#known by everyone in his circle and on campus and yet absolutely none of them see him

[putterphubase]

i see your life, you poor thing: adventures of a city mouse MARINA "the outsider" / TYLER, THE CREATOR "what's good" / DAVID LEVITHAN "every day" / THE EIGHTH SENSE "trailer clip 4" / LEIGH BARDUGO "rule of wolves" / THE EIGHTH SENSE "episode 5" / MARIE HOWE "the landing" / SUE ZHAO / THE EIGHTH SENSE "episode 6" / BEEF "figures of light"

how do you feel when you are with that new friend?

he is the most comfortable friend i have right now. i don't have to be someone i'm not.

just by listening to your story, i can tell he offers you a place of rest.

[monaownsmyass]

My Girl

If you have any fic ideas or requests you’d like me to write, you can leave me an ask!

Book: Queen B, Chapter 15

Pairing: Zoey Wade x MC (Bea Hughes)

Genre: Fluff

Rating: G, none

Word count: 3,649

A/N: Literally just chapter 15 with more fluff. If you read my fics, I’m pretty sure it’s obvious I’m a whore for characters slow dancing or just holding onto each other so this chapter was my dream lol. I wrote this cuz when I read it, this song was playing in my head and I knew I had it include it somehow. Highly recommend listening to it while they dance together. Song is ‘My Girl’ by The Temptations

Tag list: @ineedskyecrandall @kamilahsayeet2063 @avalawrencefl @lovekamilahsayeed @thequeenkamilahsayeed @heygmicheelle @djtjsmith14 (lmk if anyone would like to be included or removed in my next fics.)

"Zo? This isn't some Hollywood red carpet premiere, right?" I asked hesitantly while peering out from our limo's window. I suddenly felt very intimidated, realising that I was about to be greeted by a swarm of flashing cameras. "Why are there so many of them?!"

"Hey, we already talked about this! You can't show fear! Paparazzi are like wolves, they smell that stuff!" Zoey took my hand gently and brushed a kiss across my cheek. The sudden spike of anxiety I felt when I saw all the cameras subsided as soon as it appeared when she did so and was replaced by butterflies. "Besides, I'll be there to fight them for you if they get too rabid. You've got nothing to be scared of."

"You'd really fight them for me? You wouldn't mind risking your manicure?" I asked incredulously.

"As long as you cheer me on," she teased. "I'd be a campus legend!"

"I already think you are, Zo." I looked at into her bright eyes that were only made more captivating by her eye makeup. "You're officially the best date."

Zoey leaned in closer to me, eyes sparkled playfully, her breath against my lips as she answers.

"I know."

My heart jumped as her lips brushed mine, but all too soon the limo stopped and the chauffer opened the door. Zoey grinned and pats my cheek, stroking it lightly.

"It's time for your entrance."

She gave me one last kiss on the cheek before sliding out of the limo. I followed her, eyes screaming in pain as I tried to fight not to squint at the camera flashes. My heart started thumping in my chest at all the attention, feeling a little uneasy.

But then I noticed Zoey. She was waiting for me, her hand extended, smiling radiantly and outshining all the cameras while gazing at me lovingly. The sight made my breath hitch. She was seraphic and the flashing lights only made her look like she was glowing.  All the camera flashes were going off behind her but her focus was on me. Their attention may have been on us but her attention was only on me.

"Come on, darling. Remember, it's your moment."

I grinned back at her and took her hand, feeling warmth and ease spread through me as she laced her fingers with mine.

"It's our moment."

As we strode down the red carpet, I felt like cowering. I was used to getting attention since my ranking increased but that was nothing like this. All eyes were on me but with Zoey's hand in mine, it kept me grounded. An amity in the sea of unfamiliarity. She would give my hand a squeeze every once in a while as encouragement. 'You're doing great!'.

A little further, an interviewer and his camerawoman stopped us.

"Chad Bentley for Celeb Highlight. You look stunning tonight Miss Hughes!"

"You obviously haven't seen my date,"  I joked and gestured towards Zoey, feeling much more relaxed knowing she was by my side. "She's the stunning one."

Zoey laughed and squeezed my hand. "We're both the stunning ones tonight, babe."

"Only tonight?"

"Tonight, yesterday, tomorrow and always."

I turned back to Chad to address him. "I'll have to thank my wonderful date for this look tonight, she's the one that put it all together. She really knows how make me stand out even in a crowd as large and glamorous as this one."

"You're tiara is absolutely to die for too! Please tell us a little about it."

"It's garnet  and white diamonds in 18 karat gold. Once again, I have to hand all the props to my girl." I removed my hand from hers only to wrap it around her waist and tug her closer to me. "Miss Zoey Wade."

Chad averted his attention to Zoey. "Miss Wade, not only do you look gorgeous tonight, you styled, dare I say, the best-dressed person here tonight and a little bird told me you also produced the top-chart hit of the summer! Is there anything you can't do?"

Zoey lets out a brilliant laugh and responds, "I have yet to find out, Chad."

"That's my girl," I beamed in pride.

"You heard it here first, Highlighters! Looks like we have two new trendsetters on the scene! You both make an adorable and beautiful couple as well! Thank you for your time!"

Zoey and I continued to strut down the rest of the red carpet together, arms linked.

"Heard that, babe?" I nudged Zoey. "Adorable and beautiful couple."

"That's old news, we already knew that."

We laughed as we walked into the ballroom where we heard the guests complimenting the stellar decoration Zoey and I put together.

"Looks like another win for team Zea!" Zoey cheered.

"Since when were we known as Zea?" I questioned. "Why not put my name first? Let's call ourselves Boey!"

"Oh, babe, I adore you, but no," she patted my arm,  giving me a sympathetic look.

Just then, Thomas stepped onto the stage and grabs the mic. "Good evening, alums, faculty, Person to Watch hopefuls, and guests alike! Our talent show will begin at ten. In the meantime, please enjoy the refreshments as you mingle. Yes, the mini quiches are wrapped in gold foil. No, they won't poison you... but no promises about the guests. just try to be friends. You might even make some new ones."

The other guests laughed but I didn't know whether to join along or break into a sweat. I felt Zoey bumped her hip against mine lightly and snaked an arm around me to pull me into her. I instantly lost my train of thought at her close proximity.

"That's your cue to get out there and talk up the guests," she hinted at me. "Butter 'em up before the talent show."

"Are you coming with me?" I asked, giving her my best puppy dog eyes, already knowing the answer.

"You're so cute," she turned towards me and gave me a small peck on the forehead. "Unfortunately, I have to do my own rounds. Don't worry, I won't be too far."

"Don't take too long either."

I grabbed onto her hand as she moved to leave my side.

"I'll see you soon, babe," she laughed.

She moved further away, making our arms stretch out 'cuz I refused to let go.

"Bye...," I spoked sadly with a pout.

"I'll be back before you know it, babe!"

My hand slipped out from hers and hung limply by my side. She blew me a kiss before turning her back to me and walked away.

I sighed and went to go talk to the other guests, already missing her presence by my side.

While I was mingling, I snuck glances as Zoey every once in a while. I would get distracted by the littlest things she'd do. From the way her smile lit up her face to her every hand movements to even the way she stood, I noticed everything. It's always been that way with Zoey. Ever since I met her, I'd always catch myself getting enthralled by anything she did. She was a force to be reckoned with and all I could do was stare in awe. She was a celestial being and I was lucky for her to even give me a second glance.

But that's what she did.

Zoey was by the snacks, enjoying a mini quiche when she glimpsed at my direction. She caught me staring and gazed back at me, locking her eyes with mine. I felt myself getting breathless as we shared a heated look. The electricity between us was palpable and I couldn't take it any longer. I needed to feel Zoey's arms around me.

I excused myself from the person I was talking to and made my way towards her, never breaking eye contact. I stopped right in front of her and just stared at her for a second before dropping into a stupid curtsy that I don't even think I was doing right but I didn't care. She was a queen and she deserved to be bowed at. I'm sure Zoey was used to my weird and dorky antics by now anyway.

"May I have this dance, m'lady?" I asked with a huge grin.

"You are so embarrassing," she giggled at me. "Of course you can."

I take Zoey's hand, immediately loving the comfort it brought me, and leaded her to the middle of the dance floor. If anyone deserved the spotlight, it was her and I aimed to give that to her. Being right at the center also helped me show my gorgeous date. I had the most extraordinary woman on my arm tonight. Why wouldn't I want to let everyone know that?

The only problem was that the dance floor was filled with couples doing old-timey dances that made me think of Pride and Prejudice. And I was no Mr. Darcy.

"So," I started, "here's the part where I admit that I've never taken a ballroom dancing lesson in my life."

"I took one, it was so boring," she rolled her eyes. "You have to hold your partner as if they're some sort of cadaver or something."

"Ew," I said but smiled, knowing I wasn't alone. "Are we about to embarrass ourselves in front of all the old waltzing couples?"

She studied me for a moment before breaking into a grin. "It's only embarrassing if you're embarrassed. And I don't have time for that."

You are so right, as usual," I chuckled. "In that case, let's figure out our own slow dance."

I saw her face soften as I took one of her hands, my other arm slid around her waist. I grinned at the challenging gleam in her eyes.

"You better impress me," she teased. "You know you took me away from the best mini quiche I'd ever had in my life, right?"

"I'm just up against a quiche?" I questioned with an amused look. "Psh, I've got this. And don't act like you didn't want me to ask you to a dance, I saw the way you looked back at me."

"Only 'cuz I couldn't help but admire how good you look."

I slipped my arm a little further around the small of her back, then spun her in a sweeping circle that made the skirt of her dress flare out. She laughed breathlessly, her hand gripped mine tighter. The orchestra was nice and all, but Zoey's laugh? God, nothing in the world could compare. My heart soared from hearing it and pride swelled in my chest just knowing that I was the one that caused that heavenly sound.

