#in there somewhere unfortunately… but then i read stories of people experiencing random acts of kindness from strangers

[valleyyofthemoonnn]

you ever love people and humanity and the inherent Good of it so much it aches and hurts your heart , because you never see it. its never really been there for you to see it. you’ve only ever experienced the bad of it, but you’re so in love with the idea, you want to breathe and be alive just for the chance to see it ? you ever just do that?

[duckieeart]

Victor’s - Moody Date

Hello! This is my entry for @little-butterfly-writes ‘s Contest . It’s my first time writing and I really enjoyed the process of it, enjoy reading this date!

Fandom: MLQC - Victor Li x Duckie (Mc)

Genre : jealousy jealousy jealousy , comfort , Filled with romance ( fluff)

Word count : 3,309

As If its not obvious enough to everybody.

I have feelings towards my boss, victor Li. I did fall in love with a person that I know i can’t reach even if i had him in my wildest dreams. I all i am wishing for is that no one know about these hidden feelings hoping that i will be able to maintain the decision i took and forget about him, But unfortunately things goes unplanned after I experienced certain feeling. jealousy .

If Kiki , Anna , the rest of my friends and colleagues found out about my secret feelings including the letters I wrote about victor secretly , I would get in big trouble , what letters you may ask? It’s simple. Basically, when i feel like I can’t control the love i feel towards him . I write down all my feelings in a letter and hide it somewhere , i got this idea from a movie i watched last year. At first , I haven’t thought not in a million years that I would use this idea and especially writing my unwanted feelings towards my CEO ,Aka victor li .

He was very strict and seemed to be very rude, i used to hate on him . He isn’t my type in men plus we’re completely different. Its not a big surprise since he is the CEO of an worldwide successful company ,LFG.

Just to clarify our differences. He made his company from the beginning meanwhile me, A young lady who inherited a show from her father once she Graduated from college. I didn’t even have an experience in life or the business field.

Everything were so difficult to me and it felt like an endless maze , the fact that I have him as my investor was like a miracle . Not only that but he really take good care of me . He is older in age , with a mature mindset . I am just young reckless, hesitant and inexperienced girl who just got a big position and so naive comparing to what she is responsible for .

I thought alot about giving up but victor make me change my mind and Instead of giving up he gave me the motivation to challenge him , i was in the mood to show him and prove to him that i can take the harsh responsibilities like an adult And be someone who is trust worthy enough to have his five hundred million investment in my show .

With time, i fall in love with him. And with everyday goes by it only grows bigger and bigger than the day before. The more i try to hide my feelings. The more it becomes obvious . When he confessed his feelings to me that day in the rooftop. I was beyond happy. I couldn’t sleep that day. But I quickly get back to the harsh reality, and remembered the huge gap between us, Victor deserve someone near to his position. Not me, comparing to him i am just a crybaby who rant about submitting reports and dealing with the deadlines every week .

But one day, I don’t know what’s goes inside my brain . I couldn’t even control my own body. When i found out that Victor would go to the awards banquet with another woman, I stopped thinking and I couldn’t care less about how weird i am behaving with my colleagues . In that night , i saw victor leaving the fancy banquet hall with another woman.

She looks way more mature and wiser than me. To put it in simple words she has everything i lack, and to my unfortunate luck. She does everything way better than me . And tonight , I witnessed My heart sinking in the ground. Its like i just got drenched in icy cold water in this snowy weather . I drank Alot . Wine, whiskey and even brandy . I couldn’t even recognize the bitterness in them . I just drink to be numb and ease my heart.

When the banquet came to an end ..

“ you two can head home first, its late . The weather is pretty today so i just want to walk and be alone for some time “ I spoke with a shaky voice tone, then left after grabbing my hand bag from the table.

“ whats wrong with our boss? She’s has been acting weird these few days especially today” Kiki spoke to anna.

Anna were worried as well , she just shrugs in confusion replying to kikis question.

“ i have never seen her like that before!” Anna added

“ it’s dangerous to let her be alone !, we can’t just leave her there! “ kiki said

“ she wanted time to get her self together, I think its very inappropriate for us to interrupt her wishes . * she smiled * Don’t worry minor would keep his eyes on her from afar “ Anna said while patting Kiki s shoulder gently to comfort her .

After leaving them. i rushed to the back beautiful garden to try and process everything happened tonight , the scenery were amazing but I couldn’t focus and appreciate it , I started regretting what i did, I shouldn’t push him away acting dumb and slow from the beginning. I love him more than anything, I admit i am very jealous and I don’t know how to deal with it because its my first time feeling this way about someone. I have never wanted someone as much I do for Victor.

These feelings were so exhausting to bear alone ,I was so hopeless that i even shared my story anonymously in tumbler with people but everyone advised me to stay away and forget about him for endless reasons. Yeah, they were right. But..

I also can’t… I CANT STOP LOVING HIM AND GIVE UP ON THIS . people wont have mercy on us and our relationship since we are a boss and worker in love but now seeing this . Realizing I might lose him forever. I don’t care, seeing him taking care of a random woman and accompanying her in the banquet really make me rethink about everything and even that thoughtful decision i took and was so confident about . I decided to head to the parking section for cars to follow them. I started running like crazy .

“GOD PLEASE PLEASE LET ME MAKE IT , PLEASE DONT LET THEM LEAVE TOGETHER ! . PLEASE.. I CANT LOSE HIM THIS TIME” i said begging .

I can lose anything and everything, but not him. I can’t lose Victor!

Because no one loved me like he did And I can’t imagine falling in love again with a different man.

Suddenly my foot slipped and i fall.

The expensive pair of high heel that i brought got ruined too. One of them broke But I couldn’t stop here! Im still in the middle of the way . My legs started be numb and it hurt a little because these shoes were new too , But I didn’t care, I can’t lose the path that can lead me to them! I still have to find Victor!

When i reached to the cars parking space , I couldn’t find them…

My nose suddenly started to burn and my eyes started sweating?, i decided to go back inside the banquet and sit . I couldn’t find chair there so I went to sit the corner on the stairs like a lost child. I started to cry heartily like a baby who lost her parents . But for me comparing to the baby I lost everything, I lost Victor..

My body is shaking and I couldn’t stop the thoughts in my mind. My mind went wild and started to even imagining how they would look together in the church . Kissing each other passionately after announcing them as a husband and wife. My heart suddenly started to beat so fast and I began to struggle breathing , while sobbing quietly.

Suddenly i felt a warm coat landed on my head, shoulders and has familiar manly scent ..

my face were swallowed, especially my eyes and nose. I was slow to react and realizing that this coat belongs to him…. And only him. Victor..

I felt strange feeling , i was happy and relieved that i was able to meet him again.. and that happiness give me strange feelings in my tummy . I believe that’s what they call “butterflies in the stomach” , I felt really warm. I don’t think it’s because of that coat. But him. Who give them his scent and body temperature

“ * sigh helplessly at the view* Dummy.. what are you doing here in this condition ? Don’t you know it’s dangerous area, especially in this hour? What if someone came for you ? Or even decided to kidnap you ,taking you away ? What are going to do? I searched everywhere for you and I couldn’t find you its like you weren’t in this earth from the beginning , WHERE THE HECK YOU WERE??? ………. But most importantly are you okay? Did something happen?……… Duckie , are you crying? “

my eyes couldn’t stop the tears from coming out when he were talking in such an sharp voice, he was really worried so he was furious to see me in such a state alone , but when he noticed that i was crying so hard, sniffing and wiping my eyes his voice turned so soft and calm

he grabbed my hands and hold them between his hands to warm them up

I refused to talk or face him because i wasn’t looking at my best right now, he just kneeled down to my level like prince charming and looked at me, he noticed how swallowed and red my face are.. he reached with his hands to hold my cheeks while massaging my under eyes

“ do they hurt A lot? “ he said quietly ,

I nodded while looking in the ground, my eyes fell upon his shoes trying to avoid his glare.

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine too. Lets go home first … its getting late” he said..

I nodded because i was too tired to reply using sentences . I stand and remembered my broken heels and slightly injured foot.

Before I could explain, Victor carried me bridal style , I didn’t needed to explain anything. I felt warm , safe and happy, that I forget that I’m being held between his arms . I gave up to the warm sensation and fall asleep.

Victor put me in his car gently , wrapping my body with his big coat then went to grab hot tea and body warmers from the super market near by.

i took some time to wake up, when i wake up i was still in his car , the car was really warm. I didn’t find Victor on the driver seat so i looked outside.

i saw him tapping on his tablet working and answering calls . I also noticed that we’re near the sea and its 12am . I took my time appreciating the view , then i knocked at the window. Victor saw me and returned to the car.

“ you wake up, how do you feel now ? “ he asked with a soft voice

“ i am better now , sorry for making a scene back there. I was really upset about something so i was drunk , angry and upset thats why I decided to be alone , sorry i worried you and caused you trouble “i said while looking into his eyes.

“ dummy… And why did you drink? “ he said angrily ..

