#i’ve been productive for 12 hours now though so. good enough i guess.

[patromlogil]

Body Mind and Soul - Update 3

Tag List: @mightnightmooon @strawb3rry-tea @mushroomcupp @craftingkitty13 @bagels-of-chaos @imma-potatoo @dimension-hopper @sanderdarksides @gabseliblack @shitposts-and-shit @thecrowslullaby @hummingbirdspark @nadiestar

Soulmate!AU - You glow when you touch the skin of your soulmate for the first time. You stop glowing after your first kiss.

Summary - Logan glows when he accidentally touches a bartender. The problem is he’s married, and doesn’t subscribe to this whole soulmate nonsense.

>>Master List<<

Like/reblog/reply to >>This Post&lt;< to be added to the Tag List

A/N - I am so so sorry it's taken near enough to 12 months for this update that we might as well say it's been a year. There's been many things but those aren't important right now, what's important is - it's finally here! And I have plans for this fic. I intend not to take as long with the following chapters but still thank you for your patience, and hope you haven't given up on me.

It took longer than I would have thought to find this bartender. Certainly, there are enough variables surrounding the incident to make it last longer than a day or two; Remy’s level of intoxication, his preference to pay in cash, his complete refusal to ever take a receipt. It’s difficult enough to find where we even were that night, then he would need to figure out which figurative needle in the haystack of bartenders was the one we’re looking for. That’s assuming he even still worked there.

For two weeks I’ve effectively been under house arrest, forbidden from even passing by windows, waiting for my husband to return home. I can’t even remember when I last had so much time to myself; Remy’s work hardly comes with days off.

Typically our mornings start with a meeting with Remy’s social media manager and my personal assistant. A good few hours spent talking about every plan they have for the next six months, what’s working, what isn’t, whether someone beat him to it, and an average of three meltdowns. Then there’s a hasty lunch, usually ordered in, before Remy rushes off to create his content, and my assistant will usually have some sort of itinerary for me with my own tiresome social obligations.

Then in the evening there’ll be some gala, or clubbing, we’ve even been to a film premiere or two. Usually it involves alcohol and coming home with Remy very drunk, and I’ll have a migraine.

He insists it’s all essential towards growing the brand. We have to keep up the idea that we were meant to be together. It boosts his following and makes us more appealing to sponsors and advertisers. As much as I dislike this nonsense, it’s what’s paying for our house and lifestyle so I endure.

This has been my schedule for so long, I’ve barely known what to do with myself besides struggle with the anxiety that comes from not being productive. There’s only so much reality television I can handle before it starts to make me physically ill.

My relief now Remy’s finally found him is ineffable.

He’s currently sat at our kitchen table opposite Remy who summoned him to our house for negotiations which my husband insists on doing himself.

I’ve always favoured the rote learning method for myself; the repetition helps to cement things within my memory. I am not a visual learner, so I’m not surprised that I barely recall what the bartender looked like in the few seconds I’d seen him before having a jacket thrown over my head, so I’m grateful for the chance to stand back and observe my ‘soulmate’

Average build, if I was to guess, maybe an inch or two shorter than myself. He’s wearing a yellow t-shirt with jeans, very casual but he sits with his hands folded and his lips cocked to one side as though he’s laughing at some secret joke. Short brown hair is brushed to one side, half hiding his left eye while darker patches of skin cover the left side of his face. His eyes are quite interesting, the right is a brown, while the left is a sharp blue.

And of course, he’s glowing.

Remy suddenly stands, shouting at the bartender and pointing to the door.

“Get the hell out of my house!”

Oh dear. I really should have been paying attention.

To his credit the bartender doesn’t even flinch, barely hiding an eyeroll before he speaks.

“It’s a reasonable request.”

“It’s a piss-take!”

“I deserve to get to know what I’m giving up”

Okay, this has gone far enough. I place a hand on my husband’s shoulder as he takes a breath to shout something back. Most likely something vulgar that I really could do without hearing.

“Let me handle this.” I insist.

He goes to argue but with a glance at our guest he shrugs my hand off and swears under his breath as he moves aside. Remy doesn’t take people disagreeing with him very well.

I pull out the chair and sit down on it, taking a good look at this man.

Loathsome as I am to say it, I can feel him. Ever since he entered our house, the thrumming buzz beneath my skin has become worse, as though it’s responding to his mere presence. I don’t like it. It’s uncomfortable like the silent buzz of a fluorescent bulb and I barely remember how it felt to not feel like this. I want it gone.

“What exactly do you want?”

There’s a look of intrigue in his eyes as he looks between Remy and I.

“Dates. With you,” he turns towards Remy, “Unchaperoned.”

I nod. “Reasonable.”

“What! Logan-!” Remy blurts but I hold up my hand to silence him.

“How many?”

Again the bartender looks past me to my husband with a slight smirk. “Fifteen.”

“You can suck my ass!” Remy practically tries to launch himself forward but luckily I hold an arm out to stop him.

“Remy, shut up or get out.”

He pulls back but doesn’t leave. The bartender is smirking again. Fifteen isn’t a serious request, clearly. He’s obviously trying to rile Remy up which I would be mad about if Remy wasn’t constantly chasing drama.

“Five.”

For the first time since he arrived, the bartender’s eyes land on me and embarrassingly I feel my breath pause for the briefest moment. I barely blink as he looks me up and down, breathing through his nose as he tilts his head to the side.

“Ten.”

“Six.”

“Seven. Every other day for two weeks.”

Despite his casual outfit, the jeans are rough and worn and there’s a hole in the bottom left corner of his shirt, he holds himself like an academic lecturer. He sits tall in his seat and has an air of knowing the people he’s talking to have little to no interest in what he has to say.

It’s really not what I expected.

“You understand we can’t do anything publicly.”

“Discretion is my middle name.” While I have met many people with ridiculous names at Remy’s side, I genuinely hope it’s not literal. “We could even have a first date now.” His glances over to Remy, “This is a wonderful house, and I’d love a tour.”

A wind-up merchant. Wonderful.

“Fuck you!” Remy snaps, crossing the kitchen and slamming his hands on the table again. “You don’t deserve to-!”

My hand on his shoulder stops him and he turns to me.

This man is crass in his delight at my husband’s discomfort and I’m hardly thrilled at the thought of showing him around our house, but he has us over a figurative barrel here. He has what we want, and if he wishes to start on the first part of our deal so quickly then it’s in our best interest to act swiftly.

“You did want to go to the gym.” I say pointedly.

Remy sputters, gapes, turning between myself and the bartender as he tries to think of a reason as to why this is an awful idea but when nothing comes to mind he huffs, heads for the door, stopping in the doorway.

“I want him gone before I get back.”

[getittogetherk]

August 12, 2022

Good .... afternoon! oh wow, i thought it was still morning.

Friday .... afternoon, apparently. I have had a 3 shot espresso can of coffee, and am on my second cup of hot coffee so the caffeine is really strongly coursing through my veins as we speak.

can’t believe i haven’t written in so long, although i suppose it makes sense. a couple weeks ago i was in Austin visiting alyson so i couldn’t really write, but i’m not sure what i did last weekend .... oh i know: friday morning: fished. friday afternoon: napped saturday morning: cleaned saturday afternoon: gomo’s bday at five star seafood 4-7 saturday evening: hung out with nida and fam in Rancho 8-12 sunday: slept in and cleaned so i guess it was a fairly productive weekend. it was really good to see nida and fam, and i ended up chatting with brea and hank most of the time, which was pretty nice, and i was in one of my funny/social/upper moods, so it was hopefully a good time for all (and hopefully i wasn’t “too much” but i think there were enough people so my mania might’ve watered down a bit).

work has been tough. i don’t know why but it’s been really hard to focus. i also haven’t been reading or jogging as much. i feel like i’ve lost a bit of focus. i think at least a part of it has been the weather. instead of the typical 4-5 day heat wave followed by a few days of respite, we’ve had pretty constant 90-100′ temps for like a straight months with no reprieve, and it’s started kinda messing with me. austin was just as hot if not hotter, and the only times it’s been at all cool has been in the condo which i keep at 76′ when i’m in here, and at the beach i fish at which is usually in the 60′s and feels cooler when i’m knee deep in the ocean water.

this weekend i’m actually going to fallbrook/san diego with grace kim and fam (her husband steve and daughter maddie). i checked the weather and it will also be in the 90′s there, but i’m hoping we’ll manage to stay cool with proximity to ocean/a/c.

but it’s been really hard to focus at work. i wonder if part of me is slightly checking out and starting to disengage from the burdens, knowing i’ll soon be rid of them, and part of me is panicking at the amount of work left/that i might possibly be leaving. and it’s just so hot and now i have very little supervision and i’m just feeling like there’s no air or room to breath (very dramatic i know.)

otherwise, things are going ok, i suppose. haven’t had much luck on the romantic front, and my one tinder match has stopped messaging me back, so ... boo. i’m still messaging Lo pretty regularly, but she’s made it at least somewhat clear that she either doesn’t want a relationship or she just doesn’t want one with me, haha. i’ve half jokingly asked her to move in with me and she’s said she wants to move to oregon, and can’t see herself with anybody, possibly ever, but in the next moment will tell me that she’s just downloaded a new dating app, Her, and have i tried it? so i know it’s ... personal lol. anyhoo, fine with me. i enjoy having her in my life, even if just peripherally, even if i’m not a main character in her’s.

i’ve made up somewhat with both amir, grace y, and grace h.  apparently grace h. stopped texting me back because when i once joked “new phone, who dis” she took it literally and figured i was the wrong number and the subsequent “hey” texts were spam (now cleared up.) i also messaged grace y and apologized for not being there for her more when her father in law was dying and not going to the funeral (which was a literal misunderstanding of prepositions), and i think we’re better. lastly, i cleared a few things up with Amir and though i don’t think we totally get each other or forgive each other, at least we’re not weird and he’ll still pick me up mc donald’s when he’s on his way to work.

this weekend: San Diego/Fallbrook with the Jacubowics!

what will be be doing? not terribly sure!

i think at some point we’ll be going to a park, maybe the beach, and for a five hour span i will be watching Maddie while the adults go to an adults-only wedding and i hope i make it out alive! i haven’t watched kids since i was in like high school watching my cousins but i’ve watched tons of dogs so hopefully i’ll be ok.

things i’m fairly excited about: Florida in September! September 7-13th! Fishing at Naples Pier! Charter Boat fishing with Lo and fam! Seeing Ant! Changing offices to downtown for the 9/80!

i think next week the temp will cool down a couple degrees, and in a couple weeks i’ll be downtown and in a few more i’ll be in florida, so. lots to look forward to. grateful.

[keefwho]

December 11 - 2022

8:16 AM

I wanna come up with some loose plans today. All I got are to do a YCH I started yesterday and try to start that Christmas present again now that I know what I want to do with it. But those are both productive things, I wanna do something chill. Maybe get on VRchat in VR after I do that YCH this morning. It’s fun to get on early sometimes. I could make it a point to try to make a new friend or at least have a decent conversation with someone. 

11:28 AM

I gotta figure out how to deal with this brain fog. Its like everything, even doing nothing, drains me mentally. I think the core issue is that I’m not engaged with anything but I’m not sure how to force engagement. I’ve already tried making myself do things plenty of times and it rarely works. Maybe I’m thinking too much about what I think I should want to do vs what I actually want to do. Maybe I need to reach deep and do whatever my body is telling me right now. 

12:05 PM

I HAVE to use weekends to relax but I still can’t justify a whole day of being lazy. I might set an earlier cutoff time for when I should take it easy, like 4pm or something. Before that, I’m allowed to stress a little bit and work on something. 

3:53 PM

I’m noticing that I’m becoming very stressed and I need to do something about it. I have 3 projects that need done before Christmas and thinking about it is stressing me out in an unhealthy way. I don’t want to be stressed because I know it fucks with my tummy. I’ve been in this kind of place before though. I need a re-adjustment of how I handling all this. Instead of worrying about if I’ll make it all in time, I have to accept that I probably will if I chip away at it in healthy doses. Even if I don’t meet the deadline, everyone will understand. One person doesn’t even know he has a gift coming and likely isn’t getting me anything so he shouldn’t be a big deal in particular. 

To avoid stress I need to lower the amount of importance I put in everything and make sure I am taking true breaks. I know how good it feels to have work time and chill time working in tandem, I just have to keep it up. Today is Sunday and it’s 4pm now. I did the very important groundwork for one of the gifts for a couple hours and whatever I decide to do now, it shouldn’t be taxing in any way. Even if I decide to draw or something, it can be very fun accepting that there are no consequences to the outcome of any drawings. I’m just doing it for fun/to learn. Commissions have stakes, personal things do not. I’ve been good about putting the fun back into drawing lately. 

8:01 PM

My tummy is the usual icky tonight. This has been happening a lot less lately which is good. But tonight will be one of those nights I guess. I’m not sure if it’s stuff I ate or slightly caused by blowing myself yesterday. I doubt it’ll be too bad but it’s bad enough that it’s getting in the way of things I want to do. I feel like I have to abandon everything and be in self care mode which right now is trying to relax with a cup of tea, a stream on the side, and some Switch games. Also some background rain noise. 

11:06 PM

Im trying not to feel guilty about it but I feel bad that I feel icky and let it stop me from hanging out with people so often. But this is what I’m working on. If I wasn’t already stressed out, I would have put up with it tonight. But my batteries were low and I had to take care of myself. 

[panergy888]

3 Portable Fans To Keep You From Completely Melting This Summer - Panergy

Summer is in full swing and it’s hot out there, amiright? Many kids are at camp without portable fans or cooling accessories, spending hours upon hours outdoors in the sun definitely not doing a good job of reapplying their sunscreen even though you’ve told them a bazillion times to lather on the lotion... and you finally resorted to warnings about skin cancer and premature aging in the hopes of scaring them into compliance—but I digress.

Your own days are probably hot and sweaty, too, through some combination of commuting, working, exercising, lawn mowing, and/or any number of other outdoor activities. Guess what? There are some highly-rated products out there designed to keep your family cool while you do all those hot summer things. 

01 Rechargeable Tripod Fan You Can Set Up Anywhere

With its flexible tripod legs, this portable fan can be attached to pretty much anything including strollers, car seats, wheelchairs, computer monitors, bicycle handlebars, and more. Plug it into a USB port to recharge and stay cool anywhere from two and a half to ten hours “depending on winds.” It’s designed with the safety of tiny fingers in mind, comes in three colors, has a light feature, and the manufacturer even offers a 12-month replacement warranty.

Helpful Review: “We live in Florida and realized how badly we needed a fan for our newborn. We use it pretty much on a daily basis. We put it on her car seat and on her stroller when we go on walks. I’ve even propped it up on our desk when I’m working and holding our daughter. The three speeds are great: low usually offers just enough of a cool down and high is very impressive because it’s fast and quiet. The lights we didn’t really need but has been a nice feature to have. Our daughter hates going in her car seat and this helps to distract her sometimes.”

02 A Portable Mini Fan That Fits In Your Palm

This small USB rechargeable fan can be held in your hand or placed on the tabletop for hands-free operation. It takes three hours to charge and boasts a battery life of five to 15 hours depending on which of its three speeds you use. It comes in three colors and is easy to clean thanks to a detachable cover. A 3000mAh version is also available.

Helpful Review: “Being a female of ‘a certain age’ and prone to sweating profusely at the drop of a hat, I found this little gem of a fan indispensable on my recent trip to Italy. It was very warm there even in September, so the fan was an absolute necessity for me. I've had other little fans with the propeller blade thingies but this one FAR [outdid] them. There are three settings each colder than the other, it's amazingly quiet, and the charge lasts for hours.”

03 Bladeless Fan Made To Wear Around Your Neck

No need to hold this one! This hands-free neck fan rests on your shoulders and goes wherever you go. Worried about your hair getting snagged? No need as it is completely bladeless. It comes in five cool colors including dark, pink, and white. The battery life ranges from four to 16 hours with three available speeds.

Helpful Review: “I bought this as a gift for my fiancé because he’s always complaining that he’s warm or it’s too hot, etc. He had no idea what it was until I put it around his neck and turned it on. His reaction was like that of a child having ice cream for the first time. And I mean he was screaming ‘YAY’ and jumping and laughing. Now he’s a 6 feet tall big muscly man, so picture that in your head. He absolutely LOVES it! I don’t think I’ll be ever to top this gift. He’s still talking about it, and he is not the overly expressive type.”

[pascalpanic]

Caffeine Rush: Chapter One / Americano

Javier Peña x f!Reader

Summary: Working a dull December morning shift, you meet a seemingly disgraced DEA agent by the name of Javier Peña.

Warnings: Language, talk of death and canon-typical Narcos violence

W/C: 2.3k

A/N: YOU GUYS i am so excited to share this story with you all!! i fuckin love Javi and coffee so this features my two favorite things! big thanks as always to my beta readers for helping me out- especially with chapter 2 (which i was stuck on for 3 weeks lol). I hope you guys enjoy! this story has some twists I don’t think y’all are gonna see coming ;) I’m planning to update this fic once a week! I just wanted to get chapter one out there :)

previous chapter || next chapter || masterlist

Americano: espresso and hot water; has a similar taste to a brewed coffee, but still darker and more caffeinated thanks to the espresso. 

Work is blissfully slow on weekdays, allowing you to putz along at your own speed. Today, however, is boring as hell. You’d had approximately seven customers since the morning rush, meaning about seven drinks to make. There weren’t even tables to clean, no customers having sat in the cozy coffeeshop. You and your coworker had joked around, swept and mopped, and cleaned the espresso machines twice each. 

At this point, with nothing else to do, you sipped your third peppermint mocha while perched atop two stacked milk crates, leafing through your worn copy of The Great Gatsby. It was a common occurrence when evening rolled around, but rarely so early in the day. Since you were the one on barista duty, Mandy kept watch for customers and allowed you to relax with your book. It was routine for the two of you. She mindlessly fusses with the product wall and the coffee grinder, cleaning everything for the third time.

The door opens and you pop up from your makeshift chair excitedly. The weather is blustery and cold, with heavy snowflakes starting to fall outside the large windows, and the man who enters is pulling his jacket tight around himself. He looks up and you quickly dodge behind the espresso machines before you can make eye contact. It’s instinctual, and you’re unsure why until your brain reminds you of the man’s face. He’s handsome, even though you got maybe a second’s look at him. Dark brown hair and a neatly trimmed mustache, eyes an even darker shade to complement his tanned skin. 

You bite your lip and grab a large ceramic mug, bringing it to the espresso machine. No one would be crazy enough to order a cold drink in this weather. Mandy takes his order and a few seconds later, his receipt pops up through the printer at your end of the shop:

Ticket 114 - 12/3/93

Name: Javier

LG-Redeye

!memo: darkroast

Javier. The name suits the man, you think to yourself and smile as you begin prepping the espresso for his drink. As you walk to Mandy’s station to fill the mug with drip coffee, she smiles and nudges your side. “Isn’t he cute?” She murmurs. You look at the printed ticket then at the coffee warmers: there’s no dark roast. 

“Very,” you giggle a little and fill the mug with light instead. He’s seated in the corner. “I call dibs,” you tease, and Mandy shakes his head. She’s married, but she knows your type, and it’s exactly the man sitting there, staring at a newspaper.

“Yeah, okay,” she shakes her head but smiles at you. “No wedding ring either. I think you should bring his drink to him instead of calling out the order.”

Staring down at the filling mug, you shake your head. “We’ll see,” you chuckle softly and return down to your end of the bar, pouring the two shots of espresso. “Javier?” You call in your barista voice, and the man lifts his head and walks to the bar.

“That’s me,” he says, a small begrudging smile on his face.

“Hi,” you chuckle and hold up the mug. “We’re out of dark roast right now, so I had to use light. Could I put some flavoring or cream or sugar in there for you?” You offer. “Otherwise, I can most definitely make you something else. An americano maybe?”

He pauses for a second. “Yeah, an americano would be great,” he nods. “What kind of flavors… are there?” he asks. 

“Oh, we have a ton,” you say enthusiastically, grabbing the syrup rack and pulling it your way. “Any of these. Hazelnut, vanilla, raspberry,” you smile, rattling off the flavors, “otherwise we also have caramel and any flavor of chocolate.”

Javier raises an eyebrow as he looks at the small display. “Never been somewhere with so many options. Could I do dark chocolate and cream?” He asks, and you nod.

“Of course,” you tell him, dumping the previous mug and grabbing another. “I’ll have that right up for you. You can head back to where you were sitting,” you inform him.

He shakes his head. “I can wait here. Save us both a trip.”

You nod. “Sure,” you say with a smile, prepping more espresso. “The redeye and americano are pretty different in caffeine though, the americano is going to have more since there’s more espresso.”

“I just need as much caffeine as I can get. Tough day ahead,” he nods. 

“I’ve been told bartenders and baristas are wonderful ears to listen,” you offer, a sweet smile on your face.

His guard has fallen like a wrecking ball through a house of cards at the way you smile. “Well, I’m with the DEA.” It feels strange, openly admitting that around here. Colombians weren’t exactly welcoming to American agents, but it felt like citizens around here saw them as some kind of superhero. 

Your eyes light. “Shouldn’t it be a fantastic day for you then?” you ask. “I mean, it’s all over the news. Escobar. Do you know the guys in the photo?” You ask with excitement in your voice.

He nods. Escobar was killed yesterday, and it’s all over the news, including the paper back at his table. “Yeah. The blonde guy in the red shirt is actually my work partner. It’s a tough day because I didn’t get to be there when it happened. I’ve been down in Colombia for years now, and they catch Escobar two days after I leave.”

The smile on your face turns to a frown. “That’s… awful,” you nod, eyes full of sadness for him. “I’m so sorry. At least it must be nice to be home?” you ask, tilting your head slightly and pouring the espresso shots into the mug.

He shakes his head. “D.C. isn’t home. I’m from Texas,” he admits, and the way he speaks finally registers as a slightly slowed speech pattern from the area. “I’m happy for Steve though. The blonde one, my partner. He deserves it. We’ve been down there for… Jesus,” he sighs and looks at the ceiling as he counts the years, “well, a while now. Couple of years. I fucked up, bad. Honestly, I think I’m up here to get fired.” 

You frown slightly as you pump the chocolate into the hot espresso and water, swirling it around with a spoon. “You worked on Escobar for years?” you ask, and Javier nods. “Well, then I personally doubt you’d be getting fired. You guys just caught him, everyone must be in a good mood. I guess it depends on how bad you fucked up,” you shrug as you tap the spoon into the sink and bend down to grab the cream.

“I… do you know who Los Pepes are?” he asks. You shake your head as you stand, pouring some cream into the steaming drink. “Well, they’re a radical group who did some crazy shit to try to weaken Escobar, and I got involved with them. I have a meeting today with the review board.”

You finally make eye contact with him, wincing for him. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound great,” you admit with a chuckle, putting the cream back in the little refrigerator beneath you. 

“It’s not.”

“It’s not necessarily why you got called up here,” you shrug and grab a saucer, putting the mug on top of it and on the bar for him to take.

“Well, I don’t know, I suppose,” he agrees and takes the drink from you.

You shrug. “Best of luck, Javier,” you tell him with a genuine smile of encouragement.

He nods, looking at your name tag attached to your apron. He murmurs your name before looking back up at your face and into your eyes. “Thank you.” He takes his drink and returns to his table, and you sigh and return to your makeshift chair in the corner. 

Mandy pulls up two crates next to you, sitting down across from you with gleaming eyes. “Did it go well? You two talked for a while,” she asks, raising her eyebrows and encouraging you to tell her more.

“A little, but just… how I would with anyone, I guess,” you shrug as you sip your mocha for a moment, drinking the last of the warm coffee. “Not like I got his number or anything.”

“He’s sitting down to drink his coffee. Go offer him a refill when he’s done.”

“That would require me to stare at him, Mandy, and I think he’d notice that,” you shake your head as you stand to make yourself a new drink. 

She stands with you, pushing the crates out of the way. “I’ll keep an eye on him for you. I’ll signal to you when he’s done or getting low on coffee, and you can bring him a refill. How does that sound?” she asks you.

You nod with a sigh. “Since you’re apparently not going to let this go, fine. I will.” 

Mandy claps her hands together excitedly. “Yay!” She sings. “Oh, will you make me a drink while you’re at it? I’ll have a-”

“Skim hazelnut latte with no foam and light whip,” you recite before she can finish her order.

“You’re a babe,” she sings and heads over to clean the tables that haven’t even been touched since she wiped them an hour ago. 

