." Her smile widened even more, drawing a rather wicked grin on that tiny, supposedly innocent face. "What exactly were you planning to do by coming here? You aren't a hero, Cody… You're just a bunch of insecurities and horrors…"

Had she said fears and worries? Cody immediately remembered from just moments ago his reaction to seeing the bodies of the security guards. What had he thought of at the time? What was it that bothered him when he thought about his nightmares...?

Cody felt at that moment how a long, heavy hand was placed on his right shoulder, squeezing it tightly. Next was the sound of heavy, painful breathing coming right from behind him. He turned quickly, and then he saw it: that tall, thin, dull-skinned being, smeared over his gaunt face without any trace of hair, with his eyes sunken as if they were only empty sockets, in whose darkness two small white eyes appeared devoid of any trace of humanity or emotion in them. The creature's wrinkled lips curved into a smile even more hideous than Lily Sullivan's.

Cody let out a small cry of terror and quickly backed away, staring in disbelief at the figure in front of him. The creature approached him with slow steps, hunching its torso to one side and its head to the other, still looking at him. Its long arms fell to its sides, writhing as he advanced. Cody could hear the sound of its bones cracking and thundering.

"No, it can't be," Cody muttered, noticeably panicked. Without noticing, he tripped over the body of one of the guards as he backed away, falling to the floor in a sitting position; in one of the reddish puddles. "You no longer exist, I eliminated you!"

The creature let out a loud screech at once, and dozens of dark moths flew out of its mouth and began to fly at it. Cody closed his eyes and raised his arms, trying to protect himself from the animals. He felt them collide with him, fluttering in his hair, and even seemed to feel that one of them was biting the skin of his hands. The monster abruptly lunged at him, crossing the distance that separated them in less than a second. He took him by the arms and pushed him to the ground. When Cody opened his eyes again, he found himself face to face with the long look from the worst of his nightmares, staring at him from above, still with that long and grotesque smile. That thing extended its face to him until it was right next to his ear.

"I am... always... with you..." It whispered in a hoarse, exhausted voice that left Cody petrified.

Then the creature wrapped her two long, slender arms around him and pressed its cold, rough body against it. And little by little, Cody felt himself sinking into that grayish skin, being enveloped by it little by little as if it were a pupal cocoon.

"No!" He began to scream desperately, trying to get the thing off him, but it was impossible to do so.

That was an illusion; that wasn't real. That image had been invented by his subconscious many years ago based on the appearance of his biological mother dying of cancer, something his young mind had not been able to understand. And in those moments, he had not created it, nor was he asleep, so there was no way it was there. His logical side knew it and was yelling it loudly at him. But even so, he couldn't help himself. He couldn't push the thing away. He, a supposed expert in illusions, could not get rid of one as strong as that.

And there he was, writhing in terror on the ground as if he were a nine-year-old boy again, without understanding what was happening to him. No monsters or moths were stalking him. Only Lily Sullivan, who a while ago had managed to get up from the chair because, before such a scene, Cody had been unable to continue maintaining the chains that held her. The girl stood next to him, leaning on her crutches, watching with amusement as he writhed, staining his clothes with the blood on the floor.

"I may not be able to make my illusions real like you, but I don't need them to be. I just need you to believe they are... Still, I am surprised to see what that woman told me was true. There are more like me in these parts." Then he snorted wryly. "Although, hardly a being as pathetic as you could be considering my equal..."

Her radio rang again at that moment.

"We're getting to the exit! Where are you going?!" She heard Esther's voice echo, pulling her out a bit from the luscious scene she was contemplating.

"I'm coming," she replied reluctantly, pressing the button to open the communication and then snorted in annoyance. "Apparently, we wouldn't have enough time to get this over with. I'd like to stay and talk, but I'm in a hurry. Have fun."

While Cody felt that he was wholly absorbed by that creature above him, being totally immobilized and with difficulty breathing, Lily began to head to the exit as the rhythm of her crutches allowed her. She would leave that illusion active until she was at a safe distance, and she would have to deal more with not being seen than with torturing this stranger. She was partly pleased with the idea of ​​leaving that individual alive for now. Perhaps they would meet again, and he could show her what else he was capable of, and she would do the same...

END OF CHAPTER 42

Author's Notes:

-The description of the creature Cody sees at the end of this chapter is from the Canker Man's monster, originally from the film Before I Wake of 2016.

[thescarhead]

Chapter 5: Or worse

"Mister Potter, Mister Weasley. Mister Longbottom and Miss Granger too! Why are you four out this late!" Professor Black exclaimed, looking at his first year students in surprise.

