#i was supposed to be at work today but since the school district is closed so are we

[rennisaturate]

went to the store and came home literally covered in ice 😭😭😭

like that may look wet but no that was all ice till i stepped in my apartment 🥴😩

[sehodreams]

sex money feelings die - the start

masterlist ↬ the start ↬ first visit

WC: 2.6k

TW and Tags (permanent for the story): rich client!Anton x stripper!reader, smut, fluff (?), a touch of angst for the moment, inexperienced reader, fingering, kissing, lots of silly conversations.

Summary: Working at a night club was difficult in many aspects, your sleep schedule was messed up for life, your feet were more used to high heels than sneakers and you had to lie about where you went to work those nights. Still, even with all those cons, you didn't hate your job, you had more than enough to pay your bills, feed your brother and save money for his college. However, what happens when your boss makes you do the one thing you asked to never do.

Mornings were usually a chaotic thing for most people, you remember the news striding into your ears first time you waked up and your mother calling for you to get ready while she prepared your and your little brother’s lunch. You’d help her checking your woke up and got ready on time too and then you'd kiss her cheek in a rush before the two of you ran to catch the bus.

When you asked your friends most of them said their routines were similar. Not having time to eat at home, all of you ate a quick breakfast together before first period started and then your day would consist on you trying to stay awake as long as you could to avoid getting scolded by your teachers and get good enough grades to apply to a public college around.

You expected your mornings to be that chaotic only when you were in school, and that your boring routine would change when you gained your independency, you never thought that, years later, when you were supposed to attend college in the other side of the city like most of your classmates did, you would be the one preparing the sandwiches and screaming for your little brother to wake up and get ready for his senior year.

‘’I have two shifts today, so I’ll be late, I’ll leave dinner in the fridge, but you’ll have to buy your lunch, okay?’’ you said while giving him the exact paper bag your mother used to give you with his sandwich and some pocket money. Your little brother, not so little anymore, nodded before leaving with half open half-closed eyes from studying until late the night before, not giving you a goodbye kiss. Teenagers, you thought and let him go with a smile.

Soon you were alone again, and listening to the new anchor talk about fruits prices increasing you decided that you had enough stress to think about how you would have to separate more money for groceries that week.

Your bed called for you and when you saw the hour, 7:05 am, and you thought a good nap wouldn’t hurt anyone since you’d have to stay up until late that night, again.

The afternoon came in a blink of an eye, when you opened your eyes, it was almost mid-day already, and now your real morning would start. You took your long daily shower and did your second routine, making sure not a single hair interrupted the smoothness of your well cared skin and your body was fresh enough to endure the next eight hour you would be at the club, working your two shifts.

Well, it was only one shift, but your brother couldn’t understand how a (supposed) part timer in a dinner had to stay until so late when people in your town didn’t buy anything after 11 o’clock. The true was that you had to travel to the other side of the your district to attend your shift in one of the numerous places that looked like normal clubs from the outside, where you did help behind the bar from time to time, but most of it you had to stand in the scenario and bear with the brazing lights reflecting on you while the customers left you their whole wallets to you, sometimes even their whole paychecks.

You started as a waitress, and you were great at it, of course it didn’t need much science, but it needed tons of patience. Smiling through the whole night left you exhausted, but you’d always leave with good tips on your pockets, so it was worth it. You were so good at it that your coworkers would glim every time you arrived to have the same shift as them since the rule was everything gets shared, if someone broke a glass everyone would chip in, and if someone earned two hundred from a drunk guy, you would all receive a part. It may sound inconvenient for some people, but you knew how much you needed to be on their good side if you wanted to keep things in peace, and you had broken enough glasses to be in a long debt on your first days too, so you owed them, and in exchange they also had your back in emergencies.

Still, even if you captivated clients into buying disgusting overpriced beer and enough cigarettes to kill a man, your boss was quick to convince you into becoming one of the girls in the spotlight.

You’re not sure how much a ‘’we have to let you go’’ sounds like convincing, but you didn’t have much of a choice to start neither, you had a brother about to start college and no one else to take care of you, bills were piling in your letterbox and the price of academies were starting to breath your neck, so after crying for three nights straight and signing your brother for afternoon lessons, you went and accepted you fate.

It was hard at first, learning how to be at least half as good as the other girls with your boss following you around pressing you to appear on stage as fast as you could, not caring that your first show was so lame the men around practically left pity bills only because of your pretty face and your big chest.

‘’Trust the process’’ one of the other girls said when you were crying in front of the mirror after your third show. She was kind enough to lend you her makeup and teach you how to make a smokey eye dark enough to hide the redness of your eyes after crying for hours, and you decided that, if you couldn’t dance as good as them those days, the least you could do was pretend you had the confidence to not care in front of those men, so after fixing yourself you went and smiled to everyone out there, and in three months you gained the tittle of favorite girl of the month.

Your brother had no idea of what you did for work but sincerely it was for the best, you didn’t need to be a genius to know how shocking for a student would be to know that his big sister danced for money, so lying to him after coming with the idea of you being a normal waitress in a faraway dinner wasn’t hard to decide, even the aunty that brought the daily ration of drinks said the same, ‘’angel, if you want to live in peace, don’t let anyone out there know what you do here, and I’m not saying it only for your own good, but for the people around you’’. She sometimes said bullshit like ‘’chicken tastes better with vodka than with beer’’, but you considered the first one good advice so you listened to her, you knew how cruel kids could be, and you wouldn’t like your brother to suffer the repercussions of your choices.

Dancing had quickly become a part of you, you never expected to have a talent in it, but even if sometimes the eyes of the men there disgusted you, it felt good to only hear the music and leave your body do its own thing until the song ended. The way your mind would forget about everything, what would you have to cook tomorrow, if your brother was sleeping enough, even the melancholic memories with your mom you had every time you had when you were tired, just felt incredibly good. You didn’t hate it anymore, you never hated it in first place, you knew most of the girls there by when you started, and they all had their own story. A few of them were studying at the same time, others had children to support, and one did it because she simply enjoyed too, so you never felt fair to judge them when each of them choose to stay there, just like you.

Even if the first times you felt sick, all their eyes over you almost making you throw up right there in the middle of your boring choreo when you had to take off your bra, you knew it would pass. You couldn’t help it, your mother had always taught you that the purity of a girl was important, reason why it took you so long to lose your virginity, but after a couple presentations, and a long honest conversation with one of the aunties in the kitchen, you stopped having those thoughts, ‘’there’s nothing wrong with what you do, even if you didn’t have a reason, your choices shouldn’t be influenced by what others think, you do what you have to do to earn your bread, and you don’t hurt anyone in the process, so give yourself some respect’’.

The environment started to feel part of you after you paid all your bills and had enough money left to buy your brother fruit, so now you didn’t feel sick anymore and tried to enjoy every little thing you could. You had found that a lot of nice people worked there, you had a free ear to listen to you everywhere, the security guard, the aunties in the kitchen, the guys mixing drinks at the bar, even your regulars wanted to listen to you while you danced over their laps, but you tried to keep certain distance with them, reason why you told them only mundane things like stuff you liked, dishes you knew how to prepare or how was your day, ‘’I hope your night gets even better’’ your favorite said when you finished, leaving two big bills inside your garment.

You arrived earlier than normal to give Sungchan, the security guard, his coffee. The coffee maker there worked like shit and the poor guy had to stay awake for almost sixteen hours, he was there when the place opened and he’d stay until it closed, so giving him some of your coffee had started to be another of the little routines you had in your life that made it more bearable.

‘’It seems today the boss will announce some exciting news’’ he said with a smile.

‘’Just look at that grin, I hope it’s a bonus or at least a new coffee machine in the kitchen’’ you laughed and passed him his thermos. He laughed with you too and accepted it, quickly putting a granola bar in your hands, he shushed you before you could ask him why he would give you that and pushed you into the changing room, his loud laugh echoing with each of his steps in the corridor.

You shook your head and cleaned your mirror before doing your makeup. Mondays were often a slow day, if you were lucky some office workers would scape to have a reunion there or some college boys would arrive with curious eyes looking all around. You preferred the last kind to be honest, they were so shy they never tried to touch you and even if the money they left was probably from their parents, they were still generous with the girls.

Everything was going like usual. You were polishing your platform heels when your boss called you to his office, interrupting your typical ritual before going to the scenario.

You walked there still wearing your street clothes. You saw almost everyone getting ready running around making sure the place was spotless before customers arrived when you felt a weird sensation in your stomach. You didn’t know why but you knew something would happen that night, and before you thought twice about it your boss closed his office door.

He almost never called girls into his office if it wasn’t important so, playing with the hem of your long-sleeved blouse, you patiently waited for him to start.

‘’I need you to do me a favor’’ he said after a couple of minutes checking some papers over his desk in silence.

The girls had taught you another important lesson, to never let yourself be into any situation without knowing how uncomfortable it could be, so you remained silent waiting for him to continue talking and tell you what he wanted from you.

He sighed when he saw your unsure eyes. ‘’I know this is just a strip club and nothing more, and I know I told you I would never push you to do anything you didn’t want to, but there’s an important offer I think you should take’’. You felt it coming, the bile was going up your throat and your eyes started to get wet even without him talking. He didn’t need to talk for you to know what was about to come out of his mouth, even worse than a punch, or the first time he threatened you to fire you, he was about to mention the only thing you asked from him, and that, after convincing you it would never happen, reason why you accepted to be a dancer in his club.

‘’Shotaro, this is not a brothel’’ you said before he continued.

‘’I know angel, but I really think you should see it’’ He pushed a paper well organized that showed in bold a price that almost made you choke with your own spit. Personal company services was written at the start of the document, as if they were hiring you like a bodyguard instead of a prostitute.

‘’Please don’t make me do it’’ your voice was already breaking and your lower lip quivering. Shotaro walked to your side and patted your shoulder, giving you his fake sympathy well hidden under his blank face.

‘’You don’t have to do anything angel, but I need to be honest here, this is an important opportunity not only for you, but for me, the loss would be too big if you don’t take it, and I’m sorry, but I would have to let you go.’’

‘’How could you say that Shotaro? I bring some of the best clients to this shithole, they come to see me, not to drink your half water half alcohol drinks and hear your dj tasteless playlist’’ you attacked. You were tired of receiving the same warning again and again, as if your presence had no value and he could replace you with anyone.

He sat back on his big chair and, completely put together, which irritated you even more, continued.

‘’I have nothing to discuss with you, the doors are open if you want to leave and find a place that serves pure alcohol and has a better music selection, but I must tell you, none of them will treat you as good as this shithole has.’’

A shiver went through your back after remembering how right he was. There weren’t many places like his club around, most of them were also brothels and, remembering what the other girls had told you, took a bigger portion of night profits.

You had lost the fight the minute it started, you couldn’t say no to what Shotaro asked you, not if you wanted to keep earning enough to pay your bills, maintain your brother well fed and clothed, and a roof over your head. It didn’t matter how many part time jobs you applied for, none of them would pay you enough to send your brother to college and pay for his extra lessons when you had no education further than high school, and feeling your eyes burning, like when he made you stop being a waitress to become a stripper, you nodded to yourself, being utterly crushed.

‘’Will this become regular? You selling me’’ you shrugged in your place just thinking about it.

‘’Not at all, like you said, this is not a brothel, he’s an exception.’’

‘’Who?’’

‘’Anton Lee’’

masterlist ↬ the start ↬ first visit

[edenshiba]

Could you do a Jealous Ice x Reader? Reader is close to the Daruma especially Kato and Ice doesn’t like it

Jealousy, Jealousy

Character: Jealous! Ice x Reader x Daruma Ikka

Note: Anonymous san, thanks for the request. You asked, I deliver. Please enjoy!

“Diddy where’s Ice?” You asked the male.

Diddy almost choke on his noodles after hearing your sudden voice in the kitchen. You are wearing Ice's white t-shirt and black shorts.

You and him were supposed to eat lunch together since it has been a long time since both of you spend time together. He promised you yesterday on the phone before both of you going to sleep. Now you are going to cook for him.

“ Brother got work. He can’t come home today.” Diddy said while looking at his cellphone.

You halted your movements. With a dissatisfied groan, you put back the frozen chicken into the fridge before heading back to your room. Diddy was confused by your actions before he realised something.

You close the door before laying on your shared bed. A heavy sigh left your mouth before you turn to your right and take your phone.

It’s always like this. Why do you even care?

Pick me up

Well, there is no use to dwell in sadness. You quickly put on jeans shorts and brush your hair lightly before taking your boyfriend’s extra jacket.

His clothes are the comfiest.

Within a minute you finally done with the clothes and you put on some light make up before going downstairs. Diddy’s watching the TV by the time you arrives downstairs. He look at you, confused.

“Where are you going?”

“ I’ll be back before midnight. Don’t miss me Di!” You said before giving the male a wink.

You put on your sneakers before running towards the gate. You push it with all your strength before finally getting out from the house. You ran down the street to the nearest coffee shop, the usual place for your friend to pick you up.

After waiting for several minutes, a red Cadillac appears in front of you. The driver took off his sunglasses before giving you a wink. Both of you laugh at the gesture.

“Ready for our fun date?” Kato said.

You quickly opens the car door before sitting next to him. You gave him a quick kiss on his left cheek.

“I miss you already. How’s Daruma nowadays?” You asked him after the vehicle moves.

“Well, lively than ever. Hyuga just open a new casino and shit's getting better from there.” He said.

You smiled at the male. Kato is your high school's best friend. Both of you are know for being mischievous and loves to cause trouble to others. After graduating, you went to University and Kato stayed and didn’t went to Uni with you.

Both off you still contact each other and he used to drive you to your Uni but since you dated Ice, both of you rarely meet. Yes, once or twice a month you will call him to meet up or you just went to the Daruma Ikka territory just to hang out with him and the rest of the Daruma.

But now since your boyfriend love his job and his friends more than you, so why not spend your day with Kato and the rest of Daruma Ikka? Well, they are fun and they handle all of the festival in their territory. You also got to learn how to gamble and cheat in games.

“Tell me, did your boyfriend upset you so much that you crawl back to me?” He raises his eyebrows, trying to railed you.

“Nah life’s great with him. I’m bored and he’s not home.” Your answer didn’t convinced him.

“Well I guess you better get wasted today. We just open a new casino and need to celebrate.” He said while smirking.

You ruffled his red hair and smile. Ah you miss this. Both of you used to do a lot of car trip to every city and district. By all means, camping, going to the beach and going to the bar even though both of you still in high school.

You arrived at the casino when the sun almost set. You jump out from the car and stood next to Kato. The casino is already open and you can hear lots of rowdy voices from outside.

By the time you get inside, both of you were welcomed by the Oirans. Two of them went straight to Kato but he just brush it off.

“Sorry ladies, I’m occupied.” He said with his infamous smirk.

You rolled your eyes playfully. There he is, the biggest heartbreaker. He then grabbed you by your shoulder before going deeper into the place. You can see numerous people there, mainly those with Daruma’s jacket but normal people also came here to release their stress.

There are myriads of reasons why this place is call the Sea of Red. In here Daruma’s gang member can easily be found walking on the street with their jacket without being caught by the police. Sakyo and Ukyo normally handle that, that’s why they never really get caught.

Oh the unspoken rules here, no cops allowed in the premises or Hyuga’s territory.

“Oii you here again. Did you get kicked out from your house?!” The shout caught your attention.

There, the famous Daruma’s twin is having a drink with their leader, Hyuga.

“Nice cast. Did someone break your arms?” You jokingly said which cause the grey haired male to laugh before puffing another smoke.

His twins snickered at your words before patting his side’s, signalling you to sit next to him. He gave you a hug in which you return it back.

“Finally moving here?” Ukyo asked. He gave you the cigarette but you turned it down.

“Nah just bored. Do you miss me that much Ukyo?” You said while pouting your lips, trying to act cute.

The guy just laugh it off and ruffled your hair making you grunt. You push his hand aside.

“ Hyuga, you didn’t miss me?” You said to the man. He look at you with his red eyes, probably high.

“ I thought you’re dead.” His answer's making Sakyo and Ukyo laughing.

And again, you miss this.

“ You’re cheating!”

You laugh at the male. Well, you’ve been winning all four rounds and of course they will think that you cheated.

“Suck it up old man. You suck!” You said before taking all the money.

The old man couldn’t do anything about it since Kato is right next to you. Everyone in Daruma Ikka's territory knows that they’re good as dead if they ever touch you. With Kato, one of Hyuga's best fighter is here with you, they will not see any sunlight again.

You and Kato has been playing side by side since 8 pm. You wondered what time now since all people already drunk and some has been going home already.

Well, you didn’t always get to spend time with your best friend.

“Oii, your phone has been ringing.” Sakyo said.

You turned your head to the older male, he’s holding your phone and you squint your eyes to see it.

It’s Ice.

Heh, you just shrugged your shoulders before continues to play. If he can forget about his promise then you can forget about having a boyfriend for one night.

It’s not a big deal.

After hours and hours of gambling at Hyuga’s casino, Kato decided to bring you out on a late night car ride. Well, both of you are drunk but sober enough to drive or counting the money that you’ve won.

“We should go to the old ramen place. I bet the old man still remember us.” You said excitingly to the red head.

“Hell no, the last time we went there he kick us out remember? You kept eating getting drunk.” He barked.

Yes, you remember the night vividly but it doesn’t stop you to pester him even more. You miss that old man’s ramen so much.

Your boyfriend doesn’t like ramen very much so you rarely got to eat it.

After eating, Kato decided that it’s time to send you home. It’s 5 am and tomorrow he got some errands to run.

“I told you, you can’t stay with me. I live with my sister and she hates you.” He snarled.

You really didn’t want to go home. Ice never like it if you went out this late without him. But do you care? No. But Diddy texted you saying that Ice is pissed.

“And I tell you again Toto, I don’t want to face my boyfriend.” You barked back.

Kato cringed at the nickname. You always call him that in the past whenever something didn’t get in your way. He hates that name so he would always get you what you want.

But not this time.

“ See, we already arrive. Good night my friend.” He said while opening the door for you from the inside, and push your shoulder in not so gentle manner.

“I’ll kill you for this bastard!” You yelled before closing the door loudly.

“Bitch this is Hyuga’s car!” He yelled.

You raise up your left hand before showing the middle finger to him. By the time you hear he cursed you, you ran up hills while laughing.

Ice always told you to not let anyone know where you live since it’s a secret.

You greet the guards before opening the gate and went inside. The lights is still on meaning they didn’t sleep yet. Well, you don’t care.

Did you get home safe?

It was from Hyuga. Your heart melted after reading it.

Awh, he cares about you.

You open the door without taking your eyes off the gadget. The loud conversation turned silent by the time you arrived at the living room. Your head perks up, all of them are there.

On the table, lots of gold bar and cash stacked nicely on the table. Well, if they successfully rob someone today than why Ice is pissed?

“Good morning.” Ryu said.

You look at the man, shocked. Both of you never really said anything to each other except of occasional 'Where's Ice' related questions.

“Where’s Diddy?”

“He went somewhere. Ice is waiting for you upstairs.” Sarah’s voice brings you back to reality.

Oh, you forget about THAT part.

Your boyfriend.

“Thanks.” You replied.

Sarah is nice, you like her. She’s pretty and you were there when Ice saved her. She’s a tough nut to crack but eventually she opens up to you and Ice.

Well, that was a year ago. Honestly all of the like sometimes turned into jealousy and hatred depending on Ice’s. He often bring her and the rest of the Mighty Warrior to their hunt and left you.

Usually he would bring you but since Sarah’s here, he decided that you would be better to stay at home.

He said and you quote,

'I love you so just use all the money that I earn and don’t lift any finger.’

That’s why your degree went to waste. He didn’t let you work

Before you get to open the door, Ice’s face appears. Both of you were shocked but you hide it. You push the door before getting into the room. Ice is leaning against the wall.

You could feel his eyes on you wherever you move. You quickly change your shirt and get into the shower. The water felt cold.

Finish showering, you went out and put on your night gown, getting ready for bed.

Ice is sitting on the couch next to the small bookshelf by the time you finish getting ready. You could see his curious face with the help of the moonlight.

“Where did you go baby?” His hoarse voice sending chills down your spine.

He walked up to you, not wearing anything other than his shorts. Instead of getting scared, your eyes stared at his muscular body. You didn’t see him four a week and his body is getting better.

He better not be walking around in the big mansion looking like that, or else you will kick him out.

“With my friend. Why?” He scoffed.

“That weakling?” His words making you mad.

You hit his shoulder hard before going to do your night care routine.

You stared at him from the mirror. The man is still sitting at the sofa.

“That weakling is better than my own BOYFRIEND. Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m still with you. You don’t even care about me anymore.” You emphasis on the word boyfriend. Ice rolled his eyes.

“You don’t mean that baby.” He didn’t believe you.

“Yes I am.” You wipe the excess lotion from your legs.

Ice stand behind you, before holding your shoulders and tried to turned you to face him.

“I don’t want you to see him anymore.” The eight words almost turn you into a mad woman.

You face him, with a serious face. The man ignored the look before walking and sits on your shared bed.

“Did you forget your place Ice? No ring on the finger so you can’t tell me what to do.” You said before continues to apply the moisturiser.

Ice clenched his jaws. You could see how his jawline perfectly formed from your place. Oh how you wish to kiss it.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“Are you jealous of Kato right now?”

Ice lost it. He walk up to you and grabbed your chin and tilted it so you can face him.

“Listen here, you are mine and not this whoever your friend is. If I heard about him again I’ll find him and kill him. Do you hear me?”

He’s jealous.

Ice rarely shows any jealousy when he’s with you. This is the first time in five years of your dating history that he acted like this.

You like this side of him, possessive when it comes to you. Ice always got his own style of protecting you.

You quickly push his hand away and stands up. He is taller than you so you had to look up. You grabbed his jaws before pulling him into a deep kiss.

He pushed you against the wall while grabbing your butt. Both of you were fighting for dominance until you bit his lips, making him jerked away from you.

“The next time you broke your promise, will be the last time you got to kiss me like this, understand?” You walk away from him and sit on the same sofa next to the small bookshelf.

Ice touches his bloody lip. Feeling of excitement enters his body after listening to your threats, making him smirked at you.

“So you will stay away from him?” He asked.

“Jealousy doesn’t suit you so stop, he’s just my friend. Just like you and Sarah.” By the time you mentioned her name, Ice’s brows furrowed.

By your body language he can tell that something is wrong. That was until he managed to put the pieces together

“Are you jealous of her babe? Come on, she’s part of our group.” He laughed at your expression by the time he questioned you.

“That’s depends on you. Honestly if it wasn’t because of Diddy trying to convince me that you actually love me and not Sarah, I would leave you now.” Your cold voice is something that he never heard off.

He never knows that you felt this way. Suddenly the waves of guilt hit him. He walk up to you before getting on his knees and hold both of your hands. He kissed both knuckle before facing your sour face.

“ It’s like I’m dating Diddy instead of you. Maybe I should date your brother since both of us has been spending so much time for the past month.” You pouted your lips while looking away.

“Okay, okay I promise that we will spend time together again okay? Don’t say that baby.” Ice assured you.

You silently smile. He can’t see you sad.

Moreover, he’s the main cause.

You got him head over heels for you, even Ice himself can’t deny it. Many people thought that he’s the man in the relationship, but the truth is whatever you said he will follow.

Even when it comes to something he hates wholeheartedly.

“Promise me?” You said while showing your pinky finger.

“Yes, pinky swear baby.” Both of your pinky finger interwinds together, as you seal the promise.

You capture his lips with your kiss, pulling up so he can be on top of you. He returned it with one of his hand on your butt and the other wrapped around your neck.

He can’t get enough of you. The rose’s scents making him crazy over you. Before he get to go further, you push his head a bit before stared deep into his eyes.

“You will cancel all your plan starting tomorrow until the next Tuesday, understand?” He nodded while still staring at your (e/c) orbs.

“You will stay away from the Daruma kid?” His question making you smile.

“ Jealousy doesn’t suit you Ice. I’m all yours.” With that, the male finally felt peace in his heart.

Both of you smile at each other before you getting up and went to the bed. The clock’s showing 6.45 am and you are tired.

“Now let’s sleep.”

He followed you, like a lost puppy.

[sillymarigolds]

Between the Lines

I'm back writing fanfic after many years away from the wonderful community of writers and readers! This is my first THG fic and was inspired by the prompt "This Would Have Happened Anyway" on @promptseverlark but I just never got around to writing it in time for the challenge.

Also posted on my ao3 here (I'm sillymarigolds there, too!)

Synopsis: If the 74th Hunger Games had never brought them together, perhaps the 75th Hunger Games would bring Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark together instead. A canon-divergent AU fic based on the “This would have happened anyway” prompt on @promptseverlark

~*~

Early Summer

Crouching in the scrub, I strain my ears listening for the rustling of leaves that might give away any game. The chorus of birds is absent today, leaving only the hum of insects emanating from the trees.

I watch the shadows of the trees grow taller on the forest floor and sigh. It’s time to go.

I trudge back to the hollowed tree stump where I carefully wrap my bow in oilcloth to protect it against the elements. Readjusting my game bag with only two hares and some wild greens to show for my afternoon, I pick up my pace to a trot, making my way towards the fence. I stop briefly to listen for the hum of electricity. Hearing nothing, I wriggle under a loose section close to home.

The streets of the Seam are quiet, still awaiting the next layer of coal to be deposited off the backs of the miners toiling underground. I make this journey alone most days now. Since Gale has turned nineteen and started work at the mines, we are hunting partners only on his weekends off.

I have started to feel very envious of Gale sometimes. He no longer has to go to school and listen to lessons on the importance of coal production to Panem. He can finally support his family financially without relying on selling game at the Hob. And most of all he has survived the reapings.

The only place where I don’t have those terrible thoughts is the woods. Because in the woods there is no District 12. There is no Hunger Games. There is only green and bird song.

From the street, I catch sight of the clock atop the Hall of Justice and realise I am late to pick up Prim. Sliding my father’s hunting jacket off and dumping the game bag in front of an angry Buttercup who yowls in response, I cut through backyards to make it back to the schoolhouse.

The schoolhouse has apparently not changed in anyone living’s memory. It is only one room, built of whitewashed wood harvested from the forest that now lies outside the fence. Prim was supposed to wait outside on the front steps for me, but I can’t see her.

I fly up the steps, my braid swinging like a crazed pendulum behind me. Two of the long desks we sit at during classes have been covered in old cloths stained in many colours. The long bench seats have been pulled either side making it look more like a formal dinner setting than a classroom. Old jars stand filled with opaque shades of brown, grey, blue and violet atop the table. Pencils and charcoal are dotted between them. Darius, one of the younger peacekeepers is napping on a chair in the corner of the room, his hands resting on a folio stuffed with paper. The late afternoon sunlight casts a bright orange glow onto the crown of his head which rests on the window. The room is otherwise empty, but I see the back door is open, so I slow to a walk and make my way out the back.

I see the backs of Prim and Miss Flora our old schoolmistress standing over a tub together washing out paintbrushes quietly singing a folk song that calls for a good harvest. I take the stairs two at a time and walk around to stand opposite so as not to scare them knowing I have a light tread. “Prim, you said you would be out front,” I say hands on hips. Prim’s eyes widen pleading forgiveness. Miss Flora turns looks at me through her grimy spectacles and I swear I can almost see a hint of a smirk on her lips. She looks over to Prim and exclaims, “I’m sorry dear, time must have gotten away from us both. Thank you for all your help, I can take it from here.”

“But Miss Flora, Katniss and I could stay for a little…”

I open my mouth to rebut that no, we do not have time and that we need to make it home so I can cook dinner, but Prim continues:

 “We still have to take all the paintings inside!”

Miss Flora pulls her hands out of the tub and wipes them on her apron, pushing her spectacles back up her nose. “I would certainly appreciate it if you two would do that, my knees aren’t quite what they used to be. If you could stack them all against the wall next to the blackboard.”

My stomach growls as I go to frown at Prim, but she is already wiping off her own hands on her skirts and skipping around the side to the building.

Miss Flora looks up at me and says, “Thank you Katniss, see you tomorrow morning,” and goes back to washing up, whistling the chorus of the song.

I follow Prim around the side of the schoolhouse to where the canvases are lined up to dry in the late afternoon sun. She has already got one in each hand and is heading inside with them. “Thank you, Katniss,” she says sweetly, and my face softens. I could never be angry with Prim.   

As we pass one another, I catch sight of one of the paintings —a portrait of a man opening the door as he comes home from work in the mines. It is every bit a beloved father painted by an adoring child. But everything in it is too clean – the house, the father’s face, his clothes. One thing strikes me as true though, and that is his smile. I can remember my father always having one on as he walked through the door, bending down to hug me as I clung to his knees, and then he would scoop up a baby Prim to plant a kiss on her temple. Always the left one, where she has a birthmark so close to her hairline it is almost invisible. Sometimes I see her touching it when she looks at the photo of our father on the mantlepiece. Suddenly my chest feels tight, and I squeeze my eyes shut to stop the emotion swelling in my throat from spilling over into tears.

When I close my eyes, I can still see President Snow’s face pulling that letter out of the wooden box, his eyes cold as he reads out the words: “On the 75th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that the beauty and peace they enjoy at the generosity of the Capitol is still young, each district will send their youngest eligible male and female as tributes.” 

