#i was washing the dishes and didn't see my mom left the window open

[bat-the-misfit]

having a cat with cancer is not enough i needed to get in even more panic bc i didn't see another cat escaping through the window and walking on a slippery roof he almost fell and broke a leg or died or smth

like wow how can i not be feeling like a trash when smth could have happened to him???

[natriae]

chapter 8

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That night you placed your phone down on the table and thought about what Ushijima could be needed to talk to you about. It seemed urgent, but you didn't want to face your problems right now. What if he wants to talk about what you think it is? What if he's just being dramatic to get your attention? You won't know until you text him back, but it was a Wednesday night and you have work tomorrow. You're not dealing with this tonight, so you'd rather remain with his thoughts unknown, and live with the question of what he wanted to talk about. You wouldn't respond to him soon, right? Or hopefully you could pass it with him thinking it was the wrong number.

You laid-back on the couch and pulled the blanket up. Turning so you could watch Isamu's bedroom door. You didn't want to mess up his life more, and you have a feeling that if you respond to that message things will change, a lot. Your eyes started to close through all your racing thoughts. You woke up to the sun shining through the windows, and began your morning routine of folding up the blanket you were using, putting it in the closet, and then taking your pillow and placing it on top of the blanket. You walked in to Isamu's room and gently shook him awake. You opened his blinds, and then walked back to his bed and placed his glasses on his face. You left him with a kiss on his cheek, and told him you'd start working on breakfast while he got ready for school. You made him his favorite bento. Hayashi rice on the bottom container and some of the leftover onigiri in the top. More then enough food for your growing boy. You wrapped up the bento in a green cloth with small pandas on it. By the time you finished Isamu was ready for the day and came walking into the kitchen with his uniform.

"mom are you sure you don't want to sleep in my bed. We could share I don't mind," He said. His big doe eyes watched you tie the cloth for his bento. You knew he felt guilty for being the only one with a room, but you wanted to give him as much as you could, and if that meant no bed for you then you will do it. Plus, you've spent every night for almost 6 years on that couch. You're more then used to it by now.

"i'm sure baby, now eat up," you placed a bowl of rice, tomagoyaki, and miso soup on the living room table for him to eat. You also placed a mug filled with hot water on the table for him to drink. Ushijima told you a long time ago that starting your day with hot water is good for your body, and it has stuck with you ever since.

"are you gonna eat," He asked, his cheeks full of rice. He glanced over to you washing all the materials you used to make his food.

Lying you turned back to your son and said, "no, there's food at the office, i'll grab something there," There was not food at the office, but Isa's never been there to know. You bank account was low and you could starve yourself for a bit if it meant you growing boy's belly was full. You would find scraps to eat if you really needed too. Just a few more days till pay day. You could make it. It's not the first time you had to do this.

Isa finished his food and began washing his plates before he left the house for class. You guys had a routine, Isa would walk to school with his friend and you would pick him up when the day was over. You went to the closet in the bathroom and grabbed your work clothes. Changing quickly while Isa finished washing his dishes. Coming out Isa was holding his bento and had his bag on. He ran up and gave you a hug. "have a good day mom," he said in your stomach. You responded with a quick you too and gave him a kiss on his head. Before you knew it he was out the door running to his friend who lived down the hall.

You felt your phone buzz in your pocket and you pull it out to see a text from Sakusa. You felt you face heat up at the thought of him and immediately opened the message

Sakusa: hey, are you and Isa free this weekend?

Sakusa: It's my last day here, and I wanna take you out on a date, and get to know Isa more.

You: Sure!

You: Are you sure you want Isa to come with?

Sakusa: Yeah, I'm gonna be completely honest with you. I want to get to know you more so we can be something more then friends. Isa should probably get comfortable with me.

You thought about his words, and this is the first time in a long time someone has actually tried to be with you. Maybe you should give him a chance. I mean Isa likes him too.

You: Sure why not!

You: I too think we could be something more.

Maybe it was the joy of getting attention, but you were excited to see where this realtionship would lead. You couldn't help but imagine seeing Isa excitement if you were dating his idol. Also Sakusa was very handsome it would be nice to have him by our side. He was tall and sweet. Yes he did lie to you, but he probably didn't want you to get very confused with everything. I mean it was in the pass. You guys need to move on.

You spent your whole work day thinking about your date with Kiyoomi. You smiled at the thought;He insisted you called him Kiyoomi. You were on a small high from the attention and got through more work then usual. Your day had ended, and on your way to clock out or manager commented on how proud they were with your work ethic today. You smiled walking out of the office building and the bright sun was shining over tokyo. Maybe you were wrong, this would be a good week.

You picked up Isa and he gave you a hug. Once you were away from enough people you told him the good news. Keeping out the part that it was technically a date. As expected he was so excited he started jumping up and down while holding your hand. Between his happiness and yours you could help but jump with him. Just a mom and her son jumping around a random street in tokyo. Cheering and high fiving each other.

Before you knew, it was Saturday, and you and Isa were on the way to the park. Sakusa had said he would handle everything needed for the picnic. You thanked him in your mind for a much different reason then you actually thanked him for. You said thank you as a courtesy, but you were truly greatful because food was getting low and all you had left were canned food items. You didn't need him to see how little your income was. At least not yet. Once you go to the park you see the curly haired man sitting under a tree with a big red picnic blanket under him. There seemed to be three bentos. There was a blue, pink and black cloth covering them and a small cooler set up for what you assume is for drinks. The black bento seemed much larger then the others, and you wondered what he was hiding. Walking up to the blanket Isamu began to walk behind your legs. Seemingly shying away from Sakusa's view. You've never seen him like this, but he seemed cautious of Sakusa. Honestly the little boy was worried he'd ruin this for his mother. Yes, he was a fan of Sakusa but in real life Sakusa was much taller then him and far more powerful. He was worried Sakusa would take his mom's attention away from him.

The curly haired man looked up from his phone and let out a small smile seeing the two of you walking over. You took your purse off and sat down letting Isa sit in your lap. You thanked Sakusa once again as he began unwrapping the bentos. Isa was looking around everywhere but Sakusa, yet when the bentos were finally open and displayed in front of him he couldn't help but fanboy over the umeboshi.

"do you like umeboshi too?" Sakusa asked the young boy.

Isa wide eyes looked at Sakusa and shook his head, "i've never had it," He said. When Isa looked back up at him Sakusa genuinely felt guilty for telling Ushijima instead of letting you do it. He watched the way you let Isa sit on your lap, how you would feed him, and how you smiled at the school boy like he was the north star. It's not all Ushijima's fault he knew that, but his crush on you since highschool glossed over the fact, and he would take all his anger out on Ushijima.

He had to see it every god damn game against Shiratorizawa. The way you would tend to Ushijima's injuries and give him affirmations before he went back on the court. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that you guys had lived so close to one another. It wasn't fair that Ushijima got to hold you, and kiss you, and make love to you when he treated you like shit. Of course he didn't know the whole story, but he knows enough. Why did you keep his kid? Why do you take care of his kid so well? It's not fair, you should be holding his child, taking care of his kid, and he would make sure that one day you would. That Isa will no longer get his mother's support because he has a bastard as a father.

The whole picnic Sakusa couldn't help but glare at the innocent child. So much of him looked like Ushijima it was sickening. The way he smiled, his hair, and the way he spoke.

You felt you phone buzz in your purse, and you took it out while you chewed on your delicious food. Your work was calling, and you couldn't help but get excited at the thought that they finally saw your hard work and were going to surpise you with a raise. Excusing youself from the two you turned your back and walked over to a more secluded part of the park.

On the blanket Sakusa tried to make conversation with the little boy. "so do you play volleyball," he asked. He assumed the boy did seeing his bright smile on his face.

"No my mom never let me. She doesn't want me getting hurt, but i like watching!" Isa responded happy to have a conversation with the spiker. Sakusa nodded at that looking at the rim of the boys glasses.

"i'll teach you," Sakusa said.

"really..." the little was was excited, but his smile fell when he remembered his mom's words. She wasn't even here for him to get permission. "Actually I shouldn't. My mom will be mad," Isa said.

This was gonna be a lot harder then he thought. That's when a great idea popped into his mind. "She'll be fine, it's with me, a pro..." He could see Isa was still lost in thought of what his mother would think, "i'll tell you a secret if you play with me," Sakusa said quietly. Bingo. Isa hopped up at that and picked up the volleyball that sat at the edge of the blanket. He ran over to a grassy area not far from the blanket. Sakusa smiled and was happy he would finally get this meddling child out of the way.

Across the park you had picked up the phone.

"hello is this l/n y/n?" the person on the line questioned.

"this is she," you said, attempting to keep your voice confident, but not show to much excitement.

"hi, were sorry to tell you this, but your gonna have to wait another two weeks for your check," you faced dropped at the statement, "there were some issues with your bank and that's the best we could do. We'll combined that check with your next one. Sorry for the inconvenience." They said before hanging up. What were you gonna do. You needed to pay bills, and rent, and you definitely can't tell anyone. You took a deep breath to calm down and began walking back over to the picnic table. You started walking faster and then running when you heard the fimilar crying of a little boy. Sakusa was off to the side leaning on the tree with a pissed off face. Your little boy was sitting with his head down, and that's when you saw the blood over his hands, and clothes. Running over and sitting quickly on the blanket you lifted his face up to see one of his glasses' lenses shattered. There was a small cut on the side of his face and his nose was bleeding. He had the eye of the shattered lense shut in pain.

"mommy it hurts," Isamu wailed. Other park goers watched from afar as you looked up to the younger man still leaning against the tree. His face changed quickly seeing you glare at him.

"what happened?" you asked, still holding Isa's face. You were more then pissed trying to make sense of everything happening. You took his glasses off, and grabbed the pink bento cloth to try and stop the bleeding. Sakusa finally got off the tree and got down next to Isamu to "try" and help. He still hadn't responded when you saw Isa flinch at the movement of Sakusa hand. Tears started to well up in your eyes seeing you baby in so much pain. All from a man you thought you could trust.

Seeing that Sakusa still hadn't responded a near by family having a picnic too stated that Sakusa had spiked the ball in your son's face. Someone further way said they had a recording.

"yeah, he laughed after too. Didn't help the kid at all. He wouldn't let anyone come over because the kid could help himself,"

What. The. Fuck. You turned over to Sakusa flaring your nose not even being able to comprehend your anger. Another person in the park said that it seemed intentional. Isa shakly crawled into you lap his nose and face still bleeding. His glasses were too broken to be on his face, so you held your baby in your arms quickly grabbing your purse and running away from Sakusa. Tears started to fall from your eyes because you were so angry. Isamu was still crying in your arms, and it was abundantly clear that small pieces of glass were in his skin and eye. Definitely making the pain worse. You couldn't do this alone so you were left with no choice, but to call the one person's number you had that was in Tokyo. It got harder to breathe and you felt another attack coming on, but you needed to be there for Isa he was clearly terrified, and needed to see his mom be strong.

Hitting the call button you brought the phone up to your ear, shaking, and panicked that you wouldn't be able to get your words out. As sook as the phone was picked up the man on the line told you to take a deep breath before talking.

" I-I need you really badly right now," you spit out quickly feeling the lump in your throat get bigger as Isa wails got louder.

"send me your location. I'm on the way," He said, in the background you could hear the fading voices of people calling his name. You quickly ended the call and sent him your location. Thank god Sakusa didn't come looking for you, probably on a call with his manager over the soon to be leaked video. You were taking deep breaths and leaned your head back feeling it much heavier then usual. You could sense Isa panic at your state, and he tried to grab your head to looked at him. You looked down at the boy and repeated that everything would be okay.

A tall man came running through a crowd. His face strong and filled with worried. His green hair was blowing in the wind as he picked up his speed seeing you and Isa in such shambles. He lifted the two of you off the bench and brought you into a hug. Behind the two of you Ushijima could see a figure of Sakusa jogging closer to you guys. "follow me, we're going to the hospital," He stated, as he reached over to grab Isamu from your arms. However, before Ushijima could grab him Isa hooked his arms around you neck and asked in a small voice. "is he my dad...is that why you called him?"

tags: @mineta-phobic @rukia-uchiha-98 @ssc7514 @megumuro

i'm so sorry guys

[cyanicus-journal]

I miss Atlas...

I miss playing with him. I miss cuddling and petting him. I even miss the times when I had to try getting him to stop biting my charger cables. I miss movie nights, glancing over at my mom to see Atlas laying in her lap- sometimes he would even be watching the screen with us.

I miss the times when he would jump up on the counter where my dad was painting, trying to get his attention, or repeatedly dipping his paw in dad's paint water to lick it off like Winnie the Pooh eating fistfuls of honey from a jar- for whatever reason, he preferred drinking that paint water over the clean water from his dish. Dad always had to reassure me that the paint he was using was non-toxic.

I miss all the time Atlas spent in my room with me, all the naps we took together, all the times he tried to get me to stop working so that I'd give him pets and belly rubs- I liked to think that it was him reminding me to take breaks every once in awhile. I miss the feeling of his soft little body plopping down against my legs at night while I was falling asleep, keeping me warm and making me feel secure. I loved watching him collapse on the bed like he was totally exhausted from sleeping there all day.

I miss his soft meow (which wasn't so soft when he wanted to be let outside). I miss the way he chirped and trilled to get attention. I miss watching him take care of his twin brother Ari, and how they loved to cuddle together.

I miss watching him jump up to the highest places in the house, and how he'd jumpscare all of us when we didn't know he was there, landing in front of us with a loud THUD! that could be heard from the other room.

I miss his big round eyes, which sometimes looked silver and sometimes looked pale green. I miss his purplish-black toe beans and brick red nose. I miss his kinked tail, which only bent at the very tip. I miss his silver fur, his fluffy yellow belly, his white muzzle, his black stripes; I especially loved the thick black stripe that ran along his spine, and how a series of stripes on his front legs looked like they formed one giant stripe across both legs when he put them together, and that the bottom halves of his feet were solid black. I miss how he showed off to everyone, he knew just how cute and beautiful he was.

I miss the loud purr he made whenever he was happy. I miss how excited he got whenever someone walked near the back door, hoping that someone would open it and let him outside- he'd look expectantly at the doorknob, and sometimes he'd even try to reach for it himself. I miss how much he loved the outdoors, I'm always reminded of him whenever I'm out in our backyard. I miss the way he rolled around on the concrete patio, the way we always had to stop him from trying to catch birds or voles living in the garden. I miss seeing him run as fast as he could down our hill whenever I called him to come back inside.

I miss that he didn't mind being pet on his belly or paws, unlike most cats- in fact, he seemed to enjoy it. I miss how he used to climb up my leg to reach my hand for pets. I miss that he could get comfortable on any surface, whether it was a hard wooden floor or a cardboard box or on top of someone laying on their side, he had no trouble making himself at home.

I miss his picky eating habits, he wouldn't touch most brands of cat food but for some reason he loved corn bread- we discovered this the hard way when we forgot to put away the corn bread leftover from chili night. I miss how much he loved catnip flavored hairball remedies- there are still teethmarks on the bag, he had apparently tried to rip into it when we weren't looking.

I miss the way he always stole my dad's paintbrushes and pens, and how we'd catch him in the act carrying them in his mouth or swatting them off the countertop. We'd find them later under the rug, or behind places like the stereo cabinet or the washing machine. I miss the paw prints and nose prints he left on our windows- some of which are still there, we didn't have the heart to wash them off.

I miss trying to teach people the difference between Atlas and Ari, it wasn't easy for everyone to tell.

*If you guessed the one on the right, you are correct~

I miss the big smile that Atlas always wore. I miss him making biscuits on people's bellies. I miss his stout build and his athletic nature. I miss playing the laser pointer game with him, how he would chase it in circles until he got dizzy. I miss how he sometimes left his tongue sticking out after cleaning himself. I miss how he thought he was the one chasing the deer away when we yelled at them for eating out of the bird feeders.

I miss that he'd put his mouse toys in his water dish for some reason- we always joked that he was trying to drown his prey. I miss that he would spend a few hours with each person at night, starting out sleeping in my room, then in my parents' room, then downstairs if anyone couldn't sleep and had decided to watch TV instead. I miss the way he always hung out with my brother and I while we played video games. I miss how gentle he was, that he never once bit or scratched anyone even when he was unhappy or scared.

I miss the way he hugged people's legs when he laid in their laps. I miss how he always brushed himself against my socks when I wore them, likely enjoying the feeling of the scratchy cotton. I miss how he used to drink water trickling from the sink faucet, how sometimes he'd sit there waiting for someone to turn it on for him.

I miss all those times when he was there for us- the pandemic, the loss of our other pets Tiger and Katie, the drama with family and friends, and everything in between. Whenever things were hard, Atlas was there, loving us unconditionally.

I miss Atlas...

[euphoriyoongi]

♥︎ So this is Love ♥︎ k.s.j

A Cinderella Story

Requested by: @baby-mochi123

♥︎ Summary:

As an orphan living with your late fathers disgrace of a wife and two step sisters, you’re hidden away from the world. That is, until the King gets inpatient for grandchildren, and invites all maidens to the royal ball.

♥︎ Genre: royalty au, Cinderella-themed, love at first sight, comedy

♥︎ Word count: 5.6k

♥︎ Warnings: none

m.list

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once upon a time in a far away land, there was tiny kingdom…

~

Ever since your father died, life has been rough.

You could barely remember the times you used to play in the grass fields with your mother, or the time you ripped the bottom of your dress as you fell.

Those memories were distant. Nearly gone. Your father remarried after your mother died, and the woman he married was more of a devil than anything. She would act all sweet to you when your father was around, but behind closed doors she disgraced and belittled you.

When your father passed away, she became more evil than before, which was hard to imagine. She was already so terrifying, but now it seemed as though she had something against you.

You were fully grown now, able to do everything for yourself. But yet, you were forced to like in a crammed attic of their home, while your two step sisters enjoyed lavish rooms and jewelry. It was unfair, but you made yourself worth living. With all of the chores and the dust and dirt you'd have to clean up every day, you still had your pride.

You lived in solidarity up and away from the vicious people you could never call family, and the only friends you could call your own were the rats that populated the walls.

The terribly loud clock broke you away from your slumber and bells began to ding, signaling it was time to make breakfast. They forced to go serve them as they lay in bed, and all you wanted was to be able to eat what you made. There would only ever be enough for the three of them and their cat—which was fittingly named Lucifer—and never any for you. That was probably why you were so thin.

"Y/n!!" Your stepmother's voice bellowed through the walls continuously, hailing you to begin her breakfast. She always yelled like she was going to starve if you didn't get it to her in time which wasn't true. She was bigger-boned and had plenty of meat on her bones, and always concealed it with a super tight corset that she would claim her real waist.

"Y/n?! Where's breakfast?" Your step sister screeched at you from her bedroom as you walked by. You ignored her and continued to walk to the kitchen. "Hey! Don't ignore me! Mother, Y/N is ignoring me again!"

You continued to walk to the kitchen and once you got there you began to prepare breakfast. You scrambled up the food and poured tea, and then placed it on 3 plates to bring to them.

As you brought them all their breakfast, your stepmother beckoned you to come into her room. Before you entered, your two ugly step sisters blocked the door. "You're gonna get it bad, Y/N."

You brushed them off again and made your way through the double doors or your stepmother's room, the cat following you in.

The cat glided it's way through the dark room and jumped onto the large bed, curling up into the arms of a dark looking figure. She didn't speak.

"Stepmother—"

"Shut it." She hissed as she pet her cat, who was as dark as the room. His eyes were the only visible part of him. "Seems like you have a lot of time on your hands. Let's put it to good use."

You stayed silent and listened to what she had to say. You knew it was going to be chores, and you just wished you could have some alone time to yourself.

"You have full chore duty today. That includes folding the laundry, washing dishes, scrubbing to floors, sewing your step sisters' dresses and oh—don't forget the garden."

You sighed. "Yes Step-mother."

You had no way out of it. It was all you could do to respect your father.

You could've swore you saw the cat smirk. "Oh yes, one more thing. Don't forget to bathe the cat."

Over the hill was the large grandeur of a palace, where the king and his son lived.

The king was getting impatient, wondering when his son would give him grandchildren. He wasn't getting any younger, and wished to see children before he passed.

Kim Seokjin, the only prince of the kingdom, hasn't even had the thought of settling down yet. He wasn't as young as he used to be, but he thought no one could be his match. The prince was away on business, but was coming home tonight.

His father decided to send out invitations to every eligible maiden in the kingdom to a royal ball, hoping at least one of them will catch his eye.

So it wouldn't seem suspicious, he figured he could plan this ball for his return, and have all the women there for him.

Tonight was the night he planned for the ball. He then sent out all the invitations, hoping for the best.

As you were scrubbing the floor, a thin piece of paper slid through the mail slot on the door and landed right at your feet. You picked it up and didn't bother reading it, you weren't the best at reading anyway. You did notice it was from the palace.

Your step family was upstairs as they were practicing their music skills and you walked up the stairs to interrupt.

You knocked softly, but your step mother screamed as you entered. "Y/n! What did I say about interrupting—"

"This just came from the palace!" You excitedly murmured, and held your hand out for your step mother to grab it.

"There's to be a ball...every eligible maiden is to attend!" She cried out and looked to her daughter's who were jumping up and down.

"We're both eligible!!" They screamed simultaneously, happily shaking the floorboards.

Your eyes lit up when you heard what she said. "That means I can go, too!" You said, covering your mouth with your hand in excitement.

One of your step sisters snickered. "Yeah, right! Her dancing with our prince! That's impossible.

