#choicescreates 28

[angstymarshmallow]

Saving Thanksgiving Part 1 -(TRR/HSS Crossover, Drake x MC, Caleb x MC)

#ChoicesCreates Round 28 Prompt: Choices Crossover

Books: High School Story/ The Royal Romance Pairing: Drake x MC, Caleb x MC Rating: T Hosted by: @ladyashtonofcordonia, @holly-park

[A little note: Wow this ended up being way too long, but I’ve been toying with this idea for a couple days. The only way I started really caring for my MC in hss was by making her related to one of my other MCs somehow and viola here we are! Mostly fluffy, and silly- I’ve just needed a lot of pick-me ups lately.]

[Summary: Robyn and Celine meet for the first time after not knowing of each other’s existence for almost a decade. Can they save the spirit of thanksgiving in time before dessert?]

Robyn pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window as she watched the house from the safety of her car.

There was a bit of peeling from the panel belonging to windows that hadn’t seemed to change over the course of years she had left. Not a single crack nor piece of glass was missing as her eyes ran over the windows closest to the front porch. The concrete walls captivated her for a moment; they reminded her of years she spent as a child running markers along its length except the telltale signs of her artwork had long been scrubbed away. 

The memories weren’t so easily erased. Although everything looked the same, it felt different. 

Sitting with her hands balled into tiny fists, she lost count of how much time she spent - eyes blinking and unblinking from across the street. She watched the home impassively as familiar feelings of regret she thought she abandoned, surged forward. This was what she had been afraid of - coming home, brought too many memories back, too many things she didn’t want to re-visit.

This had been her first home. 

Her first safe haven from the outside world. It was a home she told herself she could barely remember splotches of. She buried most of them deep inside that they had become barely reachable. However; in extreme cases they resurfaced - years of running barefoot across creaking floorboards assailed her. A home that had been shrouded in warmth and laughter, had given her good memories until it couldn’t any longer. 

It was more than a familiar stranger and yet not quite the unwanted guest she thought it would have felt like, as she stared up at it its massive structure; the home that solely belonged to her father and the half sister she had never known.

"You know you don’t have to go in, right?” Drake’s voice broke through her quiet concentration. “We could leave right now -” She heard him sigh, “we could leave and never look back.”

“I know.” Robyn mumbled back, voice barely audible. it would be so easy to; and the temptation to say yes had been on the tip of her tongue. But she had never taken the easy road - preferred meeting her challenges head on rather than sinking into submission. 

Besides, she was the one that convinced him it was a good idea to meet them for thanksgiving in the first place. After making a decision with much nagging on her part to track Savannah’s last whereabouts - Robyn had offered to bring him to meet the other side of her family as a show of good faith.

Closing her eyes, her hand fumbled to grip his at the thought. “Just-just, in a minute.” She stammered.

He had been more than patient with her, but she needed just a little more. Just a little more time to reaffirm the courage she felt earlier. What if this was all a mistake? She gripped his hand tighter.

“Hey, look at me.” His tone was unusually gentle. It was a tone he didn’t use often, unless they were in their apartment. She felt his hands wander until they touched her cheek. “C’mon, Tinsley.”

Swallowing back her fear, she turned to meet his solemn stare. It ceased some of her nerves but not altogether until he gave her a small nod of encouragement. “You’re right. Plus, I made the deal didn’t I? ”

“Screw the deal Tinsley,” he scoffed, eyes boring into hers. “If you aren’t ready for this then we don’t have to.”

She shook her head, “no we made a deal.” She insisted, clenching her fists tighter together.

“I’m not saying we don’t ever. I’m saying we can wait another time,” he squeezed her hand, “take it from someone that’s apart of the definition of a dysfunctional family.”

She searched his eyes,

“Really, my name is probably under there.”

“Drake,” She scolded, but he noticed her face itching to smile. “Nothing’s wrong with you,” At the raise of his skeptical brows she quickly added, “well nothing that I haven’t grown to love.”

“Charming.” He replied dryly, then sobered up as he glanced behind her. “I get why you’re nervous, and I can only imagine what you’re going through.” He slid his hands across the smooth planes of her shoulder, “but you should go when you’re ready, and not because of some stupid bet.”

“You’re just saying that because you wanna win,” when he didn’t respond, her face softened. “Thank you though, but I - I can’t.” She leaned into his touch as he massaged the tension out of her shoulders. “I have to.”

His hands ceased their movement and he gave her a light tap on her shoulders. “You’re so stubborn.” He chided. “And beautiful, but mostly stubborn.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult,” she replied laughing a little until he raised her hand towards his lips, pressing an uncharacteristic kiss there. “And besides, it’s something I want to do -” at his sardonic smirk, she added. “No need to do, plus knowing you’re here with me - helps. It helps a lot.” 

His half-smile made her heart flutter. “And I’m not going anywhere.” 

Smiling, she closed the distance between to press her lips to his.

He kissed her back, before his arms came around her. They brought her closer as their mouths slid firmly against one another; exploring until their kisses became heavy, and more insistent as slipped her fingers into the fine textures of his hair. 

She wasn’t sure who moaned first - him or her, but she placed her hands on his chest as they came up for air. Slowly, she untangled herself from him. 

Drake looked almost as torn as she felt. “To be continued?” His brow furrowed as if the last thing he wanted to do was to suddenly step inside that house.

Laughing, she pecked him quickly on the cheek. “To be continued.” She agreed, before they left and slammed the car doors shut behind them.

Entwining their hands, Robyn squared her shoulders before they began walking up the marble path of the house. As expected, each step creaked without fail and she took comfort in the fact that her dad hadn’t fixed it. When they boarded the last step, her hand hovered over the door bell.

She felt Drake shift before feeling his breath by her ear. “You can do this.” He murmured softly, throwing his arm around her shoulders. “This is a piece of cake for someone like you.”

Squeezing his hand, she rang it twice. “Piece of cake.”

-

Celine re-folded the napkins for the fourth time that evening. She couldn’t help it. Everything had to be perfect. Down to the little decorations she chose to accent the room; she decided that she needed everything in order to make the best first impression. 

Most of their food was laid out in front of her - forks and knives, as well as their finest of china for their guests and mashed potatoes Celine had proudly made the night before. The roast was warming itself in the oven and Caleb had distributed glasses evenly across the table. The only trouble she felt brewing were the napkins themselves - crushed a little by her constant fiddling. She thought of retrieving a new fresh batch from the kitchen, until she felt Caleb’s presence sidle up beside her. 

Momentarily distracted, her eyes caught his adorable smile in time before she grinned back at him. She couldn’t help it, usually she found the sight of it too endearing not to smile back.

She focused her attention back to her napkin folding skills when she glanced at the time. As she begun the grueling task, she felt his familiar hands gripped hers. They were coarser than hers from months of football and they closed her hands completely and stopped her restless pacing, before he brought them into the direction of his chest. “Caleb -” 

His expression stopped her.

Dark eyes shone at her with the quiet confidence she desperately needed to get through this night. If only she shared the same confidence he was exuding now.

“Celine you can relax, everything’ll be fine.” He reassured her smoothly, tucking her hair behind her ear. 

There was a trail of warmth that followed where he touched. “You don’t know that.” She replied stubbornly. What if she doesn’t like me? The thought had been pressing, and no matter how many times she told herself it didn’t matter - it did. She really wanted Robyn to like her.

“Take a second and just breathe.” Caleb dropped her hand to retrieve the napkin from her clenched fists despite her protests and draped it against his nose until he heard the sound of her laugh.

“You’re such a dork.” Shaking her head, she grinned.

“But an adorable dork, right?”

Playfully, she nudged his shoulders. She was already forgetting how tense she had been moments ago the longer she was around him. His friendliness had always been infectious, it was one of his qualities that had always drawn her to him. “Thanks,” She mumbled, glancing up at him. “Do you think...she’ll really like it?”

