#but then i saw my teacher and he for some unknown reason had PINK HAIR

[kruxton]

aphantasia not letting me dream at night most of the time but the only two dreams i remember having in all of my life were the scariest shit ever

[wy-van-sunshine]

“Minor inconvenience: I fell in love with you” A Wesper fanfiction :)

“Say whaaaat now?!”

Wylan’s cheeks flushed with red as Jesper’s gaze studied him with something between shock and amusement.

They were in a bar together and Wylan had spotted a nice guy, but he hadn’t found the gut to go and talk to him because he had absolutely zero experience. Jesper had tried to encourage him and he’d refused, and after some teasing he’d finally admitted he’d never even given his first kiss. Jesper was absolutely incredulous: that smart, cute red-haired guy had never had a romantic past with anyone? Not even a flirt?!

“What do you want me to say?” asked Wylan, sinking in his own shame: “There’s just never been... the right occasion”

“I get that, but have you never wanted to try it? Even with a stranger, just to know how it feels!”

“I’m not that kind of person, I don’t kiss strangers for selfish reasons”

Jesper rolled his eyes: “Okay prince charming, and what about the guys you’ve liked in the past? None of them?”

Wylan scrolled his head: “I’m an introverted, Jes, you know that. If I like someone I’ll die before even talking to them”

“So what, you just look at them in silence and hope that they will miraculously fall in love with you?”

Wylan shifted uncomfortably on his seat, refusing to answer: yes, that was basically what he did. He was pathetic and he knew it, but what could he do about that?

Jesper stood up, grinning: “Well, Wylan Van Eck, your life as a virgin will be over soon”

Wylan’s eyes wandered fastly in the room, then went back to Jesper: “Don’t talk like that when there’s other people around us”

“My candor is my greatest power” answered the Zemeni with a wink: “I’ll teach you everything I know about flirting, and you’ll never be afraid to talk to a nice guy again”

“What- are you crazy?”

“No”

“Drunk?”

“No”

“High?”

“Stop it! I’m serious!” Jesper smiled: “You are a great guy and I’m sure you just need to learn how to hit on other boys. Once I reveal you all the secrets of love, you’ll be the king. Well, the prince, after me, of course”

Wylan snorted: “Secrets of love? May I remind you we’re the same age?”

“Yes, but I’m fantastic. Learn from the best and you won’t regret it”

“All I’m going to learn from the sorcerer of love is how to be terribly sleazy”

Jesper clutched a hand to his chest: “That offends me! You’ll learn to be spectacularly amazing, just as I am”

Wylan facepalmed, but at the same time he thought: what the hell, what do I have to lose?

“Fine then, if you insist” he conceded with a sigh.

* * * * *

“And that concludes the small talk part”

“Ghezen, that’s so sad”

“Or amazing?”

“Sad”

“Or... amazing?”

Wylan sighed: “Asking someone whether their parents were thieves because their eyes look like stolen stars is so sad. And old. And sleazy”

Jesper smiled, winking with his gleamy eyes: “I assure you it works. It might be obvious, but people just don’t know how to answer and stupidly smile at you”

“I thought they would throw their drink on your face”

“No, they don’t”

“I would”

“But not them”

Wylan sighed again, but this time a slight smile was touching his lips: he was secretly grateful to Jesper because he was teaching him things that were so basic, but which he didn’t know how to handle. Approaching someone, starting a conversation, sending signals of interest without being weird or disrespectful: if he had to be honest, if Jesper had flirted with him with all those techniques it probably would’ve worked. Sure, he would’ve thrown him his drink first, but he would’ve fallen for him, eventually. 

“Now the interesting part: kissing”

Wylan suddenly went pale: “What?”

“All that flirting and no action? That’s not what I want for my students to learn”

“But I- I’ve never-”

“I know, that’s why we’re going to find someone to practice with”

Wylan snorted: “I’m not going to kiss a stranger! Are you out of your mind?”

Jesper rolled his eyes: “Jeez, Wylan, you’re so prudish! Live a little!”

“I’m not kissing a stranger. End of argument”

Jesper huffed: he was loving to share his knowledge on the subject and he was also proud of Wylan for getting over his shyness at least with him. The merchling was a handsome guy and Jesper was sure that with a little more confidence the entire world would fall to his feet. But, jeez, how hard it was.

“I can’t teach you how to kiss if you have no one to do it with”

“I’ll kiss you then”

Silence fell between the two: Wylan had spoken before he could even realize what his words meant, and now he was terrified of what he’d said and trying to avoid Jesper’s eye contact; Jesper, on the other hand, wasn’t embarassed at all, just surprised at his friend’s suggestion. 

Wylan talked first: “I didn’t mean-”

“No, it’s fine by me” Jesper stopped him before he could get any more red: “It’ll be easier to understand whether you’re doing it right”

Wylan gazed at him, unsure of what to say: “Are you... sure?”

Jesper winked: “Anything for you, my friend”

They got ready to practice: Jesper explained some basic “rules” about kissing and some moves he thought were gracefully good and that would make the kiss unique and mostly unforgettable. He saw Wylan’s eyes gleaming at the thought of doing that and his heart softened: he was so pure, definitely too cute for this world. Jesper made a mental note to threaten every guy the redhead would find because they should treat him like a prince or else- 

The Zemeni smiled at Wylan, sure that what he was going to say would make his friend’s brain crash for some seconds. 

“Now we have to put all this in action. Time to kiss, loveboy”

Wylan shifted uncomfortably on his feet and his cheeks went pinker.

Predictable. Cute, but predictable.

“All right. What should I... should we...”

Jesper placed a hand on Wylan’s shoulder and he stepped forward to face him. He smiled, but not his usual, smart, all-knowing grin: the merchling had seen that emotion few times before on Jesper’s features. He was simply honest.

“Please, promise not to freak out. It’s just you and me and we’re practising. C’mon now”

Wylan nodded and took a deep breath, then leaned forward with his head and, after hesitating for the barest second, he gently touched Jesper’s lips for a brief moment. He closed his eyes and left a kiss there, then pulled away, his heart racing in his chest for no apparent reason.

Jesper felt something in his stomach as well: he felt like that sweet, innocent, small touch was the best kiss he’d ever had. And he’d had a lot. What was happening? He cleared his throat and laughed: “That’s all you have? I’ve taught you better, I hope!”

Wylan mentally asked his heart to please stop playing the rock ‘n roll like a drummer, then timidly smiled: “It’s not easy, give me time”

But Jesper didn’t want to wait: he knew what to expect, he knew how the kisses he gave were, and he really wanted that from Wylan’s lips. Just blind desire, he told himself. You just want a good old fashioned kiss, that’s all.

Wylan breathed again, then, with less hesitation than before, he met Jesper’s lips with his and started kissing him. He felt the Zemeni kissing him back, though not in the passionate way he’d expected: he was just answering to his movements, he wasn’t forcing anything. Such a good teacher.

When he felt ready enough, Wylan tipped with his tongue on Jesper’s lower lip and the sharpshooter opened his mouth and let their tongues touch timidly at first, the merchling experiencing all of that for the first time and taking his time to get more confident. He let out a shaky breath, insecurity already taking place in his body, but Jesper felt that and cupped Wylan’s face in his hands, gently brushing his cheeks with his thumbs and feeling his muscles relax.

Wylan summoned some courage then and deepened their connection, dancing in Jesper’s mouth, pushing forward for more contact, letting his instinct take control over his overthinking mind. He put his hands on Jesper’s chest and he pushed him with his back against the wall, something new blossoming in his chest, some unknown desire running down his spine. 

Wylan felt good. It wasn’t just the kiss - he had no experience, sure, but he was pretty sure he was making a pretty good job. The whole situation felt right: the fact that the lips he was kissing were Jesper’s, the fact that the body he was trapping between him and the wall was Jesper’s, just Jesper himself. It was all right because Jesper was the one there with him. And Wylan was starting to think it wasn’t because they were good friends. Almost definitely not.

On the other hand, Jesper was in a total black out, error 404, not found: he was lost in Wylan’s lips and he wasn’t going to look for a way back, he was just focusing on their moment, there and now, on Wylan’s sudden bravery, on the warmth of his body, on the sweet flavour of his mouth. He didn’t know what was happening - or better: he did, but he was too busy to focus on what his actual feelings towards his friend were. 

When Wylan pulled away, desperately looking for some oxygen to send to his lungs, Jesper leaned his forehead on Wylan’s, eyes closed, and he laughed: “Well, damn well done, I’d say. Looks like the student bested the teacher”

Wylan laughed, his cheeks already pink for the kiss, then leaned one hand on Jesper’s cheek, meeting his gaze: “That felt good. I think I’ve learned something, after all”

Jesper cleared his throat, then said in a whisper: “Gotta be honest, I’ve never had such a great kiss”

“Must be because I used your technique and you think you’re the best” answered Wylan, smiling.

“Well, I do love myself, but...” Jesper didn’t break the eye contact and smiled back “I don’t know what happened, but that wasn’t me. You were passionate, for sure, but there was something... I don’t know, soft? It was your kiss, your way to do it. Turns out you’re a natural”

Wylan laughed: “For what it’s worth, I think I was able to be myself just thanks to you”

“Well, then you should...” Jesper hesitated “Try it with someone else?”

The merchling studied the Zemeni carefully: he looked reluctant at the thought, he... didn’t want him to kiss someone else? He smiled, thinking about how his own heart raced, how his own body longed for that contact with Jeper again and again. Wylan also thought about how Jesper had reacted to his kiss, about what he’d just told him. 

What if the hearts going crazy in that room were two?

Wylan grinned then, an eyebrow raised: he took a step forward and he reached Jesper’s face, stopping a few inches from his lips: “What if I wanted to kiss you again? And not just to practice?”

Jesper softly laughed: “Saints, you’re savage, Van Eck, I’ve unleashed a beast”

“You-”

Wylan couldn’t finish because this time Jesper kissed him first. He smiled in their kiss, and they both felt as good as they never had before. 

He’d learned well, after all.

[liptonsbabe]

The light is coming [B.W]

Chapter 3

Previous

Summary: Bill meets the reader again. Some of the feelings that have been stored up come to the surface again

Word count: 1.2K

Warnings: none

Chapter 3: When we were young

It turned out that Byron knew the location of Grimmauld place perfectly well. You were surprised at the ease with he had found the place, cause that was a great help in not wasting any more time. Standing in front of the door, you turned to Byron before announcing your arrival.

"How do you know about this place? I mean, I never told you about it, even I didn't know of its existence."

Byron looked sideways at you, one eyebrow raised and his pink lips curved into a little smile that made you blush. Byron knocked on the door three times before turning to you

"There's a lot you still don't know about me, honey."

"You're such a show-off" You rolled your eyes when you heard Byron laugh "And don't call me like that."

"Why not?"

“Cause I don't like it"

"Then what would you prefer me to call you?" Byron leaned close to your ear and whispered, "Love", "Darling", "Cutie pie"? You can take your pick. There's more where those came from."

"You’re such an idiot"

Byron laughed, but his mirth was interrupted by the sharp knock from the other side of the door. You gasped and recoiled as a small crack in the door swung open revealing a pair of blue eyes staring back at you

"Who are you?" He asked. You cleared your throat

"Uh... I'm (Y/N) and this is my partner Byron” you said, taking Byron by the arm so the boy on the other side could see him; he narrowed his eyes then turned his gaze back to you " We've come to the Order of the Phoenix meetings. We are aurors."

“Oh, really? What's the secret word?”

“I... I don't know”

“Didn't your sister write it in her letters or something?” Byron asked. You shook your head

“No, Dora didn't.”

“Wait, Dora? As in Nymphadora Tonks?”

“Uh... Yes?” You answered. The crack closed and immediately afterwards the door was thrown open by a tall, thin, red-haired boy. He greeted you with a smile and an effusive handshake.

“You're (Y/N) Lexington! I don't know how I didn't notice before, I'm such an idiot. Tonks has told us a lot about you, you know? Your powers are wonderful” The boy stuck his face to yours making you step back “I'm Fred Weasley, by the way”

“I met a couple of Weasleys when i was little”

“They were probably Bill and Charlie. Anyway, the meeting is this way”

Fred led you down a long corridor as he told you everything that had been going on with the whole Voldemort and his Death Eaters thing; he told that they had taken over the the Daily Prophet and that the members of the Order and Albus Dumbledore were almost certain that the Dark Lord's followers had managed to meddle in the ministry so just a few Aurors had the courage to be part of the Order of the Phoenix.

“Then it's a good thing that we don't belong to the Ministry," Byron commented. Fred cocked his head to one side.

“You don’t?

"No" you replied "We came from Beauxbatons, in France."

"What were you doing there?"

"We were Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers."

"I was a teacher, he was an assistant."

Byron rolled his eyes making Fred laugh. You smiled at that, but you didn't expect Byron to throw one of his arms around your shoulders and give you a kiss on the cheek

"And we were going to get married the next winter, weren't we?"

"No."

"Oh, couple problems?" asked Fred with amusement. You pulled Byron's arm away

"We're not a couple."

"You broke up?"

"We never started"

You looked to the front, you were near a huge room that was the gathering point for dozens of people. Among the sea of people you recognized a clump of bubblegum pink hair that undoubtedly belonged to your older sister -Dora always had a penchant for that color- and, without further hesitation, you entered the room.

You held up your hands and made light come out of them cause no one seemed to have noticed your presence. Everyone turned to look at you and you felt satisfied as each person's attention focused on the warm light from your hands. Increasing the intensity of the light, all the people in the room had to cover  their eyes and you took advantage of it to make your way to Dumbledore, who greeted you with a small handshake. You kept the light on over your left hand.

"I think that was enough demonstration for today, my dear."

You nodded and made the light disappear. Everyone fell silent trying to acknowledge the new arrival; Tonks, on the other hand, let out a squeal of happiness and ran to you to wrap you in a tight hug. In the distance, Bill Weasley made his way through the crowd with his brother Charlie.

"I knew you'd come," Tonks said to you. You smiled "Although I wasn't quite sure if all my letters made it safely to France, still, i appreciate you being here."

"Believe me, Dora, your letters made it all the way to my room at Beauxbatons" You looked at Dumbledore who was watching you patiently. You grimaced before sighing "Madame Maxime wasn't too happy when i told her  that I was leaving the school, but I couldn't stay knowing that you needed my help. I... I left my position at the school and have come to stay."

“Are you serious?" Tonks asked, astonished "You're staying?"

"Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to go, right? After all, Madame Maxime doesn't believe in the Dark Lord's return and I'm sure she won't lift a finger to get it talked about at school. Maybe the students don't even know what's going on. What happened at the the Triwizard Tournament...

"What happened at the Triwizard Tournament was an unfortunate event" said Dumbledore, raising his voice for all to hear "However, we are in time to prevent another such event from taking place, but well only succeed if each of us is willing to face any consequences from now on”

The chorus of voices from the Order members rose, agreeing with Dumbledore's words, who smiled in pleasure. People began to scatter around the room and as the atmosphere began to feel lighter, conversations formed that made a few people laugh. Sirius Black and Molly Weasley approached the sisters and greeted you with a smile.

"It's good to see you again, dear, Oh! You were just a little girl when i saw you years ago" Molly squeezed you in a bone rattling hug. Sirius let out a laugh "You must have been eleven when you left for France. You left without saying goodbye, how rude!"

"Calm down, Molly" Sirius said, gently pushing the woman away. He offered you his open hand and you smiled at him "I'm Sirius Black. You may not know me cause well, i was in Azkaban for a long time, but my cousin Andromeda has told me a lot about you."

"My mother,? are you two related?"

"Uh-huh. That makes me your uncle, isn't that wonderful, give me a hug!"

"Sirius!" Molly shouted, when he lifted you up and started to spin you around making you dizzy. She set you back down on the ground and waited for you to regain your balance before leaving a kiss on your flushed cheek "I told you not to behave like that!"

"Stop yelling at me, Molly, you already look like my mother. Besides, it was the excitement. I haven't had a family in a long time."

"Thanks for what I get" Tonks complained. Sirius laughed

"Relax, you're still my favorite niece. That is until (Y/N) competes for the position, then there's nothing I can do"

"You're unbelievable Sirius, you really are" Molly reproached him. You shook your head while maintaining a smile that made your face hurt.

At the back of the room, Byron struck up a conversation with the Weasley twins while Molly continued to berate Sirius for being so brash and crude. You watched Byron as he talked and talked about something you didn't hear, but it kept Molly's children wide-eyed and their hands static at their sides. Suddenly, Molly let out a squeak and took your hand.