"Do you have any idea what could have happened if I wasn't here. You could have been hurt. You could have killed. I expected better from you." Professor Black said putting down a bucket of what Harry hoped to be raw meat as his professor's worried voice started to become calm as he checked to make sure they have no injuries.

Harry and Ron looked stunned by there professors actions while Neville whimpered in shame and Hermione bursted into tears.

"I'm sorry, I tried to stop them but they didn't listen and I followed along so they wouldn't get hurt and and and," Hermione sniffled trying to talk through her crying.

"Your not in trouble Miss Granger. You children could have gotten into serious danger, you should be very lucky," Professor Black said passing Hermione a black silk handkerchief.

"Ah, so you caught the troublemakers Professor," Mr. Filch said come there way after hearing the ruckus they caused.

"It's fine Mr. Filch, I'll take care of the troublemakers but I am more worried as the how they managed to get so deep into the forbidden corridor. To be able to use such basic spells would be a fault in our abilities if I must say. If you could be so kind Mr. Filch, would you inform Dumbledore that extra precautions are in order?" Professor Black said in a soothing voice as Mr. Filch looked at him with a nod and grumbled off to the headmasters office.

"Now then children, come along." He said as he started to walk off to which they followed suite. Ron was a little beyond worried at the moment because this was becoming eerily similar to the times his mother would drag him off from public's eyes and then proceed to yell at him.

"Professor, all those trophies, awards, medals; why didn't you work for the ministry?" Hermione asked still sniffling as they walked through the halls.

"Didn't want to." He said not wanting to bring up the conversation although is was a couple moments later that Harry spoke out.

"Is it because of your brother?" Harry blurted out.

And at that moment, they saw his Professor flinched and pause for a moment.

"I suppose I did it to please my parents, and to drag attention to me instead of my brother. Of course they always found a way to be angry at him, not to mention he had a natural way of being in the spot light." Professor Black said hesitantly as they arrived to the Gryffindor entrance.

"Now then, detention is in order; I won't take house points if that's what your worried about Miss Granger and this won't be on you record either, there is no need for you to shed any more tears tonight, the Saturday after Halloween would do just fine. But if you get caught out of your dorms again, I will not save you from Mr. Filch again. Now off to bed with you four." Professor Black said as the four went into Gryffindor tower.

"Oh, and Harry." Professor Black spike out getting Harry's attention, "Congratulations on making the quidditch team, I'm sure you'll prove yourself well." He said in a small kind smile he seemed to always carry around.

——-

"Why did they even have that thing in a school," Ron said still unsure what they experienced.

"Did you see, it was guarding something, there was a hatch under its paw." Hermione said already working out thoughts in her head as clenched the handkerchief.

"I was a little to busy looking at it head, if you didn't notice, it had three." Ron retorted.

"Is not one else going to question that the Professor had a bucket of meat with him?" Neville asked trying to stay out of Ron and Hermione's firing range.

"Probably feeding that thing." Ron said.

"But the meat was purple....."

"What so concerning about purple meat! What we should be worried about is that we didn't become dog food or worse." Ron said think of just what kind of punishment he would get if his mother found out.

"You two better get your priorities straight, especially if your going to get us killed again. Or worse. Expelled. Come on Neville; let's go back to are rooms. Hermione stated as she went off to her room and dragging Neville to his.

"Mental that one, isn't that right Harry?"

Harry wasn't sure what to think of Hermione because he was busy thinking of something else at the moment, something he didn't notice before. Professor Black; for a moment, gave Harry a feeling of familiarity.

But that's impossible.

Harry could have not met Professor Black before. Right?

"El Gasp, what are you two doing up so late." George said coming into the common room with Fred as they held several bottles of different colors of liquids.

"Are you causing trouble Ron, I'm so proud you're getting into the family legacy," Fred said pretending to cry tears of joy.

"No I'm not! What are you two doing up so late; what are you carrying."  Ron said in bewilderment although Harry to was wondering just what the twins were doing.

"Oh you'll see."

"Isn't dangerous."

"Just causes a loud bang."

"I'll save you the trouble."

"Don't be the first to the Great Hall tomorrow."

"You can say it'll be a colorful day tomorrow," they said in unison as they let out a small laugh and went up to their room leaving Harry and Ron in concern.

——

"You should have expelled them." Severus Snape said as he stepped out of the shadows were he lurked, having made his presence clear after Regulus had dropped of the kids.

"Anyone can make mistakes, this is their first, it's only right I go easy on them." Regulus told as he took notice Severus appear out of nowhere dramatically as what seems to be a natural ability for Slytherins.