The art was Snow’s addition. That “all the potential tributes should showcase their district and the generosity of the Capitol in art to be displayed in the Capitol before the Games.” There have never been proper art classes at school before. Only ever graphite pencils and plain paper which were already scarce. Most of the children in Twelve had only ever drawn on frosty windowpanes when there wasn’t enough money to keep the fire stoked with the coal their fathers toiled underground to mine during the long, harsh winters.

The day after President Snow’s announcement, a peacekeeper-guarded train arrived filled with coloured pencils, paints and paintbrushes in all the colours I could imagine and some that I couldn’t. There had been an announcement to all parents that children were to stay on Friday afternoons until the reaping to work on their pieces that would be considered for the “great honour” of travelling to the Capitol and representing our district. Of course, that should have include me, but I was excused by Miss Flora on account of my inability to think of anything I was remotely grateful for that the Capitol had given me. How could I be grateful to people who killed my father and left me and Prim to starve? Who will take away twenty-four twelve-year-olds to fight to the death for entertainment?

What I love about Twelve has nothing to do with them. I love Prim and my mother. I love Gale and his family. And I love the woods. Besides, my artistic abilities are limited to drawing hunting maps in the mud with a stick.

I blink my eyes back open into the afternoon and rub my eyelids with the hem of my shirt before Prim comes back. I grab two more canvases trying not to look at them and head back into the schoolhouse to lay them next to Darius’s chair with the others. Darius is still snoring softly, but has been joined by Purnia, another of the peacekeepers who is sitting on the opposite side of the room. We nod politely to one another having seen each other around the Hob. Prim and I continue this dance, passing each other with paintings in each hand, until I see Prim heading for the last two and I wait inside for her while Purnia starts collecting up the art materials from the tables into a large metal box with a lock. Purnia has almost cleared the tables and Prim still hasn’t come back inside, so I head back through the door and around the side where I see her standing perfectly still.

I walk towards her, my steps quickening as she fails to look away. “Prim,” I say from a metre or so away, but I get no response. She is so enraptured by the canvas she is looking at.

I reach for her shoulder placing my hand on top of it and eyeing her with concern. “Katniss,” she whispers quietly in reply, never turning her head to look at me. And so, I turn my head to see what has struck her almost dumb.

I recognise the scene immediately — it is the woods at the outskirts of District 12; the woods I left to come here. The leaves are the perfect shades of green with streaks of gold reflecting the sun overhead.   There is even the dappled shade that covers the ground in the afternoons. I have this strange feeling of wanting to reach out and touch the leaves and hear them rustle under my fingertips. And then I focus on the figure in the middle of the painting, a girl with her face turned away and a long braid of black hair resting down the middle of her blue, floaty dress. Birds are perched in all the trees like a silent audience. Their beaks are shut, and they watch intently as if they have been held entranced by the girl.

“Katniss it’s you.” Prim says quietly, finally turning to look at me with tears in her eyes. It’s my turn to be struck dumb because I know she is telling the truth. My tongue feels like it has swollen up to the roof of my mouth and my throat feels as dry as if I hadn’t had a drop of water all day. Prim reaches out to me and takes my left hand in both of hers. She knows I can’t express whatever I’m feeling and not to make me try. She lets go of my hand to walk over and pick up the canvas with both hands, treating it with the utmost care, and starts walking it inside. I look over to the canvas next to it and see a warm hearth with a large scruffy yellow tabby cat and goat curled up on a rug and I smile knowing that Prim can always see the good through the grime.

Reaping Day - Part I

The sun is high in the sky, glaring off the windows in the square. There is no wind to flap the flag of Panem or the banners that have been hung on the Hall of Justice.

Prim and I have scrubbed ourselves to a healthy looking pink. My mother laid out her blue dress for me again, but at the thought of the painting I folded it and left it on the end of her bed. Instead, I am dressed in my favourite green blouse and skirt with my signature braid coiled up into a bun that sits on the nape of my neck.

My eyes flick between the stage and the younger girls a few rows ahead where I see Prim standing in her pink blouse and brown skirt. I have to keep reminding myself that she is safe. This time, my mind adds.

There is no need for the reaping balls this year. Everyone has known who will be going since the announcement or soon afterwards. The little girl Nona’s body shakes with her sobs. The boy Martin is trying to be brave, standing as tall as he can, but I can see the fear in his eyes. They are both Seam children — he the eldest of five, she the youngest of four.  I walked past their parents: one mother sobbing like her only daughter, the other completely silent as if she had no tears left to cry as the baby slung across grabbed at her chest for comfort.

The paintings going to the Capitol have been hung behind the stage on a large piece of red fabric that I learned is called velvet. Prim’s painting is there amongst a dozen or so others. The painting of me is there as well. Together they tell a very different story of District 12 — one with fathers who always make it home, where there is always food to eat and coal to burn, where we are all surrounded by cleanliness and greenery.

Effie Trinket is back for the televised broadcast of the reaping. As usual she sports the bizarre fashions of the Capitol, with a gold wig teetering atop her head and red jewels stuck on her face. I adopt as neutral an expression I can through the proceedings. The entire district is silent apart from the wails of babies and the soft wooshes of fans held by adults to keep them from fainting. I can see the faces of the peacekeepers starting to falter as they too are struggling with the prospect of sending our youngest away to die far from home for the amusement of strangers. They end up having to restrain Nona as she tries to run for her parents. The only person whose resolve seems not to be tested is Haymitch Abernathy which I think is simply because he is too drunk to be aware of what’s going on.

When Nona and Martin have been taken to the train along with the paintings, the crowd slowly disperses. Prim comes and takes my hand, rubbing circles with her thumb over the back of it to soothe me. I can feel the tension in my jaw loosen a little. “What should we do, little duck?” I ask her, pulling my mouth into a closed smile.

“Can we go and look at the cakes in the bakery window?”

“Of course.” I know Mother will have already gone home to lie down.

Hand in hand we walk over to the bakery, an old brick building painted white and kept meticulously clean. I know the baker, Mr Mellark, well as he is one of my best customers. He loves squirrel, although I can only sell them to him when his wife isn’t around. She is a proud woman who thinks it is beneath them to eat game since they can afford “proper” meat.

I catch sight of the baker at the counter through the glass in the door and he dips his head at me in greeting, his eyes twinkling. Prim drags me towards the window, her nose mere inches from the glass, eyes roaming hungrily over cakes we could never afford.

As I stand there bent over holding Prim’s hand, I notice a new tray being pushed into the cabinet. Small cakes decorated with bright iced flowers on top. They remind me of the paint boxes from the Capitol. I stand up expecting see the baker, but instead my eyes meet his in a different face, that of his son, Peeta Mellark. His reaping clothes are covered by a well-used apron that bears splotches in many colours and a dusting of flour. I notice Peeta’s hands are covered in the same bright hues.  

We hold each other’s gaze for a moment, I feel like he wants to ask me something. But then I hear his mother call out for him and his shoulders sag slightly and he turns away and disappears out the back.

Peeta the painter. It must have been him. Which just begs the question, why Peeta who has this comfortable life choose to paint me in the woods?

 Reaping Day - Part II

Later that evening, out of our reaping clothes, we are drinking mugs of dandelion tea in candlelight in front of the empty hearth. I am oiling my boots to keep my hands busy and Prim is sitting cross legged with Buttercup on her lap. Instead of turning in to bed, Mother has fallen asleep in one of the armchairs. She dipped into her emergency stash of Ripper’s white liquor, which means she found today more distressing than usual. Father’s photo looks down on all of us from the mantle. The only sounds are my cloth rubbing against well-worn leather and the purr Buttercup eminates as Prim’s nails scratch his scalp. The broadcast of the reaping is at last over, each face of the tributes flashing before my eyes making me rub harder, my knuckles turning white.

A gentle knock on the front door brings me to my feet. Prim’s eyes are wide and worried as she stays rooted to the ground. Mother continues to slumber on.

I tiptoe over to the door and take a deep breath in as I open it into the cool night breeze unsure of what I will find.

A young man stands outside half in shadow, his head tilted down. “I’m sorry to come by so late,” he says, moving towards the light.

It's Peeta Mellark.

The left side of his face is covered with an ugly hand-shaped welt that has swollen his left-eye half shut. He is still dressed in his clothes from the reaping, his hands awkwardly holding his elbows.

My brain struggles to pass words to my mouth, so I instead wave him in and lock the door behind him. Prim’s hands are over her mouth. Peeta winces knowing what a sight he must be.

His blue eyes meet my grey ones. “I thought maybe your mother…” his sentence trails off. Of course, he is here for Mother.

I go to her and squeeze her forearm, but get no response, so I move to squeeze her shoulder. “Mother, wake up,” I say, my voice a little shaky. She screws her nose up but resists opening her eyes. Prim comes to stand next to me, taking Mother’s opposite hand, “Mother, please, there’s a patient here to see you.”

Prim has said the magic word. Mother’s eyes fly open, and she pushes down into the armchair to stand, smoothing down the front of her dress. She turns to see Peter still standing near the doorway. She gives no hint of pity in seeing his swollen face or his broken spirit.

“Come, sit,” she says like someone who was asleep only moments before. “Prim grab my bag. Katniss, boil some water.” She takes Peeta by the arm and leads him to our kitchen table, settling him in one of the chairs.

As instructed, I head outside to fill the kettle from the pump in the backyard. Seconds later I hear Mother come out behind me, and in my peripheral vision I can see her outline heading for the outhouse. The liquor must have caught up with her.

We head back inside together, not speaking until, as we are a foot away from the back door, she whispers almost inaudibly, “She always did have a nasty temper, his mother.” I almost stumble and fall behind her, closing the door behind me. In the dim light, I catch my reflection in the glass panes of the door and feel like I am looking at a ghost.

I put the kettle on the stovetop and sit down at the end of the kitchen table, watching Mother and Prim working together like a well-oiled machine. They grind up herbs and roots out of jars kept in Mother’s leather apothecary bag to make a poultice. The train of thoughts in my head stretches on without end:

How could his own mother do this?

On a day she was able to keep her son?

I must have lost track of time as I am broken out of my reverie by the order “Katniss, make Peeta tea with some willow bark,” as the kettle whistle crescendos in the background.

I make my way over to the stove, shifting the kettle off the hot plate. “How do you take your tea?” I ask without turning to face Peeta.

“No shu-argh-no sugar, thank you,” he replies, wincing at the sting of whatever Mother is applying.

I steep the willow bark with the tea leaves in one of our nicer mugs, listening to Prim ask Mother questions about the ingredients in the ointment she has applied. When the tea is ready, I make my way around the table to stand in front of Peeta. He is sitting quietly, hands folded in his lap, looking down.

I hold out the mug to him with both hands. He lifts his head up and I get a better look at the mark his mother’s hand has made. If I had a paintbrush, I could trace the outline of each of her fingers. There is a small section that is deeper and jagged where a ring has torn into the milky flesh of his cheek. Peeta reaches both of his hands out for the mug and his fingertips brush mine ever so gently. I want to yelp as the feeling of an electric shock runs up my arms, but I end up biting my tongue.

Our eyes meet again, and I look away.

Every time I see his eyes, I am back there, sitting in the rain outside the bakery.

“Thank you, Katniss,” he whispers quietly.

“You’re welcome,” I reply, the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. “Excuse me,” I say to the room as I head back outside to rinse my mouth out. 

When his tea is finished, Mother sends Peeta home with a small jar of the ointment and a poultice to keep on it to reduce the swelling. I couldn’t think of anything to say to him, so I sat there awkwardly with my stomach twisting and turning on itself.

She tidies up and heads to bed without saying another word. Prim gets into bed with her, pre-empting the nightmares she will have after today.

I crawl into my own bed alone, pulling the thin, woven blanket over me. I stare up at the ceiling and feel like the world is moving around me ever so slightly, pitching my stomach side to side even as I lie as still as possible. I feel so unbalanced and all I want to do is sleep to make it go away, but I also don’t want to close my eyes. I don’t want to watch the reaping replayed in my dreams. I don’t want to trace the outline of the mark on Peeta’s face. I can’t tell which is worse anymore, being awake or being asleep. I exhale all the air in my lungs and try to focus on the sliver of sky I can see through the roof, hoping sleep will take me by surprise.   

Late Summer

I take every opportunity after the reaping to disappear into the woods.

The weather is still warm, but I leave my father’s hunting jacket on and stick to the shade cast by grandfather trees. The song of invisible birds rings out through the small clearing not too far from the fence. There is no need to hunt today, but I carry my bow out of habit. “If you aren’t prepared to fight then you have already lost,” as my father used to say.

As my eyes wander through the trees, I am reminded of Peeta’s painting — all those birds perched, listening. I feel silly, but I want it to be real, so I lower my bow and clear my throat. The words are tucked deep into my memory, and so as I start to sing, I close my eyes to help bring them to my lips:

“Down in the valley, valley so low, Late in the evening, hear the train blow. The train, love, hear the train blow. Late in the evening, hear the train blow. Go build me a mansion, build it so high, So I can see my true love go by. See him go by, love, see him go by. So I can see my true—" I swirl around as a twig snaps behind me.

The corner of a blue shirt and brown boot catch my eye from behind the trunk of a red oak.  

I can feel my heartbeat thudding in my ears as I raise and draw my bow.

“Who’s there?” I ask. The birds are silent like curious onlookers.  

From behind the tree Peeta steps out his hands raised in surrender. The mark on his face has vanished.

“Sorry,” he says, looking up past me to the trees, “I’m just here to paint,” he leans his head over to his left shoulder which carries a canvas bag. “I was going to move along but…” his voice trails off.

“But what,” I snapped, my bow still raised at his throat.

“But you really can make the birds fall silent.” He gestured up at the trees and I turned around to see the birds had come out into the open, onto the edges of the tree branches like spectators in the highest stands of an arena. They all stood perfectly still as if Peeta and I were Covey midway through an act.

“I remember you singing that song when we were in music class.” Peeta adds.

“My father always said your father could make all the birds fall silent too.”

I am glad I have my back turned to Peeta at this point because I don’t know what to say. I just stand their silently, making eye contact with each of the birds in turn.

“He wanted to marry your mother you know, my father that is. I don’t think my mother’s ever gotten over feeling like a second choice…” He adds.

“I’ll go,” Peeta says after the silence between us grows, he shifts his weight with the resultant rustle of leaves.

“Peeta, I’m sorry.”  I blurt out as I turn back around and narrow the gap between us.

Now it’s Peeta’s turn to be confused. He looks at me with a furrowed brow, sunlight glinting off his eyelashes making them outline his eyes in gold.

“I’m sorry your mother did that.” I clarify, tipping my nose towards his left cheek.

Peeta’s brow relaxes, and his face twists into a sad smile. “She was so angry when she saw that painting,” he explains.

“But this was what I thought of when I thought about everything good and pure in District Twelve.”

I duck my head and feel the heat of a blush rise in my cheeks.

Peeta’s voice picks up where I left off:

“—so I can see my true love go by.

Go write a letter, send it by mail. Bake it and stamp it to the Capitol jail. Capitol jail, love, to the Capitol jail. Bake it and stamp it to the Capitol jail.”

There is a commotion as the birds prepare to take flight, jostled by this new voice that sings in a slightly off-key tenor. To settle them, I join him to finish: “Roses are red, love; violets are blue. Birds in the heavens know I love you. Know I love you, oh, know I love you, Birds in the heavens know I love you.”

The last note of our voices intertwined seems to hang in the air, vibrating slowly.

Something different is in Peeta’s eyes when I meet them this time. It is both steely and determined, soft and enveloping. The trees behind him seem to shift back and forth despite there being no wind.

I feel myself drawn towards him and reach out for the same place that ugly welt marked his face. As lightly as moth wings, I place my hand where his mother’s lay. His skin feels like it is burning my fingertips.  

Peeta reaches up to encircle my wrist.

“Katniss,” he says softly, looking straight at me.

And to make everything straighten out I press my lips against his.

[the-bar-sinister]

Lucifer Was an Angel As Well (35287 words) by thesavagesabretooth

catch up here A sheltered young artist with a tragic past finds herself caught in the web of dark affection by a beautiful and sinister murderer, and his carefree rockstar brother.

-

August 31, 2028– 9:15 am

When Justine had said that she wanted to meet with Miles Edgeworth, he had suggested a lovely cafe a little way from the prosecutorial office. Now he sat there across from her in the neat, wrought iron chair at the wicker table next to a large glass window that let in the sunlight and the view of the cafe's garden.

Justine had taken some time after her talk with Kristoph Gavin to recompose herself, to wipe the nostalgic affection from her face and still her emotions back into the gentle hum of impartiality and gentle serenity. A judge, not a boxer. An arbiter of justice.

She smiled serenely at Miles as she lifted her coffee to her lips and took a long sip. 

“It's a lovely day for this sort of thing, isn’t it?” 

"A trifle warm for my tastes," he chuckled, leaning over his coffee cup. "Which is why I didn't get us a table outside. But it is lovely. And it's nice to see you."

Justine and Miles had met fairly often since the end of the Blaise Debeste affair. Not weekly, or anything close to it, but often enough that they remained in one another's lives.

She’d always been happy to see him, both for his keen intellect and wit and for all the help he’d given her in sewing up that sordid mess. He’d become a trusted friend, someone she regarded with affection, and the only one she trusted in the seat of Chief Prosecutor at the moment.

“It’s lovely to see you, too,” she smiled with her eyes closed. “Things have been rather busy lately, haven’t they? That whole Organization affair…” 

"Ugh, it certainly has," Miles huffed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'm still surprised we managed to get it sewn up– and I'm still dealing with the paperwork from Interpol."

Justine laughed musically. “Oh I think we’ll be suffering Interpol’s paperwork for the next year! Such, my dear, is the price of justice and judgment.” 

"One of the less regrettable prices, admittedly. If an annoying one," he chuckled. "What about you– you've had your own cases to oversee, of course."

“I’ve been kept busy. ...as one of the premier judges of our district, I’m afraid I haven’t had a moment to relax and be myself.” She sipped her coffee “though I did carve out a little time today.” 

"I'm pleased you did. It means I can carve out a little time too, and pretend it's still considered working." Miles chuckled and shook his head.

She raised her finger to her lips with a playful smile. 

“I won’t say a word, Miles. It’ll be our little confidentiality.” She hummed quietly. “I hesitate to say, there…is…something somewhat work related we should probably discuss.” 

Miles sighed, and stirred more sugar into his coffee. "I was afraid that you'd say so. But let's."

“I visited Kristoph Gavin.”

She had to say it as simply as possible. If she sugar coated it, glossed over it or implied she’d only ever find excuses to continue dancing around the issue. 

"I see," Miles nodded. "He's a popular man all of a sudden. I gather his little 'community service' request has come to your attention."

“It had...yes. I’d even gotten copies of the various transcripts, letters and his psychological profile delivered to me.” She sipped her coffee again, looking up to meet his eyes “we went to school together, you know.” 

"I didn't know that," Miles said thoughtfully. "But I suppose I'm not surprised. The age lines up– not that I'd pay any attention to that."

She laughed again, smiling faintly as she leaned on her hand. 

“Same class. I was valedictorian of the Judge course at Themis, and he was in the Defense course.” Nostalgia warmed inside her, and she smothered it before it showed on her face, “Once upon a time I had a talent for getting him into trouble.” 

"Difficult to imagine, admittedly."

“Knowing me and him now? I imagine so!” Justine laughed again with a trace of a grin. “Back in school I was a bit of a spitfire, you know. Captain of the boxing team, even.”

Her expression softened “Amy’s death changed a lot for me. And Kristoph– well. Back in school he was delightful company. Kind and studious, but just as likely to cause trouble as I was.” 

"You make it sound as though the two of you were thick as thieves, Justine." He leaned over the table toward her, sipping his coffee. "I had no idea that you'd been close."

Justine sipped her coffee with a pensive frown. 

“We were very close. My job as judge kept me busy, enough that I suppose I didn’t have the chance to ever really talk about it with anyone.” She sighed quietly. “we were lovers. The power couple of Themis Legal.” 

Miles Edgeworth made a choked noise and seemed to fight not to spit out his coffee.

"Power couple? Is there anyone in my circle of friends who hasn't fucked Kristoph Gavin?" He grimaced, low over the table, and grabbed his napkin, wincing as he went to smooth his hair, and apologize. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. I was just surprised."

Justine coughed, and her face turned bright red. She fanned herself with a quick glance around the restaurant.

“My WORD Mr. Edgeworth! He’s always been…a passionate man. I suppose I’m not surprised. But ah, yes.” She brushed her hair over her ear “...a power couple. I regret that my duties made it difficult to see him in the years leading up to… his ‘mistakes’.”

Miles rubbed the back of his neck. "You're hardly his keeper, Justine, whatever your relationship might have been."

“I know, I know..” she leaned on her hand “it’s just difficult to see what’s become of him since then.” With a sigh, she shook her head. “Regardless…he’s going to be back in my court soon enough.” 

"I'm sorry about that," he sighed. She watched him add yet another sugar packet to his dwindling coffee. "It's been causing a lot of distress in general, and I've been reminding everyone, and myself, that we have to stay impartial about this."

Justine blinked at him quietly for a moment. He..didn’t quite get the right emotional read there, but she felt almost bad correcting him. 

In truth, she was excited to see Kristoph back in the courtroom. Interested to see where he would go from there, despite the pain and distrust of his past behavior. The betrayal of his fall to criminality. That old spark of affection refused to die, despite her impartiality of judgment and action.

She kept the objection to herself with a gentle smile. “It's alright. I suppose we’ll see what he makes of himself…I hear he’s also…made a friend.” 

"You mean Vera Misham? If there's someone else I'd like to hear it." Miles sounded a bit exasperated– even exhausted.

“Oh I’m sure there’s others.” Justine chuckled grimly. “...but no I do mean Miss Misham.” 

He leaned on his hand. "Yes, I discovered recently that they've been corresponding for some time. I had a serious discussion the other night about how worried I ought to be about it."

“I’m curious your conclusion on that , actually," Justine mused. “I've read some of the letters for myself. I did my research before visiting Kris, after all.” 

"I'm glad to hear it. I have to say I'm interested in your perspective, since it seems you have a longer one than the most of us," he said. "Provisionally, my judgment is that Vera Misham is an adult, and my interference in her friendships– however strange or unsavory I might find them– would be stepping on her autonomy."

“I would agree with that, honestly.” Justine chuckled softly. “...though something Kris said to me took me aback. I admit I’m not close with young Misham, but…well…he said ‘people often forget to ask her about herself’. Has anyone asked her what she feels about him? About their ‘friendship’?” 

"Ah– I have no idea, honestly. My sense is that they haven't," he said. "Its… interesting that Kristoph said that to you. As neither of them has mentioned their letters to me at any point. Nor do I think they've mentioned them to anyone else. I found them by accident, and my impression was that they were meant to be an open secret."

Interested that Kristoph said that… Was Miles suggesting that Kristoph was trying to manipulate her perception of the relationship?

She supposed it was possible. The logical part of her certainly saw it as so. But her old ties to sentimentality left her hoping Kristoph wouldn’t try to play head games with her he knew he would lose.

She sipped her coffee.

“Interesting, The way he phrased it…I think he was implying people tend to speak for her.” She closed her eyes. “...perhaps it was him expressing irritation with all the people interrogating him on the subject.” 

"Justine I hate to say this, but as far as I'm aware, you're the first person who's asked him about it at all. He doesn't get many visitors, and I haven't raised the question since I haven't seen him since I discovered it."

Justine’s eyes widened. “Oh. Hm. I certainly didn’t expect to be the first…” 

"Indeed," Miles sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid you were. That said, you at least, may have a point about people speaking for Vera and making assumptions rather than asking her what she wants…"

“Why thank you, Miles.” she chuckled. “...it seems to be an unfortunate problem…likely due to her tendency to be rather quiet.” 

"Yes, she has difficulty self-advocating," Miles said with a sigh. He finished his coffee and gestured for a refill as the waiter passed. "I have to admit, I've probably played into that. You know I can be a little overprotective. But now she is self-advocating. To be put in charge of Kristoph Gavin."

Justine froze halfway through waving for more coffee herself “...she said what?” 

"She wants to be put in charge of him as his detective. In five days time she's entering Police Academy to become a detective and forensic investigator. Something that the two of them seem to have discussed extensively in their letters."

“My my…” she brushed her fingers against the gavel at her hip. “I did see some mention of her joining the academy in what I skimmed…she wants to be assigned to him, then?”

It seemed the girl’s attachment to Kristoph’s magnetic charm was stronger than she'd thought. Not that she could blame her– back in Themis, she’d been drawn to him too. The power couple who’d change the face of Law and Order once they graduated; the long nights on campus where neither of them were supposed to be instead of going home.

“Are you going to authorize it if she graduates?” 

"Despite my better judgment, I've all but promised to." He sighed. "I spent the last day or so skimming their letters just to be sure, but– if he manipulated her into this, it was so subtle even a suspicious mind like my own can't see it."

Justine nodded slowly. 

“Yes…I was certain you’d say that.” She leaned on her hand again “it sounds as if they talked about a possibility and she became enamored with it– and she came up with the desire to work with him on her own. Kristoph…he’s done some terrible things, but not everything he does is a grand manipulation.”

“...during Themis, I can say for certain it wasn’t. Half of the nonsense situations we got into wouldn’t make any sense as part of some ‘greater plan’."

"I'll be honest, Justine," Miles sighed. "His crimes don't really make sense as some part of 'greater plan' either. For all that I want to accuse Kristioph Gavin of manipulation– and I do, and I'm sure he's guilty of it– I don't know. He tried to poison her, but all of his advice that I've read between them seems… really genuine. Solid. It makes me feel a bit inadequate."

Act first– act passionately– and then come up with a grand and intricate scheme to make it work in the aftermath. That's what Kristoph had been like in high school.

It’d been one of the things they’d bonded over at first. Act first– act passionately– it was advice that worked as well in the ring as it did in the courtroom or during investigations. He’d always been like that, in a way that drew her in.

She didn’t see that as having changed at all.

“It likely is genuine, Miles…though I’m sorry to hear it makes you feel inadequate. I’m certain you’ve been a wealth of advice and attention for the poor dear” she sighed. “...in school, he always was the type to passionately rush in– and then engineer whatever scheme or trick around mitigating or getting the best result out of what came after. Same as me, with that whole Blaise affair.” 

"I suppose that does track," he murmured, crossing his arms over the table. "With his behavior. Order an expensive forgery before you're even certain you need it. Forge evidence and realize you've got a mess to clean up afterward and engineer a murder. Club a man over the head for being a terrible father and then manipulate the crime scene…"

She spread her hands. “All leading to a series of terrible choices, and attempts to mitigate them that turn into a disaster…and land him in jail when the threads are untangled…. I love…d…Kristoph Gavin.”

Closing her eyes, she sighed. The past tense was ambiguous even in her own mind. “But I also knew him better than most, and hearing everything that he’s done– lining it up with his behavior– it makes sense with the man I knew, even if I’m left asking ‘why didn’t you just ask for help, you prideful fool’. “

"Prideful fool might be enough to explain it," Miles sighed. He took a sip of his coffee. "I can understand some of it. Back in those days especially, you know? Obviously I don't condone attempted murder, or forged evidence, but we both know it was prosecutorial standard de rigueur at the time. I can imagine Gavin thinking that what's good for the goose was good for the gander. A little cheating on both sides– to make things fair."

That sounded very much like the Kristoph Gavin Justine had known in school. A little cheating to make things fair– and then realizing he had to find some way not to get caught.

She laughed, though there was more pain in it than she expected. 

“He was always fond of trying to ‘make things fair’ in his way…a little cheating here and there to tip the scales into equilibrium. Of course, every time he tried it was a whole thing to try and save face without being caught.” Her smile spoke to the fond memories that flashed through her mind. “He and I always did love our little machinations, even if we debated where the line should be drawn endlessly.” 

"Maybe if he really just got… carried away… I ought to be more open to giving him a second chance this way." He rubbed his jaw stiffly. "I'm giving Lana Skye her chance, and lady justice knows the kind of things she was accessory to. And Diego Armando– who very much did kill someone."

“And let’s not forget Interpol’s love of forgiveness.” Justine leaned on her hand with a soft sigh. “Was what he did reprehensible…yes, absolutely. But Lady Justice is a merciful Goddess, and in her will we must acknowledge…if they deserve a second chance…”

She gestured towards him with fingers spread and a beatific smile “then Kris deserves the same.” 

"I suppose there really is no escaping that conclusion," Miles nodded. He picked up his coffee. "Lady Justice is merciful– and we're trying to bring more of her justice and her mercy to our courts. I can only hope that our faith won't be thrown in our faces."

“Let us pray.” Justine chuckled “...and selfishly, I’m hoping Krisoph behaves.”

She picked up her coffee with a soft huff of breath. “now…how about you catch me up on everything else that I’ve missed lately, dear Mr. Edgeworth.” 

September 2, 2028 – 8:15 pm

Three days ago, Vera had talked to Klavier Gavin, who had revealed a lot of secrets about his brother, her beloved guardian angel. 

Two days from now, she'd be moving into her dorm at the police academy, where she'd study for ten months to become a detective.

A few hours ago, Klavier Gavin had texted her, and asked if she wanted to go out drinking with him– to celebrate her new path of education; and she had said yes.

