#it’s just been bothering me in the promos that we keep seeing hallways with like. 3 people in them

[victorfrankiestein]

for as pretty and high quality as the new monster high series is, it is a shame that the animation clearly being more expensive leaves the school as a whole looking kind of empty. like the webisodes cost 3 dollars to produce, but because of that they could at least pump out a bunch of generic monster designs to put in the halls. so far in the new series it feels like only the main characters attend monster high, you never seem to see a crowded cafeteria or a bunch of monsters walking between classes, which does make the school feel more lifeless :(

[hargrove-mayfields]

Memories Are Golden

The prom of ‘85 was just one week away. If you asked Steve how much involvement he would’ve have in the event, not even a month ago he would’ve guessed it to be nothing more than maybe taking a flyer home and immediately throwing it in the trash.

Because he wouldn’t be able to go anyways, him and his date didn’t exactly abide by the administration's rules, or society’s, for that matter, so he didn’t care about the whole thing, until last minute, when Nancy had successfully convinced him to be a part of the prom committee with her.

The conversation had basically been a very lengthy guilt trip, he’s well aware of that, and her whole, ‘best moments of our lives’ speech hadn’t really done much to change his mind either.

In the end, Steve had only decided he was going to do it for three reasons: he’d get extra credit in the teacher in charge of prom, the math teachers, class, he wouldn’t have to go to any of his morning classes, and Robin joined in on Nancy’s bullying him because her and Heather would be apart of the committee too.

So now for the next week leading up to the big day, Steve has to spend his mornings in the gym putting up the decorations for the grand march.

But it isn’t all bad, because their small little task force made up of the other poor souls Nancy had rallied to do this with her is all of his friends, Nancy and Barb and Robin and Heather, with the addition of one very begrudging Billy Hargrove.

The girls were all the type you’d expect to be into this thing, the crafty ones mixed in with popularity, and everyone knew Steve would do anything to show school spirit, especially if Nancy bullied him into it, but nobody actually expected Billy of all people to even show up.

He certainly looked more likely to be the one crashing the prom than hanging up little foil stars on the walls, and anyways, rumor had it he only was on the committee as an alternative to detention for smoking weed under the bleachers.

But Steve knew that had absolutely not happened, for one thing, Billy’s weed stayed tightly locked up in his bedroom, thank you very much, and for another, he was there completely willingly. Steve knew that, because he’d been the one to tell Billy to sign up.

Which, when it really got right down to it, Billy honestly was the only reason Steve was even doing this whole thing. They were used to working in a couple of very limited interactions on the court or in the few classes they shared, but with the prom committee they’d be required to spend at least four hours together every day. It was the golden opportunity, even if that wasn’t the way Nancy intended it.

So maybe Billy does show up a little late every morning on purpose, just to keep up appearances, but he’s got a smile on his face, hidden behind the styrofoam coffee cup he gets from the cafeteria as he seeks out Steve and sits beside him in the bleachers to wait for that days instruction.

“Mornin’ Bill.” Steve mumbles tiredly, used to coming in late every day and getting at least an extra hour of sleep most days.

Billy nods and hums in his throat as his only response, so Steve asks him, “You wake up on the wrong side of the bed this mornin’?”

And of course, in true Billy fashion, he flashes Steve his most shit eating grin, and says all nonchalant, “Always do when I wake up alone.”

It’s so cheesy, and very obviously meant to get to him, but Steve can’t help the blush that creeps up his neck. He’s still trying to think up an equally as flustering comeback, when the teacher in charge finally shows up.

She announces that this year’s theme was ‘under the stars’, which Steve thought sounded incredibly tacky, but there was still no way it would be any worse than the godawful ‘hollywood’ theme from the year before. Hawkins High had a reputation for a lot of things, but creativity was not one of them.

They get split up into groups, Nancy and Barb in charge of the promo, the writing up, designing, and printing of the announcements and tickets, and Robin and Heather got the delicate detail work, blowing up balloons, laying down the artificial grass squares and hanging or putting in place whatever the other groups made them.

Billy and Steve, on the other hand, were stuck with all the dirty work, the manly jobs. They’re the ones who have to paint the banner that’s going to go over the door, and carry anything that’s considered too heavy and hang anything too high (even though Barb really isn’t that much shorter than them), and set up the tents and string the electricity to the lights in the fake lamp posts.

Quite frankly, Steve doesn’t think it’s fair that they have double the workload as the girls, most of the week had been dedicated to their work, but he just can’t bring himself to complain about getting to watch Billy working every morning, still barely awake yet, his hair pulled up so it didn’t get paint or that much glitter in it.

~~~~~~~~

On their last day in the gym, all that’s left is to sort out a few last minute details, the final squares of fake grass are laid out, lights are tested and glitter is spread out on everything. It doesn’t take too awful long, so they end up with just under three hours leftover to kill.

What they’re supposed to do is report back to their morning classes and try to catch up on all the work they’ve been missing out on for the entire week, but Billy isn’t looking to worry about a bunch of school work, so he tries to convince the rest to skip those last few hours with him.

From Barb and Nancy he gets an instant no, which, he was honestly expecting that. They’re responsible girls, and he can’t blame them for giving two shits about their education. The fact of the matter is though, that he doesn’t.

What he isn’t expecting as much is for his best friend to tell him no, but Heather’s too excited about her senior prom to get in trouble the day before it, and he can respect that.

He already knows that if Heather’s not going, Robin’s not either, so he waves her off before she even bothers trying to explain herself.

That just leaves Steve, and lord knows Billy’s been a bad enough influence on him that he doesn’t even have to ask if he’s ditching, so when Mrs Mitchell and the girls leave, they follow behind until they’re out in the hallway, then duck out of the back entrance of the gym.

Most of the time when people skip they just go home considering the lack of literally anything at all to do around Hawkins, but with Steve’s house too far away for it to be worth leaving, and Billy’s stepmom still at home, that sort of wasn’t an option for them.

Usually they don’t skip for those very reasons, but today they have a handwritten excuse to be out of their classes until exactly 12:15, so in a way, it isn’t so much like skipping as it is just using their free time wisely. Or at least, that’s how Steve rationalizes it, earning from Billy, who thought it was sweet that his former bad boy felt it necessary to make excuses for skipping, a chuckle and a warm smile.

They decide to just hang out on the school grounds, nowhere in town to go but the diner and the stores downtown, and they weren’t in the mood for food nor did they have enough money to blow buying stupid shit they didn’t need, so smoking and sneaking kisses by the tree line on the practice field it was.

It’s nice, but Billy doesn’t like the quiet, furrowed brow as he plucks blades of just growing grass trying to think of something to say that would break the silence. Steve just waits patiently with a lit cigarette burning out between his fingers for Billy to speak, listening intently when he finally says, “You know, s’a shame that I can’t take you to the prom after all that work we did for it.”

“Nah, prom’s way overrated.” Steve blows him off, not wanting him to feel bad about it, personally viewing the dance as stupid anyways, in a way sort of glad he doesn’t have to go, “It’s just a way to pay for new football uniforms and make kids who piqued in highschool feel good about themselves.”

But Billy doesn’t even laugh at that, flicking the head off a dandelion to keep his hands busy as he basically mumbles, “Guess you had time to think ‘bout it already.”

“Yeah. I guess I just always thought dances were kind of dumb. Now that I’m not King Steve anymore I just don’t really see a reason to bother with ‘em.” Steve explains, sliding his hand over to Billy’s across the tips of cool blades of grass, linking their pinkies together and leaning his head against his shoulder, soft touches like these the only way Billy could tell the difference between an open conversation and an argument.

“Still, think it’d be nice to be able to show you off. Let ‘em know what they’ve been missing.” Billy admits, a shy crack of a smile, like he was afraid to bring it up, and it makes Steve smile back, looking straight into the vulnerability behind his blue eyes and saying so softly it’s almost a whisper, “S’not necessary, B. I’m all yours.”

Billy pulls his hand away, a flush on his cheeks that wasn’t just from the warmth of the sun, overwhelmed by the affection just a bit, not uncomfortable with it, just not used to it, and bumps his shoulder into Steve’s, telling him, “God, you’re such a sap.”

“Hey, you’re the one that wanted to take me to the prom.” Steve says, barely even defensive, making Billy smile again.

There’s a break in the conversation, both of them flustered and thinking about the other, until Steve interrupts the quiet this time, leaning back on his hands in the grass and suggesting, “We could do our own prom though, you know.”

“Whaddya mean?”

“Well, we can’t do the real thing, obviously, but I don’t have any other plans tomorrow. You should drop by.”

“You’re really askin’ me to be your prom date?” Billy smirks, but the vulnerable hope in his eyes gives him away, and makes Steve’s heart flutter, though he replies nonchalant, “Who else? Be there at 8:30?”

“It’s a date. See you then, pretty boy.” Billy says with a smile, leaning in to kiss Steve, but getting interrupted by his watch beeping, their break time almost up already.

Steve chuckles and kisses his nose, and says, “Guess we better get back then.” waiting for Billy to leave first so his boyfriend had a head start to get into the school before him.

Billy throws a wink over his shoulder as he retreats towards the gym doors, and suddenly the weight of what they’d just agreed to settles with Steve.

Maybe this prom thing wasn’t as overrated as he thought, because did he ever feel over the moon right now, blushing like an idiot and just standing there dazedly until he hears the bell ring inside the building.

Apparently it showed too, that butterflies in his stomach feeling he had for the rest of the day, if the fact that Robin pulled him aside in the cafeteria for an emergency meeting about why he couldn’t wipe the goofy grin off his face was any indication.

He told her some lie, something about one of the teachers he got his makeup work off of cutting him some slack, and Robin doesn’t believe that, but she knows it’s none of her business, so she lets him keep smiling.

Still, as much as Steve was looking forward to this, at the end of the day when he waved at Billy from across the parking lot, he got nervous. Like, speeding back home to Loch Nora in under ten minutes on a normally fifteen minute drive nervous.

Because he still has a lot of shit to get done between now and tomorrow night when Billy is supposed to show up.

For one thing, his house is a disaster. He almost never cleans it until it’s too late, half-assing the dishes and overloading the washing machine and hiding things in closets usually the day before his parents were supposed to get back.

Another thing is how should he dress? He had a few fancy suits of his own from outings with his parents and past dances, but he knew Billy wouldn’t. Still, wouldn’t it be rude to underdress just because he assumed Billy would be too poor to clean up?

And what did people even do at prom? Get drunk and have sex? If Billy wanted to do that he would’ve just said so. How was Steve supposed to figure out what else they were going to do? The rest of prom is just bad dancing and even worse food, was that something he was supposed to include?

What if he’d sent the wrong signal in the first place and it wasn’t just going to be them? What if Billy showed up at his door with a bunch of other losers skipping out on prom night and this wasn’t really special at all?

The thing is, he knows he’s being irrational. Billy’s not the type to care about this stuff, and even if he did he wasn’t gonna like, break things off just because their little fake prom in Steve’s living room wasn’t perfect. That’s just ridiculous.

So he tries to redirect that initial panic into productivity. Get at least something planned out and put together before he freaks all the way out and loses his motivation.

He decides to do it in small parts, tonight he’d start with the cleaning and getting everything he already had together, and tomorrow would be for shopping and decorating.

Because he’s got such a scatterbrain, he makes a list of all the things he needed to get done before 8:30 tomorrow night, and already he feels the stress start to dissipate with each thing he gets to check off, the living room cleaned until Ruthie would approve, picking out a nice sweater he’d never worn before, fancy but not too much, and tracking down all the things he already had, a record player, the fancy wine Billy said he liked, and a couple of strings of fairy lights and tinsel.

~~~~~~~~~

The next morning he goes straight to Melvald’s, with the rest of his checklist to but candles, more decorations, a boutonnière, just to do it, and maybe something other than takeout to eat for once.

He must look as nervous as he feels, dumping his purchases on the counter, because Joyce smiles that understanding smile of hers, and asks him, “Last minute jitters before prom?”

“You could say that.” He responds breathily, trying to return the smile.

“Jonathan and Nancy decided not to go, but it sounds like it’ll be fun.” Joyce says with a nod, and Steve realizes he’s given her the wrong impression, explaining, “Oh, I’m not going to the real thing either, just hanging out with a friend tonight.”

“Well that sounds nice anyways.” She says, as she rings up his stuff remarking, “You must really like this friend to go all out like this.”

“Yeah he’s-“ Steve physically shakes his head, a reminder to stop talking before he gets himself caught, backpedaling with a shaky excuse, “I-I mean, it’s not like it’s a prom date , it’s just, you know, two guys hanging out.“

Joyce puts her hand on his, that same warm smile still on her face, and tells him, looking him right in the eye as if to say, ‘I know, but it’s okay’, “I’m happy for you, Steve. Have fun tonight.”

Steve nods, a flush to his cheeks as he leaves the store with not another word than, “I… Thank you Mrs. Byers.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Billy knew absolutely jack and shit about school dances.

The first and only he’d ever been bothered to go to was way back in elementary school, and that didn’t exactly hold a candle to the fucking prom.

It helped some that it wasn’t the real thing, but Steve was talking like it might as well be, and quite frankly, he wanted it to be. This was going to be special goddamnit.

But before he can even think too much about it, he realizes none of that will matter if it turns out he can’t show, so he brings it up with his dad at dinner.

At the table is where he’s least likely to get beat if Neil said no, so that was always the time he chose to ask for things. “I know it’s, uh, kind of last minute ‘cause it’s tomorrow night, but could I go to the prom?”

Neil quirks an eyebrow, seeming mostly uninterested, “With who?”

“Nobody as a date.” Billy explains, using the cover story he’d been coming up with since the minute Steve asked him, or rather in anticipation of, “Heather has a spare ticket ‘cause her actual date ditched her last minute and she asked me if I would go with her.”

Neil nods, seemingly believing him, and asks, “When’s it start?”

“Uh, about 8, I think, so I’ll probably leave at like, 6:30 or so.” Billy throws it out nervously, tapping his fingers against the underside of the table, and freezing when Neil speaks.

But he doesn’t get yelled at, it’s just a simple, calm, “Susan, do we have anything planned that time tomorrow?”

“No, dear. Max is going with her friends at six, but other than that...” Comes her timid response without a hitch, and Billy already knows he’s in the clear before Neil gives his response, still not looking up from the table.

He agrees, but with a few conditions that Billy wouldn’t dare disobey, “If you drop your sister off first, you’ve got yourself a deal. Just don’t come home if you’re drunk, and don’t waste all my damned money on pictures.”

Billy nods, his heart racing in anticipation of something he was pretty sure at this point wasn’t going to happen, though some part of him was still waiting for the slap across the face and a never your mind as he says dutifully, “Yessir. Thank you.”

~~~~~~~~~

Billy starts getting ready six hours early for two reasons: for one thing, the sooner he’s ready, the more time he had away from Neil and to psyche himself up to knock on Steve’s door, and for another, his hair on a normal day takes at least an hour if he doesn’t want it frizzing out or losing it’s curl or getting heavy, and this was his prom, he was willing to spend a whole day on his hair for the sake of looking nice, even if there were no pictures of it.

Of course Max, being the little nuisance she is, follows him to his bedroom when he goes to get ready, holding the door open with her foot so he couldn’t slam it in her face, and earning herself a grumbly, “What do you want, Maxine?”

“I thought you told me you weren’t going to the prom.” She says it like she caught him doing something wrong, as if plans couldn’t change, and it pisses Billy off a little bit.

“I’m not-“ He starts to explain, cutting himself off when somewhere in the house Neil pops the tab on a beer can, a tiny sound Max probably hadn’t even picked up on, but if his father was out and about in the house Billy doesn’t want to admit what he’s going to in front of him. He opens his door wider and ushers his step sister in, immediately shutting it behind her and finishing what he was saying,  “I’m not going to the prom.”

She quirks an eyebrow, through Billy’s eyes maybe looking a bit too much like her step-dad when she does it, “Why’d you tell Neil you were?”

“Crashing the after party. Thought it’d look better if I said I went.” He just shrugs, half assing the lie, and, picking up on that, Max fires back smugly, “You’re lying.”

Billy snaps, no longer looking at her while he starts lining his shit up on his makeshift vanity, getting ready to get ready, “Yeah, I am. But it’s really none of your business, shitbird.”

“Are you going on a date or something?” She looks at him knowingly, if not a little surprised, and asks as it dawns on her, “Oh my god, do you have a boyfriend?”

“Maxine Nicole!” He hisses through his teeth, turning to glare at her and seeing that she’s holding his hair spray that he literally just put out, probably planning on stealing it, “Jesus, give me that.”

She lets him snatch it out of her hands and puts it back in its spot on the vanity she told him didn’t count as a vanity multiple times, rolling her eyes, “Yeesh. I’ll take that as a yes then.”

“If you’re going to tell on me Max, I swear to god-“ He starts, defensive, more vulnerability in his voice than intended, but Max insists honestly, the most not bratty she’s been since she stepped into his room, “I’m not, I wouldn’t.”

Though it doesn’t last very long, her not being a brat, because she immediately cracks a big smile and asks Billy, “Who is he though?”

“Mind your own, Max, Christ.” Billy blows her off, catching glimpse of himself in the mirror and taking note of the barely there flush to his cheeks, pointing to the door and telling his meddling step sister, “Out.”

“Awww, Billy-“ She tries to whine, but he cuts her off, “ No. Out. Of. My. Room.”

But Max offers quickly, like it’ll change his mind, “I’ll do your hair if you let me stay.”

And maybe it doesn’t immediately change his mind, but it does successfully stump him, because he’s asking her, equal parts genuine curiosity and sarcasm, “Why would I let you touch my hair?”

“No reason.” Max says, looking down at his carpet, definitely overplaying the bashfulness in bringing up her answer to appeal to Billy’s emotions, “I just thought, and maybe it’s stupid but like, most guys have their moms to fuss over them for prom, but, you know, you don’t, so I wanted to, I don’t know, be a good sister and do that for you or, whatever.“

Billy sighs, that had been exactly what he was thinking about all night last night, how his momma would be proud of him for finding a way to do this with the person, the boy he loved, and how she could’ve been there to do exactly what Max said, so he agrees, “Alright shitbird, guilt trip successful. You’re not kicked out.”

Max claps her hands together and sits on her brother's bed, getting all of Billy’s wrinkled button ups tossed at her from where they had been previously shoved, unfolded into a dresser drawer, and a command to, “Help me pick a shirt.”

She asks him while she’s unfolding all of his shirts he’d thrown at her and spreading them all out over Billy’s bed, “Are you going to button it.”

“What do you think?”

“Billy. It’s your prom.”

“Fine. One more button.”

“Two?” She tries to bargain, but he shuts it down again, making her giggle when he jokes, his tone level like it's a real threat, “One or I‘m going shirtless.”

“Then I pick.. this blue one.” Max says and puts her hand on a navy blue, quarter sleeve shirt after careful consideration of holding each button up up to Billy and thinking hard about it, but one more once over and she changes her mind, handing Billy a white shirt with snap buttons instead, “No, no, no, wait, this one with full sleeves is better. Yeah, that one for sure.”

“Sleeves it is.” Billy says taking the shirt and hanging it on the door so he’d remember to iron it, crudely shoving the rest of the button ups back into the drawer, and asking Max, “Will I need to wear like, a coat or something?”

She shrugs asking him smugly, “That depends on who it is.”

“Sensitive information.” Billy says immediately, when she looks like she’s going to argue shutting her down before she can say anything, “Which means I’m not tellin’ you.”

“Can I guess?” Max asks, making her case by reasoning with him sweetly, “Please? You wouldn’t be telling me that way.”

He genuinely considers it for a minute, and decides it’s whatever, in his head assuming there was no way Max would be able to figure it out, so he waves his hand with an eye roll, giving her the go ahead to start guessing.

Her first question is, “Okay, okay. Is it.. someone I know?”

“Yep.”

Max furrows her brow, and asks, “Do I like him?” To which Billy shrugs and responds, “Probably.”

“Um, is it…” Max snaps her fingers, an idea coming to her, “Is it Tommy?”

But again she’s shut down, because for somebody she’s supposed to probably like, she sure does a lot of complaining about Tommy, and he calls her on it, “Do you like Tommy?”

Max hums thoughtfully, taking a second guess, “I guess not. Is it Keith?”

Billy shakes his head, giving her the most confused look she’d ever seen on his face as he asks, or basically exclaims, “Who the fuck is Keith ?”

“Well excuuse me for not knowing a lot of guys around here!” Max says, defensive, making Billy roll his eyes again and turn back to digging through his drawers for a decent pair of jeans to wear with a button up, most of them stained and worn.

“Not Tommy, not Keith, who’s left?” She thinks hard then gasps, connecting something in her mind, a devious, knowing little smile on her face, “Is it Steve?”

Billy doesn’t answer her, quite frankly doesn’t know what he should say. It’s his fault, letting her guess between the only three boys his age in town she apparently knew, but now that Max knew who his mystery boyfriend was he wasn’t feeling so hot.

Honestly, some part of him is expecting Neil to come busting through the door any second, like this was some sort of run around way of finding him out, but after a few minutes of her squealing like teenage girls do, he realizes all he has to face is an excited little sister.

He flushes, and asks her over his shoulder, his forcing his tone to sound bored, “Are you done?”

“Yes.” Max says, nodding, but she smiles wide and dissolves into a fit of giggles again, covering her mouth with her hands when Billy crosses his arms, and insists, “Okay, okay, I’m done!”

“Good.” Billy says, but he can’t help cracking a smile. He angles his mirror down towards the floor and sits in front of it, telling his sister lightly to, “Help me with my hair then, shitbird.”

Max sits behind him, and runs her fingers through his hair, “You should’ve put curlers in it or something last night.”

Billy rolls his eyes, realizing as he does so for the dozen things time since Max barged in that she maybe learned that from him, deciding that doesn’t even warrant a response, and hands Max the comb and one of the many cans of hairspray off of his vanity.

She sits up on her knees, and brushes back the hairs just behind his ears that always frizz out and lose their curl, holding them at the back of his hair with a bobby pin, one of the blond ones she bought specifically for him so he could use them without immediately getting caught using ‘girly’ things, but had so far been too scared to anyways.

It looks strange on him, looks more like something Max would wear than him, but honestly he doesn’t hate it, so he lets her keep going, only frowning a little when she adds a pearl adorned hair clip, big enough it looks more like a fancy brooch, to the back of his hair.

She sprays it with so much hairspray it’s tacky, scrunching it up so his curls are tighter, and smoothing the sides so they won’t come unclipped.

When every curl is in its place and approved by Billy, who insists he’s not in the least bit emotional about what Max had said early, that thing about having nobody but her to fuss over him, she hops up, telling him to, “Wait one minute.” while she runs to her room.

She returns with her bulky pink Caboodles box, the one that has all of her mostly unused makeup in it, tapping him on the shoulder and telling him, “Alright, turn towards me.”

Her plan didn’t work though, at least he’s almost positive it was her plan to break down his defenses just so she could use him as her dress up doll anyways, but he isn’t having it, telling her quickly to “Put that shit away, Max.”

“Why? You wear makeup everyday.” Max observes simply, making Billy hiss and tell her to lower her voice, “Yeah, but never the extra strength shit that makes your eyelashes curly and your face pretty. Neil will sniff this out the second I step out of this room.”

Max just shrugs, “Then I’ll make sure he doesn’t see your face. It’s not a big deal.”

“He’ll make it into one.”

“I think your senior prom is an even bigger deal, though.”

Billy sighs, once again losing to her arguing skill, and turning to face her like she told him, “You owe me if I get caught like this.”

Max rolls her eyes and does her magic, each second that passes Billy regretting agreeing to turning the control of his appearance over to his little sister, expecting to come out of this looking like her Diva doll, fidgeting more and more the longer it takes her.

Just before he’s about to panic, Max tells him, “All done.” and lets him look in the mirror.

He blinks repeatedly at his own reflection, surprised to see he didn’t have sparkly eyeshadow up to his eyebrows or rouge on his cheeks, just a tasteful amount of lip gloss and a copper tint to his eyelids, framed by darker than usual eyelashes and the smallest bit of eyeliner.

She gets impatient after a few minutes of Billy not saying anything, and pushes his shoulders to turn him around again to look at her, staring at him until she decides what she thinks is missing.

She hurries to the upright jewelry box in her mother’s room, and brings him back a clip on pearl earring for his right ear, opposite the chain of silver stars she already picked for his left.

“Here, it’ll look better if you have earrings in both ears.” She reaches up, pushing his hair out of the way and clipping the earring on, letting him do the screw on the back himself so she didn’t make it too tight.

Billy lowers his hand and scrunches his nose, leaning in slightly towards the mirror, “They don’t match.”

“It looks nice though. You look really pretty.” She tells him honestly, not realizing the impact the simple compliment, though not so simple for somebody like him, has on her brother until he’s trying to subtly blink away tears behind mascara coated lashes, pretending like that wasn’t the case and telling her, “Whatever, it’s too late to change it now if you want to be on time.”

He does one last once over himself in the mirror, though he knows he’s going to be using his car windows for the same purpose at the last minute, and shoos Max out of his bedroom door, trying to hurry out of the house before Neil can stop him and see him all dolled up.

He’s got one hand around the door knob and his keys through his belt loop when his dad does stop him, his heart just about stopping as Neil calls from the other room, “Do you have flowers for the girl?”

“I have a corsage in the car.” Billy lies, hoping his tone is sure enough for Neil to buy it.

“Good. Just remember what I said, boy.” Neil says, still from the living room, so Billy lets his posture relax a bit and breathes out a quiet sight, saying casually, “Get Max to her friends, don’t spend any money, and don’t come home drunk, I got it, dad.”

“Watch the attitude, William.” Neil says low, the air going still for a minute until he adds, “And have fun tonight.”

“Yessir.” Billy says, ushering Max quickly out the front door, sighing when it closes behind them.

~~~~~~~

Billy drops Max off at the Wheeler’s, just driving around Hawkins until it’s time to show up at Steve’s, making sure to stop past the Holloway’s place just in case Neil went asking around wanting to know if anybody saw his car in the neighborhood.

At 8, he decides he doesn’t want to show up empty handed, buying Steve some flowers like he’d lied and said he had for Heather from Melvald’s, not understanding the knowing look the cashier lady has in her eye when he brings a dinky bouquet of flowers to the checkout counter.

He rings the doorbell at 8:30 on the dot, checking himself out one last time in Steve’s window while he waits, fifty cent roses held behind his back.

On the other side of the door, Steve stands in the dining room, now adorned with cheap party decorations that would’ve made his mother pitch a fit, waiting a whole thirty seconds before he goes to answer it, trying to collect himself first.

Billy smiles wide, and, as cheesy as it was, seeing him standing there all dressed up taking Steve’s breath away and stealing the words right off his tongue, Billy having to invite himself in because Steve was busy catching flies.

He hands him the flowers, nodding towards the silver tinsel wrapped around the banister, the stars hanging in the archway that lead into the living room that were almost identical to the ones they hung from the basketball hoops at school and saying, “Place looks nice.”

“Oh, uh, thanks.” Steve says, quickly adding, “You know, you look nice too.”

Billy smiles softly, looking at him with that ‘you’re an idiot Steve Harrington’ look he was so used to by now, “C’mon, Stevie, we’ve been dating for four months now, you don’t gotta be all awkward with me still.”

“I’m not, I mean it, you look really good, Billy.” Steve says, smiling now that it’s his turn to fluster Billy.

“Oh by the way, I almost forgot. Got you this just because.” He remembers, handing Billy a box with a floral pin inside, pink roses with lace, and telling him expectantly, “It’s a boutonnière.”

But Billy doesn't open it, just raises an eyebrow and says, “I thought you did corsages for prom?”

“Corsages are for the girls.”

“Ah. Got it.” He says it like he already knew that, like he was hoping maybe Steve didn’t, so Steve offers, not really understanding it, but knowing what he means all the same, “It came as a set, I still have the corsage upstairs, if you want it.”

Billy nods and pins the boutonnière to Steve’s shirt instead, explaining simply, “Just so we match.”

Steve runs upstairs and gets the corsage, giving Billy a minute to actually appreciate just how much went into decorating this place, snickering to himself when he imagines Steve having to stand on a step ladder to put the string lights so high up on the wall.

Steve tosses Billy the box from the top of the steps, letting him open it while he comes back down and ties it around his wrist, having to tie it twice because he put it on the wrong way the first time.

Billy asks him, shaking his wrist to make sure the bow is tight enough, “So what’s our official plan for tonight, Stevie?”

“Honestly I don’t really know. I’m sort of just winging it here, I don’t know what you even do at prom.”

“You never went at all?” Billy asks, surprised miss priss hadn’t dragged him along to their junior prom last year.

“Nope. Like I said, overrated.” Steve confirms, and Billy smiles wide, saying, “I’m sure I got a few ideas in mind then.”

~~~~~~~~

Billy’s idea basically consisted mainly of drinking all that fancy wine Steve had gotten out of the cellar specifically for this, shoving his tongue down Steve’s throat, and complaining about the real prom happening up at the school.

Honestly, Steve suspects things wouldn’t have been so different had they actually gone, but he can tell the fact that they weren’t able to go was still bothering Billy, judging by the sheer number of times he brings it up.

After what must be the tenth time that night Billy brought up Heather and Robin getting to go, Steve asks him, “Do you wish we were there?”

“No, that’s the thing. I couldn’t give a damn less about the whole dance, a thousand times over I’d rather just be here with you.”

“But?”

“But I wish we had the choice to go, you know? It’s just, bugging me that if we had genuinely wanted to go, we couldn’t’ve.” Billy rants, very obviously having been holding this in, “And I keep thinking about all the other gay kids who don’t have a big empty house or a safe place to do what we’re doin’.”

“Yeah, but it’s really not a big deal. Prom is pretty much all for the parents anyways, and the way I see it we, and all the other people like us, we’re so used to disappointing them, what’s it matter if we don’t go?”

“Just, I don’t care about the event or whatever, but it feels like we’re missing out on something. Like maybe we should’ve just swallowed our pride and went with Hetty and Robin anyways.”

Steve stands up abruptly, picking up their wine glasses and kicking the coffee table all the way over to the far wall to clear the floor, offering Billy his hand, “I know you feel like you’re robbing me of something by us not going, but we don’t need all of that for this to be good. I meant it when I said that’s superficial to me anyways. We can make it mean something to us.”

Billy looks up at him, still bothered deep down, but out of ways to argue about it, and accepts Steve’s hand, wrapping his arms around the back of his neck when he pulls him close by his waist.

It’s not really a slow dance as much as it is an excuse to just be close to one another, to breathe each other in and sneak kisses and be sappy, but that’s was this whole thing was about. They could’ve just hung out tonight if they wanted, and honestly they probably would’ve anyways, but they called it a prom, put that title to it that made both of their hearts pitapat.

Steve had always heard, even felt it a few times before, that when you were with the person you loved, everyone and everything else would melt away around you until it was just you, but somehow, this was different than that.

Because that would mean there were times when his world didn’t revolve around Billy, and that there was ever a moment when he could focus on anything but the boy he loved, and that just wasn’t true.

This wasn’t performative, wasn’t a relationship formed on the status of being able to show off that they were better for being in love either, this was simply Billy and Steve, dancing in their tennis shoes on Ruthie's carpet, snickering when a particularly sappy song came on the radio, barely able to be separated long enough to turn to side B, falling in love all over again under the stars.

~~~~~~~

When the wine bottles are all empty and the stack of records has been spun through, Steve’s schnockered, and insisting they get a picture, searching the house for an old Polaroid camera and making Billy stand with him in front of the fairy lights strung

They only had three chances to get a good picture, no new packs of film and only a few left in the camera, so Steve took all three.

The first one was upside down and so off center he was hardly in it, Steve being maybe a little more drunk than he thought, and the second Billy closed his eyes because the flash was too bright, but it didn’t matter too much anyways because the film didn’t develop properly and the picture was nothing but reddish-yellow tinted blackness anyways.

The third one by some chance turns out fine, maybe a little blurred because he moved and still not quite centered right, but it’s a picture, something to hold onto the memory of this night forever when the hangover wore off and things got a little blurry, and that was important to the both of them, for different reasons.

As soon as it develops, a little 8 by 10 of Billy kissing his cheek, Steve runs upstairs to hang it on the cork board above his desk before it gets misplaced, dating it and doodling a little heart with a S+B inside it, hiding the picture behind a ribbon for a middle school art contest and a picture of him and his parents.

Billy hooks his chin over his shoulder, his hands traveling a bit lower than Steve’s waist this time as he watches what he’s doing. He hums and asks, when Steve stands up straighter and turns in his arms to face him, “So? What have you got planned for the after prom, Stevie?”

[sepublic]

My Sad Dream about Luz...

           Last night, I had a really sad dream where… It was Luz back in the human world, before she met Eda and the others; And she was running down a hallway, being chased by a few bullies for something she did, but was being way too overtly punished for. And poor Luz, she was stumbling and pushing past other students, the whole hallway was filled with them; And they were all basically aware of her predicament and making fun of her! And then Luz bumped into another student, and SHE got angry at Luz and basically threw her to the ground (off-screen, we only see Luz land) before Luz has to keep running with more bullies on her trail.

           And eventually she makes it to the door leading outside but it’s locked, so she literally has to break open the glass in the doors, swinging a large object (I think a radio) at the bullies, making them pause, only for Luz to reveal that she’s just swinging it back for momentum so she can break the door opposite them! And then she barely manages to squeeze through the broken window, has to jump and climb over a few fences as the kids chase after her…

           And Luz, she manages to briefly lose them- And then for some reason (dreams are weird okay) she starts flying? She can just fly by waving her arms? And she flies above the bullies and they don’t see her, maybe she’s also invisible. Anyhow Luz is flying around, keeping track of her attackers, and as they get frustrated a teacher appears and asks what they’re doing. The bullies explain about how they’re just looking for Luz, and the teacher remarks aloud about how Luz has always been a trouble student and it just… HURTS Luz to hear this! Then my dream ended because I just woke up, but…

           …Honestly, while I can’t say Luz was outright physically harassed in this manner, I can’t help but feel like she was the occasional victim of her peers basically being bystanders to her own bullying. And being sent to the Reality Check Camp could’ve worsened things, because I imagine Luz was already not popular for causing mayhem and chaos, here or there, in her bids to be understood, express herself, maybe just attract someone who was interested… And it reminds me of this headcanon for an AU I saw (I can’t remember the exact post), where someone suggested that had Luz gone to the Reality Check Camp- She would’ve been singled out on by the people there… And they’d have likely used the “if one student messes up, everyone is punished” tactic to turn all of the other kids against Luz.

          And, in the context of my dream- I’m just imagining that as what basically led to this, because teachers weren’t just content with hurting Luz, they had to make enemies out of her peers (instead of potential friends), and that just REALLY messed her up…! It just reminds me of that speculation I had, in the month or so before The Owl House premiered; I wondered if Luz was going to stay in the Boiling Isles and had intentionally sought it out, because she had nothing back for her in the human world. Maybe Luz was an orphan with no family, no friends; And so she read about the Boiling Isles and found a way, and that’s why she’s choosing to stay… She has nothing back there in the human world to go back to, just pain and rejection; So why not stay forever in a place where she’s treated like a person and has an actual family?

           …Thankfully, it’s not that horrible in canon; Luz DOES have a mother, Camila, who deeply cares and who she clearly had a great bond with. Obviously things have soured a little in recent years, but it’s obvious that a lot of Luz’s bright and outgoing personality was encouraged by Camila, and that the two value one another. In hindsight, Luz still having ties to her human home that she wants to maintain, works for her character and its development, separating fantasy from reality while also enjoying both. And I’m glad we have the idea that while she was lonely, it wasn’t THAT bad for Luz… At least, as far as we know.

           Still, that reminds me of another portion of my dream, disconnected from the part I mentioned (because my dreams are a patchwork of completely unrelated sequences), where… Luz is running through the woods, similar to the ones behind her house, and she’s being chased by kids and gets physically accosted. But there’s a treehouse, and while the dream changed to something else; I feel like the idea was that this was an alternate opening to The Owl House, where in her attempt to avoid her bullies, Luz stumbles across the portal to the Boiling Isles. And in the context of my dream, Dana and the creators changed it to what we got in canon, for multiple reasons… This sequence would’ve been really depressing, especially the implication that to her human peers, Luz just ran away from harassment one day and just disappeared, essentially chased away from her birthplace.

          I imagine in this ‘timeline’ or whatever, those bullies would’ve REALLY gotten in trouble and been suspected a lot regarding Luz’s disappearance… And honestly, I can see this ‘dream version’ of the show having Luz never go back home, not bothering to give that closure to the people who hurt her; Because she’s happier where she is now. But thankfully, we don’t get such a cold and cruel kind of set-up/resolution, Luz still has a family, she wasn’t physically harassed (again, as far as we know), and she still somewhat chose to go to the Boiling Isles on her own terms, not necessarily under a threat. Luz found Eda and King, then Willow and Gus… Amity and the Twins, and now she’s just been so much happier as a person! She feels safe in the Boiling Isles, and on Earth too- Luz just isn’t supported there…

          Still, this reminds me of back when that one promo pic for Wing it like Witches came out, with Luz, Willow, and Gus bearing the marks of Boscha’s bullying; And then I had a brief, major grudge/vitriol against Boscha, because my mind went to the worst places and imagined Luz being disturbingly reminded of her own experiences back home, and feeling like even in the Boiling Isles, she can’t escape that kind of bullying and ostracizing and will always be a ‘freak’ and a ‘loser’… Luckily the actual context of that scene ended up not being nearly intense, and Luz quickly brushed it aside- But it really makes me wonder about Luz and her character, and the idea of her having hidden apprehensions and paranoia about rejection, about being ostracized at school again (as we see in the beginning of The First Day), etc.

          But Luz has been so supported and encouraged by others that she’s willing to take that risk, to make more friends like Willow and Gus and Amity (or at least hang out with them more), and learn magic! And I love that, Eda and King made Luz feel safe; They gave her an environment where Luz felt free to explore herself, protected from harsh repercussions and punishments, while still aware of the consequences and willing to fix any problems she caused! If she does have any trauma, triggers, and PTSD about being bullied, that follows through to the Boiling Isles; I do believe that Eda and the others can help to reassure Luz how much she means, how great she is… She already seems somewhat popular and even legendary for defeating Grom and wounding Belos!

          Luz already has all of the friends she needs, but I really think she’s earned a genuine love, appreciation, and admiration from her peers and community as a whole! Luz didn’t need that; But by her own unwitting efforts of just being true to herself, and the support and love she got… Luz no longer has to deal with a default of being ostracized and hated; Now, her default is being loved and admired, seen as amazing and legendary, and even cheered upon! And it’s such a fantastical change of pace to her; Maybe one Luz is afraid will be interrupted when she’s suddenly pulled back down to earth, reminded of what a loser she REALLY is… But no, she’s never truly been a loser, and definitely won’t be!

          She’s Luz Noceda, a human who learned magic against all odds, wounded the Emperor, changed the learning system at Hexside, destroyed Grometheus… And her accomplishments go well beyond that, and keep adding up! She’s on a roll, and this girl is unstoppable now, knows it, and is going to take advantage of this to make such a positive impact- She’s an unyielding, guiding light! Luz is weird and an utter cryptid, but this time in a way that’s meaningful and validating to her- She’s got friends by her side, has accomplished things, and is for once now emboldened to pursue her dreams, without having to worry about any delusions to distract/hinder her; Luz knows who she is, and that person is AMAZING!

[kindness-bliss]

New Beginnings Ch. 6

Timothy Thatcher x OC

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: cursing

“Walter” she grinned softly as she shook his hand, feeling more at ease as he gave her a reassuring nod “a pleasure to see you again”

  “Wait how do you two know each other ?” Tim asked baffled as he furrowed his brow “Met here about 3 months ago” Walter nodded as he made the save for her “I was actually looking at getting a place here for when I came to tapings, my fiance and I met her here when we went to her complex” he lied as he sat down   “Oh nice” Tim grins “well I don’t need to introduce you two then, well glad she at least knows one of my good friends now”   Maya grinned weakly as she sat down with the feeling of anxiety coming up from lying to Tim’s face. She knew she had to tell him soon before it got too late and now felt horrible for involving Walter in her mess.   “Walter” she said softly as Tim left for the restroom “Please don’t think I’m some kind of...you know what I mean. I can explain, I swear”   “Maya, it’s alright” he answered genuinely “What happened in the past truly doesn’t matter, at least not in my eyes but I also know that Tim should know. Especially if things are going to proceed with you two, it’s only fair he knows sooner rather than later”   “I agree, I do but what’s gonna happen when I tell him it’s Marcel, what’s gonna happen when I tell him my ex boyf-fiance is one his closest friends and that I do in fact know a lot about wrestling and that the only reason we never met was because for some odd reason he never showed up to our get togethers ? Huh ? Care to help me dig an even deeper hole ? I mean now you lied to him too, this is so wrong” she sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose   Walter sighed as he patted her shoulder with his hand “Hey, don’t get upset okay ? It’s the past and truthfully he shouldn’t be upset when you tell him. It doesn’t have to be today or even this month but soon”   Maya nodded as she let out a sigh “you’re right, you’re right”     “Have you seen him, Marcel ?” he asked timidly “Yeah” she whispered as she looked down “earlier today actually at the gym, came up to me and told me the past was the past and to forget about it, his usual stance on things”   “It’s best to let him be, he was the one who ended things with you not the other way around. Marcel’s my good friend and I love him like a brother but the way he ended things with you was wrong and I won’t defend his actions. And honestly, I would prefer he doesn’t come around you and I’ll be sure to make it known to him” he nodded   

Maya sighed as she sat up and looked up at him, feeling assured by his demeanor. When she had first met him she was pretty scared, it wasn’t everyday she met a 6’4, 290 pound man who looked like he could crush her with one finger. Her fears were quickly put aside once she started speaking to him more and got to know him and his fiance pretty well. To her Walter represented a form of comfort and an older brother figure she could trust.

  “I appreciate that greatly” she said softly “I just, I don’t want him or any of that anymore truly. I know I’ve only known Tim for a short amount of time but I really enjoy his company, and I don’t want to hurt him.”  

 Walter chuckled as he leaned back in his seat “I can guarantee you, he feels the same about you. He brought you to eat somewhere that actually looks enjoyable and he’s eating out of his usual diet. Not to mention, he’s wearing a white t-shirt, he only wears a white t-shirt when he’s trying to impress someone”

  She blushed as she looked around “You really think he likes me ? You don’t think he’s just being nice ?”

“I think he likes you a lot, believe me when I say he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t” he answered   

Maya grinned as she looked down on her lap “well I sure hope he does because I really like him and I wanna keep seeing him. So put in a good word for me”

“I will be sure to do so” Walter grinned “plus any woman who gets Tim to get out of his routine is a woman worth keeping. You keep doing what you’re doing and just….keep making him enjoy life” he says softly as he got up “Tell Tim I had to go, you have my number call me if anything happens or if you just want to talk. I’m here for you Maya, my fiance misses you greatly and will always remember how kind you were to her”

She smiled softly at him as she nodded “Believe me when I say I needed you two way more than you two needed me at that time and it’s something I’ll never ever forget. My offer still stands, the second you two are ready to say I do I’ll make sure she gets a dress from any designer she pleases”

 He gave a genuine grin as he shook her hand and kissed her forehead lightly “deal, see you soon”   

Maya sat up as she saw Tim come back and sipped her water “Walter had to leave, he said something about seeing you soon though” “

Yeah he’s here for a bit before he heads back to Germany, kind of how it goes” Tim nodded “He comes for about 2 weeks then leaves and comes back again another month. He doesn’t wanna leave his fiance and move here full time like I did”   

“And how hard was that ? I mean I know you told me you lived here in the states but you also said Germany was a big part of your life as well” she asked softly   

He sighed not wanting to get too deep into things so soon and put his card down as his walls built up again “I uh I just remembered I have to go down the performance center for a promo class. I’ll see you around though, maybe next week again”   

Maya looked at him confused “It’s 8 pm ? You have a class at 8 pm ?”   