"Your picking favorites."

"I'm not picking favorites Sev."

"Then why watch over him." Severus said; Dumbledore must have told him, although Regulus didn't tell Dumbledore either; Dumbledore knows everything.

"You and I both know that I will take every opportunity I have to messing with his Muggle caretakers. Not only are they ill mannered, wear the most hideous clothes ever! Who in Merlin thought wearing pastel clothes with black shoes was a good thing??!! Did you know they lock him in a closet. They don't even bother to clean it. Not to mention it's a crime on its own to not tell him who he is, they have told him nothing, and fight me if you want; that's just as bad as what my mother did to me," Regulus said as he thought of all the times he watch over Harry, and all the counts of him having to obliviate people that saw to much of Harry's accidents.

Regulus tried to stay away; but he just couldn't.

They were alike; both having family that didn't like different, both having been abandon by the one person that could have saved them.

"It isn't Harry that took my brother away and it wasn't Harry that took her away either."

Extra

•if you read Snape's voice as Alan Rickman then you are a gift and thank you for reading my story

•I've always had that thought that Regulus would do everything he can to be the perfect son so Sirius could just blend into the background and there mother would stop hurting Sirius (it didn't work though, Sirius can NEVER blend into the background)

•funny how when the person that need help the most, always are alone

•The Weasley Twins put color droplets in the kitchen ingredients that will make people's teeth into different colors.

[punkscowardschampions]