"You must come with me, you haven't met my other children yet."

You wondered how many more children Molly had had when a pair of redheads came out to meet you. They were considerably older than the twins, but all retained their red hair, whitish complexions and huge blue eyes. Molly smiled, releasing your hand.

"This is Bill and Charlie, remember them? You used to play together as kids."

Bill's gaze collided with yours and it was then that you remembered your childhood before you left home, when you and Dora loved to visit the Weasley home solely to play and run all over the Burrow together with Molly and Arthur Weasley's children.

Charlie was the same age as you, but for some unknown reason you always had a special connection with Bill. You remembered playing with him for afternoons on end, or the time you tried to climb one of Molly's trees and fell and scraped your knee. Bill didn't want to call his mother to fix you up and, since you were still too little to do magic, he decided that a little kiss on the injured part would help the pain pass.

Your cheeks burned at the thought that Bill had been your best friend as a child and that.... Oh God, he had given you your first kiss when you were five and he was seven; it had been Charlie's birthday party and the two of you had been arguing over who should get the cherry from the cake. The fight ended when you put the cherry in your mouth and Bill gave you a little kiss on the lips so he wouldn't miss the taste of that cherry.

It was something silly and unimportant, but it still embarassed you horribly

Bill reached out his hand when he saw you deep in thought, and he took your hand slowly and shook it gently.

"It's good to see you again, (Y/N)."

You smiled apologetically. God, you looked like a fool.

"It’s good to see you too, Bill."

[theimprobabledreamersworld]

For the love of vocab cards.

Soo... another story written for @analogicalweek :D This is for day 5, prompt: Vocab cards. This again is a bit longer than my previous ones, but hopefully it’s worth it!

This is another College AU, Logan helps Virgil revise for an exam and leaves him a surpise to get through it on the day :) Hope you like it!

Taglist: @psychedelicships @edupunkn00b @jwillowwolf @look-ma-im-on-tv @kacklingisanart :) If anyone would like to be added, let me know! :D

For the love of vocab cards.

Word count: 1765

No warnings that I’m aware of :)

Virgil sat in an abandoned corner of the college library, just reading a textbook and finishing his third book of notes. He was desperately trying to revise for this exam tomorrow, but after four hours; his brain had reached its capacity of trying to retain information. It didn’t help that it was for a science exam and he hated that subject with a passion. There were too many long words with complicated meanings that he could never remember. He also just about understood equations when it came to math, but he had no idea how to apply them to science. Virgil belonged within the Performing Arts side of college, he loved music technology in particular and he loved creating all kinds of new music with the different pieces of equipment littered throughout the department. However, if he wanted to get onto next year’s course in Music Tech, he still had to pass the core subjects of math, english and science. Despite his unbridled hatred for the subject, he couldn’t help but smile whenever he remembered that he met Logan, his boyfriend of nearly two years, in the science labs.

It was the first day of class. They were assigned seats next to each other, and despite Virgil’s anxiety telling him otherwise, they seemed to get on extremely well. Logan was wearing a button up shirt, tailored trousers and large framed glasses, and Virgil had to admit that the ensemble looked amazing on him. Whereas Virgil was in his classic purple shirt, purple patchwork jacket and ripped jeans. They could not have looked like total opposites if they tried. Eventually the teacher started the class and was monotonously trying to explain the more complex concepts of the Periodic Table. Logan must have noticed just how confused Virgil was because he began to write something down on some blank vocabulary cards, all while Virgil stared at the whiteboard helplessly. After a while, Logan tapped Virgil lightly on the shoulder and he jumped. When he looked down at Logan’s hands, he was surprised at what he saw. It was a set of about ten vocabulary cards, and as Virgil took them and looked through them all, he could see that Logan had written out everything the teacher was explaining. However, Logan’s explanation was actually comprehensible, and Virgil genuinely started to understand the work they had been given. He looked at Logan who had a small but sincere smile on his face, and Virgil almost lost his words as he stared into Logan’s eyes. He managed to shyly utter a thank you to Logan while blushing an extremely bright shade of pink. Logan smiled back before turning his attention to the work before the teacher could inevitably come over and have a go at them. That’s where everything started.

Virgil was snapped out of this trip down memory lane by two hands covering his eyes. The familiar scent of aftershave and coffee reassured him about who was standing behind him. Their identity was confirmed with the light kiss on Virgil’s neck and a soft voice saying “Guess who? My Storm Cloud.” Virgil smiled and removed the hands gently from over his eyes.

“I couldn’t hazard a guess, Pocket Protector.” He turned and stood up to give Logan a much-needed hug for them both. He forgot that he said they’d meet after Logan had finished his extra revision session for the same exam. That was the only reassuring thing… they wouldn’t be able to talk or anything, but at least they’d be in the same room tomorrow.

Logan chuckled as he hid his face in Virgil’s neck. “How’s the revision going? Have you taken a break at all?”

“Horribly… I’ve been here for four hours and I still don’t understand a single word that I’m writing down. My brain is not absorbing any of this.” He sighed and was on the verge of crying. “What’s the point of me trying, Lo? I just need to accept that I won’t pass tomorrow.” He couldn’t stop a tear running down his cheek as he thought about how important tomorrow was. Logan closed the space between them, and softly wiped the tear off Virgil’s face. He lifted his chin up, making sure Virgil was looking into his eyes.

“Now you listen to me, Starlight. You are much smarter than you think, and you are stronger than you know. The main reason you’re struggling to remember things right now is because you’re stressed. You’ve cooped yourself into a small corner of this extremely large space and haven’t taken a break for a significant period of time. Let’s sit here and watch something while you drink this coffee I got you. I’ve finished my revision for this exam, so I’ll help you sort out some vocabulary cards for you to take in tomorrow before we go home. Sound good?” Logan looked at the smile starting to form on Virgil’s face and knew that he was okay. Virgil nodded as they sat down, and he snuggled up against a nearby wall with his coffee and took a sip while waiting for Logan.

“Ahh, you know my coffee order?” Virgil asked in a flirty voice as Logan set up his laptop and put on an episode of Parks and Rec. “Of course I do.” In a voice that made it sound like the most obvious thing in the world.

As they watched the episode, Logan ran his fingers through Virgil’s hair and kissed his forehead at random intervals because he loved how Virgil smiled every single time. When the coffee was finished, Logan got up and pulled over a chair to the table so they could finish the last bit of Virgil’s revision. They worked for an hour and Virgil felt more confident when he could answer the questions Logan asked him, that made him feel so much better.

“Alright, do you want to go now? I think we’ve covered everything. No more revising for you today, you’ve done more than enough!” Logan started to pack up Virgil’s things and Virgil looked relieved to be leaving.

“Yes please! I don’t think I could do anymore if I tried anyway. I really owe you for this, love. Let me go put these extra books away, I’ll be back in a minute.” He smiled and quickly kissed Logan before taking the books back to the shelves.

“Tell you what, write a song for me on your crazy music gadgets and we’ll call it even, okay?” Logan called out after Virgil as he walked away.

“You have a deal!” Virgil called back. He smiled and waited until Virgil was completely out of sight before grabbing some blank vocabulary cards and wrote on them furiously. He attached them to Virgil’s exam ones and put them into his bag just before he came back around the corner. Virgil stared at his boyfriend with a playful glare, knowing something suspicious had just happened, but then laughed before leaving the library hand in hand with his boyfriend going to Logan’s car.

They pulled up outside Virgil’s house, he grabbed his bag and Logan walked with him to the door. “Alright, so keep everything in your bag so it’s all in there for tomorrow. Get some food and watch something funny okay? I’ll pick you up in the morning.” He kissed Virgil gently, “I love you.” He turned to walk to the car, but Virgil pulled him back to kiss him again.

“I love you too! Thank you for today. I promise the song I’ll write for you will be the best one yet.” They both smiled and Logan reluctantly pulled away to head home. He still had some revision to do after all.

Morning came all too quickly. Virgil was feeling incredibly nervous as predicted, but he managed to have some breakfast and waited at the front door for Logan to arrive. He saw the car pull up and Logan beeped the horn twice as he normally did. He got out of the car and waited for Virgil to run up for their morning hug. He spun him around a couple of times which made Virgil laugh and kissed him.

“Are you ready to go? Everything is going to be okay. I promise.” Logan said with the most reassuring smile that made Virgil feel safe and secure.

“Yup. Might as well get this over and done with!” He smiled and got into the car. They turned the music up and sang along at the top of their lungs. Virgil would never admit that singing along to cheesy pop songs was his ultimate way to calm down.

They got to college and signed in before sorting their things and heading towards the exam room. Logan gave him a quick hug and they walked into the room together before finding their seats. They both looked amused when they realized that they were sitting next to each other, one row apart. Virgil took the opportunity to look the vocabulary cards over before they were allowed to start. He looked puzzled when he came across some that definitely weren’t there yesterday. His heart swelled when he read them one after the other.

‘You are amazing.’ ‘You are the smartest, most talented person I’ve ever met.’ ‘You can do absolutely anything the world throws at you. I know you can.’ ‘I’m so proud of you.’ ‘I love you to the ends of the unknown universe and back.’

 Virgil couldn’t hide his smile as he held the cards as close to his heart as possible. He turned to Logan who had clearly been watching him the entire time. He mouthed thank you at Logan, who winked in response. Just like that, they announced the start of the exam and Virgil immediately felt like he could do this. They both sneaked loving glances at each other throughout, a silent and unnoticeable gesture of encouragement. Then it was all over, and the relief was almost overwhelming.

When the results came through a few weeks later… Virgil was ecstatic to know that he passed, and unsurprised that Logan got full marks. He knew that without those vocabulary cards Logan made, he would never have believed in himself enough to do everything he could to pass the crucial test. Despite being complete opposites when they met, Virgil knew that now they were two halves of the same coin, they completed each other perfectly. There was only one thing left to do now…

He had one hell of a song to write for the one and only love of his life.

[alrighttevans]

invisible strings

chapter 1: well i wonder

Ao3 link

chapter 2: well i wonder

Marinette wished she knew who the apparently cheerful boy behind that black mask and cat-like green eyes was, as she doodled a butterfly on the margins of her notebook, in French class. 

Despite being so adamant in keeping their identities as a secret, she’d be lying if she claimed she never wondered who he was, especially now. Before last night, she had never worried about Chat Noir’s civilian life. Why would she? He was always so merry and well disposed that it was contagious — it was hard to picture her partner as the same boy she had met last night, she mused, as she sketched the pink long dress she was currently working on —, but the boy she saw last night wasn’t cheerful. He was so determined in shrugging her concern away with some of his light comments, however his body language couldn’t lie to her with the same determination. Chat was her best friend. Marinette couldn’t let him hurt, all alone. But what could she do? He wouldn’t talk to her. He was shutting Ladybug out. She didn’t know how to look for him as Marinette. Something was wrong with her kitty, and that made her question her entire relationship with Chat. What other problems was he burying under his merry personality and dealing with all alone? Was he hurting all that time and she had never known? She wished she knew who he was so she could try and help him and hold him and tell him it’s gonna be okay. 

However, until the day the reveal of their secret identities arrived, she had to trust Chat Noir to talk to her, in case things got too bad on his side. 

The problem was she didn’t think he would. 

What were her options, then? Perhaps, she could—

“Marinette!” She jumped on her seat, whilst her head snapped at the sound of her name, only to find no one other than Adrien Agreste, with his soft golden hair, bathed by the sun that shone through the window just so it could flatter even more his looks, and deep, welcoming green eyes, in which she would gladly drown, waving his hand on her face. Marinette felt her cheeks burn — a very common sensation for when she was around that boy. For how long had he been calling her, as she ignored him? That was so embarrassing. She was so caught up on her thoughts that she didn’t realise Adrien, of all people, wanted to talk to her!

“Y-yes?”

“S-sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.” He quickly apologized, scratching the back of his neck, as a light blush creeped into his features.

“It’s okay! You have to apologize! I m-mean you don’t have to apologize!”

Perfect as always, he decided to ignore her bad manners and the stuttering mess she still became sometimes, when he caught her off her guard, and chose to both nod and give her his most brilliant smile, that melted her whole heart, that easily. “Class is over. It has been for a few minutes, but you didn’t seem to notice.”

“Oh”, Marinette spared a glance on her surroundings, watching a deserted classroom, other than for her and Adrien, a clean blackboard and empty seats before her, “Thank you, Adrien.” She added, as her eyes came back to find his, once again, but his gaze was too busy to meet hers. 

Following the trail left behind his stare, she found that what had caught up his attention was her notebook, full of the doodles she did while she didn’t mind any attention to the teacher. There was the butterfly, her long dress, a few hairstyles she wanted to try, and— “Is that Chat Noir?” He questioned her, as he, all of the sudden, decided it was a good idea to look in her eyes as intensely as he did to the notebook, with some kind of fondness and bewilderment, which felt like Adrien could see her beyond her skin.

“Yes...?” was her response, which sounded more like a question, as she glanced back to the notebook, unsure if she could sustain Adrien’s stare for much longer, where yesterday’s Chat Noir lied, looking back at her with that mournful expression that was so out of character for him. A Chat Noir she didn’t know she had drawn. A Chat Noir that made her heart break at the sight of his melancholy. 

A Chat Noir only Ladybug had ever seen. 

A Chat Noir Marinette shouldn’t have known, her eyes widened at the realisation, as she quickly closed the notebook with a loud noise, and shoved it, along with her other materials, inside her bag. 

“Oh, look at the time! I should probably go.” Marinette announced, while she stood up and dashed to the door, feeling panic run through her veins. What was she thinking, doodling this in class? “My parents must be waiting for me! Bye, Adrien!”

“Marinette?”

She bit back all the curses that rose through her throat, for she couldn’t resist the way her name poured like honey from his mouth — that boy made her weak —, but, instead, she walked away from the close escape she had managed to reach, to look at the soft frown on his gorgeous face. “Yes?” She asked, trying to sound as nonchalantly as she could, at the same time he held a quizzical look on his face.

“We’re having lunch at Nino’s today. Have you forgotten?”

Oh. 

Right.

Nino had invited her, Alya and Adrien over.  

Marinette repressed the overwhelming need she felt to slap herself and forced an artificial smile into her lips. “Of course I didn’t!” She began, searching for the first excuse that would pop into her mind. “I… I was just checking if you remembered! You did! Ha-ha!”

“Shall we, then?” Being the gentleman that he was, Adrien didn’t comment on her behaviour, but grinned at her, while he ruffled his hair, before pointing at the exit, in a request for her to take the lead, which she promptly took, after a fair amount of nodding from her part.

This is a disaster her heart knew, when she walked all the way from their classroom to the front of the school with Adrien — thankfully, brilliant as he was, he filled the silence left by Marinette’s absence in their conversation while excitingly talking about this new game he had bought, and she could get away from it by excessively nodding.

This is a complete disaster her eyes screamed as she met Alya and Nino at the end of the stairs and she basically grabbed her best friend’s arm before she could choose to walk with her boyfriend, so Marinette would have at least a little bit of time to recover herself from her embarrassment.

This is totally, utterly disastrous, she was sure as Adrien, whom, for some ungodly unknown reason, had decided to sit right in front of her during their meal, kept staring her, every, now and again with that same gaze that did things to her back at school — things she wasn’t used to him making her feel!, which spoke volumes since she had been infatuated with him for a long time, now.    

It would be an euphemism to say that Marinette was freaking out.

What if Adrien thought she was a Chat Noir fangirl? She would never hear the end of it, if Chat himself happened to hear about it. It would be so embarrassing, especially considering she was Ladybug! Or worse! What if he thought she had a crush on Chat? Then he would never know she actually fancied him! How were they going to buy a house together and adopt a dog, a cat and a hamster if he didn't know? Oh my God, what about the kids?! And why the hell was he still looking at her like that, but now almost holding back a grin? Adrien didn’t grin like that to her! Oh my God, what if he thought she was Ladybug? Of course, only Ladybug would know something so personal about Chat Noir to put it on paper like she had; only Ladybug would have looked at her kitty close enough to capture the extent of his sorrow; only Ladybug could have drawn that! She was doomed, completely and utterly doomed. 

He knew. She had ruined it all and given herself out. He was only waiting for the perfect time to confront her on it. 

And he would think Ladybug fancied Chat Noir, above all!

This was a disaster!

“What?” Alya’s voice interrupted her track of thought, as she turned right to see her friend staring back at her, with a frown. 

