#but the paintings on the walls inside i looked and there was pan but oh. no bi </3

[babydarkstar]

despicable to go to my new college counseling center and see a p*n pride flag next to gay and lesbian and not the bisexual one.

[cas-writes-stuff-ig]

Part 2 of Cheering Her Up (A Party)

f!/nb! reader x regina george

CONTENT:

Word Count: 3094

Reader is working on performing for the Winter Talent Show

singing for Regina

secret relationship

Jealous Regina

Jealous Reader

smut (shower sex) (drunk sex) (jealousy)

kinda will get angsty after this

(those band geeks/people who play music in the background in the new Mean Girls movie? yeah that's who the reader is friends with)

Part 1 of Cheering Her Up

Part 3 of Cheering Her Up

a/n:

this was supposed to be a one-shot but idk I had an idea because i get inspired by songs and then make up scenarios in my head. its gonna get a little sadder soon so sorry DW they'll end up together <3

Soona is a person who was apologized to, who plays music in the background for the songs (plays guitar and drums)

("Soona, I'm sorry I said you were dragging during 'Revenge Party' There was just like, so much pressure on us to move the story forward through the montage. Like you know how it is" (1:22:24 in the movie))

I made Soona date the girl in the beanie (plays bass and drums)

I heavily based this off the 2024 version, but I switched around some of the events back to 2004

(2004: October Party/Aaron and Regina get back together -> Talent Show -> Aaron and Regina break up -> "You can't sit with us" -> Burn Book scene)

(2024: October Party/Aaron and Regina get back together -> Aaron and Regina break up -> Talent Show -> "You can't sit with us" -> Burn Book scene)

Regina finished her brownie and you scarfed yours down unceremoniously. You covered your mouth and spoke while you chewed “Shit sorry, I’ve been smelling brownies for an hour and I was starving” she just rolled her eyes at you. “Want another?”

Regina paused a pained expression painted her face for a moment, then she put her wall back up “I’m fine thanks”

You decided to let it go and then the front door opened, “Regina?” her mom walked in “You having a party in here?” you grabbed your phone and turned down the music.

Regina's little sister Kylie ran inside after her mom and waved at you excitedly. Kylie liked it when you were around because you'd scold Regina if she was being mean to her. Kylie just ran up to her room to change.

“Hey mom” Regina greeted but she was dismissive as most kids are with their parents

“Hi Mrs. George,” her mom liked you, but she was naive to the true nature of your relationship with her daughter. You grinned “I made brownies, sorry it’s a mess. I’ll clean it up”

“Oh! That’s so nice of you. Thank you, hun, don’t worry about the dishes, darling” She put her bag down walked toward the sink, and started washing them. “I’ve got it, I know you guys have homework. Regina be nice yeah?”

Her mom said that every time you were over because the first time you were at her house, you worked with Regina at the kitchen table, and she heard her daughter call you “…a fucking nerd”

“Yeah, whatever Mom,” she stood up and started walking toward the stairs. You thanked her mom, rushed to take off the apron, hung it up, and dashed up the stairs. She walked into her room, and you soon followed inside and shut the door.

She just slipped back into her bed and went on her phone. You sat on the bed and kicked off your shoes, and were worried “Hey ‘Gina?”

“Mm?” She looked up at you briefly, and then back down at her phone.

You paused and didn’t say anything for a moment “…Gina, do you wanna talk about what happened earlier?” That same pained expression panned over her face. You just touched her knee and rubbed soothing circles into it. "It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it."

She sighed, "It's just me, don't worry about it, kay?" you gave her a look.

She then pulled you to lay next to her and lifted your arm to lay on your shoulder, head resting at the crook of your neck. "I won't push it" you added after she got comfortable.

She pulled out her phone and rested it on your stomach scrolling through her apps. You took your own phone out and checked your grades on there. Regina opened her camera roll, the most recent item was a short video of you, you immediately recognized your own voice and she had this shit-eating grin on her face.

It was you just fifteen minutes ago, you watched yourself wearing the rather girly apron, singing, and pulling brownies out of the oven. "Regina! Oh my God, delete that, please. That's actually so embarrassing" you face palmed.

She laughed and said "Absolutely not," and sat up "Don't worry, it's for my eyes only" She told the truth because she couldn't show the video to anyone else or else they'd ask what you're doing in her house baking brownies for.

"You're so mean to me," you said with no real bite in your voice. "Your mom said to be nice to me Regina" You didn't ask her again to delete it, because once she made a decision she usually stuck by it, she always got her way with you.

She scoffed and said "I am being nice" and leaned back toward you, kissing your collarbone. It made you stop breathing for a moment, your body got stiff as she kept kissing your neck.

"God Regina, I have homework" you mustered out, she left a dark red hickey that peaked out just a little bit from your shirt, then she licked your neck "Shit" she was getting you worked up.

"It's fucking Friday tomorrow loser, chill out, it can wait an hour" She whispered seductively in your ear. Regina was right though so you submitted to her whims

——————————————————————————————

"Duck, stay the night" She leaned against the bed sheets.

"Okay princess," you rolled your eyes "Anything for you," you said sarcastically, but you meant it. Regina pointed towards her closet and you found some of her more comfortable loose shirts to wear to bed. "Can I grab my guitar to practice for maybe thirty minutes though? Me and my group are practicing some songs for the Winter Talent show"

"Are you singing?" Regina asked smiling.

"If you make fun of me, I'll sleep in my fucking car, Regina" You made an empty threat. "I'm playing guitar, and doing background vocals. I'm the main singer for the last song only. I just wanna practice with the music in the back"

Your band for the Talent Show consisted of people from the Band Geeks (though you weren't part of the school band yourself). The four of you were versatile in your music skills, also being able to sing lead and backup interchangeably.

You only practiced one of your songs and opted to play ones you knew well for Regina. "I thought it was only one song?" Regina asked you.

"Thought I'd show off a little bit" you looked down at the fret board, she watched your fingers move.

"You serenading me Duck?"

——————————————————————————————

You cozied into her arms too easily, over the summer, spending nights with her had conditioned you to never get up before 10AM. So you couldn't rely on your body clock to wake you up.

You set an alarm for 7AM so she could do her makeup and choose an outfit. You had left a small amount of clothes in her wardrobe that was neatly hidden away, for the nights you slept over.

In the morning you brushed her hair back and pressed a kiss to her forehead "Gina babe, you gotta get up" I brought you the brownies I made.

She sat up and smiled at you "Thanks Ducky" Shit, that smile could send you to the stars.

"Of course Gina"

——————————————————————————————

That day, at the cafeteria. You slipped off your backpack and sat down across the table from Janis, and Damian. It was the third week of your Junior year.

You never stayed for the entire duration of lunch, just to eat and run to a study room where you could get some actual silence or hang out with the Soona and band you were friends with. And you never knew that Janis and Damian were using Cady to take Regina down.

Damian gasped dramatically, it surprised you. "What's that on your neck!?" Shit, your backpack moved your shirt down revealing part of the hickey Regina gave you. Some heads turned toward your table.

Janis looked "Who you hook up with?" They both leaned in.

You were bright red "No one" You and Regina actually hid your secret pretty well, which you both greatly appreciated. But you hung out with a few people, which is why they pushed harder for an answer.

Damian leaned forward "Who?"

"No one, leave it," You said, it came out a little mean since you were stressed. "Sorry" you decided to tell part of the truth and you softened up "They're not out yet, I can't say" they yielded and switched gears.

"Is that why you've been all glow-y this semester? Your face has gay painted all fucking over it." Damian gestured with his hands pointing at you.

"Please stop talking" You pressed your temples

"Fine" They changed the topic.

"Oh Cady told us of a party happening tonight," Janis said, but you didn't really pay attention

You said "Okay" and then just looked down at your phone and texted Regina. Her contact on your phone was discreet enough, it was just her initials backward. The only thing that hinted that it could be Regina was the picture of a Jeep from the internet.

You knew your contact name, but of course, you had a rubber ducky as a profile picture on her phone.

Duck: "G, they saw the mark you left yesterday"

GR: "so what? you didn't say anything right?"

Duck: "no of course not"

GR: "then we're fine"

You could see Regina looking down at her phone too where she sat with the Plastics and Cady.

You kept observing Regina, Gretchen was next to her and leaned over. "Who's 'Duck'? New guy?"

"Jesus Gretchen, haven't you heard of privacy?" Regina scolded her.

——————————————————————————————

After school, you drove home and Facetimed Regina "Party tonight right?" you asked.

"Mmhm, you gonna go?" Regina was also rummaging through her clothes

"Yeah," you said and put on just a black T-shirt, jeans, and a brown jacket. "How do I look?" You propped your phone up to show her.

"Lame, but fine" Regina responded

"That was mean Gina" It stung a little but you were fine. "Oh remind me to send you the set list we're practicing," You asked her.

"Shit, gotta go Duck. Karen, Gretchen, and Cady are coming to my house to get ready" She looked at the messages on her phone "I'll see you later" she quickly hung up. You changed your shirt to a loose tank top, which revealed your toned arms and the hickey, you wanted to exact a little revenge on Regina and make her a little jealous.

——————————————————————————————

Soona and the gang brought you to the party. You've been at this guy's house party three times over the summer. You grabbed a red solo cup and took it to the dance floor, and your friends joined you.

You normally didn't get this drunk unless you were with only a few people, because you lost your inhibitions a little too much. The only thing on your mind was Regina. Regina. Regina. Regina.

Your head buzzed and you looked for the familiar blonde, she was in the middle of the dance floor grinding up against some jock, which happened to be Shane Oman.

You got jealous, and when you were drunk you didn't think thoroughly. Regina didn't fuck anyone else besides you for a while, you understood 'friends with benefits' implied you were not obligated to monogamy.

You had decided to mess with Regina a little more, you joined a girl who was known for queer baiting, you didn't kiss her, but you definitely got touchy, she was lifting your shirt a little. You felt Regina staring daggers at you.

After a while, you excused yourself to the upstairs bathroom where there were far fewer people here. You wondered if that was enough to get a rise out of Regina. Then a knock at the door. "Occupied" you yelled out.

"Let me in, bitch" It was Regina's voice.

'Oh shit' You thought. You wanted to anger her enough that she texted you to come over to her house, but she broke your unspoken rule to not approach each other at parties or school. You opened the door "Shit Regina. No one saw you come in here ri-"

She slammed the door shut and shoved you against the wall, her left hand snaked around your neck, not enough to restrict air, but enough to show you how mad she was. "You're stupid," she said angrily. You looked up at her, your head still buzzed.

"Gina I-" You tried speak, but her hand squeezed a little tighter for a moment, before loosening her grip to grab your jaw.

"I'm gonna leave this party, and you're gonna meet me down this fucking block. We're going home" Regina's voice was full of venom. "Do you understand?" you could smell the alcohol on her breath, and the smell of her perfume.

You let out a faint "Yes"

——————————————————————————————

She called an Uber and you stood behind her like a kicked puppy. You were in deep shit. It was already 2AM when you left the party so everyone in Regina's house was asleep.

When you got to her house she practically dragged you up the stairs and pushed you onto the bed roughly "The fuck you think you were doing at that party?" She's never been so angry at you before.

"Regina, I'm sorry I-" you stuttered, she was mad at you and it scared you. But the alcohol in your blood and the way she towered over you, making you feel helpless, made your core ache with need.

She stripped off her shirt and straddled your hips, Regina took your arms and held them above your head. "You're a fucking tease" You were both still incredibly drunk.

"Regina, I'm sorry let me make it up to you" You pleaded with her.

She wore a mean smile "And how do you plan on doing that baby" You tried to wriggle yourself out of her grip, but she used her entire body to keep you down.

The more you tried to escape, the more pathetic you looked. Face flushed, pinned under the prettiest girl you've ever seen. "Shit, I'll do whatever you ask Gina, just say the word"

"Yeah baby?" she smiled "Whatever I ask?"

"Yes," you said breathily, though it was hot, you were scared of losing her favor. You wanted to be in her life as much as possible, you were obsessed. Anything to please her.

"Strip, get in the shower" She let go of your arms, climbed off you, and rid herself of the rest of her clothes. She turned her back towards you and walked toward the bathroom, then without turning, she crooked her finger, telling you to come follow her.

She didn't need to turn around to know you were watching her every movement. She turned the shower on and walked inside "Kneel" You did, she looked at your mouth and then down between her legs. Water beat down your back. "You know what to do baby" You nodded and started to gently kiss her clit, "Don't tease, just get on with it" Your slow kisses to her pussy turned into you sucking on it hard.

You looked up at her, and you made eye contact. She moaned then said "Keep that up baby, and I might forgive you" she gripped the back of your hair and it made you whine into her pussy. "Fuck- use your fingers too babe" Coating your fingers in her slick before slipping two fingers inside of her.

"God you feel so good," she said as you started rhythmically curling your fingers inside her cunt, you took your free hand and held her up. "Oh fuck" she arched her back and pushed her hips hard into your face. You kept your pace while she rode out her orgasm. She pulled your head away, and when she let go you just kissed her thighs.

"You satisfied, Gina?" you still were on your knees she brought you up and kissed you

"No, nerd. I wanna break you" Regina knelt now and saw her there you ached for her to just get on with it. Eating her out pulled obscene sounds out of her and made you wet, and she swiped a finger through your slit. "You're so wet," Then she slid two fingers inside. "If I let you finish, you gonna promise to be good for me, baby?"

Her thumb started to circle your clit "Sh-shit, yes Gina"

"Look at me" you looked down and she pressed your clit hard.

"Fuck Regina, I'll be good" you swore.

"Promise me?"

"Promise" You gasped out as she increased her pace.

Heat gathered in your stomach and your skin felt hot. You closed your eyes and tilted your head back, moaning Regina's name like a prayer. "Gina- fuck, I-"

"Words baby" Regina cooed.

You panted trying to speak, you finally gasped out "Gina, can I finish, please? please?"

She smirked "Only because you're so cute when you beg" She sped up "Come for me, come for your owner baby"

You covered your mouth in fear of waking up everyone in the house. Your body felt like a firework, and Regina knew how to play you like a violin.

She stood and kissed you, and her anger had dissolved. Just as you regained your breath, there she was to steal it away from you again.

You knew Regina was a bitch, but you couldn't help but melt into her touch when she washed your hair or kissed your shoulder. Her attention was intoxicating.

——————————————————————————————

You lay in bed with Regina and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Gina, about you kissing Shane tonight." you paused to really think about your words. "I know we aren't together like that, but you know me, if you start dating someone else, whatever we have has to stop"

She hesitated for a second "Of course Duck" she paused again "I only did it to keep up my reputation" Regina said. It was partially true if you wanted to keep up the secret. Regina had to play her part, she had to conform, it was comphet but you didn't bring up your thoughts to her.

"Gina, I'm sorry I was acting like that at the party" You apologized for making her jealous. You knew why you were jealous, but not why she was. Did she like you? Did she just want to fuck you? You never would expect anything beyond sex and friendship from her even if it broke you inside.

But she read you easily "Hey babe, did you get jealous?" she was smug about it, and you crossed your arms. "You did huh?" She provoked you but she held your face so gently and rubbed your cheek with her thumb, that you felt your attraction to her fall far deeper than you could control.

She gave you butterflies whenever she was around. You just responded with "I'm sorry"

"It's cute, Duck, you're fine. But don't do that again yeah?" She kept holding your face "At least not with that bitch you were dancing with, she’s such a loser babe"

"Yeah, fine fine. But anyone who isn’t you or your gang is a loser to you” you teased.

"Whatever. Now come here and hold me, baby" She had you wrapped around her little finger, more so than anyone else. You felt your feelings for Regina grow, but you didn't dare to confess. You didn't want to lose what you had.

You lay on your back and Regina laid her head on your chest, then you were stroking her back and held her close to you. You kissed her forehead sweetly and lovingly, earning an adorable 'Mm', and you were getting slowly coaxed into sleep by her gentle steady breathing.

Part 3 of Cheering Her Up

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Hazband 2: Band AU

Buckle Up, Buttercups. This is gonna be looooooooooong.

-"Insider Bands" playing on VH666 streaming services on a computer monitor / TV screen sitting on the desk against the far wall-

Charlie: (laying on her belly on her bed and chewing her nails like a cartoon goat chews through a field of grass as she watches the TV)

Riff Rascal: Alright, dudes, dudettes, non-duders, and rock-aholics! That was Simple Plain's newest single "Why Are We Kids?!". Coming up next, our guy, our big shredder, our big bad-

????: Dammit, Riff!!!! Just get on with it!!!

Riff Rascal: Yo, sorry, boss lady! Coming up next, we have our expert in all things metal and shredding, Axel Steelgrave, conducting a super secret, super exclusive interview with one of Hell's latest and greatest! Stay tuned!

Charlie: (whines and plasters her face into the comforter) Fuck! I really messed up! I shouldn't have released that album, guys! What if Vaggie doesn't like girls outside of the metal scene?! Then I'm just the creepy, stalker, pop diva who messages her on Sinstagram every once and a while! And likes all of her posts! And comments on each picture! And-

Razzle: (trying to finish polishing Charlie's hooves after a full pedicure and hoof care) Baap?

Charlie: So? It was only ever mentioned once in a tabloid that she was once in a poly ship with a man and woman before. Nothing set in stone. Who listens to tabloids anyway? She said she was a lesbian in her last interview with Angel Metal Monthly.

Dazzle: (brings up a wide array of nail polishes) BaaaAaaAp?

Charlie: Yes! She messages me back almost immediately after every message I send her, but that doesn't mean the's interested in me. She hasn't been online in a week! (rolls over and flops onto her back, covering her eyes with her arm) Not since Katie Killjoy did that whole news segment on my new single music video and album.

Dazzle: (painting Charlie's hooves in a deep red hue called "Wicked Sinister") Baaaaaaap. BaaaAAaaap. Baap. (clicks his hoof in a way that's supposed to look like a sassy finger snap and blows heated air over the paint)

Razzle: Baap! (scowls) Baaap. Baaa. Baap!

Charlie: Thanks, Razzle. No, Dazzle. I really don't think this is some kind of rebound. I really started liking her during the Battle of the Bands gig over at the Jackpot Hotel and Casino. She was the first person who didn't openly laugh at me being there even though I was the only pop singer there.

-VH666 blares back with a heavy metal guitar riff-

Axel Steelgrave: Hey, good evening, everyone. How's it going? Tonight, we have a very special guest. (camera pans out to show Vaggie sitting next to Axel in an interview chair) Lead singer, guitarist, and rocking girl, Vaggie the Steel Vagina from Fallen Angels.

Charlie: WHAT?!?!?!?!?! (crocodile death rolls around in her excitement and falls out of bed, completely wrapped in a burrito, and worm crawls over to the TV) RAZZLE!!! DAZZLE!!! TURN IT UP!!!

Razzle: (salutes) Baap! (grabs the remote and turns up the volume)

Dazzle: (sad bleats as he looks at the mess of nail polish everywhere) baaaaaap.....

Vaggie: (trying not to snarl at the name) It's just Vaggie, Axel.

Axel Steelgrave: Oh, sure. Sure. Well, thank you so much for taking the time to come and see us. Not gonna lie. We were shocked to hear that you were coming out with a new single so quickly.

Charlie: (plasters her face to the screen) New Single?!?!?!?!?!

Vaggie: (blushes slightly) Well, I figured after hearing the Princess's new album and call-out, I should work on a reply.

Angel: (from behind the camera man) You wouldn't have had ta write and record a whole new song and music video if you just sent 'er a video of you jacking it all week! I've never heard dat vibrator work so hard in its life! I swear I smelled smoke last night!

Charlie: (squeals, gasps, and shrieks all at once and falls backwards)

Vaggie: (jumps up from her seat) Angel! What the Fuck?!

Axel Steelgrave: Well, well, well, I guess that answers my next question. I take it this new single is going to be good news for the Princess?

Vaggie: (still steaming as she sits back down and tries to compose herself) I know you have the video on hand. Why not play it and let the fans see for themselves?

Axel Steelgrave: I couldn't have said it better myself. (to the camera) With that being said, let's take a look at a sneak peek of Fallen Angel's new single: "Dear, Charlie - For Somewhere Better".

-Video cuts to some random point in the music video where Vaggie is standing in black leather skirt that has the leather ripped into strips in a hoola-skirt style, black halter tank top, thigh high leather heeled boots, and black fingerless gloves, holding and shredding a guitar. Angel is a pink, fabulous gay disaster on drums while one set of hands works a keyboard.-

Vaggie: (singing) We'll ignite. Still dreaming wide awake. On the hunt for "Somewhen brighter". Pull me close now, and I'll dream until my dying day. Till we create a new "Somewhere better". The promise of a life. Like a thousand suns inside my broken heart. I can see through your eyes. And embrace the flame that guides me through the night.

-Video Cuts back to the interview-

Axel Steelgrave: (freaking out excitedly) Wow! That's quite the statement! Good on you, Steel Vagina!

Vaggie: Vaggie.

Axel Steelgrave: Before we end this exclusive, is there anything you want to say to the Princess in case she's watching?

Vaggie: (Face falls briefly as her eye widens and a blush colors her face) Oh.... (shakes her head to compose herself, looks into the camera, and makes a telephone gesture) Call me~

Axel Steelgrave: (laughing) Alright! You heard it here first, folks. "Dear, Charlie" will be available on HellTunes tonight at midnight. Thank you all so much for tuning in. And, as always, stay rocking.

Charlie: (finally managing to unravel the blanket and sitting on the floor with a bright red blush) C-Call.... Her.... She wants me to call her... (jumps up and down like a teenager in a bad "not another teen movie" while holding Razzle and Dazzle's hooves) SHE WANTS ME TO CALL HER!!!! (pauses) How?! I don't have her number!

-DING!-

Charlie: (dives for her phone on the floor and opens a new Sinstagram message)

FallenAngelVaggie: Hope you got a chance to watch "Insider Bands" tonight. Talk to you later? Maybe over coffee? XXX-XXX-XXXX

Charlie: (takes a deep breath) SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Vaggie: (leaning against the wall of the VH666 studio, holding her phone against her chest, and taking a long drag of a cigarette)

Angel: Hey! I thought you were quitting! (yoinks the cigarette and plops it between his lips)

Vaggie: Dammit, Angel! I said I'd be done once my case is empty! (digs in her pocket and pulls out an angelic steel cigarette case) It still has four left! I haven't even lit up in nearly six months!

Angel: I know! Proud of you for that. That interview rile you up that much that you gotta wreck six months of hard work?

Vaggie: Ugh! (slams her back into the wall) You think Charlie got the message?

-squeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Angel: (looks up at the sky towards the Morningstar Mansion where it looks like fireworks are going off on one of the balconies) Oh, I think she got it~

[muiitoloko]

Hiii! :D I LOVE your writing!! Every day I come home from work I go to your blog to read if there is a new story🌟 I don't know if you're taking request; i would like to make a request about Frank Benson (Eye in the sky) x reader I haven't read anything about him 🥲 and I would like if you could do something fluffly❤️‍🩹 with smut💥 maybe like something about him being married to the reader and coming home after a bad day at work and he just needs to be in control and some release🔥and then the reader being comforting💖🫶

I don't know if that makes sense🙈

Title: In control

Summary: He wanted to be in control and you gave him control.

Pairing: Frank Benson × Fem! Reader

Warnings: Smut, foul language and fluffy.

Author's Notes: Hey there! Thanks a ton for the love and support! Your dedication to checking out my blog every day seriously warms my heart! 🌟 As for your request about Frank Benson from "Eye in the Sky," I'm all ears! 😎 Your idea sounds like a rollercoaster of emotions, from fluffy to smutty to comforting—it's a wild ride! 🎢 And don't worry, even if it sounds a bit wild, it totally makes sense! 🙃 I've whipped up something I hope you'll enjoy! As for Alan Rickman in that military uniform, oh boy, does he look like a sin! 😏🔥

As Frank stepped through the threshold of his home, his shoulders slumped with the weight of the day's burdens. The familiar scent of home greeted him, a comforting reminder of the sanctuary that awaited him within these walls. Yet, even as he longed for the solace of his haven, the remnants of his stressful day clung to him like a suffocating shroud.

His brow furrowed in frustration as he struggled with the keys, his fingers fumbling with the metal implements in a futile attempt to unlock the door. With a muttered curse, he finally managed to coax the stubborn lock into submission, the satisfying click of the mechanism echoing in the stillness of the evening.

"Darling, I'm home," Frank called out, his voice a weary rasp as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

As you heard Frank's weary voice calling out from the hallway, you quickly turned off the stove and removed the pan from the fire, setting it aside. With practiced ease, you slipped off your apron and made your way to where Frank stood, struggling with his uniform.

Seeing him wrestle with the buttons of his military coat, you couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the man you loved. His gray hair was slightly disheveled, and the furrow in his brow spoke volumes about the weight of the burdens he carried.

"Hey there, soldier," you said softly, stepping closer to him and placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Rough day?"

Frank let out a frustrated groan, his shoulders sagging even further under the weight of his troubles. "Everything's gone to hell today," he muttered, his voice tinged with exhaustion. "I can't seem to catch a break."

You listened patiently as he vented his frustrations, offering him a sympathetic ear as he unburdened himself of the events that had unfolded throughout the day. His words painted a picture of chaos and uncertainty, a world where everything seemed to be spiraling out of control.

With a heavy sigh, Frank finally paused, his eyes meeting yours with a mixture of weariness and longing. "I just... I need to feel like I'm in control," he admitted, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down your spine.

In that moment, you knew exactly what he needed—to let go of the burdens of the day and be comforted by you. With a gentle glint in your eyes, you reached for the buttons of his uniform coat, your fingers deftly working to release them one by one.

As his coat fell to the floor, revealing the holsters of his gun beneath, Frank pulled you close, his hands roaming over your body with a hunger that left you breathless. You stumbled against him, the heat of his touch searing through you like wildfire as he pressed his lips to yours in a fierce, desperate kiss.

As the passionate kiss finally broke, you took your husband's hand, leading him to the bedroom with a sense of purpose. Frank followed, his steps heavy with the weight of the day's burdens.

Entering the bedroom, Frank began the familiar ritual of putting away his weapons, his movements precise and practiced. The holsters of his gun were set aside with care, each motion a testament to his disciplined nature.

But as he turned to undo his tie and the buttons on his shirt, you sat on the bed, watching him with a mixture of admiration and longing. Frank noticed your gaze and paused, his brow furrowing with concern.

"What is it, darling?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.

You shook your head, a playful smile playing on your lips. "Nothing, love," you reassured him. "Just enjoying the view."

Frank's expression softened, a hint of amusement flickering in his brown eyes. "Flatterer," he teased, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down your spine.

As Frank continued to undress, you couldn't help but notice the frustration still lingering in his demeanor. His movements were stiff and mechanical, a stark contrast to the controlled precision he usually exhibited. It was clear that the events of the day had taken a toll on him, weighing heavily on his shoulders like an oppressive burden.

You watched him silently, your heart aching with the desire to ease his troubles and bring him the comfort he so desperately needed. But as he paused halfway through undoing his wristwatch, his gaze meeting yours with a hint of uncertainty, you realized that perhaps what he needed most was not your comfort, but your submission.

You stood up, approaching him with purpose in your stride. With a gentle touch, you reached out to caress his cheek, your fingers trailing lightly along his stubbled jawline. "Let me take care of you, Frank," you whispered, your voice a soothing melody that washed over him like a warm embrace.

Frank's brown eyes softened at your words, a flicker of vulnerability shining through the steely mask he wore. He nodded wordlessly, a silent acknowledgment of the trust you placed in him as he stepped back, allowing you to take the lead.

With a sense of purpose, you reached for the buttons of your own blouse, your movements deliberate and unhurried. Frank watched you intently, his gaze filled with a mixture of desire and anticipation as you revealed the curves of your body inch by inch.

As the fabric fell away, pooling at your feet in a heap of discarded clothing, you stood naked before him, your skin flushed with anticipation. Frank's eyes roamed hungrily over your exposed form, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he took in the sight of you.

With a seductive smile, you dropped to your knees before him, your hands trailing lightly along his thighs as you looked up at him with adoration. "I'm yours to command, Frank," you murmured, your voice a husky whisper that sent shivers down his spine.

Frank's chest swelled with pride at your submissive gesture, his arousal evident in the bulge that strained against the fabric of his trousers. With a confident smirk, he reached down to undo his belt, the sound of leather sliding through metal sending a thrill of anticipation coursing through you.

As his pants and underwear fell to the floor in a heap, Frank stepped out of them with practiced ease, his arousal standing proudly at attention. He approached you slowly, his eyes never leaving yours as he reached out to pinch one of your breasts, making you moan softly in response.

With a hungry glint in his eyes, Frank caressed himself lightly, the sight of your kneeling form before him sending a surge of desire coursing through his veins. "You look so beautiful like this, my love," he murmured, his voice a low growl that made your heart race.

But even as desire threatened to consume him, Frank remained in control, his gaze unwavering as he issued his command. "Open your mouth for me, darling," he ordered, his voice tinged with authority. "I want to fuck that pretty mouth of yours today."

Eager to please your authoritarian husband, you obeyed without hesitation, parting your lips to accommodate him. Frank's arousal throbbed with anticipation as he positioned himself before you, his hands gripping your hair firmly as he guided himself to your waiting mouth.

With a sense of reverence, you took him in, your lips wrapping around his length as you began to suckle gently. Frank groaned in pleasure, his hips rocking forward as he buried himself deeper in your mouth, the heat of your tongue sending bolts of ecstasy coursing through him.

Lost in the rhythm of your movements, Frank's control began to slip, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he surrendered to the pleasure you offered. But even as his arousal threatened to overwhelm him, he remained mindful of your boundaries, his touch gentle and considerate as he guided you with a firm hand.

"Tell me if you want me to stop, darling," Frank murmured between ragged breaths, his voice thick with desire. "Just give my thigh a little tap, and I'll pull back, okay?"

You nodded in understanding, the sound muffled by the thickness of him in your mouth. With each passing moment, you felt yourself growing more intoxicated by the taste of him, the heady scent of his arousal filling your senses until you were lost in a haze of desire.

As Frank's arousal reached its peak, he couldn't hold back any longer. The controlled, disciplined soldier he once was faded away, replaced by a primal, insatiable hunger that consumed him from within. With a low growl of desire, he began to thrust into your mouth with increasing urgency, his movements rough and relentless.

Each thrust sent waves of pleasure coursing through you, the heady mix of pain and ecstasy driving you to new heights of arousal. Frank's grip on your hair tightened, his fingers digging into your scalp as he used you for his pleasure, his baritone voice a symphony of sinful promises that sent shivers down your spine.

"Such a good little cocksucker, aren't you?" Frank purred, his voice thick with lust as he rocked his hips against your mouth. "Taking me like the obedient little slut you are."

His words sent a surge of heat pooling between your thighs, your own arousal building with each passing moment. You moaned around him, the vibrations sending Frank over the edge as he let out a guttural groan of pleasure.

But just as he felt himself on the verge of climax, Frank forced himself to pull back, his hand gently urging you to release him from your mouth. He groaned in frustration as he watched you obey, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his brow as he struggled to regain his composure.

"Fuck, my little slut," he gasped, his voice thick with desire. "You're incredible at that. But I'm craving something more. Turn around and grip the edge of the bed for me; I need to be inside you now."

You nodded obediently, eager to please your dominant husband as you reached out to grasp the edge of the bedframe. As Frank fell to his knees behind you, you couldn't help but protest about his knees, but before you could voice your concern, he silenced you with a sharp slap to your ass.

The sudden sting made you gasp in surprise, a mixture of pain and pleasure coursing through you as Frank's calloused hand connected with your flesh. He caressed the spot he hit, his touch both soothing and electrifying as he leaned in close to whisper in your ear.

"Don't worry about me, darling," Frank said, his voice dripping with authority. "I'm in control here, and I know exactly what I want."

With a sense of anticipation, you held onto the edge of the bed, your heart pounding in your chest as Frank's hands roamed over your body. His touch was electric, igniting a fire within you that burned hotter with each passing moment.

As Frank positioned himself behind you, you braced yourself for what was to come, your body trembling with excitement. But before you could prepare yourself, Frank slapped your ass again, making you cry out in surprise at the sudden blow.

"None of that, love," Frank chided, his voice firm but tinged with amusement. "You know better than to speak out of turn."

You bit your lip to stifle a whimper, your arousal building with each slap of Frank's hand against your flesh. Despite the sting of pain, you found yourself craving more, eager to surrender yourself completely to his dominant touch.

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Frank playfully tugged your hair and brought his mouth close to your ear. "You enjoy that, don't you, my dear?" he whispered huskily, his voice carrying a commanding tone.

You whimpered in response, your body trembling with desire as Frank's words sent shivers down your spine. "Yes, sir," you gasped, your voice thick with need. "I love it when you take control."

A satisfied smirk spread across Frank's lips as he leaned in close, his breath hot against your ear. "Good," he whispered, his voice a husky rasp that made your pulse quicken. "Because tonight, I'm going to make you scream my name until you can't think of anything else."

With that, Frank's hand trailed down your spine, sending sparks of electricity dancing along your skin. You arched your back in anticipation, offering yourself up to him completely as he teased you with his touch.

As his fingers dipped lower, trailing along the curve of your ass, you couldn't help but moan in pleasure. Frank's touch was electric, igniting a fire within you that threatened to consume you whole.

With a sense of purpose, Frank reached between your legs, his fingers finding your slick heat with ease. You gasped in pleasure as he teased your folds, his touch sending waves of ecstasy crashing over you.

"Look at you, so wet and ready for me," Frank murmured, his voice thick with desire. "You're going to take everything I give you, aren't you, my little whore?"

You nodded eagerly, your breath coming in ragged gasps as Frank's fingers delved deeper, exploring every inch of your trembling body. You were his to command, his to please, and you relished in the knowledge that he would take you to heights of pleasure you had never imagined possible.

As Frank's fingers teased your slick heat, you let out a low moan of pleasure, your body arching instinctively into his touch. The sensation was electric, sending waves of ecstasy coursing through you as he explored every inch of your trembling body.

"God, Frank," you gasped, your voice thick with desire. "Please, I need you."

Frank's brown eyes darkened with desire as he leaned in close, his breath hot against your ear. "You're going to get everything you want, my little slut," he whispered, his voice a low growl that sent shivers down your spine. "But you have to beg for it."

Without hesitation, you nodded eagerly, your arousal reaching a fever pitch as you pleaded with him. "Please, Frank," you whimpered, your voice desperate and needy. "I need you inside me, now."

A satisfied smirk spread across Frank's lips as he positioned himself behind you, his arousal pressing against your slick folds. "That's it, darling," he murmured, his voice thick with desire. "Beg for my cock like the filthy whore you are."

With a sense of urgency, you pushed back against him, your body trembling with anticipation as you felt the tip of him teasing your entrance. "Please, Frank," you begged, your voice a desperate plea. "I need you to fuck me, now."

Without warning, Frank thrust into you with one swift motion, filling you completely as he buried himself deep inside your throbbing heat. You cried out in pleasure, your body trembling with ecstasy as he began to move, his thrusts slow and deliberate.

"That's it, my dear" Frank growled, his voice thick with desire. "Take my cock like the filthy whore you are."

With each thrust, Frank's control slipped further, his movements growing faster and more desperate as he surrendered to the pleasure of being inside you. You met him thrust for thrust, your bodies moving in perfect harmony as you chased your release together.

"Fuck, Frank!" you moaned, your voice thick with desire. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

The sound of your voice sent a jolt of arousal coursing through Frank's veins, his arousal peaking as he felt your walls clench around him in a tight embrace. With a primal growl, he thrust into you one final time, sending you both hurtling over the edge into a sea of ecstasy.

As the waves of pleasure washed over you, you cried out Frank's name like a prayer, your voice echoing in the stillness of the room. Frank's release followed soon after, his body trembling with the force of his climax as he emptied himself inside you with a guttural groan of satisfaction.

For a moment, the world fell away, leaving only the two of you entwined in a blissful embrace. With each ragged breath, you felt the weight of the day's burdens melt away, replaced by a sense of contentment and fulfillment that only Frank could provide.

After reaching the pinnacle of pleasure together, Frank withdrew from you, his body trembling with the remnants of his climax. Slowly, he stood up, feeling the ache in his knees that he chose to ignore for the moment. With a gentle tug, he pulled you to bed, wrapping you in his strong embrace.

As he held you close, Frank's chest swelled with a sense of gratitude and affection. "Thank you, my love," he murmured, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down your spine. "For giving me control today."

You smiled softly, running your fingers through his gray hair as you leaned in to press a tender kiss against his lips. "Anything for you, Frank," you whispered, your voice filled with love and devotion. "You know I'll always give you whatever you want."

Frank's brown eyes twinkled with amusement as he pulled back to gaze at you, a playful glint dancing in his eyes. "Well, my dear, in that case, get ready for the next round," he teased, a smirk playing on his lips.

You chuckled, a mischievous twinkle in your eyes as you playfully pushed him. "Oh, I'm always ready," you replied, your voice laced with anticipation. "But are you up for it, old man?"

Frank feigned exasperation, shaking his head with mock indignation. "Ah, the audacity of a woman," he exclaimed, his baritone voice filled with amusement. "Give me a minute, or perhaps ten. The refractory period is shit at my age."

You grinned, leaning in to kiss him once more. "I know, darling," you said softly, stroking his chin affectionately. "But I miss the times when we were young and had sex all night."

Frank's smile softened, a hint of nostalgia flickering in his brown eyes as he pulled you closer to him. "Those were the days, weren't they?" he murmured, his voice tinged with longing. "But even now, with age catching up to us, I wouldn't trade this moment for anything in the world."

You snuggled against him, feeling the warmth of his embrace enveloping you like a cocoon. "Me neither, Frank," you whispered, pressing a tender kiss against his cheek. "As long as I have you by my side, I have everything I need."

Your words trailed off as Frank's stomach let out a loud growl, prompting a blush to spread across his cheeks. He chuckled softly, a hint of embarrassment coloring his expression as he realized his hunger. "I guess I've worked up an appetite," he said sheepishly, his deep voice tinged with amusement.

You smiled warmly at him, the affection in your gaze evident as you got out of bed and wrapped yourself in a cozy robe. "Don't worry, darling," you reassured him, your voice gentle and soothing. "I'll have dinner ready for you in no time."

Frank nodded gratefully, feeling a sense of comfort wash over him as you took charge of the situation. With a contented sigh, he settled back into bed, the soft sheets enveloping him like a warm embrace.

As you left the bedroom to prepare dinner, Frank couldn't help but admire the way you effortlessly took care of him. Your love and devotion were evident in every gesture, and he felt a surge of gratitude for having you by his side.

With a sense of purpose, Frank made his way to the bathroom, his steps heavy with exhaustion. The warm water of the shower beckoned to him, offering a brief respite from the stresses of the day.

As he stepped into the shower, the hot water cascading over his weary body, Frank felt the tension begin to melt away. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to bask in the warmth and comfort of the moment, relishing the sensation of being cleansed both physically and mentally.

With practiced efficiency, Frank washed away the grime of the day, the steam of the shower enveloping him like a soothing blanket. The rhythmic sound of the water against the tiles echoed in the small space, a steady cadence that matched the beat of his heart.

As he lathered soap over his body, Frank couldn't help but reflect on the events of the day. It had been a challenging one, filled with difficult decisions and unexpected obstacles. But in the midst of it all, he found solace in the knowledge that he had you waiting for him at home, ready to offer him the love and support he so desperately needed.

With a sense of determination, Frank resolved to leave the worries of the day behind him, focusing instead on the simple pleasure of being present in the moment. The warm water of the shower was a soothing balm to his weary soul, washing away the remnants of stress and tension until all that remained was a sense of peace and contentment.

After thoroughly enjoying the rejuvenating shower, Frank emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed and revitalized. He quickly dried himself off and dressed in fresh clothes, the weight of the day's burdens lifting from his shoulders with each passing moment.

As he made his way to the kitchen, the tantalizing aroma of dinner wafted through the air, filling him with anticipation. He found you standing by the stove, a look of concentration on your face as you put the finishing touches on the meal.

"Smells amazing," Frank commented, his voice filled with appreciation as he wrapped his arms around you from behind, pressing a tender kiss to your cheek.

You chuckled softly, leaning into his embrace as you stirred the pot on the stove. "I'm glad you think so, darling," you replied, your voice warm and affectionate. "I made your favorite."

Frank's eyes sparkled with delight as he caught sight of the meal you had prepared. "You spoil me," he teased, a hint of mischief in his voice as he took a seat at the table.

You smiled fondly at him, the love in your gaze shining brightly as you served him a generous portion of the delicious meal. "You deserve it," you said softly, your voice filled with sincerity. "After the day you've had, you deserve a little pampering."

Frank's heart swelled with gratitude as he took a bite of the food, savoring the familiar flavors that reminded him of home. With each mouthful, he felt a sense of warmth and comfort wash over him, filling him with a sense of contentment that he hadn't felt in days.

As you watched him eat, a sense of satisfaction filled you, knowing that you had brought him the comfort and nourishment he so desperately needed. In that moment, there was no greater joy than seeing him happy and at ease, his troubles forgotten in the simple pleasure of a home-cooked meal and the warmth of your love.

[infernalodie]

Do you think you could do a Jenna Ortega fic . Either male or female reader and they are like really tall so a lot taller than Jenna because she's like 5ft 1. And it can be about anything.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 || 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐎𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐚

"𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘭' 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘐'𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘨, 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦"

Inspo: 6lack - Pretty Little Fears

Pairing: Jenna Ortega x Black!Male!reader

Summary: It’s honorable to put your guard down...

Warnings: Fluff

Words: 1563

Jenna heard you arrive at her apartment before she saw you or received a text from you. But your lumbering feet and quiet mutterings from the thin walls that encased her apartment, she could tell exactly by the smallest of details.

She was seated on the couch when you walked in. Eyes heavy with exhaustion and your work jacket halfway off your body as you walked in the direction of her room. Muttering a quiet greeting as your loud footsteps shook the floor. This was your system every time you came home from a long day at work and knew that in a minute or so, you would come over and lay on the couch and watch youtube with your head resting in her lap. Maybe order some food so the two of you could relax in one another’s embrace.

But as you reentered the room, Jenna quickly noticed you walking in the direction of the kitchen. “What’re you doing?” Jenna inquired, closing her phone and following. Leaning against the island and watching you curiously.

In your work pants that had paint, drywall particles, and little slivers of wood stuck in the fabric. Shirt with a bleach stain along the bottom, you grabbed an apron and slipped it on. “I’m making you food,” you answered softly, tying the garment around your waist and turning halfway to your girlfriend. “You gonna join me?”

Jenna stared up at your hulking figure, practically a spec of dust from your perspective. Unable to help herself from the dirty thoughts that invaded her thoughts with you towering over her. Unintentionally getting her worked up without so much as a touch or word. Your warm eyes and lean figure could simply get her wanting to tie you down and have fun. Your chocolate-toned skin glistens with sweat. Love bites leaving a red-tinged mark on your chest as she slowly worked her way down. And your eyes are swamped with wants and needs. Things that she could only provide. Oh, how much she would love for that right about now-

“Get your head out of the gutter.” Jenna blinked rapidly, shaking her head slightly as she looked up at you in question. You smiled. “We can have sex after supper, sweetheart.” Leaning down, you kissed her flushed cheeks.

She gently pushed you away, trying to hide how red her face was. “I wasn’t thinking about sex,” she defended. Groaning in annoyance when your arms curled around her waist with your figure bent down slightly to press your lips to the crown of her head.

“Sure,” you whispered. “Whatever my girl wants to believe. Not like I saw you looking at my dick for a good 5 seconds-”

“Shut it!” She exclaimed, hand pressing to your lips. Head rolled back to look up at your inverted face. A deep chuckle rumbled from your chest as you kissed the palm of her hand softly. Parting from her small frame and moving throughout the kitchen, gathering all the ingredients you needed for whatever meal you planned on making.

Hoisting herself onto the counter, Jenna watched you work effortlessly. Grabbing a bottle of white wine from one of the cabinets, only raised questions in her mind. But as she saw you cut meat, chop up vegetables, and pour oil into a pan, she allowed you to take full control.

There was a lot that Jenna knew about you. From the days when you two lived in a three-bedroom apartment with one of your buddies, she got to know you inside and out. Of course, at that time, you two weren’t well acquainted before you moved in. But as she saw you come home from work, sitting at the kitchen table with a dimly lit light hanging above with a beer in hand, she took those times to talk to you. Maybe it was just because she wanted to relax your mind from the endless amounts of work you did at whatever construction sight you worked at. But she had always been curious as to who you were as a person.

Yet, here she was, seeing you cook with no help needed and seemed to know way more than she did. Which wasn’t a bad thing, but it irked something deep inside her. An inquiry of what else you had in your skillset that she didn’t know about. You knew how to build things judging by most of the furniture in her apartment being from IKEA–you being her first person to call for help. You could act but never wanted fame and now, you knew how to cook.