"They teach you this move in Farmsville, Fancy Feet?"

I breath out a small laugh. "Nah."

"Then where's all this grace coming from, Miss 'I've never taken a dance lesson'?"

"I'm just feeling inspired looking at you."

She giggled as I slowed down. She brushed her lips against my cheek, her voice warm in my ears.

"You're doing a good job impressing me."

I giggled and leaned my cheek against hers.

I brought Zoey closer to me, hugging her and swaying to the melodic tune played by the orchestra, feeling drunk off the grandness of it all. And yet, somehow, the best part of it all was having Zoey in my arms. I smiled to myself, wondering how the hell I got so lucky to be with her here.

I noticed a few people staring at us and whispered to her, "Is it just me, or is everyone in this room watching us?

"Def not just you. Kinda makes me wish we could just sneak away from all these prying eyes."

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying?"

"Not whatever you're thinking off, get you mind out of the gutter." She rolled her eyes at me but smiled. I just want to sneak you out of the party for a little bit. I'd like to have you all to myself. What do you say?"

I grabbed onto her hand. "Lead the way."

"C'mon, let's find a place just for us."

The two of us snuck out a side exit and darted towards the deserted heart of of campus hand in hand and giggling , fueled by the giddy energy and crisp night air.

"Okay, reiterating, it is so hilarious that we took a limo to the gala when it's like, right on campus," Zoey said, still laughing.

"Idea for next year, we nix the limos, instead we roll out marble walkways from the dorms and everyone arrives fashion show style."

"Babe, your mind!"

We both laughed uncontrollably once again. She laced her fingers with mine, swinging our arms between us as we tried to keep our balance on the wet lawn. I looked at her and let out an involuntary grin. I've never felt happier than right now.

Then I noticed something. "Okay, quick question. The Zoey Wade I know would never walk through soggy grass in designer heels. You're not, like, an alien right?"

Zoey snorted and gave my hand a sharp tug towards her. I gasped at the sudden force but the sound was caught in Zoey's mouth as she kissed me.

"Does this prove it?"

"Mm, I'm not sure, you and that kiss do seem other-worldly. I think I need more time to figure it out..."

I wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her closer, kissing her again. Kissing her truly was transcendental. I shivered as she cupped my cheek, her thumb brushing my cheekbone. I don't think I'd ever get used to her touch. Every small stroke felt like lightning on my skin.

"And?"

It was hard to focus on her question when her beautiful face was mere inches away from mine. It didn't matter how many times I've been so close to her, she still had the same effect on me since day one. I was always a flustered mess.

"Don't they say that mermaids lure their victims by kissing them then dragging them into the ocean? I joked. "Just saying."

"You're impossible," she sounded exasperated but I could hear all the fondness in the world behind it.

A sudden, crisp, breeze blows through campus, blowing mist off the lake causing Zoey to jump.

"Cold!"

I brought my arms around her and pulled her into my embrace, trying to protect her from the cold. I felt her relax into me and hug me back, resting her chin on my shoulder.

"Y'know, I never really said we were done dancing...," I trailed off mischievously.

I couldn't see her but I knew she was smiling. "Hint received, Captain Obvious. Lets just take off our heels first, I can't risk them getting ruined."

We kicked our heels off and set them aside. We returned to our former positions and Zoey started to sway us slowly. Even though we were outside, we could still hear the faint music coming from the orchestra in the ballroom.

"To answer your question earlier, I knew no one would be here now," she spoke gently, quietly.  "We have this entire space to ourselves."

After a while, I noticed the orchestra started paying a different song. I recognised it as 'My Girl' by The Temptations. The music swells and I pulled back slightly to see a smile spread across her face as well. I gazed into alluring eyes. I couldn't seem to tear mime away from hers. Not that I would ever dream of it.

"What's that look for?"

"It's nothing," I brushed off. "I just can't believe we're actually here. We made it to the end of  this year alive. And I definitely couldn't have done it without you."

"Pshh, of course we did! We're bad bitches. You can't kill us!"

I giggled at her and agreed. "Truth. Still, I'm glad you're here with me... especially after everything we've been through. I really am so lucky to have you by my side."

I rested my head on her shoulder and let out a contented sigh before I continued, "Just a year ago I was a humble girl from Farmsville, and look at me now. Dancing with the most amazing, hottest woman I've ever laid eyes on at the Year-End Gala."

"I thought we agreed we we're tied for that title?"

I gave a little shrug and tightened my arms around her. I felt her reciprocate which only made my heart sing. "If you say so. From where I'm standing, I can't imagine anyone living up to your beauty. Or just you in general. You're an absolute goddess, Zo."

Zoey laughed lightly and shifted so she could embrace me further.

"If anyone can, it's the gorgeous girl in my arms."

I lifted my head from her shoulder to share a smile with her but after a second, she got this far-off look in her eyes. I tucked my head under chin and in response, she rested her cheek against the top of my head. I inhaled the intoxicating musk of her flowery perfume, leaving all my thoughts about only Zoey.

"What's wrong?" I whispered into her neck.

"It's just weird, looking back at this year. So much has changed in such a short time." She paused for a moment before resuming. "Before you got here, I didn't have any real friends. I started to think I'd never find a clique to fit into."

"Well, you didn't really get a clique. It's just me..."

"Babe, stop that. You're not just anything. You're everything and so much more."

I smiled into a neck, feeling myself blush at her words.

"I didn't think I'd meet anyone when I first arrived here too. I guess we got lucky that we found each other."

"So lucky." I felt her take in a deep breath. It's like the Fates conspired to make us an unbeatable friends-slash-roommates team."

"You sure you don't wanna add anything else to that?" I half-joked.

Zoey chuckled and nudged me to look up at her to give me a light kiss on the lips.

She looks me straight into my eyes. "I'll add one right now. How does friends-slash-roommates-slash-girlfriends sound like?"

"Zoey Wade," I pretended to be baffled even though my heart was beating like a drum. "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend now?"

"It's as good a time as any. It's romantic, isn't it? We're all dressed up, slow dancing to an orchestra playing a 60's love song with no one else in sight."

I beamed at her. "It's perfect."

I leaned up and gave her a long, passionate kiss, trying to convey all the emotions I felt towards her into it. Kissing her was always an experience. It was thrilling every single time. I could kiss her a millions times and I'd still be dazed by the end of it. I thought my heart was going to burst from how full it felt.

"In case that wasn't clear enough," I spoke breathlessly with a smile. "The answer is hell yes."

She grinned back at me, that heart-stopping, breathtaking, infectious grin of hers.

"I hope you know this means that this is our song by default now," she said playfully.

"It's only right. And I'm not mad about it, I'm glad even."

She pulled me into her once again and kissed me. God, I couldn't believe I get to call this woman my girlfriend. I'm the Zoey Wade's girlfriend. I smiled into the kiss at the thought.

I broke the kiss and rested my forehead against hers.

"What would I do without all the happiness you bring me?" I whispered.

"Aww, someone call Hallmark because that was disgustingly cheesy," she teased.

"Only 'cuz it's so true."

I cupped her cheek in my palm, feeling butterflies as she leaned into it. I wasn't kidding when I said I was still very affected by her.

"Really, you've been my sanctuary from all the bullshit. Whenever I'm feeling down, I just have to think of you and I feel better. Nobody makes me happy like you do. You're the first person I see every morning and the last person I see every night."

"Yeah because we share a dorm, genius." She was being a smartass but I could feel her cheeks warm up at my confession.

"And I wouldn't want it any other way. It's the best way to start and end the day. When I'm with you... things just feel right."

"I'm so glad you said all those embarrassing stuff so I don't have to." She leaned in to kiss my nose. "But I feel the same way."

"You say 'embarrassing', but admit it,  your heart's fluttering a little bit." Mine definitely was.

Zoey laughed brightly and spins me, then she dipped me low to the ground with a smirk.

"Try a lot," she whispered against my lips and gives me a peck. "You're a damn good dance partner, by the way."

Before I could respond, I felt water being sprinkled all over me and noticed both our outfits getting damp.

"Oh my god!"

Instead of freaking out and worrying about it, we just looked at each other and laughed. Nothing could ruin this moment and if we had to return to the gala sopping wet, then so be it.

"Who the hell sets the sprinkler to go off at this time?"

Zoey pulled me back up from the dip and into her arms, still laughing as we held onto each other, letting the sprinklers shower us.

I couldn't care less about the damn award or the gala or anyone else. The only thing that mattered was the stunning woman in front of me and that I was incredibly contented to just be here.

And the only thing that could make me feel this way?

My girl.

(More fics!)

[moccahobi]

Prank Calls [Seokjin x Reader]

summary: A prank call that leads to more.

genre: fluff

rating: E for everyone

warnings: none!

a/n: This is my submission for my “Prank Calls” Prompt from @btsholidaybingo​!!

word count: 3.5k

Inside a sparse and dimply lit apartment, you resided, pacing the floor of your livingroom as you listened to yet another stupid caller. A frustrated sigh left you when you were finally able to hang up on the mysterious caller for the ninth time this week, you almost always listened to their whole speel before hanging up either out of pity or from desperately craving some social interaction with someone who isn’t in your inner circle A squeaky laugh ringing in your ears as you mulled over the latest call and tried to focus on anything other than it (ideally, you’d be focusing on your homework). There were so many questions about whoever this prank caller was though. You felt so stumped and didn’t know where to look or what to do. Carefully, you set your phone down on the coffee table before sitting back at your couch where you were supposed to be working on homework. 

How had they gotten your phone number?

 It wasn't public information. There shouldn't be a way for random strangers just to get your phone number. Someone asking if your fridge was running is not a spam call. 