“What?!” With a confused expression of her own, Marinette stared back, waiting for someone to explain to her what was going on. 

“What’s a disaster?”

Oh, no, did she say that out loud? How fucking much had she said? She could feel her face reach an yet unknown shade of red as she realised all three of her friends were gazing at her, expectantly. 

“Oh, n-nothing! Don't mind me”, she tried to dismiss their questions and worried complexions with a wave of her hand, “I was just thinking out loud, that’s all!”

“Is everything alright, Marinette?” Adrien bloody Agreste just had to look at her with his bewitching emerald eyes, while all his concern for her sanity cascaded through his voice —  how ironic was it that he was the one driving her mad?

“Sure isn’t! I mean, sure is!”

She wanted to die. 

Maybe she could make a go for the window and off herself before anyone could stop her, she guessed. She was quite fast.  

“Okay…” Alya, being the darling that she was, took the attention away from Marinette as she changed subjects, after giving her a pointed look that demanded an explanation later. She breathed in relief — when had she stopped breathing? “Have you guys heard? Ladybug and Chat Noir were spotted together before dawn.”

Oh, she started breathing too soon, she realized, as Alya showed them the pictures of the duo, which were sent to her on the Ladyblog.

Marinette loved being Ladybug, loved the people of her city — that seemed to love her just as much —, but sometimes it was too fucking much. They weren’t fighting an akuma at that night, they weren’t giving an interview, nor were asked to take a picture. She and Chat Noir weren’t playing superheroes, they were just two people (who were public figures that happened to have superpowers) having a very personal moment, a moment that felt stolen, as she watched her friend’s finger touch the screen to reveal even more photos. It was theirs, and nobody had the right to take it from them and share it to the world. She felt irritated and sad for Chat, for it was his moment of vulnerability, and having it exposed for all of Paris to see and speculate was just cruel. 

“Chat Noir looks sad, doesn’t he? I wonder what happened.” Alya pondered, sliding through the screen. 

“Poor dude. I hope he’s alright”

“Alya, you should take the photos down.” Marinette chastised, throwing a pointed look at her friend, who held an expression that was a mixture of both confusion and discontent. 

“What? Why?”

“How do you think Chat Noir will feel when he sees those?” She stressed; her hands gesticulating throughout her sentence, before she folded her arms on her chest, whilst arching her eyebrows, scoldingly. “It’s not right. I’m sure he doesn’t want all Paris prying into his problems.” 

“But... I should inform people on our heroes.” The redheaded insisted, even though she didn’t sound as convicted on her argument as she usually was. “Maybe we can help him, somehow.”

“If you want to help him, delete the photos and then make a post saying you're doing it in respect for him — as everybody should.”

Alya sighed guilty and gazed back at her mobile, “You’re right. I’ll do it.” She promised, as she started tapping on the screen. 

If Chat Noir wouldn’t allow Ladybug to help him, then Marinette would. She would do anything for her kitty, and if acting backstage was, for now, all she could work with, she’d do as such.

She turned back on her seat, reaching for her orange juice glass that laid on the table, only to accidentally meet Adrien’s piercing gaze. Something shone on his eyes, in a strangely familiar way. It was… wonder.

chapter 3: dancing with our hands tied

[aalpu]

Onorio Marinari Mater Dolorosa, 1670′s Oil on canvas

Initially, I was going to write about a different painting. I was going to write about a gothic netherlandish painting “Lady with a Standard”, which I did find at the Ringling Museum and found very beautiful, epic and balanced. On my way out I saw this oil painting, “Mater Dolorosa” by Onorio Marinari. I was immediately taken by the abrupt chiaroscuro, the stark contrast between the deep ultramarine blue of her cloak and the salmon tones of the Virgin’s rosy, young flesh, the utter solemn resignation of her countenance and the striking emphasis on gentle proportion so characteristic of the Florentine Renaissance.

I thought she was at peace after her copious suffering, in the spotlight of a focused portrait, front and center. Her gaze, lowered at three quarters of a turn towards the right, the East, the Sun.

At home, I started writing about her when my stepdaughter came in, wanting to help with my work as always, not knowing that this time she would succeed in doing so and that she was the very reason why the painting stopped me in my tracks a couple days earlier. I asked her to help me by telling me what she saw in the painting. She said: “The color blue, skin color and a little of her brown hair. Her lips are red and pink. She is thinking about angels because angels are nice and she is smiling.” This shocked me. Not having being raised catholic I thought it was surprising that subconsciously she could recognize her face and connect her to the world of angels; I was curious. We kept going. After some prompting, she started talking about what she may be feeling. We wore blue fabrics over our heads and looked in the mirror. We looked at each other. She said “Now I think maybe she is not happy. I don’t know. With the blue clothes she is hiding from the world, actually I think she is sad. Her eyes are closed so I know she is thinking about something important.” Finally, after much debate, she determined that the painting was decidedly “a medium size”.

She grew tired of talking after a while and decided that now she was going to help me by copying what I wrote, word by word and drawing her own interpretation of the painting.

Born in Florence in 1627 little is known of Onorio Marinari other than during his life he commissioned works for Florentine and Tuscan clients and had involvement with the Medici family as patrons and sponsors. His father Gismondo Marinari, was a relatively unknown artist of the time and his first teacher. He is considered a Baroque painter, yet is work is broadly undefined because his talent for imitation has made it difficult for art historians to identify his pieces. Francesco Saverio Baldinucci wrote about Marinari that he was "a very able imitator, above all of the delicate manner of Carlo Dolci", his accomplished cousin whom he trained under. His religious devotion is a trademark of his work and painting subjects as it was for many Renaissance and Baroque men. The classical treatment of the porcelain flesh is reminiscent of the classical Greek inspiration that gives the name to the entire movement, the rebirth of lyrical classicism.

[sillyrabbit81]

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 3k

Warnings: swearing, angst, implied smut

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 10 Part 12

Part 11

The next few days were monotonous. Most mornings, I would go to the gym. Then I'd head off to work. After work, I'd take Perrin for a walk. We stopped at the dog park a few times to throw the ball. Then I'd go home and read or watch tv. After dinner, I would FaceTime Liam before falling asleep.

Although I missed him terribly, it had been good to have some space. I was able to think about us a bit. Liam was always great on the phone, a gentleman even. Yes, he flirted with me and made inappropriate comments, but they were always in context. I'd be lying if I said I didn't flirt with him back. But it was nice to get to know him better, and I decided I definitely liked him as a person and a lover. He was sweet, sincere, funny and warm, the same as he was when he was Will. He seemed to accept who I was. There were no digs at me, maybe some friendly ribbing, but it seemed he liked me too. We spent a lot of time laughing. We had a similar sense of humour.

He opened up about some of his past relationships, how he felt about them and what went wrong. A lot of the times, he admitted to fault, especially in the early ones. I talked a bit about Andy but kept a lot back. No doubt, he noticed.

Thursday afternoon changed everything.

Liam called me when I was driving home from work at about four-thirty. It broke with our routine. We usually spoke around nine o'clock. I answered the phone, and Liam's voice came through the speakers.

"Hello, Sweetheart. How was your day?"

I smiled at this now familiar greeting. "Really good, Liam. How was yours? Have you finished work already?"

"Yeah, good. I'm supposed to stay for another hour, but I wasn't needed, so I left." Liam paused and said, "Listen, Lana, I have to tell you something."

"Oh, no."

"Yesterday, a parent from your school saw the pictures of us." I went cold. I was 10 minutes from my house, but I pulled over. "She left a message on one of the pictures that you look like a teacher from her kid's school." Oh shit. "Anyway, this morning, you were on duty at the "kiss and drop", whatever that is."

Robotically I said, "it's where the parents drop the kids off at school without getting out of the car." I could see where this is as going.

"Right." He sounded strange but continued. "Well, they took a picture of you, put that side by side with the others. Long story short, Sarah was called to confirm your name."

"Oh, for fucks sake." I was pissed off. "What did she tell them?"

"She said she couldn't confirm or deny."

"In other words, yes, but my boss said, don't say anything."

"That's a bit unfair, Lana. She can't lie to them, or they won't bother calling her when they get a story. They will just run it because they can't trust what she says."

"Fuck this," I said and hung up on Liam.

I slammed my foot down on the accelerator and spun the tires. I had a Toyota Camry SX. It's sort of sporty, but it's not meant to be driven like that, but I was fuming. Liam rang again, but I ignored it. I backed off and slightly and rounded a corner, tires chirping as I went. I fumbled in my bag, driving one-handed until I found and lit a cigarette. As stupid as it was, I drove the rest of the way home like that.

When I got home, I quickly changed into my Draggin jeans, leather jacket and riding boots. I grabbed my helmet, gloves and went for a ride.

I loved being on the bike. Andy was the first guy I'd been with who rode. I remembered the first time he got me on the bike. He hadn't even let the clutch out, and I screamed and jumped off. The second time was better, and I went around the block before I got off. The third time, I was hooked. I loved holding onto his waist as we rode, my chest pressed against his back, my thighs touching his, my hands under his t-shirt. I loved the heavy thrumming of the bike, the wind whistling past. It was exciting, erotic, but also calming. Calming is what I needed.

I was so angry. Not at Liam or Sarah. Or even the bitch who outed me or the others who put my photo out there in the first place. I didn't know who I was angry with. Hollywood? Gossip? Social media? Myself? Maybe I was mad at myself. I deserved it. I'd turned my back on Andy, fucked another guy, and now I'm in a relationship with him, according to public record. Every time someone googles my name, his will come up.

The parents at school will give me looks, and I won't know what they are thinking. Will they be laughing at me? And if it didn't work out, everyone would know. I would have to go through a break up while everyone watched, picked at it, chose sides and commented.

I rode for about an hour up through the Blue Mountains. When I stopped for petrol at Wentworth Falls, my thoughts had settled, and I was thinking clearer. I stopped at a cafe, got a coffee and checked my phone. Liam had called twice more and sent a few messages. Riza had called and texted me.

I checked Riza's first. It was a link to an article, Liam Cross's Secret Aussie Lover. Her text simply said, "Jen just found this. Call me if you need me." I didn't click the link.

I checked Liam's. He said he wants to make sure I'm ok. Then he said he wants to come over and talk to me.

I called Liam. He seemed to answer before it even rang. "Sweetheart. Are you ok?" He sounded a bit frantic.

I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"I knew you'd be upset."

"Upset is one thing. I snapped at you and blamed Sarah. You're right. It's not her fault."

"Lana, don't worry about that. Did you read the article?"

"No."

Liam was quiet a while. Then he said, "Are you ok now?"

"Yeah, I'm ok. I just needed some time to calm down." I let out a short laugh. "I am a redhead after all. I have a temper."

Liam laughed, "Do I have to be worried about being stabbed in my sleep?"

"Nah, being a redhead wouldn't make me do that. I get that part of me from being a Scorpio."

"I don't know whether to be scared or turned on right now."

I smirked, "Why not be both?"

Liam laughed and then got serious. "You sure you're ok? Do you want me to come over? I almost did get in my car when you wouldn't answer."

"Stalker," I teased.

"And that's why I didn't."

"I'm not at home anyway."

"Where are you?"

"I took off on the bike to clear my head. I'm in the mountains right now."

"The mountains?"

"Yeah, the Blue Mountains. Look west tomorrow, and you'll see them."

"I'll do that." Liam paused. "I'm really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you too. Bye, Liam."

"Bye, Sweetheart."

I finished my coffee and rode home.

I texted Riza to let her know I was ok. I played with Perrin. I texted my brother to remind him to pick Perrin up tomorrow afternoon. I ate some dinner before packing my bag for tomorrow and went to bed. It was a long time before I finally fell into a restless sleep.

Liam Cross's Secret Aussie Lover

"Pictures of Liam Cross, 38, with an unknown female were circulating on social media earlier this week, and tongues were set wagging.

"Users were quick to put their detective hats on and tracked down Cross's new flame late yesterday. The woman was identified as Mrs Alana Walker, 30, Sydneysider, and special education teacher. Not much else is known about Mrs Walker other than she was widowed in 2017.  Her husband, Andrew Walker, and father Brian Kelly were killed in a horrific Boxing Day crash when his car was destroyed by a truck driver who had a medical incident behind the wheel.

"Sources close to Cross say that he has been elated the past couple of months, and now they know why. They hope for his sake that this relationship will not be plagued by scandal like his previous relationships.

"For now, Cross's camp is remaining tight-lipped on the situation. While they don't deny a relationship, they will not confirm it.

"Cross is currently in Sydney for an adaptation of the widely popular and romantic fantasy epic Beyond the Stones series by C. W. Taylor. He will co-star alongside Australian Myra Roberts with an expected release in the northern hemisphere winter of 2022."

I woke on Friday morning and laid in bed for a while. I should have gone to the gym, but I just couldn't get my body to move. I wanted to chuck a sickie, blow off the whole day, maybe go for a swim, or just watch movies all day. I had an urge to watch Kill Bill for some reason. But I couldn't do that to the kids.

I knew I was just trying to avoid the parents at school. I'm sure most of them know by now. Gossip runs rampant at the school gate. We've all seen Big Little Lies. Probably all the staff knew too. It was one of those days where I wish I could just press fast forward and get to the part where I see Liam again. I didn't want to miss out on that.

In the end, I got up, showered and got ready for work. I tamed my hair, put on my war paint and dressed in black work pants, ballet flats and a pink knitted cardigan.

I started to pack my bag for the weekend, trying to work out what outfits I needed. I had decided what I wanted to wear for dinner tonight, but I didn't know what to wear to bed. Would I even need anything to wear? I blushed at the thought. I packed a basic set of pyjamas. I added jeans and a couple of t-shirts, a hoodie and my Dr Martens. I put some pretty underwear in there too. I didn't have much, just a white lace set which Liam had already seen and two black lace sets. I packed them all.

My phone beeped, and I got a message from Liam. It was a picture of his face all sweaty from working out. He had his tongue sticking out. He had written, I was going to send you a picture of my cock but thought that was a bit vulgar. So I decided to send you a picture of another part of my body that's going to fuck you tonight. Can't wait x.

My whole body grew hot, my stomach filled with butterflies, and I giggled. I started to reply with 'cheeky bastard', but then I had an idea. I sent him a picture of my face with my mouth open in an O shape, and I rested a finger on the corner of my lower lip. I wrote, I was going to send you a picture of my pussy but thought it was a bit obvious. So I sent you a picture of another part of my body that's going to get fucked tonight. X

Within a minute, I got a reply of: Game on, Sweetheart.

Well, if Liam wants to play a game, I can play a game.

I pulled my pyjamas out of my bag and put in a satin shift, pretty much my only sexy bedclothes. I thought about what other sexy photos I could take and packed a few other things. Then I made my lunch and headed off to work.

I rang Riza on the way to work. She asked me about how I was feeling. I told her I was dealing with it, but I said no more about it. I asked Riza about how she and Jen were going, and she said we would meet up soon.

"I miss you," she said.

"Yeah, I miss you too. Talk soon, ok?"

"Yeah, have a good weekend slut! Tell Liam I said hi."

"Suck a dick Riz."

We hung up, and almost immediately, Dave calls.

He doesn't say hello or anything, just launches in with, "Are you dating Liam Cross?" Fuck. "One of Lucy's friends just sent her an article about you and him."

No use denying it then. "Yeah, I am. He's the one I'm spending the weekend with." I braced for his reply.

"Fuck me dead. My fucking little sister is rooting Liam fucking Cross." His voice didn't sound angry. He sounded impressed.

I rolled my eyes. "It's not a big deal. Just don't forget to get Perrin and don't tell Mum."

"Not a big deal? The kids will go crazy when they meet him."

"Dave, we are hardly at the point where we are meeting families."

"Yeah, alright, keep your shirt on."

"I'll come by Sunday arvo to pick Perrin up?"

"Wanna stay for dinner?"

"Yeah, ok. See you then."

I ended the call and got to work not long after that. I went straight to my classroom, trying to avoid everyone. There was one person I couldn't avoid, and that was Marla, my teacher's aide. She was in her late 50s, though, so I thought she would be pretty safe. She didn't mention anything all morning, which was a relief.

At lunchtime, I stayed in the classroom. I told Marla I had some work to do, so she left me alone. I checked my phone and found a message from Liam.

It was a picture of Liam drinking from a bottle of pineapple juice, and it said, Me hydrating for tonight x.

His innuendo made me chuckle, but I had planned for something like this. I took a selfie of myself with a banana in my mouth and sent it with the caption: Presumptive much? Me carbo-loading for tonight.