"Greetings your highness, would you mind holding my broom." The other sister giggled as she mocked you.

After their laughs ended, you spoke up again. "Well, why not? I am part of the family. And it says by royal command..."

The sisters looked at each other and then at their mom. "Well...I can't see why you couldn't go..." she stared down at the piece of paper. "If you get all your work done and find something suitable to wear.."

"Yes step mother I sure will!" You smiled as you made your way out. "Thank you."

You ran as fast as you could up the steps to plan your outfit, knowing you have your mothers old dress locked away in a chest.

You noticed it was a bit outdated, so you looked through your sewing book to see any changes you could make to it.

Just as you finally thought you reached happiness it faded away just as quickly as it happened. You were beckoned again to start your chores and now you wouldn't have nearly enough time to sew the dress.

As you worked your ass off to clean and get things done, time flew. You thought you didn't have a change at going to the ball now, especially when you heard the carriage reach the chateau. You sighed. As if your day couldn't get any worse. Your step mother opened her door when she heard you walk by. "Y/nN my dear, why aren't you dressed?"

Your two step sisters peaked out of the doorframe, awaiting your answer. "Ah, I'm not going."

They all smirked, but tried to cover it. "That's too bad. Maybe next time." She cooed and shut the door to get her daughters ready.

You made your way back up to your humble living space, and your shoulders were hunched as you walked up the stairs. You really thought you had a chance for yourself this time. You hated being someone's maid, and you wished things would be different. You had hoped this was the chance to break out of your shell and this house and follow your dreams. Dreams of meeting your one and only true love.

As you entered your room you peered out the window, staining at the tree branches that blocked the moonlight. You sighed, deep in thought.

A sudden creek came from your closet, and the door began to open slowly. You nearly screeched when you saw a dozen rats run out of it, but when your eyes landed on the gorgeous dress that was hung up, you glanced at the little rodents.

"How the hell did you do that? Was that some kind of sorcery?" You stared at the dress with wide eyes, trying to figure out how tiny rats were able to stitch and sew. Maybe you were going crazy. "Thank you..I guess." You said sincerely, but still couldn't wrap your mind around it all.

You rushed to get ready and tossed on all your accessories, including a beautiful jade necklace that sat on the corner of your desk. You were unsure about how it got there, but figured it was the rats with superpowers and carried on with your plans.

You rushed down the stairs as you noticed that they were about to open the door to leave. "Wait for me!" You yelled as you ran, hoping they wouldn't give you any trouble. "I'm ready."

"Mother you can't let her go! It's not fair!" The ugliest sister growled as she tossed her hands in the air.

The other sister huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "This is disgraceful!"

"Now girls...a promise is a promise." Your step mother smirked as she neared you, reaching a hand out to cradle your jade necklace. "Isn't this beautiful, what do you think—"

"No it's ugly—wait! That's my necklace! She stole it!" She hissed reaching out towards it. "Gimme that!" As she grabbed onto it she yanked it, and the necklace broke, sending all the beads to dance across the floor.

You gasped as that happened, and the other sister barely gave you enough time to get a grip when she began to tear your dress from bottom to top. They both  aggressively tried to tear it apart, not a care in the world about how you felt about it. It was your mothers dress after all, and now all that's left is the torn fabric that fell from your shoulder.

"Girls, girls. Let's not be too hasty. I don't want you upsetting yourselves." Your stepmother softly spoke, side-eying you as if she didn't see the whole debacle. "Let's go, we'll be late." She said, leaving you all alone in the large empty house, torn to pieces.

You couldn't help but start to cry. You tried your best to be able to go, even trusted rats to fix up your dress. But now your dress was ruined and you were crying, subconsciously finding yourself in the garden under your favorite willow tree.

"It's just no use at all.." you cried out as you laid your head down onto the bench, kneeling. "There's nothing left to believe in anymore."

You let your tears fall, completely oblivious to the bench that somehow turned into the lap of a man. His hand softly stroke your head, listening to you cry.

"Nothing? You don't really mean that, right?" His soothing voice spoke out, and you'd think it would've broke you out of your funk, but it didn't. You still sat there with your head in his lap and cried.

"Yeah, I do mean that—"

"No you don't, or I wouldn't be here." He shrugged and you finally realized something wasn't normal. You sat yourself back and gasped at the boy in front of you. He had dazzling blue hair and eyes to match, with a beautiful pink gown on. He looked very feminine and approachable. Sparkles danced around his figure and he held something that looked like a wand in his right hand.

"Wha—" you rubbed your eyes, trying to understand was was in front of you. First it was artsy rats, now...a fairy?!

He reached around your arms and slowly lifted you up. "Okay, you definitely can't go to the ball looking like...that." He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "We have to hurry."

He glanced around, almost as if he was trying to find something. "Now what did I do with that damn wand, I swear I lose it every time.."

Your eyes widened. "Wand? Then you must be—"

"Your fairy godfather—god that's so strange to say. How bout your god-daddy" he shook his head as he covered his mouth. "Wait no that sounds to provocative. Just call me Jimin." He smiled, and then continued to look for his wand.

You glanced at his right hand, which held a long stick-like thing. "Uh...is that it? In your hand?"

"Now who do you take me for? Im not that dumb I—wait, you're right. I guess I am that dumb." He scratched his head in embarrassment and shook it off. "Okay. I say the first thing you need is a pumpkin."

"A..pumpkin?" You questioned, glancing over at the pumpkin patch that was part of the garden.

"Yes. Now what we're the magic words?" He wondered out loud, scratching his chin. "Ah! Bippity boppity boo bitch!"

And just as ridiculous as the magic words were, a grand carriage blossomed from the pumpkin. You were at a loss for words as you glanced from the carriage to Jimin, shaking your head in astonishment. "How'd  you do that?"

He smiled. "Magic, I guess." He said not too confidently, looking from you to the little rats around your feet. "Now you need horses."

You looked down and the rats and giggled. You could've sworn you were in a fever dream right now. How was all of this possible?

With the flick of his wrist, Jimin turned the cute little rats into large white horses, standing high and mighty as they were ready to pull the carriage.

You didn't even take notice to an actual horse that stood next to Jimin, patiently waiting to have his turn with magic. "Now you need a coachman.." he muttered and waved his wand at the horse, transforming it into a human man. He sat at the reins of the horses, ready to go.

"Okay what the hell is going on here?" You blinked frantically as you tried to understand what was happening in front of you. How could such a gorgeous man be a fairy, and how could said gorgeous man turn a horse into a person?

Maybe you were high or something.

"Aha. Now, it's your turn." He turned to you with his wand and winked. He looked you up and down and bit his lip, then looked into your eyes. "You're super hot and all, but that dress is a no no."

He waved his wand up to the sky and did a little twirl, and you couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculous he looked. But all of a sudden a large wave of sparkles encased your body, spiraling around you with high speed. You looked down in confusion, then when it all stopped, what was left was a beautiful silvery-blue dress that sparkled as much as the stars.

"Woah..." you breathed, spinning around in it. It was absolutely stunning, you didn't even want to question how he did it. He then fixed up your hair and makeup, and last but not least, your shoes.

You had a weird shoe size. It was a bit too small for your body, so most of the time it was hard to find ones that fit. So when Jimin magically put sparkling glass heels onto you, you gasped in disbelief.

They sparkled even more than the dress, but all in all you sparkled more than the night sky. "This is like a dream.." you murmured in awe.

"Okay, I'm done." He chuckled, crossing his hands across his chest. "Just one more thing."

"What is it?" You asked him, on edge to go to the palace.

"This is all a façade, okay? Just like all dreams, it won't last forever." He looked into your eyes. "It won't last after midnight. Everything will go back to how it was before."

You nodded. At least that gave you enough time to try to meet the prince. "Okay. I'll be out of the palace before that."

He nodded, then gasped and it nearly scared you. "Okay, you gotta go or you'll be late."

He shooed you into the carriage and as you sat down, the horses that were once rats took off, leaving Jimin in the dust. When you looked back you noticed his little wave, then all of a sudden he disappeared into thin air, making this whole situation even weirder.

When you approached the castle, you noticed how grand it was. With it standing so tall it looked like it hit the clouds, and the beautiful stones that held it all together. This was a dream in life itself that sadly had to end, but you were going to make the most of it.

Currently inside the palace, the king organized all of the women to be introduced to the prince one by one. But everytime a promising woman would walk up, it was almost as if he would yawn at the sight of them.

The prince stood tall in the great hall, barely giving any women a second glance. He didn't want any of them, and just wanted to find someone himself. His father and the arch duke sat up high on the balcony, looking down on the scene. Seokjin looked up, noticing how aggravated his father looked.

You approached the grand steps to enter the ballroom, the sides lined with guards. You looked over at them when you noticed they were looking at you, and continued your walk up a hundred red-velvet covered stairs.

Your step sisters were currently being introduced, you took notice to that as you walked into the room. The far side wall was open, leaving only the beautiful night sky to be viewed. What you didn't take notice of was that the prince stopped in his tracks and was standing at you wide eyed.

Seokjin couldn't help himself. The two girls that were in front of him were such a bore. When he bowed respectfully to them and straightened up he noticed you, where you were directly in his line of vision with the dark sky surrounding you, making it seem like you were sparkling.

He had to meet you. The way you spun around to music that wasn't even being played or the way he just glanced at you once and could've sworn he fell in love, he knew he had to at least know your name.

He pushed past the two sisters and stepped toward you, determined to make you his bride.

He reached out a hand towards your shoulder. "Hello, miss?" Jin said politely, his dark hair pushed up to reveal his forehead. "How come I don't know who you are?"

His father took notice to his interest, and hurriedly signaled the band to play the waltz.

When the music ran through the room, you didn't even have time to answer him. He was breathtakingly beautiful, almost like a prince. Little did you know that he was one.

"Would you like to dance with me?" He asked you and held onto you hand, raising it to kiss the back of it.

You shivered in delight, knowing you fell for him at first sight. It seemed like he did, too. So much for marrying a prince, you didn't care who this guy was at this moment. "I'd love to."

He held your hand as you both made your way to the center of the ballroom, watching all of the women cry in disbelief.

He slid his hands down to your waist and you held your hands onto his shoulders. You moved in sync, your lips just a few inches away from his. His eyes were stunningly dark and mysterious with hair to match. His lips were plump, almost pillow-like and you wondered how they would feel against yours.

You couldn't get enough of him, you were lost in him. In his touch, in his eyes, in his heart. He was also captivated by you and had no doubt you were the one out of all these women.

"Who is she, mother? I've never seen her before." The step sister asked as she tried to get a good look of you from the crowd.

"We'll Ive never—wait a minute...something is familiar about her." Your stepmother wondered, but before she could get a good look, they moved their way out onto the terrace, now all alone without anyone watching.

After the dance was over he held you in his arms, brushing a stray strand away from your face. He smiled at you when he noticed your blush.

He grabbed your hand, holding onto it tightly as he took you into the garden, both of you in bliss.

You both sat down on the edge of a large fountain, not taking notice to the clock behind it. It was nearing midnight, but you were so lost in his charm that you didn't even pay attention.

He sat next you you closely, and looked from your eyes to your lips. "You're beautiful. I hope you know that." He said to you as he leaned in farther. "So, so beautiful."

His lips grazed yours softly, but before it could turn into a kiss, the clock struck twelve behind you, bellowing a loud noise. You whipped your head around and noticed the time. "Oh my god!"

You stood up abruptly, and his hand that was on your thigh flew up as you stood. "What's wrong?" He wondered with worry, noticing how frantic you were.

"It's midnight!" You cried, holding onto your dress like it was going to disappear.

"Yeah..so.." he trailed off, hoping that this night would go farther.

You shook your head and turned to leave. "I have to go." You said sadly, but his hand grabbed yours before you could run off.

"You can't leave now—"

"I have to!" You said as you looked frantically back and forth, hoping nothing would disappear right now.

"But why?" He asked softly. He didn't want you to leave. He had so much more he wanted to say to you, he didn't even know your name.

You had to make up an excuse. "I—uh...the prince! I haven't met the prince yet!" You said and nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"The..prince?" He asked. Didn't she know it was him? "But didn't you know that I—"

The clock bellowed again, sending you hurriedly looking for the way out. "Goodbye!" You said and bowed, and ran off back into the palace to find your way down those beautiful velvet steps.

"Wait! I don't even know your..." he trailed off as he ran after you. "Name.."

Before he could catch you, all the women blocked his leave and surrounded him, all blabbing something he wasn't paying attention to. All he saw was the beautiful girl he fell in love with run down the stairs, only leaving a glass heel behind.

You ran out of the palace and jumped into your carriage which was thankfully still intact. It rode off and it started to slowly change.

The carriage began to soften like how it was before and transitioned into a large pumpkin, and the horses morphed back into the small rats they once were. Everything was a blur and all of a sudden you fell to the ground with a thud, picking yourself up and scurried with the animals to hide in the forest as the palace guards ran straight, smashing the pumpkin that was once a carriage.

It was quiet now, you stared down at your tattered dress. The cute little rats stood by your feet, trying to get you to notice that you still had one glass slipper. It didn't disappear with the rest of it.

That was all you had left of that night, and you went back home holding it tightly, dreaming about the man you nearly kissed.

The next morning the prince paced back and forth in his room, trying to figure out a way to find her.

Seokjin was never like this. He was always calm and collected, but something ticked in his mind when he met you. He needed to find a way to get you back into his arms. He didn't even get to kiss you.

He held the heel you left behind in his hand and came up with a great idea. He needed to have this heel reach every maiden's household to see if it fit. The problem is, it could fit any number of the girls. He’d just have to wish for the best. His father would never let him out of the palace to do it himself though.

The grand duke was willing. After figuring out the plans, the duke took off to find the girl of the prince's dreams.

“Y/N!” Your stepmother cried out angrily. “Where are you?” She paced up the stairs but stopped as soon as she heard you.

“I’m right here.” She spoke out as you exited one of the rooms downstairs. She always seemed to rush you even if you were doing a great job.

“Where are the girls?” The looked anywhere but you as she asked this, only ever worrying about her own daughters.

You set down the broom you had in your hand and sighed. “They’re still sleeping.”

She rushed up the steps in anxiousness and you wondered what was the matter. You walked into the kitchen and grabbed the tea for them quickly and ran upstairs, only to overhear their conversation.

“What’s wrong, mother?” Both the sisters were in the same room, both tired and yawning up a storm.

“He’ll be here any minute!” She rushed, pulling back the curtains to bring light inside the room.

“Who?” They asked simultaneously with a yawn.

“The grand duke. He’s been hunting all night.” She rooted through her daughter’s wardrobe. “For that girl! The one that lost her slipper at the ball last night. Apparently he’s madly in love with her.”

“The duke?” One of them asked, only to be interrupted loudly.

You walked into the doorway at this moment, looking back and forth at the sisters and your stepmother.

“No, the prince!”

You stopped in your tracks. So that man you met—the man you nearly kissed—was the prince?

You gasped. “The prince?” The glass teapot that was in your hands slipped through your fingers, sending shards all over the floor.

“You clumsy fool! Clean that up!”

You couldn’t even pay attention or acknowledge the fact that you were spoken to. The only thing you did was slowly fall to the floor and clean it it without paying close attention. You couldn’t believe it. You…met the prince?

“Why are you telling us this then? If he’s so in love with that other girl?”

Your stepmother side glanced you and continued to root through the wardrobe. “Because not even the prince knows who she is. The glass slipper is the only clue. So one of you must fit into it.”

You glanced up as you cleaned the mess, listening intently to what was going on. “The grand duke was ordered to try it on every maiden in the kingdom. If the shoe fits, that girl will be the prince’s bride by order of the king!”

“Bride?” You whispered in shock, still unable to wrap this around your head.

As the sisters clashed together in search for clothing you saw yourself out, blissfully dancing to the door to your room.

Your stepmother watched you as you swayed, and she narrowed her eyes. Something was certainly fishy about you, and she didn’t have the time to let you become someone better than her daughters. She sneaked up the stairs and peaked through the door, watching you as you sang lovingly in the mirror.

You coughed of glimpse of her in the corner of your eye and turned around, only to see her slide the key into her pocket and lock the door, slamming it.

“No no no!” You cried out, running to the door. “You can’t leave me in here!” You banged on it with your fists as hard as you can, only to hear her footsteps slowly disappear.

You set your back against the door and slid down to the floor. How were you supposed to meet the prince now? How would he ever find you?

You lost all your hope. When you heard the trumpets sound that the duke was here, your heart dropped to your stomach. You let a few tears fall, upset that no one here would even care enough about you. It spoke a thousand words when your step mother locked the door on you, not caring if you needed anything, or to be happy for you if it was your slipper.

The duke came into the house and glanced down at the two sisters who definitely weren’t the prince’s cup of tea. He still had to do his job anyway. He read out the decree and told the older sister to sit down first to try it on. When the glass slipper seemed like it fit like a glove he stood back in awe, that is, until she lifted her foot up and it was only covering half of it.

Meanwhile, the magic rats were up to something. The smallest one was able to gently slide into your stepmother’s pocket. The others stood by and were able to reach it when the small rat lifted it up. They hurriedly rushed the key up the stairs, but it was a bit heavy for them. This was going to take a while.

The duke sighed and shook his head. “Let’s try the next young lady.”

The next sister tried to forcibly squeeze her way into it. She kept complaining that her foot was just swollen today and kept trying. The duke sat there with a frown, knowing that it wasn’t either of these girls. “Are you sure there isn’t another maiden in this household?” He asked you stepmother, grabbing onto the heel and keeping it safe.

The rats were tired, but were able to reach the top of the steps. Now it was time for you to shine.

“No, there’s no one else here—“

“Your grace! Wait!” You cried and rushed down the grand steps of the chateau. “May I try it on?”

The duke’s eyes widened as he took notice to your appearance and smiled. He signaled his servant forward as you reached the bottom of the stairwell.

Your stepmother rolled her eyes. “Don’t pay attention to her.”

“She’s just y/n! A nobody!”

“Madam.” He stood sternly next to your stepmother. “My orders were every maiden. Now if you would excuse me.”

He motioned you to sit down in the chair and beckoned his servant to bring the glass slipper towards you. As he came closer, your stepmother stuck her foot out, only to come to the servant tripping, which sent the glass slipper flying through the air until it smashed right before your feet.

You weren’t too worried about it—since you had the other slipper—but the duke nearly cried and he tried to piece it together. “No no no, this is terrible!” He cried out. “What could we do?”

You smiled at him and then glanced to your stepmother, who was smirking. You always new she was no good for you. But now you were done. “Perhaps..if it would help?” You slid the other slipper out from behind you. “The other slipper?”

He gasped and grabbed ahold of it excitedly. He reached down to slide it onto your foot, and when it fit, he breathed a sigh of relief. The prince could finally be happy.

~

Bells chimed and people cried out as you rushed down the stairs of the palace in your grand wedding Dress, holding onto Seokjin’s hand tightly with a smile. This was a dream come true. A fairy tale. Everything worked out for you at the end of it.

Here you were in the back of a carriage taking you both somewhere for alone time, but you couldn’t help but blush as his hands cradled your face. “I’m so glad I found you, y/n.”

You stared lovingly into his eyes, glancing down at his lips slightly. “I’m so glad you wanted to find me, Seokjin.”

He stared at you like no one has ever before. He looked at you with such intent it nearly made you melt. His eyes glanced from your eyes to your lips and once again he leaned it for a kiss, this time actually happening.

His lips softly touched yours, slowly moving into you as his hands cradled your face like you were glass. You wrapped your arms around his neck to deepen this kiss, so in love with each other.

All this struggle, and now here you were in each others arms, happily in love and wishing it would never end.

And they lived happily ever after.

[tsarbomba567]

The Anti-Cultist Doctor

Tw Warnings: Blood, death, abuse, branding

The evening sun shone through the window, illuminating the sea blue bedroom. On the bed, a Serpentine stirs from his slumber, opening his eyes to check on the digital clock on the oak nightstand. 6:00 p.m., he observed as he got out of bed, stretching his tired body as he left his room and headed to the living room.

" ��� And in other news: The director of the Ninjago City Aquarium, along with several lobbyists and businessmen, have been arrested following a probe into Aquarium finances that revealed that they were embezzling funds put aside for upgrading their security systems. This became evident after the theft of one of the aquarium's rare Electro-Cobrai being stolen during the night one year ago. That initial investigation -" ''Good evening, Gideon," Toby greeted from the open kitchen, tearing the snake's attention from the TV as the human began to plate the two's dinner. The Serpentine's mouth began to water as he saw the man dish out broccoli, rice, mashed potatoes and two cooked chicken breasts onto the plates. "I see that the karate and ninpō sessions tired you out too?" Toby inquired as he took the plates to the dining table, while Gideon took two glasses and filled them with water. "Yeah, it was particularly intense today," the Electro-Cobrai stated as he carried the glasses to the table, sitting down to face his friend. "I could tell. You immediately got a shower and then took a nap the moment we got home," the man remarked as he cut into the chicken with his knife and fork, while the snake began to eat his broccoli.

As they ate, a stray thought entered the Serpentine's mind. "Hey Toby?" he asked, causing the hungry human to look up at him as they ate some rice. "What is it Gideon?" he responded, watching his friend take a bite from one of the chicken breasts. "You know how you interviewed me about my history two months ago? You never told me about yourself. I was wondering if you could divulge about your past." The Electro-Cobrai watched as the human male began to grow tense, which only served to further Gideon's interest. "Uhh … I don't know, Gideon. I don't feel comfortable detailing my … past," he admitted, reaching for his glass and taking a sip of water. The snake looked on as his friend became more anxious by the minute, guilt washing over him. "Hey man, I didn't mean to make you upset-" "No, no. You … deserve to know," Toby conceded, as he consumed some of his mashed potatoes. "Just keep it between the two of us." The Electro-Cobrai simply nodded, which relieved the human as he took another bite of his rice.

