#he screamed when he saw the hairstyle she gave him while he was gaming

[incorrect-league-of-villains]

Toga: [running towards Tomura with open arms]

Tomura: [moves out of the way]

Toga: Hey, why'd you move?!

Tomura: I thought you were going to attack me.

Toga: I was going to hug you!

Tomura: Why would you hug me?

Toga: WHY WOULD I ATTACK YOU?!

[sxturnes]

Steve Harrington would never fall in love.  He’d made that promise to himself when he was ten years old, when he came home from a neighborhood basketball game high on his win and walked in on his father in bed with a woman that was not his mother. This promise was reiterated for the second time when he was twelve years old and sitting in his bedroom, blasting the first cassette he could get his hands on through a way-too expensive stereo to drown out the sounds of his parents screaming at each other downstairs. Their yells were loud, but the silence after the fight was always much louder. That was when Steve knew he’d wake up to see a new bruise on his mother’s face the next morning, horrible hues of purple that peeked through caked makeup and stunted his appetite right before he had to go to school and pretend that everything was okay. Every time Steve saw malice between his parents he added a mental tally to the “No Love Allowed” chart. Dad came home from a business trip with hickeys littering his neck? Tally. Mom flinched when dad spoke a little louder than normal? Tally. His parents now having to go on work trips together because that trust they’d declared in their vows wasn’t present, and hadn’t been since he was ten years old? Tally, tally, tally.  The easiest solution to keeping his promise? Be an asshole. In high school he could get away with it because he was good-looking, and thanks to that good ol’ cocky attitude and killer hairstyle he had ladies swarming towards him like moths to a lamp. He’d latch onto his prey -some busty blonde or slutty brunette- and whisk them away for a night, but nobody ever stayed. They’d come over for an hour, two at most, and then leave with panties on backwards and bra dangling shamelessly off one shoulder, the telltale quiver of their legs announcing to the entire world that Womanizer Steve Harrington had struck again.  That was okay, though! Tommy H. would tease him and say he could never keep a girl, but that wasn’t true. Steve just didn’t want to let himself get attached, so the easy ones were his perfect solution. Everybody ended up happy in the end.  Then Steve met Nancy Wheeler. It was funny because he’d spoken to her maybe once or twice in middle school, but since she was a year younger he never really gave her a second thought. Not until the very beginning of his junior year when he and some girl had been flirting it up in the biography section of the library, and Nancy had told him to “Move, some people actually want to get things done in here.”  Yeah, that was the moment Steve knew he was in trouble.  Not long after that was when Nancy bit the hook and caved in to those gorgeous puppy eyes all the ladies seemed to love so much, and thus something beautiful was born. She’d lie about going to Barb’s and come over, they’d make out on his couch while something cheesy like Flashdance played in the background until it was Nancy’s curfew, and then Steve would rush her home with kiss-swollen lips and his mind clouded in a giddy haze.  There wasn’t anything particularly special about Nancy Wheeler, but Steve couldn’t get her off his mind. During class he’d dream about the way her hands felt gripping his hair while his lips trailed down the slope of her jaw, how he could feel every heavy breath she took in between kisses because they were just that close, how breathy his name sounded coming from her lips.  It was only a matter of time before his mind wasn’t only focused on the sexual aspects. He’d been chided during practice because he’d been thinking of the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed instead of focusing on the scrimmage, and another time because he missed a basket completely when he thought about the way Nancy hid her face in his neck when they were watching Cujo not because she wanted to start anything, but because she was scared and he could protect her from the totally real rabid dog on the screen.  The final nail in the coffin, though, was whenever he heard Africa by Toto and he could taste her. Not hot and heavy like he was used to, but something light and refreshing, like the color pink and a stupid Tom Cruise poster hanging above a nightstand with a phone cord worn from twirling around the finger.  Maybe love wouldn’t be so bad after all. Surely it wouldn’t come back to bite him. 

[thefanficmonster]

You Call It A Mess, We Call It Baking

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female)

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: Tons of fluff

Summary: A friendly argument via Discord leads to a baking session. Said baking session leads to a kitchen looking like it was the victim of a tornado. The lesson here is: don’t leave Corpse and Y/N in the kitchen together.

Requested by Anon, thank you so much for your request, hope I captured what you wanted well and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Corpse’s POV

I’ve been sitting in a Discord call with Y/N for about three years now, keeping her company as she’s editing some footage Sean sent her earlier. In the meantime, I’m reviewing the recently submitted stories by my viewers, reading some lines I find funny or downright terrifying to her.

“When I went in the kitchen to check on the cake, it was already out of the oven, a sticky note next to it on the counter that read: ‘smells nice’. My blood ran cold.“ I read the eerie sentence that is suggesting one of my most frightening scenarios - a stalker getting inside your house. I get chills just imagining what was probably going on in the sender’s head when they saw that.

“Jeez, it’s been so long since I’ve cooked something other than omelet.“ I hear Y/N reply absentmindedly, completely neglecting the fear factor of what’s going on in the story.

“Good job missing the point.” I chuckle, my eyes continuing to scan the email until my brain actually comprehends what she said, “Wait, you mean to tell me you have baked anything ever?! No offense, Y/N, but I was honestly doubting your ability to make an omelet as well. In all the years we’ve been friends I can’t remember you ever not saying ‘I hade takeout’ when I asked you what you had for dinner.” 

The scoff that comes through my headphones is the most adorable thing ever. She’s one to easily take a joke and never get offended by anything, but I know how heated she can get with her sarcasm. If I’m being honest, I’m always here for it. 

“There are many things you don’t know about me, Corpsy. A girl’s gotta have some aces up her sleeve.“ I can just imagine the narrowing of here eyes and the tilting of her head as she says that. She has a very specific way of expressing her thoughts. When we first met I accidentally made the comparison to one of those children’s books that have pictures, stories and small buttons for audio. That comparison has stuck with me and I look back at it very often. To fully catch her point, you don’t just listen to her. No, no, no. You focus on every change in her face and body. The way she looks away during certain parts of her speech, the way her voice plays with several different tones at once. Her posture while speaking. Just like those books - you don’t just listen to the audio, you look at the pictures and read the text.

“Well you know how much I like playing poker, why don’t you come over and throw those aces down.“ The last thing you should ever give Y/N is a challenge. She won’t only homerun it, but will never let you forget it either. When we met she was a girl with self esteem in the negatives, so seeing her brag about her achievements to me always brings me joy.

The details I’ve listed are pretty in-depth, aren’t they? That’s because I don’t want to let anything slip when it comes to her. This realization hit me early in our friendship and it was only like two years in that I finally connected the dots - this investment in her of mine was not simple nor platonic. Come to think of it, I reckon it never was.

“No way, I’m not changing out of my pajamas just to come to your house.” She laughs, once again making me picture her full body reaction to her statement.

I smirk, knowing I’m about to bring out my main weapon, “Oh come on, I’ve seen you in pajamas countless times. You can just admit you don’t wanna embarrass yourself. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

I can sense her fuming even though she’s like two miles away. “I’ll be there in 15.”

She hangs up before getting the chance to hear me lose control of the laughter I’ve been suppressing. 

Man, I love this girl.

Y/N’s POV 

“It’s on.“ I say as soon as the door in front of me swings open to reveal the smug smirking face of my bestfriend. The foundation of my tough, unbothered act is shaken up by the outburst of butterflies in my stomach which occurs every time I see him. I can never look at this man and not turn at least a little red in the cheeks. 

It’s been long since I self-diagnosed with the malicious ‘falling for someone who would never reciprocate my feelings’ illness. I’ve been living with it for a while. What medication do I take? Dating other guys. One bad relationship after another, scolding myself that every one of them has been a desperate attempt to get him to change his gaze on me from ‘best friend’ to something more. Hell, I don’t even know how to define that ‘something more’. I once even tried to admit my feelings, but I was so vague and so incoherent that I didn’t understand myself, so how was he supposed to grasp my downright sad excuse of a confession. 

“No ‘hello’, no nothing?“ He moves aside to let me in. I walk right past him with a sassy flip of my hair to mask the nervousness of being aware that his eyes were on me, “Rude.“ He murmured with an obvious smile in his tone.

He looks as cute as ever, black sweatpants and a black tee, hair messy as though he has just rolled out of bed. I can say with the upmost certainty that he’s the only one who can pull of that hairstyle.

I hide mine as I throw on the apron that’s hanging by his fridge, ready to take over his kitchen and put those aces of mine to use. I can’t help but furrow my brows when I see him enter the kitchen behind me and lean against the counter. That’s when I notice the counter is lined with all the ingredients I’ll need for the cake I had in mind. 

“OK, what do we do first?“ he claps his hands together, straightening his posture as he gives me a expectant look.

It takes all my brain cells to prevent me from freezing up completely. I’m not usually like this, mind you, I’m a lot better at keeping what’s going on inside my head camouflaged. I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I don’t have much time to dwell on that. If I do, he’ll pick up on it right away.

“Um, we are not gonna do anything. I will be here baking, and you will remain outside the kitchen until I’m done. If you need something, ask and I’ll bring it to you. I can’t have you sabotaging my project, impostor.” I narrow my eyes at him like he’s the most dangerous of threats. And he is, for my mental sanity.

He fakes a hurt expression, clearly fighting to the best of his ability to hide how much he’s enjoying messing with me. “We’ve known each other for five years, Y/N. Don’t you trust me?”

I lean over the counter to where we’re about two feet apart and whisper, “Not. Even. A. Little. Bit.”

He smiles, “You’re just trying to get away with making this cake by watching a YouTube tutorial. Admit it, you can’t even crack an egg properly.” His eyes are now as narrowed as mine as we stare each other down at a proximity that’s rapidly raising my body temperature and heartbeat. It’s not fair. I’m a mess around him so he automatically has the upper hand.

As expected, I give in, “You better not mess around though.”

After I force him to give me several different oaths, we start. I’m working on the batter, he’s working on the frosting. We decided to decorate it with crimson and dark purple frosting. We’re both really pick about the color shades so he’s currently struggling to get the crimson perfect. 

“Let’s make it a layer cake.“ He suggests out of the blue, “Two layers, nothing crazy.“

I think it over for a moment or two before shrugging, “OK, but then you better grab a bowl and help me with the second layer. You know how to make the batter, right?”

He confirms that he does and walks out of my line of sight. I hear him open the fridge as I whisk the eggs I have cracked with the sugar. 

“You want something to drink?“ He asks while rummaging through the fridge.

I decline, try to focus on the recipe that I have somehow memorized to the smallest of details. As I’m reciting the it silently to make sure I didn’t skip any steps with the batter, I feel something cold run down my back causing me to scream.

“What the fuck was that?!“ I turn around and glare at him just as the ice cube slips out from under my hoodie and falls to the floor. The fucker’s laughing whole heartedly, not giving a damn that he just gave me a mini heart attack. Mainly cause I thought it was a roach or something, and he know I hate bugs.

“You do realize how boiling red you are, right? You look like a lobster. I thought you needed something to cool you down.“

Instead of being annoyed, I do a full 180 and decide to play his game, “Yeah, I know...” I trail off, reaching my hand back towards the bowl of flour. Grabbing a a handful of the white powder I throw it at him before he can even catch on. Needless, to say, his outfit and hair aren’t so black anymore. “Ah, I knew your hair would look good with snowflakes in it, but you can never be too sure.”

“This means war, Y/N.” His smile is borderline malicious, getting me excited for what’s to come. 

Him and I have always had these so called wars, but never like you’d imagine. We are silent, strategic, subtle. Neither of us knows when the other will attack until it’s too late. That’s why instead of going for a counter-attack right away, he heads to complete his mission of making the batter for the second layer.

All is quiet except the noises of the utensils clinking together every now and then. I keep a close watch on him out of the corner of my eye and I notice no sus behavior. That is until I see him take a spoonful of his batter and eat it. I whirl around at the speed of a gust of wind, eyes wide, “Do you want to fuck up your guts.” He ignores me as he takes another spoonful, bringing it close to his mouth. This time, I grab onto his arm causing the contents of the spoon to spill on my hoodie.

I roll my eyes, unbothered by the brown stain that by some miracle missed the apron and fell on my grey hoodie, “Don’t. Eat. The. Batter. Copy?“

“Paste.“ He nods, smirking with pride as he puts the spoon aside.

I sigh and return to my side of the kitchen, focusing on the next task: poring the batter into the circular baking tray which he, for some reason, has two of. He repeats the task soon after me and we put the two trays in the oven. I help him with the frosting, getting the shades close enough to what we had in mind. 

After about five minutes of the crusts baking, a wonderful smell spreads throughout the kitchen. At this point, all we have to do is wait for the oven to signal that our cinnamon crust is ready to be taken out, wait for it to cool down and then frost the cake.

“It smells really good.“ He comments, turning his head to look at me.

I’m sitting atop the kitchen counter and Corpse is standing next to me. This is the only time him and I are at approximately the same height. The realization brings a thought to my mind, one that makes me feel like an evil mastermind.

“Hey, remember earlier when you said I couldn’t crack an egg properly?“ He hums affirmatively, “Well...“

The carton of eggs is within arm’s reach. I grab an egg, chip it off the side of the counter and crack it apart above his head, its contents coating his hair. “How’s that for a proper egg crack?” I ask victoriously.

He lets out a surprised sound, something between a gasp and a laugh. Shaking his head to get the yoke to fall down, he says amusedly: “I don’t know...you tell me.”

Too late for me to do anything. There’s milk all over me.

The malicious smile on his face is replicated on mine and now it’s really on. However, as we reach for the items meant to be out weapons, the oven dings.

Frosting the cake goes about as well as you expect: there’s more frosting on us than the cake itself.

“Let’s make amends, please. I’m so not looking forward to taking three showers tonight.“ I say, raising a white napkin and waving it around.

“Fair enough.“ He shrugs and we shake hands.

As I’m about to pull my hand back, he holds onto it, making me look up at him. Our eyes lock and I suddenly regain that same shakiness and vulnerability I always have around him. It never leaves me, I just manage to ignore it. The sound of my panic is muffled by the sound of my heart thumping the loudest it has ever. 

Expectedly, he is the bold one who makes the first and final move. The move to end one era of us and start another. His lips touch mine and all fades. It’s just him and I. The friends who were never just friends. The cowards who suck at dealing with emotions. The fearful little kids that are afraid of rejection because we both mean so much to each other, to the point of suffering to prevent the possibility of losing one another.

We embrace who we are, finally admitting that friends is not what we are meant to remain forever.

The kiss might’ve been brief, but the meaning it carries makes it the most valuable moment of my life. One I’ll cherish forever. Something in his eyes tells me he will too. That’s all I need. That’s all we need. No words are necessary.

Suddenly, our bubble bursts as a result of his ringing phone. He lets go of one of my hands and takes his phone from the counter.

“It’s Dave”, he smiles, picking up the call and turning to get me in the camera frame. “Hey Dave, look who’s here with me.“

I wave at the camera and at the baffled face of Dave. “Hi!”

“What, in the name of God, is that mess?“ He raises both his eyebrows as his eyes scan us and the kitchen behind us.

“You call it a mess, we call it baking.“ Corpse and I look at each other and smile, blushing as red as the streak in Dave’s hair.

“Am I missing something here? Did I call at a bad time?“ He asks, still struggling to rationalize what he is seeing.

“Yeah, you actually did. I’ll call you back.“ Corpse dead-ass hangs up on him, putting his phone away before turning to me, “We have more important matters at the moment.“

He kisses me again, this time more confidently. His arms wrap around me and prep me up on the counter, insinuating that this kiss won’t be as short as the last.

[prurientpuddlejumper]

A Lipless Face That I Want to Marry, Ch. 16

<- Part 15 | Part 17 ->

Summary: A flirtatious moment in the hospital garden turns sour. 

Warnings: Brief nsfw themes, injury-recovery angst, post-traumatic stress/flashbacks, graphic past injuries, KISSING, hurt/comfort. Love and fluff. 

3,700 words

After being gutted left him with a limp, a cane, and an overbearing sense of weakness, Frederick Chilton began copying Hannibal Lecter. His patterned suits, his clean-shaven face. The mimicry wasn’t deliberate exactly, but he looked to a man who radiated calm dignity and strength, and tried to capture some of it for his own.

It didn’t work. Frederick Chilton was still Frederick Chilton.

But shaving the beard did make him look younger. The razor glided over his smooth cheek as he cut through the facial hair that had grown unruly in the hospital. A new man stared back at him. One not traumatized by Gideon’s knife.

Only a few months later, he was shot in the face, and let the stubble grow back to distract from the scar. To obscure the hollowing where maxillary bone was missing. Like a chameleon, Frederick was always changing—hairstyles, wardrobes, colognes—always imitating someone, drawing the eye away from a flaw, never comfortable with himself. Ever improving. Refining. Hiding.

Every day, the burn ward’s physical therapists had him using one exercise machine or another. A pedaling machine lowered over his bed so he could build muscle while lying on his back before he was able to walk. The next step was a tall, rolling frame that he strapped into like a fighter pilot hanging from a parachute harness, which allowed him to take a few weightless steps. His legs shook. His feet did not know how to align themselves on the ground anymore. He hissed curses when you cheered him on just for shuffling one foot forward along the smooth grey linoleum.

One damned foot.

As if he couldn’t walk before. As if one shaking, machine-assisted step was an accomplishment. He was an overgrown baby in a Jumperoo.

While he could not walk on his own yet, he could get into and out of a wheelchair without screaming bloody murder. This allowed him a new level of freedom, if not autonomy. He still required two nurses to lower him into the chair. Still needed help getting to the bathroom. But he could at least use the bathroom instead of a bedpan and catheter.

Healing came at a cost.

Until now, he had caught flashes of his reflection in polished surfaces. Warped teeth in a metal IV pole. The fuzzy silhouette of a mask in the black of his computer screen.

He stood with his hands on the bathroom sink, staring. The nurse at his left elbow tugged him, told him it was time to sit back down in the chair. He needed support to stand, a babysitter to ensure he didn’t fall, and she was tired of waiting.

The thing staring back at him did not move.

When he took the compression mask off for the one hour per day he was allowed to remove it for cleaning, he somehow expected to find his own face beneath it. Skin. What he saw was a stranger. Gnarled scars made an uneven backdrop for one dead blue eye and a skeletal grimace. His own bones were buried somewhere underneath like bedrock, but the flesh was rearranged and distorted.

If he had met this man a year ago, Dr. Chilton would have felt inward pride at his ability not to sicken at the sight. He would have shaken his hand with a smug, professional detachment that said, “I am accustomed to horrific things in my line of work—abnormal psychiatry. This does not shock me as it would a layperson.”

He was a creature to be pitied.

Then a familiar reflection appeared out of the blind spot of his left side. Your image wrapped its hand behind the broken stranger, and he felt it land on his lower back. Warm. Comforting as your face, which was knit with worry. You told the nurse you could handle it from here, and she retreated out to his room.

When she was gone, Frederick began to laugh, dark and cruel, eyes never leaving the matching set staring cruelly back.

“What is it?” you asked, tightening your grip on his arm as he began to tremble.

“Do you think I look younger without a beard?”

The laugh cracked in his throat. His shoulders heaved as he finally looked away. It was too embarrassing to watch a grown man cry.

***

The heat of July was not easy on a body that could no longer sweat and was covered head to toe in a compression suit, but Frederick Chilton was thrilled to be outside. As the automatic sliding doors opened, he breathed in deeply through the nose and exhaled the spinning summer fragrances with a blissful sigh.

You resisted the urge to tease him. Of the pair, you were the more outdoorsy by far, and the last time you dragged him camping, he’d managed to complain the entire two days. He was not, generally, one to appreciate sunshine and birdsong. But this was different.

It was his first time away from the lifeless hospital air—the same smells day after day—in four months.

Now a breeze hit his face—a breeze! He had forgotten what that felt like—and brought with it the smell of cut grass and flowers, and exhaust fumes from the nearby roadways. The scent of gasoline urged his stomach to wring itself empty, but it was faint and easy enough to shake off as sparrows chirped and flitted about the hospital’s “meditation garden.”

Gently curving paths snaked through the landscaping of lush greenery and small trees. Few flowers were planted, out of respect for patients with allergies, but a fountain at the center babbled soothingly. The walkways were wide and smoothly paved, so the grey wheels of the hospital-issue wheelchair rolled over them easily, performing their function despite being over-worked and worn down, not unlike the staff. The black rubber handle grips had a dull patina from hundreds of hands, yours being the latest to circle around them as you pushed.

It was nice to have a private courtyard to enjoy the fresh air without the eyes of the general public watching.

Frederick was able to wear clothes from home now, but they had to be loose-fitting and short-sleeved to not interfere with his treatment. In a navy polo shirt and athletic shorts, he felt horrifically under-dressed, and did not want to be seen that way. The fashion crime was almost as bad as the face he could not bear looking at.

An elderly patient and what appeared to be her adult daughter sat on one of the benches between two daylily patches, blooming garishly cheerful red and gold. The daughter looked up, and Chilton looked away.

“You are certain you checked the bedroom closet? Left-hand side, second drawer to the bottom?” he asked again, agitation rising.