You make her drink and set it aside, then work on your own, fourth coffee. The peppermint and the coffee swirl together deliciously in the air, fitting the weather and the time of year. It’s December, and the snow outside and the warm feeling from the man across the coffee shop contrast in your heart. You sneak glances at him a couple of times, biting your lip to hold back a smile as you admire the handsome face peeking above the newspaper he reads. 

About ten minutes later, you look up from cleaning the machines to see Mandy tucked behind a wall where he can’t see her. She’s frantically waving at you, pointing towards Javier once she catches your attention. Go, she mouths excitedly, beaming at you. 

You wipe your hands on your apron and walk to where she stands. “Fine, I will, but you’re making the drinks if anyone else comes in.”

“Oh no, how will I handle it?” She asks in a deadpan, eyeing the shop that’s empty except for the two of you and Javier. “Go,” she says, giving you a light shove and giggling.

You shake your head but walk over, placing a hand lightly on the table. “Coffee’s looking low. Could I get you a refill?” you offer.

Javier looks up at you, and you feel like turning to jelly as you look into his big brown eyes, filled with confusion but also admiration. He furrows his brow, creating small creases between his eyebrows. “Uh… sure. How much is it?” he asks, reaching for his wallet and setting down the newspaper.

You put a hand on his arm, giving a gentle smile. “You need it. It’s on the shop,” you tell him.

“No, seriously, what, like $5?” he asks, but you put a hand over his. 

“No, Javier,” you chuckle lightly. “Don’t worry about it. Another americano with chocolate and cream?” you ask.

“Uh… make me whatever you like best. And bring one for yourself too.” He says, well, really asks, nodding to the empty chair across from him. “It’s not too busy to talk, is it?”

You swallow hard before you break into a grin. “No, not at all. Uh… do you like peppermint?” you ask. 

“Peppermint is good,” he says, giving you a small smile.

“Perfect,” you smile softly at him, picking up his empty mug and saucer. “We have a peppermint mocha, it’s seasonal. It’s my favorite, I’ll be right back with them,” you say, giggling softly and biting your lip as you turn and walk back to the bar. 

You’re hidden behind the espresso machines as you finally grin and giggle, and Mandy rushes to your side. “Oh my God,” she laughs happily. “He’s so hot. What were you guys talking about?”

“He asked me to sit with him,” you giggle excitedly, preparing four espresso shots. 

She nearly squeals with excitement, grabbing your arm closest to her. You scoop some chocolate chips and pour milk into a pitcher, putting it under the steam wand. “Holy shit. What has he told you so far? What’s his story?”

“Well, he said he’s a DEA agent. He’s on leave from work right now, but the guy in the red shirt in that picture of Escobar after they killed him? That’s his partner,” you tell her, letting the excitement speed your words up. “He’s been in Colombia for a couple of years working on it. Isn’t that cool?” You laugh. 

“So cool,” she nods in agreement. “And he’s so fucking cute. Girl, you need to get your ass back there before I steal him myself.”

You laugh as you pour the shots and then the steamed milk into the mugs. “I’m trying, but you holding onto one of my arms is holding me back, love,” you tease her and she breaks away. You top both mugs with a perfectly peaked whipped cream layer, then sprinkle candy cane pieces and chocolate chips on top. “Wish me luck,” you practically sing as you walk back with a mug for each of you.

Javier’s holding back a grin himself as you make the drinks. He can see your head bobbing along behind the bar, the other woman chatting with you. He’s more transfixed than you than he should allow himself to be, but all fears fade as he sees you approaching with a grin and two large, whipped cream-topped drinks.

You set the drink down in front of him and he smiles at you. “Wow. This…” he looks down at it and smiles a little. “Well, it looks sweet.”

“I have a sweet tooth,” you admit with a soft laugh and sit down, taking a sip and sighing softly. “It tastes like winter. I love it.” He nods and takes a sip too. It’s sweet, but not as bad as he expected. “I added extra espresso to yours,” you tell him, a shy smile on your face. 

“A woman after my own heart,” he chuckles and sets it down, licking the foam off of his mustache. 

You smile a little wider at that and hold back a laugh. “Did you want to talk about the meeting?” you ask him, tilting your head, your expression softening.

Javier’s already falling, and he curses himself as he looks at you. Not a thought except him. He’s already thinking of a sly way to get your number. “No, not really. I just spilled basically my entire life story to you.”

“Then you’ve had a very short and boring life. That was hardly anything. I’ve had customers come in and cry over divorces or lost family members; the whole job situation was mild,” you chuckle and admit, tracing the rim of the mug with your fingertips and staring down at the steaming drink.

“Really? You seem like a therapist and a barista in one,” he teases lightly.

“Well, I did just graduate with a Masters in psychology,” you shrug. “I just graduated with it from Georgetown. That’s why I’m here,” you tell him and look up. “Working here part-time while I decide what I want to do.”

“No shit. I did my undergrad in psych and sociology,” Javier says with a small smile, making your smile grow too. “Texas A&M though. Nothing as prestigious as Georgetown.”

“A&M isn’t anything to sneeze at,” you chuckle as you look over at him. His eyes are deep-set, deeper than they probably normally are. They’re bloodshot and hold bags beneath them. After a breath, you bite your lip and look him in the eye. “You look tired. I don’t know you normally, I understand. Maybe you shouldn’t finish this,” you tell him with a concerned smile, scooting his mug towards you. “Too much caffeine.”

“No, I need it, please,” he says, tugging it back and sipping at it again. “Just… until after this meeting. Then I’ll know what my future holds, then I can rest.”

“What time is it at?”

“5:00.”

There’s a beat of silence. “I don’t have any plans tonight,” you say gently, looking at him with a question in your eyes. “Would you like to get dinner? Talk things out, once you know what your future holds?” You offer, a soft smile and hopeful eyes. “I already know enough about you. This could be practice therapy for me,” you tease softly.

Javier thinks for a second, though he knows what the answer will be. At least pretends to think, surprised that you could hear all he had said about Los Pepes and working in Colombia and that you still offered. “I’d like that,” he nods, his voice soft when he looks at you. “I don’t know the area well. You’ll have to tell me where.”

“Do you have a car up here?” You ask him, and he shakes his head. “I can pick you up,” you offer. “Where are you staying?”

He grabs a napkin and pats his pockets for a pen. You hand him the paint pen tucked on your apron and he quickly thanks you before writing down the address to the hotel. You take the napkin and the pen and grab another napkin. “And this…” you say and write down your phone number, sliding it to him, “is where you’ll call me when you’re ready for me to come get you. Okay?” You ask.

Your voice is so soothing, Javier thinks. More than sleep or reassurance or even a hit of Escobar’s private stash or really anything could be to him right now, it’s a comfort. You must be a miracle, he thinks, some kind of blessing for something he isn’t quite sure of, but he must have done something right in the eyes of the Almighty to be here, right now, talking with you. “You know, I was raised Catholic,” he tells you and leans in a little. “I don’t know that I am anymore. But still… I think you might be an angel in disguise.”

Biting your lip, you giggle and look down. “I don’t know about that,” you chuckle as you look up at him again. “Just… right place, right time, maybe. I’ll see you tonight, okay?” you ask him, placing your hand over his and standing.

Javier nods as he looks up at you. “How should I dress?” he asks and tilts his head. His eyes are so expressive, you notice and smile a bit. They betray exactly what he’s thinking.

“Um… what you’re wearing now would be fine. A button down and jeans would work,” you tell him with a nod, patting his hand and picking up your mug. “I’ll see you then. Good luck,” you tell him with a sweet smile and retreat to the back. Javier can’t say anything in return, just sips his peppermint mocha.

Three minutes later, you return with a muffin. “Eat this. You can’t have all that caffeine and no food.”

“Thanks,” he chuckles and looks down at it. You’re gone when he looks back up, and he breaks off a piece. What a weird day. It’s only about to get weirder.

-

taglist:

@remmysbounty @mishasminion360 @blo0dangel @binarydanvvers  @sleep-tight1 @apascalrascal @randomness501 @spideysimpossiblegirl @notabotiswear @pedro-pastel @sanchosammy @lv7867 @greeneyedblondie44 @hunnambabe @astoryisaloveaffair @emesispo @pedritobalmando @magikfanatic @yooforia @oceanablue @sara-alonso @pedrosmustache @feelingmadclever @hnt-escape @radiowallet @obsessivelysearching @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan​ @linnie0119​​

[shinonometrash]

💕🍄The 12 Days of Ayumu 🍄💕

JULY 17TH!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AYUMU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AYUMU 😭💕😭💕😭💕 Doing all this translating has done nothing except make me miss him even more 😭 But!!! Today is the big day!! And so we have the thing I’ve been saving for last!!!! The absolutely cutest Ayumu story I think I’ve ever read !!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I wanted to cry when I read it it was so sweet I love him so much sdfgnkjkjnfg

I was a lot more creative with translating this story to make it sound more fun and natural, since I’m finally getting comfortable enough to start doing that, I really hope you guys enjoy it !!

it’s pretty long, so I’m putting it under a readmore

Ayumu Shinonome: Happy Birthday ♡

technically this story is about Ayumu celebrating our birthday, rather than about celebrating his, but...

In the S ward is one of the most popular downtown areas in Tokyo.

2PM —

Middle schooler: Hey, look at that guy over there

Middle schooler 2: Oh my gosh, yeah!

Middle schooler: He’s a host, don’t you think?

Middle schooler 2: He’s definitely a host!

(…No, you’re wrong.)

(I’m just wearing a formal suit.)

Middle schooler: Eek…this is the first time I’ve seen a host in real life!

Middle schooler 2: I guess that’s the norm around here, we are in Tokyo after all!

Thanks to the middle school students who seem to be in the middle of a field trip, I now see the passersby struggling to contain their laughter.

(This couldn’t get any worse. Ugh, this sucks.)

(Really. I was already reluctant enough to do this as is…)

Speaking of which—

MC: Ayumuuuu~!

At last, the reason for all of this torture has arrived.

MC: Sorry! Did I keep you waitin-…

MC: !!!

(Uh…is she okay?)

MC: Ayumu, you…you look…so hot…

MC: Ahh, you look amazing!!

Ayumu: Dummy!! Keep your voice down!

(If she says something like that too loudly…)

Middle schooler: Oh no, look! He’s got a customer…

Middle schooler 2: She must be a huge regular…

Ayumu: …gah, come on, let’s go.

MC: Huh? Already?

MC: I haven’t changed into my pumps yet…

Ayumu: It’s fine, come on! Hurry up!

MC: Ahh, hold up! I came all this way so at least let me put my arm around yours…

MC: Gahh, slow down! You’re walking way too fast!

MC: Ayuumuuuuuu!

This all started about two weeks ago.

MC: Ayumu! Look! This is what I was talking about!

Ayumu: Eh…? Scary…

Fresh out of the bath, my girlfriend suddenly plops down on the ground.

Ayumu: …What

Ayumu: Don’t tell me you broke my limited edition Tyrannosaurus mug…

MC: No, no, that’s not it!

MC: It has to do with this year’s KappaMC Birthday Celebration!

Ayumu: Gross

Ayumu: You’re creating your own birthday celebration…?

MC: It’s a great idea, isn’t it!

MC: I see this kind of thing a lot on social media!

Ayumu: Even so, you’re not supposed to post that about yourself

Ayumu: That sort of tag is made by enthusiastic fans…

MC: Well then, I’ll ask you to do it, Ayumu! Since you should be my biggest fan!

MC: Pleaaase do it with me~?

MC: Take me on a date in a formal suit please!

Nonsense, I thought. At the time.

However, at a later date…

Toru: Ahh~ This seems to be real popular these days! Suit men

Ayumu: …what?

Toru: If you search anywhere on social media sites, you’ll get tons of hits~

Toru: Guys uploading selfies in suits

…I don’t get it.

What’s so fun about showing off a suit?

(Although, she did say something the other day about wanting to go on a date with me in a formal suit..)

Ayumu: Frivolous. Completely.

Toru: Noo, you just need to choose the right place to go!

Toru: Shall the Great Toru offer you some guidance~?

Ayumu: No thanks. There’s no way that’s ever happening…

Toru: Hm, well I don’t know what kind of person your partner is, but—

Toru: Sometimes it’s important to spice things up a bit so that you don’t fall into a rut!

Ayumu: …

Toru: Again, I really have noo idea who your partner is buuuut

Toru: I think women who like that sort of thing would be really happy~

Ayumu: …

(…bah. He’s probably right.)

(She does seem like she’d like that sort of thing…)

That’s why I decided to title it “The Extraordinary Production”

I end up regretting this as soon as we start stage one—meeting up downtown.

(Ah, well, at least I won’t feel as out of place at the next stage.)

Yes, and the next stage is—

MC: Look! Look! Ayumu! The view outside is sooooooo pretty!!

Ayumu: Ah, I see.

(Naturally. We are on the 38th floor.)

By the way, the seats here are filled almost full.

Of them, about half are reservations.

MC: Whoaaa, did you see?? This afternoon tea set!!

MC: The tea stand! It has five tiers! Five!!

Ayumu: Ah, I see.

MC: Hey, at least act more surprised!

MC: Fives tiers? This is the first time, for me at least, that I’ve ever seen anything like this!

(…yeah, I suppose it would be)

I say this because—

Toru: How’s this place look?

Toru: “Enjoy some luxury afternoon tea on the top floor of a high rise tower”

Toru: Whoa, the tea stand, it’s got five tiers!

Ayumu: Ah, I see.

Toru: Ugh, what kind of response was that!

Toru: Are you even listening?? The tea stand has five tears!!

Toru: Isn’t that alone pretty much a win right there?

Ayumu: I don’t get it.

Toru: In a date, it’s either a win or a loss…

Soma: But doesn’t it seem likely that it would make his date happy?

Ayumu: !

Soma: Women who are particular about food will also care about how many tiers of sweets there are, will they not?

Soma: Glutto-no, women who eat everything with enthusiasm,

Soma: I think they would be very pleased with a five tiered tea stand.

Ayumu: Haa…

MC: What should I do?? My heart is beating so fast, I’m so excited…

MC: I don’t think I’ll be able to eat all five tiers…

Ayumu: If it’s you, you’ll be fine.

Ayumu: …since you’re a glutton.

MC: Huh? What did you just say right now…?

Ayumu: Nothing, don’t worry about it.

Seeing the waiter passing by, I raise my hand to get their attention.

Waiter: Did you decide what you would like to order?

Ayumu: The afternoon tea set for two people, please.

Ayumu: The original black tea blend.

Waiter: Understood, thank you.

As soon as the waiter walks away, I purposely sigh dramatically.

Ayumu: So noisy

MC: Wha-…I didn’t even sa-

Ayumu: Your stare

Ayumu: It feels like you’re trying to stare into my soul or something since a while ago.

MC: …hey, b-but that….

MC: I mean! I can’t help it…

MC: You just look way too amazing today, it’s like my eyes are being sucked in…

Ayumu: …

(…what is she even saying, this girl)

Ayumu: This isn’t the first time you’ve seen me like this though, is it? In a suit?

MC: That’s true, but…today is special…

MC: You wore the suit for me, didn’t you?

MC: That automatically makes you look, like, 30% hotter!

MC: I’m just so happy, I can’t stop looking at you

Ayumu: ….I see.

There was a strange pause before I replied.

Probably because I was remembering the advice that Toru gave me.

Toru:  You definitely need to be sure to always compliment your date’s outfit~

Ayumu: …wha?

Toru: Well, if you’re wearing a formal suit

Toru: Then your date should also be in formal wear, right?

Ayumu: that…well…

Toru: And so, you need to be sure to give your date lots of compliments!

Toru: Cause girls always put several times more effort into things like their makeup and hairstyle!

Ayumu: No, no, she doesn’t have me beat there

Ayumu: If we’re talking hairstyle, it’s definitely me…

Toru:  Bah, well, saying things like “that looks great on you” or “you look pretty” is always a safe bet

Toru: And then…

Ayumu: You don’t—

MC: “I don’t”?

—“you don’t look too bad yourself, either”

That’s it. All I have to do is use what she said as an opportunity to compliment her back.

(So, come on. Say it.)

(Just light and natural.)

(Sound genuine about it…)

Ayumu: You don’t—

MC: Ah!!

Suddenly, my girlfriend jumps out of her chair as if remembering something.

MC: Sorry, is it okay if I go to the restroom for real quick?

MC:  It’s…my shoes, I’m still wearing my sneakers

Ayumu: …

MC: No, I know already, you don’t have to tell me

MC: “You should’ve just worn your pumps from the beginning”

MC: That’s what you were about to say, right?

MC: But these shoes don’t quite fit right…

MC: “It’ll be fine if just change into them right before I meet up with Ayumu”…is what I had told myself

Ayumu: …

MC: I’ll just change into them real quick!!

Ayumu: …

(…This sucks.)

I just let a perfect chance that I’ll probably never see again slip by.

(No, it’s fine though.)

(It’s not like I absolutely HAVE to give her a compliment.)

That was just Toru’s opinion.

She didn’t specifically ask me to do it, or anything.

And so, from there, while I’m with my girl…

MC: Ahh, that was so delicious!

MC: The cake and the scones and the tea, they were all the best! Ayumu: …

MC: Oh, and the clotted cream too!

MC: It was the first time I’ve ever had it but it went surprisingly well with the scones~

MC: I wonder if they sell it at that other shop…

(…this is it.)

Her head is probably full of the afternoon tea we just had.

I want to make her happy…more than anything.

(But it’s impossible to compliment her when things are like this.)

I’ll just start by making a statement about what she’s wearing, but it’ll have a compliment at the end.

“I noticed your dress has lace on top of the turquoise fabric. It’s not bad.

“Those pumps must not be comfortable to wear. But they go nicely with the dress.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you wear this much makeup. It looks nice.”

(I’m psyching myself up too much, aren’t I?)

I guess it just goes to show how much I’ve been looking forward to this day, though.

MC: So where are we going next?

Ayumu: Anywhere is fine, as long as it only takes about an hour.

MC: Hm? What does that mean?

Ayumu: This.

I pull two tickets out of the breast pocket of my suit.

MC: Whaa…the opera??

Ayumu: It’s in about an hour from now. So we can’t go unless we go at that time.

(The idea wasn’t mine, though.)

Yes, this idea…

Toru: Hmm, what other places would be good to wear a formal suit to…

Toru: What about a luxury brand store?

Ayumu: Huh?

Toru: If you wear a businesswear vs a formal suit to a shop, the staff will treat you differently, right?

Toru: Because they’ll be acting even more polite to you

Toru: There’s no doubt that your date will feel like a celebrity!

Toru: Right, Goto?

Goto: Don’t touch me, I’m not responding to that.

Toru: And after you can take her to a fancy restaurant inside a hotel or a bar with a gorgeous night view!

Toru: Sure it might be a little cliche sounding, but it’ll certainly be something out of the ordinary that you won’t forget!

Toru: Hey, Gotooo!

Goto: Look, even if you touch me, I’m still not going to respo-

???: Aww, aren’t you guys sweet

Toru: …huh?

Tsugaru: Don’t you know this is the perfect time to go watch the opera?

Ayumu: ..……good afternoon. How long have you been there?

Tsugaru: Now that hardly matters, does it?

Tsugaru: More importantly, if you’re going to put all that effort into a date, you should go to the opera.

Tsugaru: It’s like a date specifically meant for formal wear, is it not~?

Tsugaru: Hmmm, but…

Tsugaru: It’s possible the person you’re planning to take on a date doesn’t understand the opera, though.

Ayumu: …I should first confirm whether that’s true or not, though

Ayumu: Hey, have you ever watched the opera?

MC: Uhhhh, that’s…

MC: Well, I’ve seen Phantom of the Opera…

Ayumu: That’s not the same thing

Ayumu: That’s just a musical.

MC: …well of course I know that much!

MC: So, this is a first

MC: It’ll be my “first time”!

Ayumu: Wait…do you hear that—

MC: I want my first time to be with you, Ayumu!

MC: So please, take my opera virginity—!

???: Ahhh!!

A sudden scream drowns out her playful chattering.

Woman: A purse snatcher…!!

Woman: Somebody, please! My bag!

(Seriously? A purse snatcher?)

Before I get a chance to confirm, she jumps into action.

She starts chasing the purse snatcher.

(Dummy! What is she doing??)

Purse snatcher: Damn it…!

The criminal escapes to the back alley at the end of the road. Of course, my girl isn’t the type to give up so easily.

MC: Stop right there!

While she chases after the purse snatcher, I enter the next alley. 

If the criminal turns the corner here, I’m pretty sure I can cut him off.

Sure enough—

(…he came.)

MC: Ayumu!

Purse snatcher: Shit…!

I’m in front of the criminal, blocking his path, while she’s at his back. He turns around and rushes at her.

Purse snatcher: Move it!

MC: Just who do you think you are!!

Her next move is quite something. As the criminal charges at her, she swiftly grabs his right hand, twisting it behind his back and shoving him to the ground, planting her body weight on his back.

Purse snatcher: Ouch! Ow ow ow!

From there, we hand over the criminal to the authorities and all live happily ever after—

Or not.

MC: The interrogation took longer than I expected…

Ayumu: Yeah, it did

MC: But if we leave now we should be able to just barely make it in time…

???: Oh my gosh, look at her

I hear a whisper from a woman passing by.

Woman: Yikes, look at her, did she get into a fight?

Woman 2: Maybe she fell? There’s a hole in her stockings

The innocent exchange seems to have reached her ears.

MC: Oh…

There’s no denying that she looks beat up right now.

Her dress is dirty and the knees of her stockings have holes in them. 

(Of course.)

(She had to straddle the criminal on the ground to secure him.)

However, her stockings aren’t the only thing that tore.

MC: I-I’m sorry, I’lll go change them right away…

Ayumu: The lace

MC: Huh?

Ayumu: The lace part on your dress, too

MC: !

Ayumu: Did it get caught on something? Like a nail?

Ayumu: When you were chasing after the purse snatcher

MC: …ah, yeah…

Seems I probably guessed right.

MC: I’m so sorry, I’ll go change into a new outfit…

MC: Ah…but, the time…

Ayumu: …

MC: Please just wait a second…I’ll figure it out someway or another…

MC: To change…I’ll just, I’ll go buy some new clothes…

Ayumu: It’s fine, the way it is now

Strangely, the words seem to just flow out of my mouth on their own accord

Ayumu: You don’t look bad

MC: Uhh…?

Ayumu: It doesn’t look bad, does it? How you look right now

It’s still the outfit she put so much effort into, just a bit worn out now.

Either way, it’s still very ‘KappaMC’-like.

(Really, it’s not bad.)

I run my hands through her messy hair to smooth it out.

She looks up at me, confused.

MC: Um…Ayumu…?

Ayumu: Let’s go

MC: Wait, I can’t go to the opera looking like this…

Ayumu: We’re not. Going to the opera, that is.

MC: What! No! Don’t say that!

MC: You already bought the tickets and everything…

Ayumu: Don’t worry about it, really, it’s okay.

Just a slight change in schedule.

Truthfully, I had planned on bringing her ‘here’ after the opera, anyway.

(Ah, but this timing actually isn’t bad at all, it works out well.)

Ayumu: Aren’t you coming?

MC: But…I look like a mess…

Ayumu: You look fine, don’t worry about it

Ayumu: I rented out the place

MC: Rented out??

MC: Here??

Startled, she looks around at the surroundings.

(Ah, well, it makes sense. Reacting that way.)

If I was in her position,  I’d probably react the same way,

Ayumu: Your hand.

MC: Sorry?

Ayumu: Your left hand. Give it to me.

MC: Oh, um, alright…

I grabbed her nervously outstretched hand and led her to middle of the stairs.

(Finally.)

Now we just need to stand here for five more seconds.

Honestly, this is the most nerve wracking part of the whole day.

(But, well, it’s her birthday.)

(And it’s special.)

Ayumu: 3…2…1…

At the exact moment I point, balloons float up into the sky.

MC: Balloons??!

She watches as the balloons float upwards, eyes wide in surprise.

I use her distraction as an opportunity to pick up the bouquet I had hidden.

Ayumu: Happy birthday

Her mouth falls open wide in shock.

Yeah. It really isn’t like me to do this sort of thing.

But, the one who thought of this surprise, make no mistake, was me. I came up with it.

(This is a once in a year occasion, after all.)

(And I thought she would like it, if I did this.)

Ayumu: So? What do you think?

MC: … Ayumu: MC?

No reply.

(Uhh, what’s the status here?)

(Maybe I messed up…)

MC: A-a…yu…

(Ah-yoo…?)

MC: A-yu-muuuuu…!!

(Whoa wait just a-)

Ayumu: Oof

Sniffling, she throws her arms around me.