“Where did you learn how to do this?” She asked, seeing you place the meat into the pan. A loud sizzling sound throughout the tiny kitchen as you gently shake the pan. Making to get all the oil around the food before grabbing some seasoning and sprinkling it onto the meat.

“Mother taught me,” you said, voice almost barely able to be heard. “She worked out of a restaurant back in New York. Often when I was being a jackass at school, she would have me catch a train and work at the restaurant.” Rubbing your hands down the apron, you turned to the girl, smiling faintly. “Taught me most of what I know now.”

Jenna nodded, unable to take her eyes off how memorizing you were. How you spoke with such passion and how happy you were about something so long ago. It made you who you were today.

“And your dad taught you how to build?” That made you laugh, walking to the fridge. Grabbing a beer from inside and popping the cap off with the lip of the counter.

Taking a sip, you placed it down beside Jenna and gave a thin-lipped smile. “That’s all he ever taught me,” you said, leaning against the counter opposite of her. Using your hands to express yourself, you said, “Asshole taught me how to fix the pipes in our house, build decks, and flip houses.” You sighed, shaking your head. “Fuck, that guy was a dickhead.”

“Where’s he now?” Jenna then inquired, making you sigh, and rub your forehead in thought. Stepping towards the girl, who wrapped you up in her thighs, pulling you closer until you stood flush to the edge of the counter, staring down at the girl in thought.

“Um, I think he’s in Chicago with his sister working with a trucking company or some shit,” you said. “Comes back to New York ever so often to visit mom.”

Placing her hand on your shoulders, she pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Well, good to know I have my own handyman.”

“As long as I get something in return.” A wicked smirk formed on your lips as Jenna slapped your chest with a laugh. And for a moment, the two of you just stared at one another. No words need to be spoken about the love you two held for one another. One small look was enough to give one another butterflies. And Jenna guessed that was how she knew she loved you. How relaxed she felt being under your gaze or touch that had been innocent before the two of you dated.

Finishing up the food, you and Jenna prepared the meal and table. The tiny table near the windows and looking down at the streets of New York. Jenna lit the candle in the center of the table and took a seat.

When the plate was placed in front of her, Jenna raised a brow. Inhaling the scent and allowing a smile to appear on her lips, humming in delight. “What is this?” She asked, looking up when you sat down across from her.

“Braised short ribs,” you replied. “One of the first dishes my mom taught me when she could trust me inside the restaurant on my own.”

A soft laugh fell from your lips, Jenna smiling as the two of you began to eat. Small conversations were had as you talked on and on about your parents. Two people she was sure never existed from the lack of information you’d given her about them. But the sudden change was great to know. She had always wanted to know and understand who the two people responsible for raising the big loving giant you were.

“-And I just stood there staring at this flame with my mom screaming at me to put it out-”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Jenna asked softly.

Now, you could’ve immediately taken her words as something venomous or agitated. But seeing the twinkle in her eyes, told you otherwise. Allowing a smile to appear on your lips as you took a bite of your food. “I don’t know,” you responded. “I want to say something romantic, but I honestly don’t know. What I do know is that I never told any of my girlfriends about my family.

That made Jenna raise a brow with a smile dancing across her face. “And why is that?”

“Because they didn’t have my heart in their hands as you do.” Jenna’s face flushed as you tried to maintain the bashful smile that appeared.

“You said you didn’t want to say anything romantic,” she whined as you leaned over the table and kissed her on the lips.

Parting just a breath away and smiling. “But I love you, Jenna Ortega.”

[atinylittlepain]

No Surrender

no outbreak!joel miller x fem!reader

Hungry Hearts masterlist

wordcount | 2K

warnings | smut, angst, the usual

a/n | a short but sweet epilogue to this treat of a story. thank you to everyone who has followed along with joel and cherry <3

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

“Strike!”

“That’s alright, Els! Shake it off, babe, you got this!”

“C’mon, kid, just like we practiced. All in the hips.” Before she steps back up to bat, Ellie shoots a rather pointed look their way, her shoulders rising and falling with a huff.

“Shut up, please.” Cherry laughs while Joel grumbles, not too surprised by the kid’s abrasive command, though still a little taken aback. 

“At least we got a please out of her.” Joel nods, only half paying attention to Cherry’s quip as he watches the next pitch, a ball that Ellie doesn’t bite at, smart. Their team needs a strong hit, Sarah on third and another runner on second, two outs and all tied up. 

“Strike two!” 

“Oh, c’mon now, that was way inside.” He mumbles it just loud enough that the parents sitting in front of them on the bleachers turn over their shoulder to stare at him, Cherry offering them an apologetic smile before turning her attention to him. 

“Joel, don’t start. Do you want a repeat of last week?” Last week, both Ellie and Sarah wouldn’t talk to them the whole car ride home from the fields after he and Cherry both got asked to wait in the parking lot when they got a little too heated with the ump about Ellie’s contested slide into third.

“I blame you for that one.” Cherry’s face screws up, her hand that had been resting on his thigh laying a mean squeeze that makes him laugh.

“Me?”

“Yeah, you’re the one that started it.”

“Well, you’re the one that finished it, Miller.” Somehow, even after a year, they’re still disgusting for each other. At least that’s what Sarah calls it, Ellie usually agreeing with a grimace and a fake gag. But they’re too busy on the field right now to comment on the smacking kiss Joel steals from Cherry, her frown going slack before crooking into half a grin. 

“How could I not, Cher? That ump was calling my woman’s judgment into question.”

“Your woman, huh?” A quick flush of heat in his cheeks when she says it like that, all simpering low. His cheeks smart with his grin.

“Yeah, that’s right.” 

“How very paleolithic of you.” Before he can jostle her a little for her snark, the crack of a bat hitting a ball pulls their attention back to the field. Both of them are instantly on their feet when they see the perfect zip of Ellie’s hit. Yeah, maybe a little obnoxious, the way they alternate between cheering Sarah on into home and yelling for Ellie to steal second. But it is their girls, after all. 

…

Not that he would go around admitting this to anyone, but Joel has gotten pretty good at cooking tofu. Two pans on the stove, one with chicken and one with the aforementioned protein, he stirs while Cherry chops up veggies for the tacos beside him. 

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed that all the boxes we just brought over were only Sarah’s.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m all ready to go. The movers are coming on, what? Wednesday?” She stops chopping, shooting him an exasperated look.

“Monday, Joel, the movers are going to be at your house at nine sharp on Monday. Which, by the way, is two days from now.” 

“Right, I knew that.” She huffs, a murmured uh-huh as she goes back to chopping. Honestly, he’s not sure why she’s so worried about it. Over the course of the last year, it’s just been one big and slow move-in to the point that one evening last week when he and Sarah actually were at their house, he found himself without a toothbrush, having made a permanent home for it on Cherry’s bathroom sink. Really, the movers are just for the few big things they’ve still yet to haul over. Sarah’s bed, which is going to go in what was the guest room in Cherry’s house, walls now painted purple after a quick weekend project and ready for its new purpose. A couch and a flatscreen that’s going in the basement, and yes, he’s already looking forward to football season. And his bookshelf, an open wall in Cherry’s room for its new home, though she’s been adamant that anything with her name on it needs to go in a box somewhere that she can’t see it. Writers, he muses, never without their quirks. 

“Phone’s ringing, Cher.” And it never seems to stop. He swears he could hear it ringing from across town with how used to that sound he has gotten. But she’s been putting it on silent more often these days, and right now, she waves her hand in her phone’s vague direction, a despondent little sound in the back of her throat.

“I’m not answering that, it’s the fucking weekend and I just sent in the first draft to her. And anyways, she’s gonna be in town next weekend, did I tell you that?” She has, probably ten times, but he doesn’t tell her that, just nods, giving her hip a squeeze as he reaches around her for the spatula.

“What’s her name again?”

“Maria. And I was thinking, you know, maybe you could invite Tommy over for dinner the same night that she’s visiting.” Her words slant a little with her hardly-contained grin, and he finally pieces together why she’s been mentioning her editor’s visit so frequently to him.  

“Oh yeah, you were just thinking, huh?” He hooks his arm around her waist, the end of his words getting pressed into the shell of her ear as she squirms in his hold, trying to bite back her smile. 

“I’m just saying. She’s thinking about moving to Austin.”

“Is there a big publishing business in Austin?”

“No, she wants to give that whole remote thing a go. The wonders of modern technology and all that. I tried that new Skype thing out last week for an interview though and it gave me the biggest headache ever. I doubt that’ll last very long.” He hums, letting Cherry go to finish cooking the food on the stove. 

“I’ll invite him over, Cher, but I ain’t gonna promise you that he won’t make a fool of himself. She’s probably way out of his league.” 

“Hmm, we’ll see. I think someone a little more serious would be good for him.” 

He’s used to this now. He might even take it for granted. All the ways that they have configured their lives around each other. Lucky, he thinks, that Ellie and Sarah get along like they do. Lucky that Sarah likes her and Ellie tolerates him, though he thinks the kid’s not giving him enough credit when she says that with a dramatic sigh. Lucky too that two decades felt like nothing compared to all the good they get to have together now. 

A family, he thinks, because what else would he call it? Hers and his sitting down at the table on their back porch for dinner. And yes, it’s theirs now, or as good as, even though the movers are still two days away. 

Sarah and Ellie talk about their class schedules for the new school year. Lord help them all, sophomores in high school. Apparently he said that thought out loud because Ellie screws up her face at him around a bite of taco.

“Well, what were y’all like in high school?”

“Oh my god, Els, did you just say y’all?” Cherry can barely get the question out behind her laugh, and Ellie rolls her eyes so hard Joel thinks they might get stuck like that.

“Hey, she’s just practicing the local customs. But I’m also curious, for the record, about what you two were like in high school.” Ellie nods along to Sarah’s addition, already a team, he thinks. Again, lord help them all. 

“Well, your dad had a bit of a reputation on campus for getting into trouble.” 

“Hey, I was never as bad as Tommy.” He puts all of his energy into the look he gives Cherry, pleading for her to not take this where he thinks she’s taking it. She just grins over the rim of her glass. Sarah and Ellie meanwhile, seem rapt to hear more.

“Maybe so, but I’m guessing you haven’t told Sarah about what you did at homecoming in eighty-three?” 

“Oh Jesus no, and I’m not going to, and neither are you, thank you very much.” Sarah and Ellie take up a chorus of boos at that, Cherry shrugging her shoulders at him, though he doesn’t let her smugness off easy, squeezing her thigh beneath the table as he gets a story of his own ready for takeoff.

“You had a reputation of your own, didn’t you, Cher?” Her face falls just as his lifts with his grin, looking at the girls again, their attention recaptured. 

“This one right here was something of a heartbreaker. Wouldn’t give the time of day to any of the poor boys that trailed after her. Little did they know she was actually a grade A nerd.” A cheap shot maybe, Cherry shoving at his shoulder as Ellie snorts at her mom, enough for him to be pretty pleased with himself.

“I’ll have you know that I wasn’t giving any of them the time of day because I wasn’t interested in any of those poor boys you’re talking about.”

“No? Not even Mikey Donahue?” Cherry scoffs, a wave of her hand, forget it.

“Especially not Mikey Donahue.”

“That right?” “Mmhmm.”

“And how’d that work out for you, Cher?” 

“I’d say it worked out pretty well, at least in the end.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh god, they’re being disgusting again, that’s our cue to leave.” He doesn’t pay Sarah’s gripe any mind, nor Ellie’s groan of my eyes, it burns! By the time the sliding door of the porch closes behind their girls, he’s already leaning in for a second kiss that Cherry meets with a soft hum. 

“You better not tell them about homecoming in eighty-three.” Her brow crooks, nails scratching lightly at his scruff where her hand is settled along his jaw.

“Or else what?” He sighs, like he’s really considering his options, another squeeze to her thigh before he answers. 

“Or else I’ll tell them about the time you peed your pants in Sunday school.” Her smile simmers, her ankle hooking around his, a little tug for him to scooch his chair closer to hers. 

“Hmm, I think homecoming in eighty-three is still worse.” 

“I was trying to be generous, Cher. I could tell them about the time you got sent to the principal’s office for telling Maureen Henderson to shove her nail file up her—” Cherry gasps, quick to clamp her palm over his mouth, though she jerks her hand away when he starts to laugh.

“I never liked her.”

“No, you sure didn’t.” 

“She liked you though.” It’s silent for a moment, Cherry’s smile sliding into something a little more shy as Joel leans into her side, trying to catch her downturned gaze.

“That’s not jealousy I’m detecting is it?” The heel of her palm shoves into his chest with a huff, but he doesn’t budge, just crowds in closer, his arm curling around her shoulders. 

“Uh, considering I’m the one you’re breathing your pickled jalapeno breath on right now, no, I am not jealous of Maureen Henderson.” 

“I didn’t really care for her either.” That gets a smile out of her, the slightest curl of it enough for his to split even wider.

“No?” 

“Nah, I was waiting on someone else anyways.” She leans back to get a better look at him, doing that now familiar thing of pressing two of her fingers into the patch in his scruff, always right there. 

“Hmm, how’d that work out for you?”

“Pretty damn good, at least in the end.”  That gets him another kiss, Cherry just as quickly flitting out of his hold to start cleaning up the table after dinner, another routine he’s happy to settle into with her. 

Yes, maybe it’s strange, still awkward at times, figuring out how this family fits together. Yes, maybe there’s still hurt, two decades worth of it to answer to, to soothe in each other. But he knows that this is theirs, movers be damned. It’s always been theirs. And yes, maybe he also knows that there’s a small velvet box tucked into what is now his sock drawer up in their bedroom. He thinks he knows what her answer will be to that velvet box tucked into his sock drawer. 

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

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[mysteriesmuse]

FIRE IN THE HOLE🔥💥☕️

Your lovely boyfriend turned current fiancé, Katsuki Bakugou knows that when he says not a word to anyone and you pretend to zip your lips that’s there’s a pretty substantial chance that a certain list of people are probably gonna hear about it . . . your siblings, your childhood best friend, your college best friend, sometimes your dentist if they can put together the mumbled response to their questions. Katsuki seriously wonders why they all do that. Especially yours because you are a chatter box. But, at the top of that list is your mom . . .

Katsuki is sitting inside peering over the pesky reading glasses he got a few weeks ago, he hates to admit he needs them, as you slip out the back door to take your weekly phone call from your mom. He brings chin to chest before puffing out a breath of laughter. Across from him is your new organic mug. A lopsided thing steaming with a new cup of peppermint tea . . .

Katsuki hums, he’ll heat it back up for you when you return. You absentmindedly stroll on the tattered lawn in your flip-flops. Phone pressed to your cheek as you grin and tease patches of dandelions with your toes . . .

Katsuki’s sure you’re on the wind-up with the causal “how are you” catch before regaling your mother with this most recent and embarrassing fiasco.

————

In the backyard you poke at a nearly blossoming yellow lion bud.

“Oh- yeah, yeah I’ll be sure to mention it to Katsuki. Have dad text him about the furniture thing. He’s inside looking at tiles for the bathroom”

you shake your head, slipping your toes back around the sandal strap and carrying on. Your mother clearly has you on speaker phone. You can hear the food sizzling in the pan and your father scrubbing at the kitchen sink. a coy smile lights itself on your face: the perfect segway.

“oh mom, speaking of the dishes that I can hear dad scrubbing in the back you’ll never believe what Katsuki and I did”

“Sweetie? You know I know you’re engaged to a pro-hero?” your mom chuckles, “that could be anything in my wildest imagination”

Humming you glance back over at you darling fiancé. Diligently scrolling through a catalog of kitchen and bath tiles, “actually this is pretty mundane compared to other things.” You can hear the hiss of air and the playful groan that follows. The sound of your mother rolling her eyes . . .

“well about 2-3 weeks ago I get Katsuki to join me at this pottery class that I’ve been looking into. We’re there and he’s, tsk, typical grumbling about it to me under his breath. The place is so homely and smells like the earth and a dash of paint chemicals but otherwise nice. A few soccer moms trying to be earthy and unwind, but nothing along the lines of crazed fans or anything like that.

once we’re told the rules and given the supplies we’re going. The both of us - right? Totally surprising. But Katsuki’s actually into it. They tell us we’re making mugs because that’s a good beginner pot, but his hands are so big so his is more like a soup bowl. I KNOW, that’s the kinda of coffee mug you’d need! Anyway, it’s still huge by the end, but it looks good. Not at all lopsided or anything.

. . . oh god no mine was a mess! The instructor lady said the walls were all uneven and whatnot, but it coulda’ been a lovely pencil holder. Yeah, right. So anyways, we leave feeling pretty good. Katsuki has begrudging enjoyed himself and they’re supposed to call the both of us when they finish up in the kiln.

a few days past and we’re out at home. yeah the apartment - sitting on the couch and trying some new recipe for guac our friend Sero recommended. And we get the call. Except it’s not a “hey your mugs are ready to pick up thanks for taking our class. We hope to see you again” it��s “oh hey our condolences here’s a free voucher to take another class if you so desire” and you know why? It’s because our group exploded in the kiln. Which - yeah - is natural if there’s a huge air bubble.

Right, so I’m sitting on the couch with the voicemail they left us on the answering machine. Katsuki’s throwing a bunch of stuff together in a bowl in the kitchen still.

but the place doesn’t say that the pots in the kiln exploded it says that the kiln exploded. Right away. Like boom! anyway that grabs Katsuki’s attention and he utters the loudest “shit.” I may have ever heard him say in his sacred space. And he rushes into the bedroom to grab his wallet and checkbook . . . and I don’t know that’s what he’s grabbing. Im just like babe where are you going?

and he comes back out panting and says “dial them back” and I’m like why?? And Katsuki’s just sweatdrops and deadpans like babygirl I just broke their kiln.

Then it hits me . . . the nitroglycerin from his quirk sweat is all over that clay and once that thing got fired up . . . Fire. In. The. Hole. And so Katsuki paid to replace the damage cause neither of us were actually thinking about that part when we were there. So he combusted everyone’s things, but on the bright side I went back using my voucher and made a cute mug.

Oh, and Katsuki is gonna let me use his too. Honestly, probably for the best”

———

and it’s later that evening when Katsuki’s massaging your knee that’s draped over his lap that he hears your impression of you mothers response to this story which was, understandably, “oh pumpkin, that’s hysterical! You’ve got to call your sister and tell her!”

[nyxnightshade1332]

Expectations When Expecting (Prologue)

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

The walk to her new, temporary, residence, was filled with semi-awkward conversation, making Yuu wish for the ground to swallow her whole.

"...By the way, miss Yuu, may I ask how far along you are?" Crowley blurted, making her cringe slightly.

"W- Well, according to the nurse, I'm a little over two months. She said that I'm about ten weeks." She told him.

"Well, my dear. Would you like for me to inform anyone about your condition?" Crowley asked, seemingly much more giddy about her answers.

Yuu nodded, stepping over a stone. "I think it'd be best to just include staff in this. It'd be weird to tell a bunch of boys that there's some pregnant girl among their ranks." She stated, earning a nod from the Headmage.

"I understand. However, I'm not certain that you will be able to study with the others." He mentioned it to her calmly. The headmage that led her by the hand stopped suddenly in a gloomy looking part of the campus.

"Yeah, I get it..." She collided face-first into the tall man.

"Here we are!" He announced proudly. Yuu looked up, her confusion quickly turning into surprise as she saw a tall, clearly haunted house that was practically falling apart.

"Wow. Um... This is a little too much character, if you ask me." She remarked, gawking as the headmage opened the door. Everything about this house looked barely passable for living.

"Charming, isn't it? Right, scoot inside now. There you go." He pushed her inside, and she was immediately met with the scent of rotting wood, wet furniture, and an air heavy with dust.

"This should keep the elements at bay for the time being." Crowley stated, turning around as he did so, and shooting her a quick smile. "Now, I should return to my research. Do try to find some way to keep yourself busy."

Yuu turned on her heel to see him abandoning her. "Wait-!"

"Oh! But don't let me catch you wandering the campus! Ta!" Crowley nodded his goodbye as he slammed the door, kicking up a very sudden flurry of dust. Yuu couldn't help but cough. "Ugh..." She groaned before examining the area.

The entire room was in a state of disarray, old books were strewn across the floor, furniture was flipped over, and paintings had been knocked off of the wall. She noticed the peeling green wallpaper and how the entire place had been covered in dust and cobwebs.

"Gross... This looks like it's in worse shape than my uncle's basement before I went to help him clean it. At least there was a good spot to sit in there."

She got to work on cleaning, working on flipping over the table and rocking chair that had been flipped, and used her robes as a makeshift mask as she beat the dust off of a rug and several of the cushions. Before long, she heard the boom of thunder and the light pattering sound of rain.

"Looks like it's started to rain." She muttered to herself, moving to look in the dorm's kitchen for a broom or a feather duster.

Until she heard the scraping of a grimy window opening. She grabbed an old pan, slinking toward the sound of an intruder as quietly as she could. It was then that she heard an animal shake and a familiar voice. She made it to the window in the lounge, confirming her suspicions as soon as she saw the fiery ears and the forked cat's tail.

"GWAH! It's pouring out there!" The creature hissed

"What the- GRIM?!" She cried out. She moved closer, still clutching the pan in her hands before glaring at him.

"Bwahaha! That look on your face is priceless! Like a bat that got blasted by a water gun." He giggled as if he didn't look like a drowned rat.

"Yeah, okay. But what are you even doing here?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"As if I wouldn't just sneak back onto campus the second I escaped pryin' eyes. You all got no idea what I'm capable of!" He announced, standing on his hind paws to emphasize what he was saying. "I ain't givin' up on goin' here just 'cause I got kicked out one measly ol' time. And if you think otherwise, you don't know Grim!"

She paused, placing the pan aside. "Yeah, okay. I don't, so help me understand something. Why are you so determined to go to this school?" She asked the cat monster.

Grim paused for a moment, considering how to answer the question. "Isn't it obvious?" He asked.

She shook her head, watching the cat.

"I was born to do this! I'm a magical prodigy who's got the makin's to become one of the greatest mages who ever lived!" He began, pumping his little paw in the air. "So I've been waitin' and waitin' for that black carriage to come for me. And yet..."

She felt a pang of empathy in her chest as Grim's voice trailed off. "It never came..."

Grim huffed, turning his nose up slightly. "That Dark Mirror's got no eye for talent! That's why I took the initiative and came here myself." He reasoned. Yuu put together that he was more or less like a human child. How cute, he's like my nephews. She thought, sitting down on the somewhat dusted couch. She heard a loud, uncomfortable yowl from Grim.