“ please don’t be mad i was just so upset, can’t you just allow me to drink only this time?” I said

“ yes, i am angry at you… but also glad to see you safe and better. After all , i can’t ask for more from dummy like you” victor said then poked the tip of my nose lightly with his fingers , after that he patted my head gently, smiling at me .

“ its late, let’s head home” he said

After few minutes driving i realized that we are in different path and its unfamiliar to me.

“ where are we going “ i asked hesitantly ..

“ to My home” he said

“ to your home??”

“Well, only if your apartment was nearby like my home. Its late already, just sleep tonight in my house” he said calmly

I nodded in agreement.

After few minutes we arrived.

Victor opened the door for me , i entered inside . His home was big but also felt so warm and cozy . Victor turned to face me “ go and take a hot shower, then dry your hair. Don’t get cold. I asked them to prepare you clothes. If you need anything ask me “ he said

i went to the room. It was big as expected and has a fancy bathtub. After i finished showering and preparing for bed. When i was about to head to sleep, I suddenly heard knocks on my door .

“Get in “ i said

The door was opened and it was victor, he was wearing his classic black pjs

“ as expected, you didn’t even dry your hair yet you headed to sleep anyways“ he said..

“What if you get cold?” He added

He went to grab a hairdryer from the drawer . Then turned to face me

“ come here” he said

I understand what he want so i sit and give him my back. He started to dry my hair, touching my hair so gently. After he finished drying my hair he took a hair tie and started to tie my hair.

“ there’s something I wanted to say to you” he said

“ hmm? “ I replied

“ i will get to the point “ he said

“ I might not know what exactly that got you so bothered like that , but you must know that there are a lot of circumstances in the world that are out of our control. The causes and reasons behind every circumstance is complicated. In a world where it’s impossible to know everything, it’s normal that we experience things we cannot understand and find difficult to accept. Even so, we have to accept it. There are many ways to accept it. Crying is also one of them. However, only for one night. ( he took my hand that was planning on reaching my face)…. And don’t rub your eyes, it will be better if you leave it and take a good sleep “ he added .

After leaving, he leaned to kiss my head .

“ good night “ he said

“ wait! “ i said

His eyes locked into mine , waiting for me to say what I want to say.

“ why did you went to the banquet, with her? “ i couldn’t stop my curiosity so i asked him .

He chuckled quietly then pinned my chin forcing me to look at him..

“ you jealous? “ he said

A bold idea came up to me ,

“Yes..i am! “ I didn’t wasted time and answered his question seriously.

He was frozen in his place , stopped chuckling and has a surprised face expression .

I gathered all my courage to say the three most difficult words ..

“ i love you victor! “ i said , while looking into his face..

then reached to his face and give him a quick peck on his lips ..

“ don’t make me feel this way again, I hate it !“ i said and then went for another kiss . But He didn’t kiss me back , still surprised by my bold move.

“ when i saw how you looked to her when she was talking to you . You were smiling while and looking into her eyes , I wondered if you ever started to lose your feelings towards me , i was really scared of losing you.. i even started to imagine how you would look in your groom suit .. standing beside her in front of everyone… i was so scared “ my voice cracked at the end.. i felt the tears forming in my eyes

“ I really… really don’t want to lose you . I did my research about her, She won countless times and even has the f-“ my speech were cut off with his hot kiss .

He closed his eyes and rested his one hand on the back of my head and the other on my neck.

He pulled his lips away from mine when he noticed how i was struggling to breathe.

“ … you talk too much” he said while maintaining his sharp eyes on me.

“Since when you had these thoughts on that little brain of yours? Instead of using it on useless things, apply this effort and worry about your unfinished weekly report instead. You thought I haven’t noticed how distracted you were ?“ Victor said.

“ relax dummy , Lili is just an older sister to me. She asked if i can company her since her husband on business trip outside china. Lili is busy in work but also dealing with three kids at the same time. I was just helping her manage the deal she had with SJ company , you don’t have to worry that little head of yours on such matters “ victor added.

“ Duckie, i searched for you, and luckily after 10017 years i was able to meet you again. The little head of yours could never imagine how bad I wanted to see that silly smile of yours again. I waited for so long , and you better make it up to me. In other words , Be mine” victor said , while holding my left cheek and went for another breathless kiss ..

“ i —-love —-you——-, Dummy “ he said between his kisses ..

“ don’t close your eyes, look at me when iam talking to you. You know that i love when you’re bold with me, right?” he said smiling at me then slightly biting my lower lip ..

“I was so happy when i met you, in the end of the banquet . I thought you went with her“ i said while having a big silly smile on my face

“ There is only one thing you should be happy about……. It has always been you and only you” he said while looking at my eyes and holding my hot blushing cheeks in his big hand .

After making out sessions for straight two hours , he lay me down on the bed pulling the quilt over my body.

“ go to sleep, and NEVER think about theses useless matters . if you want to ask me something Just ask me directly ... Goodnight dummy” he said ..

“Good night” i replied softly

He smiled then give me a final forehead kiss and went outside the room after dimming the lights ..

In the next day i went to LFG to submit my weekly report , suddenly i received a call from Kiki

“ boss, i made a surprise for you!! you are going to thank me for it . Don’t overthink about it, and just enjoy the surprise” she said while giggling in mischievous manner.

She closed the call, i was nervous and curious at the same time but I didn’t pay much attention on that because I didn’t have much time left, i have weekly report to submit! . I hurried to victors office and luckily I arrived on time but I found my secret love letters has been opened on victors office already and he had one of them on his hand , taking his time reading it while drinking his coffee ..

he noticed me standing near the door , surprised and embarrassed . Victor smirked in anticipation

“ You have a lot of explainings to do , Producer Duckie “ he said while giving me smirky face

what a Great start to my day.

The End

Thank you for reading, see you next time!

[haberdashing]

and if that was me, then who am i?

Stranger Martin AU. A young Martin runs away to the Circus.

on AO3

Martin Blackwood was nine years old, and his mother’s health was getting worse by the day, and his father was gone never to return, and his world was crumbling around him. Things he’d taken for granted, responsibilities that he’d figured the adults around him would attend to for him for years to come if not for the rest of his life, were suddenly falling on his shoulders, left undone if he didn’t step up to the plate. He wasn’t working, as it wasn’t exactly an option at his age, but he did just about everything else he could to keep the house up and running. Even then, it seemed like it was never enough, like the perpetual frown on his mother’s face grew deeper by the day.

For all he did, though, Martin was still nine years old, still just a child, still prone to youthful flights of fancy. Perhaps it was little surprise that he spent every minute he wasn’t busy with schoolwork or housework with his nose stuck in a book, desperately longing to escape his reality by delving into another, at least for a little while.

Martin knew well enough, when news got around that a circus was coming to town, that he wouldn’t be able to go. There was too much to do at home, too little money to spare for such luxuries. He still asked his mother, though, despite knowing her answer before he voiced the question. He did want to go, after all, did want to enjoy himself in an evening of pure escapism, and this way it was her word forbidding it, not just simple logic that he could try to weasel his way out of. And it burned, knowing that all the other children would doubtlessly be talking nonstop for weeks about something he would never see, would never be a part of.

As the circus’ performance neared, Martin yearned to find some way to attend the circus, despite all logic, despite his mother’s refusal, despite everything... and something occurred to him.

He’d read more than one story involving children who, when stuck in a living situation they couldn’t tolerate anymore, ran off to join the circus. And technically, his mother had told him not to attend the circus, not to not join it.

It wasn’t fair to his mother, of course, but she seemed unhappy enough regardless, and Martin could swear just the sight of his face made her frown all the greater for some reason, so maybe she’d be better off without him. And then he could start a new life with the circus, one less mundane and brutal than the one he had to face on a daily basis. A win-win situation.

Three days before the circus was set to open, Martin grabbed a handful of his dearest belongings, shoved them into a bag, and sneaked into the circus grounds with them in hand, a mix of anxiety and sheer desperation pushing him onward, fueling every step he took deeper into the heart of the circus.

Opening a random door exposed Martin unexpectedly to a view of the stage, albeit a skewed one, far from the sort of angle an audience would normally get. Even though the circus wasn’t open for business yet, a performance of some sort--a rehearsal, perhaps?--was going on just the same, and Martin was lucky enough to be its only audience member.

Colors and lights and music and movement intermingled until it was hard to say where one part of the action ended and another began. It was a dizzying, dazzling, overwhelming performance, and it was impossible and it was illogical and it was beautiful, and as Martin looked on he knew that he’d made the right move, that somewhere this wonderful must be where he was meant to be.

Martin let out a soft gasp at one point that caught him especially off-guard--something to do with knives, or a tightrope, or maybe both, it all blended together into one strange jumbled blur in his brain--and seconds after, a cold hand pressed against his shoulder.

“Here for a sneak preview?”

Martin turned around. The outlandish and blindingly colorful outfit of the man in front of him marked him as a member of the circus troupe, though Martin couldn’t remember if he’d seen the man before, either when making his way through the circus or when watching the stage.