“Yup” Tim nodded emphasizing the p “I do, when wrestling calls I answer. Sorry if you can’t understand that, it’s not like modeling that’s all just fun and games but wrestling takes a little more than looking pretty in front a camera Maya”   

“Okay” she whispered quietly as she felt the sting of his harsh words and got up “yeah, I get it. See you around Tim , this was really nice and I enjoyed spending the day with you. Have an enjoyable class and rest of your night” 

  Tim nodded as he left hastily, not wanting her to know the life he lived and wondered what her true intentions were. For over 10 years he had lived alone and had a consistent routine every single day, the only time he didn’t live alone was when he had roommates down in Germany. This girl had captured his soul in every way yet he couldn’t let her in just yet, he noticed the looks she and Walter exchanged and felt nothing but anger and disappointment as he left the restaurant.

Three months, three whole months had passed since Maya had heard from Tim, she had called and texted him and got nothing back. She did her daily gym routine and never saw him there, she went to their old spots and once again nothing. She had gotten the memo but still felt so betrayed he would just ignore her and never bothered to tell her what she did wrong.

  “He’s a bastard Maya that’s what he is” Walter shook his head “He’s been acting like normal all this time, never mentioned that he just stopped seeing you that night. I promise you I’m going to have a serious talk with him, he can’t be acting this way” he said sternly as he looked her in her eyes “You don’t deserve this, you don’t. I have no idea who he thinks he is but believe me he’s going to hear it from me”  

 “Walter” she rubbed her face “No, you’re not going to do anything, anything at all. You understand. Clearly I did something wrong and him being the ass...introvert” she corrected herself “being the introvert he is, he just didn’t tell me why.”  

 “Maya, this is a 38 year old man. You cannot defend his actions, why are you ? He stood you up and treated you like trash” he said upset   

“I really liked him” she whispered, her voice meek “And I stupidly thought he really liked me but he didn’t, he was harsh and belittled my job and it hurts because I know he did it on purpose. He said it to insult me and it worked”  

 “That’s it !” Walter hit the table with his hand “I’m gonna kick his ass next time I see him, he’s so wrong in this”

“Yeah are you ? I’d like to see that Walter”

Maya turned as she heard Tim’s deep voice approach their table from the back of the cafe, clearly agitated as he stood directly in front of them  

 “I knew you two were too close for comfort, I saw you two being close and touching and laughing just before I left the bathroom hallway. Guess I was right” Tim gave a scoff as he nodded “You clearly have a thing for athletes, hell that’s why you came up to me at the bar right ? For a night full of pleasure ?”   

Her face dropped as she felt a pit in her stomach and her eyes began to well up “I-I h-how could you say that ?” she whispered  

 “Because it’s the truth” Tim snapped “you’re THAT kind of girl Maya, I wanted to believe you weren’t but you are. It became clear after how you acted towards me only after seeing each other for days, who acts that way around a guy they barely know ?”

Maya got up and grabbed her purse quickly as she felt tears fall down and hit her shirt , gasping when she she saw Walter shove Tim against a wall “N-no please let him go, problems are already here and I don’t anyone getting in trouble, please Walter please” she pleaded desperately as she tried her best to get him to let Tim go as he was clearly struggling against his larger frame   

“Yeah, listen to your other girlfriend” Tim nodded as he looked him in the eyes, earning a punch as he fell against the wall and held his now bleeding nose   

“Maya is my friend !” Walter raised his voice as he shook the pain from his hand off “and you wanna know the truth ? I actually met her in Germany over 3 years ago. She was in a photoshoot at a park and my fiance approached her to compliment her dress and pictures and Maya was kind enough to help style her for our engagement photos afterwards, within minutes of meeting her and with a language barrier she met up with her at our house that day. We’ve been friends since, she’s been nothing but kind and gracious towards her and me since then. She went as far as to send her dresses and clothes from her photoshoots for work and events to help her with her confidence. She got me and her an interview at her apartment complex when there was a waitlist. So yes, I am very close to her, as a friend. I consider her a younger sister and the fact that you just insulted her worth and career doesn’t sit well with me at all. And consider yourself lucky I only gave you punch across the face because next time I won’t be so gracious TIm” Walter spat as he left   

“No..” Tim whispered as he quickly wiped his nose and stumbled up and out of the cafe as he looked around for her outside   

“Fucking hell !” He exclaimed kicked a fire hydrant on the street and rubbed his forehead   

Never had he fucked up so badly before, the insults he spit out so easily towards her made him want to throw up. 

 “You should’ve simply asked” he told himself as he walked towards her apartment building over 15 miles away “you should’ve asked why her and Walter were so close and she would’ve told you, you fucking imbecile” Tim repeated in his head as tried to even think of the words to apologize to her 

 “That kind of girl” Maya sniffled as she tried her best to keep composure as she got her necessities for the week, there was no way she was leaving her apartment in a few days after that mess.   

She looked down at her purse as she felt her phone vibrate and light up with Walter’s number and sighed as she picked up “Walter why ? I told you to let it go and you punched him. What if this gets back to your job ? You can both get fired and it’ll be because of me !” she cried as she sat down in an aisle  

 “Maya, no” he said “That won’t happen, and if it does then I got fired for a very good reason. The things he said were disgusting, to insinuate you’re…..you’re what he said is horrible”   

She wiped her eyes as she hiccuped and nodded “He said it with such venom in his voice, he hates me. He thinks the worst of me and I never even got to tell him the full truth. Imagine if I did ? God maybe I am what he said, maybe I am some kind of whore”  

 “Enough” Walter said with a soft yet stern tone “Don’t say those things, get yourself home and just relax okay ? None of what he said is true and don’t ever think otherwise. You call me if he comes around you again”   

Maya nodded as she stood back up “Thank you Walter, it means a lot it does. Have a good rest of your day if you can” she hung up and looked at her mascara tear stained face on her phone screen as she tried her best to wipe what she could off her cheeks and grabbed things to put in her cart crashing into a display as she bent down to pick up the vitamin bottles on the floor feeling a hand touch hers  

 “Here I’ll help you” Marcel grins as he picks some up “happens to me all the-...Maya ? W-why are your eyes so red ?” he asked gently “are you alright ?”   

Of course, of course it was Marcel of all people she runs into after crying her eyes out in the snack aisle of a CVS. This day just possible couldn’t get any worse than it already was.   

“Just a crap day is all” she muttered as she got up

“I’m sorry you’re having a bad day, is there anything I can do to help you ? I know our encounter that time wasn’t the best but I’ll do whatever you need me to do” he said genuinely “Oh….this is serious, you have sour patch kids AND peanut M&M’s in your cart” Marcel chuckled trying his best to lighten the mood, giving a warm smile as he heard her laugh  

 “Yeah...I guess you could say that” Maya gave a soft laugh “I um I gotta go, I’ll see you around though. Have a good day”   

“Wait…” he held her cart with his hand “Dinner, if you want. Dinner you and me tomorrow ?” he gulped nervously   

“Okay” she nodded “but I don’t wanna go out anywhere, you can come by my apartment” she takes out her phone as she watched him put in his information “and don’t think there’s gonna be any funny business alright ? Or I’ll drag you by your big ass dumbo ears right out”   

“Absolutely no funny business” Marcel nodded quickly “I’ll see you then Maya….bear” he grinned softly using the old pet name he had for her as he left

She laughed genuinely for the first time in what seemed like forever as she noticed he put in his name on her phone as “große Ohren”, big ears.   

“Of course he’d do that” she chuckled as she paid and drove back to her apartment and went up to her gate seeing her security guard rush to her and take her inside though the back door   

“Gabriel, what’s that about ? Is something going on ?” Maya asked concerned

“Ms. Dawson, there's an irate man outside who won’t take no for an answer and keeps asking for you, can you please confirm for us if you know him from our video footage ?” he asked 

 Tim, it had to be Tim, of course Tim would show up at her and act angry after everything he said to her. Her concerns were confirmed when she saw the footage and shook her head both mortified and angry. Angry he had the balls to show up to her apartment after everything he did and mortified seeing his face and shirt still bloody and his left side of his face bruised and swollen. Walter had sure as hell landed him with a good one.  

 “Tim, get the fuck out” she called sternly through the apartment buzzer at the entrance

“Maya, Maya please please let me talk to you” he stood up quickly as he pressed and spoke back “I-I was so so so wrong and you have no idea how embarrassed I am, I don’t even have words. Please let me explain myself” Tim pleaded desperately “I-I just want to apologize”

“You meant what you said, don’t pull back on it. Own your words Timothy, and by the way eat shit” she said angrily as she hung up and went back to her apartment   

She angrily put her things away as she heard little pebbles hit her window and looked out seeing him sit in a tree “What the fuck are you doing, you’re in a tree ! Get the hell down !”

“You won’t answer my calls or texts” he said back as he panted clearly exhausted

  “Oh I didn’t ? Welcome to my world for the last 3 months asswipe” she snapped back as she opened her window   

“I’m an idiot, a complete fucking idiot Maya. You didn’t deserve an ounce of what I did, I can’t even explain how sorry I am. I said things that were extremely unacceptable and so out of my character, I am so embarrassed and full of regret. The second I felt confused by yours and Walters' interaction I should’ve immediately just asked you, hell I could’ve just asked him and instead I acted so immature and I insulted you. I insulted you and I did it on purpose” he admits “I was hurt and I wanted you to feel hurt like I was”   

“I know you did” Maya whispered as she looked down  “and then you really let me have it at the cafe….you meant what you said Timothy”   

“I said it clouded by anger, I let anger takeover me” he said softly “I don’t deserve you forgiving me I don’t but I just want you to know that I’m aware I fucked up big time and I probably won’t ever forgive myself for it because during the time we spent together I felt….good. I felt like maybe there was a reason we met that night. And I just need you to know that”   

Maya nodded knowing his words were genuine but still feeling immense hurt, and she also knew if she told Walter she’d hear it from him. She took a second to look at him and noticed how sincere his deep brown eyes were, when he was sad he had those big puppy dog eyes and he wasn’t even aware of it yet there she was melting into them. Next thing she noticed was how bruised his face was, he definitely needed some ice and his face cleaned.

“Why are you such a pushover” she said to herself lowly as she walked towards the window   

“You’re 6’3 and you’ve got lanky long legs, my window step is maybe 2 feet away from where you’re at, come in” Maya said simply as she crossed her arms “if you don’t fall and hurt yourself that it, would be quite a fall to have since I’m on the 8th floor”  

 Tim nodded as he carefully focused and crossed over into her window, letting out a sigh of relief as she sat on a stool by her kitchen “I fucking hate heights, I hate them more than anything” he panted as she patted his chest

“Yeah well I hate it being insinuated I’m a whore and sleep with wrestlers and being insulted and demeaned before 11 am but I mean here I am you know” Maya nodded as she stood in front of him and gently dabbed away the dry blood from his face as she put her hand on his shoulder for balance “Walter got you real good, love that for me”

Tim swallowed hard as he nodded “Yeah he did, I deserved it though for….that whole scene I created. You can punch me if you want to ? Or hit me with your Louis Vuitton, it looks pretty sturdy”  

Maya did her best to stifle the laugh that so badly wanted to come out and looked in the freezer for an ice pack and put it over his nose “keep this on and off for 20 minutes”  

“Got it thank you, but...um can I have water ?” he asked timidly “I walked all the way from the cafe to here, was about an hour and a half”  

“It’s 20 miles from there to here” Maya turned around, looking him in the eye. “Did-did you walk 20 miles to get here Tim ?”  

“Yeah I did” he nodded “I was across the street at the gym when I spotted you and Walter, I walked over and after all that happened my mind kind of went blank and I forgot I had a car and I really needed to talk to you so I walked, I remembered where you lived. I got here like 4 hours ago and just waited” Maya sighed as she went and got him a glass of water for him and observed as she watched him try his hardest to not chug in one gulp “I’m pissed at you, but I can see you’re exhausted. Would you like to stay for dinner ?” she asked as she looked at him “I promise I’m not gonna poison you” Tim let out a small chuckle “and even if you did I deserve it, but I accept. I’ll help” he stood up  “Get to chopping” she shoved carrots against his chest  “My chance” he said to himself “my chance to redeem myself”

[calm-and-wine]

(I’ll give you) the best years

part IV (masterlist, taglist)

Hello and happy monday! I hope everyone is having a lovely day, as you all deserve. I’d like to take this moment to say one more thank you to everyone who voted for my little story for the awards. We got runner up for best sequel (like whaaaaat), that is crazy and I love every single one of you. Here is part IV, hopefully it’ll bring you a little escape. (it’s 9.5k which I think is the longest thing I’ve ever written, but apparently I couldn’t help myself with this one)

PART IV

March 2025

Lucy was familiar with Niall in his recording mode. When he was in the studio day and night, having one idea after the other. But Niall working on music for One Direction was a different story. She has never seen him so excited, he was bouncing off the walls, gushing about studio sessions and laughs he shared with the boys, constantly playing her bits and snippets of what they had been working on. But working as a team with three other guys made it much harder to make the couple’s schedules line up. However, they still made it work, as much as possible. Niall made sure to keep his schedule free for all the Grand Slams and he even managed to be with her for some other tournaments on her last tour as well.

She was more than impressed that the band managed to keep their reunion a secret, mostly working in Louis’ little home studio. Even though they definitely weren’t as watched by the public as a few years before, knowing how big of a deal the band was, Lucy was pretty sure that as soon as people would get a whiff of them possibly coming back, they would go crazy for those guys once again. It was just the magic of them, something no one could explain, least of all the men involved.

Her and Niall managed to meet up in Los Angeles for a little over a week. Harry was there doing promo for his upcoming movie, which he filmed early last year, so he could still work on some songs with Niall, while Lucy was supposed to do two magazine photoshoots and interviews, as well as a talk show appearance, before going to play in Indian Wells. She had done a few things like that before, been a guest on a few tv shows back in England after winning her first Grand Slam, then in America after the US Open triumph, there were some magazine things as well. But since January, after she announced this would be her last season as a professional player, quite a few offers came in. Apparently she was the new sports star in demand. She wasn’t the biggest fan of those kinds of things, they always made her nervous, the only place she liked being the center of attention was on court. But her manager and the rest of her team convinced her to do a few of those, assuring her that publicity like that would be good for whatever she wants to do in the future.

When Lucy finally crossed the threshold of Niall’s LA house (which he insisted was theirs, since they were married and all), all she wanted to do was slide her back down the door and curl into a ball on the floor. She was exhausted. The photoshoot ran longer than she expected, and after that she was interviewed whilst having dinner. The reporter was a middle aged man, not necessarily rude, but a lot of his questions were more like assumptions that rubbed her the wrong way.

She just took off her shoes, when her husband appeared in the hallway, looking all soft in athletic shorts and a long-sleeve shirt, his hair growing longer than usual lately, which Lucy kinda loved. He wasted no time in stepping closer to her and enveloping her in his famous hug, even though she often thought he reserved special tight ones just for her.

“Long day?” he asked, still holding her, her arms wrapped around his waist just as tightly.

She nodded, before admitting, “I actually kinda hated it.” Her words muffled, as she nuzzled her face into Niall’s neck.

He hummed, rubbing her back in order to relax her. “Are you hungry?” He asked, but she shook her head, still making no move to let him go. “How about a bath?”

At last, Lucy pulled away slightly to look at him, her eyes big and appreciative. “Yes, please.”

He planted a sweet kiss on her forehead, squeezed her one last time before letting her go, but not completely, intertwining their fingers and leading her upstairs.

He didn’t ask questions, sensing her mood, mostly her tiredness, and simply falling into step with her actions. She went to the sink to remove her makeup, hating not being able to do that right after the last photo was taken, finding the professional make up to be way too much for her. Niall started filling up the tub, adding her favourite salt and scented oil. He truly knew the way to her heart.

“Do you want some tea? Wine?” he asked, turning towards her, their eyes meeting in the mirror, the bathroom filled with the sound of the running water.

“That apple and cinnamon tea?”

Niall nodded at her request. “Coming right up.”

He made a move to leave, but she grabbed his forearm, keeping him in place.

“Stay for a minute, please? It’ll get cold before I’m done with this mess,” she said motioning to her face and hair, which was pinned up, mentally cringing at just the thought of the amount of hairspray that went into it.

To be honest, the main reason behind her plea was just the need for his company, which she thought he must have sensed, because he linked his arms around her waist from behind and planted a kiss on her neck, before stepping back and perching on the edge of the tub.

“Was today awful, then?” he asked, giving her his full attention and concern.

“Well..” Lucy hesitated for a second. “No, not really awful, just…” she sighed, trying to explain it the best she could without complaining too much or sounding ungrateful at the opportunities she had. “The photoshoot was fine, I don’t love those stuff, but the clothes were amazing and everyone was super nice, just quite tiring though. But the interview…” She trailed off, rubbing particularly hard at her eye to remove the fake lashes.

“What happened?” Niall asked, biting his lip nervously. Lucy got her bad days, everyone did sometimes, but she was usually cool and collected, burying herself under a blanket and putting on a feel-good movie or a tv show, preferably cuddling into Niall’s body as well. She didn’t like getting her frustration out, she did that only while working out or playing.

“I’m just so irritated, baby,” she let out an exasperated sigh, giving up on washing her face for a minute and turning towards Niall. “I knew there has always been a lot of unfairness in treatment of men and women in sports, you know, and I’m not even talking about money, just all those headlines, with us it’s always the most unflattering picture on the front page, we’re always criticised about our looks and outfits first, don’t even get me started on the Serena’s catsuit debacle, banning that was just so wrong. Men don’t get that. When a tournament starts people wonder how they’ll perform, not what they’ll wear.” She shook her head, trying to not raise her voice, even though she felt like annoyance and anger were seeping out of her body. “Do you know what’s the question I’ve been asked the most since January?” Lucy asked, but didn’t really wait for Niall’s response, even though he gave her a small shrug. “Whether I’m pregnant. Because apparently that is the only plausible explanation for retiring. Like… How would that even work?” she asked, throwing her arms out in exasperation. “I’m playing my last tournament in September, do they expect me to play heavily pregnant then? Or with a baby on my hand and a racket in the other? What the fuck even is this bullshit?” She was talking fast, all her questions rhetorical, although Niall wouldn’t even dare to interrupt her when she was on a roll like that. “Men don’t have to endure any of it, everyone just automatically assumes it’s a health thing or whatever. With us it’s just constant speculation about our love and family life. And just… Fuck that, I’m honestly so done with this.” She turned towards the sink once more, going back to washing her face, like she was truly done with the topic. She didn’t even expect any reassuring words or anything from Niall, just needed to let her feelings out and vent to someone.

Niall was quiet for a moment, all he could do while she was speaking was look at her with wide eyes and a pull in his heart. She was agitated, angry and annoyed, but there was also so much passion in her words. So much care, not even for her, but for the number of women that had to endure it all as well. He always knew she was superhuman, but in that moment he was even more aware of that. He truly felt for her, just as much as he was in awe of her brain, her compassion and her strength.

He kept his head down for a second, thinking about her words, contemplating how he could possibly help, whether it was even possible. It was usually Niall who got riled up and went on a rant, not Lucy, so it was a new situation, one he wasn’t completely sure how to navigate, but he couldn't say he liked it. Seeing her this annoyed and agitated made his heart give a painful squeeze inside his chest, having this instant need to protect her and make it all better. It wasn’t a very familiar feeling for him, knowing how strong and independent his wife was, sometimes pointing those kinds of injustice, like when she saw a picture of a fellow female player to go with the article, but it was purposely chosen to be a photo with her skirt flying up, or when she saw comments online how “disgusting” it is when women scream on court after a good (or bad) point, but when the men do that they’re just “passionate”. She shared her thoughts about that with Niall, but never let it truly bother her. But this time, it seemed like she had had enough. And he couldn’t really blame her.

He stood up and pulled her into a hug once again, knowing he was in no position to fix the world, but hoping to at least make his wife feel better.

“I’m sorry. Men are dicks,” he said, which made Lucy laugh. It was a real laugh, the sound coming straight from her belly and making Niall smile instantly, just getting that reaction out of her, which was exactly what he was hoping to achieve.

“They really are sometimes,” she agreed, her face all lit up now, finally free of any make up, her eyes regaining their usual spark.

This was his wife, Niall thought, the most beautiful woman in the world, just like that, with her face slightly red after the wash, her hair still in a perfect up-do and her eyes telling him all of her secrets. In moments like that, he could not believe just how lucky he was.

Lucy pulled him in for a kiss, before patting his shoulder and letting him know he can go get her that tea now. There was no need for more words, she knew she had his support, he wasn’t merely a listener, if she asked him, he would do whatever she wanted. But it wasn’t that kind of situation. The patriarchy could not be changed by him, nor her, so she just tried to let it go, already feeling lighter by sharing those burdening thoughts. Tea and a bath in the company of her husband ended up being her safe haven, and that was all she needed.

July 2025

As Lucy fell down, her back hitting the grass, she could not believe what had just happened. There was no way it was real. Apparently, she just won Wimbledon. Fucking Wimbledon. The most prestigious tennis tournament that ever existed. The one in her home country. The one she always wanted to win, but didn’t think she’d actually manage to. It was a dream she let go already. And now it was a reality.

The whole stadium was so loud, she could barely hear her own thoughts. She sat up and saw her opponent coming towards her with a smile. Naomi was the closest person she had to a friend out of other players and she was very appreciative that they could compete at such monumental occasions, there was something special about sharing those moments with someone you not only had respect for, but also genuinely liked.

“That was fantastic, congratulations,” Naomi said earnestly as they hugged.

“It was a great game, you gave me hell,” Lucy said, at which they both laughed.

She spent a minute taking a bow and thanking the crowd, before she went closer to the stand to get to her people. She started up the stairs until she got to her player’s box, where there was a small door on the side, it was installed a few years back, after multiple players went jumping up and climbing the box, now it was much easier. It was only a moment before she was engulfed in a hug by her dad who sat the closest, her mum putting her arms around them a second later, turning it into a three way hug. Lucy could not keep the tears at bay any longer, she could hear her parents saying kind and loving words into her ears, but she was so emotional, still in a state of absolut shock, she wasn’t able to really process them. They let her go after a minute and all she had to do was take one step to be wrapped in her husband’s arms and crying on his shoulder.

“You mad, mad woman,” Niall whispered with a laugh, followed by a few kisses on her cheek, right by her ear, rubbing a calming hand over her back.

She stayed in his arms for probably way too long, seeing as there were thousands of people watching them and even more in front of the telly, the whole thing being broadcasted all around the world. But she didn’t care, she needed Niall, his presence always calming, his amazing hug and the smell of his cologne mixed with a bit of sweat from sitting in the sun feeling like home.

When she pulled away slightly, his eyes were shining. It always amazed her with how much love and pride he could look at her. Even though she usually looked at him the exact same way. She planted a simple peck on his lips before squeezing his arms with a smile and moving along to hug her coach, Mia and Natalia, Niall’s mum who, for three years now, has been coming to London for the two weeks during which the tournament took place to watch her play, then Lucy high fived the rest of the people in her box, including her manager, Niall’s cousin and best mate and their friends, Laura and Iain.

She could stay up there forever, sharing smiles and hugs with the people she cared about, but she had a trophy to pick up, after all. She actually probably took a bit too long already, because as soon as she was back down on court, she was hurried to the side to give a little speech before they presented her with a trophy. But they could wait for her, after all, she was the champion.

~~

“Shit, Niall!” Lucy called out, which prompted her husband to come out of the bathroom running a towel through his wet hair, while the other was wrapped around his waist. “I just won Wimbledon. Do you know what that means?”

He looked at her with an arched brow, like she was mental. “Um.. A lot, I guess? I don’t know what you’re on about, love,” he chuckled.

She threw her head in laughter, looking absolutely beautiful lying on the bed, in a shirt of his, her skin slightly tanned against the white sheets, her body tired, but her eyes bright with glee.

“Well, yeah, but first of all, that means I’m going to be a member of The All England Club, which is super cool and basically I’ll be able to go there to train or just play or hang out and I’ll probably be invited to matches at Wimby in the future.” Her eyes, despite tiredness, were shining.

“You’ll get a plus one ticket, right?” he asked, draping his hair towel over the chair and stepping closer to where she was. “Does being your husband make me like an honorary member or something?”

“Mmm I don’t think so, babe. You might have to win the tournament for that,” she giggled, when he grabbed her calf and made a move to tickle her, but didn’t actually go through with it. “But I will probably get two tickets, so you’re lucky I like you. But the second super fun part is that there’s the Champions’ Dinner going on tomorrow night. And seeing as I’m a fricking champion,” she said with a huge grin, the words still sounding unreal, “we’re invited.” Her face momentarily changed into one of horror. “Oh fuck, Niall!” she exclaimed, completely horrified. “I don’t have anything to wear! What the hell, how am I supposed to get a dress in less than a day?”

Niall’s shoulders shook with silent laughter at how terrified she looked. “Well, you’ve got quite a few dresses you could wear.”

“Niall!” Lucy reached for the pillow to hit him with, but he was too quick, grabbing it before it made contact and throwing it on the other side of the bed, still laughing. “It’s The Champions’ Dinner! It’s a big thing. I can’t just wear any old dress,” she explained, her eyes narrowed.

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” he leaned towards her to peck her lips, before going back into the bathroom. He came back a minute later wearing a fresh pair of pants and shutting off the light after himself. “Oh wait,” he stopped in his tracks, looking at her with furrowed brows, “what about the dress you got for The Brits?”

“Ohhh that’s a good idea!” she exclaimed, grinning automatically. She did more smiling today than any other time, her cheeks actually started to ache earlier. “Do you think it’ll be alright?”

“It’s a gown, right?” he asked, shrugging. “And from what I remember it’s really pretty.”

“Yeah, you’re a bit of a genius,” she admitted, looking at him appreciatively. “I knew there was a reason why I married you.”

“Yeah, cheers,” he sniggered with fake offence, sitting at his side of the bed, with his back to his wife and reaching for his phone.

Lucy watched him fumble with it for a bit, probably responding to some messages, before she got up to her knees and crawled over to him, putting her arms around his torso from behind.

“You okay? Seemed pretty quiet during dinner,” she said quietly, putting her chin on his shoulder and looking at the side of his face. After she was done with a press conference and one or two more interviews after her win, they went for a celebratory dinner with their families, friends and her team, where surprisingly, Niall wasn’t his usual charming self, talking only when asked, even spacing out a few times.

Niall furrowed his brows slightly and reached to put his phone back on the bedside table. He hummed before speaking. “Yeah, just tired. I also have a bit of a headache, from sitting in the sun, I think.” He looked at her and when she didn’t seem entirely convinced, he planted a sweet kiss on her lips. “Aren’t you tired? Or are you still buzzing with adrenaline? Will you be able to sleep?”

She rested her forehead on his shoulder, not wanting to put distance between them yet. “Still buzzing a bit, but I think once my head hits the pillow, I’ll be out, cause I am genuinely wiped out. I think I’m getting old.”

Niall snickered at that, maneuvering their bodies so they faced each other. “You are most definitely not getting old,” he said, putting both his hands on her cheeks. “Don’t forget that I’m older than you and I am definitely not anywhere near being old.” He gave her another kiss and for a second Lucy felt like he wanted to convey something with it, something he didn’t want to say out loud, but she had no idea what and she didn’t want to push him with questions. So she just kissed him back, trying to somehow transfer all the love she had for him.

~~

The last two days, since Lucy’s Saturday triumph, were crazy. The Champions’ Dinner was the best party she had ever been to, even though she was stressing about the tradition that was Champions’ dance, during which the male and female winners were supposed to dance together, but seeing that the men’s champion was Alexander, her worry almost disappeared, as he was someone she’s known for years, him being a year younger than her, they’ve seen each other around since playing as juniors, he had always been a laugh. It was actually incredibly nice to share that night with him, as they were both first time Wimbledon champions. Other than that, she had quite a few interviews and tv appearances as the champion.

So in the evening, they were sitting on the sofa, eating takeaway, because when they finally got home, none of them felt like cooking.

“Niall, since when do we not talk to each other?” Lucy said putting her plate down, done with the silence, but it was about more than just this moment.

“Hm?” he finally snapped his head up and looked at his wife. He barely said a word since they left the filming studio. He wanted to tag along today, it was his idea, but truth be told, he had been kind of distant since they came back after Wimbledon final. It was like he had been swallowed by his thoughts, engrossed in his own mind.

“You’ve been by my side for the past two days, but it’s like you’re lost inside your own head. And you keep giving me this weird look, last night at dinner and all through today…” Lucy noticed those things right away, having learned his body language and all the different cues after years together. But now, she was tired of waiting for him to speak up and say what is going on in his mind. “And I don’t know what it is, but you’ve never looked at me like that before. And I don’t like it,” she admitted, although she never thought she wouldn’t like the way Niall looked at her, but it was very far from his usual soft gaze. “It’s like you’re thinking something over or having regrets or.. I don’t know,” she shrugged, feeling a bit hopeless. “I don’t want to push you, but I’m worried and I’d just want to know what’s going on. We’re supposed to be open and honest, always. So please, just tell me what’s worrying you, baby.”

Niall hung down his head once again. He knew she’d pick up on his behaviour, the same way he could always tell when her head was spinning with thoughts. And it wasn’t like he had been trying to keep something from her, he just didn’t know what to say, how to breach the topic. However, he wasn’t aware she had been worrying about him like that.

“It’s just…” he started, but paused right away, licking his lips, putting his plate down on the table, eyes focused on his lap, where he started fidgeting with his fingers. “I think that maybe you should reconsider your retirement,” he said after a beat, lifting his head but still not exactly looking at her.

“What? Why?” she said truly confused and shocked. He had her full attention even before, but now she was looking at him with furrowed brows, trying to inspect everything about him, looking for any clues he might give.

“Well, do you not want to play longer?” he asked, eventually meeting her gaze, rubbing his palms over his jeans, because they began to feel clammy. “You know you could, the past two weeks just proved that.”

She was silent for a minute, trying to collect her thoughts, think of a reason why he would want her to keep competing. His eyes were darting around, like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to watch her or avoid her gaze.

“Are you having doubts about us?” she asked eventually, starting to mindlessly twist the wedding band on her finger.

“What?” Now he was the one completely thrown off, his brows creasing and nose scrunching, which was an expression he had when he was concentrating, and one of her favourites, but not in this situation. At least the question made him truly look her in the eyes, focus on her.

“Now that we could actually settle down, spend most of the time together and not be constantly scattered around the world, does it scare you?” Lucy elaborated, trying to explain her worry.

“No, fuck, Lulu, why would you think that?” he exclaimed right away, almost offended by her question.

“Well, what am I supposed to think, Niall?” She slightly raised her voice as well. “I thought we were both excited for this, to build more of a home together, to not have to miss each other all the time and say goodbye every other week or month. And now you’re basically saying that maybe I should keep going around the globe playing tennis, being away from you, so what should I think?” She started gesticulating, throwing her hands around a bit, shrugging with that last question.

“It’s not that at all, Jesus,” he huffed, his hand going up to rake through his hair. “I don’t know, maybe you should know I love you, huh? I mean, we are married and all that...” His voice wasn’t particularly loud, none of them were screaming, but they were both clearly agitated, their voices rough, almost piercing.

“Yeah, but that’s all we know. Me travelling 10 months a year, you going back and forth between LA and London, or New York, or touring the globe,” she pointed out. “Trying to have little moments here and there, but not being together all year round. Probably not even half of it. And maybe that’s not what you want, maybe you didn’t think about it, when you asked me to marry you. I don’t know,” her voice was becoming more and more thick with emotions, but now that she had all those horrible, scary thoughts in her head, she couldn’t stop it.

“Stop!” he blurted, not even loudly, but sternly, which made Lucy snap out of her spinning state. “Okay? Just stop saying those things,” his face was contorted, almost like he couldn’t listen to the things she had been saying, like he was in pain because of her words. “What about the months when your knee was fucked up? Didn’t we spend every day together then? Was I running away scared? Did I not love having you home? How can you even… Fuck!” Both his hands were in his hair, tagging frustratingly. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath, before speaking again, this time much more calmly. “Let’s not even go there, okay? Cause it’s not about that, at all. I’d love nothing more than to have you with me as much as possible. You’ve got to know that, Lulu.” That last sentence was let out as a plea, which made Lucy’s heart squeeze painfully inside her chest.

She did know that, of course she did. And yet, she didn’t know how else she could explain his earlier statement.

“Well, then what is it? Why do you think I should reconsider?” she asked, not wanting to guess again, her first theory leading them into a fight.

“Because you just won fucking Wimbledon, Lulu!” Niall shouted, his hands flying up. He wasn’t necessarily angry, but his voice was a humourless laugh.

“Yeah, I know, I was there,” she said with a smile, not really bothered by his outburst. “It was pretty great, but I still don’t see your point, baby.”

He just screamed at her, but right now she was nothing but calm and level headed. He calmed her worst fears that came with his question, so she wasn’t stressed anymore. But he was exasperated, so it was her turn to get rid of any worries he clearly had.

He took another deep breath, Lucy scooted closer to him on the couch, reaching for his hand and tracing figures on his palm in support and reassurance.

“It was your biggest dream, you always said so. And now you’ve done it and you’re just gonna quit playing two months later?” Niall finally asked in disbelief, looking closely at her, as if searching for something, any trace of hesitation. “Don’t you think of other things you could still achieve? What about French Open? Don’t you want to have all the Slams?”

“Niall,” she said so tenderly, all his previous anger just evaporated hearing her voice like that. She put a hand on his cheek to make sure he will hear her every word and see her true intentions and feelings. “Yeah, I won Wimbledon. It was amazing and I never thought it would actually happen. Do I think I could have another big win? Yeah, maybe,” she admitted with a shrug, at which Niall opened his mouth to speak, but she simply put slightly more pressure on his cheek and continued. “But there’s also no guarantee it will happen. And I don’t want to spend another year or two or three or however long, chasing something that I don’t need. I haven’t managed to win French in the ten years I’ve been playing, so what’s to say I’ll win it now? I’m not the best on clay and that’s okay. Sure, it would have been incredible to win all four Slams. But I want to appreciate the success I had, not think of something I maybe could have had. I achieved way more than I ever dreamt of. So that’s more than enough for me.”

Her words were as earnest as possible, her eyes not leaving his, the corner of her lips gently tugged upwords. She really meant every word and a part of Niall already knew that, but his mind still wasn’t put at ease, he felt like his head had been spinning with too many thoughts since Saturday. It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy about her winning, if there was anyone rooting for Lucy, it was always Niall, he took more pleasure from her successes than his own. But this one came with a lot of doubts.

“I just…,” Niall pulled away slightly, feeling the need to put a bit of distance between them for his next words. He kept his one hand inside hers, but the other tugged at his hair frustratedly. “I don’t want you to wake up someday and regret it. And resent me or our life together or our kids for not playing longer, for not going for more. Cause it would break my heart, Lulu, I don’t think I could live with that thought,” he finally said his biggest worry out loud, his eyes beginning to cloud.

Lucy gasped at his confession. The fact that Niall may have that worry didn’t even cross her mind. She was baffled, instantly feeling sick knowing that he’s been turning it over in his head for two days, when her stomach turned upside down just at the thought.

She squeezed his hand to bring his attention back to her, her own eyes filling up with tears. “Hey, come on, I could never ever resent you. Or our potential future children. I love you, baby,” her voice almost broke at the end and Niall didn’t even wait a second before enveloping her into a hug. She instantly climbed into his lap, hiding her face in his chest, breathing in his scent, before pulling away slightly to continue talking. “And even after winning, the thought to keep playing hasn't even crossed my mind. Which just means I’m ready to go.”

He looked at her, in his arms, both of them keeping eye contact, as if trying to look into each other’s souls or send an unspoken message.

Niall sighed after a minute, unwinding one of his hands from around her waist to run it over his face and rub his eyes.

“I just kept watching you being so happy these past days, and you’ve been asked about it in every interview and just…” he shook his head lightly, trying to take comfort in a hand she was rubbing over his arm and not get riled up again. “I’d never want to hold you back, I hope you know that.”

Lucy bit her lip, her heart soaring and aching at the same time. She was overwhelmed by the amount of love he had for her. There wasn’t a single doubt in her mind that he would sacrifice everything for her own happiness. If only she wanted him to. It was bewildering to know that someone loved you this much. So much it was almost incomprehensible.

She licked her lips, thinking over her answer. She knew Niall had nothing to worry about, that his doubts weren’t even a possibility to her, but she didn’t want to make him feel silly, as it was a genuine concern that he was entitled to. Just because she knew there was absolutely no way that what he was worried about would ever happen, didn’t mean he was wrong for worrying about it. But now it was her job to make those doubts go away.

She grabbed his neck and spoke with a voice so confident that it’d hopefully get rid of all his doubts. “Yeah, they kept asking about it, but what did I say to that, hm? Every time they asked me about it, what did I say?” she looked at him expectantly until he sighed with defeat.

“That you’re incredibly excited for your life outside the court,” he said, pulling her closer, no space left between their bodies now.

“And?” she asked, a smile forming on her lips.

“And that you look forward to spending time with your husband,” he answered, his face finally mirroring hers, the furrow in his brows disappearing, his lips turning upwards.

“And I meant that,” she said earnestly, sealing her words with a kiss on his lips. “Cause I do want to focus on other things. I want to go on tour with you, watch you pour your heart out in front of thousands of people every night and wait for a sweaty hug right off the stage, like you do whenever you watch me play.” At that his smile grew wider, his nose crinkling cutely. “And I want to start working outside the court, maybe even have my hand in training another British Wimbledon champion, who knows,” she laughed at that prospect, because it barely seemed real, but Niall squeezed her waist as if to let her know it doesn’t have to be a joke. “I want to have a somewhat normal house life and yeah, have some children with you,” she shrugged, both of them looking at each other with admiration. “That’s what I’m most excited about right now. Besides, you know my knee’s been starting to act up and I don’t want to risk it getting worse. And I’d hate to have to quit because of an injury, I want to go on my own terms.”

Niall didn’t want to dwell on it any longer, so he focused on the latter part of her speech. “Do you think our child could be a Wimbledon champion? Could you actually imagine it?” he asked with a grin, probably already imagining little blond haired versions of themselves running around with tennis rackets in their hands.

Lucy laughed. “Well, I’d say our child could be anyone they’d want. Even Wimbledon champion.” She leaned in for a much needed kiss, but all he gave her was a peck, his head apparently filled with thoughts he just had to share now.

“That would be quite sick, actually.” His eyes were shining while looking at her, not even really focused, like he was picturing their future. “Mummy and daughter. Or son. Maybe you could even present the trophy!” He got so excited, Lucy could do nothing but laugh. How did they go from nearly fighting to making their potential child a champion, she didn’t know, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “No, but seriously, would you be okay with our child playing? Professional? Would you like to be a coach?” He turned serious, focusing on her once more to gauge her reaction.

“If they wanted to play, of course I’d be fine with it. I’d worry and warn them about things, but I wouldn’t stop or discourage them. But I would not train them. I mean, I might be like a co-coach. Or an advisor.” How he coaxed her into actually discussing it, she did not know, but it was a power of his, making her want to do anything that got him this happy and excited. “But I wouldn’t be able to draw a line between being a mum and a coach. I’ve seen a lot of this on tour, and it’s not always bad, but not everyone is right for that. I know I’m not,” she admitted, shrugging. “But I would never push our children to play tennis. Okay, I might teach them how to play, but like for fun, not as a career.”

To Niall it didn’t seem possible that there was something his wife wouldn’t be able to do. She was a super human.

“I think once they see how awesome you were on court, they might want to be just like mummy,” he said with a grin, pinching her waist playfully.

“Well, let’s hope they won’t aspire to be like daddy,” she chuckled.

“Heeeeeey,” Niall whined with mock offense.

“Get bras and knickers thrown at them on stage.”

“Hahahaha, it’s not actually the best feeling,” he admitted.

“Okay, let’s stop this talk about children, before you get any actual ideas, because I do still have a few tournaments to play and whatnot.” She patted his chest and made a move to climb off his lap, but he only tightened his hold on her, not letting her go anywhere.

“But you do want to have some, right? Like, sooner than, let’s say, ten years from now?” He asked, genuinely curious as they never discussed it properly. Children had been mentioned here and there, but nothing more deliberate.

“Yeah, I do.” She nodded, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

“Okay. ‘Cause I want that too.” He leaned down to kiss her, properly this time, releasing all the earlier insecurities and frustrations into the kiss.

When their lips parted, Lucy combed her fingers through his hair, before speaking again, the subject of children bringing another thing to the front of her mind. “But first, I was actually thinking of buying a new house,” she admitted. “We talked about it when we got engaged and I think I’d actually want one now. I love this one, but I don’t know, I’d kinda like to get a new one, start a proper home once I’m done.”

She loved the home they were in now, it was the place where most of the important moments happened in their relationship, with Niall having it since before they even started dating. It was here where he said he loved her for the first time. He asked her to marry him here. They came back home to each other time and time again here. But it also wasn’t exactly ideal. The problem was never the fact that it was theoretically his house, not theirs. It just wasn’t a house she wanted to grow old in. She loved it, but it wasn’t theirs, not in the sense of ownership, but in a scene of making it personal. She also wanted a space that would truly be theirs, from the beginning, where none of them ever lived alone.