Liam replied a little later with, I can't decide if I'm winning because my pics are better or if I'm still winning because yours are better.

Marla came back into the classroom about halfway through lunch. She pottered around the room, trying to look busy. She kept looking over at me. I felt myself start to panic. She wasn't acting like that this morning. She must know now. They all must know. I started wondering what everyone was saying about me in the staff room. They had probably sent Marla back to the classroom to see what information they could get out of me. The panic receded, and anger filled the void.

Eventually, I lost my temper. "Have you got something to say, Marla?"

Marla had the good grace to look ashamed. "No. Nothing."

I crossed my arms. "What are they saying?"

Marla sighed, "honestly? They're mostly pretty stoked about it. Happy for you."

I let my arms fall. My vision went a bit blurry. "Really?"

Marla came over and leaned against the table, and rubbed my back. "Oh, Darl, yeah, most of us remember what it was like for you. We just want you to be happy."

I smiled at her, but the tears still came. Marla gave me a tissue. "Thanks, Marla." I sniffed, "ugh, the parents, though. I'm not looking forward to that."

Marla smiled and said, "don't worry about it, Darl. I'll fill in for ya this arvo, and you can do my Wednesday lunch duty. How's that?" I thanked her. Relieved, I hugged her and cleaned myself up.

When school had finished, I made a mad dash to the car park. I knew I was just putting off the inevitable. I'd have to show my face in front of the parents sooner or later, but I decided it was Monday's problem.

I checked my phone before I headed off to Liam's place. He had sent me a shirtless picture of himself with some rope curled up around his shoulder and written, One of my costumes has a rope. It made me think of you. I'm about to leave. See you soon.

Dammit, I couldn't think of a response to that one! I sat and thought about it for ages. I was not about to give in easily. Then it came to me. I got my water bottle and one of my spare undies from my overnight bag. I wet them a bit, put the underwear and water bottle on the bag and took a picture of them both. I wrote. My water bottle leaked in my bag, and my panties got wet. It made me think of you. I'm on my way.

The three circles came up within seconds, and Liam sent, You are in so much trouble, Sweetheart. Park around the back.

And because I can't control my tongue in real life or texts, I wrote back, That's what she said.

I didn't wait for a reply. I just put an audiobook on and drove.

Part 12

[keijifairy]

synopsis. Yuuei's notorious bad boy Bakugou Katsuki was the student you crossed off your potential secret admirer list without reluctance. Because surely, the explosive foul mouthed boy knew nothing about the flowers you receive anonymously, right?

pairing. Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

genre. fluff

author’s note. first imagine lezzgoo!! inspired by a comic post i saw on tumblr long ago and immediately thought of my man kacchan

You love a lot of things.

From chocolates, to flowers, to your lovely group of friends, and to a certain classmate of yours named Bakugou Katsuki; you love them all dearly.

You thought that only your friends returned that love, but it seemed like even the flowers came to love you back as well.

When you entered your classroom on a normal school day, the students were louder than usual with their shrieks and coos instantly greeting you. 

Almost the whole class of 1-A (Todoroki simply didn't give any care and Bakugou looked pissed off more than usual) were huddled around your assigned seat, all babbling excitedly to each other about some secret admirer that didn't make any sense to you at all. Eyebrows wiggling suggestively and knowing smirks were all directed towards you. Confused out of your mind, you approached the small buzzing crowd to see what they were so incredibly excited about. 

Turns out a delicately beautiful red tulip was left on your desk by a classmate of yours that was yet to be named.

Days passed and nothing changed. Endless teasing, the lovely flowers awaiting you, and no one still admitting they were the anonymous person planting a smile on your face.

Everyday, different kinds of the prettiest flowers were always present in places you were at the most: your classroom desk, your usual table in the cafeteria, and even on the doorstep of your dorm room. You stored the various flowers on vases, some taped on the wall serving as decoration, and some just idly laying around. Even with the majority of the flowers wither, you still thought it gave more life to your once plain room.

This small act indeed flattered you to no extent and you do enjoy receiving all these little gifts, but it was starting to get frustrating as you unfortunately have no idea who could have been giving you flowers. No notes, no clues, no anything given to help you know even a name!

Midoriya? Yeah, he is adorable and makes your heart swoon, but you are pretty confident your ultimate ship with him and Uraraka stands real.

Todoroki? Honestly, that boy is too perfect for you

Kirishima? Your right hand man in investigating.

Bakugou? 

You could only laugh, as if.

Ever since you stepped foot in Yuuei, Bakugou Katsuki's aggressive and arrogant personality managed to make you harbor some kind of romantic feelings towards him. With his mindset on becoming the Number One Hero as his only priority, and the clear annoyance and hatred he shows to each student, you couldn't admit to yourself that you admired him more than a classmate and future pro hero even though it was clear as day.

You were quite sure he hates your guts more than anyone in this school. Surprisingly, maybe even more than the sweet Midoriya. For some awful unknown reason, he just seemed to plant a deeper, special kind of hatred only for you. Death glares, aggressive cursing, and the unusual deep flush of red you thought justified his petty anger, yet still made you fall harder and harder for him as each day passed.

Bakugou Katsuki hated you.

You had enough evidence then.

You crossed off Bakugou on your list with a sigh.

Bakugou trailed behind you alongside some of his friends, the chatters of your classmates barely reaching his ears as it instead chose to listen to the soft chuckle that left your plump lips as you joined in, with his gaze not seeing anything around him but the pretty smile that stuck like glue on your face which he thought only added charm in your personality.

From your annoying hysteric laughter whenever Kaminari tries to woo you with a lame joke, to the charming smile you shoot him whenever you enter the classroom, the stupid pouting of your lips and the scrunching of your brows when you fail to execute a new move and even to your annoying sound of your voice that does peculiar things to his heart, Bakugou absolutely despised just the thought of your stupid face.

But with a small hint of hesitance masked by a scowl and a push by Kirishima, he still accepted your invite to join you and your classmates on a small study group session in your room.

It seemed like those were all the more reasons for Bakugou to hate you.

You suddenly stopped in your tracks, with everyone following suit in front of your room door. 

The boy held his breath as he turned his head to the side, eyes darting everywhere when he saw how the growing smile on your lips reached up to your eyes as your cheeks suddenly kissed pink like the spring rose — the same color as the flower sitting at your doorstep.

You bent down, gently grabbing the stem of the rose in your hands, quietly examining it with the soft smile still planted in your lips — and Bakugou's eyes were fixated, yet again, to you.

"Aww! Your secret admirer is so sweet!" Uraraka gushed from behind you, peeking from your shoulders and her statement only making the redness on your cheeks brighter.

You bashfully tucked the stray strand of hair behind your ear, eyes setting down on the floor. "I love the flowers and this person too, to be honest."

"A mysterious romance is blooming in Class 1-A!"

Unbeknownst to any of you, Bakugou clutched his hands into fists, biting the insides of his cheeks as his face turned into an embarrassing reddish hue. He wouldn't know what to do if someone saw him in such a flustered state.

You only giggled quietly as you started to unlock your door. The moment it opened, the floral scent of your own personal flower garden welcomes your guests.

They slowly waltzed in, some jaws dropping in surprise as they examined the room heavily decorated with all different kinds of flowers. To the walls, tables, and bed; from lilacs, to carnations and roses, your room was practically transformed into a cute little flower shop.

At this point, Bakugou's heartbeat couldn't be felt anymore when he spotted the first ever flower your secret admirer had given you weeks ago, — a red tulip, a symbol of declaration of one's love to another, still alive and flourishing in the prettiest vase you owned on your bedside table.

"Holy smokes!" Ashido exclaims in amazement, "You're like a-a... magical flower...fairy princess!"

You giggled, walking towards your table that had a minimal amount of flower decorations. Thankfully, you had one last vase left without its own flower complementing it standing lonesome on that table. "I'm flattered to become a magical flower fairy princess."

"Or maybe I'll be a florist instead of a hero in the future." you joked, causing soft chuckling to stir.

You placed the pink rose in the simple white vase, the soft colors of each item perfectly suiting each other. You opened the drawer on the table, a long enough pink ribbon just idly laying there along with different scrapbook materials. You daintily tied the ribbon on the stem of the flower to make it more pleasing to look at. 

For a finishing magic touch, just like what you do to each flower you were gifted, your lips touched the pink petal for a soft kiss. 

"Told you she's a flower fairy!" 

"Come on now, let us start studying." Iida stated, already starting to take out his textbooks from his backpack.

"That's boooring~"

With the image of a flower garden and its flower fairy tending to it with soft love as a gentle caress, Bakugou was finally aware of one thing. 

You unknowingly planted a seed in his heart, and just your smile could make flowers — and even him grow.

Perhaps, Katsuki Bakugou liked you more than he planned.

"Damn it, I forgot my book."

You sighed to yourself, reluctantly standing up. Present Mic would surely annoy the hell out of you for the whole English period, especially that you forgot your textbook in your dorm room. As to avoid anymore of your teacher's antics, you had no choice but to drag your lazy ass all the way to the dorms in less than five minutes just before homeroom starts.

The fact that your oh so lovely crush still hasn't made his presence known in some way dramatic only added to your already sour mood. 

With the little energy left on your body, you ran all the way back to the dorms, mumbling in annoyance to yourself every so often.

Hey, he is your motivation after all.

But when you finally approached your room, you quickly came to a halt. Your eyes shifting on a certain item and your jaw dropping in surprise.

That spiky ash blond hair that belongs to someone you were too familiar of.

There he was, Bakugou Katsuki, Class 1-A's infamous bad boy who seemed to hate you, standing at your doorstep with a gardenia, a flower that symbolizes secret love, held delicately in his hand.

Unfortunately for you (and him), before you even found the chance to hide, he had already felt your presence stood frozen behind him. He swiftly turned around, his eyebrows already scrunched in annoyance like an instinct. 

When his gaze caught yours, his eyes started to twitch. His teeth gritted against each other as veins started to visibly appear on his fists with the poor flower slowly getting crushed. You didn't miss the smoke coming out his clenched fists, and you swore you even saw some from his ears. The beetroot color of red painted his face, and you knew Bakugou wasn't angry, perhaps embarrassed. Or maybe he was angry because he was embarrassed? Which one was it, really?

But it surely did look like he was going to kill you, then himself.

"Bakug—"

And without even letting you finish whatever you had to say, the unusually blushing teen quickly fled the scene, not bothering to finish the business he was about to do.

"So.. he's the...secret....admirer...?"

You spent all night freaking out about your latest discovery that you barely slept a blink. You were too occupied screaming into your pillow and giggling alone in your room like the crazy high school girl absolutely head over heels over some cute boy.

And all was true in that.

Bakugou Katsuki standing at your doorstep with a flower surely wasn't a coincidence and your eyes weren't just making tricks, right?

My head hurts. You groaned quietly, fingers tiredly rubbing your temple. 

Today, there were still no signs of the hot headed teen and none of the pretty flowers that greeted you every morning. And that only added to your depressed mood; the literal opposite of what you were feeling just last night.

Just as you were about to continue sulking to yourself, the door slammed open, revealing Bakugou himself with the infamous ticked off expression of his you were all used to seeing which was a complete contrast to Kirishima who stood beside him, cheerfully greeting a good morning to your classmates.

With Bakugou's hands shoved in his pockets, back hunched, and the seemingly permanent scowl and glare etched on his face, he perfectly portrayed the bad boy title as he trudged over to your desk. Instead of a flower, he clutched a crumpled piece of paper in his hand.

He stopped in front of your chair, eyebrows furrowed and jaw clenching, tilting his head to the side to avoid your curious eyes. This time, you didn't miss the red painting his cheeks. 

Without uttering a word, he opened his fist, allowing the paper ball to land on your desk.

"Wha—"

"Shut up."

And with those two sharp words, you obeyed with your eyes quickly averting on the paper as he sat on his desk just behind yours, of course not forgetting to curse at Kirishima who only asked him what just happened.

With shaking hands, both in fear because who knows, he might want to kick your ass after class, and excitement because whatever was written here might prove he is your secret admirer, you slowly unfolded the paper to read Bakugou's scribbled handwriting. 

fuck you 

it isn't me 

you didn't catch me leaving you a flower yesterday 

don't be delusional and think i'm your stupid ass admirer or some shit like that

dumbass

But when you came back to the dorms after class, a daisy which was widely used to predict whether one returns another's feelings, sitting at your doorstep and a certain figure hurriedly scurrying away from your room said otherwise.

You guessed that not only the flowers loved you, but it seemed like Bakugou Katsuki did as well.

[werezmastarbucks]

Whitmore Guy - party animals

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five

Part Six Part Seven

Kai Parker x fem!Reader slowburn

word count: 1600

warnings: Y/N’s bitching about people misinterpreting skate punk culture

music: neck deep - serpents (mark hoppus remix), good charlotte - i don’t wanna be in love, metro station - wish we were older, sum 41 - in too deep

The party was a success. The people did remember early Fall Out Boy, and they did still love them. Gerard Way’s name was still ringing bells in people’s hearts – the only thing Y/N was unhappy about was the fact that they completely mistook the idea.

“I mean… this is not an emo party”, she repeated for the thousandth time. Damon was at her side, just as he’d promised. He was at the very best disinterested in her youth’s culture. In fact, she remembered him mention once, Damon started feeling really tired exactly in 2006, and this outburst of depression made him migrate to north for some time, before returning to Mystic Falls. His silver-green eyes were snapping from one shape of human to another, he wasn’t really listening to her.

“They’re all misdressed…” she gasped. “Except… ah! That’s Mal. He always looks like he’s about to break his nose on the asphalt”.

“Why?” Damon asked absent-mindedly.

“Because he’s about to go skating”.

“That’s the guy?” Damon nodded at Mal, eyes focusing on him.

“Yeah”.

Music was blasting, and people were dancing. They were shaking, thrashing their heads. A couple of immortal hits already made the whole place sweat a little, their cervical vertebrae did not feel good about that.

Mal was chatting with a girl. The system Y/N was remembering people was, she remembered the kind of troubles they were in. This one, Cindy, or Sandy, she once failed to submit not five, not six, but ten papers in a row, and a group of teachers was very unhappy with her. Y/N could not really help her, except to say that she should probably stop partying and go study. Not a lot of time actually has passed since she was a student at a college herself; but she was never a party animal. She had problems with her studies because she had a cluster of minor disorders, from eating to insomnia.

From the looks of it, he was all over the girl. Wide smirk, and the way he bent to her slightly; his eyes were watching her expression closely, and the thin silver chain he always wore under shirt gleamed faintly in the blue lightning.

“I thought you said he was stunning”, Damon sneered.

“I never said stunning. I said adorable”.

“He’s very, very usual, Y/N”.

“Well, compared to you, maybe. Not all people tend to look like fucking Renaissance statuary, Damon”.

Damon sniffed, ruffling his invisible feathers.

“So, what don’t you like about him?”

“He looks like a man with a plan. I don’t really know what’s going on in his head”.

Damon turned to her and eyed her with the usual oily look of a hungry lizard.

“Man. I thought your intuition is kicking in. And you just wanna hit it up with a guy”.

Y/N rolled her eyes.

“Please, please, just for once, just do what I ask you to. Just check him out. Did you find anything about Martha Hopps, by the way?”

“I did, stalker. She is a real human person and she lives in Mystic Falls. She moved in recently with her parents and two sisters. Which is, whatever, considering she’s almost twenty four, and they all live in one house”.

“They’re millenials. It’s normal for us”.

“You don’t live with your mum”.

“Yeah, because I don’t talk with my mum. So, is her family crazy?”

“They sure look lame. Hopps papa seems to have complete control over his daughters. Obsessive type”.

“Oh, god. What if he really is the bad guy?”

“They’re a bunch of boring Christians. Martha is not even that pretty”, Damon clicked his tongue and started looking for the table with the punch. “I think her sister, Laura, is way more interesting”.

“Who cares”, Y/N said tiredly. She felt awful for spying on Mal’s girlfriend, second-handedly. “What you think. Let’s go find something to drink”.

“What do you mean, find?” the vampire went indignant in a moment, “didn’t you organize the whole thing?”

“I did, but Caroline moved all the tables in the morning. I didn’t manage to monitor everything”.

Together, they moved through the crowd, floating like two ships in the sea of shaking heads. Damon led Y/N by the elbow to keep her on her feet, because In Too Deep came on, and the crowd went wild. Mal was still flirting with Cindy/Sandy as they left. Minutes later, Damon abandoned Y/N at the table, to observe and have fun, and set off to look for the guy.