"C'mon, scoot over! I'm getting dripped on here!" He bristled slightly before shaking off more water. "Another hole in the roof! These flamin' ears are like my trademark, y'know? I can't let 'em get doused!"

She snorted in amusement at his childish antics. "Yeah? Good luck with that. The ceiling's riddled with holes." She saw Grim rush over to the couch and curled up on another cushion.

"I dunno why you don't just magic those holes away. You could have it fixed in half a jiff." He remarked before smirking. "Ahhh, right. You can't use magic at all. Pffft, man you're useless."

She narrowed her eyes at him, huffing and pushing him slightly toward the leak. "Fine, if I'm useless then you can go dust your own cushion off."

"MYAH?!" Grim yelped, feeling another drop hit his ear. "Okay! Okay! Fine, I can help!" He cried, attempting to claw his way back onto the couch just as the leaks got worse.

"Good to see we're on the same page! Now... About those buckets." She smiled at him, allowing the wet cat into her robes, where he curled up against her stomach as she stood up.

A few moments of silence later, she heard, "Hey, human? Why's your smell like this?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused by his question.

"Ya know! You smell nice, and your stomach's super warm." Grim said, shocking her.

"How about this? Once we find the buckets, I'll tell you. Okay?" She asked.

"Okay, fine! Deal!" Grim stated, hopping out of her robes, looking around. She agreed, splitting up so they could look in more places. She heard the random sniffing, snorting, and sneezing from Grim whenever he'd accidentally inhale dust.

It was about one hour of looking when she felt the temperatures suddenly drop and a trio of strange laughter echo from behind her.

Yuu spinned around, every fiber of her body telling her to run."This place is seriously freaky." She shivered, blinking away the tears of anxiety in her eyes. On the third blink, she opened her eyes to see the figures of three ghostly beings, cackling maniacally and began to float toward her.

Her arm hair stood on end and she felt the tightness in her throat loosen enough for her to release a horrified scream. Ghosts!

The larger of them cackled. "We haven't had visitors in ages! Oh, I'm just itchin' for new friends!" His voice was deep and playful, but his actions appeared much more hostile in the dark of the hallway.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! Nonononono!" She yelped, rushing away from the three phantoms.

"Hey human! Keep it down over-!" Grim called, directing the ghosts' attention to himself. Grim, upon spotting them, gave a terrified screech, shouting "GHOSTS! GHOOOOOOSTS!" Before turning tail and running after her.

The middle ghost smiled creepily. "All the people who used ta live here got scared of us and ran away." He said, his voice trembling.

"We just want a new ghost to play with! What do you say, buddy?" The larger ghost suggested, giving chase.

"Hell no!" She responded, grabbing Grim and rushing down the stairs. She felt the little monster squirm in her arms once they made it to the lounge's entryway, and she let him go.

Grim, despite shivering like a chihuahua, stood up on his hind paws. " I-I'm a master sorcerer! I ain't afraid of any dumb ghosts!" He called, inhaling deeply.

He's going to blow fire?! Yuu stared incredulously. He's brave, sure, but why are his eyes closed?!

The spirits cackled, circling the little monster.

"Nuh-uh. Not even close." The tall, thin ghost teased.

"Over here! Over here! Ah ha ha ha!" The larger one taunted, fading to match the area.

"Argh! They keep disappearing and reappearing!" Grim snarled in annoyance.

"Grim! You're gonna set the dorm on fire if you don't open your eyes!" She called.

"Shaddup! I don't need any lip from you, human!" He snapped, spooked and exasperated.

Yuu thought for a moment on what to do to encourage the little beast. Her eyes widened with realization.

It's a half truth, but a truth nonetheless. Sorry Grim. "Hey, Grim! If you beat them, not only will I tell you my secret, but I've also got a can of tuna with your name on it!"

This seemed to catch Grim's attention for a moment just as the ghosts began to throw things. "Ganging up on us... Yer a buncha cowards!" Grim huffed indignantly.

"Grim! Let's team up!" She called. She watched the little monster turn toward her and nod, although clearly struggling to accept.

"Fine! You, human! You tell me which way the ghosts are!" He ordered.

"On it!" She responded. "To your left!" She called, watching Grim inhale and blow out strong azure flames, landing a direct hit on the ghost.

"Aaaaah! It buuuurns!"

Grim puffed out his little chest proudly as he nodded at her. "Ha, got one! Keep it up, just like that... And let's clear out the whole lot of 'em!"

She nodded, giving a salute. "Aye aye! To your right!" Yuu called, watching Grim follow her call. 

Chapter 6

[downwiththeficness]

Shadow and Veil-Chapter Forty

Summary: Eva Moore’s life was a carefully constructed fiction.  Every day, she did exactly what her mother in law, her husband, and his  best friend expected of her. No mistakes. And, that was going pretty  well for Eva right up until a huge complication literally tried to run  her over. Now, she’s faced with trying to keep the pieces of her life  from falling apart while attempting (and failing) to keep her feelings  for her husband’s new business partner at bay.

A/N: This fic is a sister-fic to A Need So Great and A Need Unleashed.  You do not need to have read ANSG or ANU to read this fic, but there  are Easter eggs from those fics in Shadow and Veil for readers with keen  eyes.  This fic is explicit for canon-compliant blood, gore, violence,  and sex. As such, it is intended for an adult audience, only. A/B/O  dynamics come with their own warning. Anyone under the age of 18 should  not interact with this work. I do not consent to reposting this work to  other platforms. Reblog only to Tumblr.  

Word Count: ~2200

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Eva watched Horacio key into the apartment with her mouth pulled down into a frown. This trip felt far longer than the last, even though it was half the distance. At every turn, they were met with delays. A layover that almost caused them to miss their connecting flight, a run-in with customs, and a terribly irate taxi driver who took the turns too fast. It was as if the very universe wanted to keep them out of Mexico.

The hit of the air conditioning across her face was very, very welcome. Eva sighed as she followed Horacio inside and set her bags down next to the door. Her shoulders dropped from where they felt perpetually shrugged up near her ears. The sweat on her brow evaporated, taking all the discomfort with it.

She toed off her shoes and closed the door. Then, she took a look around.

It was...nice.

She guessed.

The walls were freshly painted and the furniture was new. Some artwork dotted the area, like the kind she might find in a hotel. The décor was all clean lines and sharp, shining metal. As if the room was trying to project an air of sophistication that it definitely did not have.

Horacio opened the fridge, “We have groceries.”

“Do we have alcohol?” Eva replied in a wry tone.

He leaned down and plucked a bottle from the shelf, “We do.”

“Thank God,” she sighed, “I have needed a drink for at least four hours.”

“Only four?” Horacio asked as he popped the top off two bottles.

“I was being generous.”

“Oh? I couldn’t tell.”

She rolled her eyes and took the bottle from him, drinking deep, “Do you think that driver actually had a license? Because I have doubts.”

One side of his mouth lifted, “Should I call the union?”

“You think they have a union?”

A shrug, “Its possible.”

“We’ll call them in the morning,” Eva drawled as she dropped onto the couch, “I’m too tired to deal with customer service.”

Horacio sat down next to her, “You didn’t have to come with me. You know that, right?”

Eva cut him a look, “Yes, I did.” A pause and a sigh, “I’m not having this argument again.”

He leaned his head back against the couch. Eva felt his had reach for hers and looked down to see their fingers threaded together.

“Its only for a few weeks,” Horacio muttered, sounding tired.

“I know.”

He looked at her, “I mean it.”

“I know.”

Horacio pushed from the couch with a soft grunt and pointed at her beer, “Finish that, and we’ll see if the bed is any good.”

Three hours and one desperately needed nap later, Horacio was warming tortillas in a pan while Eva plated the rice and vegetables at the island behind him. The bed was...fine. Serviceable. But, she missed their bed at home. Missed that it smelled like them. Missed the warmth of the comforters and the low drone of the fan Horacio insisted had to run at full speed throughout the night.

A knock stopped her hands from throwing the serving spoon back into the pot. As far as she knew, they weren’t expecting visitors. Horacio flicked off the stove top and went to answer it. Eva watched him the whole way, fingers squeezing the handle.

Javier’s face was not exactly smiling when Horacio opened the door, but it didn’t have the usual glare. He greeted Horacio with a firm hug and a pat on the back. To Eva, he sent a nod and something that was very nearly a smile. She returned it and went to get another plate.

There was no dining room in the apartment. The three of them ended out hunched over the coffee table so they could eat. Between bites, the conversation went through the motions of catching up on each other’s lives.

Javier listened to Horacio talk about buying the house, about his promotion, about the bullshit levels of paperwork that came with that new position. He asked how Eva was adapting and seemed genuinely concerned when she talked about how hard it was for her to get a job.

“Why isn’t she working for you?” he jerked his chin at Horacio.

He shrugged, “She could, if she wanted.”

Eva rolled her eyes, “No, thanks. I’ve had enough police work to last a lifetime.”

“The woman has a point,” Javier asserted with a careless toss of his head.

“Thank you,” she replied, primly. The conversation paused for a moment, and Eva decided that they had delayed long enough, “So, what’s the plan?”

Both men looked at her with narrowed eyes, as if she’d broken some kind secret agreement to dance around the topic for a while longer. Eva lifted her brows at them and waited.

Javier dropped his napkin onto the table and took a long swig of his beer, “I’ve got a man on the inside who is willing to let us do transport. I told him we’d need to be conspicuous, but that we would protect the product.”

Eva cast her mind back to their first few meetings. She set aside the razor sharp nerves and the desperate fear that she would be found out so that she could think about what Josh might be thinking. Planning. Scheming.

“That’s good,” she said, eventually. “Josh already thought you were in the business of getting drugs across the border.”

A nod, “Exactly. We’ll do a few laps around town, draw his attention, and then let him come to us.”

Eva could only imagine what that might entail. She kind of looked forward to observing it all from a distance.

Horacio leaned his arms on his knees, “Its not a very complicated plan, but I think it will work.”

“What if,” she began, with hesitation, “he doesn’t come for you, himself? What if he sends someone else?”

Josh wasn’t in the habit of putting himself in the line of fire, so to speak. That was Alexei’s job. And, with the Russian dead, Eva thought he might be even more careful.

“He’s been looking for Diego a long time,” Javier said, “I think its a pretty good bet that he would want to confront him, man to man.”

Eva laughed, “You don’t know m—.” She cut herself off, having almost referred to Josh as her husband. He wasn’t. Not anymore. “You don’t know him. He won’t want to get his hands dirty.”

“Rage can make a man do things he wouldn’t, normally.”

“Are you sure he is enraged?”

“His whole life got blown up,” Javier said, “We took everything from him.”

She fixed him with an even look, “Yeah, but he got it back.”

“What?”

“He got it back,” she repeated, “The house, the money, the schmoozing with bureaucrats? That was just a hobby. What Josh loved was the work. The chemistry. He’s already doing that, now. Or, so I’ve heard.”

Javier was silent for a few seconds, mouth pursed into an ‘o’. Then, “What do you think we should do?”

The tone of his voice was soft, but he clearly wanted an answer. Eva sat back a little and thought about it. There were a lot of options, most of them so complicated that it would definitely extend the timeline Horacio promised her. She wanted to get back to Colombia as soon as possible. If they took the next plane out of the country, it wouldn’t be soon enough. But, how? How, how, how?

“You need to dangle something he thinks he owns in front of him. Something he will want to get back.” Here she paused and added, with emphasis, “personally.”

Javier drew back, “The fuck does that mean?”

Eva picked up her beer, “You said you took everything from him. He got the thing he cares most about back. The only thing he would even want is…”

It was a foolish thought.

A stupid, foolish thought.

Horacio leaned towards her, “Is?”

Eva looked at him, took in the warm brown of his eyes and that way he hadn’t yet tamed the curls that fell over his brow. He looked a bit like he did when they woke up in the morning. Sweet. Adorable.

“Me.”

All the warmth faded from Horacio’s eyes, “You?”

It was a question, but felt like an accusation.

She felt a small stab of insecurity about what she was about to say, but pushed on, anyway. “Yes. Me.” A breath, “I was property to him. A tool he used to do business. I can tell you that getting his operation off the ground here in Mexico was a hell of a lot harder without me to figure out the logistics and manage the money.” Eva looked at them both, in turn, “He’s going to want his tool back.”

Eva did not say the other half of her explanation. There wasn’t a need to remind him that there was something else Eva represented for Josh. That he had plans for her. It would have only pissed Horacio off, and she needed him to agree with her.

“No.”

Eva cut Horacio a glance, “No?”

“That’s right. No.”

Javier reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, “She could be right.”

Horacio’s lip curled, “I didn’t spend almost a year getting you away from him to let you put yourself back in his hands.”

“Let me?”

Hearing the venom in her tone, Javier stood and gestured towards the door, saying that he was going out for a smoke. Eva rose and began gathering the plates in an effort to stem off some the energy that came with her anger.

Horacio, to his credit, realized his mistake almost immediately, “You said you weren’t going to get involved.”

She had said that. At the table over dinner. On the plane. In the cab. She’d said it over and over, knowing that it was a lie. Deep down, Eva’s motivations were more complicated than simply wanting to be by Horacio’s side while he tried to take down Josh for the second time.

“And,” she replied, “You said that this would only take a few weeks.”

He followed her into the kitchen, “It will only take a few weeks.”

Eva scraped the plates clean and set them next to the sink, “You and I both know that’s not true.”

Horacio turned on the water and plugged the sink. While he squirted soap into the basin, he said, “I didn’t know you were an expert in covert operations.”

He didn’t often speak to her with that kind of sarcasm and it made Eva bristle. Nearly seven years of marriage was enough to give her an advantage over just about anyone in the world. When it came to Joshua Moore, she was content expert, and she didn’t appreciate the dismissal in his tone.

“Really?” she sneered, “Because I seem to remember that it took you months to even get Josh’s attention last time.”

She set the dishes in the sink and stepped aside so that he could grab the sponge. Horacio squeezed more soap onto it and picked up the first dish to scrub away the remnants of dinner. “That was planned,” he asserted. “We didn’t want to scare him.”

“Sure.”

He cast her a glare, “He’ll take the bait faster, this time.”

Eva took the clean plate from him and grabbed a towel to dry it, “Or, he’ll send someone to take the bait for him and you’ll end out shot in the back on the street.”

Horacio scoffed, “He’s not that much of a coward.”

“Yes he is!”

He was quiet while he cleaned the next two plates, dutifully handing them to her. Then, he reached down and pulled the plug, “What if he shoots you in the back?”

Eva finished drying the last plate and sighed, “He won’t. If anything, he’ll want to flaunt that he has me back right in front of you before putting a bullet in you. Gloat. Just like you said.”

They stood in front of the sink while water slowly gurgled down the drain. Eva could admit that they were both right, in their own way. And, they were both just stubborn enough to reach an impasse in the argument.

The door opened and Javier peeked around it, “Uh, everything okay?”

Eva shot him a brittle smile, “Everything is fine.” Then, to Horacio, “When you go out parading around town, I’ll go with you. Let him think that you’re using me the same way he did. That will enrage him. That will get him to confront you, man to man.”

Later, while Horacio was asleep. Eva sat on the couch with a beer. In the darkness, she stared out the apartment window to the street. It was quiet, far more quiet than she expected in such a populated city.

Eva drained the bottle and went to throw it in the trash. Then, she padded through the apartment and into the en suite bathroom. With the door closed, Eva flicked on the lights and reached for her carry on bag.

She set it on the counter and pulled open the zipper. Hands spreading two sides apart, Eva stared down at the only thing that mattered inside. The metal gleamed in the light, drawing her gaze down the barrel. The magazine was mixed in with her perfumes and there were extra bullets in her suitcase.

It didn’t really matter to Eva what Horacio had planned for Josh, once they got him in custody.

There was only one way this was going to go for him.

[jeongyunhoed]

The third and final story in the 100-Day trilogy, taking place four years after the events of The 100-Day Relationship and two years since the events of I Do. When the patriarch of the Choi family suffers a heart attack, the entire clan decides to visit the estate in the hopes of getting in his good graces and parts of his fortune before he passes. Seonghwa and Juhyun now find themselves clashing with nosy relatives who threaten to split them up and have her removed from any possible inheritance.

Inheritance Member: Seonghwa Pairing: Seonghwa/OC Genre: I’m going to say angst-fluff, drama, intrigue. Things to note: Art Curator!Hwa, a lot of crazy rich stuff again (for real, this will have A LOT), and perhaps some adult-y things. Watch out!: The usual pressure of kids, illness, familial drama ahead A/N: So, I’m so sorry the first chapter took so long. But what’s important is that I’ve finally posted after what seems like months of not writing much, so I hope this is a good enough first chapter. Tag list is open as usual. Oh, and I’ve also posted the Hwandred-Day trilogy on my Ao3 (yeojasamho).  Tag list: @kflixnet , @treasure-hwa ,     Masterlist

Chapter 1 

“Hello Architectural Digest, I’m Park Seonghwa, and this is my wife, Juhyun, and welcome to our home,” Seonghwa smiled as he and Juhyun stood aside to let a small crew of people inside, scanning their apartment. “We’ve only been living in this place for two years since we got married, and we got our friend, Shin Dongwoo, to take care of the interiors of this place as you can see,” Seonghwa showed them around. 

“When we sat down with him about decorating the place, we said we wanted a place that looks very cozy and relaxing. He referred us to Gwyneth Paltrow’s designer Brigette Romanek and she flew in for us and worked her magic, scouring the entire country to look for the furniture that really suited what we had in mind,” Juhyun explained, showing them the kitchen. “Seonghwa and I cook together sometimes. It’s one of the ways we spend time together, especially after work.” 

“We have a kind of dynamic when it comes to being at home. I’m the one who cleans, Juhyun is the one who cooks,” Seonghwa pointed out. 

“But there are times when we do both, mostly on weekends,” Juhyun added. “Seonghwa makes amazing kimchi jjigae and curry.” 

“Juhyun makes really good pasta,” Seonghwa smiled. “And roasted chicken. She cooks very well,” and Juhyun laughed. 

Seonghwa showed the crew the framed pictures that were hung on one part of the living space. It included their wedding photos and other framed photos of them and their friends. The big family photos took up the most space on the part of the wall where the other pictures were. 

“I picked out the kinds of frames that suited the pictures, but I also made sure the frames fit the mood of the house,” Seonghwa showed the pictures. “Hopefully more pictures will be up here.” 

He watched Juhyun take the camera crew into the different parts of their home. Seonghwa smiled to himself as he followed his wife along. His wife. The thought that he called her his wife made him smile even wider, and they had only been married for two years. 

Seonghwa couldn’t believe it at times, the fact that he was married to Juhyun, and the fact that since getting married, he found himself among the upper echelons of society, and not the echelon full of celebrities and influencers. This tier was a different kind of upper crust, yet being with Juhyun didn’t make it feel that way. 

Seonghwa wasn’t used to it, and he knew he might never be used to it, despite his grandmother already getting used to the prestige that now came with him marrying into the extremely wealthy Choi family. 

When the camera crew panned to the area of their home that had paintings, Seonghwa appeared in view. “I was recommended several local artists who did paintings of landscapes, mostly at night, and I got a print of my favorite painting, Nighthawks, because it reminded me of when we were dating, and how we’d stop by a cafe after every formal event before we went home,” He admitted, glancing at Juhyun, who smiled. 

By the time the room tour ended, and the crew thanked them before leaving, Juhyun closed the door, sighing in relief against it. “Now that’s done,” She said, before walking up to him. Juhyun noticed the clock. “We have to be at the airport now if we want to make it ahead of Hyunae and Jiho’s party,” She leaned on him. 

Seonghwa wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. He sighed. “Is there a way for us to…not go? It’s a 14-hour flight to the US,” He said. 

“I know, but we promised them we’d go, remember? They want all of their friends to be there,” Juhyun sighed as well, holding onto him tightly. “On the bright side, we can sleep all we want at the house before the party. It’s just in the Hamptons, we’ve got a house there, and I’m sure the caretakers are looking for more things to do.” 

“Does your family have a house everywhere?” Seonghwa raised a brow. 

“My grandfather does, not me,” Juhyun pointed out. 

“That’s something someone who has a lot of houses would say,” He teased, backing them into the bedroom to get ready. “Jiho’s proposing to Hyunae, and Jinri and Dongwoo are having a gender reveal party for their second child, right?” He asked as they put their bags together. 

“Yeah, and they want everyone to be there. Even Hongjoong’s coming,” Juhyun pointed out. “We’re on the same flight as him too,” She added. 

Seonghwa nodded as he slipped on his jacket, helping Juhyun with hers as she tied her hair. “Are we getting the seats near the restroom? Or did we get the seats facing the big screen in the middle?” He asked. 

“Side seats, near the restrooms, don’t worry,” Juhyun assured him as she kissed his cheek. “One problem though. It’s first class.” 

Seonghwa laughed as he followed her out of the room, with their luggage in tow. “Really? Our seats are first class?” 

“Hey, they found out who I was and upgraded our seats for free. At least our economy seats would be for people who want to get on but couldn’t book a seat or could afford first class, I’m just saying,” Juhyun shook her head, amused by the encounter. “We’ll have some leg room so we can rest properly on the way to New York, hmm?” 

“Yes, yes, on the way to New York,” Seonghwa chuckled. “But then when we get to New York, we’re having some bedroom time before going to the parties!” 

~ 

It wasn’t as if Seonghwa was able to stay in all the properties that Juhyun’s family owned whenever they went overseas. He had only heard of how big or how grand the houses looked from Juhyun’s friends and their spouses and boyfriends, but he never really got to see anything else aside from her parents’ house. 

The house they stayed in also belonged to Juhyun’s parents, with another house belonging to her grandfather not far away in this part of the place. It was built in the same manner as every other estate Seonghwa saw on the way from the airport, but with a well-manicured garden and a three-car garage.

The house, as Seonghwa realized, also had the view of the ocean with the beach just past the yard. The interiors also seemed to match the place, a mix of neutral colors and sculpted marble floors. There was even a fireplace and above the mantel was an anniversary family picture of Choi Jongmin, his wife Dajeong, Juhyun, Jihyun, and Sangmin. Seonghwa smiled to himself, thinking that maybe one day, the two of them could have that kind of picture somewhere. 

“Thank you for coming here to give me the key, I nearly forgot to ask my father about it before we left,” Juhyun was telling a middle-aged couple whom her father tasked to be the caretakers. “Oh, and this is my husband, Park Seonghwa, Seonghwa, this is Serge and Jane West,” She introduced them. 

“Congratulations to both of you! It’s a good thing both of you managed to come here and stay, there’s only so much we could do to keep things spotless,” Jane chuckled, shaking Seonghwa’s hand. 