But it seemed like she didn’t have to even try to explain it to him, his face lighting up with a soft smile, planting a kiss on her cheek before speaking. “Yeah. I actually love that idea.”

~~~~~~

Lucy was able to stay home in London for over two weeks, before she had to travel to Montreal. It made her more than happy because it meant she was with Niall for One Direction's fifteenth anniversary, which was also the day the news about the band’s comeback were being released, with their new single coming out two days later. The announcement was planned to go out at 8pm UK time, but they all decided to have dinner and spend that evening together, meeting at Louis and Eleanor’s house. When they arrived, Liam and his wife, Maya were already there, Harry and Ines, his girlfriend of three years, arriving only a few minutes later. They’ve met like that before quite a few times, sometimes with Louis’ and Liam’s kids running around, so Lucy was more than acquainted with everyone, feeling completely at ease.

Even though the meal was delicious, they were all so excited and nervous, they couldn’t even sit still. Lucy noticed Niall’s knee bouncing two minutes after they sat at the table, putting her hand on his tight to at least try and calm him down.

“Fuck, I don’t think I can do this, can we tell the world now?” Louis whined, throwing his head back exasperatedly.

“I am honestly so stressed right now,” Harry joined in.

There was no missing of the group’s anxiety, everyone looking around, checking the time every few minutes.

“The food is delicious, but I think I might actually throw up,” Liam said, his body slacking against the chair.

“How about some stronger drinks to calm down? Or shots?” Eleanor proposed, all of them drinking beer or wine with dinner.

There was an instant chorus of agreement, Louis getting up to fix the drinks. They all moved from the table to lounge on the couches, none of them able to stomach any more food, no sounds in the room other than the soft music playing in the background and a quiet murmur of a few words shared between them.

“Okay, let’s do it!” Louis exclaimed, coming back with a tray full of shots.

“Cheers!” The boys said in unison once everyone grabbed a glass. The alcohol burned Lucy’s throat, her eyes screwing shut for a minute.

“Another one?” Niall proposed, not even a second later.

Lucy shook her head, watching her alcohol intake, as always when she was in the middle of the season, Maya also refused, but everyone else downed another glass, leaving two full ones meant for the girls. Liam and Niall looked at each other, before shrugging their shoulders at exactly the same time and grabbing another glass.

“How much longer?” Ines asked, looking around in search of some clock.

“Twenty eight minutes,” Niall replied after checking his watch.

“Oh, I can’t believe I almost forgot, congrats on Wimbledon once again, Lucy, that was absolutely amazing,” Maya said with a smile.

Everyone in the room either texted or called her or Niall on the day she won, but that acknowledgement face to face was nice.

“Thank you, it was crazy,” she gave a grateful smile, after everyone added their congrats, Niall throwing an arm around her shoulders to bring her closer. She caught the proud look he was giving her and put a hand on his knee in an appreciative manner.

“Do you think we could come watch you play in the US Open?” Harry asked, redirecting his attention to Niall right after. “We’re free then, right?”

“Yeah, I made sure of that,” he confirmed proudly.

“Umm…” Lucy hesitated for a second, trying to explain how it works. “Yeah, I can get you tickets, no problem, it’s just hard to plan it a little bit, because I don’t know how deep I’ll go.” She didn’t want them to be bored at the first round match, but she also couldn’t predict when her last match would be. It still felt surreal, that she would play her last game in less than two months.

“How incredible would it be if you won that one too?” Liam asked with a grin.

“Mental,” Louis agreed.

“I reckon she could do it,” said Eleanor, looking at Lucy with confidence.

Because their bodies were touching, Lucy could easily feel Niall’s body tensing in reaction to the conversation, the memory of their recent fight still fresh in both of their minds. She didn’t turn her head to get a better look at him, but squeezed his knee as a reminder that it wouldn’t change anything for her.

“Don’t bet any money on me, though”, she laughed, before changing the subject. “Are you walking any fashion weeks this year, Maya?”

While she listened to the answer, Niall reached for her hand splayed on his knee, slotting their fingers together in a silent thank you. That’s how they spent the next couple of minutes, trying to keep conversation going, Louis making sure everyone had a drink in their hand. There was a nervous tension in the room, even though they knew what would happen, all the posts queued up, the reaction they would get was a question mark. They could only hope, basing their expectations on previous love they always got from their fans. But it had been years and things changed, yet it was impossible to prepare for disappointment.

“Oh shit, just one more minute,” Louis said, looking at the time on his phone.

“Let’s count it down!” Ines proposed.

So they did, the last ten seconds, just like on New Year’s Eve. To think of it, there were some similarities, looking forward to something new, things changing, entering a new era almost. When they came to zero, you could almost hear a pin drop. It only took a second for all of the guys’ phones to go off, indicating one notification after the other. They were all stood in a circle, their respective better halves right next to them. Lucy had her arm around Niall’s waist, looking through his shoulder to read some of the comments, the whole world starting to freak out. There wasn’t one person in the room who didn’t have a huge grin on their faces. The women look proudly at their men, knowing how hard they worked, how much love and passion they put into the band. It seemed like all the guys looked up at each other at the same moment, taking deep breaths and stepping closer to wrap one another in their famous four way hug. Eleanor wrapped her arm around Lucy’s shoulder, who looked at the other woman happily, noticing tears pulling in her eyes. She reached her other hand for Ines, who also grabbed Maya and they just stood like that for a minute. The band squeezing each other and whispering excitedly among themselves, while their lovers embraced as well, forming their own little group, looking at their loved ones with so much awe, their eyes glistening with emotion.

After a minute, Harry pulled slightly away, looking behind him at the women. “Come on, get in here, girls,” he said, beckoning them over.

So they joined them, each one next to their man, Lucy squeezed between Niall and Ines. They were all holding each other tightly, a one of a kind bond. There was no comparing it to what those four guys had, but they all felt like family. They were all connected and none of them would have it any other way, forming genuine friendships they all cherished.

Niall twisted his head to the side to kiss Lucy on the crown of her head, before she turned her head as well to meet him in a proper kiss. They were both so happy, they couldn’t stop smiling, their teeth clicking against each other. But they were just so ecstatic. There were no words to describe the feeling. And Niall’s happiness was through the roof, because he was so appreciative to share that moment with Lucy. Nothing could beat having her with him, being able to share it, because it felt like a once in a lifetime thing. Having her to support him and calm him down when needed, and now to share that joy with her. He truly felt like, if she wasn’t there beside him, he wouldn’t be as happy as he was. And maybe that was wrong, maybe he shouldn’t feel like that, but he did. Because his wife made everything better. It was that simple. Seeing her proud and smiling, made the whole situation better. Sharing anything with the people you love makes it better. Whether it’s sadness, problems, successes or happiness. And there was no better thing to share than love.

September 2025

It was impossible to prepare for a moment like this, Lucy thought finally walking back into the hotel room in New York. It was after 3am. She finished playing, her last professional match ever, about an hour and a half ago. Even after the little goodbye ceremony after her loss and a press conference, it still didn’t feel completely real. She had quite a few of those farewell moments, almost at every tournament she played this year. She knew what was coming, after all she made that decision in December. Maybe it was because she didn’t know which match would be her last, didn’t know how far she'd go, just happy with every win she got.

She felt such a mixture of emotions, it was hard to wrap her head around it all. The goodbye she got was amazing, the organizers playing a little video of all the years she competed, including her triumph on Flashing Meadows, and messages from fellow players. She felt a bit sad, but she always did when she lost. A bit proud, because she didn’t go without a fight, the match an over two hour, three sets battle. Excited because a part of her was waiting for that moment, when she’ll be able to truly think about the future and focus on upcoming projects. But most of all, she was simply appreciative. That she had such a good season, that she was able to play every tournament she wanted, that she gave it her all and was able to keep playing on a good level, that after finishing this last game, she was able to look out into the crowd (who was giving her a standing ovation) and not only see Niall, but also her parents, Mia, Harry, Liam and Maya.

Once the door to their hotel room closed, Lucy was exhausted. She had a quick shower right after the match, so technically she could go straight to bed, but her mind was buzzing.

“Lulu,” Niall said, leaving his shoes by the door and walking up to her, his hands going to her waist immediately, to bring her close to him, “how are you feeling?”

Lucy rested her head on his chest, quiet for a moment, trying to make sense of her mumbled thoughts. “I… I’m feeling good?” she said, but it sounded more like a question. “It’s… surreal, still. Maybe ask me tomorrow?”

“Of course.” He cemented his words with a caring kiss to the crown of her head.

“But I’m okay, really,” she assured him. “Kinda sad, kinda happy. Relieved?” Her answer was more like a question again, like she was looking for a right answer, but wasn’t sure if it was one. “I don’t know, it doesn’t really seem like it’s the end yet, you know, that I won’t play like this again.”

He hummed, thinking for a quick second before asking another question, “are you going to miss it?”

“Yeah, probably,” she shrugged. “It’s going to be weird, not having to train, no tournaments to prepare for or look forward to. But it’ll be fun to see what’s ahead, you know? Slow down a bit, maybe, explore other things in life. And spend time with you, obviously. Watch you and the band. It’s gonna be good, baby.”

“Will you miss your team?”

“Oh yeah, definitely. But I hope we’ll keep in touch. Maybe work together again, you know, if I open that training centre or if we get someone to manage… Who knows.”

He nodded, “I’m really proud of you, you know? I’m in awe of your decision, to do things your way.”

“Thank you. It was the right call, I can tell. The next few months will be weird, I’m sure, but it’ll be worth it. I’m actually really excited to see what’s to come.”

Tennis was all she knew. In a way, it became her routine. Sure, there were some tournaments changes, but it was also pretty much the same for years upon years, ten months of traveling, playing here and there, hard court, clay, grass, then hard court again. A quick vacation after that before going back to training full force to prepare for the next season. Over and over again. And now, thinking about the future might have been scary, but it was also nice to do something new. Have a fresh mind. Have an option of doing something else, an opportunity to just travel by Niall’s side for a bit. To focus on something other than tennis. To explore what else she might be good at.

“Oh, could you maybe ask Harry and Liam to join us for dinner on Thursday? With the girls, of course. Louis is still in California, right?” She was pretty sure she mentioned something about it when they talked after the match, but her tiredness and emotions made it hard to focus. She also asked her manager to actually organise it, make a reservation at the restaurant and all, so she didn’t know any specifics yet.

“Of course, don’t worry, they know it’s happening, I’ll send them the details in the morning. And yes, Tommo is still there, he’s meeting us in LA.”

They had a few more days off, the guys had to be in Los Angeles on Monday to do some promo for their reunion and second single, Niall made sure to book time off for all two weeks of the US Open, but because she had lost in the quarterfinals, it was just Tuesday, well, very early hours of Wednesday, giving them some time to relax.

“Let’s go to bed, yeah?” he proposed, planting another kiss on her head, her arms still tight around his waist, her cheek pressed to his body, so close she could feel his heartbeat underneath it.

She shook her head slightly, pulling away to look at him. “I can’t, my mind is spinning. I need it to stop first.” She put one of her hands up to tread through his hair, before cradling his cheek. She then raised up onto her tiptoes to join their lips, the kiss starting slow, but growing more passionate with every lick into his mouth. Her hand travelling under his shirt and the other going back to his hair to tug at it slightly, let him know exactly what she meant. “Are you too tired?” she asked parting for a second to catch her breath, before moving to work on the delicious skin of his neck.

Seeing his wife like that always did things to Niall. It wasn’t even about her having very clear intentions, but how he knew she wanted him to take care of her. How she needed him. Lucy was an absolute beast on court, Niall’s favourite text to send her before a match was “go get them, tiger”. But after the game was finished, especially after a tough battle, she was nothing but gentle. In desperate need of hugs, kisses and someone to take care of her. It wasn’t the first time they had sex in a situation like that, her needing to quiet her thoughts, but also to give up control, after having been so focused and alone on court.

And right now was no different, she wanted to get lost in Niall, needing the quiet only he could bring her.

“Never too tired to help you,” he assured, grabbing her neck gently to pull her lips back to his. To Niall, there was no bigger compliment than this, this incredible woman not only counting on him, but giving herself to him completely, body and soul.

And as he grabbed her thighs to pick her up and carry her to the bed, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind, that he would take care of her. In the best possible way.

taglist: @stylishmuser​ @verorax​ @georgiahoranxx​ @exoticniall​

[lenawin4]

an offer you can’t refuse

HOW WE DOIN ELLICK FANS?

I had this fic in my drafts halfway done, but after I watched that promo, I finished it in like, two hours. hope y’all enjoy. (also, may or may not contribute to the wave of 18x05/18x06 speculation fics. EXCITED)

summary: 

“It’ll be fun,” Nick said on Day Four, then looked at them incredulously. “What? You’ve never taken down the mafia before?” ft. the whole gang, some blink-and-you’ll-miss-it mentions of Tiva, and prank wars.

Or: Nick’s jealous, Ellie’s clueless, and the team dismantles a crime family.

rating: gen, k+

length: 3.4k

genres: fluff, minor angst, romance

read on ffn | ao3

So Ellie’s in her corner of the bullpen, and Nick can’t stop looking at her. That’s how it all starts.

She’s wearing one of her cashmere sweaters, and they’ve been working this case for so long that her outfit is three days old. The bags under her eyes can’t be hidden by makeup and the curls in her hair have started to flatten. She has that crease in between her eyebrows that warns him not to bother her with a stupid joke, but that’s never stopped him before.

Ellie’s phone rings, so he freezes in the middle of sauntering over to her, halfway through the bullpen. It’s magic: her eyes widen slightly; the crease disappears; a slow smile spreads, then a grin.

The corners of his mouth start to slip upward, but he fights it down because McGee is at his desk. He’s talking to the local PDs, spelling out one of the long Italian names they’re trying to pin on something, and Tim is eyeing him like a hawk.

“Mark?” Ellie shouts into the phone. 

Who?

“Gimme a sec,” Ellie points to her phone and mouths, I have to take this, sorry, and Nick is left gaping at the back of her head as she runs to the break room.

-

That happens on Day Six. A recap:

Dead sailor in a drive-by shooting in Bethesda. Grab your gear.

There was cocaine underneath the bed and piles of cash in the closet in the sailor’s apartment.

McGee traced a bank account in the Caymans to a Joey DiGiorno, as in, It’s-not-delivery-it’s-DiGiorno’s.

“Do you think he has a cousin named Domino’s?” Ellie asked; and —

For the fifth time this month, Nick realizes that he’s in love with Ellie Bishop.

Joey does not have a cousin, but he does have a criminal record and an uncle who happens to be the DC/Virginia/Maryland leader of the DiGiorno Family. 

“Wow, two states and the capital city,” said McGee. “Impressive.”

On top of Nick’s To Do List - Get Gibbs everything on this guy: records, cars, girlfriends, other nieces and nephews, etc., etc.

“It’ll be fun,” Nick said on Day Four, then looked at them incredulously. “What? You've never taken down the mafia before?”

-

McGee follows the money to a nightclub in DC (“Do they serve pizza?”; “Nick, please.”), but there’s no way to know when or how the drugs are smuggled into the building, which can only mean one thing: stakeout time.

Stakeouts are the worst. Stakeouts mean unlimited time in a confined place with nothing better to do, the uncomfortable silence of Nick and his thoughts and the little place in his head that teeters between sixteen different names and a glass jar of lake water that hides on the shelf of his apartment.

Right now, a stakeout is the best thing that could ever happen to him.

So, Mark. He can’t exactly Boyle his way into this, not after Bishop nearly chewed his head off because he cancelled her date. 

It’s not helping that Bishop keeps smiling at her phone every two hours, and semi-aggressively types out a text in all caps and extra exclamation marks. (He watches the way her fingers move. He knows those are exclamation marks. Like, at least ten of them.)

“Didn’t know dates liked it when you yelled at them all the time.”

“What?” Ellie says, not looking up from her phone.

He puts his feet up on the desk a little too harshly. Ellie wrinkles her nose.

“What could possibly be more important than this very, very interesting stakeout right now? Don’t you see there’s a hooker in front of the club and it’s barely noon? We should report it to Gibbs.”

There’s that sarcastic laugh that’s reserved for him, a quip about not being able to afford her, then back to the invisible Mark he’s heard nothing about.

-

To: ninja lady, 11:59

hey on a stakeout w El. what should i do

To: big wuss, 12:05

prank war. worked for us.

To: ninja lady, 12:06

i’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not

-

He tells her he’s buying fast food and chips a few blocks away. He asks the cashier for an extra paper bag and places a spring-loaded glitter bomb from the Dollar Tree at the bottom.

-

To: ninja lady, 14:05

success

To: big wuss, 14:07

ha! watch your six. revenge is tasty, no?

To: ninja lady, 14:09

i think you mean vengeance is sweet, but check with your husband

-

Nick returns from a bathroom break and peers left and right. Nothing in the room has changed: Ellie is still finishing the bag of fries. Her head is turned towards the window, and she’s glancing at her phone every few seconds. Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but he sort of doesn’t care. His chair hasn’t moved from the computer desk, and there are no booby traps outside the bathroom door or in the hallway.

Okay. The coast is clear.

“Hey, maybe you should check your face one more time, I think you still have glitter — ”

Splat.

His chair explodes in a tidal wave of green and red paint, splattering all over his jeans — gross, it feels so cold — and his leather jacket. 

When he looks up, Ellie’s beaming at him from behind her phone, fry stuck in her mouth like a cigarette, green paint smeared across her cheek like evidence. Mercilessly, she sends the video to McGee, Kasie, and Tony.

-

To: big wuss, 17:25

I’m disappointed.

To: ninja lady, 17:29

yeah, yeah, laugh all you want

this sucks

To: big wuss, 17:30

Not just the stakeout, I presume?

To: ninja lady, 17:32

who the hell is Mark

she keeps texting him

it’s distracting me

To: ninja lady, 17:35

you know, from work

To: big wuss, 17:40

Oh, Nicholas.

-

(Across the Atlantic, in a small apartment in Paris, a married couple compares recent messages.

Ziva clicks her tongue. “I think he might be a bigger wuss than you, Tony.”

“I had better pranks than this guy, okay, at least give me that.”)

-

There’s a crowd of seamen lounging around the club. Their voices send pinpricks into his brain, and he can smell the alcohol from the second floor of this building. The bouts of laughter and shouts are interrupted by crunching. Next to him, the foul smell of artificial cheese surrounds Eleanor Bishop. Her fingers are coated with orange dust. Her eyes are laser-focused on the group of men, arms around each other, starting to sing the first bars of “Piano Man”. She licks her lips, and a bit of orange dust is left over at the edge of her mouth. She brings her fingers to her lips to lick them clean.

Nick’s mouth is suddenly dry.

Okay, okay, he needs to focus. Focus. It’ll be easy.

When he finally turns away, the hooker is grabbing one of the men by his tie, who tries to pull away. He rolls his eyes, but before Nick can say, “Playing hard to get, are we?”, the sailor is handing her a thick wad of cash. It’s exchanged for something thickly wrapped in saran plastic wrap, and he jolts out of his seat.

“It was the hooker!”

-

Nick did not know running that quickly in high heels was possible.

-

Ellie’s phone dings three times past his limit on the way to the interrogation room. The sound grates against his ears and his eyes can’t roll further up his socket. She doesn’t even notice.

They’re behind the glass, waiting for McGee to question her, when Gibbs walks in. He takes one look at the green paint on Ellie’s cheek and sees the same paint on Nick’s jeans.

Before Ellie can try to explain, Nick announces, “Gibbs, I told Ellie to call you about the hooker hours ago and she didn’t listen to me!”

“That is not true!”

“Yes, it is!”

-

“Wait, so we’re just going to give up?” Ellie’s hair is still slightly frazzled from tackling the suspect down, strands loose on her forehead and around her ears. She ran up and down four flights of stairs to catch her, but they’ve been given an order to push the case to another day with another lead. “What about Sugar Honey?”

“We can’t catch anyone higher up the food chain if she doesn’t consent to wearing a wire.”

“So sneak one on her!” The Director raises his eyebrows.

“Bishop.” She snaps around, eagerly awaiting Gibbs’s cowboy orders. “Go home. Get some sleep.”

“What? I can’t believe you’re actually agreeing with this.”

“Ellie,” Nick says, coming to her supposed rescue. There’s a flicker of hope in her eyes, and he hesitates to kill it. But he has to. He stands up, and immediately yelps and whines. Guiltily, he savors the look of concern she gives him. “Actually, could you drive me home? I think I twisted my ankle when we were chasing down Sugar Honey.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Ellie pouts. It maybe makes his stomach flutter, which is stupid, because Nick doesn’t feel things like that.

“You know me. Stoic face and all. I could get stabbed and none of you would know.”

“You know, that’s not a good thing.” She grabs his car keys from his jacket and puts his arm around her shoulders.

Bishop throws a stern look to the Director and Gibbs. Their bosses look half-confused, half-amused; Nick avoids Gibbs’s knowing look. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She walks him to his car. He feels warm and lonely all at once, because her phone rings two more times.

Nick plops down on the passenger seat, and Ellie wrenches the car into ignition, and says with no small amount of strife, “I know you’re lying and I’m either taking you to your apartment or back to the club. Your choice.”

Um. “Hey, let’s not do anything dangerously impulsive here.”

“Me? Impulsive? What about you?”

“What? When have I ever done anything dangerous or impulsive?”

“You stole a truck and totaled it when you were chasing down a suspect last month. Gibbs was already waiting on another block to cut him off.”

“Well, at least I didn’t get hurt.”

“You had a concussion and I had to wake you up every hour that night.”

They’re already out of the Navy Yard, almost ten over the speed limit, and going in the opposite direction of his apartment.

“Okay, I’m sorry I lied about my ankle. But Bishop.” He’s not sure how to say it, so what leaves his mouth is a sound of frustration. “You can’t dismantle the mafia with just this one case. These things take time. One Sugar Honey confession was the best we could do today. And that’s okay. But we’ll catch another one tomorrow, or maybe next week, and the week after that.”

The car slows down; Ellie’s pout becomes more pronounced. The sudden U-turn makes him clutch at the dashboard and pray for his life.

“Fine,” Ellie says. “But — ”

“Tomorrow, I will help you possibly arrest a drug dealer, that will lead us to the drug supplier, that will lead us to the boss.”

She nods, hands tightly holding the steering wheel. There’s glitter in her hair and streaks of paint on her jeans. They’ve barely slept in the past two days, driving each other insane. 

“I can take the couch for a few hours and then we’ll be on our way. We both need to rest.”

Ellie doesn’t reply.

“If you don’t crash at my place, I’ll call Gibbs and tell him you’re going back to the club.”

Ellie protests for the rest of the car ride, but Nick doesn’t budge an inch.

-

The stakeout resumes peacefully. Gibbs and Vance were right: the dealers are spooked and no deals occur for the next week.

Bishop doesn’t spend every single moment on her phone, so at least there’s that. He can’t deny the twinge of longing every time he sees her eyes brighten at the sound of another text.

Still, even that is nothing compared to the ache he feels when she yawns and rubs her eyes. It’s the type of case that makes her want to prove herself, to risk everything to accomplish her ambitions, to run after something without a thought of the consequences. He knows the feeling. He has that feeling every time a kid is involved.

So he triples the bags of junk food on the floor of the moldy apartment. He lets her rest a little more when it’s his watch. She curls up in the blanket she stole from his apartment and sighs in her sleep.

They’re both exhausted, so their prank war grinds to a halt. Nick’s exasperated, and he doesn’t reply to any of Ziva’s requests for updates. Ellie’s smile is something admirably distracting and infuriating, especially when it’s not directed to him.

-

Here’s the thing, though: Nick can’t imagine when Ellie had time to go on a date with a Mark that he’s never met or heard of in the past few weeks. Before Operation Take DiGiorno’s to Prison, they had back-to-back murders that took a total of two weeks out of their lives. Before those, Nick went to pilates with her for three consecutive weekends. So whoever this Mark is, might be special to her. Someone she wants to keep to herself. Someone she wants to talk to all day, someone she wants to smile and laugh with, someone she wants to be with. It’s that simple.

It’s just not Nick.

-

The seaman in Interrogation still isn’t talking, but at least there’s something in the cocaine.

“Local PD’s been digging up everything they can about the drug ring for months, and this little sample here matches their signature packaging and purity. But I’m telling you, whoever hired their chemists needs to do a better job, cause this stuff ain’t pure at all.”

“Can we connect it to Joey or the uncle?”

“I’m so glad you asked. We, in fact, do have a way to arrest them, thanks to Kasie — ”

“Don’t talk about yourself in the third person.”

“Okay, someone’s grumpy! DiGiorno’s olive oil company bought bulk chemicals, which are being delivered to this address. We’ve got dimethyl sulfoxide, tetrahydrofuran — ”

“English, Kasie.”

“Coke. They’re making coke. Trust me, those materials are not extra virgin.”

He grunts out a thanks and swirls around, ready to leave.

“Woooaaahhh there, son.” Kasie holds her hands out in front of her to tame him. “What’s going on with you, Nicholas?”

“What? Nothing!”

“Okay. Then I guess it has nothing to do with you and your feelings.”

“What? Nothing’s up with Bishop and me!”

“I didn’t say anything about Bishop.”

“Okay,” Nick chuckles, searching for an exit route that may or may not involve rolling past Kasie in a very ninja-like manner before booking it out of the building. “You said something, I said something, now we’re both confused, and I gotta go now, bye!”

-

McGee’s hawk eyes peer at him when Bishop retreats to the break room again. It makes Nick squirm in his seat and try to pry his gaze away from her empty desk.

“Is something going on between you and Bishop?”

“Uh, no, why, did she say something?” He crosses his arms to quell the sound of his heart.

McGee scoffs. “I mean. You guys have barely talked since you came back from the stakeout.”

“Well. I don’t need to talk to her. All the time.”

“But you do.”

Nick makes a face. Bishop strolls back into the bullpen, carefree and light, and he shuts his mouth.

“What do we got?” Gibbs says, and McGee has no choice but to brush this under the rug.

-

It’s Day Ten, more accurately Night Ten, and they’re sitting in the car, driving to the warehouse where they’ll arrest Joey and his uncle. She’s wearing a vest and he has the urge to clean his gun before a shootout. But they’ll be fine.

He glances at her tied-up hair and the clench of her jaw. His hands tighten on the steering wheel, because he wants to hold her face in his hands and tangle his fingers in her hair. He wants to tell her something he can barely admit to himself.

She says nothing. The phone doesn’t ring. He keeps driving.

-

He forgets she has a vest on. He forgets everything, really, when he sees Ellie go down in the middle of the raid, and Joey starts running away. Gibbs yells at him to call an ambulance before he and McGee chase after the idiot who shot his partner.

Nick scrambles to her side, vision blurring, and he has more trouble breathing than she does when he reaches her. “Bishop, El, you’re gonna be okay, alright?”

Ellie groans as he slices her vest open. The bullet clatters off the Kevlar.

“Nick,” Ellie’s saying. “Nick, I’m fine.” His hands hover, barely brushing over her arms, neck, head — I have to check for concussion — and it does nothing to reassure him, until her hands fold into his. “Nick.”

She looks at him, mouth parted, cheeks flushed. Her ribs are probably bruised, if not broken. Her hands are the only source of stability; every other part of him is shaking.

“You’re alright.”

Ellie breathes out a heavy sigh; it shakes like his legs quiver, and he has to kneel next to her. “I’m alright.”

-

Along with the DEA, they confiscate every last bit of cocaine from the warehouse, effectively crippling the crime family’s major source of money. Joey rats on every aspect of his uncle’s business for a shorter sentence. As the EMTs are wrapping her ribs up, Nick holds his hand up for Ellie to slap and says, “We took DiGiorno’s to prison!”

He offers her his arm and a ride home. She graciously accepts, and the smile is his, again, for now.

But he can’t not say anything now. She almost — she almost. There’s nothing else to say about that.

So Nick says, “So, you’re going home to Mark today? You got a hot date?”

He’ll get over that lump in his throat, that spike in his pulse eventually. She’s alive, and he’ll be fine.

He doesn’t expect her to start laughing, only to be interrupted by a wince and a tender hand on her left side. “Nick, who do you think Mark is?”

“Uh.” There’s a dark hole of miscalculation, the feeling of falling down the cliff of Being Wrong. “Your hot new date you kept texting over the past, like, five days?”

Nick rolls his eyes. “Stop laughing, you’ll make your ribs worse.”

“It’s — ” Ellie takes a deep breath and pulls out her phone. She scrolls, and Nick’s about to say something about not wanting to read her love letters to Mark when:

Auntie Ellie, thanks for my birthday gifts! I miss you so much.

The voice can’t be older than five, with a light stammer and a lisp. Nick takes his eyes off the road to gape at a boy with two missing front teeth, and his heart both soars and sinks. Someone honks behind them, and he steps on the gas pedal, startled that he’s stopped at a green light.

“Well.”

“He turned four last week, and my brother’s been letting him call or text me videos every day. They’re stuck in Oklahoma and they miss me.” He can hear her shrug, the fabric of her jacket rustling against the car’s leather seat, but he keeps his eyes on the road. “I haven’t been home in almost two years.”

“I’m sorry.” It punctuates the silence that follows, leaving them both speechless, wondering, wishing.

“Were you jealous?” Ellie whispers.

“Yes.” He can’t stop himself. Not anymore. Nick floors the brake and looks at his passenger’s seat, red light shining on her, everything else dark and unimaginably lonely. “Yes.”

Ellie nods, then smiles. “Okay.”

-

They arrive the next morning together. McGee smirks at his phone. Kasie’s eyes switch between them, back and forth, before she raises an eyebrow and glares at Nick, threatening and protective. Gibbs says nothing. Nick smiles the whole morning, because he still tastes her lipstick on his teeth and feels her hair in his fingers.

-

To: big wuss, 10:20

Congratulations. You aren’t a bigger wuss than Tony.

To: ninja lady, 10:25

ha. thanks

for everything, i mean, i guess.

To: big wuss, 10:26

You’re very welcome, Nicholas.

fin.

[smolbeandrabbles]

Mine - Killian x Reader (Spies In Disguise)

Well. Here is your introduction to this babe-!

GIF Credit: X

Mine / Blank Space / Feel Somethin’ / Glitter Makes People Happy / Fresh Start Fever /  The Scientist

Author’s Note: Sooooo... I’m using Tristan/Killian interchangeably throughout the series, as I wrote the majority of this part before I watched the movie and really had many more thoughts on him, for now he’s referred to simply as Killian. I have waaaaay too many plot points to work through with this man. So, here we are!

Part 1 of a 5 part movie prequel series. So, there’s quite a lot of set up. As usual, bear with me! Note: Just because I sometimes like talking about my OCs/Readers - this reader was originally created in 2014 - I’ve already used most of her aesthetics elsewhere but... it’s nice to get to use the parts of her I scrapped here. The joys of Killian being cybernetic, I guess!

Disclaimer: I own no characters or plot lines from Spies in Disguise / Lyrics not mine. / Some of this is Ben Mendelsohn in promo interviews’ fault...!

Premise: After a particularly rough interrogation encounter, Killian takes you to safety in order to recuperate... 

Words: 3282

Warnings: N/A. There aren’t any spoilers for Spies... in here, but to be on the safe side, proceed with caution!

_______

I was a flight risk, with a fear of fallin' Wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts I say, "Can you believe it?" As we're lyin' on the couch The moment, I can see it, Yes, yes, I can see it now Do you remember, we were sittin', there by the water? You put your arm around me for the first time You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter You are the best thing, that's ever been mine Flash forward, and we're takin' on the world together And there's a drawer of my things at your place You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes Do you remember all the city lights on the water? You saw me start to believe, for the first time You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter You are the best thing, that's ever been mine

You said, "I'll never leave you alone" You said, "I remember how we felt, sitting by the water. And every time I look at you, it's like the first time. I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter. She is the best thing that's ever been mine."

---

* System Failure * -> Reboot Required --> Recalibration in progress ---> Reboot whole system? -----> Full system reset in operation -> Standby... 5...4...3...2... Rebooting.

 You opened your eyes slowly, everything hurt. But it was a strange pain that seemed to dull with every second of regained consciousness. Everything was too bright and you grumbled to yourself and shielded your eyes - burying your head into whatever you were lying on. But with your body complaining at you, it was impossible to lie here and fall back to sleep - and even more impossible for a slight feeling of unease to not creep over you.

You hadn't fallen asleep here. In fact you couldn't even remember falling asleep... And the scratchiness of whatever you covered you wasn't sheets. Your eyes opened again and you realised from the polished grey flooring you weren't in a bedroom either. You sat up - grasping immediately for the jacket falling from your shoulders - to keep that warmth around you.

You slipped off the plush couch, drawing it around you, stretching your legs out. they still complained at you, but you were all but ignoring them now.  The simple black dress you were wearing came to barely above your knees - had you even been wearing that? - why was your memory so fuzzy? You took a deep breath - and that helped nothing. Your heart suddenly leaping out of your chest at something so familiar to you; the scent of his cologne. You would have scanned the room for a clue of some kind - shoes? Heels maybe? This was a suit jacket after all...  Dinner? That's what the attire said. But it wasn't what the scenery said. You kept walking towards the bright white reflecting through the window.

 You found yourself staring at a seemingly endless mountain range - pure white snow covered nearly everything. The window seemed to also stretch for infinity, even in its many panels - curved around this side of the house. You stared hard at the breath-taking view for a minute. How gorgeous the blue of the sky was today… You pulled that jacket around you tighter still, looking to the stone below you carved smooth in order to build this base up here. The helicopter stationed on its pad let you know he was probably still home. But as you drew your gaze up, along with your smile, you noticed something else. And had to drop your grasp on the jacket - it lay itself over your shoulders, as if it was just as unwilling to let go of you - and you gasped, examining your wrists. They were faint, but both of them held ligature marks. You stretched them out in front of you. That looked bad - that looked very bad... You rubbed them, as if hoping that would also bring the memory back - but nothing. Holding them close to your chest you bit your lip, hard, and looked out to the mountains again. There was nothing you loved more than being here. But this time was different. And it was the first time you'd ever been fearful.

 The footsteps echoed down the hallway, but you didn't turn until you heard them descend the steps into the living area. Step, step, step. Now you knew there should have been two more - so the pause made you turn. Killian was leaning against the wall, looking you over curiously. He was wearing your favourite deep blue shirt, and the jacket to go with his suit was clearly still around your shoulders. "You're awake. I thought it would take more out of you than that. I'm surprised..." You turned away from the window fully then, "...I can't..." "Remember anything?" He stepped forward, two steps and then across the room in slow strides. Somewhere in the back of your mind you knew you should be scared of this man. That it was something you'd been told often... Or... At least recently; it was just about reachable in your memory. But you weren't. And you knew that you never had been by the smile you felt developing on your face. "I'm sorry..." His voice was soft, "I'm working on that... It's not as easy as I wish it were." "What happened?" "Lance Sterling happened, as ever. It took me about 4 days to locate you - I'm sorry. You kinda got yourself out..." He indicated to your wrists. "But it took a lot out of you, so I brought you back here to recuperate." "Killian..." You breathed, remembering the name, and looked back to the window, "...I'm sorry." You knew it was probably a lot of trouble and time he didn’t have to even pick you up – and if they had found a way to track you, this sanctuary was no longer safe. "Woah..." His footfall now put him directly in front of you - and his fingers touching your skin shocked you, making you step away from him with wide eyes. Killian dropped his hands; "I'm sorry... That's an effect of your recalibration." He tilted his head frowning; “…But you don’t need to be.” Sorry; he meant. Somehow you knew the right thing to do was say "What have you done to me this time?" "I told you - I'm not messing with your tech. But sometimes you're reckless and you drain your human body. Just because your legs can carry you forever doesn't mean they should." You couldn't really remember him telling you that, but you took his hand back in yours - senses running on overdrive, you could feel every ridge in his fingertips; "All you need is rest, Y/N... And you'll be fine. I was just coming to check on you... It'll be the chip..." He indicated to the couch again, "Please sit."

 You inexplicably trusted this man - and you did as he asked with no questions. Killian held out his hand and you knew to put your right in his. Watching him press down for a number of seconds something mechanical clicked, and your right arm lit in sparodic places before a tiny compartment opened up. But something in your head was still telling you this was routine.  He had a small device with him, and he plugged it into the compartment. Immediately it beeped. Brain too fuzzy to decipher the numbers you were squinting at; it didn’t take him nearly so long to sigh deeply and chide you; "Your heart rate is elevated... You don't need to be afraid of this..." "I know." But did you? Killian nudged you as further data flashed up; "No you don't... You're running on your chips; your brain is still dormant. And I told you I wasn't going to run you like this." He shook his head, muttering “I knew those idiots would never listen. The tech is too smart for its own good… And they’re too stupid to calibrate it properly.” You thought that was a little ironic considering Killian had just confessed he’d probably done the calibration wrong himself, but thought better to hold your tongue. Besides, all he did was leave you confused; "Meaning what?" He turned his blue eyes back on you, unsure if he should go on. But gave it to you in its simplest terms; "You're sleep walking." "What?" How was that possible? You were conscious, right? Sleep walkers usually had no idea what was going on. You might not remember anything prior to this, but you were aware this was really happening right now. "You won't remember this when you wake up... But you'll remember everything else." So why should he bother explaining it in technical terms you would actually understand, when Killian knew he would just have to do so again later. "Sleep walking?" "I'm talking to a computer. That's creepy isn't it? I told you - They should never have performed the operation..." "But you're glad they did. Or I wouldn't be here. And then where would you be?" That also felt like something you were supposed to say – that he had told you enough times. "Hush..." Killian brushed his hands over your exposed legs, and you gasped, "You feel this?" "Yes." And this time you were aware of your elevated heart beat, and the heat of his palms on your thighs – test or not. "Then your body will be fine. And when you actually wake up, we're talking about that chip. I'm for taking it out of you. For now, you're going back to bed." You looked to the little device again, more than a little scared. What would he do? Force a system shut down?

"Y/N..." You looked back into his eyes, "Whatever your warning system is telling you, you're going to fall asleep naturally. Don't start thinking I'm using this. You're safe." He unplugged it very carefully, every movement slow so you could track it, before he stood - "But you can follow me..." You did as Killian asked, and walked with him up the corridor. But it wasn’t long before he tapped one of the many doors. "Bed. Rest. Now." Then he walked to places unknown. Your eyes followed him for a little while until he was out of sight, and your heart seemed to sink – you missed him already – before you opened the door and found yourself in a bedroom. Again, something about this was so familiar. And you instantly felt tired. You knew the bed was a soft, warm, safe space and smiled. That man was right.

 **

 When you woke again, you wished you hadn't. And everything hurt. For real this time. Sometimes being cybernetic wasn't all it was cracked up to be - and that was the last time you tried to snap handcuffs in an interrogation room to escape.  Killian was who they really wanted, of course, but you were (on occasion) his assistant, and the H.T.U.V would take what they could get... And… well, you were also a lot more than that. So they probably had surveillance footage of the two of you together in many places. You were never trying to actively hide, an easier target than the man you were with. You sat up, head throbbing. And the next thing you heard was a series of beeps. You turned around; "Oh god. Can't you give me 5 minutes?" Your shiny blue metallic assistant drone, KiTT, whined at you sarcastically again. And you wanted to kick it. "Yeah, I'm aware... Where's Killian?" More beeps "Oh. Figures..." He’d probably sent your drone up to check on you; sometimes that proved less helpful than he wanted. You stood and almost immediately stumbled, having to rebalance yourself; "...Sometimes I really hate my parents..." This hadn't been your decision after all. Everything from your waist down - and a major portion of your arms were now cybernetic. To look at you, you were a regular human, but there was nothing regular about what was underneath your skin (synthetic or otherwise). It had been caused by a lab explosion that should have taken your life, more than ten years prior.  This tech would save it, for a price your parents would pay. And here you were. You took your steps slowly up the corridor as the two parts of your body readjusted themselves to Killian's new calibration. You already didn't like it.  And he would, as always, love your complaining. Meeting a man with as much of a knack for robotics as you wasn't coincidence. But he was something else entirely – he was almost too smart to be just the person he was. Sometimes you wondered why he wasn’t a little more legitimate, or why he wasn’t just a scientist himself. You suppose it ran further back than he was prepared to admit to you. And everything was always so shady when he was out here and you were calling him by a different name… He financed things less than legal, and you were pretty sure he made all his money the same way. Still, it always came back to technology and it was where both of you were most at home. When you reached the labs, all was strangely quiet.  KiTT continued to follow you, a nice dull hum that you had grown used to over the years, and were oddly lost without no matter how damn annoying it could be. You didn’t like the thought of Killian down here alone and left to his own devices, but you supposed this was only for your sake. He would rather be out there with his various factions – doing whatever it was they all did on a daily basis. You already knew none of it was good. When Killian dropped you back in civilisation he’d go off and get Lance and co chasing him around again – and you’d go back to the innovation lab you worked at, until he needed you or you saw him again – sometimes just by happenstance. And that’s how life was. You paused every so often at various research stations and abandoned work benches. Killian clearly hadn’t been alone long, and whatever he was working on seemed huge. Nightly news reels were calling, you could feel that.