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

[I was born to Michael and Emily Thompson in Ignacia. At first, it seemed like a picturesque family, but as I grew up, that began to change for the worst. For a start, my father lost his job as a miner after being replaced by automated machines which were more efficient and safe to operate. This led him to begin drinking, which caused mom and dad to fight, sometimes verbally, others physically. I can remember hiding in the basement as the two argued with each other. This eventually culminated with a divorce that saw my mother getting custody of 15 year old me. Unfortunately, one month after the divorce trial, my mom died in a car crash with a semi-truck while I was at school, and my dad got custody transferred to him. The police thought that he was the culprit, but it turns out that he was applying for a job as an office worker for Borg Industries as a technician during that time.]

[After the tragedy he attempted to curb his drinking problem, to try and become a better dad, but his efforts failed and he began to abuse me directly. By 17, I had gotten used to his mistreatment, being able to catch punches and bottles thrown by Michael; to be honest, I did become depressed and taciturn during this time. It was in this period that I became interested in history and wanting to be a doctor, so after eight years of college I got my Bachelor in Medicine; I also took martial arts classes during my college years. I was always skeptical of history, especially when it came to the First Serpentine War. I felt that the textbooks given to us were heavily swinging in favor of the Elemental Alliance, since they demonized the Serpentine, accusing them of doing all sorts of nasty things, while the Alliance were cast in a good light, who acted like they committed no atrocities at all. I found it all hard to believe, since my dad - when he was sober - always told me that all sides in war commit crimes, whether it was an accident or intentional. This skepticism made me believe - correctly - believe that the Serpentine are real, whereas almost everyone else thought that they were simply a myth or evil demons of a long lost past. This also had the net effect of me being more sympathetic to the Serpentine once they were released, which eventually served me well when my curiosity got the best of me.]

The sun was overhead as the young man navigated the acid lakes and muddy islands of the Toxic Bogs. Video camera in hand, he swung on vines and balanced on logs as he made his way towards a sighting of green, four-eyed snakes. If the rumors are true, I'm going to show all of Ninjago that the Serpentine are real and not mythical creatures, he fancied as he took cover behind a log, hearing voices in the distance as he hit record on his camera. " … Who was that samurai guy?" a Venomari hissed to the other nine as they patrolled the toxic bog, carelessly walking in the acidic water with impunity. "We were about to kill those ninja when that bastard showed up out of nowhere and chased us all off." As the leading Venomari ranted on, the human kept recording the snakes, having to peer out of his cover to get a good view of them. " … And now we're told to patrol the Toxic Bogs for the foreseeable future while the rest of the tribe leaves to regroup with the rest of the Serpentine. WHAT A FUCKING WASTE OF TIME!!!" the snake raged, kicking some mud unknowingly in the human's direction, which hit the lens of the video camera. "Fuck," the man silently swore as he hunkered behind the log, frantically cleaning the lens as the Serpentine began to argue with each other. 

He managed to get most of the mud off the camera lens, and was about to go back to covertly filming the Venomari when the branch he was holding on to broke, startling the snakes. "What the hell was that?" one of them anxiously observed as they slowly moved onto the human's position, who had put down their camera to free his hands for the now inevitable fight. The young Venomari zeroed in on the man's location, and upon peering over the log saw the human male, who stood up for the others to see. "Hum-ACK!" the Venomari managed to scream out before the human punched them in the throat, quickly followed up by a strike in the chest, causing them to drop to the ground in a coughing fit, their compatriots staring at the human in shock at how quickly they were able to incapacitate the young scout. "Attack!" the commander ordered, and the other Serpentine charged towards the human, who had now picked up the downed snake's weapon. The human began to hold his own, dodging the Venomari's venom and most of their attacks, while he was able to wound the rest of the ten man patrol, even debilitating three more during their tussel. Eventually, the head Serpentine managed to knock out the human with a blow to the head, the man falling to the ground unconscious.

[I was knocked out cold. I don't know what exactly happened after I was rendered unconscious, but from what I would learn, the small group of Venomari abandoned their patrol and took me to their general, who happened to be in an abandoned and unused portion of the Ninjago Metro at the time.]

A headache awaited the man as he slowly woke up, only to find that he's in an abandoned passenger carriage instead of the Toxic Bogs. Looking down, he finds that he's hog-tied with rope, sitting in one of the compartments of the train coach as he hears footsteps and what sounded like scales scraping against metal inch closer towards him. "Secure the train car. Let no one else enter," the staff-wielding Serpentine ordered his troops, who then took up positions in and around the carriage to guard their leader. The general, now confident that the perimeter has been locked down, opened the door to the captive human, who looked on in awe as the Serpentine rested their staff on the wall as they closed the door and window blind. The snake then sat down in the seat opposite of the man, placing a sack next to them as the two silently stared at each other.

The general finally broke the silence, leaning forwards and stated, "Do you know why you're here?" " … No?" the human gulped as the green snake huffed, not convinced by his answer as their four eyes stared directly into the man's soul. "The reason you're here is that you not only trespassed on Serpentine land, Venomari land to be specific, but you also had the gall to attack a small Venomari force patrolling the Toxic Bog for intruders," the Venomari explained with a hint of anger in their voice. "And that's not all," they added, reaching into the sack and pulling out a slightly muddied video camera, much to the human's shock. He watched as the general turned it on and began to operate it for a minute before placing it on the table in-between them, the LCD display facing the two. The Serpentine then played a five minute video which showed the human stalking the Venomari patrol, cleaning the lens after it got muddy, only to unintentionally alert them to his presence and tussle with them, fighting them for two minutes until he got knocked out by the Serpentine captain. After regaining their strength, the patrol took the human and his camera to the general, turning off the camera sometime during their journey to the abandoned Metro station.

Once the video ended, the human shuddered as the Venomari turned towards the human and again asked, "So, do you know why you're here?" " … Yes I do," he quavered as the snake leaned back into their seat, "But should we formally introduce ourselves before I explain myself?" The Serpentine contemplated the offer before finally giving in, "Alright. My name is Acidicus, general and leader of the Venomari tribe. And yours?" "Toby Thompson, doctor of Ignacia and black belt in karate," the human responded, making the snake cock his head in curiosity. "Hmm. That would elucidate how you were able to effortlessly incapacitate one of the scouts, as well as take on the other nine warriors with relative ease," Acidicus remarked as he turned off the video camera and put it back into the sack. "Now for why I trespassed into Venomari territory," Toby began, "For a long time, the humans of Ninjago dismissed the existence of the Serpentine as either mythical creatures or evil savages that deserved to be locked up in their Tombs. Unlike them, I didn't believe that nonsense, always harboring the feeling that the Serpentine tribes were real. So when I heard rumors of humanoid, snake-like creatures roaming the Toxic Bogs, I didn't hesitate to bring the video camera with me to get footage of Serpentine that I would use as irrefutable proof of your existence."

The Serpentine general was in disbelief: "The humans regard the Serpentine as mythical creatures?" he mumbled as the human's interest only grew. "I'm afraid so," he admitted, "Though I expect this view to eventually disintegrate in time. To be honest with you, I feel that this is because the Elemental Alliance didn't want the people to question their narrative of the Serpentine War, a narrative that I find whitewashed and riddled with malicious fallacies." The Venomari seemed to have completely forgotten that he was supposed to be interrogating the human, now listening in on Toby's rant. "Something my father told me was that, in war, both sides commit atrocities and war crimes of varying scales. It's just that the winning side whitewash their crimes, presenting themselves as the good and righteous side; the losing side, meanwhile, is demonized and have their horrific crimes and atrocities exaggerated - even forged - to further paint them in a bad light." 

The human paused to collect his thoughts, only to be interrupted by a curious Acidicus who blurted, "Do you know what happened after the end of war? After the Serpentine were sealed in their tombs?" Toby was caught off guard by the general's comment, yet nevertheless he responded, "After the end of the war, it seemed as if the humans had enraged either the spirit of the FSM or some other divine being, since both a plague and famine simultaneously ravaged Ninjago. The plague killed around 20% of the post-war human population, while the famine - which occured due to widespread crop failures - caused the remaining population to shrink an additional 5-10%. And if both of those weren't bad enough, the economy was in shambles, leading to 15 years of the worst economic depression in recorded history. It … it wasn't a good time to be alive, especially since there's some evidence that the humans went to war with each other for resources for five years, leading to the complete collapse of a nation whose name and existence is now lost to time. Though I can say with some certainty that what the entombed Serpentine went through was probably worse." 

The now dismayed Venomari general gulped as he nodded in uncomfortable approval, trying to find the words to convey the conditions inside the tombs. "It was atrocious," he initially whispered, before regaining his composure and added, "There was some food, like small animals and plant life growing in the tomb, but other than that, there was no real food. Some died from hunger, while others - in their desperation - cannibalized their fellow tribesmen, whether dead or alive. The atmosphere in the tomb led to a decrease in birth rates, and even then some of the eggs didn't hatch, the vipers inside dying for a multitude of reasons." He paused, taking a deep breath as his equanimity faltered once more, a shiver going down his spine. "Out of all the tribes, the Anacondrai got the worst of it. To sum it up: Pythor is the last of his tribe, having to eat his brethren to survive. From what he told me, there were no animals that roamed in his tomb, neither were there any edible plants that could provide them sustenance; this is probably due to the hot, arid climate of the Sea of Sand. The lack of food drove the hungry Serpentine to first attempt to ration the dead and any of those they chose to sacrifice, but that eventually broke down, leading them to fend for themselves."

"The worst part about all of this is that the Pythor I met was a completely different Serpentine than the one me and the other current generals were friends with. Before the war, he was a brave, kind and loving Anacondrai who had a mate named Pandora, and the two of them got married and planned to have kids, but the war put that off indefinitely, especially since she was thrown off a cliff by Garmadon. To make it worse, his mother Olivia Chumsworth was killed in battle by Wu, and the leader of the Anacondrai at the time - his father Arcturus Chumsworth - was sent to the Cursed Realm along with the other Anacondrai generals, which I can only assume just utterly and completely broke the snake. Now, when me and the other generals discussed our plan for revenge against the humans for imprisoning us, we quickly realized that the Anacondrai we once knew was replaced by a cowardly, manipulative megalomaniac who would have these soliloquies about killing Wu and Garmadon in the most grotesque ways, even talking about using the kid Lloyd as a tool to drag the two out of hiding. I - We secretly fear for his sanity and safety, especially since he's now calling for the Great Devourer to be released against the humans for revenge against the Serpentine's entombment. I … We fear that his plan will backfire and cause the giant serpent to consume all of Ninjago, both Serpentine and human, yet we keep our concerns to ourselves; Pythor's plan is popular with almost all of the Serpentine, and we fear voicing our opposition will get us deposed." Acidicus finished, shuddering as another chill went down his spine, Toby perturbed not only by the appalling conditions of the Serpentine Tombs, but also the fate of the technical extinction of the Anacondrai, their last living tribesmen now reduced to a madman hell bent on revenge against those who destroyed his life.

The two sat in silence as they heard the door open to reveal a beaten and bruised Venomari warrior with two black eyes on the left side of their face. "Acidicus, we have a problem," they gasped, catching their breath as the general turned his attention to the tired Serpentine. "The Serpentine tribes fought amongst each other after making inflammatory remarks about each other. We managed to catch all except one of the Ninja, who proceeded to free his friends and escape." The Venomari leader became visibly irritated upon hearing the news, groaning as he responded, "Those damn Ninja. Tell the others that I'll join up with them later after finishing some … personal business." The warrior nodded his head and left the train car, with Acidicus waiting for the Serpentine to be out of earshot before he turned back to the human. "Listen here Toby," he whispered, "I'm willing to let you go, but in return I want you to come over from time to time to heal my men. So what do you say?" The man looked at the Venomari contemplating his offer before murmuring, "Yes. I'll have to take time out of my week, but that can be easily arranged." The general's mood brightened at hearing Toby's approval as he cut the restraints around their legs and hands as he mumbled, "That's good to hear then." Acidicus then gave the human his camera back as he whispered, "I'll have a Venomari disguised outside Ignacia to give you more details about where we'll set camp. As for now, it would be wise to leave as quietly as possible." The human man simply nodded as he left the abandoned metro station, leaving through the sewers to get back home.

[The day after getting captured and released by Acidicus, the Venomari agent outside of my hometown informed me that the Serpentine had found the Lost City of Ouroboros, and that Pythor had been proclaimed King of the Serpentine after winning in a Slither Pit against the other generals. However, they reported that the tribes were actually living in an underground fortress built underneath the Constrictai Tomb. They told me that while the Venomari would provide me safe passage into the fortress to treat their injured and sick, they admitted that the other tribes wouldn't be too kind to me if they found me. For two days, I was able to sneak into the sanctum and treat the Venomari; by now the Serpentine had got into scraps with not only the Ninja, but also with humans during raids to gather more supplies, whether it be food or medical equipment. This all changed when the third day came: As I made my way to the fortress, I felt that I was being watched, at times catching glimpses at what I thought were floating purple eyes following me; I didn't think much of it at the time. When I got to the entrance, I heard something behind me, and  I saw an Anacondrai - Pythor himself - standing behind me. I was lost in awe looking at the Serpentine as he swung his staff at me, knocking me out cold.]

[When I came to, I was in a bed inside the sanctum, being watched by a Venomari who was relieved to see me awake. They then reported how Pythor had been following me after personally interrogating the Venomari agent outside Ignacia the night before, and that he and the other generals argued with what to do with me. Skales wanted to hypnotize me so that I could be a sleeper agent amongst the humans and Ninja; Acidicus wanted the other generals to give me a chance to both prove my worth and become a human ally; Fangtom wanted to bite me and make me a Turned, adding me to their ranks; Skalidor wanted make me his stress ball; and Pythor just wanted to kill me, though from what he insinuated, it sounded like he wanted to eat my dead body for dinner. Thankfully, Acidicus was the loudest voice in the room, managing to convince the other generals to give me a chance, a chance that I spent my heart and soul using. I taught the Serpentine modern medicine and how to use modern medical equipment; I healed Serpentine from all tribes, excluding Pythor who didn't want my hands on him; I taught them how to ration food and to grow their own crops, like rice for instance; and I gave them karate lessons. By the time they were ready to release the Devourer, the Serpentine tribes and their generals held a more benign view of me, especially Pythor, though he seemed more neutral than friendly. It seemed that the Serpentine liked the fact that they now had a human who understood their point of view, even if they didn't agree with their plan to release the Great Devourer.]

[When the Devourer was released and Pythor and Wu got eaten by the beast, me and the Serpentine took shelter in the Fangpyre Tomb. During the ensuing carnage, Fangdom - Fangtom's brother - tripped and fell on me, accidentally biting me in the process. At first we thought that it was a dry bite - Fangpyre can bite without releasing their venom - but later on I began to transform, which required Fangtom's intervention to cure me with the Fangpyre antivenom. When the dust finally settled after the Devourer's death, I rushed towards Ninjago City after remembering that my dad was working in the metropolis that day. The Serpentine generals tried - and failed - dissuade me from leaving the tomb, concerned for my well-being after I began to divulge about my personal life, especially after they learned about Michael's abusive tendencies. Nevertheless, I rushed to find my dad amidst the Devourer's path of destruction, seeing many injured and dead along the way. I eventually found him on the sidewalk next to the destroyed parking garage pinned under some rubble, having just left the building to walk to his job. After freeing him from the debris and discovering that his left arm was broken, we made our way to the Ninjago City Hospital, where I - along with several other doctors - were able to realign the bones in his left arms via surgery.]

[After several days of treating humans injured during the Devourer's rampage, the Overlord came and infected Ninjago with Dark Matter. To be honest, I don't remember anything from when I was corrupted; one moment I'm treating patients, the next I'm in the streets carrying a scalpel. When Lloyd had finally beaten the Overlord, ridding the island of Dark Matter in the process, everyone just went back to what they were originally doing, albeit now confused. After four days in the hospital, dad was discharged, going back home to Ignacia for 56 days for his arm to completely heal. His arm now healed, Michael spared me from his abuse while he went back to work, though it was during this time that he overheard about the Anacondrai Cult via two covert Cultists. I didn't know it at the time, but my father joined the cult, though I was about to learn that fact in the worst way possible.]

A blue SUV rolled into the driveway, parking next to the black subcompact car. A tired Toby got out of his car to see his father sitting in a chair on the porch, staring at the farmers in the rice fields labor away. The man's son watched in indifference as he went to go inside, only for his dad to grab him by his arm. "Son, would you mind sitting down with me?" Michael requested, his gaze now locked on his son, who contemplated his father's order. Toby huffed in defeat as he took a seat next to Michael, suppressing all visible signs of discomfort. "I know that we have a … turbulent past together, and I know that you're stressed from your work at the Ninjago City Hospital -" "What are you getting at?" the young man spat, fire in his eyes as he sneered at his father, who was swallowing his fright as he worked out his response. "What I'm saying is that you're stressed, burnt out from spending day after day, week after week, treating patients injuries by the Devourer's wrath. So, I was wondering about taking a vacation to ease your mind," explained as he sunk into his chair. Toby pondered Michael's offer, skeptical if his father was being genuine or just duping him yet again. On the other hand, the doctor was exhausted from hours of running round the hospital, tirelessly treating numerous patients as his stress grew heavier over the days. Maybe this is the big break I need, he mused as he took a deep breath of the crisp air. 

"Sure. So where are we going?" he inquired, his dad seemingly surprised at his son's response as he got up from his seat. "Well, it's an island west of Ninjago. I managed to get an invitation to go there after overhearing two men talk about it. They were happy to let me come, said it was a nice and beautiful place," Michael revealed as he went for the door, before adding, "but they admitted that I would have to wait several days before getting the invite, since the men who own it aren't very welcoming of outsiders. Luckily, I was able to make reservations there to stay for a month and a half, that way the both of us could unwind." The gray-haired man entered the house, leaving the door open as his son sat on the porch, cerebrating his decision to accept his father's offer. "Why do I have the feeling that I'm going to regret this?" Toby muttered as he left his seat and went inside, closing the door behind him.

[The next day, the two of us packed our bags and set off for a small port on Ninjago's west coast, where my dad showed the ferryman our invitation to let us on. After getting on the boat, we set sail for the island, which I will admit is beautiful in its own right: It had mountains, waterfalls, forests, and a volcano, along with some arenas and a Grand Colosseum for combat, and the grand palace for where we would stay. As we entered the palace, I saw a wide variety of Anacondrai symbols decorating the place, and at the time I reasoned that the people who owned the island really liked the Anacondrai. After we checked in, Michael and I made our way to our decadent, allotted rooms in the guest house, where we would stay until it was time to get a good night's sleep.]

[Or at least, that's what should have happened.]

The room was dark and still, the blinds closed as Toby slept peacefully in his bed. The door was silently opened as several humans crept into the room, positioning themselves around the sleeping human. They then suddenly grabbed them, holding him while one gagged him with duct tape, another tearing his shirt off, a third putting a bag over his head as a fourth hogtied him. Toby jolted awake only to find himself restrained, gagged and unable to see as one of the kidnappers pulled on one of the books on the bookshelf, causing it to sink into the floor and reveal a secret passage. The men then carried the hostage down into the depths of the tunnel network, traversing until they reached the subterranean Anacondrai Temple. Instead of entering the main den, they turned right into one of the side passages, entering a room as the captors put Toby on a table face first, where they untied him only to put him in the table's restraints. They removed the bag over the man's head, who not only sees that he's in a tattoo parlor, but also his captors, who have a wide variety of snake-related tattoos.

He attempted to scream for help, but the duct tape over his mouth muffled his voice as the stationed tattoo artists prepared to start work on the unwilling human's back. "Don't start. All his squirming will ruin the mark," a familiar voice ordered the tattoo artist as the figure moved into view, revealing themself to be a gray-haired man in his mid-50s. "Hello, son," Michael greeted, sending shockwaves throughout Toby's mind; his gut feeling was right when he thought his father's offer was suspicious, and now he was going to pay the price for ignoring his instincts. "Prepare the hot iron," he instructed the captors, who hesitantly carried out his order as Michael grabbed a chair and placed it in front of his son. Taking a seat, Michael started, "You know, when I detailed how I got the invitation to come here, I was only partially lying. I did overhear two men talking about this island, but in reality they were also talking about the Anacondrai Cult situated here. You see, ever since I got the job at Borg Industries, I still felt that I could better, that somewhere out in this world was an opportunity for me to reach my full potential. So when I heard those two men talking about the Cult, my gut told me that I finally found my calling, and so I immediately went up to the gentlemen and expressed my willingness to apply. While they were more than excited to allow me into their ranks, they admitted that to even get on the island, one must have permission from the owner of the Island - Chen himself - to go to and from his abode." 

Michael paused to collect his thoughts, seeing the mixture of fear and anger in his son's eyes, before continuing, "Anyways, after a few days, I got permission to come to Chen's Island, where I didn't hesitate to get the Cult's insignia on my back." He pointed to the tattoo of a purple snake on one of the Cultists' backs, before turning back to Toby. "To be honest with you, he and Clouse were surprised by my willingness to immediately join their secret sect, yet nevertheless let me get the Anacondrai tattoo on my back. Now in the Cult, I could move freely to and from the island without needing Chen's permission. Still, I felt that it wouldn't be fair for only one of us to be in the sect, so I decided to get an invitation from Chen not for me, but for you. I knew that you wouldn't willingly join, so I deceived you into thinking that we were going on a little vacation to relax and unwind; to be fair, that was sort of another reason why I wanted us to come here."