“How could she not?” Caleb gestured with his free hand how much colour the room had, and he thought the scented candles had been a nice touch. “It looks great in here.”

“Great sure,” Celine glanced down feebly, “but the roast is still in the oven. Dad’s been stuck upstairs for the past half an hour and -” she frowned. “- Is ice cream really okay for dessert?” Before he could respond, she quickly shook her head. “Never mind don’t answer that last one.” Throwing her hands in the air, her next breath came out as a frustrated sigh. “Nothing’s going the way it’s supposed to.”

His arms enfolded her into a warm hug, and she felt his chin tucked by her shoulder. “You’re over-worrying again. Everything is fine, everything is perfect.”  He murmured the words reassuringly inside her ear.

Celine listened to his voice and slowly relaxed to his words of encouragement until finally she whirled around to beam at him. “You always know what to say to make me feel better. How did I get so lucky?” 

He smiled, and leaned forward - almost close enough for their lips to brush. “I think I’m the lucky one - I get to spend thanksgiving with my girlfriend, and the awesome food she’s prepared.”

Her hands looped around his neck, “hmm. Say the last part again? I think I misheard it.”

“Awesome?” He laughed, “apparently she’s modest too.”

“Sarcasm is an acquired taste” She quipped back, as she felt his breath on her lips before they kissed. A spark was all it took before it erupted into tiny flares across her nervous system as he deepened the kiss.

It didn’t last long, the sudden ringing of the bell made them both jump before Celine heard her dad rushing downstairs. 

Quickly untangling themselves, Celine smoothed her hair and the folds of her dress as her father practically sailed towards the front door. “Dad, I could get it -”

“No, Celine-bear! I’ve got it!”

Exchanging a cautious glance with her boyfriend, Celine slipped her hands in his and gave it a squeeze before carefully peering from the corridor of their hall.

She heard their voices before she saw them. A low baritone first; hard to distinguish until she strained her ears. A higher octave soon followed, and she listened intently by the safety of her hiding spot as they exchanged introductions.

Celine’s eyes spotted her half sister. She realized with a jolt of surprise that they both inherited the better qualities of their father’s genes. Tall and a tangle of dark hair that for the most part; refused to be tamed.

She’s pretty. 

She watched as her sister stepped aside to allow the man in behind her entry way inside their home. Her eyes lit up in surprise.

He was good-looking Celine supposed, in a rugged kind of way. There was nothing that stuck out to her as particularly handsome, and maybe if he bothered to shave or cut his hair short - she would have been more likely to change her mind. It didn’t help that he looked out of place inside his suit. 

Every so often she watched him shift on his feet as they changed in conversation. He wasn’t comfortable being here either.

Celine jumped slightly at the sound of Caleb’s voice by her ear. “Why don’t we go say hi?” He whispered by her ear.

“Uh yeah, we probably should.” Celine didn’t want to be creepy and scare her sister off. Except, her feet refused to budge and she felt that familiar pull of social anxiety threatening to pull her over.

It was easier when she was at school - she was naturally perky and had made the cheer-leading team to make building friendships easier, but this was different. This was supposed to be family.

“Celine-bear!”

At the sound of her name, Celine froze from her staring and barely hid behind corridor walls before either of their gazes could spot her. “Yes dad...?” She called uncertainly after Caleb nudged her.

“What’re you waiting for?! There’s people here to meet you!”

Closing her eyes,Celine counted to ten before she felt Caleb’s fingers weaving through hers’.

“You can do this.” He gave her an encouraging smile.

“Right, I can totally do this.” Except Celine would rather suddenly do a high kick or round off than meet her sister.

-

Robyn’s eyes widened a little the moment she saw her. She had seen pictures of her before, glimpses really from stray mail sent to her that her mother didn’t find. However - even those hadn’t done her sister enough justice.

Celine was a little less taller than her for her age; with messy dark hair she remembered fondly working through during her own teenage years and a pastel dress that matched the inside of colour decor.

“Hey, it’s so nice to meet you Celine!” Robyn said earnestly. She didn’t know if a hug was warranted and as she moved to hug the younger woman, Celine had simply stuck out her hand awkwardly for her to meet.

A moment of tense silence passed before Robyn gripped her hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you too Robyn,” The girl said politely, before retrieving her hand and tucking it behind her.

Robyn wasn’t sure what to make of such an uncomfortable welcome and even Drake looked a little out of place until her dad beckoned them towards the dining room area.

“Dinner’s just about ready won’t you settle in?”

“Right,” She mumbled after a moment. Why was she here again? What was she thinking? This was going to be the most awkward family dinner ever. 

Suddenly, even the thought of junk food had felt more appealing than staying here. Her eyes flitted longingly towards the front door until Drake stepped in front of her path and narrowed his eyes when he glanced at her, as if he could tell what she was thinking.

He kept his arm around tightly around Robyn’s waist as she nearly dragged her feet towards the table.

Her nose was bombarded with scented aromas with the mixture of freshly prepared food. It made her stomach grumble a little until her eyes saw the table. Her hunger nearly doubled right then and there, and she stared at the complex array of vegetables and fruits in front of her. 

From beside her, she could hear Drake’s whistle of appreciation. “Damn, now this is a meal.” Elbowing him, she gave them an apologetic smile as we sat. “Sorry, Drake forgot his table manners in the car.”

“Ha, ha, funny.” If looks could kill - the one he suddenly gave Robyn would have made her shriveled up inside her seat. Thankfully, Robyn knew she was more than used to it and beamed an expectant smile at him.

“Let’s start, shall we?” Robyn’s father clapped his hands together eagerly before Caleb spoke up,

Conversation flowed stiffly as food was passed between everyone. Robyn ensured to inquire about Celine’s and Caleb’s curricular activities and made a mental note to do a background check on Caleb later. She had nothing against the kid, she just felt fairly protective over her sister and wanted to exercise all her big sister rights before the end of the night.

“So what made you interested in cheer-leading?” Robyn asked when the room had turned silent again.  

“Oh um,” Celine’s cheeks reddened by the sudden attention. 

“I was just wondering because I was a cheerleader myself.” Robyn gave her a smile of encouragement. Although Robyn’s reasons were superfluous at the time she joined, she still enjoyed the perks she had when she was in high school. “I liked cheering, it was fun but I mostly did it to become popular, make friends - that sort of thing.”

“Oh okay,” Celine smiled a little, before she returned to toying with a piece of lettuce. “Becoming a cheerleader helps with making friends. Plus it looks good on my record when I start looking at schools next year. It also boosts general moral of the school,” she continued as sh ticked off reasons with her fingers, “and I get hangout with my best friend Emma more.”

Robyn blinked a little in disbelief. She hadn’t realized anyone could be so focused. “Well, that’s very cool.” She managed eventually.

Beside her, she could hear Drake clearing his throat as if he was trying his hardest not to laugh at Robyn in spite of her more simple remark.

Her foot immediately went up to kick him from under the table accidentally connected to someone else instead.

Robyn watched in dismay as her father winced at the sudden intrusion. “Sorry,” she mumbled quickly earning a mischievous smirk from Drake before he guffawed into his hand.

“Celine’s a great cheerleader,” Caleb chimed in, breaking the silence that fell across the table again.

“Caleb, you don’t have to say that.”

“No but you really are,” He insisted, “she’s quick on her feet. I’m talking amazing reflexes here, and she really shines at our pep rallies.”

Robyn narrowed her eyes a little as she watched Celine’s blushed. The two of them were obviously more than friends and she wondered how their dad had ever allowed their romance to blossom so much. She never had a boyfriend at her sister’s age - she simply wasn’t allowed to.

Celine had leaned over to quickly kiss the football player’s cheek. Robyn’s own hackles rose at the sight, and she barely stopped herself in time from saying anything.

“Uh, not to interrupt this great family bonding or anything,” Drake spoke up, wearing a puzzled frown. “Isn’t there supposed to be y’know - a turkey at thanksgiving?”