Why did someone have so much fun with pranking you that they have done it nine times?

Who the hell was it?

Why haven't you blocked them yet? 

Well... that last one you have an answer for... You just can't bring yourself to. Despite the annoying prank calls and horrible jokes, they were some of the few stranger interactions you'd had in a while... Plus the person had such an attractive voice. 

Squeaky laugh and all. 

Maybe... if you had the nerves to do more than an instinctual eye roll and hang up you’d have the answers to all of your questions. You could try to strike up a conversation and learn about this random caller… maybe even make a new friend. 

You were shy though. Even if you wanted to do more, you didn’t have it in you normally to do that. It’d have to be a rare event to make you be able to actually strike up a conversation with a stranger. 

With a deep sigh, you turn back to the tv and pressed play on the random episode of some random show that you were watching as you slowly did some work. You'd be spending the night with Minji and Sunha tomorrow and although you loved them, they took a ton of energy from you… and you had so much homework that absolutely had to be done at some point. You tiredly picked at the secondhand couch before you readjusted the volume to be louder. One of your next door neighbors was causing a ruckus and although you didn’t mind when occasionally interrupted your show, you didn’t want to hear what they were saying… it would be too much of a distractant from the bits of homework you were doing. If you had the energy to interact with people this evening, then maybe you’d have asked them to be quieter or even saw if it was some sort of hall event that you could join in. You didn’t have the energy though and you surely didn’t have any energy to try to insulate your apartment more. For the most part your neighbors were decent at being respectful. It was a perk of living off campus. 

Somehow, you managed to do a whole hour more of light homework before another prank call interuppted you (this time with a dumb joke before they hung up) and you figured that even though it was still early (a whopping 2:30 at night!), it would be best to call it an early night. 

The next day, you woke up groggily, did some homework, and attended your classes as normal. Well.. it was mostly normal. You went to campus a little earlier than you tend to because you wanted to try one of its cafe’s latest drink that Sunha was gushing about last week. Apparently it was the next best thing since PSL and that even if you weren’t a PSL fan, you had to try it… it wasn’t that good in your opinion but you were also very picky about your coffee and didn’t care for dessert drinks much. 

At the end of your school day, you also walked across campus to Minju and Sunha’s shared dorm instead of taking the bus home and enjoying a relaxing night full of doing some more homework  and watching a random show. The dorm building and surrounding space was crowded with people having fun and relaxing all around you. At one point, you even had to quickly jump out of the way of a volleyball that someone hit wrong and sent flying. It was an odd sight for you since you didn’t venture to this side of campus often and it showed. You inexpertly maneuvered around people, occasionally staring at the odd sight for a little too long as you struggled to make it to your friend’s dorm. Somehow, you managed to make it to the dorm without bumping into anyone. Cold air blasted you as you entered the lobby space and checked in, no one batting an eye at the visitor. The lobby was grand (for a college), a fancy kitchen that was often shown off for tours (and was chronically dirty) and a large, unlit fireplace greeted you as you looked around. Large group seating areas with worn-in and stained chairs littered the floor, people pulling them every which direction to fit their needs. The best part of the lobby was the two large flat screen tvs that hung over the fireplaces. Some people were sitting and talking in the chairs but most had pulled them around the tvs to watch some movie or show. 

Despite your curiosity about what was playing, you simply moved to one of the stools in the kitchen area and sat down. Sunha was coming down to let you up and you wouldn’t  figure the show out by the time she arrived anyways. 

Sure enough, Sunha came down and before the show’s next scene,  you two were walking up three flights of stairs to get to their dorm. A night of movies, food, and gossiping awaiting you. It was a comfortable and fun time and occasionally one of Minju’s other friends would join but tonight you were guaranteed that it was only you three, something you were grateful for.. 

“You have missed sooo much drama, Y/n-ah. I literally. It is crazy. You know that Kim Seokjin moved out after him and Pak Sooji broke up… well you wouldn’t believe it but since then, she’s had like five different guys over! I am starting to think that the rumors of her cheating are ture.” Sunha started as soon as the door to their dorm was closed, a bag of popcorn and a glass of wine finding its way into your hands as they kept talking, filling you in on everything that you missed.

You weren’t really one for drama but, especially when meeting with Sunha and Minju (after not being able to for a whole month), you humor it some. 

“Oh I doubt that! I think they just grew apart.” 

“Minju! Growing apart doesn’t include loud fighting as well! My friend, Jisoo, lives next to Pak Sooji. She said there was tons of screaming and yelling the night that Kim Seokjin moved out. She almost called the police apparently.”

“She’s over dramatic. They didn’t have that bad of a fight. I was in the dorm. The walls are thin. There is no way others wouldn’t have known what the fight was about if that was the case.” 

You simply nodded along as Minju and Sunha bickered over what possibly happened, content to watch and listen and learn about everything that you apparently missed. You lived off campus and didn’t keep up with the social interactions of everyone on campus anymore. Just those who you enjoyed spending time with. Sunha and Minju quickly went off topic, instead talking about how one of their professors is having a kid and his students were planning a surprise party for him. It was cute and by the end of the night, the three of you had planned the whole party out to a T (even though you hadn’t had a class with that professor in a long while, they were a campus favorite). 

It was almost midnight when the first of multiple calls from your prank caller started.

“Hello. We have your pregnancy test results.” They started, a laugh distantly heard in the background.

You rolled your eyes and put the phone on speaker, signaling for Minju and Sunha to listen (they’d heard a little about your prank caller but hadn’t heard any of what they’ve said before), “Yeah? Am I pregnant?” 

The prank caller coughed and you heard more laughing, “Yeah. With… with a foodbaby.” 

“Oh? Makes sense.” You said lamely, your drunk mind too slow to think of anything but not wanting to hang up.

You heard laughing from Minju and Sunha as well as some on the prank callers end.

“Why do you keep calling me?”

“What? I-I… This is the first time I’ve called, ma’am. I work at the pregnancy clinic… in the… the place where doctors work… the…”

“Doctors office?” Someone near him supplied and Minju laughed again as someone in the background of the call started coughing.

“Yeah! I work at the doctors office.”

“Sure.” You sighed and hung up before rolling over and looking up at your friends. 

They broke out laughing immediately, Minju bending over as she laughed so hard, her bed squeaking as she heaved. Laugher struck you as well, your eyes closing with tears as you kept laughing. It was contagious and you soon felt like you couldn’t stop. It was almost too much. You did stop though. 

When the number called again.

“Hello. I am Pippinpaddlelopsin.” The prank caller said in an obnoxious accent, “I would like to order a taco.” 

“Yeah. We don’t have tacos here sadly.” You started, fuzzy mind trying to think of something to say as you smacked your lips together and looked around the room, “Just… just bolts.”

The person on the other end snorted, “Yeah? How many can I buy then?” 

“Uhhh… Just one. Actually… someone just bought it.” You smacked your lips together as you kept talking, eyeing Minju as she barely held her laughter in.

“Shame. Can I get your number instead then?” 

“What?”

“Your number… can I get it.”

“No.”

Their laughter this time was more like screeches when you hung up and Minju almost fell off her bed as she cackled. This time though, you weren’t laughing. You were simply staring at your phone before adding the prank caller to your contacts as “Pippinpaddlelopsin”.

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

If what Minju and Sunha told you was true, you talked to the prank caller and their friends two more times that night. You just so happen to have a very hazy memory of all of it and only know that at one point you asked them for a taco which they didn’t have. There was also a moment after you chugged a glass of water where you called them, said nothing, and promptly hung up. 

Sober you wasn’t laughing though. Instead you were grimacing as a number labeled “Pippinpaddlelopsin” texts you the Monday after the large amount of mutual prank calling that happened the night before. 

What you didn’t expect was to actually enjoy the texts he sent you. At first, they were more random things, like asking if you wanted a taco at 2am (you said no), but about a month into the random texts, they started to get more personal with “How was your day”s (and actual conversations).

Pippin had apparently learned your name during your mutual prank calling (courtesy of Minju yelling it) yet he still hadn’t given you his name. You did know for a fact now that he was one of your neighbors because he admitted to getting your phone number from the communal bulletin board during one late night conversation. Every once in a while, you’d try to guess who he was and even scared your sweet neighbor down the hall when you momentarily thought that Pippin was him, but he still hadn’t told you who he was. Of course, as he kept telling you that your guesses were wrong, you kept getting closer to finding out who he actually was and you were determined to find out who he was. Minju was adamant that Pippin was your new neighbor Kim Seokjin. Sunha was putting her money on the teen who lived in 304 (who she claims has a large crush on you). You honestly didn’t know who Pippin could possibly be and found thoughts of who he could possibly be taking up your time almost as much as actual conversations with him.. 

“I am just saying. Call him and invite him over! We can have a girls and Pippin night!” Sunha said for the umpteenth time that night.

They had come over earlier after they’d finished classes and wanted to relax in a larger space than their tiny dorm (which you felt like would feel much later if they just cleaned it up some). It was all fine and dandy until they both started theorizing about who Pippin was and if you and him would ever end up dating (which while you kind of had developed a tiny tiny crush on the anonymous texter, you firmly stated that it would never happen). It was getting annoying. You loved your friends very dearly, but their constant theories didn’t help you and your desire to know who Pippin was. 

“No! Pippin is a neighbor! He is probably busy. Besides, our night is for us. Not some boy to crash and sweep Y/n off her feet.”

“I am right here, you know!” You chimed in, rolling your eyes before going back to playing online games on your phone.

“Wait… what are you doing on your phone?” 

“Playing games. What else would I be doing?”

“I don’t know! Texting the love of your life maybe?” 

“Ok that is extreme.” You laughed anxiously, “Pippin isn’t the love of my life. I barely have a crush on him.”

“So you admit that you have a crush on him!” 