After finishing explaining the truth to his son, one of the Cultists came up to the quinquagenarian with a nervous look on their face, asking, "Hey Michael, the iron is ready. Are … are you really sure about this? I mean, this is usually reserved as a severe punishment." The middle-aged man's gray eyes pierced into the anxious Cultist's soul, and without saying a word got his word across, with the anxious individual replying, "I understand sir." The Cultist left the two, coming back with a red-hot brand of the Cult's insignia as another manipulated the table to 45 degrees. The man with the brand stood behind the restrained adult to get a clear view of his back, only to remark, "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do." Toby screamed in muffled agony as the Cultist plunged the hot brand onto his back, burning the sect's symbol into the young man's back, leaving it for ten seconds before removing the iron. "Welcome to the Anacondrai Cult, Toby," the old man muttered in twisted approval, as all of the Cultists in the room - save for Michael - looked at the crying Toby in pity as they undid his restraints and took him to the medical ward. As they left, Toby looked back at his smug father, anger and rage ablaze in his eyes, a memory from his college years emerging from the back of his mind:

Right of the suprasternal notch, below the clavicle, lies the subclavian artery. If a serious injury to this artery isn't diagnosed and treated immediately, the patient will die as a result of excessive hemorrhaging.

[I was sent to the medical ward to recuperate from getting branded, taking around three weeks for it to heal, though a permanent scar is all that remained. During that time, the relationship between me and my father disintegrated, all the while those Cultists who passed me by pitied me for the situation I was dragged into. When the burn healed, I was sent back into the parlor to get my snake tattoo, where the artists used my scar as an outline to get the tattoo finished faster. With that now out of the way, I was now officially a member of the Anacondrai Cult, though some would suggest that true members come of their own accord. The rest of my time on Chen's Island consisted of me familiarizing myself with the underground tunnel network, accidentally bumping into Clouse's pet Anacondrai Serpent during my last day of my stay, who was surprisingly friendly to me. With our "vacation" over, we left for the mainland, where over the next five years Ninjago City was rebuilt with the most recent and advanced technologies at the time, during which I took all precautionary measures to hide my tattoo from prying eyes.]

[After reconstruction was completed, the Serpentine came out from their confinement in the Stone Army Vault to warn the humans about some "Golden Master" that threatens to take over Ninjago. Before I could even make contact with the Serpentine, the humans had already resealed them in the vault; the people believed that the Serpentine were threatening them, when in reality the snakes were trying to warn them about their visions of the Golden Master coming to enslave all of Ninjago. The Serpentine's treatment made me feel uneasy, especially since they've reformed themselves to be more friendly and peaceful. Nevertheless, their visions are proven to be true when the Digital Overlord returned with the Nindroids and Pythor at his side, with the Anacondrai only working with the Overlord because - like Garmadon - he was given a lucrative offer too good to be true; in other words, the Overlord deceived Pythor into working for him. As the Overlord began to put his plan into motion, I got distracted by a Serpentine patient - a Constrictai to be specific - who got severely injured in an anti-Serpentine attack, resulting in several lacerations and broken bones, as well as some broken fangs and chipped teeth. While I nursed the Constrictai back to health, I missed out on Pythor getting shrunk down to the size of a rat, all the while Zane defeating the Golden Master by sacrificing himself. After I finished healing the Serpentine, I got a call from my dad, telling me that Chen has made the call to all Cultists to come to his island, meaning that the two of us would have to return to the sect's haven once more. Knowing that I had no choice, I went with my father to the damn island.]

[Once there, we learned of Chen's plan to become Anacondrai: One year from then, he was going to host the Tournament of Elements, where all of the Elemental Masters would compete with one another to win a massive cash prize. In reality, the rigged competition was a ploy to steal the powers of all the Elemental Masters, and after imprisoning them, we would get the essence of a true Anacondrai - in our case Pythor - to become fake Anacondrai. While the spell would immediately turn us into Anacondrai, the Anacondrai essence would make the spell permanent. Once the spell was complete, a small force of about 250 warriors would get on a boat of noodle trucks, from which they would land on the mainland to capture strategic ports and beachheads for the other 1,000 men. Meanwhile, Chen's 250 spies on the mainland would wreak havoc amongst the armies of Ninjago, weakening them enough for the Cultists to decisively crush them in battle.]

[To be honest, the whole plan seemed to be backwards, since Chen and Clouse were the ones that started the First Serpentine War, and that led to a significant loss of Serpentine life, with the Anacondrai being wiped out to one member; it all seemed counterproductive to me. Nevertheless, we trained for one year for the big day, during which I met other Cultists like me, who had either joined the sect against their will or initially joined but now are second guessing their membership. There were about 25 of us if you counted me, and much to the annoyance of all the other loyal Cultists, the people that made up our troublesome little group became friends with one another. Once the Tournament began, I met one of the Cult's blacksmiths - a green-haired man named Petr Horník - whose family's allegiance to the Anacondrai during the First Serpentine War had rewarded them with the knowledge of how to produce Anacondrai Blades. The man pitied me for how my father essentially dragged me into the sect against my will, and was willing to forge an Anacondrai Blade of my choice for free. I chose a machete-styled Anacondrai Blade, and he got to work on the weapon, which only took the length of the Tournament of Elements to complete.]

[Now with my new weapon, Chen had almost all of the Elemental Powers in his staff, and knowing that he would need Pythor if the Anacondrai spell was to be permanent, so he sent a small infiltration force - headed by my father - to Ninjago to kidnap Pythor from Kryptarium Prison. While they prepared, the Elemental Masters managed to break out, killing Clouse's pet snake Karma in the process and destroying the staff. They then proceeded to trash all means of transportation on the island, not knowing that the vast majority of the Cult's ships and other vehicles were on a nearby island also owned by Chen. Nevertheless, the Ninja left the island to find Pythor before the Cultists, and while they got to Kryptarium Prison first, Michael's group managed to break into the prison and steal the Anacondrai, getting away via helicopter. When they arrived, the Elemental Masters had control over the surface of Chen's Island, while the Cult managed to hold their grip over the underground tunnels. Michael's group managed to deliver  Pythor - who was small and in a jar - to Chen, but not before I heard the others raise concerns that the leader of their little expedition might be too violent, since he killed one of the prison's security guards by caving their skull in with their own baton. It seemed that their concerns fell on deaf ears, since it was time for the ritual to commence, which meant that a company of warriors had to prepare to invade Ninjago ahead of the main forces. So while the Elemental Masters went back into the underground labyrinth to disrupt the ritual, my dad - under Chen's orders - took me and the "Troublesome Ones" to the island's now cleared port, where we boarded a ship containing noodle trucks, waiting for the spell to be completed.]

Toby waited outside the truck with his father, the rest of his friends already inside the back. They were waiting for Chen's ritual to be complete so that they could leave for the mainland, creating beachheads for the rest of the army to use in the invasion. Looking up, he saw the decoy ship, filled with empty noodle trucks to be used as decoys to distract the enemy forces. As he looked down at his watch to check the time, he and everyone on board began to flow a blinding white, and once the light subsided they found that they were now fake Anacondrai. For the 31 year old man, he was now a piebald Anacondrai, while his 60 year old dad was now an Anacondrai with a white head and hands. Knowing the ritual was complete, both men rushed for the driver's seat, with Toby managing to get into the vehicle before Michael. The old man slithered into the passenger seat, annoyed that he's not driving as the two ships honked their horns as they departed for the Ninjago mainland. 

The ride there was silent save for the sound of the sea, the boat gently in the water. Their little platoon was tasked with securing Ninjago Harbor to allow a company of Cultists to march on Ninjago City itself. The atmosphere in the cabin was tense as their ship landed on a beach several miles from the metropolis, the trucks scattering across Ninjago as Toby began to drive for the city's port. As he drove closer, a thought brewing in his mind managed to come out of his mouth, asking his father, "Is this what you wanted, dad? To work for an insane megalomaniac who wants to become the very Anacondrai that he has essentially driven into extinction?" Michael was blindsided by his son's inflammatory question, only to retort, "Hey! Chen and his Anacondrai Cult gave me a new purpose in life, unlike that damn mundane job at Borg Industries!" Toby chuckled at his father's response, amused at how his father is acting like an alcoholic despite the fact never touched a beer in years. "Funny," he scoffed, "You're just as violent and irrational as you were when you were drinking all those years ago." 

This remark seemingly ignited the tension in the truck as the two began to bicker and argue with one another. Toby seemed to grow increasingly irritated as they got closer to their target, his friends in the back growing increasingly worried at the ongoing shouting match in the cabin. As they reached the entrance to the harbor, Toby suddenly stepped on the brakes with the end of his tail, an action which only enraged his father. "WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU STOPPING?!" Michael spat, his son unresponsive as he simply just stared blankly ahead. The old Cultist was about to ridicule the driver when he spotted something in the right side view mirror: A small group of Serpentine running towards them. The old man swiftly turned to face Toby, roaring, "YOU FUCKING FOOL! YOU'RE GOING TO GET US ALL KILLED, YOU LILY-LIVERED DUNCE! I ALWAYS KNEW THAT YOU WERE LIKE YOUR DEGENERATE OF A MOTHER!" The young man didn't respond, his claws digging into the steering wheel's leather as he began to vividly recall his father abusing his mother before moving on to him. He bore his fangs and teeth as all of his hate and rage he accumulated over the years finally burst forth. His eyes snapping open, he rapidly unsheathed his machete, and before Michael could react, he plunged the blade right of the suprasternal notch and below the clavicle  severing his father's subclavian artery. Blood began to pour out from the wound as the piebald twisted the machete, making his shocked dad cough up more blood. "YOU NEVER WERE MY FATHER, YOU FUCKING CRETIN!" Toby loudly hissed as he ripped his blade from Michael's chest, blood coating the piebald and the Anacondrai machete.

The old man was speechless as he clutched his wound, attempting to open the passenger door only to fall out of the truck. He propped himself against the noodle truck only to witness the small force finally converge on their position, discovering that it's a group of 24 Serpentine led by a single human. Said human looked at the dying Michael - who was weakly reaching out to them - and motioned the others to come to his aid, only to stop at seeing Toby. The piebald - his bloodied weapon in hand - looked at his father in disgust before dryly ordering, "Don't save him. He dragged me into this mess, not to mention that he's been tormenting me for the vast majority of my life. Let the son of a bitch die." Michael watched in horror as the human looked at the two before nodding in agreement with his son's command, tears streaming down his face as he began to feel weaker and weaker. His breathing became shallow as he fell to the ground, blood trickling from his wound and mouth as he croaked, his eyes cloudy and body now permanently limp. The living fake Anacondrai breathed a sigh of relief as the human carefully maneuvered around the lifeless corpse. 

The back door to the truck opened as a fake, abundistic Anacondrai poked their head out the back, only to see that they were surrounded. Motioning to their companions, the Cultists poured out of the vehicle only to have swords and spears at their throats. "Lower your arms," the sole human commanded his forces, who - after some hesitation - complied with the order and stood down. Seeing that both sides are still on edge, Toby cleaned and holstered his machete before asking, "Who the hell are you?" The human male, seeing his opponent put away their weapon, decides to sheathe his cane-sword before replying, "Well, my name is Bennett Grant, and who would you be? "Toby. Toby Thompson," the piebald answered as he pointed to the dead Anacondrai, "And that corpse is - was my 'father' Michael Thompson. He was -" "An asshole?" Grant interrupted, the fake Anacondrai nodding in agreement, though he was surprised at Bennett's ability to effortlessly decipher his true feelings. "Yeah, I have an uncanny power to discern a person's emotions. It's … quite strange I have to say," the human admitted before going back on topic, "Now for the matter at hand: What are y'all doing here and why?" 

The other Cultists looked at each other before staring at Toby, who sighed in defeat as he took a quick glance at his dead father before turning toward the silver-haired man. "It's really simple to be honest with you: Chen and Clouse have this cult revolving around the Anacondrai, with their main goal being that they become fake Anacondrai and conquer Ninjago. We -" he motioned to his companions - "are tasked with taking Ninjago Harbor ahead of time for the invasion force. Unfortunately for them, they sent those who either joined against their will or are now doubting their original willingness to become a Cultist. That's why my dad was chosen as the leader of our little misfit group: To keep us all in line with Chen's plan. Now that Michael's gone, we no longer have to adhere to that bastard's ridiculous scheme." The piebald watched as Grant tightened his grip on his cane as he realized that the Cult's place was already in motion, and that they would have to warn the mobilizing forces of the Second Elemental Alliance about the maniac's insane plot. "All of you, come with us," Bennett urgently ordered the fake Anacondrai, "We need to inform the others about the coming danger to prevent a megalomaniac from ruling Ninjago." The Cultists simply nodded in agreement as they and Grant's men loaded themselves into the back of the noodle truck, with Bennett and Toby in the cabin as they embarked for the Alliance's main base.

[Upon our arrival to the Elemental Alliance's HQ, the coalition of humans and Serpentine were surprised to see Cultists - Anti-Cultists we now called ourselves - joining their forces. Me and the rest of the Anti-Cultists were about to get attacked by confused and scared humans when Grant intervened to ease tensions between us and the Elemental Alliance. The Serpentine generals were especially surprised to see me as a fake Anacondrai, that was until I admitted how their initial concerns about Michael were true, as well as detailing how he forced me into Chen's Anacondrai Cult and how I finally killed the bastard after refusing to capture Ninjago Harbor. The first day of the Second Serpentine War saw the Alliance get pushed back, though the combined forces of Bennett and the Anti-Cultists managed to score a dozen kills. That night Petr Horník joined our side, where he revealed that he defected because Chen and his Cult were tarnishing the image and reputation of the Anacondrai, in addition to the fact that the Cultists weren't even real Anacondrai to begin with. He spoke about how Chen had set up camp in Ninjago City's subway tunnels, and how he overheard some of his men spreading rumors. These rumors included tainted food that caused those that ate it to become paralyzed; losing contact with ships, and how weird looking ships and planes sunk them; and how some Cultist platoons were completely wiped out by unknown forces, with some the survivors from these platoons saying that these strange enemies were carrying advanced lethal equipment.]

[On the second day, the Cultists continued their advance, forcing the Alliance to retreat to the Corridor of Elders, where the two armies fought to a standstill. During the fighting, a small Pythor rode in on a rat towards our lines, holding Clouse's spellbook as I got distracted by a human female winning a duel against Clouse himself. Not even a moment later, Garmadon sacrificed himself to release the Anacondrai generals from the Cursed Realm, who then proceeded to banish Chen, Clouse and the rest of the Anacondrai Cult to the Cursed Realm in turn. After returning Pythor to his normal size, Arcturus commended and his generals commended us - the Anti-Cultists - for our courage and bravery by turning against Chen and his sect, rewarding us by turning us back human, which removed our Cult tattoo in the process; the same can't be said for the Cult insignia that was branded onto my back. With their work done, the Anacondrai generals left for the Realm of the Departed.]

[When the Elemental Alliance was dissolved, the humans and Serpentine went back home, with the exception of the Anti-Cultists and Bennett's party. You see, though the governments of the humans and Serpentine made "amends'' and ended hostilities against each other, not everyone was willing to follow them. There were anti-Serpentists - Serpentine-hating humans - and Serpentine supremacists - Serpentine who believe that they are superior to humans - that continued to exist after the royal families of both species improved ties with another. The problem we saw was that though Serpentine Supremacist groups shrunk into non-existence, the anti-Serpentist groups remained, though they were fewer and smaller. We envisioned a society where humans and Serpentine could peacefully coexist, and so the idea of New Hope was born. After gathering our things and family members who were willing to join us, we set out to find somewhere to settle, which was easy since the area Bennett settled - the Forest of Tranquility - was the perfect place for a new state. After a few months the little town was completed, but since more and more humans and Serpentine tickled in, we had to expand the town into the metropolis that it is now.]

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

" … And I think we both know what happened next," Toby finished, the two of them having long since finished their meals. "Yeah," Gideon responded as he slithered up to the human and hugged him, whispering, "You've been through a lot. No wonder why you were hesitant to tell me about your past. Thanks for sharing … dad." The human blushed as he returned the hug, clearly relieved at finally telling his life story to someone as he murmured, "Thank you … son." The two broke their embrace as the soft sound of rain was briefly overshadowed by the crack of thunder, and Toby looking at the clock to see that it was 11:30 p.m. "Damn. Didn't think I was talking for that long," he admitted, "I think the two of us should get some sleep." Gideon simply agreed as the two made their way to their rooms, Toby turning off the lights to the kitchen and living room as they wished each other a good night.

As Toby got ready for bed, he stared at the Anacondrai machete mounted on its sword stand, smirking as he remembered that he was finally free from his father's influence. Turning off the lights, he got into bed and was about to go to sleep when he thought he spotted something outside his window. He quickly got up and went to investigate, only to see nothing of note; reasoning that his mind might have just played a trick on him, he went back into bed and drifted off into a deep sleep. With Toby asleep, a ghost of an Anacondrai with white hands and head hovered off the roof and back onto the ground, peering through the window to see the human sleeping. The ghost proceeded to weep, cursing themself as another bolt of lightning lit up the night sky, followed by the boom of thunder rumbling across the forest.

[thatgirlwhowrites01]

hot head

part 11 | masterlist

social media au

zuko x reader

this is a very long and fluffy update and I hope it makes up for my lack of posting these past couple days 🥺🥺💕💕💕

Zuko POV

“What is your partner’s name again?”

“Uncle, they aren’t my partner,” carrying a tray of used tea cups towards the back of the shop, I cleared my throat as I set it down by the sink for washing later. “Their name is y/n.” I folded my arms across my chest and faced towards Iroh, a grin displayed clearly.

“You’re telling me that my nephew is doing all this work for a friend?” he laughed.

“I’m doing all this work because you’re letting us stay in the loft,” my hands pointed to the stairs, “Besides, I owe them a favor and they’ve never been to Ba Sing Se, it’s the least I could do.” Which wasn’t a complete lie. I did owe them a favor, after everything I did I’m surprised they even responded to my initial dm. The only problem was keeping uncle out of the loop. He always had a knack for knowing when I was being sneaky and although it was a sense that came in handy when I was a child, as a fully capable adult it has now become annoying.

“What do you plan on doing tonight?”

“Um, I’m not too sure, I’m just planning on showing them the main spots of the city and then maybe some dinner.” I tried to play it off cool, but inside my heart was pounding at a rate far from healthy.

“Just make sure when you guys get back to lock the doors and wash any dishes you use, I’ll be in around nine in the morning tomorrow.”

“I will, don’t worry.” I watched as uncle took the shop key off the hook on the back wall. He tossed it to me with a wink, “Have fun Zuko.”

The shop was now mine for the night and I still had a couple hours before I had to leave to pick y/n up. There wasn’t much left to do since I had been here all day to help with customers and cleaning. I finished setting up the loft early this morning, it wasn’t anything super fancy. A couch that could be folded into a bed was pressed to the side wall and a nice mattress layed towards the back. I set up some fairy lights and a couple lanterns placed on tables around the room to add a relaxed ambience when lit tonight.

I can’t explain the feelings I’m having, nervous? Excited? I’m not sure, it’s hard to say. When Azula first told me about y/n she described them as this ugly, manipulative, mean person. But they aren’t like that at all. I remember when I first watched their video, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of them. They were beautiful, and the way they laughed made me feel warm inside, something I haven't felt in a long time. Azula insisted they were bad, and unfortunately I believed her. When they retaliated against me I didn’t know how to act, it filled me with rage because no one ever retaliates against me. I genuinely did hate them for a while but when the private investigator told me about what happened with their mom I wanted to take everything back. They had already been through so much and I was taking away something that could potentially work out really well. Despite what happened in the past I want this night to be a sort of ‘peace treaty’ if possible.

Y/N POV

The circumstances weren’t exactly ideal.. Zuko, the one who bullied me relentlessly with his twitter fingers was going to be my tour guide of Ba Sing Se for the night. The warnings from Katara and all my other friends wouldn’t leave my head and I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that they were right. I did forgive too easily, but it was too late to cancel and plus I’ve never been to the city before.

I packed a small bag with a change of clothes and a couple miscellaneous items, being unsure of what the night would bring I made sure to pack some pepper spray too. I don’t think Zuko would try to hurt me, but being in a big city with one of the biggest jerks I know I had to come prepared.

It’s nearing five in the afternoon and my nerves are starting to get the better of me. Anytime now Zuko would be here and I’m starting to realize how awful this situation is. I could taste blood in my mouth from chewing on the inside of my cheek, “fuck,” I said while reaching for my phone. Almost on instinct my fingers swiped to Katara’s name in my contacts. The monotone ring droned on until I heard her pick up on the other line.

“Hello?”

“Katara, I’m freaking out, Zuko’s gonna be here at any moment and I don’t know what to do,”

“Hey it’s gonna be okay, are you sure you want to do this? I can always just make up an excuse for you so you don’t have to go?” I can tell she desperately wants me to say yes, but I can’t bring myself to do it.

“No it’s okay, I just really need someone to talk to until he gets here,”

“Okay, I promise it’s gonna be alright. You’ve got a whole army waiting up tonight to make sure you’ll be okay. Sokka, Suki, and Toph are gonna come over to Aang’s house with me and we’re not going to sleep until you’re back at wherever you’re staying.”