Did... did he think Martin was just there to get out of paying? Or out of impatience, too eager to see a performance that was just days away anyhow? Because that wasn’t right at all, and he didn’t want that to be the first impression any of the circus members got of him.

“No, no, not like that--I mean, I watched some, I guess, and it was great and all, but--I came here because I want to join you.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “You want to join the Circus?”

Martin nodded, desperately, trying to ignore how his hands were shaking, how his vision was blurring with half-stifled tears, how what this strange man decided in the next minute or two might change the course of Martin’s life forever. “I do. I want to be a part of- of all of this. I did before I saw it in action, but even more now. It’s- it’s wonderful, and I want to help make it happen again.”

“Hmm.” The man tapped his fingers against the nearby wall, and Martin flinched a little as the man’s arm drew awkwardly close to him in the process. “That’s a new one.”

Martin hadn’t thought it would be a “new one.” This happened all the time in stories, didn’t it? Were the stories all lies, then?

“Tell you what, how about we go see Nikola.” The words suggested that there was a question involved, that Martin was being given a choice, but between the circus member’s flat tone of voice and the way his fingers curled around Martin’s wrist, Martin was left very sure that he was going to see this Nikola whether he wanted to or not. “Rehearsal’s wrapping up, so she should be free soon, and if anyone’s going to decide if you can stay with us it’s her.”

“A-alright. Sure.” Maybe the choice being offered was a false one, but Martin wanted to make it clear that he was willing to go along with it all, that he wasn’t going to put up a fuss or disobey at the first sign of trouble.

The walk between where Martin had been spying on the stage and where Nikola stood in front of a crowd of circus performers wasn’t long, but it was dizzying just the same. It wasn’t quite like the performance, but just walking through the circus was enough to fill Martin’s head with colors and lights and sounds the likes of which he had never imagined, let alone experienced, before that night.

Martin wasn’t sure whether he’d know which of the people around him were “Nikola” at first, but he figured it out pretty fast. Most of the circus performers seemed normal enough, at least by circus performer standards; sure, they were all strangers, and something about those surrounding him gave Martin a pit in his stomach, but they could easily have been pulled out of one of the storybooks Martin enjoyed so much, the sort of stock characters one would expect to see around a circus. Nikola, on the other hand... well.

She wasn’t actually a mannequin, was she?

No, of course not, that didn’t make sense. Living mannequins were only a thing in stories, and Martin had already learned that stories couldn’t be trusted as guides to reality that easily. It had to be some sort of elaborate make-up that made her look more doll than human. Though why Nikola then had clown make-up over the mannequin make-up was a little confusing... it seemed like one or the other would make more sense than combining the two... but it wasn’t his call to make, of course.

Besides, Martin had already gathered that making sense wasn’t the be-all and end-all here, and that was part of the attraction. Staying home and caring for his ill mother would make sense, but that wasn’t the life Martin wanted to live. The circus promised him so much more.

“Nikola?”

Without warning, the man that had led Martin to Nikola gripped Martin’s wrist hard and used it to hold him up.

“Hey!” Martin did his best to wriggle his way out of the circus member’s grip, but to no avail.

“I found this boy intruding on our property, watching the rehearsal. He says he wants to join the Circus.”

“Oh? How fascinating!” Nikola’s voice was high and energetic, and the bright red lips drawn onto her face didn’t move when she spoke. “Come here, boy.”

The grip on Martin’s wrist loosened as abruptly as it had tightened, and Martin half-walked half-stumbled over to Nikola, shaking out his hand to try and reduce the ache lingering in his wrist from where he’d been held.

“Let me get a closer look...” Nikola’s hand shot out and cupped Martin’s chin, tilting his face so that it was staring up at hers, and her hand felt cold and plastic and lifeless and the feeling of it pressed against his chin made the hairs on Martin’s back stand up straight.

“Do you have any special talents, boy?”

“Um... not really, honestly, but-” Martin could feel his face growing hot. “But I’m a quick learner, and I can do a lot when I put my mind to it, so I’m sure I can help you out somehow!”

“Oh, that’s fine, I’m sure we can find a place for you somewhere.” Nikola withdrew her hand, though Martin still looked up at her, hoping to see some sign in her facial expression that’d give away whether she’d allow him to stay. (No such luck, unfortunately, as her face was utterly still, acting less like make-up over a regular face and more like paint atop a doll.) “I’m Nikola, by the way. I run the Circus these days.”

Martin considered saying that he’d already gathered as much, but decided to stay silent instead.

“And who might you be?”

“I’m...”

Martin hesitated, considering his options. If he just gave his real name out, would they report him to the authorities, send him back to his mother? Even if they didn’t, he was hoping to start a new life here, and did he really want that life to be tied to the same name as his old one? If he was going to reinvent himself, why not go all the way?

If he wasn’t Martin, though, who was he?

Martin’s mind wandered back to all the books he’d read over the years, remembered an old, beaten-up library book about mythology that he’d come back to time and time again, and settled on an answer.

“...Loki. I’m Loki.”

“Wonderful, wonderful! It is a pleasure to meet you, dear Loki!”

He’d realized that he was being tested, before, but hadn’t realized that being asked for his name was part of the test until looking around and seeing the broad smiles on the faces of all the circus performers.

When was the last time he’d seen a sea of smiles like that?

When was the last time he’d seen even a single smile like that, wide and genuine and mirthful?

“I think you’ll fit in just fine here, Loki. Welcome to the Circus!”

Nikola extended her hand, and he took it, and her hand was cold and inhuman but he was surrounded by smiling faces and unnatural beauty and if a cold handshake was the price he had to pay to fit in here, that was a price well worth paying.

Loki looked out at the crowd and gave a smile of his own, weak but passionate.

He’d found a place in the world, now, and he was never looking back.

[punkpoemprose]

Little White Lies & Little Black Dresses

Oneshot

Universe: Modern AU- Investigative Journalists

Rating: T (Teen & Up)- Guns & Crime

Length: 1917 words

A/N: @thesvenqueen​ You know my brain works in weird ways, right? So you said “hurt/comfort for sure but also pretending dating and also secretly dating AND the whole “I hate you” but ends up hooking up/getting together” were your favorite KA fic tropes and somehow that turned into this mess with journalism and fake dating and guns and drugs. It makes more sense when you read it, I swear! I hope you like it!

A very merry unbirthday to you!

Kristoff would be the happiest man in the world when the week was over. He still couldn’t believe that he had gotten himself into such a mess. It had been easy for the past year or so to pretend to hate Anna Arendelle. Her parents had been corporate royalty and he was certain that was how she’d ended up as their team lead fresh out of college when he’d been working for the tribune for three years longer than her. His articles were well thought out, hard hitting pieces of classic journalism, and hers were the world’s fluffiest puff pieces about the state forest queen’s three-legged dog or an ice-cream parlor worker who gave a kid a fresh cone when he’d dropped his. It didn’t make sense to him that she’d been immediately hired on as the head editor of the investigative reporting team.

It was easier to pretend that he hated her than to admit to himself that he actually liked her work. She picked light subjects, but she reported on them well. Her voice was clear and trustworthy when she wrote, and people liked to hear what she had to say. He liked to hear what she had to say, and that he also liked the way that she looked when she was saying it was a coincidence. A simultaneously fortunate and unfortunate coincidence given their current assignment.

He hadn’t expected Anna to take such an interest into his article proposal when he brought up the idea of an in-depth hard-hitting investigation into local restaurants that were doubling as fronts for various seedy and otherwise illegal activities. He had expected her to turn the thing down or turn it into something like “The Top Ten Drug Front Restaurants In Town” or something equally as “buzzfeed-esque”. What he hadn’t been expecting was for her to insist upon joining him with an explanation of “My parents loved this city, I became a journalist to make it a better place” and “We’ll be less conspicuous if we pose as a couple”.

It had all made sense at the time, but now he was walking into their first restaurant, a fancy Italian place that was rumored to hold high stakes poker in its backroom. It was one of the least worrying places they’d be hitting, what was illegal gambling and maybe a few respectable mob ties next to places who were possibly involved in human trafficking or gun running? It wasn’t the poker game that had him on edge of course, it was Anna in her little black dress.

She was a strictly oversized cardigan and leggings girl in the office, but here she was in a dress that showed off just how small her waist was and how the freckles on her cheeks also dappled her shoulders and chest. He couldn’t get over it, as much as he was trying not to think of how gorgeous she looked or how he could probably map constellations on her skin with his lips, he couldn’t stop thinking it.

“You look nice,” he finally choked out as they were seated. It made sense to say it because she did and they were meant to be dating, but it was about more than that and he knew it.

She flushed a bit. She often did that. He told himself it was because she was so fair in complexion. He let himself pretend, for the moment, that it was because she was interested in him. It helped him with his act, and it was nice to pretend that a girl as pretty and smart and sweet as Anna would get all dolled up to go out with him.

“So do you,” she said in response, speaking to him over her menu as if the tiny paper could hide her blush.

He was a gentleman, even if his thoughts were erring on the side of rakish. He pretended not to notice her blushes and glances towards him as he looked at his own menu. He knew it was likely an act anyway. They were faking a relationship for an article and it was going to kill him.