“Oh fuck this! Give me your goddamn phone.” Minju sighed anxiously before snatching your phone from your hands and doing something on it. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Omo!” Sunha exclaimed as she read over Minju’s shoulder, “Omo!”

“What? What are they doing? Sunha!” 

Your pleas fell to def ears as the two of them did something to your phone (the longer they had it, the more you started to suspect that they were texting Pippin) and it wasn’t until five minutes later when you finally yelled at them that they gave it back, all the while they were looking like sad puppies. 

Even as you scolded them for using your phone without permission, you felt no remorse. They should know better than that and now you had a long apology to send to Pippin as well. Sunha and Minju left shortly after that. You were too upset at them to let them stay and they understood that you needed space. Eventually, you would meet up and talk it over and move on, but for now, you wanted to be angry and you wanted them to think about how rude and invasive what they just did was. 

You didn’t check your phone the rest of that night, even the dings of your phone mounted as Pippin messaged you. It was all too much. After almost three hours of trying to calm down, you found yourself in the kitchen, nursing a cup of calming camomile tea and trying to think over the worst case scenarios. Pippin could stop messaging you entirely because of the major breach of privacy that just… 

You sighed.

He knew some of your secrets. He could blab about them to whoever listened… but did you really think that Pippin was that kind of person? 

A knock at the door stopped you in the middle of more calming breaths. Slowly, you walked over and looked through the peephole, confused as to who would be at your door late at night. It was Kim Seokjin. Your new neighbor who you rarely saw. 

Why would he be at your door?

Slowly you opened your door, a confused look on your face and the more you opened the door, the more the confusion grew. He was panting, a thin layer of sweat on his face, and a small potted plant in his arms.

“H-Hello?” You started unsure as to why he was here, “How can I help you?” 

“God, Y/n. You confess through text and then don’t respond when I say who I am and that I like you back and when I come to see you all you have to say is that? You’re so fucking adorable.” Seokjin said, a smile growing on his face as he pulled you into a hug.

What?

You confessed through text?

He likes you?

You’d never talked to him though… unless…

He was Pippin?

And did Minju and Sunha confess to Pippin for you?

“Y-your Pippin?” 

“Yes, and I want to ask… Will you go on a date with me, Y/n-ssi?” 

What?

You took a step back, your mind running at 100 steps a minute before you quickly turned around and ran to your phone. There were probably a hundred unread messages from Pippin… from Seokjin. 

How.

You’d been talking to Seokjin this entire time? 

What.

In shock you looked back at your door but Seokjin had followed you inside and was looking at you with a concerned expression. You looked between Seokjin and your phone repeatedly, your brain seeming to process the situation slower than molasses. The slowly changing look on Seokjin’s face wasn’t helping either.

“Y-You’re Pippin?” 

“I am. I said that in text an hour ago… are you ok, Y/n-ssi?” 

Do you tell him that your friends confessed for you? 

Shit.

After the breakup he went through recently?

“I… I was so scared after I sent that… the confession that… I… I haven’t checked my phone since. I… I was so sure that you’d shut me down and I… I wanted to prepare myself for that.” You lied, hoping it was believable.

For a second, Seokjin looked more confused than you felt before he nodded, “Well, I’m not turning your confession down. I think I like you romantically too. I want to try.” 

You nodded slowly as blush sprung across your face, “That would be nice.”

“Yeah. It would be.”

“So…” Seokjin started before he extended the potted plant for you to grab, his ears a bright red, “Would you want to go on a date with me now? I know it’s late but I’d love to… if you want that is.”

Blush rose on your cheeks more as you accepted his plant, “I-I would love to… Just give me a minute to get ready? You caught me off guard.”

“Of course. Take all the time you need.” Seokjin opened and closed his mouth before he continued, “Is it ok if I wait here or would you rather I wait in my apartment and we can meet when you’re ready?” 

“You can wait here. I will be finished soon.” You said before running off to put the plant somewhere and grab a bag to hold your wallet. 

In less than five minutes, you were ready and with butterflies fluttering in your stomach, you left with Seokjin on your first date. It was amazing. The next day, you messaged Sunha and Minju and had a conversation about what they did wrong, what they could do better in the future (just not steal someone’s phone and all), and how amazing your date was.

On your third date, you confessed about what actually happened that led to him confessing. He blushed and the two of you had a good laugh (he also seemed glad that you gave your friends a stern talking to after). By the fifth date, you were fairly positive you were madly in love with Seokjin and by the time you two had your sixth date, you found yourself regularly hanging out with him outside of dates. From studying together to getting together with his friends and yours and doing stuff as a large group, you found yourself falling more and more. During your graduation party, Seokjin and you managed to sneak off to your bedroom for some quiet and in each other's arms, you shared “I love you”s. By the time Seokjin graduated undergrad as well and you were well in your grad school, you’d managed to find a nice spacious apartment to share. 

Everything was falling into place.

[artificialqueens]

Ungodly Hour, Chapter One (Jaida x Nicky) - Scarlet Bloo

a/n: Hi! I started this fic back when the fic challenge was announced and here it finally is, (2?) months later, 3 days from the deadline. It’s been a ride, but I’ve finally gotten it to a place where I’m happy with it, and while not every chapter will posted during the challenge I’ve at least managed to get one in!

summary: Nicky is crushing hard on a bubbly soccer playing sorority sister. It’s unusual for her to ever be into anyone like this, and all she wants is to be on her radar. Popular girl Jaida is captain of the basketball team, and while she’s usually smart, French just isn’t her forte. Lucky for her, Nicky is a native speaker, so she makes it her mission to get her as her tutor. 

Challenge notes:

A large amount of the story is told from Jaida’s point of view. 

Close friends of the main characters: Widow, Heidi and Akeria (who will become more prominent characters in future chapters.)

The title is a song by Chloe and Halle Bailey. 

Nicky snuck a look in Jan Sport’s direction, her heart tingling as she absorbed her beauty. She sighed, knowing the preppy, popular sorority girl had absolutely no idea she even existed. It was laughable that she ever entertained the idea of a relationship with her, even if it was only in the late hours of the night, a fantasy to procrastinate her studies with. But with her long blonde hair, muscular arms and smiling eyes, how couldn’t Nicky be so intrigued by her? This was a new feeling. Nicky hardly ever found herself interested in anyone, let alone a woman. It was surreal to her, but it somehow felt right.

She cast her eyes away from Jan and tried to focus on the Professor at the front of the lecture hall. Unsurprisingly, it was nothing of value to Nicky. Miss Coulee was voicing her disappointment with the class after 70% of the class had gotten less than a C in the last exam. Nicky rolled her eyes, looking down at the big red “A!” circled on her own paper. Despite this achievement, she was regretting her decision to take French. Sure, it being her first language definitely made the classes easier, but left her so unsatisfied with how little she had to push herself to pass. 

“Of course you got an A”, Gigi whispered to Nicky. 

She had a defeated look on her face and Nicky felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. Gigi and Nicky weren’t close, but seeing as they’d been sitting next to each other every French lecture since September, they’d gotten to know a fair bit about each other. Like Nicky, Gigi was a fashion major but was taking French so she could “make it big in Paris one day” and Nicky knew academics wasn’t her strong suit. 

“Yeah well,” Nicky smiled sweetly, “French is my language, fashion is yours.”

Gigi seemed content with that answer and nodded satisfactorily as Coulee dismissed the class and all that could be heard was the snapping shut of laptops and notebooks and friendly chatter.

Jan lingered by the door giggling with her friends and Nicky’s gaze locked in on her like a missile. She was beautiful, and she could help but trace each curve of her body with her eyes. She felt her hands go clammy as she found herself lost in her animated expressions. Jan was different to Nicky’s image of a popular girl, she didn’t strut around campus like she owned the place or go through millions of relationships. She radiated positive energy and it just made Nicky all the more eager to get to know her. She wasn’t usually this into people, but Jan Sport had turned her into a pile of mush.

“You’re staring again.” Gigi’s teasing voice brought a blush to Nicky’s cheeks. She had caught her staring at Jan in awe on multiple occasions and was one of the very few people she’d actually admitted the crush to. The only other person who she’d told was her roommate and best friend, Widow. But her other friends? Definitely not. They were all art majors, and while Jan was taking music, it wasn’t really the same thing. Nicky guessed it made them the artsy crowd, and therefore substantially less popular. With the exception of Gigi and Widow, who had been in an on and off relationship with a soccer player since freshman year, Nicky’s friends spent lunch breaks talking as much shit as they could about Charles College’s elite. And it was somewhat justified. Most of the popular kids were complete pieces of shit. 

Case in point - Jaida Essence Hall, Charles College’s star athlete. The girl walked around like she owned the place, and Nicky guessed she kind of did. At the snap of a finger someone would appear at her side, eager to grant any and every wish. Or jump into her lap. Or stick their tongue down her throat. She didn’t look as confident as usual right then though, sitting fists curled around the edge of her paper in the lecture hall. Everyone else, including Coulee, had left, but Jaida remained in her seat. She must have failed the test too, but Nicky didn’t feel much sympathy for the girl. Charles college was best known for its Basketball, with its best players usually ending up in the pros, and during their years at Charles, they’d get handed everything on a silver platter. Maybe it was unfair, and a tiny bit vindictive, but Nicky got a sense of triumph from knowing that Coulee was failing the captain of the women’s basketball team along with everyone else. 

“Wanna grab something to eat?” Gigi asked as she gathered her books.

“Can’t, I have to finish up all of last week’s design work.” Nicky got up, but didn’t follow her to the door, “Go on ahead. I need to check the schedule before I go, I can’t remember when my next tutorial is.”

“Okay,” Gigi said, “I’ll see you later!”

“Later!” Nicky called after her. 