 You eventually found him, sitting staring at research. By now your assistant had flown over to another part of the lab, to continue the work Killian had put him on before sending him to check on you. “What have you got KiTT doing for you?” “Nothing you wouldn’t have him do...” You glanced suspiciously from your other half over to KiTT, welding pieces together “He’s not YOUR assistance drone.” Killian kept his blue eyes on his monitor for a moment, “You’re the one who won’t tell me who built him.” “I built him!” You took immediate offence to that, and folded your arms. “Yeah But you said it yourself, he was a kit.” Which Killian always assumed was where his name came from “I modified him a little...” You continued to watch, concerned as KiTT carefully drew out and inserted vials of vibrant liquid into whatever he was building. Killian sighed, knowing that look well “If you don’t want me to use him, I’ll stop. But then either you have to get more involved - and you want to be the neutral one - or I need the name.” “I get worried he’s gonna get hurt!” That was a No, then. “I sent him to look after you.” “So you didn’t have to deal with the sarcasm any longer?” Killian gave a shrug, that accompanied his smile, hitting a few keystrokes - “He doesn’t sass me.” “Yeah I bet-! Too scared!” “Am I scary?” Right now no. But he damn well could be – you’d seen the outcomes of this line of work. “Intimidating. Up there at the lofty heights of... 6...?” “Classified!” You scoffed “As if your height is classified.” “Definitely is.” You squinted at his monitor, now more interested in whether that would tell you what your drone was doing; "What are we stealing today?" He chuckled; "No. I'm just researching." "Yeah, what to steal next." You leant against his desk, eying him; "Do you ever stop?" "Do you?" He turned to you slowly, fixing you with blue eyes that could easily see right through you. Sometimes he made you feel guilty even when you had nothing to hide. You held your hand’s up defensively, knowing he was immediately talking about the interrogation; "I didn't say anything!" "No. I know that." "Going through my memory bank now-!?" Your eyes narrowed in suspicion. If Killian had access to the chip, he could do whatever he wished. "I would never do something like that. I just know you. How are you feeling?" At least you knew him well enough to know that was true, and you appreciated his concern. "...I... Guess I've felt better..." "Well. Yeah, your calibration went wrong - my mistake." "Sorry!?" Killian wasn’t usually one for making mistakes, let alone admitting to them when he did. "I need to take that chip out of the base of your brain, I think." You scoffed, "And kill me? That's the reason all this works!" You presented yourself to him. "I know..." He held his hand out for yours, attention now all on you, voice low, "But I don't like what it's doing to you. I can make a better one." "Ehhh... Should I trust you?" You allowed Killian to pull you to him, and wound your arms around his shoulders. It was really a rhetorical question, if he wasn’t tuning up your robotics you were doing it yourself. "If it's the only thing you do." "Complex operation?" Though you knew the answer before he gave it. "Majorly." He gave a shrug; "I just want that thing out." His fingertips ran up your back, halting at the top of your neck; if he pressed down hard enough he could feel the offending object under your skin. You knew Killian wouldn’t say something like that without reason – you doubted even this man would risk your life, you traced your hand up to meet his, fingers lacing together; "...What happened?" "Well, it can wake you up without you being conscious - that's the stuff of nightmares. And that knowledge alone should be enough to convince you!" You opened your mouth; "Do...I want-" "No." He pulled you onto his lap and tucked your hair back, "I'm going to need to repress it. Your entire system rebooted and took you with it. Not good - probably my fault. But it's not doing it again..." He indicated to his other screen, upon which displayed a schematic of your robotic and synthetic material - "I'm going to put in a fail safe." Killian always explained everything he did to you in great detail, and only tuned you up if you agreed to it.

You narrowed your eyes, sitting back against his chest; "I thought you took the last one off…?" "Yeah... I did. Because that one was holding you back. Whoever made this for you decided to give it one basic function." Killian also only messed with anything if it was going to perform better than what was already there. "Which is?" "To function." You could have finished that for him. They taught you how to use it. The basics. But let me show you how to employ it. The potential of what you have should be realised, Y/N! You weren't sure it wasn't for his own ends. But one thing was for sure, until he showed otherwise, you'd trust Killian and his judgements. "Do it." You weren’t even sure you wanted to hear the what or why – you trusted him implicitly, whatever he would do for you would be for the best. You almost slipped from his grip; thinking the conversation was over – before he pulled you back, hands taking yours; "Hold on. I have to test it all first, I'm not just putting that chip in you..." You turned back to him, "Oh! And here you had me all excited!" “It’ll be finished in a few days. I don’t want to put you through a complete system overhaul twice in one week.” You folded your arms with a smirk; “This is just a ploy to keep me here all to yourself, Killian, isn’t it?” He rolled his eyes, question left unanswered, "Now hush for a minute and tell me which diamond you like best?" You made yourself more comfortable in his arms and studied the screen; "So you are stealing diamonds." "Yes. We're stealing diamonds..." He kissed your hair gently, making you absentmindedly smile and nestle further into him; "Now pick one!"

---

Hit me up - he’s not going anywhere! This is only fic 1/? (All Five parts of this are also started. FYI 😊😉)

Note 2: I had a plot point to do with the drones that I kinda had to kill due to the movie... - but I wanted her to have one as an assistant, so. Here’s KiTT. I’m keeping him.

Who do I even tag?! Are we all interested in animated bois voiced by Ben Mendelsohn fics?  @xxstar-bluesxx​ - Thank you for your patience! 💜💙😊 @3134045126​ - my girl 😉 Just you wait-!

@dennismitchell @happyskywhale @wltz-bby #MendoTagSquad.

[florrickandassociates]

TGF Thoughts: 2x07-- Day 450

Recap under the cut!

Big things, of the secret variety, are happening at LG. The conference room’s walls are covered; NDAs are laid out on the table. There is also one big, comfy looking chair in the conference room, looking out of place amid all the standard office chairs.

Lucca’s the first to ask what’s going on. Marissa isn’t sure—it’s top secret; all she knows is that the partners’ schedules have all been cleared.

“Have you seen this?” Marissa changes the subject. “Chicago lawyer playing cards.” “What?” Lucca asks. “Most wanted playing cards. They already have the four dead lawyers,” Marissa explains. The website peddling these cards? Is in Comic Sans. Thank you, whoever made that choice. I’m guessing you did it intentionally and I appreciate it. It’s an alt-right website, Marissa says. “What are you doing looking at an alt-right website?” Maia asks. “I look at everything,” Marissa states. I don’t think it’s that weird! Weren’t they just on a case about belonging to radical groups online?

Lucca wants to know if any of the RBL lawyers are in there. Marissa says she’s going to order a deck and find out. Maia’s appalled at the thought of giving this group money (tbh I am too).

Maia asks what’s going on in the conference room, and Marissa shrugs and says, “The ways of the partners are mysterious to us mere mortals.” Have I mentioned that I love it when we can see the power structures at work? Because I do.

Marissa tries to get information out of Diane—even how long the meeting will last—but Diane doesn’t say anything.

Luckily for us, we’re viewers and not employees, so we get to know what’s happening. It’s an audition for the DNC’s business, conducted by Ruth Eastman. I didn’t expect to see Ruth back on the show, ever, after how badly the writers botched her season seven arc (so much promise squandered!) But here she is. And she’s used much more effectively in this episode.

While I’m thinking of it, the promo for this episode was in Russian, but nothing in the COTW (aside from a few mentions of collusion) is about Russia. So… was the entire promo a shout-out to the TGW/F/The Americans fans? It wouldn’t be the first time. And I’ll take it.

“We’re in a very peculiar time,” Ruth says. Diane laughs, because a good 25% of Diane’s dialogue these days is just laughter. Ruth isn’t bothered: she says laughing is the “only sane reaction these days.” Diane agrees wholeheartedly. “We’re living in a time of farce, not tragedy,” the writers have Ruth explain. (I phrase it like that because, come on, that’s exactly the point of this season’s tone.)

Ruth is there with an interesting opportunity: the DNC wants a plan to impeach 45 ready to go if a blue wave happens in November, and so they’re auditioning law firms to decide which arguments (and which lawyers) will be the most effective. For now, this all has to stay hush hush, lest voters get the idea that a vote for a Democrat is a vote for impeachment and get scared off.

After some build up, Ruth turns to write on a white board. The marker doesn’t work. “New!” she says, pleasantly, discarding it. She starts the build up again: “This is the question we want you to ponder and answer…” But the next marker doesn’t work either. “WELL, SHIT!” she says angrily, throwing the marker to the floor. This is the best thing Ruth has done on this show.

Carine, a woman on Ruth’s team, volunteers to get more markers. Ruth keeps going with her spiel.

Carine grabs the nearest employee, who happens to be Maia, and asks where the black markers are. They flirt/banter on their way to the supply closet, and Carine thinks Maia looks familiar. Maia deflects the question and shows Carine the markers (they only have pink and purple, because it’s funnier that way).

“Seriously, I know you from somewhere. Where?” Carine insists. Maia thinks for a minute. “Okay, so you know how we just had a little exchange back there and I made you smile, you made me smile?” “Yes, I remember.” “Well, remember that when I tell you who I am,” Maia says. I wonder how many times she’s used (or will use) that line.

“Are you a serial killer?” Carine jokes. “Oh, close. Maia Rindell,” Maia introduces herself. Hee.

Carine recognizes that name. Maia walks away to avoid prolonging the awkwardness, but Carine isn’t as put off as Maia assumes…

Meanwhile, Lucca is working on a case about a film shoot when she notices Francesca walking down the stairs. She excuses herself from a meeting, and her client assumes it’s because she has to pee. His pregnant wife always has to pee, so he feels it is his place to inquire about Lucca’s bathroom habits. No matter how many times Lucca says she doesn’t have to go to the bathroom, the client won’t believe her.

Maia greets Francesca. Lawyer, professional greeter, same diff.

Francesca has brought Lucca a present, and Lucca asks Maia to go deal with her client (“and tell him I’m not going to the bathroom”). I have a question! If Lucca could spot Francesca from the room she and the client were sitting in, can’t the client see that Lucca is by the stairs and not, in fact, in the bathroom? ANYWAY. Maia’s job in this episode consists of knowing where markers are kept, greeting visitors, and informing Lucca’s clients she’s not in the bathroom. Is… there no work for Maia to do? Should I be concerned about RBK’s future? Are they overstaffed?! WHY DOESN’T MAIA DO WORK?

“Very nice meeting you. I think your dad stole some of my husband’s money,” Francesca tells Maia. Ok, People Recognizing Maia is my new favorite running gag. “Sorry,” Maia apologizes. “That’s a good thing. He’s an asshole,” Francesca says, emphasizing asshole. She’s so fun.

In Lucca’s office, Francesca tells her that she’s given up drinking, except wine. Well. That’s… something, I guess?

Francesca’s gift is a stuffed dog that sings “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and claps its hands and waves its ears. It is adorable and grating. “For my grandchild,” Francesca says, touching Lucca’s stomach. Why do people just go and touch pregnant women’s stomachs without asking if they can? I have never understood this.

Over the course of this whole scene, the dog’s flapping ears are visible, at least in part. It is wonderful and distracting and the only thing that could make it more Good is if they were in an elevator.

Even rewatching this scene, with captions on, I cannot see anything other than the dog and its ears. I think Francesca is saying she wants to be in the baby’s life and Lucca’s saying she doesn’t want Francesca involved. But I don’t know. Because ears.

After Francesca leaves, Lucca immediately moves to discard the dog. Francesca doubles back and almost catches Lucca in the act, but the second she turns around again, Lucca shoves the dog in a drawer.

“People understand emoluments,” Adrian is saying when we return to the conference room. They do? By that name? ‘Cause I just had to spell-check that word (even though I know what it means). I’m joking, because I think what Adrian means is that people understand the idea behind it. Still, a weird sentence.

Julius is opposed to the whole idea. He thinks the Dems are starting with the goal and working backwards. Some other partner wants to go after collusion. And Diane wants to go for obstruction, because of the precedents. (And the fact that there are so many paths that could make a good case is why I disagree with Julius. Maybe they’re starting with the goal, but how much does that matter if there are many valid reasons for having that goal? But then, I guess Julius would take issue with my use of “valid”…)

Adrian is against what Andre (the other partner) wants to pursue: collusion. He thinks it has too many Russian names for the public to understand it. Adrian’s whole strategy here is to find the argument that will be the easiest to sell.

Diane is so fired up about this, and I love it. (I also think she’s making the best case.)

“He’s not above the law!!” Diane exclaims. Nobody’s above the law! (Sing it with me!)

Julius won’t quit with these silly arguments. Now he’s comparing Republicans wanting to impeach Obama to what’s going on here. I don’t think it’s just my political bias speaking when I say that’s ABSURD.

Julius’s whole thing is that 45 was voted into office so he shouldn’t be impeached and then removed from office. So… Julius is anti-the concept of impeachment? I think his argument is a little more nuanced than that and he’s making the better case: that impeachment isn’t a tool for political parties that didn’t get their way. I’ll spare y’all my half-informed political rants and instead make this point: I appreciate that even Julius’s points have some validity to them. Too often, this show simplifies these arguments or handles them poorly, and this episode… does a pretty good job.

Ruth steps out for a minute, and reminds RBL of their mission: to choose a strategy, something that will stick the way emails stuck to HRC. (Don’t remind me!! Those goddamn emails.)

With Ruth out of the room, Adrian tries to get Julius to stop losing them a client. Julius says he’ll play devil’s advocate. Then Adrian tries to get Liz to speak up. She’s been watching and taking everything in.

Ruth takes a call about “Barnsdale. Illinois 1st.” She asks Lucca if she can use some random office, and commandeers it before Lucca can respond. She picked a bad office to have a private conversation in, though, because it’s one of the ones with the angled glass walls. These offices—which I’ve been wondering about for WEEKS because they don’t seem the slightest bit private—have gaps in the windows and it seems like (and turns out to be the case that) someone in the hallway would be able to hear every word said inside of the office.

And it just so happens that Lucca overhears the exact conversation she needs to overhear: a Congressman up for reelection is being asked—well, more like told—by the DNC that he can’t run again because he’s a groper. Lucca recognizes what this means: it’s the district Colin was thinking of running in.

So Lucca does what all Good characters would do: distracts Colin at work with her presence until he forgets what he’s talking about, then walks away.

Colin’s first thought is that something happened with the genetic screening. Lucca says it’s not that; it’s about his mother. “I didn’t want to run; my parents wanted me to run,” Colin says when Lucca asks him about the Illinois 1st. “Oh, so you’re not running?” Lucca counters. And Colin? Can’t answer that definitively.

Colin says he won’t run if he has to campaign, but if all he has to do is get the support of the DNC, he’ll run. Uh huh.

Lucca’s fear is that she’s being used for political gain. It’ll look better if she and Colin are together. Colin tries to keep Lucca out of it, even going so far as to say Lucca can tell his mother to “fuck off,” but… you don’t have to watch the rest of the episode to understand that’s never going to happen.

Then Colin asks about the genetic testing. Lucca says, “Oh, everything’s… good.” Colin mentions a family history. Does anyone else feel like she might be hiding something here? This is a weird scene. She’s already said the baby’s fine, yet they have her double back for this conversation AND they mention Colin’s family history? It would not shock me if Lucca was waiting on some test results and keeping it to herself. But also, like, I have seen this show and it would surprise me even less if we never heard about this again.

I may have to take back what I just said about Julius, sadly. Diane makes the more nuanced point I extrapolated from Julius’s words and Julius tries to rebut it. So. Whatever. It’s in early scene cross-talk (you know, the lines that aren’t meant to make a point but are rather meant to show you that there’s heated debate, so you can jump in mid-scene and it won’t feel awkward), and I’ve heard weirder things (like Alicia explaining why we don’t need female politicians in 220, a line I don’t think I was supposed to notice because I was supposed to be paying attention to her poise and the ease of her answers) in early scene cross-talk.

This audition doesn’t seem to be going well. That’s when Liz speaks up. She starts talking about some evidence that came across her desk at the DOJ. At first, I thought the writers were trying to introduce new facts into their hypothetical, and I was disappointed. But that’s not what they’re up to. Instead, they’re having Liz tell an increasingly elaborate, and possibly not baseless (would ANY of you be surprised if pieces of evidence similar to the ones Liz invents actually existed?) story to prove her point. Liz is demonstrating that the story keeps changing. “You’re all missing the point! It’s not about choosing one charge or another for impeachment. It’s about everything. It’s about who he is. It’s about what the presidency is. Charging him with obstruction, that’s going by the old rules. And the new rules are these. ‘I have a tape.’ ‘Where’s the tape?’ ’15-year-old was raped, and I’ve got the evidence.’ ‘Where’s the evidence?’ ‘Same place as the tape.’”

Diane laughs. “My God, this is insane!” Julius replies.

“No, no no no. This is shameless,” Liz clarifies. “And impeachment has to be shameless, or else it’s gonna fail.”

“So. You lie,” Julius accuses.

“No, no no no no no. You just don’t back down,” Liz says. “But there is no tape!!” Julius says. “Uh-uh. That’s what you said. I didn’t say that,” Liz argues. God, that’s what reading the news today feels like. Like logic and facts are no longer persuasive.

“Listen. This isn’t about truth anymore. And it’s not about lying. It’s about who’s backtracking, and who’s attacking,” Liz concludes. I don’t know what to think, and I love that. Liz’s approach is outlandish. It’s also convincing. And it’s maddening. These things should be based on facts. And yet!

I love that I can agree with Liz and think her point is absurd/laughable at the same time. I love that the show is able to capture the way that laughable and strategic can be the same today. It’s super effective.

When Ruth leaves for the day, Adrian immediately begins talking down to Liz in front of all of the partners. “Liz. Liz, Liz, Liz, what the fuck are you doing?!” I do not like this side of Adrian, especially when Liz is (obviously) being strategic and novel.

And also effective! Ruth tells her colleagues at the DNC that “we might have something here.”

Aaaand, credits. Another female writer this week! She wrote an ep last season too. And she’s great: I spent 17 minutes convinced the Kings had written this one because she captured the tone and the big moments so well. Also, I just googled her (her name’s Tegan Shohet) and she has a really fucking impressive resume. She did her undergrad at Harvard, has a law degree from Yale, and she has another degree from Oxford.

Maia and Amy (hello, Amy!) are kissing at a bar after the credits end. They’re out on a double date with Marissa and Drew, the guy from the ricin scare. Drew has this look in his eyes like he’s on something. I don’t like it one bit.

He and Marissa start making out mid-conversation. It’s almost aggressive, and not like Amy and Maia’s kiss just moments ago. Part of that is, I think, that we’re supposed to see Amy and Maia as a bit passionless right now, but it also seems… weird. Something is up with this dude. I don’t trust him.

But I would rather watch him and Marissa making out than hear Amy and Maia state “facts” that screw up the timeline!!!!!!!!!!! LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU WITH YOUR “WE’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR FOUR YEARS” BUSINESS WHEN I LITERALLY WATCHED YOU MEET AT MAIA’S 18TH BIRTHDAY PARTY; I’M BUSY WATCHING THIS AWFUL DUDE STICK HIS TOUNGE IN MARISSA’S MOUTH.

Drew also has no filter. Oh, and then he gets up at hits someone, claiming they took an upskirt of Marissa. But before that happens…

Amy and Maia are talking about getting married! And we didn’t get to see how they smoothed things over after 2x02? What a shock…

(Well, also, I feel like this ep pretty strongly suggests they didn’t really work through that.)

Seriously though, what the hell is Drew doing? What is his deal?

Marissa, who believes someone took an upskirt photo of her, reacts to Drew’s actions as though he’s a hero. She rewards him with a kiss. That makes Maia smile, because… I don’t really know. It makes Amy roll her eyes. Can we have Amy as a regular and not Maia?

“We need to toast your news!” Marissa says, making plans for the second consecutive weeknight. “Our news?” Amy wonders. OOOOOF. That relationship cannot be in a good place.

Maia seems kind of… turned on? By Drew and Marissa.

Amy doesn’t believe that the dude in the bar was actually trying to take an upskirt. Amy thinks Drew just wanted to hit someone. I agree with Amy here.

Amy then asks if they have to see them again. Maia says that Marissa’s a friend. 

Amy tells Maia to talk to Marissa because people like Drew can be “dangerous in a relationship.” I had that same thought just from the way he was kissing her in public (it seemed quite possessive). And you know what I don’t need? For another investigator on this show to end up in an abusive relationship.

(That said, this is MILES better than any Kalinda/Nick bullshit.)

Now cameras are being installed in the conference room.

Marissa clearly stayed out for several more hours after Maia and Amy headed home. She’s wearing sunglasses at her desk and can barely answer questions. That’s also a big warning sign. Marissa’s hungover at work. It’s not a pattern yet, but I’d hate to see it become one.

Lucca meets with some partners about her client, Lock. She wants to give them a heads-up, but it seems he’s already left the firm because of Lucca’s pregnancy. Well, he said her “mood swings,” but lol.

Even Liz, who’s very understanding, is inclined to believe the client. Every time Lucca tries to defend herself, someone tries to comfort her or calm her or tells her not to get upset. I love Cush’s delivery of the line, “I’m not getting upset…” because she says it with just a hint of confusion. She doesn’t sound upset (at least not unreasonably so). She sounds like someone who’s slowly realizing that no one will take her words seriously as long as she’s pregnant.

Every time Lucca tries to take action, the partners shut her down and offer to help. It’s just weird. I can’t speak to whether or not it’s realistic because I’ve never been pregnant, nor do I work at a law firm managed mostly by non-parents (or any sort of law firm, for that matter), but it feels like it’s realistic. It’s subtle and the partners are encouraging, but they are making assumptions about Lucca’s work performance and capabilities based on the fact she’s having a baby.

Ruth appears! RBL is now one of four! Naturally Adrian believes this is because of what he and Diane were saying, and not because of anything Liz said. He believes this so strongly he calls Liz aside to give her an order. “No more shit Liz, okay?” He says like she’s a child (a child with a potty-mouth, I guess). She calls him on it. “Adrian, when did you get the impression that you could order me around?” He denies it, and Liz goes STRAIGHT to talking about their marriage. The teacher who married his student for her ties in the legal world CONDESCENDED TO HER? I’m just shocked. (Lol no, this is how I have been picturing their marriage for a few weeks now.)

Adrian asks Liz again to get behind the obstruction charge (Diane’s idea) so they can seem united. She says she’ll consider it.

I wonder if the reason Adrian can’t see that Liz has a plan, and that her plan is working, is that he’s so used to underestimating her.

Adrian and even Julius get behind Diane’s plan. It’s so transparent that they’re trying to show they’re united. “Now, we may disagree, but we find consensus,” Adrian explains. LULZ.

As soon as Adrian says “consensus” and Julius echoes it, Diane announces she’s changed her mind and now sides with Liz. This surprises even Liz! Ooh, will we get more on the Diane/Liz tension?

“I’m tired of ‘when they go low, we go high.’ Fuck that! When they go low, we go lower. Impeachment isn’t just about the law. It’s about persuading people. And if it’s one thing that we’ve seen this past year, it’s that lies… persuade. Truth only takes you that far… and then you need lies.” Guys, I’m seriously terrified by how much I understand this. Even the fact that my first reaction upon hearing this was, “she has a point” and not, “what??? That’s a lie!” scares me. When TGW was airing, I wouldn’t have believed that Diane would ever say this. And I wouldn’t have believed that would be my reaction. But, then, I also wouldn’t have believed this country would elect Donald Trump. What I’m saying is that regardless of whether this is a good strategy or not, or if it’s morally sound, or hypocritical, the way that it’s not easy to dismiss or laugh at is… the point.

Julius calls this “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” “You’re just as bad as you’re accusing him of being,” he explains. ACCUSING? Come on, Julius. If you think the word “alleged” would need to be in a sentence that calls him a liar…

Anyway. Another thing I love about Diane’s speech is that it’s coming both from a character place AND a political place. The next part of her rant makes this point well: “I’m just done with being the adult in the room. I am done with being the compliant and sensible one. Standing stoically by while the other side picks my pockets, while the other side gerrymanders Democrats out of existence. A three million person majority and we lost the presidency. A Congress that keeps a Supreme Court justice from being seated because he was chosen by a Democratic president.”

(I am gonna keep going on this but LOL Julius what planet do you live on where that’s not what happened? FACTUALLY THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.)

Diane has always been the adult in the room. That’s a role she’s fantastic at playing, and she loves it. And now she’s tired of it?! That can’t just be because of Trump. That’s what someone who lost her best friend, lost her husband, lost her money, lost her clout, watched her candidate lose an election, and, finally, felt and still feels like there’s a target on her back would say. Why should she be the one to hold things together when everything else is falling apart? What’s the point of acting like the rules still apply?

Julius says some nonsense about how if Diane really believes that, she’s lost all faith in the law. To which Diane replies that she has a gun in her desk “and I’m this close to taking to the streets.” That, my friends, is someone who is all of the things I said above, and also on drugs, would say. And somehow, that person is… Diane Lockhart.

(And weirdly, while I can’t say it’s necessarily the direction I want to see the writers take Diane, I can’t honestly say it’s out of character. Terrifying, right?)

IT DID NOT CATCH MY ATTENTION THE FIRST TIME THROUGH BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT MAIA IS DOING AT WORK? CHECKING TWITTER. (I mean, I check Twitter at work. I’m sure most people check their phones at work. You could catch the most productive employee on Twitter at work. But somehow we have endless amounts of time to show Maia not working and no time to show Maia working.)

Carine is back, to tell Maia about her own father. He was a disgraced senator, so she’s part of the “damaged offspring club” too. Hey, where are Zach and Grace? Is Zach still in Paris (lol) with his wife (hahahaha) writing his memoir (bwahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaha)? How’s college treating Grace? ANYWAY. NOT THE POINT.

The point is that Carine and Maia are making a connection.

Also that in one scene, Maia manages to: Surf Twitter on her work laptop, flirt, and make plans to go drinking. Writers, come on. Throw me a bone. Give Maia work to do. (Two of these things are not her fault—Carine and Marissa come over to talk to her—but still!)

Marissa pops by to invite Maia to go out dancing at 10 pm on a work night. Maia turns it down initially, but then says maybe. What does she have to lose? She could show up hungover the next day and it wouldn’t matter. IT’S NOT LIKE SHE HAS ANY WORK TO DO!!!!!!

When Marissa leaves, she’s all “luv uuuuuu” (that is my approximation of the tone) and Maia quietly whispers back “love you.” Am I supposed to be getting the feeling that Maia’s crushing on Marissa? She also smiles a little after Marissa walks away.

“There’s a tweet I think you should see,” Maia informs Lucca. Lucca asks if it’s about work (of course it isn’t; that would require Maia to be working NO I WON’T STOP) and it’s about Colin’s campaign. Specifically, a horribly racist tweet about how he got a “black girl” pregnant (“hashtag Sally Hemmings”)

“So I’m a black girl. A black, pregnant, plantation girl,” Lucca responds. Maia is like “I don’t think it implies that” which, I mean, I buy Maia holding that opinion because it would mean she is super privileged, white, and didn’t pay attention in history class and you KNOW I would believe all of those things. But also, it’s a mean tweet that refers to Lucca as “a black girl.” Why would Maia even want to defend that?

Lucca’s TRENDING too. I wish Lucca would trend. Not for this. I mean publicity for the show.

Also trending is Earth Day. Wanna know something fun about Earth Day? It is in April. Specifically it’s April 22nd (which is a Sunday and the day of the next episode, but I will ignore that because it’s close enough and Earth Day could be trending in advance). Lucca is due in May. She is four months pregnant. WHAT MONTH IS IT, SHOW?

Maia accidentally kicks a drawer under Lucca’s desk and it begins to sing. “What is that?” she asks. “It’s a dog,” Lucca replies, as though that explains anything.

Lucca furiously begins to type—to Tweet! This is a bad idea. Has Twitter ever been a good idea on this show when it was controlled by anyone other than Eli or Marissa Gold? (No.)

Lucca (@lquinn) has fired off a reply tweet (“I’m the black woman having Colin Morello’s baby and my name is Lucca Quinn. Did Sally Hemmings have a law degree? #MoreLikeMichelle”) that is snarky and probably misguided, especially since it’s a trap laid by Colin’s campaign manager NotEli. (He isn’t getting a name.)

More bickering, verging on nervous breakdowns, are happening on the DNC live feed. The juiciest live feed since the NSA was listening to Alicia? Anyway.

“I’ve spend the last few months feeling fucking deranged! Like I’m living in some bad reality show! Going numb! All Trump, all the time! What’s real? What’s fake? Well, you know what? I just woke up,” Diane yells. And by yells, I mean yells. Damn.

Liz takes Ruth outside to try to get her to get Julius out of the audition. Liz always has some kind of plan.

Later, Adrian walks into Diane’s office, concerned. “I have never been more all right,” Diane says. U SURE? Did you just take a hit of something? Adrian asks how much of this is show and Diane is like, it’s a show!

Adrian wants to know about the gun in her desk. Yeah, I feel like that’s a valid concern, given that there is a GUN IN HIS WORKPLACE. Not only is that probably illegal but it’s also a hazard.

Marissa brings more bad news: the Chicago lawyer playing card deck, and we get to hear a few of the names in it. David Lee (IS ANYONE SURPRISED?). Patti Nyholm (Ditto). Laura Hellinger. WAIT WHAT? LAURA HELLINGER IS THE SWEETEST. (Can you tell I just rewatched season 4?) What is there to hate about Laura Hellinger!? Why bring her name, of all the names, into this?!

The partners decide to ignore it for now—why give it more attention?—but Adrian, Liz, and Diane are all in the deck. Damn.

Upon seeing her own face on a card, Diane says, “To answer your question, Adrian, yes, I have a gun in my desk.”

It’s at that moment Ruth interrupts to ask Julius not to join the RBL team for the remainder of the audition. Julius, after hearing he’s out, flips off the other partners. Professional. Though I can’t really criticize him, because it’s not like anyone else is being professional.

Maia tries to convince Amy to go to the dance club with her. Amy has a trial starting the next day and she doesn’t want to go, so it’s an impossible sell. Maia makes a bogus excuse: she thinks she should go so as not to be impolite. To Marissa. She sees. Marissa. Every. Day. She and Marissa are friends. It is not impolite to say no to going to a dance club at 10 pm on a work night with someone you went out with the night before. This is an excuse. Maia wants to go out; Amy doesn’t. So Maia’s looking for any reason she can find to go out.

Maia also misses a crucial detail—that Amy’s trial starts tomorrow so there’s no reason to wish her good luck now. This seemed weird the first time through, but then I realized: Maia and Amy live together. And that’s the kind of comment you make to someone you’re not going to see for a little while.

Lock wants Lucca to be his lawyer again. Lucca suspects that Maia might have called him (no that would involve Maia taking initiative so it’s unlikely). But no. The answer is that he’s on Twitter. And that’s when Lucca realizes that she has power.

She shows up at Colin’s door. “I’m not gonna marry you. I’m not gonna pretend otherwise. I’m not gonna lie, I’m not gonna mislead, and I’m not gonna be the woman who stands by your side. I’m the mother of your child, a close friend of yours, and a registered voter in the 1st Congressional District of Illinois. You want my support, you’re gonna agree to my terms,” she demands.

She goes on: she will do one appearance a month, issue a statement, and do interviews. Damn. Colin didn’t even have to negotiate for that.

Francesca is also at Colin’s house. So is NotEli, whose first words to Lucca are “Wow, that’s pregnant.” Off to a great start!

NotEli’s name is Stephen Rankin-Hall. I will continue to call him NotEli.

Now we get some exposition about the campaign. We’re actually doing this. The writers wrote Alicia out and found a way to bring campaigns back.

More deliberations in the conference room. The DNC is watching in real time, and they’re missing the fire of the deliberations with Julius. Using all the coded language in the world, Ruth requests that RBL show their “more pugnacious attitude.”

As soon as she leaves, the partners prove they got the message loud and clear. “They want us to be street,” Liz says, with a trace of anger. No one’s thrilled about it, but they’re all willing to play along. “I will be the angry black woman,” Liz decides. “And you can be Black Lives Matter,” she says to Adrian. (He chuckles.) “What about me?” Diane wonders. “You keep us calmed. But we can’t be calmed. But you’re the white conscience,” Liz says. LOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOL.

And back to the conference room they go, playing their roles perfectly until they’re screaming at each other about how fantastic Ta-Nehisi Coates is. It’s hilarious. And it piggy-backs off of the point the show made last week: there are certain roles that even (especially) those who call themselves progressives expect people to play based on their race. Diane’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown and she gets to be the conscience because she’s a classy white lady. Liz and Adrian have been strategic throughout all of this and they’re understood when they play up their anger in a very specific, stereotypical way.

(I don’t know that this strategy actually works in the context of the show, since we know that Liz and only Liz is chosen, and I’m going to guess her initial idea helped her more than this show. Even still. The firm is flat out told by the DNC that they will do better when they fit into an easy, familiar (racist) narrative.)

Liz and Adrian sit together in his office after their performance. “I never know how far is too far,” Adrian says. “At least you’ve reached a point in your life where you can admit it,” Liz says. That’s pointed.

Just want to take a moment to say I’m very happy with the addition of Liz. She’s fascinating, Audra’s fantastic, and I can tell so much about Liz from even the tiniest moments. Also, usually characters who are as sneaky as she is towards the other regulars come off as villains. That’s not how Liz comes off, and she was literally introduced as Alicia’s biggest rival and reintroduced as someone who made a move against Diane.

Maia invites Lucca out dancing. She’s going to turn it down anyway, but then Colin, Francesca, and NotEli show up and she has a good excuse not to go.

NotEli and Francesca want Colin and Lucca to get their story straight. “Look, we’re not expecting you to be the good little wife or girlfriend. That’s the old playbook. It stopped working in 2016,” NotEli says. Oh for fuck’s sake. You can’t just add the word “little” in there and distract me from the fact you are talking about Alicia.

But this line reminds me of two things that I’ve been thinking about lately. The first is that the Good Wife narrative really isn’t timely anymore. It certainly was in 2008. It even was in 2011 when I started watching. But now? Who cares? A dude abuses his office, and now, I think, the media is more likely to wonder about what woman is going to run for his seat than about whether or not his wife will stand by his side. Well, either that happens or absolutely nothing happens and millions of people think it’s perfectly okay to have a president who makes comments about “grabbing women by the pussy.” Either way: it’s not the narrative that fascinates people (or the media) today. And if you’re not caught in the middle of a scandal? It’s even less essential. “Family values” haven’t totally disappeared from politics by any means, but this isn’t 2008.

The other thing this line reminds me of is that, well, I fucking miss Alicia Florrick. It may be accurate to say that “the good little wife” is the old playbook. It’s been on the way out for a while now, so it’s only semi-accurate to say it stopped working in 2016. It is, however, accurate to say that The Good Wife ended in 2016. I like the idea of revisiting these themes, in a very different world, with a very different character. What I don’t like as much is that every time I see Lucca get pulled into situations that very, very few people would understand, I can’t help but want her to call up her close friend who’s lived through it. There are very few other moments when I long for Alicia to be on this show. And I still don’t, really, want her to make a guest appearance. But I want Lucca to have a friend. I want Lucca to have that friendship. And I can’t believe that Lucca and Alicia had a falling out, off screen, big enough that Lucca wouldn’t have reached out to Alicia for advice. If they’re not going to give me Alicia, can they at least stop teasing me?

(“Good little wife”? TEASE.)

Anyway I love how blunt Lucca is. For some reason, NotEli believes Lucca and Colin will be asked where their child was conceived, and he also believes this is a question they should answer. Colin starts to answer, saying things got intense when they were on opposite sides. Lucca jumps in and bluntly says, “So we worked through all that tension by fucking in the courthouse restroom.”

NotEli and Francesca stare at her and Francesca laughs, thinking (hoping) Lucca’s joking. But she’s not done. “It was a family restroom, so we locked the door,” she adds. NotEli says maybe they’ll have to massage this a little. Or you could, like, not talk about where you fucked?

And then the toy dog starts to sing, because of course. (It’s less effective this time.)

Now we’re at the club with Marissa and Maia. Maia’s theme song is playing. Seriously, just read these lyrics: “I clock out my 9:00 to 5:00. I’m ready for the weekend to bring me back to life. Don’t live to work, I work to live.” See?! It’s Maia’s song! Working normal hours (in a profession notorious for requiring long hours) and viewing a job as a chore and not something she’s passionate about!

MAIA IS SO AWKWARD, BUT SHE IS ALSO SO COMMITTED TO ACTUALLY TRYING TO DANCE.

(As you might expect, Marissa is not at all awkward.)

Carine appears at the bar when Maia goes to get a drink! They start talking about their fathers until Maia’s like, “Do you really want to talk about this?” and Carine says no. And then Maia says she wants to dance, so they start dancing. And they get pretty into it.

A little later in the evening, Maia and Marissa talk at a table. Marissa has her arm around Maia. “Am I boring?” Maia asks. You want me to answer that, Maia? You are, and it’s not because you have a stable relationship. I actually find that interesting. ANYWAY. In the world of the show, Maia is worried she’s boring because she’s in a long-term relationship.

Marissa calls Maia a “fucking ninja.”

“I feel like I’m cheating,” Maia worries. “You’re dancing. Or do you mean with me? Because I’m ready for anything,” Marissa responds. Is Marissa saying she’s bi? Or is she joking? Or just drunk? I feel like we may see more on this front. But maybe not.

Oh my God. I have accidentally paused the screen on the most awful drunk!Maia face and I’m not going to post it because I’m not cruel.

“What do you want?” Marissa asks. “I don’t know. Sometimes I want stability. Sometimes I don’t,” Maia answers. Hmmm. Much as I would love to see Maia in a committed relationship, what I would love even more is an arc where Maia, whose life had been very stable up until the scandal, realize that actually, maybe she doesn’t need to follow the easiest, most stable path. Maybe she’d rather be single, or with someone else, at this stage in her life. Wanting stability is a very Alicia thing. It doesn’t have to be a Maia thing, too.

(Nope, I will not turn this into a backdoor way to talk about Alicia and her priorities. I am tempted, but I will resist the temptation.)

Marissa just asks Maia wants right now and Maia says, “That’s the question.” Marissa tells her to go dance, but Maia decides to leave instead.

Maia also tells Marissa that Drew is “great.” I am on Amy’s side here…

Carine finds Maia outside and starts to say goodbye when… Maia kisses her. In the middle of the street. Carine kisses her back. And then they get in an Uber together and make out. Nice, Maia.

I don’t have strong feelings on Maia cheating, mostly because I am not sure I consider her a cheater for this. This behavior—and the behavior we’ll get to in a minute—is cheating. But… she’s cheating on someone she’s had doubts about, someone she barely wants to spend time with, someone who testified against her in court (??), and someone we’ve barely gotten to know. That’s not to say that cheating is justified if that’s the case. It’s not. My point is that I don’t know what Maia’s going to do next. If what she does next involves keeping this from Amy and acting like everything is normal, then yes, she is a cheater and ughhhhhh, Maia. But if this is really the final straw/a wake-up call that causes her to either work through her issues with Amy (including actually telling her she cheated) or break up with her, then it feels like less of a betrayal to me. I don’t know where I’m going with this. Moving on. I am sure I will have more thoughts, hopefully clearer and more fully formed ones, once the next episode (that addresses this plotline) airs.

Carine gets called into work, where she falls on the ground because she is drunk. They have to leave, but she wants to stay a few more days!

Ruth tells the name partners the DNC’s decision: they’re hiring a team of lawyers from various firms, and they just want Liz. “Like the Avengers,” Diane observes. Yes, you read that right. Diane made that observation. Diane Lockhart.

Adrian calls Liz “Wonder Woman” and Ruth corrects him that “That’s the Justice League.” Hee. Look at Diane and Ruth, knowing their superheroes better than I do! (Though I actually understood both of those references.)

Will Liz actually take the offer? I’m unsure. I don’t want anything that means less Liz, so I’m hoping either she doesn’t take it or she does but it doesn’t reduce her screentime.

Ruth tells her assistant to turn off the DNC cameras. But he can’t, because Maia and Carine are busy having sex, on camera, in the office. You’re such a good employee, Maia.

Carine would know about the cameras, but I don’t think this is a set-up (I think she’s just drunk, though wouldn’t be shocked if it was a set-up). Maia wouldn’t know about the cameras, but for fuck’s sake, Maia, do you think you’re supposed to be having sex at the office? Oh, you know what? It’s Maia. She probably thinks that’s what offices are for.

(I so badly want to end my recap there, but also, this Trump impeachment Schoolhouse Rock style song is A++++++ and I’m not sure why it exists but I’m glad it does. It’s also by the same guy (Jonathan Coulson) who did all the BrainDead recap songs (if you did not watch BrainDead, you should) so I’m a very happy fan.)

(Omg, and the slow instrumental “If You’re Happy and You Know It” over the credits is great.)

[ask-the-swapfell-crew]

the script

Swapfell: A version of Underswap AU that has been heavily inspired by the dark concept of Underfell AU. Swapfell [Pacifist Route]

==Chara==

The fallen child. Wears a jumpsuit. Default items: Knife & bandage

==Temmie==

(Translator’s note: not too sure if Temmie’s manner of speech would change completely or be kept the same as the one in the original game.)

Tem: "HOI! I’m Temmie.

U R new to the RUINS, roight? U muss b so…CONFOOSED! This place really scary YAYA! TEmmie helps you get outta here. First…try dodging these bullets! They gonna hurt U!”

-When hit: Tem: “HOIVS! Is hUman okay? Tem sorry, Tem threw them too fast”.

-When you successfully dodge the bullets: Tem: “Hooman done rly well YAYA! But this is the simplest kind of attack…Outside the RUINS, there’s goin to b so many scarier things… HO…HOIVS!? He…ASGORE is comin! Tem sorry, Hooman, Tem gotta go NAO!” (Temmie disappears to the ground after jumping up like a fox)

==Asgore==

A black goat. Wears a robe. Wields magic.

Asgore: “Finally, a human has fallen down.

It’s been a very long time since the last time this has happened… The throne made for the King of all monsters…With the human SOUL, I can finally fulfil my dream of claiming it mine! The Queen [Toriel] shall perish, and I will become the new ruler of the underground! Human, I must take you alive to the castle, and to the Queen. There’s no point in trying to escape from me, human. After all, the only way out from this place is past me, which would lead you straight to the castle. But first! I’ll have to see if you are worthy of being taken. Outside the RUINS dwells much greater danger, and if you can’t even look after yourself in this place, then…there’s no point in keeping someone as weak as you alive. I have important errands to run ahead, so survive and reach the end of the RUINS by yourself! Oh, I’ll leave you with this cell phone just in case, but I sure hope that I’ll never need to hear you call me for help.”

