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physicalturian · 3 years

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[18+] Words of pleasure - Law x F!Reader - Part 9

[No spoilers] [Modern AU - College AU] [She/her pronouns used for the reader, no physical description; Everyone +18] Words : 7156 Archive of our own

Warning : Power play / Dom/sub Dynamics / Control / Stranger / Flirting / Fluff / Awkwardness / Shibari / Angst / Anxiety / Panic attack If you feel like I should add more warnings, send me a dm or and ask

– Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8

It felt like a cold shower, my fast-beating heart only quickened its pace as I stared at his chest, maybe it’s a coincidence. Maybe they went to the same tattoo artist, maybe… He’s a doctor, I never asked him what his specialization was. He’s definitely a surgeon, fuck I’m stupid. I quickly grabbed the sheets and tried to cover my form, his eyes filled with worry as he looked down at himself, confused. I did not have the words, what was I supposed to tell him? If I asked him if he was HandSurgeon and it wasn’t him, he’d be even more confused and would ask me what was going on with me.

I didn’t feel at ease, this wasn’t supposed to happen. Those two worlds, they weren’t supposed to collide. I watched him with wide eyes as he got off the bed and handed me his bathrobe to cover myself, “Here, I don’t know what happened but you’re clearly not comfortable right now,” With shaky hands, I grabbed it from his and wrapped myself in it. I looked at his tattooed hands, thinking it made sense why HandSurgeon wore the gloves. “Do you want to talk?” he asked softly, placing a hand on mine. I recoiled and moved higher on the pillows, earning a shocked look from Law.

I started breathing heavily, testing if I was able to speak, “You- I-“ I couldn’t find the words, instead I shuffled to my feet, almost tripping, and grabbed my phone. Law didn’t move from the bed, only looking at me in utter bewilderment. I stood there and unlocked my phone, opening the Discord app and tapping on the ‘call’ button on my conversation with HandSurgeon. I didn’t want to hear anything, but I did. I did not want to admit this was happening, but it was.

The phone on the dresser lit up.

Law squinted his eyes at me as if thinking then stood up and looked at his phone.

His hand stopped mid-air as he looked at the screen intently. He understood, he swore under his breath, locking his phone and letting me hang up instead. I let my phone hit my clothes on the ground but didn’t move, “This shouldn’t be happening, oh dear- oh fuck-“ I let out a nervous laugh, placing a hand on the bed before sitting down. He had seen me submitting completely, he had received all my pictures, he was the one who had told me to keep that stupid egg inside me, and he was the one who must have enjoyed it greatly. Looking up, I met his solemn look, each breath was louder than the previous one and I was starting to panic.

“Did you know- did you fucking know? This whole time- be honest with me, was I a fucking fool the entire time?” I didn’t wait for his answer, instead I broke down and started hyperventilating, swearing under my breath, telling myself to calm down. This was not supposed to happen, I tried arguing to myself that they were the same, and since I got along with both, it should be alright. But I couldn’t listen to reason, I felt vulnerable, caught by surprise, stupid, humiliated, an idiot. I placed a hand on my mouth to stop myself from breathing so loudly, feeling the tears roll down my cheeks in the process. I muttered a muffled “Sorry”, I wanted to calm down, but I couldn’t.

Joining me on the bed, Law put his shirt back on and reached out for me, only to stop once again when he saw my hesitant eyes. “Hey, hey,” I let him grab my hand to move it from my mouth, looking at him with tear-stained eyes, probably blood-shot ones too. “Look at me, breathe with me,” he took a slow intake of breath, “in,” then exhaled just as slowly, “out, again,” I tried to follow, but hiccupped along the way and felt like throwing up. The nausea was strong, but I tried to focus on Law’s breathing, looking at him he felt like a stranger and yet, I also felt closer to him. It was strange, and I hated it, I hated being this confused and lost. Looking away, I wiped my tears but realized how useless it was with how many more I had left.

He hesitantly let his hands trail up my arms to hold me still, “Look at me,” I didn’t. He gripped my chin and made me look at him, my mouth puckered up by his hold, I glared at him, my breathing still uneven, “I need you to be clear with me, I know it’s hard but try, can I hold you?” I was surprised by his question, my crying stopping for a moment before resuming as I nodded, mumbling a yes under my breath. I don’t know if it was the best idea, but even though he felt like a stranger, I couldn’t ignore the familiarity of his presence.

“Good,” he sat tailor-style on the bed and helped me on his lap before holding me tight. He didn’t say anything else. I hesitantly moved my hands to wrap them around his waist, clenching his shirt in my hands; With just as much conviction, which was close to none, I laid my head on his shoulder. Law’s hand gently rubbed my back, his hold was just as tight as before, trying his best to bring me comfort. We stayed like this a few minutes until I calmed down, I then pulled away from him and mirrored his sitting position.

“I didn’t mean to break down…” I mumbled, wiping the remaining tears from my face, “It’s alright, you’re alright,” He told me. It was weird, seeing him like that. He looked so small, he was beating himself up for something and I was afraid to ask what it was. But I did, “Did you know? About… me, about… Edelweiss,”

Saying it out loud made it much more real than it felt living it. Pulling the bathrobe closer to my form, I felt a shiver ran down my spine at how long it took him to answer. I was about to ask him again when he sighed, “I did not know, no. I should have guessed-“

“How could you have? Don’t talk nonsense,” I whispered, we both were. This was a conversation better kept in the confine of the bedroom, it was a conversation worth having but neiver did not know where to start.

“I don’t know how, but I should have,” He ran his hands over his face then through his hair, the frown never leaving his stern expression. Bringing my knees to my chest, I scoffed, “If anything, I should have. It makes sense, older, a surgeon, the tattoos, the gloves! To hide them,” I paused, looking off to the side, “The voice,” I trailed off. With Law I always kept an image of a woman ready to fight, strong, not backing down and with as much wit as I could muster even when he pushed my buttons right and got me flustered.

But now, it wasn’t just him in front of me. It was also the stranger I submitted to, the man who had me following his instructions, who had me come undone from simple words and nothing else. The same man who I knew could have complete control over me if he only implied it, the one who promised oh so many great things. Those two men were just one, and I knew if he gave me one look, one smile, I’d be ready to keel.

Giving me a once over, his eyes settled on my legs. He placed a hand on my knee, “I should have too, we’ve talked a few nights now, I should have recognized your voice,” He pull my legs away from my chest, I held the bathrobe right around my chest and watched his every moves, “The way your thighs looked, even without marks,” He breathed, slithering a hand under the robe to hold my thighs with his cold hands, I looked at him intently, not reacting. I did not know how to react, should I flirt? Ask more questions? Shut myself down and ignore all his advances?

I thought against it, I enjoyed his touch, the proximity… the intimacy of knowing what he could do, what we both could gain from this. Before I could speak, he let go of my thighs and took hold of one of my hand, bringing to his lips as he kissed my knuckles, “We should talk more about this, but I think you need to let out all that stress,”

I gave him an incredulous look, snatching my hand from his and glaring at him in astonishment, “Right now, I’m not really in the mood to fuck, I still don’t know what to do about this-“ He chuckled and shook his head, I mumbled an apology when he explained himself, “I was going to suggest you’d rest until the food arrived, we’ll talk then,” He then stood up and was about to leave when I grabbed his hand. A genuine surprised expression crossed his face for a moment before turning around to face me, asking me what I wanted.

“I don’t know how I feel, but… you’re like a stranger, but a familiar one… I know so much about you, but…” I trailed off, letting go of his hands as I groaned, “I don’t know where I’m going with this, to be honest I don’t want to be left alone. I know you’re him and he’s you, I know that, it’s just… I have a hard time accepting it,” I continued, my tone even lower than before. I didn’t know if it made sense, if he felt the same way, I knew so much about him but how could anyone guess the reaction of someone in such situation?

I heard him hum as he sat back down, “I’m just as nervous,” he started, leaning back on his hands. “I hadn’t planned on… Talking about that side of me right away, I’m not ashamed or anything, I simply prefer to do it with someone who’s worth my time.” I scoffed at his words, I wasn’t going to get offended, we had after all only planned to fuck. We flirted, and teased, but it was all in preparation of this very moment, the one that had been interrupted so abruptly. “I am glad a stranger on the internet is worthy of your time,” I said with a teasing smile.

He turned to look at me, gauging his words a moment before saying, “You were surprisingly very obedient, I was intrigued,” this time he had the teasing smile, and I was left with warm cheeks. I furrowed my brows, about to deny it but thought against it. I would have fought Law, but now that I knew he was also HandSurgeon, I couldn’t really lie about my… tastes in bed. “And maybe those two little sessions of ours made me realize that there’s only so much meaningless fucking I can do until it gets boring,” He sighed, as if it was a fatality. I was a bit confused as of what he meant, and asked him.

“I told you I didn’t have a sub because I didn’t have time and was bitter, which is true,” He paused and leaned forward, his elbows now resting on his knees. “I also don’t want to spend time explaining it to all the people I fuck, it’s easier to just have sex, make sure they’re good, and bring them back to their place. I don’t mind explaining to someone if I’ll be dealing with them on the long-term, but one-night stands? I’ll give them a great night, memorable for them sure but I tend to mix them all up in the end.” He finished by dropping his hands on his lap and gripping his pants. I was surprised by what he said.

Not shocked, but it brought a few questions up. However, seeing how anxious he seemed, I had another idea and nudged his hip with my foot, “I have questions, but I think you need to busy yourself while answering…” He quirked a brow, confused. Thinking of how to word it, I chose not to beat around the bush and just go for it, if he wanted to refuse, he could, nothing was holding him back. “Last night, you did something relaxing right…” I was hinting at the moment he took time to tie some rope around his leg to show me. If that relaxed him, then, “If you want, you can do that… with me, not fully but…” I trailed off, starting to become unsure.

Wrapping the bathrobe tighter around my form, I felt my heart beat faster, it was maybe a stupid suggestion but I continued, “I’ll need to be able to move, is what I’m saying, because we still need to eat… but I feel like, it’s a cool ice-breaker, for people who know each other pretty well- I mean, we wouldn’t need an ice-breaker then but it still feels like one-“ My rant was interrupted as he stood up and looked at me with a genuine smile that turned into a smug grin, “Yes, let’s do that. I did say I’d tie you up, might as well start somewhere.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, “I was trying to help you here,”

“Because you’re not gaining anything from this? From being…” He opened his drawer before grabbing two bundles of red rope and throwing them on the bed, “…naked, and tied up I mean. Or perhaps is it for science? It must be it,” I felt my chest tighten at his taunts, of course I gained from it, but I also did not know what else to do to have him relax and talk to me. And that got him a lot more composed than he was moments ago.

“Maybe I simply want you to tie ties around my leg?” I suggest, only half-believing it. With this, the awkward tension from earlier seemed to dissipate a little bit, it felt nice to go back to the bantering. I watched him as he knelt one knee on the bed to grab the ropes before scooting closer and sitting in front of me. “Then I’ll do the leg, you’re the one in power here. You simply give me the control, remember that.” He said as he loosened the ropes and reached for my leg before I stopped him. I then met his gaze, my hands clutching the lapel of the bathrobe.

Law did not move and waited for me to speak, before widening his eyes when I shrugged off the bathrobe. I used it as a blanket to cover my lower parts but stayed put a moment, “I don’t know where you usually start but… let’s go,” He stared a bit longer, then smiled, almost timidly, before starting by putting the rope almost like a boa on my shoulder, around my neck. I kept my chin raised as he began tying, not saying anything at first. So, I spoke, “I still have questions,”

“Yes, go ahead,” He breathed, very close to my neck.

I tried to not react at each graze of his fingers on my skin and found it hard to stop my body from reacting. Goosebumps all over my body along warmth, and fast beating heart, Law did not remark, neither did I. “You talked about long-term, so… you meant to do that on the long-term with Edelweiss but not with… me- not that I’m blaming you or anything, I’m trying to get things clear!” I said quickly. If I wanted to hide, I couldn’t, I couldn’t really move or it’d make Law stop or maybe I’d mess things up. Law did, however, pause to look at me, “I think I wanted to take things slow with you, you seemed eager to fuck but I think… No, I know I’d have asked you what you wanted after we fucked,”

I quirked a brow, asking him to explain, “You’re not deterred by my personality, and it’s enjoyable. I like your company, and Luffy might be right, I should take more time for myself. What better way to do that than by seeing someone? I would have brought you on other dates, to see how well we got along. So yes, Edelweiss was on the long-term, just sexual, although I’d care for her because she, well you… were my sub. The screen made it easier to not have any romantic connection, let’s say.”

I nodded, understanding what he meant. He asked me the same question in return, but I first jumped on his answer as he resumed his activity, “You can still take me on dates, if you’d like. I suppose we did things in a messy way, and clearly not in the right order- and very fast, but I never said I wanted to stop seeing you-“ I stopped when I heard him sigh in what I believe was relief. A short smile drew itself on my lips when I saw the cute one on his when he whispered “Good.”.

“You really thought I was like that? Come on doc, it’s just a hard pill to swallow that you and HandSurgeon are the same, when we’ve cleared things up, I’m sure- well, I hope, we’ll be ok,” Law’s eyes that were riveted on the rope, turned to look at my eyes before he pulled the rope to get me closer to him. It wasn’t a strong, painful pull, it was a gentle one and I went along. The ties weren’t all done yet, but the rope traveled from my neck to part of my chest, under my arm pit and behind my back. Almost like a harness, but it wasn’t finished. I gave him a startled look, then felt the tension.

“It makes sense that you’re Edelweiss, there is only two people who call me ‘doc’ and it looks like they’re one and the same, clearly you can now call me by my name since my username is not an option anymore.” He looked down at where his hand was holding the rope, the other one moving to caress my arm before resting on my jaw. “I did say you’d look good with a collar, the leash is a bonus,” He whispered before letting go and continuing the tying. I was left hot and bothered, speechless. I took a moment before starting fidgeting with the hem of his shirt as he busied himself.

“I still think doc is a funny name, but sure, I’ll call you Trafalgar if you want-“ “Just Law, or in the bedroom you can call me sir,” I chuckled and nodded.

“How about Doctor Law?” The look he gave me when I asked him sent shivers down my spine, he gave me a strained smile, “Not tonight, another time.” Seeing how he reacted, I couldn’t help but gasp, elated. “Oh, you do- oh you absolutely do, you have the doctor kink! You avoided the topic, but you do, this is very funny, this is gold because you kept teasing me about it,” He placed a hand on my mouth gently to shut me up, giving me an intense look that I returned with more joy than anything.

Leaning in close, he let go of my mouth and smirked, “If I recall, you got off on me wearing my scrubs, and on every picture of my hands with my gloves, correct?” I was taken aback and felt my face heat up, biting the inside of my cheek. I was trying to come up with an excuse, but he was right. However, I was not about to have a whole conversation about this, I was about to reply when he leaned back, and I felt his nails scrapped against my skin as he slid his finger between the rope and my skin.

Gasping, I looked at his hand and he chuckled beautifully, telling me he was checking if it wasn’t too tight because I still had to eat and needed to be able to breathe properly. I told him it was alright, it made him laugh again. “Oh, I know it’s alright, you’re practically begging to be touched. You already react so well to any of my touches,” He looked at me proudly before bending slightly as he pressed a kiss on my chest, then he trailed down kisses down to my breasts, his hands holding my sides.

My breath hitched as I met his intense look, not breaking it. I could almost feel how strong my pulse was getting, how much my blood was pumping. With as much composure, I gulped, “I still have questions,” he breathed out a laugh against my skin before grazing his teeth against my nipples, then straightening his back and abandoning all actions. “Go ahead,”

While I’ve been naked in front of him for a moment, I felt more exposed after having received attention from him and wanted to cover up. But the way his hands were traveling over my body, the feeling of the rope pressing my skin, the focused look he had as he worked on the ties, it was enough to make me relaxed a bit more. “You’re staring,” he stated, not looking up. “Am I not allowed to?” I asked him softly.

“Oh, you can, there is nothing to see, I’m still fully dressed, that’s all,”

I caught him off guard by replying, “I can still see your pretty face, and beautiful hands, and how cute it is to see you focused like that,” If I wasn’t being tied, I would have left the room at how ‘too much’ it was, I could have said he should strip but instead I said that. He seemed to think for moment, then ran a hand through his hair almost timidly. “Your questions, ask them,” This time I was the one to chuckle as I did as he said,

“Now that you know I am Edelweiss, how do you feel about the night we met?” I don’t know why, I wanted to get him hot and bothered. Having him this close made me want to have him needy, like he had me. I did not want to run away, but I knew once this proximity was gone, I’d probably feel weird for some reason. I saw his hands clenching the red rope before he looked up and with a serious expression he said, “Is my girl trying to get me worked up?”

My eyes widened and I tried to pull away in surprised but was pulled closer by the rope. “Don’t try to run, I’ll tell you, that’s what you want, right? So curious,” He let go of the rope and instead placed his hands on my hips, slowly letting them venture under the bathrobe only a little, to stay there at first, “It makes me truly realize how badly you want to get fucked. You did run off after all, not being able to stay put,” he looked down at the bathrobe, running his hands on my stomach only slightly, his touch close to a feather. “I was teasing you to get you riled up, but fuck, I did not know you were actually getting off-“ he slipped his thumb under the rope that was now tied under my breasts for now.

I took a sharp intake of air, my eyes riveted on his beautiful hands as he gently caressed my body while speaking, “If I had known, I would have gone harder, maybe brought you on my lap and have you grind desperately on my thigh to get off,” He continued, this time as he had a hand on each side of my ribcage, he pulled me closer before leaning over and kissing between my breasts before trailing his tongue from there to one of my nipple where he stopped, I almost whined, wanting more of it. But I also wanted to make this as slow as possible, test his restraint, so he continued,

“But as I said, you ran off and like a good girl to ask for permission to touch yourself. I’ll admit, I had to go to the bathroom to reply, and calm down a bit. But then,” he tilted his head to the side and let go of me entirely, pushing me gently to have me laying on the bed. He grabbed my legs and uncrossed them to have them parted as he positioned himself sitting between them, smiling threateningly as he clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Then you had to disobey, do you remember that?” He made sure to have the bathrobe covering me, placing it between my legs. I think he purposedly brushed his hands between my legs too, but I ignored it and kept observing each of his actions.

When I didn’t answer, he reiterated his question, I answered exactly how he wanted which made him smile. “You enjoyed receiving your punishment too,” he emphasized his words by caressing my thighs over the bathrobe, making me close my legs around him which made him laugh as he opened them again and stopped touching me. “I wonder if you’ll still like it if I gave it to you, but let’s not see right now, I’m sure you still have questions, right? Go ahead, I need to finish this,” He said softly, grabbing my hands from my stomach to put them over my head to get them out of the way.

I let him do as he pleases and only stared at him in awe, I thought I was getting to him. I thought I’d get him to be more on edge, but he was still so composed and once again taking control of the situation, making me want more instead of the other way around. “You’re breathing so heavily, dear. Do we need to stop?” He asked with a smirk, he was asking to make sure I was alright, but he definitely knew he had me wrapped around his fingers. Clearing my throat, I shook my head, “No, green, sir.”

His eyes widened for a second before resuming his tying in silence.

I may have had other questions regarding the whole dynamic, but I couldn’t find them with how all over the place my mind was, right now. My mind and body were enthralled by his very being. “You know… I don’t know why I reacted like that, earlier…” I trailed off.

Law stopped everything, I could see a change in his demeanor as he placed a hand on my cheek, “Don’t blame yourself, if that’s what you’re doing-“ Grabbing his hand to place it back on my stomach where the untied rope-end was, I chuckled at how endearing it was and shook my head, “Thank you, but no I meant it as,” I paused a moment, running a hand over my face before covering my eyes and smiling nervously.

“I imagined you, Law, behind the screen and knew it wasn’t a good thing to do, because back then I was just mixing personal and… whatever it was with HandSurgeon, but fuck… it made everything hotter…” I hated admitting it out loud, I don’t know if it was strange or not to tell him that.

“It, being?” He knew what ‘it’ was, but he wanted me to tell him what I clearly did.

With a scoff, I kept my hand over my eyes and mumbled, “It, being: imagining you were the one… giving me the instructions instead of a stranger, is that clearer? Do I need to spell it out or?” I heard him laugh this time as tried to get my hand off my eyes, but I kept them there and he did not try again right away, “So you touched yourself thinking of me,” It was more a statement than a question, to which I sighed in response.

“I’m just coming clean of all that happened, I don’t know if it’s weird or anything,”

“I am flattered you fantasized about me, I do love knowing I have that effect on you,” He whispered right next to my ear, I was startled and moved my hand to look at him, only to see his earrings very close to my face. When he pulled away, he looked at me with something I couldn’t describe in his eyes, “It’d be hypocritical of me to shame you when I did exactly the same thing,” he started, pausing as he gauged my reaction. I sat up, having to wrap my legs around his form to not fall back.

I could feel the rope around my abdomen as I was sitting halfway, looking at him in surprise. He helped me sit up properly, chuckling. “I like to replay a little scene, that happened the night we met,” He started, grabbing my legs as he stood up to have them throw over side of the bed as I sat there. He was standing right in front of me, towering over me, “Now, you were sitting on the floor and looking at me exactly like that,” He placed a finger under my chin to have me look up at him, and smirked down at me,

“That night, you were just the right height, and I from what I remember, you were eager that same night when I asked you to suck your toy-“ “Oh, god, you meant- I was still confused, I never understood what you meant that night,” I placed a hand on my mouth, but smiled at how cocky he had been since the start. Cocky, vulgar, I don’t know just yet. It depends on the mood, clearly it could have easily tipped to vulgar, I thought.

Looking up at him, I took a deep breath and licked my lips on purpose before letting my eyes trail down to look at the bulge in his pants. I smirked and looked up at him once again, this time his expression was strained, his jaw tensed. With a curt smile, he asked me if I had any other question and if I didn’t, he had some. I told him to go on.

“What did you expect from me, and HandSurgeon,” He asked. I toned down my cockiness as I looked away and sat back on the bed properly; I turned around, my back facing him as I put the bathrobe back on. I heard him say he wasn’t done, but I told him I was feeling cold. Once he joined me back on the bed, I faced him anew. “We had talked about it, I would have stopped with HandSurgeon if I found someone which… part of me was thinking- no, thinks maybe it’s you. No pressure, I’m not confessing or anything, it’s more…”

While I thought of the words to use, Law whispered for me to just drape the bathrobe over my form so that he could continue. Smiling slightly, I agreed and did just that, “I like the thrill with the whole, stranger thing… and maybe the fact that I knew he was- you were so much into it you were ready to have a call with me to… have a session at the most inconvenient of places-“ “You liked it when I said I’d watch your show even if I was at work, is that it?”

“Yes, but then again, I really enjoyed talking to him too! I don’t know if it was in a fascination kind of way or just a good pal, with whom I would send nudes,” He chuckled and told me to go on, that it was interesting to hear my side of the situation.

“Then there’s you, who’s a little shithead, always teasing me, and I liked how you weren’t deterred by my attitude either, I thought maybe you’d stop being like that if I kept playing hard to get but I feel like it only motivated you more,” He hummed, to make me understand he was listening. He then paused his tying and said, “You haven’t answered my question,” his tone was flat, but I knew he was just focused. I realized I was giving everything but what he wanted, I cleared my throat and thought back on the question.

“I think I wanted, want, to date you, with time of course, but I also really wanted to have sex with you. I’m not immune to your charms, you are after all very attractive and- you know I think you might have gotten the wrong impression when I stared at your hands the first night?”

“I do recall you seemed obsessed, I did not know if it was good or bad,” He scoffed, his fingers still working diligently on the knots. He was almost done, I think, but was taking his time.

“Well, I was just staring at them because it was very hot, so…” Smacking my lips, I looked around the room and let him work his magic, as I continued, “As for HandSurgeon, I guess… just like what you’d expected from Edelweiss, a dynamic that I enjoy and wanted to learn more about,”

His answer was a simple “I see,” which made the whole thing ominous, a few moments passed until he spoke again. Running his hands over the knots, he checked everything was good, I tensed at the sudden touch but let him, perhaps even wanting to lean in for more.

“I’m done,” He was still looking at my body as he continued, “Now that we’ve talked, we need to know what to do next,” I felt a knot in my stomach and started playing with the rope around my body, what did I want? I wasn’t feeling as scared, or vulnerable as before. I was starting to get used to the idea of them being one and the same, and if I was ready to try with Law before knowing why wouldn’t I want it after learning he was into the same thing I was, right? “What are the options?” I asked him.

He smiled, but I could see he was getting nervous at the thought of us making a decision. The situation was strange, we both knew it, but I’m sure we also both knew something good could come out of it. “Three choices; One: this becomes something just for sex, we can still talk on discord and keep that thing there… meeting when we’re both free for fun,” I urged him to continue, not wanting to pick that one. “Second, I bring you back to your place and we never talk about it-“ “Hey, hey, what would you suggest that? I thought we both agreed we we’re into one another?” I said quickly.

Looking to the side, I think he tried to hide his blush as he continued, “We did, but I do not want to pressure you,” He paused, looking at me a moment before continuing, “Three: we give this a try. Like you said, we did things the messy way but it’s not a bad thing.”

Biting the inside of my cheek, I considered it. And while I did, he added, “It’s up to you how the night goes, we can take things slow. We’re not in a rush, we can simply get the food and enjoy the rest of the evening, or follow the plans we had for tonight.” He kept his tone as neutral as possible, probably trying to not coo me into going with his preference. I noticed how he kept his gaze somewhere around the room or specifically somewhere on my face. He avoided looking at his work, I did not know if it’s because he did not like it or if he enjoyed it a little too much.

Not giving it a deeper thought, I focused on the pros and cons of giving it a try. Except our shitty schedule, I could only see pros. Sure, Nami would constantly shame me for choosing him, but I know Robin would support it. I spent the last few days talking to him, all throughout the day, asking him questions, getting to know him. I’m certain there was still a lot more I needed to learn about him, but I was persuaded it could work. But you’ve known each other for such a short time, you’re rushing it, I told myself.