He was looking for the more fashionable Chino shorts he rarely wore, preferring to overheat in long pants than expose his pale, door-knob knees to imagined ridicule. You told him the housekeeper must have misplaced them.

He clenched his fist as tightly as the pink, shiny-scarred claw could manage and went on a gruff, impotent rant about the help growing careless without him to keep them in check. (If anything, the “help” were desperate to keep you in check without him there to manage your habit of leaving everything out—your clothes on a chair, the cereal box on the counter.)

“I know, I know. Awful,” you nodded along to the music of his words, if not the lyrics. You wished he would change the subject, but he pressed on with his investigation of the Case of the Missing Shorts.

“Mrs. Pérez brought a load of laundry down from the bedroom last Wednesday,” he noted. Frederick had taken to watching the security feeds remotely from his laptop. “Has she been using the cheap dry cleaner on Cherry Street instead of the good one so she can skim the difference? I have explicitly instructed the staff not to use them—they have lost or ruined several articles over the years. Inform Mrs. Pérez that I will not stand for lazy—what?”

Your tense smile began emanating a tenser whine.

It was rather suspicious.

Frederick watched you for a moment, puzzled, and then resumed, “The new security guard shares my pant size. Perhaps—”

“I DID IT. I brought them to Good Will.”

“You what?!”

Clicking the wheelchair brake, you doubled over the back of it, laughing at your childish ruse and how seriously Frederick had taken it. God, the man could never let anything go! “Over a year ago! You never wore them!”

“Come here.” His clipped tone did not invite argument.

You walked around to the front of his chair, the repentant pout on your face strongly undermined by rounded cheeks that were barely holding back a chuckle.

He growled with affectionate anger—the kind where he wanted to grab behind your knees and pull you into his lap, telling you with a low purr exactly how much trouble you were in. Except at the moment, your weight crashing onto his skinny, bony lap would have bruised a femur and torn five stitches. And if he was not confident enough for a kiss, he was in no condition to promise punishments of that nature.

So he gave your rump a sharp smack and tried to make his mouth smirk in that playfully disdainful way that said, “I love you, but I am going to kill you. You know that, right?” Sometimes wanting to kill someone can be such a personal, intimate love language.

“Doctor Chilton!” you gasped, feigning shock. “Such a naughty patient. I have told you time and again, this is simply unprofessional.”

The old woman and daughter had moved on, leaving you alone in the garden.

He let out a soft huff of amusement, catching on to the new game you were playing. Back when he was the administrator of the BSHCI, you would often saunter into his office playing the oversexed patient to his sleazy therapist. Now the roles were reversed.

“You protest,” he said in a low, lecherous tone, “and yet you continue to lavish extra attention on me. Do not think I have not noticed.”

“I don’t know what you could mean,” you deflected coyly. “Please keep your hands to yourself, sir.”

He grabbed your hand and spun you to face him, skeletal fingers interlocking with yours. Even through the compression glove, you could feel how skinny they had become, knobby knuckles protruding.

“Doctor,” he corrected.

You swallowed. “Doctor.”

“Why deny it? You guard all my treatments for yourself like a prize when other nurses could do it. You crawl into my bed to warm me with your body heat—hardly standard practice. I think you like the attention,” he said, giving your ass another lurid slap.

“D-Doctor! I’m not supposed to—we’re not supposed to…”

“If you worked at my hospital, I would fire you for such fraternization. Yet you call me unprofessional.” His hand still rested on your ass.

“You would fire me, doctor? Why fire me when there is so much I could offer?”

“And what is it you would offer me?” he asked, voice thick with meaning. His fingers kneaded the fat of your ass gently. It would have been harder, more possessive, if his hands were at full strength.

Not long ago, getting an erection had been painful, though he’d had several corrective surgeries since then, and the grafting had time to heal. Perhaps the sunlight was sparking him back to life. He was in a flirtatious mood—more excited than you’d seen him in a long time, and you were not about to tell him to slow down.

“Anything you want, doctor.” You lowered yourself in front of his chair, kneeling between his legs and looking up at him expectantly.

His Adam’s apple bobbed.

No one else was in the garden, and statues and shrubberies hid it from the road, but it was not entirely private. Anyone could walk in or see from a window of the tall buildings. You were just pretending. You weren’t going to slip his cock out right there and suck it for all the world to see. And yet… it had been so long. The thought of your moist lips closing over his lonely, aching hardness, your head bobbing in his lap…

“You… are fascinated with me, nurse,” he observed, licking his non-lips. His composure was holding, but barely. “You have seen many patients, but never one as badly burned, have you?”

“No.”

“Does it excite you?”

You took a moment before answering. Part of him resented you for still finding him attractive. At his lowest, he even blamed you for wanting these brutal injuries to happen. A bird sang a few metallic notes on a nearby branch before fluttering down to drink from the fountain. You stroked the top of his narrow thighs, careful not to push too far by going near his cock, but he showed no sign of hesitation today. The heat in his eyes as he watched you was not accusing, but hungry.

“Yes,” you panted. “You are striking. I’ve never met anyone so strong, so resilient.”

“Do you dream of kissing me? Your most striking patient?”

“Yes.”

The sun beat down hotter, but it was only your own internal temperature rising. The birds seemed to pause in their songs, and the leaves on the trees ceased to flutter.

You had waited so long—was he really asking?

His gloved hand reached down between his legs, and nailless pink fingertips stroked the side of your face thoughtfully a few times. Then he motioned you to get up off your knees, offering his hand as a symbolic gesture only. You put some of your weight on the padded rubber armrest as you stood.

“It will not be pleasant. For either party, I imagine,” he said, breaking character.

“It will be for me.” Your voice was soft.

“I do not know what to do like this. Mash my teeth against your face?”

You laughed a little. It was probably more nuanced than that, but that sounded basically accurate. “We’ll find out together.”

He looked off into the distance, toward the humming road weaving through the city. A warm breeze brought the smell of sea off the harbor: salty, humid, and stagnant with rotted fish and garbage. “The memory of your lips against mine is already fading,” he said. “That memory is all I have left of them. Whatever this will be, it will not feel the same.”

“I know.” You rested a hand on his shoulder. The dark blue polo was informal for his old life, but the woven cotton texture was rich compared to the thin hospital gowns you were used to him wearing. The last kiss you shared with Frederick was preserved behind a glass display case in your memory palace. A new kiss might break the hermetic seal. You could forget what it felt like to kiss him before. But it seemed worth the price to build new memories—a future just as full of love as the past.

He looked up at you like a broken ceramic being pieced back together with gold. His eyes shone with love, but his shoulders were slumped low.

“You may say I’m a slutty nurse for wanting to kiss my patient, but you’re to blame!” you said, playing the game again. “How could I resist your charm? I bet you seduce every nurse—I’m only your latest conquest!”

A smile tugged the corner of his mouth.

“No, my dear,” he purred, grabbing your arm and pulling you down to him until your face was inches from his. “Only you. I only want you.”

“Can I kiss you?”

He breathed in. He nodded.

You leaned the final inch down, and pressed your lips to his teeth.

The Red Dragon’s teeth sunk through flesh and tore deep. Coppery blood flooded his mouth, the taste so metallic and strong it drowned out almost everything else out—the pain, the unnatural tearing, little pops of veins, ligaments, and muscles stretching to their limits before giving up, his own screams. The truth of his face with all its illusions of grandeur was revealed before him: it was just meat. Nothing but raw, shredded meat.

“NO!” he screamed, and pushed you hard.

It was different than the peevish denials other times you’d tried to kiss. He pushed you away with so much force you staggered backward, and his wheelchair nearly tipped over. It reared on two wheels like a panicked horse and would have fallen except the worn brake gave way, and he shot backward several feet until the vacant bench stopped the chair’s momentum.

“No, no! Get away! No!” he begged no one, shaking and thrashing so violently he risked ripping his healing scars.

His back, legs, and arms were glued to the wheelchair, and he couldn’t escape. No—could have if he were desperate enough, strong enough. But he was terrified of ripping his skin off. The thought made him break out in a cold sweat and made it difficult to think straight. Dear god, he was afraid something happened to his back. Of being disfigured again.

He was afraid to die, but he dreaded even more the thought of surviving yet again to find another piece taken from him.

Not another. Not again.

If he cooperated, he had to be spared this time. He would cooperate. Do everything The Red Dragon said, and fate would be merciful. He had to go home. He had to go home. To see you again. It was not fair that he survived two attempts on his life only to die here. It was not fair! He was going to get married to the love of his life. Things were finally going right. The Dragon’s shadow fell over him. The acrid stench of his breath as he leaned down toward Frederick’s mouth—

“Frederick!”

You ran after him and tried to restrain him before he climbed out of the wheelchair and fell to the pavement, but it only made him struggle harder. Fuck. You weren’t sure if touching him again was a good idea, but you didn’t know what else to do. He was going to hurt himself.

“Shh, I’m here.”

Crouching next to him, you tried to keep him seated, murmuring soft, reassuring words. Eventually, he stopped thrashing to escape, his jerking limbs resigning themselves to passive trembling. His eyes were open, but they didn’t see you. They didn’t see anything but a dark room with a flickering projector.

You laid your head on his lap. “I’m right here. It’s OK. You’re safe, Frederick. You’re safe. Shh, shh...”

It took several minutes, but his breathing began to slow, and he began to calm down. His fingers found your hair and stroked it, mindlessly running over the contour of your scalp. Familiarity. Recognizing you, he grasped at your shirt to draw you closer, clutching you like a teddy bear to his chest. It was an awkward angle, but you shifted so your butt was partially supported by the bench he’d crashed into, and used the chair’s armrest to hold yourself in the bent position. Frankly, even if every muscle in your body cramped up, you weren’t going to leave him as long as he needed to hold onto you.

Finally, he whimpered your name and asked what happened.

“I… kissed you. I’m sorry.”

“Oh.”

He sniffed and wiped his face, which he discovered was soaked with tears, and looked off into the trees. You sat back onto the bench, straightening your crooked spine, but keeping a firm hold on his hand, staying close as he returned to reality. He would be embarrassed. Add this to the growing list of Ways Frederick Chilton is Broken and Useless. But for now, the humiliation was dulled by the fact that he was not in that room again, with the projector flickering. You stayed that way for a while, sitting in the dappled shade of the garden and the warm breeze, the fountain burbling a constant, relaxing, tuneless song.

“The last man to bring his lips to mine bit them off.”

“I’m so sorry, Frederick. I shouldn’t have been so stupid...”

He squeezed your hand. Straightened up in his chair. “I heard the FBI has the video. Have you watched it?”

You shook your head, then quickly added, “No,” aloud, knowing his vision was poor and still focused on the tree branches swaying and morphing in the wind. Jack Crawford had offered, but you didn’t want to see it. You couldn’t bear to.

It had been hard enough hearing him describe how Francis Dolarhyde glued him naked to his grandmother’s wheelchair and made him watch macabre home movies of the families he had slaughtered. His voice was too calm, too distant from the memory as he dictated graphic details for the Journal of Psychology, desperate to tell his story, grab his fame before he died.

You should have known how your mouth coming at his would make him feel. You were so caught up in your romantic imaginings, you forgot how kiss-like that moment of horror must have been, just before the pain.

The nightmare his life had been for months already, and would continue to be. The scar tissue that wouldn’t fully mature for two years. Two years wearing a compression suit to help them heal. Years of follow-up procedures so that he can continue to move. To breathe. To hear. Longer until he could get a new face. His entire life altered forever.

It started with a kiss.

“We don’t have to kiss. I should never have pushed you to,” you apologized, wincing preemptively.

You expected him to be angry. To sarcastically tell you, “Now you decide we don’t have to? Now that it is too late? What fine timing.”

“I am not weak,” he bristled instead, but his agitation only spanned the length of a breath. He squeezed your hand softly, and pulled you halfway into his chair to wrap his arms around your waist and back. “I did not think that would happen either,” he spoke comfortingly into your hair. “Attempting it for the first time in a wheelchair was a mistake. I should have been more aware of that, but I grow tired of not being able to show my affection. You are not the only one impatient for my recovery, darling. I want to try again.”

“Now?” You pulled back, widening your eyes at him.

“No,” he said plainly. “I think not.”

• ● • ━━━━━─ ••●•• ─━━━━━ • ● •

@beccabarba​ / @itsjustmyfantasyroom​ / @thatesqcrush​ / @dianilaws​ / @permanentlydizzy​ / @mrsrafaelbarba​ / @madamsnape921​ / @astrangegirlsmind​ / @neely1177​ / @onerestein​ / @dreamlover31​ / @isvvc-pvscvl​​  / @shroomiehomie / @storiesofsvu​ / @welcometothemxdhouse​​ / @feedthemadness-sweetie​ / @law-nerd105​ / @amelia-song-pond​ / @michael-rooker​ / @xecq / @madpanda75​ / @alwaysachorusgirl​ / @bananas-pajamas​ / @leanor-min​ / @mad-girl-without-a-box​ / @katierpblogg​ / @worldofvixen​ / @sassyada​ / @barbingchilton​ 

[watanabes-cum-dump]

Rating Genshin character designs pt.1

I am by no means a professional character designer, hell I’m not even a professional artist (I’m self taught) but I just really wanna do this become Genshin Impact is home to some of my favourite character designs and some that I fucking hate. So let’s get into them 

Jean

I fucking hate it

Don’t get me wrong, I love Jean, she carries my fucking team and I’ve maxed out my friendship with her. She’s a great character and has a great presence in the story, I can see why a lot of characters respect her, and I really hope to see more of her. 

But what the fuck is this design???

Basic blonde bitch face, I don’t even fucking know what’s going on with her outfit. I just really really really REALLY hate her tights. I don’t know why, but I have a vendetta against tights. Maybe it’s because I grew up in BC where girls consider tights to be fashionable, but I fucking hate tights. White tights especially since more often than not they’re transparent. 

I don’t know what it is, but I just don’t vibe with the colour scheme, ya feel me? There’s a rule with character design that I learned, which is have one main colour, and then have a secondary colour, and then have other colours that support those two colours. Jean is like... I can’t tell is her main colour is white or blue. The colour placement is sort of all over the place. 

Jean is just basic and it just doesn’t stand out when you compare her to the other characters. I just feel like she should look better than this, she’s the acting grandmaster of the knights for crying out loud, and yet she looks like a generic background character. 

She looks like Saber from the Fate series, I feel like she’s just so plain and there wasn’t really anything put into her design. Her in game model looks a bit better but it’s still kinda ‘meh.’

Like what does this outfit tell you about the character? Nothing! She doesn’t look like a powerful figure, you can’t tell she’s gentle and graceful, it doesn’t tell you that she’s a leader or tells you about how she carries herself. All her design says is “Hi I’m disposable blonde with a sword no. 235″ 

With all of the negatives, I do have to say that her design does a good job of directing you to look at her face. The colar and the way her hair frames her face is great but then again, her face isn’t much to look at. 

Kaeya

Ok, we have so much to unpack here because I LOVE Kaeya’s design

I mean look at him! Right away you can tell what he’s like! He screams shady, flirty, and eccentric! 

One qualm I do have is that he looks more like a pirate than a knight, with the fur, buckles, and details, but I guess that’s fine. At least he doesn’t look basic or forgettable. And the design is a bit confusing but even then it still tells you a lot about him. 

The colour placement is smart and he looks very cohesive and put together, nothing looks out of place. Kaeya’s tanned skin contrasts the cooler values perfectly and I’m honestly sad that we don’t get to see him too much. 

It’s really a shame Kaeya isn’t more important and that Mihoyo doesn’t promote him the way they do the other characters (Noelle, Diluc, Zhongli, Xiangling and Fischl) He’s even overlooked by the community which is kind of sad. 

Real talk though he kind of reminds me of Sinbad from Magi. Maybe not the same level of himbo energy, but the whole shady, manipulative, womanizer that pretends to be good thing is there. 

But yeah, Kaeya’s design is great and I love him so much plz give him more screen time-

Albedo 

They really did my boy dirty. Seriously, he looks so fucking fine in all of his art, but then you have his in game model and he looks all greasy and weird. Someone said that Albedo with the adult male model would have worked better and honestly I agree. 

But anyways! Let’s talk design!

Albedo’s colour scheme is simple but works well together, he very much looks like someone who works in a lab with his long white coat, but other than that he looks like a swordsman. It works really well for him since he is a captain in the knights of favonious as well as an alchemist. 

That’s all well and good, it tells you his occupation but it doesn’t really tell you about his personality. Like if I were to show you this guy without any context, you’d assume he’s kind and gentle soul. Which is kind of true (depends on who he’s interacting with) but we know Albedo to be analytical and sort of brisk and cold. Not cruel by any means, but he’s not very nice and gentle either. 

Overall very nice, I like it a lot, I really wanna have a coat like that, 7/10 solid design. 

Diluc

It’s... it’s kinda meh. Is he hot? Absolutely he’s smoldering, but I just... I don’t know. You can tell that he’s rich and all of that since he’s sort of wearing a suit, but that’s it. I also really hate that they didn’t give him coattails, I think coattails would have carried this rich untouchable vibe better. The weird fur is just kind of tacky. 

I feel like giving his outfit more red would help him immensely, I’m not digging the white, it’s just there. For no reason. I guess it helps to break up all the black, but giving him a red vest would have easily done the same thing while staying true to him. He has red on his gloves, why not put a bit more on his body?

I guess my point is more red accents would do him good. Diluc is recognizable, but it’s mostly thanks to his hair. If I gave him a different outfit with the same colours it wouldn’t really change much. He lacks things like like Kaeya’s details or Albedo’s coat that make him really memorable. You could have a character who looks different, but I think to be truly memorable it’s gotta sell the character and suit them. 

Overall, his design is sort of overrated in my opinion.

Ningguang 

Ok ok queen alert I love her so much. Ningguang doesn’t just look hot her design sells her so well I love her. 

You can tell that she’s ruch, elegant, and powerful. The white, gold and black just go so well together and the way it’s placed is just aaaaahhhhh she’s so pretty what the hell. I strive to make a character that looks this good. 

I just have no idea what’s going on with her shorts. That’s like my only complaint. Just give her regular booty shorts? Like Beidou’s? You don’t need the diamonds, if you wanted them you could make it like a pattern. 

But other than that she really looks like she rules a country. She’s just so pretty omg. 

Design aside, Ningguang deserved to be a five star, she’s so strong like there’s a guy who’s Ningguang can so 29k per crystal with her ult. Ningguang has such a strong presence within the game compared to Kequing and Ganyu who are just sort of there. Ningguang is one of the few characters who get a 10/10 in performance, design, and character wise. I love her. 

Beidou

Another queen. I am so whipped for Beidou and Ningguang guys it’s not even funny-

Anyways I love Beidou so much, I love her dress her colour scheme, she’s just so cool. The black and red is consistent and well placed unlike SOME OTHER CHARACTER. 

You can tell that she’s a pirate, that she’s a strong warrior and idk why but she just screams laid back lesbian aunt. Those are the vibes I get from her. I love her. You can’t tell in this image, but she has anchors on the back of her gloves and it’s a really nice touch that adds to her as a pirate. 

The hairstyle, her outfit, the eye patch, Beidou is just iconic and so easy to recognize. I remember not knowing anything about Genshin impact but I saw some advertisements for it and Beidou’s design really stuck with me because I recognized her when I got her. 

Another one of the few who get a 10/10 in all aspects. Love her, and I can’t wait to set sail for Inazuma with her.

[toujoursmiraculous]

Thoughts and Reaction to OPTIGAMI!!