Jac & Savannah

Jac: Cannot stop thinking about that one dress in that last boutique we checked out though... Jac: so lowkey mad at Isabelle for having to go home to walk her dog 🙄😩 Savannah: UGH I know! Don't get me started yet again on how her mum is literally never there to do anything for it & they don't even have a garden Savannah: I'll go back & get it for you, she can't stop me Savannah: I have less than zero reasons to hurry home Jac: Lowkey like, who do I call again? 😬 Jac: the poor thing, as if breathing wasn't issue enough without having to contend with getting overweight and her mum's vape habit Jac: You're so pure 🥺🥺 Jac: and I'm personally not over seeing you in that one shade of pink like ??? Jac: 👼🏾 walking Savannah: ^^^  the levels of cruelty make my heart hurt, honestly 😢 but I won't get to Heaven until I convince them to see the error of their ways & that is a battle I simply do not have the energy for today Savannah: you could literally wear that AWFUL dress that Isabelle was considering- thank god we talked her out of that much! 🙌🏾- & still look like an actual goddess Jac: Seriously, I don't know how they can live with themselves Jac: that would be their business, because I'm not as caring as you, or even close, but the fact it hurts you means it's mine too 😤 Jac: actually though, would have had to pretend to not know her, oh my God Jac: not to mention how short it was, as well as just hideous...like this is a SCHOOL event, girl, I... 🤦 Jac: it does mean we're scheduled to help her keep looking though Jac: which is becoming a trial, like I'm so sorry to say but wow Savannah: I likewise don't have the necessary reserves to try and teach her the difference between positive & negative attention Savannah: Can Amelia not help her look? I highly doubt her wardrobe is fully stocked with suitable school event dresses so surely she still needs to keep looking too? Jac: That's a whole conversation her mother should be having with her but also needs Jac: sad, really Jac: Poor, poor Is Jac: Meels is a committed outfit repeater, no matter the occasion Savannah: She can't wear jeans to this though Jac: 🙄 I've also tried on that subject Jac: it'll just become a whole THING Jac: us trying to sort both of them out and getting nowhere with our own looks Savannah: 😔 I'm exhausted by their indecision, it's taking the excitement out of it Savannah: I understand that they can't and don't feel themselves in just anything, but it's getting ridiculous Jac: ^^ Totally agree Jac: although us being on the same page is not anything like a surprise these days Jac: it's so unfair, really Jac: they're not even THAT bothered about the whole thing Jac: we've put effort in before this whole step even Savannah: I knew you'd understand, despite feeling like I'm the one who is being totally unfair by saying anything, the rational part of my mind which isn't on the verge of tears as a result of Is' complaints or Amelia's apathy is like no, Savannah, you're not wrong Savannah: it does matter to us & it's allowed to be viewed as important Savannah: not to mention enjoyable, god forbid Jac: You NEVER need to doubt yourself Jac: you're a complete empath, honestly, to your own detriment Jac: but that isn't your fault and people should try to give even a fraction of what you give them back Jac: so, for your wellbeing, I'm calling a time-out on this and them Jac: you've got to focus on you for once ❤ Savannah: I can't tell you how wholeheartedly I wish I was the person you think I am, Ty & I had a HUGE fight earlier & I've been plagued by self doubt ever since Jac: Oh no, okay, what was said? Savannah: He seemed to think that we had plans today, which is not a conversation I remember us having, so of course I wasn't going to cancel on you all Savannah: & that makes me the most thoughtless girlfriend he's ever had Savannah: I'm so sorry the girl you dated for like two weeks dropped everything without a second thought if you even hinted that you wanted her too because she didn't have a life Savannah: they broke up for that exact reason Jac: He's totally got the wrong day Jac: you don't double-book Jac: not dragging him, he's clearly just so busy with his own stuff too but yeah, no way Jac: he'll work it out and owe you a great apology Savannah: it was beyond upsetting, I swear I need a mental health break from everyone but you Jac: I get it Jac: no boy drama but my family are driving me INSANE right now Jac: I vote we go test 💅 colours and get a hand massage to boot Savannah: Can we? I don't want to be responsible for causing you more family drama Jac: Ugh, no, they're fine Jac: and you're more important than any of this drama, Is and Amelia's too Savannah: ^^ I don't care how hard Ty is sulking, I'm not going to leave you to cope with them on your own Savannah: you needed my help first Jac: Like, he can't put that on you Savannah: he's never spoken to me that way before & I have no idea where it came from Jac: Is he under a lot of pressure right now, on the team? Jac: or at home, school Jac: either way, the issue is not with you, and he probably knows that already Savannah: No, everything's going really well Jac: 🤔 Savannah: It's me, it has to be Jac: You've not done what he's saying you have Jac: accusing would be too strong a word but Jac: we'll work it out but I'm totally clueless right now Savannah: me too 😢 Jac: Lowkey mad at him now Savannah: I shouldn't have even said anything, I told myself that I wasn't going to Savannah: but then Isabelle & Amelia started sulking too & it brought it all back Jac: No, I want to be there for you Jac: and make you feel better Jac: which I definitely will Jac: but I just can't explain away why he's being like this 🥺😢 Jac: and I wish I could Savannah: You'll definitely make me cry, you're the best Savannah: he was acting as though I don't make time for him, which is not true, but if it were, the reason would be that nobody deserves as much of it as you Jac: making you cry doesn't sound like something the best would do Jac: you've got to have your own lives, own friends Jac: you do NOT wanna be THAT couple Savannah: if you don't want my tears because I couldn't be happier to have found the love of my life, I'll keep them in, since they are yours, it's totally fine Savannah: yes, exactly & he knows that, he has more friends than extra-curriculars & he has as many of those as I do Savannah: it doesn't make any sense Jac: I will treasure them Jac: and make sure they never, ever spill for anything less than the happiest of moments, because that is all you deserve Jac: I could talk to him...totally on the low and in the most well-intentioned way Jac: maybe it's something he doesn't want to burden you with? but he has accidentally burdened you with this doubt and worry instead Savannah: 🥰🤗 Savannah: you'd do that? Jac: Of course! Jac: You're my soul sister, so I hope Ty at least considers me a friend too at this point Jac: he's going to have to get used to having me around 😅 Savannah: if he doesn't we have a bigger problem than I thought because I love you so much Savannah: & I will run away with you if anyone ever tries to make me choose 😄 Jac: He's smart, he's not gonna do that Jac: though honestly, I could do with the break right now, would not say no Savannah: maybe we could have one, it's essentially my right as a child of a broken home to play my parents off against each other Savannah: & if my dad is foolish enough to believe he can buy back any of my love or respect after what he's done, why should I feel bad for treating him like one Savannah: I refuse to, I do need to focus on myself Jac: In terms of making-up-to-do, he's in the lead no question, or so far behind everyone else, looking at it that way Jac: I think it would be the most appropriate way to end transition year Jac: God knows if my parents would go for it 🙄 Savannah: I'll talk to them, I've never lost a debate so far & I couldn't be any more well intentioned, my heart is in the exact right place Jac: 👼🏾🥰 Jac: next year is when everything gets REAL Jac: we need the holiday we are NOT going to get until...I don't even want to think about the next time we'll be able to take a real break after this Savannah: ^^^ Savannah: whatever I have to do to make it happen & be perfect, so be it Jac: the salon is the EXACT right place to plan all this Jac: all the inane questions they ask about your holidays will actually be useful for once 🤭 Savannah: 😄 Jac: This is like, just a you and me thing, right? Savannah: of course Jac: Okay because helping Isabelle pick bikinis is the opposite of fun 😂 Savannah: oh my god, I don't even want to imagine Jac: if the dress breakdowns aren't bad enough Jac: we'd be so stressed we'd be put on the no-fly list, honestly Savannah: Amelia would probably throw my body into the sea, weighted down by rocks or Isabelle's dog, I swear she hates me Jac: How could anyone hate you? Jac: and she's friends with me, so her taste can't be THAT off Savannah: we won't mention that she's also friends with Is Savannah: any excuse to talk about how perfect you are instead Jac: I seriously think if we wouldn't, who would 😶 Jac: you'll make me 😳 Savannah: OH! The tans we'll both get Savannah: you'll be sightseeing & I'll just be staring at you in disbelief because you somehow got even more beautiful Jac: Oh please Jac: you're so stunning they'd be running to write new laws just to make it illegal how good you look Savannah: stop, nobody can see me 😳 but I still feel it Savannah: it should be illegal how you make me feel Jac: sorry, but a world where you don't know and aren't told how perfect you are is just not one I wanna live in 💁 Savannah: I don't deserve you, all I've done today is mope & wish your friends away so that I can have you all to myself Jac: We deserve each other Jac: if I didn't have you, who would I be able to get excited about this with? Jac: I'd be going on my own, most likely Savannah: okay, you're right Jac: I just get sad thinking about all the time we weren't friends and didn't know each other properly before Savannah: No, don't be sad, baby, we trust in the universe because it was meant to be now not then Savannah: lord knows I needed my glow up before I could be around you Savannah: 👼🏻✨🌞💛 Jac: That's true Jac: I'm more thankful that we have NOW and the promise of forever than I could ever be sad Jac: definitely not ignoring how blessed I am Jac: also blessed that my hair grew back in and I lost the puppy fat look 😬🤦 Savannah: I stand by what I said when I first saw the pictures Savannah: you were ADORABLE Jac: you're too sweet but I'm not gonna complain about it 🥰 Savannah: It's true & you know that because I would never jeopardise our connection Savannah: you're the only person I can talk to with total honesty, it's so important to me Jac: I only feel like myself with you Jac: no one else gets it all Savannah: I feel like a better person when I'm with you Savannah: but with none of the pressure that my parents put on me not to fail or the fear I have of letting Ty down Jac: You're the best person Jac: if all I do is give you the confidence to believe that, then that's totally worth it Savannah: You're going to achieve everything you want Jac: I can't wait to be Dr Taylor to your Dr Moore Savannah: 😊 Savannah: I'll be there to make sure every second of your life is worth it until then & of course after Jac: Naturally ❤ Jac: have you seen the groupchat? Savannah: please don't judge me for not having opened it Jac: I couldn't