At the sound of her voice, Jan paused in the doorway and turned her head. It was impossible to stop the flush that rose in Nicky’s cheeks. This was the first time they’d ever made eye contact, and she didn’t know how to respond. In the end, she settled for a small nod of greeting. There. Cool, casual yet wouldn’t come off as rude. Her heart skipped a beat when the corner of Jan’s mouth lifted into a faint grin. She waved in response, and then she was gone. Nicky stared at the empty doorway. Her pulse exploded in a gallop. After six weeks of breathing in the same air in the stuffy lecture hall, Jan Sport had finally noticed her. She wished she was brave enough to go after her. Maybe ask her to grab a coffee. Or dinner. Or brunch - hell, is brunch even a big thing in America? But her feet stayed glued in place because she was a total coward. She was terrified she’d say no, but even more terrified she’d say yes. 

Nicky was in a good place when she started college. Her issues solidly behind her, her guard lowered. She was ready to date again, and she did. She dated several guys, but other than her ex, Kayla, none of them had been female, and none of them had made her body tingle the way Jan Sport did, and that freaked her out. 

Baby steps. That was her therapist’s favourite piece of advice, and she couldn’t deny that the strategy had helped her a lot. Focus on the small victories, Sasha had always advised. So, today’s victory, she nodded at Jan and she waved at her. Next class, maybe she’d wave back. And the one after that, maybe she’d bring up the coffee, dinner or brunch idea. She took a breath as she headed down the aisle, clinging to that feeling of victory, however miniscule it may be.

Jaida had failed. She’d fucking failed. For the last 15 years before she’d joined Charles College, they had handed out A’s like tic tacs. But the year she decided to take a French class? She had gotten stuck with Shea Coulee. It was official. This woman was her archenemy. Just the sight of her flowery handwriting—which filled up every inch of available space in the margins of Jaida’s midterm—made her want to scream, rip up the page, and leave education indefinitely. Jaida had been passing all her other classes, but this (almost ironic) F in French was completely bringing her average down. Normally, she had no problem keeping her G.P.A up. Despite what she knew a lot of Charle’s population believed, she wasn’t dumb. And the worst thing about Charles? Their dean demanded excellence—academically and athletically. While other schools were lenient toward athletes, Charles has a zero-tolerance policy. When she spoke to Coulee before class, she’d bluntly told her that unless she was going to find her own private tutor, she’d have no choice but to turn up to extra tutorials which overlapped with basketball practice. It really was a lose-lose situation.

 Jaida’s frustration manifested itself in the form of an audible groan, and from the corner of her eye, she saw someone jerk in surprise. Jaida jumped too, because here she thought she was wallowing in her misery alone. However, the girl from the back row had stuck around and was headed towards Coulee’s desk. Staci? Selena? Jaida couldn’t remember her name, probably because she’d never thought to ask for it before. She was pretty, though. A lot prettier than Jaida had ever realised. Perfect features, dark hair, a petite hourglass figure. How had she never noticed her before now? Her skinny jeans clung to a round, perky ass and her round breasts peaked slightly out of her v neck. 

“Everything okay?” the girl asked with a pointed look. Jaida murmured a reply under her breath. She really wasn’t in the mood to talk right then. 

The girl raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow in Jaida’s direction, “Sorry, was that english?” 

Jaida balled up her paper and scraped her chair back, “I said everythings fine.”

“Okay, then,” The girl shrugged and continued down the steps. As she picked up the clipboard that contained the tutorial schedule, Jaida flung on her jacked, then shoved her  pathetic midterm into her  backpack and zipped it up. The dark-haired girl headed back to the aisle. Sophie? Sabrina? The S sounded right, but the rest was a mystery. She had her midterm in hand, but Jaida didn’t sneak a peek because she assumed she failed just like everyone else.

Jaida let her pass before she stepped into the aisle. She followed her up to the exit, suddenly realizing how tiny she was compared to herself—she was one step below her yet could see the top of her head. Just as they reached the door, the girl stumbled on absolutely nothing and the books in her hand clattered to the floor.

“Shit. I’m such a klutz.”

She dropped to her knees and so did Jaida, because contrary popular belief, she wasn’t heartless, and the polite thing to do was help her gather her books.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’m fine,” she insisted.

But Jaida’s hand had already connected with her midterm, and her jaw dropped when she saw her grade.

“Fucking hell. You aced it?”  Jaida demanded.

The girl gave a sweet smile. “Well, I am French. I thought you’d have been able to tell from the accent.”

“Holy shit.” Jaida felt like she’d just bumped into Coco fuckin’ Chanel and she was dangling the secrets to her  universe under her nose. “Can I read your answers?”

Her brows quirked up again. “That’s rather forward of you, don’t you think? We don’t even know each other.”

Jaida rolled her eyes. “I’m not asking you to take your clothes off, baby. I just want to peek at your midterm.”

“Baby? Goodbye forward, hello presumptuous.”

“Would you prefer miss? Ma’am maybe? I’d use your name but I don’t know it.”

“Of course you don’t.” She sighed. “It’s Nicolette. Nicky for short.” Then she paused meaningfully. “Jaida.”

Okay, she was way off on the S thing. And Jaida didn’t miss the way she emphasized her name as if to say, Ha! I know yours, bitch! Nicky collected the rest of her books and stood up, but Jaida didn’t hand over her midterm. Instead, she hopped to her feet and started flipping through it. As she skimmed her answers, her spirits plummeted even lower, because if this is what  Coulee was looking for, she was screwed. There was a reason she was a  geography major, for gods sake—she dealt in facts. Black and white. This happened at this time to this person and here was the result. Nicky’s answers focused on detailed analysis on texts Jaida couldn’t even translate in the first place. 

“Thanks.”  Jaida gave her the booklet, then cracked her knuckles. “Hey, listen. Do you…would you consider…” she  shrugged. “You know…”

Nicky’s  lips twitched as if she was  trying not to laugh. “Actually, I don’t know.”

Jaida let out a breath. “Will you tutor me?”

Her grey eyes—slightly green and surrounded by thick black eyelashes—went from surprised to skeptical in a matter of seconds.

“I’ll pay you,” Jaida added hastily.

“Oh. Um. Well, yeah, of course I’d expect you to pay me. But…” She shaked her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

Jaida bit back her disappointment. “C’mon, do me a solid. If I fail this makeup, my GPA will implode. Please?” She flashed a smile, the one that made her dimples pop out and never failed to make people melt.

“Does that usually work?” she asked curiously.

“What?“

“The winning innocent pageant girl smile… Does it help you get your way?”

“Always,” the taller girl answered without hesitation.

“Almost always,” Nicky corrected. “Look, I’m sorry, but I really don’t have time. I’m already juggling school and work, and with the winter showcase coming up, I’ll have even less time.”

“Winter showcase?” Jaida said blankly.

“Right, I forgot. If it’s not about basketball or your big pageants, then it’s not on your radar.”

“Now who’s being presumptuous? You don’t even know me.”

There’s a beat, and then she sighed. “I’m a fashion major, okay? And the arts faculty puts on two major displays every year, the winter showcase and the spring one. The winner gets a five thousand dollar scholarship. It’s kind of a huge deal, actually. Important industry people fly in from all over the country to see it. Fashion houses, investors, big magazines…. So, as much as I’d love to help you—”

“You would not,” Jaida grumbled. “You look like you don’t even want to talk to me right now.”

Her little you-got-me shrug was grating. “I have to go finish up some designs. I’m sorry you’re failing this course, but if it makes you feel better, so is everyone else.”

Jaida narrowed her eyes. “Not you.”

“I can’t help that I was born into a french speaking household.”

“Well, I want your help.”

Jaida was two seconds from dropping to her knees and begging her, but she edged towards the door. “You know there’s a study group, right? I can give you the number for—”

“I’m already in it,” Jaida muttered, embarrassed.

“Oh. Well, then there’s not much else I can do for you. Good luck on the makeup test. Baby.”

She darted out the door, leaving Jaida staring after her in frustration. Unbelievable. Everyone at this college would have cut their leg off to help her out. But this girl? Ran away like she’d just asked her to give up her first born so they could give it to Rumplestiltskin. And now  Jaida was right back to where she was before Nicky-not-with-an-S gave her that faintest flicker of hope. Completely fucking screwed.

[thorne93]

Inside the Criminal Mind (Part 12)

Prompt: You’re married to Dr. Spencer Reid of the BAU, and are a distinguished doctor yourself on the team. You’re sent down to Miami, Florida for teaching and as a side request from the FBI, to investigate a string of missing persons. When you think you’ve figured out who the unsub is, your life becomes more complicated than you ever could’ve imagined.

Word Count: 2556

Warnings: (throughout the fic –>) death, blood, gore, killings, language, disturbing mental notions, mentions of rapes/murder/etc (You know, Dexter and Criminal Minds related business)

Notes: Thank you so much to @arrow-guy​, @carryonmyswansong​, and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​ - without each of you, I couldn’t have finished, written, or properly navigated this story. Each of you helped me fish out details that were incredibly important to me. Beta’d by @carryonmyswansong​ and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​… Aesthetic by @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo

This is a crossover of Criminal Minds x Dexter. First time writing Dexter.

Also, the timeline is after Season 1 of Dexter, but during season 14-ish of Criminal minds into Season 15. Enjoy!!!

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

Finally, spring break was here. 

Your flight got in and Spencer was waiting for you at the airport. You all but ran to him as he smiled at you, wrapping you in a tight embrace. 

“Oh, God, I missed you so much,” he remarked. 

“I missed you too. Any cases?”

“None so far, but I’m on vacation. Unless something huge comes in, you have me all to yourself.” 

“That’s just the way I like it,” you noted, grinning before giving him a quick kiss.

“Do you want to stop by the office?” he asked, taking your hand as you walked to the luggage carousel. 