The waiter interrupted their solitude with the wine list and Anna froze up. He knew what she was thinking, he could see it on her face, the conflict between “we’re on a date and that means wine” and “we’re on the job and drinking is not a good idea”.

“None for us thank you,” he said with a smile, “We’re celebrating a reason not to drink for the next nine months.”

With that the waiter provided them with a congratulations and two glasses of water. Kristoff got a look from Anna, and while it didn’t look upset or even annoyed he had already begun the process of beating himself up for the answer. He could have said anything, they were nondrinkers, it was a religious thing, they didn’t serve the one single random wine she liked and he wouldn’t drink in solidarity. He could have picked one of many convenient excuses, but he’d said what he’d said.

Now he wasn’t just fake dating his boss who he was pretending to hate when they weren’t fake dating even though he found her extremely attractive and intelligent. No, now he had also gotten her fake pregnant from their fake sex life that he secretly wished was a real sex life. He secretly wished that someone would shoot him while they were working on this story just so that he wouldn’t have to make it to the end of the week.

“Cheers?” she asked, holding up her water glass with the same odd look on her face that he now read as amusement.

“Cheers,” he replied, clinking his glass into hers before taking a sip. This week was going to kill him one way or another.

                                                          ***

As it ended up most of the places they’d ended up at were busts. It was Friday and despite the divine torture of seeing Anna in various little black dresses every night, they’d only had two illegal gambling situations to show for their work. One had been just kitchen staff running a football betting situation without dispensation from the state. The other had panned out to be an actual high stakes poker game as they had expected, but really it wasn’t a secret at all and while they’d report on it, they didn’t really expect anything to be done about it.

Tonight, however had been different. So different that the whole plan had gone sideways.

It had been easy enough in the beginning of the night. A nice steakhouse, no wine because Anna was still fake pregnant. It was getting so easy for them to fake date, he’d even accidentally pulled her chair out for her at the office out of habit that morning. She looked beautiful as always, her hair pulled back to reveal her long neck. He’d barely slept Wednesday night imagining kissing it. They’d laughed and smiled and toasted with their water, had eaten some good food and were about to call it a night when Anna had decided to take a trip to the ladies room that had somehow landed them where they were now.

They were in a back room, far less glamorous than the elegant dining room they had been in just shortly before. There were cases upon cases of what appeared to be cocaine around them and by some miracle, no alarm had been raised that they were present. Anna had pulled a snub-nosed Glock from somewhere under her skirts, which Kristoff would have thought was immensely attractive in a spy movie sort of way if it weren’t for the fact that they were in deep shit.

The police were on their way, and Kristoff, also armed was trying to remember when he’d thought this week was going to end on a dull note for their story. Anna had her gun trained on a man who was standing with his hands up. He hadn’t made a move since he saw Kristoff was packing and Kristoff was quietly praying and thanking whatever God that would listen that they had stumbled upon the greenest drug runners in the business. It would make for a great story if they made it out in one piece. Realistically he already knew that if they survived this they were going to hand the story over. They’d risk the danger of putting their names on an article about backroom gambling that got a business in a bit of trouble but pissing off people selling coke was bad enough without sticking your name on a front-page story about it.

They’d been lucky. The police arrived and stormed the place. Kristoff was right about the operation being the least experienced one in the history of the city and everyone involved on either side made it out unharmed.

Kristoff spoke to the police as did Anna, and it felt odd to him to be the one getting interviewed. He was usually on the other end of questions, which was odd enough, but in conjunction he realized that he could barely focus. He was watching Anna from across the way and she was shaking.

By the time they were both done being interviewed and had been cleared to head home, unsurprisingly without police protection, it was 1am. Kristoff draped his coat over Anna’s shoulders. It was a reflex, but also something he wanted to do.

“Promise me you’ll never do that again?” he asked her gently.

“What the gun?” she asked, seeming a bit shaky still, but present. She was tough. “I have a concealed carry don’t worry about it.”

He watched her fake a smile and he shook his head. Almost everyone in the department had a concealed carry, he was hardly worried about that. Though he had seen her put it back in a thigh holster when all was said and done which had brought a very fleeting return of the “spy movie sexy” thoughts he had before.

“No Anna, I meant… Don’t go into back rooms without me… without a partner. I’m just saying, you don’t know what might have happened if I didn’t come looking for you. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

Anna shook her head, “I thought you hated me?”

They were in front of his car now. He was going to drive her home, he was supposed to anyway. Everything felt twisted now, especially after he heard her say that she still thought he hated her when he’d never really hated her at all. It was easy to be confused he supposed, given that they’d spent all week faking being in love, but he wasn’t sure that it was fake either now.

He sighed, “I’m not good with talking. I can write words that make sense Anna, but I can’t…” he trailed off for a moment looking at her, really looking at her before he picked back up. She looked so small covered up by his jacket, but despite her size and the fact that she was still shivering from the adrenaline rush, she looked formidable and strong and beautiful. “I had to tell myself I didn’t like you to get through the day. You… I just never thought that there was a chance…”

She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Her eyes were wet, but when she spoke she sounded clear and confident.

“There’s a lot more than a chance Kristoff.”

[joeys-piano]

7, 12, 22 for the writer’s ask

My brain short-circuited a little while ago and I’m struggling to English right now, so I apologize in advance if my responses aren’t very long or in-depth.

TL;DR (nearly 1,300 words) - Joey talks about personal experiences, things he’s learned from writing, what he thinks about while writing, and you get a better sense of why he does what he does. And why he thinks the way he does

Questions to ask to a writer

7. tell us about one of your characters who’s an absolute joy to writeI’m going to be honest. No character is an absolute joy to write for unless you feel extremely motivated and passionate in the heat of the moment and are writing about them. I think way too hard about characterization and how to comfortably write them that no character is an absolute joy to write for. They’re all hard work and constantly shifting between canon wiki and reading fan interpretations to find a middle ground that I can walk on.

If anything, I love writing for pet characters or animal characters because they have no influence or little influence in the plot, so I can write them as however I want them to be. You have no idea how often I just want to write a random chicken into a scene because that chicken character is going to keep me entertained as I wrestle with voices, narratives, povs, and galore.

12. what’s your relationship with constructive criticism and feedback like? do you seek it out? how well do you take it?I think like any content creator, you just kind of seek out feedback because it gives you something to thrive on when you’re first starting out and because you’re desperate to know what you’re doing and what you’re doing wrong. For a long time, I had an unhealthy relationship with feedback. Moreso with constructive criticism because I was incredibly stubborn and emotionally-unstable. Pouring your heart and soul into a story and then knowing that someone didn’t like it had a detrimental effect on my perception of self, eventually spiraling out of control and leading to an identity crisis that made this Joey do some very stupid things when he was a younger peep.

It’s been three years since that identity crisis. I’m a lot more comfortable with myself, I’m more well-aware that my worth as a person is not tied if you like what I create or not, I have more self-assurance for myself and more self-love, and I’ve more or less accepted that I’m doing what I’m doing because I want to. When I was a younger man, I did whatever I could so that people would notice me. But now, I’ve realized something more important than trying to thrive off of internet fame or whatever Tumblr had instilled in me when I first came here back in…2014?

Looking back on it, the constructive criticism on my writing helped me quite a bit. Even though the delivery was harsh and could’ve been worded better, it made me a tougher writer and more adamant about doing research and outlining before I pursue long projects. And partially, perhaps out of spite or just in memory, I want to show those people how far I’ve come since that feedback and how much I’ve grown since then.

 22. talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.Not sure if a lot of y’all know this or not, but I’m a worldbuilder. I like the process of worldbuilding more than actually writing a story but unfortunately, you can’t post your worldbuilding notes onto AO3 and have people interested with that so I had to make a compromise somewhere. That’s why I gravitate towards the ideas and genres that I do. They get me thinking and thinking is 95% of the battle when you’re worldbuilding. Especially when you’re building a world from scratch, or making a small portion of a neighborhood come to life in a unique and versatile way.

One worldbuilding session that stands out to me the most and it happened quite recently, about two or three weeks ago, was when I was brainstorming an [alternative universe - different first meeting] scenario between Kunikida and Fukuzawa. The concept of the idea was what Fukuzawa had called a 15 y.o. Kunikida into his office after noticing that the youth was gifted with a special ability. During their meeting, Fukuzawa and Kunikida had a very interesting conversation about “abilities that are easy to hide.”

For instance, Fukuzawa’s ability [All Men Are Equal] doesn’t have a visible manifestation or presence. Unless you truly knew him, you would think that Fukuzawa was a normal individual. Likewise, Kunikida’s ability [Doppo Poet] is similar in that regard. Unless you truly knew Kunikida or unless he willingly outs himself by activating his ability, you would also think that he was a normal individual as well. That’s what it means to have an ability that’s easy to hide. You had the opportunity to live life without the likely repercussions and prejudice that other ability-users experienced just because your ability is more easily obscured to a certain or full extent.