I have never been so nervous and scream so much during an episode of this show before. And if you know me, that's saying something. Gabriel and Nathalie are getting seriously scary. Their plans are getting much more convoluted and are getting closer and closer to actually succeeding. And because of this, Alya's involvement is a lot more important now because there's no way Chat Noir and Ladybug would have managed it without her. Let's be real, the reason they chose Nino as their target was because Gabriel's still bitter about Adrien and Nino being friends after Bubbler. Awww all the Kwami's are so cute, wanting to go along. Trixx being like, oh well I have an owner so I can go! And Marinette being adamantly against it. It was at this moment I knew, Alya's getting that Miraculous permanently. But I didn't know if it'd be in this episode or not, so I didn't get too excited yet. But Trixx and Alya's bond is something I really like and want to see more of. Nino and Alya's little high-five/handshake is so cute I can't help but smile every time. x3

Marinette's freak-out about getting in the elevator. Luka's got a soft look on his face. Kagami's like "why are you like this" Max's just confused at what's going on AND THEN THERE'S ADRIEN WITH THE SOFTEST LOOK When you realize that Marinette adoringly (and appeared like she wishes she could have that, too) watching Alya and Nino do their little high-five/handshake is what saved everything in the end.....😬Cutting it really close. I thought Alec got trapped by Hawk Moth and that that's why he didn't show up. Who knew he was playing video games in a bathroom stall instead of doing his job lol. Lesson learned, I hope. xD I'm just surprised Hawk Moth's in the bathroom instead of his lair. He could do the same thing from home. 😂 I'm not a fan of Audrey, but that was really cold. The exchange between Marinette and Alya during an akuma attack is what I've been waiting for since Gang of Secrets. Adrien being wonderful and protecting Chloe, which could've messed up everything had Kagami not saved him. It's so sweet that despite what happened between them, she still risks herself to save him. "Plagg-" Marinette comes bursting into the elevator, looking in her bag "Tikk..iii!" OOF So I screamed, a lot. And laughed hysterically 😂 All Marinette had to do was run in facing the other way and she'd see Plagg and it'd be all over. All that had to happen was for her to run in a second or two later. All that had to happen was she noticed Adrien a second or two too late. But Adrien heard her say "Tikk...iii" in an attempt to cover herself. Remember, he's always had suspicion of Marinette being Ladybug and came to the conclusion easily enough. Kwamibuster did divert his attention away from it a bit, but Chat Blanc took place after and he didn't hesitate to think otherwise. Aww poor Zoe :c She's part of the "Chloe's used me as a human shield" club. (((Everything after this point, I had to completely redo because tumblr decided to suck and wouldn't allow me to post my message due to an "error" (which has never happened to me before), then wouldn't let me save it as a draft. Then when I went to copy it all, somehow everything got eaten and it wouldn't allow me to undo to bring it back 😭 Goodbye an hour and a half of my time. And another hour and a half redoing it all. So if I happen to leave anything big out, I'm so sorry. My luck has just been extremely awful lately.))) You can take the Miraculous away from the kid, but you can't take the Miraculous out of the kid. Max and Luka showing their hero sides while not suited up is so nice. Loving the Oblivio parallel! Marinette says softly, "I'm sure Chat Noir will save us." While I know she's Ladybug and knows Ladybug won't show up to save them, he doesn't know that. Her response of Chat Noir will come save them, shows that she has confidence in him. Even if Adrien knows Chat Noir won't show up, that's such a sweet thing for her to say and I hope he noticed that. Marinette: "I'M STUCK IN THE ELEVATOR" Alya: "Ohhh? With

Adrien?" Marinette: how did she know? "Yeeeeees!" Alya: oh wait this is really bad Adrien: "I'm stuck in the elevator with Marinette!" Nino: "How cool! Adrien and Marinette are stuck together in the elevator!" Alya: "Haha yeah so cool and not problematic at all!" I love this entire scene. Alya teasing Marinette but then being like oh shoot this is seriously bad. Nino being totally oblivious to it all and thinking that it's good news to get their friends closer. And Adrien's just like, I'm not going to ask for help, I'm just informing my friend I'm stuck in an elevator with my just a friend. xDD And that kiss on the cheek from Alya was adooorable! Emergency phone for the Kwami's is such a good idea. But yeah, if they all screamed "Hello?!" in my ear, I'd be chucking my phone across the room too. Adrien's like, "who's that? That sounded like a lot of people.: "I called the fire department." OK. Yes, because you tell the fire department not to fly but to ride a horse to come rescue you when you're in a skyscraper. And repeat it again "Understood, firefighters? Ride in on a horse." Adrien's over in the corner like what the heck? You also, to firefighters, totally yell, "No, no, not prehistory!" and then sheepishly grin at the person you're with. Totally not sus and makes absolutely perfect sense! And then here's the part that has me going ??? Adrien saw Optigami's eyes on the wall, immediately alerts her to that and shushes her. Now, they're hiding from an akuma, but the thing sees them. There's no hiding from it regardless of what's said. So why be quiet? And yet, he's shushing her which convinces her to hang up. Had she continued trying to talk to them, Nathalie might've caught on to there being something up. Adrien's in Chat Noir mode here, as if what she's saying could expose their identities to Hawk Moth. That intense look he gives her after the fact too really shows that, he's not messing around. They also were both just about to tell the other their identities, them being extremely close to each other to do so. They came so close! So what's going on here, exactly? Adrien's come to the conclusion Ladybug is Marinette before. In Chat Blanc, after Kwamibuster showed him supposedly that LB and Marinette are different people, he didn't hesitate to think that Ladybug was Marinette. I don't think he's ever let that possibility go. And the events in the elevator where she started calling for Tikki, and her nonsensical comments over the phone that'd be something Ladybug does, may really have him leaning in that direction. Also, so very sus again that once Optigami went away, they both were like "Oh it was nothing" "I was only wondering what that strange eye thing was." Yeah, that's why you guys sounded nervous like you had something important to say and got in each other's faces! :D It's also interesting, because whenever Marinette and Adrien are in a situation together, Adrien almost always is the one that takes hold of the situation and is more aware of his surroundings over Marinette. xD This man over here just eagerly eliminating children. x.x Like a lot of things in this show, if Alya had just answered that phone call from Nino, events may have played out completely differently! o.o There goes the Eiffel Tower again xD It never not gets blown up, knocked over, or teleported. LOL it's so funny to me, and also such a yikes moment, that while Alya rushed over to Marinette's, got the Miraculous, teleported back, found "Nino" and gave him the Miraculous, then teleported into the elevator, Ladybug and Chat Noir's civilian selves are just trapped in that elevator, awkwardly, and all alone. Likely deep in thought feeling guilty they're powerless to do anything without exposing their identities. xD But at least they're both brooding over the same thing and probably couldn't care less if the other one talks or not, nor noticing enough that the other's really quiet. XD And the way they both reacted to the portal being opened in the elevator. Cautious, but then Adrien puts his hand on Marinette's back and kind of has

her in a position where he can pull her back to him and protect her. Which is a very different kind of protection than he's offered to others, Chloe earlier in this episode being a very good example. Just a friend? Yeeaah. The fact that in every single episode that has Marinette and Adrien interact this season, there's something there, and it's just a matter of time before it's addressed. A bit sad that we didn't get actual Carapace in this episode, but I'm hoping we get him in later eps! MAJOR OOOF A train with people in it underwater, a skyscraper with probably a lot of people in it burning in a volcano, cars, what looks to be the building they were filming the music video in Frightningale, and the Arc de Triomphe on the moon. Yeah I'm seeing where things are going now with this. I'm going to write a post addressing some of these things a bit later. Ladybug in a ponytail is the prettiest hairstyle imo. Chat Noir rushes in, sees Ladybug, Carapace, and Rena Rouge all together, first wondering how they all got in "Hello, Chat Noir" there went any of his thoughts he may have had about it lol... and feels disappointed. "Sorry! I would have got you, if I knew your secret identity." Whoa hold up. Ladybug, so forwardly talking about knowing his secret identity? o.O I smell foreshadowing. "As I always say, m'lady. To know me means to love me." "Then I'll think about it." as she smirks and giggles. Guys. She's being serious. 😍😍😍 I admit, I wish we could know what she was going to talk to Chat Noir about after everything, since she thought the situation was taken care of and asked him to wait there for her. She obviously had something she wanted to talk with him about. And thank you Marinette's observation skills for knowing that's not the real Nino! But poor Alya, so horrified like that... I bet she's thinking both "What have I done? I just gave a Miraculous away to Hawk Moth essentially." and "How is it that I couldn't recognize that wasn't my boyfriend?" On the latter, Chat Noir's made that error several times as well. Hawk Moth just really sucks to do that kind of thing to these kids. Real Nino's here to comfort Alya. Doesn't even have to say a word, just gives her a hug. I absolutely adore this. They're so perfect together. ;-; "It (Lucky Charm) always shows me the right way, but this time I was shortly led astray." "Hmm." Hmm? What the heck does that mean? More foreshadowing?? What's going to happen next omg. Yes, Marinette needs someone out there who can replace her if something happens. And I know so many people are like, oh no, that should be Chat! But just think about it. Today, Chat Noir and Ladybug were trapped in an elevator in a situation where they were powerless. They came extremely close to needing to transform with Hawk Moth watching. Had Hawk Moth not been Adrien's dad and let him be, they would've transformed and fought, no doubt. A lot of things could happen, and Ladybug and Chat Noir are always in the thick of things. We've seen one or both of them become unavailable many times. It's good that someone else is their safety net. You may see Alya as just Ladybug's but she's also Chat's too. I screamed and cheered so loud when Alya got her Miraculous to hold onto! I've wanted this for sooo long now! ;-; Okay ew, the way the music went from happy and sweet to creepy when Gabriel and Nathalie were on screen. 😬 Watch: Gabriel, in his plot to try to get to know more about Alya, will have Adrien through a party or have some friends get together at his house which will likely include Nino and Marinette as well, and have him use his own son to try to get what he wants without Adrien suspecting a thing, even thinking his father's giving him more freedom and more of a normal life. How sick. x.x This was a seriously good episode! I'm very excited to see how this all plays out, because things are getting seriously intense in many different ways! Honestly, my original write up of this post was much better but I lost it all. Which makes me very sad and disappointed, but it can't be undone. :c So

hopefully this was enjoyable anyway! I'll be writing a few posts that are more in-depth about some of the events that happened in recent episodes, including Chloe's character and situation, Adrien's feelings for Marinette, Adrien/Chat's situation with Ladybug, etc that are too specific and detailed to write in a thoughts and reactions post, so be on the look out for those! c:

[be-dazzled]

Hey! Can you do a prompt where gray is jealous and juvia has no clue. Thanks!!

Writer’s Corner: Here you go! I’ve been watching a lot of video clips of the new FT Game and got some inspiration to write! And it surprised me how straight and fast I did this one. Like, straight and pure English words. Phew! Hope you like this.

Masterlist

Prompt: Jealous Gray and Juvia Doesn’t Know

Finally. Finally, Gray and Juvia finished the fight with that odd Dodecapus – a sea creature with twelve tentacles – wreaking havoc on the small town. But in Gray’s opinion, they could have finished the job far earlier than they actually did. He couldn’t help but think that maybe, he and Juvia fell out of sync. It had been awhile since they went on a job together. Maybe, they should train and take job requests together more often; that would solve the problem.

He stretched his arms behind his head and cracked his neck from right to left. Damn, that felt good. Every muscle in his body was sore and not the good kind. That freaking Dedocapus did him good; wouldn’t back down without a fight, that silly thing. Gray really needed to get some rest. He wondered if Juvia would be okay to postpone the travel home to tomorrow. She probably would. Remembering how she had wanted to spend the night together before, just the two of them, he was almost certain she’d agree. A silly smile crept up his face and his eyes wandered over at the Water Mage walking distractedly beside him. Yeah! That’s right. Juvia had been distracted since they came to town. Could it be the reason it took them a little over half a day to fight the Dedocapus? Because she couldn’t focus? It wasn’t her usual ‘Gray-sama Trance’ distraction either. So, should he be worried?

“Juvia.” He called out but it seemed like the water mage didn’t hear him say her name. She was still very much preoccupied, looking out to her left and right as if expecting something would just jump at her out of the blue.

Now, he was worried.

He stopped and turned fully to her, bumping into the woman who walked right into him. Gray caught her by the arms and helped her steady herself.

“Are you alright?” He tried very much to keep the worry out of his voice, which was unnecessary since Juvia didn’t seem to hear him ask.

She just looked at him, dazed for a second, before she regained her composure and slapped that practiced smile across her face. They were together for too long for Gray not to recognize that fake smile.

Well, not together “together” but…

“Juvia apologizes, Gray-sama. She must not have seen you for a moment there.”

Juvia not seeing him even for a second? Now, he should really, really be worried. Gray withdrew his hands before Juvia get the wrong idea and kept them in his pockets.

“Well, yeah. You seem… out of it.” Gray could see her think for a moment. Then, she seemed to have reached a decision and, to dispel any of his worries, Juvia put up a brighter personality, raising her fists in the air and declared, “Juvia will be more mindful.”

Knowing Juvia, she’d rather keep to herself whatever it was that was bothering her in order not to be a burden to him. He’d really wish she’d tell him but Gray was never one to push. He would wait until she was ready. For the meantime, he asked Juvia about postponing the travel home and maybe the next day, when she was feeling a bit better, he’d ask her to stroll around the town. He’d make up some lame excuse about buying everyone souvenirs, which if anyone who’d hear would call bull.

“Would you mind if we stay in this town for a while? I’d like to catch up for some much needed rest and–”

“–Juvia-san?”

An unfamiliar voice called out from behind the Water Mage. Unlike Gray, Juvia seemed to recognize it. She turned around to meet the owner of the voice while Gray searched his memory for that parted black and white hair walking up to them.

“Totomaru-san?”

Then, it hit Gray. This guy was one of Phantom Lord’s Element 4 and Juvia’s acquaintance. But the same guy that hurt his friends. A bitter taste burned in Gray’s stomach as that bright smile crept up that Totomaru-san’s face, looking so happy to see them – to see Juvia. Gray glanced at his partner to check if she was reacting to him the same.

She was.

Totomaru caught up with them, smiling ear to ear to see Juvia.

“Wow, it really is you.” He looked momentarily taken-aback, an amused smile freezing on his face. “Didn’t recognize you without the…” Gray inwardly snickered watching the man, as if in a game of charades, motion to refer to Juvia’s old hairstyle. “Without the rolled hair.” He finished when none of them could guess what he was referring to with that silly bounce of his open palm. Gray guessed but he wasn’t feeling too friendly to engage.

“Are you guys… visiting?”

Gray liked the hesitance he could sense from this Toto-whatever punk. He was probably thinking he and Juvia came to town together, which was actually the case. Not in the sense that Toto-whatever might have thought but still…

“No, Totomaru-san. Gray-sama and Juvia are here for a mission.”

“Oh, good!”

But he didn’t like the sudden rush of relief and a new confidence found by Totomaru-bastard.

“Would you like to get-together while you’re in town? It’s been a while since I last saw you.”

And definitely hated that slimmer of hope shining in his black goofy eyes. The bastard.

“W-well…”

Gray crossed his arms, a bit elated at Juvia’s hesitation. ‘That’s it, Juvia. Say no,’ the smug on his face said.

“Gray-sama did say he wanted to stay awhile longer.” She glanced at him with a sheepish smile – a bit asking and a bit expectant.

Gray dropped his arms and coughed into his fist to bid some time to recover. Well, he wasn’t expecting that. He didn’t expect Juvia would actually like to hang around that guy. But Gray had yet to make a decision when Totomaru chided in.

“I can show you around town then.” He pushed. “A lot has changed since you moved to Magnolia.”

That bastard was treating Gray like he wasn’t standing there. He probably didn’t notice the Ice Make mage since that punk’s eyes were laser-focused on Juvia.

His Juvia.

“I mean, look at you. You even got prettier.”

“Thank you, Totomaru-san.” Juvia beamed at him, blushing at the compliment.

It didn’t sit well with Gray but he shouldn’t be getting pissed at someone giving Juvia a compliment. There was nothing wrong with someone complimenting Juvia because she really was pretty. Always been pretty. Very much attractive, if he’d let himself admit. He eyed the man who called Juvia pretty, looking him from head to toe, sizing him up. Totoma-whatever didn’t look so bad but he had nothing compared to Gray, of course. He was Gray-sama to Juvia, the best guy that ever existed on this planet. Juvia adored him. Remembering that, Gray’s confident smirk returned. Hah. That Totoma-punk could keep dreaming on. Juvia was devoted to Gray. She was his.

But Totoma-punk made her smile with that silly compliment.

His gloating smirk quickly dropped and getting ‘pissed’ at a simple compliment became the understatement of the century because a vein in his head was about to pop.

“Gray-sama?”

He withdrew his ‘not so discreet’ glare from the fire-prick and looked at Juvia.

“If Gray-sama isn’t too tired, maybe we could…”

“I guess. We wouldn’t be able to catch the train anyway.”

Juvia chirped, clapping her hand together and declaring that it’s a date.

Forget the sore muscles. Forget his tired feet. Forget his body screaming for a rest. He wasn’t going to let that Totomastard (Totomaru the bastard) be alone with Juvia. No way.

…

Gray wasn’t the jealous type. He wasn’t. In fact, you could never put the words Gray and jealous in one sentence. Never. He just hated the guy. Hated the man who hurt his friends. Yeah, that’s why he was so ready to throw his fist down the bastard’s throat. That’s the only reason. That’s all there was to it, really. Totomastard was a former Fairy Tail enemy.

But weren’t Juvia and Gajeel also a former enemy of Fairy Tail? Gray said don’t ruin his reason with logic.

“I’ll go get us more beer.” Totomaru excused himself from their table in the town’s famous open night market.

When he walked out of earshot, Gray could feel the tension from his shoulders go away and he could finally breathe. The bastard could really taaaaalk, reminiscing about the memories which didn’t include Gray. Granting, it was a ‘Phantom Lord Days’ memory which really did not include him, Gray still felt like the Fire Mage, and apparently, Romeo’s Magic teacher, went out of his way to make him feel out of place. He snickered. Phantom Lord my ass. She’s ours now. She’s Fairy Tail’s. Besides, it didn’t even sound like they were actually close.

“Does Gray-sama not like this place? Juvia can ask Totomaru-san to find a new–”

“–It’s fine, Juvia.” He stopped cracking his neck and pretended like he was just scratching the back of his head.

“If Gray-sama is tired, we can end the night early.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” He shot back what remained of his beer and smashed the can on the table with his fist. He only noticed now the other two crushed beer cans next to him. “Besides, you seem to be enjoying yourself.” He gave her a small smile so Juvia would stop worrying about him.

“Oh, right. It’s just… it’s been a while since Juvia returned to Oaktown.”

Upon mentioning the name of the town, it suddenly hit Gray. He hated himself for not noticing it earlier or not remembering about the town when he first read the name on the job request.

“You used to live here, right?” Idiot. That’s why she was so distracted earlier. “Before you transferred to Fairy Tail?”

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. You are a freaking, dumb-ass droopy eyes. He could hear Natsu’s voice in his head.

“Yes.” Juvia took another sip from her own can like a lady.

“Is that why you were so…” He stopped himself before he could say something that Juvia would take to blame herself. “I mean, you were kinda out of it, is all.”

“The people around here used to be afraid of Juvia, the Rain Woman.”

Gray could clearly picture out what ugly memory brought that gloom in her usually bright blue eyes. The alcohol might have helped too so he was going to take that away from her. Alcohol and Juvia never mixed well together. Gray grabbed the can from her hand and finished it.

“Well, that’s all in the past now.” So was Totomaru. He flattened the can again and tossed the crumpled tin can next to the others. He might have been very casual when he said it but the words helped her, somehow, because now she was staring at the group of crushed beer cans on their table. The sorrow that wet her eyes quickly disappeared and replaced with something Gray was more accustomed with.

“K-k-kiss.”

“What?”

“I-i-indirect k-kiss!”

Gray wasn’t sure anymore if it were his words that brought her out of that dreadful memory.

“Oi! Were you even listening?!”

…

“I-I don’t remember you being this… h-heavy.” Gray grunted, expelling a long breath. Juvia wasn’t really that heavy but Gray wasn’t in the condition to carry her all the way to their hotel room after all that fighting with a weird sea creature and hating on Juvia’s former guild-mate.

“Juvia is heavy?” The Water Mage fell out of the bed Gray put her on, bawling her eyes out at his comment. Great. He managed to insult the sad drunk. Didn’t Erza warn him never to talk about a woman’s weight? Now, cue in the water works.

“Oi!” Gray aimed to pull her up and put her back to bed but Juvia surprised him when she pulled him down with her on the floor, leaning against the side of the bed, threw her arms around him and cried against his chest, mumbling about her endless efforts to lose weight.

“That’s not… you’re not… you’re not heavy. I was just… Forget what I said.”

But she kept crying into his chest, wetting his shirt with her river of tears. Gray let her, getting used to this Juvia – the sad drunk. He tried to soothe her, stroking her hair and patting her back. After her cries died down to just bouts of sobs, Juvia pulled away from Gray, but only far enough so she could look at him right into his onyx eyes. What she did next shocked Gray’s soul out of his body. Now, he had to add ‘hits people’ to Juvia’s drunken mannerisms.

“Why would Gray-sama not take advantage of Juvia?”

“What?!”

“Even when it’s just the two of us, Gray-sama wouldn’t make a move on Juvia.”

“I’m not that kind of guy.”

Gray could still feel the heat of Juvia’s palm on his cheek. Man, that woman’s slap was something. Undeniably, Juvia was one of the strongest wizards in Fairy Tail. But instead of getting mad, Gray was smiling. He was quite amused, honestly. Sober Juvia would never ever hit him like that.

Wow.

Then, sad drunk Juvia started hitting him again. The later ones didn’t have much strength and intention than the first slap. But they still hurt so Gray caught her wrists in each hand to stop her from striking him.

“Everyone’s hitting on Juvia but Gray-sama wouldn’t even make a move.” She accused between sniffs.

“W-w-what? Who?! Totomaru?” Gray could feel his blood boiling. He was right! He was right, all along! That guy was pretending to ‘get together’ when he was really planning on stealing Juvia away. What a prick! “When? When I left to take a leak?”

He wanted to hit himself for leaving Juvia alone with that bastard.

“Gray-sama was even making googly eyes with Totomaru-san.”

“What the hell! When did I ever do that?”

“Gray-sama never looked at Juvia with such passion.”

Of course, it was with passion, Gray thought. Passion to throw the guy off some building.

“I was glaring at that bastard!”

“Glaring?”

What were left from Juvia’s sobbing were occasional hiccups as she studied Gray for a moment, analyzing what he just said. Then, the hitting started again.

“Why wouldn’t Gray-sama pay attention to Juvia like that?”