Both Celine and Caleb froze around the table at the same time. Robyn exchanged a cautious glance with Drake as they stood at the same time.

“Shit!” Celine swore. Her eyes had suddenly filled with panic and she was scrambling to stand. 

Their father’s eyes snapped at her. “Language Celine-bear!” He chastised.

“Sorry,” She muttered meekly.

“Do you need my help -” Caleb asked but stopped short as Celine waved him away with her hands. 

“No sit, eat. I can get the turkey by myself.” Celine smiled hesitantly until her eyes caught Robyn’s and Robyn swore the pleading look in her eyes was a desperate cry for help.

“I’ve got to check something in the kitchen too,” Robyn immediately said, standing. Although they were strangers as far as she knew; she still wanted to help. Besides, the more she watched, the more the plea of help seemed to grow until everyone else had flitted their eyes back to her. With an exasperated sigh, she deposited her napkin on the table before rushing to follow her.

“Do you need -” Their father, Caleb and Drake unanimously begun speaking, and both girls whirled around to glare at them.

“No!”

“Okay geesh.”

“No need to sound so angry.”

“I thought I raised you girls better.”

Robyn ignored their voices, and as they approached the kitchen - her stomach began shrinking as the smell of over-cooked meat wafted towards her nose.

“Oh, no.” Celine groaned. “No, no, no, nooo -”

“Oh, yes.” Robyn sighed, bracing one hand on her hip.  She eyed the smoke that came from the smoke in disdain before Celine tossed oven mitts at her. Her eyebrows shot up, “What am I supposed to do with these?”

Celine shot her a look of impatience, “help me save thanksgiving dinner - what else?”

Robyn decided as her sister opened the stove and black smoke begun enveloping the room; that it was going to take a lot more than that to save thanksgiving dinner. “I should probably help you not burn down the house first.” She begun coughing as soon as she scooted closer. 

They gripped the dish on either side and dropped the almost nearly charcoal chicken by the counter.

They both watched the overcooked meat for a moment; until the growl in Robyn’s stomach made her break the silence. “...At least it can’t get any worse.”

“..Please don’t say that, it always gets worse when people say that.” Celine groaned from beside her.

Before Robyn could reply, the fire alarm overhead them went off.

-

[mechaspirit]

Their Lives Are Important, Even Through the Midst of Chaos (Endless Summer Verse)

Author’s note: Alright, here’s the Endless Summer version for this prompt. The theme is the same as the one I did for the Hero verse and it is also written for ChoicesCreates, Round 28, Crossover. This takes place after book 2, chapter 13 and contains some elements from The Freshman and High School Story. Again, thank you @ladyashtonofcordonia and@holly-park for hosting this round.

Pairings: MCxJake if you squint a little bit and a second pairing from Highschool story. See if you find them! ;)

Rated: T

Summary: After entering through Lernaean Gate, the group of twelve were crushed to see their homes in the state of destruction. Lamenting on the results, Yurika decided to head to the dorms she and her best friend shared, only to stumble upon something that gives her hope.

“The gate worked…we’re home.”

“Oh my god…This is…This is-“

“…I don’t understand…What’s going on?…Things like this isn’t supposed to happened.”

Of course, no one would expect this kind of result. Almost everyone thought that by going through Lernaean Gate, they would be able to go home and returned to their normal lives. Well, the plan worked alright. Only to find out that everything’s in a ruin of destruction with a freakin’ volcano from God-knows-where. In the middle of Hartfeld University of all the places!

The majority of the group were devastated to find out the state their homes are in. After roaming around the university, there were no signs of survivors. None of them were sure how long they were gone, but one thing for sure that they were gone long enough for this volcano to form. Not only that, it’s possible that the whole world is in ruins similar to this one. Not only everyone (sans Jake) were pretty much at lost of what to do right now, but every places where they held dear and built fond memories were pretty much destroyed.

The football field. The place where Sean Gayle and Craig Hsiao first met, joined the team, and practice their football skills. The place where the two look out for each other, on and off the fields.

The nightclubs. The place where Raj Bhandarkar really loves to hang out with his friends and party all night long. It is also the place where he can take his and his friends’ worries away in case of a horrible days they have.

The Kappa Phi Sigma. It was one of a few places where Michelle Nguyen wishes to forget ever since the sorority sisters betrayed her, but at least she did have a few fond memories, especially the times when she and Sean were still dating. Be it whenever Michelle invited him over for the parties and share some personal conversation, or where Sean would always come to pick her up and stop by at her favorite cafe for some coffee and pastries.

The park where the statue and the fountain. The place where Quinn Kelly would go out to enjoy the outside breeze, as well as vent her emotions from her parents constantly fighting each other by using her as a “pawn”.

The library. Basically the safe haven for Grace Hall, Everett Aleister Rourke II, Zahra Nazami, and Estela Montoya. Grace and Aleister, because it is a place where they felt welcomed and given opportunities to explore their knowledges. For Zahra, well it’s more of a computer lab and the lounge rather than the library in general, because it’s a place where she enjoys peace and quiet and the times where she and Craig used to play online games. As for Estela, she may the only college student who doesn’t have strong connections to Hartfeld University, but like Zahra, she enjoyed the peace and quiet in the library to the point where Estela can take her mind off her mother’s death.

The dorm rooftop. The special place where Diego Ortiz Soto and Yurika Hoshina would hang out and look at the stars whenever they can’t find anything to watch on Netflix or just simply share some personal conversations such as their secret crushes, their terrible days during class, or deciding what they really want to do in their futures. The place where they list out their adventure goals for their trip they won in a contest and where the young woman first started to have visions before entering the plane.

Overall, the places in Hartfeld are the ones where these people made memories and defined them as people they were before entering the mysterious island. Now, they were taken away from them. Literally burned into flames and crushed their spirits.

After deciding to split up and continue to roam around a bit longer, Yurika decided to head to dorm she shared with Diego to clear up her head and see if she had anything left in there. Along the way, the blonde woman passed by the worn-out coffee shop that she and Diego always hang out, have their favorite coffees and do their homework. It was also the place where they would always noticed a group of freshmans who also hang out here and talk about what is going on during their days. There was even a senior and a new barista who eventually join the group around the winter and spring quarter. Yurika was starting her first semester of her junior during the time she first saw them, and she find it incredibly adorable the way they always laugh and support each other even through tough times, something that she realized that this was something she was missing all along until she entered La Huerta.

But after seeing Hartfeld in an apocalyptic state, the building that was once filled with life seemed dead to the whole world now, and Yurika wondered if any of them survived. Shuddering from that thought, she continued on and found her way to the dormitory, where she could see that that it was covered in ashes and the roof was burned off. As soon as Yurika entered the building, she head straight to the room and carefully opened the door, only to find that the room was in a mess, as in covered in ashes and most of her’s and Diego’s possessions were burned off (including a Pikachu plushie that she always kept on her bed, much to her dismay). She could literally see the ceiling blown up big enough for a possible daylight to entered.

Yurika went to one of the broken shelves where she and Diego kept some DVDs, books, video games, The Crown & The Flame figurines, and some other personal items on display. Most of them are in poor conditions with only a few of them surviving the chaos.

“Oh boy, Diego is not gonna be happy once he sees this,” the blonde woman muttered.

Yurika went for one of the drawers this time, only to find one item that caught her attention. A simple, white envelope that still seems to be in a condition and has a signature in the back.

Theresa Lee

Yurika began to smile fondly and opened the letter, reading the contents as if for the first time. Theresa is a young friend of hers only by five years, and she used to be her neighbor before Yurika started her first year of college. During that time, whenever her dad was busy at work, Theresa would go to Yurika’s house and would often talk about school, working on homework with Yurika tutoring her, and sometimes talking about the young girl’s, usually the ones that she can’t shared with her dad such as when her mother left them or when she tried to fit in at school.