MC: I-I…j-just…nnnf, I’m…I’m so, nnnnff, so happy…I, nnnf, love it…s..so much..!!

MC: T-th…! This…surprise, nnnf, it…it’s…!!!

Ayumu: …

MC: P-plea…zz…please sta…stay with, nnnf, with me…fore…forever, nnnf…!!

Ayumu: …dummy.

Ayumu: I can’t understand what you’re saying.

That’s a lie. 

Truthfully, I understand perfectly what she’s saying.

(“Stay with me.”)

I’ll stay with you, for the rest of our lives.

In return, don’t ever let go of me.

I did something today that I never would’ve even dreamed of doing before, all because you’ve changed me.

Ayumu: Happy birthday

MC: T-thank you…

Ayumu: So, what shall we do from here?

First, I have a room for us to stay at.

But after we check in, we can spend our time however we’d like until dinner time. 

(Ah, no, but before that we need to change.)

(As you’d imagine, going to the restaurant looking like this would be…)

MC: …iss…

Ayumu: Hm?

MC: Kiss…I want to kiss you…

MC: From here on…with you, forever…

Ayumu: …

Ayumu: …dummy

I was asking about later today, but…

Is she asking for a kiss with a runny nose and a tear soaked face?

There’s a lot of things I want to say to that, but—

(Ah, well, it’s her birthday…)

Her lips taste salty, as expected.

But…I don’t hate it. Maybe I’ve gone crazy too.

MC: Thank you…

As we pulled away from the kiss she sniffled loudly.

MC: I, um, I feel like I’m dreaming…

MC: My head feels all fuzzy…

Ah, I see.

MC: I’m gonna…just you wait…!

MC: Next time it’s your birthday, I’m gonna think of an amazing surprise…!

Ayumu: No need to.

I have nothing but a bad feeling about that.

Ayumu: Seriously, don’t. Hard pass.

MC: …hmph, meanie!

MC: If this is how you feel, now I’m DEFINITELY going to plan something!!!

MC: Like making dinosaur balloons, or dinosaur 3D pancakes, or…

MC: Maybe I’ll rent out a whole museum…

MC: Mmph, mmm…

It’s really not necessary. Coming up with some sort of surprise.

(If you’re here with me.)

As long as you stay here next to me—

If we can kiss like this, then that’s enough for me.

-The End-

Isn’t that CG gorgeous??? And wasn’t that story soooo frickin adorable??? sbkhgkjadbf I have so many feelings about this 😭💕😭💕

And thank you so so so so sooo much to @world-a-to-z​!! Like I’d mentioned at the start, I was never part of the Peach fanclub because I only started reading Ayumu’s stories almost exactly a year ago now. And so, I didn’t have access to this story. So what did this absolutely wonderful person do?? Transcribe this entire story in Japanese!!!! And then was kind enough to send it to me, along with the screenshots of the backgrounds (which were pretty necessary for all the scene changes, I think) and the CG, so that I could translate it. So please give her a HUGE HUGE thank you for making basically almost the entirety of this birthday celebration possible!!! 💕💕💕

Thank you guys so much for celebrating with me! I hope everyone had a lot of fun!!! I can’t wait to actually sleep again now...I spent sooo much time doing all these translations whoops ><

In case you missed a day, or want to reread anything, you’ll find links to all the posted content here!

[wishingicouldfly]

I've been actively blogging for more than six months, even though I've had a tumblr account for ten years. I started reading One Direction (specifically Larry) fanfiction about the same time.

Originally, I read exclusively canon compliant fiction--I was hungry for industry insider, what-could-have-happened narratives. But I've slowly branched out into other genres. I find fanfic--good fanfic--super calming. When I've had too much stunting, too much noise, I grab a fanfic and immerse myself. So I thought it was time to do a post about my favorites. Keep in mind, I'm terrible at cataloging, and I have over 150 bookmarks on my A03 Account, so this is by no means an exhaustive list.

I'm not including the classics like Tired, Tired Sea and Escapade. While I do love both of those (so well written), because a lot of people know about those already.

My all time favorites are by @helloamhere

1. The Multipicity of Powers - https://archiveofourown.org/works/28580229

Maybe in another universe he isn’t different. Maybe he hadn’t been given an impossible choice. Maybe he wouldn’t have lost everything and broken everything and then fallen impossibly, irrevocably in love with the first next thing that was kind. Maybe in that universe he doesn’t feel like he’s never breathing, always pretending, teaching the kids even though they all have to learn alone, trying hard not to read the headlines, and so afraid, every day, that he won’t be a good enough teammate to the superhero he can’t live without. He knows that love isn’t supposed to feel this way, slid secret under your skin like a surgical razor, an invisible war held close over the tender vein that keeps you alive. On the other hand, Louis wonders, had he ever known how to do it any other way?

Maybe there’s a universe where he doesn’t have to keep all his secrets on the inside.

But this isn’t that universe.

//an X-Men AU.

Me: I never thought I'd love a super hero 1D cross over, but this is so well done. The backstory, the pacing, the characterization, the friendship. Read it.

2. Saving Symphony Hall and it's prequel Night Out - https://archiveofourown.org/works/12633921

“I think I have an idea,” Louis said. Slowly, and reluctantly, but with a growing sense of the inevitable. “God damnit, I think I have a really good idea.”

“Oh christ, that's the problem-solving face,” Babs said. “Last time we saw that face, he sold a company.”

“Wait, what?” Zayn asked.

“Right place, right time,” Louis said. “Also, fuck my life,”

“What?” Zayn repeated. Niall patted his hand.

“I usually just roll with whatever Louis is about to do,” he said. “It’s better for us all.”

“That’s the attitude,” said Louis, “I’ll tell you tomorrow. Tonight, I need to do some research. Zayn, give me your number. I’m gonna save our symphony.”

Me: The best sex scene I've ever read is in the prequel Night Out. Sexy, but tender. I love the characterizations in this duo--ABO but not traditional. Doesn't feel out of character.

3. Just Let Me -https://archiveofourown.org/works/11695350

The party was going well. So well, Niall had already sworn undying love to one multi-tiered chocolate cake, two friendly corgi-poodle mixes, Zayn’s hair, and the entire population of Los Angeles. So well, Zayn had only laughed and ruffled Niall’s hair and not even twitched towards a cigarette. So well, nearly everyone had spilled far past the boundaries of the night’s original plans, extracting bottles of vodka from the cabinets and losing a lot of clothes. Harry had proclaimed that he was finally going to throw a small and very grownup dinner party and of course here they were three hours later, fifty people half-naked in the pool. Soon to be full-naked, if Louis had to guess. Everybody in LA loved a heated pool. Everybody loved Harry.

Me: I love love love this. Harry is so gentle, and Louis is so stubborn and needy. It's ABO but subtle. I'll read this one again and again. It's comforting.

@HelloAmHere is one of the best writers I know--amazing stuff. I also love their werewolf story, but it's not finished, so I won't link it here.

Other favorites:

1. Seven Up by cherrystreet - https://archiveofourown.org/works/5828539

Very loosely based on the British TV show "The Up Series" and somewhat inspired by the song “Something I Need” by Onerepublic, we follow the lives of Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson in an interview setting every seven years. They fall apart and come together, their lives and emotions recorded. Harry calls it a time capsule. Louis calls it a pain in the arse.

Me: Trigger Warning, major character death. I literally SOBBED through the end of this. It was lovely and devastating. So good. But be warned.

2. Light, Spark and Fire series by @greenfeelings

Life’s pretty ordinary for Harry. He lives with his best friend, got into university just like he’s planned, and manages to support himself just fine for an unbonded omega. If he sustains that lifestyle by getting paid to help alphas through their rut every now and then, that’s nothing to be hung up on. Until he’s hired by an alpha that turns everything upside down.

Or, Louis and Zayn run a music label, Liam is Britain’s up-and-coming pop star, Harry’s working on taking Louis’ walls down until he builds his own up, and Niall holds them all together without realising he does.

Me: A nice healthy three-parter. Characters you just want to live with for a while.

3. Relief Next to Me by dolce_piccante - https://archiveofourown.org/works/1117942

AU. What happens when a baker and a graphic designer meet via a very specific Craigslist post? Fate, friendship, food, and maybe more.

Me: This one is super long, so be prepared when you dive in. It's got a lot of lovely bits, and some great smut.

4. 2012 'Verse by ashavahishta - https://archiveofourown.org/series/27601

Me: This is a five-parter and satisfies my love of canon compliant stories. It spans most of 2012 and into 2013, and illustrates the difficulties of Harry and Louis' relationship amid the band success and management disapproval.

5. Love After the End of the World by mercurial-madhouse (writing_practice) - https://archiveofourown.org/works/31251434/chapters/77248901

Society shattered when all electricity suddenly cut off across the globe, plunging the world into darkness. Now, Prometheus Industries is the sole remaining supply of power, a saving grace to those who survived Lights Out. As fugitives in no-man’s land struggling to break into Prometheus HQ, death lurks around every corner for Louis and Zayn. Things get complicated when a routine recon falls apart and Louis collides with Harry and his mates Niall and Liam, survivors with their own agenda.

When staying alive is already a constant battle, the deadliest weakness is to be in love. For Harry and Louis, finding each other sits on top of the endless list of What Else Could Go Wrong.

Me: Really unusual (as far as I can tell) end of the world story. I loved the characterizations of soul mates here at the end of the world.

6. Flightless Bird by audreyhheart - https://archiveofourown.org/works/6401653/chapters/14656807

AU where Louis Tomlinson is a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet. When his rival from ballet school, moody dance prodigy Harry Styles joins the company, old wounds are reopened and old passions reignited. During the company's production of Swan Lake the secret that doomed their love is finally revealed, but will it be too late?

Me: Trigger Warning, sexual assault (by an original character to a major character). This was a little brutal because I hated to see a broken Harry, but it was well written and has a happy ending.

7. Wear It Like A Crown by zarah5 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/1816771/chapters/3900322

AU. As part of a team of fixers hired to handle a gay scandal in Buckingham Palace, Louis expects Prince Harry to be a lot of things—most notably a royally spoilt brat. Never mind that the very same Prince Harry used to star in quite a number of Louis' teenage fantasies.

Me: I loved Louis in this one--actually they are both pretty great. Scratch that, they are ALL pretty great.

8. Shake Me Down by AGreatPerhaps12 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/3331958/chapters/7285322

Harry's new to college, fresh out of Catholic school and conversion therapy camp, and Louis runs the campus LGBTQIA organization.

Me: I don't like the self-hate here, but it was necessary for the story and H comes around. Found family vibe.

9. Gods & Monsters by Velvetoscar - https://archiveofourown.org/works/2090982/chapters/4550871

The instructions were simple: seduce and destroy Harry Styles. Not once did they discuss the option of Louis actually falling in love. So, naturally, that's exactly what he did.

Me: I loved Harry in this one. Louis gets there. I don't like Liam, but I don't think you're supposed to. Zayn is great.

10. Own the Scars by crinkle-eyed-boo (KimmieRocks) - https://archiveofourown.org/series/1010796

Louis has never felt like he was good enough: for his stepdad, for his life-long best friend, for the life he's supposed to want. After an accident that nearly costs him his life, Louis' parents send him to rehab where he’s forced to face his demons. On the long and difficult road to recovery, Louis must confront the truths he’s been avoiding about his future, his relationships, and his sense of self-worth. Because before he can love anyone else, he’s got to learn how to love himself first.

Me: Harry is lovely in this one. Trigger warning, substance abuse and near death.

11. Wild Love by purpledaisy - https://archiveofourown.org/series/1030904

AU: Two best friends try to date each other for forty days. It's supposed to be fun until emotions make it complicated.

Me: I loved this way more than I thought I would. It's lovely and messy and I love it.

12. Victorian Boy by audreyhheart - https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosann1986/readings?page=6

Victorian AU. Harry the virgin Duke of Somerset knows little of love, while Louis the sly Duke of Warwick knows too much. When the two dukes come together for the Bilsdale fox hunt in York, Harry finds himself drawn into Louis' bed. But when secrets from Louis' dark past come to light, Harry fears that the fox isn't the only one being hunted.

Me: Historical fiction I didn't intend to love. I LOVE Harry in this one. LOTS of smut, so be warned.

13. Keep Me Closer by zanni_scaramouche - https://archiveofourown.org/works/30752633

Louis expects Harry to react poorly, maybe even file a formal complaint and that’s gonna suck ass but Louis won’t say shit cause he knows he deserves it, so he prepares an apology before Harry’s even turned around.

What he doesn’t expect is Harry to fucking drop.

Me: lovely, protective Louis just trying to do the right thing.

14. Turning Page by purpledaisy for SockstheDog

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11826345

AU: Harry Styles tries to get lost in a place he’s never been.  Louis Tomlinson has been perfecting the art of being lost for years. What they don’t expect to find is each other.

Me: sweet love story. Niall owns a bar, and is pretty great.

15. Freedom Always Comes With a Price by Cyantific - https://archiveofourown.org/works/30278514/chapters/74624262

A shared dream brings them together onto the X-factor stage, but one decision changes Harry and Louis’ lives overnight. Thrust into a world of instant stardom, they're forced to live a lie to sustain their dreams, but years of living in the shadows and under strict management takes its toll.

With the bands impending hiatus, there’s no better time for change, so they think.

Desperate for a solution, they turn to an unlikely source with a radical plan. An unfortunate accident sets everything in motion, but not how they intended, leaving Louis’ memories altered, Harry broken-hearted and full of regret.

Can Harry figure out a way to fix everything? Will he even want to once he sees how Louis moved on after the hiatus? Will Louis ever find out the truth of their past and can he forgive Harry after all this time?

In the end, two friends find out that memories are elusive, trust is everything and love is the only antidote.

Me: Heartbreaking when they lose each other, but really good in the end.

16. Little Technicolor Things by scary_crow - https://archiveofourown.org/works/6025519/chapters/13821628

Louis is a poor writer and recent university graduate, depressed, anxious, and living in London when he meets Harry, an artist with a secret who likes to paint sunrises and pretty boys from California.

17. Hold You Now by solvetheminourdreams - https://archiveofourown.org/works/30253536/chapters/74556744

Three years ago, Harry Styles said goodbye to communications consultancy firm McQuiston Worldwide, leaving a life of travel and agency PR behind. When he accompanies his best friend to a family wedding across the Atlantic, he'll be forced to reopen old wounds and face his past—one that no one wants to hash out, but may just have to.

Me: Niall is great. They almost miss each other in this one, and you just want to bash them over the head. But they figure it out.

18. At Risk, I Fold by clare328 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/26542480

2015 is a stream of hotel rooms and whisky on the rocks, tired glances and touching hands under tables. It’s the bears and the bees under a rainbow sky, and Harry and Louis have to figure out how to grow up together, instead of apart.

Me: A canon compliant fic that feels like it could have really happened. Set in 2015. Lovely first chapter and scene where Harry writes If I Could Fly--i could read that chapter over and over.

19. Into The Blue by zarah5 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/1035822/chapters/2065499

AU. In which Louis is Harry's scuba instructor and quite happy to provide the requested special treatment, pun fully intended. It can't be all that difficult to convince Harry that they're on the same page, right? Also, Niall and Liam may or may not be dating, and Zayn is surrounded by emotionally stunted idiots. He bears it with dignity.

Me: AKA the Scuba fic.

20. Tie Your Heart by ArcadianMaggie - https://archiveofourown.org/works/546688/chapters/973236

Harry grows wings.

Me: How can you not love a fic where Harry grows wings? Trigger warning: injury of a major character.

21. I think I'll end this here. My last and probably first favorite (read it more than once) is...

my heart is breathing for this moment in time by usedtothebeach - https://archiveofourown.org/works/934996/chapters/1820282

When Louis first saw Harry at the 2010 X Factor Auditions, he thought he was watching a peculiarly special stranger. But Harry has known Louis ever since he was five years old.

Because Louis has a rare genetic disorder that causes him to Time Travel to important moments in his past and in his future - and to Harry, always to Harry. When they're put into a band together, it seems like everything Harry has been waiting and wishing for has finally come true. Except for the small fact that Louis doesn't know that Harry is in love with him- that Harry's always been in love with him. Fate, it would seem, is just getting started.

A story about growing up and growing together, and the impossible love that makes it all worthwhile.

Me: I LOVED the Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and I'm a huge fan of time travel, so this is right up my alley. It's really well done, weaving canon into fantasy and then going years forward in tme. I love everything about it. Great character development. Really good smut. Trigger warning, there's a little underage sex, so be aware. Anyway, LOVE this one so much.

I'll add to this but it's already longer than I meant it to be.

[pogues-never-say-die]

Make Out With Me

Welcome to the much request sequel to “An Evening I Will Not Forget”.

I love Maren Morris with everything in me and the second I heard “Make Out With Me” I thought it would make a great fluff fic so here you all go.

CHARACTERS: Rudy Pankow x (High School Sweetheart) Reader

WARNINGS: smut (after the 33 days header so if it makes you uncomfy you can skip), lots of fluff, lots of curse words

LENGTH: 3.4k

Make Out With Me

This is the end of Side One of this record Please now turn it over for the second side

“You have it all?”

“Yes I have it all. Phone charger, socks, underwear, deodorant, wallet. Do YOU have it all?”

That made me scoff, it’s my house. Of course I’m prepared.

“Yes Rudy, I have it all. Wine, Doritos, I grabbed like 5 different Redbox movies, and then I grabbed 3 new vinyls from that store in Koreatown.”

“Oh baby you know me so well. You gonna tell me which records?”

“You’ll see when you get here”. Hearing him groan really got me going, it had been way too long. Getting back together just a month before he left again for season 2 was a challenge but now he had a break from shooting and was on his way to the airport in Charleston.

“Which will be soon I promise. JD is dropping me off at the airport right now, my flight leaves in an hour. I’ll touch down at JFK before you know it. You gonna wait up for me?”

“We’ll see,” you say with a smirk. “Oh I think you’ll be waiting up for me. See you soon baby”.

I got a phone that won't die You're up in the air, landing tonight So I'll leave a message for ya, get it when you touch down If I'm being honest, I'm a little drunk now

When Rudy got to the airport, the excitement was starting to build. 37 days - that’s how long it’s been since he’s seen your face in person, kissed your lips. The morning after you guys got back together the air was thick, there were a lot of decisions left to be made.

37 days ago “Good morning” Rudy groaned, rolling over to see you sitting in your bed on your phone, scrolling through Tik Tok.

“Technically it’s ‘good afternoon’ bubs,” you say with a giggle. “It’s 2pm.”

“Wait, did you just call me ‘bubs’?” Holy shit Rudy’s heart is exploding.

“Yeah,” you say, getting a little shy. “Do you not like that anymore?” “No baby I didn’t mean to make you nervous, come here,” he says, pulling you on top of him - your phone getting lost in the mountain of blankets. “It’s just been awhile since I’ve heard anyone call me that. I missed you so much”.

Placing your lips on his, your heart was soaring. Over the years Rudy has become an even better kisser. Don’t get it twisted, he was always great. But you guys were each other’s firsts - first kiss, first time, first love, first everything. Although you don’t necessarily want to think about how he got this experience you can admit that he’s definitely an expert now.

Feeling his tongue swipe across your lip, you knew you had to pull back before you both got too far into it.

“As much as I would like to continue this…” you breathe out as Rudy’s lips make their way to your neck. “We have a lot of stuff we need to talk about”.

Rudy groaning into your neck actually made your throat vibrate a little, pulling a laugh out of you.

“I know I know.”

“I’m leaving to go back to New York tonight,” you say with a whisper, already wondering if it’s too late to change your flight.

“Already?”

“Bubs I’ve been quarantining here for months, New York is opening back up I have to go back to work. That’s why I threw the party - a last goodbye, who knows when I’ll be back to Ketchikan. When are you leaving?”

“I’m off to Charleston in 3 days for season 2. So we’re doing this?” He asks, cocking an eyebrow at you from his place resting his head on your chest.

“Doing what?” Running your fingers through his hair you can’t believe how it’s still this soft.

“Long distance. Me in Charleston...or LA….you in New York?”

“No backing out now Pankow. You pulled me back in, you’re stuck with me now”.

“Well, guess it’s time to sign up for a SkyMiles credit card” he says with a smirk, placing his lips back on yours. Yup, he is doing this. And he’s fucking thrilled.

Today

Back in the airport Rudy still can’t stop thinking about that day. Getting on the plane he checks his phone one last time before turning it off - finding a missed call and a voicemail from you. He doesn’t have time to call you back before take off but he listens to the voicemail immediately.

“You know I could be dead in a ditch right now. Murdered, deceased, and you missed my final words because you were what? Getting an airport pretzel for $12? Was it worth it? Was it? Well lucky for you I’m fine, I was just calling to make sure you got checked in safe. I’m stalking your flight online and it’s on time which is good for you because I already opened the wine and if you got delayed I might be too drunk by the time you got here. I can’t wait to see you baby, give me a call when you land. I love you bubs, be safe.”

I got a bed that's too big without ya I got a heart that don't beat without ya Get so jealous when you ain't by my side I know it's selfish, but I need you tonight

33 days ago Being back in NYC was strange. You worked hard to afford a one bedroom, small but still just yours but now you’re regretting not getting a roommate. With the city still partly shut down and you not feeling safe out in public, you pretty much went from work back to your house and then to bed every day. You were getting lonely - and frankly, horny.

“Don’t do this to me pretty girl, not right now,” Rudy groans. Seeing you on FaceTime, hair a mess, his old tshirt that you never returned pushed up to your neck so your breasts were exposed to the camera.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about bubs,” you say with a smirk. Taking a finger to play with your nipple you bite your lip, seeing how worked up Rudy is getting and loving it.

“We have a night shoot tonight, I have to be on set in 20 minutes. It’s my first scene back. I can’t be late baby”.

“Well let’s be quick then,” you say taking his shirt off entirely and moving the phone to rest on your stomach, giving him a full view of your boobs and your face.

“Jesus fuck,” he says, palming his dick through his shorts. One look at you and he’s already hard.

“I miss you so much baby, so much. I’m just alone in this apartment, coming home to this big king bed. It’s too big for just me.” Next thing he knows your hips are shifting, shaking the camera and your underwear is flashed to him before being tossed off screen. Seeing your hands move down towards the camera and then out of view he knows what your next move is. Quickly he gets up to lock the trailer door before taking his shorts and boxers off, sitting back on the couch. He also throws his shirt in the pile - already in his costume for today’s shoot he doesn’t want to have to explain to production why he needs a new shirt because his is covered in cum.

“What are you doing to me baby?” He asks with a groan before spitting into his hand and coating his dick, starting to jack himself off to your moans.

“I just wish you were here, touching me. I see all these girls online talking about how hot you are, responding to all of your Instagrams. But they don’t know that you belong to me,” Flipping the camera around, you show Rudy the way your hands are disappearing in between your folds, circling your clit.

“Holy fucking shit,” he says tossing his head back and pumping his dick even faster. He turns his camera around too so you can see his dick harder than ever. “Keep talking baby.”

“You’re mine. That dick is mine. I’m the only one that gets to touch it, that gets to suck it. I’m the only one who gets to know what it feels like to be filled up by you. Oh god I just miss you so much. I’m so empty. I wanted to be filled with you. My hands are not enough, my dildo isn’t enough, nothing is as good as your dick baby.” Your hands speed up, dirty talk has always turned you on and your own words are getting you there.

“This is your dick baby, and that’s my pussy. None of those Wall Street idiots you work with get to taste it. They don’t get to know how sweet you are, how fucking tight you are. Fuck baby are you close cause I’m so close”. He doesn’t know how much longer he can last.

“Cum baby, cum for me”. With that Rudy shoots all over his chest, he’s super grateful he thought to take his shirt off first. Before he worries about cleaning up his mess though he looks at the phone in time to see your legs start to shake.

“Turn me around princess, I want to see your face when you cum for me”. Turning the camera around, Rudy gets a perfect look at your face when your eyes roll back into your head, your jaw dropping open and his name falling out of your mouth.

“Fuck,” you say grabbing some tissues from your nightstand to clean yourself up.

“Where did that come from baby?” Rudy says with a laugh, starting to clean himself up too.

“I honestly don’t know,” you say chuckling too, putting your shirt back on but still out of breath. “I just miss you so much.”

Rolling over onto your stomach, pouting at the camera, Rudy has no idea how you can go from downright filthy to fucking adorable in mere seconds.

“I know I miss you too pretty girl, just one month until I’m on a plane to you.” As Rudy puts his shirt back on and buckles his pants up, there’s a knock on the door.

“Rudy, let’s go”.

“They’re calling me to set baby, I have to go.”

“I love you superstar, call me on your drive home?”