Oh, hell. There was no reasoning out with a drunken woman. So, Gray pulled her back against him, wounded his arms around her so tightly that she couldn’t even move a muscle. She tried to wiggle her way out of his hold, to hit him some more he guessed, but Gray was determined and very much sobered up. What, from all the hits he took from her that would last him a lifetime? Any alcohol from his body was whooshed out by the first slap.

When the alcohol started to wear out and Juvia finally calmed down, Gray decided it was time he also gets some rest. He lifted Juvia off the floor, carrying her on both arms. His actions didn’t seem to startle her but quite the opposite effect. Juvia snuggled comfortably against his chest, mumbling something about warmth. Gray just wrote it off as drunken talk and gently lowered Juvia on the double mattress and tucked her in. She looked peaceful now that she was fast asleep. Finally, Gray could get himself some shut-eye. As he looked around to find his own place in the room to sleep for tonight, his eyes caught the glow on her tear-stricken face as the moonlight seeped through the window and hit her cheek. He dried the tears with the back of his hand, a bit guilty for causing those tears that tainted her beautiful face.

“Beautiful.” He whispered. “I don’t even know how it’s possible.” Gray knelt beside the bed, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind Juvia’s ear. “Everyday you grow even more beautiful.” But his smile was strained by something he’d been keeping to himself for a very long time. “So, if I make a move on you, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back.”

Gray closed his eyes, every moment of him wanting to give in to his feelings played in his head. He took a deep breath to ease the burden he’d caged in his heart. He convinced himself he needed to be more patient. As soon as he opened them, Gray’s onyx eyes sought her lips. He started to lean in, to allow himself a taste of something he’d deprived himself. But when their lips were about to touch, a voice in his head had kept him from impulsively giving into his desire once again. It wasn’t right to steal a kiss from Juvia while she was asleep. He wasn’t that kind of guy. Sometimes, he’d hate himself for not being that kind of guy. But Juvia was too special for him to disrespect her like that. So, like always, Gray held himself back. He pressed a kiss on her forehead instead, rose to his height and slept in a corner of the room, as far away from Juvia as possible.

[niawritess]

The Lovestruck~Chapter 9

(3 December)

9:33 am

Baekhyun was on his way to music room with his friends as their class just ended before Sehun spotted a familiar figure around the library area.

"Hyung! Your girl." Sehun exclaimed getting his Hyung's attention as they followed their gaze to see you with Ria before a male stood beside you making Baekhyun frown.

"Oh? Sehun-ah! Isn't he that guy we saw at the Amusement Park with her?" Yixing jolted in surprise and Baekhyun looked at the guy who was beside you with curiosity.

"Huh! What is this? She already has a boyfriend?" Jongin asked surprised, looking at your direction before shifting his eyes to Baekhyun who's eyes were on you.

"How are you so sure?" Junmyeon spoke staring at the maknae with question look.

Sehun smiled sheepishly. "My gut feeling."

The latter groaned rolling his eyes before looking at Baekhyun who was in a daze whilst eyes on you.

"Baekhyun-ah."

He snapped out and looked at the voice who called him with raised brows as Chanyeol was looking at him concerned.

"He won't be." He assured him and Baekhyun looked at him perplexed. "He won't be what?"

"Her boyfriend." Jongin spoke pointing his chin towards you who was going in the building.

He sighed. "What are you guys thinking? Let's go."

They stared at him as he walked ahead before following him while baekhyun tried not to think about it however, he couldn't as his mind kept wandering there.

Meanwhile, Ria and you were at the theatre with other classmates, sitting in the audience while reading the scripts and looked at your drama's leads which were chosen by your professor.

"I still can't believe, Lauren is the female lead." Ria groaned flipping the script pages furiously and you had to took it from her hands before she could tear it.

"She must have had some acting skills, that's why she was chosen or you know that Mrs. Kang won't just choose anyone." You puffed out your cheeks while giving the scripts to a classmate before you saw Mark making his way towards you both.

"Hey." He smiled taking a seat beside Ria and you both smiled back.

You three faced the stage as the play's rehearsal started as Lauren and Rowoon were the leads, they were doing really well while you three in the audience were playing your part as an audience.

Back in the music room, where Baekhyun's mind was stuck on you which was now driving him crazy before he got a message and checked it to see it was from his friends group.

Sehuniee: okay breaking news.

Kyungsoo: Now what did you do?

Junmyeon: what did you do?

Chanyeol: what did you do hyung!

Minseok: Stop it!

Jongdae: Sehun-ah say it.

Baekhyun: What's happening now!

Jongin: Maknae spill it.

Sehun: patience babies!

Lay: No patience!

Sehun: Guess what is it about?

Kyungsoo: Stop with this patience thing or i'm blocking you.

Sehun: a little guess.

Chanyeol: another match?

Sehun: - _- you can't think of anything other than game right?

Baekhyun: Yah say it now!

Jongin: Is about hyung's girl?

Lay: really?

Minseok: really?

Jongdae: really?

Baekhyun: Don't you have any other topic to talk about? Why are you always mentioning her? And she's not jongin!

Junmyeon: calm the heck down will you?

Sehun: okay so here the the thing! Hyung's girl doesn't have a boyfriend!

Chanyeol: how do you know that?

Sehun: i have my ways!

Junmyeon: your gut feeling was wrong then.

Sehun: first and last time.

Jongin: then baekhyun hyung has a chance now! Oohoo!

Baekhyun: Shut up!

Baekhyun shut his phone down as a sudden relief and happiness rushed inside him with a smile on his lips before he looked ahead to see his friends staring at him with a amused grin which he forgot about them being in the same room and groaned as they began to tease him making him face-palm.

_____________

8:48 pm

You looked at yourself in the mirror as you fixed your updo hairstyle and eyed your yourself up to down, wearing a jeans with white shirt tucked in and light pink fleece line corduroy jacket over.

Yesterday, Rose had asked you to go to a new theme Park opening with her where her friend was a staff member who invited her. As Rose didn't wanted to go alone, she asked you and you agreed since you weren't busy.

You reached the Park before looking at the address which Rose sent you a while ago. Standing at the side of the entrance gate, you waited for them to arrive while looking inside the place which was brightened by the lights beautifully.

"You're already here." You jumped, hearing the voice behind you and turned around to see Baekhyun grinning at you.

"Oh yeah, just got here." You smiled before looking behind him. "Rose isn't here yet?"

"Right, why isn't she here yet? Wait, let me call her." He shoved his hands into his jeans pocket to grab his phone before calling her while you nodded before wandering your eyes around to notice that people's eyes were on your direction as they were going inside.

You frowned and observed it coherently to realize that the eyes were on Baekhyun and half of them were girls. You glanced at him talking on the phone and then noticed his dressing as he was wearing blue jeans paired up with white shirt and black leather jacket while his black hair reaching up to his eyes which he flipped back smoothly.

You looked away, mentally smacking your head for staring too much before you scooted away little from him, not wanting to be stared at and Baekhyun frowned noticing your sudden act as he shoved his phone back in his pocket.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh? Nothing. What did Rose say? When will she arrive?"

"Um..the thing is." He trailed off and you looked at him confused. "Rose said something came up and she can't make it."

"What happened? Is she okay?" You questioned, concern flowing through your face and Baekhyun immediately nodded seeing your worried face.

"She is alright, her mother's got a fever so she has to stay with her." He told and you nodded sighing in relief.

"Then what should we do now?" You asked looking up at him innocently as the one who suggested the idea isn't coming.

He pondered for a moment staring inside before glancing back at you. "Well, since we're already here, why not take a tour inside?"

You pursed your lips while thinking about his suggestion before glancing back at him and nodded smilingly before you both headed inside.

You both walked inside and you were amazed to see the lightning inside which brightened the whole Park before your amazement was replaced with uneasiness as you saw how crowded it was.

"Let's go." You snapped out as you heard his voice and nodded while walking ahead beside him.

You were strolling carefully not to bump into anyone before a man's shoulder almost collided with yours but Baekhyun wrapped his arm around your shoulder preventing it as he pulled you a little closer to him and you got startled but then felt relieved.

Baekhyun tried his best to get out of the crowd as he sensed your uneasiness while his arm still on your shoulder protecting you and you felt secured until you both reached at the garden area.

He slowly pulled his arm back and rubbed the back of his neck before an awkward silence followed before he cleared his throat to break the ice.

"Why didn't you tell me that you're uncomfortable with crowds?" He asked concerned. "We could've gone back."

You shook your head. "How can we just go without even checking it out and I didn't know, Rose's friend would request the whole city to come."

He laughed at your joke and you smiled as the mood got lighten before you eyed the area which seemed beautiful while Baekhyun's eyes stopped to stare at you.

He observed you, head to toe now noticing your dressing which made you look cute before his eyes stopped at your smiling face as you were imersed gazing, your innocent eyes sparkling making his heart beat fast suddenly whilst his lips forming a smile.

"Look at that!" You exclaimed, snapping the latter out of his trance before he followed your gaze to see a bunch of people screaming in the roller coaster ride.

"That looks so scary." He commented blinking and you nodded agreeing with him still eyes on the roller coaster.

You both looked at eachother and laughed before strolling around the Park while checking out various things then commenting on them and sharing your opinions about it which were almost similar.

A loud cheers got your attention as you stopped and saw that a magic show was happening and watched with interest while Baekhyun noticed your excited expression the whole time as he stood there with his hands shoved in his pocket.

In that moment, a magician did a trick and a red flower popped out in his empty hands causing your mouth open in amazement and Baekhyun chuckled at your reaction before that magician made his way towards the crowd.

He looked around and his eyes stopped at you as he walked towards you with a smile and you had to admit that he was good looking.

As he stopped infront you, he held out the flower to you and you smiled taking it muttering a thank you before he walked back giving a smile then you stared at the flower checking if it's real, while there was someone who didn't liked the scene happening infront of him and he let out a low scoff but it got unheard by you.

You both walked back to the garden area where there weren't any people and stood under the large tree before sitting on the bench.

"Why are staring it like it's your first time receiving a flower?" Baekhyun asked feeling a little annoyed as you kept gazing at the flower.

You nodded before glancing at him. "Because, it is my first time receiving a flower."

His forehead creased in surprise. "Seriously? I mean you've never received a flower before?"

You frowned. "That sounded a little rude but yeah it's true."

"How come?"

"I don't know, maybe I look too reserved for that but I did received a flower when I was young and it was a prank." You made a face recalling that scene.

"Prank? Who pranked you?"

"My classmate. He gave me a flower but just as I was about to take it, he spit out water on my face."

Baekhyun started laughing and you couldn't help but laugh too before you narrowed your eyes at him playfully.

"But why did he do it?" He asked between his laughter.

"Because I broke his nose." You giggled and he laughed more and you couldn't help but stare at his laughing face which automatically made you smile.

You snapped out as you felt a tap on your lap causing you look at the person who turned out to be a cute little girl smiling adorably at you.

Baekhyun and you smiled at her before she pointed at the flower which you were holding to give it to her and you almost cooed at how cutely was she asking and you immediately gave it to her.

She giggled cutely before pecking your cheek and ran back to her parents while Baekhyun watched the scene smiling.

"Receiving flowers must be not my thing." You giggled at your own remark and looked at Baekhyun who was in a daze.

"I'm still surprised at how a pretty girl like you hasn't received a flower before." He muttered but it was loud enough for you to hear it as you blinked on his comment before feeling heat rushing to your face.

He snapped his head towards you realizing it and you both locked eyes for few seconds before he cleared his throat and stood up.

He licked his lips before looking at you. "Uh.. Do you want some ice-cream?"

You nodded. "Sure."

"Which flavor?"

"Vanilla."

"Okay, then stay here. I'll be right back." He walked away disappearing in the crowd and you let out a big exhale feeling your heart still beating fast and cheeks hot.

You got pretty surprised as it was the first time a guy called you pretty since you've always heard it from your bestfriend and your parents. You never had a guy friend before who would call you that but that guy called you pretty and not just a guy but Baekhyun himself which you never imagined.

Soon, Baekhyun came back with two cups of ice-creams in his hands but got confused as he didn't see you there. He looked around here and there before his eyes went up to see you sitting on the tree branch which got him more confuse.

"Are you having a conversation with monkeys over there?"

You immediately looked down to see him and relief rushed inside you but soon it turned into a frown as you noticed him holding back his laugh.

"Yes, they are saying hi to you." You replied sarcastically and he laughed out loud making you roll your before it turned into a frown causing him to stop.

"What are you doing there?"

"That kid over there." You pointed at the kid who was playing with the ball walking away and Baekhyun followed your gaze before looking back at you.

"His ball got stuck here and he was crying badly and asked me to get it. I told him, i'll get him new one but he didn't agreed and cried more then i had no choice. I got the ball but when i tried to climb down it was too deep and now i'm scared to jump." You hold the branch tightly making a frightening face.

My God, This is so embarrassing! Should I just live here with monkeys?

Baekhyun sighed and placed the ice-cream on bench at the side before standing under the tree where you were sitting.

He spreaded his arms wide. "Come on."

Your brows knitted in confusion. "What?"

"Jump, and I'll catch you."

"What are you saying? No way!"

"Then what? You wanna spend your whole life sitting there?" He joked and you gave him a look.

"No. What if I hurt you?"

"Don't worry. I won't ask you to pay my medical bills, okay?"

"Seriously?"

He chuckled. "Seriously. You're coffee bean sized. How can you hurt me?"

"It's not funny. Can't you just go and find some stool or something," You stopped your babbling as you saw his face and realized you were literally ordering him. "Please?"

Baekhyun couldn't help but smile finding you cute at this situation before he let out a sigh. "Look around y/n, do you think I could get a stool here?"

"Look at me, Y/n." He said softly and you looked at him. "I won't let you get hurt, hm?"

"Trust me." He whispered enough for you to hear it and you don't know why but you just believed him and stared in his eyes which made you immediately nod in response.

He smiled and you both counted to three before your eyes squeezed shut while letting yourself fall.

You felt his both arms circled around your waist and yours around his neck tightly while his face almost in the crook of your neck, sending chills down your spine as you felt his breath on your neck.

"You're safe." He whispered and you felt something ticklish in your stomach again and opened your eyes slowly before leaning away only to be inches away from his face which made both of your heart beat fast.

You both realized your position and Baekhyun immediately let you down gently before you both looked away awkwardly feeling suddenly warm in winter season.

"Uh.. Ice-cream?" You broke the silence and he looked at you before pointing at the ice-cream placed on the bench and he took his while handing you yours.

You both sat beside eachother in distance before you shoved a spoon of ice-cream which immediately melted in your mouth satisfying you with the delicious taste.

"So, what are you studying?" He asked before shoving a spoon into his mouth and you giggled causing him look at you in confusion.

"Why?"

"No, it's just you asked out of the blue."

He hummed. "I just thought that I don't really know much about you."

You nodded. "Well, there's not much to know about me as I'm just a simple girl with a nice family and friends and studying literature."

"What about dreams? You don't have any dreams?"

"Not sure, I never really thought about it. What about you? Do you have any dream?"

He sighed. "I don't know if counts as a dream but I really want to make a game. A game where people can enjoy themselves and feel alive by forgetting their problems a little bit."

You stared at him in admiration for his words and sensing your stare he glanced at you and chuckled. "You must be thinking it's childish, right?"

You shook your head. "No, it's your dream, if it makes you happy and alive then it's meaningful, plus who am I to judge you?"

He got taken aback by your answer as he didn't expected that but then again you always surprise him.

"Honestly, at first I always wondered what is it in games? like why people like it so much? But when I saw Daniel playing it, he seemed really happy and maybe it's the same with you."

You glanced at him to see his reaction but found him staring at you intently which made you flustered and you laughed nervously.

"I said too much, didn't I? I'm usually a quiet person."

He snickered. "You're a quiet person? You don't really look quiet type to me."

"What do you mean?" You whined a little. "I am a quiet person but I talk a lot when I'm comfortable with someone."

"You're comfortable with me?" His eyes look at you expectantly and you nodded causing him smile wholeheartedly with his heart bouncing with happiness.

_____________

10:05 pm

"You don't really have to." You politely refused Baekhyun's offer to drop you home as you both exited the park.

"And let you go in the cab alone? I'm sorry but I can't do that." He opened the passenger door and looked back at you. "Come on, Are you really rejecting this gentleman?"

You chuckled on his remark and bit your lip before walking over to him while he grinned widely as he stepped back a little to let you sit inside.

He put a hand in the air above your head as you sat in, making you flutter even on this little gesture causing you smile automatically and you mumbled 'Thank you' before he closed the door walking to the driving seat.

As he placed himself in the driving seat, he buckled his seatbelt before his eyes stopped at you, struggling with the seatbelt while mumbling to herself.

"This just really doesn't work for me, I swear i'll break this one day." You muttered frowning as you couldn't buckle your seatbelt before feeling a stare on you.

You tilted your head to the side to see his body facing you with his elbow resting on the window as his index finger was on his lower lip and watching you with an amused grin.

You felt your cheeks heating up by his intent gaze and let out a nervous chuckle. "Why?"

He shook his head grinning before coming forward a little causing you back away as he buckled your seatbelt in a blink and sat straight showing a proud smile. "Wasn't it easy?"

"Not for me though, it always gets stuck when I do that." You complained causing him chuckle before he started the engine and drove.

Not long before, the car stopped infront your porch without you even realizing as you both kept talking in the whole ride which you didn't expected.

You unbuckled the seatbelt and turned to Baekhyun. "Thank you for dropping me home and I had fun today."

He nodded smilingly. "Me too, what did you like the most?"

"The magic show?"

"For me, the tree show." He grinned playfully and you narrowed your eyes at him playfully before smiling after.

"Then, Good night." You got out of the car and walked toward your home before you heard him calling you out.

Frowning you turned around and saw him coming towards you causing you look at him confusingly before he held out your phone.

"Oh!" You took it from his and smiled sheepishly and he just shook his head at your forgetfulness before something popped into your mind.

"Sunbae," You stopped at your mid-sentence debating wether to continue or not but he was already giving you a quizzical look.

"Uh nothing."

He frowned. "What is it? You're making me curious now."

"It's not really important, uh I stopped by a stall when you went to get your car and bought this." You spoke hesitantly before shuffling in your purse while he stared at you curiously.

"This." You showed him a Keychain of its first name initial B in a small cube. "Actually, I just thought it was cute and bought this as a memory."

He stared at you in amaze before looking at the Keychain and back to you while you bit your lip blinking and thinking if he got upset.

"It's okay if you don't like-"

"Thank you." He smiled taking the Keychain from your hand and stared at it in adoration making you relieved before you smiled.

"Do you like it?" You asked and he nodded cutely.

"I'm glad you like it." You smiled and he smiled back before you heard your front door opening and revealing your one and only brother Daniel coming out.

"Baekhyunee hyung!" Daniel beamed, making you internally scoff and Baekhyun waved at him cutely before he jogged towards you both.

"What are you doing outside? Come join us inside." He spoke and you widened your eyes at his bold move without even asking you.

"It's late already, maybe next time." Baekhyun refused politely and Daniel pouted but nodded.

"Well, how's your test preparation going?" Baekhyun asked shoving his hands in his pocket and you sighed looking at the both boys who tend to forget that you are also present here whenever they talk.

"They are going well."

"You know, you can ask your sister for help."

"That's a little difficult, it's a math test." He leaned towards him making you frown. "And Noona sucks at math."

Baekhyun nodded grinning and Daniel backed away looking like nothing happened making you scoff.

"I can hear you." You gritted your teeth and they chuckled causing you roll your eyes and wondering if he really is your brother?

L

Baekhyun looked at his wristwatch before looking at you. "'l'll get going then."

You nodded. "Yes, Drive safely, Sunbae."

He frowned at the name but then nodded smiling. "Thanks for the memory."

He waved the Keychain and you bit your lip smiling before he walked back to his car and drove off sparing last glance at you.

"What memory?" Daniel leaned to your side with his folded arms staring at frowning and you glared at him.

"Who are you?" You shot back before walking inside with daniel behind you yelling.

"Yah! Potato!"

__________________

@wooya1224 @buttercupbbh

[shhhlikeme]

Ok! So tanaka, kageyama, tusukishima, and asahi are all pretty scary boys at first glance. So I was wondering how they would react to a new 2nd year manager not being fazed by them at all (maybe she has alot of older brothers or something) and calling them cute. Love you writing. I didn't see a character limit so if this is to many feel free to cut some 😘😘

Thank you!!!! I loved this one it was so fun to write so please request again :) Hope you enjoy it 🧝🏾‍♀️😘

———————————

“Scary” Karasuno Volleyball Boys Meet Their Maker!