What struck me about that conversation were the social implications of it and allowed me to worldbuild around this concept of how outside society views ability-users. From 15 y.o. Kunikida’s point of view, he’s scared of how society and the people who are closest to him would react if they found out he was an ability-user. What frightens him are the negative connotations, opinions, and the treatment that would be received if he were slapped with the “ability-user” label. And that’s what it feels like. It feels like a large neon sign is forever the first thing someone is going to look at and know about you, and people will judge you before knowing who you really are. Living under the assumption of a normal person, Kunikida knows that he could at least avoid that. However, he’s having to hide and be ashamed of a part of himself that has and will always be a part of him. Being an ability-user is something he can never change, but young Kunikida is afraid to embrace and accept that part of himself because the world around him won’t.

During that entire interaction, it got me thinking about the real world and even Tumblr to an interesting extent. About labels, about the self vs. society, about prejudice and first-based assumptions, about hiding yourself vs. letting it all out, and several other things. I feel that a good worldbuilding session should contribute to whatever story you’re trying to tell while also connecting back to the world we live in and bring to light things that people aren’t really comfortable talking about. If you can keep that statement in mind, you could potentially help a lot of people understand, relate, or figure out something that they had trouble with before.

I’d say that the pleasantly surprising part about this worldbuilding session was that I felt like I understood the BSD universe a little more. We rarely, if ever, get any information about the outside world views ability-users and what they do, so drawing inspiration and experience from real life into this concept made things clearer to see. And somehow, it made the idea feel more grounded because there is that real world aspect and fear that people can relate to or have experienced.

And I think what made the concept work really well was that Kunikida was young in this interaction. He was a teenager and when you’re a teenager, one of the things that’s on your mind is figuring out who you are and what you want people to know you as. There’s this craving for acceptance, even a rebellion against tradition or what people expect you to be or act, while also there’s this uncertainty if you’re actually doing the right thing. I don’t write for teenagers very often, but having a teenage!Kunikida to work with during this scene was a phenomenal experience. I felt like I knew him a lot better and he feels more approachable for me to write for.

[kenzichi]

Here’s my KH3 review:

I would like to start off by saying I enjoyed this game very much. I have a lot of good to say about this game, but also a lot of bad. I tried to keep it spoiler free, but once I reached the cons it was inevitable. Heads up on that. And I also tried not to dive too deep into critiquing the story itself too much. I did sorta do that at the end though, but I felt it was okay to include the points I mentioned because they’re about Org. 13 and X and this game concludes their story arc.

Pros: The game is visually stunning. The worlds are GIGANTIC. It was a little intimidating actually. I always had the thought that I was going to miss something in the back of my mind. But it was still a joy to explore. The scenery really felt alive. The grass moved with you, the water rippled, you can see Sora’s hair move when it was windy! My favorite world in 3 is Kingdom of Corona. It’s just so beautiful and so fun! In this world especially, you interact with Rapunzel as she explores her environment because she’s never experienced it before. It’s really cute and really gets you involved in the world besides just being the guy that takes out heartless.

 Another pro is: Yoko Shimomura did it again! Her music compositions for 3 are AMAZING! I got into the music right away and eventually found myself humming to every background song in no time flat. I also enjoyed how every world had more than 2 themes this time. Usually we had a ‘calm’ world theme and a ‘battle’ world theme. Yoko went beyond that and gave us a different theme per situation… for EACH world! One example is in Frozen: we had a theme for the mountain, a battle theme, and a theme for after they met Larxene (and she did the thing if you’ve played the game lol). My favorite theme is the one for Hiro’s Garage in Sanfransokyo. It’s so soothing; I could listen to it for hours. The theme for Aqua’s battle is totally creepy and it fits so well. I enjoyed all of the music.

 Game play is fun and really nostalgic. They brought back equipping abilities (with AP), the old command box from 2, and accessories. Magic is better than ever in this game. One problem I had with 2 is that I could only use a few spells and my MP level would quickly run out so I felt it was a waste of time. In 3, even just starting, I didn’t have to worry about running out as fast. It was a relief not having to worry about watching my MP levels and I used magic a lot more in this game.

 A new combat feature for 3 is the keyblade transformations. When you finish a world and gain a keyblade, you can unlock special abilities with that keyblade. For example: if you equip the Toybox keyblade, and you bash enough heartless with it, you can transform your keyblade into a giant hammer. I wasn’t too excited about it when they first revealed these new abilities during development, but they’re actually super fun and totally optional if you really don’t dig it. You can also switch between 3 different keyblades during combat easily if you feel one keyblade isn’t working out against an enemy. I love this new feature. My favorite keyblade transformations are the Toybox hammer and the Monstropolis Yo-yos. Sora is channeling his inner Killua with the Yo-yos and I am all for that lol.  

 Another pro is Sora, Donald, and Goofy’s interactions. Like, omg, they are so cute. They are so genuine. It really felt like I was watching Sora and his two Disney dads. It gave me life and I felt so many emotions watching them. This trio was the best developed trio in 3.

 Cons: Pacing y’all. My biggest problem with this game as a whole. It started off good, but once you finish the Disney worlds and get into the real plot with Xehanort it’s like a rollercoaster and not in a good way. All the things we were hoping to happen, that we’ve been waiting for for years, happen so quickly and then it’s over like… did it even happen? I felt I didn’t get to be as emotional about those scenes as I could have been because they immediately thrust us into another scene. I didn’t have time to appreciate those moments like I wanted to.  

 Kairi…. Poor Kairi. Nomura screwed her over again. He let us get hyped about her finally training to become a keyblade wielder, gave her a new outfit, and showed her willing and ready to fight in the Keyblade Graveyard and yet? Screwed all of us. I wasn’t expecting her to be a badass, but I was expecting her to be SOMETHING. I was really hoping she’d develop a personality and presence in this game, but she fell flat yet again because Nomura doesn’t know what to do with her. She literally only exists as a plot device and love interest for Sora (I’m not going to get into that here lol).

 Also disappointed they hyped playable Riku, but it was only 2 times, for 2 battles and frankly switching between Sora’s magic command menu to Riku’s with no time to look through it and get accustomed to it other than during actual combat was a pain. Also sad Sora, Riku, or Kairi didn’t travel to ONE world together. Not one. I was hoping to have them in my party as least once, but nope. I’m generally disappointed in the lack of Destiny Island trio interactions. There were no moments between the 3 of them and there was no interaction between Riku and Kairi and barely any between Sora and Riku despite growing so close in DDD. It goes to show Nomura didn’t develop this ‘trio’ as well as the others.  

Another problem I had were almost all the Organization members ended up… being ‘good after all’ or something. For over 10 years they gave no indication Luxord, Larxene, and Marluxia were nothing, but just evil just because and they had no feelings towards Sora other than a boy that was in their way, but once they start fading away for good it’s suddenly, ‘you’re a great person, Sora. Let’s meet again’ or in the case of Larxene, just giving Sora the time of day and actually talking to him civilly just felt so random to me. Including Xemnas. He suddenly revealed how he felt sorta bad for betraying the old organization members, but there was literally no hint of that before?? Idk, it just felt out of place. I was kinda cringing the whole time, haha. I’m actually surprised YX was the one that disappeared the most unremorseful for his (future) actions.

 And then there was Xehanort, omg. He literally destroyed the lives of dozens of people, almost sent the world into the apocalypse, and had this grand scheme for the last 15+ years that he literally invested multiple lives to see fulfilled, but once his old bff Eraqus tells him ‘you’re done’, he went, ‘okay’. Lol wat? That’s it? I’m sure he knew he lost, but I expected more of a grumbling, complaining old man on the brink of death than just a nonchalant, ‘you done good kids’ while giving the x-blade to Sora with a damn smile on his face. I cringed. It all felt unfulfilling to me at that moment because X gave up too easily and was so OOC. I think Nomura just wanted to wrap up this story real quick and move on with his life.

 And another thing! 3 didn’t go into Xehanort’s past. They gave us some cutscenes of X and Eraqus playing chess and flirting, but that’s it. When did their relationship change? What made Xehanort so obsessed with dark and light balancing? When did he meet Braig? What happened to Scala ad Caelum? Does it still exist? Like…. They didn’t go into X’s background AT ALL. I was really hoping to see more about his character.

 Neutral feelings: I remember reading somewhere that 3 was supposed to be the longest game in the series, but I finished the game in about the same time as the others. So maybe they meant longest game gameplay wise and not story wise. On the plus side, there is a TON of stuff to do in this game like a bunch of mini games, cooking with Remy, finding lucky emblems, and exploring worlds after they��re completed. On the downside though, even just 10 more minutes of cutscenes could have helped the pacing in the later part of the game. The gameplay and story are imbalanced and they should have focused on solidifying the story rather than adding so many different gameplay elements. I honestly find them all overwhelming. I stopped trying to remember them all.

 The Disney attraction rides. I don’t really have a like or dislike for these reaction commands. Good thing is that some are fun to see visually like the train and the tea cups (Sora is so dang cute in those teacups). Downside is some attractions don’t seem to fit with the heartless that activate them. For example: that shooting attraction ride is terrible with flying type heartless and yet I get that command a lot with them so it’s pointless. I never hit them.