Ignoring that little voice inside my head, I called his name, “I am willing to give it a try, and… follow our plans for the night,” I said softly, grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling it towards me. He held my hand right there, asking me if I was sure, I nodded, asking him what he wanted to do. “I’ve invested a lot of money in you, it’d be a shame to let it go to waste- and to let go of such a good girl, I will give it a try,” I could hear both of them in that sentence, the attitude of the Law I knew, and the tenderness of HandSurgeon. It did not leave me indifferent.

We looked at each other a moment, not knowing what to do next. So, I took the first step and shrugged off the bathrobe before reaching out for him. He quirked a brow at my initiative and let me do as I pleased, once my hands were on his shoulders, I pushed him down on the bed and crawled up to sit on his crotch. “Can I kiss you, then?” I asked him with a grin. He splayed his hands on my hips and pulled me closer to him, making me roll my hips against his, he was grinning back a lot more dauntingly. “You’re already asking for permission; you really are so obedient.” I hadn’t realized I had asked him for permission, but he was very aware of it.

Rolling my hips on his pants, I pressed for an answer, “That needy already? Stop rolling your hips and behave first.” His tone changed drastically, as he slid his hands under my knees before turning the position around and having me on my back, under him. “There, that’s better, wouldn’t you say?” I nodded and cradled his face in my hands, he smiled lazily and leaned in, pressing a simple kiss on my lips at first. But I pulled him closer and deepened the kiss, making him groan when I wrapped my legs around his waist.

Our breaths intertwining, he was balancing his weight on one of his elbows that was resting next to my head as his other hand traveled the length of my body before stopping at the rope work on my chest. Law pulled away and took a good look at it, his wicked smile only widening. “You are gorgeous, I knew ropes would suit you. Look at that,” He pointed at the skin that was being constricted as I took deep breaths. It would leave marks the heavier my breathing would get as my skin would press against the rope, and that was the beauty of it. I did not know what to say, so I nodded.

“I don’t think you realize how much of a sight you are, dear Edelweiss,” My eyes widened at the mention of my username, it felt so strange, like in that dream except this time it made sense that he knew. “Let’s show you, mm?” Before I could reply, he pulled the rope he had slid in one of the holes of the work he had done, like a leash, and pulled me with him to sit up. I felt how sturdy the knots were around my body and enjoyed the feeling of the pressure it put around my body.

Giving me a once over, he got off the bed to stand in front of a full-length mirror I hadn’t noticed was there. Beckoning me to come closer, he opened an arm for me to join him, which I did hesitantly. He was still fully dressed while I was only covered in ropes in my top half. Pulling me closer by the hand, he pressed my back against his chest and told me to look at the mirror. Slowly, he let his hand travel from my arm to my hand then he started letting it roam my body while the other held me in place. As he did so, he told me to keep looking at my reactions, commenting each of them.

His breath caressing my ear as he spoke in the sultriest voice, “See how I got you shivering just from touching you? My, my, you are touch-starved, this is going to be fun,” He pressed his knee between my legs and chuckled when I gasp, gripping his side to balance myself. “Don’t look away, here, I’ll give you an even better sight,” With his lips pressed against the side of my throat, he looked up at the mirror and we both observed as his hand slid down my stomach to dive between my legs. I gasped his name, which only made him chuckle, “Do you want me to stop?” He had a faux pleading look on his face that made me want to fight him, but I didn’t.

“No, sir. Keep going, please,” He closed his eyes a moment, exhaling loudly against my skin as his fingers started their works. I felt my body warm up, seeing my face react from his actions and words only made it worse, but he was enjoying every bit of it. “Here, when I do that,” He was now using his thumb to play with my clit, I let out a throaty moan and met his gaze in the reflection, “…you give the most enjoyable of faces, don’t you think it’s cute? I think those are adorable noises coming from such a needy little thing like you, even more so-“

He stopped talking when we heard a knock on the main door, he let go of me, making sure I was steady before grabbing the bathrobe and telling me to put it on. “I can stay here, it’s probably the person who’s delivering-“ “Exactly, so you put on the bathrobe, there, good girl, just-” He moved the lapel a bit so that we could see the ropes and they weren’t entirely covered by the item. “You’ll stay by my side, after all you like it, don’t you? When people look at you. We’ll give them a reason to look,” Before leaving the room, he asked me if I was ok with it, and I agreed. The night was only beginning, and I was thrilled and embarrassed at the same time.

When Law opened the door, my heart sped up and I nudged Law’s side to get a reaction out of him. His entire demeanor changed, “Do you need something?” This was unexpected.

[Part 10]

#words of pleasure #wop #law one piece #One piece law #trafalgar law #trafalgardwaterlaw #law x reader #trafalgar law x reader #one piece #one piece x reader #physicalturian #ao3 #physicalturian AO3 #fanfiction #fanfic #AO3 writer #writing

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avengersassemble-fics · 4 years

Text

Fine Line

part 02/?? “every grief i meet”

previous part

word count 3.4k

an: ask and ye shall receive :)

You were definitely not ready for what your sister was pushing you to do. After the night in the club and having to drink several rum and cokes to even feel comfortable enough to let loose, this was too far. It was too much too soon. It was like you were being pushed to your death.

Was it an exaggeration? Maybe. Probably. But that was besides the point! You weren’t ready to “venture out into the world” and “see what it has to offer.” You were fine in your little bubble for now. Your tiny, cramped, humble little bubble.

This time around since she deemed clubs “not your style” she had insisted on bringing you to her company Christmas party. She kept saying it was going to be fun and that you could meet people, but you didn’t want to. Her heart was in the right place, you just weren’t ready. You were antsy as you sat there in your delicates, staring at the screen before you. You were wondering about reaching out to Bucky again, it had been awhile since you heard from him.

Bucky was someone you looked forward to hearing from, as crazy as that sounded. Holding a stranger up on a pedestal like this was beyond you, but you couldn’t help it. He understood you in ways the people around you didn’t. He told you he was blipped as well, and when he returned he found out about his friend. He told you about how the two of them grew up and how he would have done everything he could to protect “that little punk” as he put it. Then as they were older his friend started to look out for him. He sounded alone in the world, and you did too, maybe that’s why you got along so well.

Bucky’s job often took him overseas, and there were times you wouldn’t hear from him in a few days. You understood, of course, but without his messages you found yourself wondering what to do with yourself. The fact you had grown so attached to someone you didn’t even know was part of the reason why you agreed to going tonight. It was just something to pass the time, right?

You rested your foot back on the ground and let your fingers hover over the keyboard. Your self restraint was being tested right now, you had been so good at not bombarding him with messages while he was away, but the heat under your skin was too much. So you began to type something for when he did return, even if you didn’t know when that was.

You: My sister has made it a point she thinks it’s time for me to see what the world has to offer. I don’t think I’m ready, but agreed anyway. Nothing terrible could happen at a Christmas party right? I hope your trip is going well, maybe you can tell me about it soon.

And then you hit send. You looked over the message once more before you closed your laptop and stood to change into something for the party. Just a simple navy blue dress, one you had bought before the blip but never got a chance to wear. You were saving it, and now it would be put to use. It still hugged the parts you wanted it to and ended just above your knee, and you chose a pair of black heels to go with it. When you finished you looked at yourself in the mirror and froze at the sight before you.

You haven’t seen this person in months now. Put together, at least. Or forcing yourself to look put together. You caught yourself biting your lip when the pounding from downstairs broke you from your thoughts. As you heard your sister’s voice from the front door you braced yourself for whatever the night was going to throw at you and grabbed a warm trench coat to cover yourself with, and headed on for tonight’s events.

Bucky Barnes found himself once again walking alongside Sam Wilson. Snow was beginning to fall around the city as the holiday season neared. Lights decorated the windows they passed by and people scurried past in excitement. He wondered what it would be like to be excited for that again.

“I can’t believe we haven’t been able to track down Zemo yet,” Sam said beside him, letting some people split them before returning to his side. “Every lead just ends to nowhere.”

“Well it’s not like he was just going to be waiting for us out in the open with a sign saying “Here I am guys.” Bucky replied, and ignored the glare from his partner.

“I wasn’t saying that,” Sam replied, and Bucky shook his head. “We should have gotten some kind of ground though.”

“Maybe,” Bucky said. “Maybe we’re following the wrong leads.”

Sam shuffled to a stop outside Bucky’s building, and motioned towards it, “Then why don’t you run point on this from now on and I’ll sit and play with my phone instead.”

“Shove off, Sam,” Bucky said, starting up the stairs while Sam laughed at.

“I’ll find out what’s going on some day!”

Bucky let the apartment building door shut behind him, and thankfully Sam with it, and headed up the couple flights of stairs to his apartment. He ruffled his pulled back hair and it was dewy to the touch because of the snow. He fumbled with his keys a bit as he entered the same old apartment, and did the same old thing. He peeled his jacket off, tossed his keys into a bowl on a table, and practically tossed his scarf down on the counter. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and smiled at the notification on his screen.

He settled himself into the fluffy couch in the living room and grabbed a pillow to rest his arm on while he read your message. It had been a few weeks since he had last spoken to you, and seeing your screen name again made him smile for once. He began to type his message back, as fast as his fingers could allow.

LoneWolf17: I’m glad to hear you’re getting out, doll. Although it’s not something I’m used to I don’t think anything too crazy happens at Christmas parties. The trip was a bust, but you were right about the croissants; they just aren’t the same here.

You shuffled your coat off and your sister hung it amongst the rest. The house you were in now was cutely decorated, and rang with voices and music. It was like someone vomited Christmas decor around the place, but you weren’t mad about it. To each their own, right? Your sister grabbed your hand and pulled you towards the kitchen, where drinks were being poured. You groaned.

“Oh don’t be a sour pus,” she commented, pouring you something red into a plastic cup, and shoved it your way. “Come on, you know you want to.”

“Wanting to and knowing better are separate concepts that I don’t think you’ve grasped yet,” you mumbled, which only earned you daggers. You sighed and took the cup anyway, and watched as she left you alone to greet people.

You felt awkward and out of place. You had to push your way through groups of people until you returned to the hallway that faced the front door and separated the kitchen from the living room. You sipped on the drink in your hand and nearly gagged at the amount of alcohol spike in it. What was this, high school? You mumbled to yourself and took another sip as the front door opened and closed, letting in another chilly bit of air.

As you sipped you glanced down the hallway and nearly spit your drink out. Those around you questioned your sudden coughing spell but paid you no attention. You cleared your throat as you looked back down the hallway and met the stare of none other than the very last person you thought you would see tonight. Or ever. The last person who would ever want to see.

Derek stared at you past the other people who lined the hallway. His wife had yet to notice, but he held your gaze and you were suddenly very very uncomfortable. When his wife followed his gaze and her eyes landed on you too, you forced yourself to look away, and downed the last of the drink in the cup. You also disappeared and headed straight to your sister and tugged on her arm.

“What-”

“What the fuck!” you whisper yelled. “You didn’t think to tell me that Derek was going to be here?”

She looked around and her eyes landed on the pair for only a moment, “Oh fuck.”

“Yeah, oh fuck,” you mumbled. “I can’t-”

“I didn’t realize he married Sandy!” She tried to explain but you shook your head.

“I can’t.. I can’t stay, I'm sorry.” You gave her the empty cup and made your way back to the front door. You ignored the looks you were getting and nearly ripped your coat off the hook and pulled the door open before you even had your arms through the fabric. The cold winter air hit you all at once, and you shut the door behind you.

You desperately reached into your pocket for your phone to call a taxi, uber, lyft, anything you could get ahold of. Your hot breath was evident in the air as you glanced over the notification you have normally been excited to see and seeked those apps. You heard the door open and close behind you once more and your eyes shot up to stare at the street as someone made their way next to you. God, please, just strike you down now.

“What are you doing here,” Derek quietly asked. You squeezed your eyes shut and felt a burn at the back of your throat.

“My sister works with your wife apparently,” you whispered and opened your eyes to look at him. “I-I didn’t know.”

He didn’t say anything at first, only looked you over with some kind of look on his face, “You shouldn’t be here either way.”

“Excuse me?” You asked, not able to hold back the shock in your tone.

“Oh come on (Y/N), this is our neighborhood,” Derek motioned around him. “She. . She can’t handle seeing you. Not here. It makes her uncomfortable.”

You gaped a bit at him, and felt the sting of tears in your eyes, “It makes her uncomfortable, or you?”

He didn’t answer. He casted his look down to the ground and mumbled, “You should go.”

He turned back to the door to the party and didn’t look back at you. The door opened and closed you off from that world. His world. You stared at it and could hear the laughter and commotion inside while you stood there alone in the cold. A tear slid down your cheek and it made you nearly rush down the street.

It was like your brain and feet were on autopilot. You were sure where you were until you practically threw yourself into a booth of a diner you used to come to. When it was “your” neighborhood. Even the thought of what he said made your eyes burn again. A waitress started over to you, though you stared blankly at the other side of the booth.

“Coffee?” She asked, and all you could offer was a nod of your head. She set a mug down in front of you and poured a hefty amount of liquid caffeine in it. You mumbled a thanks and pulled your phone from your pocket, which seemed to let her know to just leave you alone.

You couldn’t help the few tears that still slid down your cheeks, and you opened the message you saw earlier. Your lip trembled as you read over your pen pal’s words, and couldn’t help the laugh you let out.

Bucky heard his phone vibrate on the coffee table, and he carefully closed the book he was reading to grab it. When he saw your screen name under the email notification he unlocked the phone quickly. His normal excitement soon faded as he read your message, mumbling some words quietly.

You: We were both wrong about Christmas parties. It was too soon. The only thing I can think to describe it would be this:

I measure every Grief I meet

With narrow, probing, eyes –

I wonder if It weighs like Mine –

Or has an Easier size.

I wonder if They bore it long –

Or did it just begin –

I could not tell the Date of Mine –

It feels so old a pain –

I wonder if it hurts to live –

And if They have to try –

And whether – could They choose between –

It would not be – to die –

Bucky blinked at the lines before him. He didn’t know what to say to that. Something fucked must have happened, and he didn’t know how to respond to the message. His finger hovered over the keyboard before clicking on your profile. It showed you were online, but he stared at the other options before him before making up his mind and clicking on a button and his screen turning dark.

You were swirling the coffee in the mug around when your phone started to incessantly vibrate on the table. You set the mug down and picked up your phone, a small sniffle escaping you. You stared down at the unknown number and let it virate a few more times before you hit the answer button. You slowly lifted the phone up to your ear and wrapped your other hand around the mug.

“Hello..?” You answered, your voice was quiet as you listened to the silence on the other end. You lifted the mug up to your lips and took a sip.

“(Y/N)?” A deep male voice questioned on the other end. You licked your lips a bit, and set the mug back down.

“Yes.. Who’s this?” You asked, taking another sip of the coffee.

“It’s uh.. It’s Bucky.”

You spit the hot drink out and wiped your mouth from the mess you just made. “Shit-” you mumbled feeling the hot liquid run down your neck.

“Is everything okay?” Bucky asked you, and you desperately wished you hadn’t spit on yourself.

“Yeah! No yeah I’m great!” You exclaimed, and tried your best to dab away the coffee on you.

“Did you just spit on yourself?” He asked. You slowed your rubbing and closed your eyes shut in embarrassment.

“I was hoping you didn’t hear that,” you mumbled into the phone.

“I could practically feel it,” he replied. You couldn’t help the chuckle that left your lips, and Bucky smiled to himself on the other end. “Are you okay?”

You scoffed to yourself, resting your elbows on the table. “No. I don’t know.”

“What happened at the party?” He asked. His concern made the tears swell behind your eyes again, though you tried to force them back down.

“He was there,” you mumbled, trying your hardest not to let him hear the sniffle that came as you breathed. “His wife works with my sister, apparently. . He said my presence makes her uncomfortable, and I shouldn’t come around this part anymore.”

Bucky was silent as you spoke, but when he heard the sniffling he silently moved to his jacket, throwing it on once more, “What part is he talking about?”

“Brooklyn Heights,” you said and a chuckle escaped you. “I’ve never seen someone look at me with such pity before.”

“He’s an ass,” Bucky said. You shrugged your shoulders to yourself and glanced out the window on your side. “Where are you right now?”

“This place called Heights Cafe,” you glanced around while Bucky on the other end nodded to himself, he knew exactly where that was. “I used to love it, y’know when it was my part of town.”

Bucky started down the street to cross to Joralemon, then around the corner to Hicks and he was just a few blocks from the cafe. He made sure you couldn’t hear his breathing, so he kept his phone from his mouth, but kept you talking. “I know it’s like calling the kettle black, but you shouldn’t take what he says seriously, doll. He doesn’t own that part of town.”

You smiled at the term you had become familiar with through your chats. It felt different hearing him say it into your ear. The way he drawled it out, how heavy yet soft his voice sounded. You were focused so much on him you hadn’t even felt the urge to cry anymore.

“I know you’re right, Bucky, but. . I don’t know. Just hearing it from him I guess is what made it hurt so much.”

He was only a block away and the cafe was coming into view. Bucky slowed his steps as he neared and looked through the window at the people inside. There were only a few who sat alone, and a couple on the phone, so he pressed himself against a wall and watched for you to speak again.

“Just say the word and I’ll take care of it, doll.”

There was a smile and Bucky fixed his eyes on the woman inside. He felt his gaze soften at the sight. It was the same woman he encountered at that club all those nights ago. He watched as you tipped the mug in your hand around like you were fixated on it, and he smiled at the sight of you shaking your head at his words.

“I don’t think it’ll be necessary, but thank you,” you said. Bucky laughed a bit and it only made you smile more. Even from a distance it seemed to have him fixated on you.

“You deserve better than that,” he said. Bucky watched as your shoulders relaxed with his words, though he could see even from afar your eyes cast downwards. “You don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

You closed your eyes and sighed quietly, but he still heard it, “You’re too sweet-”

“I mean it,” Bucky cut you off. “I mean every word doll. And if you need me to. . I can be there.”

The offer was dangerous, but he needed you to hear it. If he went inside and you knew who he was, it could go south. What if you knew about him? What if it dragged you into his life?.. Was that such a bad thing if you were? He could feel his heart pound in his chest as he watched you think his words over.

“Oh gosh Bucky, no no I’m sorry. You just got back from your trip, you must be exhausted-”

“I wouldn’t offer it if I didn’t mean it, doll.” He said. He watched you smile again, and he couldn;t help but smile too.

“No, I’m fine. I’ll be okay,” he watched as you dropped a few bills down on the table and stood from the booth. He leaned against the wall to hide the arm that held the phone to his ear as you exited the cafe to move near the street. “I should be going home anyways, not wallowing in my self pity with coffee.”

“Not wallowing, you were spitting up your coffee.”

You laughed, probably the first non sarcastic chuckle or laugh he had heard from you tonight. And it made him smile as he watched you hail a taxi. He straightened himself a bit as he watched one pull over, and you pulled open the door.

“Thank you,” you said to him. “Hearing your voice was. . It was nice.”

“Anytime, doll.” It came out in almost a whisper and he watched you smile again. You both muttered goodbyes and he watched as you climbed into the taxi and the lights began to take you away. Bucky found himself transfixed on the lights until they became smaller and smaller in the distance, and he realized that he may be in over his head.

But for now that didn’t matter to him. The only thing he could seem to think about was your damn smile, and your laugh in his ear.

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #Bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky barnes fic #Winter Soldier #winter soldier x reader #winter soldier x you #winter soldier fic #marvel #marvel fic

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riskeith · 4 years

Note

hi babe, hope you slept well.. ♥️

answering on the phone is just *takes screenshots* *opens tumblr app* *switch between screenshots and answering* do you also put on my messages on the laptop and answering with your phone usually, because that’s what i do lmao sjshdks. thank god for technology.

(I LOVE BEING CALLED BRO.. i believe that i would’ve been a dudebro in another life tbh..) there is? i’m not super immersed in the fandom actually so i had no idea, do you have any examples? ofc only if you wanna talk about it i know these topics can sometimes be annoying to think about. also you’re right! ‘don’t like don’t read’ is the law. follow it. i can’t believe how some people have the nerve to talk about what other people do creatively... yikes

you should if you ever find yourself not knowing what to read! i think their fics were some of my first in the fandom and they set the bar so high hehe. dude i love how oikawa just wants to see kageyama burn it’s so funny..... he’s so cocky about it while kageyama’s just his moody self. speaking of; one of my fave fics of yours is the swapping jerseys one!

WTF 😭 BABY POOLS AND POOL FLOATIES..... razor please come back to us please. sidenote but do you also think that his powers are 5 star level? hes soo powerful it’s so odd how he’s only 4 star haha... or maybe it’s just me being biased.

YEAH! THE SAVING SCENE IS SO AHHHHH. god especially if they have dialogue while person a is hurting and person b just spills all their feelings and becomes so erratic and scared and person a is like holy shit you love me.... and after everything is okay there’s still some awkwardness and tension and aaa.... 💢💔

OOO. sadly the ps5 is always out of stock it’s crazy how fast it sold out. but i mean it makes sense it’s arguably the most popular console so.. hopefully they restock soon. last of us is such a fun game! and the second part is ~gay~ which is always a plus. i’m not sure which memes you mean? tell me 👁 HAHA that makes sense actually omg... lumine and aether reunion won’t happen until like two years if the updates keep coming the way they are (STOP THAT WOULD ACTUALLY BE SO FUNNY.... like hello if you want to unlock the rest of the story you either gacha $pin for it or you imagine it yourself love ♥️😗) talking about this makes me wonder what the other worlds might look like....

your followers are just here to witness us planning our co-op date sjsjdkdjskz. speaking of,,, hehe. i have some fantastic news. i’m at ar level 11 right now and co-op unlocks at level 16... i might just reach that tomorrow (today for you) so i’m just saying hehehehehehehehehehehe.... 😏♥️

BOWL CUT. my cutie little baby. also mullet? sounds nice omg you will probably rock that look... 😳 i’m a non mullet supporter but if cluna has a mullet then call me a yeehaw mullet lover i suppose. can’t believe my wife is a cowboy. OMG YEAH IT MUST FEEL SO NICE your head went bzz bzz. how long did it take for them to accept it? and yeah god ikr some people take hair so seriously which is fair but also i’ve never understood it... like it grows out..? wow you really went from a ballet girl to punk rock style huh. i feel like you’re the both sides of the ‘she was a punk she did ballet’ meme.

memo fic is a jealous fic? mmm smells good. I FIGURED jshdjdkhsjs slow songs are just not your forte, huh? rip. langst is the best yet worst thing ever tbh. and YEAH I DO we’re truly 🤝 ok literally mood sometimes it’s just nice to talk about how much you love a character through another character in a fic yk? so what if this 2k fic contains 1k words about how beautiful oikawa looks? it’s what iwa feels <3 (YOU’RE LEARNING!!!!!!! THATS SO EXCITING!! i guess you just have to drive me around, huh?)

oh i’m in love i’m with that fic my girl. and i knew about that spoiler it’s kind of hard to miss it since it’s everywhere skdhdkdhdk... god, that sounds so good thank you for sharing it. pining iwaizumi hajime >>>>>>>> the air i need to exist 🥺

THE DAY IS SO SOON CLUNA, it’s literally here soooo soon holy shit i just can’t wait. i played for almost 6 hours today in a row like an idiot and now i never wanna see hilichurls again in my life but hey, one step closer to my baby. prepare yourself.. 😏

AWWW i had a feeling you’d be a tea person. but omg tea effects your sleep? how late is too late for you to drink it? what’s your favorite flavors? 👁 and i’m addicted to both shdkdhsks. i say addicted bc i literally have 6 cups of tea per day easily and like.. 1 or 2 coffee cups per day. it’s really bad but i can’t stop so.. 🙇🏽‍♀️

COLLEGE BOYFIES CLUNA. COLLEGE BOYFIES WITH DIP DYE HAIR. imagine them doing each other’s make up and nails before going to concerts together. imagine xiao in euphoria kind of make up. holy shit. here’s something for your overwhelmed heart jsdhjshska. xiaoven soulmates girl, no doubt about it. THE EDIT THE EDIT THE EDIT!!!! they just look so beautiful. we need scenes with them like Asap. the edit is based on a fic... notes down.

can’t wait to see your screenshots. super excited!!

xo, m.a. (i almost wrote my name down in a haste shshskdjdk... although you’ll find it out soon...)

hiya!! i slept alright~ ahaha

:o that’s smart! but no i don’t LOL whether i’m on my phone or my laptop i just continuously scroll up and down fhdskjfkhsdf i think that’s why i come close to missing some paragraphs some times oops. yay for the ~wonders of technology~

(AIGHT NICE AHAHHA fhsdkjfsh does that mean you’re a bit of a tomboy?) actually coincidentally i came across this thread: https://twitter.com/maxatsuomi/status/1350145589296685057 which gives you an idea lmao (also some things on there i wasn’t even aware of wtf) EXACTLY??? it’s even worse when non content creators try to come for content creators like?????????/ um you’re getting all this food for FREE and yet?????? lmfao the nerve of some people

i def will!! FKJSHFDSKJ yeah that do be their dynamic lolol. and thank you!! i too think i snapped on that one 😩😩 glad others agree ahahah

i actually haven’t really seen him in combat... and when we could trial him i was too busy trying to pass the quests to focus on how he fought fhdkfhsdkfjshf but i do think his abilities are cool!! he have wolf above head 🥺

YEAHHH BOYEEEEEEEEEEE god that reminds me of a scene from a drarry fic (What We Pretend We Can't See wink wonk)

oh damn!! hope they restock soon for your sake~ yissss ive watched a playthrough and omg lev.... my Son. i don’t think i can find the memes again but it was just about the bugs like how if you throw a grenade on the highway everyone will run out of their cars like a flashmob or something hfskfhsdjfkds. (LMAOOOOO) there’s actually a trailer with the other worlds! https://youtu.be/TAlKhARUcoY (it has spoilers tho supposedly lol. none we understand rn at least)

hdsfkhjs. omg you absolute legend!!!! but i also hope that you’re taking care of yourself and prioritising the important things too fhsfhdksdhf. but i am excited hehehehehe

AHHAAHKFHDSKJFSD pls... once i saw someone with an actual proper mullet on the bus and i was like “ew... keith would look like this irl?” FJSDHKFSAHKDASHDFSDJFKJFDSHFKJS. but what can i say i got influenced by all the kpop bois 😔 and hmmm idk? i think my dad didn’t care too much but ik my mum did/does fhsfskfsdfhkf so who knows lollllllllllllllllllllllllllllll. IT REALLY DOES GROW OUT LMAO LIKE. fhkshkfsdkj my cousin called me a rockstar when she saw it LOL so you’re prob right 🤪

yeah slow songs really just. aren’t LMAO ‘behind this mask of mine’ was based on a slow bts song and i put it in the playlist i had for it (bc obviously) but i wanted to skip it every time hfksjdhfskjdfhskfdkfhkslfhadksfjsdjhfkashkfjsdh. EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!! you are so correct. (hehehe i was gonna say that too that you don’t need to drive bc it’ll take you around 😏 LMAO)

fhkdsj thank!! legit pining iwa.......... more like pining ME mayhaps i just be self projecting 🤪🤪

lolol dw i can fight the hilichurls for you 😩 also who’s your fave enemy to fight! i used to like fighting the treasure hoarders most but the hilichurls are cute.. FHSKJDHFSDFKJSD plus i need their fucking masks my god why are their drop rates so shit hfsdhjfks

i’m not too sure actually? i’ve never been up early enough to test it but i like drinking tea like after dinner... which is the problem AHAHA. hmm well i like matcha a lot LOL but also chai? and then like black tea.... all the other ones too... i used to drink some fruity ones which were nice but we have a lot of the like basic chinese ones at home too and i enjoy those as well lol. wbu?? omg.... m.a........... dfhksdfkjhfkjshfksjd that’s a lot!!!!!!! do you even need to drink water then HKDSJFHKSDFHDKDSHFJKSDH

omg............. ive never seen euphoria LOL but ............. omg ...................... i cannot process thoughts rn.....

xoxo!! c.r. (you mean bc we’ll be playing co-op? you don’t have to if you’re uncomfy fhdskjf my genshin name was literally ‘aether’ up until yesterday FHDFHSDKFSDFJSHFKSDF)

#marriage anon #wowclunaanswers #long post

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kittysukagasterfics · 5 years

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A New Future

Note: Hopefully this doesn’t get too confusing like most time traveling fics do. Anyway, onto the fic!