[RUINS, act 1]

(*The shadow of the RUINS wraps the air. You are filled with DETERMINATION.)

(The puzzles inside the RUINS have been destroyed. The broken parts of the puzzles are scattered across the paths, leaving a huge mess.) (The walls and the pillars have cracks on them)

==Dummy==

(Temmie reappears) Tem: “T-Tem is sorry! Tem didn’t try to run away without U, Human. Tem just too scared of…him…N-Nevermind that! Look! That’s a DUMMY, YAYA! Try talking to the Dummy, Human!

[MERCY] Tem: “uuuhm, Tem thinks this not a bad idea!” [ACT -> TALK] Tem: “Human well done!! If U talk to monsters like this, Tem is sure monsters will let Human go!

W…What if they DON’T let Human go?? …WeL…Maybe Human can th-threaten them…? With the Kn-Knife…? Beat them up…? O-or…Gib dem MoNs???

U see, that’s the kind of place this is, Human. Even tho it’s not good and U might not like it, U will habe to do those kinds of things…”

[RUINS, act 2]

Tem: “Sorry Human, Tem has to go back to where Human had fallen down for now. Don’t worry, Tem sure Human will B safe! The puzzles in the RUINS hab been destroyed by Asgore, so there will B nothing else around than some monsters, YayA! BTW, thank U Human…for trusting Tem!!!”

(*Whenever you walk across the paths, paved with scattered pieces of broken pillars and walls, the crackling sound echoes through the hallway. The thought of your journey ahead fills you with DETERMINATION.)

(Monster Candies and ‘G’) *It’s a note from Temmie: -HOI! It’s Tem. Tem forgot to gib Human these! They will help Human, YAyA!

*There are 3 Monster Candies and 400G. Will you take them? Y/N

(Moving the talking rock) Rock: “Nuh-uh, sorry pardoner. Ain’t gonna work, I ain’t movin an inch from this spot. Some nasty folk glued me down so that the traps dun’t move. Who that folk is, you askin’? Well, I’m preey sure you know just who.”

(The SAVE point near the mouse hole) * Although the walls are full of holes, the lone mouse inside the hole still intrigues you. Your curiosity fills you with DETERMINATION.)

[By inspecting the mouse hole repeatedly, a special dialogue script will be triggered.] *…? There’s something shining inside the mouse hole.

(Translator’s note: Seems like the author hasn’t decided what that special something would be yet.)

==Hapstablook==

Hapstablook: ........................................ ............................................... (Why are they still just standing there?) .............................................. *There’s a ghost crying, and they are blocking your way. *Will you move them forcibly? Y/N

Y -> *Here comes Hapstablook.

*[Check] *[Flirt] *[Threaten] *[Compliment]

[Compliment] *You try to encourage Hapstablook by complimenting them enthusiactically.

Hapstablook: “w…what?”

*Hapstablook seems to feel a little better.

[Compliment the second time] *You tell Hapstablook that they have a beautiful voice.

Hapstablook: “Gee, I know. Thank you so much…In return, I will let you hear more of my lovely voice.”

*Your compliments seem to have lifted Hapstablook’s mood.

*Hapstablook wants to show you something.

Hapstablook: “Wait, hold on a moment! Look at this! I call this ‘StarBlook’.”

*Hapstablook is excitedly anticipating your (kind) response.

Hapstablook: “Ah, of course! I usually come to the RUINS to practice because there’s hardly anybody here… But today I met somebody FABULOUS! Oh, am I blocking your way? I will move away just for you, darling. I hope to see you later!”

(Grillby’s chain store)

*A collection of Fire Restaurant’s finest dishes! Please visit the main store if you liked tasting the samples. Fire Salad 15 G : A bowl of flames. It seems as if it would burn your insides when you swallow it. Wait, would it really? Heals 20 HP Fire Wine 50 G : A fancy bottle of flames. It glows beautifully, but it doesn’t seem as appetising... nor does it look safe to drink. But you still wonder what it would taste like. Heals MAX HP. If you drink it, your vision would become blurry and you go dizzy for 1 minute.

(The promotion sign) *Did you miss it? Fire restaurant promo sale down and to the right. We offer you the one and only chance to taste the popular dishes from Fire Restaurant at the lowest prices! Come have the ‘hottest’ dishes made by flames, for flames, of flames!

[Asgore’s HOME]

(*Seeing a small and worn out, yet majestic house in a place like this fills you with DERTERMINATION.)

Asgore: “I’m surprised that you have actually made it this far. Well, not really. I did destroy all the puzzles, after all. I honestly don’t understand why anyone would think it is necessary to have something as annoying as those puzzles. What’s the point of having them if everyone going through the RUINS is going to get killed by me? Anyways, human. Go to the first room to your right. You must rest so that you are in your best state when I present you to the Queen.”

[Check Mirror] *It’s you.

[Going down stairs without talking to Asgore] Asgore: “Go upstairs, if you want to stay alive. I have yet to remove the bombs and mines down here.”

“Know that I can lock you up anytime if I want, human. Just go to your room.”

“You are the hope of monsters and humans. I cannot let you go alone, for I should be the one that takes you to the castle.”

*You tell Asgore that you are going to go outside the RUINS by yourself.

Asgore: “…If that’s how you are going to behave, I will have to destroy the door. Then, you will be trapped here unless you finally decide to come with me. Now, go back to your room. This is an order.”

[The Door] Asgore: “You wish to go back home, don’t you? Ahead of this corridor lies the door to the rest of the underground. I’m going to destroy it. You won’t be able to run away from me then. Go back upstairs, human. Every human who falls down here never gets out alive. I’ve seen so many of them trying to escape, but they all have failed, and died.   Foolish human. If you go outside, the Queen…Toriel…will kill you. But if you let me take you to the castle, I can let you live on and I will protect you, once I become the King.

You don’t have the power to stop me! ... Even the Queen, Toriel, is yet to defeat me. If you truly wish to go outside, prove to me that you are strong enough to survive. Prove yourself by defeating me!

[Fighting Asgore]

*Asgore blocks your way! - Author’s note: the solution to this fight is very similar to the one from Undertale. You must fight to defeat him.

[After defeating Asgore] Asgore: “...You were…much stronger than I’ve thought... (Looks up at Chara) You… really want to go through that door…that much?”

[Attack] [>Mercy]

Asgore: “...Fine... Do whatever you want. There’s no way I can stop you at this rate. Go through. And meet her…Meet Toriel, the Queen.”

(Asgore stays sat in front of/near the door after letting Chara pass through)

[Last encounter with Temmie in the RUINS] Temmie: “AMAZING! U passed the door and didn’t even kill ASGORE! Human so cool…but…Tem is so….w-whateVeS!! Tem prOuds of human!! The outside gon b so cruel and scarier…but…Tem believes that Human can do what Tem couldn’t… N-NO! Human no need to feel pressure! Tem always gonna watch U… and helps U!! So Human, Dun’t Die!!!!”

[Way to Snowdin Town] *...? *There’s a camera in the bushes. It smells of gunpowder…?

==Papyrus==

He’s always smoking, with his one eye almost closed most of the times. He wears a black sleeveless shirt, a pair of white socks, and a pair of black Adidas slippers with 3 white lines across on each one of the pair. His bones are all yellow except for his skull. He sells Tortillas.

Papyrus: "Human. Don’t you know how to treat your new pal?

Just hand over your filthy wad of money, that’s all it takes.”

*You hand over your money to the mysterious being.

Papyrus: “...? What. That’s all you’ve got? Darn it, today’s the worst. Make sure you carry around some more next time, ya little snotface. Anyways, you are human, right? I can’t believe one actually had managed to come out from…there. I’m Papyrus. Papyrus the Skeleton. I’m supposed to be looking for humans, but…Ya know. I can’t really be bothered. I really don’t care what happens to this place as long as I get my money. But my brother… ‘Sans’, he’s a human-hunting maniac. He’s gonna be running down here yelling at any moment, I’m pretty sure.

Hey bucko, not that I care if you die or not, but how bout I hide you from him for a while? It’s not going to be for free, though. Maybe helping you like this will make it up for giving me all that money just now? Here, if you wanna make the deal, cross this bridge.”

(A giant boulder falls and destroys the bridge as both Papyrus and Chara crosses to the other side of the bridge)

*You feel streams of cold sweat running down your back.

Papyrus: “Oh, I haven’t told you about the traps, have I. There’s gonna be heaps more of these on the way. Quick, hide behind the sentry station, would ya.”

(You do just that)

“Sup, Sans.”

==Sans==

His clothes has the Delta Rune symbol on the left chest area. He also has the symbol on his pupils. There’s a long open crack above his left eye socket area, probably similar to the one Horrortale Sans has. Loves SANSdwiches (ba dum tss). Says ‘NGH-HEH HEH!’ as he laughs. His weapon is a scythe made of bones AND it looks like a bone (translator’s note: Not sure how that would work but that’s what it says).

SANS: "DON’T !!!!!!!!! ‘SUP’ ME, PAPYRUS!!!!!!!!!!!!

CAN’T YOU SEE THAT THE BRIDGE’S BEEN BROKEN? WAS IT YOU WHO’D TOUCHED THE TRAPS?! YOU IDIOT!!! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO THE REGULAR MAINTENANCE ON IT, NOT BREAK IT!! ALL YOU DO IS SMOKE ALL DAY AND MESS THINGS UP FOR ME, PAPYRUS! AND JUST LOOK AT YOUR SICKLY, YELLOWING BONES!”

Papyrus: “Dude, I bet I’m gonna live for so long at this rate, my bones are turning into gold. Nye-heh.”

SANS: “UGH, THAT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING FUNNY, PAPS!!! AND WHAT WERE YOU DOING JUST THEN, YOU WERE SMOKING LIKE A HOUSE ON FIRE AGAIN, WEREN’T YOU???”

Papyrus: “No not at all, bro. I was gonna smoke over there at the sentry station.”

SANS: “FOR HECK’S SAKE! IF YOU’VE GOT TIME FOR THAT, GO CLEAR THAT BOULDER AND FIX THE TRAPS, YOU SCUM! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH???! DON’T YOU DARE TARNISH MY REPUTATION BY LETTING THEM ESCAPE, PAPYRUS! I AM THE BEST! I MUST BE THE BEST! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN! AND I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WILL RISE TO THE TOP WHERE EVERYONE WILL LOOK UPON ME WITH THEIR UTMOST RESPECT!! MORE HONOUR….MORE RECOGNITION…I WILL FINALLY FULLFIL MY DREAM OF BECOMING A ROYAL GUARD! SERIOUSLY, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY I AM STILL NOT ACCEPTED TO THE ROYAL GUARD. EVERYONE OBVIOUSLY FEARS AND OBEYS THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, SO WHY???”

Papyrus: “Um, prolly cuz you always get into troubles.” SANS: “WHAT?! YOU ARE THE ONE CAUSING ALL THE TROUBLES, YOU ROTTENING BAG OF BONES! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MY HARDSHIPS! YOU REEK AND I DON’T EVEN WANT TO GO NEAR YOU!!!!”

Papyrus: “But we don’t even have noses, Sans.”

SANS: “GAH!!!(*DISGUSTED SKELETON NOISES*)”

Papyrus: “Chillax, dude. It’s true tho, right?”

SANS: “IT IS AND I HATE IT!!! SIGH… WHY DOES SOMEONE AS MAGNIFICENT AS ME…HAVE TO GET NEGLECTED LIKE THIS?”

Papyrus: “Well, you ARE pretty violent. You literally beat up any monsters that you come across.

I bet they are all scared…and…

…rattling their bones…”

SANS: “GAH!!!!!!!! I’M HAVING A POUNDING HEADACHE JUST TALKING TO YOU!!!”

Papyrus: “Zowie, that’s BONKers.”

SANS: “SCREW YOU PAPYRUS!!!!!!!!!I’M OUTTA HERE!!!!!!!!!!”

[Sans goes off-stage]

Papyrus: “You can come out now, snotface. Oh you look pale, did ya hafta hold your breath cuz of the smoke? I don’t know how that feels cuz I’m just a skelee.”

* You tell him that the smell of rotting sandwiches was killing you more than the smoke did.

Papyrus: “Oh damn, I forgot about those again. Sans made those. Those are uh…you know. Those taste like cheese stuck between dirty socks. Would you believe me if I told you those smell like fruits, when freshly served? He makes me eat that garbage EVERYDAY. I don’t understand how he can suck so much at making something so basic.

Oh, got a little distracted, haven’t we.

Welp, I did your money’s worth. You should get going. He might come back. And when he sees you then, he will decapitate you. You wouldn’t want that to happen, aye?”

(And just as you try to enter the next map…)

Papyrus: “Um actually… the area beyond this point is full of traps because Sans is in charge. You are most likely going to die if you take a step there. How bout I guide you to a shortcut? Not for free, obviously.

Howzaboutit?”

150 G Will you pay him? [>N]

(You die immediately in the area that comes next to Sans & Papyrus encounter that is bound to happen after this payment) GAME OVER ???: “Chara! You are the hope of my future. Stay determined!” [>Y] Papyrus: “Sweet. It’s a deal. The shortcut’s just over there. I’ll see you in the next room, bucko.”

(Translator’s note: It doesn’t quite make sense to me how Chara could have paid more money, when Papyrus took all their money the first time. Are they using cheques or something? Put it on the tab?)

*(??? ???? ??? ??? ????(I can’t translate this, it just doesn’t make sense to my thick skull).)

[Papyrus & Sans]

SANS: “SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT ALPHYS.”

!

SANS: “YOU! YOU MUST BE…A HUMAN, RIGHT?! OH, THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME!”

Papyrus: “Hmm, I think that’s a rock, Sans.”

SANS: “ARE YOU BLIND!! THAT’S DEFINITELY NOT A ROCK!!”

Papyrus: “Well…About that...(Stares with his right eye half-closed)”

SANS: ….(>:^[) Papyrus: “My righ—”

SANS: “GAH!!!!!!!WHATEVER!!!! THAT’S A HUMAN! A HUMAN FINALLY ARRIVES! ALPHYS WILL… I’M GONNA… I’LL BECOME… A ROYAL GUARD! I CAN BECOME A ROYAL GUARD! OH YES I SURE WILL! HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA.

BECAUSE I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WILL DECAPITATE YOU!! WELL ACTUALLY, THAT COMES AFTER I’D CAPTURED YOU.

YOU WILL BE TAKEN TO ALPHYS!

AND!

ANNND!

UM.

WELL, SOMETHING’S GONNA HAPPEN. YEAH!

THE NEXT STAGE TO THIS AREA IS MY TURF, AND I’M SURE YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO SURVIVE MY TRAPS!! NGH-HEH-HEH!!!!” (goes off-stage)

Papyrus: “Well then, shall we go?”

                   ?                  ?? ||||||||        ??? ||||||||   +---- ||||||||-+ ||||||||?? ||||||||   ?????

[The shortcut takes both of them to that part of the game immediately, skipping all the maps that were supposed to come prior to it]

Papyrus: “There’s a town just past the bridge. Good luck, chump.”

[Long bridge before Snowdin Town]

SANS: “WHAT!!!  HOW DID YOU GET PAST MY TRAPS SO EASILY…AND SO FAST TOO, HUMAN?? YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL! WELL, WHATEVER! YOU ARE NOT GOING TO SURVIVE THIS ONE! BE HOLD, THIS IS YOUR LAST AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE: THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!”

(Various traps come down)

“WITH MY COMMAND, EVERYTHING WILL ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE, SPIKES WILL FALL! AND BLADES WILL SWING! THE CHANCES OF YOU SURVIVING THIS, YOU ASK? NONE! ARE YOU READY, HUMAN??? BECAUSE I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!”

?...

Papyrus: “Uh, something wrong, dude?”

SANS: “UGH, WHY ISN’T THIS STUPID THING WORKING?? WHY?? ARGH, SCREW THIS!! I’M SICK OF EVERYTHING ALWAYS TRYING TO RUIN MY DAY! JUST YOU WAIT, HUMAN! I AM DEFINITELY GOING TO KILL YOU AFTER I FIX THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!” (Sans goes off-stage)

Papyrus: “Hmm, so I guess…my role as your helper ends here? It’s just about enough labour for the money’s worth, don’t ya agree? Heeey, how come you are looking at me like that, as if you’re getting ripped off? I honestly did so much for you. You should thank me.”

[Snowdin Town]

(*All the houses in the town are old, boring and colourless. The townspeople look sad, and they do not seem to even have the strength to stand straight. Despite the depressing air that fills the whole town, the orange decorative lights above your head flicker, filling you with DETERMINATION.)

==Asriel==

Asriel: "You are a human, aren’t you?

But why would one be here? Well um…whatever. Are you going to the CORE as well? To see mom…I mean, the Queen Toriel?

It must have been so hard for you, to have come all the way here.”

==Snowdin Shop, Gerson==

Welcome. Watcha need?

[You say hello] Gerson: “You are not from around here, aren’t ye? Welcome to Snowdin Town. It’s been forever since the last time there’s been an outsider here. This stinking town’s not made for attracting tourists, after all. So, where dizya come from? The capital? You don’t look like a traveller.”

[You ask him about the things to do in Snowdin Town] Gerson: “…You seriously want to hang out here in Snowdin? Huh. Well, there is a big restaurant run by a lady called Muffet. The food there is okay-ish from what I know, but she’s a stingy one. Never misses a digit when it comes to counting money.

Also, you’ll see a library right next to the restaurant. I don’t recommend going inside, so don’t blame me if you do end up going there. It’s all dusty from years of neglect, and all you’ll find there are some outdated books and old, rusty, creaking desks.

Right next to my shop is the inn. Maybe you can rest there, but the beds? They have the worst kind. Plain horrible. They make your back hurt for a week. Oh, and it seems that the owner of the inn has a sister who’s apparently went out to live in Waterfall. I don’t know much of what happened to her.

By the way, have you seen a pair of funky skeletons on the street? Be careful out there, kiddo. If you stay outside for too long, they might come and molest you, take your money away or maybe even cut off all your limbs. Brothers, I think. They just suddenly appeared one day, threatening the townsfolk and…things here have gotten worse than ever. Now everyone’s traumatised and always terrified.”

[The history of the town] Gerson: “What, are you seriously asking me about the history of the town, right here and now? Do kids even go to school these days...Hmm, actually, that’s understandable. The underground school is utter trash. Alright kid, here it goes.

Long ago, many monsters used to live in the RUINS. Long story short, they all eventually had to evacuate to the end of the underground. But only the rich and the strong survived the journey to the end, and the poor and the weak, such as myself, left behind the cold and dark place we now call Snowdin.

That being said, you should keep away from the RUINS. The door there had been locked for ages, but you shouldn’t even try unless you are a ghost or have a reason to dig a big ol’ tunnel through the ground. Anyone who gets near the door, dies.”

[About life] Gerson: “Life? It’s always the same, full of struggles and frustration. I’m gonna become claustrophobic just hiding inside like this every day. I want to go out to the surface again. Who wouldn’t? This wretched place’s the worst you can ever set your feet into. The ones of higher power repress the poor and the weak, and somewhere, every day, someone gets murdered and unspeakable things rot people’s mind. Who’d ever want to live here? But for us to all escape from this damned place, the magical barrier has to be taken down, which the Queen has yet to accomplish. I don’t have high hopes. Even if she does take it down someday, only the privileged monsters living at CORE will escape, and the rest will be abandoned like we always had been.

So, young one, if you want my word of advice, all I can tell you is: ‘get out of here as soon as you can’.”

[The Librarby]

-*(These are school reports about monster funerals. The yellowing sheets of paper suggest that they are from very long ago.) Monster funerals, technically speaking, are dumb as heck. When monsters get old and kick the bucket, they turn into dust. At funerals, we take that dust and spread it on that person’s favourite thing. They say the person’s memory will live on those things forever. Seriously, it’s an awfully dumb tradition.

-*While monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water. Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us. But they will never know the joy of getting their custom magic-bullet-patterned merchandises. It’s all about business, baby!

-*Because they are made of magic, monsters’ bodies are attuned to their SOUL. If a monster doesn’t want to fight, its defence will weaken. And the crueller the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us. Therefore, if a being with a powerful SOUL struck with the desire to kill…

-* “MONSTER HISTORY PART 4” Fearing the humans, we evacuated out of our old home, RUINS. We braved through the harsh cold, damp swampland, and searing heat…Until we reached what we now call our capital. But what we couldn’t have foreseen was the battle between the monster kinds. Poverty and appalling crimes, along with our grudge against humanity, have let the monster society to fall apart.

-*Love… hope… compassion…? (Various words are scribbled, but are cancelled out to make it hard to read them) This is what people say monster SOULs are made of. But the absolute nature of “SOUL” is unknown. After all, humans have proven that monster SOULs don’t need these things to exist.

[Bonebrother’s mail boxes]

(LEFT) (*The name ‘SANS’ is written on this mailbox. It’s full of memo papers and letters. None of them seems to have been read, but they are still all crumpled anxiously. You also notice that some of the letters are about the bills.) (RIGHT) (*This mailbox is completely boarded up with wooden panels.)

[Sans Fight]

SANS: “HUMAN. ALTHOUGH IT IS A SHAME FOR ME TO ADMIT, I GET THAT YOU ARE PRETTY DARN STRONG AND CLEVER. AFTER ALL, YOU HAVE GOTTEN PAST MY TRAPS, SUCCESSFULLY UPSETTING SOMEONE AS MAGNIFICENT AS ME! ALSO…UH…PAPYRUS TOLD ME THAT YOU’D EATEN ONE OF MY SANDWICHES, AND SO GRACEFULLY, TOO! IS THAT TRUE?”

[*You tell him that you have not----]

SANS: “WELL, IT IS TRUE THAT MY COOKING SKILL IS THE FINEST!”

[*You try again to tell him that it’s all a lie------]

SANS: “I UNDERSTAND, HUMAN. MY SANDWICHES MUST BE SO GOOD (Translator’s note: it sure does bring all the boys and girls to the yard, am I right lads or am I right lads) , HOW ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE EATEN ONE THAT’S GOTTEN SO OLD? YOU MUST REALLY LIKE (MY) SANDWICHES! ( ?° ?? ?°) AND YOU ARE SO STRONG, TOO. I’VE NOTICED THAT YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO PULL THROUGH MY DEVIOUSNESS AND ENTERTAIN ME FOR A WHILE! THE PEOPLE I’VE KILLED SO FAR HAVE DIED WAY TOO EASILY, AND IT’S NOT BEEN SO FUN FOR ME, YOU KNOW? UNTIL…YOU’VE CAME ALONG! OH, I SURE AM GOING TO HAVE A GOOD TIME. OH, THE WHOLE KILLING YOU THING? DON’T WORRY TOO MUCH; I STILL NEED THE PERMISSION TO KILL YOU. SO, THAT’S BEING POSTPONED. NOW, HUMAN. I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, WILL… WAIT…. NO. I CAN’T SHOW YOU MY TRUE POWER AND MIGHTINESS UNLESS I STRIKE WITH THE INTENTION TO KILL YOU! AND I’VE WANTED TO TEST IT FOR LONG, TOO…ON AN ACTUAL, STRONG HUMAN LIKE YOU! HUMAN, I SHALL FIGHT YOU TO FINALLY REACH MY TRUE POTENTIAL! THAT I HAVE YET! TO HAVE WITNESS! AS THE NEWEST MEMBER… OF THE ROYAL GUARD!

*Sans blocks your way!

[Act>Check]

Sans [ATK and DEF : (awaiting author’s input)] He likes to say “NGH-HEH-HEH!”

SANS: “NGH-HEH-HEH!” (or) *Sans whispers ‘NGH-HEH-HEH!’ to you.

SANS: “WHAT, YOU AREN’T GONNA FIGHT? WELL! THAT MEAN’S I WILL HAVE TO THROW THE FIRST BLOW! TAKE THIS, YOU ARE GONNA HAVE A TERRIBLE TIME!

NGH-HEH-HEH!”

*The blade on Sans’ scythe glows cyan blue.

SANS: “NGH-HEH-HEH, I SEE YOU TRYING TO DODGE!

BUT HOW LONG WILL YOU LAST JUST BY DODGING?”

* Sans excitedly swings the scythe that’s been resting on his shoulders.

SANS: “I HOPE YOU WILL SURVIVE AS FAR TO SEE MY SPECIAL ATTACK, HUMAN!

* Sans is reminded of the time Papyrus had blown out cigarette smoke on Sans’ face, and frowns in disgust.

SANS: “GAH!! I’M GETTING DISTRACTED BECAUSE YOU ARE MOVING SO SLOW!”

* Sans is preparing for something.

SANS: “EVERYTHING WILL GO AS PLANNED ONCE I HAND YOU OVER TO ALPHYS.”

*Sans is laughing hysterically.

SANS: “AND THEN, SHE WILL FINALLY LET ME BE AN OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED ROYAL GUARD!

AS FOR PAPYRUS…GAH, I CAN’T CARE LESS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT MONEY DRIVEN FOOL!”

*Sans is pretending to be cool.

SANS: “FROM THEN, THOSE ANNOYING LETTERS WILL STOP BEING DELIVERED TO MY HOUSE…AND I BET INSTEAD, SO MANY PEOPLE WILL GATHER AROUND MY HOUSE TO PAY THEIR RESPECT TOWARD ME!”

[When you are left with only 1 HP]

SANS: “I…I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU ARE SO WEAK??? ARE YOU MESSING AROUND WITH ME?? THIS IS NOT FUN AT ALL! THERE’S NO WAY YOU ARE THE SAME PERSON WHO HAD DEFEATED ALL MY TRAPS! UNBELIEVABLE! YOU ARE GROUNDED FOR NOT LETTING ME USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK! I’M GOING TO PUT YOU IN THE ‘DUNGEON (PAPYRUS CALLS IT OUR GARAGE BUT ‘DUNGEON’ SOUNDS COOLER)!”

[BONEBROTHERS’ GARAGE]

*It’s a note from Sans.

SANS: ‘HUMAN! YOU SHALL REMAIN HERE UNTIL ALPHYS DECIDES WHAT TO DO WITH YOU. DON’T YOU DARE TRY TO ESCAPE!’

[Check dog food bowl] *(Unfortunately, it’s just dry food)

[Check exit door] *(The door knob is broken. A note that says “Under Papyrus’ Maintenance” hangs next to it.)

SANS:  “YOU!! HOW DID YOU GET OUT? GO BACK IN THERE, ALPHYS HASN’T COME YET!!”

(Second battle with Sans, Chara down to1HP again.)

SANS: “GOT YA, HUMAN! I DONNO HOW YOU HAD MANAGED TO GET OUT ONCE, BUT I WON’T LET YOU DO THAT TWICE! IT’S DANGEROUS TO BE OUTSIDE, SO GO BACK INSIDE!

*It’s a note from Sans.

SANS: ‘YOU SHOULD REALLY NOTIFY ME FIRST IF YOU WANNA GET OUT, HUMAN. I’M NOT LETTING OTHERS KILL YOU FIRST, THAT WOULD TAINT MY REPUTATION.

[Check dog food bowl] *(It has what seems like…uh, a sandwich inside. It’s shredded into small piece.)

[Check exit door] *(The door knob is still broken, but this time it has ducktapes on.)

SANS: “WHAT, AGAIN?! IS THE DOOR KNOB STILL NOT FIXED?? AND WHY ARE YOU KEEP TRYING TO COME OUT, YOU JUST END UP BEING CAPTURED WAY BEFORE I EVEN USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK! ARE YOU BEING PERKY BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU ARE SO STRONG? YOU MUST REALLY WANT TO CHALLENGE SOMEONE AS STRONG LIKE I, HUH!”

(Third battle with Sans, Chara down to1HP again.)

SANS: “NO, NEVERMIND…YOU ARE JUST TOO WEAK.”

*It’s a note from Sans.

SANS: ‘JUST PLEASE STAY PUT, WON’T YOU? I’VE TOLD PAPYRUS FOR THE SECOND TIME TO FIX THE DAMNED DOOR KNOB, SO NOW YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO GET OUT!”

[Check exit door] *(Someone tried to fix the door with some strips of cellophane tape. There is a thread of post-its next to the door.)

PAPYRUS! I TOLD YOU TO FIX THE DOOR! Okay. DON’T JUST ADMIT IT! FIX IT NOW AND PROPERLY! ‘Properly.’ YOU CALL THIS FIXED???? Well it does shut. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOCK IT! Oh hey wait, I think the door’s stuck… GAH, NEVERMIND!

SANS: “GAH, I KNEW HE WOULDN’T HAVE FIXED THE DOOR! ARE YOU JUST TRYING TO MESS WITH ME??? I DON’T HAVE THE TIME TO PLAY WITH YOU! GAH, I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS SITUATION. I COULD EASILY AMPUTATE YOUR LEGS SO YOU CAN’T WALK ANYMORE, YOU KNOW. IT SUCKS THAT I NEED TO PRESENT THE HUMAN NICE AND FRESH.”

(*Would you fight Sans for the fourth time?) >No

SANS: “HOW…HOW DARE YOU MAKE A MOCKERY OF ME!!...I’M GONNA GET LAUGHED AT FOR THIS, AREN’T I?! I WON’T BE ABLE TO BECOME A ROYAL GUARD, THEN…”

*(What would you say to him?)

-> You tell him that you are going to come back to Sans after running some errand.

SANS: “WHAT? BUT HOW CAN I TRUST YOU? WAIT A SECOND, MAYBE…MAYBE IT’S GOING TO BE FINE. YOU ARE BEING WATCHED BY ‘HER’ EVERYWHERE YOU GO IN THE UNDERGROUND, ANYWAYS. HOW DID I FORGET ABOUT THAT? THE ONLY WAY OUT HERE IS WHERE THE QUEEN IS, AND THE QUEEN WILL SURELY KILL YOU, AND BREAK THE BARRIER USING YOUR HUMAN SOUL. IT’S IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO BEAT HER IF YOU ARE SO WEAK LIKE THIS.

OH, HOW ABOUT I GIVE YOU MY PHONE NUMBER? I MIGHT AS WELL USE YOU FOR MY ENTERTAINMENT AS LONG AS YOU ARE ALIVE. I HAVE TO ADMIT, IT’S BEEN PRETTY FUN FIGHTING YOU, AND I’M IMPRESSED THAT YOU’VE STILL SURVIVED DESPITE BEING A WEAKLING. HERE, YOU BETTER PICK UP IMMEDIATELY WHEN I CALL YOU, OR ELSE! ANYWAYS, I’M GONNA BE AT MY HOUSE FOR A WHILE. FEEL FREE TO VISIT. LATER, HUMAN! NGH-HEH-HEH!”

[Waterfall]

*(The voices echoing through the tunnel fills you with DETERMINATION.)

(Asriel)

Asriel: “Oh, it’s you. Are you going to where Alphys is? You see, I’ve actually been trying to become a Royal Guard myself. But I would always get rejected. Mom will sure be happy again if I could become a member of the Royal Guard… Oh, don’t tell anyone that I’d said that. Haha.”

[Sentry Station]

Papyrus: “Oh, you are not dead yet? Hey, that’s pretty impressive. Me? Can’t you see that I’m working? Having two jobs means twice the money. BTW, I’m going to Muffet’s. Wanna come and talk for a bit?”

>Sure       /       No I’m busy

Papyrus: “Alright. Come this way.”

[Muffet’s]

Papyrus: “Here we are. Let’s sit there. Hey, why the mean looks? Don’t tell me you are still angry that I took all your money? I deserved to get paid for what I’ve done, you know.

Hey boss, how’s the business going?”

*(Muffet aggressively hands out to Papyrus a handful of receipts.) Muffet: “It would be going fantastically only if you would pay your tab, you stinky skeleton.”

Papyrus: “Whoa there, you look as if you are going to break my bones. I’m already broke as heck, you know.”

Muffet: “I’ve had enough of your puns, Papyrus. Get out if you are not gonna order something.”

Papyrus: “Oy snotface, ye gonna order?

[YES    /    >NO]

Papyrus: “What the hell kid, we can’t stay here if you don’t order. No, I’m not here to spend my money. I just came for a chat.

*(...Seems like you don’t have much of an option but order. What would you have?) -Spider Cider 20G    -Spider Beer 50G

Muffet: “This is the only thing a kid like you can have. Here.”

*Muffet hands you a jug of Spider Cider, aggressively.

Muffet: “Hold on there, Papyrus. Everyone has to order to stay. Hurry up and get something.

Papyrus: Um…Unfortunately, missus, I haven’t got any money on me. How about you pay for me as well, kid?

*(......Seems like you must. What would you order?) - Spider Donut 50G  -Spider Beer 50G

Papyrus: “Eh, I’ll have beer.”

*(.........You order beer.)

(Muffet goes to the back storage to fetch beer.)

Papyrus: “By the way…You seem to get along awfully well with my brother. Doesn’t he bother you?”

[he doesn’t bother me     /      > I hate the guy]

Papyrus: “Of course you do. He’s noisy and troublesome, and it’s always me who has to go around and fix his mess. It gets really annoying, and most importantly, it costs money. But it’s true that he’s pretty darn strong.

Oh, here comes the booze. Hey boss, mind if I vape?”

Muffet: >:^(

Papyrus: “Alright, I won’t. Chill.

Anyways, Snotface. He might not look it, but Sans is pretty serious about the whole ‘becoming a Royal Guard’ thing. Once, he went up to the captain of the Royal Guard and yelled at her, threatening her to accept him as a member of the Royal Guard. Of course, he got rejected because it was 3 in the morning. But Sans just kept yelling from outside her house, and not letting her sleep for once. When she couldn’t handle it anymore, she came out the door and bluntly said that she would train him. And it’s uh, still work in progress.

Oh that’s right, I have something to ask. Have you ever heard of a talking flower?” Yes / > No

Papyrus: “Gee, kid. Is there anything you actually know ABOUT…? Whatever, I’ll tell you about it. The Echo Flowers. Those purple flowers are all over Waterfall. If you try to say something to it, it will hypnotise you and make you say all the filthy truth inside your mind, and the flower will repeat it endlessly even after you are gone. So, what about it? Well…Sans has told me something weird. He seemed very upset. He said he had been hearing someone whisper things to him. Concerns…Encouragements… Advices. And sometimes, the voice even tries to lecture him for his behaviour. Don’t you find that weird? A mere echo flower wouldn’t talk that way. I was wondering if you knew anything about it, but nevermind if you don’t.

Oh, looks like I’ve dragged on for too long.

Thanks for the drink, kiddo.”

[Waterfall]

(Behind the falling water,)

(there’s an echo flower.)

*(A distorted voice can be heard from the echo flower that has been stomped on by someone.)

“Un…..d….lo….” *(You can’t seem to understand it.)

*(There’s a scrap of paper on the floor. Will you take it?) >Take it       |     Leave it be

*(You’ve got Alphys’ Letter EX.)

Items->Check – “Alphys’ Letter EX” – Desperate clawmarks cover the letter. The envelope says it is directed to Dr. Undyne.

Items->Use – It’s been sealed very tightly. In fact, you might need a chainsaw to open it. You peek through a hole made by the clawmarks, and can see a letter ‘L’.

Items-> Drop – It’s too strong to be dropped.

[Waterfall Bushes – The Hiding Spot]

SANS: “HI, ALPHYS. YOU MUST HAVE HEARD ALREADY, BUT I GOT TO FIGHT A HUMAN. YOU KNOW, THE ONE I’VE TOLD YOU ABOUT OVER THE PHONE? WHAT, DID I LOSE? HECK NO DID I LOSE, I…I LET THEM GO ON PURPOSE! AND THEY PROMISED ME TO COME BACK. WHAT DO YOU MEAN I WAS LIED TO?? THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE! BESIDES, YOU CAN ALWAYS CHECK WHERE THEY ARE ON THE CAMERAS! I’M GONNA CALL THEM AND PROVE IT. I’M GONNA PROVE THAT THEY DIDN’T LIE! WHAT?? YOU ARE GOING TOO KILL THEM YOURSELF? NO, ALPHYS! IF YOU DO THAT, I CAN’T PLAY WITH THEM ANYMORE!”

-Chara moves and makes a noise

!

(BOOM!) – Alphys jumps down and searches the tall bushes. She grabs someone up by their neck, but it’s just Asriel. She puts him down and jumps back up, disappearing into the dark.

Asriel: “Ah, that gave me the heebi jeebies! It’s all your fault I got busted. At least she’s just gone away. By the way, what the heck did you do to become their target? Oh, maybe it’s just because you are a human… But you still want to become a Royal Guard, right? It would be very tough for you, but good luck!”

*(Fear tries to overwhelm you, but you stay DETERMINED.)

*(There’s an abandoned plate of lasagne under the bench. Will you take it?) >Take it        |           Leave it be

*(You’ve obtained the Abandoned Lasagne.) -" Abandoned Lasagne " - Heals 34 HP A lame-looking lasagne made of tomato and eggplant.

Echo flower: *I wasn’t ready to take the responsibility.

*Ring Ring... SANS: “HELLO, HUMAN! THIS IS SANS. HOW DID I GET THIS NUMBER? WELL, WHAT DOES IT MATTER? ANYWAYS, I’M CALLING YOU RIGHT NOW TO CHECK WHERE YOU ARE. I’M GONNA GUESS, YOU ARE NEAR A TUNNEL, RIGHT?? WHAT, DIDN’T YOU HEAR ME WHEN I HAD TOLD YOU THAT I’M GONNA KEEP CALLING YOU? I KEEP MY WORDS, YOU KNOW? SO YOU ARE NEAR THAT TUNNEL? GOT IT, SEE YOU LATER VERY SOON!

*Click…

[The Wishing Room]

*(The walls are covered with depressing words.) ‘It’s all useless. There’s no way wishes can come true.’ ‘I’ve prayed countless times, but nothing’s been accomplished.’ ‘We have no hope, we have no dream….’ ‘There’s no hope in the Underground.’

Echo flowers: *Long ago, monsters used to whisper their wishes to the shining stars on the sky. But now, all we have is the glowing rocks on the ceiling... If our wishes could truly come true by praying to the stars, maybe we wouldn’t have been trapped down here. This proves that even the stars and the sky have abandoned us.

*There’s no way thousands of wishes would come true. Even the king has left us in despair.” *What’s the point of coming here, anyway? *Countless times I’ve prayed, and I still haven’t gotten the recognition I deserve. *Wouldn’t destroying the ceiling make us see the real stars?

[Through the cave near the Wishing Room]

*(Ancient engravings cover the wall. You can barely make them out.)

‘The War between Humans and Monsters’

*Why did the humans attack? They seem to have nothing to fear. Humans are far stronger than us monsters, given the power of their SOULs. *The SOUL power of a single human could match those of all the monsters underground combined. *However, humans have a weak point. Ironically, it’s the power of their own SOUL. With such power, Human SOULs can persist even outside their body. If a monster defeats a human, they can take their SOUL. A monster with a human SOUL... A horrible beast with unfathomable power.

*(An ancient picture of a strange creature is plastered to the wall. Seeing it makes you feel unsettled…)

[Alphys Encounter & the Chase]

Asriel: “Oh geez, it’s you again. Say, are you following me? It’s your fault if we get caught while sneaking on her again, you know. Alphys just gave me a mean look few minutes ago and I wouldn’t want to appeal to her as a troublemaker anymore than I already have because of you. Well, at least it’s nice that she’s starting to notice me more, but still.

Hey, don’t be so down. Maybe you can come again later to hang out. I bet I will be around here, like I always am.”

*(This cheese has been on this table for so long, a magical crystal has grown on it. It’s stuck to the table… Desperate claw-marks cover the surface of the crystal. )

Echo Flower: I’m sooooo huuungryyy… Is this crystal… edible?

*(You feel perplexed by seeing the claw-marks, but you stay determined.)

(The Telescope) Papyrus: “The underground is riddled with fools who are obsessed with meaningless garbage. So I started this telescope business. Wanna have a go? It’s 50000G to use this premium telescope. Oh wait, you’d probably know more about the real stars in the sky than I do, right? Okay then, I’ll let you use this telescope for free so you wouldn’t complain later and call me a scammer.

So, howzaboutit?”

>Use         |       Don’t Use

*(You see rows of shiny rocks through the telescope. It doesn’t strike as accurate to real stars you’ve seen on the surface.)

(The player character gets a blue circular mark on one eye)

Papyrus: “Oh what the heck, looks like the paint didn’t dry properly yet. Yeah, that’s right. I just painted those shiny rocks on the lens. I say it’s good enough to trick some fools with high hopes.”

*What’s a star? Can you touch it? Can you eat it? Can you kill it? … Are you a star? … I really hoped you were.

Echo Flower: *(You hear a passing conversation.) *Well, don’t you have any wishes to make? *...Well, I do have one, but it’s kinda stupid.

The Phone: *Ring Ring… SANS: HELLO! IT’S ME, SANS. I CLEARLY REMEMBER YOU SAYING TO ME THAT YOU ARE NEAR A TUNNEL, BUT FOR SOME REASON I CAN’T SEE YOU ANYWHERE... YOU ARE ABSOULTELY, AND DEFINITELY GOING STRAIGHT FROM THERE, RIGHT?? OKAY, I WILL CALL YOU BACK LATER! *Click…

Echo Flower: *(You hear a passing conversation.) *No pressure if you don’t want to talk about it, but still… I’m kinda curious to know.

*(Human History continued) "The Power to Possess a Human SOUL.” “This is what the humans feared.”

[Shyren Spawn Area]

(Piano – No puzzle) *(...? It’s a battered old piano. Seems like someone practiced on it quite frequently.) *(Besides the piano, you see sheet music scattered around the corners of the room. The sheets are old, and filled with music scores illegibly. Some are torn.) *(‘Worl’... You can’t read the rest of the text because page has been torn apart on the corner.)

*There was no way for the humans to counter the power of a monster who has taken over a human SOUL, for it is impossible for humans to take a monster’s SOUL.

A monster’s SOUL immediately disappears upon death, and forcefully extracting the SOUL out of a live monster’s body would require incredible energy. *However, there’s an exception. The special kind of monsters called ‘Boss Monsters’ have enough SOUL power that can persist outside their body after death for a short time. Humans may be able to absorb the SOUL of Boss Monsters, but that has never happened. It hasn’t and will never be happening.

*(There’s what seems to be a stone statue. It seems incomplete.)

[The Umbrella]

*(The sign is broken.) *(The umbrellas are mostly ripped into pieces and bent. There’s only one umbrella that still works. Would you take the umbrella?) >Take it       |     Don’t Take it

Asriel: “Oh, how come you have a working umbrella? Well, I hope you don’t mind me using it!” (Asriel snatches away the umbrella from you. What an ass-riel.)

(*The rain from above splashes against your face.)

Asriel: “Y’know, I asked Alphys one more time to let me join the Royal Guard. And then, uh, got rejected again. But I think I’m almost there, I can definitely see that I’m making progress! Or at least I would be more qualified to be in the Royal Guard than a human like you.

So, as you may know, those purple Echo Flowers are made of magic. I’ve heard that those can be quite deadly to Monsters and not as effective to humans because of that. I saw my mother has a big garden of those Echo Flowers. I wonder why she has it?”

[The Castle View]

(Asriel starts to walk slower) (There are Echo Flowers around the map)

Asriel: “…Oh…Oh no, there are so many…Echo Flowers here, I swear there weren’t this many…the last time I was here… Hey, I’m gonna take a rest. If I don’t, I might…pass… ...

*(He has fallen asleep. You put the umbrella over his head.)

(You go over to the nearest umbrella station and pick up an old, broken umbrella.)

*(You’ve obtained a Broken Umbrella.)

*(This ledge is too steep to climb over, but you might find a way to climb it using your umbrella. Would you use the umbrella? >Yes             |            No

*(You climb over the ledge using the umbrella somehow, and left the umbrella below the ledge.)

*The Humans, fearful of our ability to absorb their SOUL, have announced a war against us. They attacked suddenly, and showed no mercy.

*( The sound of falling raindrops fills you with DETERMINATION.)

*As a result, the battle became something that can hardly be called a war. The Humans working together were far too strong, and us Monsters, too weak. Countless monsters turned to dust.

[The second Alphys Chase]

[The bridge is cut off, and the player falls down the garbage dump] I think I heard it from here... YO! You must be another kid Toriel has taken in. Are you alright? I thought I heard you crying… Oh, that wasn’t you? …Hey, what’s your name? Frisk?... That’s a nice name. Mine is…

*(This stream of water flowing down from the ceiling seems to be connected to the surface. Once in a while, pieces of garbage fall down from the gap, and disappear through the pit of darkness below. Seeing this endless cycle of garbage fills you with DETERMINATION)

*(You’ve found some junk food among the heap of garbage. This fills you with DETERMINATION.)

[Mad Dummy Fight]

*(Looks like a regular training dummy. Will you hit it?) >Yes       |       No *(You lightly kick the dummy.) *(Nothing happened.)

Mad Dummy: * “You! Unforgivable! How dare you just walk away after kicking me?! I am a ghost that lives inside the dummy. My cousin also used to live inside a dummy, until… YOU came along! The poor guy was scared off by the knife you were holding and disappeared! Horrible! Shocking! Unbelievable!! And they even told me that there’d be nothing to fear in the RUINS except for that one big monster.

HUMAN! I’ll take their revenge. I’ll…I… Oh, oh no, is that a knife?! Ha…hahah! It’s useless, physical attacks don’t work on me! Plus I, too, have a knife!!!!”

*(Mad Dummy throws their knife and misses.)

“(How…How could this be?! ) I’m…out of knife......................................

*(Mad Dummy disappears)

*  “Oh, what’s going on here???”

Hapstablook: * “I can’t concentrate on my practice. Tone it down, please! Oh! It’s you, darling. What have you been doing outside my house? Well, no matter. Just please keep it quiet so that I can concentrate on my practice. I will be going back in my house! …Uh, actually… Feel free to ‘chase’ me inside the house if you’d like to see me practice. Yes, perhaps you’d be a great distraction for me, but seeing me practice would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance that you wouldn’t want to miss! So I understand.

My house is up this way. Just making sure you know!”

*(This place is comfortingly quiet. You finally feel at peace and are filled with DETERMINATION.)

[Hapstablook’s House]

Hapstablook: “Oh?? I’ve never expected you to actually come all the way here… I…I mean, welcome, darling! I guess you really want to see me practice! Well, feel free to have a seat on the corner over there and watch me.”

*(It’s a diary. Would you read it? >Yes        | No

Hapstablook: “How rude! What do you think you are doing, that’s my super secret diary!”

*(Hapstablook is posing rhythmically with music blaring in the background…it seems?)

Hapstablook: “Darling, why don’t you join me and try posing, too? There’s no guarantee that I won’t be having any guest performers in my show, so it would be necessary to have a fine partner to practice with.”

*(You pose dramatically with Hapstablook. Hapstablook seems to be impresse.)

Hapstablook: “Not bad, darling! That was really… uh, do you hear that? Hold on, I will check the outside.”

(They exit the house)

*(Now that Hapstablook is outside, perhaps this might be the perfect time to read their diary. Will you do it?) >Yes  |  No

-1st Entry: Dear precious diary, Recently there have been very unfortunate rumours going around Waterfall. It saddens me. Some monsters have gone missing, and…Blooky won’t come out of his house or talk to me anymore. Sometimes he just disappears without any warning and does not come back for days. I’m afraid that he will never come to visit me or see me practice again.

-2nd Entry: Dearest diary, I enjoy buying new diaries for each entry I make. Writing down my thoughts, which I could never tell the others… It’s my element.

-3rd Entry Dear Darling Diary, My cousin left the house to fulfil their dream of becoming a training dummy. It’s just me and Blooky here now. I’ve noticed that Blooky is hanging out often with a certain monster at the garbage dump. And Blooky sounded so…excited to be with them? Perhaps, they would also leave the house like our cousin did, leaving me behind in this house, alone… You haven’t told me about it, Blooky, but I know that you’ve found a way to become corporeal. Everyone else but you, had been talking about it.

-4th Entry Dear lovely diary, Blooky told me something with a very enthusiastic voice today. It seems someone really enjoys listening to Blooky’s music. But, Blooky…I…I’ve heard that news from else before you’d told me about it. Did you just…uh…Were you just excited to tell everyone about it?

-5th Entry Diary…My love, You are all I’ve got left. Blooky probably won’t ever come back. It’s been so long since they left. I’m all alone, I’m tired I’m so tired I’m so tired I’m so tired

*(The pages have been ripped from this part and you can’t read them.)

-6th Entry To my dear diary... I’ve received a mail from Blooky after he’s been away for so long. They said sorry. It would have been better if they came here to visit me and tell me that. Why didn’t they? This…Anyone could have sent a simple mail like this. I didn’t reply. And a week has been passed since. And there’s no hope in achieving my dream.

[The Rabbit Shopkeeper]

“Welcome. We’ve got plenty of things to sell here, but nothing’s for penniless customers.”

[About You (The shopkeeper)] “Me? Well, there’s not much to say other than that I was one of the monsters to have fought in the War. Though, I wasn’t particularly championed as a great warrior, and my name is not known by many but my family and perhaps by one or two other monsters. I’m originally from Snowdin. It’s a very boring and depressing town, so I left there, alone. “

[The symbol] “What, you mean the Delta Rune? You don’t know what that is? You must be from the streets, since there’s no way you wouldn’t know if you’ve ever went to school. Delta Rune is a universal symbol that represents the kingdom of monsters as a whole.”

[The story behind Delta Rune] “Delta Rune’s an ancient symbol that has been passed down through generations, though its original meaning has been lost in time. From what I can remember, the triangles symbolise the monsters, and the winged circle above is supposed to be…something else. Many believe that it represents the angel from the prophecy. I think it’s kinda ridiculous, wouldn’t you agree?”