Vera Misahm had a lot on her mind. The anticipation– excitement, fear and concern– of the police academy hung heavy on her shoulders even as she puttered around her apartment with the desperate hope that it may relieve some of the pent up anxiety.

Pearl would be a comfort…the academy would be a grueling slog through unpredictable social interactions, exercises that would test her body and mind, and the need to constantly prove herself as more than ‘weak and frail Vera Misham of the first Jurist Trial ever conducted’.

It was terrifying. It was necessary. She had to become a forensic investigator no matter what.

As she dropped herself at her drafting table she looked down at the half finished painting before her.

Strings hanging down from a dark attic and ensnaring the half formed figures below in tangled knots as they stood within a courtroom.

That brought to mind the other heavy and confusing weight around her neck.

The Gavin Family secret– and the secrets of her guardian angel and her own admissions about his hold on her heart.

Vera brushed her fingers over one of the sketched strings to the figure below. 

‘The one lie you must never believe– that you are the only one’. That was the line that kept coming back to her in strange waves of emotions she couldn’t understand.

Was it desire? A sick eagerness that hammered in her heart, a curiosity to know who else was tangled in his web alongside her. Would she want to help them? Or draw them deeper in? Did the idea of not being the only one excite her?

Was it jealousy? The sick and cloying feeling in her ribs that lead her to worry if she’d be discarded. She remembered– remembered Klavier’s smile as he called himself useless.The hold Kristoph still held on him even in his fury– and the acceptance of her into their twisted family. Was it any worse than her own? 

And why, despite the darkness and the jaws of the trap as they snapped around her, was she so happy?

Why was she so certain that the very acceptance Klavier showed her as he embraced her tight would be the thing to seal her into Kristoph’s life forever? 

She knew what it felt like. It felt like surrendering to her wish.

To be his. His detective. His adored detective.

Her heart beat in her chest as her shoulders shook. Her guardian angel was a demon for certain. A twisted devil drawing her into his web of emotional conquests and leaving her head spinning as she rested her face against the canvas with shaking breaths.

She couldn’t help but feel the pangs of guilt as she thought of how badly she might disappoint them– Miles Edgeworth who’d done so much for her; been a fatherly and warm presence since she woke up from her coma. Trucy– who’s own history with the man was complicated and fraught. 

And Klavier, who held her with barely restrained tears and welcomed her to the family and what he knew would be surefire heartbreak.

None of them would be happy with her secret desires.

None of them could dissuade her from the thorny path she’d chosen. 

All this and more was still circling her mind when she got the text from Klavier that he was outside.

Will you come out, liebchen? Or shall I come in?

She startled at the buzzing of her phone, even as it brought a smile to her face

Come in. I’ll just be grabbing my purse. 

A moment later and Klavier let himself in. He didn't knock, and her door was unlocked.

"Guten Abend, liebchen!" he cooed as he shut the door behind himself.

“Guten Abend, Klavier!” Vera dipped into a curtsy. Her outfit was a little more ornate tonight, a pretty dark retro dress with a fringe of deep blue lace and a bow at the back. Something Trucy had told her while shopping was a ‘gothic lolita’ kind of look that she thought might look nice on her. It matched the ribbon she wound through her braid, and brushed around her stockinged legs as she dipped.

“I’ve never been out drinking before…” She gave him a small smile. “So make sure I don’t go too crazy…”

"I promise, liebling!" he grinned, putting his hand on his heart. "Well, to the best of my ability in any case! But look at you! I love your dress! I was thinking perhaps we'd have to go out shopping first, but you're all set!"

Klavier himself was dressed much like he'd been when she went to visit him– in another belly shirt with low jeans and crossed belts. But this time he was absolutely covered in jewelry– and what appeared to be body glitter.

“Trucy took me out shopping recently and absolutely insisted on this one.” Vera flushed with a little twirl. When she came to rest, the flush only worsened. The man was practically sparkling in her hallway light. “You look great…like…a star. The uhm…astral one. Not …the kind you already are..” 

He laughed happily and put a hand on her shoulder. "Too much, ja? But I like it. It's not like I won't need a shower in a few hours anyway."

“Just enough.” She said with a little smile, bumping him with her shoulder. “as long as you don’t blind the other motorists on the ro—”

She paused and thought for a moment “we’re going to take a taxi or the bus, right?” 

He laughed again and bumped her shoulder with his in return. "Ja, ja liebling! I'm not that crazy I promise. The taxi is waiting outside for us. It's no problem."

“Then you won’t blind the motorists…a-and you probably won’t be mistaken for a disco ball.” She lightly teased him as she pulled her purse onto her shoulder.

“I’m ready, Klavier.”

"I won't mind too much being mistaken for a disco ball if it means eyes are on me and they throw me around," he teased back. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to the door.

She walked closer to him, trembling with excitement and nerves. She’d put on perfume– it was an outing after all, with her guardian angel’s handsome brother. She couldn’t help but wonder if Klavier recognized the scent as he did her shampoo when he’d first caught her in her admiration.

It was one Kristoph had recommended, after all.

She laughed, her hand covering her mouth as she looked up at him. 

“as long as they don’t carry you away. I’m going to be sticking to your side all night.” 

"You had better! Gott! I would throw myself off a bridge if something happened to you." He walked a little closer to her still, and waved at the taxi waiting outside her curb. "But let's not speak of these things. You smell very nice."

Vera flushed, and her smile grew a little wider. 

“Thank you…I figured if we’re going out, I-I should wear one of the good perfumes I’d gotten.” She gave a nervous little wave at the taxi, her short heels clicking on the concrete sidewalk. 

"Another of his, I imagine?" he teased. He opened the taxi door for her, and bowed like she was a princess.

“We already know I can’t fool you, Klavier,” she dipped into another curtsy before she slipped inside with a nod “it is. I ah, I actually bought some shortly after the first few letters.” 

"The first few, ja?" He slid into the taxi next to her. "Is it something that brings you comfort? You can tell me to shut up, by the way."

“I don’t want to…” she shifted in the seat until she rested her head near his shoulder. “I like your voice– and conversation.”

She gave him a timid smile. “It is..it brings me a lot of comfort. When I was feeling especially anxious about the outside, I’d sometimes put some on…b-but I’d always wash it off if someone like Mr. Edgeworth or Mr. Wright were visiting.” 

"Hah! Probably a good idea with Mr. Wright at least." He leaned toward her, shaking his head and smiling widely. "Even though that's a shame. It's nice to wear it tonight. It'll be nice to smell like something more than alcohol!"

Tonight, Klavier smelled quite strongly too– a musky odor mixed with what might have been orange blossoms. It was a low, seductive kind of scent, completely different to the kinds of scents in her own, Kristoph-advised, cabinet.

“It will be! Alcohol’s a bit of an…intense smell." She rested her face against him for a moment, taking in the scent with eyes closed. “You smell really nice too…please don’t mind if I stay close…you’re likely to smell better than anything at the bar.” 

He scooted even closer to her and put his arm around her again as the taxi wove through the dim streets. 

"Ja, unless you find a dance partner you think smells nicer. But thank you for saying so. My brother once said, 'Klavier, you say you like to smell like a man, but I think you really like to smell like men.'" He chuckled and shook his head. "Not entirely wrong."

It took a minute for it to fully click in Vera’s head. When it did, she turned a vivid pink. 

“Oh.” She leaned against him with a shy laugh. “I m-mean, if that’s what it smells like I can’t b-blame you!” 

He winked at her. "Too kind, liebling. So– you've never been drinking. I assume you haven't been dancing, either?"

Vera shook her head with a laugh. “N-not even once. Though when I was younger I’d sometimes try dancing to music on our radio when father was out of the house.” 

"You'll enjoy this, then," he promised. "Especially after the first drink makes it easier to dance in front of others."

She looked up at him with her serious stare, before she nodded. “I know you won’t let me embarrass myself, so I’ll follow your lead.” 

"The wonderful thing, fraulein, is it is almost entirely impossible to embarrass yourself in front of drunk people!"

[echantedtoon]

Demon Bride Ch39 To Play Matchmaker

(Warnings: Gyutaro puts himself down, possibly some habits of his including clawing himself, maybe some blood mentioned. He gets bullied a little bit. Enmu IS his own warning. Mentioning of the red light district but this will STAY SFW!!!)

The days went by painfully slowly.

Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday.

You swore if it wasn't for Rui and Enmu's visits you would've gone insane but now you just might with the new information on your lineage. You stayed in shock for the rest of the week. You wondered if it imprinted worked both ways. You found yourself incredible more fond of Rui the more you spent time with him. You caught him reading those thick books Enmu left him starting The next morning when you woke up and just found him sitting on a pile of pillows with probably one of the thicker books in his lap. On the cover it read 'Historica Demonca Vol. 1'. 

"....Rui?" He hummed acknowledging you but not taking his eyes off the pages in front of him. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Studying. That pervert you invited to lunch said that I was behind my peers, I resent his words so I aim to prove him wrong. It'll be easy for me to catch up on everything since I was already schooled in most of these topics."

...You blinked. "Rui, you went to school before?"

He shook his head. "No. As my Ex-father's heir I was forced to learn many things such as my kinds' history, math, and such other topics. It was easy enough. I had a lot of time on my hands and it's not like I had anything else to do while I was sick in bed for most of my childhood."

"Rui ..You shouldn't force yourself to study so hard if it stresses you."

"I do not mind reading these books. They give me something to do since we aren't going anywhere soon."

Wow...Well he was blunt but he had a point. So you'd let him read to entertain himself. This was a good thing to do right? Letting him read the books he was given? You supposed there was literally nothing else for him to do for now and it would be good for him to learn...Or reread what he already knew. As long as he ate his meals and went to bed on time you didn't have an issue with it. However there was one issue on Wednesday morning when you were eating breakfast. Rui had somehow managed to speed read three of the twelve thick books already and started making two separate piles by the mountain of pillows he sat on. One of already read books and one of the ones he hadn't read yet. He stood there looking between two books in his hands he kept blinking at... before placing them both down and walking up to your tired groggy body. A pale hand poked your cheek.

"Mother?"

"Hm?' you hummed half asleep.

"That pervert is a doctor right? So would he know a lot of science and math?"

"Huh?...oh..Yeah I guess so. *yyyyyaaaaawwwnn*"

"His room is close by right?"

"Mmm hmm."

"....Ok. I'll be right back."

You were too half asleep to notice that the door to your room slide right open and a pale figure step out into the hallway. Around three minutes later a pair of footsteps came back through and behind it was a thread and attached to the thread bound by his legs was a smiling amused figure dragged across the floor.

"Hello Mother," Rui greeted as he walked past you. "I'm holding the pervert hostage Until he explains through both subjects."

"That's nice, Rui."

Enmu chuckled waving at you as he was dragged past. "Good morning, Darling.~ Your son and I are bonding today."

"That's nice, Enmu.".....A glass breaking sound went off in your mind as you snapped awake and looked over your shoulder. "Wait. What?!"

Enmu was propped up next to the pile of pillows and told to 'stay put or else's as Rui just plopped himself down onto the pile of pillows again and picked up the science book. And that's how Enmu ended up spending the entire day with you as Rui grumbled reading through the book only to look up every so often to point at something in the book and demand Enmu explain something to him to which the half tied demon was happy to help him with whatever the boy needed explaining. You guessed science was a lot easier for Rui to understand minus a few topics because he flew through the book under a few hours before getting back to that math book. Almost from the very first page Enmu had to sit there as Rui shoved the book at him and walk him through each page.

"-and that's how you get negative one by minusing from the fraction."

"Oh...Why can't they explain it that easily in the book?"

"Because the secret is that they make the math hard to understand so that only the cleverest of students figure it out. They like to weed out the less crafty ones because they think that'll make the students work harder and therefore become smarter to keep up with their noble status."

"... That's the dumbest logic I've ever heard."

You couldn't help but laugh at what Rui said.

"How do you even know this?"

"I'm a doctor. We have to know math to give accurate measurements, and I was once a scam artist so I know manipulative behavior when I see it."

You paused. "Wait..What was that?"

"Hm? Oh. I was once a scam artist as you humans called it. Me personally I like to call myself a master of mind.~ I could make anyone feel better just by words.~ ..Then the master took an interest and threatened me with execution if I didn't join the Kizuki and there was something about no longer being allowed around large crowds of women-"  He waved a hand. "Nothing too important."

You just....stared at him. Before giving a deep inhale. "Enmu... We're going to have a VERY serious talk later."

"Hey!" Rui tapped a hand impatiently on the book. "I have seven other books to finish after this one. Tell me how to find the square root of this x!"

Thursday. Friday.

Maybe you shouldn't have let Rui and Enmu stay up all night Wednesday to walk Rui through the entirety of the math book but Rui wouldn't stop insisting and grabbing your leg pulling at you pleading until you finally relented. Akaza mentioned Demons could go three weeks without sleep right? So one night wouldn't hurt him, and Enmu was a capable doctor so you figured it was ok. You tried to stay up with them but you fell asleep around midnight and woke up sometime around ten in the morning to find Rui already on another book with food next to him to eat. Enmu smiled next to you with a bowl of soup held out to you 

"Good morning, Darling.~ Seems our spawn is quite the smart little thinker. He's already made it through half of those books already.~ He takes after me.~"

"Not the pervert parts. I still have my eye on you."

You blinked...."Huh?"

The one good thing to come out of this stressful week was that you had the idea of sending that 'courting gift' of Douma's back to him. That should be the nail im the coffin and get at least one demon off your back. Now you just had to worry about a few others. 

Saturday.Sunday.

Enmu had finally left sometimes Friday afternoon after giving Rui a check up and giving him another small dose of medicine noticing his temperature had unexpectedly gone up again before he tried to kiss you again, failed when Rui shot a string of webs over his mouth, and left leaving the both of you there and Rui reading his eighth book by now. You never seen someone read so fast and wondered if he was used to reading so much due to his previous situation.

Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday.

It was early in the morning when you first heard it, the knocking and when you didn't get up right away from your peaceful sleep world the door slid open and someone else walked in and over to you. Your eyes were closed but jumped awake when a firm hand grabbed your shoulder and shook you until they slowly rolled open, and your head looked back up to a lady servant smiling at you.

"Wake up, My Lady. I'm to escort the young sire today for school and get you ready for your visitor."

....You flopped your head back into the pillows and groaned-

And .. That's how it went. Rui's books was all gathered up, he seemed a lot more calmer about leaving for school, and then they left. Leaving you with a servant who attempted to get you ready but a firm scowl and no was enough to get her to back off and once again leave you alone in the quiet room. ...Alllll alone. Just sitting there. Staring right at the ceiling...You again sighed and kicked a blanket off in a fit scowling at nothing in particular and pushing yourself up out of bed. 

Fine then. You'd get up. This would be a great time to look around for any exits now that you were alone. Most likely everyone else would be busy doing their own chores to notice you, plus it would be easier to sneak out unnoticed without worrying about Rui tagging along. Alright. How were you going to do this? You hummed yawning and stretching your back out whilst standing up. Let's see...There was more than one room in this place. You could sneak out through a window and walk across the docks! And you could stuff pillows under your covers to make it look like you were still asleep! No one would suspect that you'd be gone! Rui's connecting room had a window so that worked double in your favor. But then how would you be able to map this area out?...Hmm. perhaps you could make your own map with paper and ink? But what if you got los-

You froze. An icey spear shot down your spine and made a shiver run back up it as a thought rattled your brain.

You weren't alone.

".... Who's in here with me?"

There was silence for a long, long moment before a powerful presence manifested behind you making your hair stand on end.

"I'm impressed. You managed to notice me before most of my prey does or anyone in general for that matter."

You didn't say anything but you slowly turned to look over your shoulder and paused as bright yellow eyes stared back at you.

********************************************************************************

Red.

The symbol for many things. Passion. Hatred. Love. Anger. But maybe the one she's most familiar with was blood red. Red. Red. Red. Such a pretty color for such a messy job but someone had to do it. She would. Oh yes. She would. After all she had a natural born talent for such things so why shouldn't she indulge in what she was best at?  

Red

The red lights shined bright tonight. With each pruseccion of the music that sounded with each graceful step she took. The crowds parting. The jealous looks of the many women. The envious eyes of many men. Staring. Staring. Staring. Yes. Look upon her and know that not a single one of you will ever be anything like her. Will never be anything even close to her beauty. That's the punishment they all deserved for life depriving her of so much for so long. All the hardships now theirs and not hers. Disgusting and disgraceful all of them! They didn't even deserve to gaze upon her beauty!...But for the sake of her Master, she would play the part of the beautiful doll they all both loved and hated. Including these annoying tasks and parades to greet a lowly customer she would only reject. After all he didn't deserve her. 

Thank goodness that troublesome display was over with. Now she could relax and let herself just sit there and bask in its rightly deserved room. On display a meneragrie of items only the lowers than her could only dream of seeing let alone owning them. Why shouldn't she indulge herself? She's the one who put in the work to deserve them not them! The only ones who deserved such things were her. Her alone.

And her brother.

He deserved to have everything. Even if he denied himself it only to give her more things. He deserved to indulge in himself. Even if he thought he was unworthy. He deserved to be beautiful. Even if he thought he was the ugliest thing that ever walked the earth.

Where was that dummy anyhow? He was supposed to be back hours ago. He promised her he'd come back to her after that little display she paraded on. But now it's been hours. So long that she had to touch up her make up in the reflection, light provided by dimly lit candles. He was within the envious, jealous looks as she walked but now it seemed he had vanished into thin air. 

Bu-BUMP

A pause in motion as a far away pulse gave her a pause. Red lipstick to her lips. Hmm. That was awfully strange. That wasn't her heart that beat. Hers was still as motionless as a rock. So why was she feeling a heartbeat in the back of her mind?

Bu-BUMP Bu-BUMP Bu-BUMP

Oh..OH! Now what did she have here? She felt surprised. Shocked even. Oh..Oh no. Don't tell her that- ..Oh gods above! Don't tell her that her brother got his own heart snatched up! A pit of jealously and anger grew. WHO?! WHY?! WHAT MADE HER SO INSTANTLY MORE SPECIAL THAN HIS OWN SISTER?! WAS SHE EVEN HALF AS PRETTY?! HIGHLY UNLIKELY!! AFTER ALL HE SAID SO HIMSELF!! NO ONE WAS MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN HER! ....But wait. If he was falling for someone, where did that place her situation now? Hmm....A relaxed feeling came over her. No matter. She was content with knowing that no matter what he'd always choose her over any lame 'love' if she asked. He'd do anything for her...But then again...This might open up more opportunities for her.

"Great. Looks like it finally happened. Brother finally got lost in a pretty face and fell. Just when I thought it was going to be a peaceful year. Oh well. It was bound to happen sooner or later surrounded by dozens of women....She better be worth the trouble."

Maybe he'll at least stop complaining about others easily being able to get a girlfriend. Or maybe he'll be more lenient when she found someone attractive without instantly jumping in to make a decision on the matter for her. One of the few things they argue about really but it's been really getting annoying. What really annoyed her was he still didn't come back for a few days. She was FURIOUS by the time he finally bothered to climb in through the window one dark night looking like a drowned man.

"It's about time you came back!! You left me high and dry for days without word of what you were doing and I half to feel your annoying crush on and off!! And you won't let me go out days without you?! HEY!! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

Instead a heavy weight tiredly flopped itself onto her back. Dam. When's the last time he slept? "Ran into stupid...train pervert. Go to the castle now..carry me. I'm exhausted."

"You had me annoyed for days and you're giving me an order?! What am I ?! A pack mule?! HEY! AREN'T YOU LISTENING AT ALL?!"

A stronger prescence melted into her and she felt a tired pang from the back of her mind as she pouted. Why did SHE have to do all the traveling and carry HIM around?! And why did she have to go to the Infinity Castle NOW?!

"Just do it," a voice spoke inside her mind before it fell into a deep sleep.

She ended up pouting and just sitting there forever before relenting. Fine then. If they were wanted at the castle then she'd go to the castle but she was annoying him the entire way there!! A lipstick was thrown against the wall in frustration as she got up disappearing into the night.

******"

"You men need to keep your voices down and quit being so annoying!"

Step after step she took down a flight of stairs and into the scene with everyone else. It's been so long since she's been to one of these. The last one had been when her brother and herself  had been initiated into the Kizuki with the insistence of Upper Moon Two putting in a good word for them. Maybe that was a kind gesture on his part but she always saw it more as a person recognizing a powerful alley to keep for himself. However she just walked into an annoying argument. Men! As usual!

"You all can be so loud. It's bad enough I have to deal with annoying men at the Entertainment District but now I have to do it here too?!"

"Daki," Akaza simply and politely greeted ignoring everything else she said. "It's good to see you again. You look healthy. Is your brother with you?"

"Of course he is! He's just asleep from the long trip!"

"You'd better wake him up and have him come out for the meeting. The Master wants everyone present for this meeting."

"Well you heard him. WAKE UP ALREADY!!", She yelled into her mind and an annoyed feeling was sent back to her. "DON'T GIVE ME THAT!! I DID ALL THE WORK GETTING US HERE SO GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT HERE!!"

There was more annoyance but something did detach itself from her, melting away from her back like rain washing off a roof until a hunched figure stood next to her and gave her a half annoyed half tired look which she frowned back. Served him right! She did all the hard work getting them there!! 

The Master Arrived.

A thud rang out as her arms and head hit the floor of the stairs in an instant. She expected her brother to follow her lead...But he didn't? Why wasn't he-

"Psst." Of course she looked up at him but he wasn't looking at her. His neck was craned above them at the scene before him. "Look UP, dummy!" Was he talking to her? She dared to look up and follow his gaze. Only to notice that he was locking eyes with  beautiful  woman. NOT as beautiful as her but she was absolutely lovely for human standards."Don't be stupid! BOW!!"

The woman instantly obeyed. He ducked his head back down. His eyes locked with hers. A fain heartbeat going off that she felt. And they both knew that she knew exactly who she was to him. So....THIS was the woman her brother fell for? Honestly she was expecting worst. But she was decent looking (for a human) and she spoke her mind against a demon so she'd probably be able to handle her brother's tantrums....She guessed she could live with someone like that. As long as they didn't get any ideas about completely taking her brother or thinking she was higher than her on any level. She needed to know her place. Now only if her brother wouldn't just stare at her when everyone was diving to gift her gifts. PAH! A silly thought. Her court a lowly human!?

"Like I'd do that."

She then paused and looked to her brother whom was just scratching at his neck and watching with sad lovestruck eyes. Like a fool who'd only discover their love wasn't meant to be. Ugh. He really wasn't going to do anything was he? She frowned.. before easily swiping the red-black cloth from around his neck and shoulders and dropping it. Up, up, up it fell until it fell right on top of the girl's head staking her brother's claim to join her heart's battle. Her brother mortified looked at her with a look of betrayal and she merely rolled her eyes.

"We both know you want her. And you'll have her. One way or another."

Their Master had summoned them both plus that little goblin Enmu to his own private study the very next day. She always hated the pervert. Her brother knew this. Which was why he placed himself between Enmu and her and kept sending disgusted looks his way that could kill a person. Her brother had many uses.

"I have business with my wife. I'm tasking you three with making sure that girl doesn't leave my sight even when I cannot see. You will be my eyes and ears. Watch her. We will not let another Tamayo slip through unnoticed. From until further notice, you three will be staying in the castle. However don't make yourselves or your mission obvious to her."

TAMAYO?! THAT GIRL WAS A- NO!! IT COULDN'T BE!! BUT IF THE MASTER SAID SO THEN IT MUST BE TRUE!!

.......Wait-

THAT WAS WHY SHE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL (for a human)!!! ALL THROUGHOUT HISTORY THE TAMAYO WOMEN WERE SO BEAUTIFUL (not as beautiful as her mind you but just below her) AND SHE WAS NO EXCEPTION!! OOOH!! THAT WAS WHY HER BROTHER FELL FOR HER!!! SHE FELT A HINT OF ANNOYANCE POO UP-

But wait.....

Didn't her brother DESERVE the BEST?! OBVIOUSLY the best WAS HER and no one else...but second most beautiful woman would suit him just nicely. And why not? What she wanted Gyutaro always... A L W A Y S. Made sure she got. And what her brother wanted.

Her brother got.

It was the little goblin who made the plan to actually infiltrate her trust and she only went along with it because it seemed like a good idea to confirm blood work or whatever it was that he was doing and allow him (a familiar face to her) to make an opening for her (a not familiar face to her) that wouldn't arose suspicion. The plan would be arranged soon. She just had to wait...FOR HOURS!! SHE HAD TO WAIT FOR HOURS UNTIL HE FINALLY CAME BACK THE CREEP!

Silent.

That's what the entire dark room was when he finally got back. He wasn't surprised when he stepped in and closed the door softly behind him, walking into the middle of the room before stopping and turning to the darkest corner. Before smiling at a moving shadow.

"Daki, good evening my dear. You look lovely tonight as always. Did you have a nice trip coming over?"

Two piercing yellow eyes scowled back at him. "I've been waiting here almost all day! Where the hell have you been?!"

He chuckled. "Forgive me. I lost track of time doing work, but I did confirm what the Master suspected. You know your assignment to keep an eye on her until he comes back?"

"Of course I do! I'm not stupid!"

"That's good. Oh my. Where's your brother? I hope he knows too."

"He's here. He's just asleep bored from how long you made him wait. The dummy was never able to get anything done without me pushing him! I have to do everything I swear! Including making sure he doesn't die a marriage less idiot!"

"Oh?... You're still insisting on setting them up? I would've thought you would've wanted to keep your brother's attention only on you."

"He's never even kissed a woman before and complains all the time about whenever someone has a girlfriend but does he ever try to put himself out there? Oh no. But whenever I want to go on dates it's always 'No, Daki. You can't date until Im dead and three days after to make sure I'm dead.' UGH!! IM ALMOST TWO HUNDRED YEARS OLD!! I CAN GO ON DATES BY MYSELF!!"

"Oh. So it's a matter of you wanting him to have a distraction so YOU can have dates... Sounds like a big brother alright. Not sure how I feel about you trying to set him up with MY begonia...but Im too curious to see how this goes to stop you."

"Hmph! I don't need your permission anyways!" He only chuckled again and walked over to a desk where he grabbed a quill and piece of paper. "What are you doing now?!"

"I'm writing a progress report for our Master. Turns out our suspicions were true." The woman rose a brow in surprise as a feather quill scratched on paper. "Dear Master. How is your trip? I'm happy to inform you things are well here but there's something you should know. OH! That reminds me. Before I forget-" He smiled back at her. "She's expecting you next Wednesday. I already set up an entire shopping spree and spa day for the two of you all expenses paid thanks to Douma being in charge of the money budget for a while. He agreed to pay for everything instantly when I mentioned it to him. I'll write down all the places you can go so you don't lose track."

"Hmph. Probably the only decent thing you've done for any woman."

"On the contrary. I'd love for my begonia to destress and have a nice time.~ "

She couldn't believe she had to be forced to wait more than a week for this but the rewards would be worth it. She forced her brother to split from her own body for a little while. He'd have to be used to it soon if he wanted to be ready. However she did catch him gazing at an obi in his hands. One he came back with tied around his neck. A gift from that woman. He caught her staring an just gave her an unreadable expression.

"You better be ready. I haven't been doing all the work for you to deny yourself  anymore."

**************************************************************************************

You stood there tense and silent as two yellow eyes stared back at you from the shadows. They tilted at you questioning and calculating as if taking in your entire body, mind, and soul. 

"Who are you!? Why are you in my room?!...HOW did you get into my room?!"

"I've been waiting since that boy left. You just didn't notice until now." A figure stepped out from the shadows arms crossed and annoyed look sketched on her face. "I'm annoyed with everyone making me wait! It's annoying!"

Your eyes widened. What you saw....Was the most BEAUTIFUL woman you'd ever seen. Her body was covered in a magenta kimono that looked both expensive but also oddly complimented her beauty just right to make her look even more beautiful. Her skin was flawless and her beautiful face was adorned with sun yellow eyes and pure white long hair that flower freely from a long ponytail but...strangely...her white hair turned to a light green at the bottom. There was also a beautiful pink flower like mark on her cheek...Huh. For some reason she seemed so familiar to you. 

She scoffed as you continued staring and tapped a foot annoyed. "Nothing to say! I was hoping you'd be at least competent enough to greet me prope-"

"You're beautiful."

The strange, new woman froze mid nagging... before snapping back to you. "What. Did. You. Say?"

"Uh... Sorry." You held up a hand. "I guess it just came out. But you're the most beautiful demon woman I've ever seen." It's true. This mystery woman could give Mitsuri or Kanae a run for their money in a beauty contest. She obviously wasn't human with her inhuman features but at the same time those features didn't make her ugly at all. "I didn't mean to come off as rude."

The woman just stayed silent for a long moment before narrowing her eyes and seemed to think about something for a moment. Before smiling. "That's an acceptable greeting. I'm glad you were smart enough to realize what you saw the first time you saw it." What did she mean by that? "And my brother was right? You do smell like peonies. I suppose not the most annoying smell."

"....I'm sorry. But who are you?"

She scoffed. "Didn't that gremlin tell you anything?! I'm Daki. And I'm going to make you a proper woman by the end of the day."