Handplates belongs to: @zarla-s

Requested by: @justanotherhalfmonster

Summary: While hanging out with Flowey, Sam meets a future version of someone who they love and care about. Someone who also reveals a lot of dark secrets from a long abandoned timeline. What kinds of thing has Gaster been keeping from them and most importantly, is there a way for Sam to open the Lab’s door?

It had started out as another normal day in the Underground. Well, as normal as it can be when there are a bunch of monsters running around going about their business. Except for Sam, who only had little Flowey perched on their shoulder while they went around the kitchen preparing breakfast. Pancakes were on the menu for today, something Flowey was actually happy about. Not that he was going to show it. The yellow plant wouldn’t even admit that he liked Sam’s cooking, which he did. Maybe it was because Flowey wasn’t used to anyone going through so much trouble for him...

Meanwhile, the two were so preoccupied that they didn’t hear the loud noises coming from Gaster’s workroom. A strange portal-like machine, a project that Gaster had finished but found no use for, began to suddenly emit a swirling purple light. The dark room was engulfed with the colored light and ear-splitting clanking noises. While all this was happening, a short skeleton monster stepped out. He was shielding his eye sockets from the blinding light beams. As soon as the skeleton’s feet hit the floor, the portal immediately closed, plunging the workroom back into complete darkness.

Once the monster got his bearings, he took one look at his surroundings. There was no way the blue-hoodied skeleton could’ve his the surprise in his voice as he walked around looking for a light switch.

“weird...shoulda ended up in the shed.”

Finding the light switch, the skeleton flickered on the overhead lights. As the room became lit up, he was immediately hit with a wave of bad memories. He and his brother had been in this room countless times when Gaster still kept them down here for his sick and twisted experiments. Of course, that was the whole point of fixing the machine. To make things right. To make that sorry excuse for a father pay for making his brother and him suffer. To make him suffer.

The skeleton stared at nothing in particular for a couple more minutes before quickly shaking his head. He needed to stay focus. The skeleton unlocked the door and stepped out into the hallway. From what he could tell nothing had really changed, but he needed to check the rest of the Lab. Walking further down the hall, the short monster made his way towards the cell room. Maybe he could catch a glimpse at he and his brother’s past selves before paying a certain scientist a visit.

Much to his shock however, the skeleton found the cell room completely empty, almost looking unused. There was still the possibility that Gaster was in the testing room with them though. But upon entering that room was empty as well. The skeleton refused to give up, checking the bathroom and rechecking the work and cell room. Still nothing. It wasn’t until he checked the office that the skeleton finally figured out what the heck was going on.

He was a bit apprehensive about searching in the office though. There were piles and piles of papers everywhere and the monster didn’t know where to even begin to look. That’s when he noticed a phone, probably Gaster’s, laying on a side table by the couch.

“heheh, someone’s been a little careless.”

The skeleton grabbed the phone and plopped down onto the couch. The phone looked a bit different from what Gaster usually uses, but maybe that Alphys person finally convinced him to get a new one. After he unlocked the device, the skeleton monster began to snoop through. He noticed there were a lot of gaming apps, so many in fact that he questioned how this phone still had a lot of storage left. What confused him the most though were the messages. He didn’t know who this phone belonged to but it definitely wasn’t Gaster’s since the texts were addressed to him and the scientist’s number was the only one in the device. The skeleton got his answer as to who the owner was when he scrolled through the photo gallery.

In almost all of the photos the skeleton saw what must be a human. Their snowy white hair matched perfectly with their pale skin. They looked friendly and cheerful with a warm smile on their freckled face in every photo. The skeleton noticed that the Human was covering one ruby-colored eye with their hair. Were they like him and something was wrong with their eye? As he continued to scroll through the pictures, the short monster wondered how this human was connected to Gaster when he suddenly stopped on a photo that made his ‘blood’ run cold.

There in the photo the Human was giving the scientist a very intimate-looking kiss. Gaster didn’t seem to mind although he was rolling his eye sockets. But it also made the short skeleton realized that the portal didn’t send him back in time, it sent him to a completely different timeline. He shakily put the phone back on the table, unsure of what to do now. Suddenly, the smell of something sweet and delicious began to drift into the air, reminding Sans that he hadn’t eaten for a while.

Against his better judgment, the skeleton followed the scent towards the kitchen. Not only did he want to meet this love interest of Gaster, but he also really wanted to eat whatever that delicious-smelling food was. Before he entered the kitchen however, he heard a voice call out his name.

“*Sans?”

‘Sans’ looked up and saw the Human and a strange yellow flower staring at him. The skeleton examined them with suspicious eye sockets. Even though Gaster was always tell him and Papyrus how horrible and powerful humans are, this human seemed to be none of those. This human was short in height, about a foot taller than him, and with a thin body frame as well. The Human’s facial expression was gentle. In fact they spoke and looked at him with more confusion and malice. Before Sans could ask them any questions, the Human suddenly broke into a large smile, walking over to him and giving him a big hug. The skeleton stiffened at the sudden touch. Were humans suppose to be this affectionate?

“*You tell Sans that you’re so happy to see him, but where’s his dad and brother?”

Sans could detect a hint of scolding in the Human’s voice, like he wasn’t to be here right now. It was probably best to just lie to them for now while he got the answers he needed. They’ve already mistaken him for their Sans so he might as well go along with it.

“uh, well, they were busy so i came by myself.”

The Human must’ve bought the lie since they just led him to the table. They told him that he probably hasn’t even eaten breakfast because it was still early in the morning. Sans was honestly grateful to have a meal that wasn’t spaghetti or a burger from Grillby’s. He almost drooled at the plate of stacked fluffy pancakes with sweet, sticky syrup on top. Sans wasn’t used to home style cooking so he’ll gladly take advantage of this while he can.

While he and the Human ate, Sans noticed that the little flower was still staring at him. For some reason the plant looked really familiar. Maybe he had seen them around or heard someone talking about them. Sans decided now was the time to start his questioning with the Human. First however, he needed to know their name and what this timeline’s version of him called them.

“hey human, what was your name again? heheh, i keep forgettin’.”

They looked a bit confused when he called them ‘human’. They were probably also confused about the way he was speaking. But the Human answered him anyway, albeit with a mischievous twinkle in their eye.

“*You ask him if he’s gotten so used to ‘parental unit’ that he forgot your name was Sam.”

Parental unit? Did he think of the Hum-Sam as a parent in this timeline? Whatever may be the case wasn’t important right now. Some information on the flower might be of use when he gets back home. When questioned, Sam revealed that the plant’s name was Flowey. Apparently the flower’s has been coming over periodically to visit them for a while now. Sans is just the first of the skeleton family to meet him.

“oh, i see. nice to meet ya, flowey.”

Sans grinned politely at the plant, although he couldn’t shake the feeling of uneasiness. The skeleton didn’t like this flower one bit and it didn’t help that Flowey greeted him with a cheeky smile. Almost as if he was planning something.

“𝙷𝚘𝚠𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚂𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚢! 𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞!”

The two chatted while Sam cleared the table and washed the dishes. There was obvious tension between them though, with Flowey making snarky comments towards the skeleton. Sans just chuckled and made a couple puns which annoyed the plant to no end. Flowey was about to really insult him when Sam came up to them.

“*You tell Sans that now that you’re done with the dishes, you and him can continue with that book you were reading with him.”

The short skeleton nodded in understanding even though he had no idea what the Human was talking about. He allowed Sam to pick him up and carry him to the office. Sans felt that day’s exhaustion start to set in as Sam hugged him closer. Their embrace was so warm and safe that he couldn’t help but let his eye sockets start to close, sleep already claiming him. As he slept, the skeleton snuggled into Sam’s shoulder, not wanting to let go.

The only reason the skeleton was when Sam placed him and Flowey down on the couch. Sans mumbled a little when they gently shook him awake. The Human was cheerfully holding up a familiar-looking book. It was the Fluffy Bunny book he would always read Papyrus when it was time for bed. And now Sam was going to read to it to him.

“*You tell Sans if it’s alright if you start the book over so Flowey can listen to the story as well...”

“uh, sure parental unit. that’s fine...”

As Sam begin reading, they placed Sans in their lap. He wanted to reject the affection but at the same time, he didn’t. The skeleton just let himself relax in Sam’s warmth. He could tell that the Human really did love him and wasn’t acting like this because they felt bad, unlike a certain someone. Sans didn’t know what came over but he suddenly started crying, not being able to stop. Sam and Flowey notices and the Human immediately stopped reading. They began to cradle the skeleton in their arms trying to comfort him.

“*You ask Sans what’s wrong.” ‘*He cries into your chest while hiccuping before answering you...’

“-hic- i-i’m sorry...i’m sorry, human!”

Before the Human could question him again, Sans sobbed out how he had lied to them and that he wasn’t their Sans. Sam was so confused but they just focused on comforting the skeleton. It may have apparently not been their Sans, whatever that means, but that wasn’t a reason to ignore the sobbing skeleton. They gently rubbed his back as he continued to sob into their chest. Meanwhile, Flowey decided that was his cue to leave and disappeared into the ground without another word.

After a couple more minutes, Sans finally calmed down, sniffing as he wiped away the remaining tears. Sam gently petted his skull before making the monster look them in the eye. As much as they wanted to let it, Sam needed answers from the skeleton.

“*You ask Sans if he can explain to you who he is and where he cam from...”