“Okay,” I laughed “If I don’t send updates by 11 send someone”

“Will do, Toph said she’s been ready to practice some knew boxing moves”

“Can’t wait,”

Our conversation went on for several minutes until I heard a knock on my door. “Coming!” I yelled and quickly ended the call, rushing to grab my bag. My hand curled around the handle and realization hit when I opened the door to see Zuko holding a bouquet of sunflowers. I smiled “Are these for me?”

“Yeah, I figured it’s the least I could do to make up for stuff.”

“Thank you,”

He seemed different than in his videos. His face was softer and his voice less harsh. I followed him to his car which was, to put it lightly, much nicer than my mini-van. I’m not even a car person but it was polished black with dark tinted windows and red rims, definitely something I could see him driving. He opened my door,  allowing me to slide in and fully appreciate the car. Leather seats accompanied a ‘new car’ smell and the front displayed a touch screen for controls. Shitty person or not, he rides in style.

After pulling away from my apartment the car fills with a low volume of slow RnB, “I’m not too sure if you  have anything specific in mind that you want to do, so I figured I’d show you my favorite parts of the city and grab something to eat, maybe some drinks?”

“That sounds great to me,” I smiled.

The rest of the car ride was silent, but with the mix of the sun close to setting, RnB, and the scenery I didn’t feel the need to talk. For a Friday night the traffic wasn’t that bad, we worked our way through it easily and stopped outside of a tea shop.

“This is my Uncle’s shop, there’s a loft on the top he said we could use for the night.”

“That’s so nice of him,  I’ll have to come back sometime to say thank you.”

I waited behind Zuko as he fiddled with the door. Now that I am standing next to him it was clear how muscular he was. The tight green shirt fit snug around his shoulders and biceps, his back muscles flexed while giggling the door handle. Finally it popped open and my focus changed to the space we were entering. It was cute and tiny, tables lined the walls and the bar had several stools flipped on top. I followed Zuko as he climbed the stairs to the loft.

“I washed and made the bed for you so you don’t have to worry about bugs or  anything,” Zuko pointed to the bed. I walked over to throw my bag down on the mattress “This place is so adorable, I love it!”

“Tea is my uncle's passion, when I was younger and he first started this shop I worked for him. This place is practically my home away from home.” He sat down on the couch facing me.”

I nodded, taking the place in. Fairy lights danced around the ceiling twinkling in a way that was mesmerizing. “Are you hungry?” Zuko asked.

“Is that even a question?” we both shared a laugh, “Come one, I know the best place for some pho.”

***

“And then, I practically threw up all over the place!” I laughed uncontrollably through my mouth full of pho,  “I can’t believe that,  in the middle of church?!” Zuko’s comment made me laugh even harder. “I swear! My mom was so mad it took everything in her power to not to drag me out by my hair!”

The night was going incredibly well. After a couple awkward ice breakers we somehow got on the subject of disappointing our parents and now we were the loudest table in the restaurant. Zuko was so much easier to talk to than I expected, and we had a lot in common.

“Excuse me, but would you and your partner like any dessert?” I was too busy laughing, I didn't even see the waiter approaching.

“Oh, they aren’t my partner.” I couldn’t help but snort which in turn made Zuko start laughing again, “I think we’re ready for the check if that’s alright” he said with as much composure and he could muster. I waited until the waiter was out of sight, “Partner” I snorted again. “Hey, the guy was just trying to find out if you were single,” I rolled my  eyes at Zuko’s comment. “Whatever..”

“It’s the truth! I bet everytime you go out you’re bombarded with people trying to get  with you!”

“Mhmm for sure, but I only  grace them with attention if they can guess my favorite color.”

“What’s your favorite color?” Zuko stared at me, rolling his lips to hide his smile.

“Why would you want to know? Are you trying to gain my attention?”

“I just want to make sure I know who I’m dealing with, they say you can learn a lot from people’s favorite color you know..”

“And who exactly is ‘they’?” I asked while crossing my arms.

“I prefer to keep that a secret.” He said while mimicking my stance.

We laughed together again at the stupidity of our argument. The waiter came back with the check and I reached for the cash I brought but before I could even get it to the table Zuko handed him a few $20’s telling him to keep the change. Warmth rose to my face “Thank you, I could’ve at least split it with you,”

“No worries, this is your trip and I wanna make it special.” he smiled, “Come on, there’s something I want to show you.”

We began walking the silent streets of Ba Sing Se, I admired all the little shops along the way. There was so much to do here and so many different people to meet. I think I have fallen in love with the city. When we came upon a small turn Zuko asked me to close my eyes.

“Why?” I smiled, I didn’t really care for the reason but I enjoyed teasing him.

“Just do it,”

With my eyes closed he grabbed my hand. I felt a jolt of energy race through my body. His hands were warm and calloused and much bigger than mine. The same warmth I felt at dinner returned as I tried suppressing my smile to no avail.

“You’re gonna love this.” he said, I could almost see his grin in my imagination. As he guided me I could hear water splashing and turtle ducks quacking. I was so excited I almost opened my eyes. Eventually he stopped me, “Can I open my eyes now?” I asked, wanting to know what he had led me to. “One sec,”

He shifted behind me, I could tell he was standing close because the heat radiating off of his body touched the back of my neck. “Okay, open.”

I was greeted with the sight of a beautiful fountain lit from all around, I felt like I had entered another world. It was so beautiful, the lights reflecting off the water made it even brighter. “What do you think?”

“Zuko, this is so pretty. I love it”

“I’m glad, this is one of my favorite spots. Especially at night.”

“I can see why,”

He made his way right next to me. We were standing so close our fingers grazed each other. I smiled at him nervously, unsure of what to do. “Do you want to feed the turtle ducks? I’ve got some bread”

“Yes!!” I said while practically running towards the animals in the fountain. I sat on the ledge which was a bit wet but not uncomfortable and Zuko took a seat next to me pulling a bag out of his pocket. He handed me a couple pieces to throw into the fountain and I wasted no time throwing it in.

They swarmed the area close to us splashing water as they ate. Zuko and I krept closer and closer together, if I moved my head it would bump into his shoulder.

I felt his hand fall on top of mine and I looked up. His eyes looked into mine and fell to my lips, the tension building had me leaning closer. His hand came up to gently cup my cheek while my eyes fluttered closed. Our lips met  with a heat, my breath caught in my chest due to the sudden sensation.

The kiss was slow, but short. This was better than the kiss Haru and I shared back at Aang’s grandparent’s house. This was electric and made me feel something.  We pulled away, my forehead falling on his. I could feel my heart beating through my chest.

This felt right.

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[cynicallystiles]

Seasons of Love: The One with the Cabin

Disclaimer: Moodboard made by me. Pictures found on Google!

Author: @cynicallystiles

Request: @itrocksmysocks​ basically requested this by making me obsessed with the triplets a year ago.

Warning: Swearing. Slight sexual content.

Notes: Chapter four is here! The whole thing still isn’t finished ahead of time like I wanted. Annnnndd I’m already falling behind schedule lol! Thanks for your patience! Please COMMENT/REBLOG if you enjoy it!

Pairing: Kallie Hayes (OC) x Mendes Triplets

Masterlist Series Masterlist

Chapter Three Chapter Five

Words: ~5.37k

"Kalliope!" The sound of her name accompanied by excessive knocking stirs her awake abruptly.

She startles and rolls off the bed onto the floor. "Ah! Jesus, fuck!" She groans and sits up, rubbing her shoulder.

"Is everything okay?" Her sister asks through the door, and Kallie can hear the amusement in her tone.

Pulling herself upright, she glances at the bed and sees Shawn's smooth, muscular back. "Fuck," she mumbles, barely holding in a laugh. "Uh...yeah! I just tripped getting out of bed!" She calls back with a little chuckle.

"It's nine right now, goober. Figured you'd want to be up in time to shower and help with breakfast," Cassie chuckles before her footsteps recede down the hallway.

Releasing a breath of air, Kallie turns back to the bed to find two brown eyes looking at her. "Jeez!" She gasps and closes her eyes to normalize her fast-beating heart. "When did you wake up?" She asks when she opens her eyes again.

"Hard to sleep with all the noise around here," Shawn teases. He rolls over and stands, allowing the sheets to slide off of his almost naked body. Kallie's eyes watch his muscles tighten as he stretches his arms above his head. "I can feel that ya know," he laughs.

She scoffs and stands to make her bed as he finds his clothes. "No, you can't," she argues with warm cheeks as she finds a loose shirt to pull over her shoulders. "I told you you weren't supposed to sleep here!" She groans and starts pushing him toward the window.

"Hey!" He protests as she gets the rope ladder. "You're the one who told me to hold you more," he reminds her and opens the window quietly.

As she secures the ladder to the window and rolls it down the side of the house, her eyebrows furrow. "No, I didn't," she denies, focused on making sure he won't injure himself.

"Yeah, Kal, ya did," he insists while hanging halfway out of the window.

Kallie shakes her head. "Well, I don't remember. Now, go! Before, anyone sees you," she giggles and places her palm flat against his forehead to push him down the ladder.

Shawn quietly enters through his front door and tries to sneak upstairs. His foot doesn't even hit the first step when a voice behind him makes him jump. "Where the hell have you been?" Turning, he sees Peter and Raul entering from the living room.

"Just went for a morning jog," he chuckles nervously.

Peter squints at his attire and crosses his arms. "You don't look like you went for a jog," he accuses suspiciously after seeing no sweat despite him wearing pants and a hoodie in hot weather.

"It was a light jog," he shrugs innocently, "didn't want to stink too much for breakfast since you two always take the hot water."

Raul rolls his eyes and shoves his hands in the pockets of his shorts. "Well, I showered last night. So, there's water left to clean up before we head over," he explains casually.

"Wait," Shawn stops leaning against the railing and takes a step forward. "You never shower at night," he states in confusion.

He just shrugs. "Yeah. Kal and I got a little messy last night," he chuckles and heads back into the living room, ignoring the twitch of Shawn's eye.

The boys arrive at Kallie's just as she's setting down the final plate of food on the table. Her hair is still damp around her shoulders from the shower, barely curling as it dries. Conversation flows chaotically while the boys catch up with Cassie and her moms.

Shawn catches Kallie's eyes as she takes the last sip of her almond milk. She asks him what's up by pinching her brows together. He nods subtly toward the kitchen. Concerned, she stands up.

"I'm gonna start clearing the dirty dishes," she informs everyone as she gathers some plates.

Shawn follows suit. "I'll help," he offers.

"But, cleanup is my thing," Peter points out in confusion.

Patting his shoulder, Shawn takes the dishes he's holding around the table. "Relax, for once. I've got it covered." He disappears into the kitchen after her.

"What's going on?" She asks in a hushed tone as she leans on the counter next to the sink.

Setting the dishes in the sink, he crosses his arms and turns to her. "What exactly did you and Raul get up to last night?" He sighs.

A chuckle slips past her lips before she sees the distraught in his eyes. "We just got ice cream and went to the park," she explains with a shrug.

"And that's it?"

Kallie lets her mouth part in surprise. "Should there be something else I don't remember?" She didn't like the accusation in his tone and Shawn's increasing jealousy was starting to irritate her.

"No," he deadpans, looking out the window above the sink. "It's just that Raul said you guys got messy but you didn't have dirt or anything on you when I came over."

Kallie clicks her tongue and scrunches up her face. "Are you kidding me?" She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms as well. "We got a little childish and were fighting with the ice cream, Shawn."

"But, you-" he begins but she inhales deeply and he cuts himself off.

"I got it in his hair, but he only got it on my arms. It was easy to wash off in the sink before you came," she scoffs.

He drops his arms and steps toward her. "Sorry, I just-"

"I know what 'you just'," she sighs in disappointment. "You can't keep getting jealous every time I hang out with him. Or Peter."

Looking at his feet, he mumbles, "I know."

"I think we should pause this," she declares quietly.

He quickly looks up to meet her eyes. "What? No! I'll stop being jealous. I'll-"

"It's not about that," she lies. She could feel things getting complicated between them and she didn't want that. "We're gonna be at the cabin all summer and there won't be time for it anyway. I don't want to ruin our last summer there with the drama if we get found out."

Nodding slowly, Shawn starts to calm down a little. "That makes sense. But, what about when we go back to university? I mean, we all still live together," he points out.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet," she admits. "I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." As Kallie finishes her sentence, Peter wanders into the kitchen. "What's up?" She asks with a gentle smile, causing Shawn to look toward the door.

He shuffles shyly toward them, causing her to giggle. "It felt weird sitting out there not doing the dishes with you," he admits with a small grin.

"Then, come help me, Penguin. Shawn is terrible at rinsing," she teases. Shawn meets her eyes with a silent look of fading sadness as Peter sidles up close to her with an enormous grin at one of her many cute nicknames for him. He watches them bump shoulders and giggle before leaving with a sigh.

Later in the day, the boys help load Kallie's bags in the back of Shawn's Jeep before they start their trip to the lake. After hugging her moms and Cassie, they all head out of the house.

"Lemme guess...Kallie gets front seat as always," Raul teases, heading for the backseat.

Shawn nods with a cheeky grin, but Kallie also heads for the backseat. "Actually, I wanted to share the back with Peter..." She sneaks a glance at Shawn who has shock written on his face. He's worried that this 'pause' might be about more than she's letting on.

"Why though?" He clears his throat as Peter catches up to them after saying extended goodbyes to her family.

She shrugs while Raul is already riding shotgun. "This time we're learning sign language." Kallie then looks at Peter as she teases, "We've only got around two weeks left to become fluent."

His eyes flit between Shawn and her, picking up on the unsaid tension between them. He's quiet. But, he's not stupid. Peter lets his features melt into a smile that puts Kallie at ease.

"Sweet!" Peter jostles her by the shoulders excitedly before opening the door for her. With a small glance at Shawn, she gets in the backseat. "Wait...is the sign for 'cabin' this...or...this?" He asks to distract her from whatever is upsetting her. She chuckles as he slides in next to her practicing two gestures that look similar, but neither are anywhere close to meaning 'cabin'.

Clenching his jaw, Shawn slides into the driver's seat and pulls out of the driveway. The usually short two-hour drive to Muskoka was going to feel a lot longer without Kallie up front with him.

The first time that the Mendes' took Kallie to their beautiful cabin at Lake Muskoka was the December after she had first met the boys. Before she was allowed to go, their parents had to meet her parents. They ended up getting along so well that they invited her parents and her sister along as well.

After finally pulling up next to the cabin, Shawn flings off his seatbelt and races toward the door. "I gotta use the bathroom!"

Both of their parents chuckle. "We told you not to drink a whole hot chocolate before we even left Pickering, son," Manny reminds him playfully.

The adults work on unloading the bags, while the rest of the kids pile out of the vehicles. Kallie's eyes are immediately drawn to the lake nearby, covered in white. "Woah," she breathes out, a little intimidated by how big it is.

"You remembered your skates right?" Peter asks from a few steps behind her. She nods silently, not wanting to say that they all had to go out and buy new ones for this trip.

Before Peter can make more conversation, Karen calls out to them, "Lunchtime first! Then, you can skate all you want!"

"I'm starving!" Kallie declares with a giggle as she loops her arm through his. He's a bit surprised but he doesn't say anything as they walk quickly back into the house.

Peter is helping Kallie shed her coat just when Shawn comes back from the restroom. "Kallie, come sit next to me! I'll share my Oreos with you," he entices her.

"Oh, okay!" She says with a small glance at Peter. Shawn is so excited that he runs to the dining room without looking back to save their seats. Leaning toward Peter, she whispers conspiratorially, "You can sit on my other side if you want."

He nods happily and they join everyone else for a quick but filling lunch. Raul is the first to finish. He practically flings his dishes in the sink before issuing a challenge. "Last one on the ice is a loser!"

There's a brief second of silence before the sounds of chairs scraping on wood and dishes clanging overlap. Each one hurries to put their dishes in the sink and get their winter gear back on. Shawn is second out the door not long after Raul, both carrying their hockey skates by the laces.

Cassie and Kallie are neck in neck as they fly through the door in their many layers with brand new ice skates in their mittened hands. They get to the edge of the lake and make quick work of changing their footwear. Cassie throws herself onto the ice in third place, not even caring that she has no idea how to work the skates.

When Kallie knots her last lace, she stands up and puts her mittens back on to dust off the snow on her jeans. She hesitates at the edge, uncertain of how to get started. Her right blade almost touches the ice when she hears the door close in the distance. She looks back to realize that Peter wasn't racing with everyone else.

He takes his time to make his way to the lake while the grownups file out of the cabin behind him. They go about getting the fire pit going so they would all have somewhere to warm up in between activities.

Peter has a bag slung over his shoulder that looks a lot like the one he keeps his drawing stuff in. Kallie was going to wait for him to catch up, but Shawn skids to a stop mere inches from her.

"Let's go, Kal!" He urges and takes her hand to pull her onto the ice. "Once you get going, it'll feel easy!" She tries to protest as he pulls her further onto the ice, too far away from the bank to leap to safety.

Her skates glide along easily as Shawn skates backward, pulling her by the hands. She looks up to see Raul skating in a figure eight, while her older sister seems to be catching on fast. Raul breaks his formation to speed past and bump Shawn's shoulder.

"Hey! I'm gonna get you for that!" Without thinking, he lets go of Kallie's hands to chase after Raul.

She automatically bends over slightly to gain some kind of balance, arms outstretched in front of her in case she falls. Slowly, she pushes off one foot to slide a little faster. An excited giggle escapes her as she continues to practice this in a safe little circle.

Deciding that she's got the basics down, she stands up straight. Her arms stay poised to catch her if something bad happens but she manages to skate in a wider circle. She picks up speed and feels the cold wind whip at her face.

A little further ahead, she sees that her path is going to cross with Shawn and Raul's. The two of them were done with tag and were now racing in a circle. This makes Kallie realize very urgently that no one taught her how to stop.

Panicking, she tries to veer to the left. The tip of her skate catches a chip in the ice and sends her sprawling toward the bank of the lake. She sits up with a hiss, clutching the knee that took most of the impact.

"Kalliope!" She turns toward the sound of her name and finds Peter gliding toward her from the bank. She watches the way he tips his foot upward to use the back of his blade as a brake. He squats down beside her and looks at her knee. "Are you okay?"

She purses her lips and looks away, embarrassed about the crash and burn. "Yeah, it's just scraped," she mumbles, noticing his drawing materials scattered around his bag as if he dropped them in a hurry.

"Then, let's go again," he replies simply and stands up while holding out his hands for her. Kallie turns her head sharply toward him. "I promise I won't let go of you until you want me to."

His reassuring but crooked smile made all of her embarrassment go away. He doesn't care that she's bad at skating. It also made her happy that he would stop doing his favorite thing to teach her how to skate. So, she grabs his hands and lets him help her up.

Peter begins explaining all the "do's and dont's" of skating on lake ice. Apparently, it's different from skating rink ice. He tells her a fun fact about penguins and she laughs, bringing Shawn's attention back to her once again.

He skates over quickly and takes her hand that's not clutching Peter's forearm. "I can teach her from here! You probably want to go back to drawing anyway," he dismisses Peter.

"I don't wanna slow you down," she offers. "You play with Raul while I learn the ropes and tomorrow you can teach me hockey!" He looks at her skeptically, glancing to Peter on the other side of her who is pretending to be very interested in his skates. "Promise."

He nods. "Okay, if you're sure..." Kallie smiles in return and Shawn can't help but smile back. "Be careful, okay?"

"Always, duh," she teases before turning back to Peter. Shawn hears the conversation fade as Peter leads her around the lake. "So, penguins really build nests out of rocks?" She laughs.

He nods with a chuckle before spending the better part of two hours patiently teaching her how to skate. Once he's sure she's got it, he lets go and watches her glide ahead of him. She's so enraptured in skating that it takes a minute to realize he's not holding her hand.

Kallie immediately digs her heel into the ice and turns back. "Hey!" She crosses her arms with a pout as he skates up to her.

"What?" He laughs, "you were doing amazing!"

Her lip quivers the slightest bit and she avoids looking directly at him. "You promised you wouldn't let go," she murmurs.

"Kalliope," Peter breathes out her full name guiltily, "I'm really sorry. You were just doing so good and that's how mom and dad taught us how to ride bikes...so I figured..." he trails off with a shrug.

She sniffles and he's unsure if it's because she's sad or because of the cold. "Don't do it again," she pleads before carefully unfolding her arms to her sides.

"Promise," he instinctually replies. She raises her eyebrows at him. "For real this time." Peter grins and takes her hand tightly in his. Kallie can't help but smile as he pulls her along the edge of the lake.

"Moms! Look! I'm doing it!" She yells in excitement at her mothers. They both get up and quickly make their way to the edge of the lake with their cameras.

Proud looks cross their faces as they capture the two of them skating close together, hands tightly clutching each other. Manny and Karen come up behind them and share a knowing adult look. Cassie skates over to get in the pictures before Raul and Shawn join. Soon there's a picture of the five of them all wrapped around each other that they have framed and hanging on the living room wall of the cabin.

Kallie runs her fingers along the wooden frame of that picture in the living room, in the exact space on the wall that it's been hanging for about twelve years. She grins momentarily, the nostalgia quickly fading to sadness as the reality of it all hits her. This is probably the last summer they're gonna spend together here.

As the door creaks open and the boys clatter inside with arms full of bags and laughing, she shakes herself out of the sad mood. "I could've helped carry my stuff in, ya know!" She chuckles and moves to close the door behind them.

"That is absolutely not happening on our watch!" Shawn spouts nonsense while he struggles to keep a grip on her duffles.