Tsukishima | Asahi | Kageyama | Tanaka x Reader

———————————

You and Kiyoko used to be friends in elementary school because her mom and both of your dads were in the military so you’d often be the only two young kids at events and ceremonies

She would only come sometimes but you would be an active member of your dads military boot camp year after year, and seeing Kiyoko, another girl sometimes was always awesome

The two of you became pretty good acquaintances and one summer at boot camp she would occasionally show you the ropes when you said you were interested in joining the 200m hurdle

While you two weren’t close, you followed eachother on all social media platforms and would sweetly comment “😍😍😍” on eachother’s posts

When she got injured you made sure to send her a text of endearment and she thanked you

Y’all were those type of friends

So that’s why you weren’t too surprised when you received a text from her while painting your nails one night in your room

Kiyoko had kindly asked you if you could take over her duties as Karasuno’s volleyball manager while she left to Greece with her family tomorrow for a wedding

She would be gone for 2 weeks and apparently the girl she had gotten too replace her just backed out completely at the last minute

You thought about it, realizing you had nothing to do other than train your team of female spartan racers, before replying ‘sure! 🤷🏾‍♀️’ and asked her what you needed to do

Kiyoko prepared you to the best of her ability, sending you a long scrolling text of the job. She said that although she wouldn’t be able to introduce you, the the boys are super kind even though they can get a little rowdy

A little nervous but wanting to help nonetheless, you agreed and confirmed the favour once again

The next day the boys had a practice and you had a little bit of difficulty finding their gym. You had gone to the girls vball team gym first and the captain pointed you in the right direction

When you approached what must be boys’ gym from outdoors you saw a blonde girl about your size scarily jutting around the outside of the gym like she was being stalked for murder

She was clutching a bag tightly

You guessed that maybe this wasn’t the gym, but you could have sworn this is where that team captain told you to go

You held your ground a few feet away because she was obviously terrified and you didn’t want to scare her more than she already was. You could hear her mumbling under her breath things like ‘they’re going to kill me’ ‘I’m too little to die’ ‘so strong, so tall. So very tall.’ ‘Attack on Titan is me. I am attack on Titan. I am MARCO!’

Who is Marco.....? You questioned in your mind.

Your military senses peaked as you changed modes to enemy approaching preparation.

You didn’t know you had these senses, but your dads would be so proud

The petite blonde was twitching and fiddling her hands while her eyes darted around.

She also had been so wrapped up in her terror to notice you there watching her. Seeing a cute mini side ponytail in her short blonde hair reminded you of a toddler’s hairstyle and you immediately felt the need to protect her. Your dads had taught you as much, and your years of self-defence class and borderline military training by copying the guys at your dads camps had built you quite the esteem. You knew immediately that you were going to save her.

“Excuse me?”

“AH!” The girl screamed and jumped 4 feet in the air when you spoke. You held your hands up in surrender, though you remained on guard for her pursuer.

“Hey, hey! I really didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

With bugged eyes, the girl explained to you that she had been studying in the gym by herself when she heard a bunch of gang men approach. According to her they were huge, threatening and super scary so she scrambled for cover but when she tried running through the door she had bumped into their leader who had a bunch of piecings, a rockstar dye-job who was smoking a cigarette. Before he could beat her up for crashing into him she picked up her bag and and ran away. Come to find out she had taken his bag by mistake because it was the same colour and size and she didn’t mean to! Now she is being hunted down by the leader’s big scary hunchmen who will literally pummel her when they find her! They’ve been calling after her saying threats like ‘We just want the bag, we promise not to hurt you’ but she’s heard that in scary movies and apparently that’s what they want her to think before they hurt her!!!

Before the girl (who you were able to get her to introduce herself as Yachi from class 1-5) fainted induced by anxiety, you stopped her.

You were pissed. How could big tall men be okay with trying to hurt a sweet first year girl like this?!

The world was evil.

She couldn’t be much smaller than you, but she had no where near your combat expertise.

You held your hand out for Yachi to hand you the bag.

She handed it over with trembling hands

“Where did you last see them?” You demanded just like your dads would have.

Yachi immediately freaked out, claiming that you’re just as small as her and they would crunch you like a potato chip!

Slightly insulted, you managed to give her a sweet smile and ask again.

She pointed in the direction of the outdoor vending machines near the gym.

“I’ll get your bag Yachi don’t worry. Do you want to wait here for me or do you feel safe coming with? It would be great if you were able to actually point them out, because there are a lot of boys here by the school not to mention I can better protect you when you’re close by.”

Yachi gave you a look as if she was seeing the stars for the first time. She was in complete awe of you because you emitted a mass amount of strength.

The energy around you was comparable to that of a decorated military Five Star General who had just been challenged to a game of laser tag.

Seeing Yachi visibly gulp, she agreed to come with you because chances are she’d be able to call for help louder than you and she held onto your arm as you walked.

She hid behind your shoulder, afraid

Looking around, you spotted a group of 4 large guys in the distance by the vending machine— just like Yachi pointed out

Without your glasses on, you couldn’t make them out very well from this distance

Yachi almost squeezed a bruise into your arm which confirmed that was indeed the guys that were awaiting her decease, she said

There was a tall one with dark hair that had a permanent scowl on is face who was staring at the vending machines options like a psycho. The smallest one (who was still very tall) looked tough—must be the braun because he had quite the biceps and his hair was shaven like the boys in your dad’s training camps. One of them looked like a grown man with a man bun that really should be signing off on big stock deals or something. The giant one was blonde with glasses but he appeared to be the verbal slicer—since you could see his mouth mumble something to the military looking one, who flinched like he had been physically stabbed through the chest.

You had to admit, you could see why Yachi was scared of them...a little

Straightening your shoulders so to seem a little bit taller, you took a deep breath and stalked towards these bullies

You were ready to give them a piece and a half of your mind

You would rip them a new one like they deserved

And if it got physical, you were more than equipped to handle them due to your years of training

As you approached, the boys noticed the bag you held and their eyes lit up like they’d just been saved

They started toward you making Yachi gasp.

You cracked your knuckles in preparation

But... when you got closer to them enough to make out their faces, something Kiyoko explained to you got thrown to the forefront of your memory..... and then you realized.

Wait a second.....

“There you are, uhh... small person. You took our coaches bag!” Exclaimed the one with defined biceps.

The small blonde girl behind you let out a shriek and tried to book it. You held onto her arm now as she screamed bloody murder, begging the 4 boys not to kill her because she had a single mother at home who needed her. The boys tried to explain their reasoning over her screams which only made things more chaotic! You gave the four boys a look of death to shut up and they did.

You patiently waited for toddler girl to chill.

“Uh Yachi??”

“Y-y-y-ye-ye-yes?”

“You said these were the assailants you were running away from?”

“Mhm. Don’t look them in the eye!” She shut hers tightly.

You smirked, officially letting your guard down. Now you remembered everything Kiyoko sent you in that text, including who-was-who on the team, what they looked like, and what each player specifically needed managerial-wise.

“Is it Tanner? No, Tanaka from my year, Asahi 3rd......and those two—- Tsukishima Kei and Kageyama Tobio, right? They are in your year..... they’re all Karasuno volleyball players.”

Yachi looked dumbfounded.

“Volleyball players...........................of doom?”

You shook your head, cupping Yachi’s shaking hands in yours. You gave this girl who reminded you of a toddler the kindest smile you could muster.

“I’ve never officially met these guys but Kiyoko has told me lots about them. I do see them bickering in the hallways a lot though, and it’s adorable. They are totally and completely harmless.”

“Harmless?” Yachi repeated you as if she’d never heard the word before.

“Well, I wouldn’t say it in such a de-masculine manner......” Tsukishima deadpanned, irritated by the fact that you spoke of them like they had the strength of a group of newborn goldfish.

Tanaka felt the same way. He mumbled “We do harm on the court! And just because you’re a pretty girl doesn’t mean you can say that we aren’t tough—“

Tsukki told him to shut up before he scared the toddler girl again.

Kageyama drank his little milk carton, barely listening to the commotion as Asahi, silent in the back, was about to start bawling. He was just so happy to be called harmless instead of monster by someone so much smaller than him his heart was going to explode 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Luv him

“Yep! Harmless.” You chirped, eyes twinkling at Yachi. You reassured her some more. “Total softies. You have nothing to worry about! Kiyoko told me that once on the bus ride home from a game she played a movie on the bus......and in the end Kiyoko counted all of them crying to the wedding scene in Princess and the Frog.”

“Hey now—“ Tanaka yelled, red in the face from anger but mostly humiliation. You looked over at the boys and noticed they were all pretty red. Tsuki had actually turned away to totally hide his face, starting toward the gym without so much as a goodbye.

“Brat.” He muttered. The boys followed with their tails between their legs.

“See? They couldn’t even deny it.” You smiled at Yachi. She visibly calmed down. “They’re just a bunch of cute little crows😊.”

Tsukki has returned with a scowl that didn’t scare either of you this time. He held out his hand expectantly.

“May we have our coach’s bag back, now? I trust you two can find your way back to Snow White the other 5 dwarves in one piece, correct?”

Ouch. You winced at his short person joke. Wow, Kiyoko was right about Kei’s stinging verbal jabs.

But Psh. You were a black belt. You could handle military men. You could even beat some of them in an arm-wrestle sometimes.

So you definitely weren’t afraid of any volleyball boys, no matter how badly this cute tall one’s jabs stung.

You smiled at Tsuki who didn’t return it in the slightest. You moved to hold out the bag in front of you for him to take, but low enough so he’d have to lean down to retrieve it.

When he went to grab the bag, you expertly maneuvered it out of his grasp before taking his cheek between your fingers in a tight squeeze. So gullible, this one. You had him trapped, just like you would a toddler.

“I’ll bring it to coach Ukai myself cutie patootie.” You gave him a sickeningly sweet smile. He stared at you with surprised eyes before you continued. “After all, we’ll be getting to know each other pretty well as temp-manager and coach. Don’t you think?” The King of Passive Aggression’s eyes widened in shock behind his adorable glasses. You released his cheek from your grasp.

“Now get in the gym, soldier. You can introduce me to the rest of the team’s cuties and tell them that Karasuno’s new babysitter is here!”

[siimjaeyun]

Chapter 2: Caution, Gators can eat humans. 

Synopsis: The wishes for a new mystery after the sudden decrease in Seoul sends the teen mystery group to a town nearby. It’s own name justifies itself, and let’s just say: things don’t get pretty when JK (the anonymous caller) sends them on a chase. 

Series Masterlist

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

Absent-mindedly, the man continued to drive his SUV  through the bumpy roads of Gatorsville, a small town just miles away from Seoul. 

"We need to pull up for gas." The father made his way to the abandoned gas station, allowing his daughter to walk for a bit with the puppy. 

The small puppy ran off into the bushes; the girl followed suit and called its name.

When she managed to reach her hand in, it met a pair of red fiery eyes back at her. Shocked, she jumped backwards and cried for help. 

"Dad! It's a monster!" In disbelief, the man refused to believe her, but met the same sketched black-green lizard pattern with glowing eyes. 

He didn't manage to say much, but got himself into the car and drove off in a hurry leaving whatever the creature was back in the dark. 

------ 

"I'm bored.." Sunoo plopped backwards and landed on top of poor Sunghoon who was resting comfortably on the floor. 

"What's up with Seoul, there hasn't been a mystery!" Jungwon soon joined Sunoo, crushing Sunghoon as well, making him cry out. 

"Yo Jake, help me!" Jake helped the boy, picking him up and throwing him on the couch with you. 

"Heeseung what's this?" You picked the magazine that was crumpled between the two couch cushions; part of you wished you had left it once seeing the front cover.

"It's a trap illustrated! Where do you think I got the inspo for this beauty." He flaunted the cords hung onto the metal crates.

"And who exactly do you expect to catch?" 

Right on time, the delivery man got himself hung onto the trap set on the front, simply handing him the package once Heeseung managed to open the door and let him free. 

"It's a package." 

A loud thunder banged against the windows, letting the rain and its friends make itself present in the home. With caution, he opened it revealing an object covered by tissue and an envelope stamped in red with [JK] 

"I swear JK gives me the creeps." The group opened the rest of its contents and found a gator skinned bag in the box. 

"Maybe a trip to Gatorsville wouldn't hurt. Safe travels." 

"This doesn't make sense. I thought Gatorsville didn't make skin products anymore." Jake observed the purse, handling each nook and cranny with care. 

"Gatorsville? Like as in actual Gators?" Sunoo tried setting himself apart, clearly intimidated by the idea of gators. 

"150 years ago, miners had moved to Gatorsville in search of oil and gold. Instead, they found the abundance of gators in the area, and mounted businesses on the farms which made them rich. They sold products everywhere, but when there were no more gators, everyone moved out. It's practically a ghost town." 

"Then I'm assuming we have a new mystery?" Heeseung smiled and led the way out the door, at least before all six of you found yourselves captured in the same trap as the delivery man. 

------ 

"Let's look around." They split into their usual teams, and trailed off. 

"So, Jake, how do you like it so far?" You realized you hadn't learned much about the boy besides his past in Australia and his cute dog that visited occasionally. 

"To be honest, it was really boring before Sunghoon invited me to come along. I'm glad I've got people who make life interesting." His small eye smile reassured you and you kept exploring the area. 

From afar, Jungwon, Heeseung, and Sunoo found no hope of a mystery and made their way back to the remaining three of you. 

"I guess JK sent us on a wild goose chase. Let's head back before it's too late." You gladly hopped back into the van and when Heeseung turned his key, the car wouldn't start. He trudged back and opened the car to see his engine had gone missing. 

"Uhh...guys!" Sunghoon walked out, first witnessing the same event. 

"H-how is it possible?" The six teens huddled around the missing spot, and turned around with a blinding light flashed forward. 

"What do you exactly think you're doing!?" A man in his late 50's stepped out of the tow truck, and his eyebags and cuts on his upper eyebrow clearly signaled he wasn't here to talk much. 

"Our engine is missing, think you can help?" 

"And why should I?" He punched his knuckles and caused Jungwon to step backwards with Sunoo. 

"Cause you're a mechanic?" 

"Right. Well you're going to have to wait until tomorrow morning anyway-I have to wait for Seoul to come deliver a new one." 

As the teens tried to call their parents, they received no response. They were either busy or didn’t care, clearly comforting the goofy timeline of teen chaos and drama. 

"Just call Jay, maybe he can come." Hesitant, you dialed his number and received no response. 

"He probably fell asleep. We're gonna have to stay the night." A neon sign was perfectly hung on the side of a building. 

[GATOR INN] 

"Hello, anyone there?" You clung onto Jake who just like you, preferred to lurk in the background while Heeseung and Jungwon took the lead. 

"What do you want!?" A woman appeared from the dark shadows of the motel stairs, letting her fingers trail against the handrail. 

“A room?” 

“We’re all booked.” The woman sat on the closest tool: filing her nails without bothering to look at the teens in their eyes. 

“But your sign says vacancy.” Sunghoon pointed to the sign from before, the clear letters stating VACANCY. 

“Alright, follow me. I have a few rules, the girly over there gets her own room. The five of you that remain can split into two rooms.” 

“Wait, no. Jungwon-he’s my brother; we can share a room.” You gave a slight signal to Jungwon to play along with the game, and the woman simply handed you the keys and walked back. 

Her bright red hair decorated in pink bows peaked from behind her, but disappeared almost immediately once she turned her head forwards to face you. 

“One more thing, if you hear biting, screams, loud shrieks: ignore and enjoy your day.” Her loud hairstyle finally left the hall, and you entered the old furnished room with Jungwon. 

“It’s clear this hasn’t been cleaned in months.” You dropped your bag on the bed, and accompanied the bag to find a comfortable spot to rest. 

------ 

“I wonder why y/n would lie to the woman about Jungwon being her brother.” Jake sat on the nearby chair, pushing the cushion downward. 

“He’s scared to sleep alone; and he’s basically her child.” 

“I’m not sleepy.” 

“Neither am I. Why don’t we head out and explore if there’s anything worthwhile in the Motel.” They grabbed their jackets and exited the room, finding Jungwon and y/n heading out as well. 

The four bodies met at the center of the hall, confused, but not surprised by their need to exit the walls of the motel guest room. 

“Clearly, smart minds think alike.” You scoffed at his statement and led the way out the lobby. There wasn’t much to see clearly. The van was parked on the curb, the sky was dark and covered in a blanket of fog; everything appeared in order. 

The comfortable silence was quickly disturbed by subtle movements in the bushes. 

“I-i think something is there.” Jake reached out to move the branches and get a clear image, but a creature jumped out causing them to fall on their backs. 

“G-gator people!” Sunghoon picked up Jungwon, while Jake helped you up and led you away from the monster that was currently chasing you. You quickly made your way up the flights of stairs: pushing through the other flights that followed to your bedrooms. 

The creature continued; its sharp claws gauging at the walls and leaving a claw nail stuck in the paintings that were nicely hung. Without hesitation, the four of you barged into Heeseung and Sunoo’s room. 

“What are you guys doing here?” Sunoo barely bothered to look up from his screen when he witnessed the same creature enter the room, crushing the door that was once attached. 

“Gator people?” In fear, all of you clung onto the windows from the edge. Your foots collected on top of a single mattress, throwing the closest objects towards the creature.

The room quickly went black. A red glow emerged from the corners from the room allowing the two gators to creep under the floorboards and take a hold of your right leg pulling it downward. 

Your body slipped from the thin lifting of the window balcony, and soon enough it was being dragged from under the five boys,  leaving you to scream. 

Jake and Heeseung plunged forwards, each taking a hold of one of your arms to prevent the gators from dragging your body any further. Sunghoon took the liberty of stomping on the arms of the gators, making them retreat backwards. They slipped on their own tails and fell downward through the same hole they had crept through. You made your way up and looked at the gator skin dangling from your ankle. A white stuffing peeked through the thin fabric; the monster clearly wasn’t real. 

“It isn’t real?” Before Sunoo could continue with his pondering thoughts, the two gators once more crawled from below and sank their claws into the boards. The six teens ran out the door and out of the motel. 

‘COME BACK TO VISIT’ The tacky green sign hung on the side, and was the last part of their vision before securely making their way out of the Gatorsville. They turned their heads back to the issue, and saw as the gators came to an abrupt stop once they had exited the town. Slippery, and cautious, the duo hid once more and retreated back. 

“That was close.” 

“We have to go back, come on!” Jungwon, almost-excited like, pushed his older companions to the inners of town once more. They slyly hid in the trees until they found the two gators pushing large crates into a ship; one crate after another went inside. 

“Here.” Heeseung managed to bust the crate open, revealing packs of gator skinned products. Each marked with the same tag from earlier, ‘100% gator.’ 

Sunoo rolled up one of his sleeves and picked a belt from within the crate, and without thought, he wrapped the skin around his own. After some moments, he released the belt from his grasp and let it fall to the ground with a small clank following afterward. 

“It’s fake, just look at my skin!” Sunghoon and Jungwon inspected him and found a pink rashing forming on his pale flesh. Sunoo was known for his skin sensitivity, and everyone knew that any fake animal product would send the boy into itches and scratches. 

“The only thing we have here folks is a bunch of con-artists.” Heeseung sighs and makes his way to set up another one of his elaborate traps. 

------ 

“Jake, now!” Jake quickly shot the arrow to the target, and it lunged to release the two boxes hanging by cords on the top side of the building. 

The gators made their efforts to leave, but quickly were captured by the teen’s proud ploy. 

“Got them!” Jake once more looked at the boxes with curiorsity, helping Sunghoon push it back towards the Motel entrance. 

“Chief Kim.” The police man trudged through Gator Inn and found the huddled teens around two gator people caught in ropes. 

“What is the meaning of this?” 

“This Chief Kim is…” Heeseung pulled back the mask which revealed the owner of the motel inn and the scornful mechanic. 

“What!?” 

“That’s right. This is our home and when everyone left, we couldn’t just go. This is our home. So we started making cheap products to earn some money. We used the costumes to scare off yee visitors and get them away from our business. And we would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for you meddling tourists!” 

Chief Kim quickly gave a nod which sent the gators to get sent to the back of his police car. They didn’t bother asking more questions and were about to drive off when Sunghoon rushed behind them. 

“Wait! We need a ride!” 

Almost on cue, the engine of their van made a growl, and the front lights illuminated their bodies. “Is it haunted?” Jungwon approached it carefully, and lifted the hood of the car; the engine was back in its place and now accompanied with a note hanging from the top. 

“I hope you enjoyed your visit, but remember there is more to come. This is only the beginning of the puzzle. JK”  The signature red stamp with bold letters JK glistened under the moonlight. 

“More? I swear, this just keeps getting more creepy.” The six were left with nothing but to make their way back home, and who knows what they would expect next. 

------

Note: Jay and Niki will be progressively included in the story line. I’m sorry for the long wait :( 

[some-writer]

Bathroom Talks ft: Bill Denbrough

Bathroom talks are talks you have in the bathroom. Unintentionally you find yourselves in the bathroom together, enjoying each other’s company or comforting each other.

- You and Bill have known each other since before you two even started school.

- Your mother being close friends with his parents, often watched over him when they worked or were going out.

- Which was completely okay because the two of you were best friends and enjoyed the sleepovers.

- ANYWAY

- One day after running all the way to Bill’s house, a few houses down from yours.

- His parents were still away at work, and he had just gotten home from school

- You let yourself in, having found the extra key under the doormat outside

- You tip toe the stairs, hoping to scare Bill, a little game you two play (before IT)

- Noticing the lights in the bathroom on, you slam the door open, clearly not thinking about “what if he’s actually USING the bathroom”

- and of course he is

- The both of you scream, and you quickly get out, shouting apologies as you slam the door shut.

- ...”you scream like a little girl-“

- “S-sh-shut up i-I d-do not!”