“Baby we wrap at like 3am, I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t care, I probably won’t be sleeping well without you and I’ll worry about you driving home that late. Call me. Promise?”

“I promise pretty girl, try to get some rest. I love you”.

Today

When his flight took off he was half hard just remembering that day. But less than 2 hours from now he’d get to touch you in person, hold you, feel you. He was so close, just 2 hours. So Rudy popped in his headphones, turned on the playlist you both add your favorite songs too, and closed his eyes - hoping the plane would fly just a little faster than usual.

So text when you touch down, straight to my place now These nights without you, they're so hard to sleep Come put your things down, I'll order take out No more to say now, baby, just make out with me Baby, just make out with me

You couldn’t help yourself - you were refreshing the flight tracker every 5 minutes. When you saw that he had finally landed (10 minutes early actually), you were losing your mind. You wish he would’ve let you pick him up at the airport but you knew he was right - taking a cab out to JFK just to get in a cab with him and turn around was pointless. But all you could think about was that Rudy was here, in your city, just 17 miles away. 17 miles.

Bubs ❤️: Already off the plane and in line for a taxi. Shoved everything in a carry on so I didn’t have to check a bag. Might need to borrow some underwear but it’s worth it to get to you sooner. 😉

Bubs ❤️: Order the food, I’ll be to you in 30. Love you pretty girl, see you soon.

You got a kiss I still taste And I feel your lips from miles away

Knowing Rudy was in a taxi, on his way to you, was making your lips tingle. It’s been too long since you saw him in person. You spoke every day, even FaceTiming multiple times a day, but getting to feel him was something entirely different. You needed to wrap yourself around him and feel his lips on yours.

It’s been 37 days since you tasted him and that’s way too long.

37 days ago

“You know I got myself home from the airport, I could’ve easily gotten myself back here too”.

Sitting at Ketchikan International Airport in Rudy’s truck was a weird moment. Just a few days ago you were stalking him on Instagram, trying not to cry and now here you are trying not to cry again but for an entirely different reason.

“Yeah but what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t drop you off at the airport?” He says, unbuckling his seatbelt to lean across the console and smirk at you.

“I’m sorry boyfriend? I don’t remember agreeing to that.” You say as you unbuckle your seatbelt too, a smirk growing on your face to match his.

“Oh shut up,” he growls, grabbing you by the back of the neck to pull you in for a kiss. God, how did you go that long without feeling his lips on yours?

You don’t know how long you two sat there, making out in his truck like you were 17 but next thing you knew there was a hard knock on the window - scaring you and making you jump apart.

“Hey lovebirds, gotta keep the lane clear”. Although the older TSA agent had a small smile on his face you could tell he meant business.

“I have to go,” you whisper into the empty truck cab. There was a sense of fear filling your lungs, wondering if you both could really do it this time.

“Come back to me pretty girl, I can see you drifting.” Rudy whispers back.

“Even after all of this years - you still know me so well don’t you?” Even though you chuckle at the end tears start to fill your eyes.

“Hey hey hey, none of that okay,” Rudy says, shushing you while covering your face with his large hands. “I’m going to see you in one month okay? Every single month we’ll see each other in person. I’m gonna come to New York and we’ll do all of the touristy bullshit like the Empire State Building and Times Square. You’re gonna come to Charleston and see the set and meet everyone and I’ll take you to that little sushi place I was telling you about. And we’re gonna FaceTime every day. Every single day okay? We can do this. I want to do this. It’s gonna be just fine. Okay?”

“Okay”.

“I love you pretty girl.”

“I love you too bubs.”

I got one more minute of this message to burn I hope you get it 'cause I mean every word So text when you touch down, straight to my place now These nights without you, they're so hard to sleep

Today

After placing your takeout order, you have nothing to do but to just sit and wait for your handsome boyfriend. You’ve already cleaned your apartment 3 times, going over the 600 square foot space too many times.

You thought about getting ready, having lingerie you spent too much money on hanging in the closet but you knew that Rudy didn’t care how you looked. He would be sweaty and tired and smelly after his flight and that was just how you wanted him. So you decided to stay in your ratty tee and boxer shorts, choosing to focus on your man being just miles away instead of worrying about how you look.

Part of starting over means changing expectations. This is you now, messy hair and all.

While you wait you scroll through your phone, hopping on an OBX fandom instagram you had saved to see that Rudy had been stopped in JFK by some fans. Even standing 6 feet behind the fans and with a mask on, your man looked good. Blonde hair flopping into his face, a worn duffle bag tossed over his shoulder. When you zoomed in you could see his phone screen. No fans would be able to tell what it is but you can, it’s the ridiculous photo of you as a baby - it’s Rudy’s favorite photo of you, you’re all chunky and covered in cake with a sideways birthday hat. Knowing that’s his background makes you miss him even more. This boy loves you so much and that feeling is indescribable.

Laying on your couch, you move from Instagram to your saved voicemails, pulling up your favorite one - the one he left you 37 days ago while you were on your flight back to NYC.

“Hi pretty girl, I’m sitting here in this random parking lot at the airport cause I didn’t want to leave until I knew you were up in the air. The past 24 hours have been insane. When I walked into your house last night I didn’t imagine in my wildest dreams that we would end up here. I honestly thought you would kick me out. But here we are and I miss you already. I know I put you through a lot...I know that. But we’re going to make up for lost time. I’m not going to lose you again. I love you so much, never stopped, never will. Come back to me in one piece pretty girl, be safe.”

Come put your things down, I'll order take out No more to say now, baby, just make out with me Baby, just make out with me

When Rudy’s cab pulled up to your 44th street walk up he couldn’t throw money at the driver fast enough. He even got cash out just for the cab so he didn’t have to waste time trying to pay with his card.

Pushing the button for unit 6-B it felt like hours before your angelic voice came over the speaker, though it had only been a few seconds.

“Pizza Hut how may I help you?”

“Are you gonna buzz me in goofball?” He says pressing the intercom button.

“I’m sorry sir, I’m waiting for my boyfriend and I don’t think he’d like it very much if he saw you waiting outside my apartment.”

“Pretty girl it’s dark outside and the doorman across the street is giving me strange looks. Can you please let me in?”

With that a loud buzz sounded and Rudy yanked the door open. Taking the stairs two at a time, he sprinted up 6 flights slowing down when he sees you standing at the door. He doesn’t know what he was expecting but it certainly wasn’t this. Leaning against the doorframe in a pair of his old boxers and his oversized Alabama Shakes shirt, no makeup and soft curls you look radiant.

“Hi handsome,” you manage to get out before Rudy is tackling you into the apartment. His bag hitting the floor as you wrap your legs around his waist, squealing as he turns you around to pin you against the now closed door.

“I...missed….you…..so…...fucking…...much” he says between kisses, placing them all over you face, punctuating each one with a loud smack.

Placing a soft kiss on his lips you card your fingers through his hair, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes. Diving back in your tongue immediately finds its way into his mouth. He tastes like gum and peanuts, probably the airplane snack but you don’t even care. He’s here, pressed up against your door and he tastes like heaven.

Your back is pushed into your door for what feels like hours as you two just makeout like teenagers. When you both finally catch your breath you pull back just enough to whisper against his lips.

“Hi,” you whisper. “Welcome home”.

Taglist: @tangledinsparkles​ @iamaunicorn4704 @devil-in-those-eyes @spilledtee @teamnick @pink-meringues @nearlydanger9 @earthtotalia @amoreagron @under-a-canyon-moon @joshy-obx @kiillakay @drewswannabegirl @madeinthemidnightmemories @rudyismymanperiod @k-k0129 @obxing @moldisgoodforyou

[fiddlepickdouglas]

Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 16 - Be Careful

Summary: Sunset Curve Alive AU, Willex, can they bear the news?, 2.2k

@trevor-wilson-covington is the bestie who makes these lovely edits, we stan supportive friends

WARNINGS: cancer mention

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15

Julie sat beside Luke at the small table they had set up beside Rose’s bed. A stack of photos, glue sticks, stickers, scissors, and tons of colored paper covered the table, as well as another stack of photos sitting within Rose’s reach.

“Oh, look at this picture of Carlos,” Rose said in her raspy voice. She lifted one of him as a chubby two year old wearing a baseball cap that was too big, clapping his hands together.

“Aww,” Julie looked affectionately at the photo, tilting her head.

“He’s a cute kid, Mrs. Molina,” Luke said. He continued cutting music notes out of a sheet of purple paper.

“Thanks for visiting me today,” Rose said. “I heard you and the boys have been busy in the studio?”

Grinning like the goof he was, Luke nodded. Julie couldn’t help suppressing a giggle. Even though she knew he was tired from long hours and he only had a little time to get away, he’d still been all about coming with her to visit her mom this morning. She wasn’t sure he was that interested in scrapbooking, but it was sweet of him to come along.

“Yeah, it’s been so fun,” he was saying. “I don’t know how the guys in production make us sound so good. I mean, we already sound awesome, but they make it just perfect. I feel like I would go out and buy ten copies of the album when it gets out.”

Rose chuckled. “Really? That’s great to hear. I remember with the Petal Pushers, I could’ve spent hours in production, tweaking everything until it was just right. That’s why it almost took us two years to release our debut.”

“Two years?” Luke sat back, letting it sink in.

“I was a bit of a perfectionist; the rest of my band wasn’t so patient. I don’t mind though, I had other things to put my time into.” She gazed fondly at Julie, who looked back with a similar fondness, if not slightly clouded.

She wasn’t responding to treatment anymore. It had just become official last week and Julie wasn’t ready to break the news to Luke or anyone else. There wasn’t anything she could think of that would make it easier, no matter how much she knew she needed to let them know. It just seemed like everyone else was doing so well: the guys were finally moving on up, Flynn was coming out with her own music, and even she had barely finished a successful tour. But this was more than just a wrench in the gears.

In the middle of cutting out a heart, she was too lost in thought and snipped on the end of her thumb.

“Ow!” she cried, immediately sucking on it. “Do we have band aids in here?”

“Oh, sweetie,” her mom said fretfully. “I can’t remember where they are, but let me call the nurse.” She pressed a button on the remote beside her bed. Luke tried to get a look at the cut, but Julie insisted on sucking on it.

Moments later, the same woman Julie had seen before entered the room. Her hair was in a braid today, and Julie tried to smile at the sight while her thumb remained in her mouth.

“Hey, Rose, what’s up?” she asked, appearing surprised to have gotten a call.

“Sorry this isn’t a big emergency,” Rose apologized. “My daughter just cut her thumb and I can’t remember where you put the bandages.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got you,” the nurse said, going to a cabinet and pulling out supplies to bandage Julie’s thumb. “Here, let me see it.”

Finally releasing it, Julie held her hand out and let the nurse sit down and get to work cleaning and wrapping it.

“What are we working on here?” the nurse wondered aloud, looking at the table of craft supplies.

“We’re putting together a scrapbook,” Julie told her, knowing she was using the conversation to distract her from the pain. “You know, so we don’t forget the good things.” She got a knowing look from the nurse. Her eyes were soft and full of understanding, and Julie offered her a little smile. “I know I’ve seen you before, but what was your name?”

“It’s Renee,” the nurse said. “I was just realizing that I never properly introduced myself, either.” Closing the band aid around Julie’s finger, she patted her hand and stood up.

“Well, it’s good to see you again. This is Luke, by the way.” Julie pointed toward where he was simply watching them, slightly spaced out. He blinked for a minute before smiling at Renee and nodding.

“Nice to meet you,” he said. “You’re a lifesaver.”

Renee smiled demurely. “Oh, well, I certainly aim for that at the end of the day.”

Luke could only respond with his dorky grin.

“Luke, here, is a musician like Julie,” Rose piped in.

“Is that right?” Renee replied, raising her eyebrows in interest. “Your family seems to attract the most talented company.”

“Oh, well, I’m definitely talented,” Luke said. “But Julie’s the real wrecking ball. It doesn’t surprise me she got to touring before me and my band.”

She rolled her eyes, but Julie enjoyed the compliment. That was pretty modest for him when it came to music.

“Yes, I remember mentioning my niece is a big fan. I have to refrain from telling her you’re related to Rose, otherwise she would ask for a lot of favors.”

“Oh, how old is your niece?” Julie asked.

“She’s thirteen,” Renee said, leaning on her hand. “Just started middle school.”

“Oh, middle school is rough,” Luke murmured.

“She’s definitely having a rough time,” Renee said to all three of them. “But I think your music has made a difference. Her mom might buy her keyboard for Christmas.”

Julie looked back at Luke, who was already beaming at her, and knew what he would say. He didn’t have to, but she could hear his mantra about the importance of music echo in her brain: it’s about connecting with people, making a difference in their day. She turned back to Renee, whose pager was beeping and made her turn to leave.

“Thanks for the bandage, and of course being there for us,” she said.

“You’re welcome. Glad I could see you, too, Julie.”

“I’ll see you later, Renee,” Rose rasped as she disappeared.

“She seems pretty cool,” Luke said, picking up the music note he was still trying to cut out.

“Yeah, I like her,” Julie told him. “She gave me some good advice.”

“I know she kept talking about her niece, but I think you have another big fan,” Rose said.

“Maybe,” Julie shrugged, trying to focus again on the scrapbook.

As she and Luke left the hospital, Julie had to steal a long glance at her mom, now fast asleep. She had to remember the good things, but there were so many questions she felt like she had to answer. Now that she was off tour and back in school, it was only a matter of time before she had to return to the studio. Once that happened, visits like this would be nearly impossible. She felt a hand slip into hers and fingers interlocking, and she looked up at Luke gently nodding at her to move onward. His puppy-like eyes gave her enough courage to go.

“So how long do you have to be in the studio today?” she asked him, forcing her mind to switch gears.

“Uh...till about seven,” Luke said. “We’re mostly working on Lakeside Reflection today.”

“Aww, I love that one,” she melted into his side as they stepped into the elevator.

“I know you do,” he chuckled softly. She continued leaning on him, feeling his thumb rub over the top of her hand like a lullaby. They remained silent the rest of the way down, just enjoying each other’s company. Julie loved Luke’s calm, quiet moments where he didn’t need to use words. Like the way he used music to speak his mind, he could also communicate with the way he held her. He offered the best comfort. Stepping out of the elevator and to the front of the hospital, Julie saw Bobby’s van already waiting.

“Do you need a ride?” Luke asked.

She shook her head. “No, my tía is taking me and Carlos to see a movie. She’ll be here any minute.”

Forever a pleading look in his eyes when they said goodbye, she shook her head and rolled her eyes at him before he could suggest she change her plans. It happened so often now that she’d had to learn how to say no, no matter how hard it was sometimes.

“Okay, fine,” Luke said, the silent argument over. One hand grabbed onto her head as he planted a kiss on her forehead, letting the other slowly slip out of her fingers as he went to climb into the van. Julie waved at all the guys inside as Bobby took off before looking back down at her bandaged thumb. She still couldn’t tell them about her mom.

Tapping his fingers on the seat, Alex nervously fought to decide if he could break the news to Luke and Bobby. Reggie peeked back, giving him an uncertain glance. They hadn’t exactly discussed it or practiced what they’d say to them, but the clock was ticking. Luke and Bobby needed to know what Caleb was really like now. For some odd reason, Alex’s tongue remained on lock for the whole ride, and it seemed to plague Reggie, too. He felt his muscles twitch as they pulled into the parking lot at the studio. Listening to the squeak of Bobby’s brakes, inertia let them all lightly lurch forward before coming to a full stop.

“Guess who me and Reggie ran into last night?” Alex cried out, almost reflexively. All the guys turned back at him.

“Who?” Bobby prompted.

“Willie.”

The two of them stared at him, stunned, as Reggie took in a deep breath. It was hard to tell whether it was relief or something else.

“Reggie, is he okay?” Bobby asked him.

“Actually, yes he is,” Reggie stated solemnly. “I saw Willie too. He’s here in LA.”

Bobby looked at Luke.

“Caleb said he died. There’s no way he could be here.”

“Well, he is,” Alex said firmly. “Flynn can prove it too, we ran into her as well.”

“Alright, that’s good news, but why are you guys telling us now?” Luke queried.

“Because he knows things about Caleb,” Alex said. “Really bad things.”

Luke and Bobby both blinked and then looked at each other. Alex shot a glance over at the door to the studio. He was already afraid to enter. Caleb wasn’t always there, but he always arrived unpredictably.

“Like what things?” Luke asked.

Later that evening, all the guys sat in the garage where they usually practiced. Luke was lying on the couch, despondent as he gazed at the ceiling. Bobby was sprawled on the floor while Reggie had lain sideways across the armchair. Alex paced, occasionally running his hand through his hair.

“Anyone else never want to set foot inside that studio again?” Reggie offered cheerlessly.

“We can’t just quit making a record,” Luke contested.

“Maybe we wouldn’t feel like we want to if we hadn’t jumped the gun and just signed onto the first place that wanted us,” Bobby said. Luke sat up, clearly bothered by those words.

“Dude, what are you saying?”

“Caleb’s a creep,” Reggie supplied. “I don’t know what his game is, but if what Willie says is true, then working with him is a major no go.”

“If?” Alex retorted, stopping to target Reggie. “If we’re gonna trust anyone between the two of them, I would trust Willie. He’s not the one killing people for convenience.”

“Hey,” Bobby interrupted. “You can defend him all you want. We’re not saying we don’t trust him.”

Alex took back to pacing again. Sighing heavily, Luke sat upright on the couch.

“So what, do we just give up?” he demanded. “We didn’t work so hard to get this far just to drop our dream over one shady guy. I mean, what else could he possibly want with us?”

“Look, I don’t know,” Alex said. “But what if it’s not just about us. I mean, thanks to Caleb, Willie can barely remember who he is.” The guys fell silent and serious as that reality sank in. “I mean, he’s not the only one that Caleb has messed with for years, manipulating them into working under him and giving up almost all of their control. Maybe he doesn’t need to get foster kids for it anymore. What if we’re next?”

“So what should we do?” Bobby wondered. “Break the contract and risk losing the rights to all the work we’ve been doing?”

He had a point. Joining Luke on the couch, Alex rested his face in his hands, feeling the frustration seethe out of him.

“No, guys, we need to think about this,” Luke began saying. “I know this is messed up, but I also know that backing out isn’t the right answer. And I know I’m usually not the one to say this stuff but...we need to be careful.”

[cinnonym]

with those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings (when friends come to call)

Written for Day 12 - Gifts of 12 Days of Supercorp @supercorpbb

Read on AO3

***

“I was handling the situation.”

To anyone else, Lena’s voice might sound crisp as ever, but Kara’s super hearing picked up on the slight tremor in her words just like it picked up on her elevated heart rate. For all her bravado – and judging from the impressive array of weaponry strewn all over the plateau, there must have been a lot of bravado involved in stalling the villains until Supergirl’s arrival – Lena’s nerves did seem to have taken quite a blow.

Not that Kara could blame them. After all, the aforementioned weaponry included, among others, enough explosives to bomb National City into ashes twice over, several tanks of what looked like poison gas, and was that a nuke that the SWAT team was dissembling? Jeez.

There was a zero point zero chance that Lena could have held her ground all alone, with only a gun and her trademark Luthor smirk to protect her. But Kara wasn’t going to tell her that. Not when Lena was cradling said gun a little too tight to appear fully at ease. Not when her smirk stretched a little too manically over her lips at this point. Not when it made Kara’s own legs shake just to think about the possibility of Lena hurt, Lena bleeding, Lena –

Kara swallowed, hard, banishing the unwelcome pictures to the back of her mind. Only then did she turn around to bombard Lena with her best Supergirl smile, the one that said nothing of the secret persona behind the hero, of the shaken best friend.

“Of course, Ms Luthor,” she said, lightly in a way she barely felt. “In fact, I just flew by to wish you a merry Christmas. The villain-capturing happened almost by accident.”

Yes. Humour was the best way to fight horror scenarios. Humour, possibly in combination with the surprised laugh that bubbled out of Lena as if she couldn’t help it.

“Why thank you, Supergirl. How thoughtful. But please, call me Lena.”

Kara felt her grin grow more genuine by the second, more effortless with every glimmer of fear getting blotted out by mirth in Lena’s eyes. She allowed herself to relax a little. The danger was banned, and Lena was fine. Lena was laughing, and her effect remained unchanged, whether Kara now wore the cape or not.

“Lena,” she smiled, exaggerating a bow. “And, well, anything for my favourite high profile target.”

A trace of red appeared on Lena’s cheeks, delicate enough that it took supervision to make it out. Then she bit her lip.

“Tell me, Supergirl,” she said, smoothing down her hair with a gesture that seemed just a tad too nonchalant to be convincing, “how are you spending Christmas Day?”

Kara swallowed. “Uh… Celebrating, I guess?”

“Alone?”

Something was off about the way Lena examined Kara’s face, like a tracker searching for clues. Kara fought the impulse to look over at Alex, who was supervising the SWAT team a mere stone’s throw away.

“Hmm,” she made non-committally, hoping her tone wouldn’t give the lie away.

But Lena seemed to have lost interest already. She was inspecting her nails now, one by one, the blush still shining faintly on her cheeks.

“Not that I want to invade your privacy too much,” she said carefully, still refusing to look at Kara. “I just wondered if you had someone to be with, on this day, and if not…” – at this she lifted her gaze to meet Kara’s tentatively, almost shyly – “… if you would consider spending it with me.”

Kara’s heart skipped a beat. She thought of Alex and Eliza, accompanying her every Christmas Day since Kara’s landed in their back yard. She though of the decorated loft and the heap of presents waiting for her under the tree. She thought of the three-course meal they would serve later tonight, just the three of them, as it had always been. Then she looked at Lena, and she thought of the Luthor penthouse, cold and empty despite its spectacular view over National City, because even during the holidays, Lena would be alone.

Kara swallowed. Alex would be fine. Eliza would be fine. They would understand.

And so she nodded.

“I would be honoured,” she said, watching as Lena’s entire face lit up even though she tried to hide it, as the uncomfortable tension left her body, and her fingers stopped playing nervously with the ends of her coat. And suddenly nothing else mattered.

***

For someone who probably spent almost as much time at work as Kara did, Lena made surprisingly mean mince pies. It was a small miracle, but there were what felt like hundreds of them, piled on every surface the sleek penthouse kitchen had to offer, in mouth-watering displays of architectural skill. Kara’s eyes were bulging, but Lena only shrugged.

“Stress-baking,” she said, as if she hadn’t just opened the gates to paradise, “eat as many as you like, please.”

Kara let her eyes flutter close as the first taste hit her tongue, sweet with just the right measure of spice. She moaned. “You will regret this…”

The red crept into Lena’s cheeks like a thief. She tilted her head. “I doubt it.”

“No, for real.” Kara licked a smudge of powdered sugar off her thumb. “These are divine. I feel like I could die happy, knowing this was the last thing I’ve tasted on this earth.”

Lena’s blush intensified. She reached for a pie herself, fiddling a little with the edge. “Well, please don’t die anyway. It would make for a dreadful Christmas gift.”

“We can’t have that,” Kara grinned.

“No, indeed.”

There was that lip bite again, criminally effective at throwing Kara off her game. She swallowed, busying herself with another mince pie to keep from staring at Lena’s mouth.

“Divine,” she repeated, just to say something, and Lena laughed, short but genuinely, before she leaned over Kara to reach for glasses.

“Red? I have whites, too. Or something else entirely?”

“Yes,” Kara said. Cause it was unfair, really, the way Lena was close enough that Kara could sense the warmth of her body, close enough that she could count the separate lashes around her eyes, close enough that she could feel rather than hear the vibrations of her low chuckle.

“Yes what exactly?”

Kara closed her eyes, forcing her mind to focus. She felt the role of Supergirl slip further away from her every time she looked at Lena, felt Kara Danvers push to the surface with every glance Lena threw her way. The cape was no longer an entire persona but only a piece of fabric. Her hands itched to adjust non-existent glasses. Every fibre of her being longed to embrace Lena, hold Lena, tell Lena – but what would she tell her?

“Red sounds good,” she murmured, fighting the urge to duck her head like only Kara Danvers would.

Lena smirked. “How about this one – it’s firm but surprisingly sweet. Reminds me of someone.”

Kara couldn’t help it – she blushed. “Funny,” she said almost defiantly, as if that could save her at this point, “I could say the same about you.”

“Is that so?” The look Lena shot her over the glasses was equally challenging and amused, and altogether way too breathtaking to still be fair. It was out of pure competitiveness that Kara inhaled anyway.

“Yup,” she made, taking one of the glasses Lena was offering to her, “you pretend to be all dry, but there’s definitely a sweet note underneath. Maybe even soft.”