But before Yurika started college, Theresa and her dad have to move to a different town due to his job and they would exchange letters to keep in touch. The last time she heard from her was when the older blonde woman won a trip to La Huerta and the high school girl wanted to congratulate her for winning the contest. She even noted out the days in her new school, the friends she made, the clubs she’s in, and that she’s dating one of school band member. Theresa even send her a picture of herself and her friends on her their homecoming dances (somehow, two boys in the picture kinda reminds her of Sean and Jake). The blonde woman smiled looking at the photograph, noticing how happy Theresa is and found her new place along with the new people around her, just like her Yurika manages to find her new place with eleven other people in La Huerta. That thought made the blonde woman smiled.

Aside from Diego, Yurika didn’t really have anyone else to look up to as a family ever since her parents died in a car accident. But to her, Theresa is like a little sister she never had. Someone who she can connect to and giving her the purpose to protect the one she loves. This might’ve been one of her qualities she had developed as a leader, especially when she kept seeing her friends’ fates from the amber idols she had collected.

Yurika bit her lips, realizing that Theresa doesn’t even know what really happened to her on the island, and it was more likely that Theresa may have received the news that Yurika went either ‘missing’ or ‘dead’ during the trip. This time, it was the other way around and it may be too late to deal with this.

…Or is it?

Yurika reached into her pocket and crystal shard she had found in one of the facilities at the island. The energy surging inside of it felt similar to the Island Heart when it possesses Quinn and the one which the group have to use to activate the Lernaean Gate. She and the others did see Rourke possessing a crystal fragment similar to the one she had in her hand, only that the energy felt different and that the group witness its power of seeing and reversing different parts of time. Yurika did recall Grace saying that doing this kind of things could cause butterfly effect. Could the continuation of Rourke’s project be the cause this apocalypse?

This kind of thought caused Yurika clutched both the photograph and the letter close to her chest, realization and determination slowing coming back to her. If that’s the case, then they have to find a way to get back to the island to reverse this mess.

Just then, she heard the sound of footsteps and a low-whistle coming towards this room.

“Nice place you got here, Princess.” The blonde woman sighed in relief, recognizing that sarcastic voice.

“About time you got here, Top Gun. There’s something I need to tell you and the others.” She quickly replied as she placed the letter and the photograph back in the drawers.

Wherever you are or whatever happened to you Theresa, just hang on. We’ll fix this mess.

Because there are people whom they still considered precious to them…Their lives are important even through the midst of chaos.

[endlessflame]

Breaking the Law (Caleb x Zahra)

Prompt: Round 28 of #ChoicesCreates: Choices Crossovers

Summary: Zahra spends time with Caleb after meeting him at a local bar.

Author’s note: This takes place before Endless Summer and Hero.

Rating: M

Tags: @holly-park, @ladyashtonofcordonia

As Zahra reached her floor in the dorm, she heard voices. When she approached the lounge on the floor, she saw Jillian, one of the girls on her floor, talking to another girl. She took a closer look and saw that it was Jillian's friend Miranda.

"Any parties going on tonight?" Jillian asked Miranda.

"Not sure. I should call Craig. Maybe the team is doing something. If not, maybe he'd want to hang out alone. It was fun hooking up with him last weekend. I could go for round two." Miranda picked up her can of diet soda, took a sip, and then set it back down.

Zahra glared in Miranda's direction, then walked closer to where the girls were sitting. As she neared the end table next to them, she moved her bag closer, knocking over the can of soda. "Oops," she said as she walked past.

Miranda glowered at Zahra. "You freak!"

Zahra turned around and flipped her the bird, then headed to her room. She slammed the door behind her as she walked in.

Why do I even care? she thought. She and Craig hadn't spent time together for a while. He was constantly partying with the football team. He'd changed since freshman year. They'd had so much fun then. But things were different now.

I need a drink. I'm getting out of here. She called an Uber, and soon she was at a bar downtown. Good thing I have my fake ID. It was time to get drunk.

She sat down on a barstool. The guy next to her had long brown hair and wore a leather jacket. He raised his glass and motioned to the bartender. "Hey, can I get another mezcal?"

Zahra looked toward the bartender. "I could use one of those too."

The guy next to her turned in her direction. "You got it." "Make it two," he said to the bartender.

"I was talking to the bartender. This doesn't mean I owe you anything. Got it?" Zahra reached into her pocket and pulled out her knife. "Don't even think about messing with me."

"Whoa, chill," he said. "And you don't want to use that on me. You'd regret it." He pulled out his own pocket knife.

When the bartender brought their drinks over, Zahra grabbed the other knife. "I'll hold on to this for now. You can have it back later, as long as you don't give me a reason not to give it to you." She grinned at him wickedly, then picked up her drink and took a sip. "This is good stuff."

"Sure is." He reached for his own glass. "I'm Caleb."

"I'm Zahra." She looked him over. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"I live in Northbridge, but my friend wanted to come here tonight. Maybe that's why." He pointed to a man across the room, who had his arm draped around a woman.

"Looks like they're having fun." Zahra thought about what Miranda had said. "It was fun hooking up with him last weekend." She picked up her glass and took a drink.

"Great song!" Caleb made the sign of the horns. Zahra focused on the lyrics.

Breaking the law, breaking the law. Breaking the law, breaking the law. Breaking the law, breaking the law. Breaking the law, breaking the law.

She recognized the song: "Breaking the Law," by Judas Priest. "You look like you're into that. Breaking the law."

Caleb nodded. "Yeah, you got me. I was first sent to juvie when I was thirteen, and was in and out for years. How about you?"

"Hell yeah. I'm on the FBI's watchlist. I was one of the hackers responsible for the 2015 Wall Street leaks."

Caleb's eyes widened. "Impressive! Let me get you another drink." He ordered two more mezcals.

After they got their drinks, Zahra looked towards the pool table, then back to Caleb. "You want to play?"

He smiled. "Sure, but let's make it interesting. If I win, you do something for me. If you win, I do something for you."

"Like what?" Zahra eyed him suspiciously.

"I could use someone to do a hacking job for me. I got caught speeding too many times and now have to pay a surcharge because of all the points against my license. I hate the fucking DMV! Wish my record could be wiped clean."

"That would be easy enough to do. You're on." Zahra stood up and walked over to the pool table with Caleb. "'I'll take stripes."

They took turns shooting, until Caleb had pocketed all the solid balls. Only the 8 ball was left. "8 ball, corner pocket," he called out. As the 8 ball rolled into the corner pocket, he shouted "Yes! I win!" He looked at Zahra. "You're going to make my points disappear."

The man Caleb had pointed out walked over to them. "Looks like I'm getting lucky tonight. Can you find another way home? Thanks!" He hurried off in the direction of the men's room.

"Damn it!" Caleb muttered. "Any chance you could give me a ride home?"

Zahra shook her head. "Sorry, I took an Uber here."

Caleb frowned. "That asshole. Wait a minute. I have an idea. You want to get out of here? Remember, you have a job to do for me."

"Sure, why not." She and Caleb walked out the door and across the parking lot. She was surprised to see him heading for a car. "I thought you didn't drive here."

"I didn't. My friend's going to be sorry he ditched me." He looked Zahra in the eye. "Can I have my knife back now? I need it. Not to use on you."

"OK, but remember, I still have mine." She handed him his knife, and he broke the antenna off the car, then jammed his knife between the door and the body of the car. "Is that your friend's car?"

"Yeah. I'm borrowing it. He'll know where to find it later, but he'll have to find another way home." As the door opened, he reached for the opposite door and unlocked it. "Hop in."

Zahra walked over to the door, then opened it and sat down in the passenger's seat. She watched as Caleb hot-wired the car. "Where are we going?"

"Your place? You must have a good computer system if you're a hacker. Besides, you need a ride home anyway, unless you want to call another Uber."

"True. You know where Hartfeld University is? I live in the dorms."