[anautumncarol]

omg is that leila back with useless facts? haha you bet your sweet ass it is.

so i figured as i am nearing the dreaded adulthood i should probably pretend to learn how the fuck a spreadsheet works since it could be more useful than writing everything out in some random notebook andd since skz’s discography is gargantuan i was kinda right for once.

now what does skz’s discography have to do with me learning how to use a spreadsheet? well i decided to see skz’s songs from the most streamed to the least streamed because what else am i supposed to do? actual work?

So here is the complete list (get ready, it gets a bit long) from most streamed to least streamed skz song on spotify

God’s Menu

MANIAC

Thunderous

Back Door

MIROH

CASE 143

Red Lights

My Pace

Hellevator

Charmer

DOMINO

Side Effects

Christmas EveL

Easy

S-Class

Double Knot

VENOM

CHEESE

Get Cool

District 9

CIRCUS

ALL IN

TASTE

Mixtape : OH

Silent Cry

I am YOU

TOP (Kr + Jp versions)

Victory Song

Neverending Story

SLUMP (Kr + Jp versions)

GO LIVE/The Tortoise and the Hare

Any

WOLFGANG

Levanter

Voices

Going Dumb

FREEZE

Wow

N/S

Sorry, I Love You

Ex

Lonely St.

Insomnia

Mixtape : On Track

Awkward Silence

Surfin’

Mixtape : Time Out

The View

Muddy Water

Another Day

3RACHA

Boxer

Grow Up

Mixtape : Gone Days

Maze of Memories

Scars

Chronosaurus

Blueprint

Phobia

Question

SSICK

Secret Secret

Waiting For Us

TA

Astronaut

We Go

THE SOUND

Airplane

M.I.A.

19

Pacemaker

Here Always

SUPER BOARD

Haven

CHILL

Spread My Wings

B Me

Gone Away

TOPLINE

Star Lost

Sunshine

YAYAYA

Winter Falls

BEWARE

Mirror

Hall of Fame

Mixtape#2/Behind The Light

3rd Eye

Give Me Your TMI

My Universe

Super Bowl

TMT

Deep end

ROCK

Mixtape#4/Broken Compass

ITEM

Mixtape#1/Placebo

Maknae On Top

You Can STAY

Can’t Stop

My Side

0325

Awaken

Mixtape#3/For You

FAM

Hello Stranger

Limbo

Connected

DLC

GET LIT

Drive

24 to 25

Booster

Collision

Your Eyes

Youtiful

STOP

GLOW

FNF

Hero’s Soup

Road Not Taken

DOODLE

School Life

Stars and Raindrops

WHO?

i hate to admit

There

Up All Night

Fairytale

CALL

4419

DLMLU

ice.cream

Love Untold

YOU.

Hoodie Season

ZONE

#LoveStay

Because

miss you

NOT!

RUN

Hug Me

I GOT IT

Alien

Entrance

Lost Me

Streetlight

Close

Wish You Back

One Day

Battle Ground

Piece Of A Puzzle

Novel

HaPpY

Close To You

And that’s it for today. These are bound to change but those are the stats and they definitely reinforce me telling everyone to listen I Am YOU because this is physical proof you’re all missing out. Also Levanter is by far the most underrated title track in lowkey all of kpop, I mean look at this.

[pink-bird-30]

Hournite Fic- Empty Hallway

This will follow the scene in the cafeteria where Rick basically confession his love for the girls.  Mild spoilers from 3x09.

Also, warning, this contains the angst!!!

you can also read my fic on my ff.net

Happy Reading!!!

-----

After the lunch bell rings, Rick is quick to leave the table and walk into the rush of students.  The three girls look at each other in confusion, already reeling from Rick’s confession.

Courtney turns to Beth earnestly, “What’s going on with Rick, that was completely out of character for him.”

Beth sits there quietly, thinking of what she could say.  Oh, you know.  He’s been living on the farm all by himself since the summer.  His hourglass makes him act like a raging dick, and apparently it makes him feel overly emotional towards them.  But Beth knew she couldn’t say any of those things.  And by the look on both Courtney and Yolanda’s faces, they have no idea what is going on with Rick.

Beth closes her eyes in frustration.  She shouldn’t have to lie for him, but what is she supposed to do?  What he’s going through isn’t her place to tell them.  It’s between them.  And if Rick wanted them to know he would tell them, right?

Beth opens her eyes and shrugs, “Maybe he’s feeling remorseful for how he’s been acting towards Cameron the last few weeks?”

Yolanda scoffs, “Oh, please.  Regardless of what Rick says, we all know he hates Cameron.  He’s just agreeing because you did.”

“What?”  Beth says in disbelief.  “I didn’t say anything.”

Yolanda shares a look with Courtney who grimaces.  “Beth…” Courtney says in her ‘I’m goning say something you’re not going to like’ voice.  “You didn’t have to.  It was written all over your face.”  Beth stares at them in confusion.  What look?

Beth shakes her head, not understanding what they mean.  “You guys have it wrong.  I never agreed to anything with Rick.”

“You didn’t have to.  Rick took one look at you and folded.  He knows that you want what’s best for all of us and that means agreeing with us two.  He knew he’d be out voted and you decided for him.  Even if you didn’t say a word.”  Yolanda gets up and sits down next to Beth, taking Rick’s empty seat.  “Yes, Rick just told all of us that he cares about us very much, but I don’t think he cares about us the same way he cares about you, Beth.”

Beth’s eyes widen behind her glasses as she takes in this new information.  If she were being honest, she knew her relationship with Rick was different than his relationship with Yolanda and Courtney.  He treats them like his annoying little sisters, but never with her.  He always listens when it matters most.  He’s first to protect her in a fight, like he did last year with Artemis.  And even the last few weeks.  He always picked her up for school and always waited for her after school to take her home.  Never once has he done that for Yolanda or Courtney.

He does treat her differently and she never noticed until now.

Beth grabs her bag from under the table, “I need to go.”  She stands up and starts to walk away, but the sound of Courtney’s voice forces her to turn around.  “You should talk to him, Beth.  You’re the only one he’ll listen to.”

A feeling of anxiety passes through her as she walks out of the lunch room and down the slowly emptying hallway.  Beth has a free period…and so did Rick.

Thinking for a moment, Beth thinks of all the places Rick would go after what happened.

Not his car…but where?

They would usually meet up in the library to work on homework and relax before seventh period history, but she had a feeling he wouldn’t be there today.

He’d try to be alone…

Before Beth and Rick were friends, she would often find him hiding down the music hallway.  There were a bunch of abandoned music rooms after the district had cut funding to the orchestra class, only leaving band and string ensemble as the only running music classes at Blue Valley High.

Realistically, Beth could ask Chuck where Rick was, but she didn’t want to do that.  She wanted to find him all on her own gut feeling.  And her gut was telling her to go to the music wing.  Hiking her backpack higher on her shoulders, she takes the long walk down the hallway, past the science classrooms, to the mostly abandoned part of the school building.

It was sort of a cemetery for old school equipment.  Busted tables lined the hallways,  broken lockers full of trash and rust line the walls.  If it weren’t for the daylight, and her need to find Rick, she would never ever enter these halls willingly.

As Beth turned the corner, she came face to face with a busted cafeteria table, one that has a very distinct burn in the middle of it.  Beth looks away as she hurries down the hall, knowing well enough Courtney’s cosmic staff was to blame for the decaying table.

In the distance, she could hear the distinct sound of sniffles coming from the old orchestra classroom.  Her heart jumps in her throat hearing the sadness coming from Rick.  She approaches the classroom slowly, leaning against the doorway peeking in to see if it were truly Rick.

And it was.

He was sitting against the wall on the farthest side of the classroom with his knees drawn up, with his head resting against his folded arms.  Beth felt her heartbreak seeing Rick in such a state.  She is so used to seeing him as Hourman, this strong person that protects her and their town.  But the boy before her is nothing more than a teenager.  A sad scared teenager.

Beth steps into the classroom, unsure how to approach him.  He clearly was in his own little world that he missed the soft steps approaching.

Trying not to startle him, Beth sets down her backpack, making a soft thump sound on the blue carpet, and she takes a seat next to him. She settles close enough that her arm is pressed against his.

Beth was surprised he didn’t react to her being there with him, she for sure expected him to be mad or say something rude.  But instead he turns his head to look at her from the corner of his eye.

“Beth?” his voice sounded so small and unsure if she was even real.  She places her hand on top of his knee in comfort.  To let him know she was there for him.

“Hey.”  She whispers back.  “I wanted to see if you were okay.”  The concern was evident in her dark brown eyes.  “You seemed upset when you left lunch.”

Rick hides his face from Beth again.  “I’m fine.” He mumbles into his arms.  “You can go.”

A spark of anger flares in Beth’s chest, “No.  Not until you talk to me, Rick.”

Her tone caught his attention enough that he picked up his head and rests it against the hard white wall behind him.  “There’s nothing to talk about, Beth.  Leave it alone.  You don’t need to solve everything.”

His eyes were red from crying and his voice slightly horse from the tears.  It was devastating to see him like this, and Beth will do anything to get back the sarcastically funny guy that she lov-.

Beth’s eyes widen at the revelation.

I love Rick.

Love.  One of the few words in the world that remain a mystery to Beth Chapel.  Sure, she loves her parents, she loves her friends, but she wasn’t in love with these people.  But she was in love with Rick.  And she didn’t even realize it.  All the times he would text her she would get excited or the times when he would get her a hot chocolate before school because it was her favorite in the colder months; she would get a rush of warmth from the kind gesture.  All the times he sat with her and just listened because she needed someone when Chuck was gone.  All of it was love.

And now it was her turn to return the favor.

“I don’t care how mad you get or how many walls you might want to smash.  But I will be right here for you, Rick.  I’m not going anywhere.”  Her voice held so much conviction, so much she was surprised with herself.  And by the looks of it, so was Rick.  It seemed to be the final crack in the dam, an opening of the floodgates that was Rick’s anguish.

He reaches out to her, pulling her close to his chest.  His arms wrap around her, cocooning her to him in such a way that leaves Beth breathless.  She wraps her arms around his torso and rests her head against his chest, feeling the sobs through his body.  He rests his head against the side of her head trying to gain some sort of control.  But he can’t.  It’s like his body has been holding this all in for so long that it feels like it will never end.  After the summer, he didn’t know what to do once he was out of jail.  He felt helpless and weak when he went home to find Matt was long gone.  The first night, he spent it tearing up the house in anger and frustration at himself for losing the only family he had left.  And then the grief set in, but Rick refused to accept it.  So he put all his effort into resurrecting Grundy.

But all of that was building, especially when he knew his hourglass wasn’t working anymore.  His frustration towards his lack of time elevated his emotions, but he always kept them in check in fear the team would find out.

But then Beth was there that night, at the Pit Stop.  Just sitting there helping him with the hourglass and he felt at ease and safe. Which was something he hadn’t felt in a long time.  Which is why he felt comfortable enough to tell Beth about the hourglass and how it wouldn’t hold time the same way anymore.  He knew Beth would understand, he knew she would inspire him to do better, to be better.  She was the light in his life that he needed to snuff out the darkness he let festered for far too long.

And today was his breaking point.

He needed her.

He needs Beth.

“I-I’m sorry I’m-m a mess, B-Beth.” He cries.  “It’s j-just too much and I-I think there’s s-something wrong with m-me.”  Beth pushes back enough to cup Rick’s face in her hands and brush away the tears.  She didn’t realize it, but she felt a wetness on her cheeks too.  With a shaky hand, Rick cups her cheek and does the same.

“it’s perfectly normal to be upset Rick, but keeping everything in is what’s hurting you.”

Rick takes a shaky breath, “I just—" he shuts his eyes tight, forcing more tears to fall.  “My head has been hurting recently, and I just don’t feel like myself anymore.  Ever since Eclipso, everything in my life has been utter shit.”  He opens his bloodshot eyes and looks deep into her eyes.  Beth can feel heart flutter at the intense gaze.

Ricks’ thumb grazes her cheek, brushing away any remaining tears.  “But through all that shit, and how I have been acting lately, you’ve been the only constant thing in my life.”

Beth’s breath hitches.  She searched his eyes for any sign of the hourglass’ influence, but all she could see is Rick, her Rick.

He gently rests his forehead against hers, trying to get as close to her as possible.  Beth’s hands fall from his face and wrap loosely around his shoulders, anchoring herself to him.  She didn’t know what to say to him.  All of these confessions are sending her mind into a frenzy and all she can think about is his arms wrapped tightly around her and the steady sound of his breathing.

After a moment of silence, Rick pulls back to look down at her.  A small smile gracing his lips.  “You know I meant it, back in the cafeteria.  Everything I said.”

Beth smiles in return, “Yeah, I know.”

Rick looks away bashfully and looks back at her.  “Umm but there is also something else too…”  his tone causes her pulse to race.  What else could Rick possibly have left to say?

She tilts her head in confusion, “What is it, Rick?”  She lets her hand fall to his chest, over his rapidly beating heart.  “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

He lets out an airy laugh, “Yeah, I know. But uh…”  Right away Beth noticed his demeanor change.  His face turning serious but also a hint of fear in his hazel eyes.  “I care about you, a lot.”

Beth smiles, “I care about you too, Rick.”  But her smile faulters when Rick shakes his head and reaches out to cup her chin.

“Beth,” his thumb strokes her soft skin.  “I care about you.”  He watches as it finally dawns on her.  If he weren’t already holding her chin, she was certain her jaw would have dropped.

“Wait so you—”  her mind was racing a mile a minute.  Rick Tyler likes her, like really likes her and her mind can’t seem to understand that.  She can see him waiting for her to say something back but she was awestruck.  There was nothing she could say without making a fool of herself.

His hand falls from her face, accepting that she doesn’t feel the same way.  “Look—I get it.  I’m just the asshole who refused to acknowledge your existence for years and basically made a fool of himself.  But I wanted you to know.”  He wishes he could stand up and walk away before he could make himself look more foolish.  But Beth was settles between his legs and not moving at all.  He wasn’t quite sure she was breathing if he were being honest.

“Uh, Beth?”

“What?”  Beth she shakes herself out of her stupor.  “I’m sorry, I think I’m hearing things.  Did you just confess that you have feelings for me?”  Rick’s lips quirks at the corner before turning into a full smile.  “Yeah, I did.”

“Oh.” Oh…

He waits patiently for her to collect her thoughts.  He knows her well enough that she is trying to process all of this the best way she can.  And after a few moments she finally comes through.

“I never thought that you would feel the same way…”  She can feel this overwhelming sensation coming over her.  “I just thought this was one sided.”

Rick shakes his head, “If I’m being honest.  I’ve always seen you, Beth.  I just never had a reason to talk to you, but sitting at that table was the closest I got for years.”  He confesses.  “And then Courtney came along and helped move me in the right direction.  You all did and I appreciate everything you all have done to make me a better person.”

“Oh, Rick.”  Beth could feel the tears threatening to fall again.  “That’s so sweet.”  She reaches down to take his hands in hers.  “But we need to discuss something important before this goes anywhere…”

He squeezes her hands, “What?”  his voice laced with concern.

Beth takes a breath, preparing herself for his reaction.  “We need to fix the hourglass properly.  It is causing damage to you that you can’t see.”

 “What damage?”  he asks annoyed.  Ah yes, there is the hourglass influence she’s been waiting to see.  She figured his mood swings were connected to the hourglass lacking a limiter, but she wasn’t sure which emotions were connected to those changes.

“Whenever you get annoyed or angry it is tenfold.  There is a fine line between normal behaviors and abnormal behaviors.”  Beth states and continues.  “Two weeks ago, when we were going around and taking down the cameras, Chuck scanned you while wearing the hourglass.”

Rick shrugs his shoulders in boredom, “Okay, and?”  the annoyed tone started to seep in and she noticed he slipped his hands from hers too.  She can already feel the change already.

Her Rick was gone.

“And,” she emphasized.  “not having a limiter is causing harm to your physical form.  Your biology cannot handle that much exposure to the hourglass.  Like you said before, you’re having headaches and not feeling well?  That’s from the hourglass.”

She can tell Rick is listening to her, but she also notices the tightness in his jaw and his hands clenching tightly.  “So what?  You want me to stop being Hourman?”

Beth lets out a huff, “No, Rick. I want to help you fix the hourglass properly so you don’t hurt yourself further.”

His eyes narrow and his face gravitates closer to hers, “What do you mean by ‘fix it properly’.”

Beth shifts back from Rick, feeling an unease starting to form between them.  One second he was confessing his feelings for her, the next he was shutting down and acting cold.

“We need to put the limiter back in place.  It is the only way to prevent any further damage to yourself.”

He gives her an incredulous look, “But why should I give up having limitless power?  Why should I have to resort to only having an hour of strength a day and nothing more?”

“Because—”

“No.”  he cuts her off.  “I won’t put the limiter back in.  It’s out of the question, Beth.”

This was not what Beth expected to happen.  They finally were on the same page and then it all fell apart in a matter of minutes.  This heavy feeling settles in her chest as she pushes away from Rick and stands up.  She grabs her bag from the floor and looks back at Rick, who’s staring at her with a mixture of sadness and anger.

“I’m telling you now, Rick.  This will be your downfall if we do not fix this.  You will be very sick and then we will never be able to come back from that.”  Beth pleads with him.  “I’m only walking away because I don’t only care about you Rick, but I love you.”  Beth sniffles and pushes through all the feelings wreaking havoc within her.  “And because I love you, I want you to heal and be the best version of yourself.  But that,” she point to his hourglass strapped to his belt.  “that will be the death of you.”

Not caring to wait for whatever rude remark he would have to say, Beth leaves the classroom and walks straight out of the school building.

She refuses to believe that the boy she’s loved for so long would chose a death sentence over life.

That his words from an hour ago were meaningless if he were no longer here.

What’s the point in caring if you can’t be with the people who love you?

[hanazuma-inactive]

Are you fine with top beta mreader and bottom alpha iwaizumi? Reader is model student in school and rumor tells that he is better than most alpha. Iwai who never interested about that kind of thing suddenly changed his mind when his inner beast screamed out for reader when he saw him in the library. That caught reader attention. So they have sex there, with Iwai trying hard to holding back his voice and he can only knotting at nothing when climax. After they were done, Iwai kinda light headed and Reader bridal carry him outside. I just think it will be cute 🐽

That's all 🛁

out of the ordinary (nsfw) top beta!reader x bottom alpha!iwaizumi

pronouns: he/him (FEMALE ORIENTED DNI!!)

warnings: slight degrading, omegaverse, reverse roles, knotting (not really), public sex (sex in library), slight overstimming

a/n: i can't find any,,,good iwa panels help. but this was an interesting concept especially the last part. i also love iwa with my entire life please 🧎‍♂️ sorry this took so long because it's pretty long around 1.8k words

_____

you were an exception, someone who's out of the ordinary. being born a beta, people didn't expect much from you. they had no reason to believe that someone who was a part of 90% of the world population was capable of doing anything extraordinary. however you were there to prove them wrong. ever since elementary going into highschool your grades were always at the top of the class and in some cases in the district. everyone was surprised to find out that you were only a beta instead of an alpha.

your achievements were spread all of the school board and among your classmates. most people respected you and some wanted to be you. your grades weren't the only thing you had, your looks were at least above average and nearly everyone who saw you wanted to fuck you, or get fucked by you. except for one person, iwaizumi hajime.

the spiky haired boy was never interested in this type of stuff. in fact he is the only alpha in the entire school that hasn't tried to hit on you or asked you out yet. unfortunately this just so happens to be the one person you were somewhat interested in. unlike the other betas and omegas you weren't exactly submissive. sure you were nice and friendly towards other people but in the bedroom? all you wanted was to make an alpha cry out your name and cum from your cock. it was an unrealistic fantasy due to how your society functions but you've seen it happen before and you wanted to experience it yourself.

the more iwa didn't notice you, the more frustrated you became. you tried all sorts of things to grab his attention. "helping" him with homework, which he denied many times. inviting him to hangout afterschool, also denied. and even as far as behaving unlike yourself, none of the above worked and you were quite upset about it.

until one day, when you were just walking to the gym you overheard iwa and his friend oikawa qtalking about something.

"c'mon iwa we all know you were head over heels for him when he was performing that day."

"shut up, it doesn't matter even if i do, he has enough alphas and omegas on his dick, he doesn't need another one. so what if i want to fuck him, who doesn't? you did too at one point but he turned you down almost immediately."

"jeez! calm down you freaking porcupine. all i'm saying is, next time you two are alone, maybe give it a shot instead of avoiding him. he's the first person that ever got you feeling like this and it would be too good of a chance to pass by, don't you think?"

"yah yah whatever i got it."

so the two were… talking about you?. there was no way right?! the one person you wanted attention finally gave it to you. it might not have been directly but he admitted it, and that's all you needed to know. so all the things you were doing did work after all. you were excited but you needed to keep your cool for now, and figure out a way to get you two alone. little did you know he was going to come to you all by himself without you even lifting a finger.

you strolled to the library afterschool to borrow to borrow a book your friend told you to check out that you know you won't be reading. while searching for the novel, you heard someone open the door of the empty library. it was pretty rare for anyone to be in the library except during class time so you wondered who it could've been. you peeked over the bookshelves to find a spiky haired male trying to find a book as well. it was iwa, looking for a book in the dystopia section.

this situation couldn't have been better. you and iwa were alone in a place where nobody usually comes. it was the perfect opportunity to do what you always wanted to do. you walked over to the other section to greet him.

"yo! how's it going iwaizumi?"

"it's going fine… thank you, i'm surprised to see you here though."

"oh yeah haha, just checking out a book."

iwaizumi looked away and directed his attention back to the bookshelf. you were a little upset and while thinking about something to talk about, he spoke again.

"h-hajime, is fine...by the way." iwa said while his face flashed a bright red.

hajime? his first name? we barely talked ever and now you guys are on a first name basis? you didn't mind of course, you a little surprised that's all.

"alright hajime! same goes for you too!"

he looked away again, gripping the book in his hand.

"alright, fuck it." he murmured under his breath. hajime turned around to you and pushed on onto the bookshelf behind you. his hand holding onto yours and his face red as a cherry. you were a little startled but this stuff wasn't exactly new to you so it wasn't as flustering to you as it was to him.

"uhh, hajime? y-you alright there?"

"i wanna fuck you alright?! there i said it. i'm not expecting anything because i'm the last alpha you haven't rejected. but still, i want to try. so…what do you say?"

it was all going better than expected. all the things you've done to attract iwa was finally paying off! you were excited but you needed to keep your cool before completely losing it on him.

"sure! i don't see the reason not to~ but…we are going to switch it up a little bit." you said with a smirk on your face. iwa looked confused about what you meant by switching up, but now that the person he liked agreed to have sex with him, he didn't care about what's about to happen.

you grabbed iwa's arms and pushed them behind his back as you turned him around, reversing the positions of you two.

"w-woah, what are you doing…y/n."

"i've always wanted to do this hehe, fucking an alpha and making him beg to cum as a beta, someone who is supposed to be below him in society standards. what do you say hajime? is this still the sex you were looking forward to? or are you gonna leave me here all by myself?"

there was fear and anticipation in iwa's eyes, eager to find out what happens next. as much as he wished it was the opposite way around he didn't want to lose the opportunity in his hand right now. reluctantly, he nodded and agreed, gesturing to get on with what you wanted to do.

gaining the signal to start, you aggressively pushed your lips onto iwa's, reaching into his mouth and soon intertwining your tongue with his. the other male let out stubborn whimpers as the kiss grew to be more sloppy. soon you broke it, leaving him panting for breath and a dirty smile on your face.

you licked your fingers and reached into the back of iwaizumi's pants. at first he jolted a little, not being used to his ass being touched as an alpha. you then started to move your fingers into his asshole. going deeper inside, hajime struggled with the pain that no alpha in this school will ever experience. hajime's grunts started to become moans, you put in more fingers as you found his pleasure point. massaging it and doing all the tricks you knew on it to make him feel as good as possible.

it didn't take long till a wet spot started to form on his pants and his eyes became hazy. you took out the finger and let hajime catch his breath before preparing him for the real thing.

"w-what's next…" hajime asked

"just close your eyes, i promise i'll make you feel good~"

he trusted you and shut his eyes, latching on to your shoulder. you revealed your cock and lifted iwa up so that his face would be facing you and his plump asshole would be right above cock. iwa was nervous, you could tell and that was the best part about it. gently you put your cock into his ass. it was still rather difficult even with all the preparation from earlier. iwa let out a small cry as you entered him, not used to anything so big inside him, or anything at all really.

"f-fuck that hurts…"

"i know, it'll feel good in a bit, alright? bare with me here a little. i'm gonna start moving."

you didn't even put into consideration that this was iwa's first time. you went at a moderate speed, sometimes slowing down and speeding up. iwa's hard cock leaking with precum and bouncing up and down on yours. it was such a pretty sight seeing the alpha cry pretty tears from all the pain and pleasure. of course you felt amazing too, iwa's virgin hole felt better than your hand or anything your dick had ever fucked.

iwa used one of his hands to cover his mouth. attempting to stop the people outside of the library to hear his moans.

"hajime~ people are gonna hear us if you keep being naughty like this~" you said with a cocky smile on your face.

he didn't say anything in response, barely being able to comprehend anything while getting fucked.

"c'mon...look at you, an alpha? being fucked by a beta in a library. moaning like a slut in heat, i might as well knot you while i'm at it hm?"

speaking of knots, the alpha was getting closed with nothing around his cock. nothing for him to knot. his cock enlarged in size as he reached his climax but a face of disappointment appeared because of the empty area around iwa's dick. he didn't even think it was physically possible until today looking at it right now in front of him.

hajime had his fun but you weren't done yet. right after he came you continued to fuck him and stroke his cock to overstimulate him. after you came inside you noticed that iwaizumi had already passed out from the pleasure. his own cum spilled on his stomach and his ass filled with yours. you stood still for a while, enjoying the view of the sleeping prince in front of you. to make this more fun for the both of you, you decided to carry the alpha in your arms as if he was your bride.

you got a bunch of weird stares and murmurs from the students around you but you didn't care. all the reputation that you built up could fall into shreds but you could not have cared less. now, the only thing that matters is the one person you wanted attention from gave it to you and is sleep soundly in your arms.

[glitteryglitter]

gold rush

𝙰𝙽: I wrote this on my porch listening to Britney Spears, while it was raining. it was EVERYTHING

𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: None, I think!

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐: Clove X Belcourt! Fem! Reader

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 1158

                                                     ๑*˚🍓˚*๑      

"That has got to be the most gorgeous girl I have ever seen"

Y/n didn't realize the words had left her mouth until she saw her sister staring at her with a knowing smile.

"Y/n! You're here! I thought you'd never make it. Due to the fact that you're clearly in love with Clove"

"Glimmer, I was 5 minutes late. Also, I am not in love with her! We don't even know each other!"

"Y/n you've walked home with me every day for the past two years. If you really think I wouldn't notice you staring at Clove, you're wrong. You're clearly in looooooove!" Glimmer cooed.

"I'm not in love with her! I just admire her. A lot!" Y/n protested

Suuuure that's what you always say! Then a few months later it's all "Glim, can you sew me a dress? I'm busy and she might ask me on a date! And Glim! Do my shoes match my nails? I want to impress her!"

Y/n gave her sister a look.

"Come on, it's time for you to meet her!"

"No, no no don't do it"

Unfortunately, Glimmer's excited waving got Clove's attention.

she looked up and smiled, carefully putting down several knives

"if I have to flirt with her for you, I swear..." Glimmer hissed through gritted teeth

"Glim, I will kill you! Y/n whispered back

She merely laughed.

"It's time for you to get to know Clove!"

Glimmer dragged y/n by the wrist towards where the dark-haired girl was talking with a tall blond boy.

"This is my sister, Y/n, she was admiring yo-"

Y/n clapped a hand over Glimmer's mouth before she could spill anything of importance.

"Hi, I'm Y/n! You must be Clove?"

The girl nodded and smiled.

"Your sister told me about you! you're even prettier than she described! And so far, a lot less irritating."

Had Clove just called her pretty?

Y/n forgot to breathe for a few seconds and merely smiled.

That is, until Glimmer's voice came from behind them.

"Rude!"

Y/n turned and came face to face with her sister.

She'd forgotten how good she was at eavesdropping.

Clove sighed

"Glimmer, It's so great to see you again. Especially since I thought I'd be rid of you by now..."

"Oh come on, What's not to love about me? I have a gorgeous sister who's very single and my family owns the most luxurious boutique in district one!"

"That right there! That's unlikable!"

"Suuure, Kentwell. Dream on! Just try to hate me. It's impossible!"

"Wow, Glimmer that was really smooth" Y/n whispered

"Y/n, not you too! You're supposed to defend me!"

Thankfully, Glimmer had unknowingly saved her sister from a potentially very awkward conversation.

                                                     ๑*˚🍓˚*๑      

As soon as the two had left the training center, Y/n pulled her sister aside. "Glim, have you been trying to set me up with her?" she shrieked

"Well, it's obvious that you're starstruck, but if you'd rather fend for yourself..."

"I'm not starstruck!"

Glimmer raised an eyebrow

"Okay fine, maybe I am a little starstruck. That doesn't matter though! How do I even tell her I like her!"

"I thought you'd never ask!"

All through the walk home, the two Belcourt sisters discussed getting Clove's attention.

"I don't even know if she likes me that much! I mean we've talked once. Today. Because of you!"