Lena gasped. “You take that back!”

Kara almost giggled, but caught herself just in time and settled for a grin instead. “Not happening, Lena “Port” Luthor.”

“Potent,” Lena hummed, “I like it.”

“So do I,” Kara said. And finally, it was Lena’s turn to blush.

***

“I hope I’m not keeping you from something,” Lena said, much later, when the sun had set hours ago and the cool dark of the apartment enveloped them like a blanket. Kara’d eaten approximately twenty-two mince pies so far, and was going strong. Lena’d had one, but all the more wine. Not that it was showing in anything beyond a permanent and rather adorable shine on her cheeks.

“Hush,” Kara made. Although she couldn’t get drunk, the past couple of hours had lulled her into a sense of security that she had a hard time remembering to be false. “I’m happy to be here.”

Lena nodded, a small smile on her lips. She dragged a finger over the rim of her wine glass. “I wish I could make you a present though. Beyond the pies.”

“The pies are fine!” Kara sat up from where she was lunging a little too comfortably on the couch. “If anything, I should get you a gift. As a thank you for the invitation.”

“That was not what I meant to imply – “ Lena immediately started to protest, but Kara interrupted her with a touch to her knee.

“I know, I know. But it’s Christmas after all, and I want to get you something. Something nice.”

“You really don’t have to,” Lena said, but she was smiling the softest smile Kara’d ever seen her give anyone but, well, herself. Her heart skipped a beat.

“I want to,” she repeated. And then, because Kara wasn’t supposed to know Lena, wasn’t supposed to have gift ideas for someone whom she’d only met a handful of times, she added: “Is there anything specific you’d like?”

Lena’s smile widened into a grin. She leaned forward conspiratorially, motioning for Kara to come closer, then cupped her cheek to bring her mouth to Kara’s ear.

“I’d like,” she whispered, her breath hot and heady with wine, “for you to surprise me.”

And maybe it was her hand touching Kara’s face, or her lips hovering just above the sensitive spot below Kara’s ear. Maybe it was the challenge in her voice, or the gleam in her eyes when she moved back. Or maybe it was the product of all these factors, and mince pies, and blushes, and the spirit of Christmas around them. Whatever it was, it made Kara forget all about Supergirl. And she leaned in.

She leaned in, Kara Danvers through and through, and she kissed her best friend and crush of two and a half years squarely on the lips. She kissed Lena, and Lena kissed her back, and for a moment or two, everything was perfect.

And then Lena climbed into Kara’s lap, her legs scraping over the stupid skirt and not-so-stupid cape, and Kara realised that although she was kissing Lena, Lena was kissing Supergirl.

And somehow, that made Kara Danvers unspeakably jealous.

She sort of drew back then, slunk away from Lena’s lips, Lena’s touch, Lena’s body that was pressed into her like everything she’d ever dreamed of.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, not meeting Lena’s eyes, “I can’t…”

She expected Lena to be confused, disappointed, maybe even annoyed. After all, it had been Kara who had initiated the kiss, Kara who’d all but attacked Lena with it. She wouldn’t blame Lena for questioning her choices, judging her behaviour, possibly condemning it. Or, in the very best case, accepting it without further comments, and moving on. Pretending it had never happened.

She did not expect Lena to laugh. But laugh she did, full of mirth and unbridled joy, and a bubbling exaltation that Kara herself was far from feeling.

“Excuse you,” she said somehow affronted but mostly too startled to feel hurt, “Did I miss something or… ?”

Lena’s face softened. “Oh, Kara,” she said, and –

“What?!” Kara exclaimed, all but shooting off the couch until she was hovering, with Lena scrambling not to slip from her lap. “Wait, what did you just say?”

“Oh Kara,” Lena repeated, with a knowing smile and a gentle hand under Kara’s chin, “I am surprised it took you so long.”

“Took me so long?” Kara echoed. Her mind felt like it was signalling error, a string of white flags all flapping over and under each other.

“To kiss me – and to figure out that I recognised you a long time ago.”

“Reco– Huh? You… What? What are you saying?”

“I am saying,” Lena said, and although she was speaking very slowly, Kara had trouble keeping up, “That I know that you are Supergirl. Or well” – she looked at the emblem on Kara’s chest – “that you are Kara Danvers.”

“Huh,” Kara made, dumbfounded.

Lena chuckled. “Yes, well, it turns out that if there are two people in all of National City who look at me like I am worth more than my last name, like I am worth something at all, worth loving – these two people tend to be the same person. Especially if one of them is a secret superhero.”

“Huhhh,” Kara made, somewhat less dumbfounded. “So you are saying you were kissing Kara after all?”

A slight frown appeared between Lena’s eyebrows. “As far as I understood it, she – you – kissed me first. But I suppose that’s how you could say it, yes.”

“Hmm.” Kara grinned, a grin that was equal parts Kara Danvers and Supergirl. She felt carefree all of a sudden, light in a way that seemed at odds with the fact that she was literally bearing their combined weight in mid-air. “And would you do it again?”

Lena blushed, her thumb wandering slowly from Kara’s chin to her lower lip. “Can you now?”

“I can,” Kara replied confidently. And Lena kissed her, oh did she kiss her.

***

“I hope Alex will forgive me this little manoeuvre,” Lena murmured later, nuzzled comfortably against Kara’s chest. “But I thought this double-hiding had gone on for long enough now, and I finally wanted to do something about it.”

Kara chuckled and pressed a kiss to Lena’s dishevelled hair. “What kind of double-hiding are you talking about this time – the mutual pining kind or the superhero thing.”

“Both. For someone so bad at keeping secrets, you sure are stubborn about them.”

“Hey!” Kara protested, although Lena was perfectly right of course. “You could have said something too.”

Lena squinted up at Kara through her long lashes, a playful smirk on her lips. “I could have – but then you wouldn’t have had a Christmas gift.”

“Secret identity reveals count as gifts now?” Kara grinned. “Man, that will make it easy next year.”

“I asked for a surprise. It came as a surprise that you decided to kiss me first, and talk about your alter ego second. So yes, you met your end of the deal.”

Kara hummed. “I see. And what about your gift to me?”

“I told you I knew about Supergirl, of course. That counts.”

“Does it though? Maybe you just wanted to kiss me again. I call ulterior motives.”

“I wanted to tell you earlier,” Lena protested, but her words were somewhat invalidated by the treacherous red creeping once again into her cheeks, “I actually wanted to tell you when I mentioned the topic gifts in the first place, but then you said you wanted to get me something and I got distracted by your stupid – “ She stopped abruptly, her blush intensifying.

“My stupid what?”

Lena squirmed under Kara’s gaze, a silly smile spread all over her lovely features. “Your stupid face, all pretty and devoted,” she admitted finally, blushing furiously at this point.

Kara laughed. How she loved making Lena Luthor blush. Maybe that was the best present of all. That she would get to do that every day now.

[cupcakemolotov]

Wild Hunt

I think I promised @goldcaught a Klaroline Fae fic years ago. This one has been in the works for a while, let's not talk dates, but 2020 definitely slowed production down. I promise, the second half will not sit languishing in my WIP for too long! The biggest, most heartfelt thank you to Kiry, who has been both a cheerleader and a kick in the pants as needed to get this thing on track to being finished. Kiry doesn't sleep, but I can't complain too much, since they have kindly listened to me complain until the wee hours of the morning. (And also my girl @klarolinedrabbles who saw a super early version of this and was kind enough to be encouraging.)

Edit; And I failed to tag @kirythestitchwitch directly, but you know, today was a trip.

A couple of notes to avoid confusion:

Fae: A word used in this fic to generally reference a type of European mythological beings. Sean O'Connell: Cami O'Connell's Twin.

Synopsis: Killing Tyler Lockwood starts a chain of events that put Caroline exactly where she's always dreaded and longed to be: in the arms of Klaus Mikaelson.

Warnings: Alternate Universe; Alternate Universe - FaeAlternate; Universe - Soulmates; Fae!Caroline; hybrid!Klaus; Minor Character Death; Blood and Gore; Mild Gore; Implied/Referenced; Torture; Psychological Torture; Canon-Typical Violence; Compulsion; Blood and Injury; Blood Drinking

Hand pressed tightly against her side, Caroline took several careful breaths, her lungs burning and her pulse a steady thump in her ears. Her senses were hyper alert, magic straining to catch the faintest hint of a disturbance. All around her, humans slept soft and cozy in their beds, and the night had gone quite. As the silence continued to hold, she allowed herself to relax, letting the cold of the concrete at her spine cool her flushed and fever warm skin. For the moment, she was safe.

Reaching up, she rubbed her breastbone, lips curling into a small, pleased smile at the burn. Her father was angry. If she survived the night, that alone would make the pain of her injury worth it. Thankfully, the knife wound felt like it had finally stopped seeping, and her glamour would hide the blood. It was the iron poison that was going to cause her complications. The black spider web crawling up the line of her ribcage hadn’t made it close to her heart, she was her mother’s daughter too, but it weakened her all the same.

It left her in a magical disadvantage.

Grimacing as her phone buzzed silently in her pocket, she pressed a little further into the concrete behind her and looked around. There was nothing to suggest her cousins had been able to track her, though that was just a matter of time. Thankfully, even suffering from iron, she had enough control of her magic to hide the glow from her phone, though she didn’t quite dare to risk more.

Not yet.

Pulling it free from her pocket, she winced at the number of missed calls and quickly scanned the texts that had accumulated.

Bonnie (12:45 AM): Hello???

Bonnie (12:46 AM): You’re not dead.

Bonnie (12:46): Are you ignoring me?

Bonnie (1:10 AM): I swear, I’ll put Enzo on a plane. With the time differences, he’ll be there before dawn.

Bonnie (1:10 AM): Then you’ll have to listen to him complain about airplane food while he tries to kill people.

Bonnie (1:11 AM): I might do it anyway. I could use the alone time.

Wincing, because Bonnie Bennett did not bluff, she hurriedly tapped out a response.

Caroline (1:11 AM): I’m alive.

Bonnie (1:11 AM): What happened?

Caroline (1:11 AM): It was a trap.

Bonnie (1:11 AM): How bad?

Caroline: (1:12 AM): I’ve mostly stopped bleeding and Tyler is dead.

Very dead. She’d made sure of it. There was a lot someone like her father would do with a dead body, so she’d made a point to separate his head from his body so he couldn’t be resurrected. Baba Yaga spells were rare and costly, but if anyone could get their hands on one, it would be her father. It was why she’d then dumped her stash of holy water on the body and then carefully dusted him in iron shavings, rendering his body and his blood unusable.

The little dots below her conversation on her messenger app popped up and died several times, and Caroline closed her eyes, letting her head fall back as she waited for Bonnie’s response. She’d know that coming to Chicago was a risk, for a number of reasons, but even at her most pessimistic she wasn’t sure she could have guessed just what she’d find here.

What could possibly have led Tyler to be so desperate that he would trust her father? Tyler, who was one of the few people who knew the truth of her origin, who had hugged her when she’d said goodbye and told her he would always care about her. Tyler, whose blood she now wore beneath her nails, who had stabbed her with an iron knife and who had died with hate in eyes.

Her phone buzzed and she glanced down.

Bonnie (1:13 AM): Klaus is in Chicago.

Caroline stared at her phone, surprise and a shot of adrenaline leaving her momentarily breathless. Klaus. Here. In Chicago. The city where Bill had set up his most recent plots, where Tyler had attempted to betray everything that had once made him a good man. Sliding her teeth along her lip, she very carefully typed her reply, her fingers shaking.

Caroline (1:14 AM): You said he was in London for the next month. What changed?

Bonnie (1:15AM): I don’t know.

Bonnie (1:16 AM): Do you need an exit?

Bonnie (1:16 AM): He owes me.

Caroline was shaking her head even before she started typing. Being anywhere near Klaus was a terrible idea, and Bonnie knew that. That her friend would never make the offer unless she thought it necessary left dread sitting low in her stomach.

Caroline (1:16 AM): What’s got you spooked?

Bonnie (1:17 AM): Someone is blocking my scrying spells.

Caroline (1:17 AM): Bill?

Bonnie (1:17 AM): If we’re lucky. We both know what it means if we’re not.

Caroline’s fingers tightened on her phone case, her pulse loud in her ears. Bonnie was right. Very, very few things blocked her from seeing what she wanted to see. Bill could do it thanks to the blood bind but it wasn’t easy, and he never managed it for long periods of time. Grams probably could have done it. But the list of powerful witches who remained alive in the United States after the purging of New Orleans was short.

There was only one reason Bill would use the blood connection between them to block out any outside magic from interfering tonight. She hadn’t just pissed her father off, she’d actively disrupted his plans, and thanks to Bonnie’s magical brilliance, he couldn’t track her easily. But there was another way to drag her to a Fairy Court, and she would have to move very quickly to avoid it.

Baring her teeth in a mimicry of a smile, she gave herself a moment to feel a sharp burst of satisfaction. She had a list on her phone of her father’s potential means of retaliation, and Wild Hunt was right there at the top as the worst possible outcome, but it also meant Tyler must have been far more integral to his plans than she’d guessed. Even knowing that her chances of survival had just taken a serious dip, it did little to dim her pleasure. If she was very, very lucky her father’s precious Queen would feel the need to take out his failure on him directly.

A girl could hope.If she survived the night, she was going to find a fancy bottle of wine and pick up a cupcake. Maybe two cupcakes. She deserved the mini-celebration.

Caroline (1:20AM): I spotted half a dozen of my cousins tonight. I don’t know who holds their allegiance but it probably won’t matter. If Bill is super pissed, he’ll call them all.

Bonnie (1:21 AM): Fuck.

Bonnie (1:21 AM): If it goes bad, don’t be an idiot. Use Klaus.

Caroline (1:21 AM): No.

Caroline (1:22 AM): Favor or not, I killed his hybrid. He doesn’t strike me as forgiving.

Bonnie (1:22 AM): He’s not.

Bonnie (1:23 AM): You don’t have to tell him.

Caroline (1:23 AM): Uh huh. I’ll call you when I’m safe. 🤦😘❤️🏃

Shoving her phone back into her pocket, Caroline exhaled slowly at the bite that was her warning that her magic was nearly tapped dry. Giving herself another half-a-dozen heart beats to celebrate her first major victory, she turned her mind to her problem at hand.

Bonnie had good reason to be worried. It had been almost thirty years since the Queens had summoned a wild hunt to drag one of the half-Fae home for punishment. Bill had made a point to tell her in great details the torture that had awaited her cousin, the way the Queen had plucked his body and his mind apart for his treachery.

Caroline doubted she had become enough of a problem that the Queens would send the hunt, which meant that Bill would be expending a great deal of power to collect her. Her lips twisted, finger tapping silently against the side of her phone. Fae magic was powerful, and so was her father, but it could be circumvented. She needed to concentrate on that, put together her plan.

Pissing her father off twice in one night would normally be her highest priority, but instead what she wanted to think about was the message Bonnie had given her.

 Klaus Mikaelson was in Chicago.

Anticipation was a tantalizing thrill in her veins. She’d hoped the truth of New Orleans would have helped her grow out of her strange obsession. Instead, it left her wanting to know more. It was a struggle, when all she had to do was text Bonnie and ask for a location. She could then finally indulge in the bone deep curiosity that had been part of her life for as long as she could remember. Maybe figure out the cause of her obsession with a monster she’d never met.

She might’ve, if only doing so tonight wouldn’t put everyone she cared about in danger.

Caroline slid her lip between her teeth, letting the small hurt ground her. If she thought her father hated her enough to call down a Wild Hunt now, exposing the Fae’s secrets to Klaus would make his rage burn even more bitterly. She’d honestly have done it years ago out of spite if such a move would only put her in the crosshairs of the courts, but it wouldn’t.

Bonnie and Enzo would also be marked.

The High Courts currently considered her rebellion to be a family matter, though one Bill was unable to control adequately. She could not risk a Queen deciding she was her enemy in truth, not yet. Not when she was so close to figuring out how to banish her father permanently to the otherside of the Veil.

She’d be thrilled to just killing him, but she long since accepted that might not be possible. Tyler had been right, when he’d called her a monster. When he’d called all of them monsters. He just hadn’t understood that for all of the terrible things in this world that there were worse fate’s hidden behind the veil in between the worlds, horrors lovingly encouraged in Underhill that could break a human mind merely with their existence.

Earth had pushed the Fae back with their iron and religion all those years ago, had sealed the veil with witch magic, and humanity considered themselves victorious. But the truth was all they had done was defer the fight for the territory the Fae claimed as theirs to own to a different day.

The Fae hadn’t forgotten humanity nor had they forgiven them for their defeat. Banished behind magic, the Fae watched and watched and hungered. They had waited for the time that they had truly passed into myth, until the world forgot how to defeat them with a dangerous patience. But the nature of the Fae was as capricious as it was violent, and not all agreed on waiting.

Some had altered their plans and plotted a different course of action.

The Great Experiment.

Caroline supposed she should be grateful for that impatience, it was the reason for her existence, but all she could muster just then was a familiar anger. For six hundred years, members of the High Courts had mingled their blood among humans, hoping to breed children with resistance to both iron and the religion, the tools that had locked them away from the world that had once been theirs. And their plan had produced some success, though not always how they had hoped.

She was one such success.

Elizabeth Forbes had never been comfortable with her half-Fae child, but she’d also refused to abandon her to a world filled with monsters. Instead, she’d taught her daughter the good and the bad of humanity, had shown her the world as it was and what it could be. Her father saw her as a tool, a means to an end. Her mother’s love had been gruff and uneasy, but she’d tried.

She would never, ever forget that.

Or forgive Bill for her death.

Caroline had defied her father and his magic, had pitted herself against his will as she vowed vengeance for killing the one thing she’d ever claimed as her own. Her mother.

Hunting Bill required care and a meticulous eye for detail, and a particular stubbornness she had in spades. His magic was more powerful than hers, but he had always underestimated his only child by Liz, brushed her off as not powerful or clever enough for his schemes. It’s been a deliberate decision of hers to hide what she was capable of, hoping that such a ploy would save her mother. Now, she used her magic against him with the same ruthlessness he had taught her as a child.

But she was just one half-breed among hundreds, and so she’d learned to be careful. She wasn’t even the most powerful of those born on this side of the veil and underhanded ambush tactics had always served her better than brute force. A disruption there, a few dozen murder’s here. Just enough to skew her father’s chessboard while she worked to uncover the truth of his plotting. The fewer of her cousins who were able to carry out the will of her father and his fellow full blooded Fae’s plots, the safer humanity was from a terrible strike.

But she couldn’t kill them all, though she’d certainly tried. Her family did not die easily, and magic lingered in places of terrible violence like fingerprints. Each kill was a risk that could lead to her death. Over the years, it’s become clear that if she wanted to destroy her fathers plots, she couldn’t do it alone. The tie that connected them, the thread that burned so clearly now in her chest with her father’s rage, meant that she’d never be truly safe from him. Blood ties were not easily broken.

But Caroline knew witches, so she’d returned home, to the place where the only people she trusted still lived. Tyler had already been gone by then, lost in his need for vengeance, but Bonnie had been there, lingering in the ashes of conquest almost as if she’d been waiting.

It was then that Caroline had learned that humanity's greatest monster had become its potential savior. That the true potential of Ester’s terrible offspring had finally been unlocked. Klaus Mikaelson had broken his curse.

Her fingers curled into her palms, the strange, bone-deep curiosity that ground her joints together every time she thought of his name a familiar sensation. Klaus had broken his strange Sun and Moon curse in the forest she knew so well, had cut a bloody path through everyone who tried to oppose him, and laid the foundations for the army of hybrids he was determined to build. His perfect army that feared neither sun nor death and were unnaturally loyal.

Hybrids that Bonnie had helped create.

Her best friend rarely spoke of the events that led to the creation of the hybrids, refusing to give Caroline even the smallest detail of how a hybrid was made. Even tucked away in her home in Maine twenty years later, hidden by both Fae and witch magic. Caroline might not have the hows involved, but she knew the whys.

It all circled back to Bill.

Liz hadn’t been the only causality of her father’s hunger for power, just the first in their small town. Murdering Sheila Bennett had been a mistake in that it had set Bonnie against Bill, but it fit the pattern Caroline was starting to see in her father’s plans. Liz had been human, but one whose family had been deeply entrenched in the supernatural for generations. Sheila Bennett had been powerful, but she’d been born of the witch line that had created the Otherside. Gram’s had made sure her death had cost Bill, but it hadn’t been enough to stop his plans as Tyler’s presence tonight had proven.

Sometimes, Caroline wondered why Bonnie didn’t hate her. Bill was a scourge that returned time and time again, because her blood allowed it. Maybe if she’d been stronger they’d have been able to protect their families. But what she couldn’t protect, she could avenge.

Bonnie had agreed to help. Had been working on her own plans for years. The first real foothold into Bill’s master plan had been with the Augustine Society. Bonnie had been watching them for months before Caroline’s return, humans who had relentlessly experimented on vampires. They’d staged a rescue for the vampire that had been imprisoned, and it had been Enzo who had known of Tyler.

Tyler who had been the first of Klaus’ successful hybrids, whose loyalty was a shaky thing despite whatever magic bound him to his maker. Her childhood sweetheart who yearned for freedom from the yolk he had chosen. It’d taken months to go through the society’s notes they’d managed to save, to dig into the texts they had been experimenting with.

They’d known so much but understood so little.

But one thing had become crystal clear.

Bill was trying to bring down the Veil. Not unexpected, as most of the Fae worked to destroy it. But Bill also worked to understand what had led to the banishment of the Fae, so he could break it better.

It had been humans, werewolves and witches who had originally created the veil, blocking the Fae Lords from returning in great numbers after their banishment, forcing them to squeeze through cracks when the veil between worlds was thin or use now defunct gates. When iron had slowly lost its grip on the world, they might have managed more but for Qetsiyah.

Bonnie’s ancestor had been clever. When she’d bound the otherside, trapping Amara in stone and Silas forever out of her reach, she’d sunk the power of those souls into the Veil between humanity and the Fae, creating a second anchor. An additional failsafe to guarantee that no Supernatural would be so foolish as to undo her work.

Witch. Vampire. Werewolf. Hybrid. When they died, they were shuffled into Qetsiyah’s chosen afterlife, and their souls protected humanity. Humans were spared that fate, but their very existence acted a detriment to the Fae, as it was humanity who embraced iron.

The fastest way to destroy the Veil would be to free Silas. For a while, she and Bonnie had worried that he would succeed. But no one knew where Qetsiyah had hidden Silas’ body, and for all of her father’s attempts to restart Silas’ little cult, he’d always failed. The last real surge in members had ended when they’d been slaughtered, setting her father back decades.

The only other way to destroy what Qetsiyah had put into place would be to destroy the Veil at the root. And while no one understood the magic that had cast out the Fae so many years ago, her father didn’t need to understand the magic of the Veil to break it. He just needed dominion over it. But that was no easy task. Humans and witches could be bribed or fooled. Werewolves hovered at the brink of extinction. But the children of Esther, the hybrids that now walked the earth, defied every master but one. And so her father gathered his pieces and worked to subjugate Klaus’ creations in secret.

Caroline had tried to save Tyler.

She’d tried to talk him out of the part that Bill needed him to play. He’d refused. And the betrayal had burned like acid in her gut.

It had been Tyler, who had helped her dig Elizabeth Forbes’ grave. Her friend who had given her his gloves when her palms started to bleed, had said nothing when her tears had made her clumsy. It had been Tyler who sat with her and Bonnie, listening as Grams told them of the dangers in the world after Caroline had announced she was leaving. But her friend had died long before Caroline had killed him.

She shivered in the wind.

She knew Klaus played his part in that. It was impossible not to. It had been because of Tyler that she’d ended up in New Orleans, after all. The whispers of the destruction of the city, of how entire witch lines had been lost to madness and death had not adequately captured the horror of it. She’d seen what Klaus had left behind: werewolf packs left in ruin, the survivors turned and bound to his will. Broken witches and terror ridden vampires.

But rarely death. Klaus was not so kind to let his true enemies escape him in such a way. Instead, his wake left behind living ghosts. At least in this, she had done her best by her old friend. Whatever had driven him, whatever horror he had witnessed that had turned him so fully against her, she hoped he could find peace from it now.

She wasn’t so sure she’d be so lucky. Klaus was a spector in her life that she didn’t know if she could escape. And tonight, she’d killed his first hybrid. She grimaced. Klaus would not take to that news kindly. Best if she was long gone when he learned of it.