 This is a con for me, but maybe not for others. They closed a big chapter in the game, but kept a lot of plot points open too. I think my main problem with 3 was that I was hoping it would be more conclusive. Nomura made it seem like it was more conclusive. I already knew 3 wasn’t the end of the series as a whole, but you can still end a storyline with a definite conclusion while still being open to new adventures. 3 didn’t do that. They closed a bunch of chapters, but also left us with a lot of new questions.

 Most of the voice acting is great in this game! Haley really delivered as Sora and I honestly think this was his best performance as him to date! It was genuine, totally cute, and fit Sora perfectly. You can tell he had a great time voicing this game. I also really enjoyed Larxene which is something for me because I felt her VA was trying too hard in CoM. She really improved in 3 and it was fun to watch her. On the other hand, the voices for Xehanort and Marluxia fell flat. Xehanort’s is just unfortunate and I don’t think anyone could have captured him as well as Nimoy did no matter how much they tried. Marluxia sounded like he belonged in an infomercial. Totally hated his voice.  

[softchenlele]

can’t help falling in love (mark lee) pt. 1

" it’s not really your fault that mark lee will never fall for you, he can’t catch feelings for anyone. but is the boy cursed and will forever be unable to fall in love ? or is it just because he didn’t meet the right person yet ? ”

pairing: bad boy!mark x fem reader

genre: angst/comedy(?) - high school au.

warnings: mild swearing

words: +3k

main author: bleulaine

gif credit : https://marklee.tk/

Mark, the mysterious. Mark, the impetuous.

There goes your heart, picking up speed as soon as his gaze met yours. « ‘Morning,Y/n. » He greets you with his deep and smooth voice before sitting next to you and within three seconds, something already felt different.

Since the beginning of the year, he was your assigned lab partner in chemistry class but never before has he ever bothered laying his eyes on you. You were treated the way he treated everyone else, actually. No one could ask anything from Mark Lee. He only obeyed his own laws and wasn’t the type to care about what people thought of him. Cold expression, harsh manners. You doubted anyone in this school, aside from his group of friends, ever saw him genuinely smile.

It feels like you two communicated more during this eye contact than during the past months working together. Indeed, Mark and you strictly exchanged words when it was necessary, it was a silent rule. It suited you, even though it has been imposed upon you, remembering well the death glare you received from him after introducing yourself for the first time. Boy set the tone this day.

Despite that, your dynamic worked well. You were quite surprised that without speaking you found ways to understand each other and at this point, both of you were familiar with the way the other functioned.

looking at his profile, you didn’t notice the slightest change from the other days. Maybe there wasn’t any reason behind this behaviour of his, maybe he woke up in a good mood once a year, maybe someone taught him politeness overnight… who knows.

He was intriguing, you had to admit. But you weren’t curious about him. You didn’t fantasize about what Mark liked, did or said like the others. He was your partner, period. One of the best one you ever had to this day, to be honest. Chemistry was your favourite subject and he didn’t ruin the thing by being too clumsy or too clueless, like you already experienced it before. Sadly, you couldn’t say the same for your professor. This year, chemistry class became so boring, you were tired of always repeating the same experiments and protocols. As a result, it became the perfect time to schedule your daily nap.

« Y/n. » Something nudged your ribs lightly. Your vision adjusted slowly to the light as you opened your eyes. Did you fall asleep already? Mark is staring at you, an indescribable expression on his face. Concerned? Disgusted? Done with you? All of that maybe, but certainly not amused. « Teacher. » he grumbles.

You lift your head and turn it, noticing that Mr. Jung was coming across every duo. As if nothing had happened you straighten your back and lean closer to Mark, pretending to concentrate on whatever he was doing. A small whisper escapes your mouth, a little ‘thank you’ only he could hear.

Since that day, the way he acted with you became confusing. More than once, you surprised yourself thinking about how nice he was, compared to before. After a first look at the work you had to do, he stated what he was planning to do to answer this or that question, then told you he could handle it and that you could sleep.

He also stared at you, a lot. When you first noticed his strange behaviour, you wondered if something was wrong about your face or your clothes but never said anything, you just smiled at him and he would also smile back at you.

Other days, he tried to grab your attention to help you not fall asleep, resulting in you, giggling at his funny faces. You couldn’t help but feel warmer about him. You felt special seeing a more charming side of Mark Lee. It wasn’t a big change but it was odd to the point where rumours started about you two.

Things escalated quickly. From being a discreet typical student, you now witnessed people whispering things about you when you walked out the corridor. A long silence always followed your apparition in class, in the morning. People were looking at you with a little bit of respect mixed up with fear in their eyes, as if Mark’s reputation spilled over you. This situation was made a big thing only because it was Mark Lee. No one would have ever paid attention to you for being friendly with some random other guy. But unfortunately, he wasn’t some random other guy and you ought to deal with the resident notorious bad boy.

You decided to handle the situation by talking directly with the other subject of the rumors. You didn’t want to risk other people seeing you together outside class – since he never talked to anyone else beside to his friends — so the best option was to meet him after school, in a private place. The plan was simple, you handed him a little folded note with the place and time of the meeting and felt relieved when he nodded without asking any further information. After your last class, you headed straight there and waited for him.

What parallel universe did you fall in, first, for people to believe that you could be in some relationship with Mark, and second, for you to wait for him in some kind of secret meeting ? Life really was full of surprises. You saw him arrive from a distance and took a moment to appreciate the sight. Even in the simplest outfit, black from head to toe, he seemed to come out from a fragrance ad. Off-duty model style, he was effortlessly elegant and held his head high when he walked, not paying attention to his surroundings, only focused on his destination — which was you. His gaze was fixed on you and unconsciously, you began to hold your breath as he was approaching and air deserted your lungs.

He waited for you to talk first.

There was a heavy silence before you realized you were suffocating and you had to force yourself to reconnect with reality. You reminded yourself of the reason why you asked him to meet you. « Ok, can you make it stop ? I’m sorry but it’s getting on my nerves. » The first words which came in your mind didn’t really make sense but they were coming from your heart. You were tired of all of this agitation and you were not the kind of girl who endured without striking back. He smiled at your straightforwardness. « What ? »

You frowned and realeased a deep sigh. As if he didn’t have any idea what you were talking about. « People thinking we’re… a couple. »

Mark’s smile widened. « Are they ? I didn’t notice anything. » Now, you knew he was definitely playing with you. « I’m not amused. I don’t know how you can deal with that all the time, all of this unwanted attention but I can’t. And I’m sure you can do something about this… The others, they’ll listen to you. » At this point, you could handle anything : acting out a huge and dramatic break-up scene, make a public announcement saying that you hated each other or ask some girl to be his girlfriend (it would have been easy finding volunteers). But, one thing really bugged you — why did he start behaving differently with you? You hoped to find enough courage to ask him this simple question, believing it was the last time you would be able to talk to him one-on-one.

The boy kept his playful smile on his face and walked a few steps around you, like a predator inspecting its prey.

You tried to keep your eyes on him, feeling at this right moment some sense of danger. You could even feel yourself shiver in every specific place his eyes fell on you. « I don’t care about what other people think. And… I would never fall for you. » He smirked, only making his words press more painfully your heart. Somehow, it hurt hearing that, you weren’t prepared. « Thank you. » Sarcasm was your best defense. « But it’s not only about you. I wish I could start a fight with everyone talking behind my back because of that but I can’t fight the whole school. I’m just tired of getting harassed, I don’t want to have anything to do with you. »

« What’s wrong with me? » Would it have been a bad thing to punch his pretty face, you thought, because he was being plain annoying right now?

« Stop playing dumb. Some people are crazy about you. I found some girls hiding in front of my house because they hoped to see you coming to my place. » He seemed amused, while processing the information, so you added. « I know you care very little about what people think of you… But you said it yourself, you wouldn’t fall for a girl like me. Isn’t it kind of… degrading for your reputation to be rumoured dating me? » This one was your last argument and looking at his expression, you could see you struck somewhere sensitive.

Surprisingly, he shook his head from right to left and searched what to say. « Y/N, it’s not about you. I would never fall for you because I can’t fall for anyone. I’m unable to… how people say that… catch feelings. » You looked at him, very unsure about his confession. « You’re telling me you’re unable to fall in love? »

He nodded, a serious expression on his face.

In your head, you played on repeat what if just told you while staring at him.

« Y/n, you’re looking at me like I’m an alien.»

« Well, aren’t you? What kind of person takes pride in not feeling anything? » You weren’t sure why you felt the need to attack him like this. Maybe you couldn’t stand being in front of the perfect antithesis to your hopeless romantic self. You grew up reading books about great and romantic stories, enjoyed watching romcoms and a lot of tunes you liked were related to love — you’ve always believed love was a real thing and that every one ought to experience it. Why would Mark Lee be any different? « Actually— »

You didn’t hesitate to interrupt him, talking without even thinking much. Everything came from your heart. « Actually, we’re still young. There’s still plenty of time for you to experience love. You know, feelings, they’re just chemical reactions in your body. » A glint of curiosity sparked in his eyes.