His face was showing in the crowd here and there, shooting Y/N glances of confusion. Mal seemed to have vanished, and the vampire couldn’t find him anywhere. He shook his head in amazement; the music was irritating him. He listened to different stuff; Salvatore’s heart belonged specifically to indie rock of the latter decade. For some unknown reason. In a way, Damon was an essence of the Mystic Falls town.

Soon, Damon disappeared, too, leaving her behind. She didn’t mind much; they kind of fell out in these last months. Y/N knew that Damon always had her back regardless, but they just didn’t talk much these days.

A song came in, the kind of it, that usually makes you see yourself from aside, standing alone, at the table with beer and punch, while everybody grabs their dancing partners by the waists. The sick lamp went from orange to pink even, and then an interesting turquoise shade flooded the hall; people all looked like sparkling fish, in their hats and pins and bright ribbons.

Something pushed her in the back, and moved the table, and Y/N jumped off just in time not to be stepped on.

Mal came round the table. He looked troubled, and his hair was ruffled. There was an even blush on his cheeks, making him look like he was no more than nineteen.

“Is that sex hair, Mal?” Y/N snorted, refusing to empathize with his wild gaze.

“She’s here”, Mal uttered, “dance with me”.

They took each other by the hands. Y/N downed her cup and threw it back on the table. Mal combed his hair with one hand, looking above her shoulder, and pulled her closer to himself.

“Who’s here?”

“Martha”, he said without expression. The eyes on his face were incredible, pulsating, like he was extremely horny, or very distressed; Y/N saw eyes like that on vampires after they’ve just eaten. His hands and face, on the opposite, were sturdy, mechanical.

I gave her my heart, she didn’t want it,

Took it anyway, put a dark spell on it,

Since then I haven’t been the same…                              

He looked down at Y/N like he’s just realized he was holding her.

“Go talk to her. Or nah?”

“Nah. I have nothing to say to her”.

“Really?” she went on with distrust.

“She doesn’t know I’m here”.

“You mentioned. You think she’ll scream or something?”

He snorted. His eyes warmed up just a little.

“Nobody’ll hear her. It’s a loud party”.

Mal put his hand on Y/N shoulder and let it rest.

“You’re a good friend”.

“Been training for years. Still not sure though”.

“I think I saw Demi here”.

“Who?”

“Your ex-crush whom I disapprove”.

“Dude”, she grinned, “he left”.

“Very impressive individual. Masculinity and bulllshit oozing out of him. God, his balls must be huge. Looked like he wanted to chat, but I Houdinied the fuck away”.

Y/N shifted uncomfortably, unable to stop herself from picturing everything he said. Mal was not completely wrong, and yet, the way he spoke about the older Salvatore was so poisonous you could die from listening too closely.

“Don’t like him, huh”.

“Don’t know him”, he nodded, “don’t really care. Just don’t let him hurt you. Why would he leave you alone? even I understand it’s not nice”.

“He didn’t come here to dance”.

“Why then?”

“Masculine stuff. Wanted to talk to somebody. Or check up on me. I don’t know”.

“Uhh, Y/N”, Mal sighed, sincerely enough. She got a desire to give him a hug, like a human, as a friend. Just because she hasn’t hugged anybody for a while. Because it’s been a month, and they got pretty close, attracted to each other like two wandering bog lights. So, she just did it. Wrapping her arms around him, Y/N pulled him close, and laid her head on his shoulder. Mal didn’t push her away, but the song ended, so they just stood. Mal smelled like candy again, and his skin, clean and white, had a trace of female perfume. Y/N didn’t know what to make of him. She wasn’t really jealous. She wasn’t really anxious. Their embrace existed outside their world. Mal still smelled of trouble. Y/N never for a second supposed that there wasn’t something utterly and vividly wrong with this guy. She just didn’t care enough.

“All that heart trouble”, Mal said suddenly, “just makes me wanna dance. Let’s get smashed. It’s Good Charlotte, isn’t it?”

“Back it up now, you’ve got a reason to live. Say, I don’t wanna be in love”.

“I like me a gal who knows all the lyrics to all the shitty songs”, Mal grinned wide, and they separated a little, but did not leave each other’s sight.

“This song is not shitty”.

“Nah”, Mal yelled, as the dynamic, loud part of the verse started, “some music is crap, and it’s good. Remember the motto of your favorite dudes”.

Y/N laughed. A little bit more of music, less light, and they were dancing like monkeys, waving their hands and thrashing their heads, a couple of happy, careless children. They managed to trick the whole college into listening Metro Station for fifteen minutes straight.

[caribouwritings]

Sub-Zero

           I was only three when my older brother Eddie died. He had a brain tumor; he died a couple weeks after my birthday and a couple weeks before his.

          He did just as he told our mom when he said, “I stay four.”

          On June 27th, my big brother was gone at age four.

***

           My parents tried to give me a happy life. They gave me privileges that some kids are not as lucky enough to have (such as a vacation almost every year). Despite what the therapist had said when the event happened, I was damaged and it was only a matter of time before it would all show in forms that got glossed over repeatedly.

I didn’t just lose my brother, I lost my best friend, my protector, my guide… I lost my Eddie.

           Although I can now say it and not think much of it, I still cry at the thought I was cheated out of a big brother to teach me the ropes and take my hand when I was scared.

           Senior year of high school was the hardest. I was graduating (on that day fifteen years later) and my brother did not even make it to kindergarten, which he was so excited for because he’d get to ride a bus; His favorite thing in life besides me, our family, Scooby-Doo, and Donald Duck was anything with an engine.

           I outlived my brother who knew what he wanted (it could’ve changed in time, but it would still involve cars and trucks), and I had panicked. I believed people when they told me I would be a great English teacher. I wanted to be a writer, but everyone kept saying I am a teacher at heart. There was just a couple teeny tiny (major) problems:  I hate school (and still do), I am very selective with what I choose to read, and I don’t talk unless I want to or need to.

            Kudos to those who teach, but I’d rather not go back. School for me was where I had my individuality constantly beaten out of me, I was bullied by other students for who I was, have been accused and associated with things I am not, and my mental health got worse.

           However, being non-confrontational, I just nodded my head and let myself be pushed to a major I did not want and watched as I slowly went downhill, and crossed paths with someone a little bit before graduation who is just like me… sort of.

           I was looking for some new games to play that are like Street Fighter II. While watching a Top Ten Best Fighting Games of All Time video on YouTube, the channel (Watchmojo) ranked a video game called Mortal Kombat (2011) at number two, right next to Street Fighter II which placed number one. When I saw the game on clearance at Walmart, I put it in the cart with the plan to take over the unused Xbox 360 in the living room bought by my parents’ for the Kinect feature. My mom did not care anymore, she was just grateful that the expensive gaming system collecting dust under the TV stand was finally being used.

           I played through several kombatants (yes, with a ‘K’, most ‘C’ starting words are replaced with a ‘K’) in the Ladder Fights and Test Your Luck challenges for hours enjoying the blood and gruesome moves.

            I oddly kept finding myself drawn to Sub-Zero, the blue ice assassin (don’t call them ninjas, they find it highly insulting). I didn’t know why though; I couldn’t figure out why I thought the man with ice powers was intriguing. Curious by nature, I did what I do with everything else I found fascinating, I dug for all the information I could find. It didn’t matter how useless and random, I wanted to know everything about the world of Mortal Kombat, and I now know a huge chunk of it.

           Sub-Zero’s real name is Kuai Liang, and he was originally called Tundra. He is the younger brother of Bi-Han, the first Sub-Zero in the series, and Kuai Liang took the name Sub-Zero after his brother’s death to honor him. That was the only similarity I thought we had, but I was so wrong… I was so wrong.

           Mortal Kombat is super violent. The two ice powered brothers are best known for a fatality where they rip the head and spine out of their enemy opponent, both parts still attached together like a twisted party trick (and this is also the main origin to the ERSP rating system in video games). I am not even strong enough to lift a twenty pound puppy without nearly dropping the stubborn Shepard Labrador mix back on the ground with a thump. Plus there’s the other stuff on the surface:  blonde Caucasian female with an olive shade of green eyes, a bubbly persona and pink girly appearance, versus a dark haired Chinese American male with icy blue eyes, a cold persona and super violent history.

           “He is just a video game character, he is not real. You don’t need to care this much for this fictional character.”

           I know that. Kuai Liang is not real, but his story is real to me.

           Kuai Liang went through hell. Everything bad that could have happened, did happen to him. He lost his brother when Scorpion—the wraith of the NetherRealm (and the franchise’s fan favorite character)—killed him in retaliation for killing the whole Shirai Ryu clan, his kind-hearted wife, and innocent baby boy (spoiler alert, it wasn’t Bi-Han at all! Scorpion was tricked into killing an innocent man!). Wanting to avenge his brother’s death, and avoid the Lin Kuei’s new cyber-initiative their Grandmaster was keen on, Kuai Liang and his best friend, Smoke, ran away to find the answers to what happened to Bi-Han. Right when our new Sub-Zero nearly has his revenge and is to kill Scorpion, he is stopped and surrounded by members of his former clan who have been converted from human to cyborg; despite the robotic outsides and still human insides, they are brainwashed to obey like full-fledged robots. He is taken back to the clan and suffers the same fate of being turned into a cyborg and is renamed LK-520, then sent after Smoke who managed to get away. Lucky for both of them, cyber-Sub-Zero is knocked unconscious and Smoke gets help from his new allies to reset Kuai Liang, but although he gets his control back, he is now stuck as a mashup of man and machine. Until (in a rushed scene of the game) he is killed and his soul is sent to the Netherrealm where he is rebuilt from what is left of his remaining bits of human organs and bone inside his robotic shell. Although human again, he is now under the mind control of the sorcerer, Quan Chi (spoiler alert! He’s the real person behind Scorpion’s suffering!), and is now working alongside both the man who framed his brother and the man who murdered his brother, along with several of his new allies that died as well. In the tenth game, he is freed from Quan Chi’s control by being in the right place at the right time (and by also being a fan favorite character too).

           That should be the end of it, but it’s not. This is right before I realized how perfectly Kuai Liang’s life parallels mine. This is before I read the comics.  

           Like I said, I get invested in stories to the point I want to find out everything I can. When I found all three volumes of the comic series on Amazon, I couldn’t resist and I bought all three.

           When UPS came to deliver the package, I brought it straight to my room plopping the brown cardboard box on my bed, and cut the tape open with a pink mechanical pencil. I didn’t care for the other two books I bought (except enough to hide the one I bought for my little sister’s birthday in the closet) because there they were. Volumes one, two, and three were at the bottom of the box under giant green bags of air that are satisfying to stomp on and give unsuspecting siblings heart attacks, but that was unimportant in this moment. I took the three volume books out and spread them on my bed, and dived right into the unknown; into the rebuild of the Shirai Ryu, the second generation of klassic characters, and what happened to those who lived or were brought back like Sub-Zero.

           Sub-Zero, at this point, was my favorite character. In volume two, however, there was a shift in my view of him. In that shift, he became my number one favorite character ever and sealed his place into that spot permanently.

           Kuai Liang had become possessed by a cursed dagger in the previous volume, and it continued into volume two. Scorpion (he is a good guy now… sort of) and his apprentice, Takeda, go after him and get the dangerous dagger back, but the curse makes it hard for Scorpion to reason with Kuai Liang. Scorpion becomes frustrated and the two fight to what they believe to be the death, until Takeda manages to get the dagger away. Kuai Liang exhausts out all the remaining evil within him, and then is left standing there perplexed by why he is there and what is going on. It doesn’t matter to Scorpion though, he still beats the bewildered young Sub-Zero to a bloody pulp and leaves him to die.

           Kuai Liang rethinks his life as he lays their bleeding out, so when Bo’ Rai Cho (ew, trust me on this one, just ew) comes to him to help him get back on his feet, he asks him, “you haven’t figured out what all these events mean? Why I’m here?”

           Kuai Liang’s answer is, “I must commit hara kiri…”

           There. There it is. Right there. That is the line that made me see I am more like Sub-Zero than I thought I was.

           We lost our older brothers, we lost our individuality, we were beaten, we were bullied, we were brainwashed, we took orders, we went down wrong paths, we battled the world, we battled ourselves, and we took so much of a beaten that we laid in our own blood, sweat, and tears thinking “I must commit hara kiri…”

           What is hara kiri? To simplify, it is suicide.

           I remember putting the comic down on my stuff animal infested bed and staring at the lavender colored walls, looking at the big picture. Sub-Zero is a strong warrior with ice powers, and he hit rock bottom. He may be physically stronger than me, but he is just as broken and weak as me on the inside. He put up a shield, hiding behind his anger just like I hid behind my smile.

           I picked up the comic again, and skipped frantically through the pages of volume three just to get to Kuai Liang and find the answers. What did he do and how did he survive to be in the next game?

           It is complicated and complex, but the answer is different based on how you interpret his story. I obviously interpreted it well, because I am here. I am okay.

[descendantofthesparrow]

Harry Hook x Pan!Reader -Oneshot - enemies are made on neverland

MAGIC_IS_TEA on wattpad

Can you please make a harry hook x reader one shot where he reader is Peter pans daughter and she lives in Auradon but she doesn't fit in

she meets harry and they already knew eachother from when they were kids in Neverland. They've always hated each other because they were supposed to be mortal enemies. And this takes place in decedent's 3? And also the reader is really badass

you were born and raised on neverland, the daughter of peter pan and Moira, your mother the granddaughter of wendy darling.

You had two older siblings, who weren’t neverland born, Maggie and Jack, who had grown up.

You were only 4 when you met..him.

---

You wandered the beaches of neverland, fawns bell-like voice twittering behind you chatting about the new baby squirrels that were born yesterday. When you heard footsteps approaching, you panicked, they didn’t sound like any footsteps you new, these were heavy but quick at the same time, and fast.

You turned and flew up a tree, watching the ground, when a boy, no older than you ran onto the beach, he kept looking behind him, as if something was following him

“BOY GET BACK HERE” you gasped, fawn cupping her hands to her mouth. Hook, Hook was after this boy, the boy looked around wildly, fear clear on his face. You made a split decision.

You jumped down from the tree, fawn flying after you, “Hey!” you whisper yelled, the boy jumped, turning to look at you, surprised ocean blue eyes met your (e/c) ones, and you waved him to you, he glanced back to where hook was calling angerly for him and rushed over to your hiding spot, you grabbed his hand, leading him to a hollowed tree, and shoved him in, fawn following him in and you climbed in, bringing up the leaf cover, pressing your back to the trunk.

Heavy footsteps.

“BOY” the ocean eyed boy jumped, his hand coming up to grip your shoulder tightly, his eyes filling with tears “WHERE ARE YOU, COME OUT NOW” a few moments of tense silence, before hook grumbled, muttering how the boy would regret running off later.

The footsteps walked away, but none of you moved till fawn flew out, seeing no pirate and called for you to come out, the boy asking what the bell was, but you ignored him, leading him back out.

“umm” the boy started nervously, a thick Scottish accent on his tongue “th-thanks” he mumbled, looking at your though his lashes.

“your welcome” you smiled at him, his cheeks turned pink, fawn giggled, the boy's eyes widened, seeing his sister stomping up behind you.

“HARRISON HOOK” your heart froze…hook? “HOW DARE YOU!?! YOU KNOW HOW DAD IS, COME ON” a girl with curly black hair grabbed the boys collar, freezing when she saw you.

“what-what are you doing hanging out with a pan!? Is that why you ran off?!” the boy froze when he heard your last name. shaking his head with tears in his eyes

“n-no! I didn’t know who she was!” the girl huffed, glaring at you “stay away from him pan”

And dragged the boy off, he looked back at you, mouthing ‘pan?’ to himself. You watched as the girl dragged her brother away, one thought in your head.

‘hook…dad?’

----

The boy was the son of captain hook, harry, his name was. And you hated him, and he seemed to return the feeling, he played pranks on you constantly, also stealing whatever he could from you, treasure, knick nacks, anything he could get his hands on.

Then he went too far, stealing your book and ripping it to pieces, a sadistic smirk on his face.

Tears dripped down your face as you watched the pages fall to the ground, it had been the last thing your great grandmother Wendy had given you before she died.

Her last work, one dedicated to you.

“n-no..” you shook your head, your voice cracking, you looked into Harrys eyes, anguish simmering in yours.

“I …i- I HATE YOU!” you screamed, turning and running to the hideout.