"Y/n she called you pretty. I'd say you have a shot"

"Well, yes, but lots of people can call you pretty, but it doesn't mean they all want to date you"

"Oh, believe me. She wants to date you"

"But how do you know"

"Y/n I have my ways! I just know. Just wear something fabulous tomorrow. You're going to talk to her again whether either of you like it or not!"

                                                     ๑*˚🍓˚*๑      

Y/n had one more hour to prepare for Clove.

She didn't really know why she was even doing this, she'd only met the girl once officially and she had no idea what could possibly happen in 24 hours.

The whole idea seemed a bit ridiculous, but for some reason, it felt a bit like Y/n was working towards something instead of doing nothing at all.

She smiled as she found a small pink skirt and a frilly blouse and got to accessorizing.

She would look stunning, she was sure of it.

As Y/n poked around her closet searching for accessories, she felt her mind going back to clove, wondering if she'd like the bracelet with a heart better than the floral one?

would she think y/n's rings were excessive?

What about necklaces?

She had to look absolutely fabulous if she wanted to get Clove, that's what her sister had been hinting at, of course, but she just didn't know what to do!

She barely knew her and she was already trying to get noticed.

What was she doing?

Y/n knew it wasn't just her sister who was to blame.

She'd always loved the idea of romance as well.

She just really did want to find someone.

Someone who was truly unforgettable and made her heart skip.

A certain someone Y/n knew definitely fit that description.

As Y/n spritzed herself with a cloud of her favorite perfume, she glanced in the mirror.

The girl she saw looking back at her was immaculate.

Glimmer would've been proud.

Y/n took a deep breath and smiled.

She could practically see her sister in the back of her mind nodding approvingly and telling her to go after Clove.

"Go get your girl, Y/n! Before she's gone for good"

Just as Y/n stepped out of her family's boutique, ready to meet Clove, she saw two sisters walking down the street.

They had nervous looks on their faces and were clutching their shopping bags so hard, their knuckles were turning white.

As they walked closer to her, Y/n noticed them from school.

They weren't really close, but they'd always been kind to her and glimmer.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

She'd never seen anyone that stressed before.

"Y/n I'm so sorry." one of the girls looked up at her.

She was confused. Why was the girl sorry?

Her sister nudged her and whispered something in the other's ear.

"Oh- Y/n I don't know if I should tell you. Glimmer should be the one to break the news, we're here for you though. If you ever need anything..."

Y/n noticed a small group of people staring at her from across the street.

She felt a sense of unease growing.

There was something really wrong happening.

"No, please! Tell me! What's going on?"

The other sister pursed her lips.

"Glimmer's been selected to volunteer at the reaping."

"Oh."

Y/n didn't know what to do.

She knew that her sister was talented and very well-liked. Of course, she was!

the Belcourt family was extremely well known and it seemed too fitting that the sister who wasn't set to take over the store would be selected.

That lead Y/n to another thought.

Clove.

                                                     ๑*˚🍓˚*๑      

Question: should I do a part 2?

[seasonsofeverlark]

Cupcake Love

Author: @mega-aulover

Prompt: Peeta takes Katniss on a date, which is a lovely picnic lunch at her favorite spot (maybe the meadow?). He has everything--good food, a soft blanket, and a confession of love he’s been holding in for weeks. What he doesn’t have is an umbrella, and there’s a lot of rain in the forecast. (Canon divergent or AU) [submitted by @hutchhitched]

Rating: T - for bullying

Author’s Note: Cupcake love is a sweet crush that can turn into love. Peeta’s secret cupcake is Katniss, but he’s never had the courage to stare at her for more than seconds much less talk to her. Until one day fate steps in and now he has a date with Katniss. Will he be able to tell her how he feels, or will the odds be against him? Special thanks to @norbertsmom​ for quickly betaing this story. Word Count: 3,807 _____________

KPKPKP

“Aren’t you so stoked that today is our last day and the reaping is only a few days away,” Delly chirped into Peeta’s ear.

He smiled and watched Katniss Everdeen across the room. On their last day of the school year, the Seniors were given a special luncheon where the staff presented the students with special awards and explained how the reaping for their job assignments in other districts would go.

Peeta sat awkwardly trying to stealthily stare at his cupcake. Peeta and Delly always used the code word cupcake when talking about their crushes.

Katniss was the type of girl legends were written about. He had the biggest crush on her since the age of six. Regretfully she was the one person he’d never been able to speak to.

Katniss Everdeen was the girl every guy in District 12 High School dreamed of. The thing about Katniss was that she wasn’t a girly-girl like her friend Madge. She wasn’t talkative like his best friend Delly. Katniss was a tomboy with a legendary scowl for a smile, and every red-blooded male wanted to date her, be her, or befriend her.

Peeta Mellark aspired to two of those things - he would love to befriend her and possibly one day ask her out. He sighed out loud. Time was running out. The day after tomorrow they would find their assignments. Who knew what district they would be placed in, to work.

“Why don’t you walk up to her and tell her how you feel?”

“The same reason you never said anything to you know who,” Peeta bit out. He regretted it immediately when Delly became pale.

“Really, Peeta look at me…” Delly said quietly. “How was I supposed to go up to my cupcake and say I like you when he didn’t even know I was alive.”

“I have frizzy dry hair; even my mom said it was like straw. I’ve got a pasty face because of the acne treatments, and I’m fat; they call me thunder thighs.” Her smile did not match the sadness in her eyes. “Do you really think someone like me could go up to the one guy in school who was deemed the pleasure king and say, you know what, I like you and not because of your reputation with the female population of District Twelve? Please.”

“Adeline Cartwright, you need to stop thinking of yourself as ugly. If I had a shot with Katniss, I would take it.”

Delly raised an eyebrow and Peeta closed his eyes as he realized what his best friend did.

“Man girls are smarter,” Peeta said.

“Don’t let happen to your cupcake, what I let happen with mine. After he graduated two years ago, he was Reaped to work in the Capitol. He isn’t going to return, and according to his family he’s living his best life!”

Peeta watched Katniss at her lunch table with Madge. He feared the Reaping.

After the war, many districts needed people to work after the loss of so many by a weapon the Capitol invented. The weapon destroyed both those fighting on both sides. Depleted of people the Districts surrendered. As a punishment, the Capitol forced all 18-year-olds to work a full two years without pay, starting right after they graduate. They were provided housing and food by their host District. The Reaping would take place on July 4th.

Anything could happen during their time in another district. It was well known that romances started during this time. His older brother Barley met his wife while working in District Eleven. He decided to move to District Eleven and run a mill. Katniss’s mother was sent to work in District Seven and came home with Mr. Everdeen. Peeta’s own father met and married his mother in District one. True, their marriage was volatile, but people did usually find their significant other during this time.

Peeta’s main fear was that Katniss would find the love of her life during her time away and he’d lose his chance with her forever.

He stood up from the table intent on talking to her. Gathering his courage he took a step in her direction, but then chickened out. He turned, intending to walk away but found Delly standing in his way. Grabbing hold of his hand Delly tugged him all the way to Katniss’s table.

“Hi,” Delly said brightly.

Katniss raised an eyebrow, her face devoid of any emotion. Madge stared at them.

Peeta felt heat blossom on his already ruddy face. He shifted his feet and turned to Delly for help.

Delly gave him a pointed look and gave him a nudge with her elbow.

“Hi Katniss,” Peeta slipped his hands in his pockets. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a picnic with me tomorrow.”

Katniss’s eyes grew as large as saucers.

“YES,” Madge shouted. Her nose flared and she grimaced, staring at Katniss, before she said through thin lips, “She would love to.”

Both girls continued to stare at each other, silently exchanging looks until Peeta saw Katniss duck her head and nod.

“As I said, Katniss would love to, what time?” Madge asked.

“Really?” He couldn’t help sounding so happy and hopeful. Peeta gave her what Delly called his adorkable grin.

Her eyes lifted to his and his knees turned to jelly. Her eyes were stormy like the sky just after a rain shower, filled with conflicting emotions before they dulled back to their normal lustrous grey hue.

“What time?” Katniss whispered.

Her voice was husky and his heart did a little pitter-patter in his chest. He cleared his throat to keep him from sounding like a ten-year-old. “Is noon okay, in the meadow by the large red maple tree.”

“She’ll meet you there,” Madge said brightly.

Peeta wanted to say something else but Delly was dragging him away. “Wait, Delly, I wanted to-”

Delly cut him off, “Nope you were going to say something that I’m sure would have been charming but you should always leave them wanting more!”

Peeta wasn’t sure about that, but he took her advice and kept quiet.

That night, Delly came over and they began strategizing about the picnic. She helped him pick out a plaid shirt that if he dropped food on it, it wouldn’t be obvious.

“What are you two up to?” Peeta’s brother Ryan asked. He’d been selected to work in District Twelve in the mines, and he loathed the work.

“Nonya,” Delly said.

“Why is it when I ask my brother a question you answer?

“Because you’re annoying and I know you.” Delly stood, arms akimbo, glaring at Ryan.

“Why do you think I’m going to do something wrong?”

“Because you’re like mischief and chaos rolled up into one.”

“Fighting words thunder-thighs,” Ryan shot back, taking a step toward Delly. Delly wasn’t tall but she could be a handful when angered.

“Enough guys.” Peeta jumped up to stand between them. “Delly is helping me get ready for my picnic tomorrow with Katniss.”

“You and Katniss Everdeen, you know you’re not in her league,” Ryan said laughing.

Delly pushed Ryan.

“WTF!” Ryan growled.

“Don’t mess this up for him. You know how much he likes Katniss.”

“They have nothing in common, she’s a hunter, she’s hot, and you’re my lame little brother who can’t win a wrestling championship against his big brother.”

Delly stepped forward, but Peeta stopped her.

“Delly don’t,” Peeta said, cutting his best friend off before she said something to his brother she’d regret. “Look, we’re all done here tonight.”

Delly nodded and began to gather her things.

“Thunder-thighs,” Ryan muttered under his breath.

Delly turned around and said, “You’re nothing but a big bully, who the only way you’re going to get out of District Twelve is by becoming a Peacekeeper.”

Ryan narrowed his eyes.

Delly looked down. “Sorry, Ryan.”

“It’s the only insult you can throw at me since you’re so damned ugly.”

“You know I don’t get why women fall all over themselves for you,” Delly grumbled.

“That’s because of these,” Ryan said, kissing his biceps.

Peeta took Delly by the arm and pushed her toward the stairs.

“How are you guys related?” Delly asked before going down the stairs.

“Genetics.” Peeta went downstairs with her. “Seriously, thank you for everything, pulling me across the cafeteria, helping me with the picnic, and helping me pick out the clothes.”

“Just be yourself tomorrow; you’ve got this.”

Peeta nodded. However, as soon as Delly left he heard his brother behind him.

“You need to learn how to stay in your lane, Peeta. Katniss is not in your lane. This is what we call a pity date.”

Peeta sighed then looked at his older brother. He realized then and there the only person who was stopping him from achieving happiness was himself. “I am good enough for someone like Katniss, and I think Delly is right, you’re a bully.”

Peeta walked upstairs and he didn’t bother looking back. He knew Ryan was red-faced. He had bigger things to do, like worry about tomorrow.

The next day he went around town purchasing several things he needed for the picnic. By the time he finished, he had to quickly pack the food in the basket. He went down the list he and Delly made yesterday. He packed the blanket plates, cups, forks, spoons, knives, napkins, a thermos with a cold beverage, and another with a hot beverage in his backpack. It looked cloudy so he packed an umbrella in his backpack as well, just to be safe. He raced upstairs to take a quick shower.

When he came back downstairs he noticed the basket was moved.

“I put some of those cheese-buns Katniss likes so much in your basket,” his father said.

“Thanks, dad.” Peeta took the basket and swung the backpack over his shoulder, then made his way to the meadow.

With each step, he took his heart thundered in his chest. He hoped not to sound like a fool. His hands became sweaty when he saw Katniss standing by the red maple tree in a light green dress. Her lustrous dark locks loosely fell around her shoulders. Her eyes lit up when she saw him approaching. She l was stunning. Katniss’s beauty surpassed the earthly elegance that surrounded her.

“Hi.” His voice sounded weird to his ears.

“Hi.” She gripped her hands in front of her.

“I hope you’re hungry.” He lifted up the basket. “I brought lots of food.”

He set the basket down.

“I can help you.”

“Ah sure,” he said as he took the blanket out of the backpack. Their hands brushed and it was like sticking his hand in the electrical outlet. Peeta forced his hands from shaking as they spread the blanket on the ground. The wind picked up. Peeta quickly unpacked the basket.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding.”

“Would you like me to serve you? Just tell me what you like.”

“It all looks so good. I’ll take one of everything.”

Peeta made up a plate for her with a sample of the cheeses, slices of ham, roast beef, and hard salami. He made sure to add a handful of nuts, slices of fresh bread, a sliced apple, grapes, and pears. He poured her some lemonade.

Peeta made himself a plate before tucking into the food. They ate in silence, but in the back of his mind, he replayed what Delly said. He needed to be himself. He was worthy to be here with her.

“So are you ready for tomorrow?”

“To be honest I am not ready to leave home. Though my sister Primrose said she’s ready to have the room to herself.”

“Really? I would have thought you were ready for the adventure?”

“I’d miss my family.”

Peeta thought about how different their families were. His mother looked down on anyone from District Twelve. She lamented moving here from District one. Even though she did it because she was pregnant at the time. His father was great but long-suffering. His two brothers were mean to him. As the baby of the family, he was picked on by his brothers. His parents turned a blind eye to his brother’s behavior.

Katniss’s family was a tight knitted unit. Her parents were still in love. When the mining accident happened her father got hurt trying to save people. During the time when he couldn’t work, Katniss began hunting to help her family. Even though she was only eleven at the time, not one person in her family tried to stop her. Instead, her father was proud of Katniss and boasted about her hunting prowess. They supported each other, instead of tearing each other down. Katniss was a hero, just like her father.

“My family isn’t as united as yours, they will only miss my ability to decorate cakes.”

“Prim loves to look at the cakes through the window. We think they’re amazing.”

“Thanks.”

“My father said to tell you to thank you for the bread after the incident.”

He was stunned they still remembered the bread. It happened so long ago. He was eleven and he wanted to do something for them because it struck him that although everyone praised her father’s actions, no one stopped to think he was out of a job until he was cleared by the company doctor.

“It was nothing. Your father saved a lot of people. I can’t even imagine what my family would do if something happened to Ryan.”

The wind picked up, causing Peeta to look up at the sky momentarily. He saw that darker clouds were moving briskly in the sky, but it was still nice outside and he didn’t want his time with Katniss to end so he carried on. He still wanted to do the taste testing he and Delly came up with.

“I can ask my dad if anything can be done to help your brother.”

“You’d do that for Ryan?”

“Yes.”

He watched her grab a green grape and pop it into her mouth. He swallowed thickly out of nerves that could only come from an inexperienced 18-year-old when faced with his cupcake. Even in his anxious state, Peeta had the wherewithal to perceive this was the moment he’d been waiting for. “Ah try it with this,” he held up a spoonful of goat cheese.

She took the spoon, added another grape, and ate. Her eyes opened up in surprise. “This is so good.”

“We do a lot of experimenting with flavor profiles at the bakery. My dad made us all learn to discern different flavors by opening up our palates.”

“How?”

“Well, I can show you.” He took out the small box. “This box contains bite-size samples of foods that aren’t common here and some that are. You have to use your sense of taste and smell to be able to tell what it is you are eating. In the bakery my father blindfolds us.”

Katniss raised an eyebrow at the notion of being blindfolded.

“I didn’t bring a blindfold, but we’re going to go on the honor system and let you close your eyes and hope you don’t cheat!”

“Alright.” She sat on her knees and settled her hands on her lap before closing her eyes.

“Okay,” Peeta said to himself more than to her. He picked up the box. He was starting with a strawberry. It was a fruit that she was familiar with and it was something simple to build her trust in him. “Tell me what you smell first then tell me what you taste. If you can guess what it is you win an extra cheese-bun.”

She didn’t say anything, only raised her eyebrow, but kept her eyes closed.

Peeta grinned and put the sliced strawberry in her hand. She frowned as she felt the strawberry slice with her fingers before bringing it up to her nose to sniff. Her lips quivered, “It smells sweet, and it’s sticky and squishy,” she said before popping it in her mouth. “Mmmm, it’s tart and sweet, strawberry?” She opened her eyes, peering at him with hopefulness.

“Yes.”

“It’s weird tasting food without being able to see them.”

“Well that’s the thing, we taste stuff all the time and we can discern what is inside of it without seeing it in its natural form.

"What else?” Katniss closed her eyes.

Peeta took out a cube of cheese and put it in her hand. There were only a few things in the sample box. He enjoyed himself immensely and he learned she preferred savory things over sweet things.

Peeta grinned as he took out a piece of chocolate morsel and placed it in her open hand. Chocolate was expensive. The bakery only purchased it for special occasions such as the Reaping when the people of Capitol came in and looked for cakes and other treats made with chocolate. Peeta couldn’t wait to see Katniss’s reaction.

Katniss frowned as she tried to place the chocolate morsel by the feel. She brought it to her nose and sniffed it, but he knew there wasn’t anything to compare chocolate to. Unlike with the strawberry, Katniss hesitated before putting it in her mouth. As soon as the chocolate began melting. Her eyes flew open.

“This is delicious; it’s rich and velvety. What is it?”

“Chocolate.” Peeta was going to elaborate when he heard the rumbling of thunder.

Katniss looked up as raindrops began falling. “Maybe we should pack up and go.”

“It’s okay, I packed an umbrella.” Peeta began looking for the umbrella.

“Peeta, I think we should stop before it gets worse.”

The trees were swaying. Peeta didn’t want his time with Katniss to end. He wanted to walk her home, so he continued to look for the umbrella. He was puzzled because he swore he packed it. “Let me find the umbrella…I’ll walk you home.”

“Alright but you better hurry, it looks like it’s going to pour,” Katniss said.

“Okay,” Peeta said. The sky opened up and rain poured from the heavens. Peeta gave up his search for the umbrella and stood up. He pulled the blanket to put around her shoulders, but she was standing on the edge and he sent her flying onto her back into a muddy puddle. The sample box with the strawberries, blueberries, and chocolate landed on her, further staining her light green dress.

Peeta helped her stand up. Katniss had mud streaming down her. The mud was caked in her hair, and on the stained dress.

“Madge’s dress!” She stared down at herself, “ I can’t afford to pay for this.” The green dress was ruined.

“Katniss, I’m so… I know I packed an…umbrella..”

She looked at him skeptically. “I’m going to go before my dad gets worried,” she said before running off toward home in the rain.

His apology was swallowed up by the sound of heavy rain. Not being able to do anything. He looked at the mess around him.

Dejected, he cleaned up and made his way home. When he arrived, he went upstairs and his brother followed him.

Ryan leaned on the doorjamb grinning.

“Not now, Ryan.”

“What’s the matter, loser?”

“Ryan,” Peeta said in a warning tone. All he wanted was to sulk.

“Let me guess; the date didn’t go well?”

Peeta refused to speak.

“Who knew you were going to need this umbrella?”

Looking up he saw Ryan was casually twirling the umbrella he packed inside the basket.

He curled his fist. He recalled how Katniss looked in her soiled green dress. A helpless look that was his fault because he didn’t have his umbrella, the umbrella that his brother now had in his hand. “You knew how important this was for me.”

“You’re a loser. It wouldn’t have mattered if I took this out or not…you would have messed this up regardless.”

Peeta’s shoulders drooped when he realized that his brother was right. Even if he had had the umbrella he still would have found a way to mess up the date with Katniss. he didn’t deserve someone like her. Tomorrow was the reaping and it looked like he would never get the opportunity to tell Katniss how he really felt about her.

“You may be right, I’m a loser. But I’m not a mean-spirited bully like you and the rest of this family. I talked to Katniss this afternoon about how much you dislike the mines. She said she would talk to her father about moving you from the mines to work in the office with him.”

Ryan’s eyes widened before they became filled with worry.

“Don’t worry, I’m not you, Ryan. I would never ruin any opportunity you might have. I hope you’re happy.”

Ryan left his room.

That night Peeta went to bed with a heavy heart. In the morning as he stood amongst his graduating class he could only stare at the back of her head, wondering how he could make up for yesterday’s disaster.

Peeta gripped the envelope that contained his new District and the job assignment. At noon all over Panem every eighteen-year-old would open up the envelope and discover where they were going to work for the next year of their life.

Effie Trinket took the stage as the hour approached. She was dressed in the colors of Panem high school, green and purple. Every year she picked a theme in honor of a District. Last year her dress was comprised of hammers in honor of District Two. The year before that it was hovercrafts and this year she was dressed as a tree with little dangling purple saws.

“And now the moment we have all been waiting for. Let us commence the countdown to the opening of the ceremonial envelopes. May the odds be ever in your favor.”

The countdown began. Everybody counted backward and when the timer got down to zero, there was silence before a gasp as people began to tear open the envelopes and read where they were going.

Peeta opened his envelope and he couldn’t believe that he was going to the Capitol as a camp counselor.

[ot3]

had some 'thoughts' on an au where mia/lana and phoenix/edgeworth's narrative arcs are swapped (aka mia main protag lana main antag, phoenix mentor) and dumped over 1000 words on the subject in the groupchat today. here you go.

lana -

she and mia strike up a childhood friendship after the skye parents use the khurain channeling method to talk to lana and ema's grandparents. at this stage in life, lana really wants to be a detective because she believes that proper like collection, treatment, and handling of evidence is the Key to making sure everything in the world turns out fair and just and righteous. i think rather than less than one year she and mia have a few years of being friends like this, but don't see each other every day like phoenix and edgeworth would have at school. lana just makes the trek up to khurain village whenever she can and they call on the payphone etc.

then, the skye parents die in a car accident and she completely ghosts mia and drops off the face of the planet. the parents were killed by a drunk driver and gant is the detective assisting the prosecution with this case. the defendant is successfully imprisoned. lana goes on to become a detective under the tutelage of gant, who recognizes lanas potential from a young age and takes the skye sisters under his wings a la manfred and edgeworth. eventually he pushes lana into pursuing prosecution instead because he wants a pawn in the prosecutors office and he does this by telling her that he collaborated with the prosecutor of her parents' death to forge evidence and testimony, otherwise the killer would have gotten away with it. so she becomes the demon prosecutor.

mia -

meanwhile stays in khurain and continues her training for the most part. since there's no dl-6 nothing happens to misty and theres no reason for mia to leave, but one day shes watching her mother perform a channeling for someone and the person being channeled turns out to have been someone lana had falsely imprisoned who was subsequently executed. mia is like. hey holy shit that doesn't sound right. one, lana's supposed to be a detective, not a prosecutor, two, she wouldnt do that. i have to go find out what the hell happened and see what made her this way.

so mia leaves the village and attends law school at ivy and it's really her first time out of the village for any significant stretch of time and so she's very country mouse in the big city. dahlia spots her at the courthouse when she's pulling Her whole shtick and is like OH MY GOSH HEY CUZ YOU REMEMBER ME RIGHT (: (: (: (: (: SO CRAZY BESTIE BEEN SO LONG SINCE WE'VE SEEN YOU I HAVE A GIFT FOR YOU ((poison necklace)) and obviously there's not the dating identity swap i dont know about the specifics here but. mia gets involved in dahlias hijinks from Trusting Family too much and phoenix ends up defending her in court, which is where she meets him and eventually she begins working at his law firm with him

phoenix -

he and edgeworth were friends through childhood and when edgeworth started at themis to study as a defense attorney their friendship continued. phoenix spent enough time going over edgeworths schoolwork with him and serving as a filler in after-hours mock trials put on by the more enthusiastic students or bumming around in the art club because eventually they stopped kicking him out that eventually edgeworth started to realized phoenix kind of had a knack for the whole lawyering thing, and convinced him to give it a try. phoenix was very easily swayed by edgeworth telling him he was smart and good at something. he and edgeworth both started practicing as defense attorneys at the edgeworth law offices, with phoenix lagging a bit behind edgeworth in terms fo passing the bar and whatnot. maybe by a couple of years. did they date in this timeline? yes. absolutely. idk when though. some awkward high school stuff for sure and then probably some more serious stuff as adults.

he and lana face off in the fawles trial and the whole affair ends with fawles suicide and ray getting godot'd with the poison bottle. also something mysterious happens to edgeworth and he's suddenly cold and distant, leaving his fathers firm to pursue a career as a prosecutor. phoenix can't bear to be there without edgeworth so he leaves to open his own firm. here's where phoenix starts getting the idea that maybe the way the law functions needs some changing, so he starts doing some side research on the jurist system while he takes a break from cases. he keeps getting stopped everywhere he goes and everyone he talks to, and eventualyl finds out that one man currently owns pretty much all of the justice system: redd white. so phoenix begins looking into white trying to take him down as a prerequisite for judicial reform. this does not work and phoenix gets bludgeoned to death in his office after mia wins her first case. RIP KING !

edgeworth -

becomes a defense attorney at his father's firm as established. pretty much what you'd expect from a no dl-6 au edgeworth. but then. the twistening: this is also something i haven't really ironed out the specifics of but whatever it doesn't really matter. MVK has been eyeing revenge on greg. in a sort of parallel to the sl-9 incident, greg - with edgeworth as co-counsel - had been defending someone accused of a serial killing, and it REALLY started to look like the prosecution was not going to be able to put the case through. there's one final confrontation where the prosecution is interrogating the defendant, and the defense team is waiting outside. power outage, scuffle, blah blah blah, long story short it ends with mvk killing the defendant and setting the scene up to make it seem like greg killed the man (either accidentally or in self defense?idk) which, yknow, killing your defendant is sure to ruin a defense attorneys reputation

so mvk blackmails edgeworth into switching teams and becoming a prosecutor. in a few years, he's chief prosecutor like lana was. since mvk works internationally he cant keep the position himself, but having edgeworth there as a pawn works in his favor and of course edgeworth is wholly miserable

ema -

sort of in fran's place. becomes a detective at an incredibly young age and pops up after mia gets gant arrested. she's got more of her aa4 bitterness going on here because gant was basically like forensics is fucking stupid (whihc she now realizes is because forensic analysis makes fucking lying in court a hell of a lot harder) and is embittered because she essentially had her dream beaten out of her to be used as someones pawn. she spent all this time trying to live up to her sister and help her sister when her sister wasnt even doing anything good either. shows up after lana 'chooses death' to investigate her sisters disappearance

maya -

still assists as mia's co counsel, only she's channeling phoenix for the most part here. very sad that the only time phoenix and maya will ever get to meet is once pearly gets into the mix but these are the sacrifices we make.

fran -

i think conceptually still the second prosecutor once lana Chooses Death only since she spent most of her life without edgeworth, the two of them are on slightly different terms than they are in canon. not as close, but not quite as volatile and competitive either since she was working as a prosecutor far before he was. edgeworth calls her into the country to start prosecuting while he is, i guess, in jail for his crimes, presumably, because he wants to believe she is a good enough person to prosecute the Right way and doesn't trust most of the remaining prosecutors in the district. shes still sort of on the fence over the whole game but obviously gets pushed over the edge in 2-4

[everlarkficexchange]

Naked To the One You Love

by: @ameliaodair​

Prompt #46: They really do toast privately in CF – Katniss wearing an orange dress for Peeta and Peeta making cheese buns for Katniss.  They wanted something their own.  No one knows about it and there’s no baby (as far as they know) but how would this change their relationship? How they make their decisions? Would anyone actually believe them when she gets to District 13? [submitted by anonymous]

Peeta, with the help of Prim and Rye has the perfect day planned for he and Katniss.  This is the day they will finally have their toasting.  Will everything go as perfectly as Peeta planned it?

This story goes hand-in-hand with my current WIP called, “Another Way Out.”  If you want to read more, you can find it on AO3 and FFN.

Word Count: 5768

Rated: M for fluff and smut and lemons.

Warning: Adult content below

Un-beta’d, all mistakes are mine

 Naked To the One you Love

| Peeta |

“What are we doing?” Katniss asks as I lead us toward the meadow.  It’s early still, the sun barely making its presence known along the horizon as it bleeds its hues of purples, oranges, and pinks into the morning sky.

“Having breakfast,” I tell her simply, shivering from the cold.

“In the snow?” She quibbles, rubbing her hands together to warm them up.  I sneak my arm around her shoulder and pull her close.  She allows it, pressing her popsicle nose into my neck.

“Just be quiet and follow me,” I tell her, which grants me a scowl— no surprise there.  When we finally reach our tree, we climb up and I surprise her by opening the door to our tree house.

“Wow, it’s a lot bigger than last time,” she smiles, looking around the tiny room to inspect my handy work.  It was only a little more than a week ago when I found a large plank and, with Rye’s help we got it to the top of this tree.  Using some of my dad’s tools, I nailed the plank to one of the sturdier branches.  Each day since then I have come out here, adding more planks to it, and now it looks like a tiny little house.  Or well, well … more like one … very small room of a rather tiny house.  It is just spacious enough for the two of us to stretch out comfortably, but it’s a place of our own, somewhere to go when we need to get away.  It’s the closest we can get to the woods since the fence is electrified twenty-four-seven now.