“No, not today. I just want to be with you.”

“You sure? I know everyone’s missed you.”

You shook your head. “Yeah but I’ve missed you more. You and I are hardly ever alone. It’d be nice to just have one night, just the two of us?” 

He smiled down at you just before you grabbed your bag.

“Yeah, alright. Let’s go home.”

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

“Holy… Wow. What have you been doing while I’m gone?” you asked, panting. 

“Nothing different,” he remarked as he rolled over. 

“It’s almost like you’re trying out for a marathon,” you teased, laughing.

“Are you complaining?”

“Hell no.” 

“Want to make dinner?”

“Absolutely. What have we got?”

“I got everything for you to make lasagna,” he noted, a bit of pleading to his voice and face.

You rolled your eyes. “I come back from working hard in Miami, working two jobs and you want me to make you dinner?”

“I’ll help make the salad, if that means anything?” he said with an uneasy face. 

“After the performance you just gave, Dr. Reid, I’ll let it pass.” You leaned up and kissed him before the two of you got out of bed and threw on pajamas to go make dinner. 

It took about an hour, but finally, the lasagna was in the oven. 

“So tell me all about Miami,” Spence encouraged. “I haven’t heard much from you in so long. Everything okay?”

You nodded, your stomach doing a flip. Until now, you could basically forget about Miami, Dexter… being a murderer. But your husband asking you about your second life brought all of that to the forefront of your mind.

You gulped down the hot pasta before answering, “Uh, yeah, everything’s fine.” You took a sip of water to buy some time. “Teaching’s been going good. I hit a snag here or there but midterm grades were great.”

“That’s great,” he said with an encouraging smile. “Does it feel like the students are really soaking up the knowledge?”

“Yeah, absolutely. Every class discussion is pretty interesting and I love answering all kinds of questions about our work and what we do. It’s pretty fantastic. It’s nice to be doing something where it doesn’t end in failure or worrying about losing my life or yours.”

“I know. I love our jobs but being in a calm classroom has its perks too,” he agreed with a quick grin. “And the investigation? How’s it going?” 

“Uh, going pretty good. The family’s had no leads though.”

“What’s your next step then? You’ve already questioned everyone in the PD, right?”

You nodded. “Yeah and that didn’t seem to help much either.”

“What about a geo-profile? I could help with that. Do you have the cases?”

“No, left them in my apartment down there. But I should definitely do that.” 

Suddenly, your hands were sweating but you tried hard to hide it. Lying to your boss over the phone was one thing. Keeping up appearances and not letting anything slip around Dexter’s circle was one thing. Lying to your husband whose career was to gauge every minute facial expression, shifting in weight, change in voice, was another. 

Not only was it his job, he was married to you. He knew when you were lying. He knew when you weren’t being totally truthful, and if he called you on it, you had no way to rebut him. 

“Are you sure you’re alright? I’m really surprised you haven’t cracked this case wide open. You know about doing the geo-profile.” His tone was just on the edge of accusatory and that sent your blood pressure through the roof.

Bobbing your head and swallowing, you said, “Right. Yeah, no it’s just I got caught up with school. No one else has been able to make a dent in the case so it’s obviously a hard one.”

“Yeah but you’re--”

“Busy with another full time job,” you reminded sweetly. “I’ll do the geo-profile. I was going to check into their criminal backgrounds next, see if maybe there was overlap there of drugs or money laundering.” This wasn’t entirely a lie, had you not picked up on Dexter’s mishaps, that would’ve been the next path you’d gone down.

“Ah, that’s a good idea too. Are you positive you don’t want help on it? I’m sure if we just gave the names to Garcia we’d have some overlap in a matter of a week.” 

“No, I really think I can start making headway with my stuff. I swear, if I hit a brick wall, I’ll come cash my chips in.” 

“Alright,” he agreed, finally dropping it, thank God. “Made any new friends? How’s your apartment?”

“Uh, I don’t really have time for friends,” you lied. “If I’m not on campus, I’m working the case or reading over homework. You know…” 

“Right. Well I hope you’re finding some sort of break down there. You need rest, time to recharge your batteries. Do you at least get to go to the beach?” 

“Not really, no. I should try though, more often.”

“Yeah, maybe every Saturday or something, try going out,” he suggested with a smile before taking a sip of his water. 

“Yeah, maybe. How about you? Have you been to see Morgan and the family in a while?” you asked, trying desperately to shift the conversation away from you, and it worked. The rest of the night you focused on Spencer’s work back home, Morgan, his mom, Garcia, anything but you. 

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

The next night, the team was still in town, so you and Spence decided you would surprise them after work. 

“So, I was just going to head home and--” Emily was saying as you stepped off the elevators and all eyes went to you. 

“Y/N!” Everyone greeted in a resounding happy voice. 

Garcia rushed you and hugged you tightly. 

“We weren’t sure you were ever going to come by! Reid said you were tired and just wanted to rest,” she said, glancing back to him, worried you were out against your will.

You laughed. “No, no, not quite. I just wanted the day with him,” you said, your eyes landing on him lovingly for a moment. “But now, we’ve caught up and I want to be with you all. Wanna go to the bar?” you asked and you were met with a resounding yes. 

The whole team joined you. Everyone peppered you with questions about the class, the course, how you felt about teaching. Often, people asked Spencer if his experiences were different or similar and you two had to bounce off each other for information. Everyone asked about Miami, how hot it really was, if you were enjoying it, if you were making friends, if you were happy down there. The team asked about your case, and you tried to dance a fine line of making it known you were working really hard, but not give away so much information that they felt like they had enough information that they could start looking into it. 

Eventually, talk turned to some shop talk, then home life, and then the party naturally divided into girls and guys. Rossi, Matt, Luke, and Spence went to play pool. Emily, JJ, Garcia, and you were at the other end, just talking girl talk.

“Okay, real talk,” Garcia started, looking at you, “is every guy just like really cut down in Miami? I mean, they’d have to be, right? They’re always on the beach, looking tanned and bronzed…”

You couldn’t help but chuckle. “I hate to burst your bubble, Garcia, but not every guy is a casting call for Baywatch.”

“It doesn’t have to be for Baywatch but maybe… I don’t know, a little Mr. Universe competition.”

The ladies all laughed, including you. “I really wouldn’t know. I don’t notice guys. If it’s not Spence, I just…” You left it at that before catching yourself staring at him from across the bar. He really was your one and only. 

“Aww, you guys are so in love, it’s so cute and, ugh, my heart melts for it,” Garcia said sappily.

JJ raised her eyebrows. “Well I think someone’s had one too many.” 

“Speaking of love,” you began, “Em, how are you and your boy toy? Any talk of wedding bells?”

“Woah,” she remarked, raising her hands in defense, “we aren’t even past the starting gate yet, not really. It’ll be awhile before we talk anything like that, but things are going good, really good.”

“I’m glad,” you said with a sincere smile. “Oh, I miss you all so much.” You put your arms around them and pulled them close. “How has casework been?”

“To be honest?” Emily asked. “It’s been really hard without you. Cases move about two times slower. There are times I’m close to begging Reid to just call you in on one or sometimes he even throws it out there but we know how important this is to you.”

“Yeah, it really is.”

JJ took a sip of her drink then said, “Oh, Y/N, you should know that Lloyd Markert was put away last week.” 

Lloyd was a case all of you had worked just before Halloween and his trial was slow to get off the ground but apparently it finally came to close.

“Oh, great! How long did the fucker get?” you asked, happy to know he’d be put away. He was a family killer who showed no remorse. 

“He got fifteen, thirteen with good behavior,” she informed with a sour face.

“But, at least that’s fifteen,” Emily noted.

“Fifteen? Fif-fucking-teen?” you all but screeched. “Jesus, why even bother with a verdict?” you asked, shaking your head. “Well, all we can hope is he gets jumped in the shower, right?” You raised your glass before sipping. All three women gave you an incredulous look.

“Uh, Y/N, you okay? That doesn’t really… uh, sound like you,” JJ commented. 

You shook your head. “No, I’m not okay. After Rochester and now Markert… No. I’m not okay. I’m sick of these fuckers walking. It’s just…. It’s not enough, alright? We’ve been at this for years… Years, every day we see people slaughtered, butchered, beaten, bludgeoned, raped, tortured, and for what? Because Mommy was a little too strict? Because Daddy had a forceful hand when they were a kid? I’m just sick of it all. I’m sick of seeing killer after killer after killer get the lightest sentences for horrible, gut wrenching crimes. These victims deserve better, they deserve justice.”

“And that’s what we work on getting them,” JJ reminded, frowning.

“Right, and that hard work? Our hours, weeks, sometimes months of work goes down the drain because some beat cop forgot the miranda rights. Or because someone tampered with the only evidence we had. Or because there’s some incredible technicality and it just sickens me. We do our job, we all do our jobs well, great even. But at the end of the day, we have a parade of people that these unsubs have to get through, and anywhere along the way, it can get fucked up, and most of the time it does, and it’s just....” You shook your head, trying to find the right word. “Heartbreaking, it’s goddamn heartbreaking, is what it is. To do what we do, to fight like we fight, for it to all count for nothing, not for the victims, not for us, not for their families.”

Garcia rubbed your back and Emily peered at you. 

“It can be rough, but if we do our jobs right, we have to have faith in the system,” Emily remarked. “That’s all we can do.”

“Maybe that’s all you can do, but I can do so much more,” you thought silently to yourself before taking a sip of your drink.  

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

The next day, Spence and you were out getting lunch in the city when you were waiting on your food.

“This place reminds me of--”

“Cafe George, in Omaha, right?” Spencer finished and you nodded with a laugh.

“Yes, the same place that Morgan tried to convince you that rocky mountain oysters were fried chocolate.”