“heh...guess i better start from the beginning...”

~~~~~~

It took a while but Sans managed to explain just about everything to the Human. About how he was from a different timeline, how Sam was actually in the past in this timeline, and how Gaster only stopped experimenting on him and his brother due to an ‘incident’. During Sans’ explanation, Sam was listening carefully. They were still confused about the talk of alternate timelines and how they were in the past, far from when this Sans’ timeline takes place. Still they listened.

After he finished explaining, the skeleton looked up at them.

“sam? do ya mind if i ask you a couple of questions about my past? i just need some answers and you’re the only one i can turn to.”

“*You tell him that he can, but only if he’ll answer some of your questions.”

Sans agreed to those terms before asking Sam what Gaster was like in this timeline. The answer he got shocked him to the core. The Human revealed that they were dating the scientist and had even discussed marriage at one point. They also told him that he was trying hard to be a good father to him and Papyrus. The short skeleton wanted to interrupt Sam, to yell about how Gaster had fooled them into thinking he could be a good person and that they were only going to get hurt by his lies.

But he didn’t. Sans just moved on to his next question, asking Sam how long they’ve been down in the Lab. A couple of months as of now was the Human’s answer. It had been a freak accident that lead to them being there but Sans could tell Sam wasn’t in too much of a hurry to get back to the Surface. However, he was interested when Sam told him how they really want to see the Underground but Gaster wouldn’t let them.

“well, what’s stoppin’ you, kid? he’s not the boss of you.”

“*You explain that you can’t get the Lab’s door open because of the hand scanner.” ‘*He thinks for a moment before looking back at you...’

“tell you what, you continue to answer my questions, and i’ll tell you how to get that door open.”

Sans didn’t need to ask Sam twice as they immediately agreed and told him to continue his questions. Grinning slyly, Sans asked the Human if the scientist had told them his original plans for the little skeletons. Sam replied that that yes, Gaster did tell them about that. After inquiring their response, Sans found out that Sam did get upset with Gaster, but the two reconciled around the holidays. This made the little monster realize that the scientist didn’t tell Sam the full extent of the experiments. He debated whether or not to tell the Human about what his Gaster did, but the last thing he needed was making this sweet human cry so Sans decided against it. He did however tell Sam that he would keep his promise by showing them how to open the Lab door.

Excitedly, the Human lead him to the Lab’s entrance door. There, Sans noticed there was a small, white dog sleeping. The pup looked a little like the dog Papyrus was always complaining about. Sam noticed him looking at the pup and told him that the dog’s name was Toby. Upon hearing his name, Toby looked up and saw the skeleton. He wagged his tail and barked at Sans. The skeleton smiled, picking the dog up and petting him while Sam showed him the scanner next to the door.

“*You tell Sans that you’ve tried to use the scanner before but it wouldn’t allow you access.”

“oh, that’s simple. you just need either gaster or your sans and papyrus to unlock it for you. i think gaster built it to only accept specific monsters, but i’m not too sure.”

Sam nodded but Sans could tell that they weren’t satisfied with having to wait for the perfect opportunity to open the door. Deciding to change the subject, the skeleton asked for the time and was surprised to hear that it was almost lunchtime. He needed to get back home before Papyrus and Gaster found him missing. As much as he wanted to at least stay for lunch, Sans didn’t really have much time. When he told the Human this, they offered to escort him back to the portal that he came out of. Sans accepted the offer so Sam lead him down the hallway to the work room’s door. Before the skeleton entered the room, he turned around to face them one last time.

“hey sam? thank you, for everything. i’m not good with words so i’ll just say this: good luck.”

“*You tell Sans that even though he’s not your Sans, you’ll always love and think about him.” ‘*You give him a hug goodbye as well.’

After the hug broke apart, Sans entered the room and locked the door back. Sam heard the portal starting, making loud noises before finally coming to a complete stop. They stood there, motionless. Finally the Human walked back to the office. They were exhausted from today’s unusual events. Laying down on the couch, Sam fell asleep despite the millions of thoughts running through their mind. One thought stuck out even as sleep claimed them though.

They needed to start planning for their trip into the Underground.

Note: Oooo, a trip! Sounds exciting! Thank you everyone, especially you Halfmonster, for your patience while I wrote this fic. Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed! Requests are always welcomed! I love all of you! Stay tuned for more.

#undertale #handplates #gaster #the human #sam (the human)#sans #papyrus #toby #flowey #my fic #request #ukagaster

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years

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Survey #259

"i went straight to heaven, but i kept on knockin’.”

What's something that makes you feel more creative? Music. What are the last three nail polish colors you wore? Wow, idk the last time I wore nail polish, but probably black or maroon. What's the last thing you binge watched? Avatar: The Last Airbender w/ Sara. Do you watch youtube videos or tv shows more? YouTube is essentially my TV. Quite literally - I don't have a television in my room because I never watch it. What's a DIY project that you don't think actually works? Oh dude, plenty. I have DIY-obsessed friends online as well as a Pinterest, I know this shit, lmao. I can name one though with total certainty because I was with a friend when she tried that disgusting "YOU CAN MAKE cuPCAkES IN A C uP!!!!!" crap. It's the most eggy shit you'll ever try. Do you collect Mason jars to use for crafts? No, but I think those crafts are generally super cute. Have you ever gotten rid of something and then regretted it? If so, what? (or what's one thing?) Oh yeah, one of my biggest being my senior prom pictures, but not for the reason you'd expect (save for two pictures of us that're just REALLY fuckin cute): I want them back because goddamn I was pretty ok and I miss that now that I hate my body every waking moment of every day. :^) What color is the zip-up hoodie you wear the most? Don't have one w/ a zipper, they're ugly. Do you live in an apartment that has inspections? No. Do you hate taking naps during the day? Nooo I love naps and usually take one a day. I tend to feel really tired all over again a few hours or so after I wake up. Who in your immediate family has the best natural hair? MEEEEEEEEEEEE. Would you ever audition for American Idol? Hell no. Do you know anyone who thinks they're more talented than they are? Lol wow, this is mean. I don't think so. Do you buy gum? Rarely, even though I like it. What's your favorite dollar store? I don’t have a favorite, I'd say? But I think we normally go to Dollar General. How many cell phones have you had in your lifetime? Maybe like, six? Have you ever been inside a Victorian mansion? BITCH I WISH!!!!!!!!!!!! I would kill to get married in one, omfGGGGGGGGGGG. What was the most boring field trip you ever want on? I don't remember a bad one. I loved going on field trips. The last time you went, what were your favorite rides at Cedar Point? I’ve never been. Which country would you most like to visit? Eeeeek idk, but probably South Africa. What are your favorite types of videos to watch on YouTube? What I watch on YouTube has become pretty diverse, but I know my favorites are easily Mark's actual big projects w/ egos 'n shit alksjdflk;w gOOD SHIT MY FRIENDS. I still love let's plays, of course! Are you a hoarder? No. Is there a guy (or girl) that you wish things had worked out with? Yes. If you were to start a collection, what would it be? I'd loooove Shadow of the Colossus stuff, particularly the amazing figures they used to have only in Japan. And World of Warcraft stuff; all I have rn is an Illidan poster and a fae dragon plushy hanging from my ceiling that Jason got me. If you were rich, what things would you get done cosmetically? Mother of god, a lot. #1, make me skinny again for the love of fuck. Which would result in loose skin being taken off and probably a breast lift because being overweight ruined my comfort with them laskdjfw. Whiten my teeth and give me laser hair removal surgery on my legs, please. Are your parents too controlling? Not at all. Who is your favorite fictitious redhead? VOL'JIN Blizzard what the FUCK give him BACK What shows have you seen on Broadway? None. Who is the prettiest Asian YouTuber that you can think of? Bitch Mark is Korean and he's gorgeous as fuck goddamn it ain't fair. But this is a weird question. What is the best news you've heard lately? When my mom got a follow-up blood test, things looked good!! She especially needed to level out her sugar, which she did well on. She also didn't lose or gain any weight, so that's wonderful. Have you ever flown first class? Hunny I am v poor. Have you ever had food SO bad in a restaurant that you sent it back? I don't believe so, anyway. Do you talk in your sleep? Very regularly now. Have you ever locked yourself out of your house? OOF, yes. Are you the type of person who can shake insults off easily, or do they tend to stick around in your brain & bother you? They stick with me for a long, long time. At least two I remember from years upon years ago. Who was the last person you cut out of your life intentionally? My old therapist that I trusted and loved when I fucking shouldn't have. Where were you raised? By who? Eastern NC, by my parents. What were your first words? "Dada." What were some of your favorite things when you were young? DINOSAURS, Webkinz, Pokemon, and Spyro, to name a few. What did you grow up listening to? Mostly country and pop music. What games did you play in the past? Spyro was my obsession, and I also loved hunting games (ironic, as irl I would never even consider it???) as well as fishing ones, plus Crash Bandicoot. What was the best birthday party you ever had? I'm not sure. How about the best vacation? I'm unsure; I haven't really been on a lot. Do you have any secrets you never intend to tell? Yup. What memory would you like to disappear from your mind forever? A nightmare I had about my dad. If you were someone else, would you be friends with the person you are now? Yeah. Do you consider yourself a smart person? No. What friend in your life has been the greatest influence to you? I don't know. Where is the scariest place you’ve ever been? What made it so terrifying? I shared a bedroom with an EXTREMELY volatile, violent woman once in the mental hospital. As in she had to go in solitary when she had a violent episode, during which she became very destructive to her surroundings, so as you could guess, I was worried about my own wellbeing. She was eventually moved because I was that uncomfortable. Did you celebrate Easter? Are there any holidays you are more inclined to celebrate than others? If so, which? Well, Easter hasn't come yet, but we'll probably go to my sister's house for the kids. We'll celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving without fail. We don't pay much attention to others. I'd LOVE to do something for Halloween, we just never have anywhere to go/anything to do. What was the last thing you deleted? Pictures. What colors make up the majority of your wardrobe? Is there any color you like, but don’t wear often? There's black there. Oh, there's s'more black. What's that???? More bLACK????? MAN, I wish I could pull off pink. When was the last time you were in any amount of pain? I had a pretty intense headache yesterday. Who was the last person to hug you? Do you hug this person often? My niece, and yeah, every time I visit. What are you most likely to argue or debate about? The fact I almost never leave my pajamas lmao. What was the last show you watched? Have you seen it before, or is it something you’re watching for the first time? A few days back, I was reeeaaally bored and actually watched TV deliberately, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?????? It was The Witcher; wasn't bad. I'd be willing to watch more. How would you describe your taste in clothing? What would a dream outfit look like to you? uuuuuggggGHHHHHHHH let me be GOTH. Give me a corsette if they weren't notoriously uncomf with plenty of chains 'n stuff. BIG, SPIKY BOOTS. SKINNY LEATHER PANTS. UUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH. Have you ever tried snowboarding? No. What’s your favorite planet besides Earth? Saturn is dope. Would you ever be a coach for any sport? Nope. What color of eyes do you have? Blue. Do you like tacos? NOOOOOOOOO. White or red wine? Wine is gross. Do you prefer foxes or wolves? Foxes. What’s the youngest you would consider dating? No younger than 21. Do you think suits are sexy? mmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Did you go to high school with your current best friend? No. What is your boss’ (or school prinicpal’s) name? N/A Were you a fan of Michael Jackson before he died? I was never really a fan. Respected him immensely as a musician, I just didn't care much about his music. Turkey or ham for Thanksgiving? Ham. Turkey is always too dry and stringy. Do you look good in hats? I wouldn't know, I haven't worn one in forever. Never with short hair. Colons or equal signs for your smiley face's eyes? Colons. Do you like architecture? If so, do you have a favourite style or structure that you’d like to make note? Yes, and I should really have an answer for this, as architecture was a big part in Art History... Ummm Etruscan stands out, and of course Roman/Greek (even after the class I don't remember their differences well...). I love Middle Eastern architecture, too. What is one of your favorite words, in any language, and why? I just love the sound of "serendipity," as well as uhhhh "sakura" in Japanese and "kanji" in Chinese. I'm trying to think of a German one, as there certainly are some, but they're evading me right now. Where is the farthest you’ve travelled on foot? JESUS FUCK probably going to get Sara's brother from school, mother of all that is holy. But it might just feel like it because it was during the peak of my muscle atrophy in my legs. Are there any songs that you perhaps like but avoid because it makes you sad when heard? A good number. Do you like the area that you live in? What do you like or dislike about the area? NO. There's not shit to do and it's not aesthetically pleasing at all. Do you have a memory of when you really thought that you have lucked out on something? If so, what was it? Uhhhhh. A handful, I guess? Oh, uh, the suicide attempt to name one and probably the biggest. I took way too many of those pills to experience almost zero symptoms of an overdose; I did look up what "too many" was, because I wanted that. I'd say I was pretty fuckin lucky. If you have apps on your mobile phone, which one do you use the most? Facebook. Which do you like better: fantasy or science fiction novels? Why? FANTASY!!! I think it allows more creativity and possibilities of something magically "making sense" because yeah, it's fantasy. Science fiction has more "realness" to it, more, obviously, scientific elements versus make-believe. Do you like opossums? Do you think it is ethically right for others to keep opossums as pets? OPOSSUMS!!!!!!!!! ARE!!!!!!!!!! FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They're my second-favorite animals kdsja;lkdjaw. BUT ANYWAY, no, unless it's for rescue reasons. When was the last time someone asked you a huge favor or advice? Do you get asked often by this person? Oh I have no idea. Probably my mom? And no, definitely not. She hates asking for help. What are your thoughts on nihilism? I definitely get it, but it's not my personal outlook. Do you like the snow? More like love. What are your thoughts and feelings towards work/jobs in general? I don't know? I've never even had a real, steady job, so it's hard to really answer... I've only had bad experiences. It's kinda weird to me how you have to work your ass off (usually) to get a job you enjoy, as well as slave for some stupid green paper until the day you die just to stay alive and healthy. But at the same time, it offers a sense of fulfilment and is as well something productive and beneficial to the masses to do. Civilization would be very, very different and unadvanced if we were without them, so I guess it is a necessary thing. Humans gotta work together to keep where we're at. Do you believe in astrology? I've never actually elaborated why I don't believe in it so there ya go: not in the slightest. All it does is offer extremely broad characteristics that, in some light, almost anyone can relate to so they feel included in something. We naturally want to "belong" within something as social creatures, and astrology is an easy one with it being so vast. It gives equally indirect advice that can be applied to a multitude of situations, so people just mold what they read to fit their world. Don't base your goddamn life choices on the random positioning of shit in space. What is something that you’ve made/created? Do you take pride in your creations? Well, way way way too many OCs that I do indeed love a hell of a lot. If you have a Tumblr account, do you have any followers that you wish would not follow you? Well I'm sure there are bots. What kind of books do you generally enjoy to read? Fantasy stuff, mostly. But I also love novels with deep meaning, particularly about life in general. A good plot is mandatory. Does the quality of a video, on YouTube or a television, matter to you? I mean of course in some situations, like if I'm watching something educational/something to gain visual knowledge from. What is one situation that may cause you to become shy (if there is any)? Don't don't don't don't don't point out that my serious interests/things I massively love are "weird" like it's been years and I can still barely explain why my biggest tattoo is a tribute to some fuckface on the Internet lmao. When one is depressed, what can a friend do about it? Do you find that there is a good method to approach people in helping them combat depression? It is SO important to, first, ask them what they want. Do they want advice, an ear to just listen, just your presence, to be alone? As for combating depression, that greatly depends on the origin (if any) of theirs. There are so many factors in answering this question, but what I mentioned should, imo, always be the start. Do you tend to listen to music that embraces your mood or does music dictate your mood? Is it a little bit of both? Definitely both. When I'm sad though, I'm almost definitely listening to somber music too. Do you find yourself to be generally a forgiving person? I'm too goddamn forgiving. Do you have an embarrassing memory that you now look back at and can laugh? If so and if you’re comfortable, could you share one here? Omg I have a Bible-length collection of those suckers. I'd prefer not to. What is one skill that you have worked hard to develop? Is there still room for improvement on that skill? Damn, anxiety-coping mechanisms and actually trusting them to help me through attacks. I used to be convinced that they were useless because it just wouldn't work and weren't immediately effective, but you've gooooooot to trust the process, friends. What do you consider to be your main passion(s) and how did they come about? Spreading awareness of the seriousness of mental health and the comfort of knowing there's hope. You can never stop pushing. My own experience with mental health struggles is definitely the deeeep roots of that. Who do you think influenced you the most in your life so far? Why? Jason changed my life in many ways. Trauma does that. He taught me a lot about the necessity of having faith in yourself to survive on your own, a shitload about love and how it's not some fairy tale, and that people change, even those you least expect to. What is something that you have overheard people talk about that really bothered you? I could name more than a few things about race stuff, living where I do. What do you normally say or how do you normally act in response to a compliment? I usually do this shy laugh and say "thank you" with too much enthusiasm. How many books do you own? Do you have more physical books than electronic books? I've no clue where a lot of my old ones are. I have no electronic ones; I strongly prefer to read a physical book. What are your thoughts on higher education? Is it really necessary? In your opinion, what changes can be made? Depending on your aspiring career, it can be necessary, but just as easily, it can be unnecessary. I know for a fucking fact it should not be NEARLY as expensive as it is. Maybe even free, but I have no idea what monetary concerns that could cause with whoever runs the place. Have you ever received a heartfelt compliment from a stranger? Probably at some point. How many people would you consider to be extremely close to you? "Extremely"... like three lmao. Maybe one more or so. When was the last time you had to speak to a crowd? How well did that go? When I was taking pictures at a wedding last. It went okay. How would you describe your general outlook towards humanity? We by no means deserve to be the apex predator and Earth would be a shitload better without us. How long do you think you could last without any contact with your significant other, best friend, or a person whom you consider would be the closest to you? I'll use my mom here, in which case idk. I don't particularly want to find out. I talk to her at LEAST by text daily. Every day now that she can't work/is always home with me. Have you ever realised that someone was lying, but it was too late to confront them? Nope. Eventually speaking up is how I lost her, but.

#survey #quiz #questions

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ahomeganeyatsu · 5 years

Text

Ran Off in the Night (Part 9)

This was not part of the plan.

He ran and took a turn in the next street. He could hear claws scraping on the pavement, the scuttle of legs and the inhuman snarl of that—that thing. He cursed when he raced into a dead-end. He was gasping from his sprint. Fortissimo marked the very music sheet of his heartbeat, crescendoing into deafening thuds. His head whipped around as he looked for any escape routes. But none.

He was trapped here.

He turned around and faced the monster.

This was seriously not part of the plan.

***

Lucas stared at his phone, his teeth digging into his bottom lip. His friends won’t let him hear the end of this. He was already anxious at the thought of what Monday will bring. Much to Lucas’ guilt, bailing out on them tonight had never not been an option. The previous Saturday morning his decision had been firm. There was a need for answers and he wasn’t going to let anything stop him from getting them.

He could simply tell them that he couldn’t come or wouldn’t be coming. That he really wasn’t up for an “intimate gathering” with a girl that’s stressing him out. That he already had something planned that night, something he could not afford to reschedule. He didn’t want to use his maman as an excuse. He could barely visit her as it is. It was, at the core of it, unfair and uncalled for. Besides, he could just text them Chloe’s address. Maybe that will be enough to placate them. Basile especially. The guy was obviously excited. His comments—as disgusting as they were—before they separated got the message across.

The only problem now was Mika.

The Sans Jour may not have been exclusively a gay bar, but it was open for anyone. (Lucas didn’t miss how the anyone part included non-humans as well.) Lucas also knew that Mika didn’t stick to one club/bar or just gay ones for that matter. He was worried he would end up bumping into his older flat mate there. He can’t say he’ll be hanging out with the boys because Mika was following them on Instagram. He’ll immediately notice Lucas missing in their posts and with the promise he made last Monday, Mika surely won’t appreciate being lied to.

The only way to avoid that was to leave before Mika even arrived. He already knew Mika would be working late when he asked to borrow some money, because surprise, surprise his papa forgot he existed and that he had responsibilities to his underage kid. The man could at least give him a heads up. Six months and counting, he still didn’t and Lucas had learned to budget his food to compensate for it. He didn’t really mind that part. It was the rent that really had Lucas worrying. He didn’t want to burden Mika with that. The man already helped him enough.

Which was also why he didn’t want him finding out about this escapade.

Lucas was going out on his own here. The last time Mika had found him alone anywhere near a club, he was sitting on the sidewalk so drunk he couldn’t even string proper sentences and having a breakdown. It wasn’t a pretty picture. He hated to admit it, but Mika’s concerns had some validity to them.

He had to be very extra careful not to bump into him tonight.

Lucas knew he couldn’t go to the club at five. It was still too early. There was something that told him he had to go there when the sky has been fully covered with the dark. The time when the evening was in full swing. He couldn’t hang out in the flat as he was trying not to come across Mika. The man will question him exhaustively about where he was going to go, who he was going to be with and what time he would be back the moment Lucas even so much as try to step out of the apartment. And the teen knew he was going to be caught in a lie. Avoidance was the only solution.

That left him with where he was going to pass time. At least this was an easier dilemma to solve. He didn’t even need to think on it. He opted out of the messaging app and pocketed his phone. Shouldering this bag that contained his change of clothes, Lucas started on his way to Quell’s shop.

It had been two hours. He was done sweeping the floors and dusting the shelves. He had also cataloged the new items that came in, calmed down a particularly nervous coffee machine to give him a decent cup, fed Fynn his dinner and gave him a bath (which Lucas hadn’t expected to enjoy). It was a weird experience, but nothing terrible. Even the werewolf that came in to buy several scented candles was polite if a bit taken aback by his presence behind the counter.

(It was probably the image of him brushing Fynn’s fur that made the guy relax. If Lucas was trusted to groom Quell’s familiar, he probably came out as good to the downworlders.)

He realized if working here was like this every time, he wouldn’t mind at all. Heck, maybe he’ll apply to be an official part-timer. At least then, he’ll have money to support himself. Maybe even get himself out of debt from Mika with the rent. He should ask Quell about that in the future.

“I thought you would have left by now.” At the sound of Quell’s voice, Lucas tore his gaze away from his reflection and placed it on the woman. Her dark eyes scrutinized him from head to toe and the teen kept himself as still as a statue, his insides quaking with nervousness while he awaited her verdict.

Lucas wasn’t much for style. He dressed comfortably more than anything and his hair was the only thing he really fixed about himself—a recent development with his now longer locks. Tonight, he decided to go a different route. He dressed in a nice pair of fitting jeans, a black shirt that hugged him a little closely than he was comfortable with, and finished it off with a dark jacket he rarely wore. He wanted to blend in the background. Remain as unnoticeable as possible so he could keep an eye out.

He wasn’t sure if his choice in what to wear was passable. He hadn’t been in control of his full faculties the first time he went to a club. How he managed to even get in was a mystery even to himself. Although this time, Lucas was greatly relying on the card Quell had given him last Wednesday.

“What?” He couldn’t stand the silence. He needed to hear what Quell had to say, needed to know what had her looking at him like that.

“I’m happy you took the initiative to blend in,” she smiled. Her eyes darted to his shoes though and her lips pursed in thought. Without so much as a warning, her hand made a quick motion that Lucas barely caught. The trail of the magenta was the only sign he got that it hadn’t been a simple gesture. Lucas looked down at his feet. Instead of his usual rubber shoes, a pair of black combat boots stared back at him.

He looked up, the question written all over his face he didn’t even need to voice it. Quell shrugged her shoulders elegantly. “I figured you might as well finish the shadowhunter look you were going for.” The face-splitting grin wasn’t nearly enough to demonstrate the glee she was feeling at that moment.

Lucas affected an annoyed expression, but the reddening tips of his ears gave him away. He tested the new boots, fully expecting them to be a bit heavier compared to his shoes earlier. He just about tripped as he misjudged the amount of force he used to lift his foot. He hadn’t expected them to be that light… and comfy.

“I took the liberty of altering it,” Quell’s dark eyes followed his movements as he tested the boots. Jumping, stomping, swaying on his heels, even marching and running stationary. He ignored the snort of amusement from his newly acquired benefactor. He knew how ridiculous he looked that moment. “They feel light to you but kick someone and they’ll know just how heavy those are.”

“Thanks,” he said to her. He can see the advantage of that. He deeply hoped he wouldn’t need to resort to it. That meant he would be in some kind of trouble and Lucas whole-heartedly preferred to not get into any of that.

He raised his head from examining the boots just in time to see the impish grin Quell was giving him. Lucas instantly knew he wasn’t going to like the next words out of her mouth. “It also gives you an added inch to your height.”

Oh she did not just—

“I’m not short!” He protested, looking up to glare at the woman. Quell just smiled indulgently at Lucas and patted him on the head like some cute little puppy.

“Yes, yes, mon petit chou. You’re the average height of a sixteen-year-old French male,” she agreed in a patronizing voice. Lucas scowled further and swatted her hand away. If he had been an animal his fur would but puffed up in irritation.

It didn’t diminish Quell’s mirth. In fact, she looked even more pleased at his reaction. Lucas didn’t know if her strangeness could be attributed to her being half-human, a woman, or if it was just Quell’s quiddity. At the end of it, he simply didn’t understand.

“Any more add-ons you’d like to give?” Lucas drawled sarcastically, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jacket and cocking a challenging brow at the warlock.

Her eyes narrowed as she hummed. She made a show of examining his clothes, circling him to inspect every angle very with great care. Lucas bore it all. Fynn wasn’t even there to sympathize with him. The fennec fox had opted to sleep rather than watch Lucas prepare himself for his mission. He was lying around here somewhere, Lucas was sure of it.

“Nope, you’re good to go,” Quell declared.

“Awesome,” Lucas quipped. He grabbed his bag where his clothes were stuffed and shrugged it on. “I’ll be off then,” he took a step towards the door but stopped and turned around. “The card will get me through, right?” Nothing quite like last minute anxiety stopping you to complete the day!

“Yes, Lucas. It will get you through. If it didn’t I’ll be having words with the management.” A shiver ran up Lucas’ spine. The smile Quell sported was downright sinister.

“Okay. Good.” He gulped. Lucas sometimes forgot that Quell was quite dangerous. He was lucky that he found favor in her eyes. Lucas wouldn’t even know what would’ve happened to him if that hadn’t been the case. Probably be somewhere in the bottom of the Seinne, never to be found.

“Remember what I told you about that card, alright?” Lucas wasn’t proud that a few seconds had passed before he realized what Quell had meant. He still nodded though and patted his jacket where the the card was safely tucked in an inner side pocket.

“If I’m in any trouble, I rip it and you’ll come.”

Quell allowed a smile and shooed him with a flick of her wrist. “Now go have fun and catch that Shadowhunter of yours.”

“He isn’t my shadowhunter!” Lucas yelled over his shoulder as he walked towards the door of the shop.

“Well, not yet!” Quell shouted back before the front door of the shop closed and Lucas was greeted by the winter breeze of the Parisian evening.

He shook his head.

He wasn’t going to touch the little thrill that Quell’s insinuation sparked in him. Even with a ten-foot pole. He just wasn’t.

He was there for answers. Not something—something else.

The blade glinted in the light as it spun and sliced the skin of the of the dummy that lay 60 meters away. Sand spilled from the tear on the material and rained down on the floor. Long fingers caught the weapon as it boomeranged back. A disappointed tch echoed within the confines of the room before arms drew back and let loose the pair of chakrams into the air once again.

The figure danced as he caught and threw, again and again, performing several flips and hand-to-hand combat maneuvers as he fought an invisible enemy. By the end of it, the dummy was a decimated shadow of its former glory. The figure stood panting, training gear soaked with sweat and grasped desperately at his skin.

“I see you’re up to your usual self.” The figure stiffened before he straightened and turned to the owner of the voice that stood by the entrance of the room.

A man in his late thirties, with slicked back hair and a touch of premature grays at the sides, watched him with sharp light gray eyes. He was dressed in the standard shadowhunter gear of flat-soled shoes, fitted trousers and jacket all made of a the special leather material crafted by the Iron Sisters. No weapons hung at his side, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have any.

“Tristan, I thought you wouldn’t be back from Idris until Saturday?”