We spend the morning in our little makeshift tree home, enjoying the breakfast I packed and watching the miracle of another sun rise.  After surviving the games with the love of your life, you learn to appreciate the little things in life.  Like sunrises and sunsets.  Like sharing meals with your loved ones.   Things you didn’t think were important before suddenly become of the utmost importance.  So, Katniss and I bask in the warmth from the sun and just enjoy being together like this.  With no cameras and no Haymitch.  No Effie or prep teams chasing our tails and scolding us about schedules.  As much as we love and adore all of them, it’s nice to have a break from them.  Finally, it’s just us, which is just the way I like it.

“I think it’s time to get Prim,” Katniss tells me when she sees the sun positioned above the bakery.  It always amazes me how she knows what time it is by the position of the sun.

I frown and jut my lip out, exaggerating my disappointment.  “No, not yet.  Just one more minute,” I whine, leaning in for a kiss.

“Come on Peeta, I don’t want Prim walking home alone.” Katniss contests, squirming out of my arms.  As much as I don’t want to leave right now, I know she’s right.  We leave everything in the tree and climb down, deciding we’ll most likely return once Prim is safely back at home.  Together, we walk to the school and wait for Prim just outside the gates of the school yard.  I’m not sure how much Prim knows much about what’s going on, if anything, but Katniss and I are too afraid to let her walk anywhere in the district alone.  Afraid of what Snow might do. 

Everyone, even Katniss’s mom said her father’s death was just a stroke of bad luck— that he had an aneurysm that no one knew about, that ruptured.  That if they’d had the technology the people in the Capitol have at their fingertips, they could have caught and treated it.  But we know better.  There was no Capitol technology or any fancy device that would have spared his life.  There is no doubt in my mind— or Katniss’s that Snow was the cause of her dad’s untimely death.  Of course, it wasn’t him per say, because he was clearly safe inside the President’s Mansion in the Capitol, but more than likely one of his spies here in 12.  The timing of everything was just too coincidental, not to mention the fact that he offered his condolences before it even happened.

“Oh, I told Rye we’d stop by the bakery on our way home today,” I tell Prim and Katniss, giving Prim a little wink.  It’s a lie, but Katniss doesn’t know that.  When I clued Prim in on my master plan just the other day, she was more than happy to go along with it— knowing that we all need something positive in our lives— something to celebrate.

We stop by the bakery and I breathe a sigh of relief that my mother is nowhere in sight.  She isn’t supposed to be here for another hour or so, but that hasn’t stopped her from making an unscheduled appearance before.  Rye has trouble keeping a straight face as he prepares a bag for us, filled with Katniss’s favorites.

“Hey, I uh … I was about to head out and stop by to see Dad, I can walk Prim home,” Rye suggests, also aware of my plan.

Katniss squirms in place, uncomfortable to even the thought of letting Prim out of her sight but I assure her it’s okay.  Rye will protect Prim and keep her safe.  They have grown rather close over the last few weeks … or, well, ever since Mr. Everdeen got sick while Katniss and I were still on the Victory Tour.

I remember thanking him for being there for my surrogate family and he rolled his eyes and said, “Yeah, like you’d ever let me hear the end of it if I was there and didn’t help if I could.”  

‘Right,’ I thought to myself.  ‘It had nothing to do with you actually caring about them, let alone that you are a decent human being,’ but I kept those thoughts to myself.

“Prim is safe with me, I assure you that I will take extra good care of her,” Rye assuages.  Katniss squirms uncomfortably, so Rye adds, “Katniss, I promise.  You have my word.”

“Extra good?” Katniss smirks after a second, her shoulders slowly relaxing. “Maybe on your way there, Prim can teach you some grammar,” she says in that snarky tone of hers.

“Katniss, we’ll go straight home, I swear!” Prim decrees, clasping her hands together and poking her lip out.  Katniss narrows her eyes, which is preceded with a scowl, but then she finally concedes.

“Fine.  Go straight home.  NO detours.”

Prim wraps her arms around Katniss’s waist and squeals, “Thank you, thank you, thank you Katniss!  You are the best sister ever!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Katniss remarks, trying to hide her grin.  Like me, she finds it extremely difficult to deny Prim anything.

After Katniss and I collect our stuff from the treehouse, I get an idea.  “I want to make a snowman,” I tell her with a cheeky smile.

“A snowman?  Seriously?  But it’s cold Peeta,” she whines.

“That’s the point.  You can’t make a snowman when it’s warm.”  So, that’s what we do, we build a snowman until she gets the bright idea to chuck a snowball at my face.  And then— it’s on.  I scoop up a ball of snow and sling it at Katniss, hitting her square in the shoulder.

With her impeccable aim, I should have known that I had no chance in the world of besting her in a snowball fight. 

“Hey, that’s not fair,” she whines when she sees the pile of snowballs I have hidden behind the snowman.  She might have impeccable aim, but I am the youngest of three boys— I had to work twice as hard to keep up with them.

“You started it,” I tell her and chuck another ball of snow at her.  For the next hour or so, we have fun, smiling and laughing while getting snow blasted in our faces.  Katniss tackles me from the side and slams me down on my back.  She straddles my hips, pinning my arms to the ground.

“I win, you lose,” she says triumphantly, planting a victory kiss to my lips.

“That may be true, but I think it’s me who is the real winner here.”

Her eyes knit together in confusion, “And just how exactly do you figure that?”

“Well, you’ve got me pinned to the ground, I’m trapped underneath you.  I’ll gladly lose to you if this is my punishment,” I tell her with a crooked grin.

“Come on, let’s go home.  I’m cold,” she says, climbing off my hips and helping me up.  Under normal circumstances I do not need help getting around with my prosthesis.  However, the snow adds many challenges to my already uneven gait.

No longer able to feel either our fingers, toes, or our faces, we make our way back to my house to warm up.  Rye and my dad are hanging out two doors down, at the Everdeen’s, so I don’t have to worry about anyone barging in on us.  Once I get the fire started, we curl up on a blanket I spread out on the floor, soaking up the heat from the flames.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Katniss tells me once the feeling in her fingers returns and then she makes her way upstairs.  Her absence gives me the perfect opportunity to get everything in order.  The moment she is out of sight, I begin creating a mental checklist of everything I need to do.  Once I hear the water splashing against the tile floor, I zip into the kitchen and get to work.  I begin by filling a tray with the cheese buns from the bakery— Katniss’ favorite, and pop them into the oven to warm them up.  And then I take out the dough of the white bread I prepared a few days ago, made for this exact occasion.  I open the drawer that contains the papers and pull them out.  “Certificate of Marriage,” I whisper the words aloud.

“Please be okay with this Katniss,” I anxiously tell myself. “Stop it Peeta.  She loves you, you love her; that’s the only thing that matters.” I remind myself, trying to talk myself up so I don’t chicken out. 

Once all the bread is ready to go, I place them on a table next to the couch and wait for Katniss to come back down.

I am not waiting long when she comes gliding down the stairs in an immaculate floor-length orange summer dress.  The straps holding the dress up on her shoulders are skinny, and for some reason they remind me of spaghetti noodles.  It is snug at the top and gets looser the more the light orange fades into a deeper orange.  My eyes nearly bug out of my head at the sight of her.  She is beautiful, she is exquisite and stunning and just … WOW.  It must be one of the dresses Cinna sent back with her, because I’ve never seen this one before.  And although this one is clearly a dress meant for days with bright sun and scorching heat— it’s not like we’ll be going outside.

It is so unlike her when she twirls around once, a huge smile on her face.  “Do you like it?”

For a moment, I’m speechless, “I … I love it, it’s beautiful; you’re beautiful.”

She blushes, joining me on the floor and I prop some pillows up for us to lean against.

“Are you hungry?” I nervously ask her.  Dammit, why am I so nervous?

“What do you think?” She huffs, her eyes narrowing with her trademark scowl, which forces a chuckle to escape from my throat.  It’s a stupid question to ask anyone who is a resident of 12.  Everyone is hungry, even those of us who are more fortunate than the others.  I hand her the platter of cheese buns, but she’s eyeing the other tray.  “What’s that?” She asks, pointing behind my back.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” I tell her and shift my body, hoping to block her view.

“Oh my God, Peeta; is that—” The papers are all but forgotten as her eyes go saucer eyed when she catches sight of the bread behind me.  She crawls over me and picks the bread up, delicately turning it over and over in her hands.  “Is this—”

I bashfully look away and nod my head, “It is,” I admit.  Her head snaps to the right— and then to the left as she surveys the room.  And then it all hits her at once as she realizes what this is.  For a moment, I am afraid she’s going to go running for the hills, but instead, she reaches for the bread knife and begins sawing at the loaf.  She frees the piece of bread and impales it on a poker before placing it over the fire.  While she rotates the poker to evenly toast the bread, she looks over to me, her silver eyes glistening with the flames and smiles.

“Do I ever tell you how much I love you?  H-how important you are to me?” She asks as her eyes meet mine.  And maybe it’s just the heat from the flames, but her cheeks suddenly flush into crimson.

All my anxiety dissipates into her gray orbs as I extend my hand out, curling a strand of her hair around my finger.  “It is implied every single day, in everything you do,” I tell her softly.

She pulls the poker back and places it down next to the hearth, but not before removing the slightly toasted bread from its prongs.  She juggles the bread from one hand to the other— again and again as she waits for it to cool.

My eyes are cemented on her while my anxiety rises to a new level as I await her next actions.

“Peeta … you are … the most amazingly incredible person I know— have ever known.  And … I never thought I wanted this, but you— you changed everything for me.  You changed the way I see the world, and I … I can’t imagine a life without you.  And … even if I could, I don’t want to.”

Woah, wait a minute, what is she doing?  Those are supposed to be my words.

‘Katniss, what are you doing?’ I ask her in our silent form of communication.

‘I think you know,’ she smiles mischievously at me.

“Uh-uhn, no, that’s my job, I had this all planned out.”

“Oh, so that’s what today was all about?” She exclaims with a bright smile on her face.  I can’t help but return the smile as I lean over and press my lips against hers.  Using my weight, I push her down onto her back and kiss her deeply— thoroughly running my tongue along her lips, sucking … pulling her bottom lip into my mouth until she shivers.

“I love you Katniss Everdeen,” I mumble through our connected lips.  “I love everything about you; even the things I hate about you, I love.” I crawl up next to her, our bodies continuing to absorb the heat from the flames as I stare longingly into her beautiful grey eyes.

“You ruined my plans, I’m not sure if I can forgive you for that,” I quip, smiling and gazing into her perfect eyes.

“What if I …” She intentionally hesitates, lifting the seam of my shirt up and tracing her fingers lightly across my stomach, “do this?” She finishes, sending goosebumps prickling against my skin and I squirm from side to side with her touch.

“Nothing’s ruined,” she promises.  “All I said, was I wanted for it to be ours; that I didn’t want the day I became yours, and you mine to be in front of a Capitol audience.  As long as it’s just us, I don’t care about the rest.”

And she says she’s not good with words.

I take her hands into mine, our heads sharing the same pillow as we stare into each other’s eyes, “Katniss, I was mesmerized by you since I was a five-year old, snaggle-toothed little boy.  I can’t even remember a time I didn’t love you; and for so long, I never thought you would give me the time of day.  I thought … for so long I thought that just being your friend would be enough, but after having your love— after having your heart … I can’t imagine a life without you.  I know you only said yes because of … well, because of everything, but I swear to you, I will be the best husband you could ever hope to have.  I—”

“Peeta, I—” She interjects, but I stop her.

“Please Katniss, please let me finish,” she nods, not pushing it any further.  I glance down to the bread and then back at her, “I offer this toasted bread to you with the promise of being your best friend.  I will listen when you need someone to talk to; when you just need to vent, my ears will be open, or if you just need a sounding board, I will be that too.  You will never have to be alone again because I will be by your side.“

‘Always,‘ I add in our silent way.

“Even when you don’t think you want me there, I will be.  I will hold your hand when you’re scared, and I will be right here, right next to you, scared with you.  I will tell you that everything will be okay— because even if it’s not, we will have each other.  I will always, always be there to catch you before you fall.  And … and I’ll give you a push if that’s what you need, too.  Because I love you.”

Her eyes are pooled with tears and her chin quivers as she reaches for our toasted slice of bread and holds it up between us. It is the only thing separating our lips.  And then I part my lips and allow her to feed me the bread, our bread.  Our little slice of heaven that signifies our love.  I sink my teeth into the perfectly toasted bread, as does she.  Our teeth sink into our promise to the other and then we seal it with a kiss.

“I love you Peeta Mellark, my husband.”

“And I, you; Katniss Everdeen; my wife.”

“I think that would be Katniss Mellark now; get it right,” she tries to scowl at me but fails, erupting in a giggle.

“I like the sound of that, Mrs. Katniss Mellark— Oh, that reminds me!” I exclaim jubilantly, nearly bursting at the seams as I jump up to collect the papers the mayor had given me earlier this week.

“What’s that?” Katniss asks me.

“It’s um … they’re the papers.  To um, make it official.”

“Seriously?  When— How?” I breathe out a sigh of relief when she doesn’t object.  That she seems genuinely excited.

“The mayor.  But … we can’t tell anyone; she’ll be in a load of trouble if anyone finds out.”

“My husband … conspiring with the mayor,” Katniss beams, glowing with pride.  I am incapable of concealing the cheesy, shit-eating grin when she calls me her husband.

As I watch her grip the pen in her hand and sign her name on all the dotted lines, I pinch myself to see if I am dreaming.  I can’t believe it; I am actually, really, truly and officially married to Katniss Everdeen— Mellark.

“Wait!  I have something for you,” Katniss says and rushes up the stairs.  I hear her run into my room and then a drawer slams before she is sprinting back down the stairs.

“You already gave me a ring, and I um … I want you to have this Peeta,” she says, her cheeks flushing as she reaches for my hand.  Refusing to meet my eyes, she slips something onto my finger.

I pull my hand up to look at what she’s placed on my finger to see a ring adorned to the pointer finger of my right hand.  Then she takes her ring off the chain of her necklace— (the one I gave her in District 4 the night of my true proposal to her— the one that once belonged to her mother, given to me by her father) and does the same.  

It’s a tradition in 12 that goes along with the toasting.  Everyone knows that your wedding ring is typically worn on the fourth finger of your left hand, but in 12, it starts out on the pointer finger of your right hand.  There was a tradition from before the dark days that said you start off like this because there is a vein … or maybe it’s an artery that runs from your finger to your heart.  And since marriage is the ultimate promise, by doing this you are connecting your hearts together.  Once the ceremony is over, then you switch it to the fourth finger of your left hand.

Katniss leans over to kiss me and we switch the ring to our proper fingers while our lips are still conjoined.  For now.  I will eventually have to find a clever place to keep mine until … until well, I don’t know.  But the Capitol cannot know we are already married.

After all the traditions are complete, I take our marriage papers to the office room upstairs and tuck them away in a safe place.  Then, with a little extra pep in my step, I find my way back to the main room and scoop Katniss into my arms.

“Peeta!  What are you doing?” She squeals like a giddy schoolgirl, encircling her arms around my neck.  Carefully, I make my way up the stairs and into my room— our room.  Who am I kidding?  It’s always been our room— no piece of paper or ceremony was needed to decide that for us.

“I am carrying my wife over the threshold.  The toasting isn’t complete until that’s been done,” I remind her with a kiss.

“Okay,” she says, nuzzling her head against my chest.  No thanks to my artificial leg, we make it up the steps successfully.  I press my lips against hers as my foot passes the threshold.  Now, all the standard traditions of 12 are complete, except for the final one.  The one that really seals the deal.  Consummation.

Just thinking the word in my head causes me to stumble.  My brain seems to forget how to gracefully put one foot in front of the other and I fall face first onto my bed, my body nearly crushing my beautiful wife.

She giggles; a foreign sound, but it is one that I cherish.  “I love you,” I say, pressing my forehead against hers.

“Smooth,” she says, and I can feel her lips forming into a smile against my mouth.

“So, now, we’re supposed to um …” There is a nervous energy between us; she’s scared, as am I.  Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever been more terrified in my life, and that’s saying something— having survived an arena and all.

“Katniss, you know … we don’t have to do this, we can just—”

“What? You don’t want to?” She interjects defensively.

“No, no— I mean, yes, I do.  I was just saying … if you don’t want to, it’s okay.  We don’t have to, we can wait,” I stumble over my words trying to reassure her.

“I want to Peeta,“ she says certainly, never taking her eyes off mine.  "I have wanted to for a while now, and I think we’ve waited long enough.  Will you … will you help me unzip my dress?” Her eyes flit to the floor as she smiles nervously, her cheeks taking on a rosy hue.

She doesn’t have to ask me twice.  While Katniss and I have done many things, getting caught up in heated kisses, touching in places I would rather not mention, we have never gone this far.  We have never gone all the way.  She turns around and pulls her hair to the side, granting me access to her zipper.  I scrupulously glide the zipper down until it refuses to budge another inch and delicately slide the sleeves down her arms.  A frown of disappointment encases my lips when she begins to braid her hair.

I press my lips to her bare neck and kiss my way to her shoulder, which causes a moan to expel from her lips.  “Leave it down, please.”

“Mmm hmmm,” she moans.

“My God, you are so beautiful,” I tell her, my lips trailing down to the crest of her shoulder.  Finally, I sling her dress into the chair next to my bed and she nervously flips onto her back, incredulously facing me. 

‘Oh my God, Katniss is naked, bare to me and in my bed,’ I think to myself as I stare her up and down.

Feeling self-conscious … probably due to my ogling her, she reaches over and pulls the sheet to cover her near-naked body.

“No, what are you doing?” I ask her, tugging the fabric back.

“I just … feel so … naked without my clothes,” she says, flushing with embarrassment.

“Well, that’s kind of the point, isn’t it?”

“Well then … be naked with me,” she says, tugging on the hem of my shirt, eager for me to remove it.  I slide my shirt off and it joins her dress in the chair.  I am hesitant to remove my pants, still self-conscious about my leg.

“Pants too,” Katniss whispers in a raspy— so, so sexy voice.

“I … I—”

“Peeta, I love all of you, even the Capitol-made parts,” she takes charge and flips me over, undoes the button of my pants, and I am too paralyzed to refuse; not that I would want to.  She removes my pants, then sits up and straddles my hips.  With nothing but our underclothes on, we are completely bare to each other, and I understand what she meant about feeling naked without her clothes.  There is nothing to conceal our insecurities, both physical and emotional.  But that’s the point, right?  To be completely open, bare— naked to the one you love.  To have nothing— no secrets between you.  However, underneath all my anxiety, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt anything quite this amazing before.  We slip under the covers and I click the lamp on that sits on my nightstand.  It emanates a soft glow, perfectly lighting the room, while producing a shadow over the insecurities.

“Can I take your leg off?” Katniss asks me.  She must be in my head again— I was just too embarrassed to take the initiative— afraid she would find my mutilated leg … repulsive.

“Okay,” I say.  For the first time I realize she’s had a lot of practice helping me put it on and take it off as she slips it off with ease.

“I don’t want any part of the Capitol here for this,” she says, placing kisses against the scar on my leg.  I pull her up to me and flip her back onto her back.

We are a tangled mess of arms and legs, our tongues dancing together in a frenzy, yet in perfect synchronicity.  As if they’d been practicing for years and years until they reached utter perfection.  I trail kisses along her neck, down to her collarbone and across her shoulders.  I want to kiss every inch of her body; I don’t want to miss a single bit of her skin.  I reach down and cup her perfect breasts in my hands and she moans out in pleasure, which causes my cock to pulse until it is fully erect.

“Touch me Peeta,” surrendering to her every command, I stroke her arms, and then add light touches to her perfectly flattened stomach.  I caress my hands up and down her legs, trying to muster up the courage to touch her there.  Finally, I do, and she’s so hot and wet for me.  I slide one finger inside her center and keep it in there while I use my thumb to rub circles on that little bundle of nerves that I know has the power to make her come undone.

Her body tenses up and I know I’ve hit the right spot when she pants out my name.  “I could be satisfied … happy, just doing that to you … every second of every minute, of every single day,” I tell her once the intensity of her climax has subsided.

“Then how would you make me cheese buns?” She says with a heavy breath.  Smiling, I inch up to her face and kiss her.  Soft and light at first, and then harder, deeper— as if I am starving and her lips are the only way to satiate my hunger. 

“I need you Peeta; I— I need you closer,” she breathes into me and I instantly know what she means. She wants me to be inside her.  We have both wanted this for such a long time, I almost can’t believe it’s actually happening.  I kiss her softly as I fumble my way on top of her.  Using one elbow to prop myself up, my other hands grips onto my cock as I tease her entrance with my hardened member.  Even without being inside her, I can feel how wet she is.  Which only causes my already rock-hard cock to pulse even harder.  She spreads her legs open for me and I fumble nervously, guiding my cock into her entrance and sliding inside her— slowly at first.

“Is this okay?” I ask her, recalling an embarrassing conversation with Rye as he gave me the intricate details that a girl’s first time can be painful, and that it’s important that they are “ready” prior to penetration.

“More Peeta, I need all of you,” she demands, locking her legs around my hips and digging her heels into the back of my calves.  Slowly, I push myself deeper into her, impaling her, until finally, I am fully submerged into her heat.

“Holy FUCK!” I gasp, crying out when my cock is surrounded by her walls.  “Is- is this okay?” I ask her again, not wanting to do anything that might hurt her.  It is taking every bit of willpower that I possess to keep my body still— to prevent my hips from ramming deep— and hard, into her.

“Oh God, Peeta, you feel so good.  Please … please, Peeta—” she begs me, and I’ve never been very good at denying her anything as I submit to her will.  Slowly, I partially retract myself from her center and then slowly, slowly push myself back inside, our pelvises grinding against each other.  Her nails dig into my back, finding their way to my ass and then she squeezes—

“Holy FUCK, how did you just do that?” I ask when her walls tighten around my cock.

“What … this?” She grins, repeating the action, “You like that?” She says in a teasing, seductive voice.

“Katniss— stop … or I’m going to … or I won’t last, and I want … this has to be perfect,” I beg her and then she reaches up, encircling her arms around my neck and pressing her mouth to mine.

“It’s already perfect because I’m with you,” she tells me in-between heated kisses.  And once again, she stupefies me with her words.

“Oh God, I love you too, my perfect, beautiful, amazingly gifted wife,” I tell her, while gliding in … gliding out of her sex.

“Katniss … I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to last if you keep doing that … where do you want me to—”

“Right where you are,” she tells me, knowing what I am trying to say.

“But,” I question her with a raise of my brow.

“I took that pill Effie gave you— I mean, me,” she explains, running her tongue along my ear.

I shiver from the contact and lose all control as I slam into her— again and again before grinding into her center once more.  We both grind; hard and slow, and deep— achieving the perfect rhythm until I feel that familiar stirring deep in my stomach— and then we’re both moaning, and yelling, and whispering— shouting— gasping the other’s name and I’m spilling into her, filling her with my seed; both of us believing that Effie’s miracle pill from the Capitol will prevent any watering of said seed.

0 – 0 – 0

Curious about their “unspoken language”?  Or Katniss’s father’s untimely death?  Or who the mayor of 12 is since it clearly is not Mayor Undersee?  Come check out my THG re-writes: Changing the Game (Complete) and Another Way Out (In progress) (The final book/story is TBA).  Told in multiple POV’s.  AND, find out what happens once Katniss reaches District 13.  Does anyone know they actually and officially got married in 12?  Does Katniss get pregnant?  Does Effie’s miracle pill work for them?

[infinitesundrop]

Read Chapter 2:  Perks of Being a Civilian on AO3 | FFN

Banner Credit to the Amazing @the-dream-team​​

Fic Summary:  They say time heals. It’s been nine months since Lily lost her mother and sister, but she still feels their absence every day. The only thing getting her through these difficult times has been the masked hero, Spider-Man. With the attacks on the city getting worse each day, and with the growing animosity towards London’s only hope, Lily has no choice but to act. After all, we all have powers of one kind or another, in our own way. (Spider-Man AU) 

Chapter Summary:  No one ever said doing the right thing was easy.

Rating: T

Fic Warnings: Grief/Mourning/Survivor’s Guilt, Violence, Referenced Character Death (minor character) | Chapter Exclusive Warnings:  Street Harassment, Mass Panic, Gun Violence (lasers), Destruction of Property (building collapse),Violence (hand-to-hand combat), Mentions of Explosives, Premature Acceptance of Death, Car Accident, Self Endangerment

Read from the Beginning on AO3 | FFN

When she finally tore her eyes off the skyline, she found that Spider-Man was staring over at her again. She ducked her head to hide her blush behind the curtain of her hair. “What?” she mumbled. 

“Nothing,” he replied, shrugging slowly. “It’s only...what’s your name?”

Her name. Spider-Man wanted to know her name? “Lily,” she said, turning back to face the hero directly and sitting cross-legged with her back resting against the stone railing. Lily tilted her head up to see him, a shy sort of smile on her lips. “My name is Lily Evans.”

“Lily Evans,” Spider-Man repeated, and she had to admit she quite liked how it sounded coming from him. Lily heard him suck in a breath. “You know, Lily, what you did today...it wasn’t smart.”

Clutching her house keys in her hand, the metal bits poking out from in between her fingers, Lily kept her head down as she made her way into the dimly lit London streets. As young as five years old, Lily had been taught never to walk the streets alone, especially at night. Now, with all the attacks on the city, Lily couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing. 

If something happened, her father would have no idea where she was. To be completely truthful with herself, Lily wasn’t exactly sure where she was headed either.

The road and sidewalks glistened with the fresh coating of rain from the afternoon, but in the night, the air felt biting and cold. A scuffle behind Lily made her jump, but it was merely her neighbor taking out the trash. 

Granted, it wasn’t like Snape was the most savory figure either. They had been something close to friends as kids, having grown up next door to each other. When they hit secondary school, something had changed him. Whether it was his mother’s death or something else, he had gotten into some really shady stuff. One day, she remembered him walking into chemistry and laughing about all the various dark uses the chemicals had if mixed a certain way. 

Ever since then, Lily had made a point to stay very far away from the man. 

Feeling his sullen eyes on her, she swallowed back the lump in her throat and nodded in his direction, wanting to make it perfectly clear that she saw him.

Of course, he seemed to take that as an invitation to come talk to her. Lily was really not in the mood. Seeing him almost sent her straight back into the house, but there were more important things she needed to do tonight than sit at home because of Snape. 

The sooner she returned home and saved her father from the worry he was undoubtedly experiencing, the better. 

Picking up her pace would surely send him away, right? 

Wrong. The greasy man had quickly caught up to her, reaching out his hand to grab her elbow. As his fingers brushed against Lily’s jacket, she ripped her arm forward and swung around, fist balled in the air. “Don’t ever do that.”

Whatever Snape was expecting, that was not it. He stood there, his mouth opening and closing as if he were a fish out of water. As Lily turned to run off, he cried out, “W-wait, Lily! You looked...lost!” 

“Not lost,” she hissed, clutching her keys tighter, backing up away from him, but not daring to turn her back yet. “Don’t touch me. Don’t follow me.” 

“It’s just,” he continued as if Lily hadn’t already made it extremely clear she wanted to be left alone, “It’s dangerous at night. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” 

Narrowing her eyes, Lily pulled up her polaroid, snapping a photo. The flash lit up the whole block. It was only the two of them out right now. “Okay, well, you lay another finger on me, this will be your wanted photo. Leave me alone.” 

Snape said something, but Lily didn’t catch it as she darted in the opposite direction. She didn’t think about where she was going; she just needed to get away. 

Maybe she shouldn’t have come out here tonight. 

Lily sucked in a shuddery breath as she reached a crosswalk a far enough distance away. Puffs of condensation filled the air as she took a moment to breathe while the cars drove through the intersection. 

As much as she wanted to help Spider-Man, she had to admit her plan was a long shot. She wasn’t even sure if the hero would trust her enough to talk with all that was going on.

Lily pushed those thoughts from her mind, turning to the present. 

She was already several blocks away from home, and even if she wanted to turn around, the idea of running into Snape again turned her blood cold. No. She had to see this through. 

Taking stock of her surroundings, Lily realized she was no longer in the more residential districts. Passing a few shops that had closed up for the night, Lily wondered if maybe she was being reckless. She had no idea where she was going. While this part of town was familiar, Spider-Man had been spotted all over London. 

Who was to say that she would actually find him? London was a massive city, and it was just as likely that Lily would end up somewhere unknown and in danger without anyone by her side, let alone a masked hero.

Where was she going? 

She was torn from her thoughts by a loud bang, and Lily whipped around, nearly slipping off the thin piece of sidewalk she was on in between the two sides of the street, to see a gaggle of 30-somethings stumble out of the pub door that had been flung open. Starting to stagger down the street, the group roared with laughter. She placed her hand over her heart to soothe its hammering. 

It took a moment for Lily’s breathing to calm down before she turned to continue walking. Her nerves were already frayed from that encounter with Snape. 

Feeling herself become more grounded within her body, Lily reminded herself that she was on a mission. No backing down. Where would Spider-Man be? 

She had to think about this logically. Spider-Man usually showed up around heavily crowded areas. The Bridge, Gringotts, the attack last month by the zoo... they were all bustling areas. That made sense, he wanted to protect the most people possible. Perhaps it would be a quiet night, and Spider-Man would only have to watch over the city. If they were lucky, he could stick to the skies without having to fight a second time today. 

She’d heard people talk about that in classes. Some claimed that there were sightings of him on the rooftops even when the city was calm. She’d even heard some of them insisting that Spider-Man lived on the rooftops of London.