“Yeah, you know I still haven’t forgiven that?” he said with a smile.

“Oh, I know,” you assured. “That’s why you ensued on pranking him for two weeks straight following that. I still think the best one was when you disabled his car remotely and he could not figure out how to start it. It was pretty hilarious. And very sexy.”

“Didn’t know you found pranks arousing.”

“Oh I don’t,” you confirmed. “But you using that big MIT brain gets me hot and bothered every time.”

“Well maybe when we leave here I can show you just how big my brain can get,” he teased just as the waiter approached with your food.

“I’d very much like that, Dr. Reid.”

He smiled at you with a playful grin. “I’ve missed you, I’ve missed this.”

“I’ve missed a lot of everything,” you commented with a bit of melancholy. I didn’t realize how much I missed the team before last night.”

“So you don’t think you’ll stay down in Miami? I mean, if they ask you?”

You waved the idea off. “No, of course not. I mean… what could I possibly have down there? I can teach up here if I really feel inclined to.”

But then, the question caught up to you. You did have something down there, a friend. Emily, Garcia, Matt. They were all very close to you, your closest friends, you’d put your life on the line for theirs and vice versa. But none of them knew the real you. Known of them knew you were capable of murder. How could you give up a friendship with someone like Dexter, someone who wouldn’t judge you like last night? You couldn’t be yourself, you couldn’t rant about your hate for the scum of this world around your team. They believed in justice, a system, a higher power.

You believed in action -- real, swift, and effective action. 

How could you just abandon Dexter when he understood you and accepted you, your darkness and all, when you had teammates up here who could barely accept an angry rant?

And what about Spencer? He was the light of your life, the love of your life, everything you had ever wanted in a husband and more… If he found out what you truly were, what you were capable of, what you were willing to become, he’d be horrified, mortified, betrayed beyond any point of forgiveness. He’d leave you, and most likely have you arrested. 

He didn’t deserve that sort of pain, to find out he was married to a complete stranger. 

Which is why, he would never, ever find out. 

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

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[jackscn]

✹☾✮ ( gabriel darku. cismale. he/him ) It seems that JACKSON WHITTEMORE has been drawn to Beacon Hills. That’s probably because they are a 22 year old KANIMA/WEREWOLF. When they arrived here a year ago, they were very RESOLUTE + CHARMING, but since then, they’ve been known to be more HARD-BITTEN + EGOTISTICAL. They kinda remind me of shirtless gym selfies that show his well-defined abs glistening with sweat, the smell of a brand new car that he definitely didn’t pay for, shelves filled with trophies, medals, and other accolades that mean absolutely nothing, a bathroom mirror that was broken more than once.

Name: Jackson Whittemore Age: 22 Birthday: June 15, 1998 Gender: Cismale Pronouns: He/him Sexual Orientation: Homosexual Occupation: Personal Fitness Trainer at the Beacon Hills Recreational Center Education: Beacon Hills High School, Personal Fitness and Nutrition training

(death mention tw)

Growing up in Beacon Hills...

Jackson wasn’t even born yet when he was orphaned. His biological parents, Gordon and Margaret Miller, died in a car accident. He was later adopted by attorney David Whittemore and his wife, Juliet Whittemore.

They told him pretty early that he was adopted, changing the boy’s temperament. They wouldn’t know it yet, but that’s how Jackson started to put incredible pressure on himself to always be the best. In academics. In sports. In looks. Even in social circles. 

His peers in school might be tempted to just accuse Jackson of buying into his popularity but they can’t deny that the kid had talent. Brains inside the class too, even if he preferred using brawn to settle things outside the campus.

At the start of their relationship, Lydia and Jackson only got together because everyone expected them too. The most popular people in school got into relationships. Moreover, they got together with other popular people. So Lydia and Jackson went through the motions of a typical high school romance without the affection or the passion. Not to say though that it never eventually came. Jackson had his days when he can be a sweet and caring boyfriend. Even if at times, it gets thrown out the window again just because someone happened to see.

Leaving Beacon Hills...

Leaving to London was purely his dad’s idea. But after everything that happened, Jackson didn’t find it in himself to say no. Truth be told, Jackson was terrifieid. He asked to be turned, yes, but he never imagined that he’d become a killer. And not just killer without control. Jackson became a killer under sommeone else’s control.

The grief and the guilt crashed in him while he was in London where none of his old friends could see. During that time, people who knew him wouldn’t be able to recognize him. For a while, it looked like the old Jackson was nowhere to be found.

Jackson eventually got better. In fact, he met someone who would help him gain better control. Not as a werewolf - Derek already did that before he left for London - but as himself. That someone was Ethan.

In London, Jackson learned something about himself. There was a reason that he felt too comfortable being under the gaze of other men. It wasn’t just ego. Jackson liked it because he liked men too. More than he liked women. Did he even like other women that waeren’t Lydia? The answer, Jackson realized, was no.

After he was last seen...

After flying back to London, Jackson returned to the flat that he shared with his loving boyfriend, Ethan, where they both celebrated one more anniversary together or two. After finishing his secondary education, Jackson devoted time to earn a certificate to become a personal fitness trainer. And in his free time, he tracks omega werewolves with Ethan.

He told the others that his trip back to Beacon Hills was supposed to be nothing but a short trip so that he can report to Scott personally about their progress. In reality, he missed the little town. Even if he didn’t desire to live there again, it was nice to be reminded what it felt like to be a big fish in a little pond. Sure, Jackson still gets people to turn their heads in London but in Beacon Hills, Jackson was a star. Even though he has grown in the last few years, Jackson wasn’t that humbled. When it was time to hit the road, Jackson found that he couldn’t. Not without feeling immeasurable pain and nausea.

It would be hard to find someone feeling more trapped in Beacon Hills than Jackson. Yes, Beacon Hills used to be his home. But it hasn’t been for years, especially when he has made a new one some place else. With someone else. Trapped in Beacon Hills without being able to get to Ethan who has  mastered how to temper him, Jackson feels like he’s slowly reverting back to his old self. To distract himself during the times that he’s unable to harrass his friends to find a solution to their problem, Jackson got a job at the Beacon Hills Recreational Center as a Personal Fitness Trainer.

Right now, all he wants to do is help his friends solve their little situation so that he can get back to the man he loves. And if they can’t… well, Jackson will just have to act on his own, won’t he?

[whitebear-ofthe-watertribe]

That Which Holds Us - Chapter 7

Pairing(s): Adrien / Marinette, Nino / Alya

Summary: It has been several months since Ladybug and Chat Noir discovered their true identities. Now that they are not trapped by secrets, they can finally be their full selves around each other and have never been closer. Marinette is going into her final year at university, Adrien is exploring new classes and passions, and their friends Alya and Nino seem to be moving towards a happy future together. It all feels like things could not be better.

But of course, nothing in life is quite so perfect.

When Adrien starts having vivid nightmares and visions about his mother, old questions begin to resurface. Will he be able to find the answers, or will these ghosts from the past tear apart the heroes of Paris for good?

Reminder, you can also read / follow this fic at AO3 here, and FF.net here.

Previous Chapters

Chapter Word Count: 5,820

Enjoy!!!

The venue that Nino was to perform at was conveniently near campus. The small old theater – location of hundreds, if not thousands, of plays and concerts over the years – stood on one side of a large courtyard. A grand fountain lay at the center of the courtyard, its water glistening in the soft beams of evening sunlight that streamed through the gaps between trees and buildings.

Marinette and Adrien made their way along the school’s pathways towards a small corner restaurant that they frequented for study dates. The air was comfortably warm, as if the heat of summer was trying to make one last appearance before the weather officially cooled.

Marinette shot Adrien a sideways glance, trying to discern what was going on in his mind. There were dark circles under his eyes, and though he concealed it well, she could sense the tension coming off him.

“So…” she ventured, feeling out whether he wanted to talk about serious things or not. “How was your day?”

Adrien shrugged.

“Shockingly normal,” he said smoothly. And unhelpfully.

Marinette frowned as she waited for him to continue, but when he didn’t, she pressed on.

“Well, normal is completely subjective, so what does normal look like for Adrien Agreste, superhero-slash-model.”

Adrien sighed, giving her a look that said he knew exactly what she was getting at.

“Fine,” he relented. “It was full of people complaining about how last night was a disaster, and how Chat Noir let everyone down. And then my father showed his face in the office for no other reason than to be snippy with me about disappearing before the dinner course had even been served. So, all in all, pretty normal.”

He put on a forced smile as they waited for a group of people to pass in front of them.

Marinette bit her lip in frustration. Adrien’s new blasé behavior wasn’t fooling her.

“Adrien, you know they’re all wrong about you, right?” she said finally, slowing to a stop on the sidewalk.

Adrien turned to look at her. His jaw tightened a little when he saw her expression.

“I’m alright, Mar,” he said, with a shrug and another forced smile. “I couldn’t care less about what they say, I’m just glad they’re finally catching on.”

“Catching on?” Marinette squinted at him suspiciously. “Catching on to what, exactly?”

“To the fact that I, the shinning son of Gabriel Agreste, am absolutely useless,” he chuckled humorlessly, avoiding her gaze as he turned to continue walking. “I mean it’s about time, right? Maybe I should consider retiring soon!”

 “Adrien, this isn’t something to joke about,” Marinette said, her feet carrying her forward once more to follow him. “You deserve none of that garbage, and you know it.”

“Don’t I?” he called over his shoulder with a wry smile.

And with that, Marinette was done.

Lengthening her stride, she shot passed him and whirled to face him directly, cutting him off mid step.

“Enough!” she snapped.

Taken aback, Adrien froze as he looked down at her.