She nods empathetically before taking them out of his hands with zero effort. "Seems like you need to hit the gym, Mendes," she digs at him as he automatically stands up straighter without the extra weight of her bags.

Kallie makes her way upstairs toward the bedrooms while the boys stare after her. "How is she doing that?" Shawn muses out loud and with a little envy.

"When did she get more ripped than you, bro?" Raul teases to Shawn's chagrin.

Peter interrupts as he walks backward toward the stairs. "She's always been able to carry her weight. You two have just always been too busy staring at her ass to notice." With a smirk, he spins around and jogs up the stairs, bags slung over his shoulders.

"Okay..." Shawn stretches out the word. "But, when did the runt start lifting like that?" Raul laughs out loud while he jostles Shawn's shoulders and shoves him toward the stairs.

When they were younger, the boys would share one room, the girls another, and both sets of parents had one to themselves. Since they're here by themselves, each could have their own for the whole summer. Kallie stands in the hallway debating which one to take as the boys catch up to her.

"What are you doing?" Raul questions with a chuckle. "Unpack so we can hit the lake before dark!"

She looks between the four doors and then the three boys. "Who's staying in what room, though?"

"Well, which one do you want?" Peter asks her and she quirks her brows together.

"Whichever one is left after you guys pick." She says it so simply. Like it's the most obvious thing in the world. The boys loved that about her. She always made sure they were taken care of.

"Dibs on mom and dad's old room, then!" Raul shouts before taking off toward the end of the hall.

"No fair!" Shawn shouts after him.

"I'm the oldest! Of course, it's fair!" He calls back.

Peter chimes in with a laugh. "Technically, Kallie is the oldest! But, whatever!" He shrugs.

"Guess I'll take our old room," Shawn sighs, unhappy with being cheated out of the master bedroom.

As he wanders back in the direction of the stairs, Peter touches Kallie's elbow gently. "You okay?" She'd gone quiet since looking at the door to the girls' old room.

"Mhm," she takes a deep breath and zones back in on Peter's concerned look, "promise." She forces a small smile.

"You can have the room your moms used," he offers kindly. "I don't mind staying in the smallest one."

When she glances back at the door, she can't bring herself to disagree. "Thank you..." she says quietly. He nods in understanding. "I haven't been able to go in there since..."

"I know." He takes her hand and squeezes it before going to settle into his room. She stands there for a second more before heading to her moms' old room and unpacking briefly.

That room holds a lot of memories for her. For all of them really. Not all of them good ones, though. She finds her favorite swimsuit and throws it on before putting her hair in a single braid. Meeting the boys out front, she doesn't fail to notice how all of their gazes linger on the dips and curves of her body. She shakes it off and heads to the water with them in tow.

Later that night after everyone's showered and dinner was long over, she sits on the bed in her room scrolling through Pinterest for new recipes to try. A knock draws her attention to the doorway where Raul leans against it.

"Hey," she sets her phone in her lap, "need something?"

He shrugs, almost stepping into the room but hesitating. "Just wanted to make sure you're doing okay," he confesses. Kallie takes a deep breath. "We haven't been back here since senior year..."

"Yeah, I know," she deadpans and looks toward the window. She closes her eyes and sighs. "Sorry. Thank you, I'm fine."

This time, he doesn't hesitate to enter and sit at the edge of her bed. "You don't have to apologize. It's okay to not be fine." He sets his ringed hand atop her knee over the blanket.

"I know," Kallie pauses, "I know that." She sounds like she's trying to convince herself more than him. "It just feels wrong to not be fine, ya know?" She shrugs and plays with the yarn of the blanket.

He chuckles lightly. "It's also okay to be fine." She glances at him before he continues. "I know you miss her. But, you can miss her and move on. Lin wouldn't want you to be sad forever. That's not who she was," he comforts her.

"I don't wanna move on, Raul," she whimpers finally and reaches her arms out to him. He instantly brings his arms around her waist and squeezes her tight.

"That was a poor choice of words on my part," he admits into her hair. "I meant..." he pauses, struggling for the right thing to say as he rubs her back soothingly.

Kallie rubs her nose along his neck and he stills. "I know what you meant." She sniffles and pulls back from him, wiping at her wet eyes. "Thank you."

"I'm just down the hall if you need anything," he promises as he gets up. She smiles softly at him as he leans in and kisses her forehead. Sighing at the soft gesture, her eyes close in response. "Night, Kit Kat."

She fights a grin. "Night, Playboy."

Kallie lays back on her pillows as Raul leaves. She's about to turn out the lights when Shawn walks by toward his room. "Hey," she calls softly. He freezes and backtracks a few steps to be in the open doorway.

"Hey, Kal," he replies while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Her eyes flick to his chest and his lack of a shirt before reeling in her thoughts. "Everything okay?"

He heads into her room and closes the door behind him by habit. Her eyes widen and he realizes what he did. Shawn turns back to open it but she stops him. "It's okay, you can leave it closed," she chuckles.

"Right..." He makes his way over to her and sits gingerly on the bed. For a minute, they just sit in silence. It stretches on awkwardly since they haven't really talked since she asked for a 'pause' on their pact. "I'm really sor-"

"I just wanted to-" They both pause after talking over each other and giggle. "You go." She nudges his hand with hers, leaving it close by but not touching.

He nods. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how I acted this morning," he begins timidly. "It was wrong of me to accuse you of anything and to not trust you."

"It's okay," Kallie responds automatically even though Shawn shakes his head. "No, it really is. I get the whole sibling jealousy thing. It's not as intense with my sister but I get it," she chuckles and he cracks a grin. "You're all my best friends and I don't want to cause trouble between you three..."

Shawn sighs. "Is that why you paused us?" He questions. Slowly, she nods and he closes his eyes to compose himself. "Thank god," he breathes out. When he opens his eyes, she has a confused look on her face. "I'm relieved that it's not because of me or something," he laughs.

"No!" She laughs too. "I guess I just wanted to cut it off before any complications started messing with our Musketeer dynamic." His eyebrows scrunch together, wondering what she meant by that. "Never mind," she scoffs, changing the subject, "I'm glad we cleared this up though, eh?"

He blinks a couple of times, his mind trying to find what exactly has been 'cleared up.' "So, this means..." Shawn stalls, hopefully sending the message for her to finish the sentence.

She giggles and finishes it, "That once we go back to Toronto...we can unpause." His lips pull into an elated grin, causing her cheeks to blush for no reason. "We're all gonna be really busy, but if our schedules allow...then, yes. We can unpause," she informs him.

"Yes!" He cheers before catching himself and regaining composure. Clearing his throat, he responds, "I mean, thank you. I would very much like that. And I promise to keep my jealousy in check from now on."

Kallie nods like it's an appropriate response. "As you should," she giggles.

"I'm gonna leave before you change your mind," he declares. Before he does, Shawn leans in and places his lips on hers briefly but passionately. He pulls back with a knowing look. "Just to leave you wanting more until the next time, eh," he teases as he practically sprints to the door.

She throws a pillow at him and misses. "Goodnight, you heathen!" He rolls his eyes and disappears down the hall.

After a moment, Kallie turns out her light and closes her eyes to go to sleep. She tosses and turns for a while before throwing the blankets off of her in frustration. She grabs her phone and unplugs her charger from the wall before creeping down the hallway.

Quietly, she raps her knuckles on the bedroom door a few times. A few seconds pass and she hears him call out in a whisper-yell, "It's open!" She carefully opens the door, trying not to make it creak, and peeks her head in.

"Hi." She hesitates in the doorway, looking around and then at her feet. Taking a deep breath, she tip-toes in, closing the door behind her with a light 'click.'

Peter turns his book over and lays it open in his lap when he realizes she just walked into the room she hasn't step foot in in almost four years. "Hey, Kalliope." She smiles softly as her full name leaves his lips. Kallie doesn't know why, but he's always called her by her full name. And he's the only one who does.

"I forgot to bring Copper," she admits, dragging her feet as she walks toward the bed. Silently, he flips the blankets over so she can crawl in next to him. He knows she can never sleep without her stuffed fox. The only way she can is if she can cuddle someone in his place.

Kallie quickly tosses him her charger to plug in. Then with a childlike grin, she crawls over him to settle in under the blankets. Peter looks away as the T-shirt that she's wearing lifts up, exposing her underwear slightly. He didn't want to, but he notices that they were men's boxer briefs and he has to stifle a laugh. Kallie always prefers comfort over anything else, gender norms be damned.

She's about to cuddle into his side when she realizes that he's shirtless. Swallowing slightly, she tries not to rake her eyes over his smooth chest and the way his butterfly tattoo accentuates his bicep. You wouldn't know it when he's wearing his sweaters, but Peter stays fit.

"I can put on a shirt if it'd make you more comfortable." He snaps her out of her daze when he notices her staring.

Kallie quickly makes her eyes meet his warm caramel ones. "No, you don't have to do that," she breathes out, "I was honestly just thinking about the last time I saw you shirtless."

"Oh..." A blush crawls along his neck and up to his cheeks. "It's been a minute, eh?" He chuckles. She tips her head to the side and pulls up one shoulder in a shrug with a giggle.

With a comfortable atmosphere, she scoots closer and he lifts his arm to make more room. Kallie leans up and kisses him on his cheek, lingering a second longer than usual. He breathes in deeply, notes of cherry blossom drifting from her hair. When she pulls back she looks at him for a second before laying her head down on his chest.

He makes sure she's comfortable before pulling the blankets back up and positioning his book so that he can hold it with one hand. His other gently caresses her side and rubs circles into her back. Peter begins to read out loud even though Kallie doesn't know what the book is about. Truthfully, she never cares. She likes him reading out loud to her because of the sound of his voice mixing with his heartbeat under her ear.

Occasionally, he lifts his hand up to play with her hair or run his fingers along her scalp. She hums contently and cuddles closer when he does. He finishes his chapter and sets the book on the nightstand before turning out the light. He wraps both arms around her and settles into the pillows.

His hand finds hers in the darkness laces their fingers together. Carefully, he brings her knuckles to his lips and lets them linger there. When he's finished, he rubs her knuckles with his thumb. "Goodnight, Kalliope," he whispers, assuming she's asleep.

Kallie's head nuzzles his chest and he feels her lips brush the skin of his collarbone before pressing in for a long moment. She angles her head up to his ear and whispers back, "Goodnight, Peppermint."

Tag List: @marissje​ @mariamuses​

[dnarez]

Chapter 3

You woke up when you felt someone picking you up and caring you around. "Dad?..." you asked without opening your eyes.

"Sorry Dondon, it's grandpa, your dad is also sleeping" you knew that he was walking around by the light sway of his body.

"I'm hungry..." you open your eyes a bit to see the small one-floor house in front of you

"I know, but you can sleep more, since I still have to order the takeout, you know I can't cook" when he chuckles you can feel his chest rumbling and whistling a bit, as he goes inside the house he turns on the light.

"You should stop smoking, if you keep going like that you won't make it to my wedding, I need you to help me to stop dad, so that he won't murder grandpa Doffy" you start to trace the makeup lines on his face.

"Don't start it, I already have to hear that from your father... And why would your dad want to murder Doffy on your wedding?" He smiles at you and gently puts you down on the couch, covering you with a blanket that he always have on the couch.

You shrug "He probably will say something that dad won't like, maybe he will bring one of his maids, just like he did on my 8th birthday"

Roci laughs and nods "He probably will do something like that, and I had forgotten about your birthday fiasco" he kisses your forehead and looks at the door. ''I will go wake up your dad, then I will order some pizza okay?"

"I already ate pizza yesterday" you pout knowing that he will give in if you act cute.

He smiles again ''How about some ramen then?"

''Yes please! I want mine with a lot of pork meat!'' You sit on the couch no longer sleepy.

He huffs and pats your head "And medium with the spiciness right?"

"How did you know!?" you were surprised by this, your grandpa, wasn't supposed to know your tastes since it's been years the last time you have seen each other.

"Your father would complain to me from time to time that he took your bento box by mistake instead of his own, and yours always has a lot of pepper on it" he takes out his phone from his pocket and dials a number "I will be back with your father, take another nap or a bath, your bag is already on your room, the last door on the corridor is mine, the second on the left is your fathers, and the one next to that one is yours, I have my own bathroom, yours and your father's bathroom is on the door in front of your bedroom".

You get up and nods to him "I will take a bath" you go to your bedroom and find it simple, a computer desk, a bed in the middle of the room, an empty wardrobe and a big window, the house is pretty much western style, your father said that almost no one of his friends like the traditional Japanese style... with some exceptions.

Inside your bag was your beauty bag, where it had your shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap and other self care stuff, you like to take care of yourself, it's relaxing, and if you need something right now after such long travel is to relax, maybe you should do a face mask on your dad, his skin is in need of some care too.

After taking a clean towel and your favorite pajama you went to the bathroom, and was surprised to see that it was in Japanese style.

'What a confused house... but the bathroom is so luxurious!!'

While you were taking your time to relax, soaping your body and washing your hair before going inside the bathtub you heard your father and your grandpa chatting, it wasn't clear, but the chat didn't seem pleasant.

'Dad will find a new job fast, he's awesome I know he can do it, that lady Robin, Marco and Sabo from the Newgate's family will give me classes, then I have training with mister Ace, and Luffy... my day to day will be very busy, even if I don't have school'

You sigh and finish washing off the products from your body, now you can go inside the bath! Sadly you don't have a bath bomb, your mother didn't like the smell of them... even if she was never even close to you on a daily basis...

'Even if dad was busy he found some time to spend with me, even if I was just quiet on his office doing homework or taking naps in the afternoon with him when he had his day's off, but mom...'

You hug your legs and put your chin on your knees. 'Grandpa Doffy is always smiling, just like mom... it's creepy...'

Taking a deep breath you dive totally underwater.

'So quiet... and so comfy too... maybe I should get out and explore the neighborhood, I'm sure grandpa and dad will be busy tomorrow, and our things will take a week or two to get here, so class will take quite some time to start, I have some free time to explore... dad probably thought about this too' it's getting hard to breath, so you sit again on the tub, coughing a little.

Hearing a knock you focus on the door "Hey Y/n! Everything fine there?"

You chuckled at your dad's reaction "Yeah, everything's fine, sorry for taking too long, I will get out of here soon"

"Okay... the food is here" that surprises you, so you smile and get out of the tub.

"I'll be there in a minute!" You dry yourself with your fluffy towel and put your favorite pajama, that would be a shirt with your dad's tattoo and sweatpants.

You put on a pill off face mask, and get out off the bathroom.

When your family sees your shirt both of them smile. You walk to the kitchen where your food was, take it and goes back to sit in the middle of your dad and grandpa.

As soon as you open your box of deliciousness your father squint his nose at the red color of your lamen. "Did you knew that you could damage your stomach with that much pepper?"

"Yes, I know" then you proceed to look at him while eating a mouth full of your red lamen.

Grandpa laughs at the two of you, his smile is the best one there is.

You all eat, while at it, you notice your dad's eye bags, he probably didn't sleep well, and your grandpa was lost in thought from time to time.

After eating in silence, you washed the dishes, at the couch your dad was almost asleep.

'He will have pain on his neck if I let him sleep there...' so after some thinking you decided to put your dad on his bed.

Being extra grateful for your quirk, you take a random shirt and put it on your dad's bed, then you activate your quirk by saying "Room" just like your father, a blue translucent dome fits around you, it's big and takes the space around the whole house.

Inside it, you can manipulate everything as you wish, so simply do something like changing the shirt that was on top of his bed, with him while saying "Shambles"

And VOILÁ! Your dads on his bed.

You smile and cover him, but is surprised when you see him opening his eye.

"You know... you could have woken me"

You shake your head. "You need to sleep more dad, I'm going to bed too, so that I can explore the neighborhood a little"

He keeps looking at you and sighs, moving a little to the side and opening his arm. "Lay down and sleep with me, I know you have a problem to sleep in new places, I don't want your grandpa calling me while fricking out about you passed out"

You huff and lay down next to him "that was only one time!" You puff your cheeks, and he covers you with the blanket.

Nodding he holds your hand, keeping a certain distance from you, like always "sleep"

You turn off your quirk and close your eyes, ready to sleep, the last thing you feel is your dad kissing your forehead.

[lovelahela]

❛ love of my life ❜ ─ bryce lahela, part two.

⇢ entry for choices february challenge !

⇢ pairing: bryce x f!mc (sunny soo)

⇢ genre: angst

⇢ prompt: heartbreak

⇢ song: love of my life, queen.

⇢ description: in which sunny finally confesses, but bryce is too afraid of hurting her.

or

love of my life, you've hurt me

you've broken my heart,

and now you leave me

love of my life, can't you see?

bring it back, bring it back

don't take it away from me because

you don't know what it means to me.

⇢ notes: keep reading tag will be added in the future. if u want to get tagged for open heart stuff tell me!! i hope u enjoy it ♡ feedback is appreciated!

Love.

It was a very strong word, but it's meaning and effectiveness have been diluted over the modern years. A word carelessly thrown around. Regardless, hearing three words that let you know you were loved was heartwarming, to say the least.

But saying them? That was a whole diffeŕent story.

And acknowledging that you are, in fact, in love with someone was a slap in the face in itself.

Sunny stood in front of her stove, humming some popular song she heard on the radio on the way to her apartment. Bryce stood beside her, leaning against the counter, careful not to stain his clothes with the sprinkles of BBQ sauce on the surface. He watched her with the semblance of a smile on his handsome features, admiring the way her hands skilfully prepared the traditional Korean dish she was so excited to let him try.

"It took me soooo long to get this recipe down. My mom was a mean cook, and I was a fire hazard in the kitchen up until I had to drop my unhealthy habit of living off instant ramen," laughed Sunny, sparing him a side glance. She sighed in content moments later as she appreciated the calming sound of rain drops pounding on whatever surface they could find.

"And you're sure you got it right this time?" Bryce grinned teasingly. Sunny gasped melodramatically and spun on her heels to face the surgeon she grew attached to over her hectic first year as a medical intern.

"Listen here, you little shit!" She pointed an accusatory finger in his laughing face, knowing he found her ridiculous rather than intimidating considering she had to look up to meet his eyes. A mischievous glint in her doe-like eyes and the evil smirk that stretched across her plump lips told Bryce that he was done for.

Sunny grabbed the spoon she had used to stir the ingredients in the pan, covered in tiny food particles and BBQ sauce, and smeared it right across his cheek. His eyes widened at her unexpected action and his lips, despite his horrified shock, stretched into an amused grin. She doubled over in laughter at his reaction, clutching her stomach after her abdominal muscles began to ache. Jovial tears streamed down her cheeks.

Bryce seized the opportunity and snatched the spoon out of her hands. He retaliated to her act of war by staining her mouth with the same substance his cheeks were covered in. She shrieked in horror and playfully punched his chest, dissolving into giggles yet again.

His heart fluttered when her laughter reached his ears and his gaze fell upon her lips, suddenly very eager to kiss her. Conflicted feelings arose in him, unsure of whether or not to act on his urges, knowing that once he did it, there was no going back.

But when she stared up at him with those wide, sparkling eyes and the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, logic crumbled under his impulses, and before any of them could process what was happening, Sunny Soo was in his arms with her lips locked with his in a kiss they had both only dreamed about before that moment.

His hands had gripped her waist tightly to keep her safe and steady against his larger body. She mustered the little physical power left inside her to stand up on her toes to relief the uncomfort from her craned neck.

And then, she muttered four seemingly harmless words against his lips that snapped him back to the harsh clutches of cold, hard reality.

"I love you, Bryce."

At that point, Bryce didn't know what to do anymore.

When they pulled apart, faces barely inches away from each other and breathing heavily, his heart broke at the hope sparkling in the gorgeous brown eyes he had fell in love with.

"Oh God..." The devastated whisper left his lips before he could process it. Sunny frowned, the light in her expression dimming by the second. Oh God? What was that supposed to mean? Was he... disgusted by her? Did he... not love her?

"Bryce?" Her cheeks were still burning, but her eyes had begun to glaze over with a thin coat of tears. The sound of her voice breaking damn near shattered his weakening resolve.

Words fumbled around in his brain in a confused mess. He stammered unintelligibly, eyes wide and breath quickening. He was panicked. For the first time in a damn long time, Bryce Lahela was speechless - clueless.

"I - I'm - I shouldn't have done that. I should not have done that."

Was he convincing her, or himself?

"What - What's that supposed to mean?" Her voice was growing weaker by the second. She took small, subtle steps away from him, beginning to feel smaller than she already was. Suddenly, they were both hyper-aware of the violence of the rain pattering against the window and the ground outside, mimicking the loud thumping of their rabid hearts.

"I... We can't. I don't... You deserve better. You deserve better." Sunny watched in surprise as he repeated those last three words in a hushed tone, as if attempting to assure himself. He ran his fingers through his hair, ultimately messing it up.

"I deserve better?" She laughed incredulously. "Bryce, I've spent the last few months convincing myself that I didn't even deserve to have you in my life, let alone love you."

"Are you - Are you fucking serious?" He rubbed his face with his hands and aggressively chewed on his bottom lip. God, I really messed up, he thought. "You're the most incredible person I've ever met. I'd move mountains for you - God knows I've tried."

He said the last sentence in a whisper, barely loud enough for her to catch - he didn't mean her to, really. Her eyes softened, but were still stained with the bitter pain of heartbreak.

"Bryce, please."

Pathetic, she felt. She was standing in her own kitchen, asking to be loved. How humiliating. The mortification overwhelmed her and pushed a steady flow of salty tears to run down her frowning face. She hugged herself in an attempt to feel less exposed under his watchful gaze.