[The Prophecy] “According to the prophecy, an angel who has seen the surface world will come down below to free the monsters. But these days, everyone thinks that this so-called angel is actually the ‘Angel of Death and Destruction’. The mighty god who will ‘FREE US’ monsters from this world… Weird, huh? Why not just call it the ‘Devil’ instead of the ‘Angel’?

I also find it stupid to believe in such myth. If the angel really were to exist, good for me, but having high hopes in things you can’t even see or feel makes it harder for people to bear with the world, y’know?”

[The Queen]

“The Queen is merciless but an extremely collected person. You might run into her if you stayed at CORE. She seems to go past there a lot of the times. But, being a low-class citizen like you are, you will need to brace yourself and even risk your life if you truly are willing to meet her.”

[About Alphys] “Alphys? Oh yes, I’ve been around her since she was tiny. All she wanted was to become powerful enough to survive on her own. Now, with her determination and strength she’s become the captain of the Royal Guard. Actually…Alphys just came here to ask if I’d seen anyone that looks just like you. I would watch my back if I were you, kid. I might consider hiding you if you buy something from me, but until then…well…hahahah.”

(Echo flower Forest)

*(The air is full of the scent of Echo Flower, and it hurts your nose.)

[The War of Humans and Monsters Continued:] *Hurt, weak, and afraid of death, the monsters surrendered. The seven powerful magicians of the Human race forever sealed the monsters underground with their spell. Anything can get in through the barrier, but nothing can ever get out unless with a SOUL powerful enough to cross the barrier. The only way to break this spell… is to have a force that matches the SOUL power of seven Human SOULs attack the barrier. But that won’t happen. This cursed place will always be sealed away, for it is impossible for a human to find their way down here. We will be trapped down here forever.

[Flowey Town]

*Welcome to Flowey Town. *(Something feelS definitely… wrong. You are filled with DETERMINATION.)

*howdy! I’m Flowey. You must be new to the UNDERGROUND, aren’tya? *howdy! I’m Flowey. So, you are still alive and well, huh? *howdy! I’m Flowey. You must have gotten used to the UNDERGROUND, huh? *In thi world, it’s kill or be killed.

[Flowey Shop] *howdy! I’m Flowey. Flowey the flower! You are a human, right? Well, why not look around?

Friendliness pallets 1000 G

[Asriel and Alphys Encounter]

Echo Flower: “b e h i n d     y o u.”

==Alphys== Weapon: A double-sided axe on one hand, and a halberd on the other. A huge scar covers her whitened left eye. The tip of her nose(the snout?)has scars, and the right-side of her mouth has scars as well(NOT glasgow)

Alphys: "You must be the HUMAN.

Nice try getting away from me like a rodent…But now I’ve got you. You are NOT getting away so easily this time. Your SOUL will be delivered to the Queen, and with it, the barrier will break. This is the chance for your redemption.”

Asriel: “Alphys! This time, I will…uh……um…….I, I think I might have chosen the wrong time to—

(Got his ear pinched) O—Ouch!! Wait! You aren’t going to tell on me, right?!”

Echo Flower: No, No! It would be a disaster if I were found out!

[Echo Flower Conversation Continued] *(You hear a passing conversation.) *...Don’t laugh and I will tell you what my wish is.

*(You hear a passing conversation.) *Of course I won’t laugh.

*(You hear a passing conversation.) *One day, I would like to go on the surface world, and see the real sky, the real stars, and the real sun…

*(Silence.) *...It’s…uh, it’s a ridiculous dream, right?

*(You hear a short phrase.) *No. I promise that it will come true. I’ll help…because that’s my wish, too.

[Human History Continued:] *However…There is a prophecy. An Angel who has seen the surface world…will be back, and the underground will go empty.

[The Bridge]

Asriel: “Hey. I have to be going soon but let me ask you something before that. You… You aren’t actually trying to join the Royal Guard, right? I thought Alphys was chasing you away because she can’t accept a human as a Royal Guard. But I was wrong. I…I heard you are going after my mom, Queen Toriel. Are you trying to break the barrier?”

>Yes       |  No

“…So, Alphys was right, huh.”

Alphys: “My, my. It’s the prince again. I thought I’ve told you to stay away from this place”

Asriel: “…I, understand.”

(Asriel is off-stage.)

Alphys: “How pitiful. HUMAN. I’ve got you THIS TIME! I see you are making face as if you don’t deserve this fate. BUT, your kind has induced us more pain and suffering imaginable that we did not deserve. No time to explain any of this to you, for you’ll die soon. En garde!”

*(The wind is howling…You are filled with DETERMINATION.)

[Alphys Fight]

"..."

*Alphys attacks!

>Plead *You tell Alphys that you don’t want to fight, but she doesn’t even respond.

Alphys: “You can’t run now.”

(The ‘Battle Field’ is quite narrow, only giving you a little room to move.)

*Alphys licks her lips, as if she’d found a perfect prey.

>Mercy > Spare/(Escape button doesn’t show up.) Alphys: “Hahahahah! You, sparing me? Who do you think you are? What a joke.”

*Alphys stands, intimidating you.

>Mercy > Spare/(Escape button doesn’t show up.)

Alphys: “Well, maybe I can ‘spare’ you with my own method…by killing you and sparing your organs for a fine meal!”

*The rustic smell fills the air.

>ITEM >Use Alphys’ Letter EX

Alphys: “...You…what are you holding…”

*Alphys’ ATK dropped! Alphys: “DAMN IT! Stop blocking my attacks with the letter and hand that over, human!!”

*Alphys seems flustered and attacks suddenly.

Alphys: “You!!” (She tosses her halberd. With a loud ‘CRASH’, the player deflects it.)

(Translator’s note: I think the author forgot to mention about giving the player a shield or a weapon to deflect the attacks with.)

>Mercy Spare/>Escape

[You Escape] Alphys: “!!!” (Alphys’ uses her magic attack to block the player’s way, with the bullets flying over to the player like boomerangs, except they are double-sided axes.)

[Alphys Fight 2]

Alphys: “Stop, HUMAN!”

>ITEM >Use Alphys’ Letter EX

Alphys: “Screw you!! Give back the damned letter!

*Alphys grinds her teeth

ACT >Read Letter

*You attempt to read the letter, but it’s still sealed too strongly to open.

Alphys: “You are so dead.” *Alphys charges in again Alphys: “DAMN IT!” (She tosses her halberd. The player deflects it again.)

>Mercy Spare/ > Escape

[You Escape] Alphys: “!!!” (Alphys’ uses her magic attack to block the player’s way, with the bullets flying over to the player like boomerangs, except they are double-sided axes.)

[Alphys Fight 3]

Alphys: “So this is how you want to play it, huh? I don’t even care about the SOUL anymore, I’m gonna rip you into bloody shreds.”

*Alphys’ ATK increased! Alphys’ SPD increased!

ACT >Plead

Alphys: “It’s no use. You won’t get past so easily this time.”

*Alphys glares fiercely.

ACT >Read

*You read the name on the envelope of the letter. ‘FROM ALPHYS’

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Alphys attacks.

(The player deflects her halberd again.) >Mercy Spare/ > Escape

[Hotland]

(Papyrus is stoned at the sentry station.) (You hide behind Papyrus, under the sentry station.)

(Alphys runs past, and then comes back to the station to talk to Papyrus.)

Alphys: “Have you seen anyone coming down this way before me? Like, a human?”

Papyrus: “Nope.”

Alphys: “Useless piece of scum.” (Alphys goes back to the Waterfall area.)

Papyrus: “…………You can come out now.

So, how much?”

*(You hand over 100G to him.)

Papyrus: “Ah, thank you, dear customer! Gotten used to this place, huh? You know your stuff. You are welcomed anytime. I will be at your service for that sweet, sweet money. And I won’t ask you any questions or doubt you as long as you pay the right amount. Anyways, see you later.”

*Ring…Ring… Sans: “HEY HUMAN! WHAT DID YOU DO?! ALPHYS IS AWFULLY MAD! I HAVEN’T SEEN HER THIS MAD SINCE THE TIME I SHOUTED OUTSIDE HER HOUSE FOR A FULL WEEK STRAIGHT! NOW SHE WON’T LISTEN TO WHATEVER I HAVE TO SAY! COME AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!”

Alphys: “What, who are you talking to, Sans? Wait a second… Give that phone to me!

As I suspected!

Human! You damned rodent, stop hiding and come OVER HERE! We have a battle to set end to!”

*Click…

*(The silence of this place overwhelms you. Seeing a strange laboratory in a place like this, making low whirling mechanic noise fills you with DETERMAINATION.)

[Catty and Bratty]

Bratty: “You shall not pass.” Catty: “Not pass.”

Bratty: “Alphys, like, told us that there’s totally a human here? So, we have to block this path to the CORE.” Catty: “We have, like, no idea where they are? But like, we have to block this path to the CORE.”

Bratty: “We are gonna do our best!” Catty: “Our best, Alphys!”

Bratty: “So, like, there’s no way you will be going past here.” Catty: “No way you will be going past here.”

Bratty: “Since you seem desperate, here’s a little advice.” Catty: “Not much, but an advice.”

Bratty: “Through that laboratory, you’d be able to reach the CORE.” Catty: “But you will have to risk your life to do that.”

[In front of Alphys’ House]

Sans: “HUMAN! YOU REALLY HAVE COME! HURRY UP AND DO SOMETHING, I HAVE A SPLITTING HEADACHE BECAUSE OF THIS!”

Alphys: “So you’ve come, human. So, about that letter… Uh, Sans, didn’t you say you have something else to do today?”

Sans: “WHAT? NO? TODAY’S A TRAINING DAY!”

Alphys: “…I will help you with training for the entire week next week, so just call this a day, won’t you?”

Sans: “WOW, REALLY?! KEEP YOUR PROMISE! I WILL SEE YOU LATER, ALPHYS! AND HUMAN!”

Alphys: “...Okay. So. I’ll get to the point. Where. Is. The letter.”

*(You hand over the letter to her.)

Alphys: “…did you read it?”

*(What will you say?)

>I did Alphys: “What?! Wait…no…you are lying. Only I can open the envelope. What made you think it would be good to lie like that?”

>Did not Alphys: “Of course you didn’t. Only I can open the envelope. No way you’d have…”

Alphys: “...I would love to bite your neck off right now, but that would destroy your SOUL, so consider yourself lucky that I’m holding back. By the way, this letter…where did you find it? Or did someone give it to you?”

Yes  >No

Alphys: “So you’ve found it? Maybe from behind a waterfall?”

... >Yep

Alphys: “...Hmph. Well, it seems that nobody has read it, so I will let this slide.”

(You can move around freely and inspect the front yard of the house now)

(You attempt to run away)

-CRASH!-

Alphys: “Where are you running off to?! I’m not done talking!” *(A magical axe is piercing the floor right in front of where your foot is. One wrong move and it would have been a disaster.)

(inspect door) Alphys: “So you want to get inside my house? You have a death wish? Only I and some corpse are allowed in my house.”

(inspect Dummy) *(The Dummy is covered in a white sheet) Dummy: “You…Why are you here?! Don’t pull off my sheet, it’s a part of my identity!

(inspect the box on the right-side corner) *(It reeks of rustic smell. The box contains various types of weapons: a broken sword; an old axe; a broken spear; nunchucks snapped in half… Seems like they are all broken and useless.)

(inspect Alphys) Alphys: “...What, you’ve got something to say? If you ask something stupid I’m gonna kick you away.”

*(......You ask about who that letter is directed to.) Undyne          Toriel IDK LMAO       Human (You can select each character as the receiver of the letter, and hear everything unless you go straight to choose ‘Undyne’. The conversation about the letter will be over once you choose ‘Undyne’)

-Human Alphys: “Ha, you wish! Why would I ever write a letter to you? Well, if you need someone to write a will on your behalf, maybe I can do that.”

-IDK LMAOOOOOO Alphys: “Of course you are clueless. Otherwise you’d be dead.”

-Toriel Alphys: “...hmph, I get why you’d say that. Everyone writes letters to the Queen. To show their respect; to accuse her; to show their pure rage; or to use her for their own benefit…etcetera.

But I don’t have a reason to write to her. I can always just talk to her in person, for I am her faithful Royal Guard. Though, there had been this one time that I had to write a response letter to her when I was a mere prisoner.”

-Undyne Alphys: “...Did...did you actually read it…? HOW DID YOU KNOW?!?!?? I’M GONNA KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

*(You tell her that there’s a ‘To: Undyne’ written on the outside of the envelope.)

Alphys: “......” *(Alphys checks the envelope. Flustered, she throws it inside her house through the window.) Alphys: “If you. Ever. Talk about this to anyone…You’d be dead. Though you already don’t have much time left.”

(Awkward Silence)

Alphys: “...Oh, yes, about going to the Queen. I can take you to the castle. How about that? And before we go, I can treat you with a meal.”

*(????? ??? ?? ?? ?? ??? ? ??. Translator:???????)

[Alphys’s House]

Alphys: “Take a seat.”

*(The inside of the house smells of blood) *(But visually, it’s pretty clean inside)

Alphys: “I’ll cook you somethin’, so stay there. Speaking of cooking, I’ve seen the food humans eat on a book. It was fascinating.”

Alphys: “(talks with her back to the human) Has anyone told you this? I’m the one who’d taught Sans how to make a sandwich. He just kept begging me to teach him something, so I did. But still to this day, he can’t even make something as basic as a sandwich…I can’t understand how stacking up ingredients can be so difficult. His first-ever-sandwich wasn’t even close to being a food. Can you believe that? At least there has been some sort of improvement since back then.

As for why I’m not letting him in the Royal Guard…It’s simple. He’s just too reckless and I don’t have the mercy to clean up his mess.”

Oven: DING-

Alphys: “Seems like it’s done. Here. Careful, it’s hot. ... It’s not THAT HOT! Just Eat It!”

*(It’s a dish of deliciously cooked paella. It burns your tongue, but it’s still good.)

Alphys: “You like it, huh? I’ve spent so much time cutting and preparing meat, my cooking skill just naturally improved. …Don’t look at me like that! I used perfectly good meat that you can eat.

Speaking of meat, it’s pretty damn hard to get some in the underground. It was like that since I was little, and it just gradually got more difficult.

Cold, hungry, and the fear of assault…Nothing eases your mind in this cursed place. I had to get stronger for my own survival, and fight the despair. And one day, a job…no, there was an errand to run at the CORE, so I went.

Everyone at the CORE seemed to have been living in a luxury, unlike the folks from Snowdin or Waterfall. And then, I met the Queen, Toriel, there at the CORE. I’ve gotten so furious looking at her peaceful face. It wasn’t fair. My anger erupted all at once, and being young and unaware of the consequences, I attacked her. The result was...not good. She got her trident speared through my hands, and said: ‘Not bad. I’m impressed. Won’t you become my student?’ She was cold as ice, and showed no emotion. That’s how she was the whole time. Anyways, from then, I lived in the same luxurious life of a higher-class, although I had to be a prisoner for a while. Now I’m the leader of the Royal Guard, and, my life is pretty much set. But being too long at the castle kinda bored me, so I came down to Waterfall. It’s not a good place to live, but still I did.

Oh, we’ve been talking for so long. Would you like a drink?

Hey, you seem dizzy. Is something wrong?

Good.

Just like that,

Stay down.

(You fall unconscious…)

[Hotland – Undyne’s Lab : ‘The True Lab’]

*(Upon your waking, you see yourself in an unlit laboratory. The strange smell from the chemicals swirl around you, giving you an unbearable headache.)

[ferryboatpeak]

late late werewolf

I chewed on @wickershire‘s ask for a werewolf carpool karaoke timestamp for weeks, and then tumblr fuckin’ ate it, but here’s the outcome anyway. It’s mostly inspired by this photo and this video, and also here’s some Azoff den house porn and Jamesy baby’s place in Malibu.

--

Los Angeles is thicker with wolves than London is. James hadn’t realized that when he made the move. He’d only known that the boys were in and out of LA as much as London anymore, and hoped that would be enough to keep him from getting lonely. So it was a surprise to discover that LA has a disproportionately influential network of werewolves, and a bigger surprise to find himself welcomed into it.

James isn’t easily dazzled by superstars. It’s hard to be, when you’ve hoovered One Direction’s fur off your sofa. But he still can’t quite believe that he and Justin Timberlake get together every couple of months to chase coyotes in Griffith Park.

All the same, there’s nothing like seeing the boys. Any of them. So he’s only half-joking when Harry mentions doing the show during album promo, and James suggests that he stay for a week. move into the studio, you can sleep under my desk, he texts.

i’ll wee on your rug, comes the response. They trade increasingly terrible jokes about overnight guests and Harry earning his keep, and then James heads into a meeting and puts it out of his mind. He won’t need to remind Ben to get Harry scheduled as a musical guest when the time comes. Maybe they can even get a skit out of him.

The next day, Jeff Azoff calls. “Harry said he’s been talking to you about doing a week on the show?”

It takes James a moment to remember the text chain from the day before. Following through on vague ideas about getting together isn’t usually Harry’s thing. Their friendship is more of an endless series of joking texts and unfulfilled promises to make plans, right up until the point when Harry needs a sympathetic ear and someone to scratch his. That’s when he turns upon James’s doorstep.

He’s not sure whether Jeff’s interested in the idea, or calling to chew him out about presuming there’s a place for the Late Late Show in Harry’s well-oiled highly calculated promo plans. “Yeah,” James says, hoping for the best. “Yeah, we’d mentioned that.”

“Harry likes the idea,” Jeff says. “We all do. Let’s get it scheduled.”

Jeff starts talking about timing and strategy, moving other commitments to free up a whole week, and James checks out. Ben can handle that part. Ben’s not a wolf, and therefore Ben can have pleasant uncomplicated professional interactions with Jeff. Every conversation that James has with Jeff is shaped by crosscurrents of hierarchy and power that flow well beyond the two of them. Especially when the conversation’s about Harry.

James wants to believe that this residency is Harry following through, for once. This is Harry wanting to have some fun together. But he can’t help the uncomfortable suspicion that Jeff’s driving this somehow, and, inevitably, behind Jeff is his father.

Irving Azoff is the most powerful alpha in Los Angeles, and James doesn’t want to owe him any favors.

***

Late one night the week before the show, James’s phone rings with What Makes You Beautiful, and Harry’s photo pops up. James still uses an old picture from London, Harry wrapped up in a blanket burrito on James’s couch, managing to look disgruntled even as he naps. It’s a surprise; he hadn’t expected to hear from Harry until rehearsal later in the week. James swipes to answer the call, wondering what’s going on. “Harold!”

“Hellooooo,” Harry croons.

James remembers all over again how a direct hit of Harry’s voice is both soothing and disorienting. “You in town?”

“Not yet, flying tomorrow.” That explains the late phone call; Harry’s just waking up bright and early in London.

“Looking forward to next week,” James says, flipping the lock on the sliding door and starting up the stairs toward his bedroom.

“Sure, it’ll be fun.”

“Rehearsal Wednesday, right?”

“Yeah, Wednesday.” Harry pauses.

James waits him out for a moment before reaching for a prompt. “Where are you staying?” James realizes he hadn’t even offered, although Harry ought to know he’s always welcome.

“My place is going on the market.” James had forgotten Harry even had a house in LA. He still seems to prefer staying with somebody else when he’s in town, Ben and Meri or Jeff and Glynne or Cindy and Rande. Sometimes James, but James had assumed that moving out to Malibu last year would take him out of the rotation.

Harry’s still talking, rambling around to some kind of a point. “The art’s going into storage, and they’re going to like, fill in the nail holes, or paint or something, or maybe it’s something happening to the floors, I don’t remember. I think they took the rugs out too. So I’m staying with Jeff, but on Thursday we’ll all be up at his family place for the full moon, and do you want to come with?”

A loaded invitation. “Are you sure that’s all right?”

“Sure,” Harry says, broadly. “Irv actually said I should invite you.”

Which doesn’t do anything to allay James’s trepidation. But he’s not going to pass up a rare full moon with Harry, even if the rest of the company’s not ideal. “All right,” James says, like it’s easy as can be. “Tell Irving thanks for the invite.”

James wonders uncomfortably if Harry would still be going up to the Azoffs if Louis and Niall were in town. There’s no point asking him, though. In addition to it being an entirely academic question, James knows he’d only get a vague nonanswer about how Harry loves the pack and would never regret being part of it. He hasn’t left, not officially. Not like Zayn did, bloody and unmistakeable, the other four smelling of scorch and fever as they tried to rebuild the pack’s toppled scaffolding.

James doesn’t wish that on Louis again. But at least it was definitive. Not like the vague drift away that James worries Harry’s trying to accomplish, or Liam’s taciturn withdrawal into domesticity. Niall’s the only one left to bear the fierce weight of Louis’s love.

***

They film a sketch on the day before the full moon. Afterwards, Harry rides with James from the studio up to Holmby Hills. The ornate streetlights are just coming on, and the sharp scent of the towering box hedges is shot through with the fragrance of spring jasmine. The gate at the Azoffs’ opens when they pull up to it, which only serves to make James wonder how his Range Rover’s been recognized. Harry points him toward an appropriately deferential parking spot in the tree-lined circle drive.

There’s a wolf curled up in the middle of the terraced walkway to the house, sharp eyes watching them as they approach. “Chelsea!” Harry calls, and bends down to give her a vigorous backscratch. She snorts and headbutts him. James refrains, assuming he’d get a sharper reaction if he tried scratching Chelsea Handler’s back.

The front door’s standing open, and Shelli Azoff glides down the wide entrance hall to greet them as they approach. “Harry!” She kisses him on each cheek, Harry preening at the motherly attention. “Jeff and Glynne are out back.”

Harry tips a salute to James and saunters off down the high-ceilinged hallway toward the dining room. Shelli turns to James. “So glad you could join us tonight.”

“It’s my pleasure,” James says. Without Harry, he feels a bit like he’s been thrown to the wolves, literally. “Thank you for having me.”

Shelli tucks her arm through his and steers him deeper into the house. “Let’s get you a drink.”

The sprawling villa is made for a pack, with wide-open passages that won’t spook a wolf and French doors open to the exterior in every room. As they pass through an internal courtyard, a black-clad server appears at Shelli’s elbow and a gin and tonic smoothly makes its way into James’s hand.

The Azoff pack is large, and James recognizes most of the faces circulating through the house and down the terrace around the pool. It’s an even mix of artists -- the big names Irving’s represented over the years -- and others from the business side. James realizes that unless the Gerber kids are running around somewhere, Harry’s the youngest one here by close to a decade. No wonder Harry’s comfortable with the Azoff crowd, James reflects. He’s always happy when he’s surrounded by people competing to parent him.

Kris Jenner joins James and Shelli on the terrace. As the women greet each other, James looks past them to an elaborate spread of capaccio arranged on carved ice blocks. The small square plates and tray of cornichons and mustard suggest it’s offered for humans, but the sheer volume of raw meat means wolves will be finishing it off later.

To James’s relief, Kris stays to talk to him after Shelli melts away to ensnare someone else. It’s no trick to sustain a conversation with Kris. The only tricky part is to extract yourself before you hear more than you ever wanted to.

“Kim and Kendall here tonight?” he asks. They’re the only wolves among Kris’s brood. It’s never certain that the gene will pass down, when only one parent’s a wolf. James admires that Kris doesn’t seem to let it bother her. He’s never seen her show any favoritism between her daughters who are pack and the others who aren’t.

“No, Kendall’s with her friends,” Kris says, gesturing into the distance with her glass of white wine. “Kim and Kanye mostly do their own thing.”

Kanye West, all the cunning and power of an alpha but too volatile to convince anyone to follow him. Marrying into the Azoff pack didn’t help matters; of all the rumblings James has heard around who might succeed Irving someday, Kanye’s name is never in the mix. He asks Kris about her grandchildren instead, filling up the space until Irving Azoff steps out of a French door behind James and straight into their conversation.

“James! Glad you could make it.” Irving gives him an LA handshake and James feels disoriented by the disconnect between his appearance and his scent. A short man with an unapologetically receding hairline, Irving looks like the odd one out at this cocktail party full of famous artists and the expensively maintained team behind them. Breathe in, though, and his scent says not just that Irving’s willing to break a few eggs to make an omelet, but that he’s about to upend the entire henhouse and feast on the chickens.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” James says. “You’ve got a lovely property here.”

Irving scoffs. “Temporary. Thought we’d be back in our place by the end of last year. Architect’s fucking incompetent.” He rants to James about the renovation gone wrong on his Beverly Hills mansion, and James relaxes into the conversational safe harbor.

When he steps to the side to set his glass down on a patio table, it’s almost immediately whisked away by an efficient server with a low ponytail and a tray of empties. She glides silently toward the kitchen, and doesn’t even flinch when Chelsea brushes past her, tail catching on the edge of the tray.

James wonders how Irving and Shelli find staff they can trust, what it must cost them. James is careful to schedule his own house manager for a day off the morning after a full moon, and wipe up any pawprints himself so his cleaners have no reason to ask questions. His chef only knows that James likes a high-protein diet and steak cooked rare.

He snaps back to attention when he hears Harry’s name. “Glad to hear he’s doing a week with you,” Irving says.

“Well, we’re happy to have him.” James concentrates on breathing steady and slow, willing his scent not to give off any trace of nerves.

“You’ve always been a good friend to Harry.” Irving shifts his highball glass from one hand to the other. “He looks up to you.”

“That’s hard to believe,” James says. Hard to remember Harry as a sixteen-year-old kid who needed anything from James. Somewhere along the way, the whole world started giving Harry whatever he needs, abundantly and enthusiastically.

“He’s doing well,” Irving agrees, as if he’s thinking the same thing. James tries to stifle a flare of irrational possessiveness. He doesn’t need Irving to tell him how Harry’s doing.

Maybe something comes through in his scent, because Irving changes the subject. “You have a pack in LA?”

“No,” James answers quickly, reaching for the lighthearted emigre persona he relies on to dodge whatever ulterior motive is behind questions like this. “Still holding onto that last tie to Buckinghamshire.”

Irving doesn’t oblige him with a laugh or a joke about how you can’t go home again or a comment about the superiority of Los Angeles weather. He just looks at James, silently, and even though James knows it’s meant to unnerve him, it works anyway.

“Door’s always open here,” Irving says, after a pause.

“Thanks,” James says, shoulders down and chin tipped forward just a little, deferential. “I appreciate that.”

“We’d like to consolidate Harry’s supporters.” James didn’t see Irving move, but all of a sudden he seems uncomfortably close. “The next few months are going to be critical. It’ll help to have a good pack behind him.”

James has to stop himself from baring his teeth. Harry has a pack, and it’s not this one. Or maybe there’s something Harry hasn’t told him, or something on the horizon. Irving has a way of making the world conform to his vision.

The moon’s not up yet, but James’s body aches to shift. “Thanks,” he says, again. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

“You do that.” Irving tips his glass at someone over James’s shoulder. As he starts to move in that direction, he looks back at James. “LA’s a tough place to be a lone wolf.”

James goes in search of another drink, feeling that he’s more than earned it. While he waits for the bartender to mix him a double, he notices a handful of party guests slipping down a hall that leads away from the central part of the villa. A few minutes later, they reemerge as wolves, padding through the lounge and out the broad sliding doors to the terrace.

Shifting seems like an even better idea than more gin. James explores the hallway and finds a series of spare bedrooms. Each has an assortment of clothing neatly folded on the bed or hanging in the closet, ready for the owners to reclaim when they shift back. How civilized, James thinks. He undresses and leaves his shirt and trousers in a tidy pile on the bed, thinking nostalgically about the boys’ hoodies and high-tops scattered all over his garden back in London. Even with moonrise not quite here, the shift comes easily, as if his body understands that it’s much less complicated to be a wolf than a human in this place.

James slips out the bedroom’s French doors to the side of the house and circles back around to the yard. He emerges just in time to see Harry tossing his skinny jeans and flowered shirt on a lounge by the pool and shifting in full view of the remaining humans. Either Harry hasn’t bothered to pay attention to the pack’s customs, or he’s just well aware that nobody at this party’s going to mind an eyeful of his lean body and lesser-seen tattoos.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Harry’s grown up into a striking wolf. His chest and shoulders have finally caught up with his long limbs and outsized paws, and his puppy fluff has resolved itself into a sleek dark coat. James bounds toward him and Harry yaps and darts off to the edge of the property, waiting for James to follow. They run through the trees and down an empty lot, emerging onto a golf course dotted with wolves. James has heard it before, but never quite believed it: Holmby Hills has enough wolves that they can afford to be a bit brazen about it on a full moon night.

The rolling fairways and the even scent of mown grass are a different experience than the Santa Monica Mountains, where James usually spends his shifts. He runs full tilt down the well-manicured course, overtaking Harry, who stays on his heels as they leave the coalescing pack behind. They weave through scattered stands of trees and leap across flat teeing grounds. James finally pulls up short and tackles Harry into a bunker. They roll over and over together in the sand like a pair of idiots, like six years never went by at all.

***

James leaves Harry at the Azoffs the next morning, heading home in the early dawn hours for a shower and a few hours of sleep. He sees him again at the studio that day, and all the next week, but there’s no chance to really talk there, surrounded by PAs and camera crew and Jeff ever-present in the background. Harry’s residency ends all too quickly, with a transcendent spark-shooting finale that has James half wondering the next morning if he dreamed the entire week.

Then, Harry’s gone. They see each other briefly in London a few weeks later, but it’s more of the same, always surrounded by the band, the crew, a theater full of people. Seeing Harry in person isn’t much different than their text message chain: sporadic outbursts of jokes that make only the two of them laugh, interspersed by long periods of nothing.

After the London show, James doesn’t hear from Harry again until his phone rings at the end of July, right as Dunkirk promo is winding down.

“I’m coming to LA for a bit before tour starts,” Harry says. “Could I stay at yours for a few days?”

“’Course you can, you know you’re always welcome.” As if James would ever tell him no. “You sure you want to be out in Malibu?”

“Yes,” Harry says, with certainty. “Want to get away a little, you know? Sit by the sea, nobody bothering me.”

He arrives at nearly midnight, the lingering traces of London in his scent almost overpowered by the stale coffee smell of air travel. James makes him a mug of tea and – when he almost falls asleep with his face in it – points him toward a guest bedroom.

Upstairs in his own room, James considers for a moment and then leaves the bedroom door slightly ajar. He doesn’t exactly expect Harry to come bounding up onto his bed like old times, but he’s not going to rule it out.

Then, instead of the clicking toenails of a wolf nosing its way through the cracked door, James hears soft knocking against the frame. Just a couple of quick and tentative raps, only loud enough for wolf ears.

“Harry?” James calls from bed. “It’s open.”

There’s just enough light to see that Harry’s shirtless and barefoot, in joggers. The black blotches of his tattoos look like absences in the dark room, like something’s chewed holes in him.

He gestures at the far side of James’s bed. “All right?”

“Sure, yeah,” James says, tugging the covers back for him. Harry takes up less space as a human, but he still radiates warmth as he settles in, turning himself over and back again, the human echo of his wolf tromping a circle into the duvet. He squirms his head down into his pillow, and then scoots closer to push his forehead into the side of James’s shoulder.

James freezes. He doesn’t know what to do with the gesture, somewhere halfway between human and wolf. After a moment he responds in kind, reaching his other hand over to scratch Harry’s head. Harry hums as if he’s pleased.

He’s silent for a few minutes after James finishes a lengthy head-scratch, but his breathing doesn’t slow into sleep. Finally, quietly, he asks, “How are they?”

“You’re not in touch?” James tries not to sound surprised or concerned.

Harry’s voice is half muffled by the pillow and the top of James’s arm. “There’s emails or texts or whatever, but.”

James understands. It’s easy to hide in plain sight in a text message chain. No way for the others to scent the truth, the way you can when your pack is nearby. “They’re good,” he says. “Truly, good. Niall’s coming into his own.”

“Louis?”

“Fatherhood suits him,” James says. “You know Freddie’s a wolf, do you?” Louis hadn’t told James, just brought tiny newborn Freddie over for a visit and let James sniff it out for himself. He’d never seen Louis so proud or so happy.

“Yeah.” James can feel Harry smile against his arm.

“And you’ll have Liam’s boy in the pack as well,” James adds. He knows that much, at least; there’s no doubt with two wolves for parents.

Harry’s quiet. After a moment, James says, softly, “They miss you.”

“Do they?” The question’s more skeptical than hopeful.

“Of course they do.” James has to ask, and there won’t be any better time than right now, with Harry in his bed seeking comfort or reassurance or something James hasn’t figured out yet. “Do you miss them?”

Harry makes an ambivalent kind of a noise. “Yes,” he answers hesitantly, drawing out the word. “I miss them. But I can’t have them around and do what I want to do right now.”

James knows. It’s hard to believe he ever advised the boys to tone it down in public, when flaunting their pack bond turned out to be integral to their success. Of course, now that makes it all the harder for Harry to establish himself as anything other than part of the pack. James aches in sympathy, knowing what it’s like to put pack at a remove to accomplish one’s own goals. It’s been so long since he’s felt that way, though. For years he’s had the boys, and now all the other wolves he’s connected with in LA.

“Would you ever…” – James can’t even bring himself to actually say it – “…the Azoffs?”

“No,” Harry says, emphatically. “I don’t miss a pack. I miss my pack.”

“I didn’t know.” James realizes for the first time how much the possibility had worried him. “Irving tried to recruit me. Gave me some line about supporting you.

Harry blows out a frustrated breath, hot against James’s arm. “You aren’t going to, are you?”

“No.” James relaxes down to his toes with the relief of not having to consider it anymore. “I mean, it’s not appealing. But if you did… I’d think about it, I guess.”

“Whatever line he fed you is bullshit,” Harry says. “He wants you as bait. Thinks if you pack up, I will too.”

“How flattering.” Not liking that line of thought, James changes the subject. “You don’t shift at night anymore?”

“Doesn’t feel right, on my own.” Of course, James thinks. Loneliness is easier as a human, with any number of distractions that aren’t available in a wolf’s body.

“Have you shifted since the last full moon?”

Harry thinks for a moment. “Maybe not.”

“Go to sleep,” James says, scratching his head one more time. “We’ll go out early in the morning, run a little ways down the beach.”

“All right.” Harry yawns into the words. He stretches away from James and swings his legs out of bed. James sees a flash of pale skin as Harry sheds his joggers, and then jumps back onto the bed as a wolf. He’s asleep a moment later, sprawled halfway across James’s chest.

[shintorikhazumi]

“Hikari no Jukyo” (The Dwelling place of Light Pt1)

A/N: SO this is a part of my post for ideas/requests from last time. Though this will be a two-shot. I overdid it, my bad. Now, there’s a part that is supposed to be “quintet” instead of “quartet” because I miscounted the girls… Sorry! I can’t find it. But anyway, different from A Warm Diana story setting, and you’ll know why later.

Kill me for the slight (?) OCness… I am way too sleepy.

If you wanna jump to romance, jump to the end, but feel the build guys… since I’m bad at this. XD

@croissantrose71

“maybe Diana pays Akko a visit in Japan and Akko is in a kimono or something?? Idk it seems like it’d be pretty gay :3”

Got it ;)

~Shintori Khazumi

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 It was quiet.

That alone was normal, especially if you consider the fact that Diana Cavendish was sat alone in the library, at her favorite table, indulging herself in a sweet, historical and educationally beneficial novel at just around sunset.

It was quiet.

As it usually was in this time and place, as it should be.

However, the heiress felt it to be… too quiet.

A sigh escaped her lips as she shut the book with a clap. Looking around, it was rather lonely compared to how it usually was during school days-

Ah yes, the reason why she felt as if the whole place was deserted, was probably because it really was, because, as it was announced in the earlier closing ceremony, it was time for vacation period to begin.

Needless to say, there was quite the bustle from all the students, from fussing about how they needed to clean up and pack again, deciding what gifts to bring home, to squealing and/or jumping for joy at the knowledge that they’d finally get more than a weekend of rest from all the training and studying received for a full semester. And that, even for the prodigious student, was honestly an overloading amount of information that most people would forget come professionalism.

As she returned the book to its proper spot on one of the many shelves lining the old room, she remembered that she too had to pack up, though she wouldn’t be going home any time soon.

The Cavendish home was undergoing renovation due to the sudden influx of money- support handed by other Cavendish relatives that had previously been too ashamed to show their names after their downfall, but after a rather useful discovery by Diana’s now sincere aunt, there was no trouble on their pathway to rebuilding.

Now, in an empty hallway of a relatively empty school building, Diana made use of the fact that there was no one there to watch or keep their eyes on her.

This meant a chance.

And, not to mention, this had been something she had always wanted to try. Try, after seeing a certain brunette always performing such during the class in-betweens when they’d have to switch lecture halls for the next lesson, or maybe during the times she secretly “supervised” the girl’s cleaning penalties. (It would always put a scowl on her face whenever she thought of how the dunce had to clean an entire hallway, with windows.)

Doing one more check, just to ensure she was truly alone, Diana began her attempt with the smallest of steps, steadily growing larger, the gaps between the time of the steps, smaller as bit by bit she ran the lengthy halls of Luna Nova Academy with sheer abandon, a smile slowly creeping on her face as her speed remained consistent, her hair flying behind her in waves.

It was overly fun!

A word Diana rarely used in her dictionary. One that could only be brought out by whom it was associated.

And by no means were these thoughts brought on by her missing the witch… They could never- maybe… just be because of-

Kagari Atsuko.

Just the thought of the girl, and the other free things she had done in these same corridors made Diana want to try it for herself, the look of utter joy on Akko’s face, she too longed to feel such.

After completing the seven words and completing their mission, the two had bonded a bit, but due to certain circumstances, they were no able to see each other before Akko went off. Something that made Diana sad.

Doing these things just to soothe her own loneliness was a foreign thing to her, as well as thinking of someone else whilst doing such things.

Still, experiencing so many new adventures, feelings, emotions with Akko unlocked a desire in Diana.

Thus, as much as it killed her to find an explanation if by chance she were to be caught, it was too worthwhile, these emotions, dancing, flittering in her chest as she too, waltz the entirety of the hall.

What was meant to be her private dance session, had unintentionally turned into a rather graceful display to a quartet of onlookers.

The pair of the four were teammates of someone she knew all too well, one was her favorite bickering partner, and the last was a respected instructor.

“Ehem…” Said instructor cleared her throat, traces of nervousness wafting off her very being.

Diana froze in her spot mid-twirl, making quite the comical sight as she slowly righted herself, looking as though nothing had just occurred.

“I-I am sorry to…interrupt? But… horsing about in the hallway is prohibited, even for you, Diana.” The woman smiled sheepishly, Diana immediately coloring at the words, her image having a small stain.

“O-of course. I sincerely apologize.” She bowed slightly, before tuning into her professional mode. “And might I ask, did you have some business with me ma’am?”

“Yes, I do. Professor Finneran actually wanted to tell you, but she had to go home, so I, still being here volunteered to do so.” She scratched her head, coughing as she straightened her posture at Diana whose face just said, ‘go on.’. “You have been here for two weeks since vacation started, three having just started. Aren’t you going home?”

At the inquiry, Diana felt a bit guilty. Maybe the staff of the school had also wanted some form of vacation and she was intruding.

“Do I need to go? Umm… to tell you the truth, I cannot really return home due to reasons such as being told not to because we have been undergoing renovations.”

Anna, her maid had personally sent her a letter of apology, and order, about half a week ago asking her to not come home and strain herself with worrying over such matters, and had received enough money to look for somewhere to stay for at least a week, before she could return home.

Diana usually had duties to finish at school, thus the household was used to her returning late for vacation. Though now, her homecoming would have to be pushed back even further.

She wanted to help, yes, but she also knew that she just might become a bother, not knowing what to do, thus she relented, and was now spending her days in the dorm.

“I see.” Ursula nodded in understanding, albeit very concerned about Diana. “That is certainly a problem.”

The headmistress had wanted to close the school and do maintenance this break, and was hoping all the students had gone home, but Diana had left her standing corrected. Ursula explained this, and felt horrible, seeing Diana hang her head, deep in thought and trouble.

“I wish I could offer you some sort of place to stay, but as of now, my home is… kind of inhabited by the creature of the cross who just won’t leave me be…and has taken my bird hostage if I don’t let her stay…” She muttered something under her breath. “-That, and we had a little spat.”

An awkward silence resumed as each person had their own imagination containing a ramen-loving techno nerd.

“So even Diana Cavendish can dance the halls.” A comment sliced through the air, making Diana inwardly curse at it because she had just forgotten that fact.

“Sucy!” Her partner exclaimed, completely mortified at the girl’s amazing bluntness.

Only now did it register in the heiress mind that there were other people here, and for some reason, every single one of them were dressed in travel attire and carried a questionable amount of luggage for people about to go home, too little for a person going back home, if they intended to take their luggage themselves instead of via delivery, but too large to just be for personal necessities for on-hand use.

“Are you all about to go on some trip? I was under the impression that Miss Manbavaran and Miss Yanson had gone home, and that Miss-“

“Amanda, please.”

“… really?” Diana sighed, continuing her speculations. “Fine, Amanda was taken home earlier due to family issues?” Said girl scoffed at the implications.

“Well, we have gone home already.” Lotte replied, fidgeting the slightest bit. “But then Akko sent out invites to us to join her for some local inn’s promo near their place.” The girl smiled, showing what looked to be a plane ticket, and a reservation form.

Akko? Invites? She hadn’t heard from the girl at all considering it was a vacation and there was free time. Of course, now she remembered that there was probably no way of communicating wherever Akko was, with her. She could consider that fact, albeit feeling down.

Diana seemed to be in thought before looking over each invited person, stopping at a certain red-haired student.

“Amanda, as well?” She asked innocently. Deep inside though, she felt sad. If even Amanda received one, why hadn’t she?

“Oi! What the heck’s that supposed to mean, eh?” Obviously, the person in question retaliated and their bickering was about to start all over again.

“Oh, I apologize. That must have come off as rude.” Diana looked sorry, and the rest were left to think if she felt the part. “I just sometimes forget that you and Akko are actually friends.”

“Biased little bi-“

“ANYWAY!” Ursula quickly cut in. “There were actually five tickets, but Jasminka and Constanze can’t make it on the set date, and said they’d have to just follow later, whenever they’re free.” The woman diverted the subject back to their trip.

Jasna had to return to make it to a cooking festival that was about to take place, and Constanze was attending a builder’s conference.

“Originally, I wasn’t part of the guests, but Akko agreed to me tagging along… and since she has impeccable timing, this chance helps in my-“ She seemed to be thinking deeply, searching for the right word. “Situation?”

“Lovers’ Quarrel.” Sucy chuckled, rolling her eyes and avoiding the deathly sweet smile from her teacher.

“We will talk soon, Manbavaran.”

“Whenever you’re ready.” The girl replied fearlessly, grinning. The smile was wiped off her face as Lotte slapped the back of her head.

It was awkward now again, no one uttered a word, and they did not exactly have anything in common to chat about.

Suddenly, Ursula remembered why she had approached Diana in the first place.