« Chemistry, huh? You’re good at it — all you do in class is sleep but you always get the best grades. And I guess I should thank you for letting me copy your answers during tests. » You felt the blood rushing to your cheeks and lowered your gaze, quite embarrassed that he exposed out loud your behaviour. You brushed it away quickly, saying you were just trying to help and it was the truth, but you couldn’t help but tease him a bit. « Is this why you were so nice to me these past weeks? » « Maybe. »

A little smile arose on your face. Now, you wanted to go back to your main conversation topic: Mark and his lack of feelings. That was a mystery you were intrigued by. « Romantic feelings aside, did you ever feel emotional about something? By the sunrise, by a music piece, by a beautiful scenery? »

Now it was his turn to look at you as if you were coming from a different planet. « You sound funny. » Just three words but they made you flustered. « There’s nothing funny about that. It’s just being human! »

« So what? I don’t care. »

« Feeling emotions won’t make you especially more vulnerable, if it’s what matter to you. I’m pretty sure I can prove you that you can feel things. »

« When did you get so confident, darling? » Now the two of you were facing each other and a stranger would believe you were on the verge of a fist fight. « Don’t call me darling. »

« Whatever. That’s my problem, not yours. I don’t think you can do anything about this. »

« It became my problem since your lack of empathy won’t make you understand the situation you put me through, with all these on-going rumors. » At this point, you tried to remain calm. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. If the dude couldn’t feel anything, it wasn’t worth any ounce of energy to get angry at him. « Give me three weeks. Three weeks and I’ll prove you that you’re not as apathic as a stone. »

It took him a long time, looking at you intensely eye to eye without even blinking, before dropping a dry ‘No’. You didn’t want to argue any longer with Mark. He wasn’t going to help you so you decided to make him taste his own medicine. « Well, I’ll ask Mr. Jung to switch groups. If it’s still not enough, be sure I’ll do whatever I can to make our so-called relationship an unforgettable memory. » You turned around, ready to leave but he caught your elbow and forced you to stay in place. « There’s no point in threatening me. » You frowned as you buzzed off his grip. « There’s nothing holding me back. »

Mark Lee’s character could be summed up as an arrogant asshole, hiding his lack of personality behind black clothes and a resting bitch face. Soon you wouldn’t have to be around him anymore and now, you didn’t get how you could have seen him as nice at one point. 

Sitting beside him the next morning, you ignored him for the first half of the class, in a subtle way of course. Your plan was not to feed more high school gossip. You just wanted to be left alone and get some peace, but unfortunately, it was too much to ask from Mark Lee.

Looking out of the corner of your eyes, you didn’t miss any detail of the mess he made.

Handing him the beaker, you notice that his hand started to shake in a weird way and made the recipient flip from his hold. The incident could have been minor but he decided to play it cooly and as he tried catching it again, the liquid in the beaker was tossed into the air and fell over Mark’s skin. Only one millisecond after, you could hear the sound of shattering glass and a long groan of pain.

You jumped off your chair and caught your table companion’s wrist, then you turned the tap with your other hand and put his hand under the stream of water. Everyone was looking at you two, astounded, even your professor looked like a broken machine. A good thing you’ve been quick-minded to handle this situation. So far, Mark didn’t say anything yet and only when you realized you were holding his hand for a couple of minutes already, you were thankful he stayed quiet.

Mr. Jung told everyone in the class to get back to work then approached your table. Your professor asked Mark if his hand was okay. « Yes, sir. Thank you for asking. But, I’m a little bit worried about my skin condition. Can we go to the nurse to have this checked out? » The man looked at you both although you didn’t ask for anything. Who knew what Mark Lee had in mind? He finally accepted and you could hear a whispering hubbub coming from behind you as you left the classroom together. Nothing went as planned and now, you were pretty sure Mark did this on purpose. Once you were in the corridor, your refused to follow him any further. « Your hand is fine. You only had to rinse it and we did. »

He stopped too and looked at you. « But miss, it’s your duty to help a poor student who just underwent a little accident. » Oh, and he pouted on top of that. That was too much for you.

« What are you trying to do?! » He ignored your question and started to walk again, you followed him only because you needed answers. You walked the long hallway leading to the exit and you wondered if he planned to go outside. If someone saw you outside the building, you would surely get into some trouble.

« Does your proposition still hold? » You slowed down your steps and ended up standing still. You glanced at him when he turned around to look at you.

« I can’t believe you spilled chlorydric acid on you just to ask me that. » You scanned his expression. « Too bad for you, it doesn’t. »

As you remembered, the solution you used contained a small concentration of acid, but still. He was completely unconscious, and it was proved by the little malicious smile on his face. « Come on… you will be able to tell your grandchildren a handsome body risked his life for you. »

You were quick to reply. « It would be more accurate if I introduced you as the dumbest person I’ve ever met. »

He laughed lightly before reducing the distance between the both of you. He approached you so suddenly that your first instinct was to step back, but as it turns out you were blocked between a wall and Mark’s body. He leaned over you and put a hand just beside your head. From where you were, you could appreciate the fine details of his face. From the soft curves of his lips to the depth of his eyes, gracefully framed by long eyelashes. His skin seemed so smooth to the touch. To the touch? Would you really want to touch such a guy? Ew, never, you thought.

He was close, too close. Refusing to be at his mercy, you put two hands on his chest and pushed as hard as you can, only for him… to keep still. You would have sold your soul to brush off the sardonic smile on his face in this moment. « Move or I’m screaming. » You look at him, defying him but he doesn’t seem intimidated at all.

Worse still, you know that whatever battle you were fighting against him, you lost it the moment he found a way to lean even closer without touching you and felt an intense shiver down your spine, spreading through your whole body.

Unable to hold his gaze, you lowered your eyes. Mark used his index to gently lift your chin and you couldn’t escape his magnetic look.

« Help me Y/n. I beg you. Help me feel something. »

a/n: this is a (late) gift for our lemon anon’s birthday  ☼ this was meant to be a simple request, i wanted to write a drabble but now i’m pretty sure i just started a small serie so there will be other parts to come. i can’t plan any update date but you can follow @softchenlele to be sure not to miss the next parts (incoming) ! i’ll see where it leads me but for now, i hope you’ll like it xx

[ninastasia0]

We Do Know Which Way’s Home (part 9)

Hey!! So I couldn't wait to update the story because I simply adore that chapter. It's like, one of the softest things I've ever written, so get ready for some super extra soft Beej'.

AO3 WATTPAD SPOTIFY

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

Chapter 9 I'm Still Standing

To Corazana's surprise, Delia was very invested in that whole exhibition stuff. The moment she rang at the door, the red-headed lady opened, took her in and made her sit in the living room. Charles greeted her and explained that Lydia and the three ghosts had to stay upstairs, just so Delia would have the time to explain the week schedule to the young artist. She nodded and payed attention to everything Delia told her.

"Of course I've invited some of my friends from New-York. They're really into underground artists, I'm sure they'll love it. Lydia showed some of the pieces you left here. Let me tell you that they're pretty good! Of course, you'll keep improving, but I think this exhibition will be an excellent first step in this cruel world. It's going to be a huge success!"

Cora couldn't help but notice she pronounced it "sucks-yes", which made her smile to hide a laugh.

"By the way, I almost forgot to ask, Charles and I are going to the restaurant tonight, would you be okay keeping an eye on Lydia?"

"Sure Mrs Deetz."

"Great, I'll let you go now. They're so excited to see you, I won't keep you away from them any longer."

Corazana rushed to the attic. She waited a second outside, just so she could hear if they were talking about her. She tended to be curious when it came to those things.

"It's been thirty minutes!" groaned the demon.

Lydia replied instantly, "stop complaining! That's an important thing to her."

"I missed her, Lyds."

"I know, dude. I missed her too."

"Hush!" murmured someone, probably Barbara, "I think she's behind the door."

The young woman opened the door with a very guilty face.

"You got me Barb'."

The four individuals suddenly turned to her.

"Sorry, I've just caught a few words."

They all blinked repeatedly before shooting her name with joy. Except Beej', because he screamed "DOLL!" very loudly instead.

"I'm happy to see you too. Did you receive all my letters?"

"Yes! Lyds read them to us," answered Beetlejuice.

"That's sweet."

She took the last letter out of her bag and handed it to Lydia.

"I guess you can read the last one even if I'm here."

"So you received my letter before leaving?"

"Read, you'll have your answer."

"Okay, okay. Dear Lydia, you'd be surprised to learn that I read your letter on my way to see you. COOL! There's nothing I would love more than hearing about that girl. Be careful though, Betelgeuse will try to steal her from you (joke, he doesn't stand a single chance)."

"HEY!" complained the demon.

"Hush, dude. I've bought a bunch of candies for you. What about a movie night, this evening? Anyway, I'll probably ask you in a few hours. Wouldn't it be great to do it with the Maitlands and Beej' this time? All together ... I'm sure they'll be flattered to be a part of our little ritual. Especially our local demon, he always seems so sad to be left appart."