----

Only a couple days later, Auradon forces came to neverland to detain the pirates, including harry and dragged them off to the new island of the lost, a place with no magic, a place to imprison the villains.

Even with your hate for harry, you knew he and his sisters didn’t deserve to go there, they had done nothing!

You had begged the fairy queen, Clarion, to try to save them, but she was unable to do anything, though she agreed with you, Harriet, harry and CJ were innocent children, they did not deserve to be imprisoned for their father's crimes.

And it had been 13 years since then, and harry hook had been invited to Auradon prep, and you kinda reacted….harshly.

….

You might have punched him when he tried to talk to you for the first time, and he stared up at you with surprised eyes, holding his bloody nose.

“that’s for ripping my book”

You avoided him for a month, before he cornered you, ironically on the anniversary of the day you met him.

“pan-please-let me- let me talk teh yeh!!!!” he yelled, grasping your shoulders pleadingly, as you kept trying to move around him to getaway.

You huffed, leaning against the wall, glaring at him. “you have one minute” harry sighed, digging into his bag and handing you something.

Your eyes widened with tears, shaking hands talking the object out of his hands.

It…its was your book, the pages carefully put back together with care. You looked back at Harry, who was staring down at his feet, shuffling them.

“i-im sorry lass…I was an idiot, and wanted to make meh father proud…and I-I didn’t realize how much the book meant teh yeh till I saw the personal writing teh yeh…god im so so sorry (y/n)”

You saw a drop of water hit the floor, falling from the curtain of black hair covering his eyes.

“you-“ you started, your voice cracking, you cleared your throat “you kept the book…and the torn pages”

Harry nodded, “aye, I knew I couldn’t just leave them like that, so as soon as yeh started to run away in tears, I started to collect the pages, and I kept them in a bag till I could put them all back together”

You watched as harry bit his lip, obviously nervous. “im truly sorry (y/n)”

You stared at him, shock making you unable to speak, you looked down at the book, tears dripping onto he covers, you opened it, and the first thing you saw was your granny Wendys writing

To my little fairy, may this book allow to you fly forever

-Wendy Darling

Some of the words were separated with a thin line, from the tear, but were somehow put back together so carefully, it didn’t seem like it had been torn at all.

You laughed softly, looking back up at harry.

“maybe your not so bad at all?”

-----

Did you hate harry hook? You used to, but…now you saw the boy you saved from his father, the one with the ocean blue eyes.

Slowly but surely, the two of you had become friends

He laughed at the stupidest things, like a bird that was high up and the wind ruffling its feathers. You had facepalmed at that.

And he had a stupid easy time at making you laugh, only needing to look at you and make a weird face to do so.

People were weirded out, the daughter of Pan and the son of Hook being friends!?! It was anarchy, it doesn’t make sense! You two were supposed to hate each other!

They didn’t like the way you two constantly talked, they didn’t like the way you two leaned into each other, they didn’t like the way you two bantered with each other like old friends, they didn’t like the fact that you two were friends at all.

No not at all.

people started to separate you from each other, inviting you to things where harry wouldn’t be present when you would go to sit with harry for meals they would grab you and make you sit with them.

They made the teachers of your shared class separate the two of you, with the reasoning of ‘they distract each other, their grades are going to slip’

And honestly? You were REALLY missing harry, like really bad, you were having dreams about him, doodling him on every piece of paper you could get your hands on, daydreaming of him.

---

You sat on your bed, crossed legged and thumping your knee on the bed, pouting at the wall.

You were lucky you had your own room.

So no would disturb you if you talked to harry in here.

….

Unfortunately, you never got his phone number.

Sighing you flopped back on your bed, half of you laying on the bed, the other half hanging over the side, the clock on the wall now upsidedown.

*pa-ping!*

Your phone went off, sitting up you saw an unknown number, raising your brow you open the messaging app, seeing a message from the unknown number

From 714-849-7165 (dudes don’t call this number, It's just random) at 11:37 pm

I got your number from evie, you wanna go sneak off to the enchanted lake? Im bored

You squinted at the message, trying to figure out who it was before another message came in

Its harry btw

Sighing in relief you typed back, your heart beating a little faster now that you knew that it was Harry texting you.

YES, I've been so bored, who knew that a pirate makes life more exciting?

I knew, you just didn’t listen to me

You rolled your eyes.

Whatever, so enchanted lake?

Yes, meet you there in 15 minutes

Gotcha, see ya hook

See ya pan

Squealing you clicked off your phone, leaping up from your bed to grab appropriate clothing for going to the lake.

Was it wrong to feel this excited to see a simple friend?

Maybe it wasn’t just simple friendliness you felt toward the pirate.

….

Eh, you would deal with that later, you had a hangout to get to.

---the end---

[crusadingcookie]

Yes, that’s my wife - Aizawa x Reader

You are Aizawa’s wife and come to teach Class 1-A about stealth and scouting missions - fluff

Warnings: None

Excitement filled your whole body at the thought of today’s plans. Today you were going to teach the students of Class 1-A. You are a pro-hero, famous for being able to track down anyone and anything with the help of your feathered companion Blitz. Blitz is an eagle who you befriended at a young age, of course this is incredibly useful when during search missions since he can see about anything from the skies.

U.A. invited you to teach their upcoming heroes how to perform scouting missions and gathering information. Of course you had accepted the offer with great enthusiasm. Animated chatter interrupted any further thoughts and you watched as Class 1-A arrived along with a certain teacher trailing lazily behind the group of teenagers.

“Today you kids will be doing some special hero training.” Aizawa stated in his usual monotone voice as he walked to the front of the class and stood next to you. “Today’s training will be led by the pro-hero Codex.” He gestured to you and the students’ eyes widened with excitement. “Oh my god that is the famous Hunter Hero, Codex. I heard that they can track down anyone and subdue them with their sniper rifle. According to the media their longest takedown was from 856 metres.” A boy with dark green hair exclaimed, mumbling the last few words as he started scribbling into a notebook that appeared out of nowhere. A beaming smile grew on your face at the freckled boy’s obvious fanboying and you cleared your throat before introducing yourself. “Hi! I’m the pro-hero Codex. Today I will be teaching you how to successfully perform scouting missions. As pro-heroes it is important to be able to gather as much information about a target as possible without being detected.” You looked over at Aizawa, noticing that he had started to climb into his obnoxiously bright yellow sleeping bag and you refrained from rolling your eyes and turned you attention back to the eager students in front of you. “I’m sure some of you know what my quirk is but for those of you that don’t, my quirk allows me to communicate with animals. This is Blitz,” you gestured to the eagle perched on your leather-clad shoulder, “he provides me with a bird’s eye view from above while I scout on the ground.”

You grinned at the excited chatter which arose from the students. You left them to talk among themselves for a bit and turned your attention to their homeroom teacher who was now fully cocooned in his beloved sleeping bag. “Pay attention in my lesson.” You tutted, Aizawa glanced at you. “Not my fault that it’s boring.” He stated in his usual monotone voice. “When is the lesson starting?” He asked, ignoring the surprised expression on your face at his earlier comment. “Well if you were paying attention you’d know.” You answered immediately, “besides what did I tell you about carrying your sleeping bag everywhere huh?” Aizawa groaned at your remark. “Give me a break woman. I’m trying to sleep here.” “It’s the middle of the day.” “So?” “So? If you love your sleeping bag soo much then you can sleep in it on the couch tonight.” By now the playful banter between the two of you attracted the attention of the students, who were staring at the both of you in shock and confusion. The sudden silence caught your attention and you both turned to look at the students. “Are you two together or something?” One of the students questioned. You gasped in fake horror and turned to Aizawa who sighed, knowing what was about to come. “You didn’t tell the kids about me?!” “Give me a good reason why I should tell them about you.“ Aizawa retorted. “Seven years—“ “Seven years too much” AIzawa muttered which got him a playful hit on the head. “You don’t tell the kids about your wife of seven years?” Your statement caused exclamations of surprise from the students. AIzawa sighed once more before shushing the bewildered kids. “Class 1-A, wife. Wife, Class 1-A.” You pouted at Aizawa’s bland introduction. “Ignore this old man’s lack of enthusiasm. You kids can call me (Name)!” You waited for the loud chatter to quieten down before continuing, “The preparations should be complete now so we can begin with the training. Any questions?” Immediately several hands shot up and you pointed at a girl with bright pink hair. “When did you and Aizawa Sensei get together?” She asked, her question received murmurs of interest. You giggled at the question and clasped your hands together with glee. “Let’s see. We went to U.A. together and ever since we met he had a huge crush on me. It was super obvious. He was really shy and adorable—“ A hand suddenly slapped across your mouth cutting you off mid sentence. You glanced to the side to see Aizawa, anyone else wouldn’t have noticed but your sharp eyes saw the faint blush dusting his cheeks causing you to snicker behind his hand. “Any questions to do with today’s training?” Aizawa eyed the group of students in front of him. No one raised their hands. “Good, let’s begin. Codex will perform a demonstration to show you how this is done.” Aizawa left no room for questioning as he turned and left for the control room.

Step 1: Find a high vantage point You swiftly scaled the side of the building with practiced ease and swung your body over the ledge and onto the rooftop. You didn’t have to look up to know that Blitz was already circling the city from high above. Blitz was your lifelong companion since your quirk had manifested at the age of four and you knew he was capable of doing his part. The next part of the journey involved running and jumping across rooftops and you cherished the wind rushing against your face as well as the feeling of adrenaline coursing through your veins as you gracefully leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Climbing up the fire escape ladder on the outside of a rather tall building you decided to settle down on its rooftop. This building provided you with an open view of the city as it was taller than the surrounding. You purposefully stayed away from the tall skyscrapers in the heart of the city as the towering skyscrapers would only obstruct your view.

Step 2: Locate any anomalies in the city Your sniper rifle was held steadily in your hands as you peered into the scope and looked over the area. The flutter of feathers and the familiar dig of talons into your leather-clad shoulder alerted you to Blitz’s arrival. A series of chirps were exchanged between the two of you before the weight on your shoulder was gone and Blitz was once again soaring in the air. Suspicious activity north-east of here. Abandoned building. You set your sights on the area Blitz notified you about and sure enough there was a suspicious looking building nestled in the outskirts of the city. You grinned at the sight of the abandoned building and the oddly well maintained front door and windows. “Jackpot” You whispered to yourself.

Step 3: Gather as much information as possible Meanwhile Class 1-A and Aizawa were gathered in the control room watching your demonstration. The students were keenly watching the large screen in front of them as you dashed across rooftops and scaled the buildings like a ninja. The teenagers became even more excited as they witnessed the exchange between you and Blitz. A static noise echoed throughout the control room followed by the sound of your voice, loud and clear. “Target located in the north-eastern outskirts of the city. No guards. So far four different suspects have been identified. Two have visible mutation quirks the other two’s quirks are unknown. One of them has just left the building out of the back entrance. Proceed with caution as there are civilians in the area.” The students started in astonishment and awe as you listed countless observations. Aizawa hid his proud smile behind his capturing weapon, the list that showed all the possible observations you could have made was fully ticked off.

“Aww has the emotionless sleeping bag grown a soft spot for the students?” You snickered as the two of you watched the students messing about while learning how to climb buildings. “I don’t have a soft spot.” “I think you do.” “No I don’t.” A squawk caused you grin to grow even wider. “See even Blitz agrees with me.”

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed, feedback is always welcome and I am open to requests!

[di-in-al]

Californian Gold

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, smoking, etc etc

Notes: So this is my jab at a Stranger Things fic. This is hopefully going to be a multiple part series, so lets hope for the best. Anyways, enjoy!

_____

“So you’re transferring from where again?” The hag of a woman sat across the desk, her white eyebrows were furrowed in aggravation. You huffed, wondering how many more times you were going to hear this question again. 

“New Harmony.” Her old fingers wrote down the information in a thick book. There were people hurrying in and out of the school’s office as you stood there. You watched as students excitedly walked and talked down the hallway. This made you groan, you were glad this would be your last first day of school. 

“What was that name again?” You whipped around and chuckled bitterly. There were two women sitting behind this desk, one is really young and has a permanent smile on her face and then this woman, that was currently scowling at you due to your lack of an answer. Unfortunately, you got stuck with this one. 

“Oh my Go- you know what? Is there anyway I can finish filling that out?” You snatched the pen and book away from her, sighing with relief when you saw how many questions she would’ve had to ask you. 

When you finished, you slung your book bag over your shoulder and snatched your class schedule from her bony fingers. Without another word, your feet left the annoying office and started down the hallway. There was still fifteen minutes until class started and you desperately needed a cigarette before you went back into that hell hole. Your eyes found a bench by the parking lot where no teachers could see you, and you tossed your stuff down. The Walkman headphones that rested on your collarbones softly played music. You rummaged through your book bag in hopes to find your lighter but to no avail. 

“Fuck off.” The words came out in a desperate moan, with the cigarette bobbing up and down with the syllables. The breeze caught under your jean jacket, cooling off your frustration. 

“You need this?” The first thing can came into view was a zippo with a well lit flame dancing in the breeze. Then you saw a tall figure to your side, leaning over the bench. He also had a cigarette dangling from his lips, and a smirk on his face. His baby blue eyes were staring directly at you, and his wide open button down shirt caught in the wind revealing a Virgin Mary necklace. How ironic. You could already picture what kind of person he is in this school. By the way his bedroom eyes and pink lips were watching you, you could tell he had one main objective.

You leaned over to catch the light, puffing a couple times before pulling the cigarette from your mouth. 

“Thanks man.” As soon as the words leave your mouth, your hands reach up and throw your headphones over your ears. You gather your stuff and head towards the front doors, all the meanwhile puffing on your cigarette. 

You sat in the farthest desk from the front, your first class being English unfortunately. Today was somewhat of an easy day, especially with people still getting their schedules fixed. This was good seeing as the teachers wouldn’t care whether your Walkman was wrapped around your head or your nose being stuck in a book. The book that was currently in your grasp was Dracula, and you were just getting to the good part. That was until you felt a tap on your shoulder.

You turned, seeing a boy sitting next to you with his happy eyes looking at directly at yours. His hair was in a pile atop his head and he was shining you a small open lipped smile. Your eyebrows shot up in question without taking the headphones off. He motioned towards them and pretended to pull them off. With hesitation, you slowly pulled them off with a huff. 

“Yeah?” Your finger held your place in your book while your attention was averted. 

“Hey, um, I’m Steve. Ironically, you moved into the house next to mine this weekend. So I see you’re new to Hawkins,” His hair bobbed up and down with each word, and you just couldn’t help yourself but to stare at it. It was just so...tall. His hand reached up to resituate the dark colored locks, his eyes awkwardly looking over to the side. “I just wanted to reach out and see if you needed anything. I’ve lived here my whole life so I’d know just about anything.” His eyes widened with an idea and he began going through his book bag. He ripped a small piece of paper from a binder. He scribbled something down and handed it to you. 

“Here’s my number if you ever need anything.” Just then, the bell rang to go to your next class and everyone stood up. Steve grabbed his stuff and you stood with your book. You couldn’t tell if he was giving it to you in hopes to get lucky or if he genuinely cared. As he walked away, you prepared yourself to talk. 

“Uh, thank you Steve. I’m Y/N by the way.” The smile that covered his face was brilliant and it caused you to grin. The first sign of happiness since you were dragged here against your will. 

“See you around, Y/N.” With that, his long legs carried him through the doorway, you followed shortly after. 

The day wasn’t as bad as you thought it was going to be. Seeing as you did absolutely no school work, it was actually pretty decent. You fumbled with the piece of paper that rested in your jean jacket pocket along with your lighter that you soon found deep in your book bag for some unknown reason. Your keys jingled in your other pocket which your fingers soon wrapped around. Your cherry red Datsun sat next to a pretty nice looking Camaro, both of them making this dirty parking lot look just a little nicer. You had a matching red pool ball key chain that accompanied your car keys. As you walked towards your trunk, you began thinking about how you’d fare here in Hawkins. So far it wasn’t that bad, you began thinking about how if you kept to yourself, you’d be fine. Before you took off, you decided to smoke one more time before you left. You slammed your trunk, pulling your Camels from your pocket. As you lit one, you saw the Lighter guy walking your direction. His brow was furrowed and he was grumbling to himself.

Your mind wandered as you watched him pull out a pack of Camels too, only to find that they’re empty. 

“Fuck!” His low voice cursed and you chuckled to yourself. That’s what you must’ve looked like this morning. Deciding to take pity on him, your hand dives into your pocket.

Your hands absentmindedly reached for yours and pulled on stick halfway out of the paper pack.