Silence washed over them. He was racking his brain for ways to soften the blow to her, but part of him knew nothing could make the rejection she would face any easier. But this was for her own good, right? She was away from his buried feelings, away from the toxicity of his past, away from his unwanted trust issues. Sunny deserved someone who would grant her full, raw honesty and a stable relationship, because he could never give them to her.

"I can't. I can't do this, I'm sorry." His throat was constricted and strained the tone of his voice. She shut her eyelids as the words she was waiting for finally broke the silence that suffocated them and tested their diminishing patience. Despite her closed eyes, her cheeks were covered with a new coat of tears and her bottom lip trembled. She sucked it into the grasp of her teeth to try to keep it steady and hide how much his rejection truly affected her.

"Can you at least tell me if you felt anything at all?" mumbled Sunny weakly. "Is it just your insecurity holding you back, or do you really not love me?"

Nothing could prepare her or him for his answer. Bryce took a deep, shaky breath, mulling over whether or not he should tell the biggest lie he'd ever utter or yell the truth at the top of his lungs. Sadly, in the end, he knew better than to give her false hope for what never will, and did the only thing he knew would ensure he would never hurt her after that devastating moment.

"No, Sunny, I don't. I never did."

possible part three?

[chocolatemin]

TIME (ONEUS FANTASY AU)

Amber's POV

We set foot onto the forest without any fear lingering in my body as Hwanwoong guided the way. The forest is dark but the moon is shining brightly even if it is in waxing cresent form only. The sound of the crickets, our quiet footsteps and humming of the owls are making the atmosphere calm and serene. However, there are two things we still need to overcome— sleepiness and exhaustion. Too bad I wasn't able to fully see the beauty of this forest since we arrived at night.

Once we arrived at his house, I immediately dropped Hwanwoong off on the couch in his living room. He looked really tired and worn out.

"Amber, can you prepare a cup of water on the kitchen while I get something on the room?"

"Of course." He pointed to the cabinet near the kitchen sink, signaling that the cups and other dinnerwares are inside it. I went to the kitchen to do the task he asked me. Hwanwoong's house is not that large but the interior looks like a mansion, it is spacious and has two to three rooms. Maybe he isn't living alone. I carefully put down the cup of water on the dining table and sat down to one of the chairs while waiting for Hwanwoong.

"Amber, I think you should stay the night. It's too late, besides, we've been walking for almost a day. You should rest too." Hwanwoong came back with a pair of clothes on his hand. I noticed that he had also changed his clothes into comfortables ones for sleeping. I wanted to argue but before I can speak, a yawn is making its way out so I quickly covered my face and tilted my head down. Hwanwoong chuckled at the sight.

"Hah, sure it was funny." I shook my head and he rolled his eyes, "Pfft, you can't object anymore, I've seen the proof."

"Can't argue with that." I smiled at him as he stepped closer and offered the clothes while I threw him a confused look, "Oh, you're wondering why I have these. I have a sister, an older one, who visits me everytime the spring comes. She's with my mom, so sometimes I visit them too. I don't know if these will fit you since she's taller than you, and oh, I forgot to mention that she likes to pick the herbs I've had a hard time growing."

"She must be cool then!" I accepted the clothes with a wide smile. "You actually have a similarity with her!" He smiled back and lightly chuckled, "Really? What is it?" I asked with hopeful eyes.

"You're both annoying." He said mockingly in which I dramatically put my hand on my chest and pretended to be shocked and hurt earning a disgusted look from him. "How dare you-" "Whatever, get changed already, that is the bathroom." He rolled his eyes to the direction where the bathroom is and I just replied with a nod.

—

"Amber, come here." My ears perked up as Hwanwoong spoke loudly from the basement, mixing peculiar liquids from glass bottles, herbs in which I wasn't familiar with into a cauldron and stirring it non-stop, "You're wounded right? Drink this and it will heal your wounds overnight." I got up from my seat on the top of the stairs and descended the stairs.

"Hwanwoong, will you tell me what are you really?"

"Even if I tell you, you wouldn't understand... I'm sorry."

"Was it really that complicated?"

"Yes, just think of me as a kind and friendly wanderer with a bit magic." I chuckled at the way he spoke, it seemed like he was sure yet awkward at the same time, "I see. It's okay that you didn't tell me what exactly are you since you introduced yourself cutely."

"Cutely?"

"Oh, sorry. I mean the way you introduced yourself was adorable."

"Oh, so that's what it means. Thanks for the new knowledge." He looked amazed by it, and he looked really cute! I want to pinch his cheeks. He's very much unlike my brother, my brother isn't cute and very annoying at times. What was his name again?

"My pleasure." I smiled and slightly bowed to him which made the both of us laugh. He transferred the viscous liquid into a tea cup. "Let's wait for it to cool a bit before you drink it."

"What about you? Your cuts are deeper and bigger than mine."

"Don't worry about me, it will heal by itself overnight. It's just that I was very weak so I wouldn't be able to use my magic."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, and you should go to bed immediately after you drink this. Alright? I'll tell you the things I know tomorrow, so you can return to your home too. No buts!" I sighed before nodding. I slowly drank the liquid and it tasted like strawberry milk. I finished the cup before I head to the room Hwanwoong told me to stay the night and left him by the basement. As soon as I plopped myself comfortably, everything went black.

» T I M E «

Hwanwoong's POV

I am afraid to tell her what I really am. Humans aren't supposed to know that healers exist. It's written in the laws and it is forbidden. If I tell her that I am one of them, either, she shall forget everything and a spell will restrict us from meeting each other again or she'll lose her sight and be a healer like me, which I can't afford to risk anything. It has been a long time since I made friends. I don't want to lose another one.

What a terrible life.

I sighed. Oh and I shouldn't forget that Amber's looking for the way back to her home. She'll be leaving me soon. I hope to meet her someday again.

"I'm sorry, Amber. After you saved my life, I wasn't able to heal your wounds using my magic," I quitely said to myself, after all that blood I lost, I wouldn't be able to use my healing abilities, "that is all I can do for now." I shook my head along with the sad and guilty feeling lingering my heart.

I cleaned up the kitchen in the underground floor before going to my room. I washed my hands and dried them slowly as I think of the friends I used to have. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the bathroom's window, I saw my sister's cat along with a letter tied on his neck.

Why? What do you want now?

I opened the window and took the letter before patting the cat's head and sending him off. I opened the letter and it reads:

"Woongie!! Don't forget to bring the herbs mother has asked you when you come tomorrow, alright? See you!

~Hwayoung."

Right, I had forgotten already. I chuckled to myself and went to bed, putting the letter in the nightstand.

"Good night to me!"

» T I M E «

Amber's POV

Series of knocks on the door awakened me from my deep slumber. The morning came quickly than I expected. I tried recalling the happenings last night, oh right, I drank the liquid that tastes like strawberry milk and immediately fell asleep as soon as I got here. I went to the bathroom to fix myself and change into my clothes again. I left the night dress neatly folded onto the table in the bathroom.

I exited the bathroom and found Hwanwoong setting the bowls on tne table. He smiled at me when he saw me got out of the bathroom and I returned the gesture, "Good morning, Woong! What are we having for breakfast?" He poured the soup in the bowl carefully and spoke, "Hwanwoong's secret dish soup! It's very healthy and delicious. Come, let's eat!"

—

"Hwanwoong, what is it you're going to tell me? The one you said last night."

"Oh, the gateway to Hell. Sure!" Hwanwoong smiled to me wickedly as if he's going to chop my head off causing me to shiver and stood up from my seat shocked. "What are you saying gateway to Hell?!"

"I thought I told you last night?" He took a step towards me and just like a reflex, I took a step back.

"You didn't say anything about gateway to hell!"

Hwanwoong bursted into laughter after I panicked, "What are you laughing at?" I glared at him which caused him to laugh again. "Your face looks so funny, you should have seen it!" I sighed and shook my head.

"I thought you're going insane, I was about to hit your head, just so you know." I smiled at him but he just rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Amber." He chuckled but I kept a straight face. "See what I did there?"

"Yes, so please don't do it again." He again laughed at my comment before speaking, "Okay, enough of laughing. So, I was speaking about the gateway but not the one's for hell. There's this tree called "The Gate of Memor", it is somewhere here in the forest." I nodded and he continued, "my grandma used to bring me with her there when I was young every morning. She was always picking flowers and uses it as an ingredient to elix- you know, like drink I gave you last night."

"I see, I bet it was fun."

"Indeed, it was."

"What about that gate? How am I going to enter a tree?"

"I've heard that the keeper will take you to the other side of the gate. But– the keeper only appears at the time between daylight and darkness– the twilight. If you manage to catch him, he'll take you but if not, then wait for the next day. That is all." I looked at him confused but he just shrugged, "I'm puzzled just like you, I haven't actually seen the keeper. Whether it is an animal, a witch, a hybrid, a ghost or what. But I think that it is real."

"Then maybe, you could guide me to where that tree is?"

"Anything for you, Madame." He slightly bowed and we both laughed at his actions. Being with Hwanwoong is never boring, he sure knows how to make a person laugh. However, I cannot stay here for too long, I need to prepare the things I need to bring and make sure that Hwanwoong wouldn't notice that I left something for him once we are ready to leave.

"My deepest gratitudes to you and your kindness, peasant." I took his hand and shook it while he looked shock pretended to look hurt. Ha! After all those teasing, I finally made my revenge.

"Wow, Amber, I can't believe you. Is that actually how you thank the person who let you stay the night, made you breakfast and now, will help you go home?"

"Well, I just made my revenge after you made fun of me. It is now equal." We both laughed and he replied, "You really should have seen your face earlier! It was and will always be amusing." I sighed in defeat, knowing I wouldn't win in a teasing fight with him.

"You won, but I think I need to get ready."

"Thank you for the acknowledgement and yes, I think so too. I also need to get ready, I will be heading to my sister's after I send you on your way."

"Alright, let's start moving, I do not want your sister to wait for a long time."

"It's okay, I'll be staying at theirs tonight. It won't hurt her to wait a bit." We smiled at each other before heading to our rooms to prepare. This is now my chance to find my way back home. I'm more willing to risk anything, but I think I'm going to miss the friends I made here...

-END OF CHAPTER-

[A/N: We're at the end of this short series... the next chapter will be the epilogue! thank you for reading! xoxo]

previous | next

[omgviolette12]

Ten, For The Price of One Chapter 2

Previous chapter

Summary: Loki, also known as “Agent One,” is tasked to invade the life of a potential killer, who decimated multiple members from the criminal organization, Morte. Known for his silver tongue, this mission is just another walk in the park for our God of mischief, or is it?

Words: 2042

Pairing: Loki/ Original Female Character

Chapters: 2/?

A/N: Hello all, thank you for the response to the first chapter! I didn’t think it would get much interest, as I’m still new to the world of writing fanfiction. This is my second story so far, thank you for reading! 

Can also be read on my AO3 a day or several days before, HERE

Taglist: @shockwavee

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

Loki woke up to the scent of burnt food, the smell wafting through the air as the morning light shone through the lace curtains. He sat up on the bed steadily, as his wound was still quite sore.

After he had conquered his target's surprisingly easy pussy, she had urged him to rest after she saw the blood seep through his bandages, and blamed herself for indulging in her ‘sinful desires’, as she called it.

Her behavior puzzled him even further when she suggested that she take the couch, while he could sleep in her room. Although they had already crossed quite a few lines, she insisted on acting the pure virgin.

In any case, he successfully completed one aspect of his mission, and took his time to examine his surroundings.

Just like the living area, her room held a warm, welcoming atmosphere. It seemed she was the girly type; the walls were a soft pastel pink, lined with white lace, and the furniture had a vintage quality to them.

She had a small vanity by the window, that held an array of brushes and other feminine products.

He noticed that the mirror for the vanity had been removed from its place, which he found a bit odd.

When he got up from the bed, the floorboards creaked loudly as he sauntered his bare body to the bathroom at the far corner of the room. When he entered, he noticed the lack of a mirror there as well, and was sorely disappointed he could not admire his reflection.

Aside from that, although the bathroom was a bit too small for his liking, it had what it should.

He finished taking a quick shower, leaving her room with just a towel hung low around his hips.

He followed the smell and...smoke that was quickly becoming thick from what he presumed to be the kitchen.

When he drew closer, he could hear a muttered conversation from the entryway.

“I know, I know.. why do you think I’m doing this?”

“You’re just being jealous. In fact, I haven’t cooked this well in a while...”

Loki’s first thought was that Nya was speaking on her phone. But when he entered the kitchen fully, she was coughing at the smoke, fanning whatever she had in the pan.

Nya looked up, startled by his sudden appearance. She eye’d him embarrassedly before speaking, “Ahm.. sorry, did I wake you? I got up a bit early to make this,” she gestured toward the table, “I salvaged what I could from the groceries I left outside, and made a bit of everything. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so..”

He looked at the table. Although everything looked a bit too...overdone, it still seemed somewhat edible. “I’m not much of a picky eater..” When he moved closer, the woman’s face visibly turned red. She appeared to finally notice his state of undress.

“T-that reminds me, I washed the shirt you were wearing yesterday. I got much of the blood out, but it’s still a bit damaged..I put it on the couch for you, alongside your other clothing.”

Loki let out a low chuckle, before quickly closing the distance between them. “Eager to have me dressed already, pet?”

Nya let out another one of her adorable ‘eeps’ when he trapped her against the kitchen counter, his arms on either side of her waist.

His fingers then proceeded to play with fabric of her shirt, lightly pinching her hip while doing so.

“In fact, with the way you milked my cock for everything it was worth last night, one would think you’d stop being so coy with me.”

Nya looked up at him open-mouthed, her eyes blinking rapidly in disbelief. “Why is it whenever you say something, you make it sound so...so dirty! Besides… I just thought you’d be uncomfortable without clothes, is all…”

She tried to awkwardly move underneath his arms to squirm away, but he kept his grip firm on her hips. He really enjoyed her discomfort, judging by the teasing smile tugging at his lips.

She looked down at his hands before speaking, “Look.. last night was the first time anyone ever...I ever went that far with someone. I...I’ve had a boyfriend before, but the most we’ve ever done is a bit of fondling...I was too scared to ever go further. But with you...I just..”

She covered her face with both hands in embarrassment, ”I just felt like I could finally take the plunge.”

As Nya spoke, she could feel the intensity of his stare. After a moment, she felt his hands tugging hers away from her face.

His expression was one of incredulity, a slight frown on his brows. “You mean to say…”

His eyes perused her body in a perverse manner, before smirking triumphantly, “I am the first one to claim your sweet, tight cunt?”

With the way she accepted his cock without much effort, he found it difficult to believe.

Nya blushed even further, “‘Uhhm, yes.. which brings me to this point,” she cleared her throat, willing herself to look him in the eyes, “since you’re the first man to ever..you know...I just thought getting to know you more would be nice..and set things in the right order. Truthfully, I wanted breakfast to be our first...um...date?”

He now looked as though he was trying to stifle a laugh, which she immediately mistook as a sign of rejection. Nya now looked hurt, and she started to push against his chest to distance herself.

“I don’t know what your intentions were for sleeping with me, but you don’t have to laugh! Believe it or not, there are steps to these things. I read that once you go on five dates with someone you like, then it was okay to finally do the dirty deed, but we-mmph!”

Loki effectively stopped her chattering with a quick, rough kiss. When he pulled back, she looked at him with a muddled expression. “You misunderstand me, woman. And who said it had to be five ‘dates’?”

He grabbed her hands that had been pushing against his chest, pulling her even closer. He then whispered huskily, “Know this--I’m not one to adhere to such rules.”

“However...” He unexpectedly let her go to lean his back against the counter, which caused Nya to let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“To be propositioned in such an adorable way…” He laughed good-humoredly, “I suppose I could indulge your silly dating ritual.”

“Wait, so you don’t mind getting to know me and.. seeing where it leads?” She now looked giddy, her pretty, pink lips stretched into a smile.

Well, of course he didn't mind- that was his job, in the grand scheme of things.

“Do I seem like the type to fuck anything I see fit, then move on to the next conquest?”

Although Nya didn't say anything, her expression told him she believed just that. She averted her eyes nervously, and started to twiddle with a strand of her hair.

Sighing, Loki went to get dressed as she originally requested. When he came back, he watched as she set their dishes in place.

“It's the first time I've ever cooked for anyone other than myself...well, my Nan excluded,”

She placed a tar black sausage on his plate, alongside some…scrambled eggs(?) that shared a similar fate.

After she shared their portions, she stuffed a mouthful of overcooked eggs into her mouth and moaned like it was the best thing in the world. “In fact, my Nan was the one who taught me how to cook,”

Loki picked up a black sausage with his fork, staring at it hesitantly, “Where is your Nan now, if I may ask..”

“Oh...she passed, two years ago. She left me this flat, alongside the bookstore.”

He took a reluctant bite at the burnt morsel before asking another question. Despite its unfortunate appearance, it was surprisingly tolerable.

“What about your parents? I noticed that you have quite a bit of oriental features,”

Nya looked up from her food, her gaze turning pensive, ”From what my Nan told me, my mother was born and raised in England, before she moved to Japan. I was born there...but I don’t remember much about it, despite the fact that I lived there for most of my life. I don’t even remember my father, and as for my mom...just some snippets. It’s hard to describe… but it’s like there’s a huge fog over my childhood…”

Her expression increasingly grew solemn, before she perked up and quickly changed the subject. “But enough about me, how’s your injury? Does it still hurt?”

He was curious, but decided to ignore the quick change of subject. He would find out more, in due time.

“No. After all, you did such a wonderful job patching me up,”

Nya smiled, ignoring the insinuation behind his words, “That reminds me...I don’t mind you staying here..as I said yesterday. In fact, I welcome the company, now that we’re more..um, acquainted. I just don’t have any male clothing for you to wear in the meantime,”

Loki regarded her for a moment before replying, “I could go home. But even then, I can’t guarantee that it’s safe there. I’ll just buy new ones when the opportunity arises.”

“Wait, you actually have money?” It took a moment before Nya realized how strange her words sounded, “Wait-that’s not- I didn’t mean it like that..”

Loki didn't seem offended at all. Instead, he spoke teasingly, “Did you take me for a beggar all this time, darling?”

Nya laughed nervously, “No, I just assumed you were also robbed. I guess whoever is after you…” she stopped mid-sentence as if realizing something.

“I know this might be a sensitive topic… but are you involved in some sort of... illegal business? Is that why I couldn't call the police? I won't pry too much, I just want to know what I'm walking into…”

Well, she was certainly perceptive. The organization was anything but legal, while also holding extensive connections with the British authorities.

Loki narrowed his eyes at her before giving a curt reply, “Yes, and no.”

That definitely wasn’t helpful. Nya knew she wasn’t going to get much out of him, so she promptly gave up.

“Oh! Oh! I have an idea!” Her sudden excitement greatly confused Loki, who now looked at her with furrowed brows.

“Today, why don’t we go shopping for clothes together?” Nya quickly ate the un-identifiable items off her plate, “It could be our, you know, second date!”

Loki could not for the life of him understand her obsession with dates, but he could only go along with it.

After they had finished eating, Nya hurriedly went to change her outfit, while Loki waited by the apartment door.

Nya had a penchant for wearing long, floral sundresses, something he'd come to realize after months of observation.

It fit her well; the dress hung to her svelte figure nicely, all the while accentuating her small, but supple bust. When she walked, the material flowed seamlessly around her legs.

Nya hopped to him excitedly, and he watched her in amusement.

“I take it that you're ready to go?”

“Yep. Oh...wait!” Without warning, she scurried off again.

When she came back, she had a pair of shades, with white surgical mouth masks.

“ Whoever is after you might recognize you, so you have to wear a disguise.

You have...eye-catching features, so this'll have to do.”

She put on the glasses and mask on herself, before donning a reluctant Loki in the same attire.

Loki really wanted to laugh at her poor attempt at subterfuge, but decided to spare her feelings.

With each passing second, this mission was slowly becoming a joke to him. This killer, who murdered at least 20 something of their agents, is rather apt at disguises.

She laughed cheerily, “We kind of look like celebrities, don't you think?”

“ That would defeat the purpose of detracting attention upon ourselves, don't you think?”

She ignored his gibe happily, grabbing his hand before walking down the stairs to exit the store.

[el-dibidibidorado1]

Untamed Pt.4

A/n: long chapter! Enjoy

Five. Five days in a row that sleep didn't come. It was driving me insane. The same dream kept of repeating, it was the bite and the pain that lingered there afterwards. Sadly the mark is still fresh, once in a while I would pick at the scabs when I shower; which was about four times a day. My poor mother had to buy almost six new soaps. Six! That is a lot for one damn week, even a month! Now that she has been buying all the soaps on the fuckin planet and our little incident in the kitchen, she knows something is up.

Another thing is that i also can't stop thinking about Bucky. He saved me.  How was I going to say thank you to him? I have no clue! Bake him a cake? No i'm its going to make me look like a fat ass, I mean I already am so that is out. Take him out to dinner? But what if he laughs at me and say no, there is another thing out. Fuck me, I have no idea what to give him to thank him.

"Y/n?" I opened my door and looked at Ed standing there with my clean, uneven folded clothes. Did he fold them? He did, didn't he. I felt my heart turn into jelly as he placed him on my bed, but the shakiness of his hand caught my attention. Then my heart began to awith sadness and joy, he was off the drug, but i hope he stays sober. When anything unfortunate happens he has a relapse. Maybe this is good and over for once.

"Thank you" I sincerely say.

"You going to work today?"

"Yep. I just used all of my vacation days in one week" Jesus, I only got so little days for vacation.