Glancing over to make sure the intersection was clear, she hurried the rest of the way across. Halfway through the crosswalk, she was hit with the realization that she was already taking her usual route to school without a second thought. Why hadn’t it occurred to her to go this way before? 

Lily supposed when she first left the house, she was too worked up about the whole Spider-Man thing to do much thinking at all. For the first time since April, she'd fought with her father. And how had she handled it? She stormed out on him. 

He barely let her go out for a drink at the pub with some friends after dark anymore, let alone go off wandering by herself. Not since her mother and sister...

Still, it wasn’t like she was going to any unknown parts of the city. Lily was only headed to school. 

It was nighttime, though. While students did stay late to work on classwork, there wasn't usually much danger there. The worst thing that happened was students getting too drunk at the pub or arguing in the dorms.

Perhaps going to school wasn’t the best idea, but staying at least on the walking part of her commute provided her with the familiarity she needed to keep her from turning back and heading home. Once underground, she’d decide her final destination. 

A familiar bright blue and red light signaled her tube station, and Lily continued on her daily commute. She descended to the Underground, scanned her Oyster card, walked down to the platform, and stood with her camera held close to her chest to await her train. 

Time passed slowly and all too fast at the same time. What she was about to do was senseless, and once she boarded, it would be much harder to turn back. Lily recognized this but was still worthwhile to her. 

Boarding the first car that arrived, she took a seat across from a sleeping man with facial hair. It was only Lily and the dosing passenger in their section. Normally, with so few people on the train, she’d take a seat somewhere farther away, but it was oddly comforting to be near someone else right now. 

She felt bad for him.  He looked exhausted, like he had come straight off a long shift. Based on his uniform, he was a subway operator. Squinting, she thought she could make out the name ‘Stan’ on his nametag. 

Above the entrance, the little timer ticked down until the doors closed. What stop was he waiting for? Lily held onto the upper railing in case the train started moving, stepping forward towards the tired subway worker. She shifted her hands to brace against the seat beside Stan and leaned down to shake the worker gently. “What’s your stop?” she asked. 

Stan barely responded, peeking one eye open lazily and muttering, “Piccadilly Circus”. 

Of course. One of the most populated places this late would be the middle of the West End. It was always lined with tourists and locals alike. 

She nodded her head, looking up at the map to see where she wanted to get off on the line. “That’s where I’m going too,” she decided aloud. “I’ll wake you when we’re there, yeah?” 

Stan let out a little ‘hmmph’ in response, shifting his body so his face was squished against the subway seats with his back turned to Lily. The pleasant robotic voice announced the doors were closing, and Lily made it back to her seat right in time. The train lurched forward again mere moments later. 

Studying the map above the man’s head, Lily saw she only had two stops until her own. Soon enough, the announcements declared that they had arrived, the doors gliding open. Lily stood, stepping closer to Stan and giving his shoulder another gentle shake. 

In return, he grumbled something she couldn’t quite make out then turned in his chair again. It looked like there was no rousing him. Although she wanted to help, the overhead voice called for doors closing. She didn’t want to miss her stop, so she ran off the train quickly. The doors slid shut behind her with an audible click. 

Once out of the car, Lily was immediately struck by how empty and quiet the place was. Usually, on a Friday night in London, people crammed onto the platforms, fighting for a place on the next train. Tonight, it was eerily quiet. The only person she saw was a janitor humming to himself as he swept. 

She climbed the first set of stairs quickly. If anything, the theatres should be getting out soon, and the Circus would be filled with people going home via the Tube. 

When Lily had left home, she had been sure she’d heard the weatherman call for clear skies the rest of the night. As usual, he must have been wrong, because the thunder from above the station was almost deafening the closer to the ground floor she got.

Lily climbed another set of stairs, the roar almost deafening at this point. Reaching the top of another flight of stairs, she thought she saw shadows growing larger and larger on the tiled wall towards the exit. Lily had to blink a few times to make sure she was seeing correctly. The pit of her stomach dropped with the realization that she was right. 

And it wasn’t thunder.

She had been hearing a stampede of footsteps, and they were coming her way.

Turning a corner into a long hallway, all Lily saw was a horde of people flooding in, barreling towards her as if they didn’t even see her coming. The crowd ran straight into her. 

Lily gasped as people shoved her aside, trampling on her feet and knocking her against the tile. Her camera crunched loudly with the impact. She braced herself for the rest of the onslaught, making herself as small as possible against the wall. 

Screams of terror echoed along the tunnels. Well, at least she’d been right about where to find Spider-Man. 

Hopefully, she was.  

Filled with purpose again, Lily pushed against the crowd, trying to wedge her way through. She had to find Spider-Man. She had to. This was what she’d come out here for, after all. Camera or not, she had to warn him about the police and the press. 

A pair of hands wrapped around one of her wrists in a vice-like grip. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” the woman demanded as Lily tried to shake her off. The woman yanked back in return, Lily’s feet sliding along the floor towards her. “Lily!”

Hearing her name, Lily’s head snapped up. A familiar face stood in front of her, trying to tug her back towards the Tube. “Hestia, no, I can’t!” 

“What’re you on about?” Hestia’s dark eyebrows furrowed together for a split second before she shook her head. It was as if she already decided that trying to sort out whatever Lily wanted to stick around for was not important. “Lily,” she pleaded desperately. “You have to come with me! Now! You can’t go up there!”

Lily had never seen her friend this way, so frantic and terrified. Hestia Jones was not the sort of person to scare easily‒or at all‒in the time Lily had known her. Whatever waited up there must have been dangerous. 

If she turned back now, it would save her father and her friends the heartache and the fear of not knowing if she was all right. Looking into Hestia’s eyes, she almost did turn back. 

But she couldn’t. Not with everything at stake. If they took down Spider-Man, who would be here to save all these people? Even if it meant sacrificing her own life, Lily would do everything in her power to help Spider-Man protect the city.

It was the right thing to do. 

Everything happened so fast. One moment she was resisting Hestia’s pull, the next the two of them were running along with the chaos. Hestia had loosened her grip on Lily’s wrist, so Lily took the opportunity to slide her hand into Hestia’s instead, giving her friend’s hand a tight squeeze. 

The gesture seemed to have alleviated Hestia’s worries as her friend breathed out in relief. It made what Lily had to do next so much worse.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, quickly dropping her hand and disappearing into the crowd. 

When Lily turned back, her friend was being pulled along by the undertow of the crowd, her arm outstretched for Lily to grasp like a life preserver. Hestia looked distraught, and Lily was certain if she were any closer she’d see tears on her face. 

This had better work. 

-

James webbed from building to building, quickly weaving his way towards the scream. It wasn’t long before he found its inspiration: two masked terrorizers perched on the base of the statue in the middle of Piccadilly Circus. 

He felt a sense of familiarity as he stared at the two. It was a man and a woman, but they looked so similar. They were both childlike in stature, but their shoulders sloped inwards, making them appear hunched over. Their faces were partially covered by masks, but the features that showed through were familiar. 

He’d seen them before. He just didn’t remember where exactly. 

The man had a lopsided sort of leer, and through the holes on the skull mask he was wearing, James spotted beady little eyes. The woman had less distinctive features, but like her counterpart, her skin was pallid, and she bore the same wicked expression as her counterpart.

A building on the other side of the road exploded James he landed atop the flashing billboards in the junction. The rubble scattered across the road, joining the rest of the debris the two had created. Screams echoed through the streets, people in the traffic circle abandoning the cars and buses in favor of an escape through the Tube as the two culprits cackled, taking great pleasure in the mayhem they were causing. 

The woman’s wheezy giggle was what made James realize who they were, the noise bringing him back to all the times he’d heard it previously. They called themselves the Carrows: a brother and sister team. They didn’t look dangerous at first glance. 

They had been there, though. At the Millenium Bridge collapse. They had been the ones who took down the rest of the bridge with the same weapons they were using now. 

Both brother and sister were equipped with some kind of laser, allowing them to bring any structure to the ground with a simple push of a button. The sister, Alecto, shot a theatre close to the Circus, the building wobbling more and more until it crumbled to the ground.

It appeared as if they were searching for something as they decimated each structure, but what, James wasn’t exactly sure. The buildings all around the junction had evacuated; he’d watched them flee via the Tube with the rest of the civilians from the traffic circle, so he didn’t have to worry about saving people from the collapsing buildings. 

All James knew was that he needed to stop the Carrows before they moved on, before they found a building full of people to destroy somewhere else.

But, how? 

He did wonder if they had any real power without their laser guns. The easiest way to test it would be to simply grab one. It seemed too easy, but sometimes, the easiest strategy was the one overlooked. 

So, he did it. 

Turning his wrist, James aimed his web-shooter at one of the Carrow’s laser guns. Silky webbing shot out, traveling at lightning speed from James and attaching to the side of one of the guns. He grinned widely under the mask, grabbing hold of the web with his other hand. 

He reached to grab the webbing with his other hand and pull, but a sharp tug from the other end of the web made him stumble on the precarious ledge. Another tug sent him flying to the ground. 

James grimaced, shooting his webbing towards the building he had been standing on only moments ago. Suddenly, the building began to crumble around him, chunks of concrete and shards of glass raining onto him as he webbed onto a double-decker bus abandoned in the road. 

So sometimes the easiest option didn’t work out. 

“Good to see you two again,” he said conversationally as he jumped off the top of the bus. Their guns pointed straight at him. “Haven’t seen you two out much lately. I was afraid maybe you got busted.”

That earned him a green beam shot right at him. He probably deserved that after such a terrible joke, honestly. Still, James ducked, sliding out of the way with ease. 

“Is that the best you’ve got?” he asked. He needed to find another way to take their guns from them, but at least the Circus was empty. It gave him time. Usually, he’d have to finish things as quickly as possible so that no one died. The lack of innocent civilians to worry about afforded James more time to be thorough. Tonight, the Carrows would be caught. 

Still, it was two against one, and he had to keep moving to dodge the onslaught of laser beams coming his way. Usually, his best course of action was to web onto a building, but that wouldn’t be such a good idea when they had the ability to destroy whatever structure he was webbed onto. 

As he passed by the Tube station, another beam shot right past him, hitting one of the walls. Too busy trying to come up with a plan, James didn’t even notice the civilian who ran out of the station’s entrance as it crumbled. Instead, he just looked at the Carrows, a smug smirk on his face as he said, “You guys really can’t hit anything that’s not stationary, can you?”

They had their guns pointed right at him, and James knew it was the perfect time to web onto the guns. They were too distracted by the idea of taking him down, both wearing wide grins under their masks. 

This was it. This was his chance. All he needed to do was web both the guns and get out of the way without any of the lasers hitting him. 

“Say goodbye!” Alecto cackled, but before she could shoot, a small chunk of concrete landed by James’ feet. 

“No!” James heard someone cry, another piece of concrete hurled into the middle of the Circus. “Don’t hurt him!”

James glanced around to see who was senseless enough to be out here at a time like this. Why hadn’t they run screaming like everyone else? 

And then, he saw her.

Lily. 

As his heart leapt into his throat, body freezing mid-fight, his only thought was: Not her. Anyone but her. 

He stood, frozen, as Lily ran closer, the obviously broken camera around her neck swinging wildly with her movement. Luckily, it seemed as if she’d also distracted the Carrows with the disruption. 

At least, James had thought so until he realized that one of the laser guns was pointed at him and the other at Lily.

“Now!” He heard Alecto cry, and the lasers came shooting towards them. 

Knowing he didn’t have much time, James webbed onto Lily and tugged to bring her to his side. He heard her frightened gasp but didn’t have time to reassure her. All he could do was hold onto her and dive out of the way as the building that had been behind them crumbled down. 

James grimaced as the two of them roughly slid to the ground. He scrambled up, yanking Lily up with him. In any normal circumstance, James would never manhandle anyone, let alone Lily, the way he was right now. But this wasn’t a normal circumstance. 

 He needed to find her a way out of here. It wasn’t as if he could leave the Carrows and take Lily to safety. As much as he'd like to, there were other things he had to worry about. 

Namely, the fact that the Carrows were shooting at them again. 

Without thinking, he tugged Lily across the circle with him, ducking between two piles of rubble. They didn’t get very far before having to dodge the laser beams shooting at them. There was no way they’d be able to cross the junction without stopping to duck for cover every few paces, but their options were slim at the moment.

When he heard the sounds of the guns stop for the moment, he pulled her along, running again to find cover under another pile of debris. While it was safe for the moment, they had to get moving again soon. If they stuck around, the two masked villains would find them again. 

He refused to let them be caught and cornered, not with Lily beside him.

She couldn’t be here. Keeping her by his side put a target on her back. As risky as it was to send her out there with all these toppling buildings, James wasn’t sure he had a choice. Yet, looking at the devastation around them, he knew he had to think of something to give her a fighting chance. 

Anything. 

Despite the fact that he knew he shouldn’t leave the Carrows alone in the Circus - after all, what if another unsuspecting citizen happened upon the scene in his absence? - Lily’s safety was taking precedence at the moment. 

“How’d you get here?” he asked suddenly as they dodged the lasers. If it was safe, he’d send her back the way she came. 

“I was in the Tube,” she said, panting as she tried to catch her breath while they ran through the junction. Well, that was unfortunate since the station’s entrance had been decimated into a pile of rubble. He’d have to think of some other way to get her out of here. For starters, they needed to get away from the Carrows.

“T-there was a stampede,” James heard her say, and it seemed like she was just rambling to keep from panicking. He only hoped she wasn’t too focused on her words to prevent herself from stumbling. “Everyone was running towards the train, but I-you needed help. You’re fighting for the city on your own. It looked like you were in danger, and I-” She was talking so quickly James wasn’t sure she’d have any air left in her lungs, and he’d never seen those green eyes as wide as they were in that moment. “I had to do something!”

James froze, staring at her momentarily. Had she really gone towards the danger when everyone else fled? It was dangerous to dwell on her blatant lack of respect for her own life right now. “I need to get you out of here somehow,” he muttered more to himself than to her as he looked around the junction.

She had to get out of here. The Carrows were going to destroy every building in range, and Lily couldn’t be there when they did. The Tube couldn’t be her escape route. There had to be another way out. 

That was when he noticed dim light coming from behind them, casting their shadows on the pavement in front of them. There was a car - an abandoned but still running car - behind them. 

A blast from a few feet away reminded him that the Carrows were still shooting at them, and Lily was looking rather worn from being dragged around Piccadilly Circus. Having her drive off in the car would be the easiest getaway, but with all the lasers shooting off at random, James thought better of it. If the Carrows hit that car with Lily in it, she’d be done for. 

He needed to find a way to make it safer for her. 

“Stay,” James commanded, leaving her behind a tall pile of crumbled concrete. She was huddled underneath the rubble, peeking out from behind as if keeping watch, but he saw her mutely nod her head. At the very least, he was certain that she wasn’t going to move from that spot, so he swung up onto a building, trailing along his webbing. 

“Aww, no more puns? What? Not as confrontational when your little girlfriend’s around?” Alecto cooed. 

Gritting his teeth, James tried to work faster, jumping around from building to ground to building and back, sticking his web to every surface he reached. Each time he landed, he glanced towards the wreckage where Lily was hiding. Thankfully, the two didn’t seem too interested in her. At least, not when they realized what James was up to. 

“A spider web,” Amycus said, looking at his sister with a raised eyebrow. “How quaint.” 

James heard Alecto’s wheezy giggle again before she cried, “Let’s see how well these webs work to protect your beloved from our lasers.”

Seeing their distraction as his opportunity to get Lily to safety, James dropped back down to the ground, racing back to Lily. They didn’t have much time. 

He grabbed her hand tightly, tugging her backwards to the awaiting car, her escape. “Get in. Drive away. Just...just stay in the car until you’re safe, okay?” He had to know she was going to be okay, that she’d be safe one way or another. Sure, this wasn’t how he wanted this to go, but this was the best option he had. 

He watched as she got into the driver’s seat, her hands shaking as she clutched the wheel. “But what about you? You can’t get hurt. We need you. London needs you.” The panic in her voice made James almost want to stay with her. He could climb into the car with her or, better yet, take her back home by webbing building to building. It would be so easy to leave with her and not deal with any of this right now. 

But as she said, London needed him. 

He just nodded his head to her. “I know. I’ll be all right. All in a day’s work of being Spider-Man, yeah?” He knew she was trying to hide it, but he saw the corners of her lips twitch up at that. “You need to go.”

When she gave him a shaky nod in return, James gave himself one final moment to look at her before turning on his heel and webbing back into the fight. 

“Miss me?” he called as he swung back. 

Upon seeing Amycus wound tightly in his barricade, much like a bug trapped in a real spider’s web, James broke out into a stupid grin. Maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult after all. 

Alecto’s eyes narrowed and she lined up her laser not at James, who was still behind the indestructible webbing, but at a building holding it up. It wobbled precariously, like the others had done earlier, and then crashed to the ground, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. With it, fell a section of webbing. While it wasn’t enough to tear down the whole web, it was enough to surpass his barrier he’d set up. 

“Are you mad?!” Amycus cried from inside his web cocoon. “You’re going to crush-” Without concern for the rest of his sentence, or apparently the well-being of her brother, Alecto shot at the other building. As the building toppled, tearing the remainder of the web down with it, James knew it was time to move. 

He wanted this over with. The Carrows might’ve gotten away on the bridge, but he wouldn’t make that mistake again. 

One down. Amycus’s laser gun was laying on the ground, but it looked damaged. There was a flashing red light on the side, and a blue and green glow peeked through the cracks along the barrel of the gun. James didn’t want to risk picking it up only for it to backfire on him. Besides, James only played offense in football. He'd stick to the defensive; he preferred his webs anyway.

One more to go. 

Alecto Carrow seemed to be more competent than her counterpart given that she hadn’t gotten trapped in the web, and her actions were always a bit more calculated. Despite her intelligence, without her brother, the fight was now one-on-one, and James had the upper hand.

He landed in front of Alecto as she scurried back to her safety atop the base of the statue. It was a good vantage point for her since she’d be shooting down at him.  He still wasn’t quite sure how to take down Alecto, but if the web had taught him anything, they were easily distracted. 

Lily was tucked away in that cab and on her way to somewhere safe. Amycus was a bit preoccupied at the moment. A lazy smirk slid across his features, looking at the Carrow while stretching his arms behind his back languidly as if he were bored. 

“What did you call my web again?” he asked somewhat tauntingly. Until he figured out how to take her down physically, this was his best course of action. “Quaint, was it? Seems like a good place for your brother to hang out. Bit of a sticky situation, really. Care to join him?”

Alecto swiftly pointed her laser at James, firing without a moment’s hesitation. As he’d assumed, Alecto thought he wasn’t paying close enough attention. 

Except he was. 

James shot back, his webbing threading around the barrel of a gun. He grabbed onto the silky web with his other hand, tearing the gun out of Alecto’s hands. He heard her rabid shriek as she hurled herself at him, landing on his back with a violent thud. 

James tried to throw her off, but she clung to him desperately, kicking and screaming for her weapon. Right when he thought he’d lost her, she started digging her long, sharp nails into his shoulders as she clawed for her gun back.

He knew he had to get her off—the pain made sure of that much—but he needed to figure out what to do with this gun too. It wasn’t as if throwing it far enough away would actually help, even it was far enough to keep out of the Carrows’ clutches. Not if it gave anyone the power to decimate the entire city. The webbing blocked anything firing from it for now, but he knew the web weakened as its chemical composition deteriorated from the elements. Far faster than James liked to admit, it became no more than glorified silly string. 

He needed to act fast. 

With a fierce elbow to her gut, Alecto’s grip on James’s back weakened slightly. As he began to deliver the final blow, the circle was illuminated in a green-blue light, and a feverish laugh filled the streets. James’s blood turned cold.

Amycus had escaped. In his hands was the damaged laser gun, sparking and shooting in random directions. 

Alecto hopped off James’s back and ran towards her brother. Apparently, she had bigger fish to fry than fighting for her gun. With that weapon in both of their hands, ready to explode at any moment, they would be nearly unstoppable. 

Not on his watch. James whipped a web around Alecto’s ankle, gripping the web and yanking her into the air. With his other hand, he webbed her to a nearby billboard. There. Even if she did get free...good luck coming down from there. 

With Alecto taken care of, Amycus grew even more violent. He began firing his gun in every direction. Sometimes it went off and other times, nothing happened. The sparking was getting worse with every misfire. 

Luckily, it was compromised enough that none of the shots directed at James actually hit him. The shaking of the gun from the sparks made Amycus’s aim haphazard at best. Simply blocking the lasers from coming too close was working for now. 

That gun was going to be a problem. James wasn’t sure he was even equipped to deal with the aftermath if it did explode. 

Amycus’s aim was getting worse, barely able to hold onto the weapon anymore. Maybe this was James’s chance. The second Amycus let go of that weapon, he could get close enough to finally put an end to all this. 

Just as James thought this all would be over, Amycus had climbed back onto the statue, attempting to maneuver the gun to point in James’ direction, using the statue as a base to keep his grip on the device as it jerked about. His target line was so much better with the statue stabilizing the gun. 

 The Carrow was done playing bulldozer on the city. His target was set on Spider-Man.

James knew this wouldn’t be good. His options were: get shot, grab the gun and have it blow up, or, possibly, both. None of it sounded very promising. Sure, he’d been in scary situations in the past, but he’d never dealt with an unstable weapon with this kind of power in the hands of someone like Amycus. 

There was a real possibility that he’d die here. That fact hit him so hard that it was almost as if one of those buildings had crushed him. 

He could die right now. 

There were so many things he hadn’t done, things he hadn’t said. 

He had regrets, sure. He wished he’d stayed as close to Remus Lupin as they had been before he became Spider-Man, but he’d decided months ago to keep Remus out of this for his own protection. 

Now, he regretted not telling Sirius how much he appreciated all his help with this Spider-Man stuff, even if he hadn’t wanted Sirius to know at first either. James wished he’d told him how he was the best friend he could’ve ever asked for, the brother he’d always wanted. 

More than that, he wished he hadn’t fought with Lily at the Prophet. She didn’t know he’d seen her again tonight. Unless she found out he was Spider-Man, her last memory of him would be of their fight. He wished he’d told her how he felt. 

James swallowed thickly as his mind wandered to Aunt Minnie. More than anything, he wished he could give her a proper goodbye. He knew how devastated she’d been when James’ mum had died without saying goodbye. Minnie would be crushed again, and she’d be downright furious with him for being Spider-Man. 

But he couldn’t think about any of that right now. Not when Amycus Carrow was prepared to end this at any moment, his finger on the trigger.

Like Lily had said, London needed him. He needed to be there to save the people of the city. He needed to save London because that was where Remus Lupin lived. Where Sirius lived. Lily. Aunt Minnie. 

He had to save them. Even if saving them meant losing himself. 

Resigning himself to the fact that things were probably about to get very, very messy, he raised his hand, shaking slightly as he moved, to shoot at the gun before Amycus shot at him. 

Amycus’s eyes lit up with a devilish delight in what he was about to do. 

A screech from the distance caused both parties to pause for a moment. When James looked to where the noise was coming from, two bright lights from some sort of car blinded him. As he blinked away the lights, he’d seen enough to know what had happened. 

The taxi careened past him, slamming into the statue in the middle of the junction. The heavy bronze figure swayed for a moment before toppling to the ground with a deafening clash, its motion bringing Amycus down with it. 

The gun soared through the air, alight like a meteor. He hoped this worked. 

James used both web-shooters to catch the gun, twirling it with one web, and wrapping it like a bandage with the other. Fully covered now, James webbed it to hang from a pile of rubble well lit by the street lamps, somewhere the authorities would easily find it. 

He heard their sirens now, coming from a distance. Figured that as soon as things finished up, the cops arrived. 

Amycus was out. The statue must have knocked him unconscious. He might’ve checked to see if the Carrow was still breathing if it weren’t for his unexpected hero. As James approached the black taxi, his heart pounded in his chest. 

Lily. It had to be Lily. No one else disregarded their own safety enough to do something so stupidly brave except her. 

The car was crushed in at the front, the wheels bent at a strange angle and steam billowing out of the grill. He couldn’t see her through the windows since the whole cab was filled with the deployed airbags. 

Please be okay. 

When he looked inside, ripping off the door of the crushed cab, Lily was heaving, and tears were rolling down her cheeks. She had a bruise purpling along the side of her cheek but otherwise appeared okay. As he opened his mouth to ask if she was, Lily cut him off. 

“I-I stayed in the car,” she gasped, looking at him, her green eyes wide. 

James swallowed his initial response as she stumbled out of the destroyed taxi, and he reached out, grabbing her hands to steady her. “Be careful,” he murmured, worried her injuries might be worse than what was visibly apparent. He’d gotten too used to the luxury that was self-healing. Lily, on the other hand…

She looked relatively okay though. She wasn’t too pale - well, not any paler than she normally was - and she appeared to know what was going on at the very least. Still… “I think you should let me take you to the hospital.”

“Take me home,” she said, rubbing at the bruise on her cheek. It was swollen a bit, and she had this look of exhaustion on her face that made James’s stomach flip. Maybe she was more hurt than he thought. 

James shook his head slowly. If something happened to her, it’d be his fault.  “Err...No. I think you need to go, really,” he insisted. “You need to get checked out at the hospital.”

Lily scowled at the suggestion this time, and it was a welcome sight. That was the Lily he knew, the one that crashed cars into famous landmarks. “Look, Spider-Man. If you won’t take me home, I’ve already committed grand theft once today. I can do it again and get home by myself, but I’m bruised and tired and I really don’t care to deal with the traffic this fight has no doubt caused. So, I’ll ask you again. Take me home.”

“That wasn’t a question - more of an order, really. You sure you didn’t hit your head too hard?” She was fine; that, he was sure of now. She was talking normally, didn’t seem too confused about where she was or what she was doing, and though her walk hadn’t been all that steady when getting out of the car, he knew she’d been shaken up. She seemed stable now. 

Besides, she’d told him off, so that was an encouraging sign. 

James watched with a bemused smirk as Lily narrowed her eyes and then swished around, apparently giving up on travel by web. Her walk was definitely more steady again, which, James supposed, was good. Still, he couldn’t let her drive home. Not when she’d already been through so much that night. Not with that big bruise forming on her cheek. Not with her complete disrespect for her own safety.

Lily had already spotted another taxi and was marching towards it purposefully. James, not wanting her to go off by herself and get in more trouble tonight, ran to catch up with her, leaning on her cab of choice when they got close enough. “So, tell me,” he said conversationally, “do you commit grand theft often? Should I be worried about you?”

That broke through her wall she was building up. He wished he could say the way her eyes lit up, her nose wrinkling slightly at his words, didn’t make him feel anything, but he’d felt this way since he first met her. It didn’t seem like the sort of thing that’d change anytime soon.

“Oh, be very worried,” she teased, leaning against the taxi as well. “Planning to be an accessory to my crimes, Spider-Man?” 

“Sorry,” he sighed, crossing his arms as he smirked underneath his mask. He knew they needed to get out of there soon since the sirens from earlier sounded far too close for comfort, but he was having too much fun teasing Lily. “No can do. That sort of thing is bad for my image.”

“Ah, yes. Your image, which as we all know is already so good.” Lily let out a soft little laugh, more of a breath than anything, and looked down at the ground. Her smile faded rather quickly, and he knew she was thinking about the paper. As she pushed off the car and examined the wreckage they’d left behind—piles of rubble in and around the streets, the statue toppled, a destroyed cab—her eyebrows knitted together in worry. 

It probably wasn’t the best thing to mention his image to her. She’d want to go and fix it, and he’d seen how reckless she could be. Reckless enough to save his life. 

And she didn’t even know she knew him. He was glad that in all the chaos, he’d remembered to lower his voice a bit so it wasn’t as easily recognizable for Lily.. If she had known, James knew she’d want to help more. He could only save her from herself so many times.

Thinking back on the events of the day and watching her with that worried look on her face, he wanted to reach out and tell her it’d be okay. They were just buildings. Sure, his reputation might suffer, but he didn’t care about that. No one had died today, and that was the biggest relief, especially with Lily being involved. He didn’t even want to think about something happening to her on his watch. Of all people, hadn’t she suffered enough from his failures as Spider-Man?

He’d wanted to tell her he was sorry for all that had happened tonight. He wanted to apologize for what had happened at work too, despite the mask. He wanted to plead for her to put herself first for once, to stop being so reckless, but the authorities were rounding the corner now, red and blue lights flashing against the facades of the remaining buildings.

James took a deep breath instead. They had to get out of here. “Let’s go,” he said suddenly, offering her a hand. 

Lily looked down at it as if it were a foreign concept to her. “What?” 

“I’ll take you home,” he said, trying not to sound too impatient, but he needed to dodge the cops. She knew that. He took her moment of hesitation to shoot a web at an intact building, getting ready to leave whenever she was ready. “You’re far too reckless to get home safely by yourself.”

“Right.” She looked nervously over her shoulder before taking his hand. “What if I slow you down, though?” 

As she said this, the tires of the police cars and ambulances squealed as they screeched to a stop. Behind them, a few dozen media vans, including Daily Prophet 24/7 coverage. Their time for questions was over. 