“Well, while we’re here, we’ll be sure to call you. How are things at my grandfather’s house by the way?” Juhyun asked. 

“It’s good as usual. Your aunt was staying there not too long ago,” Serge replied in a low voice. Juhyun immediately figured out which aunt it was from the way their expressions fell slightly. “Her and her husband.” 

“Oh…” Juhyun nodded. “It’s not too late to leave, you know,” She teased. 

They shook their heads, laughing. “No, no, your grandfather has been very good to us, as is your father, as is everyone else in your family really. It’s only just those few,” Serge said. 

Seonghwa glanced at his wife. “Who are they talking about?” He asked. 

“My aunt Seonak,” Juhyun sighed, frowning as she said it. 

“He’s your father’s sister, right?” Seonghwa asked, and she nodded. 

“It’s not just her, it’s my cousin and his wife too. It’s really only the three of them. If my grandmother was still alive, it would make four of them,” Juhyun said quietly. “Well, at least it’s just Aunt Seonak, and Daeyoung, and Hyemin…” 

“Wah…” They heard Hongjoong say as they saw him come in, his luggage in tow. He looked stunned. “You didn’t tell me how nice your house is!” 

“Yeah, you can stay in the guest room if you want,” Juhyun nodded, amused by his reaction. 

Hongjoong sighed. “I wish I could, but I already booked a room at a hotel.”

“Where are you booked, anyway?” Seonghwa raised a brow. 

“The Ritz. I got a suite,” Hongjoong replied. “But your house really is nice, Juhyun.” 

She shook her head. “It’s my parents’ house. But you can come stay here whenever you want whenever you fly to New York.” 

Hongjoong turned to his friend, who looked just as amused. “Maybe you should get a beach house back in Korea, I’m just saying,” He suggested, making Seonghwa laugh. “Saves us 14 hours and a whole other timezone.” 

“Well, we’d agree with you on that, but we’re all here because of other people. But it’s nice in this part of New York too,” Juhyun said, leaning against her husband. “We’re in front of a beach, a different beach. A beach that takes 14 hours to get to, but it’s worth it,” She laughed. 

Seonghwa kissed her forehead then turned to his best friend. “We’ll bring you to your hotel, we’ll just put our bags in our room.” 

Hongjoong nodded. Seonghwa turned to Juhyun, both of them carrying their bags up the stairs and into their room. They returned a moment later, taking the car keys from the corner, gesturing for him to lead the way out of the house and to the garage. “Allow me to drive you around,” Serge suggested, and Juhyun handed him the keys. “How long will you be staying?” He asked as they unlocked the doors of a gunmetal gray Rolls Royce Phantom. 

“Just a week, Hongjoong might be leaving earlier, though,” Seonghwa replied. 

“Yeah, I’m only here for a few days,” Hongjoong nodded as they got in the car, Jane following them and getting in the passenger seat to sit next to her husband. 

“Just a day less than how long we’ll be here, we’re not staying long either,” Seonghwa said as they fastened their seatbelts. 

Serge began to drive, and soon enough, they were in the city itself. Seonghwa looked at the view of all the buildings in awe. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been to New York before, but just going on a ride into the city always made him look at everything in amazement. Even more so that it was different now, as his museum was doing even better than before, and that he was married to someone who was likely going to fly all over the world ever so often. 

Juhyun smiled to herself after observing how Seonghwa looked out the window. “You think we should get a place here?” She asked quietly. 

Seonghwa nearly whipped to look at her at the question. “...What?” He asked. 

“Should we get a place here? Or do we just keep staying at the Hamptons?” Juhyun chuckled. 

He stared at his wife. “...Stop kidding, Juhyun,” He said, nudging her. 

Juhyun and Hongjoong laughed. “I’m just asking, Hwa. I wanted to know what you think,” She said. 

He shook his head. “There’s no place like home. Both our jobs are back in Korea,” He said. “You and I hardly go overseas anyway.” 

She nodded in understanding. “That’s true.” 

“I wouldn’t mind, though,” Hongjoong chimed in, and Seonghwa smacked the back of his head, the car pulling up in front of the hotel. “I’ll see you guys at the party later?” He said, getting out, thanking Serge for the ride while Jane helped him with his bags out of the trunk. 

Hongjoong waved at them as he pulled his luggage into the hotel, and Serge started to drive away. “Both of you seem to be so busy,” Jane looked over at them with a smile. “It doesn’t hurt to take some time off, no one would think less of you if you did, especially since you two work so hard.” 

“One of the secrets to a happy marriage,” Serge chimed in, grinning. 

~ 

Juhyun and Seonghwa were on their way to the restaurant where Jinri and Dongwoo were going to have the gender reveal party for their second child. The restaurant, as Seonghwa had guessed, was put up by a friend of Dongwoo’s, Gong Chansik, who flew between Korea and New York every now and then. The place wasn’t as kid friendly as it seemed, and the two of them figured that Jinri and Dongwoo left their daughter Kairi at their home, likely being babysat by the caretakers of their home. Jinri found out she was pregnant a month after Seonghwa and Juhyun got married. 

In the midst of the merriment as everyone exchanged stories and jokes, seeing another one of their friends; Ahn Jea, of the Ahn law firm, who was married to Michelin-star chef Jung Wooyoung, also revealing that she was a few weeks pregnant with their first child, it made Seonghwa and Juhyun think about their own marriage. Not only one, but two of their friends already had children or were expecting. Would they want the same thing? 

It was something they had yet to talk about, again at least. The first time Seonghwa and Juhyun talked about kids was after sex one night, when they nearly forgot to use protection. They both agreed that they weren’t in a hurry, but would it still be the same this time? While they liked being around kids, they weren’t so sure if they would be able to raise a family of their own. 

Ultimately, Seonghwa felt that it was Juhyun’s decision to make, as she would be the one carrying the child, not him. Seonghwa respected whatever decision she may make, even if it meant that they might disagree. He was already an uncle anyway and sort of a godfather to the kids of Juhyun’s friends. 

“Alright, alright!” Jinri stood up, a little bump already visible on her stomach. She was holding a glass of sparkling cider as the rest of them raised their glasses. Dongwoo held up an amber bottle that had a squeeze tip. “The syrup Dongwoo pours into my drink is the gender, hmm?” 

“Let’s see it then!” Jo, who came from the prominent Han family that was a major name in food processing, cheered. 

“Alright!” Dongwoo declared, tilting the bottle, and a vivid pink syrup filled the clear drink, making them clap. 

“It’s a girl! You have two daughters now, you’re going to be a girldad!” Jea laughed. 

“Fine by me, I hope that happens,” Dongwoo looked proud, and kissed his wife on the cheek. 

“I hope I get to be a girldad too,” Wooyoung nuzzled Jea’s cheek. “I’ll show my daughter how guys are supposed to love her.” 

“That’s awfully sweet of you,” Juhyun commented, and Wooyoung beamed. 

“Isn’t that something we’d all aspire to?” Choi Jongho, Jo’s longtime boyfriend and celebrity pet groomer, mused. 

“Of course,” Jo nudged him. 

“I think you’d all make good fathers, even you Seonghwa,” Jinri teased. 

Seonghwa just smiled, glancing at Juhyun, who suddenly sat up, and he suddenly sensed that she felt uncomfortable. He gently squeezed her arm, and she glanced at him. “Hmm?” She said. 

“You okay?” He whispered in her ear. 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Juhyun nodded. She suddenly heard her phone beep. It was her sister Jihyun, calling her. She stood up. “I’ll just take this for a minute,” She rushed to one side of the room. 

Seonghwa watched her, wondering what the call was. It was the first time throughout this trip that someone called. Juhyun went out of the room and he got up as well, quietly stepping out. He had a bad feeling about it.

But before Seonghwa could go out, Juhyun came back in, her expression serious. “Who was that?” He asked. 

“Jihyun,” Juhyun said, a hint of sadness in her tone. “Grandfather had a heart attack. He’s in the hospital.” 

Seonghwa stared at her. “He’s in the hospital?” 

Juhyun nodded. “Yeah. I told her we’re in New York, she’s at the hospital now, with Bin. She put her wedding planning on hold for this.” 

“What about your parents?”

“They’re there too. My uncle Hyunwoo flew in from Japan to come to the hospital.” 

Seonghwa wasn’t sure what else to say, and he wrapped his arms around her in a big hug. He kissed the side of her head. “Do you want to fly back?” He managed to ask. 

Juhyun shook her head. “I don’t know. We won’t be there for hours,” Juhyun replied. “Even with a private jet.” 

“He’s your grandfather, Juhyun. I think they’ll appreciate the effort.” 

“I asked Jihyun about it, she said he might already be out before we get there. It’s okay,” Juhyun maintained, looking up at him. “It’s okay.” 

“So, what do you want to do now?” Seonghwa whispered. 

Juhyun pulled away. “Let’s just try and enjoy the time we have here. When we get back, we’ll visit,” She said.

Somehow, Seonghwa felt a sinking feeling inside him. Something didn’t feel right about the news Juhyun gave. Juhyun was still trying to process the news as well, and she wanted to get her mind off of the sudden turn of events. The most she could do was take a deep breath, and hope that things would be alright. 

Juhyun led Seonghwa back to the table, where everyone else was absorbed in their stories and cheers. They didn’t feel like souring the mood with what they found out. 

~ 

Juhyun and Seonghwa found themselves in the guest bedroom of Hyunae’s home later that night. They were lying down, eyes closed as everyone else was outside mixing and mingling with each other. Juhyun had gotten overwhelmed with the crowd and wanted to be in a quieter space. Seonghwa went with her, and the two of them were starting to doze off from how soft the bed was. 

“Seonghwa?” She whispered, and he replied with a hum. “Do you want to go out there? I don’t think Jiho’s proposed yet.” 

“No, I want to stay with you. I think I got a little overwhelmed too,” He said. 

“You sure?” 

“Yeah,” He reached over to hold her hand. “If you want some space, you can tell me, you know that, right?” 

“I do.” 

Juhyun opened her eyes. “Don’t worry,” She said. “You’re worrying more than me.” 

Seonghwa chuckled. “You really know, huh?” 

“Yeah, I think I know you well enough to know when something’s bothering you. Even when we try to talk about it, I think I know,” She said. 

“Has this happened to him before?” 

“No,” Juhyun shook her head. “But I guess he’s been under a lot of stress lately.”

“That’s true,” Seonghwa nodded slightly and inched closer to her. “If my grandmother found out, she’d have bolted out of her home and went straight to the hospital. Both of them have gotten very close since we got married.” 

Juhyun smiled. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah. She tells my parents about how they were catching up, like best friends who haven’t seen each other in a while.” 

“That’s great. She’s his best friend now, huh?” Juhyun laughed. 

Seonghwa nodded. “Yeah,” He kissed her softly, then sat up. “If you’re feeling better, we could join the others now. Before Jiho gets down on one knee,” He grinned. 

Juhyun laughed and sat up as well. “Yeah, yeah, we probably should before someone starts thinking we did it,” She got out of the bed and smoothed over her blouse and pants. Seonghwa checked his hair in the mirror, nodding when he felt his comma hair was still intact. 

The two of them quietly stepped out of the room, making their way into the pristine white living room where Jinri and Dongwoo were nearly dozing off as well, Jinri’s hand clasped on her phone, possibly in the hopes of being able to answer if the caretaker had any trouble. 

Jea and Wooyoung were coming from the kitchen upon seeing them. “A little bit crowded out there, huh?” Wooyoung grinned, tilting his head to the party taking place at the patio that was close to the beach. 

“Yeah, we nearly dozed off,” Juhyun nodded. 

They suddenly saw Jiho come inside, followed by Hyunae. “Was the party getting to be too much?” Seonghwa teased. 

“A little bit, but we wanted to come inside,” Hyunae smiled, taking out her compact to check her makeup, touching up her forehead with powder. 

Hongjoong quietly came in as well and Seonghwa sensed that he had something up his sleeve. 

Jiho scanned the room then turned to Hyunae. “I guess now’s as good a time as any,” He said, and he suddenly got down on one knee. 

Hyunae gaped, while the rest of them froze, as if immediately in anticipation. “Jiho-” She said. 

“Lee Hyunae, I loved you before, I still love you now, and I’m certain I’ll always love you,” Jiho looked into her eyes as he took out a black velvet box from his pocket and opened it in front of her, revealing a diamond ring. “Lee Hyunae, will you marry me?” 

Hyunae was welling up, and she nodded profusely. Jiho took out the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. The rest of them broke into applause and cheers, with Wooyoung waving a waiter over to get them glasses of champagne and cider. Hyunae and Jiho were hugging each other tightly. 

“This wasn’t just a party, we all came here for this, just so you know,” Wooyoung told her. “To Hyunae and Jiho!” He raised his glass. 

“To Hyunae and Jiho! Cheers!” They laughed, clapping and hugging the couple. 

[knitasha]

NaNoWriMo: The Vividorium

I'm woefully behind on my NaNoWriMo project, but still managing to write every day. I'll be happy if I can get to 7,000 tonight.

I'm still not 100% confident in my writing to post everything on here, but here's a small chunk. It definitely feels like I'm writing in a vacuum too much - writing about what is going on instead of showing what's going on, but I haven't figured out how to fix that yet.

Constructure criticism welcome!

---

Emelia had intended to make her way to the park where the Christmas Market was set up to get a first look of the area. Although the market opened at 12pm each day, she expected the crowds would wait until the evening to descend on the stalls when the sun had gone down and the lights would twinkle light stars across the whole park.

The travel notebook tucked into her purse had a list of the vendors she was most looking forward to seeing and she had included the broad type of item each booth was expected to sell as well as specific items she’d found on each vendor’s website that she was particularly excited about for her parents, brother, and friends.

The light was red as she came up on the next corner and she looked around appreciatively at the rows of shops lining the street as she waited for the crossing line to change when her eyes came to rest on a store tucked between a cafe and a pet supply store. A brightly colored sign hung from the wall - The Vividorium - and a beautiful, half-finished replica of Starry Night sat in an easel in the window along with an array of oil paint tubes and scattering of brushes.  

Making a split second decision, Emelia turned and jogged to crossed the street other pedestrians were already walking across, abandoning her original plans. She’d just pop in for a second and then could go on her way to the market.

The room insight was uncomfortably hot after the sharp chill she’d been walking through for the past 20 minutes and she quickly pulled off her gloves and stuffed them into her purse.

“Welcome in,” floated from the back of the store, “I’ll be out in a moment.”

“No rush,” she called back, running her fingers over the covers of the sketchbooks piled high on the table just inside. 

The narrow store was lined with tall birch bookshelves. The shelves along the right side held notebooks and canvases of various sizes. She was tempted by a lime green LEUCHTTURM dot journal, but remembered her last two failed bullet journals and left it on the shelf.

Along the left shelves were cups of pens, pencils, markers, and brushes by the window. Then came the paints - acrylics, oils, gouache, and watercolors in sets and individual tubes and pans with brightly colored wrappers formed rainbows along the wall.

Emelia had picked up a tiny travel palette of watercolors when the owner of the earlier voice emerged from the back.

“Are you looking for anything in particular?”

“Oh, no, thanks. I’m just looking.”

“That’s a nice set,” the woman gestured to the palette still in Emelia’s hands, “Good if you’ve got an eye for mixing colors since there aren’t too many in there.”

“Ah, yeah, I don’t really know much about painting. I’d love to learn, but there was never enough time. But now that I’m on vacation…”

It was all the woman, whose name turned out to be Joan, needed to hear and 20 minutes later Emelia exited the art store with a not-so-small paper bag in hand filled with a 100-color watercolor palette that was surprisingly small for containing so many colors, a set of metal travel brushes, a water reservoir, a booklet of watercolor paper to practice on, and a pad of blank postcards that Joan had insisted would be good for sending paintings to her family. Emelia wasn’t so sure anything she could create at this point would be worth sending to anyone, but Joan had been more than a little intimidating in her enthusiasm and Emelia wasn’t sure she would be allowed to leave without them.

[myimaginedcorner]

A TUMBLR STORY: TORN PAGE (p.3)

Your image is reflected on distorted glass. In bottles of all colours, you distinguish eyes and lips, soft features sharpened into dignified edges. Ears, pointy, stick sidewards in magnitude not quite proportional to skull, their features giving out your affiliation.

“Ah, what a silly question, silly me,” giggles the bartender, adjusting their wild locks. “Unique is how elves are the only ones with ears like that.”

Yes, you are an elf. You remember now. Your thoughts are turned towards your home – the beautiful, eternal Celest. What a sight, your homeland! The envy of all elves, peak to the architectural dream. Magnificent, it stands as radiant fortress on the highest hill, with waves of a tormented sea barely scratching silver walls. It mimics sky, aiming to be its equal, mirror to clouds and stars that float in turquoise.

A curved cylinder forms its barrier, no doors nor windows serving as main entrance. Inside, no sides exist, all flowing into one another. One building is a river splashing over serpentines of roads, a waterfall in form of a new house becoming waves that serve as roof for someone else’s lake. Towers, reaching for suns and moons, hurls the stone water up, where magic fog surrounds their ceiling, hiding them from human eyes. A stone ode to the mighty sea, Celest is both a storm and an unshaken stream, chaos and order tribute to Time’s indescribable flow.

You take one pan. The blue for you is of a darker tone, sea-green calling recollections of a boundless landscape. Each day, you saw the sea glow under the sun’s rays, and watched it dance to the moon’s movement. The stars you learned first to name all could be seen from your small balcony.

You drink. The taste reminds you of that one occasion, that you were dared to taste the lab’s residual waters. Odd that it brings a smile upon your lips.

“Happy you’ve liked it,” says the bartender, who has been observing you in silence as you shuffled memories.

You nod. Indeed, you’ve liked it a lot.

“An elf, huh…” behind, Ralph seems uneasy. Settling in his chair with trepidation, a deep sigh escapes his mouth as a long hiss. “No wonder…”

“All good, Ralph? You don’t seem particularly happy for you friend here,” the bartender points out.

“Happy? Damn me if I’d be happy for this. You know who they’ll be – we both know.”

“What do you mean, Ralph?”

“It’s obvious. There’s only one tale worth telling among the elves.”

“Many are the legends told about the elven kind,” you frown, for that is certainly not true. “We’ve spread from Therania onto other worlds, coming to be one of the most diverse kind in the Cosmos; we’ve lived with dragons, some becoming priests, others – tamers; we’ve found most secrets to our magic, and built one of the strongest nations to our world. Many are our heroes – many will be whose name is recognised from simple whispers.”

“How flowery…” you hear someone mutter in the corner.

“Perhaps our guest here was an orator,” smiles the bartender, washing up your used pan. “Certainly, I now feel inspired by their people.”

“They sound so majestic!” a fairy of silver locks sighs, dreamy eyes shining behind a hookah she shares with a genie.

“Only two names are so remembered as you say,” however, Ralph seems not to get besotted by your speech. As his old gaze meets yours, chills run down your spine. Celest’s image becomes blurry, darker – it’s pure glow faints, dark paint spattered over your most treasured landscape.

“Truly?” tilting their head, the bartender looks at you, too. “And who were they?”

You wish not to remember, but memories dredge up your brain, their ugly claws shown to surface.  

“It’s elven’s most known story,” Ralph’s insistence comes in defeated voice, his suspicions finally confirmed by your lost gaze. “Of course they are.”

“Oh, you’re now keeping me in the dark! What story is it, what is it?”

Perhaps, you don’t want to tell it. Not out loud. But there’s no stop to what you are recalling – you see it on distorted glass, on twisted furniture and variegated walls.

THERANIA'S CHEAT SHEET:

HERO - According to Fate's Faithful Encyclopaedia (Alse, T. 2.31, 45th Edition (2.750), p.71), a 'hero' is someone recognised by Seers, in whose life destiny has written an important task. They are meant to fulfill such task, regardless of difficulty, in order to preserve Hero's peace and save Therania from a great calamity.

VILLAIN - According to Fate's Faithful Encyclopaedia (Alse, T. 2.31, 45th Edition (2.750), p.72), a 'villain' is that one who - even if given a written prophecy - refuses to fulfill their duty and acts defiantly against Fate's chosen path, threatening the peace of Therania with an unforeseen calamity no hero is prepared to stop.

[pokeexehasstoppedworking]

Diamond In The Rough Ch7 Settling Down In Circhester P2

(Warning: Reader's hand gets burnt a little bit by hot chocolate and someone tries to take a swing at Gordie but no contact is made. Thank you to everyone who commented on what pokemon they wanted on where I post my stories. I was only able to pick three from what everyone commented and I did it at random. Here's the ones we'll get going along with the story. Scolipede, mightyena, and glacion. Know all I need is names and genders. Tell me which ones you prefer for which pokemon.)

Things were going well for you at this moment in time.

Your notes and books from Sonia arrived and you were able to work on that one report you'd surely have one problem with for later when the school year kicked back up in a few months. There was also talks of some other GIANT projects you worked on a little bit, you'd wouldn't have to worry about it knowing what they were about before hand. The only good thing you could say about her. There was two or three other big projects you'd have to worry about but you'd be able to take care of most of them by yourself in your spare time. By the time you got back from your weekend of taking care of your pokemon and doing that small project of yours, your job was still pretty busy. Except for Wednesday night, that night was really REALLY busy seeing as it WAS Circhester's Foundation Day. The whole town was filled with food vendors, people partying, noise, and lots and LOTS of people going in and out of the cafe for food and drinks and it was like a there was a monsoon of people spawning outside with out many times people went in and out cramming against the walls or even waiting in lines that went almost all the way to the door. Safe to say both yourself and Sapphire were BEAT rushing to grab napkins, shovel out drinks, rushed to ring out people, meanwhile in the back kitchen you could literally HEAR Bobby and Billy Bob shouting at one another over the noise of pots and pans and sizzling foods that they struggled to chuck out into your arms to serve to customers. At one point you had to stop to go do other things while Sapphire tried to handle the crowds while you were gone, fighting against the crowd to grab dishes and clean tables, going into the back to grab MORE to-go Styrofoam boxes and bags, more clean dishes from the dishwater, more food or drinks for shouting customers- Now you knew why the two chefs wanted to hire more help. Sheesh. At least most of the orders were to go anyways so you all could just give someone their food and they'd leave only to let another person take their place. Sigh. But...GOOD NEWS!! Luckily it seemed things were starting to wind down because while it was still crowded and tiring, there was starting to get less people now. Bad news....It was already after closing time. Bob's Your Uncle closed at five pm. It was already midnight now and it doesn't look like anything would be dying down soon. You were starting to get tired and your feet were starting to be sore and your stomach growled from not being able to eat for a while. Sigh. Oh well. At least the tips were plentiful. You had just handed a woman a styrofoam box with a curry inside it and waited for her to move before groaning and stretching your back with a pop. By now it had gotten dark, late, and loud bangs were coming from outside. Fireworks most likely. It would be super cold by the time you got back, you just hoped that none of your pokemon would cause any trouble while you were gone. Meanwhile a middle aged woman who looked like she had seen a make up tutorial 'not for beginners' and tried to do it herself only to end up looking like a clown, and a haircut that looked like a monkey cut for her walked up to your counter with a face looking like she was angry and just bitten a lemon right after. You of course smiled and was about to ask what she wanted when too brightly painted nails snapped at you making you full on stop.