Soon they arrived at the campus, and she led Caleb into her dorm. After they reached her room, Zahra logged on to her computer. Caleb watched as she hacked into the DMV site.

"I'm in. Now I just have to find your record." She looked over at Caleb, who leaned closer and typed in his full name. Before long, Zahra had deleted all the offenses from his record, and removed the surcharge.

"Thanks! You're the best." Caleb looked at her with appreciation.

Zahra's eyes met Caleb's. It felt good to have someone look at her like that. She thought about the last time Craig had come to her room. She still remembered what he had said to her: "Sometimes I don't think you care about anybody except yourself." Then she thought about Craig hooking up with Miranda. She grabbed Caleb's arm and led him to her bed. She leaned over and kissed him deeply, and before long one thing led to another.

Afterwards he lay beside her, grinning. "That was fun."

"Yeah, it was." But not as much fun as it had been with Craig. "You should probably get going, though."

"Oh, OK." He climbed out of bed and began to get dressed. "Can I get your number? It would be fun to hang out again. Besides, you never know when I might need your services."

"Sure." As he picked up his phone, she gave him the number. Moments later, she got a text notification.

"I thought you might want mine too." He pulled her close and kissed her again. "Good night." He walked out, leaving Zahra alone again.

[elizabethschoices]

#ChoicesCreates Round 16: Fluorescent | James Ashton x Reader |

Universe: The Freshman

Pairing: James Ashton x Reader

Obligatory @hollyashton and @texanhusker tag.

(Name) looked herself over in the mirror, scrunching up her hair one more time before tearing her eyes away from herself to grab her purse from the chair it was set in.

“Where are you going?”

She turned to glance at her long-term fiancé. “Out.” She could see the hurt look in his eyes. But was at the point where she didn’t give much of a second thought about it.

“Oh. Okay. When will you be back?”

“I’m going out with Kaitlyn and Abbie, so there’s no telling. And no guys allowed.” (Name) turned away from him again.

James sighed. “Okay.”

“Don’t wait up. Goodnight.”

“Night.” He watched her leave, disappointed. He’d hoped to share a quiet night in with the woman he ventured to marry, but obviously she had other plans.

xXx

James crawled into bed, wearing only a pair of dark boxers. He’d been less than enthused at how his fiancée hadn’t made any sort of pass at him. Back in college, he had to pry her off with a crowbar when he was dressed in such an alluring manner.

It’d been a while since they were intimate.

“Sweetheart?”

“Yes, James?” She asked, not looking away from her book.

“You, ah, still have those fishnets?”

(Name) set her book down and looked at him. “Yes, they’re somewhere in the closet collecting dust. Why?”

“I was just… Hoping you’d maybe want to…”

“Not tonight.” She picked her book back up and continued reading.

James rubbed the back of his neck. “Alright then…”

(Name) clenched her jaw and slammed the book down onto her nightstand. “Goodnight.” She huffed, laying down onto her side, facing away from James.

xXx

“James… James, oh… Yes, yes!”

He damn near broke his neck as he turned to look at her. She wouldn’t actually sleep with him, but she’d dream about it?

He tossed his book to the floor and moved to her side, slowly pulling up her nightdress above her pantyline.

Black underwear.

“What are you doing?”

Not the words a man wanted to hear at a time like this.

He looked at his now-awake fiancée. “You were having a sex dream about me.”

“Yeah.” She looked away from him.

“But told me no when I asked.”

“Yeah…”

“I don’t understand, (Name). If you wanted me, you could have had me.”

“It's… It’s not the same, okay?”

“What do you mean by that?”

She pushed his hand away and adjusted her nightclothes. “James, I don’t want to have this conversation.”

“I do! We haven’t had sex in months!”

“Because you’re no good at it!” (Name) growled.

“I-What??”

She sighed. “James… You’re not a good lover anymore. Okay? You lost your touch.”

James sank back into the bed. He wasn’t a good lover anymore? What changed??

“I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, James.”

“No, no, I… I understand.” He nodded slowly.

She swallowed thickly and picked up her pillow. “I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight.”

He didn’t follow her.

xXx

Sex for Dummies.

“What am I doing?” James asked himself softly.

“What are you reading?” (Name) asked as she came into the living room.

“Nothing!” He quickly shoved the book between the couch cushions.

“Alright then…” She said slowly. “Anyway… The gang wants to go bar-hopping tonight. Do you want to come?”

“Yeah, sure!” James smiled. This was the first outing he’d been invited to in ages. Maybe things were starting to look up?

Or not, as he got a little too ‘turnt’ in the first club and threw up on his fiancée’s shoes. He couldn’t even hold his liquor anymore.

What was happening to him? He was practically 28-going-on-50!

xXx

“James, we need to talk.”

Oh no.

“I know.”

She sighed and sat on the couch. “I think it’s time we go our separate ways.”

Falling about.

“Yeah.”

“I… Found someone else.”

“I figured as much. Mecca dauber, right?”

“What?”

“Never mind. Do you… Love him?”

“I could.”

“And not me?”

She sighed. “Don’t ask me to say I don’t love you, James. There’s no need to make this dramatic. I’ll always love who you were.”

Remember when he used to be a rascal?

I tried (and failed) my hand at having a different approach for this. I personally don’t like it much. As such, whoever manages to get through this, if they can guess the song it’s associated with, will get a story from me. :)

[tea-books-england]

Take Me Home To The Place I Know

Hello! I’ve been reading a lot of your wonderful creations for some time now, and finally tried to write a fanfiction myself. This is the first time I try this, I really hope it doesn’t sound like utter garbage.

Also, I apologise in advance for any typos, I’m not a native English speaker. I also apologise for the length of this. The title is inspired by Ella Eyre’s “Home”.

Author’s note: Rated T for mild language and mentions of character death and murder. This is a crossover for round 28 of #choicescreates, between Hero and Endless Summer, hosted by @ladyashtonofcordonia and @holly-park. I used the default name Alex for my female MC in Hero and the name Serena for my female MC in Endless Summer

I hope you enjoy it!

The rain is pattering heavily against the open window as the train soon comes to a halt at London Paddington. People swiftly get up, grabbing their belongings, long rain coats and umbrellas, before forcing themselves through to the narrow corridor to reach the exit as fast as they can. At a quarter past six in the evening, Paddington is crowded with employees finally making their way home, rushing to their next train. They wind their scarves tighter round their necks, turn the collars of their coats up against the cold breeze that hits them as soon as they leave the mouldy air of the train.

A tall woman gets out and calmy walkes towards the exit of the railway station. Her black coat wrapped tightly around her slender frame, the black hair tied in a neat knot, she passes the rushing passengers, the clicking of her heels getting lost in the shuffle. A man sits in the corner, turning a cigarette in his hand, studies her for a short moment before he shouts. “Why hello, there, beautiful!” But she does not react. Standing now out in the open, right in front of the station, she takes a pair of gloves out of the little handbag she is carrying and puts them on. She reads the little note again that she has in her coat pocket, and turns towards the main street.

Now, in the middle of October, the temperature having been quite warm for the past weeks, had dropped over the course of several days, and the rain does not seem to help it. The rough climate of autumn can now be felt more than ever, and it costs quite an effort to even leave the house and not just to lie on the sofa all day, watching TV and drinking a nice cup of coffee or tea. The woman turns left in a side alley, before she turns another left and then another right, an old looking building appearing in front of her. She reads the note again, looks for a name at the entry, and rings. The voice of a young woman cracks through the speaker. “Hello?” “Good evening, Miss Tate, I am Miss Martin, we spoke earlier about a possible job offer and agreed to meet up. May I come in?”

There is a small pause on the other end of the speaker, then the voice agrees and opens the door. The woman enters the lift, pressing the button for the third floor, and finds a young blond woman already waiting at the doorstep of apartment number 301. The blond studies her quickly before she says: “Good evening, Miss Martin. It’s a pleasure to meet you, please come in.” The other woman thanks her, inspecting her surroundings. “Please take a seat. Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?” The woman nods and takes a seat on the gray sofa. “Coffee, please.” She chuckles. “You are adapting quite well to the British way of speaking.”