“Right! Diana, I’m so sorry I forgot.” She placed her suitcase down for a moment. “What are we going to do about your situation.” It was apparent that they had not thought much of this, and now Ursula was slowly giving in to her panic. “It’s not possible for you to stay here, oh but where else? And I’m worried about having a student sleep anywhere randomly, no offense.” She hinted at Diana’s capabilities, the blonde nodding.

With their professor wracking her brains for some far-off solution, Lotte had raised her hand to grab their attention.

“Umm… we do have an extra ticket?” She asked nervously. Akko would more or less be okay if they took Diana, she was a kind person, just really driven and misunderstood. And she doubted Akko would mind having Diana of all people go see her, seeing as she stared at the girl most every day. Things were fine on that front.

But Lotte also needed Diana’s consent and their teacher’s approval to the plan.

“Right. That’s a solution.” Sucy said, mindlessly brewing another potion with her materials on hand, portable station and all.

“HAH?! Think about it, guys… even if it were ‘okay’ with Akko, think about us! We’ll also be staying with her.” Amanda objected to the idea.

“That is… actually the most ideal plan.” Ursula hummed, and Sucy showed Amanda a three-one with her fingers, telling the girl she was defeated.

“A-amanda is right!” Diana piped up after standing there dumbfounded as the group discussed her lodgings. “I can’t just intrude on you all- besides, I have the means to stay in some apartment nearby in this town. I’ll be perfectly-“

“No, Diana. This way is safer.” Ursula took hold of the students wrists. “And not to mention, more fun. Isn’t that right?”

So the woman had heard her. Curses.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 It didn’t make her any more comfortable travelling by plane than by broom. Maybe she just wasn’t used to flying without having to exert any amount of magical energy and just lounge and relax.

It didn’t help that it had cost her no penny to enjoy such luxury.

A first class seating in a plane.

Guilt stirred in her abdomen… and hunger in her stomach, as she was too shocked at the fast-paced happenings that hit her like a truck mere moments ago.

“Would you like one, Diana?”

The heiress looked to her fellow blonde, holding out a sandwich after she had pulled the other out of her thoughts.

“You know, there is food service, and it will all be covered by the Kagaris, but we all feel as you do.” She pointed to the rest who were snacking on the sandwiches and on some tea. “We don’t want to take advantage of Akko’s kindness, either. Hahaha… weird, huh? Even with such a privelage.”

“No,” Diana shook her head, a small smile coming to rest on her lips. “I think I can relate quite well to everyone when it comes to these things.” It made her remember the reason behind why she hadn’t gone home. As to not unknowingly become a burden.

Looking at the giggling, the interactions, the smiles, Diana couldn’t help but relish the atmosphere as well, the calm ambiance.

“I can really relate.”

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 “Is this what they call jetlag? Now I know brooms really are the best.” Amanda grumbled as she returned from the comfort rooms to empty out her churning stomach.

The rest more or less agreed, none of them really being used to such things, not really needing to since they had magic and flying for a while.

“So now what?” Sucy asked, reading through a pamphlet she picked up from somewhere, reading about this mysterious place known as Japan. “What did Akko say about us getting to their place?”

“She said someone would come to pick us up.”

Speak of the devil, and he shall hear. Quite the common phrase, usually shortened.

“Ah.” Everyone turned to the poison enthusiast, pointing off to a buff man, in a suit with sunglasses, looking like a bodyguard, holding up a sign that had their names written out in quite the charming calligraphy. Except the last-minute guest, Diana.

“I guess that’s our cue. Shall we?” Ursula asked, but for some reason, the girls had a feeling of fear, just from how the man looked. “N-now, don’t judge a book by its cover.” The teacher tried to quote, though even she had to admit that their welcoming party was quite intimidating.

“What in the world is Akko?” Amanda mused, thinking of how this felt so familiar to how she usually went home, just less… familiar.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 Professor Callistis was right about one thing, and that was to not judge a book by its cover.

The man who picked them up led them to a black van, and the girls still had slight feelings of trepidation that were too slowly easing, until they had all settled in and the man tuned the radio to some catchy tunes that everyone enjoyed.

His name was Ryuunosuke. He wasn’t a chatty man, but he was responsive to any question and conversation, or topic that the girls would bring up.

All except things pertaining to… Akko. Which was odd, if by chance he did work for them since Diana had never pegged Akko to be the type to not socialize with her own workers- whatever Kagari Atsuko’s social standing was to have said workers.

“We have arrived, Young Miss’s distinguished guests.”

‘Young Miss?’

In front of them stood a fairly old, but not run-down, traditional-looking building. It was large, stretching for a few acres most probably- the size large enough for it to be pension house of sorts.

The passengers had to get off as Ryuunosuke rounded the car to a parking shed over at the side, the girls being entrusted to someone, a lady in her middle ages, dressed in a beautiful cloth, that she explained was their uniform around here, as they climbed about a dozen steps before reaching the entry way.

A placard, made in wood carving, intricate and pleasing to the eye, had the words ‘Hikari no Jukyo’. Ursula-sensei explained to the girls that it meant “The dwelling place of light.” In Japanese, which left Diana especially impressed.

Just what was this place, and how much had the Kagaris paid for lodging here. Wait- what was the invite for? A get-together? Some meeting in this… whatever place this was? And why hadn’t Akko come to pick-up or even meet them here? Where was the girl?

“Irasshaimase. Hikari no Jukyo ni Yokoso, houmon-sha.” A man, well groomed, standing at roughly five inches taller than Ursula, in a suit, bowed, welcoming them to the Inn.

“Umm…”

Suddenly, his stiff formalities turned into chuckles as he laughed, realizing they did not look the part of mere, local guests.

The fact that this man loosened up somewhat allowed the foreigners to also relax, chuckling along.

“I really do apologize.” He spoke, in english now, though with a bit of an accent that did not hinder his communication skills in the slightest. “I wasn’t paying much attention. It’s been quite the busy day. We’ve been preparing for some very special guests and I’m assuming those would be you?” He smiled, in inquiry, showing them a sample of the invitations they all had, and they showed theirs in turn for confirmation.

The man nodded, clapping as more service people came out, offering their hands in service, taking the luggage and walking behind the group as the man lead the whole party.

“Right this way please.” He lead them up a few stair cases, to what was probably the third floor, and led them down an expensive looking hall, right to the end where a few doors had been marked reserved with more signs.

As the door opened, the visitors gasped in awe at the sight.

Sliding doors were opened slightly allowing them a gorgeous view of a hidden ocean just around the back of the building. The room was a spacious place, and there seemed to be a few doors on both sides, maybe smaller sleeping rooms since what they first entered was a lounge space, tatami spread across the floors.

There was a lovely gust of wind blowing through the open room, giving it a refreshing feeling, but it did not smell of salt water at all. A sweet fragrance- one from eye-catching and vibrant flowers displayed throughout the room served a soothing purpose.

There was too much beauty compacted into this space of the world and it was a feast for the eyes.

However, all of them would agree that there was none quite as alluring as the lady knelt by the center table, arranging another bouquet of fresh flowers, draped in exquisite wear, a robe of sorts filled with flourishing colors, the color of autumn and of the sunset, accenting her hazel, gleaming hair tied in a loose bun, few strands framing her face, and making those russet-tinted orbs pop out.

None was as arresting as the lady dressed delicately, hands moving with grace that had yet to notice her guests that were gazing upon her so intently that it took them moments to realize, or rather for Lotte to realize what would stun them more than the beauty.

“Akko?!”

-Who the beauty was.

“EH?!” The rest of them had to do a double-take as the servants jumped in surprise at their outburst.

“Is that really you, Akko?” The short-haired blonde screeched, scrambling forward, placing her palms on the girl’s face, scrutinizing her so closely, face scrunched up. “Wow.” She exclaimed after confirming that it was indeed her best friend. “You… just wow.”

“Indeed the Young Miss is stunning.” One steward said proudly, the other escorts agreeing.

The rest of the group were just as speechless, Sucy’s visible eye widened so much, Amanda gaping like a fish, and Ursula just… standing there.

Diana was thinking that she must have looked like some fool, staring in awe, and she might have been just that, as fools weren’t exactly capable of thinking coherently when stunted with such beauty. She’d be a fool for such a sight.

“So you guys arrived, huh.” Akko got up and scratched the back of her head with a sigh. “Sorry ‘bout… this.” She gestured to her attire. “It’s unusual right? For me to wear such things… Ahahaha.” She looked at her feet, insecurity seeping into her voice. “Wearing such clothes even though they don’t suit me.”

“No-“

“No, that’s not true.” Lotte’s words were cut off by someone who had similar, but stronger feelings. “You look absolutely breath-taking.” The heiress had said without thinking, but when it all registered, how she had just blurted out what she did, steam seemed to come off her as she burned red.

“Diana?!” Akko was shocked. She hadn’t expected this at all, or did she? -and well, she wasn’t really opposed to the idea of Diana being here, but the girl seeing her like this...

“Ah.” Lotte slapped her forehead. “I’m sorry, I forgot to call!”

After Ursula had explained the situation to Akko, the girl had assured her teacher and classmates that there was no problem and that it was quite alright for her and the inn. The rest of the servants had gone back to their duties, including that manager they all had met in the entryway of the inn.

“Inn? This is what this place is?” Amanda commented after they had changed into robes laid out for them, the management telling them it was for guests to wear.

“It’s a ryoukan. Yes, an Inn. Did you guys really not know that?” Akko replied, not looking as she helped Lotte tie her sash, after assisting Amanda.

“Akko… Inns don’t look this extravagant from where we come from.” Diana pointed out, Akko not knowing how one looked like, but the rest only nodded. “And I’m fairly certain the customer service here would be overboard for other countries. This kind of service doesn’t happen other places like having people serve you tea for a few hours.”

“I do admit, it’s quite lovely, being treated like this.” Ursula commented, completely relaxed.

“Well, if you all are done changing, would you like to check out the hot springs at the back? Or do you prefer checking out the lounge. We have table tennis tables set up.” Akko gestured towards the halls, posture straight, but humble, as if a servant.

“Akko…” Sucy uttered. “Are you actually an attendant here?”

“You only noticed now?” She asked, confused, but not offended.

“But then, there’s also this ‘Young Miss’ stuff.” Amanda commented, a blush erupting on Akko’s features.

“That- that is…”

“Are your guests finished with their changing, Atsuko?” A knock came from the door as Akko replied with an affirmative. “Oh, I’ll be coming in, dear.”

‘Dear?’ All of them thought at once, a blonde prodigy more skeptical than the rest, though her features remained frozen in indifference, not betraying the storm of emotions inside her.

“Sure, go ahead.”

The manager from before entered, now dressed in what Akko explained was the male version of traditional clothes, also telling them about her own wardrobe, a traditional Japanese kimono, Lotte and Ursula admiring the fine silk.

“I believe I forgot to introduce myself.” The man knelt, before bowing down formally and got back up. “My name is Kagari Kentarou. You may call me Ken, or Kento. Whichever you prefer.” He smiled innocently before letting a bomb drop. “I am Kagari Atsuko-sama’s husband as she is my young wife.”

“…”

“Wha-!“

“Dad! Don’t screw around with my friends!” Akko immediately denied the claim, giving her father a hard slap to the side. “I’m so sorry.” She prostrated herself in a formal form of apology.

“That’s my girl, really keeping at those manners.” The man laughed heartily. “Yes, I’m her father.”

“And here we thought he was just some manager.”

Ursula immediately knelt near Akko. “It- It’s fine dear. WE were just a bit… taken back.” She said, suddenly feeling queasy as the information swirled in her head.

“That is the understatement of the century.” Sucy  chuckled, recovering before the rest.

Lotte and Amanda sighed in relief, but Diana was still stuck in a daze, thoughts running in her head.

“Diana?” Akko looked up to see her classmate. “Oh come on, dad!”

After reassuring Diana that everything was just a playful jest on Mr. Kagari’s part, she seemed to have regained her composure, and now resumed her usual countenance, formally bowing as well, introducing herself.

“Diana Cavendish of the Cavendish lineage. We are a medically focused group of witches.” She explained. “I have been given the pleasure of being in the same class as your daughter.” She gave a polite smile, now knowing that this man was related to Akko and wanting to make an impression, for who knows what reason.

“Lotte Yanson. My family runs a magic shop.” The bespectacled girl went on about talking about her hometown and such things, also showing her skill in summoning and communicating with spirits.

“Oooohhh.” Akko’s father clapped, impressed.

“Sucy Manbavaran.” The girl bowed and left it at that.

“Sucy!” Lotte scolded once more, but the man assured it was fine and that they’d get to know one another these coming days.

“Amanda O’Neill.” She scratched her cheek, not exactly used to such things, and since everyone had just started to introduce themselves, she decided to go with the flow.

“O’Neill, huh.” Kentarou scratched his chin, deep in thought, as if recalling something. “By chance are you related to Adam O’Neill of Adamson enterprises?”

“…Yes.” The redhead was surprised that someone knew her father. “My dad.”

“Oh… that’s why. You look just like him.” The man gave her a clap on the shoulder, and the girl scowled.

“I did not just hear that.”

“You don’t get along?” Ken was surprised at the chill in the girl’s voice. Was this what his friend meant by his daughter going to some boarding school?

“Well that, and I doubt any teenage girl wants to be told they look like some old fart.” Amanda shrugged, any form of hostility dissipated immediately. “Surprised you know him.”

“Oh, business partners.”

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

The Luna Nova group had decided on touring the whole inn first before indulging in all its facilities, Akko happily volunteering to be their guide.

Idle chatter went about the afternoon as they walked hall after hall, every once in a while Akko would point out things and rooms, explaining its history or use.

One question continued to tickle at Diana’s brain, teasing her to no end and now she was just to curious.

“Akko, if I may…” She began, nervous all of sudden. “Where’s your mother?”

The chatterbox of a girl immediately turned somber.

“Speaking of which, we have yet to meet her.” Ursula also turned her inquiry to the girl, looking for an answer from the hesitant frame.

“Oh… my mom.” She chuckled, uneasily. “She was… she was sick and in the hospital for a while, actually… and-and now she’s… resting, right now.” She tried to tell them.

Diana felt horrible. Utterly horrible for bringing up the subject, as well as the fact that she could relate to how it felt as well.

“I… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, wish you could’ve met her earlier.” Akko smiled, the smile not quite reaching her eyes. “Maybe if we called for her-“

“Akko that’s taboo remember!” Lotte exclaimed, remembering the last time they had done a resurrection.

“Well, we’ll see her soon again, in a few moments time… it’ll be over in a flash.” Akko’s father patted the girl on the back, speaking to the guests.

“What-“

“You’ll meet her soon enough. When she’s reincarnated.”

The statement made Akko shoot up, eyes wide, as if in shock like the rest of them.

“Wait, what? Dad? Oh my gosh, no- guys! I didn’t mean it like that.” She slapped her forehead, wondering when she had started this misleading impression of her beloved mother. “I’m so sorry. DAD! WHY?” She hit him again as he began his boisterous laughing.

“It was just too- and I thought you were- ahahaha!”

“Dad! I was just worried about her since she was weak this morning.” She apologized again to her friends, explaining to the stupefied group. ”My mom is literally resting in the other room since she just got well.”

“Oh. Oh! OH… for a second there.”

“Yeah.” Akko sighed, shaking her head at her own father’s antics. “Would you like to go meet her?” The question seemed to be more directed to Diana then any of the others.

“I would love to.” She replied for everyone.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 At the very far back of the inn, there was an extension, a small gate actually being there followed by sturdy wooden doors.

Akko unlatched the gate and led everyone inside, her dad having to return to his duties.

They currently stood in front of an intricately painted sliding door, again, the fragrance of flowers came floating out of the room.

“Mother? It’s me. Akko.” The brunette called out, waiting patiently for a response.

After a few seconds, a soft voice beckoned them in, and they noticed their host literally glowing, eyes filled with love and the door had yet to open.

“Hi mom.” She greeted as the door slid open, going to her mother’s side straight away and sitting by as the woman stroked her face.

“Hi sweetie.”

Diana was certain she could deduce where Akko had inherited such looks from, now gazing upon her crush’s (?!) mother. It was like looking at twins, only one looked much more mature. Still, both had this inexplicable beauty, inside and out.

That was saying something since Diana had yet to know Akko’s mother, but somehow she could just feel the kindness of her heart by how she looked at them all.

“You must be Diana.” She giggled, a pleasant sound. Diana perked up a bit, surprised the woman could tell. “Akko talks so much about you in letters, mentioning this and that… sometimes rude things,” She gave a stern, yet loving glance at her daughter who looked sheepish. “But it all ends in this… emotion.” She winked teasingly, her daughter turning the color of beets once more.

“Mom! You didn’t need to say that.” She whined, not being able to meet Diana’s gaze, each time she’d sneak a peak, both of them would turn their heads away.

“And you are Lotte, Sucy and Amanda.” She smiled at the dear friends of her child. “Thank you so much for befriending this girl. She can be a handful.”

“I can vouch for that.”

“Sucy!”

“Akko’s great, it’s all good.”

A certain teacher felt butterflies in her stomach. Somehow she felt both a gentleness and intimidating feeling from seeing the real deal mother of her precious student.

“Professor Ursula.”

“Yes?!”

“Akko has told me so many things about you.” Many things? Hopefully not about her being Char- “And you’ve always given her that gleam in her eyes, ever since she was young.”

The statement confused three of the rooms occupants, and surprised the rest. Akko shook her head at Ursula, telling her she hadn’t spoken a word of it.

“Your eyes speak everything.” The woman said vaguely. “Thank you.” And Chariot knew it meant many things, making her nearly tear up.

“Oh my! Where are my manners. I am Kagari Akiko, Kagari Atsuko’s mother.” She held her hand out for all to shake. “Don’t hesitate to just call me Akiko, Aki if you’d dare.”

The guests shook their heads.

“Well then, have you seen the entire place?” She inquired in a friendly manner.

“Yes, the place is both exquisite and impressive. The history is quite the tale.” Diana replied.

“Well, I’m glad you think so.” She looked at her daughter, the younger version giving her a questioning gaze.

“What is it? Do you need anything mom?”

“What do you think about how my child looks? To me, she is beautiful. I’m so happy she wore the kimono I chose specifically for her. She rarely does, this child, except for occasions or work.” Akiko turned her attention back to the quartet who were thrown off pace.

“Mom, what’s this all of a sudden?”

“Dear, you should really control how often you blush. You might lose blood.” The woman said in faux-concern. “So, what do you think, Diana?”

“Mom?!”

“What?”

Diana may have been just as equally shocked as her counterpart, ears red as her gems for eyes. If no reasonable or coherent thought would formulate for her if she thought on it, she’d just have to speak honestly.

“She is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in this whole place filled with extravagant objects.”

Lotte’s mouth was a perfect ‘O’, Sucy and Amanda snickering, knowing to some extent at the rivals’ blossoming feelings, no matter how secretive they tried to be towards each other. To the outside watchers, it was too painfully obvious.

Even Hannah and Barbara were trying to subtly hint to Diana helpful methods to getting with Akko as they were tired of seeing her look like a puppy, waiting so patiently without the power to do anything.

Ursula just smiled, excited for whatever was to happen on this trip.

“Good answer.” The woman clapped.

More conversation later and Akko felt her phone buzz in her pocket. The time was getting late, and she had a request.

“Oh no. Mom, I’m so sorry. I have to go help with dinner.” Akko clapped her hands in front of her before hugging her mother tight. “I really wanted to stay with you longer in case you needed anything, but-“

“It’s alright with me.” She reassured. “But what about your guests?”

“Oh, right. Guys, do you want to stay here and chat some more, or should I lead you back to your room if you want to do other things.” She asked them, fidgeting as she was in a rush.

“Well, I guess I wanna check out those baths.” Amanda shrugged, Lotte and Sucy wanting to tag along. Ursula said she had some paperwork she brought with her and would do that in the room. Diana was-

“Oh, I have an idea. Akko-chan?”

“Y-yes mom?” Akko flinched at the way she was addressed and the tone of voice. Her mother was scheming something again.

“In compensation since you are going to leave your poor, sick mother alone,” Akko felt a stab each time. “I will be taking Diana-chan to stay with me and keep me company!”

“Diana-chan?”

“How’s that sound?” The woman asked a bewildered heiress, who nodded dumbly at Akko’s somewhat sorry, yet pleading look. She could not deny it.

With a sigh, she replied, “It would be my pleasure.”

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 “Akko has gone to help the cooks again. Really, that girl. Even though we taught her to help out, she’s overdoing it.” The mother complained to Diana, though the blonde could tell it was all in good taste, hints of love always in her tone.

She remembered the home economics classes that Akko always seemed to pass with flying colors. It was a good change of pace from her usual grades.

“What do you think of my daughter?”

“Huh?”

Again, this woman had these sudden changes in pace, so difficult to follow.

“My daughter… how do you see her?” The woman seemed serious. “She can be a ditz, clumsy at times, but she’s so persistent, almost to the point of stupidity. And even after- well… I’d rather not say, she’s still cheerful, bubbly and all that. Always moving forward.”

Diana could envision the worries and thoughts of the mother. The sorrow in her voice as she was recalling things that Diana may or may not know.

“She’s amazing, is what I think.” Akiko admitted. “And I respect her… and she’s my daughter, can you believe that? Looking up to her as an example.” She chuckled, running a hand through those similar brunette strands.

“I… I agree!” Diana said. “She is idiotic at times, but she has great potential. She is actually smart. She learned the fish language in a day…. Though by unconventional means.” Diana whispered the last part out loud. “But she is driven and passionate and… sometimes…” Her voice grew soft. Almost hurt as she remembered things she’d rather not. She couldn’t bring herself to tell them.

“Diana?” The girl felt her hands being taken. “Please tell me more.” Ruby eyes pleaded. “I want to know what happened with my daughter. The hurt she refuses to share. I want to know what happened when I wasn’t there.” She asked, squeezing tighter. “She seems changed… like she’s grown up without me.”

Diana wanted to respond to the neediness, to the uncertainty of this kind woman.

“Akko is… sometimes… Akko is the most positive and optimistic girl, always trying hard no matter how many times she fails, no matter how many threats of expulsion she receives,” Both women giggled at that part. “Even if she gets teased or bullied, she doesn’t mind those and chooses to move forward.”

“Ah, yes. I can imagine.” Akiko smiled, but also felt sadness. “But that’s from the outsider’s perspective.”

“Diana nodded in agreement. “In truth… Akko can get hurt. She can get depressed, feel betrayed… cry.” Something Diana never wanted to see ever again. Seeing it once was like having a knife driven through your heart. Someone so happy, now so broken. “So Maybe she has changed… or maybe she hasn’t and has always been that way, no one can understand her true personality.”

“I know.” The older version of Akko spoke, a few tears slipping. “And yet she refuses to worry me. Just because I’m a little sick.” She laughed humorless. “I just need her to depend on me a bit. I want to be a form of support.” Akiko said. “Thank you for telling me Diana.”

The blonde stared. She felt as if she understood Akko’s reasons, but also could get why the girl’s mother wanted Akko’s dependence. She could understand both because she knew what both feelings were. And all of them were centered on concern. And this was what she knew of as a product of love.

“Diana… let me ask again.” Her attention was taken back to the beautiful lady in bed. “What do you think of Akko?”

“I…” Should she really be saying this to Akko’s mother of all people? Nevertheless, she felt pressed to speak her true intentions and feelings. “I like her. I like Akko, your daughter ma’am.” She looked straight into those familiar pools. “I want to protect her because I care for her.”

There took a while for response, but Diana’s mind still ran.

“I say all this because… we didn’t really get along at the start, but gradually she left an impression on me… I could never stop worrying about her. Then her passion took me in… her pains were similar to mine… I just… Ma’am, I can’t believe I’m telling you this but,” She braced herself, heart pounding loudly in her ears. “Not as a friend ma’am, but as in… romantically… I might be-“

She found herself speaking more formally, it was silly, but to her it was some matter of life and death.

“I love Kagari Atsuko.”

“…”

If a heart could physically smash into a thousand pieces, shatter like glass, the young Cavendish was sure hers already had. No response. A serious face, piece it together… she may have gotten herself in deep trouble.

“Was that a proposal already?”

“Eh… HUH? No… NO! Not that I haven’t considered such thoughts, wait that’s going too fast, isn’t it… what? What am I even say-thinking?!” Diana had been thrown into a frenzy and was only calmed by the tinkling laughter she had heard from before.

“I’m… I apologize dear. It was so fun watching you and Akko, but the tension between you two is just incredible! How can two people be so dense?” She laughed more, unconsciously revealing her own daughter’s feelings to Diana who was now thinking.

‘Does Akko think the same?!’

“Anyway, My last question then I’m releasing you from this old lady’s prison.” She smiled more gently, caring, and lovingly. “I’ve heard you lost your mother?”

“Ah… yes.” Diana nodded, a bit melancholic.

“I see. Sorry to bring up sad memories.”

“It’s alright. She was a wonderful person and I love her so much, she gave me too much.” Diana reminisced.

“I can imagine, with how you’ve grown into such a lovely darling.” She took Diana’s hand. “What do you think about becoming my daughter?”

“…what..?”

“Oh, no… I don’t mean it that way. I have no intention of taking you away from the family and home you love. Daughter-in-law?” She teased again, and the implications instantly brought warmth to Diana’s heart, and cheeks.

“I guess… I wouldn’t be opposed? M-mother…” The woman squealed so loud, Diana thought the entire neighborhood heard them.

She admitted it was nice, however, being hugged tenderly, in the arms of an older woman, one that she just might really call her ‘mother’.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

  “Father, mom told me you have all the yukatas she chose for the guests?”

The girls were approached during supper time as they reveled in the marvelous culinary skills Akko held, and were told by the manager that the following eve, there would be a summer festival, and if they cared to attend, Akiko had offered to lend them beautiful robes for the occasion.

Excited to experience such traditions that they might not be able to again, everyone was on board with the idea.

Now Akko needed the materials from her father who had custody of them.

“Why Father? You usually call me dad.” The man pouted. “And yes, I gathered them from her as you were finishing dinner.” He responded, pulling into the lounge area of the room a rack, an assortment of robes and belts displayed.

“If I wasn’t so annoyed, maybe I’d call you dad again.” Akko told him, not looking at him at all.

“Annoyed? Why are you annoyed?” Kento cried.

“You pulled a lot of insensitive jokes, you know. I’m not forgiving you until you repent for your sins.”

“Not even if I give you extra allowance for the festival?” He tempted his daughter who gulped at the offer. It was too tempting.

“Deal… dad.”

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

“Tell me if you need anything more. Well, then. Good night everyone.” Akko told her guests as she bowed, ready to shut the door to their suite of sorts. She was ready to hit the hay already, tired from working around the inn as well as being a good host/escort to her friends.

The rest had nodded in response, but Diana seemed hesitant, something Akko noticed.

“Do you still want something, Diana? I could get it for you now, if you’d like?”

“I… I was just wondering about where you’d be sleeping?”

Akko cocked her head to the side. Diana was acting a bit odd. More meek and hesitant, not confident and boastful, though the last part was no more, Akko thought, as now that they knew each other better and were closer, the blonde seemed to have grown softer.

“I’ll be sleeping in my own room.” Akko replied after a while.

“Oh.”

Was Diana disappointed?

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

At the suggestion, the heiress perked up, nodding gracefully as she went to her section of the room and took a jacket.

“I’ll be back.” She told her companions who smiled, shooing the pair off.

As they were finally out of earshot, the teacher and her students let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding from watching the (hopefully) couple’s interactions.

“They should seriously stop dancing around each other.” Amanda clicked her tongue.

“Just be blunt about it.” Sucy added, preparing her evening poison rituals.

“We can’t rush them. I think they only figured out there feelings recently.”

“Diana, yes… Akko’s might still be getting there.” Sucy pointed out.

“You never know, though, right sensei?”

Ursula hummed, considering all this. “I think we’re about to find out.”

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

 It was getting chilly, but the breeze was still refreshing as Akko led Diana by the gardens and around the pond to some large rocks that they used as seats.

“So? What’s troubling you? Not comfortable in our inn?” Akko inquired, slightly worried about the accommodations.

“Huh? Oh, no… there is certainly nothing wrong with your services. They are simply superb.” Diana replied immediately, shaking her head along with her words.

“Then why are you so out of it?” The brunette tilted her head to the side, hair strands previously tucked behind her ear, falling out, framing her face beautifully, and with the help of the moon’s lighting, and the kimono Akko had not changed out of yet, Diana was left again to worship the beauty before her.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I am distracted, I think.”

“You think?” Akko giggled. “Hey now, where’s the usual Diana Cavendish?”

“She probably disappeared the moment she was stricken by someone’s beauty.” Diana could have slapped herself with that line, Akko blushing madly.

“O-oh? Whose?”

“You know whose.” She decided to push through with it, deciding to not chicken out last second, the acceptance of Akko’s mother giving her a boost.

“I… I’m not quite sure I know, Diana.” The girl looked away, not being able to bear it.

“Then…” Diana stood up, now in front of Akko, holding out a hand. “Would you like me to tell you who it is?”

The usual mischievous witch could only obey the beckon, placing her smaller hand in the smooth palm of the person she had so long admired.

“Maybe if you dance with me, I’ll tell you.” Diana gave a wink, pulling Akko up.

“This is so not your character.” Akko covered her face with her free hand, being tugged to her feet and brought near the sparkling waters. “What’s going on?”

“I honestly do not have an answer to that question, as I cannot comprehend my own actions.” Diana grinned, leading their dance, her hand on Akko’s waist, the other holding her partner’s hand.

“Di-Diana… I don’t know how to dance like th-this.”

“I’ll teach you then.” Diana started off, silently counting in whispers. “After all, you taught me a dance as well.” She was referring to that little happening in the hallway, which would only serve to confuse a clueless Akko.

“What are you…”

“Don’t worry about it and just… follow my lead.” Diana whispered in her ear, now humming along with her counting, and Akko could now hear a song playing in the background.

Little by little she relaxed, and not once did they make a misstep, or have to stop, fully enjoying this mood, this atmosphere, their time alone together.

“Why didn’t you send me an invitation?” Diana asked in the middle of twirling Akko. The unexpected topic was indeed, unexpected to Akko.

“What?! I did! You’re the one who didn’t respond… or did you not receive it?” Akko gasped. “It was sent via mail. Maybe it didn’t reach you.” She frowned, now knowing why Diana hadn’t responded to confirm if she would be coming along.

On the other hand, the heiress was pleasantly surprised, and relieved she had gotten it all wrong.

“I see. I guess it just didn’t reach then.” She felt light, happy, pulling Akko just a smidget closer to her, sharing their warmth.

“Um… Diana… this is a bit c-close?”

“Is it?” She knew she was now grinning stupidly, widely, she could feel it in her cheeks, but she did not care. “I don’t mind. Do you?” Another twirl, then pulling Akko back in closer than before.

“I… guess if you’re fine with it, I’ll be… okay.”

“Good.”

Neither knew how much time passed, but it must have been quite a while, the moon now high in the sky when they decided to stop dancing and Akko screeching in panic as she felt Diana’s cold cheek against her palm.

She was set on dragging Diana back to her room and did not release their joined hands, even entwining their fingers now as they hurriedly returned to the room.

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

They stood facing one another in front of the room door.

“Ah.” Akko realized something. “I danced with you… so will you tell me… who you thought was beautiful?” Again pink dusted the brunette’s cheeks as she looked away.

“Of course.” Diana giggled, reaching her free hand to cup Akko’s face. “The person I think is the most exquisite in this whole vicinity is none other than the one I’m looking at. And probably will be the only one I ever look at.” They gazed into one another’s eyes, words stuck in their throats.

“I-I… are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Akko wanted it to be so, but… could she place a bet on that hope? “Cause you better not be tricking me or anything. I’m gonna cry Diana. I will cry.” She swallowed, heart picking up the pace.

A kiss was planted on her cheek.

“Akko… tomorrow… walk with me during the festival… beside me, even if we go as a group. Hold my hand and… and smile at me and enjoy it with me… s-so I can bring myself to tell you, okay? I promise… I swear on my good name I will tell you properly. Just… let me gather enough courage. I will not betray your expectations. Wait a bit… just a bit… please.”

The pressure on her hands was strong, Diana’s knuckles a pale white.

“Diana…”

“Yes?”

“Your cheeks were cold earlier.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll warm them up.”

“What do you-“

Diana was stunned into silence, the feeling appearing and disappearing so fast, but there was a slight wetness on both her cheeks, and she knew they would indeed lose their cold.

“You better not disappoint me tomorrow. It’s a date!”

A date.

With a lot of people, but nevertheless… a date.

“O-okay… have a good night Akko.” Diana bowed, still in a shocked stupor, head above the clouds. “M-make sure to wash up and drink some water before bed. Don’t catch a cold. Take care of yourself. C-come over to this room if-“

“Good night, Diana.” The way it was stressed, said with so thick a coating of affection quieted her down. It spoke so many things. Thank you. I’ll be alright. Take care as well.

-I love you.

Diana made sure her next words held the same thoughts and amount of emotion to communicate what she could not bring herself to say out loud… yet.

“Good night, Akko.”

I Love you too.

  ~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

Omake:

“Diana… Please stop beaming like that. Your light is scaring away all my inner demons.” Sucy commented as she quirked a brow at the dopey expression that did not belong on the repertoire of Cavendish expressions.

Diana couldn’t care less how she looked right now. She was too happy.

Thus, all she could say was-

“Shut it, Manbavaran.”

~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~

A/N: I’ll admit… I was blushing near the end while writing, no idea why… Please do repost, reblog etc, like, comment, share with your friends! My Fluffy dianakko healing is needed to conquer the angst of the final eps. For me at least.

Ciao peeps!

~Shintori Khazumi

[pachelbelleart]

Hetalia - Fun? (America x Germany) Ch. 1

(Just checking if I can post fics on tumblr~ Some of he italics weren’t processed here so if you get confused, I apologize in advance!)

Another world meeting was about to begin. Ludwig checked his wristwatch.

Right on time.

Once at the main doors to the conference hall, he paused upon hearing something disturbingly unusual—nothing. At world meetings, the hall was never quiet, which made it all the more strange.

Maybe they’ve finally realized how ridiculous an immature they’ve been acting…

He turned the knob and scoffed at the ambitious idea.

Yeah, right.

Ludwig quickly moved to the other side of the door with his back to the room. “Good morning,” he announced. “I must say, I’m quite impressed with everyone's—”

Ludwig turned around and discovered the cause of the odd silence. It wasn’t the picture-perfect scene of each country being miraculously in their seats and taking the meeting seriously as Ludwig had envisioned.

The hall was completely empty, save for Peter (Sealand), who was spinning around in his chair; Heracles (Greece), who was fast asleep; and, to Ludwig’s utter shock, Alfred (whom he normally addresses as America).

He finished his sentence with a heavy sigh. “…discipline.” Ludwig ran his hand through his hair, disappointment, stress, and frustration filling him to the brim. He let his briefcase fall onto the table with a loud thud which woke Heracles with a start. But not long after, he was sleeping soundly once more. Terrified, Peter stopped moving around so he wouldn’t get scolded and sat stiffly in his seat.

The tired man took a seat and rested his back against the cushioned chair as he rubbed his temples in an attempt to calm down.

“Where the hell is everyone…?” he asked Alfred without facing him. His voice was dripping with annoyance.

Alfred sat reclined in his chair with his hands resting at the back of his head, feet up on the table and crossed at the ankles. His mind was elsewhere, though, so Ludwig’s question went unnoticed. He heard him; he just chose not to understand him.

He stared dumbly at the German. “Hm?”

Ludwig’s gaze quickly shot in Alfred’s direction, ready to burst into a fit, but he forced himself not to. It wasn’t fair to take out his anger on him. After all, he’s not the one he was mad at. He took a deep breath and repeated slowly and patiently through gritted teeth, “I said, ‘where is everyone?’” Alfred could hear the strain in Ludwig’s voice.

“Oh. Well…” he began thoughtfully. “See, Arthur called in sick today ‘cuz of food poisoning—go figure; Kiku is at this huge convention in his hometown; the Nordics are on some skiing trip; Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert said they’re going on a 'business trip’; aaand…”

He thought for a moment then shrugged. “That’s as far as I know. Honestly though, dude, I either forgot about the others or I just got lazy to ask 'em.” He laughed and flashed Ludwig one of his iconic smiles.

After a few more deep breaths, Ludwig had calmed down substantially. But there was something that bothered him.

“America?” he asked in a soft yet serious tone. “Why are you here, then? Don’t you have somewhere to be as well?”

“Um, actually…” Alfred shifted to sit properly. He leaned onto the table and clasped his hands. “The only reason I came was because I wanted to ask you something.”

Now that piqued Ludwig’s interest. It obviously had nothing to do with politics or economics, but if his question was important enough to drag the American all the way here, then it must’ve been of some significance.

“Really?” he asked in mock surprise. “Okay, what is it?”

Alfred beamed and quickly rummaged through his pockets. He pulled out a piece of folded paper and laid it out in front of Ludwig for him to see. It was a poster with big bold letters and colors advertising a new amusement park that opened up nearby. He jabbed his finger onto the wrinkled piece of paper.

“Today’s the grand opening and they’re having a discount special for today only! It says that if you’re in a group of two or more, you’ll get half-off on all the rides! Half-off! How awesome is that?”

To Ludwig, this promo sounded like a one-way ticket to bankruptcy. He took a closer look and saw what he was talking about.

“Hmm, so it does. But…why are you telling me all this?”

Alfred stood up ecstatically and looked down at Ludwig with a wide smile. “Because I want you to come with me!”

Ludwig’s eyes widened with surprise and confusion. “Wh-What? Me?”

“Yeah, man! It’ll be fun! Trust me!”

“I…I don’t know, America. I have things to do.”

“Aw, come on! Try and get out the house some more, dude!” Alfred whined. “All you do is sit in front of your desk all day and write 'til your fingers fall off!”

“First of all, I have paperwork to deal with at home now since no one came to today’s meeting and—”

“Ahh that can wait,” Alfred interjected and dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand.

Ludwig furrowed his brows. “Secondly, what would you need me for?”

“Well, duh, I just told you that I’ll get a huge discount if I bring someone with me!” He gestured to him. “Also, everyone’s doing something,” he mumbled, “so…yeah.”

“Can’t you bring one of these two along with you instead?” Ludwig looked to where he saw Sealand and Greece earlier, but they were nowhere to be found.

Unbeknownst to Alfred and Ludwig, the two had already left as they were talking—or rather, arguing. While Ludwig was in a sour mood earlier, Peter was terrified of being scolded by him. So, as a precautionary measure, he crawled out from under the table and stealthily exited the room without being seen. As for Heracles, he simply got up and walked out the room; the table wasn’t the most comfortable thing to sleep on for him. Neither of them noticed this.

Alfred had found the perfect opportunity to pull out his secret methods of persuasion. Before Ludwig even realized it, Alfred knelt down and grabbed ahold of his collar, making him bend forward unexpectedly. “What the—?”

“PLEASE COME WITH ME!” he begged as he shook the man. “YOU HAVE A CAR!”

Ludwig’s mouth was agape.

So that’s what you were after…

“Then just use the bus to get there!” He had to grip onto the arm rests of his chair to avoid falling.

“NO! The bus stop is too far and the park opens in fifteen minutes! There’ll be too many people by the time I get there!” Alfred shook Ludwig more violently now.

“O-Okay! Okay! Just—STOP!”

Alfred gasped with delight. “So you’re coming?”

“No, I can’t!” Ludwig retaliated. “Look, I’m a busy man, America. I’m up to my neck in work!”

Alfred’s expression darkened. “Fine,” he said sharply. He got up and made his way towards the door. “No wonder everyone says you’re no fun…” he muttered as he passed Ludwig. He wanted him to hear his words, and he did. This was yet another method of persuasion Alfred knew how to use, and he knew how to use it well.

When he was about to grab the doorknob, Ludwig stood up.

“…Wait,” he called out.

Alfred couldn’t believe his ears.

OH MY GOD I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT WORKED…! Okay, okay, okay…I can DO THIS!

Alfred tried to keep a straight, serious face as he turned around with an eyebrow raised.

SEAL THE DEAL!

He saw Ludwig’s shoulders were drooped and his eyes downcast. He was silent before looking straight at Alfred. “Do they…really say that?” There was sadness in his voice and in his eyes.

Alfred’s eyes widened in panic. He’d never seen Ludwig like this before—and what’s worse is that he was the one who made him like this. He felt awful.

OH SHOOT! I DIDN’T MEAN TO HURT THIS GUY’S FEELINGS SO MUCH! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!

“U-Um, y-yeah, yea—no? M-Maybe? I think, uh…” he stuttered nervously. Sweat rolled down his back and face.

Ludwig nodded slowly and sighed. “I see…” He looked over his shoulder and saw the colorful flyer on the table gleaming in the sun. He picked it up and analyzed it silently. Alfred’s right leg shook uncontrollably as he waited tensely in anticipation for his response. What would he say?

Finally, after a grueling minute of silence had passed, the verdict was in. “I, uh…guess it would be a nice break from work. I mean, I don’t have to finish it all today.”

Alfred was absolutely thrilled. “WOOHOO!” he cheered. He just scored himself a homerun. “C'mon! Let’s go!”

As they walked down the hallway out of the meeting room, Alfred stumbled over his words as he excitedly relayed and introduced all the different rides listed on the poster when a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

“Also, hey, um,” he started experimentally. “I was wondering if we could…split the bill?” It was a hopeful question.

“Don’t push your luck.”

@hetaliafandomhub

[babylon-bitch]

Just Friends ~Why Aren't I Happy? (Part 23)

(The first 8 or 9 chapters are complete shit but after that it gets better, trust me)

Harper White is best friends with Luke Hemmings, they always have been. Not only is she friends with the rockstar, but with the rest of 5 Seconds Of Summer, as well as a really nice girl named Erika.

Harper has a few secrets, she can play all the instruments the boys play and many more. It’s a talent she has kept hidden, only very few people know.

What will happen to the six teens, wondering around the world together?

Warnings: Swearing and mentions of depression

***

We're back at school, well Erika and I are, Luke and Calum haven't been. They've had meetings and promo stuff. They leave in two days, it's my birthday tomorrow, I turn 18, which honestly I'm excited to be able to drink legally, but also scared because I turn into an adult. And it will be weird to say I'm dating a 17 year old.