“You need this?” Your voice drifted between the two cars and his sandy blonde curls whipped in your direction. His eyes immediately went to the pack of cigarettes where his vice was extended towards him. 

Your mind couldn't help but to worry if he’ll take it or not. Your palms began to sweat, while his were balled into fists. Your day went great, knowing you, you’ll fuck it up before it has the chance to stay that way. 

“Yeah.” His voice broke the wall of worry and awkwardness and he plucked it from its fellow cigs. He lit it quickly and with that, you walked back around to the driver’s side of the car. You tossed your half finished stub and ground it out with your red Chucks. From your peripheral, you could see his eyes glued to you. You suddenly became aware of every movement you both took. You didn’t feel the need to impress him, but you two almost had an understanding. Even with the only two times you’ve interacted. 

With that, you opened your door and you were interrupted by his voice.

“Nice car.” His husky voice didn’t hold the charm it did this morning, it was almost as if he actually meant it. It wasn’t something to gain your attention so he could continue his flirting.

“Thanks, you too.” You slid into the seat, and started the car, reversing out and hightailing it out of there. 

You passed by the many stores that were in downtown Hawkins, hoping to spot a Hiring sign. Finally, the very last store had a piece of paper in the window with just those words in bold letters. 

Bingo.

You park in front of it, next to a green Pinto. Your Chuck clad feet take you inside the store and start looking for any sign of life. Your eyes check down each isle, not seeing a soul in sight. This might not be a great sign, you think to yourself. 

“Hello?” Your raspy voice calls out to the silence and that’s when you hear a loud bang. Your heart starts racing, and your feet start heading towards the sound of the noise. You’ve yet to hear any voices and that’s the part that’s worrying you so bad. You reach the register where you heart a small voice.

“Ow...:” Getting on your toes, your head pokes over the counter, seeing a brunette woman holding the back of her head. 

“Are you okay?” At the sound of your voice, her head snaps up and her mouth forms into a huge grin. 

“Yes! I just, uh, bumped my head I guess. What can I help you with?” Her small frame slowly raised up, causing you see how nice she looked. She had bangs that touched her eyebrows and her brown eyes had a warm feeling to them. Let’s hope she runs this joint. 

“I just wanted to inquire about the sign in the window?” Your fingers pointed to the white paper in the window and her eyes lit up. 

“Oh of course! Yeah, I just need someone around here when I can’t be. I’m here by myself most of the time unless one of my boys are here with me,” She walked out of the small cubicle behind the cash register. Her small hand extended towards you with a smile. “I’m Joyce Byers, I’m afraid I’ve never seen you here before.” That’s when her eyebrows and mouth turn up in question, running through her mind trying to put my face to any name she could think of. It was an awkward feeling, someone not knowing you. Especially when you come from a place where everyone knows you. You grasped her hand, shaking it firmly and grinning. 

“Y/N. That’s cause I just moved in last week.” Her eyes light up even more so, if that’s possible. She laughed and nodded. 

“That’s something we’re not used to here in Hawkins. So would you be interested?” Her arms motioned to the store. From the looks of the fully stocked shelves, there isn’t much business here and no other employees. That’s perfect.

“Super interested.” 

She had you fill out an application, just for precautionary reasons. After talking with her more, telling her you went to Hawkins High she understood when you’d be able to work. 

“My oldest son goes there. I have a younger one still in middle school too. Any siblings?” My eyes held their gaze on the shelf behind her and with a shake of my head she laughed.

“Me neither, I personally think it’s better that way.” You two spoke for a little while longer, her giving you a tour and then closing up. It started to get dark and that's when you remembered something.

“Shit.” You mumbled to yourself and then turning towards her. “Joyce? Do you have a phone here I can use?” Of course she did, and pointed you in the direction of it while she checked to see if everything was ready to close.

You grasped the handle and picked up the phone. You quickly dialed the number you were made to memorize last night.

The phone rang a couple times before it was picked up.

“Y/N?” The voice that flowed through the phone made you calm and somewhat happy.

“Yeah Daddy, it’s me. You want me to go to the store for anything?” You’d tell him about the job when you get home. He sighed and chuckled. Your dad stayed at home mostly and it was his idea to move to Hawkins, apparently growing up here through high school and before he went into the military. He was injured pretty bad In Vietnam and doesn’t really like to go out much.

“Yeah sweetie, I’m glad you asked. I completely forgot. Um, just pick up something to eat tonight and some milk. That’ll do. Thank you.” He was barely able to get through his sentence before he went into a coughing fit. 

“Alright Daddy, I’ll be home after that. Love you.” He reciprocated and you both hung up. While Joyce was still in the back, you ran to get some things from the store. You picked up a couple frozen pizzas and milk. With that, you were both off. Your eyes traveled up to the sign that hung above the doorway. 

Melvalds General Store.

You took off towards your house, travelling down a long back road. AC/DC pounded from your speakers and the wind howled through the windows. The weather was definitely different here than it was in Florida. It’s still hot as hell down there right now. Shorts and tank tops were most definitely needed. Up here, it’s cool. Even with a chill coming through in the mornings. 

Your thoughts were cut off as you saw smoke began to pour out of your hood. 

“Oh shit.” The brakes squeaked as you stopped on the side of the road, turning the ignition off and rushing out of the car. You popped the hood and when you let it open completely, a plethora of smoke came bounding at you. You could barely see, let alone diagnose what was wrong. 

Your throat screamed when it inhaled the smoke, causing you to cough erratically. Once the smoke cleared, you immediately noticed that your radiator reservoir was empty causing the engine to overheat. One of your hoses must have a leak.

You knew you didn’t have any antifreeze, so water would have to do. That’s if you had enough water to fix the problem. The only thing you had was a half empty bottle of water. 

“Fuck!” Your now dirty hand slammed against the hood of your car.This had to happen to you, on your first day. 

Of fucking course. 

You began walking to the nearest phone booth, hoping maybe they’re would be one near. Based on the looks of this road, most likely not. However, if you were paying attention you would’ve noticed the one not too far away. You began walking in the opposite direction in hopes to find one further up the road. You doubted anyone else coming down this road either, seeing how dead it was on your short drive on it. Not once did you see any fellow cars pass you. 

You walked for about twenty minutes without avail. That’s when you saw lights coming from behind you and the low rumble of an engine. You waved it down hoping it wasn’t a serial killer or something. Once that idea enters your mind, you figure that this wasn’t the best idea. 

Unfortunately, the car pulls over and due to the headlights, you couldn’t see the figure that stepped out of the car. The radio blasted Scorpions and you held your hand up to your eyes to see if you could get a glimpse of the person. 

“You need help, princess?” Your ears immediately recognized the voice and you groaned. That’s when his full body stepped from behind the cover of his lights. His curls blew in the breeze and he, like always, had a cigarette hanging from his pouty lips. “Saw your car back there, and the smoke. Doesn’t look so good. You need a lift?” He threw the cig onto the road and snubbed it out. He had that smirk back again, the one that didn’t amuse you in the slightest.

“I just need water for my radiator. So unless you got any of that, I’ll pass.” You didn’t want to have to deal with a broken down car and someone trying to get in your pants. It’s one or the other. You didn’t have the patience.

He softly held a hand to his chest pretending to act hurt.

“Damn, I was only trying to be nice.” He said it lightly and with a mischievous grin. 

“I don’t need you to be nice to me. I’ll be fine.” You turned your body away, clutching the jacket closer to your body due to the chill setting on the blank road. 

“C’mon princess. Don’t be like that. I thought we were getting somewhere.” You scoffed and stopped in your tracks. You whipped around to him where he sat with a smug look on his face. His hands were also in his leather jacket pockets and his cheeks were staring to flush. This caused your anger to grow, you knew that’s all he wanted. A reaction.

“Look, fuck off man. I’m not interested in anything you have to offer, unless it’s a jug of water.” With that, you turned and walked off without another word. You heard him get back into his car and take off in the opposite direction you were going. At this rate, you won’t be home until midnight. Your Dad was probably worried sick. As soon as you found a phone, you’d call him and let him know. That made you think, he has no way to get here and you wouldn’t want him to come all the way out here. The small piece of paper in your pocket called your name and you had an idea. 

Steve. 

He lives right next to you and that’d be perfect. You traveled for another fifteen minutes before the small gleaming light of a telephone booth caught your eye. You laughed and jogged after it, swinging the door open and reaching for the phone. You pulled out the piece of paper and started dialing the number. After a couple of rings, someone picked up.

“Hello?” The voice belonged to a woman and it caught you off guard. 

“Hey, is Steve there?” You question was answered soon after when you heard his voice.

“Hello?” Relief rushed over you in waves, happy to have finally reached someone. 

“Hey Steve, this is Y/N. I know we barely know each other but I just broke down. Do you think you could help?” He began talking away asking where you were and a million other questions. The only thing was that you weren’t listening because you heard the same low rumble of the Camaro. He pulled up next to booth, holding out a jug of water out of his window. He stopped and stepped out.

“Y/N?” Steve’s voice finally snapped you out of your spell and you focused back on the phone call.

“Yeah, Steve uh give me a second.” The guy stepped up to you and smiled smugly. He opened the door to the booth and slightly stepped in. 

“Oh no no, none of this.” He reached for the phone and wagged a finger.

“Steve? Harrington is that you?” He grabbed the phone from you, and began talking into it. 

“Look, she’s being taken care of. Don’t worry, Harrington. I’m doing a much-” You snatched the phone from his hand and held back up to your ear. 

“Hey Steve, look. I’m good now. Don’t worry. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you.” With that, you roughly hung the phone back up and glared at the guy. He was walking back to his car where he grabbed the jug of water.

“You told me you’d only be interested in a jug of water. Lookie here. So now I do have something you’d be interested in.” You scowled at him, your eyes closing and your throat lets out a groan.

“So let me ask again, you need a lift?” You glanced down at the water and chuckled to yourself. You waited a moment, looking up at his smug face, slipping another cigarette in between his lips. You didn’t say anything before travelling over to his passenger door and waiting.

“The name’s Billy, you?” He’s gone out of his way to help you. Or get into your zipper rather. The least you could do is tell him.

“Y/N. Let’s go.” You kept it short and to the point. He chuckled, turning on the ignition and revving the car. 

“Aright Y/N, lets see what we can do about this naughty radiator.” He turned towards you and gave a wink. You rolled your eyes and looked out of the window. He gunned it down the long road, heading into the darkness. Literally.

__

[alienbwrites]

Scintilla (a spark or trace of something)

CHAPTER 2  Woebegone (Sorrowful, downcast)

Hayami was running late to class again, people would think that after six years of attending the ninja academy that she would have the capability of turning up to class on time. Running on top of the civilian houses Hayami raced against time to get to class. The thought of Iruka sensei scolding her for being late again made her legs push that little bit harder. A familiar giggle came from around the village, looking for the blond perpetrator she saw that he had painting the Hokage monument again.

She was secretly glad that the mischievous blond had decided to act up this morning it saved her from the scolding that he would no doubt get.

Reaching the academy she didn’t hear Iruka yelling so she still had some time. Scaling the wall she located one of the windows that led to her class. As carefully as she could she stood on the sill of the window and knocked on it hoping to gain anyone’s attention. When she saw Shikamaru look over at her she watched as he sighed before getting up and helping her climb through the window. It didn’t come to any of the students surprise that the young girl had come through the window. Over these past six years She had been late a lot.

Smiling a good morning to her saviour of the day, Shikamaru gave her another sigh before complaining that she was a troublesome girl. She ignored the statement and sat beside him. Hayami had just managed to sit down before a flash of blond, green and orange was thrown into the room tied up by rope.

Hayami started to zone out her teacher’s yelling opting for day dreaming instead. Her mind often got lost in itself dragging her into unknown locations with unknown people. She started to dream of a forest with mystical trees with falling flowers the pink and purple hues mixed with a glittering silver. A nudge from her side quickly drew her back.

“We have to re-do our transformation Jutsu” Hayami felt the annoyance fill her system. With a look at Shikamaru he sighed and motioned to Naruto answering her unasked question. Standing in line after Shikamaru she watched as Sakura completed the task before vying for Sasuke’s attention. She held an inwardly cringe as the boy ignored her and completed the test himself, huffing before walking to his own.

“Naruto Uzumaki” Hayami let out a soft groan whilst Shikamaru and Ino had complained outwardly. Everyone knew that he would do something stupid. Everyone in class watched as he transformed. The puff of smoke cleared and a naked grown up version of Naruto stood in his place making Iruka Sensei fall back from the blood rushing out of his nose. Hayami scoffed as she watched Naruto giggle already wishing for this day to end.

 Kaori had managed to arrive at the young girls home before she did he let himself into her home with the spare key she had given him. After six years of looking after Hayami he looked at her like a younger sibling. Someone he could help guide and nurture, both having similar back stories it was easy to relate to the young girl and help her in ways that he had never got. Making his way to the kitchen he set down his tools and shrugged off his vest leaving him in a black long sleeve and pants. He re-tied his hair back and got to work cooking himself and the girl dinner.

 Nearly done with the food The door burst open and Hayami came toppling in, seeming exhausted from her day. Hayami looked to the man in the kitchen and with a new burst of energy wrapped her arms around him. With a soft pat to her head she let go and set down her book bag by her front door,

“How was your day Hayami?” Kaori asked as Hayami set the dishes.

“It wasn’t too bad. We had to re-do our transformation Jutsu again because of Naruto” Out of the corner of the young girl’s eye she watched the older man grimace at the name of her classmate. “Which I passed again, then the rest of the day went by boringly. Then I decided to throw knives for a while and do some extra training after our lessons had finished” Hayami sat and watched the food be served before thanking Kaori for the food and digging in. Her after school training had been hard as she tried to up her physical side. She had good theory which was something that Kaori and Iruka had praised her for but putting that theory into practice was a bit of a challenge for her.

“Are you ready for your exam tomorrow?” Kaori asked watching the girl’s reaction for any faults. He could see uncertainty in her eyes before she shrugged. “How about I help you practise then?” The girl lit up and hurriedly finished her dinner.

 Hayami sat in class early for once which surpised some of her friends, she sat next to Choji tapping her foot against the ground as her nervousness sky rocketed. She saw Choji offer her some of his chips which she gladly took a couple wanting something to take her mind of the graduation test. Not even day dreaming was helping her, the thought of her failing kept coming to mind which only made her more nervous. She went to bed last night confident after Kaori and her had gone over everything possible. But her confidence came crashing down once she set her foot into the classroom.

“We are now going to begin the graduation test” Hayami could feel her stomache in her throat as Iruka Sensei spoke. “When your name is called make your way to the next class room. The test is on clone jutsu” A small speck of confidence made its way back into Hayami. At least she knew she could do this though she didn’t know how she would do under pressure. Hayami watched as some of her friends went before her, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Hinata and didn’t come back to the class. As her name was called she felt her self start to sweat, she had a constant loop of ‘you can do this’ going through her head trying to calm her self down in any slight way.

 Opening the door to the other class room she stood in front of Iruka Sensei and Mizuki Sensei. Hayami tok a deep breath before putting her hands in the correct position and calling out the Jutsu. Three clones poofed behind her and a breath had forced itself out of her lungs. Both sensei’s offered her a warm smile and offered her a leaf headband.

 Racing outside of the academy all Hayami felt was happiness seep deep into her bones she caught glimpses of her friends with their parents and she slowed down. Now a dark sadness started to move through her body. She looked at the leaf head band that she held onto not yet finding a place to tie it yet. She looked back at the other students and felt her eyes water a tad. The smiling faces of the children with their parents made a stabbing feeling start in her chest. Breathing had started to become difficult. Slowly and quietly she made her way past the crowd.

“Im so proud of you”

“Look ma I did it”

“Come on we will have a celebratory dinner, what would you like tonight?”

“You’ve done well, finally a ninja my boy”

Hayami felt so unbelievably alone, she refused to let her sobs escape her body. She didn’t have parents any more, she was alone. She made her way home and opened the door. It was quiet inside which only served to make her down mood deepen. She looked at the photo she had of her parents. Kaori had gone a couple of days after the attack to grab anything that might have made the girl happy. A couple of photos were untouched by the flames as well as a few weapons. Hayami stroked the image of her fathers face softly and sending a little prayer to him, hoping that she made him proud and that he was resting in peace.