"Hey! Give me a hot chocolate! And make it snappy! I don't have time to deal with you today!"

That...certainly caught you off guard but you quickly forced a smile and exchanged a stunned look with Sapphire just for a moment before she was forced to tend to yet another customer walking up to her. With an inhale you turned to the coffee machine area behind you still forcing that smile.

"Would you like a size large, Ma-"

"OF COURSE I WANT A LARGE!!," her shrill voice shrieked at you like a broken record making you wince as it battered your eardrums, "When someone orders a hot chocolate of course they want it large with everything on it unless they say something else! Are you dense or something?!"

Sapphire gave another look as you had to will yourself not to crush the styrofoam cup in your grasp and to just make the darn hot chocolate. Just make it. JUST. MAKE. IT. And hand it to her so she'll go away and leave you alone. You know recognized this woman as someone every store owner feared. A Karen. Just give her the darn hot chocolate and get her out of here. So you got the large and HOT sugary drink full of more sugary whipped cream and marshmallows and just held it out for her with a forced smile.

"Here you go! That'll b-"

"IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!!" The cup was snatched from your hand so fast the contents from the cup rocked and some spilt from your hand.

Immediately the hot liquid hitting your hand made you have a reaction.

"AH!!" It was like a mini volcano went off and spewed lava all over your hand, despite it only being maybe a small teaspoon's worth of hot coco, but it was still enough to make you cry out and pull your hand back to clutch it.

"Y/n!," Sapphire shouted and whirled back around to you when you shouted eyes wide. "Oh my gosh! Are you ok?!"

"My hand got burnt!," you shouted back hissing and then looking at your hand. A few trickles of liquid fell down your hand when you unfurled your fist, and stared in shock at the now lighter pink looking parts on your hand from where the liquid drink hit it and you gaped in shock....before it quickly got replaced with anger. "YOU LITTLE-" You had snapped your head up back to yell at the woman but she was gone. Replaced with yet another customer who looked annoyed at waiting for you but didn't say anything. "WHAT THE!?" You scanned the crowd of people for any signs of her. "Where'd that slimy weasel go!? She didn't even tip me!!"

"I don't know," Sapphire replied also looking around but stopped when realizing something. "...But she didn't pay either!"

True to her word the woman was gone as neither of you could see her through the still crowded place, making you even MORE mad. "RRR!! GREAT!! HOW COULD THIS NIGHT GET ANY WORSE!?"

"Wait...What's that sound?"

.....

......

Maybe you shouldn't have asked that-

You both looked towards the door in question as what sounded like a heavy rain came forward, and the door was pushed open to let the source of the noise come in. And both you and Sapphire's eyes POPPED open comedically as a HUGE tidal wave of people started walking in pushing the already big crowd like the last wave of a boss fight in a video game. You were half expecting boss music to start playing. As the crowd started rolling in you just stood there and stared clutching your still sore hand. It was like a sudden reality hit you. All the exhaustion from the last few hours just dealing with all the people annoyed without a break and without sleep, constantly on your feet and now your hand throbbed with some pain-...Well it hit you like another tidal wave with the arrival of so much more shouting and people grumbling for late night meals demanding to be made to help them combat the cold outside. Sapphire had an almost equally horrified look on her face before it deflated into tired defeat and she could only tiredly let go of you and turn her attention to the first person who annoyedly demanded she get him a black coffee that instant. Well sounds almost blurred together as you just started and felt something gather in your eyes.

"Y/n!" An almost angelic voice shouted out to you and you blinked looking up to the bulky figure who pushed his way through the crowd and was now leaning against the counter with his sunglasses off staring at you. "Hey. Are you alright? You're crying."

You were what-..

Instead of answering your good hand reached up to wipe at your face. Yes. The man who spoke to you, was in fact, Gordie the gym leader. Why was he here instead of tending to his party?...Well to answer that the party was dying down to be honest, it was late and since the fireworks were the man attraction thar was over with, about everyone was heading home now including him, but he wanted to stop by and see how his friend was doing (NOT because his heart was beating a mile a minute at the thought of you-) but he hadn't been expecting the giant crowd in here or the sight of you crying lightly. When he pushed his way to the front he was smiling expecting to see you there, but had been completely thrown for a loop when he caught the sight of your current state. Leaning with your back against the wall with slight bags under your eyes, hair frizzy, clutching your hand, and crying lightly. You had looked shocked when he had gotten your attention but had quickly wiped your eyes and forced a smile when you saw him.

"H-Hey, Gordie. W-What's up?"

...He blinked. "What's up with me? What's up with you?" He asked gesturing to you. "You look a right wreck!"

"Well, working none stop all day and seven hours after you were supposed to go home will do that to you."

"Seven hours!? Why didn't your bosses close up shop by now!?" You were still working?? AT MIDNIGHT!? He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before he asked at how stunned he was.

"I don't know i-if they can."

"Why?"

In response your good hand gestured to the shouting people around you with a defeated look. "Too many people. We're already back up as it is!" You practically shouted back to him. "I can barely hear you right now."

At first Gordie gave a look of almost disbelief but then a calm face washed it away. Which was strange but at this point you were too tired to care. But you watched none the less as the Gym leader just calmly turned back to the crowd and stopping...taking a long, LONG moment at the people around him all. Before he proceeded to do something you all weren't expecting at all. He ever so slowly lifted a hand to his mouth to place two of his fingers to it. What was he doing- And then he proceeded to give THE. LOUDEST. WHISTLE!! You had ever heard in your life. It made you wince and sink into yourself closing one eye, but it seemed to work for everyone else too because immediately everyone talking or shouting, the closest ones to him even ducking and having their hands fly up to their ears. The dreaded sound only lasted for maybe five seconds, but it had an instant silence afterwards. Everyone staring in his direction or too busy rubbing their sore eardrums in the aftermath.

"ALRIGHT!!" A hand was thrown up and if Gordie didn't have everyone's attention before he sure did now. "PARTY'S OVER!! Everyone out!!" Immediately afterwards a murmur of complains and groans came from the crowd. You heard some 'ah man's and 'You gotta be kidding me!'s and one or two 'But I've been waiting here for hours's included at the end, but that only made the gym leader scowl deeper. "I SAID BUGGER OFF!! It's late enough! For Arceus's sake, it's the middle of the bloody night! Ya can make your own drinks at home! Anyone else already eatin' hurry up and pay your tabs!"

More murmurs until one man in the front frowned and said, "I'm getting my coffee! I've been standing here for twenty minutes!" He snapped back to both you and Sapphire and shouted again. "Why don't I have it yet!?"

"Because they're overworked and there's too many people here that can't see it!," Gordie countered back giving this man a particular look. "If you're that desperate for it mate, make your own pot at home.''

"I said I want my coffee!! And I'm not leaving here until I have it!!", He shrieked into Gordie's face, and to the gym leader's credit he remained calm just looking at the slightly taller man.

"'Lright, bud. Back it up." He held up his hands and started to herd the man back from the counter. "These girls are overworked and need some rest n' by the way yer actin' so do you. Go home."

His response was to take an actual swing at the gym leader but what proceeded to happen next shocked you again. Gordie like an expect easily side stepped the clumsy swing and with his left hand grabbed the man's arm, yanking the man to hunch over before his right arm quickly darted over to hook around the guy's neck. And the end result was that the man yelled curse words at Gordie, now finding himself held in a headlock against Gordie's side flailing uselessly like a fish out of water.

"Maybe ya didn't hear me clearly," he yelled louder than you had ever heard him yell before at the crowd. "I SAID EVERYONE GET OUT!!"

Everyone stood stunned for a moment but when the Gym leader started marching his way towards the door with the man still cussing him out and that seemed to motivate everyone else because they either stepped aside or began flocking to the door to get out of his way. Soon the large crowd started to file their way out one after the other and you could only stand there staring....before sliding down the wall until you sat upon the ground and gave a GIANT side of relief. It was as if a weight was lifted off your shoulders. Thank you Arceus. Arceus just THANK you for finally giving you a break. Sapphire practically collapsed against the counter with a half choke half dry chuckle looking like her body would fall over from being made of jello. After a moment the door opened again with a ding from the bell and this time he was...silent. His form paused and blinked for a moment not seeing Y/n anymore before he slowly walked up to the counter and peeked over blinking at your form just sitting tiredly on the floor.

"....Where's the owners?"

Sapphire pointed a thumb behind her where you could still faintly hear the sounds of pots and pans coming from the back kitchen. Gordie again didn't say anything after that but you were surprised to see him literally place one hand on the counter before jumping over it and you blinked when he just...waltzed on into there like he freaking owned the place. You silently sat there and listened. The pots and pans stopped. And there was silence again-

"WHY DIDN'T YOU CLOSE!?"

Sapphire yelped nearly tripping over as you both stared wide eyed at the doors, an angry yell coming from behind the kitchen. If you both were surprised, you couldn't imagine how surprising it was to the chefs to see a Gym Leader just walk into their kitchen.

"I WALK ON IN HERE N' ALL I SEE IS AN OCEAN WORTH OF PEOPLE BACKED UP ALL THE WAY OUTSIDE!! AND THEN I FIND OUT YOUR SERVERS WERE OVERWORKIN' UNTIL MIDNIGHT!! ONE OF YOU BETTER GIVE ME A BLOODY RIGHT GOOD ANSWER TO THIS!!"

You...unfortunately could NOT make out what Bobby or Billy Bob were saying because it was muffled and not as loud as Gordie's yelling. But you made out a few snippets. "-e didn't mean..." and ''not fault..." and what you maaaayybe thought was ''-ard for us''.

"OH!! HARD FOR YOU!? THE ONE WHO'S SITTIN' IN A CHAIR IN FRONT OF A GRILL LEAVIN' JUST TWO PEOPLE TO DO EVERYTHING ELSE WITH ANGRY CUSTOMERS!!"

One of them said something that sounded like ''-n't mind-"

"THIS IS WHY CIRCHESTER HAS A LAW ABOUT WHAT TIME STORES CLOSE ON HOLIDAYS!! YOU TWO KNOWINGLY BROKEN THAT LAW AND AS A RESULT TWO PEOPLE SUFFERED!! YOU'RE BLOODY LUCKY IF I DON'T DRAG YA OUT AND SERVE YOU TO OFFICER JENNY ON YOUR OWN SILVER PLATTER!! NOW GET YOUR BUTTS INTO GEAR AND GET THIS PLACE CLEANED UP!! I WANT IT CLOSED DOWN!! RIGHT!! NOW!! AND IF I FIND OUT EITHER OF YOU TWO PULL SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN, 'BOB'S YOUR UNCLE' WILL BECOME 'BOB WENT OUT OF BUSINESS'!!"

Both of you still stared wide eyed at the door...before footsteps approached and the door swung open letting Gordie out. The gym leader stood there for a moment silently before inhaling and giving out a sigh and holding out his hands.

"Ladies! ...You officially have the REST of the week off. No need to thank me. Just grab your coats and head home."

You both remained quiet for a moment before Sapphire asked quietly, "Wat?"

"I said you both need to get out of here. Go on. Go HOME. Get some rest. Go to sleep. Get warm! All of that stuff! Take your pay for the night and vamoose."

"But...what about-"

"Those chefs seem pretty relaxed. I'm SURE they got plenty of energy to clean up their own mess."

"Oh thank you so much!," Sapphire all but practically sobbed and wobble-walked herself on tired legs away from the counter but you didn't have the energy to do so.

Gordie must've noticed because he squatted down next to your exhausted form and gently placed a hand on your shoulder. "Hey. Are you alright there?"

Tiredly you nodded quietly. "I just wanna go home."

"Yeah..Alright. C'mon," he said as you felt an arm start to pry you away from the wall, "Let's get ya on your feet and get you home."

You were pushed up onto shaking feet and forced to walk on sore feet. It was a bit of a blur and you weren't sure how, but you managed to squeeze your coat on and found yourself tiredly trudging back through the snow and cold of Circhester at nearly one in the morning, until you kept stumbling from how slippery the ground was and how tired you were- Until on your third trip, you felt yourself become light as something just lifted you up and you found yourself staring face to face with Gordie carrying you bridal style through the snowflakes.

"G-GORDIE!? PUT ME DOWN!!"

"Relax. Jeez, you're more hard headed than a diamond."

After maybe a minute, you were tired to fight and just allowed him to carry you all the way to your hotel room. Imagine your pokemon's surprise when you were carried all the way in by the gym leader and gently placed down on the bed in your room gently before giving a frown.

"Hey...Are you alright?"

You tiredly nodded barely able to keep your eyes open now and reaching a hand up to your mouth as you yawned. "Ye-Yeah. I-I'll be...*yyyyaaaawwwnn* F-Fine. I just need to sleep...Thank you so much for the help."

He nodded with a concerned look. "'Course...Ya want me to stay with you or-"

You waved him off tiredly. "Honestly, no. I just wanna be left alone so I can sleep."

Again he nodded and stood back up. "Alright...It's late anyways. I should head back and make sure the crowd from the party's died down without any damages...Are ya sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah...I'll be fine."

"Right. ..Goodnight then. I-I'll see myself out. Get some rest. Ok?"

Well he left and the first thing you did was clonk out then and there on your bed. Completely passed out into possibly the deepest sleep you've ever had. In fact it was so deep, that you didn't even wake up until the next day around eleven in the morning. When you woke, you were still wearing your coat with your hair all frazzled and you found four faces looking at you. Silver looked concerned. Zen was giving you a puzzled look. Sparky was just floating around telling you that you had slept through your alarm and was late for work. And Cerberus was sitting with a pout on his face and his food bowl in his mouth. He let out a whine before just letting the bowl drop from his muzzle with a clatter and barked at you clearly hungry for food.

"....Right. *yyyyaaaawwwwnn* 'M on it."

One shower and change of clothes later, you had fed the three pokemon and gave Sparky a battery to suck the life from as you just plopped yourself back on the bed. You were still tired and just wanted to sleep the rest of the day away if you could but you couldn't because just as you considered going back to sleep there was a loud knock at the door, which made you groan and drag yourself slowly from the bed. You slowly trudged towards the door and when you got close you noticed a delicious smell coming from the other side of the door. Room service?? But you hadn't ordered breakfast or lunch. Well you opened the door and was hit with the delicious smells of ...bannanas?? And Hot chocolate? Well on the other side of the door was none other than Gordie, and in his hands was a small styrofoam box and cup containing said foods. He stood there but smiled when he saw you open the door.

"Hey, Y/n. Good mornin'!..Or should I say afternoon?"

"Gordie?," you asked blinking confused, "What are you doing here?"

"Well I just checked on Sapphire to make sure she was doing ok after last night-"

Oh right..That actually happened! "Is she alright!?"

"She's fine. Just tired and somewhat cranky. I just finished up evrything else so I wanted to drop by and make sure you were alright."

You gave another tiny yawn. "I'm fine thanks. Just a bit tired, but I feel a lot better now. But why do you have that?" You asked gesturing to the food.

"Oh! Well my Ma heard about what happened last night and she made ya this." He held out the food to you. "It's sweet tropical curry, and hot chocolate. Maybe a bit more on the junk food side o' the spectrum, but it's sure to make a good lunch on a cold day."

"Oh..How nice!" You smiled and stepped aside. "Come in."

"Huh? Oh thanks." He stepped right in and was greeted with your small herd. "Ah. I see that Houndoom of yours is lookin' better."

"Yeah. The food and exercise are really working wonders." You closed the door and walked on over to him taking the food. "Tell your mom thanks for the food. And I can't thank you enough for what you did for us last night. I swear I'd still be there working my feet off if you hadn't stepped in."

"Hey. No thanks needed. My ma would've done the same thing if no one had shut it down. There's a reason we have a law in Circhester that prevents stores from stayin' open late on any holidays. The crowds like to gather big and then it causes problems for the small businesses that can't handle the hoards of people! It happens every Halloween and Christmas! I can't believe they'd pull somethin' like that after that got some new help!...*sigh* Don't worry. I made sure to swing by earlier today and make sure they knew not ta do it again. I'm pretty sure they got my message good."

"I hope they don't fire me-"

"They won't," he stated bluntly looking at you, "If they do they know they'll be in BIG trouble, you on the other hand don't have to worry about a thing. You get to enjoy the rest of the week off so no worries."

"Ah. Well that's one good thing." It was then at that moment that your stomach growled and you let out an embarrassed chuckle. ''All this talk about the cafe is making me hungry. I wanna try this food out! Smells delicious."

You smiled and held up the food and it was at THAT exact moment he froze. Eyes in full view of your hand and then his eyes widened- "What the- W-W-What happened to your bloody hand!?" He asked pointing to your hand and it was then you turned to the now MOSTLY faded light pink marks on your hands.

Aw crap. You forgot about that. "Oh yeah." You scowled at your hand for a moment. "Some old hag decided to spill her drink on me and burnt my hand a bit."

"SHE BURNT YOUR HAND!?"

"It's not too bad," you assured him as he no gained a panicked look, "It doesn't hurt anymore and it'll go away in a couple days. I'm more mad she didn't pay than anything else- Wha- HEY! GORDIE!!"

He didn't even bother to listen to the last part of your ranting before he literally but gently removed the food from your hands and quickly shoved it onto a small side table and you froze when he grabbed your hand. Blue eyes squinted from behind those sunglasses as his hands gently held yours to his face...and you blinked. F/c eyes watched as he gave a look to the back of your hand before gently turning it over to give a look over at the bottom of your palm. For someone who could throw out someone in a headlock his grip was..soft. Gentle even as he gazed across your hand for a moment. Seeming to examine each part of it like how a scientist would examine a new cell particle, until eventually he slowly turned it back over to where the light pink was the most...and he sighed.

"'S not serious. Thank Arceus," he mumbled in relief.

"I mean...Yeah. It was only a little bit. I'm still mad tho." He hummed again before one of his hands released yours and reached into his coat pocket to pull out a small toothpaste looking tube and held it out to you. "What's that?"

"Burn cream. I've noticed a while ago that a lot of my guests tend to get burnt by hot drinks, and being an older brother you kinda get used to three lil brothers always making messes and causin' trouble. You wouldn't believe the amount of times they spilt things all over me. Nowadays I always carry one or two of these on me in case anyone ever needs it."

"Oh I think I believe you." You could still clearly remember one of Gordie's brothers making Allister spill his own drink the year before. "But...thank you." With a soft smile that made him pink you happily took the small tube from him happily. "That's really kind of you. You've actually been really nice to be lately and a big help. I wish there was some way I could make it up to you-"

"A-Actually.." His face felt pink- No. RED as he gulped down the rock in his throat letting it travel to his stomach letting the heavy feeling sink in. Especially when you blinked back at him. "I-I was wonderin' i-if ya- W-Well- ONLY IF YOU WANNA 'COURSE!! Y-Y-YOU'RE TOTALLY FREE TO SAY NO!!" You blinked at his sudden increase in pitch as he wanted to suddenly punch himself in the face for that embarrassing moment. "I mean if you wanna-..I m-mean-...I-I remember when you came 'round with Piers a lil while back! W-W-When ya helped us o-out with those dynamaxed pokemon..I a-a-asked ya to dinner b-b-but understandably you were a b-bit busy at the moment. S-So..m-m-maybe i-if you only wanna that is...Maybe you'd l-like to ha-have that dinner...With me?"

You continued to silently stare at him. And he shrinked into his coat under the staring. HOLY ARCEUS HE MESSED THIS UP!! WHY'D HE EVEN DECIDE TO ASK AT THIS TIME!? He wanted to ask you last night so he went to see you but then the whole incident last night happened and he asked without thinking this through at all! OF COURSE YOU'D BE IN NO SHAPE TO SAY YES!! HOW COULD HE LET THAT FLY OVER HIS HEAD!? Granted he-...was kinda interested in this for a while. Dinner with Y/n he meant. Sure he showed some interest in other girls before but he never felt like-...THIS before. Not so...intrigued by your sudden boldness and bluntness and how pretty you were and how you didn't seem to give him special treatment and got through his thick skull and how nice you were and how you helped his slowly start to regain his family he missed so much and how much patience, care, understanding, and genuine emotion- OH ARCEUS HE WAS STILL STARING LIKE AN IDIOT!! He cursed himself eternally for going off on a puppycrush rant inside his head as he unknowingly stared at you still like an idiot making his face even REDDER in comparison to his pale white-blonde hair. You however took a LOT longer to process what he was asking you...and it seemed like everything about his behavior clicked now and your f/c eyes widened in realization.

"...Gordie," you slowly asked making him flinch, "Just so we're clear. Are you...asking me out?"

OH SWEET ARCEUS HE WAS GONNA GET REJECTED SO FAST!! RIP RAIHAN!! HE'S ABOUT TO KNOW HOW HE FELT!! he only slowly gulped again. "Um....Y-Yeah?"

"Oh. Ok then! What time?"

RECORD SCRATCH-

His mind blanked for a moment. "......wot..."

"I said sure. When do you wanna go out?," you calmly responded with a smile.

Again he could only stare. ".....Did you just say bloody YES to ME!?"

"Yes?," you slowly asked raising a brow. "Is that surprising?"

"W-WHY THO!?"

"Because you asked nicely? And you're really nice so why not? At least you're not being really pushy about it like Raihan was...I still need to talk to him about telling others about my business without asking." Gordie opened his mouth, closed it, and just had trouble processing this. "Are you ok there?"

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS?!"

You gave him a deadpanned look now. "Gordie. I have dealt with being bowled over by Milo's wooloo, dropped from the sky into a corviknight's nest, falling out of a tree, living with THE worst mom ever, battling against two legendary pokemon TWICE, stopping powerful rich dudes who think they can just use said legendary pokemon to run rampant, getting hit in the head by a roof tile and ending up in the hospital, THE worst room mate to ever exist, almost getting my face getting bit off by a houndoom, and having Raihan and two hairdo weirdos flirt with me and genuinely make me uncomfortable!" Gordie stared. "I think being asked out by you is the least shocking thing I've ever had to deal with up to this point." You left out the magically transported into a video game world part out for obvious reasons.