The blond turns, lifting an eyebrow, before she regains her calm composure. “Quite so. Now, about this job offer”, she sets the coffee in front of her counterpart on the tea table. “I learnt that you are an executive assistant at Prescott industries, situated in Northbridge.” “I see you did your research.” The woman sips her coffee. The blond smiles. “Can you blame me? It’s not everday that I get a message on my answering machine from America, saying they might be offering me a job. I must say I am surprised you came to me for that job. Are you planning to open another company here in London?” “Not at the moment, no.”

The blond looks astoundished. “Is it about a job in America then?” Her counterpart nods. The blond studies her with an unreadable expression, then looks away. “I am very sorry to trouble you with the long travel, Miss Martin, but I am afraid I cannot come back to the United States for the time being. I built my life up here, in London, and I am not really ready to leave it all behind again.” The black-haired woman watches her, not responding, as if she is patiently waiting for the blond to go on. The latter grows nervous. “I believe, you will find a suitable marketing assistant back in America who would love to have the job.” She stands up, but again, the other woman makes no move. “I am not exactly talking about Prescott Industries, Serena.”

Serena stares at the woman, her eyes wide open. She searches for words, before she asks: “How did you know?” “Everybody’s attention was drawn to the missing airplane with the college students that had been offered a trip to the island La Huerta. From one day to the other, no one was able to find you. The agencies were not even able to connect with “The Celestial” for answers upon your sudden disappearance. You just vanished from this world, and this high media attention lasted for several months, before they let the matter drop. And then, half a year ago, we read a little announcement, that they gave up on looking for you. But, you see, I have this friend Dax of mine who really was interested into the matter, and when he started looking for sources in the internet, he read about several bizarre mysteries linked to the island, and he dug deeper. Although he was not able to find any information that lead towards “The Celestial” or the missing airplane, he found out that they did not give up the search, but found the students, you included.”

Serena nervously takes a sip of her tea. “So, what are you, then? Some kind of secret agency? Are you working for Rourke?” The woman shakes her head. “Nothing of that sort. I told you, I am offering you a job.” “I feel it’s nothing to do with working as marketing assistant in any company.” The woman watches her intensely. “I have been looking for you since the day Dax came to me and told me about you. About the weird things that happened when you were around. About your sudden disappearance.” Serena closes her eyes for a moment, suddenly overwhelmed by emotions. “If you know my story, then you know why I had to leave.” The woman nods sadly. “Yes, you had every right to leave, and I am very sorry about the things you had to endure. But it is time you came back.” “No, I don’t. I feel myself quite comfortable here. London is nice, I got a nice job, I can start my own life. I’m moving on. And I’m damn sure I won’t return to the US.”

“Look at you. Look at this apartment. There is nothing personal here, no decoration, no pictures. It’s like you just moved in, when you have lived in London for a couple of months already. Before that, you were in Costa Rica, constantly on your feet, traveling around, and not settling down for one second.”

“So what? I found a new start here, and I ain’t giving it up!” Serena looks around and throws her arms in the air. “It takes some time to adjust, but I’ll get there.”

“Your working as a marketing assistant in a company you don’t even care about. I am pretty sure you don’t even like the job. You will be gone in several months again, traveling up the coast or taking the plane, to get to a new place. You are not trying to look for a home, trying to settle down, your fleeing. And the problem, the problem is, that you don’t realise that the only thing you flee from is your head. There was no point in leaving the US in the first place!”

Serena defensively stands up and walks to the window. “I can’t! I cannot return to this country! Not to the place I share memories of my friends! Not when I have these- “She stops, unsure, if she should say it out loud. “Telepathic abilities? Visions of the past?” Serena turns towards the woman. “Who are you?” “I am not so different from you. I have abilities too, abilities I must keep secret from others. I know it is hard when you are alone with this. And I am offering you a chance. Come back to the United States with me, I can help you.” Serena hesitates, unsure what to say. “I might be able to help with your visions, too. “

“They just come whenever they want.”, Serena whispers. She almost starts to cry. After months of loneliness, months where she had to build walls around her because she did not know what she could tell others, months of sleepless nights she visioned of Jake, of her friends, their deaths, waking up all alone in an ugly apartment in a city she did not feel at home at all, she finally can let her guard down. There is person that understands her. The woman gets up and hugs her tightly. “Having an ability means you need to control it. Those visions, they may get better once you train your mind.” She smiles sadly at Serena. “Even if you will still have nightmares about your friends, it is a relief.”

Serena nods, tears falling down her cheeks. She takes a deep breath and settles down on the sofa again. She drinks her tea, then turns back to the woman standing at her window. A lightening illuminates the street outside and the semi-dark room, followed by a loud thunder. And as if there is a click in her head, Serena suddenly knows what to do. Hell, she never wanted to stay here. “Alright.” The woman watches her astoundished. “You’re right. I’m done fleeing. I come home.” The woman smiles. “You can take your time. I help you settle your things – “ “No, I don’t need that. I am still on probation at work, I have a very nice landlady. She’ll understand. “ “Then it’s settled. I’m taking you back with me to the United States.”

Serena smiles to herself. She feels awkwardly relieved. She can finally go home. And she isn’t going to be alone. At that thought, she notices something. “Hey, what’s your name, actually?” “I’m Alex. “, The woman grins, obviously very pleased with the turnouts of this evening’s discussion. “And that job you wanted to offer. What exactly is the description of that?”, Serena asks. Alex grins wider. “You’re going to work with a few very cool people, going to wear some fancy clothings, and going to kick some people’s asses.”

A dark figure rushes through the gaps between the skyscrapers, disrupting the night’s tranquility. Alex flies and makes a sharp turn to the left then flies over a park, almost touching the fallen snow on the tree branches. Her red capes moving furiously in the cold breeze of the night. She holds her arm right in front of her face and speaks to the waistband. “Serena, where are they going?”, she shouts against the wind. “You gotta take a sharp turn to the left again after the next building. They are heading towards an industrial site. There’s a car waiting for them.” Alex turns to the left again. A couple is underneath her on the sidewalk and looks up, as they notice the sudden commotion in the air. Alex swiftly ducks behind another high building, trying not to lose speed. Kenji’s voice crackles in the waistband.

“You see the other suspects waiting for them?” “Yes. They’ll drive outside of town where another car is waiting for them. Seems to be a park. They’ll change cars there. We gotta reach them before they can drive away.” “Quite so.” Kenji says. “CCTV has recorded them driving away from the crime scene. They gained themselves time by leaving the car in that parking lot up the alley, but they’re much slower by foot. They must have adjusted his plan and called their colleague to meet them withhin reach, but not too near to the crime scene. The police are spreading out around the parking lot and search for witnesses, but with their faces not visible on the security camera, they don’t stand a chance to find them.”

“But we do.” Alex flies around complex. “Serena, how long before they reach the instruction site?” “I say five minutes. No wait, ten. The way they wanted to take is under construction, they’ll take a sideroad to their left that leads them around several apartment complexes. Turn the next left and you’ll see me.” Alex obliges and promptly flies next to her friend. Serena grins. “Hey, there.” She studies her friend in the tight blue costume. “You really didn’t want to bring a scarf and gloves, huh?” Alex laughs. “No, it slows me down. What about you?” “Oh, you know, I wear leggins and a t-shirt under my suit, it’s quite comfortable and warm this way.”

“Trendy. We should get you both warmer suits for the winter season, you know with these furry collars and everything. “Poppy chuckles on the screen of the waistband. “Only if you add a portable coffee holder too.” Alex retorts. She looks behind them and sees a bronze figure hurrying over the buildings, following them. “Kenji, you’re still with us?” “Believe me, I’m hot on your heels. The minute you end your little coffee party up there you’ll be the ones to follow me.” All three women laugh. “Oh, you wish.” Alex retorts and flies faster. Ignoring the frustrated sigh of Kenji, she turns to Serena. “Your new flying device is absolutely brilliant.”