even when I'm just sat here like 🤨😑 Jac: Is has sent a million links and they seem to be getting worse every one I open ??? Savannah: Well I can't face that until later when I'm 🛀🏾🥂 Savannah: not that I'll be staying at Ty's unless he apologises to me Jac: You can always stay with me Savannah: I don't think any of your family would be fine about the always, but I wish I could Jac: They'll deal, I have to put up with all of them so 💁 Jac: I'm trying to persuade them to move the sofa bed from the hangout area to the music room, make it more of a spare room too, more privacy Jac: it's not fair that Jesse has a whole room with all his crap in, there's plenty of space in said hangout room for him Savannah: 😄 I'm sure we could win that debate too, I definitely have as much passion about the subject as you if it means I don't have to go home Savannah: it's impossible to 🛀🏾🥂 when my mum is mid-breakdown in her en-suite Jac: 😬😥 Jac: she needs to convert the passion she had for couples therapy for solo therapy now Savannah: Honestly! It's a full time job making sure she's adequately but not over medicated & if I'm worrying about it I know Sienna is Savannah: I have to unlock the door to let her in & before I know it I'm re-doing her braids or checking her homework, all the while my bath water is going cold Jac: You're actually such a good sister, and daughter Jac: In awe of you Jac: I wish you didn't have to work as hard as you do, but it's really admirable Savannah: like, so sorry that you had to go home to walk your dog, Isabelle 🙄 it's no wonder she doesn't understand me Jac: She doesn't even try Jac: she lives on planet Is where the most important thing is which bland boy she's going to get off with next Jac: I can't claim so many of your experiences and struggles but I respect the hell out of you, and try to make your life easier where and when I can Savannah: oh my god, the boy from the other night! I can't Jac: 🤢 Jac: her taste! Jac: worrying Jac: ugly dresses are the least of her problems Jac: I feel like I can't leave her alone sometimes, honestly Savannah: if this thing with Ty is leading to a break up I refuse to date any of the boys in our school Savannah: that would be another full time job working out which of them have & haven't done what with her & when Jac: tell me about it 🙄 Jac: they're all so lacklustre Savannah: ^^^ Savannah: we know our worth & we're simply too good for any of them unless they have a serious emotional glow up of their own Jac: Mhmm Jac: Ty is never gonna break up with you though Savannah: I don't know anymore, I never thought he would raise his voice to me Jac: That's pretty out of order Jac: he knows about your dad, what he's like Savannah: & it's really out of character too Jac: Yeah, totally Jac: men and anger issues are a whole can of worms Jac: there's something he isn't dealing with, for sure Savannah: or something he's not telling me Savannah: I just hope it's not a someone Jac: who could even come close to you? Jac: he's not that cliche of having the perfect girl and risking it on some skank Savannah: Logically I know that but I'm so scared Jac: Babe 🥺 Jac: you NEED to put you first, even just for the length of this nail appointment Jac: you don't need this extra stress from him Jac: I've started the convo, you can read it all once we get to the meat of it Savannah: I just want to be excited about 💅🏾 & all the iconic outfits we saw Savannah: it's SO unfair Jac: I hate this Jac: I wish I could take you away right now Savannah: you do, I'd be even more a wreck if you weren't the amazingly intuitive person you are, earlier without even having to be told I was upset you made me feel better over and over again Savannah: and right now you know what I need, way before I can put it into words or coherent thoughts Jac: we trust the connection too 💫💐💞 Savannah: I love you Savannah: I'm not devoting time & space to anyone else today, from this point on Jac: and we're definitely getting lunch after, my treat Savannah: no, mine Savannah: you've already been taking such good care of me Jac: Okay, but we will be going [place] and I will be getting you your favourite dessert Jac: no arguments 😘 Savannah: Okay, I won't fight you on it Jac: there are so many more important, and fun, decisions for us to make Savannah: ^^^!! Savannah: is Is still trying to force you to make outfit decisions for her though? Jac: I've said we've got more pressing matters right now Jac: I've made it sound like a me issue though, don't worry Jac: they'll have to cope without us for a while Savannah: Thank you, I can't cope with their relationship advice at the best of times Jac: Yeah, there's less than zero chance they'd have anything useful to say so Jac: they don't need to know Savannah: We won't tell them about the holiday plans either, that way you'll have a nice secret to keep as well as my stupid boyfriend drama Jac: to secrets 🥂 Savannah: 🥂 Savannah: Are you still thinking about that dress or have I ruined everything? Jac: You could never ruin anything with me Jac: so yes Jac: but I'm also remembering that other shop we didn't even get a chance to check out Savannah: their window display is INCREDIBLE ✨ Savannah: we should go Jac: I KNOW Jac: I've been window shopping every time I go past Jac: and to be fair, I think it's a bit out of Isabelle's price range, so it actually wouldn't be nice to take her there Savannah: the universe has spoken, I'm taking you there, our secret Jac: 🥰 Jac: I swear I only have fun when I'm with you Savannah: you're so much fun that nobody considers you might not be having any, but I promise I'll always think about you & what you need Jac: You'll make me cry now Savannah: Baby, no 🥺 if you start you'll set me off again Savannah: I'm