She wondered if she could manage it. She already felt the pull in her chest, the need to see, to touch, burning through her. It has always been like this. When Grams had first mentioned his name all those years ago, she’d felt the smallest of pulls, a jolt of curiosity. A tug she couldn’t explain. And everytime she thought his name, every time she heard another whisper of the night terrors he created, the tug to search him out grew stronger.

She’d deliberately chosen to look for those horrors once, hoping the truth of his nature would terrify her into running away. Instead, the monster that she had cultivated since she was seventeen and covered in her mother’s blood had approved. The more she learned, the more she wanted to know.

It was why she’d helped Bonnie disappear. Whatever happened between her and Klaus, she was determined to protect her friends from the fall out of it. But she was not the only Fae who hunted for information about Klaus, and Bonnie Bennet had helped create his hybrids.

Her people would destroy Bonnie, if they learned that truth. That a witch from Qetsiyah’s line had once again worked great magic against them would light the fires of their impotent rage for a long, long time. As long as Klaus and his hybrids roamed the earth, it made their chances of winning a war that much harder.

Fae magic was powerful, but given forced limitations by the rules they had to follow. Klaus and his creations were bound by no such things. And they were swallowing the world.

It had been nearly five years since the first hint of a hybrid returning to the US since New Orleans had raced through the Supernatural community. Over the decades, the US communities had watched from a distance as Klaus had bent Europe to his will, his creations breaking across city after city like a wave, choking out any dissent in their paths.

London, Paris, Milan. They all fell at Klaus’ feet with little more than a whimper.

The first real sign of his return had been when he turned New Orleans into a witches' graveyard, and then his gaze had turned to Chicago. Her father was no fool, he had to have known that Klaus had made this city the seat of his power in the States. Bill was far too cunning to risk catching Klaus’ attention unless he had a plan, and not knowing the exact details of what that plan was worried her.

Though she could guess part of it.

A sharp whistle cut through the air, and Caroline’s gaze cut along the rigid angles and sharply jutting corners of the builders around her, but she maintained her hiding place. She had no intention of being flushed out of cover like a bird they intended to net but she needed to come up with a plan.

Glancing at her watch, she grimaced.

It was nearly two in the morning.

If her father had chosen to call a Wild Hunt, she had roughly sixty minutes until the witching hour of three A.M. struck, and the Hunt was let loose. The blood tie to her father might have eroded to the point that he could no longer use it to force her obedience, but they had never managed to break it entirely. Fae magic was tricky. Blood ties more so. Instead, Bonnie had done her best to cloud it, to thin the connection to a single, potent thread.

A Wild Hunt would cut through the witch magic hiding her and return her to her father. Caroline was certain the only reason Bill hadn’t tried to do such a thing before was because of the cost. Calling a Hunt took a great deal of personal power. She would only have one shot of slipping away, and the risk of being caught by her father’s soldiers was dangerously high.

 Klaus was in Chicago.

Her fingers clenched, and Caroline put her phone away. She wouldn’t risk Bonnie or Enzo by going to Klaus, not yet. Not with Tyler’s blood fresh on her hands. But that didn’t mean she still couldn’t use his presence in the city to her advantage. In a game of half-breeds, it always came down to who was the better gambler.

Supernatural cities always had seedy vampire nightclubs and supernatural friendly bars littered throughout. When Klaus had taken over Chicago, he had commandeered several for his own use. But there was one club in particular that she’d pinned down as potentially being part of his stomping grounds; the number of bodies that were secretly removed from the club gave credence to her theory, though she supposed it could just be a place that attracted excess stupidity.

If she was going to have a chance tonight, she needed to go into that club and stay just long enough to let the scent of mingling supernaturals hide her trail so she could slip away undetected and find a place she could hide from the magic seeking her. If she was lucky, Klaus’ potential presence would act as a deterrent.

It was a risk.

Not only because she needed to keep her own blood-lust in check, but because she had never before let herself venture close enough to Klaus to risk catching a single glimpse of him. She was magically exhausted and wounded, the slow crawl of thirst thick in her throat, and her bones ached with the insistent need that made no logical sense.

She would have to be so very careful. Still, for now, her glamour was holding. Setting her teeth, Caroline turned and headed to the heartbeat of the city. Tonight, she’d find a way to live and tomorrow she’d call Bonnie and they’d work out a plan for her to escape. And she’d have to do it without indulging in a curiosity that had no name but was a pulse in her blood.

The rest is here: A03

(I’ll add the link to FFN once I get it posted.)

[scribble-blog]

Soulmate AU part 12!!

First • Previous • Here • Next

“Thank you, Kaalki,” Marinette stepped out into her bedroom. It was, predictably, unchanged from how she had left it.

“Is that you, Mari?” Her Papa’s voice called from downstairs, and she called back.

“Yes!” She gave her room another once over, eyes lingering on the closed closet door where the Miracle Box hid before climbing down, only to be caught in her father’s arms.

“It’s only been a few days,” she complained as he squeezed her. “You don’t need to suffocate me!”

“But I’ve missed my little girl,” Tom Dupain pouted.

“Miss me with me on the ground then,” Marinette rolled her eyes, but she hugged him back before he put her down. “I’ve missed you too, Papa. How’s Maman?”

“She’s napping, after that akuma had to wake her up early this morning,” he told her, giving her one last squeeze. “I’ll be back down in the bakery.”

Marinette gave him a kiss and then went to knock at her parent’s bedroom door. When she heard the answering yawn, she entered.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Maman defended herself with another yawn.

“It’s the midnight Akumas,” Marinette found herself laughing. “They’re the reason I fall asleep in science sometimes. My Hawkmoth suspicions list has sleep-deprived written right at the top, with three underlines.”

“I know what Tikki said,” Maman scowled, “but are we sure I can’t just take over being Ladybug for you?”

Tikki popped her head out of the pillow as well. “It wouldn’t work out, Sabine.”

“I have to be Ladybug, Maman,” Marinette echoed. “It’s...” there aren’t words, not really, for how right it feels down to her bones to be Ladybug. The times that she’s used other Miraculous are always interesting, but there is nothing that compares.

“I know,” Sabine said softly. “I know that you’re... chosen, or bound, or whatever word we use. Even if I’m not a true holder, being Wūguī feels more correct for me than being Ladybug.”

“You do a wonderful job at being Ladybug too though,” Tikki supported. “And after working with you, I can understand where Marinette gets it from!”

Tikki got up and floated over, alighting on Marinette’s shoulder before gasping.

“You met them!”

Marinette felt her face go from normal to bright red almost instantaneously. Sabine sat up straight, looking from her daughter to the red Kwami. “Met who?”

Marinette scrambled to grab Tikki as if it would be possible to contain her and keep her from saying, “She met her soulmate! I can feel it! Oh, Marinette, this is wonderful!”

Her Maman’s lips curled into a teasing grin. Of course, when Marinette had become Ladybug, her parents had found each other’s names, rolling up the insides of their forearms, where the were on constant display. They’d poked and prodded at Marinette about hers ever since, even if they ultimately respected her privacy. “Oh? Marinette? Why didn’t you tell us? How could you rob us of the joy of knowing about our future child?”

Marinette managed to make a noise somewhere between a wheeze and a whistling teakettle. “Maman, nooooo-“

“Oh, but now we’ll have to join you in Gotham~” her mother stood up and started bounding about the room, grabbing a bag and beginning to fill it, “meet them and their family, plan a vacation to get to know each other, start figuring out if you’ll get married in Gotham or Paris-“

“MAMAN!” Marinette had reached the reddest she’s ever been. “I only just met him earlier today! Stop planning weddings and give me back Tikki so I can meet with the Gotham heroes!”

“A dress designed by you, and the cake made by us, of course, and Adrien and Chloé and Luka and Kagami as your bridesmaids...”

Marinette grabbed the Kwami and marched out of the room. “I’ll be back tomorrow with Tikki unless there’s another akuma.”

“Oh, Tom!” Sabine called as she left. “Have you heard?”

“Oh, Marinette, she’s just teasing,” the Kwami giggled at her still blushing holder. “But it truly is wonderful that you’ve been able to meet your soulmate! Now we can truly balance the Miraculous, and you’ll be stronger than ever in your fight against Hawkmoth!”

Marinette froze in her steps at the bottom of the entrance to her room. “What do you mean? Balance the Miraculous?”

“Well,” Tikki’s big blue eyes blinked up at her. “Adrien is a wonderful Chat Noir, of course, but the balance of the Miraculous is always going to be off, with one true holder and one non true holder.”

“That’s-“ Marinette let out a strangled breath. “Tikki. Tell me honestly. Is there going to be any ill effects on me or Adrien just because we aren’t perfectly matched like that?”

“No!” Tikki rushes to comfort her. “Simply that you’ll never be at your true full strength unless your Chat Noir is also a true holder for Plagg. Which, by everything I know, your soulmate should be!”

The icy grip on Marinette’s chest released. “I’m not giving my soulmate the Black Cat Miraculous, Tikki.”

Tikki tilted her small head. “But-“

“No.” Marinette sighed. “I don’t care about my strength. As long as it won’t hurt either of us, I’m not ever going to take Plagg away from his chosen. Not for anything. Adrien is my partner, no matter what.”

Tikki sighed, but she didn’t sound particularly put out. “I guess I knew you’d say that. Even if it helped fight Hawkmoth, I don’t suppose you would be my Marinette if you did something like that.” The Kwami snuggled back into her neck. “Maybe we could give him another Miraculous. It would be fun to see if he’s as wonderful a hero as you.”

“I think he could be,” Marinette climbed into her room, remembering the series of, quite frankly, adorably awkward conversations she’d had that day. “He’s... a conundrum.”

That was the easiest way to describe her feeling about Damian. On the one hand, he was rich, hot, had a wry humor that made it difficult for her to keep a straight face, and a caring side that she very quickly realized he had done his best to bury. On the other...

He was proud, seemed shut off and cold to anyone who he didn’t deem as worth his energy investment, and- Marinette was, frankly, a bit wary of the way he’d fought at the Gardens. The grace and confidence he’d moved with was impressive, but no one learned to move like that for no reason. Even self defense only stretched so far.

“Do you think it’s possible that my soulmate isn’t exactly a good person?” Her lips are forming the question before she can stop them.

Tikki squeezes against her. “If he weren’t a good person, he wouldn’t be your soulmate, Marinette. Whatever made you think that, I’m sure there’s a reason behind it.”

Marinette nodded slowly. “If you say so. Hey, is there a reason it feels like I’m being electrocuted when I touch Damian?”

Tikki giggles. “Oh, that’s just- a safety measure of sorts! Throughout all the different Ladybugs I’ve had, quite a few of you decided to put your duty above your personal life and connections- to my chagrin. This makes it pretty impossible to ignore! Besides, it doesn’t hurt, does it?”

“No,” Marinette admitted. “And who knows if we would have actually met and somehow touched each other during the rest of our trip? But still, grabbing his arm and getting a hundred volts was a bit off putting.”

Tikki shrugged. “It’s not something I control. And it changes with each Ladybug! One time, I had a Ladybug whose eyes would glow whenever she was near her soulmate!”

The thought of what her friends would say about that made Marinette immediately slump with relief that it hadn’t happened to her. The connection she and Damian shared was subtle enough for her, thank you. “Let’s get back to Gotham. I’ve only got a few hours before I need to meet with Red Robin, and Chloé and Adrien are still waiting to ambush me about Damian. Kaalki?”

The horse Kwami zoomed out from the spot on her bed, ready as ever. “At your call, Marinette!”

“Full Gallop!”

TAGLIST:

@the-fusionist @rebecarojas07 @lowandco @kotaleartzu @resignedcatservant @alenee13 @mystery-5-5 @ladybug-182 @actual-disaster-human @loysydark @rumbelle18 @magic-miraculous @vixen-uchiha @athena452 @mochegato @ash-amg @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @thestressmademedoit @sassakitty @doriebell @jessigurl-design @emotionalsupportginger @kceedraws @kuroko26 @moonystars14 @toodaloo-kangaroo @myazael @theatreandcomicfreak @mer-mel @dahjokester @northernbluetongue @area51qt @renscorpio @redscarlet95 @razzledazzle247 @rosep16 @tired-butterfly @catthhay @shamefullove @imanerddealwith @chaosace @captainmac6 @bigpicklebananatree @abrx2002 @cici-schnee @multplelifes @shreky-boi @purple-people-eaters-productions @crazylittlemunchkin @weird-pale-blonde-person

[momosandlemonsoda]

get to know me meme

tagged by @xcziel (thank you!!)

Part I

name: I’m a fandom old and I don’t use my real name, but on most platforms I’m afrikate, from which you can guess part of my real name. When I got a tumblr I wanted something different, so I’m momosandlemonsoda. At the time I was traveling to Nepal a lot for work and momos and lemon soda was one of my comfort meals.

rest behind a cut because it got long!

pronouns: she/her

star sign: I’m a pisces but I don’t really line up with most of the characteristics so,  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

height: 5'5" (165.1cm)

time: 7:18pm

birthday: end of February

nationality: american

fave bands/groups/solo artists: I don’t listen to a lot of music these days, though I’ve been through a Hamilton obsession in recent years and also loved Blackpink’s The Album. My love was 90s alternative rock, all the Brit-pop emo bands and folks like REM and the Violent Femmes. But I also love rocking out to 80s hair bands.

song stuck in your head: at any given time, probably one of the Daniel Tiger songs, sadly.

last movie you watched: I have been rewatching one of my comfort movies, The Sound of Music, in an attempt to move my kid on from animated movies a bit. So far, she’s not biting, but I find it soothing to sing along.

last show you binged: I can’t really binge adult shows--at most I generally can watch a couple episodes in the evenings. But I made my way through Sha Hai as fast as I could-- for all that The Lost Tomb Reboot holds my heart, I think Sha Hai might objectively be the best of the Tomb shows-- given plotting, production values, and the story itself. I’m making my way through Ultimate Note now, but I’m finding it slow going.

when you created your blog: I honestly can’t remember. 2011-12? Maybe? When did Teen Wolf happen?

the last thing you googled: I have no idea-- my brain is not retaining information well these days.

other blogs: I have an old skool DW and a twitter that’s locked down, but my fannish interaction is mostly confined to tumblr these days.

why i chose my url: I explained it above--I was deep in travel to Nepal at the time. Mmm… now I want momos...

how many people are you following: 224

how many followers do you have: 72

average hours of sleep: Oh god, I wish it were 7-8 hours a night. Right now, it’s probably more like 5-6 and I am feeling it.

lucky numbers: 8

instruments: long ago and far away I played viola, but I gave it up in college.

what i'm currently wearing: skinny jeans, a tunic top, and my hair is too long so it’s pulled back.

dream job: HA. HA. HA. Right now, I fantasize about owning a yarn shop / cafe / ice cream shop with my friends. We joke that we’ll run away to an island and open a store. That’s… not really likely or feasible. Once upon a time I would have said my current job is my dream job, but younger me really didn’t understand what she was signing up for.

dream trip: my current fantasy is to be in business class on one of the Gulf airlines, eating warm nuts and drinking champagne. I don’t even want to arrive anywhere, I just want to be on a plane forever.  But when I get past my intense desire to be alone, I would like to go to the beach with a group of friends in a rented villa and not have to do anything at all for a couple of weeks.

fave food: too many to name. Sushi, for starters.

top three fictional universe you'd like to live in: I can’t think of any, honestly. What makes for a good story sounds exhausting to live in, and our current reality is enough (too much, really) for me.

Part II

last song: My Favorite Things from The Sound of Music

last movielast stream: I don’t watch streams.

currently reading: I started the first Mercenary Librarians book, Deal with the Devil by Kit Rocha, but I have kind of stalled out on reading a book, even with a guaranteed happy ending (it’s a romance)

currently watching: Ultimate Note, which is a tonal 180 from Sha Hai and Reboot, but better than TLT2. I miss surfer!Pangzi, who is the spiritual predecessor to best!Pangzi, but I do think that UN!Wu Xie is better than twink!Wu Xie. I also am glad to never have to see the bickering tree ever again. I would like to watch lots of different c-dramas and bl shows, but given my extremely limited free time,  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

what is antipoetry to you: is anti-poetry a thing? Or is this just like the opposite of poetry? I have no idea.

currently craving: to be alone. No one waking me up in the morning (even the cat). No one demanding something or needing help or having a crisis only I can solve. Just me and books and wifi.

tagging @uschickens and anyone who wants to! I hope no one feels obligated, though. Do whatever makes you happy!

[petersasteria]

168 Hours - Haz Osterfield (12)

Pairing: Haz x Reader

Haz Osterfield Masterlist ||  Ultimate Masterlist || 168 Hours Masterlist

DISCLAIMER:  *This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.*

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: In which your son’s wish comes true and it turns horrible. Now, he has to fix it in 168 hours.

Special thanks to: @blueleatherbag​​ and @dudethisvoid​​ for being so helpful

This is the longest chapter here so far.

Click pictures for better quality

𝐈𝐭 has been one hundred and twenty hours out of one hundred and sixty-eight. Harley and Amadis' mission only has forty-eight hours left. In mortal time, they've consumed five days out of seven which means they only have two days left.

Amadis has been stuck in Prague for three days now. He was glad that Saint Christopher and Saint Thomas Aquinas were accompanying him. If not, he'd feel insane going on this Prague mission alone.

"So, what's our plan today?" Saint Christopher asks as he likes Saint Agnes' photo on Instagram. Saint Thomas Aquinas looks over and nods, "God has favorites, I swear."

"I know right!" Saint Christopher huffs.

"It's unfair, dude." Saint Thomas Aquinas rolls his eyes. "He says he loves us equally and that we were made in His image and likeness. But why aren't some of us as good looking as the other?"

"I'm sure God has reasons." Amadis chimes in. "Anyway, we'll be going back to London tomorrow so that it's not suspicious."

"What do you mean?" Saint Christopher asks.

"Tom Holland flies back to London today. It would be suspicious because if I left the same day Tom left. I went to Prague the same day Tom went and that's enough coincidences." Amadis explains. The two saints just shrug and continued on beating boredom by being on their phone.

"Ugh, I hate cyan!!" Saint Thomas Aquinas huffs. He looks at Saint Christopher and Amadis and says, "I'm playing this game called 'Among Us'. Download it so we can all play."

Saint Christopher and Amadis look at each other and shrug. What have they go to lose? They're bored, anyway. So, they download the game.

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐖 𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓, 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐍, 𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃, 𝐔𝐊

Thomas Stanley Holland arrives at the airport with his best mate, Brad Simpson.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride, mate? Y/N isn't here." Brad states as he looks around for the girl. Tom sighs, but reassuringly smiles at his best friend, "It's alright. She's just running late. Traffic sucks, you know."

Brad nods, "That's true. I hate it. Anyway, I'll see you soon."

"See ya!"

They give each other a quick hug before Brad gets in his car. Tom waves a goodbye before he looks around for Y/N and pulls out his phone to text her.

"I'll just wait for her for five minutes. She's just late." Tom whispers to himself. Alas, five minutes have passed. Five turned to ten and ten turned to fifteen. As time passed, Tom has been staying at the airport for one hour now.

Tom huffs and angrily strides to where the taxis are. However, Tom isn't aware of the line as he walks straight up front and tells the person in charge, "I want a taxi. Now. Make it snappy."

"You want a taxi?"

"Yes. I believe that's what I said. Don't make me repeat things." Tom rolls his eyes and fixes his coat.

"Get in line, then." The man says as he points at the line behind Tom. Tom looks at the line behind him and his jaw drops at the long line.

"Oi, you heard the man. Get in line, mate!"

"I beg your pardon?" Tom gasps.

"Back in the line, cunt!" One shouts from the back.

Tom holds his head up high as he walks to the back of the line. He has never been so embarrassed in his entire life. He feels humiliated and by the time he reaches the end of the line, his face is all red from shame.

A few minutes later, he finally gets a taxi going to the city. He checks his phone only to see no texts from Y/N. He clenches his jaw and puts his phone in his pocket.

Thirty minutes later, he arrives at the city. He pays for the ride and gets out. Now, he didn't know where to go. He looks around and he realizes that he doesn't know how to get home.

"I'm fucking screwed."

𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐔𝐄

"Who the hell is the impostor??" Saint Christopher mutters under his breath as he plays 'Among Us' on his phone.

Saint Thomas Aquinas holds back his laughter and continues to play the game. Amadis focuses on the game and sighs when the impostor kills him.

"Aight, I'm dead." Amadis announces. "My body is in the storage room." After he says that, his phone starts ringing. Amadis looks at his phone and his eyes widen, "It's the big guns upstairs!"

"No way-!" Saint Christopher shouts.

"I know right! He never calls me!" Amadis panics.

"I can't believe I got killed in the game!" Saint Christopher groans. "And I especially can't believe Saint Thomas A. killed me!"

The saint just looks at him with a devious smile, "I had to do what I had to do and Amadis, if I were you, I'd answer the call."

Amadis sighs and answers the phone, "Hi God!"

"Let's switch to FaceTime." God says.

"He-"

"I gave that Tom Holland kid one hell of a karma." God says. "He doesn't know how to commute and stuff."

"Oh. Thanks, God." Amadis says.

"No problem. How's Prague?" God asks, fully invested in their mission. Amadis looks up from his phone to see the two saints learning the dance to 'Ice Cream' by BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez.

Amadis looks back on his phone where God is waiting for a response, "We're good. How's heaven?"

God shrugs, "We're alright up here."

𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐒' 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐍, 𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃, 𝐔𝐊

"You got everything already?" Harrison asks as he watches Y/N walk around to check if she has everything. Y/N looks at him and nods, "Yeah. I guess I should get going now. Sorry I can't babysit Harley with you today."

"I can't babysit him either." Harrison sighs. "Timmy's watching him, though. Harley's excited."

"That's good to hear!" Y/N grins. "I'll go now."

"Alright." Harrison says. She walks up to him and gives him a hug, "It was a pleasure babysitting Harley with you."

He hugs back and smiles, "Likewise."

"Hugging without me, I see." Harley jokes. He joins the hug and frowns when he realizes that he may never see Y/N again. As if reading his mind, Y/N pulls away and kisses Harley's forehead, "I'll see you soon, alright? You're not getting rid of me anytime soon."

"But what about that man on th-"

"Harley." Harrison interrupts and gives Harley a pointed look as if telling him to stop it. Harley looks at him and changes the topic, "I'll see you soon!"

Y/N smiles, gets her bags and leaves. Harrison turns to Harley and asks, "Alright, are you ready to hang out with Timothée?"

"Yup!" Harley grins and grabs the allowance envelope from the table where Harrison placed it earlier this morning when Finn dropped it off.

"Good! Let's go!" Harrison takes his bag and leaves with Harley. The two of them exit the apartment building and walk to a café not too far from the apartment.

"Timmy works here, but it's his day off today." Harrison tells Harley as they enter the fancy café. Harley looks around in awe and stares at the display case with all the pastries he couldn't pronounce and never heard of.

"Psst!" Timothée says quietly and motions for Harrison to come over. Harrison smiles and taps Harley's shoulder before pointing at Timothée. The two of them walk to where Timothée is and they sit with him in the booth.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." Timothée says in a posh accent. "I'm a wealthy and posh man sitting here in a posh café, waiting for my equally wealthy friends."

Harley giggles and Harrison shakes his head with a chuckle. Timothée laughs and goes back to his normal speaking voice, "What's up?"

"You already know." Harrison says. "You'll watch Harley. Y/N and I can't watch him today and no one else is available."

"Geez, you sound like an actual dad." Timothée laughs. Oh, if he only knew. "But yeah, this lil' guy and I will have fun! I'll make sure of it."

"Great! Thanks a lot, mate. I owe you one." Harrison grins. He stands up to give Timothée a quick hug and he kisses the top of Harley's head before saying goodbye and leaving.

"Is he a good dad?" Timothée jokes as he takes a sip of his coffee.

'He favors my siblings more, but now that I'm here in the past, I can see that he's great. The most selfless person I've ever met, actually.' Harley thinks to himself. Suddenly flashbacks of his few moments with his father came to mind.

𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝐀𝐆𝐄: 𝟒

Harley didn't understand why he was staying with his grandparents. All he was told is that his parents will go to the hospital because his little sister was coming. He brushed it off and played with his grandparents.

The next day, he and his grandparents went to the hospital to meet the new baby, his sister, whom he already disliked because of the way his mum looked at her. His grandfather placed him on the ground and he frowned. He frowned even more when his grandfather paid attention to the baby instead.

Oh, how he loathed that day. To his unluckiness, this went on for a while. He was neglected by everyone. For a short time, even his uncle Tom paid attention to the baby which surprised him and he felt betrayed by his favorite uncle.