“Yeah, it’s actually very comfortable. And also quite useful.” “Remind me why I have no such thing?”, Kenji asks. “Because I couldn’t produce a device so far that is able to carry your bronze without making you a giant bronze dragonfly. And because you always preach that true heroes know their strenghts and weaknesses, and that you are feeling much better with your feet on the ground.” Dax’ face appears on the screen of the waistband. “Guys, the police radio states that one police car makes a patrol in your direction. Better be safe when passing them, don’t draw their attention on you.” Alex nods. “Got it.” Serena seems to space out for a second. When it’s over, she turns to Alex. “He’s leaving the side street now and is back on his way. Eight minutes.” “Alright guys, let’s hurry.”

Dexter hurries into side street and stops for a short while to catch his breath, Rager with him.  Their plan had worked out. They had trained this for months. With all that practice and planning, it had been quite easy to break into the Central Northbridge Bank. Dexter looks at the heavy bag in his hand. He imagines the dollar bills laying inside of it and his eyes begin to glow. “We’re rich now, eh?” Rager asks with a deep voice, grinning widely all over his face. Dexter nods. “Too bad we’ve got to dump it.” He throws his bag into an edge. Rager shakes his head, but follows the given orders. “Such a waist of money.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll get a wage that’s worth it. We have the most important thing.” Dexter holds the USB stick inside of his hands. The key they had taken from the corps of investigative journalist Logan Werner had fitted with one of the safe deposit boxes in the bank. Although CCTV probably had them on camera, he had immediately hid the stick and they had taken off. The other valuables Werner had put inside of his deposit box were still there, and as he had been a very sceptical human being, he had not told anyone about the stick inside. There was no way the police had taken notice of a missing USB stick. “What’s even on that thing? All this crap for a small USB stick.” “I don’t know. “Dexter answers. “And we shouldn’t ask questions. Come on.” They take of again, soon reaching the industrial site where the others were waiting. “Took you longer than we thought, Dexter.” A blond man, sitting in the driving seat, studies the other man. Dexter rustles his hand through his brown-haired curls.

“Yeah, one street was barred. But we got what was asked for.” “Boss is going to be happy about it.”, the driver smiled. Rager, taking off his black cap, letting his red hair fall on his shoulders, asks: “Has anyone of you met him? I mean, we don’t know anything about him. For all we know he could be a creepy lunatic.” “Who cares, man?”, another blond-haired man says. “We get a lot of money for the job, so we better do what he wants. I don’t care what kind of man he is.” “True.”, the driver says and starts the car. But just as he hits the gas pedal, a blue figure jumps down in front of them and crunches the engine bonnet with one fist.

“What the hell?”, Dexter cries out and jumps out of his car, drawing his gun. He tries to focuse on the lady in blue, as a blond lady appears to the right hand and a bronze guy to his left. He whirls around, as one by one of his team is captured and put inside of the car, leaving him the only one armed. As the bronze guy tackles the driver to the ground, Dexter focuses the gun on him, his hand jerking nervously. Before he can pull the trigger, a kick to his hand makes him drop the gun and another strong kick to his rips sends him flying back to the ground. Unarmed, surrounded by three masked people, he lies hopelessly on the ground, unsure what to do. This was not what they had planned, this was not what he had been called for. Break-ins and robbery? Yes, everyday, but dealing with masked creeps that know martial arts? He did not sign up for this.

“Hey Dexter.” The blond lady speaks. “What – “, he begins, at loss of words, and then cringes when the blond woman approaches him. He tries to spring to his feet and to defend himself, but the bronze man keeps him down. The blond grabs inside of the pocket of his jacket, and takes the USB stick. “So this is what he asked you for, huh? Quite clever, a bank robbery when the only thing you wanted was this tiny thing here.” The blond studies the stick. “Talos, when did you say the police was coming here?”, the lady in blue asks. “Oh, any moment from now, if I am correct.” “Then we better hurry.” The blond replies. “Now tell me, Dexter. Why does Everett Rourke need this USB stick so badly?” Dexter looks at her, shocked. He had not told anyone of his boss’s identity. He had clear orders; to keep the identity secret and to tell the others he was just an ordinary thief that got signed up for the job.

“Who are you freaks?”, he shouts. He hears sirens howling nearby. The blond ignores him. She steps forward, her eyes narrowing, and grabs him by the collar. “Tell me what I want to know.” She brings her face even closer. “Why. Does. Rourke. Want. It.” Dexter trembles. The bronze man and the blue lady move closer, staring at him intently. “I don’t know.” “I know you do.” The blond one grabs him tighter, then laughs. “It’s almost funny, you know. You’re a trustworthy loyal dog to him, doing anything he says. You are his employee, aren’t you? Working as a loyal secretary for a rich businessman. You would do anything for him.”

Dexter trembles harder. The woman’s blue eyes stare directly into his soul, and he feels as if she uncovers his memories, thoughts and secrets, laying them out bare for anyone to see. “Who are you?”, he murmurs, but she does not listen. “You are just bait to him. The moment the police captures you and interrogates you, he’s going to drop you like a hot potato. You’ll be sent to prison for your crimes, and he will silence you the moment he has the chance to. There is no reason for you to defend him now. Tell me what he needs it for and I’ll tell the police you coorperated well with us and just maybe they’ll get your sentence reduced.”

Dexter thinks about it for a second. “He- he…” Dexter stutters. He breathes, then speaks: “He’s been working on another project. I don’t know where, what or when, I really don’t, but he kept saying that this investigative journalist Logan Werner had gained information he shouldn’t have, and that he needed this USB stick to ensure that his project was not in danger.” “The guy who was murdered in his apartment? So he ordered you to kill him?” Dexter panicks. “I didn’t kill him! I swear it! The driver guy Bill did it, I had nothing to do with it.” “Okay”, the blond says conciliatory. “Is there a number you had to call, or a place to go? To hand Rourke the stick?”

Dexter’s shaky hands take out a small note. “He said I should come to that place. He said he would wait for me in the café there, and I should come alone. Tell me, what’s he going to do? What’s he going to do to me?” The blond looks up, and Dexter follows her gaze. Several police cars approach and surround the car Dexter’s colleagues are sitting in. District Attorney Meiko Katsaros leaves one car and approaches them. “There you go ahead and capture them again before us.”, Katsaros smiles to the woman in blue, before looking onto Dexter. “We found the money in a side street. Any idea why they dropped it?”

“The street they probably initially wanted to take was under construction and barred. I guess they panicked when their plan didn’t work out and tried to get rid of evidence.”, Talos answers. Katsaros nods. “They opened a safe deposit box inside of the bank. I guess you didn’t find what you were looking for, hm?”, she turns to Dexter who quickly stares to the ground. “I guess we continue this discussion at the police station.” She handcuffs Dexter and leads him towards the police cars. “Thanks again, Talos and Blue Bird.” She turns, when she notices the blond woman standing behind them.

Her hair is loose, she wears a grey mask over her icy blue eyes that study the District Attorney intently. Her costume is a dark grey too, reaching from her underarms to the black boots. Iron chains in the color of amber are wrapped around her torso and she wears a black coloured belt on her hips. Her amber coloured cape flatters in the wind. “You must be new to the team. Who are you?” The blond woman smirks. She intensely stars at Dexter. “Andromeda.” Katsaros takes her leave with a final nod and gets into the police car. “And once again, we catched the criminals. Good teamwork, everyone!”, Kenji announces, smirking at Alex and Serena.