Reporters scrambled out of their vehicles. They had to leave, now, while James still had a clear view of his escape route. He wrapped his arms around Lily, tucking her in close to his side. “Hold onto me,” he murmured, kicking off the ground and swinging onto the top of the building his web was on. 

As they flew through the air, the flashes of reporters’ cameras filled his vision. Looked like the Prophet got their picture after all. 

-

The city was absolutely breathtaking at nighttime. From within the dark, the soft glow of the streetlamps and the lights inside the different apartments was a warm and welcome sight. At a distance, they almost looked like fireflies. 

High above the ground, the people and the cars all looked so small. It was as if all the problems of the world were the same size. Up there, it felt like you were untouchable, undefeatable.

Of course, Lily didn’t know this because her face was smushed against Spider-Man’s chest as they fled the scene. She felt the wind whipping around them, stray pieces of hair tickling her cheeks, but she was not going to look around. Her arms wrapped around his torso tightly, and her fingers clung around the fabric of his suit as if it was the only thing able to save her if she fell. 

Most certainly not the webs the superhero was soaring through the sky with. 

From above her, she thought she heard Spider-Man chuckle. Lily furrowed her brows but figured she must be hearing things. What was so funny at a time like this? 

Then she felt his laugh, his chest shaking with every little chortle. Terrified to look down, Lily moved her head up the slightest bit to peek at the man above her. 

Problem was, it was really hard to read his facial expression with the mask situation. From the way his head was angled, it looked like he was laughing at her, watching her. “What’s so funny?” she asked, burrowing her face back into his side. 

“Oh, nothing,” he murmured back to her, the two of them dipping down as he webbed onto another building. “I just think it’s funny that you were so...so reckless and brave earlier with everything you did, but you’re frightened of heights. You can run into a stampede. You can crash a car into a statue-a national landmark, mind you. But heights, that’s what does you in.” There was a beat as he thought this over before Lily heard his laugh again. “Honestly, this is probably the safest thing you’ve done tonight.”

But it didn’t feel like the safest thing, not to Lily. She felt like she was moving through the city at a very fast pace, very high off the ground while being held up by a couple of little strings. That felt like a very unsafe thing to do. She was sure her father would agree, but he wouldn’t have approved of anything she’d done tonight. 

Besides, he’d done this tons of times. At this point, it must’ve been as natural as breathing for him. “I’d bet you were scared the first time you did this,” she replied somewhat bitterly. 

“Sure,” Spider-Man said in return. “I couldn’t close my eyes though. Something tells me that wouldn’t have worked out for me too well.”

A smile tugged at Lily’s lips, but she didn’t dare look up. “Perks of being a civilian, yeah?” 

“I suppose,” he sighed, and Lily felt him hold her a little closer. She tried to ignore the blush creeping up her neck when, suddenly, he jerked to a stop. She opened her eyes to see what had happened only to find they were hanging on the side of Big Ben. Lily gasped, tightening her grip on his suit for dear life. 

“Spider-Man,” she cried, her eyes trailing down the clock tower to the streets below of their own volition. The buses and cars directly below them looked so minuscule. She felt like she was going to be sick, her skin turning clammy and her stomach churning at the sight. Her heart was beating so hard against her chest she was positive Spider-Man felt it. 

“Relax,” he insisted, shifting to place her feet on a close-by ledge. “Li-Let’s breathe, okay?” He tugged her closer, shuffling so she was closer against the tower and more securely on the ledge. “You’re okay. You’re safe.” 

Lily did as he said, breathing in, but it came in as a shudder. Spider-Man nodded encouragingly and she thought she heard him say something like, “good, keep going,” but she wasn’t really paying attention to his words. He was holding onto her with one arm wrapped around her in something of a hug, and Lily was very aware of his hand on her back. His other hand was gripping onto his suspended web, only his toes touching the ledge she stood upon. 

She tightened her hold on him, not able to think clearly when she was terrified that now he would fall. It didn’t seem to phase him in the slightest, his head tilted upwards into the open air, looking at something high above them. 

Her breath must have evened out with her distraction because Spider-Man looked to her suddenly and nodded his head in approval. “Good. See, you’re alright.” Lily only nodded slowly. “Hey, I don’t want you to be scared, but I think you’d think the city is really pretty right now. Can I take you up a little higher-” 

“Are you joking?” Lily snapped, looking at Spider-Man with disdain. “I’m terrified, and you want to go up higher?”

 He seemed amused by her outburst. “Are you done?” Lily opened her mouth to speak again, but he cut her off. “As I was saying, can I take you up a little higher where there’s a railing and a real floor? You can calm down before I take you home. Does that sound okay?” 

That didn’t sound too bad, Lily had to admit. When she nodded her agreement, Spider-Man scooped her up and began scaling the side of the building. From over his shoulder, she saw tourists pointing them out amongst themselves from the London Eye. 

As far up as they were when he first took her to the tower, Lily didn’t realize how much farther up there was to go until she was carried up to the top. The white light from the clock cast their shadows on the city below. 

Soon, they reached a railing, and Spider-Man pulled them over it. Finally on solid ground, Lily let out a deep breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. 

“Better now?” he asked, and she nodded quickly. She’d never been so happy to have her feet on the floor, even if the floor was much higher up than she preferred. As she glanced out over the city, she had to admit that it was rather pretty. The river Thames looked like glass from so far up, its surface calm and dark other than reflections from the surrounding lights and the moon in the distance. Across from them, the London Eye ticked along at a slow, leisurely pace. 

“Yeah,” she breathed, unable to take her eyes off the city. It seemed so strange that the city felt so calm and quiet in one place, and yet, in another, it was filled with destruction. 

When she finally tore her eyes off the skyline, she found that Spider-Man was staring over at her again. She ducked her head to hide her blush behind the curtain of her hair. “What?” she mumbled. 

“Nothing,” he replied, shrugging slowly. “It’s only...what’s your name?”

Her name. Spider-Man wanted to know her name? “Lily,” she said, turning back to face the hero directly and sitting cross-legged with her back resting against the stone railing. Lily tilted her head up to see him, a shy sort of smile on her lips. “My name is Lily Evans.”

“Lily Evans,” Spider-Man repeated, and she had to admit she quite liked how it sounded coming from him. Lily heard him suck in a breath. “You know, Lily, what you did today...it wasn’t smart.”

Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Did Spider-Man call her dumb? Even though she had just sat down, she scrambled back to her feet so she was on his level, looking into his eyes-well, eye markings. “What I did today was I saved your life.”

“And you could’ve lost yours,” he shot back, crossing his arms against his chest. 

“So could you!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms out. “You know what you do for a living right? You’re at least a little self-aware? Spider-Man, your job is putting your life at risk. I don’t think you’re in a place to lecture me about safety.” 

She crossed her arms too, looking him over. He was tall, but his voice sounded young. While it was hard to tell if he was younger or older than her, he seemed like he was at least around her age range. What was a university-age kid doing sacrificing his life for the city? Lily’d had enough lectures this evening for the both of them. If he wanted to lecture her, fine. Two could play that game.

Spider-Man began shaking his head. “You don’t get it. I didn’t choose this. This was put on me, and like you said, London needs me. But you...you need to stay safe. Surely you have people that worry about you. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for them.”

Guilt washed over her like a tidal wave. Her father would be so furious when she got home. Surely by now, the news had aired. She knew the reporters had gotten a photo of her. She didn’t know if her face was visible, but with her luck, everyone would know she had met Spider-Man by tomorrow morning. 

But Spider-Man was wrong. No matter what her father said, Spider-Man saved people. And no matter how angry her dad was, Lily knew she did the right thing. She set out to help Spider-Man and she did. 

He was alive because of her. He’d go home to the people who cared about him tonight because of her. 

For all she knew, the whole city was alive because of her. What would have happened if the two masked villains had gotten away? What if that sparking laser gun had exploded like it looked like it was going to? 

Because Lily risked her life, so many more were safe. She refused to apologize for that, no matter what anyone else said. Even if that person was Spider-Man. 

Besides, she was fine. 

He did raise a good point, though. Her father was probably worried sick waiting for her to come home. 

Lily felt Spider-Man’s gaze through his mask, and she was vaguely reminded of an ant under a microscope. He must have been waiting for her to respond, but she was so caught up in her thoughts she hadn’t noticed. 

What did she even say to that? Did Spider-Man not want to be Spider-Man? If she could, Lily would trade places with him, take the weight off his shoulders. “I’m sorry,” Lily murmured, taking advantage of the fact that Spider-Man probably thought she was talking about risking her life. She wasn’t, but at least her words placated him. She wasn’t sorry for what she did. 

She was sorry that he had to carry this burden for the city, sorry he had to be responsible for keeping people who didn’t appreciate him safe. 

“It’s fine,” he mumbled in return, and Lily watched as he paced for a moment before he stared back at her. “Look, it’s not… I’m grateful that you saved my life and all.”

“Then-” Lily started, but Spider-Man cut her off, looking down at her in a way that she practically felt the intensity through the air. 

“But I don’t want you to go risking yours for something like that again.”

Lily nodded slowly in return, even if she didn’t mean it. Something like that. They weren’t talking about saving a couple of buildings or a famous landmark. She’d saved his life. It was worth the risk. If she had to do it again, she would. But Spider-Man needn’t know that. 

“Anyway,” she heard him sigh as he stepped closer to the ledge again. “I’d better get you home. Where might that be, Lily?”

She knew she needed to get home before her father went out and started looking for her himself. She’d be surprised if he hadn’t already. Lily murmured her address, joining him at the edge and grabbing his outstretched hand. 

This time, she didn’t close her eyes. Whether she had grown used to the sensation or if she’d grown numb, Lily wasn’t sure. Granted, she was keeping her eyes on what was in front of her, deliberately ignoring the ground below them. 

Instead, she watched as Spider-Man webbed from building to building. Every time a bit of web was released, he pressed this mechanism built into his suit. As she first noticed it, she had to blink a few times to be sure of what she was seeing. 

All this time, Lily had thought Spider-Man had special supernatural abilities, and the webs were only one of them. Although she didn’t understand how Spider-Man would be able to shoot webs from his skin, she’d just assumed he was some type of mutant. 

But those web-shooters were man-made. He must have engineered them somehow. Or maybe he’d commissioned someone to or something. Either way, they looked complicated. 

Spider-Man must have been really intelligent to figure something like that out, but engineered web-shooters meant he was really just a regular guy. 

She did wonder who was truly behind the mask. Not because of any desire to expose his identity to the world, and certainly not to turn him over to the cops. No, Lily was simply fascinated by the mystery. 

Plus, it didn’t hurt that this man had sort of saved her life tonight too. 

She had so many questions for him, but she was afraid that if she asked, he wouldn’t tell her. Or worse, he’d get upset and think she was trying to discover who he was. So instead, Lily kept quiet the entire way home, watching Spider-Man use his web-shooters. 

How did they work? What substance inside that tiny mechanism created those near-indestructible webs? They were strong enough to resist lasers. They pulled both his and her body weight through the sky. Forget their weight, that day at the bridge, Lily watched on the telly as Spider-Man stopped a bus from falling into the river. 

And it all started with those little web-shooters.

Far too interested in the web-shooters, she hadn’t realized that Spider-Man had gotten her back home until her feet were placed firmly on the ground. She glanced around, realizing that most of the lights in the building were dark now as people had gone to sleep for the night. Her own home was still lit brightly, and she was sure her father was waiting for her. 

Lily turned around to thank Spider-Man for bringing her home, but by the time she did so, he’d already disappeared into the darkness. 

She sucked in a deep breath, reaching out for the front door’s handle and turning it until she heard the click. “Dad?” she called, stepping inside. “I’m home…”

[thisiswhatshefelt]

For Olivia | Chapter Three

Author’s Note: We’re still in fluffy territory right now, but things pick up in the next part. I’m having so much fun writing this! Hey, look at me. Writing fluff. Who would have thought? Not me. Characters: Chef Coco Cruz & Black OC

Chapter Summary: Coco and Olivia officially meet for the first time. Previous Chapter: Two

Chapter Three On Park Sundays, Olivia’s always the first one to stir in the apartment. There’s an initial panic just as Shanice remembers what’s supposed to happen on this particular Sunday, but the feeling subsides to an undercurrent as she’s getting Olivia ready. Shanice takes her time in the closet, carefully considering her wardrobe this morning. She opts for a fitted tee and jeans instead of her usual hoodie and hat combo.

She catches her reflection in the mirror and slows her movements, suddenly finding this extra work is ridiculous for someone who may not even show. The anxiety begins to creep up again, slinking into the room.

What if she hates him? Shanice thinks. Or worse, what if she loves him and then he abandons her?

She doesn’t dwell on these thoughts for very long because Olivia is pulling her out the door soon after finishing breakfast. Shanice is still chewing a piece of toast when they get onto the highway.

They’re only at the playground for half an hour and Olivia’s disheveled clothing already looks like she’s halfway through finishing a decathlon. Shanice is watching Olivia go down the slide when she receives a text from Coco, signaling that he’s five minutes away. She beckons to Olivia, and she reluctantly trudges over.

“I don’t wanna leave yet,” Olivia begins to whine in protest.

“No, no, we’re not leaving,” Shanice shakes her head. “Remember I’ve been telling you that mommy’s friend from the other night might come to the park?”

Olivia shrugs, longingly gazing over at the rush of kids now heading to the wooden pirate ship. “The man that bringed the pizza?”

“He didn’t bring–” Shanice shakes the thought out of her head. “Yes, him. He’s coming over here to say hello.”

“How come?”

“Well, you know, he really likes the park, so when I told him we were going to be here, he asked to join us,” Shanice explains in logic that only makes sense to a child. “All you have to do is say hello and remember your manners. That’s it.”

Olivia waits impatiently, fidgeting back and forth on her feet. Shanice is thankful when she finally catches a glimpse of Coco rising from a car in the parking lot. She lifts Olivia and sets the child on her hip as Coco closes the distance between himself and the girls.

“Glad you made it,” Shanice greets him with a smile, and she’s genuinely relieved he’s kept this first promise. “Olivia, can you say hi to Johnny for me?”

Olivia shrinks at the attention, as she usually does with strangers. “Hi,” she says, turning into Shanice’s shoulder.

Coco’s lips part into a crescent, but he can only suck in a quick, soundless breath. His mouth wordlessly falters before smiling and giving way to simple yet weighted beginnings. “It’s nice to meet you, Olivia. You can call me Coco if you want.”

“Kay,” Olivia’s voice comes out no more than a breath as she lays her head on Shanice’s shoulder and pulls a few of Shanice’s shoulder-length twists over her eyes. Olivia curls in closer, attempting to disappear against the woman.

“It’s alright,” Shanice whispers back, giving a small squeeze. It’s alright, it’s alright. “Do you want to go back?”

Olivia nods slowly and Shanice lets her slink back to the ground.

“Where I can see you!” Shanice calls out to the small, retreating figure before stepping off to the side with some of the other parents. Coco sidesteps to follow her lead.

“Sorry.” Shanice can’t help but apologize. “Olivia’s just really shy around people.”

“Not your fault I’m a stranger,” Coco says. “Maybe I should’ve brought her a gift or something-”

“She doesn’t need gifts,” Shanice shakes her head, holding up her hand to stop him mid-sentence. “Just a little time, if you’re willing to give her yours. She’s a completely different kid when she’s comfortable.”

Coco’s sheepish gaze lands on Olivia and it follows her as she chases another girl over to the ship’s nautical wheel. Without taking his eyes off the children, he starts speaking. “I got another daughter, you know. That hostess at the restaurant?” He turns to Shanice, and she nods to both acknowledge and encourage. “My mom pretty much raised her as my sister until she was twelve. That’s when we let her know, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so pissed. Got her a laptop and a new phone, thinking it would make her happy. She set them both behind my car one day, so I rolled right over them when I was backing out.”

Shanice suddenly snorts and Coco looks at her strangely at the outburst. She cups her mouth with both hands, but it does little to stifle her growing laughter. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to say all that.”

“I didn’t even mean to unload that family drama on you,” Coco chuckles, watching her laughter settle. His face contorts into an incredulous half-grin. “Don’t know why I even told you that.”

Shanice understands what he means. Their first two meetings they share are tense, but she allows herself to be nicer today until she’s given a reason not to be. As they speak, this moment is oddly comfortable. Like meeting an old friend…under the strangest circumstances.

“I haven’t been a teacher very long,” Shanice begins, composing herself, “But I’ve learned that teenagers are some of the most vindictive people in the world. Exceptional grudge-holders. It’s pretty impressive, actually.”

Coco smiles as he nods, thoughts briefly somewhere else. “Yeah, Letty’s good at that.”

“Couldn’t help but notice she wasn’t in school,” Shanice leads, trying not to seem like she’s being judgmental or prying, but she is pretty nosy.

“We’re in the middle of moving her into my place. I gotta get her registered for school and all that, so my mom can go traveling Europe and shiiii…” Coco’s voice strains towards the end when he realizes he’s about to swear in the middle of the playground. “She deserves to travel and have some fun after raising Letty. But it’s about to be all on me, and I’m just…”

“Scared?” she offers, and he shrugs. “Understandable. I’m not an expert, but kids mostly just need to feel safe, be encouraged, and be able to trust you.”

“I had all that and still ended up in jail.”

“Good point,” She playfully concedes with a shrug. “Sometimes you just gotta cross your fingers and hope for the best.”

After a beat, he knits his eyebrows together as he recalls something. “Wait, where do you teach?”

“I’m an English teacher at Damon Pope.”

His eyebrows raise in surprise, “That’s where Letty starts on Monday.”

“Really?” Shanice shares a similar look of disbelief. “So, you don’t live too far away from us.”

“Right at the edge of town,” he tells her. They get quiet, leaving things unsaid. He’d been living so close to Olivia and didn’t even realize until recently. Within the same school district.

Their conversation is benign after the awkward break. They opt for small talk until Olivia runs over with wood chips sticking to her feet and her hair coming out of her puffs.

“Can we go eat?” she asks, huffing and puffing.

“You want your PB&J?” Shanice asks, reaching to fix her hair.

“PB&J and pizza!” Olivia exclaims with a smile, throwing her tiny fists in the air.

Shanice makes a disgusted face, “Pizza again?”

Coco chimes in with an idea. “How about somethin’ with less preservatives? You two could come back to the restaurant.”

Olivia’s stomach answers for them both. ________

Once at Tres Reyes, Shanice is again overwhelmed by the amazing smell coming from the kitchen. She’d been secretly craving the food since stepping foot inside the restaurant. Letty’s at the front desk and she does a double take when she sees Coco being followed in by Shanice and the little girl.

“This is Letty,” Coco tells her, tapping his hand on the podium twice to pull her attention towards him. She is unabashedly staring at the child. Her little sister. “Letty, this is Shanice and Olivia.”

Shanice and Letty share very heavy nice to meet you’s.

“Where’s jefe?” He asks with a nod.

“Next door, yelling at Chucky again,” Letty tells him, staring at Olivia.

Letty puffs out her cheeks and crosses her eyes, making Olivia giggle through her teeth against Shanice’s shoulder.

“She’s so cute,” Letty gushes, but her voice is low as she seems to be speaking only to herself.

Coco surveys the restaurant with a glance. “It’s pretty slow, you want to help me with something?”

Letty nods.

“I’m gonna bring out a few things,” Coco says as he leads them through the restaurant before landing at a booth near the service window.

Coco throws an arm over Letty’s shoulder and whispers something in her ear as they walk towards the kitchen. By the soothing look in his eyes, Shanice can tell it’s an apology. He doesn’t expect to have his two daughters meet this way, and the weight of the moment doesn’t fully register until now. They go to the back for a while and an older woman with long dark hair approaches the table.

“I’m Vicki,” the waitress greets them. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Just a ginger ale for me, please,” Shanice says.

Vicki turns to Olivia, “And what about you, princesa?”

“Apple juice, please,” Olivia speaks slightly muffled, biting the collar of her shirt. Shanice tugs the fabric from between her teeth.

Vicki smiles, giving them both a knowing look before walking away from the table. She wonders how many people Coco has told about what’s happening. Everyone is in on this big secret except Olivia.

Coco and Letty soon walk out with three trays filled with small bowls of toppings. On a single tray was a small tortilla. They place them on the table and Letty seems to linger until the restaurant door opens. She hesitates but leaves to tend to the incoming customers.

“This is kinda like a pizza. We can put anything on it,” Coco explains, picking up the first bowl.

Shanice encourages the moment, “This all looks so good, doesn’t it, Mushroom?”

Olivia only nods, still uncomfortable about her surroundings. She settles onto her knees with her hands flat on the table as she leans closer. She scrunches her face up, squinting with one eye at something in particular. “Where’s a’sauce?”

“We’re gonna spread this on it instead,” Coco says, holding up the bowl of refried beans. He demonstrates spreading it on half the tortilla. “You wanna try?”

Shanice watches as the words spark excitement in Olivia’s eyes. What Olivia actually hears is ‘You wanna help me make a mess?’ Her favorite pastime. She takes the spoon Coco’s offers and starts spreading the beans on the rest of the tortilla.

“Good, now you can put anything you want on it,” Coco tells her, pushing a bowl of shredded cheese towards her.

She dips her little fingers in the bowl and starts sprinkling it all over the pizza, but it mostly gets on the table. She takes some of the cheese from the table in the other hand and stuffs it in her mouth.

“Hey!” Shanice says, briefly tickling both Olivia’s sides, eliciting a loud laugh. She involuntarily brings her arms down to shield her sides. “Don’t eat all the ingredients!” Olivia just eats more, laughing louder.

Coco gets a playful look on his face before taking a small piece of diced tomato. He throws the piece in the air and catches it in his mouth. Olivia is astonished, immediately tries to do the same with the cheese, but it ends up all around her like confetti. Some lands in her hair, but Olivia only laughs again.

“Boy…” Shanice slowly sets her gaze on Coco, giving him a comically blank stare.

Olivia has a diced tomato in her hand aimed like a baseball. She throws the tomato at Coco and he expertly catches it in his mouth. Before Shanice can say anything else, Olivia throws a handful of cheese at her, expecting Shanice to also catch it in her mouth, but it catches her off guard. Cheese falls on her chest and soldiers.

“Sorry,” Olivia sings, but she doesn’t look sorry at all. She’s smiling from ear to ear, stuffing more cheese in her mouth.

Coco lets out a laugh as Shanice eats the cheese from her shirt. In that moment, Shanice can see what Mel found attractive about him four years ago. She notices the dimple in his cheek deepening every time he smiles.

“Love that you taught her that,” Shanice says with playful sarcasm, as she picks cheese out of her hair. “Alright, let’s finish so we can eat the, uh…”

“It’s called a tlayuda,” Coco finishes.

“A yuda?” Olivia questions.

Coco smirks at her pronunciation “Yeah, it’s almost like a pizza.”

“Kay,” Olivia says, focusing on putting more toppings on the tlayuda.

A few moments later, Letty returns with a much neater version of the dish. Her mouth waters at the strips of steak, cheese, and fresh avocado loaded onto the tortilla.

“Sit with us?” Shanice suggests. Letty doesn’t hesitate, sliding next to Coco and bumping him in the process. Coco dramatically crashes into the booth’s half wall, eliciting another giggle from Olivia. Slowly, the little girl Shanice is familiar with begins to emerge.

“Hi, Olivia,” Letty greets her again. She’s trying to make eye contact with a preoccupied Olivia, as if she’s trying to get the attention of the cool kid at school. “I’m Letty.”

“Hi,” Olivia croaks out between haphazard bites of the tlayuda she’s made. She greets Letty out of reflex and immediately looks up when she realizes three sets of eyes are on her. Olivia suddenly plops down on Shanice’s lap, pushing the back of her head against her chest.

“So Letty,” Shanice begins, wrapping her arm across Olivia. “We’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other. I teach over at Damon Pope.”

“Forreal?” Letty asks slyly as she takes out her waitress pen and pad from her apron. She wets the pen with the tip of her tongue. “And which class is that again?”

Shanice lets out a small laugh when Coco’s eyebrows furrow suspiciously. “Why you wanna know?”

“I’m just assuming it wouldn’t hurt to know the teacher personally.”

“I teach English, but I’m kind of known for being a tough grader.”

“Ooh, then forget it,” Letty says, putting her pen and pad down on the table. Coco tsked.

Shanice can’t help but laugh, “Mr. Kochiss teaches British Lit, and I’ve heard a lot of students say that his class has a more…relaxed grading policy,” Shanice says, choosing her words correctly. “But you seem to be a very intelligent girl. If you want a class that’s a little more challenging, I teach Lit Comp. It’s an AP class, but if you’re serious, I’m sure we can work something out.”

“AP?” Letty’s eyebrows raise playfully. “So is that Kochiss with a K or a C?”

“Leticia,” Coco says, his voice coming out as more of a groan.

“Oh, what? I can’t joke now?” Letty asks innocently.

Shanice laughs into her first bite of tlayuda. She has to lean awkwardly over the table because Olivia is still parked on her lap with no intention of moving.

Shanice lets out an unexpected moan when she tastes the food. “This is so good.” She doesn’t realize the way she sounds until she looks up to find Coco’s half-lidded eyes on her. It’s just a flash, but it feels like an eternity when their eyes meet across the table. He quickly averts his eyes down to the table as he taps a song with his fingers.

“When will you…” Letty starts, oblivious to the previous interaction. It pulls Coco’s and Shanice’s attention back. “When are you going to, you know…tell her?”

Shanice loudly clears her throat. “Uh, not for a while. We all still need to get to know each other better. Get comfortable.”

“About that,” Coco interjects. “I was thinkin’ next time we could meet up at the beach.”

Olivia perks up again just then.

“We don’t say eachbay or oolpay or any large bodies of aterway around this one.” Shanice practically hisses the words as she pushes them through her teeth.

“Can we go to the eachbay today? Pleeeease?” Olivia begs.

Shanice threw her hands up in defeat. “Great, now I can’t even say it in pig Latin.”

Coco speaks up, “You know what would be better than going to the beach for just a little while today?”

“What?” Olivia surprisingly doesn’t shy away.

“Staying for the whole day on Saturday. If that’s okay with Shanice, of course.”

Olivia turns around so that she’s kneeling on Shanice’s thighs. The little girl takes Shanice by the face to whisper with wide eyes. “Can we go to the beach on Saddurday?”

Shanice whispers back, mirroring her animated expression. “Yes. As long as you’re good.” Olivia starts leaving greasy kisses all over Shanice’s forehead. “Alright, alright!” she says at full volume now. “Girl, you’re gonna take off my eyebrows.”

“And I could come too, maybe?” Letty asks as Olivia sits back down. For a moment, she’s just a little girl asking to tag along.

“Aye, you gotta be good too,” Coco teases.

Somewhere along the conversation Olivia falls asleep against Shanice’s chest. She looks down at the little girl and is thankful the day doesn’t turn out to be the disaster she’d imagined.

[etraytin]

Quarantine Journal

January 2, 2022 

It’s very late and I should be sleeping, but I want to take a moment to record for posterity the complete bullshit that I’m having to deal with here. I have been trying since Wednesday to get an answer from Kiddo’s school about what we’re supposed to do in terms of going back to school. My personal thought is “get back to Virginia, talk with Kiddo’s doctor (ideally get an appointment, but doctors are squirrelly about seeing COVID cases in person and it’s hard to blame them), and then make a decision.” I still would like to know what the actual school has to say about it. It’s a weird time because schools are closing left and right due to Omicron, and Husband’s university has already gone virtual for the first two weeks of the new semester. But of course it’s Christmas break, so nobody is picking up the phone or answering their emails anywhere in the school district. 

Cue this evening, when I get a districtwide email notice from the school district. They’re sticking with in-person learning because it is Best For The Children or whatever, and they’re sticking with their current guidelines for isolation and quarantine with an option to update based on CDC guidance. Fantastic, I can work with that, they even provided a link to the webpage. I navigate over there to find what we need to do... and it’s not there. There’s a whole page on COVID procedures, two extremely detailed lists of what to do with students and staff of various vaccination levels when they have a COVID exposure or when someone in their household has COVID. (Spoiler: the school district is very bullish on having kids at school, so there is not a lot of isolating going on.) There is not one single iota of information on when a kid who has actually gotten COVID should come back to school. I know this is not the first time they’ve encountered the problem since I’ve gotten at least a handful of emails about COVID at the school, but apparently this somehow never came up when they were drafting guidance? 

Anyway, that’s super annoying but it’s not likely to affect our plans very much. Tomorrow the kiddo gets out of his five days of complete isolation, yay! He will still have to wear a mask a whole lot for at least five more days, but he won’t have to be in his bedroom all the time. He’s feeling almost totally better and did get to bundle up and go outside briefly to play in the snow today, which was excellent.  We’re planning on day after tomorrow to actually travel home, so tomorrow will be full of packing. I wish we could stay long enough to get my mom out of isolation as well, but Husband is understandably champing at the bit to get home and get a clean test so he can try and help his mom. We’re going to try and test here tomorrow as well, at least the three of us who’ve been clean so far. I’m not sure what we’ll do if one of us comes up positive after all this, but I’m willing to not even try to game that out until we have to. 

Omicron is really getting big now, and it’s making me nervous. I’m glad that most people aren’t getting very sick, but I’m worried because _enough_ people are getting very sick to cause a big problem for doctors and hospitals. If this variant gets legs under it and just starts ripping through the population all over the country, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. There are still a lot of un- and undervaccinated people out there.