- The both of you burst out into giggles

- And you stay, leaning against and talking through the door, until he’s done.

but that was just the beginning

- Soon the bathroom talks evolve

- Your mom eventually starts working again, and decides that you are old enough to take care of yourself for a few hours

- which you QUICKLY agree to

- You find yourself hanging over with Bill and (now) Little Georgie

- Or sometimes they just stay with you

- One day while you were showering, you heard a small knock at the door along with a small muffled shout.

- Getting slightly irritated due to not being able to hear the person correctly and knowing it was Bill or your mom

- you go ahead and give them permission to come in

- Bill is 101% shocked

- “di-did she ju-just t-t-tell me to-“

- He gets all flustered and confused, but slowly creaks the door open and keeps his head still outside not looking

- “J-just wa-wanted to t-tell you th-that w-we’re he-here-“

- you peek outside of the shower curtain and smiled at his shyness, “hey Bill, what do you want to eat for dinner??”

- and just like that he opened the door a bit more, peeking into the bathroom, smiling happily when he sees your hair sticking up in different directions from the shampoo you were playing with

- “Ni-nice h-hairstyle.”

- “Thanks it was free-“

- laughter

eventually you two get used to it

- you stomped to Billy’s house, annoyed at everyone

- Henry fucking Bowers started another rumor

- and at first you didn’t car but then you found out it was about you

- you stomp into the home, giving Georgie a quick hug and a small kiss on the forehead, because he said “hi” and you didn’t want to be mad at him.

- And then you continue your march to the bathroom

- You open the door without hesitation, ignoring Bill’s shocked cry

- “y-y/n!! w-what ar-are you do-doing I-I-“

- “HES SUCH A FUCKING DICK!!”

- Bill automatically shuts up, and bites his lip, trying to cover himself and clean up

- you pace around the bathroom and continue to rant, not looking at him for the obvious reason, but needing someone to listen to you

- And Bill does

- He sighs when he’s done washing his hands

- And by then you’re close to tears.

- Bill simply hugs you, letting you cry about how stupid Henry was and how he probably had the smallest dick ever.

- The two of you laugh at that one.

- And after that day, there really wasn’t any barriers.

then Georgie’s incident happened

- you were at home

- completely oblivious of it

- you had been home for the past days, sick in bed

- and your mom hadn’t heard the news yet, all she heard was that something happened to the youngest son of her friends

- that was it all it took to put you on edge all day

- you were in the bathroom, sitting on the ground with your head on the bathtub

- you had come down with a small stomach bug, so being next to the toilet was the safest option.

- you heard him before you saw him

- Bill let out small sniffles and whimpers as he entered the bathroom

- and your heart shattered at the sight

- Bill sobbed, quickly falling down to his knees and hugging you tightly, mumbling George’s name over again and how it was his fault

- You cried.

- Cried for Georgie, who was like a younger brother to you and was too small to be out in the world alone lost

- Cried for Bill, who loved his brother so much, too young to be going through the heartbreak.

- The two of you were stuck there for hours, just crying.

- Eventually you convinced Bill that it wasn’t his fault, that he was a great older brother, and that Georgie wouldn’t want him to feel that way.

- your mom ended up finding the two of you passed out on the bathroom rug.

because of your wonderful and awful times in the bathroom with Billy, IT used this to mess with you the most.

- you were most vulnerable in the bathroom

- and he had appeared to you in your shower

- turning off the lights

- “b-billy that isn’t funny- turn on the lights!”

- “Who’s Billy?”

- You had never screamed so loud in your life, trying to get away from the person on the other side of the curtain

- “BOO!”

- You screamed and cried, staring at the wicked clown in front of you, blood dripping from its lips.

- “why the long face y/n? you scared?”

- as he inched closer you shut your eyes tightly, a whimper leaving your mouth as the air got tense and a horrid smell filled your senses

- you gagged

- “you fucking stink-“

- and just before IT could do anything, Bill entered the bathroom, turning on the lights.

- and the clown was gone

- “Y-y/n!! W-wha— w-why we-were you s-showering wi-with the l-lights o-off?”

- you quickly wrapped yourself in a towel, shaken up about what happened

- but Bill wasn’t looking at your body, he was looking at the look of pure fear in your eyes

- “y/n..”

- you sniffled and tried to take deep breaths

- Bill stiffened and quickly sat you down on the edge of the tub, hugging you tightly, and reminding you to breathe

- you never felt more safe than in that moment.

it was safe to say that during the time the Losers and yourself were tracking down IT

- Bill was glued to your side

- Everyday the two of you would sneak out of class and slip in the bathrooms

- Not wanted to get caught by teachers in the hallway

- Eventually the two of you were caught, by none other than Richie.

- “WHAT THE FUCK- WHAT’S SHE DOING IN THE BOYS BATHROOM- but wait- WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU GUYS WERE HOOKING UP-“

- the two of you facepalmed

- the losers eventually got over it, Richie making inappropriate lewd jokes about the two of you “talking” in the bathroom

- to which, as usual, everyone ignored

- it was your guys coping mechanism

And it didn’t go away, not even after IT

- “Bill?”

- “Ye-yeah, y/n?”

- “..i like you.”

Bill’s bright blue eyes met yours, you could see flashes of different emotions in them. Bill had always been quick to read, at least for you. His mouth was agape, and he quickly stood up from his spot on the toilet. He wasn’t using it, but the two of you had stayed in the bathroom after he had been.

“I-I-“

You looked down at your hands, picking at your slightly chipped nails that you chewed on when you got anxious. “I like you. It’s okay if you don’t like me back, just.. I want you to know is all.” You shrugged and looked back at him, surprised at how neutral he looked. He didn’t have any sort of emotion on his face, he was thinking.

The only thing you saw was his baby blue eyes, how soft they had gotten. Your stomach flipped and you took a deep breath, preparing for the worst.

“You’re silly.”

You frowned and opened your mouth, about to protest, you felt a rush of annoyance. But Bill beat you to it, kissing your cheek softly, leaving you speechless.

“You’re s-silly,” Bill took a shaky breath, trying his best not to stutter, “for thinking that I don’t like you back.” He smiled at your facial expression watching it change from annoyed to surprised in seconds.

You smiled sheepishly at him, giving him a small nudge from your place on top of the counter. “What a charmer.” You gave him a quick peak on the cheek.

“You didn’t stutter that time!”

“oh s-shut up.”

“Spoke too soon!”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

so that as long- but I hope you enjoyed it!! :,) I loved writing it. Let me know what you guys think! I’m excited to write about the IT characters and cast!

[angelbabyszn]

21 Questions (Ruby X Reader)

OMB Masterlist

H/C: Hair Color 

F/C: Favorite Color 

F/F: Favorite Food

F/S: Favorite Song

F/A: Favorite Artist

As Monse, Jamal, and Cesar eat and talk during lunch, Ruby was sitting with them staring at Y/N.

You laughed at a joke your best friend told to the table. 

"I wish I can make her smile like that. I wonder what she's laughing about." thought Ruby as he saw you put your head down laughing and you came back up still laughing. You put your hair back down so you can see without hair in your face.

"Her h/c hair is so pretty. I wish I could touch it and cuddle with her." thought Ruby as his eyes grow in love sickness.

Ruby and you've been going to the same school for almost four years now. You were good friends Ruby but don't really know each other.

Ruby tried to ask you out one day but you were confused about what he said so he just said forget about it and you just ignore what he said and go on with your day.

From that day on, Ruby was still interested in you but he didn't want to mess up your friendship with him. 

You turned your head and saw Ruby staring at you. Ruby quickly turned back to his friends to pretend he was in the conversation with his friends.

"Jamal, I still cannot believe you made that touchdown at the game." said Monse after she took a bite of her turkey sandwich.

"Yeah. That was crazy." said Cesar happily as he was still shocked about Jamal making that touchdown.

"Yeah, yeah..." said Ruby and he slowly turned his head back to see you but he saw you walking out the lunchroom to go to your next class.

"I'm hopeless." said Ruby after he turned back to his friends and he put his head down on the table.

"Let me guess, Y/N?" said Cesar and Ruby nodded while his head was still on the table.

"You two should really go out. Both of you will be a cute couple." said Monse and she took a bite of her mini apple pie.

"How?! I asked her out in the first school year we met and she was confused." said Ruby confused and helpless after he lifted his head from the table.

Ruby turns his head to see his friends thinking of ideas to help him.

"...I got it!" said Jamal and he stood up happily and Monse, Cesar, and Ruby gave him his full attention.

"You should play the 21 questions game with her!" said Jamal and all of his friends gave him the confused look.

"What? It's a game to get to know a person better. You and Y/N may like the same things." said Jamal while looking at Ruby.

"Nah, I'm good." said Ruby as Monse and Cesar got up to throw away their garbage from lunch and Ruby followed.

"I promise! It does work!" said Jamal screaming at his friends walking away from him and going back upstairs for class.

Jamal looks around and sees everybody's gone up for class.

"I’m always left alone." said Jamal as he went over to the bench to get out of the lunch table, grab his garbage from his lunch and quickly went back upstairs for class while falling up the stairs in the process.

-

Jamal and Ruby came out of the gym clean and with new clothes on to go to their lockers to get supplies for next class.

Ruby starts looking for your signature h/c hairstyle in the hallways while getting his supplies.

"Ruby, Y/N is probably already at her next class already. You know she makes sure she gets to class on time." said Jamal but Ruby ignored him and kept on looking for you.

You finally show up in Ruby's view and his heart jumped as he saw you walking down the hall.

"You're lucky today." said Jamal after he saw you walking down the hall and he leaned against the lockers with his arms crossed and looked at you.

As you get closer and closer to them, Ruby's heart beats faster and faster and you start to walk in slow motion in Ruby's eyes.

"Hey Y/N!" said Jamal happily as he waved his hands in the air which got your attention.

You giggled for Jamal's extra silliness.

"Hey guys." you said to Jamal and Ruby and Ruby slowly wave his hand at you.

As you pass them and walk down the hall , Ruby has the energy to talk to you.

"Y/N! Wait!" said Ruby as he starts to run after you with his supplies for next class.

"Yeah, just leave me like you always do!" screamed Jamal to Ruby as he ran to catch up to you.

Jamal rolls his eyes and closes Ruby's locker and goes to his locker for his supplies.

Ruby finally came up to you while you turned a corner to go down another hallway.

"Hey Y/N." said Ruby as he tried to catch his breath while walking at almost the same speed as you.

"Oh hey Ruby, what's up?" you said as you turned at him quickly and looked back straight while you were walking.

"Um, I was wondering if you...want to hang out?" said Ruby nervously as he put his left hand on the back of his neck and looked down while he was walking.

"What?" you said confused which caused you to stop and look at Ruby.

Ruby quickly stops his tracks and looks at you.

"Never mind." said Ruby as he quickly turned away from you and tried to quickly run away but you grab his arm and you pull him back.

"No. I'm not letting history repeat itself again." you said as you looked at him deep.

"She remembers me asking her out?" thought Ruby as he looks into your eyes.

"Ruby, I would love to hang out with you." you said and Ruby's heart jumped.

"She said yes!" thought Ruby happily as he was dancing around in his mind.

"Really?!" Ruby said happily as he looked at you.

"Yeah. So, should I meet you at your house around 4:30?" you said smiling.

"Yeah. Totally. I'm fine with whatever you said!" said Ruby excited.

"Cool, see you later Ruben." you said and you walked into your class.

Ruby loves it when you call him Ruben.

"She said yes! I can't believe it!" thought Ruby as he was grinning so hard it hurts his cheekbones.

The bell rang and Ruby stopped dancing.

"This is so worth being late today to science." says Ruby to himself as he walks to science class with his supplies.

-

"Y/N isn't here yet. Did something happen to her? Did she change her mind and decide to ditch me for another guy? Where is she?" Ruby thought in his mind as he was pacing around the living room after school.

The doorbell rang and Ruby quickly turned his head to the door and quickly ran to it and opened it to see you standing with a smile.

"Hi Ruby." you said happily with a smile which warmed Ruby's heart and made him smile.

"Hey Y/N. Where were you? I was a bit worried." said Ruby as you walk through the doorway and enter Ruby's house.

"I'm fine. I kinda live far away from you so my mom drove me here." you said while you sat on the couch.

"Where do you live? Brentwood? Cause you know this town is pretty small." said Ruby as he sat right next to you.

"I live here. Just a couple blocks down. Not far." you said and you turn your head to face him.

"Oh okay. Wanna watch a show?" asked Ruby as he turned on the TV.

"Sure." you said as you turned to the TV.

As you were watching "Jane The Virgin", Ruby kept on stealing glances at you and smiled as you were watching.

"Jane! Get with Rafael! He's been wanting you ever since y'all saw each other again!" you screamed at the TV at the scene where Jane was deciding who to choose as her soulmate.

"Ruby." you said which got him out of his mind.

"Yeah?" said Ruby.

"Which team are you?" you asked.

"What?" said Ruby, confused.

"Which team are you? Team Micheal or Team Rafael?" you asked.

"Oh!" said Ruby as he finally got what you mean. "Team Rafael."

"Yeah same. I mean like if somebody from the past came back unexpectedly, it might mean that y'all belong together. Am I right?" you asked.

"Yeah totally." said Ruby and you look back at the TV.

A few minutes later, Ruby wants to ask her out now but he doesn't know how. All of a sudden, Jamal's idea came back to his head.

"You should do the 21 questions game with her!" said Jamal and all of his friends gave him a confused look.

"What? It's a game to get to know a person better. You and Y/N may like the same things." said Jamal while looking at Ruby. 

"Sounds crazy but I'm going to try for Y/N." thought Ruby and he turned back to you.

"Y/N, you wanna play a game?" Ruby asked her and you looked at him.

"Yeah, sure." you said and Ruby turned off the TV and you gave your full attention to Ruby.

"The game is called 21 questions." said Ruby and you smiled.

"Omg. I love 21 questions." you said happily.

"You do?" said Ruby excitedly.

"Yeah. Played it with my friends to get to know each other the first time we met." you said.

"Okay, let's play." said Ruby as he pulls up the questions on the internet with his phone while you get comfortable.

"First question, what is your favorite color?" asked Ruby.

"F/C"

"Favorite food?" asked Ruby.

"F/F" 

17 questions later...

"Favorite song?" 

"F/S by F/A" you said happily.

"Wow. I love that song." Ruby said happily.

"You do?" you said as you sat up and gave your attention.

"Yeah, listen to it everyday." said Ruby and he turns on the TV again and went to YouTube to play the audio of your song (Play your favorite song now)

"May I have this dance, princesa?" asked Ruby after he got up from the couch and playfully pulled out his left hand to reach for you.

"Oh course, my prince." you said happily and grab his hand as both of you dance together in the living room.

As the second chorus plays, Ruby stops and starts to stare at you dance around. You have your eyes closed as you are feeling the music throughout your body.

"She's so cute when she dances." thought Ruby and suddenly had an idea for him to ask you out.

"Y/N." said Ruby and you stop dancing and look at him.

"Yeah?" you asked him to pay full attention.

"We forgot one last question." said Ruby.

"Oh yeah. Let's finish." you said and both of you came back to sit on the couch again.

The bridge of your favorite song came on meaning the song is almost over.

"So, what's the final question?" you ask as you look at him. 

"Y/N...would you go on a date with me?" asked Ruby and all of the sudden you got this energy and felt the weights of unsure thoughts being lifted.

You stared at him for a few seconds and you kissed him right on beat when the last chorus of your favorite song started to be sung.

While you were kissing him, you were worried that he wouldn't kiss back but he eventually did.

"Y/N is kissing me! I can't believe it!" thought Ruby as he kissed her back.

When the song ended, you and Ruby separated from the kiss.

"Y/N." said Ruby, looking deep into your eyes.

"Ruby." you said looking deep into his eyes back.

"Is that a yes?" asked Ruby smiling.

You giggled happily while nodding. 

"This is the best day ever."  both of you thought as you kiss each other again.

[ko-chan-the-blueberry-donut]

Little Miss Fortune AU edited with new hero name for Marinette

Summary: In which Marinette is caught in a bit of a predicament Felix/Marinette/Adrien Felinette Adrienette

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

Marinette groaned as she tightened the black tie around her neck, making sure her breasts were hidden under the black suit blazer and white dress shirt, before tucking in the male model she knocked out accidentally on his dressing room couch. She didn’t mean to knock him down the stairs, but she figured her usual bad luck had something to do with it, and hurried into changing into his attire.

She exited the room, looking around cautiously, as she ran a hand through her now pixie cut hairstyle. She hadn’t wanted to cut her hair, but to get Plagg back, it was worth it.

Hawkmoth had stolen her Miraculous successfully, and without any partner to rely on, she was left on her own to chase him down and get Plagg back. She narrowed it down to Hawkmoth being a part of Agreste industries, but she had no clue of exactly where in the company he could be.

Her first objective was to locate where Hawkmoth was in the company, but without any more clues, she was left with no choice but to sneak in. She had successfully made it to the stairway when a model startled her, causing her to flail and accidentally slap him in the face so hard he fell down a flight of stairs.

Cursing that she was stuck with bad luck even without Plagg with her, she hurriedly dragged the unconscious model to his dressing room and, noting he had the same hair color and features, she quickly donned on his black suit and cut her hair to appear like him.

Sneaking down the hallway, Marinette’s mission was to find a directory where all the departments were accessible and told herself she would start there.

However, it seemed like her bad luck wasn’t through with her yet…

“Monsieur Cho! What are you doing? The set is this way!” A woman with glasses and dressed professionally approached her. She looked around confused, before realizing that she was supposed to be ‘Monsieur Cho’ and tried to escape before the woman grabbed her by her arm and steering her towards the opposite end of the hallway. Marinette panicked.

“Oh! Um! I have to go to the bathroom!” Marinette cried. The woman’s glasses gleamed.

“Yes, and I’m sure by magical coincidence you’ll end up instead seeing one of the female models in the nearest broom closet like the last three times you’ve used that excuse.” She commented sternly. Marinette gulped.

‘Scary!’ Marinette thought sweating.

“But I really have to go this time…” Marinette protested weakly. The woman raised an eyebrow and tugged Marinette to the photoshoot by her ear making the girl squeak.

Defeated, Marinette tried to quell her nervousness as the woman dragged her to what appeared to be a photoshoot. Her heart pounded as she eyed all the people around and if she was transformed, her ribbon tail would be in between her legs.

“Now this shoot is very important. You will be working directly with Monsieur Agreste’s sons. If you mess this up with more of your playboy antics, Monsieur Agreste will be sure to make sure you don’t have an opportunity like this again, Monsieur Cho. Am I clear?” The woman directed her frosty gaze to Marinette, who flinched and nodded rapidly. Of course, the person she’s pretending to be would have a bad reputation…

“Y-yes ma’am!” Marinette squeaked. Satisfied, the woman released her, and Marinette was seized by the make-up crew who started the finishing touches on her look. She figured she would be doing a formal shoot with the outfit she was wearing. The girl fidgeted as the team fiddled with her suit, not used to people being that close in her personal space without knowing them well. Alya would probably be laughing now if she knew how much trouble Marinette’s bad luck got her into this time.

‘Okay! I can do this! I just have to find some way to sneak away before I get pictures taken of me! This set’s big enough—no one will notice me slip away!’ Marinette resolved, determined to flee as soon as the make-up team released her. Once the team was done, Marinette bolted out of the curtains and promptly slammed into another body. ‘Shit! Oh well, I can still sneak away after I say sorry.’

“Oh, it’s you, Cho. Are you done wasting our time with your escapades?” a bored voice commented. Marinette looked up to meet icy green eyes. The boy had neat blonde hair and was wearing a suit similar to hers. When he got a better look of her, however, his eyes widened. “Who are you? You’re not Cho.”

‘Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!’

“U-um! Hello! I guess we haven’t seen each other in a while because I am very much—”

“I just saw you three hours ago when you left to go flirt with Bridgette.” The boy cut her off, eyes narrowing. Marinette squeaked as he got near to her face, examining her. “You look too feminine to be Cho. He may be effeminate but you’re practically a girl with your features.”

“Uhhhh”

“Felix! Cho! There you guys are!” another boy their age approached them with the same golden sunshine hair and vibrant green eyes that reminded Marinette of summer grass in an open field. The first boy, Felix, turned to address his look-a-like.

“Adrien, this isn’t—”

“Everyone on set! We’re going to start the shoot!” the photographer called. Marinette squeaked as people began to go to their places. She took a couple steps back, wanting to run and hide, but Adrien noticed her fearful stance.

“Are you okay?” he asked. Marinette jumped.

“I… I never done this before.” Marinette whispered. “I want to leave.”

“I heard this was your first real shoot.” Adrien remarked. He gave her an encouraging smile. “It’s scary the first time, but it’s like you’re playing pretend. You just follow what the photographer tells you and you act like you’re playing a part in a play.” He touched her shoulder reassuringly and Marinette felt her heart skip a beat. “The first time I did this was when I was a kid. I used to be really scared of the camera, but my mother helped me be able to add my own style to being photographed. After that, I didn’t find it as scary anymore—it was more like a game I’m playing.” Adrien explained. Marinette returned his smile, his sincere speech soothing to her nerves. It was a shame she was pretending to be someone else. Adrien seemed like a good person who would make a wonderful friend.