“Well done, guys.”, Poppy smiles broadly into the screen on the waistband. “So we’re kinda onto something big there, aren’t we?”, Dax asks. “This whole Rourke thing, he seems to plan something very secretive and important. Do you think this Dexter guy will talk?” “I don’t think so. He knows how much power Rourke holds. I highly doubt he says any word of it to Katsaros, and he doesn’t have a reason to, since she has no idea of the existence of this USB stick.” Serena explains. “Whatever he’s planning.”, Alex frowns. “It sure as hell is nothing good. But we’ll be hot on his heels.” She looks encourangingly at Serena. “Together, as a team.” Serena grins. “You’re right. And we made a big progress today to stop him. That’s worth a celebration!” Talos looks knowingly at the two women. “Guys, I believe it’s time to party. To party hard!” Alex laughs. “Alright, Poppy, Dax, at my place in 30 minutes.” Serena watches as Alex locks an arm with Kenji. She studies the tiny little USB stick in her hand again. It’s quite funny, she thinks. This is the first time she finds something connecting to Rourke since she came back from the island. She feels overwhelmed; Jake’s image in the back of her mind, his loving gaze, then she sees Quinn, the sunshine, and Michelle and all the others. All the people Rourke took from her. But she knows she doesn’t have to deal alone with this.

Alex’ encouragement rings in her ears, and when Alex turns back to her to look where she’s at, Serena closes the distance and links an arm with her. Together, they push themselves off the ground, Alex keeping an arm round Kenji who loosingly hangs in the air, complaining about getting sick from her flying style, and Serena laughs wholeheartedly.

She takes a moment to feel the tiny USB stick against the breast pocket of her costume, and smirks to herself.

I’m coming for you, Rourke.

[mechaspirit]

Their Lives Are Important, Even Through the Midst of Chaos (Hero Verse)

Author’s note: Okay, my first Choices prompt, and it’s supposed to be for Choices Creates, round 28, Crossover. For those who play Endless Summer, I’m sure most of you have already gone through the recent chapter of book 2, and it inspires me at the last second to write this. And I’m sure some of you may have one of the idol scenes where it has the Hero reference. I tried combining these two stories together, but it ended up being too long, so I have to put it into two separate parts. Also, this verse will be kinda AU-ish because we haven’t gone that far in Hero, yet (plus, I’m starting to miss it since it’s on hiatus). Let’s see if I can do this justice. Thank you @ladyashtonofcordonia and @holly-park for hosting this round. And stay tuned for Endless Summer Verse!

Pairings: slight MCxKenji, slight MCxGrayson, and a third pairing that is involved in another Choices book. See if you can find them. ;)

Rated: T

Summary: AU. After surviving an unfaithful event in a chaotic future and harsh battle with Silas Prescott, Alex/Nightfall and Kenji/Talos managed to reactivate the Prism Gate and head back to their time in the present, only to find out that not everything had not turned out to be expected. This ultimately broke Alex’s spirit until she comes across somethign that helps her regain it.

“Uh…Alex? Are you sure we’re back in-“

“Northbridge? Yeah. I think so. But…why is everything like this?”

“There you two are! I was so worried that I thought you guys are trapped in that Prism Gate for eternity! You’ve been gone for almost a year!”

Saying that Alexandra Hoang Nguyen was in a state of confusion in a midst of chaos was a complete understatement. No, it was more of that she failed…she failed her friends, her family, and all the other people in Northbridge. As Nightfall, her superhero persona, she and Kenji Katsaros, aka Talos the Man of Bronze, were both trapped inside the Prism Gate, where they both experienced the future devastation of their homes.

Silas Prescott, who was also trapped inside the gate and has similar supernatural powers as Alex (only more deadlier), created this Prism Gate in order to ‘renew’ the world by ending hardships, but turned out that his actions are less than ideal and only has been doing it for his own selfish reasons. Despite the rough setbacks, both Nightfall and Talos were able to defeat him and returned home by reactivating the Prism Gate using part of their powers they got from the effects of the Prism Crystal.

However, everything turned out to be less than expected. When they returned, they found out that Northbridge was in the state of ruins just like the way the two heroes saw it in the future, much to their despair. And it’s not just Northbridge. The entire states...the entire country are in the apocalypse state. Hell, there was even rumor that there was a volcano in the middle of Hartfeld University. Neither of them were able to find any survivors until they managed to find their friend, Dax Darcisse, who appeared to be fine for the most part, except he was in the state of distress as much as everyone else. Not only that, Dax told them that since the disaster struck he couldn’t find Poppy Patel or Grayson Prescott anywhere, which definitely devastated Alex.

The dark hair woman thought she did everything she can to help out the people in the city, only to find out that things did not work out the way she expected. Of course, she knew that being a hero was never easy, and she learned that the hard way when Kenji almost died protecting her from the fire guy. Now, her home was destroyed and she already lose her two closest friends and possibly her mother. She wasn’t sure what to do anymore.

Just then, Alex felt a strong arm gently wrapped around her shoulder which made her turned her head to find a familiar dark-hair man next to her. He just demorphed from his bronze form and has a worried look on his face.

“Hey, we’ll find them,” Kenji reassured her, even though his voice is laced with uncertainty. He understood how vulnerable Alex is feeling right now, and he felt the same way since he still doesn’t know where his mom is or the matter of the fact if she’s alive.

“I hope so,” Alex replied, resting her head on his shoulder. She took off her black mask and could feel tears running from her face, “They’re really important to me, Kenji. I’m…I’m afraid that once I found out what really happened to them, I…I don’t think I can forgive myself.”

“Alex, don’t beat yourself like that. This isn’t your fault. You did everything you could. Neither of us expected all of this to happened,” Kenji told her, “Besides if anything, that bastard Prescott was the one who started all this mess! Man, I really hate to see Grayson’s face right now. It must’ve been a shock for him to find out what his dad really did.”

Alex nodded in agreement. She knew Grayson and Silas have a rocky father & son relationship because of their different views on business society, but finding out about Silas’s true motive for the project took it to a whole another level. The dark hair woman knew Grayson is a kind person who doesn’t take secrets like that very well. Just wonder how would he react if he finds out that Alex is actually Nightfall.

Suddenly, Alex felt something cracked underneath her foot and looked down, only to find an antique, silver picture frame. The glass on the front had already cracked, thanks to her stepping on it. She knelt down, picked up the broken frame, and dust off the ashes and the remaining shards on the front, revealing a man and woman in formal outfits holding onto each other, smiling. The man happened to be dark-skinned with a goatee wearing a dark blue tuxedo while the woman has a slightly lighter skin tone with dark hair with light brown highlights wearing a glittering light blue and silver dress. They appear to be very happy, loving couple, especially the way they gazed at each other.

On the photograph, Alex could tell that the couple seems to be around college ages, mainly because she could make out the scenery that was usually held for a spring formal dance at the Hartfeld University, the university that she, Grayson, and Poppy used to attend to. A small smile formed on the dark hair woman’s face, remembering the time on her senior year when Poppy convinced Alex to go to the dance with Grayson, saying that she should have fun once in a while. The fashionista even offered Alex to wear one of her best dress so that, as she put it, “all eyes will be on her”.

Now, it made Alex wondered if the couple in the picture or anyone else like them are victims of chaos. Or that they managed to survived but are scared for their lives. They probably don’t know what to do, or where to go.

People like them don’t deserved this, she thought. Determination spread across her face.

“Kenji, I think it’s best that as Nightfall and Talos, we should lay low for now.”

Kenji stared at her in shocked, “Wait, are you saying-“

“I’m not saying we should give up,” Alex countered, “I’m saying that we should focus on what we can do now. And that is finding and helping out any other survivors. There’ll be time when we’ll need our masks, or in your case, armor again, but now’s not the time. I’m just hoping that you’re with me.”

Kenji gave out his usual smirk his partner and held out his fist, “Are you kidding? I trust you, Alex. And whatever you do, I’m with you. All the way.”

The woman grinned and fist-bumped him.

“All the way.”

Because whether they’re friends, families, or strangers…Their lives are important even through midst of chaos.