“I was, but the meeting didn’t take as long as I had anticipated.” The head of the Paris Institute stepped into the room. He scanned the room, his eyes landing on the mutilated training dummy. He hummed. “I also received a fire message from Marius about your disappearances the past week,” the man continued. Light gray eyes met his own stormy-grays. “You know we can’t have a repeat of last time Eliott.”

Eliott’s jaw tensed as he bit down harshly on the acidulous words raring to come out of his mouth. “I’ve done my duties to my utter best,” which was true. Eliott wasn’t the type to let his responsibilities as a shadowhunter slide into the back burner. He didn’t deserve to be getting heat from his little trips. Especially when it hadn’t even gotten in the way of his job. If there was anyone that needed a scolding or a warning, it should be Marius.

The relationship with Downworlders in Paris was tenuous at best. They had only gotten things back in order when Marcel Saint Cloud, the head of the city’s Vampire Clan, had been replaced by one of his younger children. Carina Summers had been strict and harsh, wanting to uphold the New Accords and preventing the same thing that turned her into a vampire from happening to some unsuspecting mundane. Many of the coven had sided with her, all turned against their will, ripping them away from a life and family they had. All of them forced into this new life of immortality they never asked for.

It had only been a few years since then, and the Paris Institute was slowly bringing control and order. Not many Downworlders trusted the shadowhunters yet, and Eliott couldn’t blame them. The situation in Paris wasn’t the same as New York or any other Institute for that matter. Saint Cloud had basically held a monopoly on the Downworlders in the city and no one wanted to cross him. It equated to signing your own death sentence. And everyone was a little attached to their lives. So, what Carina did was as close to revolutionary as it could get.

And if Marius didn’t control himself, they were going to lose any semblance of respect or alliance from the Downworlders.

So yeah, of course Eliott was bitter for being singled out like this.

“For now, that may be so,” Tristan acquiesced. He sighed as he massaged his temples. Eliott noted how that single gesture, that slight touch of weariness on the man’s shoulder had aged him some years. “I just want you to be careful Eliott.” It was said more softly but it echoed loud and clear in the room.

“I am,” Eliott replied quietly. “Why can’t you just trust that I know what I’m doing?”

“The last time you said that, you nearly got a mundane child dead.” The young man flinched at the reminder.

The incident had been years ago. He couldn’t recall much of the details, everything muddy and tainted by time and trauma. He recalled the scent of blood, the sound of a scream, the tiny hand grasped in his own as he tried to pull the boy away. He had thought he was invincible. He had thought he could take on the world. He had thought he could handle the demon. He was thirteen and barely out of training. And he was filled with that burning sense of high that he could do anything.

He nearly died.

He nearly got someone killed.

It was something that loomed over him even until now. He was getting better at handling these moods. But sometimes it still got the best of him. The rune did its job but there were still days when Eliott could barely get up from his bed. That even breathing felt like a chore. It would have been funny, that desire to become one with his bed, but it wasn’t. He couldn’t laugh about it when everything was too much, pointless, and gray. How was it that he was the best that the Paris Institute could offer and at the same time be a liability to his own comrades and himself?

“Don’t you think I know that?” he said, voice tight as he tried not to reveal how much those words had hurt him. He sucked in a breath and lifted his head to meet the head of the Institute—no, his uncle’s eyes. “That’s not going to happen again. I won’t let it happen.” He said it with all his conviction before placing his chakrams on the table and walking out of there.

His uncle didn’t stop him. Neither did he say another word.

Eliott didn’t care. He had patrol duty tonight.

Seeing the inside of Sans Jour was like walking into a dream. Lucas wondered if he had somehow ingested a psychedelic between coming into the entrance and waiting in the line outside. The strobe lights bathed the place in technicolor and the beat so loud you could feel it hitting your skin and rattling the cage of your chest. But that wasn’t the only thing.

Lucas had never been to a place where this many downworlders were present. He saw a group of vampires in one booth, in their hands glasses of something that masked itself as Bloody Maries as its too thick consistency made it anything but. In a corner, a girl’s eyes shifted into bright orange and the light glinted on the exposed sharp canines as she flashed him a smile. There was a couple dancing with a human near the DJ’s booth, flowers tangled artfully in their hair, coruscating mismatched eyes staring deeply into the human’s dazed ones. Lucas spotted wings ranging from feathers, to leathery and to the filmy shimmering that bugs possessed. People with skin color you could pick out from the rainbow. Horns, scales, an extra appendage—Lucas’ head spun at the amount of information his senses were inputting and his brain was trying to process.

He had to stop and try to breathe. Which was quite a feat considering the air was stuffy with heat, smoke, sweat, alcohol and that odd something he couldn’t put a name to. Lucas caught himself as he stumbled, someone pushing past him to get through. He was ready to give the person a piece of his mind when he realized they had stopped and was staring at him. It was a woman. Probably a few years older. She had long hair the exact shade of red wine. Her eyes almost black in the dim room. She was dressed in clothes that emphasized her figure and if Lucas had been anything but gay, he would have found her attractive. The alarms in his head blared when she stepped towards him. Her head tilted, her nostrils flaring slightly as she scented the air. She was so pale. Too pale to be human. To be alive.

Lucas didn’t understand why he froze. Why he couldn’t step away from her. It reminded him of that old adage about ducks and sitting, and he never understood it until now when he feels like he was waiting to be shot.

She was about to take another step closer but she stopped. Her eyes narrowed and this time, she didn’t try to hide that she was smelling Lucas. Her face contorted into a grimace, her teeth bared as she hissed at him.

Lucas was, by all means, confused. That is until he heard the following words, “Should have known she’d take a pet. Squall was always too fond of your kind.” Then her eyes scanned him from head to toe. A smirk practically dripping of unction marred her face. “Makes sense she’ll want to have you.”

Whatever invisible force that held him let go the moment she turned around and left. The tension in his body bled out as he let out an explosive sigh.

He knew this night was going to be difficult. He didn’t like that he was called a pet. But if it got downworlders with ulterior motives to back off? Lucas wasn’t going to complain. That woman looked like she was a second away from devouring him—and he meant that in the most unpleasant way. The suck-you-dry-leave-you-for-dead kind of way.

Lucas looked up to the upper level where the VIP booths lay. He ran a finger on the edge of the card in his pocket. He didn’t need to go into the VIP section just to get a good vantage point. Still, he wondered. In the end, he shook his head and made his way towards the stairs.

He had a shadowhunter to find. This certainly is going to be night I wouldn’t forget.

***

Lucas regretted those words soon enough.

He had spent nearly three hours in the club, declining advances from mundanes and downworlders alike. He leaned over the railing and surveyed the mass of bodies below. Somewhere around the thirty-minute mark, his phone had vibrated with multiple messages. Lucas reluctantly took away his attention from the crowd and opened them. It was several messages from Chloe and Yann. He didn’t even read them. He just forwarded the last message from Chloe, which happened to be her address, to Yann. Then silenced his phone before pocketing it and going back to what he had been doing. He hoped to catch a glimpse of that signature messy brown mop that rebelled against gravity. But—nothing. Three hours and nothing. When he gets groped for the umpteenth time, he finally gave up and called it a night.

The evening air slapped him harshly on the face and he shivered violently at the sudden change in temperature. He walked away from the door that served as both exit and entrance. He wasn’t going to let himself be shoved by drunk people. He already had enough contact inside the damned club. He wasn’t keen on repeating it.

The teen stopped at the mouth of an alley far from anyone to be a bother. It was already late and this area wasn’t as densely populated. He swung his bag to the front and pulled out the grey scarf he had forgotten to return to Yann earlier. He wrapped it carefully around his neck, tugging it further up to hide half his face from the cold biting wind.

He was about to go on his way when he hears it. There was a crash and a metal trash bin tumbled to the ground. Lucas, the stupidly brave boy that he was, stepped into the alley and peered at the darkness. “Hello?” he asked. He didn’t get an answer. Quite expected seeing as he couldn’t see anyone there. He took another step further, “Is anyone there?”

He heard a click-click-clack, as if something sharp was scraping on the pavement. It was coming from behind him. There was something strange in the air. Something dangerous. He felt the hair on his neck raise. A voice, the sensible, cautious one, screamed at him to run.

Human curiosity was a strong thing though. It was like what Yann talked about when he was on one of his drunken Marxist rants, how humans were compelled to do things because the capitalist society had control over them or something and induced a state of false consciousness. Lucas needed to look. He knew he shouldn’t. He knew he didn’t want to. It wasn’t in his best interest. But he needed to see what was making that sound. It didn’t matter that it was against his wishes or his own benefit. He had to.

So look he did.

There was creature. It was a grotesque mix of a centipede and an alligator with its stubby feet and scaled body. A cluster of eyes lay a top the center of its head. Sharp serrated teeth poked from its open mouth. A long black tongue lolled on the side. It dripped thick, green saliva on the ground.

Lucas didn’t need much persuasion.

He ran.

This was not part of the plan, he told himself. He weaved through the darkened streets, light flickering as he passed. He wasn’t sure where he was even going. He just had to get away.

He took a turn in the next corner, lungs burning from this sudden onslaught of physical exertion. He really should start taking PE seriously. He almost laughed at the thought of fucking exercise saving his life. He could hear claws scraping on the pavement, the scuttle of legs and the inhuman snarl of that—that thing.

It was getting close. The stubby legs it possessed didn’t even hinder it. How was that even fair? Dammit the universe really hated Lucas no.1.

He skidded to a stop, almost colliding against the wall. He cursed realizing he had raced into a dead-end. He was gasping from his sprint. Fortissimo marked the very music sheet of his heartbeat, crescendoing into deafening thuds. His head whipped around as he looked for any escape routes. But none.

He was trapped here.

In a few seconds, it was going to be here. His shaking hand reached into his pocket, clutching the card. He turned around and faced the monster.

He just wanted to find 24. Just wanted answers form the shadowhunter. Except, this was what he got.

This was seriously not part of the plan.

Before he could even pull the card out and rip it, something collided against his side and Lucas hit the ground, his head cracking against the hard surface.

The stars are awfully pretty tonight.

#elu shadowhunter au #elu fic #elu chaptered fic #my fic #my written works #i need help #with eliott #no seriously i really do #wow an update #can you believe

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libralita · 5 years

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Broken Part 1

This story continues on from the Where is She? series. It takes place shortly after the events of that story. This series will loosely follow the plot of the app where it’ll follow Joyce and Jumin’s relationship leading up to the RFA party and the aftermath of it. This party takes place directly after Part 9. Hope you enjoy this series!

“Jumin, please!” Joyce squealed covering her completely red face. Jumin was currently carrying her up bridal style to his penthouse.

“The doctor said to keep off your foot as much as possible.”

“That’s what a wheel chair is for! Or crutches!” She said hiding her face. Once she was given the okay to leave the hospital Jumin insisted that she would stay at his penthouse (to which her father’s response was: “My little girl goes mission and now she’s going to spend the night at a man’s house?! I can feel my life flash before my eyes!”). She didn’t particularly want to stay in her apartment alone so she said okay.

But being carried in was not her idea.

Mercifully, they got to his penthouse. “You’re smirking, Jumin!” Joyce cried still blushing as he set her on the couch.

“I would never smirk at you!” Jumin said, hiding his face from her. “Now can I get you anything?”

“I’m fine.” She said, moving so she was sitting up next to him. She noticed a hint of dark circles under his eyes. “I think you might want to get some rest. Have you slept?”

Jumin smiled at her and took her hand, “I am fine.”

“You have dark circles under your eyes.” She said taking her free hand and gently running her finger underneath his eyes.

Her touch him melt. It was so soft and soothing that it him realize just how tired he was. He slumped a little and closed his eyes but blinked them open.

“See?”

Jumin smiled at her and took her hand and kissed it. The first time he’d done that, she blushed and could barely look at him. This time there was still a light blush but her face but she smiled at him. “It’s been a long day. We should both head to bed.” Jumin said. “May I take you?”

Joyce rolled her eyes but smiled, “Fine.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and he picked her up.

Jumin brought her to the guest room where things were set up Joyce’s things. “Now, if you need anything, I’ve put a few numbers in your phone. In the morning, when you’d like to get dressed text this number a woman will come in and help you. There’s also the chef. Of course, you also have my number so just message me and I will come right away.”

“Isn’t this a little much?” She asked with a chuckle.

“Nothing is too much for you.” Jumin said, giving her such a genuine smile, it made her heart flutter. “Now, you’ll probably want to get comfortable.”

“So, are you going to get my pajamas?”

“I suppose.”

“This is a test to see what you pick.” Joyce teased. Jumin gave her a “challenge accepted” look and then stood up. He went to the drawers. “Jumin are you actually doing this?”

Jumin opened the drawers and started to blush. “Anything for you.”

Joyce blushed but laughed, Jumin brought over clothes. Joyce looked and there was a long sleeve purple pajama shirt with patching pants with cats on them. “Impressive.” She said.

“Thank you.” Jumin said, seeming proud of himself.

“…Jumin, you aren’t staying to watch me change are you?”

That got Jumin flustered and he quickly turned away. “Call me once your done. Or if you need assistance…not from me! Another woman!”

Joyce laughed. At least she wasn’t the only one that was awkward and easily flustered. She wanted to prove that she could get changed on her own so she put on her pajama shirt. It was a little annoying with the bandages on her wrists. Then she carefully took off her jeans and put on her loose fitting pajama pants.

“Okay!” She called, sitting back on the bed. Jumin opened the door and came back in. He was now also in his pajamas. “Aren’t you a cutie.” She teasingly pinched his cheek.

Jumin smiled at her and gently tucked her hair behind her ear. “How are you?”

“My foot feels fine. If a little sore.”

“That’s not what I was talking about.” Jumin said, softly. “I…did I ever tell you that I went through several kidnapping attempts when I was young?”

Joyce’s eyes widen slightly. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yes, I know how stressful those situations can be.” He admitted. “So, I understand, to some degree. None of the kidnappings were ever successful in my case but I understand how shaken it can leave you. At least to some degree.”

Joyce could tell that he was trying his best to explain. He wasn’t very use to communicating his feeling like this. He seemed to be trying to think about his words very carefully.

She smiled at him and took his hand. “It makes me feel better that you somewhat understand what I’m going through.”

Jumin frowned slightly, “It seems like you’re comforting more me more than I am comforting you.”

“No, Jumin.” She said, leaning over and gave his cheek a gentle kiss. “You are very comforting.”

He absently raised his hand to his cheek. Touching the place where she had kissed him.

“Jumin, are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Do you need a minute?”

“No.” He said and kissed her cheek back. He paused and then added, “that was a mistake.”

Joyce’s heart stop and she looked up at him. There was panic in her eyes.

“Because no all I want to do is kiss you all over.” Jumin said. Joyce turned bright red at that. “But we must go to bed. What I was trying to say earlier is that, it can also be hard to be alone after you’ve gone through a kidnapping. So, call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay.” She said, still blushing. Jumin took the blankets and very carefully tucked her in. “Thank you, Jumin.”

“My pleasure,” he said, looked at her and to kiss her again but restrain himself. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Joyce was back in that basement. Not matter how much she moved she couldn’t get the ropes off. Through the window, she could hear people talking. “Help!” She cried, “I’m trapped!”

No one was listening.

Suddenly a shadowy figure appeared over her. “Someone please help me!” She cried desperately, she then felt like she was in mud of quick sand. Flailing around desperate to get away but it was no use. She was stuck and she couldn’t get out.

“Help me!”

Pain shot up from her foot and—

Joyce woke up, gasping for air. She was tangled up in the bedsheets. She’d waken herself up she’d moved her foot wrong and the cut started to throb.

She had another brief surge of panic at this strange environment but then reminded herself that she was in Jumin’s pent house.

Shakily she tried to straighten out the blankets and go back to sleep.

The minute she closed her eyes, she saw the basement and her chest tightened.

It was nearly four in the morning. She reached for her phone.

Joyce: Are you still awake?

Joyce waited a minute or two and then her phone signaled that Jumin had read the text. She started writing:

Joyce: Sorry if I woke you up! I just—

“AHHHH!” she screamed when her door opened suddenly.

“It’s me!” Joyce calmed down when she heard Jumin’s voice. “I’m sorry! When I heard your text I wanted to come right away. Are you alright? Is your foot okay?”

He turns on the light and Jumin has officially gone into mother hen mode. He moves the blankets and looks at her foot.

“I just had a nightmare so I was tossing around and probably moved it wrong.”

Jumin gave her a sympathetic look. He deemed that her foot was fine and then gently moved next to her. “I’m sorry that you had a nightmare.” He said, quietly.

“Yeah…and I couldn’t get back to sleep…sorry for waking you.”

Jumin gave her a smile and leaned over kissing her forehead. “Let’s see what we can do about that. Want me to lay with you for a while?”

“That would be nice.” Joyce said, shifting over. Jumin dimmed the light and then went to lay next to Joyce. He put his arm around her and she fit snuggly next to him.

“Would you like to talk about your dream?” Jumin asked. “Is that what commoners ask, when you have a bad dream?”

“Yes, how did you know?”

“You like to talk about everything.”

Joyce giggled and felt him run his fingers through her hair. “It was just about…that. The kidnapping. I was trapped in the basement and I could hear people on the outside but no one was coming to help me. Then someone came down…and I think I was then trapped in quick sand or something. I think that’s just because I was twisted up the blankets.”

Jumin listened to her talk about her dream. “I had nightmares after my attempted kidnapping. They would always involve them being successful. It is a scary thing. But juts know that you are safe here. I will not let anyone take you.”

Joyce let out a small sigh of content. “Thank you,” she said. “I think I’ll see a therapist about it.”

Jumin stiffened at that. “I’m sorry…was I not comforting enough? How can I be better at it…?”

Joyce frowned and looked up at him. She could just barely make out his worried features. “What do you mean? You are comforting me.”

“Then why do you want to see a therapist?”

“Sometimes it can be nice to hear from someone outside of the situation and trained to understand these types of things.” She said shrugging. “It doesn’t have anything to do with you, Jumin. You do make me feel comfortable.”

“My step mother and biological mother both had therapist.”

“So does my mom.”

“Does she take medication? They both seemed to feel better after they took their medication.”

“Yeah, she has bad anxiety problems.” Joyce said.

“How so?” Jumin asked, truly curious. “Those were not the problems my biological and step mother had.”

“I can remember being kid and sometimes I would find having panic attacks. It mainly revolved around me.” Joyce said, starting to draw patterns on Jumin’s chest. “I believe, before I was born, she got pregnant when she was a teenager but she miscarried. Then when she had me, she always worried that something would happen to me. There were other things, too. She had a bad relationship with her mother and didn’t want that to happen to us. It got really bad so she started seeing a therapist and getting help for it. It’s really helped her over the years.”

Jumin nodded slowly, “I see. I’m glad that she is happier now.”

Joyce nodded and yawned. “It can really help people. Would you ever see a therapist?”

Jumin was quiet for a while and Joyce wondered vaguely if he’d fallen asleep. “I don’t know, now. Seeing my family’s experience, has turned me off but hearing your mother’s own experience may make me change my mind…”

“That’s good.” She said, hugging him. “I think it could help.”

“Maybe.” He said, looking at Joyce. He felt like he could see himself in Joyce’s mother. Different situations but he could see himself begin to panic when he thought about Joyce leaving. The kidnapping had not helped anything. The thought her being taken away from him frightened him.

Jumin’s thoughts were cut off when he heard Joyce snoring softly. His heart absolutely melted at the sound. Everything he discovered about Joyce made him love her a little bit more. He wanted so much to just stay with her but he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.

Very carefully, he moved so Joyce was off his chest and carefully tucked her in. He couldn’t help himself and kissed her temple. He saw her smile in her sleep and had to pry himself away. Then went back to his very lonely bed. At least Elizabeth III was there.

#jumin han #Joyce Elliot #Mystic Messenger #fan fiction #my writing

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bloojayoolie · 5 years

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Bad, Birthday, and Crush: Personal Belongings: 102. Do you have any body hair 103. (Guys Only) Are you Circumcised 104. How often you Masturbate 105. Have you ever watched porn 106. Ideal Sexual/Physical attributes 107. Favorite Sexual Fantasy The Number Game 45 Most expensive thing you own 46. De you own anything above But IMPROVED $1,000 Made by u/German-Spy 47. Most prized possession 48. Do you own anything embarrassing 49 Weirdest thing you own 50. Do you own anything popular 108. Turn Ons/Turn Offs 109. Any Kinks The Basics: 110. Ideal Sexual Position 1. Age 111. How do you masturbate 112. Do you own a toy 113. Have you ever been caught Masturbating 114 Have you ever walked in when someone was having sex 2 Gender 51. De you own anything considered rich 52. Do you own anything futuristic 53. Coolest thing you own 54. Oldest thing you own 55. What did you buyiget recently 3 Height 4 Weight 5. Where are you from 6 Zodiac Sign 7. First Name 115. Biggest fears of Sex 116. Do you have any STDs 117. How often are you homy 8 Last Name 9 Middle Name Appearance/Looks 66 Hair Style 10.Birthday 11. Main Language(s) 118. Most embarassing sexual story 119. Are you currently hormy 120. What do you expect in a sexual 67. Hair Length 68. Hair Color Hobbies/Favorite things: 69 Nice relationship 70. Body Style 71. Ethnicity 72. What are you wearing 73. Eye Color 74 Are you wearing makeup 75 Type of Underwear you wear 12. Favorite Color 13, Favorite Food Academics/School 14 Favorite Activity 15. Favorite Music genre 121. Where do you go to school 122. What classes do you take 16 Favorite Artist 123. What grade are you in 124, Most favorite teacher 125. Least favorite teachers 17. Favorite Song 18. Favorite Movie 76. Favorite outft 19. Favorite Video Game (if any) 20. Favorite TV show 77. Facial/Body Hair 126. Highest Grade/Lowest Grade in classes 21. Do you play any sports 22. Last thing you did Relationships: 127 How long is your school day 128. Did you do your homework 129. Do you have any test, quizzes, or 78. Sexuality 7 Relationship Status 80. Who is your crush 81. Celebrity Crush 82. Have you ever cheated on Life/Experience exams coming up 130. Last bad grade 131. Last good grade 23. Do you currently have a job 24. Future Job/Careen Ambitions 25. Have you drankismoked anything someone 83, deal Girtfriend/Boyfriend 26. Have you done drugs 27. Do you have any pets 2 Most Favorable Memory 29. Most embarrassing moment Economic Status/Wealth: 84 Idea of Perfect Date 132: Are you rich/poor 133. Where do you stand in the wealth class (lower class, middie class, upper 8s. Have you asked someone out 86 What do you hope in a 30. Dream Vacation relationship 87. Are you interested in anyone 8 Do you real life/online date class) 134. How big is your house 135. Take a picture of your house 136. How much do your parents make 137. Do your parents struggle with debt 138 Do you own a pool (above-ground/below-ground) 139. Do you live in a gated neighborhood 31. How many Family members 32. How many friends 33. Do you plan on going to Sex & Sexuality: 89. Are you a virgin collegoluniversity Social Media: 90. Have you ever seen anyone naked 91. Do you have piercing/tattoos 92 Have you ever had same-sex 34. Do you use any other social media then Reddit 140. Do you have expensive stuff 141. How big is your room 142. What kind of school do you go to 35. Who do you follow 36. Have you ever had an internet expirence 93. Have you ever sent a nude 94 Have you ever sexted 95 Have you ever kissed anlyone 96. Am I attractive argument 37. Most used Social Media app 38. What's your username on each Misc: 143. Send a seifie 97. Have you ever slept together 98. Do you want to have sex 99. Are you straight, bi. gaylesbian, app 144. Do whatever I say (no saying no) 39. Have you met any friends online 40. Do you follow any NSFW 145. DM me 14. Ask whatever you want (l can't say accounts/pages pan, etc. 41. Last Person you DMdifolowed no) 42. What was the last message you sent 43 How many followers/friends on Sexual: (Welcome to Spicy Town) 100. Bra/Dick size social media 44 Amount of time you use social media 101. Pubic Hair: Natural, trimmed shaved, none This probably won't be seen by many people but those who do, don't hold back go for the juicy ones (15M)

#funny #lol #humor #memes #meme #memehumor #dank memes #funny pics #rolf #lmao #Bad #Birthday #and Cr

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fairstarlights · 6 years

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Peanut-butter

Summary: Based off of this OTP Prompt

Pairings: Analogical (Peanut-butter/Jelly)

Chapter Word Count: Enough.

Genre: Romance/Fluff

General Story Warning: None! Unless you count a really minor flip out and kissing?

Notes: Romance. Just. Yeah. All my fics are sad. I need a happy one.

Dating sites weren't Virgil's thing but Roman had hounded him for months about Valentines Day and how he needed a date. It was still a month away and not nearly enough time to find someone. Finally, Virgil caved and with some online searching he found a free dating site and signed up. Without telling Roman. If that guy ever found out he had one, he'd never hear the end of it and would probably be subjected to a Roman-ized version of twenty questions.

Which would be twenty billion questions until he temporarily blocked him on his phone. Some how Roman always found a way around that and it was infuriating. Virgil dipped his spoon into the peanut butter, swished it around then stuck it into his mouth.

Virgil stared at his profile for few minutes and seriously considered deleting it. One thing, he would be interacting with total strangers. Stranger danger. He didn't know any of these people. They could be serial killers or rapists or- something. Virgil didn't really want to think too much about it. Two, there was the 'About me' profile. He had done his best to fill it out, without giving too much away. Both for conversation purposes and for not wanting people to know how weird he was before they even started talking. Three, he probably wasn't going to message anyone, ever. How do you even start a conversation of a dating site? It was all just ridiculous and a waste of time.

Virgil furiously stabbed at the peanut-butter with his spoon, scooping out a spoonful and shoving it into his mouth. He then grabbed his phone off his desk, opened up the tumblr app and mindless began scrolling.

It day two when a 'pop' sound was heard from Virgil's laptop. Said boy was sitting on the couch and reading one of his poetry books when he heard it. It wasn't a familiar sound so, as curious as he was, he stood up, grabbed his peanut-butter jar, and walked over. He ran a finger over the track pad and the screen came to life. He pulled up the minimized Chrome browser. The dating site was still open and noticed a (1) over the envelope at the top of the screen. Virgil's heart sped up a bit as he scrolled up and clicked it, as he waited for it to load he scooped up some peanut-butter, but this time keeping a hold on the spoon.

The message appeared and displayed the username the message.

[IntellectuallySuperior] at 2:03pm 6/21/18

Salutations,

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Logan. I have read over your profile and it strikes me as peculiar but also quite interesting. I see that we both have the same love for poetry. Although, yours seem to be more on the morose side, I think we could both find a neutral ground in the poetry department. I know some of our interests conflict, but upon further reading we also have a multitude that we share. If you would like to discuss, feel free to message me back at your convenience.

- Logan

Virgil stared at the message in disbelief. Was this for real? This guy talked like he was emailing a college professor. Virgil scrolled up and clicked on the guy's name. His profile appeared and Virgil let out a snort. This guy looked like he screamed, 'Oh, you want the manager? Sure, I'll go get him.' He would do a turn around and say 'Hello, how may I be of service?' In all of his pictures he was his dark brown hair was nearly completely slicked back, he wore black thick rimmed glasses, with a black or blue polo and a different assortment of ties. His facial expressions seemed strained, like he didn't know to smile for a picture. It looked painful.

Virgil scrolled through the rest of Logan's profile and learned he was in grad school earning his doctorate in medicine. He liked poetry. Virgil hmm'd. He wondered if he wondered liked Slam Poetry. More things included, writing, reading, cooking, puzzles,and several other things that Virgil didn't know what they were without googling it. Under his 'Profession' he had written 'Tutor'. Huh, interesting. Virgil licked his lips and tasted peanut-butter, he took another bite as he read his 'About me'. It was arrogant and he seemed quite full of himself, he chose his username quite well.

Virgil clicked back the messages and clicked reply. They didn't seem very likely to date or anything but if anything, they could humor each other for a while. Virgil moved the spoon around in his mouth and it make clanking sounds as it hit his teeth. What was he even going to say?

[OrchestratorofHumanSuffering]

replying to

[IntellectuallySuperior] at 2:26pm 6/21/18

Sup, Logan. I'm Virgil. Sorry you didn't like my type of poetry, maybe you could share some of yours and I could share some of mine, the less 'morose' ones. Do you like to listen to Slam Poetry? I could give you a couple YouTube links to a few of my favorites. If I know what kind of poetry you prefer I could find some slams that might be more your style. Anyway, let me know or whatever.

- I guess.

The sent button was clicked and Virgil leaned back in his chair, pulling the now clean spoon out of his mouth with a 'pop'. This probably wouldn't last long.

It was a week before Valentines Day and Logan had asked Virgil out on a coffee date over the phone. The conversations on the site escalated so quickly it made Virgil nervous but an excited kind of nervous. Of course there was those nagging thoughts and feelings that told him to run away cause this was all just a set up. Why would Logan, an insanely attractive, and intelligent grad student want to be with him of all people?

Virgil wasn't always the most pleasant to be around. He snarked, was rude and snappy, had so many walls built up that not even the bravest or talented of devolishish people would attempt to break down. Virgil wasn't that attractive, he wasn't too cheerful or bright. He tended to look on the negative a lot. His posture was bad and rarely looked at people in the eyes because he was shy.