“I see. Your mother sounds very kind and fun.” Marinette smiled, and Adrien was struck by how pretty it was. His cheeks turned a red hue as he coughed, hiding his face from her view.

“A-anyway! We should get to the set!” he grabbed her hand to lead her to the set, but his traitorous thoughts told him Cho’s hand was very soft and he felt his ears redden in betrayal. Felix eyed them critically as he examined their interaction from the stage. It appeared he hadn’t ratted Marinette out as everyone was acting normal like she was still Cho, so she was safe for now.

She stood in between Felix and Adrien as the photographer directed their positions. Marinette eyed the camera in dismay, as her cover will be blown when the pictures come out. She squeezed her eyes shut, fists clenched at her sides. Why was she so useless? Plagg was in trouble and here she was stuck and unable to do anything for him!

“Calm down.” Felix whispered. Marinette snapped her eyes open and turned her gaze to him in shock. The boy refused to look at her, instead choosing to face ahead towards the camera as they snapped pictures. He maneuvered himself to place a hand on her shoulder and got close to her ear. The photographer squeed at the display, not realizing Felix was actually speaking to her. “Just play pretend like Adrien said. It will be over soon enough.” Marinette’s eyes widened.

He was trying to comfort her? Even though he knew she wasn’t the actual male model? She looked between the Agreste brothers curiously, and couldn’t help a happy smile appear on her face. They were both so kind…

“Yes Cho! That smile is beautiful! Look at the friendship between you three! The chemistry is amazing! Give me more of that comrade vibe!” Adrien and Felix moved closer to her with their best smiles and the photographer ate it up like a child with a bowl of candy.

A sound of clapping interrupted the shoot, and everyone turned to see Gabriel Agreste standing beside the woman that dragged Marinette to the set earlier. He had a prideful smile on his face, but Marinette couldn’t help but shiver at the cold essence in his eyes. It didn’t match his outward appearance at all. It felt like an act.

“Excellent! I knew pairing my sons with a new upstart would come out grand.” Gabriel commented. Everyone gave him smiles, even Adrien who beamed at his father’s praise, except Felix and Marinette, the latter who felt sick at his performance. The oldest Agreste approached the three and Marinette had the urge to hide behind Adrien and Felix, but didn’t to keep up the act.

Gabriel’s frosty eyes locked onto her and Marinette gulped. Gabriel kept his smile in place, but Marinette felt like she was drowning in freezing water. She barely registered Felix moving closer to her, as if sensing her unease. Gabriel didn’t seem to notice as he placed a hand on her shoulder. The gleam of the Black Cat Miraculous shinning from his finger. Marinette held in a gasp, eyes widening at the realization she didn’t want to accept rearing its ugly head in her face.

“My boy, you will have a bright future with this company. I’m sure of it.” Gabriel praised her. Marinette resisted the urge to squirm under his hold. She tried to keep herself from staring at her Miraculous on his finger. The Miraculous that was rightfully hers. She could feel Plagg’s energy thrumming through her veins from being close to her ring.

‘You thief!’ Marinette snarled in her mind. She wanted to kick, scream, and bite him like a vicious animal. She could feel Plagg’s sadness at being taken away from her. His hatred for being trapped with Gabriel—Hawkmoth—and her fury ignited like an inferno. ‘That’s mine! You stole it from me!’

Nonetheless, she did not reveal her righteous fury. She had come this far—she would not fail Plagg.

“Thank you, Monsieur!” Marinette thanked him with a sweet smile, biting her cheek to resist spitting on his pristine suit. “I look forward to learning under your guidance and becoming even more miraculous.” She felt Plagg’s energy warm at her proximity. Excitement ran through her veins at the prospect of wielding him again and putting an end to Hawkmoth.

A flicker of suspicion sparked into Gabriel’s eyes before he smiled down at her again. Suspicion, and dare Marinette say it, fear making Marinette want to purr. Good. He should be afraid. She would not allow Plagg’s kidnapping to go unpunished. He let go of her shoulder, and Marinette hoped the brief contact was able to soothe her kwami that she wasn’t abandoning him.

Gabriel retreated with his assistant and Marinette narrowed her eyes, intent to follow them. The photographer called everyone to take this places as Gabriel was leaving. Marinette’s eyes widened. She couldn’t let Gabriel get away with Plagg!

Suddenly, she felt someone discreetly push her to the ground, her face hitting the floor hard. People cried out in concern at her fall, but she was too consumed with the loss of Plagg to care. She didn’t register anything but Plagg’s desperation to get away until she felt someone grabbed her by the arm and another hand settling on her back to steady her until she heard a voice.

“We’re going to take Cho to get checked out by the nurse before we continue.” Felix’s voice rang out. He was the one holding her arm and leading her away.

“Yeah. That fall was pretty harsh. I’ll go too to help him.” Adrien added, and Marinette felt his warm hand on her back. They led her away from the commotion and into a private hallway. Felix released her, and Adrien steadied her.

“What was that?” Marinette choked out, wanting to cry at the realization that she might not be able to save Plagg after all. Felix crossed his arms while Adrien looked concerned.

“We should be asking you the same thing.” Felix said. “You looked at our father like you wanted to claw his eyes out.”

“Did Father do something to you, Cho?” Adrien asked, touching her arm. “I know Father isn’t the best person to get along with, but the way you looked at each other was like you were ready to enter into battle with each other.”

‘That’s because we are.’ Marinette thought wryly. She sighed and ran a hand through her now short hair, wishing she had the familiarity of her pigtails to soothe her. “I… I’m not Cho.”

Felix and Adrien looked at her curiously and in shock. Felix didn’t think she was going to reveal herself and Adrien because if this person wasn’t Cho, then who were they?

“Your father… he has something of mine.” Marinette couldn’t bring herself to tell them he was Hawkmoth. She didn’t want to be responsible for bringing them into her fight—her war. “I… it’s really important to me. I need it back.”

“Well we can ask Father to give it back to you.” Adrien promised, not one to believe that his father was capable of stealing, despite the rocky relationship they have. Felix on the other hand knew his father wasn’t a saint for the way he neglects them. Marinette shook her head.

“It’s not that simple. I’ve tried… he refuses.” Marinette clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms at the memory of losing Plagg. It was like a part of her soul was ripped away from her. She knew her and Plagg would sometimes clash, or sometimes he would encourage her to do things that weren’t exactly for a model hero, but she knew that Plagg cherished her and she cherished him. She loved the times they had, through better or for worse. Hell, she’d take every ounce of bad luck that Plagg would accidentally project onto her if it meant she could be with him again.

“We’ll get it back then.” Adrien vowed determined. Marinette’s eyes widened at his willingness to help her. He took her hands into his and squeezed them in comfort “It’s important to you. And Father has no right to refuse you something that rightfully belongs to you.”  He told her. He stroked her hands, willing his presence to soothe her. Marinette smiled, and Adrien’s heart skipped at beat.

“Before we do this, what’s your name?” Felix asked, staring straight into her soul. “Since you’re not Cho, we have a right to know who you really are.”

“I…” Marinette bit her lip, debating on what to tell them. Should she reveal her name? Her superhero name? Should she give them an alias? Somehow though, it didn’t seem right to lie. They were willing to get themselves in trouble with Hawkmoth, despite not knowing who their father really was. She had to return the favor.

“I’m Marinette.” She spoke quietly, as if afraid if she spoke louder she would shatter the fragile alliance they shared. Adrien’s eyes widened as he quickly let go of her hands, blushing like a Christmas light. Felix also had a surprised look on his face, and Marinette wasn’t sure if she saw a red flush on his cheeks or not because he quickly looked away.

“Y-You’re a girl?” Adrien spluttered. Marinette giggled and gave a wink.

“Yup! I make a good boy though, no?” she teased, striking a pose and Adrien and Felix—though he would never admit it—blushed harder.

‘It should be illegal to be that cute in a suit!’

“Alright then, Marinette.” Felix coughed, being the first to recover. “What is it that we’re looking for?” Marinette had a determined look on her face.

“The ring he’s wearing. It’s mine.” She answered.

“Father said he got it from an antique shop.” Adrien supplied. Marinette hissed, and her eyes narrowed.

“He’s a liar. He got it from me.” Adrien however wasn’t afraid of her.

‘Is it possible to find someone attractive even when they’re angry at your father?’ he thought.

“So how do we get it back?” Felix asked. Marinette smirked, and Felix ignored that damn skip in his heartbeat.

“Follow my lead.”

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

It turned out that Gabriel didn’t wear the ring all the time. He kept it secured in his office and Adrien and Felix were able to distract him with the real unconscious Cho. She crept into the office, the Black Cat Miraculous calling out to her. In his haste, like she predicted, Gabriel did not put on her Miraculous to keep close to him. She grinned in excitement, slipping the ring onto its rightful owner, and Plagg burst to life once more. They both purred in happiness as they reunited, Plagg nuzzling her cheek.

“Please tell me you have some fresh cheese danishes at home.” Plagg begged. Marinette chuckled. “Anything for you, kitty.” She promised. Plagg purred in satisfaction.

“Plagg! Claws Out!” she shouted, and felt the familiar sensation of being transformed once more. She could feel her body vibrating with a violent purr all over her body, but didn’t care. She was so happy to have her Miraculous back.

“Let’s go home.”

She burst out of the office and skidded to a stop as she came face to face with Adrien and Felix, who were watching her with wide eyes—Felix’s was with shock and Adrien’s was with awe.

“Cheshire!” Adrien exclaimed, his eyes sparkling in excitement. Felix also watched her with interest.

“Um! Hello Citizens! I heard some imposter was running around at your photoshoot and I came to help!” Cheshire lied, her heart pounding a mile a minute. She wanted to reveal herself but she knew it would be too dangerous. This was her war, and hers alone. Despite the kindness they showed her, she knew she would never see them again. She then proceeded to run down the hallway. “I’ll be gone now! The imposter has made her escape, so I have to follow her! Au revoir!”

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

Felix and Adrien watched their father storm around, demanding to know how everyone didn’t notice an imposter was running around so easily. Meanwhile, the photographer sobbed at his camera being destroyed by some unforeseen force, as it laid in a pile of ashes at his feet. The twins chanced a look at each other.

“It’s a shame we don’t have a photo to remember her by.” Adrien commented. Felix chose not to comment, but he noticed the atmosphere seemed distinctly dimmer without Marinette around.

“I’m sure we can find a way to make more.” Felix replied, and Adrien raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk beginning to birth on his face, catching the meaning behind his brother’s statement.

“I wouldn’t mind making more memories with Marinette either.”

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

It was Monday again and Marinette groaned at having to walk up early for classes. She stretched in her seat, knowing that she would no doubt be seduced into taking a cat nap when lectures start. Alya laughed beside her.

“Rough weekend?” she asked. Marinette smiled softly. “Love the hair, by the way.”

“Thanks. And you could say that. Made some friends.”

“Really? Maybe you should introduce us sometime. Were they cute?” Alya asked. Marinette laughed.

“Very handsome, but I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other again.” Marinette said, sadness in her eyes. Alya seemed to have seen the unshed tears and hugged her friend.

“Hey, it maybe only once, but you’ll have those memories forever, and that is proof of your friendship and the precious time you guys had.” Alya soothed. Marinette grinned, wiping her tears.

“You’re right! They’ll always be with me forever, even if we don’t see each other again.” Marinette laughed. And it was true—she would never forget Adrien and Felix’s kindness towards her. “I’m just a little sad I never got to say goodbye.”

“Well, maybe that’s a good thing.” Alya responded, “Then that means you are never truly gone to them.”

“Yeah.” Marinette gave her warmest smile, and Alya hugged her once more. She hoped that Felix and Adrien were happy, and that they had done something truly courageous by aiding her in getting her Miraculous back. She felt Plagg’s warmth through their bond, and breathed a sigh of relief that he will never be parted from her again. She’ll beat Gabriel Agreste and bring him to justice no matter what.

Maybe then she will be able to tell Felix and Adrien thank you for all they done.

“Class, settle down.” The teacher commanded, and each student gave her their attention. Mademoiselle Bustier smiled at her students and gestured to the door. “Today we have two new students. Now, I know you may know them from magazines and social media but please don’t overwhelm them with your excitement. Come in, boys.”

The door opened, and gasps and squeals were made when they saw who the two new students were, but Marinette gave a squeak and fell out of her seat. Two pairs of green eyes—one warm and one cool—had a twinkle of amusement spark in them at her display.    

“Girl, you okay?” Alya helped her up. Marinette didn’t answer as she could only gape as Adrien and Felix introduced themselves to the class. Was this really happening?

“Maybe she got struck by cupid’s arrow.” Nino whispered, snickering. Alya swatted him away with a smile.

“The reason we came here was because we wanted to be with our best friend.” Adrien told the class, who were listening attentively. Chloe preened, thinking they obviously meant her as she was childhood friends with them, but Adrien’s eyes practically shined, and his grin widened when he caught eyes with Marinette. “There she is! Marinette, it’s so good to see you again!” Adrien announced, and the entire room gaped at her. Marinette wanted to sink into a hole. Her face was bright red from embarrassment.

‘They can’t be serious! This possibly can’t get any worse!’

“Hey, move. We’re sitting here.” Felix told Alya, who gave them a raised eyebrow like they grew three heads each.

“Um Monsieur Agreste, the seats are only meant for two people at a time.” Mademoiselle Bustier told them, confused. Felix shrugged, and Adrien waved it off, grinning.

“That’s okay! We’ll just sit extra close to all fit!”

Marinette sunk lower in her seat, covering her face as she felt Plagg cackle in her purse.

[thedeeperlayer]

I was fourteen when I first tasted the sweet, aromatic blend of tobacco, sugars, and ammonia compounds. It was 1998. The year of Clinton and Lewinsky. The year the guy from Die Hard was saving the Aerosmith-adjacent Earth from a Michael Bay Meteorite. 

I was fourteen. Instead of navigating the intolerable 3D world of Hyrule in Ocarina of Time, I was out making an imprudent moron out of myself with an RCA Solid State Image Sensor VHS Camcorder. My idiotic entourage and myself thought we were the uproarious epitome of cool. In actuality, we were ridiculous, annoying fuckwits. I was an absolute pain in the ass.

I'm not going to cock and bull with excuses. I started smoking because I thought I was fucking cool. I had older friends that did it and I dated girls that did it. When my mum found out I was flicking the Bic on the cancer stick, she was both disappointed and somewhat content. Her contentment for my lung corruption behavior was only because it meant she now had a smoking mate.

Mum and Pops didn't always have a harmonious relationship. They would cross swords and oppose each other's views a lot. Mum would complain about Pops never being home. Pops would bewail mum's smoking habit. It was always constant repetition down the same path. Dad never knew I smoked. He would of berated mum and blamed her if he ever found out.

Because of our shared toxic pastime, my mum and I became very close. We discussed all things life. Everything from grace and elegance to the septic shithole bottom. We talked about atrocious dislikes and stupefying satisfactions. We told mindless jokes and gave deep-thought opinions. 

For the sake of storytelling length, let's just say we always had each other's back. 

Unfortunately, the clock ticks, and the hours pass. In a blink of an eye, things are different. I grew up. I got married. I moved. Mum was downhearted and sad. I was the first of her children to leave from beneath her roof. 

I've worked lousey, shit jobs just to make ends. It is indeed accordance with fact, smoking does alleviate stress. I didn't think it was cool to smoke anymore, instead I smoked because my shitty job was an emotional mindfuck. Pounding the coffin nails down my throat made me feel better. 

I didn't want to poison my saclike respiratory organs anymore. I tried quitting. I tried the gum that supposedly calms cravings. I tried the rubber band wrist snap when I had the desire. I tried the ridiculous electronic substitutes. Nothing worked. I thought, fuck it. I didn't want to grow old and become one of the dust bags that retire in Florida anyway.

It was October, 2015. I was just finishing a much needed break from my mediocre job. My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was mum calling. I contentedly answered it. 

She said she had a mass on her lungs. She told me not to be worried, it could be pneumonia. She said she would let me know more tomorrow. 

I instantly broke down and wailed. I could feel that something was extraordinarily wrong. My heart was in excruciating pain. It was exceedingly difficult to finish my shift that night. Every time I was alone, my eyes would swell. It was a long, tedious night.

The following day, I anxiously waited for mum to call. 

Haplessly, she called right before I had to go to work. She said it was stage 4 lung cancer. She told me not to worry. She said she was going to get help. I knew stage 4 was the inevitable. It's treatable, but not curable.

I was so heartsick.

I lit cigarette after cigarette.

My family was devastated. Mum is the support beam that holds my lunatic family's structure together. My brother and sister were in severe shock. Pops was completely shattered. 

The following week, my wife and I picked mum up from the hospital. She was being fitted for a radiotherapy mask. Mum was spiritless. She lacked vigor and enthusiasm. She looked defeated. This was the one time I convulsively, and uncontrollably sobbed in front of her. If you knew mum, she was always resilient and enduring. She was wholehearted, and a matriarch to many. It was challenging to see her in that frail condition. 

I lit cigarette after cigarette.

Mum had sort of a short fringe hairstyle with spiky bangs. She would ornament it with a decorative headband. Often she would dye it golden or honey blonde to hide the off-putting grays. 

The days passed. Weeks. My wife and I made frequent visits. Mum was sitting in her recently purchased stationary style comfy chair. She was wearing a sun-style flat brim cap. Mum never wore hats. “I'm losing my hair,” she said. She lifted a grocery sac where she was accumulating a large cache of her hair. 

Eventually Pops shaved her head. 

My wife and I purchased her a collection of hats.

The holidays came. Thanksgiving. Christmas. Mum always took pride in cooking the meals. She couldn't anymore. She was too weak. She could hardly walk. It was now Pop's responsibility to  prepare the brown sugar glazed ham. She shouted out the recipe to him in the kitchen. “Heat the honey and sugar until it dissolves!” Pops would earnestly urge her not to yell. She was always short-winded and depended on oxygen gas to breathe.  

Christmas morning was grim. Mum kept saying she wanted to have a nice Christmas. “This might be my last Christmas. I want it to be nice,” she despairingly would say. 

We wore smiles but they were fraudulent. Inside we were somber. Cheerless. Gift exchange was dispiriting. We were appreciative, but it was hard to express it. The only audio in the room was the pulling and shredding of novelty wrapping paper. We played unintellectual board games while Mum sat in the living room and stared at the TV. The Hallmark holiday collection was on but Mum wasn't interested. She was disconnected, absent of response. 

My wife and I went home. I lit cigarette after cigarette.

January came and went. February came. Mum had gotten worse. We went to visit her on my birthday. She was without emotion. Unresponsive. Pops struggled to make her recognize my company. She was comatose-like. Pops was in a panic. We rushed her to the ICU. She now had malignant brain tumors. Her recent actions were symptoms. The drowsiness. The constant agitation. 

She was given enough treatment to restore her moral senses. She asked to see me and my wife. Mum was stretched out on a hospital cot. She was buried beneath intravenous lines and hoses. She saw us and smiled. “Watch this,” she gently said. She proceeded with plucking the pulse oximeter from her finger to mortify the doctors. She still had her sense of humor. 

Later, Nurse Ratched impertinently pulled my family away from Mum. She disrespectfully spoke of Mum's unavoidable fate. Ratched told us that Mum will die. She told us to make sure we make the correct decision when the time comes. 

No one in my family wanted to hear that. 

The hospital discharged Mum.

My wife and I went home. I lit a cigarette. I took a drag, hardly inhaling. I breathed in a few more. 

I delve into searches about the great demise on Google. I’m not one who appreciates surprises, so I wanted to be hauntingly prepared. 

As the end approaches, your role is to be present, provide passionate comfort, and remove doubts from your loved one with soothing words and loving actions that help maintain their mental ease and dignity.

The entire evening I fixedly scrutinized my phone screen. It made me overwhelmed with grief. It put me in an unsettling place. It was that night that I accepted that my Mum was actually going to be gone.

Her condition continued to worsen.

It was difficult for her to digest food. She no longer could intake any solids. Pops couldn’t accept the harshness of the situation. He was in rack and ruin. Blatantly, he would hurry to the nearest fast-food establishment and order her a strawberry milkshake. In double time he would speed home to give her the malted treat. She would fiercely vacuum in the strawberry drink through a straw. Clearly she was hungry, but her gasping, pain and abnormal breathing patterns made it difficult for her to swallow. 

Pops told me, the prior evening, he strenuously got Mum into the loo. He proceeded to aid her, however she immediately denied his assistance. “Let me help you,” he despairingly said. “But you're a boy and I'm a girl,” she woefully baffled. 

Delirium. One of the common symptoms observed near death. 

Pops was hysterical. This unforeseen responsibility was so unfamiliar to him. He was terrified. He was frightened to lose the one person he spent his entire life with. 

Again he rushed her to intensive care.

My wife and I were at home. I lit a cigarette. I took a drag and quickly put it out.

Mum was denied anymore treatment. She was recommended hospice care and medically necessary equipment for at-home use. 

Pops thought hospice may not only be valuable to Mum, but also beneficial to him because the workers could assist him through the inexperience and unexpected. We all knew what misery and despair would come next, but Pops was in a idiosyncratic denial. 