Luke and I have officially made up, we had had make up sex, and shit it was good.

I'm currently getting ready for school. Putting on some ripped, blue, jean shorts and a grey vest crop top, putting on some white converse to finish off.

I do minimal makeup and jog downstairs. "Morning, honey." My mum chirps.

"Hey." I smile.

"I'm going away on a business trip in a couple of days, I'll be gone for a week." She informs me.

"Um, okay." I say.

It was bound to happen sooner or later, mum going away all the time again. At least I'll still have a parent this time.

Luke and I haven't told our parents yet, it's not because we don't want to, it's just we literally can't be bothered. Plus, it doesn't affect them, so it doesn't matter either way, even if they have been shipping us since we were born.

My phone goes off and I find a text from Luke.

L: Morning xx

Me: Hey, what are you doing today? Xx

L: Nothing I don't think. We are having like a mini break, before we set off, you?

Me: School, that is literally it. Mum is going off on another business trip in a couple of days, she'll be gone for a week.

L: Are you okay about it?

Me: It was going to happen any second now. At least I'll have someone at home with me this time :)

L: Good <3

Me: Well I should get going, I'll talk to you later. I'm going to miss you not being at school.

L: I'm going to miss not seeing you all day. I love you 💕

Me: bye, see you after school babe, love you too 💕 x

I smile to myself and place my bowl into the sink. Since the boys don't go to school anymore, Erika decided to drive us to school.

So I stand outside as I wait for her.

5 minutes later, I see her silver car pull up. "Hey." She smiles.

I walk to the passenger side and open the door. "Hi." I greet and skip this shitty song she is listening too.

"Hey! I was listening to that!" She claims.

"It was shit." I say and put some Paramore on.

"Alright emo." She mutters.

"Shut up, this is not emo." I tell her.

"Whatever. We've got a bit spare, do you want to get a drink on the way?" She suggests.

"Sure." I shrug.

"So, how are you and Luke?" Erika asks, with a weird undertone to it.

"Good, how about you and Ashton." I smirk.

"Bitch shut up! We aren't anything, we never will be, I don't like him that way." She tensly exclaims.

"That seems like the thing Luke and I used to say." I smirk and wink at her.

"Ugh!" She groans and repeatedly hits her head on the steering wheel whilst we wait at a red light.

"Starbucks or juice?" I question.

"I want Starbucks." She claims.

"Well I want juice, so you go be a white girl, and I'll pretend that I'm healthy." I say.

Erika parks her car, and we step out. "I'll see you in a bit." I tell her and walk up the road.

"Harper! Can I have a picture?" Someone asks.

"Sure." I smile and take the photo.

"You and Erika are such an inspiration to me." She claims.

"Aww, you're going to make me cry! Thank you, Erika should be in Starbucks over there if you want to meet her." I inform her.

"Thank you." She smiles and walks off down the road.

I chuckle and carry on walking.

Walking through the door I spot some familiar heads of hair. Michael turns around and I put my finger to my lips. He nods and continues to talk to Calum.

I walk up behind Luke and wrap my arms his waist. He tenses up and I giggle, he relaxes when he hears me.

"What are you doing here?" Luke chuckles.

He turns around and presses his lips to mine. "We had some time to spare and Erika went to Starbucks so I decided to come here." I explain.

"Hey, could I have a picture?" A girl asks the boys.

I take this time to order myself a drink. A couple of minutes later I get my drink and I take a sip through the straw.

"I gotta go, I'll see you guys later." I say as I walk up to the guys, who just finished talking to the girls that came up to them.

"Bye." Ashton smiles.

"Goodbye idiot." Michael chuckles.

"Goodbye." Calum says in a British accent.

"Keep practicing." I laugh and go to Luke.

"Bye baby." Luke pouts.

"See you later." I say and give Luke a kiss.

"Have fun!" He calls as I walk off.

I flip him off and walk back to the car. "Yo Miley what's good?" Erika says as I walk up to her.

"I walked into the boys up there." I tell her.

"Really? Did you send a girl to me?" She asks.

"Yeah." I chuckle.

"She was so sweet."

***

It's the end of school, and I'm making my way to my locker. As I'm walking I see Alec and the school's slut. We lock eyes and he smirks as we do, I roll my eyes. "Dick." I say but disguise it as a cough.

"What did you say?" He accuses

Am I really doing this? I sigh and turn around. "I called you a dick." I blatently say.

His whole 'gang' turns around and faces me. "Excuse me? Is someone jealous?" He chuckles

"No." I laugh. "What no one knows, is that I broke up with you." I smirk. By now the whole hallway is silent.

"No you didn't." He tries to cover up.

"If I remember, you called me up took all your anger out on me, then a week or so later you called me up and thought we could get back together." I laugh. "I mean, how stupid are you? I don't need you in my life, you're a low life, that cheats and wastes his life away by getting drunk and getting high. You have this 'bad boy act', but when someone actually comes up to you, you get so scared, and expect your friends to deal with it." I tell him. "You aren't going anywhere in life, you can barely pass any classes. Your parents must be so disappointed in you. You don't deserve me, and I'm grossed out by the fact that I thought you did. I pity your next girl, although it seems like you all ready found a new one." I say. "Clitoris - Google it" I smirk and turn back around and walk out the school.

The sex was really bad in that relationship, yeah I had orgasms, but I had to fake it a couple of times. Or that's how sex is and Luke is like a sex God.

I walk up to Erika who was leaning against her car. "Hey, what took you so long?" She asks.

"Oh, um I ran into Alec." I answer.

"Harper, that seems very suspicious, did you like cheat on Luke with him?" She questions.

"Erika what the fuck!" I chuckle.

"Then what did you do?"

"I kind of argued with him, but I did most of it, while he stood there wide eyed. I basically outed him, everyone thought that he broke up with me, when I was the one who called it off." I admit.

"Oh, so did you like 'win'?"

"I guess you could say that." I shrug.

"Well let's go." She says and we get into her car.

"Do you wanna go get something to eat?" I question.

"Yeah, I'm in the mood for an ice cream."

"Well ice cream it is."

We drive to an ice cream parlour by the beach, and we've ordered, now we're sitting on the beach. "If you could play another instrument, what would it be?" I ask Erika.

"Guitar, I guess. Mainly because you can play it pretty much anytime you want, where as with the drums, you can't really play it anytime you want." She explains. "You?"

"Umm, I don't know, the triangle seems cool." I say.

"Yeah, if you play the triangle, you are like 10 times hotter." Erika agrees.

"Totally."

"Well I mean you're hot anyway." She laughs.

***

I say goodbye to Erika and walk into my house. "Hello?" I call.

No one calls back so I take it no one is home. Walking up the stairs and into my room. "Holy shit guys, what are you doing here?" I ask.

The guys are in my room playing with stuff and laying on the floor. "Hello." Calum smiles.

"How was school?" Luke asks.

"Not Hogwarts." I huff and throw may bag onto my bed.

"Shame." Michael smugly says.

"What happened?" Ashton question.

"Nothing it was just boring." I lie.

Luke comes up to me and wraps his arms around me. "Hi." He smiles down at me.

"Hey." I smile up at him.

He presses his lips to mine and I move my lips against his in sync. It gets more heated very quickly. "Woah, guys. Calm down. You can't just fuck with people in here." Calum says and pulls us apart.

"Dude, I was about to get some." I tell him.

They all laugh and I roll my eyes.

I walk up to my wall covered with posters, and notice that one of them has come loose at the bottom. I lift the whole poster up and find a hole and a load of dents.

"Fucking hell Harper, what happened?" Ashton asks as he notices the wall.

"Umm, when I went down a dark path, I used to get angry and punch walls, throw things at it, so I put a load of posters to cover it all up. You can see the blood from my knuckles." I explain and trace my fingers over a dent.

"Oh." Ashton nods, looking as if he regrets asking.

I flop onto my bed face down and sigh. Luke lays down next to me and runs his hand down my back, resting it on the small of my back. "Alec is dick." I blurt out.

"What?" Michael questions.

"Him and all his friends, they're dicks." I repeat.

"Is there anything to this or are you just pointing out the obvious?" Calum questions.

"I ran into him earlier and he's playing another chick, I may or may not of argued with him, but don't worry I totally won. He said that he broke up with me, when I actually broke up with him. All he used to do is get high an drunk, I don't get what I saw in him." I explain whilst looking up at the ceiling.

"Are you okay?" Luke asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just this was all sprung upon me today."

"Okay." He nods and continues to trace patterns on my waist.

It's a while later and its just me and Luke now. "Why don't I feel happy?" I blurt out.

"Huh?"

"I've got everything. I've got a great boyfriend, I've got a good family life, got the best of friends, school is going well, everything is great, perfect even. This is the kind of thing I would wish for when I was 16, yet I'm still not happy." I say.

"How long have you been feeling this way?"

"Well ever since this afternoon. This morning I was happy, and I know it's not just something to do with Alec. I'm not sure if I'm just having one of those days, or weeks, but when you've gone through depression, you don't know if you're sinking back into it or just having one of those moments." I tell him.

"Hopefully it's just one of those weeks." He reassures.

"I should be happy because I'm turning 18 tomorrow, I should be so excited, but here I am feeling so blue. I don't feel sad, I just feel empty." I say.

"You'll be alright, I won't let you sink back down to that dark place. It was hell seeing you so down all the time, I don't want to do that again." He replies.

"Maybe it's because you're leaving me for a whole month."

"I'm not leaving you, I'm saying goodbye for now."

"Its the same thing."

"No, leaving you would mean I won't ever see you again, and I'm not going to do that. Saying goodbye for now means I'm coming back."

"Whatever." I sigh and nuzzle myself into his side and he kisses my head.

LUKE'S P.O.V.

"Harper?" I question seeing if she is awake or not.

No answer, must be asleep.

I feel really bad for leaving her when she is in this state of mind. She doesn't really tell anyone about these kind of feelings besides me, and I think it's good to let it all out instead of bottling it up.

I pull out my phone and go on Twitter. Taking Harper's phone and taking a load of pictures of me, so she can remember what I look like. Especially with a double chin.

My phone notifies me that I have a message from Michael.

M: Where are you?

Me: Harp's, why?

A couple of minutes later they all walk in. "Shhh, she's sleeping." I tell them.

"Aww isn't that cute." Erika says.

I carry on scrolling through Twitter, whilst the others quietly talk amongst themselves.

Mindlessly scrolling, until I see a video of Harper and I. Watching it, it's a video of us kissing this morning, those fans that came up to us must of filmed it. It does look cute though, I have to admit. It is a bit out of focused, so it is quite hard to tell who it is.

"Luke?" Calum calls me.

"Yeah, I've seen it." I tell him.

"You okay with it?" Erika asks.

"There's nothing I can do about it." I shrug.

She nods and goes back to talk in to Michael.

I put my phone down and kiss Harper's temple, deciding to escape reality as well, I join Harper and take a nap.

ERIKA'S P.O.V.

I look to my left and see Luke and Harper sleeping. I smile and take a picture. "Look at them, they are so cute together." Calum says.

"We were so wrong. We highly doubted that they would be dating." Michael chuckles.

"We still don't know what they were arguing about." I realise.

"It was probably nothing, just them being drama queens." Calum claims.

"The shade." Ashton laughs.

"Do you guys wanna leave?" Michael asks.

"Yeah." We all say.

Standing up we go down the stairs and out the front door. We usually come through the back door when no one asks us to come over.

"So where are we going to go?" Calum asks.

"Um, we could go for a drive." Ashton suggests.

"Sure." I shrug.

We all pile into Ashton's car and play some loud music. "I'm gonna miss you guys." I tell them.

"Aww, I'm going to miss you too." Michael says and hugs me.

"Like I've spent the last 2 or 3 years with you every day, then suddenly you guys disappear." I carry on.

"Imagine how Luke will cope." Ashton claims.

"Its going to be hard on both of them, Luke could hardly keep it together when Harper was in England." Calum chimes in.

"Its hard on Harper too because they kind of rely of each other." I add.

"Hopefully they will get through it, I will be devastated if they break up." Michael tells us.

Yeah...

***

HARPER'S P.O.V.

I rub my eyes and stretch, looking to my left I see a cute little Lucas Hemmings sleeping next to me. I chuckle and kiss cheek. He stirs around and tightens his arms around me. "Lukey." I giggle.

He groans in response.

"C'mon." I chuckle.

"5 more minutes."

"Fine, but no longer." I give in.

He hums in response.

15 minutes later we get up. "About bloody time." I say.

"I love you, you know."

"And I love you too." I smile.

"Good, because we would have a problem if you didn't." He claims.

"Oh my god, I'm turning 18 tomorrow." I suddenly realise.

"I'll be dating someone who's 18." Luke adds.

"I've never been in a relationship where I'm older than my partner." I respond.

"Same for me, but the other way round."

"Well there's a first for everything I guess." I say and stand up.

I grab my phone and check my notifications. I've got a text from Evie but before I can reply, Luke throws me over his shoulder, and runs out of my room then down the stairs. "Luke." I giggle.

"Harper." He imitates.

He places me down onto the sofa and climbs on top of me. "What was that for?" I laugh.

"Just jazzing up your life." He simply replies.

"Thanks."

I places my hand on the back of Luke's neck and kiss him. I pull back and smile up at him. "Just jazzing up your life." I repeat him.

He pouts and crawls off me.

Standing up I walk into the kitchen and grab a couple of grapes. Throwing one up in the air and catching it in my mouth. "That was smooth as fuck." Luke laughs.

I wink and put another one in my mouth, but not throwing it. Walking back into the lounge, and sitting next to Luke. "Have you seen the video?" Luke questions.

"No?" I drag out.

Luke shows me the video, it's a video of us kissing. You can't really Photoshop a video. It is out of focus, so it is a little hard to see. We look cute though.

"There's nothing we can do about it I guess." I shrug.

"I just wish we don't have to hide everything." Luke sighs.

"I know, but that's the risk you take when being in the public eye."

"I guess, but we do look pretty cute though." He smirks.

"Yeah." I laugh.

I lay on top of Luke and his hands go to my hips. "You look pretty." He smiles.

"You don't look to bad yourself." I kiss his chin.

"Thanks." He says and pecks my lips.

I connect our lips again and our lips move in sync. Luke licks my bottom lip and I let him in. His hands trail down my body and rest on my ass. I nibble on his lip ring, earning a quiet groan.

He kisses down my neck and I tilt my head to the side to give him more access to my neck. I grind my hips against his and he lets out a low groan. Luke's hand starts massaging my boob, he trails kisses down my neck and then down my chest.

I connect our lips again, and Lukes hand trail back down to my ass. "My innocent eyes!" A girly voice cries out.

Luke gives my ass a little squeeze before holding my waist. I look behind me a and see the guys and Erika. Of course, this is going to happen all the time. I must learn to lock the back door. "Oh shut up Erika, it's not like you haven't had sex before." I claim.

I get up and go into the kitchen and retrieve my phone, with Erika following.

LUKE'S P.O.V.

I have an erection, shit.

I cross my legs to try and cover it up.

"Nice!" Michael complements and highfives me as he walks past me.

"What?" I question.

"The butt grab." Calum says.

"Oh, she has a great ass." I smirk and look at her bent over the counter top, the stuff she can do with her body.

"Stop eye fucking her." Ashton laughs.

All those thoughts go to my dick.

Harper walks back in with Erika, I pull her onto my lap to hide it. "We have a problem." I whisper in her ear.

"What is it." She asks.

"I have an erection." I confess.

She chuckles and smirks. "Let me just get my phone." She says and moves her hips around. My grip on her waist tightens and I place my head on her back.

"Harper." I whine/warn.

"No nothing, I should put this back." She sweetly responds with.

She puts it back on the table her ass grinding against me. Why does she have to be such a tease?

"Luke what's your favourite feature about Harper." Erika asks.

I smirk and cup Harper's boobs from behind and she laughs. "Good answer." Michael laughs.

Am I going to release myself or is Harper?

"Harper what your favourite feature about Luke?" Ashton asks.

"Well I'm kind of sitting on it. Joking! Well... it is partly true, I don't know. I like all of him."

She leans back onto me and I wrap my arms around her waist.

***

HARPER'S P.O.V.

Luke has gone home to sort himself out. I decided to be a tease and not do anything to him, I mean there is people over I can't just go to Luke's house and fuck him, or give him a blow job whilst they stay here.

It's fun seeing him suffer.

"When was the last time you shagged someone Calum?" I question.

"What does shagged mean?" Ashton laughs.

"Fucked."

"Ohhh, um like last night." Calum laughs.

"Its funny how your fans think you're these little innocent teenage boys, when really you're just being teenage boys." I say.

"Yeah, if only they knew how much we sleep around." Michael chuckles.

"I'm back!" Luke calls and makes his way over.

"You better of washed your hands." I joke.

To them they think it's a joke, but Luke did actually do it. Unless he slept with someone else.

"Kiss?" Luke asks in a baby voice.

"Puke."

He pouts and I kiss his pout, and his pout turns into a smile.

"Remeber a couple of weeks ago we all got smashed and the next morning I got a snapchat from Luke, with Harper sobbing on the ground because she dropped her taco, and Michael was trying not to laugh so hard." Erika laughs.

"That same night I found you in a bush eating pizza." I claim.

"I was so drunk I ordered 6 pizzas and sent myself dick pics." Calum tells us.

"I walked into this room at the party, and someone yelled dibs." Erika says.

"Sex on the roof was cool, but the superhero argument was the best part hands down." Michael chuckles.

"Apparently I took a selfie with some fried chicken at like 3AM but I thought I was making mac and cheese. " Luke chimes in.

"So Harper, what do you want for your birthday?" Ashton questions.

"Umm, an orgasm and some food would be great." I shrug.

"I can do both of those!" Calum smirks

"Uh, no. That's my job." Luke laughs.

[wrestlingimagination-blog]

Serious [Seth Rollins]

requested

Seth Rollins. He asks (Y/N) out on a date, but on the day before the date, when she’s about to leave the arena, she sees him with another girl & she’s flirting with him, so she feels stupid & when he asks her why she doesn’t want to go, she spills the truth. Angssssst and fluff pleaseeeeee!

fuck look at him the precious little puppy

also this is kind of long lol

You were out in the hallway, chatting back and forth with the Bella’s before they scurried off for their match where you were left, standing quietly, chewing raspberry bubblegum and tapping rapidly on your phone, earbuds stuffed in as you hummed along to your favourite song. 

“Hey, is that (SONG)?” You hear.

Turning your head, you plucked out your earphones to meet Seth Rollins’ gaze. “Huh?”

“(SONG). I could hear you humming it,” the fuzzy-faced man said, a grin creeping up on his cheeks. 

“Oh, yeah,” you felt a flush crawl up your cheeks. “Sorry, was I humming loud?”

Seth laughed. “A little.”

“That’s so embarrassing,” you joined in with his laughter. “I hope nobody heard me.”

“Oh, I did,” Seth pressed a hand to his chest, “and I appreciated the humming. It sounded quite lovely. (Y/N).”

“Why thank you, good sir,” you chuckled. 

“Hey, uh, what’dya say we get to know each other a bit better?” Seth asked, scratching the back of his head. “I mean, you’re gorgeous and I can already tell you have great taste in music. It’d be great to see what else we have in common.”

You smirked a little, “is Seth Rollins asking me out on a date?”

“Seth Rollins is asking you out on a date,” he confirmed with a wink, his hands crossed over in front of him. “So... what’dya say?”

“I’d be an idiot to say no,” I smirked.

“Awesome! Could I get your number, then?” Seth questioned, gesturing between the two of you.

“Oh, sure,” you responded, exchanging mobile phones with each other and punching your number in. “There.”

Seth glanced down at his phone, “look, I gotta go, I have a promo in five,” Seth sighed, sucking on his teeth with aggravation. “I’ll catch you later, (Y/N).”

“See ya,” you hummed, waving at him before grinning and staring down at your phone as you noticed he sent you a peace emoji. 

                                                             *** 

After a few days of texting back and forth, yourself and Seth had decided to go out later on that week. The two of you had a relatively busy schedule as you were always on the road, but you managed. 

“Good morning,” you muttered, brushing gently past Seth to collect a paper cup of coffee, your brain and body craving a stimulant. 

“Mornin’,” he grinned cheekily, digging his teeth into a sugary doughnut as he pulled out a chair to sit on around an empty table, where you joined him, dumping your duffel bag down beside you and rubbing your temples. “Tired?”

“Yup,” you nodded, knocking back some of the scalding liquid energy. “I was up all night talking to Nikki.”

“Oh?” Seth rose a brow, picking up on the fact that the two of you were probably having more than just an ordinary conversation.

“Yeah, she’s really stressed with John and all that,” you explained briefly, “I think she’s decided to call it off with him.”

“Jesus,” Seth responded, nearly choking on the last bite of his doughnut. “Why?”

“Because she wants to get married and have a family but John’s not ready to commit to something like that,” you shrugged. “I tried to help her change her mind, but she’s not budging. I really think this is it for them this time,” you muttered into your cup, sipping some as you noticed Brie walk through the hallway, looking particularly strange without her twin clinging to her side.

“Is she okay?” Seth questioned.

“She’s a big girl; she’ll be fine,” you bit your lip and glanced down at your clock, “I better start getting ready. I’ll see you around.”

                                                            ***

You’d just finished your match and tossed your hair up into a bun, making your way back to the locker room to change into something more casual. As much as you loved your wrestling gear, it was made for support, not comfort. 

On your way there, you were distracted by the distant sound of Seth’s laughter, causing you to perk your ears and look up from the scuffs on the corridor floors. You spotted Seth conversing with Nikki, who’s face lay emotionless, so you hesitated, stopped walking, and watched them from the corner.

“Are you single?” You quietly heard Nikki gushing.

“Uh... yeah,” Seth agreed. The words rolled off his tongue like silk and stung like a venomous bite, though Seth and yourself had not even gone on a date yet, let alone made anything official. He wasn’t lying.

“Awesome,” Nikki pouted her lips as she leant against the wall. “So... I’m seeing all this muscle under your shirt,” Nikki rose a brow and touched his tee. “It’s made me interested in everything else.”

You turned away as you felt your face flush; you felt embarrassed and betrayed and somewhat disheartened at how confident and sultry Nikki was, whereas yourself, on the other hand, were more quiet and reserved. Your shoes squeaked on the floor as you hurriedly set off, feeling a lump of annoyance and hurt build in your chest. Nikki knew how much you liked him. She knew about the date. And after all you did to make her feel better about her situation with John, she goes and does this?

Swallowing your pride, you snatched your duffel bag, threw a hoodie on and grabbed Paige’s arm, who jumped at your touch but followed without a word. She was your carpool buddy, and one of your closest friends, so allowed you to drag her away and into the car where you slammed the door shut, your heart pounding and your fists clenched around the wheel. 

“What’s going on?” Paige asked, her eyebrows raised.

“You know how I was supposed to be going out tonight with Seth?” You turned to her, a bitter look on your face.

“Uh-oh,” Paige muttered. “What happened?”

“Nikki happened,” you thumped your fist against the side of the wheel. “God damn Nikki with her fake-”

“Woah, hold on,” Paige threw her hands up, “what’s she done?”

“I saw her and Seth in the hallway,” you admitted, “at first I thought Seth might be talking to her about John because she looked kind of upset, but then she was throwing herself all over him.”

“Are you sure you aren’t taking it the wrong way-”

“As if. She was asking him if he were single, and oh, ‘I’m seeing all these muscles, I’m interested in the rest’, were her exact words,” you seethed. Paige leant back, eyes widened.

“I don’t know what to say,” she swallowed, “are you going to talk to Seth? It might’ve been a one-sided thing.”

“Maybe it was. But I’m not going to face him after my so called best friend was swooning all over him,” you admitted bitterly, just as your phone flashed with a notification. “Speak of the devil,” you sighed, swiping your thumb over the screen. 

“What’d he say?” Paige questioned, craning her neck.

“He said: ‘hey, can’t wait for tonight. where are you? haven’t seen you since your match xx’. Totally nonchalant.” You huffed, rubbing your nose. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I think you should at least talk to him,” she answered, “I mean, he seems to totally dig you. It wouldn’t be fair to just leave him questioning why you never answered his texts or calls or even bothered to show up to the date.”

“You’re right,” you sighed, rubbing your lips together, “I’ll just cancel tonight. See how things go, see if Nikki makes any more advances. Then I’ll make up my mind.”

“Okay,” Paige agreed, nodding her head. “Come on, let’s get back.”

                                                           ***

“Geez, grumpy pants alert,” Nikki giggled, teasingly you jokingly as you brushed past her and a group of other Diva’s who oohed at your cold shoulder, your sour attitude clear. “Damn, what’s your problem?”

You whipped around. “Drop the attitude, Nikki. I’m not in the mood.”

Nikki’s mouth opened slightly. “Hey, what the hell have I done?”

“I thought we had an understanding, Nikki,” you muttered, throwing a side-glance to the other Diva’s who chatted amongst themselves rather than gawking at you. “You know how much I like Seth. And after you had me up all night comforting you over John? You’re really pathetic, you know.”

“What do you mean?” Nikki questioned, voice noticeably quieter as her shoulders tensed and she swallowed anxiously.

“Playing dumb won't get you out of this one, Nikki,” you rolled your eyes, “I saw you and Seth in the hallway.”

She flushed.

“Forget this,” you muttered, walking away, ignoring Nikki as she called your name before you rushed through the corridors, hoping to find consolidation in a friend. Suddenly, you noticed the scruffy-faced architect and you froze up.

“There you are,” Seth called, grinning from ear to ear as you tried your hardest to avoid his gaze. Stopping in your tracks, you turned to face him with a small smile.

“Hey,” you breathed. 

“Did you not get my text?” He questioned.

“Oh, sorry, no, my phones been off,” you shrugged, feeling extremely weird in his presence. Surely if he weren’t interested in Nikki at all and he truly wanted to date you, he’d tell you about the incident earlier, yes?

“Are you feeling alright?” Seth asked, noticing how distant you were trying to keep yourself from him.

“Mhmm,” you trailed off, your eyes catching Nikki as she walked by, an aroma of strong perfume left in a trail behind her. You took in a deep breath before looking Seth in the eye, “I don’t think tonight is a good idea.”

His smiled instantly dropped. “What? Why?”

You stepped back as he tried to reach for your arm. “Look, Seth, I don’t know what game you’re playing but I’m really not prepared to waste my time on some-”

“Hey, hey,” Seth placed a hand on his chest, a hurt frown on his face. “What are you going on about?”

“I’m going on about you and Nikki, Seth! And all your other string of Diva’s,” you muttered coldly. “I don’t know how many there is of us you’re dragging along but I’m not about to be a part of it.”

“Woah, woah, you’ve got this all wrong,” Seth laughed anxiously, “there are no other girls. Especially not Nikki,” he frowned further before a hint of realisation crossed his face. “Hold on, is this about earlier? When she was talking to me in the hallway?”

You rolled your eyes, confirming his statement.

“Jesus, I went over to apologise to her about John and she took my comforting a little too far,” he said. “I thought I was being courteous but she kinda... took it the wrong way.”

You huffed, feeling less irritated. “Alright.But I still feel weird about this,” I gestured between the two of us, “I mean, I feel stupid. You might as well take Nikki out tonight instead of me, save me the embarrassment.”

He frowned and jerked back at your statement. “Why would I take Nikki out?”

You shrugged, mouth opening and closing but with no response.

“I’m not interested in her,” he sighed, “and she’s probably just looking for a bit of a fling to help get over John.”

You bit your lip. “You’re probably right.”

“And she’s your best friend - you should know her better than anyone else,” he scratched his head, “surely if there was something going on between me and her she’d be the first to tell you.”

You dropped your tense shoulders in defeat. “Okay, Seth. You’re right.”

“Okay, good,” he blew out a huff of air in relief, “so... are we still on for tonight? I’d hate to miss the only opportunity we have to hang out together.”

You smiled a little. “Sure.”

[xpwewarchive]

XPWEW Friday Night Pyro (4-3-2020)

Friday Night Pyro #420 April 3rd, 2020 Los Angeles, CA The Barracks

Opening Segment: Golden Bryce says Blitzkrieg was a success NOW ON TO THE RUMBLE....

Leonard McGraw enters with Ryu McGraw to Bryce: “And I plan on winning that Xtreme Rumble match in just 3 weeks and any piss pants punk in the back can file back cause come April 26th brother I’m coming for ya...

Alveno enters “Who’s to say I don’t have a chance to shock the world”

Leonard to Alveno “You wanna back that up kid”

GT and Bedlam enters “Leo you got more problems considering saving your bollocks. Last Sunday at Blitzkrieg you won that cage match within an inch of your life. You should be more concerned about me

Leonard signals GT “Get your finger out of Ethan’s ass. Cause Garrett I’m fixing to fight you right now c’mon son take your best shot”

GT to Leonard “Perhaps later”

Bryce “Perhaps you take your best shot against me. Because Garrett you know in this business and lately you’ve been beating around the bush with Leonard McGraw so I say this in this locker room you either act tough or talk tough and you a pussy

OHHHHHHHHHHHH SHITTTTTTT

Mandy Leon consort promo “The roaring 20’s-esq promo”

1 on 1 Non-Title / Exhibition Match M1: Golden Bryce defeats Garrett Thompson w/ Bedlam

Bedlam interference consistently but smarty Bryce avoids many of his antics. Referee Kevin Madrox officiates it well and doesn’t completely blind himself like the typical ref spot. He continuously is catching Bedlam off guard before he does heelish tactics. GT is able to get upper hand on Bryce for a long time so much so that commentary points out “Garrett Thompson a former Lockdown main event himself. Main evented Lockdown 5 unsuccessfully but despite never being a world champion GT has always remained IN THE HUNT. And a win over Bryce tonight can put him in that position; potentially in 3 weeks at the Rumble” Finish: GT is setting up Bryce for the Wasteland. But in the follow-through of the maneuver Bryce is able to cradle GT in for a crucifix roll-up for the 1-2-3 Bryce defeats Garrett Thompson After the match GT Irate calls for a “2” towards the ref. Bryce hits the 6 rings on him for good measure. And just like that the world champion is on nothing but a positive momentum swing as we treach toward the rumble.

After the match Leonard McGraw runs down to the ring and “gets a piece of GT’s ass” Bedlam tried to evade him but Leonard tosses Bedlam right over the top rope to the outside and then Lou Thez press on GT, punches him and then GT rolls out the ring. McGraw then all hype backs up into Bryce’s chest and turns around quick and fake him out with a Buckshot clothesline ONLY a fakie. Bryce DID NOT flinch and McGraw nods his head up and down then points up 3 fingers as to signal just 3 more Pyro’s until the Rumble. Then he points up at the Lockdown 7 sign.

Camera follows Bryce from the ring, up the ramp and even behind the curtain.

The Set is chilling right behind the curtain smoking weed “as ya do” Ruckus, Jordan Oliver, Myron Reed, Kotto Brazil, Siaka Lexoni & Chrissy Rivera Jordan Oliver to Bryce: Hah! Nice roll up champ. Bryce: It wasn’t pretty but it was a win Jordan: Yeah it was a win but c’mon I’m undefeated. You’ve lost a couple bucko. 2020 is the year of The Set. 2020 is my year. And in just 3 weeks I’m gonna throw out all those clowns and I’m gonna unify our titles pimp Myron & Kotto: laughing Ruckus: gets up from chair and looks Bryce up and down** psssk let’s get outta here Bryce: What? Ruckus: looks Bryce up and down again Bryce: What’s wrong Ruckus? If you don’t talk, I’ll talk to this talkative punk Jordan Oliver: Me? Bryce: Yeah..I don’t have the authority to unify titles. I certainly wouldn’t classify myself a “Junior”weight. So how bout this junior, take on the heavyweight. Champion. And we’ll see how long your solid that undefeated streak of yours is. Jordan Oliver: You want me? Your own. I just think it’s a bad marketing move to do the Lockdown main event next week but that’s cool. You and me. 1 on 1. Juniorweight champ vs Heavyweight champ. Bryce: And by the way “The Set” your welcome to be at ringside to play cheerleader for Jordan. Just know that if you step in my ring during the match. As soon as I see some ass I’m kicking it. Get it. (Looks at Myron) Got it. (Looks at Kotto) Good. (Looks at Ruckus)

Bryce walks off The Set stares at him walking off (((Clustered talking))) “Fuck that nigga” “Lame ass Busta” “Green Bryce lookin ass”

M2: Tag Team Action! Myron Reed & Kotto Brazil w/ Jordan Oliver defeat 3M3 (wearing 3M protective facemasks)

(((Ruckus and Lexoni on commentary put over Myron, Kotto & Jordan)))

Backstage: Amy Lee knocking on Kiera Hogan’s Dressing Room door. “Are you ready?” Kiera: I can’t open the door... Amy: I’m coming in Kiera: I need help... Amy: Ok I’m coming in (Kiera Hogan is screaming with both hands stuck to her weave not natural hair (not a weave that she typically sports) Amy: are you gonna put your hands down? Kiera: That bitch Priscilla has put glue all over my weave and now I can’t remove it from my hands. Amy: our match is next we gotta go Kiera: no no no no no I can’t no no no Amy: Oh yeah the title, I’ll hold your belt for you (Amy Lee practically pushing Kiera Hogan down the hallway) Amy: Champion’s don’t take breaks Kiera: that is the un-truest statement ever

Tag Team Action! (Kiera Hogan not in ring gear with hands glued to her head (on apron most of match, can’t tag in)

M3: Prisiclla & Doxy defeat Amy Lee & Kiera Hogan (c)

*comedy match with spots revolving around Kiera Hogan not being able to use her hands since they were glued meticulously by Priscilla when she put on her weave *Priscilla and Doxy have had a barbed-wire massacre match in the past so seeing them team up for once they weren’t very chummy but both have a grudge to settle with Kiera now

Finish: Priscilla hits osteoporosis on Amy Lee for the win and after the match Kiera is able grab her title and scram once she un-glues her hands but her weave is still stuck so she has just a basket use for hands. “I’m gonna finish you once and for all you tramp” *Doxy standing side by side in the ring with Priscilla *Doxy grabs the mic “Prisiclla tonight we were a team but there aren’t women’s tag titles In this promotion. So we are not friends. I’m looking at one thing. My women’s championship. Priscilla: Well I’m looking a two things. A bimbo with her hands glued. And the women that took that title from me. I’m not friends with ANYONE. Bite me

*Backstage: [Pre-Recorded Promo] ((Looks to be inside of a car)) Rosemary and Lotus with Slayer Slayer: 30. 30 dived by half is 15. 15 in 3rds becomes 5. And just like the lotus blossom. You can pluck it away 1 by 1 by 1 by1.........then that petal remains. That petal will always be remembered. In 3 weeks. I am that petal. And my seed is another. I’m not a betting man. But betting odds. Lotus or myself main eventing the biggest event in XPWEW history. I’m just waiting. I don’t have anything to prove.....

In Ring Segment: (((Joe Gacy needs to find a tag team partner worthy of being champion with him since Brodie Croyle is injured His first trial: Soloman Nasty

Tag Team Action! M4: Joe Gacy & “Soloman Nasty” defeat 2 jobber local talents Bully Jaxon & “Mr. Insane Replay”

After the match Joe Gacy gives Soloman Nasty a “thumbs up” Nasty smiles Gacy then gives a “thumbs down” and pounces Nasty Gacy then sets up a table in the ring and presses him through it Joe Gacy: “I guess Soloman Nasty isn’t Plagueground material and isn’t worthy of being my tag team champion partner” *lifts Soloman Nasty up and slams the microphone on his head! EMTs didn’t even bother helping the jobber Soloman Nasty tonight here folks

Main Event! 3 Way Match (first fall wins) Leonard McGraw defeats All Man & Slayer

Finish occurs when Slayer gets thrown to the outside. All Man is getting momentum he’s going crazy shaking the ropes but off the ropes on the other side of the ring BOOM! TEXTBOOK TITAN TRON LEVEL Leonard annihilates All Man with a CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL aka “The Buckshot” Leonard McGraw picks up the WIN by pinning the All Man

IN RING SEGMENT: James Westerbeck: Ladies & Gentlemen for the first time speaking in over 6 months. Troy Clausen

Champagne Clausen enters

Champagne about to speak...

Troy Clausen enters

“Troy: Well, dont look at me like I’m fricken Frankenstein you don’t wanna give me a hug. That’s fine. I don’t want it. 6 months ago I got into the ring for the first time and I got my ass handed to me. And since then that man hasn’t won a match huh huh (Hi Jacques, how ya doing) In those months we’ll we’ve entered a new decade. Kobe Bryant passed away. Terrible. Corona Virus has changed the everyday world, as we know it. Jacques Dudley has a losing streak...Jake Awesome doesn’t even work here anymore. Golden Bryce won a match on PPV. Champagne: I was the World HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION Troy: Yeah well I didn’t see it Champagne: I was Troy: Oh yeah you were, but not the Curtis Clausen I knew. Before you won that title 45 minutes before I was incapacitated. You were different. And then when you seen I was going to make a full recovery I was told you amped my meds? You amped up my dosage? How is that legal? You won that title and you became vindictive, vengeful, hateful, mean, calculating, heartless, relentless and god damned GUTERRRRAL .......Just like me! :) But Curtis you’ll never be evil as me :) You’ll never be as good at bein one VILE SON OF A BITCH LIKE ME! You’ll always be...a Troy. Clausen wannabe. You took me out of the picture because you wanted to be the center of attention well now you got it. You got it. I like it You know why? Cause I would have done the same DAMN THING!!!! But now your times up. Freight Train told me everything. But now I’m awake and I don’t care what title you won, you are a pissant. You couldn’t keep me down! And I love it! I love it! Vindictive! Calculated. Vile. You tried but Damnit son lol I’m just a whole lot better at it Now look at ya You got no title You have no sedated father Where’s all the attention you wanted Well that’s fine cause you’ve paid yourself an ass whooping And this means I got one more chance to beat the fuck outta you Champagne: You won’t Troy: Oh I won’t SLAPS CHAMPAGNE ((Champagne tackles troy and punches him repetitively over and over. ((Troy just Eats all those punches)) Troy laying on mat on his back: You got nothing.. heavily breathing ((Champagne looks under the ring and grabs a Singapore Cane)) Troy: Do it. Do it you Jagaloon Champagne: thwaks .......again.........again....then hits Troy on the back about 6 times (((Champagne goes back to punching Troy on the head over and over until blood is spilled and Troy has a crimson mask just flowing from his forehead (( Champagne un-do’s his tie and leaves the ring )) Troy: You and me...Lockdown Seven Champagne: mouthing since he has no microphone “I’ll be doing the main event” Troy: No heavily breathing I’ll make damn you won’t..... Camera zooms in on a bloody crimson masked smiling Troy Clausen SHOW ENDS

[celtfather]

Celtic Rock... For 2-Hours

Get your mind blown with over two hours of Celtic RAWWWWK. We're not holding anything back. You'll enjoy Celtic rock from The Elders, Syr, Jiggy, The Gleasons, Coast, Ryan MacNeil , The Ne'er Duwells, Dom DufF, Screaming Orphans, West of Mabou, The Kilt Lifters, Barleyjuice, The Crazy Rogues, Seagulls are Drunk, Claymore, Emish, Blackstone Cuil, Screeched Inn, House of Hamill, Sons of Malarkey, The Muckers, The Canny Brothers Band, The Bog Hoppers, Paddy's Pig, The Led Farmers, Lenahan, The Tossers, O'Hanlons Horsebox, Kilmaine Saints, Clan Na Gael (with Neil Anderson) , Ockham's Razor, Tuatha Dea. http://celticmusicpodcast.com/

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THIS WEEK IN CELTIC MUSIC

0:05 "Hot & Bothered/Dublin Hallway" by The Elders from TRUE

6:14 "Invicta" by Syr from The Winter King

8:59 "Bean Phaidin" by Jiggy from Translate

12:57 "Irish Up" by The Gleasons from Let It Go

16:38 "1884" by Coast from Windmills in the Sky

21:08 "The Pipes Are Calling" by Ryan MacNeil from Shuffle

23:38 "Meet Me Back in Ireland" by The Ne'er Duwells from The Ne'er Duwells

28:34 CELTIC INVASION VACATIONS

29:13 "Roc'h" by Dom DufF from Roc'h

32:24 "Home" by Screaming Orphans from Taproom

35:43 "E Set" by West of Mabou from West of Mabou

39:03 "Green Grow the Rashes" by The Kilt Lifters from Jack in the Green

44:18 "Celtic Girl" by Barleyjuice from The Morning After

47:06 "The Sad Leprechaun" by The Crazy Rogues from Rebels' Shanties

51:29 CELTIC PODCAST NEWS

43:12 "The Ballad of the Jackal" by Seagulls are Drunk from Next Round Is On Us

57:28 "Will Ye Nae Back Again" by Claymore from Claymore

59:58 "Glasses of Beer" by Emish from Sinners Make the Best Saints

1:03:36 PROMO by Gatehouse Well

1:03:42 "Irish Ways & Irish Laws" by Blackstone Cuil from Blackstone Cuil

1:09:35 "The Night Pat Murphy Died" by Screeched Inn from Screeched Inn

1:13:15 "The Pinnacle" by House of Hamill from Wide Awake

1:19:00 PATRONS OF THE PODCAST

1:20:08 "Captain" by Sons of Malarkey from Gulls Lads

1:24:21 "Molly" by The Muckers from The Muckers

1:29:06 "Take Me" by The Canny Brothers Band from The Guinness Situation

1:33:04 "American Irish Soul" by The Bog Hoppers from Top Shelf

1:36:13 "Planxty Claude Duvall" by Paddy's Pig from Rebel Tooth EP

1:39:04 "Thomas Jefferson" by The Led Farmers from Katie

1:42:42 CELTIC FEEDBACK

1:45:10 "Nothin'" by Lenahan from Brand New Bag and The Secret World of Celtic Rock

1:49:44 "Where Ya Been Johnny?" by The Tossers from Agony

1:52:13 "The Fighting Boys of Corofin" by O'Hanlons Horsebox from Songs and Stories of the Border

1:54:43 "2nd & Locust" by Kilmaine Saints from Whiskey Blues & Faded Tattoos

1:57:46 "I Still Believe" by Clan Na Gael (with Neil Anderson) from Rathkeltair & Friends CPR

2:02:01 "Our Lady of Galway Bay" by Ockham's Razor from Job's Comforter

2:07:14 "Whiskey in the Jar" by Tuatha Dea from Kilts and Corsets

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather. To subscribe, go to iTunes or to our website where you can become a Patron of the Podcast for as little as $1 per episode. Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

NOTES

Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. My name is Marc Gunn. I am a Celtic and Geek musician and podcaster. This podcast is dedicated to the indie Celtic musicians. I want to ask you to support these artists. Share the show with your friends. And find more episodes at celticmusicpodcast.com. You can also support this podcast on Patreon.

Spotify is expanding its list of podcasts and it looks like the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast is now available to stream. This is a great way to listen on your Android devices. Follow the link in the shownotes.

A Celtic Christmas is a compilation I released on the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast several years ago. It features Christmas music by some of the most-popular celtic bands on the show. You can now own the album for 50% off the regular price exclusively on iTunes.

If you enjoy this show and want to support indie Celtic music, become a Patron of the Podcast. Or you can also visit the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast store at bestcelticmusic.net

If you're looking to want to find out more about a particular band that you hear in this show, go to the shownotes at celticmusicpodcast.com and you'll find time stamps for every song featured.

VOTE IN THE CELTIC TOP 20. It's easier than ever to do. Just list the show number, and the name of one or two bands. That's it. You can vote once for each episode help me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2017 episode. http://bestcelticmusic.net/vote/

 WANT  YOUR FEEDBACK

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? You can send a written comment along with a picture  of what you're doing while listening. Email a voicemail message to celticpodcast@gmail.com

Samantha Humphreys emailed: “Hello, Hello! I’ve just gotten back from India where I was studying Kundalini yoga and used to being up at about 4 am listening to Indian music.  It’s now 7:30 am and I’m sitting down to this delicious nutritious plant based meal to do some lovely reading - I switch to some lovely jams for the background and the vibe. And your podcast is my immediate go to!

Thank you for sharing such lovely music, I’m loving Celtic music more and more as it feels so at home to me (I have Celtic roots on my mother’s side). I recently found here in Old Town Alexandria VA a LEGIT Irish pub called O’Connells and it’s my favorite go to spot for live traditional Irish music. They play in this little nook up front where there are thankfully no distracting TVs. The space in sum is large, 5 rooms, two floors. But the one up front when you first enter is where the live music is. It’s small, cozy, warm, intimate. A real Irishman working the bar! My friend and I went one evening without knowing there would be live music and there were only two people at the bar, her and I, and some lovely Irish musicians. It’s as if the place was reserved for just her and I. Such a beautiful time her and I shared in silence and in aw of the sounds and energy coming from the little nook! I will definitelyyy be going back there for some lunch and Celtic Music feels an in the mean time I’ll be into this podcast regularly- also just downloaded the app (: Thank you, thank you! Namaste and Blessed Be. Samantha.

Thank you Samantha. Wow! It is beautiful to hear all the different types of people find and fall in love with our music. From India to Ireland and around the globe. Brilliant.

I hope you enjoy the app too. It definitely makes it easier to listen.

Check out this episode!