"Man, that blows" He lit up a cigarette.

"Yeah it does" I mumbled as I put my scarf around my neck. I turn and look at him as he lets out smoke and offered me. I take it and put it out, and he gives me a weird stare.

"We gotta stop" he nods his head and grabs my stuff to go downstairs.

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

"Ed?"

"Hmmm?" he stops in front of the diner.

"Can you pick me up at 2?"

"Umm i might knock out. but i can try" i give him a small grin and get out.

"Careful. A bunch of weirdos are out there" Yep I found that out a week ago. Just wave and go inside, I turned and he literally waited until I went in.

"Y/N welcome back!" Tom grabbed my shoulder and i quickly jump away.

"Thanks Tom" I normally try to say and put my coat and Bucky's sweater on the coat hanger. My mom washed it thinking it was Ed's.

Anxiety washed over me as i thought of Bucky. How in the world do you say 'thank you' to the man who saved your life? I nervously walked to the back to get my apron and found him reading with his earbuds in, I could slightly hear music leave the ear piece. He looked so concentrated it was kinda cute, it took me a few minutes to rip my eyes away from him and to check the coffee maker, to make a new batch.

"Hey Y/n" I looked at our famous customers Bill and Bill.

"Remember those two jerks hitting your machine?" Bill H said.

"yeah why?" i quickly say. Where they looking for me? Did they come and threatened the Diner?

" Why don't you tell her Tom?"

"Ya know how my cousin had that thing with her neck?" i nod my head and began gripping the mug tightly.

"Well I went to the hospital and found them two all beat up and shit. One had some broken ribs and the other had a huge swollen back eye and a broken nose. Someone beat them ugly" that's when Bucky came out to do his job. He still had his ear buds in so calling him would not do.

"Excuse me" I say and walk over to him. I catch his attention and takes off his ear buds, but my mouth became dry that word's didn't come out. He begins to rub his hands nervously and uncomfortable.

"Follow me" I managed to get out and walk back to the dish washer.

" Thank you" I say quivering. Some how I ended up with my arms around his firm waist. Oh God he's not hugging me back, I should let go.  removing my arms around him I look up at his ocean eyes to find him already looking at me.

"I was late" he mumbles.

"It was better to be late than to never be there"

"I'm sorry"

"You have no reason to be. You saved me"

His left hand slowly took off my scarf making me flinch,  his eyes widen with the sight of the marks. Where they that bad? The sound of his arm distracted me. Now it is my turn, I take hold of his hand and take off the glove, he has a panic in his eyes but something tells me to continue. Taking hold of his metal fingers I enjoyed the cold smoothness of them. He removes his hand away from mine only to move my hair to the side, to feel the bruised bite on my neck. When his fingers crossed the mark I feel myself relieved of fear and shiver because of the coolness of them. Slowly he brings his hand to the back of my neck and brings me into a warm hug. Tears began pouring out as he hold me. I was still scared and I couldn't tell anyone. I couldn't! Also I couldn't let go of him, his touch was warm that i knew if i let go I would whine from the loss.

"Bucky!"  I let him go and wipe away the tears.

"Duty calls" he said and gave me a small smile, I just nodded and he walked off. Duty does call, huh. Well got to get back to work.

12:53

"Hey come help me out" Caroline nudged my elbow. I look at what she is carrying and its a bunch of salt shakers. I guess bitch ass Rosie didn't refill them, always leaving the work for us.

"What is in your mind Y/n?"

"Nothing much" i grabbed a new container of salt and noticed Caroline looking at me with a suspicious look.

“What?" i lean back slowly grabbing the next salt shaker.

"You and Mr. Barnes got something going on or what?" her smile was big and bright.

"Me and Bucky are friends"

 "Sure about that?" i nod my head without knowing the smile on my face.

"Whatcha smiling about?" great the queen of sass has arrived.

"Nothing!" i put my hands up as if i did a crime.

"Lair!"

 "okay okay." I chuckle and glance at Bucky.

"what do you think about Bucky?"

"Bucky!"she whispered and looked at Caroline.

 "hmmm well" she began checking him out and i felt a bothering feeling in my chest

"He's a mute." Bitch please he has a impeccable voice.

"He's dumb" HOe  i just saw him read a book. When has she read a book? Never I bet.

"He's not dumb" thank you Caroline.

“Oh my God, look at his hair! It's all dirty and long. UH NO" His hair is more Fabulous than yours.

"I'll still fuck him. He has a fuckable body" i just raised my hand to shut her up.

"What?" she asked

"This conversation is making me uncomfortable, i'm just going to walk away and forget what you said." as i was about to leave she grabbed my arm, pulled me back, grabbed my face and made me look at him.

"No no no no. Y/n, babe, am i right? i mean look at him"  my eyes scan over his body and damn! Rosie is right. His muscular form is very meticulous and intimidating. I never took the time to actually look at him and now that I am, I want to punch myself. I didn't even realised that Rosie let go until I got teased by Caroline.

"Stop drooling" Caroline whispers in my ear.

"I'm not!"

2:14

I've been waiting for Ed but I guess he did fall asleep. Letting out a annoyed sigh I get my stuff and look out the window. What if they come back? I just wanna go home to my comfortable bed, with some hot coffee and some Christmas sweets.

"Bye babe I gotta go!" Caroline ran out of the kitchen and kisses my cheek. Maybe she can take me home, I quickly grab her hoodie and she stumbles.

"What's a matter?" She questioned.

"Can you tak-" a car outside honked and she hugs me while running out. Well there goes my ride home.

I give up and make my way to the front door, Tom is still here so I don't have to close. My breath is noticeable that I feel like if I am calling for help like the Native Americans (go Tiguas!) did with the bonfire. It's getting colder and colder each day that I am putting on many layers of clothes that make me look fatter. As I was getting ready to run to my house the door from the diner opened. My heart began to race like if I was a NASCAR.

"Hey" I heard the familiar deep voice. Bucky.

"Oh hey" I softly said. He began walking with me and now my heart was still racing because he's next to me. The warmth of his arms around me came to mind, I began wanting to feel the warmth again. Just one more time.

"Woah" he muttered. My thoughts where interrupted and I hummed at him.

"The sky is beautiful. I never noticed it" looking up I see the beautiful sparks of light.

"It is" I say. A cold breeze hits me and I began snuggle with the scarf that my grandma knit me.

"You cold?"

"A bit"

"Come" come? Come where?

"Where?"

"Just come" he chuckled. He lead me to a apartment building and lead me to the back to a door.

"Its small, but Its warm." He opened the door and it was like a small studio. He let me in and my big wondering eyes scanned the room.

"Would you like some chocolate milk?"

"Chocolate milk?" He nodded his head as he scratched the back of his head. He offered me some chocolate milk? I felt my face heat up, that is the most innocent thing someone has offered me. Others offer me some beer or a cigarette something other than chocolate milk!

"You can sit down" he said as he took out some cups.

I thanked him once more and I looked around again. The place was little and he had all the simple stuff that you need to live. A bed, table, couch, etc. It was a comfortable place to stay.

"Here" he hands me the cup and sits on his bed taking off his thin sweater. Wasn't he cold?

"Sorry about the cups. Childish."

"I don't mind"

"They where the cheapest ones when I first got here." I gave him a chuckle and took a sip. It brought a smile to my face, It was my chocolate milk favorite as a kid.

"What?"

"I actually drank this brand of chocolate milk as a child. Thank you." He hummed and took a sip of his drink. I sneeked a glance when his lips touched the childish cup and I wondered how his lips felt.

"Want more?" I nod my head and get up to put my cup in the sink to wash it.

"I got it" he stopped me.

"I should get home."

I grabbed my bag and walked to the front door. He put on his sweater again and follows me. He was walking me home. How sweet! I can't believe this is happening to me?!

We walked quietly until i noticed that he was still looking at my neck. I felt uncomfortable. I don't want to feel like this with him.

"Bucky." he hummed.

"Please don't look at it."

"Sorry" he mumbles.

"Its an eye catcher, but Its uncomfortable" he gives me an apologetic stare. He continued walking in silence until we reached home.

"Bucky. It's my day off tomorrow and Christmas is in a week, so I was wondering if you wanted to go Christmas shopping with me, 10?" He nodded and bid him goodbye and walked inside to get ready for bed.

Tags: @tnupsweetpie. Masterlist

[ghost1643]

Hogwash-idea

(So since JK Rowling is asking like a trash again, I figured I’d posted the Hogwarts story idea I wrote when I was in middle school baed off of a tumblr idea about a few ideas a read on tumblr, mainly one about a Muslim student at Hogwarts, which happens to be Alma but, I never learned enough about the religion to feel like I could write it even remotely correctly.)

And pleas let me say that I also had plans to add two gay couples (one was two boys, one from Spanish boy from Slithern named Cole and one was from Raven claw, was an African American named Jack) (other couple was to girls, one named Oliva and was from raven claw and one was Abbigail who comes uo later in this rant part) a bisexual boy named Eric from hufflepuff puff ti the group and a trans griffindor girl, name Abbigal, who was supposed to have freckles and always wear pink just b/c she likes it.)

Year one, day zero

It was a normal day at platform 9 3/4. Wizard and muggle parents were hugging their children goodbye before they left. One family had a young eleven year old who was trying to escape his mother's grip.

Graham's mother was hugging him to death while giving him kisses. Each time she would kiss his blushing cheeks red lip stick stain in her lips place. Meanwhile behind his mother, his father was holding back a stiff laugh while his little sister hugged his legs tightly. Meanwhile his grandfather just watched from a distance with a look of disgust on his face as he saw muggles walk by. Each one of these family members had bright blond hair so, it was easy to tell who was related.

"Ma, stop it. You're embarrassing me!" Graham complained. His mother kept hugging him to death. Like always her long blond hair flew in the wind with ever move she took. As for her black dress, it went to the floor, covered her arms completely and had a red belt to it. She also had a grey cape over her back.

Meanwhile his little sister Tulip whipped her running nose on his black pant leg. She was wearing the same perfect red puff dress as always. Her hair was always in perfect curls too. The young six year old girl always found a way to look as cute as possible. Even while crying her eyes out.

"Melissa, we have to let him go. Even his owl is getting impatient." His father chuckled. Graham's mother let another snuffle escape her mouth as she let go of her baby boy. Tulip copied her mother but, ended up hugging her mom's legs instead.

"I know but, I can't help it. It feels like just yesterday I was holding him in my arms and now he's off to Hogwarts." Melissa sobbed looking at her young son. Her dark brown eyes were filled with almost as much tears that were in her daughter's brown eyes. She pushed her hands through her son's blond hair with a sad smile. Graham reached up  and held his mothers hand.

"Mom, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. I'm gonna be just fine." Graham smiled. His mother gave him another sad smile before she walked over to her husband. She some how had escaped her daughter's grip. Which was probably why she was back to hugging his legs while crying.

"Tulip, I gotta go." Graham smiled as he messed with his sister's perfect hair. She looked up with big tears in her eyes.

"Don't forget about me." She begged as she finally let go.

"How can I forget my favourite flower?" Graham asked as he put his left hand back on his suit cases. Meanwhile the snowy owl that had been walking back in forth on it's cage was now trying to find a way out. The cage began rocking back and forth while sitting on top of his suit cases.

Graham just sighed as he began to walk into a large train that had just pulled up to the station. Meanwhile his crying mother and sister were hugging his father to death. Yet, his grandfather raced over and pulled him into a hug. Graham froze before hugged him back. His grandfather usually was never like this. Not even at his great uncles funeral.

"Stay away from mudbloods. They don't deserve to be with us today." His grandfather whispered in his ear. Graham sighed. Wizards born by normal non magic users were known as his grandfather's worst enemy. In fact, there were rumours going around his home that he killed two muggle children at a beach and was never charged.

Graham preyed that those weren't true. Yet, he knew there was a chance that this happened. After all his grandfather talked about being a death eater at house parties at their place. Were they true? Only his grandfather knew.

"I will." Graham lied. His grandfather pulled away with a Saturn smile on his face.

"Good." His grandfather stated as a loud whistle rung out from the train behind them. Quickly he turned his back and hurried into the train. A few more children ran in after him. You could hear them laughing an stalking with each other. Then everyone ran to the windows as the train began moving.

Graham hung out an opened window. His little sister, mother and father were waving goodbye from where they stood. That is until his sister as well as his mother chased the train with tear running down their faces. He waved goodbye whole yelling,

"See you all this Christmas!"

The he turned around to see six children staring at him. Quickly they all turned around but, he knew why they were staring.

(Sorry text is stuck like this for some reason now)

He was apparently related to a death eater. It was like a sort of disease at this school. Everyone hated them. They did kill a lot of people though. Like thousands of non-magic users and magic users. Thousands of families were ripped apart before the dark lords defeat in 1999. Yet, it was 2017 and no was one was over it. No one would ever be over it. There were even rumours of the dark lords child being around. So, every child was ready to turn on a slitherin or others if needed.

Graham quickly ran down a hallway looking for an open compartment. The first one he saw was full of ravenclaw second years. As for the second one, it was full of fifth slitherins. Now the third was full of fourth year griffindors. Then as you could guess, the fifth was full of third year hufflepuffs. After that when ever he would look in a compartment  someone would close the door quickly. That is until, he entered a compartment with a brown haired girl in current world muggle clothing.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked. The young girl's bright brown eyes drifted from the window to him. Looking in them made him think of the best hot chocolate ever. Her eyes also made his heart speed up a bit.

"Nope. It probably won't be either unless you sit in it." She stated. Her voice was high pitched but, had a sort of tone that made it sound like she was singing a beautiful medley. It also lacked the same accent that everyone around him spoke. This some how made her more unique in his eye.

Graham sat down next to the strange girl. She was wearing a weird hoodie that was rainbow coloured with a symbols that read "nike". Graham assumed that 'Nike' was some sort of secret muggle club. She also appeared to be wearing long blue pants with rips in them. Which also look a little weird to him. There was also a golden heart necklace around her neck.

"I'm Graham by the way." He smiled as he extended his hand. A tiny cute smile spread across her large pink lips.

"I'm Melody. And if you don't mind me asking, what the fresh heck are you wearing?" She asked looking at his outfit. Graham was wearing a green fancy robe that had a black gem stone right under his neck. He kinda looked like he was a vampire or something. Or at least to Melody it did. Maybe she should stop watching monster movies with her family.

"It's a robe. A very fancy expensive one. Plus, I wanted to know what are you wearing?" He asked.

"This is common non-mag, I mean muggle clothes. What? Never seen a muggle born before?" Melody asked with a smirk. Wait, this girl was a muggle born? He had never seen one this up close before. Especially one who knew about the wizarding world.

"Your a muggle born? What's life like for you? No wait, is it true you have some sort of machine to wash dishes for you that can't use magic? Is it also true you have a machine to wash clothes? Is it true that ghost can talk to muggle too? What's your house like? I bet it's tiny! Oh do you have a pet? Not like a magic pet but, a normal pet that cane be handled by muggles. Is it true that you can adopt a large dog and have it be a hard dog for you? What's this LGBTQ I heard about?" Graham asked over 21 questions after these. Melody just felt her face heat up a bit until he stopped talking. After words a tiny bit of laughter filled the room. It was one of the prettiest things Graham had ever heard.

"You've never meet a muggle or muggle born before have you?" She asked. Graham shook his head no. With a smile she began to explain all of these things as the train continued down the track.

Eventually the two twelve year olds bought candies. Oka, Graham went to guy the candies then heard Melody stomach rumble. Then he found out she didn't have any money, just a couple sandwiches. Which she searched for and couldn't find. So he bought candies for them to split. What kinds? Well he got chocolate frogs, jelly slugs, Bertie Bott's every flavour jelly beans, acid pops, ice mice and fizzing whizbees. All of which Melody loved.

The two began joking around while, eating wizard candy until Graham put a single yellow jelly in his mouth. Then he had a look of disgust fell across his face. Quickly he stuck his younger out and tried to look for a place to spit it out. He raced around their art until a laughing Melody opened a window. He spit that out the window before she could say anything.

"W-what flavour was that?" Melody asked through a lot of laughter. Graham whipped his tongue on his hand once. Then he realized that the taste was still there. So he did it again. And again. And again. He ended up doing this 15 times before the taste was gone. While he did this Melody continued to laugh her butt off.

"Vomit. It was vomit flavoured." Graham stated. Melody laughed before saying one thing.

"This is going to be the best school ever."

~time skip~

The large sorting hat was placed on top of Melody's long brown hair. She looked as nervous as everyone else did. Yet, she didn't whisper which house she wanted to be in or not be in like everyone else now a days. Nope. She just kept whispering,

"Please let me have friends where ever I go for once."

She just kept repeating it over again and again. That is until five seconds later when everyone heard it say something. Which was...

"Hufflepuff."

Graham felt his face fall from where he was sitting. He had kinds hoped that Melody got sorted into Slytherin with him. Not so she could be the fist muggle born in there. Nope. So he could be friends with a non rich kid. Yet, this didn't mean they still couldn't talk.

Soon Graham found him self sleepily walking to the dungeon to the Slytherin dorm room. He rubbed the sleep out of his blue eyes as the people around him were laughing and talking. They had tried to avoid him. These kids seemed to hate him too. Who knows why!

"This year the password is mudblood." The perfect let out a crew smiled. Graham felt his face fall. He wasn't going to say that word daily just to go in his room. Nope! He would rather sleep in the hallway. So would two other Slytherin. Which they would end up doing in exact two days.

~~~~~~~…~💜~~~~~

Year one, day one

Character based on this head canon.

Graham could feel his eyes bulge out of his head as he saw a fimilar brunette race across the room to the ravenclaw dining table. Students were supposed to sit with their houses while eating. Not other houses. Yet, he soon realized she was talking to a girl with olive skin wearing a blue scarf over her head. The young girl she was talking to was sitting all alone at the end of the table. Which was probably why Melody was able to get to that seat quickly.

The two girl's laughed a bit as the scarf girl ate vegetables. Which seemed to be the only thing on her plate. The scarf girl's brown eyes seemed to be filled with as much joy as ever as she seemed to tell a joke. He only assumed it was a joke since it made Melody laugh so hard she snorted.

Then they seemed to talk about something else. Something Melody said made the scarf girl look that way. Her dark brown eyes were confused before she turned to Melody. Graham's face heated up as he saw this scarf girl saying something to her while pointing her long olive fingers at him. Melody's brown eyes flew over to him. A large smile spread across her face as she waved him over. Meanwhile scarf girl giggled a bit.

Graham looked to his left. Then his right. Afterwords the large table where the teachers ate. Luckily the teachers were all to gust talking to notice the hufflepuff sitting with a ravenclaw. Then there was also the fact that no one at this table would ever listen to him. He was really bored at this table anyways.

So he made a mad dash over to that table. Somehow he got over to the seat in front of the two girl's without being seen. Both girl's giggled a bit seeing the look of fear on his face. Plus his hair was a mess. Quickly he ran his hand through his hair before smiling back. Hopefully it was back to normal.

"Hi. I'm Graham." He smiled. The scarf girl giggled the same time Melody laughed. They both had large smiles on their face.

"Graham this is my friend, Almas." Melody smiled. Graham smiled as he extended a hand to her.

"It's nice to meet you Graham. Melody talks about you a lot." Alma smiled. She had a accent he had heard before. It was a nice accent. A beautiful one but, not as beautiful as Melody's voice all together.

"Nice go meet you Almas." Graham smiled. Almas looked at him for a moment before a large smile spread across her face.

"You know, you are unlike any other Slytherin I meet here so far." Almas stated as she ate a fork of vegetables. Graham sighed. That would make sense. Other Slitherns weren't exactly the make friends kind of people. They preferred to stay together like a wolf pack so that no one would judge them. It seemed to be the only thing anyone did any more.

"I know, I am the most handsome boy in the house." Graham smiled leaning back in his seat and holding his leg in the air in a bit. All while making something called 'duck lips' that Melody said models in the muggle world used. Both girl's giggled while looking at each other.

"I don't know about that." Almas smiled. Graham sat up straight before putting on a a fake pouting look on his face. This just made both girl's giggle again. Which in Graham's defence was his plan.

"but, you're the only one who has actually talked to me in your house and mine." Almas sighed. Graham could feel his face scrunch up. No one had talked to her? Why? She looked like any other kid here. So, why had no one talked to her yet?

"Like I said Almas, if you want I could always make them talk to you." Melody stated looking at her. Almas sighed.

"I know you can but, I still I just want one person in this house to talk to me on their own will. Not because they're forced to be my potions partner." Almas stated again.

"How many times do I have to tell you, that's not the reasons I talked to you for." Melody sighed. Graham looked at Almas again. Why would no one talk to her?

"If it helps, Melody talks to everyone. She likes everyone." Graham explained. Almas's eyes lit up as a tiny smile spread across her face. Meanwhile Graham was now frowning. Did she really think Melody didn't like her?

"I would never have suspected that." Almas smirked as she ate another bite of her supper. Melody rolled her eyes.

"I told you. Now, let's get back to the topic we were talking about before hand. Graham?" Melody asked. Graham jumped a bit hearing Melody say his name. Almas now had a larger smile on her face. Almost as if she knew something was there. Something that Melody wouldn't admit was ever there.

"Yeah?" Graham asked.

"Would you tell Almas that anime isn't all blood and guts! She's only heard of one and now she think all anime are bloody!" Melody complained throwing her hands up in the air. Graham stared at her for a moment.

"What the bloody hell is anime?" Graham asked. Melody's jaw dropped.

"You both have much to learn my apprentices. So much to learn." Melody explained.