He raised a hand and opened his mouth-...Before slowly lowering it. "Ah..Well when you put it that way..*cough cough*." He straightened back up. "So uh-...T-Tomorrow works for you?"

"Friday? Sounds great! Can't wait for my first date."

AGAIN RECORD SCRATCH-

"Hold up!...First date? As in-...Y-You never went out with someone before?!"

"No not really. But I'm sure it'll be fine with you..." You paused looking down. "Um..Gordie."

"Y-Yeah?"

"You're still holding my hand."

In an instant he looked down, saw his hand holding yours, freaked out, let go, and immediately began freaking out even more. "I-I-IM SO SORRY!! I DIDN'T REALIZE!! IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN I PROMISE!!" His face deepened a red the more you smiled at him.

"Hey it's ok."

"No it's not! I was h-holding your hand without permission and we haven't even had a proper date yet," he insisted before he again paused and then grabbed his hair. OI!! GORDIE YOU BLOOMING DUMMY!! "I-I-I HAVEN'T EVEN THOUGHT IT THROUGH THIS FAIR!!!" Before you could even say anything he held up his hands and backed away. "D-Don't worry! I'll have everything ready! Don't worry about it-" And then he quickly turned on his heel to zip out the door- Only to forget the door was closed and full on smack into the door with a loud thud. "OW!!" A hand grabbed his face. Mumbling curses to himself, he grabbed the doorknob throwing the door open before turning with a nervous smile and giving you his signature salute. "Don't worry 'bout anything! I'm fully in control! Just leave it all ta me!"

You only watched as he proceeded to trip over the doorframe on his way out leaving the door partially opened as you stood there blinking....before you again smiled and laughed his response. You weren't sure how this date was supposed to go but it would sure be-....

THIRD RECORD SCRATCH-

A date. You just agreed to have your first date with GORDIE in less than twenty four hours and you have absolutely no idea how a date was supposed to go.

"....SPARKY!! CALL SONIA!! I NEED ADVICE NOW!!!"

[kippykasey]

Dare to Enter

Summary: Trying to fit in after moving to New Eden comes with some tricks.

Word Count: 1550

Characters: Reader, Duke Dugan

Authors Note: This fic takes place in the Battle Scared Universe created by @darke15 . Duke Dugan and Amma are her original characters.

Kippy's Spoopy Saturdays Masterlist

Moving to a new town and trying to fit in was always difficult but moving to a new town during Halloween season? That is just a recipe for trouble. Your dad had grown up in New Eden, so moving back to the small town wasn’t really shocking. However, the gossip mill was quick to learn that your dad had become quite the drunk in his time in the city. Maybe that is why you received judgemental looks while trailing after the ‘cool’ kids.

Your first weekend in town you were dared to steal some candy from Amma’s shop. She caught you before you even left the aisle. That sten look she wore as she simply stated, “You better be paying for those.” You were quick to back track and slip a few dollars onto the counter to pay quickly before running out of the store. 

The second weekend, you and the group were running through the store again. They were taking a few things however you tucked enough money to cover the cost into a display box on your way out. You didn’t need anyone calling your dad and seeing just how intoxicated he was when not working. 

When Halloween weekend finally arrived you and the group of 3 other teens went around tricking people. Did you feel bad? Sure but it was all just fun and games right? Smashing pumpkins, scaring small kids by wearing scary masks. Typical teenage kids right? This was normal. 

Breaking and Entering? Not so normal.

“I dare you to go inside.” The oldest of the teens turn to you. Your group had stopped towards the outer edge of the town where one of the few non decorated homes was. The house was completely dark. There wasn’t a car in the driveway. No signs of there being someone actually living in the house at all. The grass was a bit overgrown. The mailbox was knocked over needing repair. The eerie feel of the house mainly came from how run down and abandoned it looked.

“Are you sure this place is haunted?” You questioned, not fully believing the story she was told. Your eyes scanned the windows of the upper floor for any unnatural movement. Behind you out of sight the three hide their snickers and egg each other on. “Oh yeah! But nobody is brave enough to ever investigate the crying noise from the basement.” One of the boys explain casually.

“So, are you going to do it or are ya chicken?” The oldest smirked. You were no chicken so you snatched one of the flashlights from them and head towards the lone open window, or maybe it was broken and wouldn’t close. Either way you were able to climb into what appeared to be a living room but all the furniture was covered by sheets. 

The dim golden glow of the flashlight panned across the room. There was a musty smell that almost smelt like fresh paint. Finally you began walking further into the house towards the kitchen. Most basements were connected through the kitchen right? The kitchen was a mess. The cabinets were broken, almost looked like someone was in the middle of remodeling before they vanished. 

A dusty box was on the counter labeled ‘kitchen plates’. A soft squeak in the otherwise silent house drew your attention towards the pantry where a field mouse ran through making you jump as it scurried passed. “It’s just a mouse. You get them at home.” You muttered softly to yourself. Walking further through the kitchen your foot kicked a metal pail sitting near the basement. The clattering made you jump to the side and swoop the flashlight beam down to see what you kicked. Shaking your head you continued down the stairs of the basement, the door had been wide open. More boxes and crates lined the walls. Farming tools, model plains, car parts, Hawaiian shirts. Wait a second.. You walked over to the shirt that was hanging out of a fairly new box filled with other tropical patterned shirts. Those didn’t exactly look spooky.

You were walking farther back into the basement when you froze under the eerie creak of screen door hinges. The floor creaked slightly under the heavy boot steps, none of the other teens were wearing boots. You quickly shut the light off afraid of drawing attention and quickly backed up towards the wall. You trip over a fallen crutch falling backwards knocking a crate over and landing hard on a metal disk, you assumed it was a saucer sled. 

The boot steps got louder, they were on the steps and way too real to be a stupid ghost. A jingle of a pull string and a click was all it took before the basement filled with artificial light that made you blink. Merely five feet away staring down at you was a man, a live and definitely not dead man. 

“Trick or treat?” You hesitated with a soft smile.

“What the hell are you doing in my basement kid?” He asked, crossing his arms, staring you down. His eyes stayed locked on you as you pushed yourself up off the ground glancing at the black disk you had fallen onto. 

“It was a stupid dare.” You muttered looking down.

“Uh huh.” He crossed his arms waiting for more of an explanation.

“Look, Pete and Trish were saying that this place was haunted and then Elliot dared me to go inside or I was a chicken. I can’t be a new kid and a chicken that’s just like social suicide. Just please, please don’t call my dad.” You rambled out an explanation instantly hoping you don’t get in trouble with your dad, he tended to yell more when he’s been drinking.

The man rolled his eyes as you listed the three delinquents you had been hanging out with. “Why am I not surprised? Come on.” He led the way back upstairs leaving the light still on. The lights in the rest of the house were still out but you could now see the light from the barn in the back, that must have been where he was.

“Can you scream?” He randomly asked. Your head whipped over to face him looking confused. “Look, those kids are probably going to sneak in here in about a minute to try and scare you. Now if you want to get them before they get you, I suggest you scream.”

Your mouth dropped open slightly as you realized what he meant. They were playing a prank on you. You took a breath. He leaned against one of the kitchen counters. You let out a scream that sounded like a terrified wail to the three kids still standing around out front of the place. The man went back out the back door picking up a chainsaw that seemed to be perfectly positioned. The saw roared to life with a single yank on the pull string start. 

“Let’s get out of here!” You could hear Elliot yell at the other two. Peering out the window you could see the man run down the driveway at the kids with the chainsaw raised. You couldn’t stop the laugh that fell from your lips. You stood in the dark kitchen waiting for him to return to apologize once again before you left.

The chainsaw turned off and you heard his boots again. The door creaked open and he stood in the doorway. “Come on kid, let's get you home.” You silently nod. He was taking you home so he could talk to your dad. Lovely. 

“I’m really sorry mister..” You stopped realizing you didn’t even know what to call him. “Dugan. Duke Dugan. You’re Joey’s kid right?” You nod with a small hum to answer him. You didn’t expect him to walk you home though. Not like it was a long walk, a block or two. It was silent though besides the shuffle of your dragging feet.

The sight that you were greeted with wasn’t the best either. Duke and you were greeted by your dad passed out on the front porch with a bottle of Jack Daniels with but barely a shot left barely clutched in his hand. “Uh is this normal?” He asked with concern in his voice. You managed a hum walking up to the house grabbing the bowl of leftover candy and bringing it over. 

“Yeah dad has a bit of a problem but we’re working on it. Sorry again for breaking into your house Mr. Dugan. Here you can have the rest of our candy.” You offered hopening to sweeten him up into not talking to your dad. 

“Don’t mention it. I was a kid once.” He sighed and moved past you to your dad. Duke didn’t wake him though, he lifted the drunk man up and moved him into the house. The house was more of a double wide trailer and seemed to be pretty disorganized besides the carefully hung halloween decorations. 

“Look kid, if you ever need anything come find me okay? No more taking dares to enter homes. You could get shot that way.” You simply nod your head watching as Duke begins to leave. He was just at the bottom of the driveway when he turns back around. 

“Happy Halloween kid!”

[princess-of-the-corner]

Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix Recap: Hollow Bastion (Like a Code)

We open on Leon typing away at the keyboard to try and get Sora, Donald, and Goofy out of the computer.

Suddenly, the device on the back wall activates and rematerializes SDG behind him.

Leon is relieved, and we now get more text boxes.

“We did it!” Donald cheers.

“Where have you been?” Leon asks.

“Well, uh…” Sora tries to gather his thoughts as Leon approaches, “There’s a world inside this computer, where these, um… Programs live, and…” The camera fades to black.

It fades back in once Sora’s done explaining.

“So in other words…” Leon summarizes, “Ansem’s research data is off-limits unless we know the password.”

“I think that’s right,” Sora replies.

“But you’ve already defeated Ansem…” Leon points out.

“Gawrsh, maybe we’ll never find the password,” Goofy worries.

“That means…” Leon pauses, “… this is all a wild goose chase.”

“You’re chasing what now?”

The camera pans to reveal Tifa standing in the doorway to the room.

“Well, well! A hidden room!” she comments, “Guess I’d better take another look around.”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy follow after her.

The textboxes continue as Tifa ransacks the (offscreen) office as Sora, Donald, and Goofy stand in the hidden doorway that leads back to the computer room.

“She just won’t give up…” Sora comments as the screen shakes and cartoon sound effects play.

“And neither will we!” Donald declares.

“C’mon, we gotta look for that password!” Goofy urges the others.

“Right. We made a promise to Tron,” Sora comments.

We now cut to a properly voice acted cutscene, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy standing behind Tifa as she looks at “Ansem’s” portrait.

“Excuse me,” Tifa remarks.

She steps up to the portrait, which is larger than she is, and grabs a corner to lift it off the wall and place it on the floor nearby.

Behind the painting of the first game’s villain’s younger self is a diagram of a heart, with a lot of text in a made up language used to label different points on it.

Above the diagram is the following text:

“HOLLOW MAIN SECURITY

/TRON DOOR TO DARKNESS”

(Most of the letters of the second line are faded out, but still legible if you can read English.)

Tifa inspects the diagram, punches the wall out of frustration, before turning to face the camera with a sigh and a shrug.

She walks away while dusting off her hands.

You now have control of Sora, and are immediately placed in range to use the “Examine the Drawing” Reaction Command.

You cannot explore Hollow Bastion beyond Ansem’s Study.

Using the Reaction Command will progress the story.

“What’s this doodle?” Sora asks.

“Hollow… Main… Security… Tron…” Donald reads, “Door to…”

“Looks like a diagram or somethin’,” Goofy remarks.

“Door… to… darkness?” Donald reads. (Reminder: In Japan, all of the characters speak and read JAPANESE, so the text being in English is meant to indicate that it’s in a foreign language they don’t fluently understand, while STILL being in a language the player could believably recognize.)

“Oh!”

The camera cuts to the “DOOR TO DARKNESS” text, as Sora hops up and points out the only three letters that aren’t heavily faded.

Hop.

“D–”

Hop.

“T–”

Hop.

“D!”

“DTD!” all three of them realize.

That’s right, the “DTD” database was named after the Door to Darkness that “Ansem” had been seeking throughout the entire first game.

“What’s up?” Leon asks as he walks in.

“Look at this!” Sora announces as he points at the diagram, “This must be the dataspace!

“The DTD. See? The Door To Darkness!”

“What do you know,” Leon remarks, “But… that still leaves the password.”

“Say, fellas, did somebody mention the Door to Darkness?” Mickey Mouse asks as he walks into the room in a black coat, hood pulled over his head.

“Your Majesty!” SDG chorus.

King Mickey shushes them, shoots a hurried glance out the door to the corridors, and then slams it shut behind him.

The second he lowers his hood, he’s glomped by Donald.

Goofy dashes up and pulls both Mickey and Donald into a hug.

“Long time no see!” Sora greets.

King Mickey hushes them once more.

“The Organization might be listening,” he whispers.

Sora nods in understanding, and the conversation continues in quieter tones.

“You mentioned the Door to Darkness?” the King asks.

“Uh, yes sir!” Goofy reports as he and Donald stand at attention, “Ya see, we’re lookin’ for the secret password.”

Now comes a gag that doesn’t translate well.

In the Japanese version, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tron all use the English word “Password”, which briefly confuses King Mickey, until he uses context clues to figure out what they’re talking about.

How did this translate?

“Password?” King Mickey questions, much to SDG’s exasperation, “Oh, I guess you mean like a code!”

(Why they didn’t just have SDG and Tron use the word “Keyword” and have THAT trip Mickey up because it’s not used as much as “Password”, I’ll never know. I don’t think ANYONE calls passwords “codes” these days.)

Leon smiles.

“Well, the Door to Darkness can only be opened by the seven princesses,” King Mickey points out, “There’s Snow White, Jasmine, and Belle…”

“Of course…” Leon remarks, before walking back to the computer room.

“What’re you tryin’ to do?” King Mickey asks.

“With that password, we can get access to Ansem’s research data,” Sora answers.

“So that means you might be able to find out where he is!” King Mickey exclaims.

“Stop jokin’ around, Your Majesty!” Sora replies, “We already defeated Ansem. You know that.”

The King crosses his arms.

“Looks like I’ve got a lot of explainin’ to do,” he remarks.

“We’re listening, Your Majesty!” Donald declares.

“Okay… but first, I’ve got a question…” Sora replies.

“Hey,” Leon cuts in, “isn’t Tron waiting for you guys?”

SDG glance between Leon and the King, very clearly trying to work out their conflicting priorities.

“Don’t worry,” King Mickey assures them, “I’m not goin’ anywhere.

“If those Heartless attack, I’ll stand and fight with everybody here.”

“Yeah… we will too,” Sora agrees.

“Then let’s talk more later,” the King promises.

“That’s a promise!” Donald punctuates, technically rendering that previous bit of commentary pointless.

The King nods.

“I’ll see ya when you get back.”

Fade out from that cutscene to a textbox one, where Mickey says he has one more thing.

Namely, more powers for Sora’s clothes.

He tells Sora to consider it a “thank-you present.”

With that gift in hand (or, threads I guess), Sora declares that it’s time to go off to see Tron, and so asks the King to wait here in the study for them to get back.

King Mickey promises to do so, and reminds Sora to be careful.

Master Form combines Valor Form’s dual-wielding action with Wisdom Form’s boosted magical prowess (no shooting magic bullets though, that’s a Wisdom Form exclusive).

It specializes in aerial combos, and levels up via collecting Drive Orbs.

The catch?

Master Form consumes both Donald and Goofy, meaning Sora will be on his own until he reverts.

It’s growth ability is Aerial Dodge, which is basically just a midair Dodge Roll.

Also, I want to point something out: Even though you’ll have already gotten Secret Ansem Reports 2, 7, and 5 (in that order) and compiled them in Jiminy’s Journal, Sora and friends have NOT had access to them, and are completely oblivious to their contents.

This cutscene is the point that solidifies that the Report collection is not a part of the game’s canon, even if it is a part of the gameplay.

With that said, there’s a new treasure chest on the way to Ansem’s Computer Room (which is considered a part of his study). This large chest holds the Ukulele Charm, which allows you to summon Stitch.

When summoned, Stitch attaches himself to the screen and crawls around the HUD.

If Sora’s HP or MP drops low, Stitch will crawl over to the respective gauge and lick it to fully restore it.

He can also deflect enemy projectiles to protect Sora.

One of his more dangerous tricks is that he can play his ukulele to stun enemies in midair and make them drop Prizes. Very rarely, he’ll take out his blaster and take potshots at whoever Sora’s fighting.

His limit is “Ohana!” which works as follows:

It relocates Sora to the HUD alongside Stitch and reconfigures the Command Menu to instead show the following button prompts:

Attack activate Ukulele, where Sora uses his Keyblade as a guitar and Stitch plays his ukulele. All onscreen enemies spasm and drop prizes. Can be used until the Limit Gauge runs out.

Jump activates Shoot, where the duo blasts rays at a single target. Can be used until the Limit Gauge runs out.

Reaction activates Blast, the finisher. Stitch uses his blasters to attack enemies while Sora strums his Keyblade to draw prizes out of them. This ends the limit and unsummons Stitch.

Sora is locked into place for the duration of “Ohana!” but is also invincible.

There’s a Save Point in the computer room, where Tifa and Leon are patrolling as NPC’s.

Again, if you ONLY cleared Agrabah or Halloween Town and then immediately started progressing the story, I would recommend that you wrap up the other Disney World and ALSO the Pride Lands before progressing any further. You will thank me later!

I would also recommend that you save before returning to Space Paranoids. I speak from experience.

Access the Computer, select the Pit Cell as your destination, and then select “Yes” to return to Space Paranoids.

This time, Sora only presses one key (having apparently figured out how to send himself in without much trouble) and then walks up to stand alongside Donald and Goofy as they’re beamed back into the digitized world.

When they get back, however, Tron is nowhere to be seen.

-

“SAY, FELLAS, DID SOMEBODY MENTION THE DOOR TO DARKNESS?!”

Sorry but that took me OUT because it’s used in ‘out of context compilations’.

Also Stitch my beloved!!

[echantedtoon]

Diamond In The Rough Ch7 Settling Down In Circhester P2

(Warning: Reader's hand gets burnt a little bit by hot chocolate and someone tries to take a swing at Gordie but no contact is made. Thank you to everyone who commented on what pokemon they wanted on where I post my stories. I was only able to pick three from what everyone commented and I did it at random. Here's the ones we'll get going along with the story. Scolipede, mightyena, and glacion. Know all I need is names and genders. Tell me which ones you prefer for which pokemon.)

Things were going well for you at this moment in time.

Your notes and books from Sonia arrived and you were able to work on that one report you'd surely have one problem with for later when the school year kicked back up in a few months. There was also talks of some other GIANT projects you worked on a little bit, you'd wouldn't have to worry about it knowing what they were about before hand. The only good thing you could say about her. There was two or three other big projects you'd have to worry about but you'd be able to take care of most of them by yourself in your spare time. By the time you got back from your weekend of taking care of your pokemon and doing that small project of yours, your job was still pretty busy. Except for Wednesday night, that night was really REALLY busy seeing as it WAS Circhester's Foundation Day. The whole town was filled with food vendors, people partying, noise, and lots and LOTS of people going in and out of the cafe for food and drinks and it was like a there was a monsoon of people spawning outside with out many times people went in and out cramming against the walls or even waiting in lines that went almost all the way to the door. Safe to say both yourself and Sapphire were BEAT rushing to grab napkins, shovel out drinks, rushed to ring out people, meanwhile in the back kitchen you could literally HEAR Bobby and Billy Bob shouting at one another over the noise of pots and pans and sizzling foods that they struggled to chuck out into your arms to serve to customers. At one point you had to stop to go do other things while Sapphire tried to handle the crowds while you were gone, fighting against the crowd to grab dishes and clean tables, going into the back to grab MORE to-go Styrofoam boxes and bags, more clean dishes from the dishwater, more food or drinks for shouting customers- Now you knew why the two chefs wanted to hire more help. Sheesh. At least most of the orders were to go anyways so you all could just give someone their food and they'd leave only to let another person take their place. Sigh. But...GOOD NEWS!! Luckily it seemed things were starting to wind down because while it was still crowded and tiring, there was starting to get less people now. Bad news....It was already after closing time. Bob's Your Uncle closed at five pm. It was already midnight now and it doesn't look like anything would be dying down soon. You were starting to get tired and your feet were starting to be sore and your stomach growled from not being able to eat for a while. Sigh. Oh well. At least the tips were plentiful. You had just handed a woman a styrofoam box with a curry inside it and waited for her to move before groaning and stretching your back with a pop. By now it had gotten dark, late, and loud bangs were coming from outside. Fireworks most likely. It would be super cold by the time you got back, you just hoped that none of your pokemon would cause any trouble while you were gone. Meanwhile a middle aged woman who looked like she had seen a make up tutorial 'not for beginners' and tried to do it herself only to end up looking like a clown, and a haircut that looked like a monkey cut for her walked up to your counter with a face looking like she was angry and just bitten a lemon right after. You of course smiled and was about to ask what she wanted when too brightly painted nails snapped at you making you full on stop. 

"Hey! Give me a hot chocolate! And make it snappy! I don't have time to deal with you today!"

That...certainly caught you off guard but you quickly forced a smile and exchanged a stunned look with Sapphire just for a moment before she was forced to tend to yet another customer walking up to her. With an inhale you turned to the coffee machine area behind you still forcing that smile.

"Would you like a size large, Ma-"

"OF COURSE I WANT A LARGE!!," her shrill voice shrieked at you like a broken record making you wince as it battered your eardrums, "When someone orders a hot chocolate of course they want it large with everything on it unless they say something else! Are you dense or something?!"

Sapphire gave another look as you had to will yourself not to crush the styrofoam cup in your grasp and to just make the darn hot chocolate. Just make it. JUST. MAKE. IT. And hand it to her so she'll go away and leave you alone. You know recognized this woman as someone every store owner feared. A Karen. Just give her the darn hot chocolate and get her out of here. So you got the large and HOT sugary drink full of more sugary whipped cream and marshmallows and just held it out for her with a forced smile.

"Here you go! That'll b-"

"IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!!" The cup was snatched from your hand so fast the contents from the cup rocked and some spilt from your hand. 

Immediately the hot liquid hitting your hand made you have a reaction.

"AH!!" It was like a mini volcano went off and spewed lava all over your hand, despite it only being maybe a small teaspoon's worth of hot coco, but it was still enough to make you cry out and pull your hand back to clutch it.