Logan must have seen something in him that Virgil didn't. Or, his glasses were expired and they needed updated immediately. Though, he wouldn't mind if either of those things. Logan could be quite difficult to talk to but he acted like he really cared. He hadn't seen Virgil go through any anxiety or panic attacks yet, he hoped he never would, but if that day did come...he hoped Logan would still stick around anyway.

Virgil was already in the coffee shop, seated. He hadn't ordered yet, figuring it would be polite to wait. He did go up and ask for a plastic spoon and a small plastic cup of peanut-butter. He nibbled on that as he waited, watching the clock. Logan said to meet at 3pm. Three more minutes. The door chime rang and Virgil turned his head and then immediately turned back around. It as Logan and he looked more gorgeous in person. Virgil swallowed the last bit of peanut-butter in his throat but it felt like glue and, oh god, why did it have to turn to glue.

“Virgil?” Logan said, his voice right next to him. Said boy accidentally knocked his plastic cup to the floor with his elbow and stood up fast. Logan blinked in surprise and Virgil immediately felt like an idiot. He swallowed and coughed a few times.

“Uh...” Nice. “Hey, Logan.”

“Hello, Virgil. I didn't expect you to be here so soon. Have you been waiting long?”

“No, not really. I probably came about ten minutes ago.” Logan raised an eyebrow but didn't anything. Oh my god. You're meeting the most gorgeous man in the world and you look like some desperate idiot. Virgil stuck his thumb in the direction of the register. “Lets order us some coffee?” Logan nodded and motioned for Virgil to lead.

Once up to the register Virgil desperately wished he had a spoonful of peanut-butter to help him relax. “You seem a bit tense. Are you nervous?” Logan, who was standing beside of him, asked with a concerned look. Fuck yeah he was always nervous. Every god damn day, and right now he needed a heaping spoonful of peanut-butter stat.

“A bit. I'll be fine though.” He gave Logan a small reassuring smile and Logan's face looked like it went on a 404 screen. Virgil's smile faded and the line moved, it was their turn. “Logan.” He touched the others arm and shook it. Logan blinked and his face turned red as he seemed to have realized he was staring. He cleared his throat and moved up.

“You can order first.” He prompted. Virgil shrugged and ordered a plain black coffee. He went to reach for his wallet but Logan stopped him. “No, I invited you. I will be the one paying.” Logan ordered a decaff coffee with double cream. Logan paid, their drinks were handed to them and they went back to the table Virgil had been sitting at earlier.

The conversation went better than expected. Logan talked about the many Slam Poets he found on YouTube and had memorized quite a few. Logan eventually pulled out a poetry book, just one of their shared favorites, “Pictures of the gone world” by Ferlinghetti. They took turns reading and Virgil all but long forgot about his peanut-butter. It turned into chit chat, then into more of their daily lives and expanding on their interest. Soon it was nearing six and Logan had to leave to leave to study for a test he had on Monday.

They exited the coffee shop and they both looked at each other. Virgil's eyes glanced shyly away and he shoved his hands into his jean pockets, “I had fun, today. Thanks, Logan. And thanks for the coffee.”

“I had fun as well. I expected nothing less, honestly.” Virgil looked over at Logan, who had a small smile on his lips. It quickly fade and his face flushed a bit. “I do, however, do not know how dates end. In movies I have watched, they normally kiss.” Virgil's eyebrows shot up and he could feel his face turning redder than Roman’s Christmas sweaters. Logan looked at him, “Do you mind? I don't want to be presumptuous and make you uncomfortable. I wouldn't do anything without your clear consent.”

Virgil licked his lips and could still taste the peanut-butter, that was somewhat comforting. Though if he could reach inside and scoop some out with his hands and shoved it into his mouth, he would. That would be embarrassing though and he would have to kill himself after pulling a stunt in front of Logan like that.

“Is that a no?” Virgil's heart pounded in his chest.

“No- I mean- yes- no! I mean-ugh! Yes, you can kiss me.” He whispered the last half. Logan looked amused and took a few steps forward. He leaned down and was inches away from Virgil's lips but stopped and pulled back. Virgil blinked, “What? Change your mind?”

“No. No, I do want to kiss you.” Logan looked confused, and was staring at Virgil like he was some sort of puzzle.

“Then why didn't you?”

“Why do you smell like peanut-butter? I don't recall you eating peanut-butter.” Virgil rubbed under his nose nervously and looked away.

“I had some before you showed up?”

“I see. Well, I know you didn't know, but I am severely allergic to peanuts.” Virgil's eye's widened as he looked at Logan in shock and he put his hands over his mouth.

“I'm so sorry! I-”

“It's fine, Virgil. I didn't tell you so you couldn't have known. That was...” Logan paused, adjusting his glasses, “...an error on my part.”

Virgil uncovered his mouth and bit his lip nervously. “Okay. Well, next time, I'll be prepared.” Virgil quickly backtracked, “If you want there to be a next time.” Logan let out a small laugh though his nose.

“Yes. I do.” Perfect. Opportunity opened. Time to strike.

“I do have a...” Virgil tried for a better word. “...proposition.” Logan looked curious. That might not have been the right word to use. Best to use your own vocabulary. Now he had to make sure that the word he used made sense. Virgil stared at Logan for a few beats before Logan's face went from curious to concerned.

“Is everything alright?”

“Ah, okay, I used the wrong word! I messed up!” Virgil looked away in embarrassment and it took Logan a second before giving Virgil an highly amused look.

“That is fine, Virgil. Express whatever you say in your own words.”

Virgil sighed and looked back at Logan, who still looked amused. “My friends are having this party on Valentines Day and I was wondering if you wanted to, ya know, go with me.” Virgil shrugged and looked down as he fiddled with the strings of his hoodie.

“I think that would be a great idea, I would love to meet your friends. I also never have celebrated Valentines Day. I see it as some unneeded marketing tool and some pointless 'holiday' to celebrate the people that you love, when you should be doing that every day anyway.” Logan blinked, realizing he was rambling and looked at Virgil, who was grinning.

“I like you.”

It was the day of the Valentines Day party and Virgil had invited Logan over to his apartment to stay for a few hours till it was time to leave. Of course, Virgil was nervous and had cleaned the apartment so well that he didn't think it had been even been this clean when he first moved in. He should take pictures and show his landlord and have HER pay HIM for once. There was a knock on the door and Virgil looked at the clock, the party started at six and he told Logan to be by at four. It was exactly four. What a nerd. Virgil couldn't help the grin that spread over his face as he rushed over to the door, he tried to compose his face into at least a regular smile.

“Good afternoon, Virgil.”

“Logan.” Logan walked in and looked around, but staying in once spot.

“It quite pleasant.” Virgil rolled his eyes and shut the door.

“Yeah. It's nice. Hopefully, one day I'll be able to own a house.”

“That would be ideal.” Virgil hmm'd in response and grabbed a bag of chocolates off the coffee table in the living room.

“Hey, Specs, catch.”

“Specs-?” Logan barely had time to respond as a piece of chocolate candy was coming towards his face. He ducked and hit the wall behind him. Virgil laughed and popped one his mouth.

“Nice.” Logan looked up at Virgil with a frown.

“A warning would be 'nice'.”

“I did. I told you to catch.”

“A better warning next time. Also, why did you call me 'specs'?”

Virgil tapped his temple and with his free hand, “Glasses.” Logan looked unamused. “Lets try again. Do I need to count to three this time?” Virgil tried to bite back a smile as Logan gave him a 'are you serious' look. Virgil shrugged and threw the candy. Logan caught it and looked down at it. It was a Hershey kiss. Logan raised an eyebrow and walked towards Virgil as he fiddled with it.

“I have an idea.” Virgil made a questioning noise in response but wasn't paying attention to Logan. He turned back to Logan who was almost completely up in his space. Virgil nearly jumped out of his skin and his heart began to race. No, no, not now. He willed himself to calm down and surely enough, he did. Logan looked serious, he usually did but there was something in his eyes. Something playful? Mischievous?

“How about we...retry our parting attempt from last time?” Virgil licked his lips and nodded. Logan looked mildly nervous for a second before he unwrapped the kiss and stuck it between his lips. Virgil looked confused and Logan waved a hand in front of his face, as if telling him to go just go with it. Logan took a deep breath, cupped Virgil's face with both of his hands and pressed their lips together.

The kiss was now shared between them and it was sweet and Logan tasted a bit like cinnamon tea. The kiss was melting the longer their lips stayed together. Virgil licked the inside involuntarily, also brushing Logan's and making the man shiver and pull away, a small thin string of saliva following then breaking apart.

“Gross.” Logan deadpanned.

“The kiss or the kiss saliva?” Virgil laughed. Logan rolled his eyes and licked his lips then opened his mouth to say something then froze.

“You had peanut-butter.”

“What?”

“I can taste it.” There was a bit of panic rising in Logan's voice.

“Logan, calm down it's not-”

“I need to get to the hospital. Of all day's I didn't bring my pen!” Logan looked as frantic as he sounded as he tore out his cell from his pocket. Virgil reached over and took it from his hands. Logan looked dumbfounded then furious, “What do you think you are doing?!”

“Trying to explain to you that you aren't dying!” Virgil said in a frustrated tone. Logan opened his mouth but Virgil held up a hand. He walked into the kitchen, opened up a cabinet, walked back into the room and shoved the jar into Logan's hands. Logan looked down at it and then tilted it so he could read the label.

“SunButter...?”

“Yeah...” Virgil traced the outside of Logan's phone with fingers, “its a peanut-butter alternative. Its organic or some shit. It's nut free and healthy is what I'm saying.” Virgil looked up. “So, are you done freaking out?” Logan stared at Virgil blankly. Virgil curled in on himself reflexively, “What?”

“You gave up eating regular peanut-butter for me?”

Virgil averted his eyes then they went back to Logan, he shrugged, “I need to eat something healthier anyway. I tastes better too, honestly.”

Logan put the jar down, walked over to Virgil and pushed their lips together and wrapped his arms wrapped around Virgil's waist. Virgil melted into it and the phone dropped onto carpet as he slowly and carefully, put his arms around the back of Logan's neck. Who knew peanut-butter could taste this good.

#analogical #virgil sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #sanders sides #sanders sides fic #sanders sides fanfiction #sander sides promps #my work #fanfiction #analogical prompts #virgil/logan #romantic analogical #peanut butter and jelly

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dramataste9 · 4 years

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Apple's Most Recent iPhones are True Efficiency

Most people quite likely are in agreement with myself that iPhone X design was one of the best, and that is why Apple decided to maintain the identical style for their next set of personal cellphones. Presented one year earlier, it is the very first Apple cellphone to jettison the single button. In another, I held its brand-new successor, '' the iPhone Xs. My eyes squeezed shut, I passed them back and forth between my hands, rolling each telephone above, feeling the curves, glass springs, double lens camera lumps, and lightning ports. I understood that I could not tell the difference between the two phones. This isn't a criticism. It is just a simple fact of S version years, where Apple locks in the iPhone layout and concentrates, instead, on updating key internal components. Therefore, the largest changes to this 5.8-inches Iphone Xs and its big brother, the 6.5-inches iPhone Xs Max, both of which I tested, may be located in functionality (thanks to the newest A12 Bionic CPU), photos and videos, (new digital cameras along with a brand new ISP backed by the A12), and performance (iOS12, the last version of which came pre-applied in my evaluation components ). The outcome is a pair of fantastic, elegant, and high-performing gadgets that will please Iphone enthusiasts and capture over a couple of looks out of Android cellphones. It has the identical rigid surgical metal frame wrapped into a brand new glass substance which Apple said was devised to be more scratch tolerant and durable. I gave the telephones a couple half-hearted drops onto a thin-pile rug but wasn't prepared to allow them to slip away . Thus far I've discovered just one very nice scratch about your iPhone Xs Max. So let us consider them scratch-resistant, but nevertheless not scratch-proof. The larger iPhone Xs Max shares all of the iPhone X's substance and design attributes, but does this in a 6.2-inch x 3.05-inch x 0.30-inch entire body. At 208 grams, it's substantially thicker than the Iphone Xs. The Xs Max is really a hair shorter (0.04 inches) and narrower (0.02 inches), but it's also a few grams heavier than the iPhone 8 Plus, the big-screen telephone that from a space that the iPhone Xs Max most resembles. Button positioning power/sleep, quantity controllers, ring/silent switch -- will be the exact same. But, there is a single minor chassis gap. On the bottom edge of both telephones sits on the lightning connector. It's book-ended by a set of holes that adapt one half of their stereo speaker system and among their telephone's microphones. There used to be 6 slots on both sides. Now the ideal side has six slots, but the left, which only houses a mike, has only three. This small change was done, in part, to accommodate the new inner antenna configuration that includes 4x4 MIMO and Permit Assisted Access, which uses unlicensed 5 GHz spectrum to deliver 1 Gbps chip over LTE. Apple updated the water and also dust-resistance evaluation to IP 68, that contrasts to the handsets surviving in two meters of water for up to 30 minutes. I did not have to go swimming with all the Iphone Xs or Xs Max, but didn't operate the latter telephone below normal water, milk, and juice. After that, as recommended, I rinsed and dried off the cellphone. I had been careful to not plug it back into a lighting cable (that is a no-no following a dowsing) but didn't place it onto a wireless charging base in which it had no problem accepting a fee. Apple, by the way, stated it put some work in making the wireless charging system (basically the concealed coils within the phone) more forgiving. This is very good news, because I've on more than one occasion, awakened to discover that my iPhone X did not charge because I placed it a small off-axis on the charging base. I have never ran into this problem with the iPhone Xs or Xs Max. The Iphone Xs and iPhone Xs Max bodies are rigid and strong-feeling, but torqueable, particularly the larger cellphone, which really creates a tiny clicking sound when I try to twist it. Obviously, I have only had those iPhones for a week, but based on a calendar year's encounter with the first iPhone X (granted, mostly in a thin case), I believe this layout framework tough and ready for the long run. Even now as Samsung trolls Apple to its dense black cutout near the peak of the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, Apple reveals no indicators of going back in the multi-option technologies, which neither grew nor slipped in the most recent iPhones. Just like the original TrueDepth Module, that one is still packaged with the same elements (none of that, as far as I could tell, have been upgraded ). There is a 7 MP camera, dot projector for depth sensing, infrared camera (thickness sensing), flooding illuminator (yes, too for depth-sensing), proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, the next half of this stereo speaker system, plus a mic. About the backs of the Iphone Xs and Xs Max, there's more of that customized glass, the Apple Logo, the word Iphone (however no"X" or"s"), and also the 12 MP dual camera system. This vertically-oriented, pill-shaped camera module appears exactly the same as it did on the past iPhone X. It's still a notable bump, but it did not get any bigger. Inside the module is all new hardware backed by new picture technologies, but more about this later. I have always thought that the 5.8-inch iPhone X an superb tradeoff between a big-screen telephone and hand-friendly ergonomics. The display is big and immersive, but the human body is more comfortable to hold pocket. The iPhone Xs Max in comparison can, particularly if you're utilized to holding a smaller mobile, feel big. It's not uncomfortable to hold, however people with smaller hands will probably fight with one-handed use and will probably need to turn Reachability, which using a swipe back on the flat bar moves all halfway down the screen, making it more accessible. Still, the trade-off could possibly be well worth it. I forgot how much I like the larger Iphone screen, and on the Iphone Xs Max, you receive a lot more display without contending with a larger phone (there's just that 0.04-inch height gap between the Iphone 8 Plus along with the iPhone Xs Max). Apple's full-stack control of the iPhone design, development, and manufacturing process pays dividends throughout the shiny handset. However, it's most noticeably from the silicon, which can be developed and designed in conjunction with the software and hardware elements which will rely on it. This past Year, Apple revealed the A11 Bionic, a powerful mobile CPU with built-in Artificial Intelligence Power. The brand new A12 Bionic builds on that short legacy with a more strong Neural Engine and even more impressive graphics performance. Any time I critique a new Iphone, I begin using Geekbench 4 to check the raw CPU performance. To make sure that there are minimum background processes going, I usually conduct the test before I've set up a single program. I ran the Geekbench CPU standard and (along with understanding which Apple stuffed an extra gig of memory within the brand new Xs course iPhones) saw the only core scores had improved marginally between the A11 Bionic along with A12 Bionic. However, the multi-core score was inexplicably lower. Not by a lot, but I hadn't ever seen that occur. The numbers were much higher than that which I obtained from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845, however a decrease result on the brand new iPhone didn't make sense. However, when I reran the Geekbench CPU test per day or so after, the A12 multi-core numbers defeat those of the A11. My guess is that, though I put up the iPhone Xs and Xs Max as fresh iPhones, there may nevertheless have been some background setup process happening that hauled down the CPU numbers. The larger leap in functionality is from the Geekbench Compute Metal score, which jumped from 15,145 on the iPhone X into 22,245 about the Iphone Xs and Xs Max. Apple's done a great deal of work to beef up graphics performance, especially for the raft of ARKit two (and Metal 2) applications heading to the stage, a few of which can support multiplayer gaming. When there are not a great deal of ARKit 2 apps in the program store, I'd get a hands-on time with an iPhone Xs operating Galaga AR, the identical demonstration Apple showed off throughout the iPhone Xs unveiling. To perform, a couple of other writers stood on a desk and pointed out our telephones in the Galaga video arcade console. Soon, alien enemies began streaming from the video game screen and then from all round us. I swung the telephone from side-to-side up and down and up to view and then take at the incoming attack. It had been swift and a lot of fun. Similarly, I've seen , together with ARKit two, the phone can set, say, an incredibly realistic virtual pressure stove or sneaker to a real table or at my feet, the illusion broken only when I slid my hands into the frame and, even about the iPhone Xs screen, it looked just like my digits were stuck under the pot. You can not encourage these types of real-virtual combinations without ample images horsepower, depth mapping, as well as the AI necessary to identify the way surfaces, shadows, and even reflections will work on virtual objects in a real environment. This processing capacity also helped amp more mundane operations like Face ID. While the procedure for registering my face was unchanged from the first iPhone X, starting either telephone with my head, in addition to utilizing Face ID to get password-protected programs and services, is significantly quicker than it was on the iPhone X. Overall, in real-world programs, both Iphone Xs and Xs Max perform reliably. Apple placed enormous effort into improving the picture and movie experience to the Iphone Xs and Xs Max. In addition to brand new lenses and a bigger sensor, the cameras (back and selfie) are backed by a fresh picture signal processor. haga clic en este enlace The specifications on the dual cameras have been unchanged by the iPhone X (and are the same on either the iPhone Xs and Xs Max). There's the 1.8 wide angle lens along with the f 2.4 2X telephoto. Each of those include optical image stabilization and may shoot up to 4K video at 60 fps. They still shoot slow-motion video at up to 240 frames per minute. If you'd like insane 960 fps super-slo-mo, then you'll have to visit Samsung. In the pure-play digital photography race, even though, Apple takes the lead. Its Smart HDR uses sensor, ISP, and neural enhancements to catch some of the best high-dynamic range photos I've ever seen. The gap between what was possible on the first iPhone X along with also the Xs and Xs Max is stunning. Apple constructed a system suitable of shooting a couple frames every thirtieth of a second, and immediately assessing and merging them into one picture that preserves not only foreground and background detail, but that can freeze actions without introducing grain. In several pictures, I watched that the iPhone Xs and Xs Max locate colour and detail in dark spaces with out blowing out the lighter areas. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is also an superb low light shooter, but I think the Xs lineup is a little better. I am especially impressed by how Apple's built upon its pole position in Portrait Mode digital photography. Apple unveiled Portrait Mode in 2016 using the iPhone 7 Plus (the software lagged from the hardware). Since that time, Apple's refined the concept, adding items such as Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, and Stage Light Mono. All these features remain, and have been somewhat enhanced. What I love and, as an amateur photographer who often plays with f-stops for just the right depth of field effect, is that the new Depth Control. Depth Control enables you to take a Portrait Mode photo and correct the Bokeh, or depth of field focus, once you shoot the pictures. This works with both front and back cameras, which means that the image chip is using two distinct types of thickness details. On the trunk, it's the advantage of two lenses to find stereoscopic information. The leading camera depends on the depth-sensing electronics. I understand, Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 offers the ability to correct background focus as you're taking the image, in addition to after. However, there is a crucial difference here that's evident from the iPhone Xs and Xs Max Depth picture editor. It's a slider that lets you adjust smoothly from a virtual f 1.4 aperture to a virtual f16. At a real camera with a mechanical aperture, even high figures interpret to sharper focus in the backdrop along with reduced numbers imply the focus depth is significantly shallower. On the Galaxy Note 9, Live Focus basically sees the images as two airplanes: the foreground and background. The slider blurs the background airplane. The iPhone Xs's depth slider relies on all of the depth information to reduce or improve background focus through all the planes between the very front of their subject and the desktop. Combined with the enhanced Portrait Mode stitching (tackling the way the topic and a fuzzy background fit together), the subtlety of this effect through the selection of virtual f-stops is remarkable and also, Apple's explained, is modeled by how real lenses together with hardware apertures would affect each image. For most people the smartphone is their sole camera. This puts a pro-level controller in the hands of huge numbers of individuals, who are about to start taking some genuinely amazing portrait photos. Just after capturing normal shots, movie, and 4K, I continue being surprised with the quality of videos and photos coming from the iPhone Xs and Xs Max. Sure, it's strange that the larger Xs Max doesn't, as might be tradition, have any improved image capturing features, however I doubt anyone will be dismayed with the photo quality delivered by either new mobile phone. At this time there are a couple of other equipment-related enhancements, such as the promised dual-sim technologies which allows for multiple telephone numbers (think work and individual numbers of one phone) through the aid of eSIM technologies. Unlike ordinary SIMs, you don't require a carrier card just for the provider to support it and enable it on your phone. It is a great attribute that, for evident reasons, I could not test. For sound lovers, there is also the newest stereo recording and also wider-stereo playback. This is somewhat difficult to test, and I occasionally worry my ears aren't sufficient to detect what might be a nuanced difference. However, I did find a way. I recordedin landscape mode, a few cars traveling by. They begin on the left side of the display and push to the right. In movie I recorded together with all the iPhone Xs, the sound travels from 1 side of the phone to the other. Playback about the iPhone X is pretty loud however lacks the same amount of separation. Apparently, movies with a great deal of sound engineering are not just great displays for the wonderful displays, but emphasize the new, wider stereo playback abilities too. As hardware/software unions go, you can't do much better than the Apple iPhone Xs and iOS 12. I have been running betas of this new portable OS for weeks on my iPhone X and found it incredibly stable and smooth. On the Iphone Xs and Xs Max, it becomes even better spouses. In addition to butter-smooth and lighting rapid operation (in matches, movie, and internet browsing), the enhanced reality abilities unveiled in iOS 11, ARKit, along with the iPhone X tend to be more refined and easy to customize in iOS 12 and also the Iphone Xs. The smart assistant is a better listener than ever before, and becoming smarter. Her speech is much more conversational and she is asking follow-up questions. Siri can be more hands-on, discovering connections between benign items like schedules and locations and delivering them beforehand. There are also a lot of third party apps tapping into Siri, permitting you to use just your voice to access app features and data without so much as opening the program. You can install iOS 12 on your old Iphone (down into this iPhone 5s), but not all of attributes, particularly those involving AR, will work on the old devices. Still, I seriously endorse the update with at least anyone operating an iPhone 7 and up. It is simply a better, more polished, proactive, and intelligent user experience and, to be honest, I have barely scratched the surface of all of the updates and feature enhancements you'll find. Apple asserts 30 minutes longer battery life involving the Iphone X and Xs and 90 minutes more with all the Iphone Xs Max. In my experience, either new phone can get you through the majority of the afternoon on a single charge. I spent using just the iPhone Xs Max. I kept the brightness and ran all types of apps and processes. It lasted a solid 10 hours. Perhaps just a little bit less than I expected, but still enough to get me through the majority of the day. Frankly, with less than a week under my belt, it is difficult to supply a full assessment of battery life performance. There are many factors and, obviously, battery life is going to be great on new smart phones. Talk to me in six months or one year, and we're going to see if I am still happy with battery lifetime. It's no real surprise that Apple did not lower the cost for the brand new $999 iPhone Xs (or even hold on the initial version and market it at a lower cost ). I'm not shocked that we finally have a nearly $1,100 version or that we can spend a whopping $1,449 for your 512 GB Iphone Xs Max (which happens to be the version that I tested). Apple's already proven that individuals will pay virtually anything to get their hands on the most current iPhone. Is $1,000 or more to pay for a smart phone? Maybe, however a lot people think of the full price instead of monthly payments? I am, however, somewhat annoyed that Apple discontinued the lightning -to-3.5 millimeter adapter. It is like in the previous 12 months, we've all gotten rid of the Beats and Bose headsets, such as it's a solved issue. Memo to Apple: It is not. What I will say is that these are the iPhones you desire. The Iphone Xs doesn't mess with what I consider a timeless design, and the Xs Max simply takes all that is amazing about the iPhone X and enlarges it. As a set, they are equally as amazing as the original home-button-free iPhone X. The design appears especially elegant in a gold finish. Photographers will love the newest camera, and players and content customers will need the big-screen Iphone Xs Max. Even if you own the iPhone X, I still would not update unless you absolutely need more realistic augmented reality and complete depth control in your own portraits. To get iPhone 6s, 8, 7, as well as 8 Plus associates, that the iPhone Xs and Xs Max is going to appear as a giant leap into the coming future.

#smatphones

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bforbookslut · 7 years

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Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings’ Zenith Is a Space Adventure With a Familiar Story and Tropes

I have given Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings a ☆☆☆ rating. It is Book 1 of The Androma Saga series. It is Young Adult Science Fiction with some Space Opera and Romance. Harlequin Teen publishes it. It will be published January 16, 2018.

The synopsis reads:

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader. But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past. Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two. Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their shipor just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

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I haven’t been this early for a review in a really long time but I was super excited to read Zenith ever since I received it. I’ve always loved space stories because if I wasn’t a writer, I’d love to be an astronaut. Or marine biologist. Or historian. Maybe librarian. You get the gist, I love to be a lot of things.

But, you’re in for a wild ride with Zenith. You either love it or hate it.

I haven’t written a review this long in a while so bear with me.

As always, my reviews may contain spoilers. I say may because what’s a spoiler to you may not be a spoiler for me.

Oh boy, is this a difficult one for me to review. My review process is this: I finish a book, I sit on it for a few days and then head over to Goodreads to get a refresher. Usually, it’s a good thing because it reminds me of things I want to mention but have forgotten. But with Zenith, it opened a massive can of worms I wish I had never seen.

Initially, Zenith was going to be one of my 4-star rating books. It turns out, I’m the perfect audience for it. I love damaged and fucked-up characters falling in love and I love all the drama. I went into Zenith expecting a soap opera/drama and I got it.

But after reading Goodreads and learning all I can about the background of this book, it’s dropped to a 3-stars. I don’t hate it. Zenith is not a bad book but it’s not good either. Did it blow me away? No. But, hell it was entertaining.

So, this review will be different than normal and split into 2 parts: first impressions and after goodreads.

F I R S T I M P R E S S I O N S

I have never read a space opera before. I even had to Google what the genre is all about. And I loved what I found. As you probably know, I am a massive fan of Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray and until another mindblowing book comes along, that’s what I recommend whenever anyone asks me. And I expected Zenith to be something similar but more, for lack of a better term, extra.

And I loved it. I couldn’t put it down. It kept me up late at night and my eyes are probably rotten because I keep reading in the dark. I didn’t even realise it was 500 pages (cause my Kindle app doesn’t tell me so). It was dark and it was sensual, the writing clichés which some people might not like, were lyrical and poetic. The imagery spun was stunning.

Plot-wise, Zenith went in a multitude of directions. There’s the Androma, Dex and the Marauders plotline where the former two have to rescue the king’s prisoner son in the treacherous lands of Lord-I-can’t-remember (I’m not good with names here. I can’t even name you anything in Maas’s books because I never remember), but basically, they’re the bad guys. And then there’s the flashbacks (??!!) which are confusing but I just rolled with it. And then, there’s the evil queen of the bad lands who isn’t all that bad (or at least that’s what they want us to think) who wants revenge on the entire solar system for fucking up her kingdom and her parents’ lives and her life.

The Androma, Dex and Marauders line is resolved and then some. But the others just leave big question marks hanging in the air. But then again, Order of the Firsts, guys. It’s always like this because publishers want you coming back for more cause all they care about is the money.