One day, his mum and his baby sister, Harper, were fast asleep in the bedroom and Harley was in the living room playing with the toys his uncle Tom bought for him all the way from Japan. Harley suddenly wasn't amused by his imported toys anymore and he just laid down on the couch and opened the tv to watch his favorite cartoon.

Harrison emerged from his office and went to the living room, "Harley, where's your mum? I have something to ask."

"In the room... with the baby." Harley said sadly. Harrison frowned at his eldest. He didn't know why his son was upset. He walked towards Harley crouched down in front of him, "What's wrong, buddy?"

"No one loves me anymore." Harley said and he cried. Harrison had no clue where that came from and he asked again as he wiped his son's tears away, "What makes you say that?"

"No one plays with me anymore and everyone plays with the baby and not me." Harley cried. "I hate you. I hate mum. I hate grandma and grandpa."

"You're sad about that?" Harrison said softly. "Harley, just because we spend more time with the baby, doesn't mean we love you less. We spend more time with the baby because the baby needs more attention. A baby cries all the time and they can't take care of themselves because they're not big like you."

Harley didn't say anything. He just sniffed and wiped his tears. An idea came to Harrison's mind, "How about we hang out today? My work can wait, alright? We can go to the park or the ice cream shop down the road. Isn't that fun?" Harrison coaxed his young son. It worked, though.

"Ice cream?" Harley asked.

"Yeah. Do you want that?" Harrison asked and Harley smiled and nodded quickly. "Let's get you dressed then!" Harrison smiled and picked him up as they went to Harley's room.

That day at the ice cream shop and the park was spectacular. Soon, it became a tradition every Saturday.

𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕, 𝐀𝐆𝐄: 𝟔

"Harley, let's go! It's time for school." Harrison shouted from the front door. It was Harley's first day of school and his parents could tell that he was nervous. His parents didn't want him late on the first day.

Tiny footsteps were heard coming down the stairs and Y/N smiled at the sight of her little boy looking all dressed up. "Darling, you look amazing!" Y/N grinned as she adjusted Harper in her arms. Harper was now two years old.

Y/N leaned down and kissed the top of Harley's head, "Good luck, alright? I'll pick you up after school and please behave!"

Harley nodded and practically ran to the car. Y/N pecked Harrison's lips and bid him a goodbye as well.

"I'll see you when I get home. I'll be home at seven." Harrison said before kissing Harper's cheek.

"See you at seven, my love." Y/N said with the look of love on her face. They've been married for three years and things between them were getting better and better as each day passes.

"See you at seven." Harrison winked and left to open his car and help Harley in.

On the drive to Harley's school, they listened to Disney songs on shuffle. 'Un Poco Loco' from Coco came on and Harley grinned and cheered. Harley even did his best grito.

Harrison glanced at him for a second through the rearview mirror and smiled. He turned up the volume a bit and he heard Harley sing.

"What color is the sky? Ay, mi amor. Ay, mi amor. You tell me that it's red. Ay, mi amor. Ay, mi amor. Where should I put my shoes? Ay, mi amor. Ay, mi amor. You say-"

"Put 'em on your head! Ay, mi amor. Ay, mi amor." Harrison sang along which made Harley let out the cutest giggle he's ever heard.

Harley did the cutest air guitar action before singing again, "You make me un poco loco, un poquititito loco. The way you keep me guessing. I'm nodding and I'm yes-ing, I'll count it as a blessing that I'm only un poco loco!"

It went like that every morning. Harrison would drive him to school and they'd have a karaoke session of Disney songs in the car. Harrison didn't mind having Disney songs stuck in his head as long as his son was having fun. He didn't care that his colleagues were looking at him weirdly as he quietly sung to himself. The other day, he earned a look from his friend at work when they caught him quietly singing 'Into The Unknown' from Frozen 2.

A few months later, Tom bought Harley his first guitar and paid for his guitar lessons. Tom may have bought the guitar and paid for his lessons, but Harrison was there through every breakdown whenever Harley couldn't get a note right. Harrison was there through Harley's highs and lows until Harley got better and better. Tom may have took credit for buying Harley a guitar and paying for guitar lessons, but Harrison took credit for being Harley's first critic and audience.

That's why years later, it broke his heart when he wasn't able to go to his son's first talent show.

𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝟐𝟎𝟑𝟎, 𝐀𝐆𝐄: 𝟗; 𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐘

"Harley, wake up." Harrison whispered. "Harley!"

Harley stirred awake and groaned, "What?"

"It's Mother's Day. Do you want to help me make breakfast for your mum?" Harrison asked nicely as he watched Harley sit up.

"Sure." Harley yawned as he got out of bed.

"Great! I'll meet you in the kitchen." Harrison smiled and went downstairs. A few minutes later, Harley comes down and they begin to cook breakfast for Y/N.

Harrison was glad that he was spending time with his son that day. Usually, Harley would be eager to go spend his weekends with Tom. Both of them would go abroad for the weekend and then comeback at Sunday in the afternoon.

An hour and a half later, they were done cooking and setting the table. Y/N walked down the stairs with Harper walking beside her. They entered the dining area and gasped at the sight.

"Happy Mother's Day!" Harrison and Harley said enthusiastically.

"Aww, thank you so much!" Y/N teared up.

"Mummy, don't cry." Harper frowned. Y/N chuckled and wiped her tears, "I blame the hormones."

Harrison chuckled, "You're blaming your pregnancy hormones for crying?"

"Yes." Y/N chuckled as she instinctively put a hand on her bump. She was five months pregnant. Harrison crouched down a bit and spoke to the ever-growing baby in Y/N's womb.

"Hey there, little one! It's Mother's Day now and we're celebrating. I can't wait for you to come out so that you can celebrate with us next year. I love you. Oh and this is daddy, by the way." Harrison said as everyone chuckled.

Harrison stood up straight and led Y/N to the table and helped her sit down. "Harley and I made breakfast. You're welcome." Harrison said as he sat down after helping Harper in her seat.

"Thank you! I appreciate it." Y/N giggled.

The doorbell rang and Harley got up to get it. "Uncle Tom!" Harley shouted gleefully.

Y/N looked at Harrison and gave him a small smile, "Harley loves you. Remember that."

"I'm not his favorite person in the world, though." Harrison said with a sad smile on his face. "Let's eat!"

Tom entered the house with the biggest bouquet of flowers anyone has ever seen. Harper gasped and said, "Wow! Pretty flowers!"

"Indeed, they are, Harper!" Y/N breathed. She couldn't recover from the shock when she saw the flowers. "Hi, Tom! What brings you here?"

"I thought I'd pay my second favorite mum for a visit! These flowers are yours." Tom said as he looked to the side to see everyone. "I'll put these in the living room."

Tom made his way to the living room and placed it on the coffee table. Harley closed the front door and went back to his seat. Tom quickly jogged to the dining area and placed a quick kiss on Y/N's cheek.

"Happy Mother's Day, love." Tom said with a smile. He looked at the food and said, "I'm impressed! I assume Harrison cooked breakfast."

"Yes and Harley helped." Harrison said as he and Harley looked at each other with big grins on their faces.

"That's great! Anyway, I'm taking my mum out today and I was wondering if this pretty lady," Tom winked at Y/N, as he pulled out his phone to text someone. "Would like to join! It's just a quick trip around France. We'll be back at six. We'll use the jet."

Tom looked at Harrison, pointed at his phone and mouthed, "Check your phone."

Tom looked up from his phone, smiled at Harrison and mouthed, "You're welcome."

Harrison turned to Y/N, "Love, I think you should go. It'll be fun! My Mother's Day gift to you is cleaning up around the house. So, go enjoy Paris."

Catching on like the smart kid that he is, Harley agreed, "Yes, mum! In fact, take Harper with you."

"I can watch her while we're at Paris. I'm very very capable of taking care of Harper." Tom said with a grin. Y/N looked at all three of them and shrugged, "Alright. I needed a break, anyway."

While Y/N and Harper were at Paris to spend Mother's Day with Tom and Nikki, Harrison and Harley were planning a small dinner party for when they get back. Needless to say, everyone enjoyed themselves that night.

"You and your dad make a great team." Tom said to Harley that night at the party. "That's good. I think both of you should team up often."

"But I already have you to team up with." Harley said.

Tom chuckled, "Yes and you will always be my teammate. But you and your dad are the best team. We're just a close second. I think it's time you should see that. I never had with my dad and you're lucky to have him as a father."

"I guess we do make a great team." Harley trailed off.

"Yes and you should be proud of it." Tom said and ruffled Harley's hair.

Unbeknownst to them, Harrison was listening to their conversation and somehow, it reassured Harrison that his relationship with Harley was alright; everything was okay. After all, he was a good father and a good husband.

"Harley!" Timothée says, snapping Harley out of his daydream. He chuckles, "I asked what you want to eat and what you want to do for today. I work here, so I get discounts for food and drinks and stuff like that. Take your pick, little man."

Timothée smiles and slides the menu towards Harley. Harley browses through the menu and tells Timothée that he wants a slice of red velvet cake and a glass of cold chocolate milk.

"You got it, buddy!" Timothée smiles and calls for a waiter. Joshua, Timothée's colleague, happily takes their order and says, "I'll be back in a minute with your orders."

"We appreciate it, man. Thank you." Timothée says with a smile. He turns to Harley and asks, "Anything you want to do today?"

Harley shrugs, "We could go to the park or something."

"Ever been to a cruise?" Timothée asks. Harley shakes his head. Timothée smirks, "We'll take a cruise, then. It's just a short cruise on the Thames."

Harley's face lights up and Timothée chuckles. Joshua comes back with Harley's order and Harley starts eating.

𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄

Thomas Stanley Holland arrives home, surprisingly in one piece, at eleven in the evening. He somehow got lost. He took the wrong buses a bunch of times, there was no signal on some places, then his phone died, he ended up having tea at Bristol. Then when he took the train to go home, he accidentally got off at the wrong stop and when he turned back to get in the train, it already left.

Long story short, it was not his day.

Seeing Y/N in their shared bedroom watching something on Netflix made Tom's blood boil. The maid quickly brings in Tom's suitcase and quickly leaves. The maid sensed a fight brewing and she felt the need to warn her fellow workers that their boss will yell any second now.

Y/N finally sees him and smiles, "Hi, love. Welcome home!"

"Don't 'hi, love' me!" Tom raises his voice. All he could see was red. "Where the fuck were you?! I called you and texted you! You said that you were going to pick me up at the fucking airport!"

Y/N stays quiet.

"Were you with that fucking kid again?! I fucking bet you were! Who even is that kid? What makes him so special that you care about him so much? I'm you fiancé, dammit!" Tom shouts.

Y/N's face contorts in anger. She's had enough. The last straw was bringing Harley into their fight. Harley was innocent.

(A/N: Tom's thoughts are in bold.)

"Don't you dare bring him into this!" Y/N shouts, standing up from the bed. "He's not at fault! I volunteered to watch him for a few days because I wanted to and I needed a break! I needed a break from you, from work, from Saoirse, and from fucking wedding planning!"

"It's OUR wedding, Thomas! OUR WEDDING. Not just mine. So if you won't help in fucking planning, I might as well get married to myself!" She yells.

"You're always out partying with Brad and you always want me to be home at a certain time so that I could look after you or something. I have a life too and I want to bloody live it!"

"These past few days have been a great retreat for me and it was amazing. It was away from everyone I knew and I deserved that. Saoirse's acting like a bridezilla and she's not even the bride!" Y/N shrieks. "How fucking dare she complain about the centerpieces when she won't even fucking glance at it on the wedding day itself! FUCK YOU, SAOIRSE!!" She paces back and forth.

'Tell her off, then! What do you want me to do? Talk to her? I bloody hate her too.'

"And your fucking bodyguards are always around me like they're vultures and I'm their prey! I hate it! Why do you even need them?! You're not a fucking Hollywood star!"

'Yes, but I'm a CEO, darling. My life is always, always at risk. Have you seen the movies about people like me getting captured? Probably not. Go rest and watch them and you'll understand.'

"Oh, and I hate that you don't like my friend, Florence! She's so kind! Kinder than Saoirse and better, actually."

'I didn't say I hated her. I just said that her way of living was weird. She owns a karaoke bar and she lives in a shoebox apartment even though she could afford anything more expensive than that. I didn't prohibit you from hanging out with her, did I?'

"And my friend, Harrison, apparently applied for your fucking company-"

'Who? I've literally never heard of him. I don't call my applicants by their name. I call them based on what I see.'

"-as a social media manager and you didn't even hire him! Now, he has to do part time jobs and shit to get by!"

'Ahh, I know him. He's the guy that applied for social media manager with worn out shoes and an old jacket that I assume was a hand-me-down. I didn't hire him because he didn't look the part. My apologies, darling.'

"Then you're mean to Harley?! What did he ever do to you? He's only ten years old!"

'He did nothing, but he took you away from me. You don't even answer my calls when you're with him. I take that personally.'

"You know, if this is how you behave when I babysit, what kind of father will you be?" Y/N sighs in a frustrated manner. Tom stares at her and purses his lips. She grabs her phone and charger and leaves their shared room.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tom asks.

"Guest room. I don't want to sleep next to you, right now." She says. "Sometimes I think you're only with me for sex because that's how we fucking solve everything before. Well, not this time. Good night, Thomas."

She slams the door and hurriedly walks to the guest room to get some well-deserved shut eye. Tom huffs and lays down on the cold bed and immediately goes to sleep due to all the exhaustion. However, even asleep, Y/N's question haunts him in his sleep.

"You know, if this is how you behave when I babysit, what kind of father will you be?"

* * * *

wow 4.4k words

𝐇𝐀𝐙 𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @abrielleholland​​​​​ @silencetheslaves​​​​ ​ @imeanlifesabitshit​​ @joyleenl​​​​ @hjoficrecs​ @blueleatherbag​ @poguesholland​ @harryismysunflower​ @justanothermarvelmaniac​ @lonikje​ @lizzyosterfield​ @itstaskeen​​ @ilarbu​​ @turtoix​​ @badreputationlove​​ @starlight-starks​ @swiftmind​​ @sovereignparker​​ @pearce14​

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓: @marvelousell​​ @justasmisunderstoodasloki​​ @rubberducky-jrr​​ @petersholland​​ @osterfieldnholland​​ @miraclesoflove​​​​ @god-knows-what-am-i-doing​ @perspectiveparker​ @hollands-weasley​ @itstaskeen​ @call-me-baby-gir1​ @the-panwitch​ @iamaunicorn4704​ @chloecreatesfictions​​ @holland-styles​​ @halfblood-princess-505​​ @spidey-reids-2003​​ @herbatkazmiloscia @whatthefuckimbisexual​

[purplesurveys]

1200

Have you ever felt a baby kick? Yeah, when my mom was pregnant with my brother.

What color pants/shorts are you wearing? I have red shorts on at the moment.

When is the last time you did something truly fun, and what was it? Last Friday, I’d say? Hahaha. Counted down the hours and minutes before the Butter MV drop, celebrating and freaking out with Army when it finally came out, watched the OT7 VLive that happened that afternoon, and streamed the video for nearly 24 hours straight so we could break some records, all of which we ended up achieving. It feels great to stan a group again after being out of the loop for so long lol.

What was the scariest moment of your life? A few men have lunged towards me - just to get attention, I guess? - in the past, while I was just peacefully walking. I always hear them snickering once I’ve flinched, and I always ended up crying once I’ve processed the situation.

Have you ever heard of Leonard Cohen? I know of the name, but I have no clue who he is or what he does (did?).

Pancakes or flapjacks? I don’t even know what flapjacks are, so let’s go with pancakes.

What kind of computer are you on? I’m using a Macbook Air.

Do you eat Chinese food? If so, what's your favorite dish? Yes. Minced pork with eggplant.

What are you usually doing at midnight? On weekdays, I spend it in bed, either watching videos or already reading fanfics to get ready to turn in. On Friday nights and weekends, I will usually be found on the rooftop taking a survey or two.

Have you ever developed feelings for a friend, but you were already with someone? No, I’ve never developed feelings for another person while in a relationship.

If so, how did it turn out?

Give me your brief definition of love. I will always stick by this quote, “Love never says, ‘I have done enough.’”

What is the most beautiful part of the human body, male or female? This is subjective, of course, but personally I find it to be thighs.

What kind of shoes do you wear? I’m not wearing any at the moment; but in general, I like to wear sneakers.

What is the worst thing you've ever done when you were really angry? Physical violence.

Are there any pills you take on a daily basis? If so, what? Nope.

Do you like the smell of coconuts? Not so much. I like coconut milk, though.

What is the heaviest you think you can lift? I think my personal best was like 60 or 70 lbs, back when I had weight training classes for PE in college. I remember being in so much pain once I gave the 80 lbs barbell a shot.

Do you take Tums? No.

Have you ever walked on a pier at the beach? ...Ugh. I’m pretty sure I’ve taken this survey very recently but I might as well just take it again because I don’t feel like searching for another. Anyway, I haven’t... at least not that I can remember.

How about under one? Definitely not.

At what age do you first remember feeling butterflies in your stomach around someone? I was around 12 when I was starting to feel confused about getting nervous around Andi.

Do you feel that way around anyone now? I don’t.

Do you ever talk to yourself or think deep thoughts while on the toilet? No haha but I usually bring my phone with me to keep me company.

Do you ever sing to yourself? Pretty often.

What is a sound that relaxes you? Ocean waves.

How hard has it been to reach your main goal in life? I don’t have a main goal set in life. I just live in the now and try to do things or make decisions that would keep me consistently happy.

Do you remember the song about hoes in different area codes? HAHAHAHAHA definitely took this recently; this is so embarassing. No, I still don’t know about this song.

What is your main heritage? Filipino.

What kind of pickles do you prefer, if you like pickles? I hate pickles and I find them absolutely nasty, but there are other pickled things I like, like radishes.

What kind of cheese do you prefer, if you like cheese? Mozzarella and feta.

If you could have a sea creature as a pet, what would you want? No thanks. I’m not capable of providing them proper care.

How about a farm animal? I would just stick to dogs.

So, do you have hoes in different area codes?

What is the most annoying song you can think of that came out recently? I’ve been in a BTS bubble for a solid month or so and I honestly can’t tell you my opinion about songs that have recently come out, because I literally don’t know any.

What is a song that you hate to admit you like? There isn’t any I’m guilty about.

What inspires you to get off your bum and do something productive? Knowing I’ll feel accomplished once I do it.

Do you ever use Urban Dictionary? Never anymore. I used to browse through it only when I was a lot younger.

Do you find the definitions on there to be generally funny or stupid? Both.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word 'transformation'? The Transformers series, lol.

What was something you regularly played with as a child? I always liked clay and I never really graduated from that interest, since I find the texture fascinating and fun to play with.

Have you ever given in to peer pressure? Sure.

If so, what did you do? I had my first sip of alcohol at Kaira’s 18th birthday and I was feeling left out since literally everyone else was drinking. For vaping, Gabie introduced it to me; and for smoking, it was another case of FOMO that made me want to try it out.

What part of your body have you had the most problems with in your life? My back.

Do a lot of people check you out when you're in public? Idk? I don’t take note of that kind of attention, anyway; I would find it creepy.

How many people do you know for sure to be interested in you right now? Zero.

What is a good name for a turtle? I think it would be the same process as the way I think it would be for any other pet; it would depend on their personality, their aura, etc. 

Can you imitate any accents well? If so, which one(s)? Not really. I can read Hangul and am familiar with the different tonalities used in Korean but I wouldn’t say my imitation would be considered spot-on.

Do you like having your ear nibbled on? Yes.

What makes a good kisser a good kisser? When they know how to use their tongue in a teasing way, for one. Eugh it’s too early for this lol

How many times a year do you have a family thing? What even is a family thing?

What are the best things to put in a smoothie? I don’t like smoothies.

Do you ever eat with your eyes closed and just focus on the taste? Yup, especially when I’m either eating somewhere pricey or when I’m eating at one of my favorite restaurants.

What do you dislike most about where you live right now? It’s a pretty uneventful city, and if I want to have some fun I always have to go to Manila.

Has anyone ever given you a rose/roses? Yup.

Are you watching your weight? No.

Have you ever became really good friends with someone you found online? Yes. Aliyah and I are still friends and I’m glad we’ve been able to maintain our friendship even after mine and Gab’s falling out. It’s a shame the three of us didn’t get to meet in real life though, and it will 100% never happen now. I also used to have a group of Twitter friends back in my wrestling stan days but it’s been a very long time since we’ve gone our separate ways. I have yet to find friends on Army Twitter but I really doubt I would get to build established friendships any time soon because EVERYONE IS SO YOUNG OVER THERE

What makes your best friend your best friend? They understand me better than anyone else does.

Do you have a drunk uncle? I have a couple of them.

Do you hear weird noises in your house at night? Nope.

What is something you do that is generally more like something the opposite sex does? Ignoring this question.

What is the girliest thing you do, if you're a girl? Also ignoring this.

What is the coolest tattoo you've ever seen? I find line tattoos to be pretty cool and beautiful in general. The minimalist look it goes for works really well.

Have you ever created anything artistic that you're proud of? If so, what? That vase I molded during my Vigan trip :) It was the first (and so far) only thing I’ve made from scratch, and even though I didn’t get to take it home, I’m still glad I had the opportunity to try pottery.

Do you only eat the middle of the oreo, if you eat oreos? No? That’s pretty wasteful. I eat the whole cookie.

Do you know anyone with a huge ego? Hahahahaha. Yes.

If so, is there anything else about them you actually like? Not anymore, no.

Have you ever used a racial slur, even jokingly? Most likely as a stupid teenager when I didn’t know any better.

Do you have any friends who are more like siblings to you? Angela and Laurice.

If so, what about them do you like most? They’re very easy to talk to, and they’re both selfless and generous.

What is everyone else in your house doing right now? My mom is making dinner while I believe everyone else is just on their phones waiting for the dish to be made.

What is the most money you've ever had at one time? I don’t remember the exact amounts anymore but my mom used to hand me cheques and regularly assign me to pay for me and my sister’s tuition back in grade school and high school, since she had work during the day and didn’t have time to stop by the school herself.

How long do you think it would take you to run a mile? I don’t know but definitely longer than what would be considered a decent duration for a fit person.

Look down. What do you see? I can see my legs but just barely since it’s dark out.

What is a subject that makes you uncomfortable? Topics I don’t know too much about.

What is a subject you can talk on and on about and not get sick of it? BTS, my field, and history.

What kind of mood were you in most of today? Comfortable. We had the aircon on all day and I just watched BTS MVs and live performances, and I don’t really feel bad about being unproductive for once.

Has anyone ever walked in on you naked? Just once or twice.

Tell me an inside joke you have with someone. Togepi.

What is the worst thing someone could do to you emotionally? Tell me hurtful words.

What is the worst thing you've ever done to someone emotionally? Idk...maybe cut them off unexpectedly? I'll usually have no problem doing this with people who make me uncomfortable.

How do you feel now about the first person you ever dated? Nothing. She’s not in my life.

How about the last person (your last ex)? She’s the same person.

What is the best invention ever invented? The internet.

What is something that needs to be invented? Not a completely new invention but I wish programs that can identify songs for you, like Siri, can be more improved to be able to recognize songs just by humming the tone. So far they can only name songs if you play it clearly for a few seconds, but it can be a hassle if I wanna have access to a certain song but only remember the melody and otherwise have no idea what the lyrics are or who sang them.

Describe your eyes. I don’t think they’re anything special. I don’t count them as a striking feature of mine.

What always makes you burp? Eating quickly. And beer.

What is something you hate doing that most couples do? There isn’t anything.

What's your astrological sign? Taurus.

What are you doing tomorrow? I wanna finally watch the Friends reunion special since I didn’t feel like watching it today. I also have a press release to write for one of my clients – they requested for it Friday and want it by Monday :(

[chroniclackofselfpreservation]

Creatures of the Night

Chapter 12 - once you say it out loud it can’t be undone

Back to the Beginning   < Previous chapter / Next chapter >   

AO3

Masterlist

(TW: mild graphic imagery)

(The title for this chapter comes from "the fall" by half alive.)

Patton’s throat constricted and his chest felt like someone had wrapped it in barbed wire. He knelt in the middle of a clearing, the tall grass tickling his arms. His eyes were blurry with tears.

Virgil knelt across from him, his face limp with dread. Logan stood a few paces away, something shiny dangling from his clenched, trembling fist. He radiated anger.

Roman lay asleep at his feet.

No… his chest was still; his skin, usually golden tan and vibrant, was pale; his hand, clutched in Patton’s own, was cold and…

And lifeless.