"Y/n!," Sapphire shouted and whirled back around to you when you shouted eyes wide. "Oh my gosh! Are you ok?!"

"My hand got burnt!," you shouted back hissing and then looking at your hand. A few trickles of liquid fell down your hand when you unfurled your fist, and stared in shock at the now lighter pink looking parts on your hand from where the liquid drink hit it and you gaped in shock....before it quickly got replaced with anger. "YOU LITTLE-" You had snapped your head up back to yell at the woman but she was gone. Replaced with yet another customer who looked annoyed at waiting for you but didn't say anything. "WHAT THE!?" You scanned the crowd of people for any signs of her. "Where'd that slimy weasel go!? She didn't even tip me!!"

"I don't know," Sapphire replied also looking around but stopped when realizing something. "...But she didn't pay either!"

True to her word the woman was gone as neither of you could see her through the still crowded place, making you even MORE mad. "RRR!! GREAT!! HOW COULD THIS NIGHT GET ANY WORSE!?"

"Wait...What's that sound?"

.....

......

Maybe you shouldn't have asked that-

You both looked towards the door in question as what sounded like a heavy rain came forward, and the door was pushed open to let the source of the noise come in. And both you and Sapphire's eyes POPPED open comedically as a HUGE tidal wave of people started walking in pushing the already big crowd like the last wave of a boss fight in a video game. You were half expecting boss music to start playing. As the crowd started rolling in you just stood there and stared clutching your still sore hand. It was like a sudden reality hit you. All the exhaustion from the last few hours just dealing with all the people annoyed without a break and without sleep, constantly on your feet and now your hand throbbed with some pain-...Well it hit you like another tidal wave with the arrival of so much more shouting and people grumbling for late night meals demanding to be made to help them combat the cold outside. Sapphire had an almost equally horrified look on her face before it deflated into tired defeat and she could only tiredly let go of you and turn her attention to the first person who annoyedly demanded she get him a black coffee that instant. Well sounds almost blurred together as you just started and felt something gather in your eyes.

"Y/n!" An almost angelic voice shouted out to you and you blinked looking up to the bulky figure who pushed his way through the crowd and was now leaning against the counter with his sunglasses off staring at you. "Hey. Are you alright? You're crying."

You were what-..

Instead of answering your good hand reached up to wipe at your face. Yes. The man who spoke to you, was in fact, Gordie the gym leader. Why was he here instead of tending to his party?...Well to answer that the party was dying down to be honest, it was late and since the fireworks were the man attraction thar was over with, about everyone was heading home now including him, but he wanted to stop by and see how his friend was doing (NOT because his heart was beating a mile a minute at the thought of you-) but he hadn't been expecting the giant crowd in here or the sight of you crying lightly. When he pushed his way to the front he was smiling expecting to see you there, but had been completely thrown for a loop when he caught the sight of your current state. Leaning with your back against the wall with slight bags under your eyes, hair frizzy, clutching your hand, and crying lightly. You had looked shocked when he had gotten your attention but had quickly wiped your eyes and forced a smile when you saw him. 

"H-Hey, Gordie. W-What's up?"

...He blinked. "What's up with me? What's up with you?" He asked gesturing to you. "You look a right wreck!"

"Well, working none stop all day and seven hours after you were supposed to go home will do that to you."

"Seven hours!? Why didn't your bosses close up shop by now!?" You were still working?? AT MIDNIGHT!? He opened and closed his mouth a couple times before he asked at how stunned he was. 

"I don't know i-if they can."

"Why?"

In response your good hand gestured to the shouting people around you with a defeated look. "Too many people. We're already back up as it is!" You practically shouted back to him. "I can barely hear you right now."

At first Gordie gave a look of almost disbelief but then a calm face washed it away. Which was strange but at this point you were too tired to care. But you watched none the less as the Gym leader just calmly turned back to the crowd and stopping...taking a long, LONG moment at the people around him all. Before he proceeded to do something you all weren't expecting at all. He ever so slowly lifted a hand to his mouth to place two of his fingers to it. What was he doing- And then he proceeded to give THE. LOUDEST. WHISTLE!! You had ever heard in your life. It made you wince and sink into yourself closing one eye, but it seemed to work for everyone else too because immediately everyone talking or shouting, the closest ones to him even ducking and having their hands fly up to their ears. The dreaded sound only lasted for maybe five seconds, but it had an instant silence afterwards. Everyone staring in his direction or too busy rubbing their sore eardrums in the aftermath.

"ALRIGHT!!" A hand was thrown up and if Gordie didn't have everyone's attention before he sure did now. "PARTY'S OVER!! Everyone out!!" Immediately afterwards a murmur of complains and groans came from the crowd. You heard some 'ah man's and 'You gotta be kidding me!'s and one or two 'But I've been waiting here for hours's included at the end, but that only made the gym leader scowl deeper. "I SAID BUGGER OFF!! It's late enough! For Arceus's sake, it's the middle of the bloody night! Ya can make your own drinks at home! Anyone else already eatin' hurry up and pay your tabs!" 

More murmurs until one man in the front frowned and said, "I'm getting my coffee! I've been standing here for twenty minutes!" He snapped back to both you and Sapphire and shouted again. "Why don't I have it yet!?"

"Because they're overworked and there's too many people here that can't see it!," Gordie countered back giving this man a particular look. "If you're that desperate for it mate, make your own pot at home.''

"I said I want my coffee!! And I'm not leaving here until I have it!!", He shrieked into Gordie's face, and to the gym leader's credit he remained calm just looking at the slightly taller man.

"'Lright, bud. Back it up." He held up his hands and started to herd the man back from the counter. "These girls are overworked and need some rest n' by the way yer actin' so do you. Go home." 

His response was to take an actual swing at the gym leader but what proceeded to happen next shocked you again. Gordie like an expect easily side stepped the clumsy swing and with his left hand grabbed the man's arm, yanking the man to hunch over before his right arm quickly darted over to hook around the guy's neck. And the end result was that the man yelled curse words at Gordie, now finding himself held in a headlock against Gordie's side flailing uselessly like a fish out of water. 

"Maybe ya didn't hear me clearly," he yelled louder than you had ever heard him yell before at the crowd. "I SAID EVERYONE GET OUT!!"

Everyone stood stunned for a moment but when the Gym leader started marching his way towards the door with the man still cussing him out and that seemed to motivate everyone else because they either stepped aside or began flocking to the door to get out of his way. Soon the large crowd started to file their way out one after the other and you could only stand there staring....before sliding down the wall until you sat upon the ground and gave a GIANT side of relief. It was as if a weight was lifted off your shoulders. Thank you Arceus. Arceus just THANK you for finally giving you a break. Sapphire practically collapsed against the counter with a half choke half dry chuckle looking like her body would fall over from being made of jello. After a moment the door opened again with a ding from the bell and this time he was...silent. His form paused and blinked for a moment not seeing Y/n anymore before he slowly walked up to the counter and peeked over blinking at your form just sitting tiredly on the floor.

"....Where's the owners?"

Sapphire pointed a thumb behind her where you could still faintly hear the sounds of pots and pans coming from the back kitchen. Gordie again didn't say anything after that but you were surprised to see him literally place one hand on the counter before jumping over it and you blinked when he just...waltzed on into there like he freaking owned the place. You silently sat there and listened. The pots and pans stopped. And there was silence again-

"WHY DIDN'T YOU CLOSE!?" 

Sapphire yelped nearly tripping over as you both stared wide eyed at the doors, an angry yell coming from behind the kitchen. If you both were surprised, you couldn't imagine how surprising it was to the chefs to see a Gym Leader just walk into their kitchen.

"I WALK ON IN HERE N' ALL I SEE IS AN OCEAN WORTH OF PEOPLE BACKED UP ALL THE WAY OUTSIDE!! AND THEN I FIND OUT YOUR SERVERS WERE OVERWORKIN' UNTIL MIDNIGHT!! ONE OF YOU BETTER GIVE ME A BLOODY RIGHT GOOD ANSWER TO THIS!!"

You...unfortunately could NOT make out what Bobby or Billy Bob were saying because it was muffled and not as loud as Gordie's yelling. But you made out a few snippets. "-e didn't mean..." and ''not fault..." and what you maaaayybe thought was ''-ard for us''.

"OH!! HARD FOR YOU!? THE ONE WHO'S SITTIN' IN A CHAIR IN FRONT OF A GRILL LEAVIN' JUST TWO PEOPLE TO DO EVERYTHING ELSE WITH ANGRY CUSTOMERS!!"

One of them said something that sounded like ''-n't mind-"

"THIS IS WHY CIRCHESTER HAS A LAW ABOUT WHAT TIME STORES CLOSE ON HOLIDAYS!! YOU TWO KNOWINGLY BROKEN THAT LAW AND AS A RESULT TWO PEOPLE SUFFERED!! YOU'RE BLOODY LUCKY IF I DON'T DRAG YA OUT AND SERVE YOU TO OFFICER JENNY ON YOUR OWN SILVER PLATTER!! NOW GET YOUR BUTTS INTO GEAR AND GET THIS PLACE CLEANED UP!! I WANT IT CLOSED DOWN!! RIGHT!! NOW!! AND IF I FIND OUT EITHER OF YOU TWO PULL SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN, 'BOB'S YOUR UNCLE' WILL BECOME 'BOB WENT OUT OF BUSINESS'!!"

Both of you still stared wide eyed at the door...before footsteps approached and the door swung open letting Gordie out. The gym leader stood there for a moment silently before inhaling and giving out a sigh and holding out his hands. 

"Ladies! ...You officially have the REST of the week off. No need to thank me. Just grab your coats and head home."

You both remained quiet for a moment before Sapphire asked quietly, "Wat?"

"I said you both need to get out of here. Go on. Go HOME. Get some rest. Go to sleep. Get warm! All of that stuff! Take your pay for the night and vamoose."

"But...what about-"

"Those chefs seem pretty relaxed. I'm SURE they got plenty of energy to clean up their own mess."

"Oh thank you so much!," Sapphire all but practically sobbed and wobble-walked herself on tired legs away from the counter but you didn't have the energy to do so.

Gordie must've noticed because he squatted down next to your exhausted form and gently placed a hand on your shoulder. "Hey. Are you alright there?"

Tiredly you nodded quietly. "I just wanna go home."

"Yeah..Alright. C'mon," he said as you felt an arm start to pry you away from the wall, "Let's get ya on your feet and get you home."

You were pushed up onto shaking feet and forced to walk on sore feet. It was a bit of a blur and you weren't sure how, but you managed to squeeze your coat on and found yourself tiredly trudging back through the snow and cold of Circhester at nearly one in the morning, until you kept stumbling from how slippery the ground was and how tired you were- Until on your third trip, you felt yourself become light as something just lifted you up and you found yourself staring face to face with Gordie carrying you bridal style through the snowflakes. 

"G-GORDIE!? PUT ME DOWN!!"

"Relax. Jeez, you're more hard headed than a diamond."

After maybe a minute, you were tired to fight and just allowed him to carry you all the way to your hotel room. Imagine your pokemon's surprise when you were carried all the way in by the gym leader and gently placed down on the bed in your room gently before giving a frown. 

"Hey...Are you alright?"

You tiredly nodded barely able to keep your eyes open now and reaching a hand up to your mouth as you yawned. "Ye-Yeah. I-I'll be...*yyyyaaaawwwnn* F-Fine. I just need to sleep...Thank you so much for the help."

He nodded with a concerned look. "'Course...Ya want me to stay with you or-"

You waved him off tiredly. "Honestly, no. I just wanna be left alone so I can sleep."

Again he nodded and stood back up. "Alright...It's late anyways. I should head back and make sure the crowd from the party's died down without any damages...Are ya sure you'll be alright?"

"Yeah...I'll be fine." 

"Right. ..Goodnight then. I-I'll see myself out. Get some rest. Ok?"

Well he left and the first thing you did was clonk out then and there on your bed. Completely passed out into possibly the deepest sleep you've ever had. In fact it was so deep, that you didn't even wake up until the next day around eleven in the morning. When you woke, you were still wearing your coat with your hair all frazzled and you found four faces looking at you. Silver looked concerned. Zen was giving you a puzzled look. Sparky was just floating around telling you that you had slept through your alarm and was late for work. And Cerberus was sitting with a pout on his face and his food bowl in his mouth. He let out a whine before just letting the bowl drop from his muzzle with a clatter and barked at you clearly hungry for food. 

"....Right. *yyyyaaaawwwwnn* 'M on it."

One shower and change of clothes later, you had fed the three pokemon and gave Sparky a battery to suck the life from as you just plopped yourself back on the bed. You were still tired and just wanted to sleep the rest of the day away if you could but you couldn't because just as you considered going back to sleep there was a loud knock at the door, which made you groan and drag yourself slowly from the bed. You slowly trudged towards the door and when you got close you noticed a delicious smell coming from the other side of the door. Room service?? But you hadn't ordered breakfast or lunch. Well you opened the door and was hit with the delicious smells of  ...bannanas?? And Hot chocolate? Well on the other side of the door was none other than Gordie, and in his hands was a small styrofoam box and cup containing said foods. He stood there but smiled when he saw you open the door.

"Hey, Y/n. Good mornin'!..Or should I say afternoon?"

"Gordie?," you asked blinking confused, "What are you doing here?"

"Well I just checked on Sapphire to make sure she was doing ok after last night-"

Oh right..That actually happened! "Is she alright!?"

"She's fine. Just tired and somewhat cranky. I just finished up evrything else so I wanted to drop by and make sure you were alright."

You gave another tiny yawn. "I'm fine thanks. Just a bit tired, but I feel a lot better now. But why do you have that?" You asked gesturing to the food.

"Oh! Well my Ma heard about what happened last night and she made ya this." He held out the food to you. "It's sweet tropical curry, and hot chocolate. Maybe a bit more on the junk food side o' the spectrum, but it's sure to make a good lunch on a cold day."

"Oh..How nice!" You smiled and stepped aside. "Come in."

"Huh? Oh thanks." He stepped right in and was greeted with your small herd. "Ah. I see that Houndoom of yours is lookin' better."

"Yeah. The food and exercise are really working wonders." You closed the door and walked on over to him taking the food. "Tell your mom thanks for the food. And I can't thank you enough for what you did for us last night. I swear I'd still be there working my feet off if you hadn't stepped in."

"Hey. No thanks needed. My ma would've done the same thing if no one had shut it down. There's a reason we have a law in Circhester that prevents stores from stayin' open late on any holidays. The crowds like to gather big and then it causes problems for the small businesses that can't handle the hoards of people! It happens every Halloween and Christmas! I can't believe they'd pull somethin' like that after that got some new help!...*sigh* Don't worry. I made sure to swing by earlier today and make sure they knew not ta do it again. I'm pretty sure they got my message good."

"I hope they don't fire me-"

"They won't," he stated bluntly looking at you, "If they do they know they'll be in BIG trouble, you on the other hand don't have to worry about a thing. You get to enjoy the rest of the week off so no worries."

"Ah. Well that's one good thing." It was then at that moment that your stomach growled and you let out an embarrassed chuckle. ''All this talk about the cafe is making me hungry. I wanna try this food out! Smells delicious." 

You smiled and held up the food and it was at THAT exact moment he froze. Eyes in full view of your hand and then his eyes widened- "What the- W-W-What happened to your bloody hand!?" He asked pointing to your hand and it was then you turned to the now MOSTLY faded light pink marks on your hands.

Aw crap. You forgot about that. "Oh yeah." You scowled at your hand for a moment. "Some old hag decided to spill her drink on me and burnt my hand a bit."

"SHE BURNT YOUR HAND!?"

"It's not too bad," you assured him as he no gained a panicked look, "It doesn't hurt anymore and it'll go away in a couple days. I'm more mad she didn't pay than anything else- Wha- HEY! GORDIE!!"

He didn't even bother to listen to the last part of your ranting before he literally but gently removed the food from your hands and quickly shoved it onto a small side table and you froze when he grabbed your hand. Blue eyes squinted from behind those sunglasses as his hands gently held yours to his face...and you blinked. F/c eyes watched as he gave a look to the back of your hand before gently turning it over to give a look over at the bottom of your palm. For someone who could throw out someone in a headlock his grip was..soft. Gentle even as he gazed across your hand for a moment. Seeming to examine each part of it like how a scientist would examine a new cell particle, until eventually he slowly turned it back over to where the light pink was the most...and he sighed.

"'S not serious. Thank Arceus," he mumbled in relief.

"I mean...Yeah. It was only a little bit. I'm still mad tho." He hummed again before one of his hands released yours and reached into his coat pocket to pull out a small toothpaste looking tube and held it out to you. "What's that?"

"Burn cream. I've noticed a while ago that a lot of my guests tend to get burnt by hot drinks, and being an older brother you kinda get used to three lil brothers always making messes and causin' trouble. You wouldn't believe the amount of times they spilt things all over me. Nowadays I always carry one or two of these on me in case anyone ever needs it."

"Oh I think I believe you." You could still clearly remember one of Gordie's brothers making Allister spill his own drink the year before. "But...thank you." With a soft smile that made him pink you happily took the small tube from him happily. "That's really kind of you. You've actually been really nice to be lately and a big help. I wish there was some way I could make it up to you-"

"A-Actually.." His face felt pink- No. RED as he gulped down the rock in his throat letting it travel to his stomach letting the heavy feeling sink in. Especially when you blinked back at him. "I-I was wonderin' i-if ya- W-Well- ONLY IF YOU WANNA 'COURSE!! Y-Y-YOU'RE TOTALLY FREE TO SAY NO!!" You blinked at his sudden increase in pitch as he wanted to suddenly punch himself in the face for that embarrassing moment. "I mean if you wanna-..I m-mean-...I-I remember when you came 'round with Piers a lil while back! W-W-When ya helped us o-out with those dynamaxed pokemon..I a-a-asked ya to dinner b-b-but understandably you were a b-bit busy at the moment. S-So..m-m-maybe i-if you only wanna that is...Maybe you'd l-like to ha-have that dinner...With me?"

You continued to silently stare at him. And he shrinked into his coat under the staring. HOLY ARCEUS HE MESSED THIS UP!! WHY'D HE EVEN DECIDE TO ASK AT THIS TIME!? He wanted to ask you last night so he went to see you but then the whole incident last night happened and he asked without thinking this through at all! OF COURSE YOU'D BE IN NO SHAPE TO SAY YES!! HOW COULD HE LET THAT FLY OVER HIS HEAD!? Granted he-...was kinda interested in this for a while. Dinner with Y/n he meant. Sure he showed some interest in other girls before but he never felt like-...THIS before. Not so...intrigued by your sudden boldness and bluntness and how pretty you were and how you didn't seem to give him special treatment and got through his thick skull and how nice you were and how you helped his slowly start to regain his family he missed so much and how much patience, care, understanding, and genuine emotion- OH ARCEUS HE WAS STILL STARING LIKE AN IDIOT!! He cursed himself eternally for going off on a puppycrush rant inside his head as he unknowingly stared at you still like an idiot making his face even REDDER in comparison to his pale white-blonde hair. You however took a LOT longer to process what he was asking you...and it seemed like everything about his behavior clicked now and your f/c eyes widened in realization. 

"...Gordie," you slowly asked making him flinch, "Just so we're clear. Are you...asking me out?"

OH SWEET ARCEUS HE WAS GONNA GET REJECTED SO FAST!! RIP RAIHAN!! HE'S ABOUT TO KNOW HOW HE FELT!! he only slowly gulped again. "Um....Y-Yeah?"

"Oh. Ok then! What time?"

RECORD SCRATCH-

His mind blanked for a moment. "......wot..."

"I said sure. When do you wanna go out?," you calmly responded with a smile. 

Again he could only stare. ".....Did you just say bloody YES to ME!?"

"Yes?," you slowly asked raising a brow. "Is that surprising?"

"W-WHY THO!?"

"Because you asked nicely? And you're really nice so why not? At least you're not being really pushy about it like Raihan was...I still need to talk to him about telling others about my business without asking." Gordie opened his mouth, closed it, and just had trouble processing this. "Are you ok there?"

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS?!"

You gave him a deadpanned look now. "Gordie. I have dealt with being bowled over by Milo's wooloo, dropped from the sky into a corviknight's nest, falling out of a tree, living with THE worst mom ever, battling against two legendary pokemon TWICE, stopping powerful rich dudes who think they can just use said legendary pokemon to run rampant, getting hit in the head by a roof tile and ending up in the hospital, THE worst room mate to ever exist, almost getting my face getting bit off by a houndoom, and having Raihan and two hairdo weirdos flirt with me and genuinely make me uncomfortable!" Gordie stared. "I think being asked out by you is the least shocking thing I've ever had to deal with up to this point." You left out the magically transported into a video game world part out for obvious reasons.

He raised a hand and opened his mouth-...Before slowly lowering it. "Ah..Well when you put it that way..*cough cough*." He straightened back up. "So uh-...T-Tomorrow works for you?"

"Friday? Sounds great! Can't wait for my first date."

AGAIN RECORD SCRATCH-

"Hold up!...First date? As in-...Y-You never went out with someone before?!"

"No not really. But I'm sure it'll be fine with you..." You paused looking down. "Um..Gordie."

"Y-Yeah?"

"You're still holding my hand."

In an instant he looked down, saw his hand holding yours, freaked out, let go, and immediately began freaking out even more. "I-I-IM SO SORRY!! I DIDN'T REALIZE!! IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN I PROMISE!!" His face deepened a red the more you smiled at him.

"Hey it's ok."

"No it's not! I was h-holding your hand without permission and we haven't even had a proper date yet," he insisted before he again paused and then grabbed his hair. OI!! GORDIE YOU BLOOMING DUMMY!! "I-I-I HAVEN'T EVEN THOUGHT IT THROUGH THIS FAIR!!!" Before you could even say anything he held up his hands and backed away. "D-Don't worry! I'll have everything ready! Don't worry about it-" And then he quickly turned on his heel to zip out the door- Only to forget the door was closed and full on smack into the door with a loud thud. "OW!!" A hand grabbed his face. Mumbling curses to himself, he grabbed the doorknob throwing the door open before turning with a nervous smile and giving you his signature salute. "Don't worry 'bout anything! I'm fully in control! Just leave it all ta me!"

You only watched as he proceeded to trip over the doorframe on his way out leaving the door partially opened as you stood there blinking....before you again smiled and laughed his response. You weren't sure how this date was supposed to go but it would sure be-....

THIRD RECORD SCRATCH-

A date. You just agreed to have your first date with GORDIE in less than twenty four hours and you have absolutely no idea how a date was supposed to go.

"....SPARKY!! CALL SONIA!! I NEED ADVICE NOW!!!"