Plus, they are all told in different POVs which can get confusing but it wasn’t a hard switch. It’s such a way of writing in YA that I’m used to it. I wish we could still get by on one voice only. I miss those damned days.

But to me, the characters make a story and I loved the Bloody Baroness. She’s dramatic and always very weepy and conflicted but oh, she’s so attracted to Dex. Let it just be clear that she’s very much like a copy of Celaena/Aelin but without the latter’s depth. She’s got death following her and her crew of pirates wherever they go and she’s torn up about it. Some people have an issue with the fact that she’s called something so vicious but is just a kicked puppy. But come on, this is a trope we’ve all seen before. Move along, shall we?

But, I did find it a little strange that although she hates killing, she kills everyone left, right and center in the name of protecting herself and her crew. Plus, she’s a fugitive.

Really weird and conflicting but at this point, I’m still rolling with it.

Dex is an arrogant prick. And while it’s my favourite trope when it comes to YA heroes, they usually come with some redeeming qualities. Dex has none. In fact, I’d say that I didn’t like Dex at all. He’s the perfect example of how not to write a YA hero.

And, the romance between Androma and Dex seemed incredibly forced. No chemistry. Just loads of trying-really-hard-to-create-UST.

The rest of the characters in Zenith sort of fade into the background. There are the Marauders which are very Six of Crows-esque, and the evil queen, Nor and there’s Valen, the prince they’re supposed to rescue. And a robot named Alfie that reminds me of Defy the Stars.

While Zenith attempts to fashion a unique space world, it feels too much like Guardians of the Galaxy and that bothered me about the worldbuilding. It didn’t feel utterly unique (unlike Defy the Stars. You can’t stop my love) and the entire time, all I could imagine was Peter Quill’s ship flying across the Guardians of the Galaxy space ala the movies. While there are references to unique “alien” features for example, in the pilot, Lira who has scaly skin that can heat until it burns her clothes off and it’s controlled by her emotions, nothing is taken a step further and explained.

And space opera and science-fiction are known for being detail-oriented.

But I still loved it. In all it’s campy, trying really hard glory. I thought it was a great first attempt and couldn’t wait for me.

A F T E R G O O D R E A D S

And then, I looked at Goodreads.

I was confused by all the awful ratings. And it spiralled from there.

It turns out Sasha Alsberg is a notoriously famous booktuber (I wouldn’t know. I don’t booktube) and people are concerned that this book being published is because of her connections to the higher ups.

But more than that, the editor tied to Zenith is notorious for having published The Black Witch. Which is a plague on the YA community. I don’t understand how….how could anyone have let that racist crap slide.

And it was only after this that I realised what I had thought to be extra, dramatic and campy writing ala soap opera style was just bad writing. In fact, one reason why I loved the writing so much was because it’s the same time of exaggerated and flowery writing that fanfiction writers love (and readers like me eat it up).

Plus, it tried too hard to replicate the success of Throne of Glass and Six of Crows, perhaps in the hope of becoming the next big thing. It’s basically fanfiction set in space, guys. While I am the type of market this book is targeted towards, meaning that I love my tropes, it’s just laughable. There are tons of books out there like TOG and SOC but they’re all unique in their own way. I’ve even managed to reference Defy the Stars more than once!

Not to mention, Androma has red.hair. Who else has fiery red hair? You tell me. Hint, I’ve mentioned the name several times in this review. Not a fan of self-inserts.

Also, I am not a fan of celebrity books and have yet to purchase/read one. While other writers struggle and work their butts off to even get noticed, celebrities get special treatment because they already have a fan base in place.

While I am still looking forward to see where both authors are going to take Zenith, I wait with all these thoughts in my mind. In film classes, we are taught that the author is not separate from his work (and I did a lovely paper on Alfred Hitchcock which I loved) and it’s true in this case.

I’m afraid that Sasha’s reputation has coloured not just my opinion, but the opinion of many other readers out there.

While Zenith is not bad, it’s not great either. I can’t shout about it from the rooftops. For one, it reads too much like fanfiction (and we all know the kind of fanfiction turn book that has hit the market these days) and secondly, it needs a shitload more work before it’s public-worthy. Zenith has great potential. It just needs a lot more polishing, preferably throwing the entire draft away and writing it fresh. And perhaps, Sasha should consider a pen name.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This review edition may differ from the final edition.

#book review #zenith #sasha alsberg #lindsay cummings #young adult #science fiction #space opera #romance #threestars #2018 publications #arc review

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feynavaley · 7 years

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Hetalia Fanfiction – Chrysalis Ch 1

Summary: Marguerite Williams is a shy, unremarkable Canadian girl. She is used to being ignored, after all, there's nothing worthy of attention in her, and she didn’t expect anything to change after moving to the US. She certainly didn’t expect a boisterous American boy, an eccentric French neighbour, and a group of quirky teens determined to prove her wrong.

This is my entry for Hetalia Extravaganza, day 5: High school/College. I heard of the event too late to write a specific entry, however, I have had this fic sitting on my laptop for ages, pondering what to do with it, so I thought this could be the right time to test the waters... I hope you’ll enjoy this! The full chapter is under the cut, use your phone browser if you can’t see it from the app.

Warnings: As written in the tags, this story is a human AU and it revolves around a romantic pairing, AmericaxNyo!Canada (but, as far as this chapter goes, it could be completely platonic). I shouldn’t have to specify that, since this isn’t canon Canada but Nyo!Canada (whose relationship with canon America isn’t established), I’m writing them as unrelated. The story also deals with child abuse, but it’s nothing more than an implication in this specific chapter.

AO3 | FFN | Next | List

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Chapter One

Maggie’s hands clutched the strap of her schoolbag as she stood completely still, almost holding her breath.

The woman in front of her – Martha Evans, the headmaster’s secretary – kept ignoring the girl while her grey eyes swept over the papers in her hands. She mustn’t have been very old – probably in her early fifties – but the skin of her face was drawn, and her eyes, behind a pair of huge glasses with a spotted frame, looked dull. Her hair was styled in a short cut that was probably meant to be practical and fresh at the same time, but at that moment only looked messy and in need of a washing, and the dishevelled appearance wasn’t helped by the way grey strands showed among the dull dark brown.

‘She works too much. She probably has children at home, and a husband that doesn’t help her. She’s tired and stressed.’

As soon as those words crossed her mind, Maggie realized that she had been staring at Mrs Evans and she was quick to lower her eyes, blushing violently.

Mrs Evans was running a finger under each line as she read.

Her hands were big, with long fingers and short nails covered by chipped red nail polish. A thin wedding ring stood out on her ring finger – she was married, just like Maggie had thought.

Maggie shifted on her feet. Mrs Evans was almost done with the files from her old school and she could feel her stomach knotting with the rising tension, she had to remind herself how to breathe. Mrs Evans’s eyes stopped over one of the last lines, making her heart skip a beat.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

Not being new to changing school in the middle of the year, Maggie had already contacted the administration through e-mails several times to explain her situation and provided the required documentation, which should, at that point, be all correct, and yet… Leonardo Da Vinci High was an extremely prestigious school. Both Mrs Evans and the headmaster had stressed it more than once. Not only it had strong connections with one of the most prestigious universities in the United States of America, one that each year made it to the list of most important universities in the entire world, the high school itself was highly renowned, attracting students from all over the world. It even had an entire campus-like building to house them, just like the nearby University.

Of course, that also reflected in the fees. How Maggie had managed to get a full scholarship, she would never know. She had always managed without problems in school, she had even skipped a grade, but she wasn’t anything special and none of her previous schools had been particularly demanding… surely, there had been a mistake. On top of that, Mrs Evans looked quite cross. She had been fairly annoyed when Maggie had shown up in her office, snatching the papers from her hands without uttering a single word.

Finally, after what felt like a century, Mrs Evans raised her head from the sheets. A weight plummeted inside Maggie’s stomach. She knew what was about to happen: Mrs Evans would offer her a small, fake smile, then she would start saying, gently but coldly, that there had been a mistake. No, Maggie wasn’t suitable for the school, how could it have even crossed her mind to enrol there? Anyway, she’d better leave, and quickly, and she shouldn’t even think about setting a single foot on the school’s ground ever again. And then… then she would have to go home and tell Steve what had happened. The last part made Maggie’s blood run cold.

Mrs Evans smiled, but it was a tired, tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Maggie held her breath and clenched her hands even harder, almost unaware of the way her nails were digging into her soft palms, leaving red marks.

“Well, I’d say everything is in order,” Mrs Evans declared. She sounded brisk, but not unkind. “Your grades are exceptional, I see you’ve even skipped a year… I don’t think you’ll have any problem settling in.”

Maggie needed a few moments to fully understand those words. When she finally did, the wave of relief that washed over her was so intense that it made her head spin. It wasn’t what she had expected. It definitely wasn’t what she had expected… but she wasn’t about to complain.

“O—okay. Thank you,” she muttered clumsily, her voice so faint that Mrs Evans probably didn’t even hear her.

The secretary was already at work, her fingers running over the keyboard.

“Marguerite Williams, is it? Sophomore… here, this is your schedule.”

Mrs Evans pushed ‘enter’ with more force than necessary, and the printer behind her shoulders started up.

“God, which idiot can even think about having his child transfer like this in the middle of October…” Maggie heard her mutter as she turned to take the papers.

Her stomach twisted at those words, but when Mrs Evans addressed her again, she looked as composed as she had been before.

“Class schedule, your locker’s number and combination, and this is the note you should show your teachers,” she explained, pointing at each paper before handing them to Maggie.

The girl analysed her schedule.

‘First period, English. Room 2A. That is… Where?’

From what she had glimpsed, the school was huge, she could easily get lost without managing to find the right room before the end of the period…

Maggie lifted her eyes to Mrs Evans, but the secretary was working on something on the computer as if she had completely forgotten the girl standing in front of her. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

Maggie waited some moments, almost holding her breath. Mrs Evans didn’t spare another glance at her, instead visibly growing more and more disgruntled as she examined whatever was on the computer’s screen. Annoying her further wasn’t something Maggie was looking forward to, but the alternative was getting lost as she wandered across the school, getting detention, and having to explain Steve why she was late. Crossing Mrs Evans suddenly looked more appealing.

“Mrs Evans?” Maggie asked shyly.

The secretary tore her eyes from the computer’s screen.

“Why are you still here?” she snapped.

Maggie unconsciously took a step back.

“A—actually I… Might I have a map of the school, please?” she stammered, proud of her idea. It was an excellent solution. A map of the school. They had to have one somewhere, didn’t they?

Mrs Evans looked at her with a different expression, as if struck by an epiphany.

“Right,” she sighed, “I suppose nobody has shown you the school yet, and—”

Before she could finish talking, the door swung open, making Maggie instinctively turn with a startled gasp.

“Mrs Evaans!” shouted the boy who was standing in the doorway.

Maggie was momentarily taken aback by the sight in front of her eyes. The boy was… bright. Everything about him seemed to ooze confidence, vitality. He was standing straight, with his shoulders squared and his hands carelessly tucked inside the pockets of a pair of faded jeans that, along with a blue hoodie, fitted perfectly his tall, athletic body. His eyes seemed to glow behind a pair of steel-rimmed glasses; they were the most vivid cornflower blue Maggie had ever seen – up to that moment, she would have even considered impossible for human eyes to be of such an intense hue of blue. The rest of the boy wasn’t any less notable. A golden tan complimented his straight nose and the delicate features of his face, and straight dark blond hair framed his head, completely ordered except for a stubborn strand that stuck out in front of his hairline.

Such a handsome boy surely had to be just as popular – and Maggie had been staring at him, she realized suddenly. She wrenched her eyes away and looked down at her feet, fidgeting in embarrassment.

“Jones,” Mrs Evans greeted coldly. Judging from the intonation of her voice, she seemed to be pondering whether to strangle the boy or hit her own head against the desk. “It’s Tuesday. How are you already in trouble?”

“But I got in only two minutes late!” whined Jones, “Only two minutes! And it wasn’t even my fault, I—”

“I. Don’t. Care,” Mrs Evans interrupted him, her voice as cold as ice. “You’re getting detention after school.”

“Hey, that’s not—” Jones tried to protest, only to be immediately silenced.

“I don’t have time to waste with your whining! And since I doubt Mr Sherburne would welcome you in class, go to the library or something…”

Jones seemed to decide that complaining further wouldn’t be wise, because he turned to the door – and at that moment, he did a double-take as he realized he wasn’t alone in the room.

“Whoa, have you been here the whole time?” he asked, staring at Maggie. “I didn’t see you… What did you do? Already in trouble… I had never thought I would be beaten by a freshman!”

The last thing Maggie had expected was Jones to notice her, let alone talk to her, so she didn’t have an answer ready. Her surprise was so great that it took her a few moments to even realize she was supposed to reply, but Mrs Evans beat her before she could come up with something.

“Unlike somebody else in this room, she didn’t do anything wrong, Jones,” the secretary stated dryly as she finished scribbling down his note. “And she isn’t even a freshman, for the record.”

Jones gave Maggie a quizzical look.

“You aren’t?” He asked without hiding his astonishment, “But… How is it even possible? I mean, how can I have never seen you before?”

Maggie blushed violently, tightening her hold on the sheets. She knew she wasn’t beautiful, but she had never thought to be so ugly that she had to be noticed… Actually, she had always considered herself rather plain and unremarkable, seeing how people usually ignored her.

Mrs Evans let out a long, tired sigh.

“She just transferred, Jones,” she explained in Maggie’s place. From her voice, she seemed to have settled on throttling the boy.

At that point, Maggie only hoped to be dismissed quickly. For how unpleasant anonymity could be, it surely was nothing compared to being on a popular boy’s radar. She was perfectly aware she wasn’t beautiful, thank you very much. She didn’t need to hear it from somebody else as well.

“Well, this explains everything,” Jones commented jovially, “So, you are…?”

Once again, Maggie was caught by surprise by the question. She didn’t think the knowledge of her name was required to mock her… Not that Jones would remember it for more than a few minutes, but still…

And for the third time, Mrs Evans was the one who saved her.

“This is Madeline Wilkins,” the woman said, her voice suddenly lighter. She sounded almost satisfied.

Maggie bit her lower lip. She was used to people getting her name wrong, but she had said it only a few minutes earlier…

“And since you have a free period, why don’t you keep flirting with her as you show her around?”

Maggie jerked her head up, her eyes widening in horror. Oh, now she did understand why Mrs Evans had sounded so pleased: this way, she wouldn’t have to take care of Maggie herself…

She can’t be serious!

A teacher wouldn’t leave her in the hands of a bully, would she? …Evidently, yes.

“Of course, leave it to the Hero!” answered Jones, a wide smile plastered on his face. “Let’s go, m’lady!”

Apparently unaware of Maggie’s panic, he swung his left arm around her shoulders and led her across the door. Maggie automatically followed the boy’s steps, keeping her body rigid. She couldn’t figure out what he wanted. In spite of her first impression that Jones was mocking her, there was nothing in his demeanour that might suggest so, excluding his off-hand comment.

Once they had put some distance between them and Mrs Evans’s office, Jones stopped and released Maggie to turn to face her.

“That woman can be a real harpy, try not to get on her bad side,” he said with a conniving air, winking. “Anyway, I’m Alfred F. Jones, otherwise known as the Hero! And whatever people tell you, the ‘F’ stands for ‘Freedom’.”

Maggie blinked. Her first assumption seemed even more wrong. Alfred was positively beaming, his bright white teeth on display, and his voice sounded lively, seemingly lacking any malice. Hesitantly, Maggie took the offered hand. It seemed huge around her much smaller one and the skin was callouses, but the hold felt firm and pleasantly warm.

“Marguerite Williams,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, before Alfred could learn the wrong name.

Maggie was aware that it was stupid, Alfred was bound to forget in a few moments, but she didn’t like when people referred to her by a name that wasn’t hers.

Alfred blinked in confusion.

“Wait, wasn’t your name Madeline?”

Maggie could feel her face heating up.

“N—no, Mrs Evans said it wrong. It’s Marguerite. But everybody calls me Maggie.”

“Oh, okay,” was Alfred’s only comment as he shrugged. He smiled again. “Maggie, then! Let’s get down to business!”

Without any warning, Alfred snatched the papers from her hands. As the first thing, he led her to the locker – and all the way, he kept talking. (“So, what grade are you in?” “Oh, cool, I’m in grade ten too! What are your favourite subjects? I hate literature, I just don’t get why we have to lose time studying things written by people who have been dead for ages…”)

Unused to anybody paying her so much attention, Maggie struggled to come up with the answers, but Alfred didn’t seem to mind and each question was shortly followed by another one, mixed with his comments. Moreover, his first remark hadn’t been followed by any other mocking. Maggie was starting to think that it hadn’t been a snipe at how horrible she looked but an awkward attempt at putting her at ease, if not a completely innocent observation. After all, Alfred did sound like the kind of person who would be familiar with every student in the school and immediately spot a new face.

Only after Maggie had finished tucking her books inside the locker Alfred stopped talking. Taken aback by the unexpected silence, Maggie looked up to find him leaning against the next locker and staring at her with a strange expression, a mixture of puzzlement and curiosity.

“Is there anything wrong?” Maggie asked as a familiar wave of panic bubbled up her throat.

Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe Alfred actually meant to tease her… not that Maggie could have blamed him. With her stuttered and monosyllabic answers, she certainly hadn’t made a good impression.

“You don’t have a coat,” Alfred pointed out unexpectedly. “Weren’t you cold this morning? Why don’t you have one?”

His voice sounded kind, and it almost held a note of… concern? Was it possible? Taken aback, Maggie needed a moment to reassert her thoughts before answering.

“Oh… Oh, no, I… Well, you see, I used to live near Ottawa, and it was way colder than here, especially at this time of the year…” Alfred’s blank stare suggested Maggie that he didn’t have the slightest idea of what she was talking about. “Ottawa. Canada’s capital?”

A spark of understanding lit Alfred’s eyes.

“Oh, yeah, Canada! I see. This weather must feel like summer to you, then,” he said, as if that settled the question.

Which wasn’t properly true – Alfred seemed to hold the opinion that Canada’s entire territory was marked by a perennial winter, but Maggie let it slide. She was simply relieved that her lack of a coat had been solved so easily, she didn’t want to think about how hurriedly she had snuck out of the house as Steve’s swearing in the background started growing louder and louder…

Maggie shuddered. When she got back, she would have to face the consequences of her actions.

“Hey, you okay? You kinda spaced out…”

Alfred’s words shook her out of her thoughts. The boy’s blue eyes were fixed on her, clouded by a trace of concern. In spite of Maggie’s automatic nod, his expression didn��t change.

“You sure? You aren’t getting sick, are you? Canadian or not, it was pretty cold this morning… and waiting at the bus stop is never pleasant.”

“Oh, but I walked, I didn’t have to take the bus,” Maggie answered softly, trying to mask her surprise at Alfred’s concern, which seemed genuine. “So I warmed up quickly.”

She couldn't even recall feeling cold that morning. She hadn’t noticed the temperature at all, actually, too spooked by seeing Steve so out of control at that time of the morning, but it sounded like a believable excuse.

Alfred nodded, his features finally relaxing.

“Makes sense. Where do you live?”

Once again, Maggie was taken out of surprise by the question. She couldn’t see why it would matter to Alfred… was that what small talk was like? Yes, it was probably that.

“Near the beginning of Madison Street,” she answered anyway.

She wasn’t expecting Alfred’s face to lit up as it did.

“Hey, you must live next to Francis’s house, then! He was saying that he was getting new neighbours…”

“Oh, yeah. Francis is a friend of Dad’s,” he was quick to add, probably seeing Maggie’s confusion. “His best friend, actually. Kinda. I mean, they argue all the time over petty things, but they’re actually very close. And… oh!” Alfred’s eyes widened with a sudden realization. “Marguerite…”

‘What’s wrong with my name?’

Maggie stiffened. Alfred was almost rolling her name on his tongue, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Hey, that’s French, isn’t it? Do you speak French?”

“Yes?” Maggie answered hesitantly, unsure of where the conversation was headed.

To her further confusion, Alfred chuckled.

“Oh, man, Francis’s gonna be so happy! He’s French, you know? The frenchiest French to have ever existed, probably. You know, he’s been living here since college, that was like, almost twenty years ago, and he still refuses to drop his accent! He’s always complaining about not being able to speak French to anybody… Don’t be scared if he hogs you to speak French, okay? He’s in France right now and I don’t think he’ll be back until the end of the week, but once he is, he’ll totally want to talk to you in French… he isn’t a bad person, I swear. He's only a bit... Overenthusiastic at times.”

Maggie nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Speaking in French sounded wonderful, actually, it had been such a long time…

"Oh... You have an English surname and a French name, so I guess that the French part comes from your mother, right?"

Maggie hesitated before giving a small nod, her stomach clenching. The situation was far more complicated than that... but she didn't feel like discussing it with Alfred. For how nice he might be, he was still a near-stranger.

Alfred frowned, running a hand through his hair.

"Oh man... He's totally going to flirt with her. But please don't get angry, okay? He's just... He isn’t being serious, he would never truly try anything with a married woman, it's just his behaviour I guess..."

"Okay. No problem," Maggie answered softly.

A sudden pang of pain surged through her chest. Her mother would have loved to meet this Francis, probably. Flirting had been a second nature to her, and she had always preferred French over English. She would have played Francis at his own game and later laughed about it with Steve… but that was never going to happen.

Luckily, Alfred didn't seem to have sensed her turmoil.

“Well then, enough of this," he declared, "Shall we go on with our tour?”

Maggie gave a resolute nod, forcing herself to focus back on the present situation. Dwelling in the past wasn't going to help anybody.

For the next thirty minutes, she found herself following Alfred through the maze of the school – that was huge, just like she had supposed – while he rattled off whatever ran through his mind, easily keeping Maggie from getting back to her melancholic thoughts. By the end of their tour, she was aware of most of the social circles that were in the school, which teachers were considered sterner and which were the elective courses one should choose for an easy A, but, especially, she had gained an astonishing amount of information about Alfred.

The boy was the quarterback of the football team (not the captain because he was still only a sophomore, but he was definitely going to be the captain next year), seemed to be on friendly terms with most of the school except for some Russian (“Freaking Communist!”) senior, didn’t like the food they served in the cafeteria (“It’s too bland! What’s with all the dietetic crap? It tastes like cardboard!”), was good at maths and physics and liked coding, while he hated any subject that actually demanded him to study and was horrible at geography, which Maggie had already guessed. But, more importantly, Alfred seemed to be completely unable of keeping quiet, he hadn’t stopped talking for a single moment. Maggie didn’t mind. For how loud Alfred was, he seemed to be genuinely kind, his smile looked authentic and his blue eyes – Maggie still couldn’t fully believe human eyes could be of such an intense colour – were lively and warm at the same time.

From what Alfred had said, Maggie was sure he was very popular. The logical conclusion was that he would completely forget about her after that hour, but the time Maggie was spending with him was turning out to be surprisingly pleasant; she was determined to enjoy each stolen moment before getting back to her usual invisibility.

Too early, they wound up in front of the room that was supposed to hold Maggie’s first class of the day.

“It’s just a few minutes until the end of the period, do you want to wait until the next one?” asked Alfred.

Maggie shook her head.

“Oh, no, I don’t want to waste any more of your time.”

Alfred pouted slightly.

“Hey, helping a young lady in need on her first day of school is not a waste of time! Really, I can take you straight to your next class…”

“Oh, n—no, thank you, really, but you have already done enough,” Maggie retorted quickly. Alfred was extremely helpful, but he surely had something he would rather do instead of showing her around, and Maggie already felt guilty for occupying most of what could have been a free period; she didn’t want to detain him any longer. “And Mrs Evans said I have to introduce myself to the teachers…”

“As you wish,” sighed Alfred, so nice that he even feigned disappointment. “If you’re really sure…”

‘No, I’m not,’ Maggie wished she could say as she looked the boy’s hand, clenched into a fist, getting closer to the door. ‘Behind that door, there’s a whole class full of strangers… I don’t know what to do, I can’t deal with so many people, I won’t know what to say and I will either look like a stupid or nobody will even notice me… Please please get me away from here…’

Alfred’s hand struck the wooden door. Without waiting for an answer, he thrust it open and strode inside the room, dragging Maggie with him.

“Mr Bronson!” he greeted loudly.

Mr Bronson was a man in his early sixties or late fifties, tall and a bit heavy-set, with greying hair that was starting to thin around the temples and bright brown eyes on a surprisingly smooth face. At Alfred’s entrance, he turned towards the door sporting an expression that looked half-annoyed and half-dejected.

“Alfred Franklin Jones,” was the cold greeting, “I was sure I had avoided you this year, what are you doing in my class?”

(So that was what the ‘F’ in Alfred’s name stood for? ‘Franklin’? Why on earth would he tell her it was ‘Freedom’? Weird… Then again, Maggie shouldn’t be the one to talk.)

“Don’t worry, I didn’t miss you either,” Alfred reassured him cheekily, “I’m here to carry out my heroic duties! Mrs Evans told me to take care of the new girl, and I had to bring her here after showing her around.”

Alfred moved to a side, pointing at Maggie and leaving her under the scrutiny of the teacher – and undoubtedly, of the students that filled the room. Maggie stared at her feet. Her throat suddenly felt dry, and her stomach was flipping.

“Oh, right,” Mr Bronson muttered, “I had completely forgotten you were supposed to arrive today… Jones, you’re free to go.”

Alfred didn’t need to be told twice. He headed towards the door with confident strides, but before stepping out, he stopped and turned to Maggie.

“See you around!” he said with a bright smile and a wave of his hand, then the door closed behind his retreating back.

Mr Bronson cleared his throat.

“Well, since the period is almost over, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

He was smiling in a way that was clearly meant to be warm and reassuring, and Maggie did appreciate the effort he was putting into it, but a mere facial expression could do nothing to ease what was about to come. Swallowing in an effort to bring some relief to her painfully dry throat, she turned towards the rest of the students and lifted her eyes, trying to force her lips into a smile that came out looking more like a pained grimace.

“I—it’s nice to meet you all,” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m Marguerite Williams, but everybody calls me Maggie. I just transferred here, I lived near Ottawa until a few days ago…”

Wow, that was lame.

But seriously, what else could she say? Maggie had heard people talk about their interests sometimes, but she sincerely doubted anybody would be interested in hers. Or maybe she could have added a stock phrase like ‘I hope we’ll be great friends’ or something, but that would have made her sound so haughty… not to mention that she already knew it wasn’t going to happen.

Mr Bronson cocked an eyebrow.

“Okay then, Maggie. Don’t you have anything else to say?”

Maggie could only stare at him with a lost expression. She knew she had said too little, but she honestly had no idea of what to add without sounding like an idiot.

“Eh…”

Somebody snickered.

Maggie blushed and trained her eyes on her shoes, clenching her hands. Her stomach was churning, she was suddenly really glad she hadn't had breakfast.

“Well, since this is an English literature class, why don’t you tell me what your favourite book is?”

Mr Bronson’s voice was sweet in an almost condescending way, and when she lifted her eyes, Maggie saw that his face was still sporting an encouraging smile.

There were a thousand things Maggie could have said at that question. In fact, she would have been able to go on for hours talking about books… but for some reason, her mind was completely blank at that moment; all she could think about was how everybody’s eyes were trained on her, ready to jump at her first misstep like a pack of hungry wolves.

“So? Come on, there is no need to be shy. You are going—”

Whatever Maggie was going to do was lost in the ringing of the bell that tore through the awkward silence, marking the end of the period. All the other students immediately lost their interest in Maggie as they started to gather their belongings, chatting with their friends.

Maggie could find no words to express how thankful she felt for the perfect timing. Quickly, before she could embarrass herself any further, she took her leave from Mr Bronson and headed towards the next classroom, mingling unnoticed with the wave of teens that filled the corridors.

The next periods followed more or less the same pattern: Maggie handed the note to a perplexed teacher, the action was followed by an increasingly pitiful introduction, and the girl was finally relegated to an empty desk and promptly forgotten. Which was a blessing, considering how she managed to make a fool of herself each time she had to speak in front of so many strangers.

Lunch break finally came, and Maggie managed to sneak unseen out of the room to take shelter in the library. As she had hoped, it was almost empty; finding an unoccupied table in a secluded spot posed no difficulty. She spent the entire break in the only way she knew to divert her mind from the nerve-wracking morning: doing her homework while she munched an apple. Literature was quite easy, she had already studied those subjects in her previous school; while she was slightly behind with Biology, but a quick review of her notes confirmed what she had already guessed during the lesson, which was that the autonomous study she had done in preparation for the new school was more than sufficient.