Patton came awake suddenly, but didn’t jolt. He looked around, gradually grounding himself and calming his breathing. Logan was sandwiched between him and the back of the couch, his mouth slightly open and his face pressed into the crook of Patton’s shoulder.

They’d begun the night sitting side by side, watching animal documentaries and eating the pasta they’d made together. Now, the television had shut off after being inactive for too long, and their dishes sat empty on the coffee table.

Patton’s neck was stiff and his arm was going numb, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to move. His dream was a little more than disturbing—Roman was dead, for crying out loud—but Logan’s slow puffs of breath hitting his neck did a good job distracting him.

Logan’s forehead creased and his eyes, though closed, grew troubled. He made soft, whimpering noises of concern, turning his head into Patton’s shirt.

“Looks like we’re both having bad dreams,” he muttered, leaning his head back on the arm of the couch and looking up at the ceiling.

It was torture, lying here with Logan and not doing anything about it. He wished he could run his hands through his hair and kiss his forehead and lie huddled together—not by accident but by choice.

He wished for a lot of things—not only with Logan, but with Roman and Virgil as well. They’d been so close ever since they were young, but never close enough for his liking. He wanted to take all their pain and make them feel wanted.

But he didn’t.

He wouldn’t cross that boundary for fear they’d feel some sort of obligation to make him happy.

As long as they were happy.

But they weren’t. Logan was overstressed, Roman wouldn’t talk to him about whatever strange thing he was going through, and Virgil—

Logan jerked awake, inhaling sharply and clenching Patton’s shirt in his fist. He looked around, confused, then, upon seeing himself lying nearly on top of Patton, sat up quickly.

He cleared his throat. “Apologies, Patton. It was not my intention to, er… fall asleep.”

“Don’t apologize, kiddo. I think we both needed a little cat nap.” He flipped up the hood of his jacket depicting a cat face and ears.

Logan rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to chastise Patton’s choice of pun when his eyes fell on the window to their left, the morning light reflecting in his eyes. His face went slack with a look of fear.

“What time is it?”

Patton craned his head back to glance at the clock on the oven. “Seven-thirty. Wowie, we really zonked out, didn’t—“

Logan shot to his feet. “Roman?” he called, flying up the stairs two at a time. Patton followed, a pit of nerves forming in the bottom of his gut.

“They’re not here. Roman and Virgil aren’t back yet.”

“I don’t know, Logan. We can’t assume the worst. They might’ve been held up—”

“Patton, I—” Logan snapped, but stopped himself, pressing a fist against his mouth. He began again,  “Patton, I can assure you, they are not. This is an incredibly complicated situation with an innumerable amount of unknown variables, and I know you must be confused. Believe me, I understand, but there’s just—Patton I’m sorry, I—I can’t—”

Patton rushed forward, cupping Logan’s face in his hands. “Hey, hey, take a breather, Lo. It’s gonna be okay, yeah?” he said, smiling though he felt as if he’d swallowed glass. Logan knew what was going on. So, did Virgil. Why did everyone know but him?

But he did know—kind of, anyway. Right? The dreams…

He opened his mouth, closed it, then tried again. “This wouldn’t happen to involve a, uh… giant… talking snake… would it?”

Patton felt Logan grow deathly still beneath his hands.

“What did you say?”

Patton lowered his hands, suddenly self-conscious. He shook his head, “Sorry, it’s ridiculous, I know—”

“No! No, Patton, what did you—how did you know?” he breathed.

Patton’s heart stopped in his chest. “I was right?” He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat but he couldn’t. The dreams were true. They always were. But what Roman was dealing with… it wasn’t possible. Was it?

Logan sat down hard on the stairs and put his face in his hands. Patton held out a tentative hand, recoiling a bit when Logan burst into a fit of hysterical laughter.

“Logan?”

He looked up with eyes now red, pressing his hands against his lips and sniffing. “Patton, you have absolutely no idea how relieved I am right now. I’ve been carrying this for Roman on my own for months and I wanted to tell you so bad, but...” his voice broke.

Patton felt everything inside him shatter and it took every ounce of self-control he had to keep from grabbing Logan’s face again, holding his hand, and kissing away all of his pain.

He took a breath, putting on a strong smile. “I don’t know all the details, Lo, but we’re going to figure this out. Okay? Do you know where they are?”

Logan nodded, taking a breath.

“I have a general idea.”

                                                * * * * * * * * * *

...gil…

Virgil…?

What’s going on? Are you dead?

Virgil’s eyes opened slowly. He squinted a little, some sort of bright light shining on his face. His head was pounding. After a few moments, his eyes adjusted and… 

He was outside? Why was he…? Looking up, he found Roman asleep against a tree, his head lolling to the side, and Virgil’s head was in his lap.

Virgil shot upright, ears burning. The quick movement sent his head spinning and the throbbing grew worse. He groaned and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. 

Hello? Answer me, Virgil.

Virgil stiffened. It was Ursula. No wonder his head felt like it had gone through a meat grinder.

What do you want? he thought back venomously.

He could practically sense her eye roll. Nothing. Our connection wavered a bit and I thought you were dead, or something. I was worried for my little minion.

Why’d you… Virgil trailed off. They were in the forest. The memories of last night came rushing back, hitting him like a tidal wave. Terror ripped through him and he launched to his feet. His head felt like someone was chiseling into it with a pickaxe, but he didn’t care. He turned in circles, scanning the trees for Dorian. 

They were alone. 

What happened? Did my champion figure you out yet?  She laughed through their connection, a strangely melodic sound.  Did he try to kill you or something?

No, Virgil seethed. Go away. He prayed she wouldn’t take his dismissal as a challenge. Virgil wasn’t sure he had the strength to resist her at the moment. 

I have better things to do anyway. Paco’s teaching me how to make sangria, ciao! 

Their connection faded. 

Roman stirred, and Virgil’s unease piqued. He’d have to explain everything now, wouldn’t he? Roman was going to hate him. Then he’d tell Logan and Patton and—and Virgil wasn’t sure if he could handle any  one  of them hating him. 

But he had to own up to what he’d done. It was time. 

“Roman, wake up,” Virgil said, softly shaking his shoulder. His friend blinked a few times, looking around. 

“Where are… wait are we still in the forest?!” he cried, shooting to his feet. He looked down at his arms and felt his face with growing horror, spattered head-to-toe with the tar-like blood, and groaned. 

“Uh, yeah. I’m guessing you fell asleep after…” Virgil paused, recalling as much of last night as he could. “Wait, how am I not dead? Dorian bit me. I should be dead right now.”

“I gave you the antidote, and—hold up, look at your chest!" Roman blurted, rushing forward. Virgil looked down. His shirt was ripped almost completely open, revealing his chest. There was no wound. Not even a scar. 

"How...?"

Roman laughed, "Must be some of that power beyond description Dorian's always going on about."

Virgil's stomach dropped. "Uh, yeah. About that. We probably need to talk. Right?"

Roman looked confused for only a few seconds. His face fell ever so slightly. "Yeah. We do, but not right now."

"What?"

Roman smiled a little guiltily, "I think we should wait until we're all together. I've got some things I need to tell them, too. Besides, Logan's going to murder me himself if we don't get home soon." He started walking, and Virgil followed, trying to decide whether he was relieved or more nervous. It seemed like Roman was in denial instead of actually being fine with the situation. 

"Do they know?"

"Logan does. Patton… I haven’t told him anything. I couldn’t bring myself to. You know how he gets. He’d want to fix everything, lose sleep over it, all that,” Roman said. Virgil could tell he was trying to sound unaffected. He wasn’t doing a very good job. 

Virgil followed Roman through the woods. He didn’t look like he was even paying attention to where he was going, and yet their course never wavered. A product of spending every night in these trees for over a year, now, Virgil surmised. Despite his confidence in his sense of direction, Virgil couldn't get over how unconcerned Roman was out gallivanting around a forest that housed a considerably large demon serpent that, not six hours ago, had nearly killed them both. 

“Aren’t you worried?” he asked. 

Roman stepped over a fallen tree, considering for a moment. “About what?”

Virgil gestured to the emptiness of the woods. “I don’t know, a giant snake popping up out of nowhere and trying to kill us?”

He snorted. “Not particularly. He sleeps during the day.”

“How do you know that?”

“...I don’t,” he said slowly. “I mean, I’ve never seen him during the day, but it isn’t like I spend a lot of time in the forest outside of when I have to. I just sort of figured he hid away somewhere and slept, seeing as we haven’t heard reports of a giant snake eating hikers or terrorizing campsites. When all of this started, I’d hide so deep in the forest I couldn’t find my way back out even after the curse ended. I didn’t find my way out until well past sunrise, and never once saw Dorian slithering around, so we should be safe.”

He sounds so used to it by now, Virgil thought miserably. 

A voice echoed faintly through the trees. It sounded quite a ways away, and Virgil couldn’t quite make out what they’d shouted. Roman instantly went still as a statue and Virgil nearly tripped bumping into him. 

“Did you hear that?” Roman whispered so softly Virgil almost didn’t hear it. 

“Uh, yeah, I heard it.”

“Just checking. Follow me. Watch where you put your feet,” he said, making his way toward a cluster of bushes. Virgil followed, nerves popping like firecrackers inside of him.  They crouched behind the bush and waited. He couldn’t hear Roman breathing beside him despite his back definitely rising and falling. How was he so calm?

“Roman! Virgil!” the voice called again, and Virgil outright gasped. Roman slapped a hand over Virgil’s mouth, his eyes hard and dark, and markedly more wary than before. He held a finger to his lips as he slowly rose to his feet. 

Stay here, Roman mouthed. 

Before Virgil could do anything more, Roman leaped up, grabbed a branch of the tree beside them, and hauled himself up it in less time than it took Virgil to hiss, “What are you doing?!” The trees were sparse enough that he might be able to see who was coming, but it was definitely human. Right? Going by Roman’s reaction, it may not be. 

Was Dorian messing with them? But Roman had said that the snake slept during the day… 

Luckily, Virgil didn’t have to wait long for his answer. 

“Logan! Patton! Over here!” Roman shouted and Virgil nearly had a heart attack. He dropped to the ground at Virgil’s side, a grin stretched across his face. “Come on. They’re not too far.”

“Are you su—” Virgil started, but Roman grabbed his hand and began running. Virgil nearly fell on his face several times trying to keep up. He was far more agile as a cat, that was for sure. Bipeds were so top-heavy it had taken him several days after he first discovered his human form to figure out the whole walking-thing. 

They didn’t have to run far—and Roman ran the whole way— before Virgil spotted them: Logan, who looked so angry his face was red, and Patton, beaming with excitement at seeing his friends. 

Roman let go of Virgil’s hand and slowed to a stop, grabbing the back of his neck. “Now, Logan, don’t be—”

“Roman Nicholas Kingsley, what were you thinking?!” Logan spat, fuming. Virgil noticed Roman looked considerably more scared of the elementary school teacher before him than the demon he’d fought last night. Before Roman could say anything more in his defense, Logan wrapped him in a hug so tight Virgil thought he’d break his ribs. 

“What’s all over you?” Patton asked.

“That’d be demon blood, Padre,” Roman laughed through Logan’s embrace, having the decency to look at least a little bit chastised. Patton paled. “Demon blood that Logan is going to have a hay-day getting out of his shirt.”

“Shut up,” Logan muttered, releasing him. Dark splotches indeed adorned his button up, but he didn’t seem to care. 

“Never thought I’d say a sentence like that in the light of day,” Roman chuckled. 

Logan rounded on Virgil. “And you! You think you can pull a stunt like this after what I went through to save you yesterday?”

Patton and Roman exchanged looks, falling silent. Virgil shrank back. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Logan sighed, stepping toward him. Virgil flinched, but was met with a warm embrace instead. 

“One of these days, you three will give me a heart attack,” he muttered. 

Roman laughed forcibly. “Wow, Specs, never thought I’d see the day you’d be handing out hugs.”

Logan released Virgil, who didn’t feel any less nervous, and straightened his tie. 

“We,” he said, looking pointedly at everyone, “have a lot to talk about.”

                                                * * * * * * * * * *

“Who wants to go first?” Logan asked after they’d all sat through several minutes of awkward silence in the living room. 

Virgil wrung his hands, taking a few shallow breaths before saying, “I should start. This is my fault, anyway.”

Logan sighed, “Virgil, whatever it is, I’m sure—”

“I’m not exaggerating, Logan,” he said, not meeting any of their eyes. “I’ll tell my story, then if… if you want me to leave I—I’ll go, but just let me get it all out, okay?”

“Kiddo, we’d never ask you to leave.” Patton reached toward him, but Virgil recoiled ever so slightly. Logan glanced at Roman, who had grown uncharacteristically quiet the closer they’d drawn to their house. Now, he just stared at his hands and picked at the sticky blood spots he still hadn’t washed off. 

Virgil took a breath, then began. “I’m not human.” 

Patton made a noise of confusion and Logan’s brow knit together. “What do you mean?” he asked. “You’re sitting right there; I can see that you are.”

“No—I mean, I can take the form of a human if I want to, but I wasn’t born a human. I was born a cat.”

“A cat,” Logan echoed skeptically and looked around. Patton seemed as confused as he was, and Roman had grown still as he listened. 

“I know it sounds weird, but trust me, that isn’t the worst of it. There are parts of your world that you couldn’t even imagine existing, so just… trust me, okay? I won’t lie to you.”

“Promise?” Roman muttered softly and Virgil looked like he’d been punched. 

Patton looked between them with concern. “Keep going, bud. We’ll stop interrupting.”

Virgil swallowed. “I’m not just a cat. I mean, that’s kinda obvious. Cats don’t normally turn into people, but, uh—I’m what you’d call a familiar. It means I’m bonded to a witch—we can communicate telepathically, and she can, uh, see through my eyes and stuff like that.”

A muscle in Roman’s jaw tightened. “So what, you’ve been spying on us, then?”

Virgil’s hands shook. “Not anymore, but initially… yeah. She—I wasn’t trying to—” he said, his voice wavering. He stopped, fidgeting endlessly with his jacket sleeves. “It's complicated, I know, but if you just let me explain, it’ll all make sense—”

“Then will you just get on with it?” Roman snapped. 

“Roman, please,” Logan sighed. “We’re all trying to figure out what’s going on together.”

Roman chewed on the inside of his cheek, folding his arms and falling silent once more. Logan looked again to Virgil, who appeared more and more like he was about to bolt. 

“Keep going, Virgil,” he prompted softly. 

He inhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a moment before continuing. “I’m roughly four hundred years old. I’m not entirely sure, but somewhere around there. You stop counting after a while. As a familiar, I’m able to control the age of my human form to meet my needs, which is how I was able to attend school with you all.” Virgil paused and met all their eyes briefly. Logan was having a hard time wrapping his mind around all of this, and frankly, if he hadn’t seen whatever sort of magic Virgil had been attempting yesterday, he would have thought his roommate delusional. 

To further solidify his claim, Virgil stood and—

Logan blinked. Virgil disappeared, clothes and all, replaced by an ordinary black cat. 

Patton made an inarticulate noise and squealed, “Virgil, you’re adorable!”

Before Logan’s brain could register what had actually happened before his eyes, a thirteen-year-old version of Virgil appeared in place of the cat. It was mind-boggling, seeing Virgil as a child, no different from when they’d all been that age.

Another blink, and Virgil was back to normal. Up until yesterday, Logan had only ever heard about all of this magic stuff. He only saw Roman in the aftermath of his battles. When he saved Virgil, he’d been considerably distracted from taking in all of the abnormalities around him. Now, it had just happened. Right there. In plain view. 

Virgil lowered back into his seat, his fear mingled with a sort of sad, apathetic acceptance. He didn’t tremble as he began, “In the beginning, Ursula sent me to find Roman after his mom died. I found him, but the longer I spent with you guys, I started actually liking it. I’d never had real friends before. Halfway through sophomore year, I told Ursula to shove it. I wasn’t going to be her puppet anymore.”

“That’s when your headaches started,” Logan muttered, his mind churning as he worked out the timeline like a puzzle. 

“Yeah. That happens whenever I have to resist our connection.” 

Logan looked to Roman. Virgil had mentioned his mother’s death, but his eyes had only grown slightly sadder than before. Quite the tempered reaction, in Logan’s opinion, but he still had several more questions he needed answered. 

“So, how are you related to Roman’s curse?”

“Curse?” Patton echoed, looking Roman over with a pained expression. Roman didn’t look up. 

“Roman can explain it better than I can,” Virgil admitted, shoulders hunching. “But, I was the one who took him to Ursula in the first place.”

“What happened to not being her puppet?” Roman asked. 

Virgil folded his arms, balling his jacket sleeves in his fists. “Every summer, Ursula made me return to her. She’d attack my mind relentlessly until I did, so it wasn’t much of a choice. She… managed to convince me otherwise, at least for the first few months I was back.” He looked to Logan and Patton. “Do you remember when Roman and I were in that accident on the highway last year?”

Logan nodded. Roman’s shoulder’s tensed. 

“It didn’t happen like you remember, Roman. Ursula wanted me to continue keeping tabs on you even after the curse was in place and... I was scared of you hating me. I erased your memory of what happened and replaced it so I wasn’t part of any of it.”

“You messed with my head?” Roman growled, finally looking up and meeting Virgil’s eye. “You cared more about saving your own skin than keeping me from the literal hell I’ve been living for a year?” He didn’t shout, but he didn’t really have to. Logan had only ever witnessed Roman’s “quiet anger”, as he dubbed it, once before—when his father had made Patton cry during his last attempt to establish any sort of relationship. 

It was terrifying. 

“Yes, I did,” Virgil said, staring into nothing, his face slack with heartache, “and I regret it every single day. I know I’m a coward and a sad excuse for a friend.”

“Vir—” Patton started.

“I am, Patt,” Virgil cut him off. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m a better person than I am.”

Roman pressed his lips into a thin line, inhaling slowly. “Can you bring my memories back?”

Virgil nodded, then reached out and placed his hand across Roman’s forehead. “Mind and matter fuse and mend, let the memory’s slumber end.”

Roman sucked in a sharp breath, going rigid as a board for a moment. As quickly as it had happened, it ended. Roman pulled away, his eyebrows drawn together in what Logan could only assume was a mixture of confusion and frustration. 

Virgil looked markedly paler, almost sickly. He wiped his face with a trembling hand. 

“Virgil? Are you okay?”

“I’ll be good in a few minutes,” he said, taking a breath. “There was a, uh, incident a few hundred years ago that left me magically broken.”

“Broken?” Logan asked. 

Virgil smiled, though it looked more like a grimace. “Plainly speaking, yes. When magical beings experience really traumatic events, sometimes their powers can just… disappear. It took Ursula years to finally take me to another witch who could make me a talisman that would help me use magic again. A few days ago, someone stole it. That’s why the spell yesterday almost killed me.”

Patton clasped his hands in his lap, taking this far better than Logan would have thought. He still wanted to ask about how Patton had found out about Roman’s situation. 

“Why did you try to do it, if you didn’t know it would work?” Patton asked. 

“I decided to stop running away from my problems and actually try to help Roman. I was trying to locate the person who stole my talisman. When that failed, I figured I’d at least try and give the demon a run for his money, but I ended up making things worse.” He opened his eyes, looking at them all in turn, indescribably miserable. He spread his hands dejectedly. “That’s all of it.”

Once again, they sat in silence, though this time it wasn’t nearly as awkward as it was a silence of utter disbelief. 

Patton sniffed. “Okay,” he said shakily, “Does someone want to explain what this curse is to me?”

Roman nodded, then stood and walked away without a word. Logan was about to grab his arm and tell him that if they didn’t get everything out right now, it never would, but Roman stopped him with a look. A look that both reassured him that he was coming back and conveyed such complete exhaustion with life Logan physically recoiled. 

Patton gave Logan a questioning look, and Logan tried to put on a comforting smile, but he was pretty sure all that happened was a quick twitch of the sides of his mouth. 

Roman returned a moment later, a tri-folded piece of paper in his hands. A thumbprint of dried blood stained the paper where a seal would usually go. 

“The witch Ursula gave me this,” Roman started, staring at it, “the night she cursed me. A description of the curse and instructions on how to fulfill it, and this amulet.” He reached inside the neck of his shirt and, after a moment of fiddling, pulled out the ruby pendant. “Every night, I have to go to the forest outside town and battle a demon. This amulet heals any injury or fatigue I sustain, as long as I’m wearing it. It’s been going on for a little over a year now.”

Logan glanced at Patton. He looked like Roman had ripped his heart out of his chest, but he didn’t look surprised. Roman went on to explain his heritage, this so-called Witch’s Inheritance… and what happened to his mother. 

He finished softly, his voice simply going out. 

“So, that’s it?” he asked, looking like he needed to sleep for a week straight. “It’s all out in the open, now? No more secrets?”

“Ah, not quite,” Patton said, lifting a finger. 

Logan leaned back in his chair. “I’ve been wondering how you figured out Roman’s predicament without any of us telling you.” 

Roman choked. “You knew?”

Patton flushed, holding up his hands. “Not until very recently, and I didn’t know a lot of the details, but yes. So, I… uh,” he said, suddenly looking as nervous as Virgil had been when this whole conversation started. Patton didn’t speak for a moment, his brow creasing as if trying to work something out in his head. 

“Is something wrong, Patton?” Logan asked.

He swallowed. “No, it’s just… the last person who knew about… me… left and—and didn’t come back, so...” He took a rattling breath, but put on a smile, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut as if trying to get rid of whatever was filling his head. 

“Patton, we,” Logan said, looking pointedly at both Roman and Virgil, “would never abandon you, regardless of whatever it is you need to tell us. In fact,” he said, sitting up straighter and addressing them all, “no one is going to be abandoning anyone today. If you all think that I’m going to sit back and let this family fall apart—because that is what we are—you are gravely mistaken. I shall be the metaphorical duct tape, if you will. A figurative repair man, or a, uh…” he paused, racking his brain for some other analogy he could use to adequately describe his feelings at the moment. 

Roman put a hand on his arm, a soft smile on his lips. “We get it, teach. None of us are going anywhere any time soon.” He met Virgil’s gaze and Logan could sense some sort of silent exchange between them. 

Patton’s shoulders loosened, and a genuine smile of gratitude graced his face. He took a breath. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve had these dreams. I… see things that haven’t happened yet. Sometimes I’m in them, sometimes I see things happening to other people, like Roman. I saw you being chased by that horrible monster, and—and I didn’t believe it at first, but then I heard you and Logan talking about some sort of compromise downstairs.”

Roman ran a hand down his face. “And here I was thinking I was subtle.”

“You were rather excited about your agreement with the serpent,” Logan said. 

“So, you’re a sibyl, then?” Virgil said. 

“What?” Patton breathed.

Roman threw his hands up. “Is no one in this house normal aside from Logan?”

Logan held up a hand, “The concept of normality is quite subjective, I’ll have you know—”

“What’s a sibyl?” Patton asked desperately, grabbing Virgil’s sleeve. He looked on the verge of either relief or horror. 

Logan interjected, unable to constrain himself. “It’s actually quite fascinating. In ancient Greece, women who were believed to receive prophecies and messages from the gods were called sibyls or oracles.”

Roman perked up, “Oh! So, Patton’s like the Oracle of Daphne!”

“It’s the Oracle of Delphi,” Virgil corrected—Logan couldn’t help the flutter of pride that skipped through his chest— “and Patton’s similar, but not exactly the same. He’s probably just descended from an oracle, or something. Did either of your parents have these abilities?”

They all looked at Patton, who suddenly appeared far less intrigued by the conversation. 

“I’m not sure.”

Roman scoffed, “That would explain how your mom always knew when I tried to get you to skip class.”

“We should consult with your mother Patton, she may have some answers or at least a way to help Roman with finding Ursu—”

“She isn’t like me,” Patton said.

“Are you sure? I mean, you were able to hide this ability from us for years. I don’t doubt your relationship, Patton, but I’m merely trying to explore every avenue, here,” Logan said gently. 

Patton shook his head. “No, I mean, I  know  that she isn’t because—well, she isn’t my biological mother.”

The room went silent for a beat. 

Roman’s eyebrows came together in confusion. “Wait, you’re adopted? How did I not know that? Did you guys know that?”

Patton’s smile stretched as he nodded. “Yep, so now that that’s out of the way, we can move on. Right? Besides, I had a pretty spooky dream last night about all of us, except Roman was dead and we were in the forest, and—”

Virgil shot to his feet. “Roman was dead?!”

“Chill, Hot Topic, I think I know what he means,” Roman said. 

Virgil sat slowly, muttering, “What’s Hot Topic?” to himself as he did. 

Roman held up the amulet still held in his fist. 

“We’ve got a little something to take care of tonight.”