She stopped her reading, and finished in silence. Her gaze went from BJ to Cora.

"Don't ask me why I pity him that much, I have no idea. The more I get to know him, the more he touches me. Not in that way, you know what I mean," she concluded.

Beej' elbowed Corazana with an amused smirk.

"I knew you would fall for me, doll."

She rolled her eyes, even though she couldn't help but smile a bit.

Lydia looked up to her babysitter, "so, you're staying here tonight?"

"My parents aren't home and yours asked me to keep an eye on you. So, yeah, I'll be there."

Corazana barely heard Lydia whispering "cool" before she run out of the attic. Facing her surprised expression, Barbara felt the need to explain the situation:

"She's like that since she met that girl at school."

"Well, that's great, I guess. Will I have the pleasure to see you guys tonight?"

"Unfortunately, Barb' and I have some stuff to do in the Neitherworld. Somehow, Miss Argentina managed to lose files and asked us for help."

"You could never say no when it comes to give a hand to someone, I know you guys pretty well."

She had no idea who was that Miss Argentina, but she preferred to stay out of the whole after-life thing. Somewhere in her mind, Corazana associated being too curious about it and dying earlier than expected. And she clearly wanted to have a long and peaceful life.

Well, peaceful ...

Actually, being friend with three ghosts and a gothic teenager wasn't the best definition of "having a peaceful life". Not the one she expected at least.

"So ... It'll be BJ, Lydia and me?"

She wasn't really expecting an answer, something crossed her mind. The last time she'd been alone with the two of them, things had been quite hard. Sure, it had been a few weeks ago and since then, their relationship had evolved for the best. Still, she could feel shivers down her spine remembering the traumatic event she had experienced that night. He seemed to understand what she was thinking about because he lost his grin for a second. Before anyone noticed it, he put his "asshole face" back on, like he loved to call it.

"That's cool, I have a bunch of films we can watch."

The weird thing she noticed during the day was that Lydia, even though she told her how much she wanted to see her in her letters, almost didn't show up after she left the attic.

"Y'know how teens are," chatted Beetlejuice as they were chilling in the living room.

It had been an hour since Lydia's parents had left the house. And the young gothic was nowhere to be seen.

"Sure, but I'm supposed to keep an eye on her, and I thought she would enjoy a horror movie night like we used to have."

"Maybe she has somethin' on her mind, dontcha think?"

"You're probably right."

And for the first time in ages, Beetlejuice was indeed right. Lydia came down a few minutes later and unrecognisable. She, apparently, had tried to do a new kind of make-up but had given up after one eye, because the other one was still clean.

"I need your help," implored Lydia.

Cora let go a little laugh, "Oh my- bichito, what have you done?"

"I don't know..." her voice was about to break, "Wednesday and I are going on a date and I'm not ready. I look horrible."

"No, don't you dare say that. You're nothing but beautiful, bichito."

Lydia loved when she called her that, because it meant "little bug". Corazana made her sit on the couch next to BJ and went to her own suitcase to find her stuff.

She went back to her, "come on, close your eyes."

As she started saving her makeup, Corazana noticed that the demon was watching all her moves very carefully. They eventually shared a gaze but she immediately looked back to Lydia's face. The young girl wasn't saying anything, too stressed to find something to joke about. Which was quite unusual.

"Tell me more about that Wednesday girl, what is she like?"

"Dark. Taller than me. She likes to talk about death, which is pretty cool since half of the people living in my house are dead. She doesn't show her emotions, but that's cool because she talks a lot so I still manage to guess how she feels. And she asked me on a date this morning ... That's why I haven't been there today ... I'm sorry."

"That's okay, Lyds, I had someone to pass the time with."

Lydia opened an eye to look at Beetlejuice, then her babysitter.

"You guys are okay now?"

"We could say that. And I'm done. You're all good for your date, my dear Lyds."

She checked herself in the pocket mirror Cora handed her. Her eyes started sparkling.

"Oh my god, it is perfect."

"You better tell me how it went when you come back."

"Tell us!" added the demon.

"I will, but you gotta promise not to tell my parents. I don't want to be interrogated before knowing if it's a serious thing between her and me"

"I'll be as silent as a grave," promised Corazana.

BJ bursted out laughing, "jeez', that was a good one, doll!"

And again, the shared gaze! It was so weird to have those moments of complicity with him, but that was somehow so pleasant.

"I guess I have to stay here in case your parents call and I have to act like everything's perfectly normal?"

"Hm, yep. Consider this a random babysitting night, but for Beetlejuice, not me."

"Thirty dollars the night is okay if it's you, Lyds. But for him I'll need double."

"Because I'm twice as handsome as she is?"

"Yeah, something like that," sassed Corazana as Lydia was checking her watch.

"Shit, I'm late."

"Language!"

"BJ's taught me, bye guys!" she shot on her way to the front door.

"Be careful!"

"I will!"

The door closed. They stayed on the couch without saying a single word for god knows how long. Finally, they decided on a common agreement that exploring the house would pass the time. That house was strange. No matter the distance you walked, it never seemed to end.

"How long have you been here?" asked Corazana, "I knew the people that were here before the Maitlands, they never noticed a ghost chilling in their house."

"I lost the count, but I've been here since the day I died. I thought I was just waking up from a fucking long nap, but nope, here I was. Dead, invisible, bored. And your previous neighbours were so dull. Huh, even I didn't want to trick them. But thank god, the lovebirds replaced them. They're a couple of nerds, but Satan do I have fun with them! They were even much more fun to observe."

"Oh, so the voyeur stuff is not new."

"Doll, have you taken a good look at me recently? I'm dead, and I was invisible for decades. Of course I watched people. What did you expected me to do? Bake ghost pies? C'mon."

"I get it but ... don't you care about what you do? Even a little?"

They ended up in Charles's office. The room was very different from what Cora had imagined. The most surprising was the wall full of vinyls, a giant collection.

"I did care, during the first years, decades or something ..." his voice was so soft suddenly. Who was he worried to disturb? They were all alone.

"What changed?"

"Nothing, that's the main problem, doll. No matter if I watched or not, people still couldn't see me. So the first time I stumbled upon a naked person, it was an accident. The second time too. And after that, I was just pretending it was still one but I waited at the exact same spot and time. After fifteen years or so, I didn't pretend they were coincidences anymore. I had just become a creepy old ghost."

"You're not that old."

"I'm at least a century older than you."

"No I mean ... You don't look that old. On the contrary."

He shrugged his shoulders, "I died young."

Cora knew by the way he said it that she wouldn't learn anything more about him tonight. But it was already quite a lot. Both were standing at different sides of the room, looking at Charles collection.

"I almost destroyed it all last year. I'm glad I didn't after all."

He took one off the shelf and floated to the record player. Soon, Corazana recognised the singer.

"Elton John! I love him!"

"I know."

"How do you know?"

Beej' remembered her walkman, "lucky guess."

She started moving a little. Dancing a little. Like no one else was watching.

"Come on, Beej', let it go."

"I don't dance."

"Me neither."

She reached out her hand, he considered it a second before taking it.

"I'm a terrible dancer."

"Who cares?"

« Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did

Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid »

Alone in the big house, both were dancing together on rhythm. First a little shy and awkward, and soon they didn't care. Swinging, dos-à-dos, tapping feet in parallel away from the other's. Then the demon caught her hand and made her twirl. She smiled, giggled, didn't try to hide her mouth this time. Maybe they were bad dancers. No, they surely were, but how much fun were they having doing it anyway. Barely even friends, yet that was the exact moment Corazana started looking at him differently.

« I'm still standing after all this time

Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind »

The music started to fade away. Corazana tried to catch her breath the best she could.

"My god... that was unexpected..."

"What was unexpected?" asked Beetlejuice, who wasn't panting at all.

She was still breathless, "sharing... sharing a moment like that... with you."

"Oh. You enjoyed it?"

"I adored it. Are you smiling?"

"No. Am I? I can't feel it."

"You're smiling."

"Wow. Weird. Does it look good?"

"It does. You can't feel anything?"

He shook his head no. Corazana took a step in his direction, opening her arms a little.

"May I?"

"Sure thing, doll," Beej' didn't even finish his sentence before she hugged him, "you're warm."

"You're not. But that's okay."

"You think so?"

"Yes. I don't lie."

"I do. Dontcha think I smell bad? Everyone says I do."

"You have a funny smell, a bit weird," he did feel something: her breath against his dead skin, "you already know what I think, why did you ask?"

"I care about your opinion."

The moment he started to hold her tighter, she stepped aside. Corazana looked at BJ's hair, it looked way more lighter than usual.

"Feeling peaceful?" she asked.

"Certainly."

"It's surprising."

"What's surprising?" he asked.

"How far we've come since we've met."

He smirked, not knowing where to look, except not at her directly.

"I'm pretty selfish, doll, if I act better towards you, it's just because I need company."

"Maybe that's enough for me to like you."