 Hayami was a little disappointed that Kaori hadn’t made his way over by dinner time. She felt more alone then ever. Hayami decided that she would treat herself to some ramen as a reward for graduation, if no one else was going to be there for Hayami, Hayami was going to be there for herself. It was a little later then usual already dark out by the time she set off, she didn’t want to be out too late but she was a ninja now she had to have confidence in herself. The owner of the establishment did look at the young girl funny when she walked in on her own as her usual pair wasn’t with her but took her in anyway to eat.

It was very late by the time Hayami left the store deciding to help out the restaurant in anyway she could before she left. The owners were getting old and needed any help they could get. Walking home she could feel the heavy tension in the air as multiple ninja made their way around the place. Knowing it was better for her to stay out of it she dashed her way home.

 Sleeping well never came to Hayami not after the night of the attack. She cant remember the last time she had a full nights sleep though she was only a small child back then so who knows if she ever had a full nights sleep. The sounds coming from her kitchen woke her up, she assumed Kaori was in there making her breakfast. Hurt seeped back into her heart, ‘he would have a good reason for missing my graduation right?’ Hayami’s heart pounded as she got dressed for the day rubbing away the sleep from her eyes, making her way out of her room she saw what she had assumed, Kaori making her breakfast. He met her eyes and a thousand apologise left his mouth.

“I am so deeply sorry I missed your graduation Hayami, I got called for a minor mission that I wasn’t able to refuse, and it went for longer then I expected. I would have come to see you later, but we ran into some trouble last night” Hayami gave him a small smile and muttered a forgiveness, she knew these types of things would happen it was the life of a shinobi after all. “So did you graduate?” Hayami saw the excited sparkle in Kaori’s eyes and her hurt was replaced by giddiness and excitement as she shoved her upper left arm into his face. The head peace was tightly wrapped around it so that most of the material was used up. Kaori picked the small girl up and swung her around.

“I’M SO PROUD OF YOU!” Kaori stopped swinging the girl around and rested the palm of his hand on top of her head and gave her a warm smile.

Part 1

Next 

[cravingcrazewriting]

Secret admirers seemed too cliche to actually be a thing. Or at least, that’s what Evan used to think.

It was the typical formula of High School romances in dumb, romance films trying to be hip or cool. It was just too good to be true in real life.

Or well, so Evan thought.

Because he had a note sticking outside his locker, which just said “Dear E, You look really cute today.”

And it was February, ironically, which was the most romantic month of the year, or at least Evan thought. He was a hopeless romantic who just wanted some affection.

But not like this. He would’ve preferred to just be told upfront, because he would take what he could get at this rate, especially after realizing his fixation with being with Zoe was just loving the idea of someone like her, and not actually her, so he was still hurt by that, despite the fact that she didn’t even do anything to him. He thought he wouldn’t ever have a chance at romance again,

Well, until that little note.

Evan felt a twinge of doubt reside deep inside himself, and he tried to convince himself that it was meant for him, because he didn’t know anyone that had a locker by his with the initial E. For once, he just wanted to take something like this and enjoy it, instead of freaking out, having a panic attack for no reason whatsoever, or letting his insecurities get the best of him.

So, he tucked the little note in his pocket, and decided to let it be, despite his mind screaming that it wasn’t meant for him, and left for his next class.

~*~

It really shouldn’t have surprised him to see another letter fly out of his locker.

Evan hoped he was mentally prepared for it, but no, he wasn’t, because he had to fumble around for the half sheet of paper, while Jared treaded closer and closer to him, so that was inconvenient, because he wanted to read the little note, but nope, it had to be Jared, and his fucking car insurance, just like usual.

“Hansen!” Jared called, and Evan hated how harshly he crumpled the letter into his palm, and down inside his back pocket. “What’s up? We haven’t talked in a while.”

Really? Did he have to do this now? “Oh, I-I’ve been fine. Normal, boring life, you know?”

Jared gave him a look that said “Are we really going to do this?”. “I saw that letter in your locker. Spill.”

Of course he did. That was just his luck. “I don’t know, Jared, I just got it.”

“I can’t believe it! Someone’s writing to you, Evan Hansen! Aren’t you like, most likely to be forgotten?” Jared barked out a laugh.

He tried not to let that comment hurt because he’d heard it a thousand times before, but it still did. He looked away, choosing to ignore it. “I’m… going to class.”

“Buzzkill,” he joked, but made no effort to stop him. “Hey, tell your mom I was nice to you so my parents will pay my car insurance, alright?”

Evan didn’t answer him, knowing it would’ve been preferred.

~*~

It was different every day.

“You hunch in on yourself to try and hide. Don’t. I see you. You’re beautiful.”

“I don’t understand how a stutter is cute, but yours is. Sorry, that’s probably annoying to hear.”

“I hate seeing you cry. Reminds me of how ugly the world is (not saying you’re ugly).”

It was nice. Too nice, so where as it was hard for Evan to believe it was all meant for him. How was it all meant for him? Who could dedicate all this time into just him?

So, feeling a need to do something in return for them, he left a small thank you letter, saying how he appreciated all the stuff they said about him, and that they really brightened his day.

But Evan really hadn’t anticipated a response.

“Dear E,

I’m glad my letters make you happy. It’s nice to know I’m doing one good thing in life. I won’t tell you who I am, but if you’re as lonely as you say you are in your letter, text me sometime? (xxx)-xxx-xxxx”

Normally Evan wouldn’t accept things like this, but curiosity be damned, he wanted to try and get closer to Secret Admirer, and hopefully figure out who they were.

Evan: Since you’re not going to tell me who you are, can you tell me what to call you?

Unknown: call me… C?

Evan made a mental note to change the contact to that.

Evan: I c you

C: ha

C: leave the puns to the professional.

Evan: ):<

Evan: Rude.

Evan: Why don’t you use my name in your letters?

C: it felt impersonal. I know you, but I don’t know you, like in real life.

C: if that makes sense.

Evan: Ah. That makes sense.

Evan: Well now you can use my name. Since we’re talking now.

C: suppose you’ve got a point there lol

And they sort of just kept going on from there. C didn’t like to talk about his home life, and was persistent in learning more about him in general. He seemed thrilled with every new little thing he learnt about him, and would tell non specific stories around every topic.

C: did you ever go to autumn smiles apple orchard??? The had THE BEST apples

C: me and my sis would roll down the hills there. They were super big.

C: and one time my dad brought a remote controlled plane. He accidentally sunk it into the lake there though

Evan: Aw that sucks. Did he apologize?

C: old man never was good with words. He just said “sorry kids, we’ll get a new one”. Like, that was my favorite toy?? You fucker??

Evan: Are you… still holding a grudge?

C: one does not simply forgive their dad after he fucks up so badly.

C was incredibly passionate about protecting rights and nature, and would send Evan long paragraphs at random, most often in the middle of the night.

Was it possible to be crushing on someone Evan didn’t know? Actually, scratch that, he did know C, just not in real life. Like an online relationship, just without the distance.

C: hey, Valentine’s Day is coming up. Wanna be my valentine?

Evan didn’t think he was serious at first, because he was a secret admirer, and his identity was going to remain a secret no matter what, but what would it hurt? Maybe C would leave him a lollipop or something.

Evan: Sure! You’re probably the only person who’d ask heh.

But on that Friday, Valentines Day, he wasn’t expecting to see Connor Murphy waiting beside his locker, a white teddy bear in his arms, as he wore a dark purple sweater with his usual skinny jeans and combat boots. For once, he seemed to put effort into his appearance, because his hair seemed to be detangled and fluffed, showing off a nose piercing, along with a few others on his ears.

Evan hadn’t overdressed that day. He just wanted to wear a light pink short sleeved button up he’d been saving for a special occasion, with loose ended jeans, and his uggs that clashed horribly with the outfit all together. It was a complete disaster, Evan was painfully aware of this, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now.

“Hey Ev, it’s me…” Connor smiled at him, fiddling with the teddy bear. “Now you can finally ‘C’ me,” he joked lamely.

Evan couldn’t stop the smile forming on his lips. Connor’s was too infectious. “Is that— a c-callback to when we first met?”

“Obviously,” the latter chuckled, handing over the teddy bear. Apron further inspection, it was holding a little heart that said “You’re too much to bear!”.

“Can I— can I hug you?” Evan asked sheepishly, holding the stuffed animal close.

Connor opened his arms up, seemingly all too willingly. “Come on in.”

As Evan wrapped his arms around him, he briefly thought about all the rumors that were spread about this guy. He threw a printer at his teacher, Mrs. G, in second grade, he was bullied, he supposedly did drugs and got kicked out of a private school, and he showed up to school high. Then again, Connor showed a completely different persona from behind the letters and texts he received up until that very day. He had a sneaking suspicion that his classmates were wrong about him.

“Can I walk you to class?” Connor asked softly. “And take you to The Orchard tonight?”

“One thousand percent yes,” Evan whispered back, holding onto him tonight.

Once the two separated, Evan gently set the little bear inside his locker, and let Connor walk him to his first class period of the day. They ate lunch together, held hands, and talked. He wasn’t sure what they were, but that didn’t matter.

So what if secret admirers were cliche? Evan’s made him more happy than ever.

[scarletred79]

Not so ordinary:

But why me?

(Not my GIF)

Warnings: Nada 

A.N: This is slightly based on something I experienced in the past. I have a huge amount of characters (around 30) and some of them are going to be placed In this story.

Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett version) inspired me :)

Word Count: 1,742

Prologue: But why me?

It started with a few whispers in my ear, actually, barely above that. They were a little quiet at first, but then they began to get louder and louder after every step I took into the path that leads to my home.

I lived in a small town, not as big as Manchester, for example. Maybe half the size. This place was manageable enough to memorise every road but not by name, unfortunately for me.

My house was up high in the hills where you can see the whole town. It wasn't such a far distance to get up there by walking from school, but people say otherwise. They always questioned me how on earth I walked such a steep hill with no difficulty every day. I would laugh as an answer, but the truth was, I always had company to keep me going—the voices in the air.

I would usually listen to some music with my MP3 player to distract me from my tiredness; it motivated me to keep going. The voices did the same thing, they would whisper motivational quotes to me, like 'You're almost there', 'You got this', 'You're strong', etc.

At first, I thought the voices were a part of my imagination, something to keep me feeling uplifted before entering my home. But as time went by, I began to realise that I would only hear the voices when I was walking up the hill, the rocky path surrounded by enormous trees, blocking the sunlight with their strong branches.

In conclusion, I could only hear the words muttered in the air through the path. But from what? From where? How?

I couldn't answer those questions, neither I knew who to ask.

I thought of asking my mom about these strange events, but I didn't think she would believe me. She would either get shocked enough to book an appointment for a psychotherapist or ignore my words and think it was just part of my imagination, and I was asking for her attention.

To be fair, I wished she could pay more attention to me or at least listen to me more, but she was always busy doing phonecalls or keeping her eyes on her laptop for hours. Despite that I didn't understand her job, I would usually ask if she needed help to strike a short conversation.

My mom used to be such a conversationalist when I was younger until my dad left us. All I remembered from that painful memory was him getting inside the car and giving me one last glance before driving away with no return. I was only eight years old.

And now, five years later, here I was, sitting on a bench halfway through the shadowy path, talking to the voices quietly in case someone walked by. Despite the number of times I spent walking through this path, I barely saw a person walk past me, like as if the voices allowed me to pass and no one else. But why me?

I paused and began to analyse anything exciting or unique about myself in my head while my fingers tangled with the end of my sapphire coloured school blouse.

For a young girl like me, I am brilliant and observative. I didn't like wearing colourful clothing like the other girls would always wear. I wore warmer colours, to express my love for the season Autumn. I despised wearing skirts. I couldn't stand them for one reason only; the boys wouldn't stop messing with them. Thankfully, I was stubborn enough to make the school let me wear trousers. I didn't care for the hurtful comments and laughter that went around the class whenever they saw me. But thankfully the teachers would stand up for me no matter how much I insisted that it wasn't a bother.

I enjoy playing baseball, but it would be more fun playing it with people. I just throw the ball up in the air and practice my swinging with the bat to hit it every time. My mom had DVDs of full baseball games so that I knew how to play it. I usually do my homework in my treehouse and stargaze whenever I finished. My favourite constellation was Leo Minor, located on the second quadrant of the northern hemisphere. According to my grandfather, the astronomer Richard A. Proctor renamed the constellation to Leaena or the Lioness in 1870.

I had no idea why the constellation intrigued me, probably because it's his favourite too. He and I are very much alike due to our fascination with learning and astronomy. We almost share the same clothing style. Of course, he didn't force it upon me or anything, he inspired me, and I admire him.

I remember him telling me that he used to teach the things that he knew to my mom, but she wasn't as interested as I was. She was more curious about what my grandmother used to do. She would talk to her about literature and writing. Unfortunately, she passed away when my mom was a teenager.

My grandfather and I visit her sometimes to leave her favourite flowers, sunflowers. It's a shame I wasn't able to meet her, but after the stories he told me about her, I could see how much my mother resembled my grandmother. Even in their pictures, they looked very much alike.

Me, on the other hand, I resembled my grandfather more. And I would always be happy about it.

Despite how different and boring I was, according to many people, I loved eating junk food, especially candy. I have a sweet tooth for lollipops and toffee. My mom would find candy wrappers in my treehouse sometimes that she would take away my coins just so I would stop buying them; otherwise, I would get an upset stomach.

Whenever I went to visit my grandfather, he would be kind enough to spare one toffee to put a smile on my face.

I also love painting, especially the flowers of all kinds. I'm not able to choose a favourite because I had many in mind, like, Angelica, Clematis, Honeysuckle, Magnolia, pink roses, yellow Jasmine, etc. My mom was the one who taught me a few tricks when she was less occupied.

It helped me relax to forget all the bad things going on in school; all the comments about my clothing, my hobbies, my intelligence, all the jealousy they would put on me to tick me off. To ease the discomfort even further, I would repeat my grandfather's words like a mantra, 'You're as bright as Leo Minor, no matter how the dull people see you'.

I paused my thoughts to wipe the incoming tears in the corners of my eyes before they fell. Weird enough, I barely shed a tear ever since my dad drove away. But to be fair, I was pleased with my life as it is now. No matter how grey things seemed to be, like my mother not having enough time to spend with me and not being able to make friendships, I had everything I needed.

Back to my train of thought, I also enjoyed reading books. Mostly about astronomy and space. I remembered the look on the receptionist's face in the library when I approached her with my hands full with a tall stack I almost tripped. I was surprised myself that I could handle fifteen books with my thin arms.

Surprisingly, the receptionist handed me two bags for free. I had no clue why was she so kind enough to do that action due to how blandly she talked to other people. Maybe she liked people who had real interests in reading instead of the ones who were using the computers to play games.

Last but not least, I was usually silent but not in class whenever I had questions or answers. I wasn't very energetic around anyone besides my family. I kept a collection of crystals in my wooden box in the treehouse, and I had a safe spot for it so it wouldn't get stolen.

So, I was just a normal boring girl with interests in things that not many people liked. But I had a fantastic family. What was so interesting about that, in me?

After how much whatever god knows time flew through my thinking process, I looked up at the branches rustling by the strong wind. It sent shivers down my spine, and I didn't know why, but it felt like the voices were reading my thoughts and highly disagreed with my words.

I began to hear them once again, along with a soft gush of wind messing my hair; it made me giggle quietly. "Special, special, special!" They said repeatedly.

I answered with a slow head shake, not caring for their reaction. Although it was a kind gesture and I cherished it. "Thank you uh...voices?" I didn't know what to call them since I didn't know what they were exactly. But they answered my question with soft giggles.

"Aurae! Dryads!"

I raised my eyebrows, confused. What did they mean by that? Were those the names of two different voices or more?

Instead of pressing further, I decided to take out my journal from my school bag along with a pencil to write down the words unknown to my knowledge. I didn't know how they spelt, but I tried my best to write them correctly. "Okay? I'm not sure what that means, but hopefully, I'll figure that out soon enough" I said as I looked at my watch.

Once I looked at where the handles were pointing anxiously, hoping that It wasn't the time that I thought it was.

It had been twenty minutes since I sat down on the dark wooden bench, and I needed to get back home before my mom would force herself to stop what she's doing and look for me.

I zipped my bag closed and strapped it around my back before continuing my short journey. I looked up one last time and closed my eyes to enjoy the soft breeze enclosing around me, like as if it was a hug but without the second person. "I'll see you at the treehouse," I said before stepping forward.

I took out my earplugs connected to my MP3 player to listen to some of my favourite songs to accompany me as I walked. Before I pressed play, I heard their reply while taking off.

"Farewell Amelia"