The break ended too soon for Maggie’s liking, but at least the time spent on the books had allowed her to calm down a little – which meant she didn't feel like she was going to throw up any moment, but it was better than nothing. Forcing her breaths to follow a regular pattern, she gathered her notebooks and headed towards the room that held her next period, Maths.

‘I can do it. Only two hours left.’

By the time she had reached the classroom, Maggie had changed her mind. There was no way she was going to be able to endure another period like the previous ones, she realized as she stared at the closed door. Not on the same day. Being invisible was one thing, it wasn’t always pleasant but she could put up with it, but showing off in front of so many people, having to look at their bored and disinterested eyes only to be left in a corner, like a broken toy the owner had lost interest in… no, she couldn’t do it.

Yet, she had no other option.

With detachment, almost as if it didn’t even belong to herself, Maggie looked at her white hand as it leaned on the handle, applying just enough pressure to open the door soundlessly. She knew what was going to happen: in the best scenario, some people would raise their heads and look at her briefly, only to forget about her a minute later and go back to their previous occupation, or more likely, Maggie would find herself standing in a corner, without knowing what to do, completely overlooked by the room’s occupants.

But Maggie hadn’t considered a factor – a factor that had Alfred Jones’s bright eyes and wide smile. As soon as she stepped inside the classroom, she was greeted by a gleeful exclamation, immediately followed by a loud, “There you are, Maggie!”

Taken completely by surprise, Maggie stopped dead, staring wide-eyed at Alfred’s beaming face.

“Come here, I kept you a seat!” Alfred yelled, pointing at the empty desk at his right.

Maggie needed a few moments to understand his words. Everything suggested that she had misunderstood, there was no reason a boy like Alfred Jones – nice, cheerful, handsome, undoubtedly popular – would not only remember her, but also want her to sit next to him… In spite of that, Alfred was still there, looking at her with a warm smile on his face.

Maggie was overwhelmed by a wave of gratitude and relief so intense that it almost brought tears to her eyes. She was sure that it was nothing personal, Alfred was simply a nice person, but regardless of the reason, it was the first time in years that she felt accepted, almost welcome. Quickly, before something could shatter the illusion, she crossed the room and sank on the offered chair, her head spinning.

Alfred’s smile widened. Maggie wanted to hug him, kiss him, and at the same time burst into tears, but she managed to restrain herself and reciprocate with a hesitant smile.

“Thank you,” she whispered, looking at Alfred with shining eyes.

Alfred shrugged.

“For what? Keeping you a seat? Hey, that was nothing! It was the least I could do, considering it’s your first day and you don’t know anybody… and I’m the Hero! It’s part of my duty to make sure you feel welcome! By the way, where were you at lunch? I was looking for you, but I couldn’t find you anywhere…”

Maggie straightened on her seat.

“Really?” escaped her lips before she could think of something cleverer to say.

“Sure!” answered Alfred, unaware of her perturbation. “Since you don’t know anybody, I wanted to introduce you to some people… By the way, this is Tolys Laurinaitis!”

Maggie’s attention shifted to the person sitting at Alfred’s left – a slender boy slightly shorter than Alfred himself. His worn-out grey sweater and the wavy brown hair that almost reached his shoulders gave Tolys a slightly unkempt look, but something in his ashen features and pale green eyes spoke about a gentleness that immediately made Maggie take a liking to him.

“Nice to meet you,” Tolys said with a small smile. His voice carried a foreign accent Maggie couldn’t identify (she would have guessed it was an Eastern European language, but it wasn’t Russian or Polish). It was fainter than Alfred’s, and his smile more reserved, but not lacking warmth.

“The pleasure is mine,” Maggie answered automatically, reciprocating with a shy smile of her own. “I’m Maggie Williams.”

“I know, Alfred kept talking about you the whole time.”

At those words, Maggie’s attention went back to Alfred, surprised and insecure at the same time. She didn’t remember doing something particularly embarrassing in front of him, but then again, she might not have realized it…

For the first time since she had met him, Alfred looked slightly flustered.

“Well, it’s not every day that you get to escort a transfer student…” he said sheepishly before quickly changing topic. “Anyway, how was your morning? What do you think about the school?”

Maggie shrugged.

“It’s not bad,” she said, deciding to stay vague. She didn’t know Alfred well enough to know the answer he was expecting, and she didn’t want to disappoint him. “The teachers seem good, and the program is not much different from the one I had before…”

“Did you follow the same classes in Canada?” asked Tolys, and Maggie, deeming it a safe subject, launched into an explanation of the Canadian school system, while Alfred and Tolys (but mainly Alfred) sometimes remarked highlighting the differences from the American one.

Maggie couldn’t recall the last time she had talked so much, but she slowly found herself relaxing. Alfred was just as loud and lively as he had been that morning, with that welcoming demeanour of his, while Tolys was much more discreet and quieter but not less kind, and he seemed to be trying to put Maggie at ease.

“I don’t envy you, having to introduce yourself in front of everybody mustn’t be easy…” he said at one point, “But don’t worry, the worst should be over. Between three different classes, you must have already met a lot of people, maybe the teachers will stop asking you to talk…”

Alfred didn’t seem to understand the problem – then again, Maggie was quite sure somebody like him wouldn’t feel uncomfortable even if he had to talk naked in front of a crowd of strangers: there was something in Alfred that made her think that he was born to be at the centre of attention. Yet, for an unfathomable reason, he had chosen to get to the classroom early with Tolys so he could sit next to her.

Maggie was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn’t realize that other students had started filling the classroom until the dull thud of a bag being dropped on her desk jerked her back to reality. She gasped and turned abruptly, finding herself face to face with a glowering girl.

‘Uh oh…’

There was no mistaking the antagonizing approach: the girl was leaning towards Maggie in a clearly intimidating manner, one of her hands flat on the desk next to a designer bag, her fingers spread, the long nails sporting a flawless bright red nail polish. The other hand was resting on the girl’s hip, over a black skin-tight skirt that barely reached her mid-thigh. The social status wasn’t hard to guess, either: every single detail in the girl’s appearance seemed to be meticulously planned. Light brown hair framed her head in carefully arranged waves that ended up in ringlets slightly below her collarbone, a touch of golden eyeshadow enhanced both her tanned skin and light brown eyes, making them look bigger, the knitted eyebrows were masterfully painted. Her lips were tight and drawn, but Maggie could still recognize the subtle lipstick that made them look shinier and darker. A red shirt (exactly the same shade as the nail polish) encased the girl’s upper body, evidencing her flat abdomen and a modest breast enhanced by a clearly padded bra, and opened with a frill at the waist, giving the illusion of a narrower waist point. The look was completed by a heavy gold necklace and red and golden bracelets adorning her wrists.

One of the popular rich girls.

And for some reason, Maggie had managed to get on her bad side without having ever seen her before – no, that wasn’t true. She could recall getting a glimpse of that girl in one of the previous periods. Maggie quickly retraced the day, trying to understand which of her actions could have provoked such a fury in the girl in front of her, but her mind was blank.

“What are you trying to do?” hissed the girl, “This is my seat.”

Oh.

OH!

Of course, everything was clear. How had she not realized it before? Alfred was so friendly that she had ended up forgetting about it, but a boy like him had to be popular, and consequently, the aim of girls far more beautiful and confident than Maggie was.

Girls exactly like the one standing in front of her.

“Sorry, I…” she found herself stammering as she blushed and lowered her eyes, unable to hold her self-appointed opponent’s fierce glare. “I didn’t know this was your seat, I’m really, really sorry, I’ll move right now.”

“You’d better.”

Maggie hurried to grab her bag and started to get up, keeping her head down. A hand on her wrist, gentle but firm, stopped her.

“I don’t recall this seat being yours, Alyssa,” said Alfred.

While not unkind, his voice sounded cold, and his features were tight – he wasn’t exactly frowning, but he looked close to it.

“But I always sit next to you!” whined Alyssa, pouting.

Her tone was completely different, it retained nothing of the coldness that had been there when she had addressed Maggie – but the biggest indicator of her change of attitude probably was the way she was bending forwards, her cleavage in plain view.

Alfred wasn’t impressed.

“And? It isn’t like we always sit in the same places. I’m the one who asked Maggie to sit here, and you should be nice to her, it’s her first day! Why don’t you sit with your friends?”

It wasn’t what Maggie would have expected. Nor Alyssa, apparently, for instead of retorting she gaped at Alfred, her eyes wide with astonishment, before snapping back to Maggie. She stared at her for some moments, wordlessly, furrowing her brow and wrinkling her nose as if she were looking at a cockroach.

Maggie lowered her eyes. She started twisting a strand of hair in her fingers, suddenly painfully aware of how unflattering and unsophisticated her clothes were (a loose blue and red checkered shirt that reached her mid-thigh and a pair of blue leggings. Comfortable, but nowhere close to something that could be called fashionable…) and God, her hair was stupid… being straight at the top allowed her to keep a side-bang, but there was that one single curl that always stubbornly refused to conform to the rest of the hair, dangling in front of her face… Maggie had to use every inch of her will to prevent her hands from running up to try to smooth it down. It would be useless anyway, it would only make her look more pathetic.

Unexpectedly, Alyssa smiled. It looked so fake that Maggie briefly wondered why she was even trying.

“Oh, of course, I hadn’t thought about it!” Alyssa chirped, “Oh, Alfred, you are always so nice… it’s just like you to be welcoming to the transfer student…” She shrugged. “Of course, I can lend you this seat for a few days. Maggie Williams, isn’t it? I’m Alyssa Westbrook. I’m in the cheerleader team… if you need anything you can ask me, okay?”

And with a small wave of her hand, Alyssa headed towards a group of girls who were whispering at the other side of the room.

Alfred shook his head.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into her…”

“I’m sorry,” Maggie muttered, “I didn’t want to get you in trouble with her… You’ve been very nice to me, really, but you don’t have to sit next to me… I’m so very sorry, really, I—”

Alfred stopped her, holding up one hand.

“Whoa, whoa, hold on! There’s no problem, really! Aand honestly, it isn’t like I enjoy sitting next to Alyssa, she can be so annoying… I don’t understand why she won’t leave me alone!”

‘Does he seriously not realize it?’

That short exchange had been enough for Maggie to notice how Alyssa moved around Alfred, flaunting her body, and Alfred must have been around her for at least one year, how could he have possibly not noticed anything?

“Are you really sure you don’t want me to move?” Maggie asked shyly, avoiding mentioning the other issue.

“Of course!” Alfred answered without hesitation, beaming. “I wouldn’t have saved you the seat otherwise.”

“Don’t worry about Alyssa,” Tolys interjected with surprising vehemence. “You shouldn’t listen to her, she’s just a spoiled bitch.”

Tolys was looking askance at the group of girls Alyssa had joined, who were muttering animatedly. Confused, Maggie turned to Alfred, hoping for an explanation, but at the same moment, the teacher walked into the room, and Alfred shrugged.

The following period turned out to be much better than the previous ones: Mrs Sheonang, a tall and slim woman in her fifties, seemed quite demanding but even more competent. More importantly, she accepted Maggie’s note with a nod, telling her not to hesitate to ask if she needed any additional explanation, and almost skipped the introduction part, simply mentioning to the class that Maggie (whom some of them had already met, as Mrs Sheonang remarked) was a new student and she would stay with them for the rest of the year. Maggie’s esteem for her new teacher raised incommensurately at that, but it wasn’t the only thing that put her at ease: Alfred and Tolys’s presence unexpectedly lightened the mood. They didn’t find the time to talk, the teacher demanded absolute silence, but more than once Maggie found herself locking eyes with Alfred, who answered with a reassuring smile or a wink.

When the period came to an end, Maggie found out with unexpected pleasure that she would also share with the two boys the following class, World History. Alfred even insisted on carrying her bag (“What kind of hero would I be, if I let a girl carry such a heavy bag?”) which initially led Maggie to wish she could bury herself from the embarrassment – it was like everybody in the corridor could suddenly see her, she could feel their eyes pierce her back as if she had a target painted on it – but at the same time left her a bit flattered.

They had almost reached the room when a shout echoed across the corridor.

“Tolys, wait for me!”

A moment later, Tolys stumbled, hit by a boy who enveloped him in a hug from behind.

Alfred chuckled at Maggie’s alarmed expression.

“Don’t worry, it’s all regular! Maggie, this is Feliks. His surname is impossible to pronounce, don’t even ask. He’s from Poland.”

Feliks was shorter than Tolys almost by a whole head, slight and pale-skinned, with delicate features. He had big, slanted jade green eyes and his shoulder-length golden blond hair was so straight and glossy it could have belonged to a shampoo commercial.

“And Feliks, if you are back with us, this is Maggie.”

Feliks peered over Tolys’ shoulder without relishing his hold on the taller boy’s sweater.

“Uhm…hi,” he muttered shyly, looking briefly at Maggie before turning his gaze down.

“Nice to meet you,” Maggie answered with a weak smile.

Her stomach twisted, the nausea that had miraculously quelled down during the previous period resurfacing. She had felt at ease with Tolys and Alfred, but Feliks’s discomfort reminded her that she didn’t belong with them.

Alfred burst into a loud laughter.

“Whoa dude, don’t be like that! She isn’t gonna eat you, I swear, she’s super nice. Seriously, Fel!”

At the same time, Tolys nudged Feliks with his elbow, and Feliks finally detached himself from his friend’s back.

“Uhm… actually, I’ve already met you,” he said with a little more confidence, but still without meeting Maggie’s eyes. “We have Biology together, but you probably didn’t see me, I was sitting in the back…”

“Oh! Actually, I remember seeing you!” Maggie blurted out before she could stop herself.

She had suddenly remembered catching a glimpse of Feliks in a class… but she hadn’t truly focused on him and she had mistaken him for a girl due to a mixture of his pink sweater, delicate features, and longish hair. Oh well…

At her words, Feliks beamed.

“Really? Well, I suppose I’m hard to miss!” he said loudly, startling Maggie.

Without warning, he took a step forward and grabbed one of her twintails, bringing it to the front as he ran his fingers through her hair.

“By the way, I totally love your hair! It’s, like, so shiny and silky… and this colour is totally fabulous, it’s, like, almost impossible to get it with a dye, do you know?”

The sudden turn of his personality left Maggie gaping at him, her brain not prepared to handle that kind of situation.

‘Did he just… compliment my hair?’

Luckily, Tolys understood her uneasiness and dragged Feliks away with a soft sigh.

“Fel, this is too much… she’s really shy, I don’t think she likes being stared at like this. Come on, let’s get inside, you know how much Mr Trevis dislikes latecomers…”

Maggie followed the three boys inside the classroom and stopped at the door as they settled in some desks in the second row. She would have liked to sit with them, but she feared she might have already bothered them enough for the day…

Once again, Alfred solved the dilemma for her, placing her bag in the seat next to his one.

“Come on Maggie, come here!”

Maggie didn’t need to be told twice and she quickly slid next to him, disregarding the nasty looks Alyssa and her friends were giving her. She was sure that Alfred would completely forget about her as soon as the novelty wore off, but there was nothing bad in enjoying a bit of human contact in the meantime, was it?

The class went on smoothly, Mr Trevis barely noticed Maggie’s presence and didn’t comment on it or ask her to introduce herself, which Maggie took as an unexpected blessing, even though Alfred looked oddly annoyed. The teacher was fairly young and didn’t have a tight grasp on his student, which resulted in a continuous chatting in the background. In that kind of situations, Maggie would have stayed silent, diligently trying to take notes, but for the first time in her life, she found herself engaged in whispered conversations with Alfred. The bell that marked the end of the period came so quickly that it took her by surprise.

“Ugh, I have another detention…” Alfred groaned as he gathered his notebook and pencils. “I would have asked you if you wanted to go for a walk, you know, see a bit of the town, but I don’t know when she’s going to let me go…”

“Oh… d—don’t worry, you have already done so much for me…” Maggie was quick to reassure him, taken aback. Being nice to her at school was one thing, but offering to spend some time with her outside school time? That was new. Just how nice could Alfred get?

Alfred huffed.

“But I wanted to show you around! Seriously, that woman is a harpy… she keeps giving me detentions!”

“Well, maybe she would stop if you arrived on time,” suggested Tolys, but before he could say more he was dragged away by an eager Feliks, who was blabbering something about an ice cream.

Having already prepared her bag, Maggie found herself lingering next to the desk. She wanted to wait for Alfred, who was still trying to stack all his pencils inside their case, yet, she didn’t want to come across as too stifling.

“Do you need a hand?” she decided to ask at last, but at that exact moment, Alfred finally managed to wedge in the pencils and swiftly zipped up the case before tossing it inside his backpack.

“Ok, I’m done!” he cheered, “Shall I lead you to your locker, mademoiselle?”

Even if she was positive she could have found her way back by herself, Maggie nodded. After all, Alfred was the one who was offering to help her, it wasn’t like she had forced him to…

Alfred kept a cheerful façade and went on talking to her, occasionally greeting somebody, but as they got closer to the locker his mood seemed to decline.

“Dad is going to kill me…” he groaned as Maggie opened her locker. “It’s the fifth time I get detention this month…”

The books fell from Maggie’s hand. She whirled to Alfred, her eyes wide, suddenly out of breath.

“Hey, are you ok?” Alfred asked as he bent down to retrieve the books, concern seeping through his voice.

Maggie remained still. Her head was spinning, she had to lean against the locker to keep herself upright.

“Maggie?”

Alfred was still kneeling on the ground, holding some of her books, but he had raised his head and was staring at her.

Maggie forced herself to look at him.

“Will you be all right?” she found herself asking with a trembling voice, her eyes huge. “W—will he… I mean… y—your father…”

“W—what?”

Alfred’s wide eyes looked lost. He got to his feet, laying a hand on Maggie’s arm.

“Whoa, calm down! I was just exaggerating, Dad won’t do anything! I mean, yeah, he’s going to give me a good lecture on how I should be more respectful and sensible and blah blah, but aside from this…”

“Oh…” murmured Maggie.

“Oh, yes, of course!” she repeated a moment later, as soon as the meaning of Alfred’s words fully sank into her brain.

A forced giggle seeped through her lips.

How can I have been so stupid? No one would hurt somebody like Alfred! Sure, he’s loud and he seems a bit absent-minded, but he looks like a good person…

Maggie automatically grabbed the books Alfred was holding out to her and stashed them inside the locker.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it, I’m just really tired…”

“Well, I might have been a bit overdramatic,” Alfred admitted with a sheepish smile. “Anyway, I’m sorry but I really have to go now… see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay. H—have a good evening,” Maggie whispered, still too stunned to come up with something cleverer.

Alfred walked away, but before going around the corner he turned back.

“I swear I’ll be on time tomorrow!” he shouted, winking.

Maggie waved back, smiling softly, and when Alfred’s broad shoulders disappeared behind the corner she collapsed against the locker. She felt completely worn out, she would have paid anything to be able to crawl under the comforter and stay there until the following day… and at the same time, she felt lighter than she had in years.

‘Alfred Jones,’ she found herself thinking as she headed tiredly towards her home, ‘Who are you, to be able to pay attention to such an insignificant girl as I am?’

Maggie was aware that she shouldn’t raise her hopes. There wasn’t a single chance that a boy like Alfred could have any interest in somebody like her besides trying to be helpful, friendship was something far out of her range – as it should have been. People like her shouldn’t even interact with people like Alfred.

And at the same time, Maggie couldn’t stop thinking about him. Those blue eyes, so bright and lively, that wide smile, that loud voice… the simple thought of Alfred’s face was enough to bring a smile to her lips. That unexpected breach to her anonymous routine had left Maggie strangely energized, almost giddy. All in all, that first day of school had been far better than she had been expecting… it wouldn’t happen again, but that didn’t mean that everything would be completely horrible. Maybe leaving Canada wasn’t as awful as she had thought…

Maggie was so engulfed in her thoughts that she didn’t pay any attention to the journey home, and the sight of her new house almost caught her by surprise. The giddiness she had been feeling up to that moment vanished abruptly, replaced by a growing sense of dread. In spite of his apparent eagerness to leave the small town they had been living him, somebody hadn’t taken the move and the last frantic days so well, and Maggie was the one who was going to have to deal with it.

The lights seemed off, but the car was still parked under the porch, which meant that Steve was home, excluding the unlikely option he had gotten away on foot, but with a little luck, he was already asleep.

With careful movements, Maggie climbed the steps that separated her from the doorway and inserted the key in the keyhole, turning it with the utmost consideration.

The door creaked slightly as Maggie opened it. She froze, the breath caught in her throat, but the only answer was silence.

Silently, Maggie slid inside the softly-lit hallway and closed the door behind her.

For a moment she stood motionless, waiting for her eyes to grow accustomed to the lack of light, then she looked around. A pair of dirty trainers had been dropped on the floor, but aside from them, everything seemed to be in order.

Maggie tiptoed through the hallway and over the living room, stealing only a quick glance at the figure sprawled over the sofa, with an arm draped over his face and the other dangling to the floor, next to an empty bottle of beer. She was halfway across the stairs when a voice stopped her.

“And just where do you think you are going?”

Maggie stiffened. Steve’s voice was slurred from the alcohol and tinged with the annoyance of a growing headache.

“Come here, there’s something we need to talk about.”

The little colour it usually had was completely drained from Maggie’s face. Automatically, she turned and climbed down the stairs, keeping her eyes accurately trained on the steps. She could feel her stomach twist in protest, her heart starting to pound.

Only once she had reached the bottom Maggie dared to raise her head.

Steve had managed to drag himself to a sitting position, he was blinking as he tried to regain a bit of clarity. After a long, endless moment that seemed to expand in the absolute stillness of the house, his eyes fell on Maggie. They were red and bloodshot, a clear sign of the intoxicated state he was in.

Maggie swallowed and lowered her eyes, training them on her feet, but that couldn’t block the sound of the shuffling steps that were heading towards her.

******

“Yes, Alfred, you already told me what a unique and extraordinary colour her hair was. With this one, it’s eight times. Yes, I’m keeping count. And I think the word you are looking for is ‘strawberry blonde’, not ‘some kind of golden blonde but brighter, very warm, with some kind of reddish hue’.”

Amusement seeped through Arthur’s voice. He was trying to sound annoyed, but Alfred knew him well enough to know he wasn’t, and there was a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Well, she has really pretty hair,” Alfred said in his defence, shrugging, because Maggie did have beautiful hair.

Its bright, warm colour reminded Alfred of summer and gave light to the girl’s otherwise pale colouring, but, more importantly, it was so long, going down to her butt in wavy twintails that ended in two mesmerizing ringlets. Alfred had had to restrain himself from trying to touch it.

He saw Arthur smirk as he dug the fork into his plate.

“Ah, yes. Pretty hair. I guess it’s such an icebreaker…”

Alfred huffed, rolling his eyes.

“I didn’t tell her, Dad!”

His father had been making fun of him since he had caught Alfred trying to flirt with a waitress that summer. Alfred thought that he had been doing well, and neither he nor the pretty waitress (Jessica, according to the name tag) had been intentioned to carry the banter any further than a couple of light-hearted remarks, but Arthur seemed to find it incredibly amusing.

Arthur cocked one eyebrow as he swallowed his bite.

“Oh?”

“I just said that she’s pretty,” Alfred explained, “That’s… kind of objective. I mean, anybody could see that.”

Maggie looked almost like a porcelain doll, with her little, delicate pale face, high cheekbones, a slim, small noise whose round point turned upwards that stood over a pair of crimson lips, small but plump. What had gotten Alfred’s attention above everything else (aside from the hair), however, were her eyes. They were big, slightly slanted, framed by long, dark eyelashes, and they were of an amazing colour, a delicate pale lilac. It seemed to fit Maggie perfectly, it was in complete harmony with her porcelain-white skin, enforcing the impression of delicacy given by the girl’s appearance.

And in spite of that…

“But she isn’t a girl you flirt with just for fun.”

Somehow, Arthur looked even more amused at that, the smirk now clearly evident on his lips.

“Because you only flirt with some kind of girls.”

Alfred sighed, rolling his eyes.

‘And people say I am the oblivious one…’

It was a real wonder how his father had managed to get married, in Alfred’s opinion. Alfred knew that Arthur initially attracted women with his generally gentle and polite disposition, but the truth was, he didn’t have any idea of how to deal with romantic situations. Alfred strongly suspected that Francis had had a heavy hand in the outcome of his parents’ relationship. Or maybe it had been completely his mother’s doing. Alfred didn’t remember her well enough to know how she would deal with romance, but she had been lively and headstrong, and, according to his father, he was just like her.

“You only do some casual flirting with girls who might enjoy it,” Alfred explained patiently, “and Maggie looked too shy for that.”

‘Shy’ wasn’t enough to describe Maggie, actually. Most of the time, she had looked like she wanted to disappear, and what Alfred had found most puzzling was that she almost succeeded. It had something to do with the complete lack of confidence each of her movements screamed, but Maggie somehow easily faded in the background, in spite of her remarkable appearance. Alfred himself hadn’t seen her in the beginning, even if they were in the same room, and he wasn’t sure he would have truly noticed her if he hadn’t been appointed to show her around – something he was very grateful for.

“Ah, I see. So, you kept looking out for her because she looked uneasy?”

Arthur's smile was softer now, more genuine.

Alfred shrugged, shoving a bite of hamburger in his mouth.

“Yeah, of course. That’s what anybody should do, right? And it was nice, anyway. I mean, she was nice.”

Alfred had done most of the talking, he had realized later. Which wasn’t that unusual, but people usually grew tired of him after some time; instead, Maggie had just kept listening, without showing any sign of boredom, while she had said hardly anything about herself – and that only made Alfred more curious. There was something highly unusual about Maggie, he still hadn’t figured out what it was, except for the contrast between her low confidence and physical appearance, but he was confident that he was going to find out soon. That girl looked like she could use some friends, after all.

Arthur’s voice brought him back from his reverie.

“Well, for how pleasant this conversation about the new girl was, don’t think that I have forgotten what the original topic was. And don’t look at me like that, Alfred Franklin Jones.”

Alfred barely restrained himself from groaning. His father looked serious now, his brows knit over his sharp eyes. There was no escaping the lecture.

‘Well, at least I tried.’

Sighing internally, Alfred prepared himself for the well-rehearsed talk on respect and responsibilities. His father was way too strict about that, he had only been a few minutes late… but at least he wasn’t punishing him, and in twenty minutes, everything would be back to the norm. Arthur would probably get back in a good mood as soon as he heard about Francis and Maggie’s mum, actually. In spite of the temporary annoyance, Alfred would say that it had been a good day.

(word count: 10,378)

———

Notes:

Hetalia human names [x]

Nyotalia human names [x] [x]

Alyssa, the secretary at the beginning, the teachers and Steve are OCs.

Maggie is without glasses for plot convenience. Besides, Himaruya has drawn younger Canada and America both with and without glasses, so I think that one can play with it.

Arthur is Alfred’s father, and his mother is Nyo!America. Alfred has her surname because I’m the author and I wanted him to keep ‘Jones’ as surname of reasons that will be explained in chapter 5.

Francis is going to show up in chapter 7 and then he’s going to be one of the main characters;

This isn’t FrUK, however, Arthur and Francis are ‘simply’ best frenemies friends. (They were roommates during college.)

If I decide to continue this, there are going to be other pairings in the background (never with a big focus, but I’m adding everything in case they bother somebody), more specifically established AusHun, SpainxBelgium, SwedenxNyo!Finland and EstoniaxUkraine (all of them are adults in this AU, not high school students, even if Estonia and Ukraine are still very young). There are also going to be hints at LietBel and JapanxNyo!Greece. Maybe also something else, but for now it’s all (and it’s going to be really minor anyway. Most of the ‘hinted’ ones could be easily overlooked, and the others are just mentioned).

English isn’t my first language, I apologize for the mistakes. Moreover, this specific story (it wasn’t so for my other fics) was first written in Italian and then translated. This was followed by heavy editing, but I think there might still be some cases of sentences and idioms that sound odd in English because they reflect the Italian structure. If you noticed anything, please let me know!

EDIT! I have changed Lithuania’s name from ‘Toris’ to ‘Tolys’ [x]

On more important matters: I’ve been working on this story since March of last year. I usually don’t like romance, but there was a moment in which I craved for a cliché, long AmericaxNyo!Canada high school story, and I couldn’t find anything I liked. Since I had some free time, I just went like ‘Oh well, I’m going to write one myself’. I didn’t think it would turn out to be very long, like, 40k words at most, but I surprisingly found myself having a blast writing this story, so it just… went on, turning into a novel-length, slow burn, cheesy and cliché high school romance story. I’m warning you again: this is cliché and predictable, and probably the most self-indulging thing I’ve ever written (and family and friendship have a big focus too, not only romance. Alfred and Maggie won’t just fall in love like that, they will get to know each other and discover what they have in common, and some of the issues Maggie is facing are too big to be solved by another teen. This is why Francis and Arthur are main characters too…). But if this doesn't scare you off, please do read on! :)

Oh, and if you want to ask anything about the setting/characters in general (because you need it to decide if you would read this or because you’re simply curious), feel free to do it! If somebody wants I can even post a general outline about the setting and some generalities about the Hetalia characters I use in this AU, I have tons of notes... Feel free to ask any question, actually, I might just answer privately if I think they’re too spoiler-ish.

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