a really ugly crier & you look like an 👼🏻 Jac: Okay, okay, no crying Jac: we'll stay flawless Savannah: that's harder work for me than it could ever be for you, but I'll do my best Jac: You're the most perfect person I've ever known Jac: inside and out Savannah: I feel that way about you, I'm not just saying it like, oh sure, me too Savannah: you're so perfect I should hate you Jac: Yeah, I know Jac: sorta been there done that Jac: not that I ever hated you really Savannah: I couldn't Jac: No, in the way how perfect you are SHOULD be impossible, that's how hating you felt Savannah: that's it exactly Savannah: & I just wanted you to notice me, I'd wait all day sometimes, getting more extra about everything Jac: It was like, I should've been mad at you but I could only ever be impressed Savannah: Well, I can't lie, I'm glad because I've never worked that hard for anyone before Savannah: it'd be super awkward if I failed Jac: 😅 Jac: I'm flattered Jac: how many boys wish, like Savannah: of course, but boys are easy Jac: duh, if you need to try then you've got bigger problems Savannah: I don't understand what Amelia's is, a smile & a hair flip & she could be dating anyone in our year Jac: Yeah, me either Jac: maybe she's had the same 💭 about Isabelle's seconds Savannah: 😄 Savannah: at this point I'm seriously expecting her to come out as asexual Jac: 🤔 maybe you're onto something Savannah: I do have good instincts for these things Jac: True Savannah: one of Sienna's friends is & nobody's been anything but really supportive about it Savannah: her year group are so sweet though Savannah: I was not like that a year ago Jac: Awh Jac: yeah, she knows we'd all support her Jac: and no one is going to say anything to her Jac: no one with half a brain cell anyway Savannah: & even if things were said it'd be no worse than what they say about her now Jac: Facts Jac: I don't know if she 1. genuinely doesn't hear 2. pretends not to or 3. seriously doesn't care Savannah: & you know her better than anyone so if you aren't sure she probably isn't either Jac: 😕 Jac: if she gave any indication, I'd do everything to help her Savannah: I know you would Savannah: I'm honestly so jealous of how close you two are & have been for like, ever Jac: but we're just as close now Savannah: I can't help but envy all the shared history you have though, all the pictures & stories that I'm obviously left out of Savannah: I shouldn't think like that, I know Savannah: but sometimes it does get to me, even though I try & be a better person than that Jac: We're going to make so many memories together though Jac: from now 'til forever Savannah: of course we are Savannah: it's no wonder he also accused me of being over sensitive, that one is very clearly true Jac: people just say that when they don't want to make allowances for other people's inconvenient feelings Jac: you can feel that, and I feel it too Jac: I wish you had been there Savannah: it just feels like she brings up all these past anecdotes as often as she does to try & leave me out Savannah: but maybe she doesn't realise how much it hurts me Jac: I'm sure she doesn't, but I'll make extra effort to clock it and get her to chill now Jac: we don't need to dwell on the past, especially at our age 🙄 Savannah: I don't want to cause friction, I can totally understand her wanting to reminisce, if we'd known each other then, I'd be the same Savannah: I talk & think about you literally all the time as it is Jac: Not even Jac: I don't want you feeling left out, or anyone Savannah: you would never Jac: you're so important to me Savannah: you've always let me know that Jac: 🥰 Savannah: I don't know how I would cope with anything that's going on in my life right now without you Savannah: I didn't even realise how badly I needed someone to talk to Jac: You look after everyone, you need someone to look after you Savannah: I can't rely on anyone to do that though Jac: me 🙋 Savannah: you can't leave me ever, I swear I'll go crazier than my mother Jac: I never will Jac: I promise Savannah: okay, I'm yours to look after then Jac: I can cope with that 😄 Savannah: you've definitely handled me at my worst, I haven't forgotten my bathroom breakdown, trust me Savannah: the embarrassment will last forever Jac: it so easily could have been me Jac: and maybe I wouldn't have had the courage to ever reach out if not, frame it like that Savannah: No, I hate that Jac: Okay, but no embarrassment either Jac: because you're the strongest person I know, and nothing I've learnt about you has changed that opinion Savannah: Well, I think you're the bravest & I fully believe you'll always find the courage to do whatever you want Jac: 🤞 Jac: I've got a lot of things I want and intend to do Savannah: 👏🏾 Yes girl! Savannah: I can't wait for transition year to be over Jac: Ugh, I know Jac: on the one hand, LOVE the extra opportunities and learning experiences they simply do not bother with the rest of the time Jac: but the other half is having to do lessons I have NO intention of carrying on with, which is just, pointless Savannah: ^^^^^^^^^ Savannah: my auntie was complaining at me as if it was OPTIONAL & I CHOSE it, excuse me Jac: Ha! 