Hospice was fucking useless, but more on that a little later.

My wife and I visited her everyday. 

Each day she worsened and disintegrating. 

She was often confused. She would appear asleep, but her breathing would be noisy, congested. She would appear peaceful and at rest, and within seconds she would begin screaming. She would holler agonizing cries. Dad would have to pump her with morphine to tranquilise her treacherous pain.

Day after day, her conditioned intensified. Her skin's pigment distorted to a grayish tone. Her face had depressed and sunken below her eyes. Her lips dried up and shriveled. 

The drainage bag connected to the catheter began to fill with a rust color. 

She had abnormal growths swell in unusual parts of her body.

Day after day we visited. She no longer would move. The congested breathing was the remaining sign of life. We attentively watched over her like this for days. She didn't want to go. She dearly loved her family. The Oncologist asked her, “what do you live for?” Her response was so straightforward and emotionally rewarding. She said, “my family”. Mum was uncomplicated. She lived to be a loving mum and caring wife. She always put her family first. That's who she was. 

She died on August 22, 2016. She battled cancer for seven months. She spent nearly four weeks in hospice care. Only four short instances was Hospice workers available for aid, one of the times being immediately after death. The available nurse plucked an orange Marigold from the neighbors’ garden and lied it in my Mum's cold hands. She called the Funeral Home to coordinate arrangements for pickup and hastily left. 

It was a horrifying experience for my family. Not only for us observing every nightmarish minute, but for Mum too. I can't imagine how afraid she was and how she felt. I just hope it wasn't guilt that resonated with her in her final days. She was the reason my family was so profound and passionate about things. The reason we were all there, again and again, expressing our sorrow and love together.

I haven't smoked a cigarette since her later days in hospice care. 

She was a beautiful, loving person, and we watched her severely weaken and diminish largely because of a lifelong bad habit. I never want to put anyone I love through that, ever again.

[vintagexparker]

atlantis |T.H.|

i saw a post on instagram that had tom as milo and i thought it was really cute and it gave me an idea to write about it. it’s a lot longer than i anticipated... but its cute. i hope you like it. request are always open.

word count: 1643

_______________________________________________________________________

Disney finally decided to make a live-action version of Atlantis and to say people were excited would be an understatement. Not only did they decided to make the movie, the furthered fans excitement by casting Tom Holland to play the nerdy linguistic expert Milo Tatch.

Once that news had been realised, fans were destroyed to find out who would be playing Kida, princess and queen of Atlantis. Little did anyone know that you was cast as Kida, and it was going to stay that way until the trailers and premiere came out.

As a precaution, they even hid you casting away from Tom, knowing that the minute he found out that the whole mystery behind my identity would be found out.

The reason for hiding was because no one knew what kind of reaction to get from the fans, some were on board of my casting while others said they "would have anyone else except for (y/n)". Obviously Tom was bound to find out and it was only matter of time before people knew but it was best to keep it hidden for a whole. ——————————————————————————— ~Tom's POV~ "come one guys, just tell me! Please, I promise I won't tell anyone, my lips are sealed" I begged looking at the casting director Julie.

"Tom, as much as we want to tell you, you're terrible at secrets anyway, calm down, you'll find out today. Today's the day Milo and the rest of the gang meet the Atlantians, therefore meaning he meets Kida, now leave me alone", Julie said laughing before walking away.

FINALLY!!!! I've been waiting for this moment from the minute I was cast! I've had so many thoughts of who could possibly play the Atlantian princess, but I was no closer to guess who she was.

"HARRISON", I yelled running at my best mate as he walked into the room. "Guess what?" I asked him practically bouncing with excitement. I know it's something stupid to get excited over, but the two of us have been trying to figure it out for ages. All the other cast's names were announced except for this one persons and i'm a curious person.

"What?" He asked, not interested in what I have to say.

"We finally get to meet the actress playing Kida today," I said waiting for a reaction.

"Tom, that's amazing for you, but I already know who she is, just like everyone else on set, you're the only one who doesn't know, but i'm proud of you mate, you're really going to like her", he said with a wink before walking away.

If he thinks he can just walk away without telling me, he's so wrong. "HARRISON, WAIT!" I yelled running behind him

——————————————————————————— ~Your POV~

It was finally time to start filming for Atlantis, you had met the other members of the cast and worked with them, knowing there was no way they could spoil the surprise of who I am. The only person I haven't met yet was Tom. Hell, I've even met his best friend Harrison.

I've been nervous to meet Tom, since I found out I had the part. He is an amazing actor and such a sweetheart, and I would be lying if I didn't find him kinda cute. I mean who wouldn't.

I was lost in my thoughts of how this day is going to play out, or how Tom was going to react when my assistant and good friend, Lisa opened the door

"Hey girl, you ready to go?" She asked leaning on the door frame.

"Uh, yeah, I just have to grab my phone and bag, give me like 30 seconds," I said getting up from my spot on the bed.

"Okay hun, tell me what's wrong," she asked walking into the room and sitting on the bed.

"Nothings wrong", I said closing my closet door and grabbing my coat and leaving before she could ask more question.

The car ride to the studio was silent and I was too busy mentally preparing for the costumes and the wigs I was gonna have to wear and the overexcitement of finally being on set. If I'm gonna be honest I was trying to think of everything except for meeting Tom.

What if he didn't like me? What if I wasn't as good as his past co-stars? What if he wasn't expecting me to be the person cast? What if he wanted Zendaya?

I started to spiral and before I knew it, Tom consumed my thoughts.

When we reached the set, I was ushered straight into my dressing room, getting prepared and dressed in my costume. I sat in my chair for what felt like forever. When they finally finished I looked just like the cartoon, white hair with tie in the front, beautifully applied makeup that gave my eyes the perfect up-turned look, and carefully placed tattoos under my eyes. The makeup artist and hairstyles are miracle workers.

I got up, taking off the robe I was sitting, exposing the two piece costume I was wearing and threw on a jacket and slides, knowing I wouldn't need them the second we started to film.

Walking out of the trailer, yelling a thank you to everyone in there, I made my way to set, not knowing what was to happen.

——————————————————————————— ~Tom's POV~

I fidgeted in my chair, twisting and turning to see who this actress was. We were supposed to start filming in a bit, and I couldn't see anyone dressed as Kida and I was starting to get anxious. I overheard people saying that the actress in question looked amazing in the costume and makeup, and how she looked so much like the original character, and I was getting upset that I couldn't join in. I pulled out my phone and started playing on it. Sam and I have a game of cup pong going on and I might as well try anything to distract me. Just as I took my shot the doors to the studio opened and I heard a mumbled sorry and apologies for being late. I looked up and I was finally able to see who was playing Kida, and everything everyone said was right, she really did look like a princess.

—————————————————————————— ~Your POV~

And I'm late. Of course. "Hey everyone, sorry I'm late, didn't realize the time and I took my time walking over here, sorry" I mumbled walking toward the current scene, the one where Kida and Milo meet for the first time, which was ironic, because this is the first time i'm meeting Tom.

I walk over to where Tom was seated and sat in the chair that was left for me, turning and looking at Tom.

"Hi, I'm (y/n)", I said as she turned around to look at me.

"I know who you are, you're an amazing actress. I'm so glad to be working with you", he said with the biggest smile on his face.

If I'm gonna be honest, I think I'm gonna like filming this movie.

—————————————————————————— ~Tom's POV~ The shooting for the film has finally come to a close and we just finished our press tours, just about ready for the premiere.

Working with (y/n) has been the best experience I've had. Working with her was amazing and she was amazing and wow, she was just awesome. I've been trying to find a way to ask her out, but every time I get the chance I choke up and never get the words out... it's only a matter of time though, the premiere is coming up and if I don't ask her she'll probably end up going with someone else.

"Uh, hey Tom", I heard a mumble from behind me, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Hey, (y/n), what's up?" I asked with concern not liking the worried look on her face.

"Okay, well here goes nothing, wouldyouwanttogototheatlantispremierewithme?" She said really quickly.

"Of course, that would literally be the best thing ever," I said jumping up and kissing her, taking both (y/n) and I in shock.

"Uh, um... sorry," I mumbled scratching the back of my neck

"No don't worry. If I knew you were going to do that, I would've asked you sooner," she said with a chuckle.

"Oh and don't forget to wear something cute to the premiere," she said as she started to walk away.

—————————————————————————— ~Your POV~ the day of the premier came round sooner than thought, and before I knew it, Tom was knocking on my door, telling me it was time to go.

I took one more glance in the mirror and was . pleased with the beautiful blue dress, that was designed in a way to represent Kida.

I opened the door and there stood Tom in a beautiful black suit and a blue tie to match my dress, and as always Tom look amazing.

"You look gorgeous," he said placing a kiss on me check before leading me to the elevator.

The red carpet was a mess of screaming fans, photos, and interviewers. The good news was that everyone loved seeing me as Kida, and Tom as Milo, and they were excited for the relationship between our two characters.

Tom and I made it, and delt with all the cameras and flashes, freaking people out with the news of our relationship, and they loved it.

They loved us, they loved the movie, they love the clothes, there was nothing negative said.

At the end of the night, when Tom and I got back to the hotel, we stayed in my room, curled up on the bed watching Netflix, because even with all the flashing lights and the shinny things, Tom was the only thing I needed. —————————————————————————— and this was wayyyyy too long and i got a bit carried away... anyway, I hope you like it

[raph8sblog]

🤍Dreaming of You🤍 Part V.

You didn’t remember how you managed to find home after that night, but one thing surely stucked in your mind. You thought, you maybe just imagined the whole situation, he truly disliked you why would he ask you to be his fake girlfriend just to make up for the sasaeng attack and help you get close to Felix again? You honestly didn’t believe it that this whole fake dating is a good idea. It’s useless at this point. Still, you couldn’t get out of your head. Maybe, he is right and you should give it a try? 

Hyunjin is so handsome and popular, that there is no one on this planet who wouldn’t want him to be her boyfriend. Felix never seen you with another boy before, also you guys never talked about your love life because every part of your life revolved around him. There is a chance that you can make him jealous with that? If there is really a slim chance, you have to try it just for your pride. But isn’t it better just let it go after all these suffering? 

Your phone’s ringtone brought you back into reality:

- Halo? - you asked, still sleepy. 

- Y/N, where are you? - all the tiredness eventually gone, when you heard Hyunjin’s voice from the other side: 

- Why is it important for you? - he just sighed at your incomprehension. 

- Do I have to explain it again?! Tonight, you should come over to the dorm! I want to introduce my new girlfriend. 

- Listen Hyunjin, I don’t think that I’m able to do this. Yesterday, maybe I drank a little bit more than I had to. That’s why I agreed on it, but now that I’m sober I see things differently. 

- Nope, there is no coming back! Y/N.... I was so generous that I offered you this once for a life time chance and now you say that you can’t do it? You have to realize what a kind person I am! - “Kind, my butt, you annoying prick!” - you thought to yourself and tried not to say out loudly: 

- You have to ask someone else! Just let me die in peace from sadness, okay? 

- Nah, you come over tonight and wear something fancy, like yesterday, also do something with your hair! It looks gross! - you almost chocked on your own saliva, this boy seriously, you just want to slap him: 

- Wa... Wait...

- Okay, then let’s meet at 6 infront of the building! Bye-bye honey! - he said with a cheerful tone and then, hanged up the phone. You wanted to scream from your building nervousness. There is no way, that anyone can believe this absurdness! You are not even at the same level with Hyunjin, how can you make a glow up till your encounter? You have five hours to do something with yourself and look a little bit more pretty than your usualself. 

This might won’t be a bad idea, you hoped Felix will see you in a new light after tonight. 

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

You were a little bit more lucky today, because one week before, you made an appointment to a hair salon. Your hair was freshly dyed and perfectly adjusted, also you was wearing one of your new clothes. It was a white, sleevless mini dress, with heart patterns but because of the weather you underneath it put a pastel pink blouse on. Also, you did your makeup as well. At the last minute, while you were waiting outside of the dorm’s building shaking from the cold and because of the excitement in your uncomfortable higheels, you realized that now you are really doing this and from now on you have to do your best and use your so far non existing acting skills to make this whole fake dating an ostensible true one. 

Hyunjin came right on time, he was so good looking that you almost forgot about the fact, how much you disliked him a moment ago. He was also suprised, that you looked different than usual, and this different look absolutely made you stunning: 

- Y/N, you are not that bad looking after all... - you nearly smiled at his compliment,  when he opened his mouth again: 

- But of course, you have to try harder... See, this is what I’ve been talking about, Mia and I would look fantastic together but now, they are just an average couple and you and I... Well, it’s better if I not speak about it. - you pinched his arm, and he cried out from the sudden pain: 

- Who do you think you are?! What if you left a mark on my soft skin?! I will break up if you do this again! 

- I will be the first one who dump you! Why are you always act like a dramatic diva? Stop it please! 

- Y/N we just started this but you already dancing on my nerves! - you shook your head and turned around: 

- I will leave then! - unbelievable! He is so rude, regardless of the fact that you have to make a plan before going inside because you guys have to face with a real cheering couple. Namely Felix and Mia were chilling at the dorm because they didn’t have any practise this afternoon and after he told the boys about their relationship, the dorm became a safe place for them. 

- Okay, be happy! Sorry Y/N, now pretty please behave and be a little bit more cooperative. - you gave up,  being offended won’t make things better: 

- What should we say first? 

- I will do the hardest parts, you just have to follow my lead and nod to everything! Uhm... - Hyunjin hummed, while he was searching for something in his pocket: 

- You need to wear this. - he put a silver ring in your hand, your heart sinked: 

- Is this, some kind of joke? 

- No, it’s matching! - he showed up his forefinger with the exact same ring on it: 

- It’s so cheesy and cringe worthy! - you complained. 

- What did you just say Y/N? - he asked in a faked kind way, which made you shiver: 

- Nothing Hyunjin, just please can we get through this before I change my mind?

Being in the elevator, waiting for to reach the floor where the dorm was. Probably became the most nerv wrecking moments of this day. When it’s finally arrived, both of you took a deep breath: 

- Ready? - he asked you in front of the door, you just quickly nodded with fear in your eyes. 

It was strange being here again, but with a totally different aim, not with the intention to visit Felix. So, you were standing there, when the others finally realized that somebody entered the dorm. Felix was the first, who turned his head towards you. He was laying on the couch, with Mia in his arms, they were playing video games together. You tried everything to keep your calmness but it was difficult. “Do you really wanna do this?” - the question repeated itself all over and over again. 

- Y/N! - Felix stood up from the couch and rushed to you, his happines was wriitten on his face: 

- Did you read my letter? That’s why are you here? I thought I’m gonna lose you, I’m so relieved now... - then Changbin also came out from his bedroom: 

- Y/N I’m so happy that you are here! Woah, do you feel better now? I love your new hairstyle! - you almost blushed at his comment but you were too nervous because of Felix. 

- Noona! - the moment, when Jeongin saw you, he covered his mouth and his eyes were in agape: 

- You look incredible Noona... 

- Hey Jeongin, don’t you have any homework to do, rather than playing the all grown up? - Changbin noted. 

- Hey guys! - Chan also came out to the living room, he quickly greeted you with a hug: 

- How is your injured head my aussie sister? You look stunning today as well! - then, Hyunjin got enough from your praising, also Mia, she was still sitting on the couch, sending death glares at you. The chill runned down on your spine: 

- I arrived home as well and no one care about me? - Hyunjin said with a false cute tone. 

- I would care about you but you lied to us! 

- Exactly when did I lie to you Changbin? - he asked. 

- You said, you are going to introduce your girlfriend as well! I don’t know, maybe I’m blind but no one came with you... 

- Really, imagine this Y/N he told us that he has a girlfriend after I revealed my relationship with Mia! - Felix was giggling but you still didn’t want to respond to him, firstly because you didn’t know how to answer after all: 

- Are you guys idiots? I came here with my girlfriend! - Minho was in silence, from the moment you two arrived but then he couldn’t stand this foolishness anymore and made a sarcastic comment for the situation: 

- Then, where is your girlfriend? She is playing hide and seek? 

- Y/N IS MY GIRLFRIEND! - he managed to say it out loud but still it’s sounded hilarious. Everyone started laughing: 

- Wait, are you serious? - Chan asked, when he saw that you are not laughing with them: 

- Is it serious Noona? - Jeongin asked as well. Felix stopped laughing and stared deeply into your eyes: 

- I-It’s can’t be serious right Y/N? He never liked you! - you tried to form out a coherent sentence but you couldn’t reply: 

- You never heard that expression before that hate is almost love? 

- Hyunjin stop this nonsense, we all know it’s not true, am I correct Y/N? - seeing Felix’s astonished face was your main goal but now it felt a little bit different rather uncomfortable than satisfying: 

- It’s true! We have matching rings as well, like a proper instaworthy couple, see? - he grabbed your hand and show the rings to the others: 

- I don’t care about it! I want to hear it from her! Answer me Y/N pease say it’s not true... 

- What if it’s true? Who cares about them? They are just tryna copy us babe... - Mia added and rolled her eyes. 

- Then, is it true? - his face became paler, yours as well, but still you had to respond: 

- It’s true Felix. I’m his girlfriend now. Aren’t you happy? - you asked the same question as him, when he told you about Mia for the first time. He just listened to your words in a complete shock: 

- Can we talk? Come to the rooftop... now... - is he really planning to leave his surely annoyed girlfriend here and go up to the rooftop with you?

- Felix, don’t try to hurt her again! Because of you, she suffered enough! What do you want to do now? Y/N don’t go with him... - you just stared at the  ground, you were curious about what Felix is wants to say but you didn’t want to obey him: 

- Hyunjin, it’s okay, I can handle it, he is my friend after all, or he was once. 

- “Once?” So, now that you have a boyfriend? Am I forgotten? I was the one who introduced him to you! Also, you said you hate him, and he hates you as well! Why are you suddenly together with him? If he was a prick with you! 

- Don’t talk about him like that! - you never thought, not even your wildest dreams that you are gonna be on Hyunjin’s side against Felix. 

- Is he offending me? - he asked you, because you and Felix were talking in english. 

- Not important just let me settle things down, okay? I will go up with him now. 

- You shouldn’t Y/N, he is trying to control your emotions... Remember, what happened with you because of him! - “and because of you” 

- Don’t worry h... - everyone was watching at you right now, but you know that you have to say out to make things more offical and real: 

- D-don’t worry ho... hon.. honey... - finally, but your tone sounded like that you are cursing him not pet naming him: 

- “Honey?” - Changbin repeated the word in disbilief. 

- I will be right back. - Felix glanced at Mia and after back at you: 

- Follow me. - his voice was so deep and scary that the pace of your heart became faster. 

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It was nice, being on the fresh air again, after all the drama. But, it was just the beginning of this craziness. The sun already went down, the sky seemed cold blue and unfriendly: 

- Do you planned this? Saying that you are hate him and dating behind my back?! I thought we are real friends, I told my secrets and you didn’t tell yours! What the heck Y/N? Are you gone mad? - you never seen him that furious before, it was truly scary: 

- Why is it so bothersome to you?! You are dating as well! You are happy as well! Then, why are you acting so immature? 

- Immature? Am I immature? You are the immature one Y/N! He is not your type, he doesn’t deserves you! - at this moment, your emotions break loose, you couldn’t hold it in not even for a second, it meant too much pressure, you had to tell him: 

- You are telling me that he doesn’t deserves me? I think you are the one, who never deserved me! I loved you Felix! Dammit! I loved you so much, the feeling even kept me awake at nights! Always worrying about you, always praying for your health, and career! I just wanted to see you happy and whole again! I hoped that you became famous and reach your dreams! I never burdened you with my love, I never wanted to bind you to myself... - you try to hold in, you didn’t want to cry, but it was impossible: 

- Y/N... You were in love with me... ? Since when? 

- From the moment we first met. I was in love with you.... I was in love with you when we seperated, and I was in love with you when we started to become friends again... I never forgot to love you, regardless of the distance. 

- You never told me about this!

- It was so obvious! You were just too blind to see, also maybe you didn’t want to see it, because then you would had to face with the fact and refuse my feelings! Of course it was more comfortable not to notice.

- No, Y/N... Let me explain it, did you read my letter? 

- No, I’ve deleted it. - you admitted. 

- What? 

- I was serious back then in the hospital... I don’t think we can be friends from now on.. I feel like, you just used my adoration and kindness because I always supported you and I always wanted to be there for you no matter what... When the saseang attacked me, you just thanked me that the victim wasn’t Mia. Do you know, how painful is your selfishness to me? You have no idea, what I’ve been through... - Felix looked at you and there were tears in his eyes, you gulped, you never imagined that you will see him like this, because of you he was crying? 

- Y/N, please... Listen to me just once... Quit dating with Hyunjin... It’s not real, I know it can’t be... He is not the right one for you. 

- You were the one, who is not right for me Felix.. Not him. - you wanted to walk away, but he grabbed your hand in panick to make you stay: 

- Let go of me! - you raised your voice: 

- Y/N you can’t do this with me, don’t go back... - he pleaded, but you didn’t listen just relased your hands from his and turned around: 

- Wish me luck Felix... 

- I won’t. I won’t say congratulation either, because I don’t want this relationship to last!