🙄 Jac: we all know it's meant to be in theory Jac: but if you don't go to a school with a high teacher to child ratio, with the budget and time to care about tailoring the learning experience to each child...then you're gonna have to do it with the rest, like it or lump it Savannah: She's a product of the American school system, there is zero place for her criticism Jac: and I- 😶 Jac: even our worst school would be preferable I'm sorry 😂 Savannah: Right?! Jac: Compared to the English and American systems, except maybe the super-elite English ones, I feel like we're still going to be at an advantage when we go to Uni Savannah: Agreed Savannah: even this year we've totally made the most of so far Jac: You've got to Jac: or you'll end up with a mediocre life and what is the point in even living Savannah: Ugh, exactly Savannah: I can already tell who is going to end up living like that Jac: I know right Jac: like, sorry to break it to you, but they're called FORMATIVE years for a reason Savannah: mhmmmm Jac: you can still have fun without ruining your life and future Jac: you just have to work hard too and some people are simply too lazy 💁 Savannah: ^^ we manage to have it all Savannah: I'm not sorry if they don't want it enough to secure it for themselves Jac: Exactly Jac: can't be sorry for you if you chose to act that way Jac: maybe some of them will turn it around years down the line but it'll be so much harder than if they'd put the work in when they were meant to Savannah: It breaks my heart that everybody doesn't have you to guide & hype them Jac: Only you deserve me though, that's the truth of it Savannah: I'm willing to work at that for the rest of my life too so Jac: 🥺 Jac: Ugh, I just love you Jac: you've really solidified all my life choices, if that makes sense Jac: like I know now everything I want is exactly what I need too Savannah: It makes perfect sense & I feel it too Jac: Thank God you do Savannah: My family are always pushing me to go to Trinity, they don't understand at all Jac: like, yeah, it's a good Uni, but we've done Dublin Jac: it's also the point of Uni to expand your horizons, put roots down somewhere else Jac: your hometown and Uni town are NOT meant to be the same Savannah: ^^ thank you Savannah: Sienna is the only one whose opinion is valid because I will be leaving her here alone for a year before she can go wherever she decides to & she'll actually miss me Savannah: my parents just want to control me Jac: Right, you aren't being selfish about it Jac: it's because you're too useful to them, like you said, looking after Sienna and your mum Jac: but those are actually both jobs your dad took on when he got married and made a family so Jac: he still has to deal with them Savannah: He gets to literally walk out but god forbid I take the next step in my life Jac: Right, he has to realize you are not a surrogate carer Jac: and that sorting those things out will always be his responsibility Savannah: He takes no responsibility for abandoning us never mind the fact that he spent years emotionally destroying my mum & then walking out when he didn't like who she became Jac: He's going to have to face his blame one day Jac: if nothing else, he does love you and Sienna, he wouldn't let anything really bad happen to you two Savannah: I don't feel loved, I feel like he decided none of us were good enough Savannah: maybe I'm too much like her for him to handle too Jac: I hate that he's made you feel like that Jac: but if anything, that shows failure on his part, not yours Jac: you're brilliant and loving and you're still there, even though it's so much for you to handle Jac: you don't need him, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be held accountable right now, and that it's shit that he isn't stepping up Savannah: I hate him & I can't stand that he's made me carry hate in my heart when that isn't who I want to be Jac: Oh, Sav Jac: you wouldn't hold negative feelings towards him if he wasn't giving you that energy first Jac: you're never a doormat, again, it shows you're strong Savannah: Don't let me be with Ty, okay? Jac: Promise Savannah: Throw my phone into the 🛀🏾 if you have to, I'll forgive you Jac: 😅 I've got it in writing Savannah: 😄 Jac: would never drop it in 🥂 Jac: such a waste Savannah: Lord no, I need the full 🍾 Jac: 🙌 I can get behind that Jac: it's been a DAY Savannah: it had it's genuine 🙌🏾 moments nevertheless, because of & featuring you Savannah: I've looked at the pictures so many times, I CANNOT believe you really look like that Jac: 😳 says you Savannah: yes & I'm going to keep saying it until it sinks in for both of us that you're the most beautiful person that has ever existed because I'm hoping that if it does for me, at least, whatever dress you choose won't take my breath away as soon as I see you in it Savannah: otherwise you'll be trying to twirl but also having to catch me as I legitimately faint Jac: you'll have to not kill me before then or I won't be any use to anyone Jac: just a blushy mess on the floor Savannah: that isn't fair, on the one hand, you can't die, I need you, but on the other that sounds ADORABLE Jac: it's unfair how much of an 👼🏾 you are to me but I don't wanna share so Savannah: pink is one of my favourite colours, you know this & you wear it so well 🌺😳🌷 Jac: I'll wear it for you Jac: even if I don't go for that dress Jac: I wonder if we can get corsages or is that too extra 🤔 Savannah: I'll get that dress if it makes you happy, I'll wear anything you want me to, including a corsage Savannah: there is no such thing as too extra when you're talking about 🌷 🌹 🌺 🌸 🌼 🌻 Jac: my sentiments exactly 😄😄 Jac: I don't think Amelia will wear one Jac: but we can get them Jac: we can get our birth flowers and favourites and it'll be so cute Savannah: It should be an us thing, the holiday is so far away Jac: ^^ and it's more our vibe Jac: doesn't go with a short dress or jeans, really Savannah: 😄 Jac: I've got some books I need to return to the library, do you wanna meet at that little coffee place by there? Savannah: how many books? If you need help carrying them all I'll meet you at the library Jac: love the romcom fantasy 😅 Jac: you know me, there's a few... 😬 Savannah: 😊 I'll be right there, baby Savannah: no more struggles today Jac: ❤❤✨ Savannah: 🥰