“Don’t you dare start thinking you deserve any of what they’re saying!” she said, stepping right up to him and poking a finger into his chest. “You are incredible, and brave, and so strong. You’ve given so much for them, and they have no idea! But I do!” Her voice shook a little. She could feel furious tears welling up, but she forced them away. “I’ve been defending how worthy you are to everyone else today, now please don’t make me fight you, too.”

He stared at her as she glowered up at him.

She hated how he did this; after so many years of bottling up his emotions, there were always hurdles she needed to cross before he would open up. He had learned enough to eventually take down his guard and actually talk to her, but not before trying to pretend that everything was fine. She knew the part of him that didn’t want to put any burden on her would almost always be struggling with the part of him that wanted to be fully known and accept her help.

The longer she held his gaze, the more she saw his walls crumble. Finally, for the first time that evening, she saw his genuine emotions crack through the façade.

“I – I’m sorry,” he said finally, reaching a hand up to sheepishly rub at the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Marinette. You’re right, I shouldn’t be joking about it.”

“It’s not that you’re joking about it,” she countered. “It’s that you’re joking to cover up the fact that you’ve taken their words to heart. That’s what is pissing me off.”

Adrien’s expression darkened as he considered her words. For a moment she thought he might dispute her point, but finally his shoulders slumped in resignation.

“I suppose that’s not… entirely… untrue,” he said finally.

Marinette’s anger began to melt as she stepped forward and pulled him into a hug.

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, his cheek resting against the top of her head.

She could feel his heartbeat as she buried her face into his chest.

“When are you going to realize that I’m always right?” she said, her words muffled into his shirt.

Adrien let out a snort.

“Almost always,” he said.

She smiled. “Ok fine, almost always. But that’s still pretty close to always!”

“Fair enough,” Adrien pulled away to rub her arms affectionately as he gave her a grateful smile. “You’re at least ninety percent right on this particular subject.”

“Nope,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m at a full one hundred percent on this one, and you can’t change my mind.”

Adrien’s grin broadened at this, and he didn’t try to argue further. Then, taking her hands, the scrap of fabric she’d been pressing into her palm finally caught his eye.

“Hey, wait. What’s this?”

Raising her hand up to eye level, he frowned as he pulled the fabric away and discovered the place where the needle had punctured her. The skin was still flaming red, but the bleeding had mostly stopped.

“You’re hurt?” he scolded, examining the mark closely.

“It’s nothing,” she sighed impatiently. “I’m fine, really.”

He tore his gaze from her palm to shoot her a frustrated look.

“Oh, come on. You know I’ve had worse than this,” she snapped, trying to tug her hand back.

Adrien held tightly at her wrist.

“We fight supervillains on a near daily basis,” he said with exasperation, “and yet you still manage to inflict injuries on yourself doing schoolwork.”

“In case you hadn’t realized, any poise or grace I have as Ladybug is purely thanks to Tikki. I’ve always been a walking disaster outside the suit.”

“That’s not true!” he argued, but the incredulous look she threw him made him rethink his words. “Ok fine, that’s not completely true.”

“Only mostly true,” she said, nodding with finality.

Adrien rolled his eyes with a snort but didn’t press the point.

Marinette was relieved to see some of his tension begin to fall away a little as they joked. It was a small victory, but she would take what she could.

“It’s completely normal, you know,” she said as they walked towards the restaurant’s patio, her thoughts returning to their previous conversation. “To feel like you’re… not enough.”

Adrien sighed as they took their seats, but Marinette noticed that he had at least dropped his sardonic expression. She scooted her chair around the table so that she could sit closer beside him.

“I mean, you know more than anyone how much I’ve struggle with that, right?” she pressed on.

The corner of Adrien’s mouth twitched into a hesitant smile and he nodded.

“And do you remember how you always encouraged me, even when I was ready to completely give up on being Ladybug?”

“I can be painfully optimistic,” he snorted.

Marinette smiled.

“Yes, sometimes,” she agreed. “But that doesn’t mean that everything you said back then wasn’t true. We’ve always had to do some incredibly difficult things, and I supposed we’ve been doing this long enough that it’s easy to get tunnel vision.”

She reached out and pulled Adrien’s hand into hers.

“But the important thing is to remember who we are and what we fight for. The people of this city rely on us because we were chosen to do what they can’t. And when it all feels like too heavy a burden to carry, please remember that you aren’t in this alone.”

“I know,” Adrien nodded, his thumb running soft circles along the back of her hand. “I know that we’re always going to be there for one another, I just…” he sighed again, scrunching his nose as he struggled to find the right words. “I guess… now that I know that Hawkmoth has this power over me… maybe that’s what’s been making it so easy to just give in to those dark thoughts.”

Marinette’s grip on his hand tightened.

A waiter approached their table with bread and olive oil.

Marinette gave him a grateful nod and quickly ordered a house wine and some hors d'oeuvres she knew they both liked.

Adrien said nothing while she did this, merely nodding in agreement when she glanced his way for approval. He took some vinegar that sat on their table and poured a bit into the oil.

When the waiter left, she said, “You know how Master Fu always talks about balance? How our Miraculous were made to be used in tandem, equal parts of the same powers. They must always be used together in one way or another, or else things fall out of alignment.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow but nodded.

“Well, I think it’s pretty obvious that the whole balance thing extends beyond what we do as Ladybug and Chat Noir. We have been friends… partners… for so long that I feel like we have become as much a part of that balance as the power in the Miraculous, you know?”

She pulled one hand away from Adrien’s to tear off a piece of bread and dip it pensively into the oil and vinegar, watching as the two substances created a swirled pattern on the plate.

“Adrien, you are the one who has held me in balance all this time,” she said quietly, surprising even herself with the emotion in her voice. She inhaled a deep breath and continued. “You have always been there to pull me back into sync whenever something bad happens or when I’m doubting myself. When I’ve fallen apart, you held all my pieces together. You’re like… my personal solid rock. From the very beginning, when I knew there was no way I could be a hero, you knew that I had what it took. You held me together and helped me become Ladybug. And… I just want you to know that I’m here for you in the same way you’ve always been there for me. I know that I can’t fully understand the battle you’ve been forced to fight, but please know that I… I’m always going to be by your side, to help you balance out that darkness and to help you fight.”

Adrien’s eyes softened as he stared at her, and she felt her face growing hot at the depth of her own words. Clearing her throat, Marinette turned to the menu, trying to make it seem like she was suddenly engrossed in the scrawling words, but not actually taking in anything they said.

“I know exactly what you mean,” she heard Adrien say softly.

Before Marinette could respond, she found herself being wrapped into his arms.

“You have always been there for me,” he said, and she felt his warm breath as he buried his face into her hair. “Even from the beginning, when you didn’t know me that well and had no reason to care, you were still there for me. You hold me together, too.”

After another long moment, Adrien pulled back, his eyes brighter than they had been earlier.

Marinette smiled, running her hand affectionately down his arm.

The sun was setting below the city’s horizon, and the clouds towering high above were painted with the pinks and golds of its last light.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Marinette exclaimed, tearing off another bite of bread. “You were trying to tell me something after you left your father’s office last night, right?”

To her surprise, Adrien’s face had darkened again, a crease appearing between his brows.

“What?” she asked, swallowing quickly and leaning towards him. “What happened? Was it something bad?”

But Adrien shook his head, taking a piece of bread for himself as he quickly schooled his features into a mask of unconcern.

“No, it’s nothing,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.”

Marinette gazed at him thoughtfully.

“Are you sure? You seemed pretty… I dunno, shaken?”

“Nah, it was just my father being his usual self,” Adrien shrugged, though he still didn’t quite meet her eye. “It doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“Ok…” Marinette said finally, though still not entirely convinced. “Suit yourself.”

*******

“Tonight’s gonna be a good one, eh boys?” Nino said, grinning.

He, John, and Antoine were crossing the large square. It was full of people enjoying what promised to be one of the last warm evenings of the season.

“I’m really looking forward to doing that new song, Antoine,” he continued. “It’ll be a total hit!”

Antoine gave him a halfhearted smile, shrugging.

“Eh, I guess,” he said, his attention turning to a couple young kids chasing each other around the large fountain.

Nino raised an eyebrow at John, who shrugged in response.

Antoine had been in a weird mood for days now. His enthusiasm during their rehearsal that afternoon had been rather lacking, and he wasn’t nearly as jazzed as usual about their upcoming show. He hadn’t said anything to either of them, but Nino could tell something was weighing on his mind.

“Seriously, you ok, man?” Nino asked, peering curiously at him.

Antoine shrugged again, not meeting his eye.

“Yeah, totally,” he said flatly.

Nino frowned. As they neared the fountain, he turned to John.

“Hey man, you want to go ahead and make sure everything’s ready?” he gave John a meaningful look.

John nodded, understanding passing across his face.

“No problem! See you guys in a bit.”

He hurried off, weaving between groups of wandering people before disappearing into the theater.

Antoine gave Nino a confused look as he steered them towards the fountain and pulled him down to sit at the edge of the water.

“Ok, talk,” Nino said, gazing expectantly at him.

Antoine frowned before turning away and shaking his head.

“It’s really nothing. You don’t need to make a big deal of it.”

“Oh, I’m not make a big deal of it,” Nino said lightly, leaning back on his hands. The marble beneath his palms was flecked with water droplets. “But whatever ‘it’ is, it’s clearly dragging on you, and I want to make sure my friend is actually ok before he has to entertain hundreds of people.”

He gave Antoine a sideways look.

Antoine gritted his teeth. After a long moment, though, his shoulders slumped. Leaning forward onto his knees, he turned his head to look at Nino.

“I’m sorry, man, I guess I’ve just been in a weird headspace lately.”

“Weird how?” Nino asked, frowning.

He waved a hand in the air, trying to find the right words.

“I dunno, it’s like… I’m not sure if I really get much joy out of doing these concerts anymore.”

He avoided Nino’s gaze.

Nino said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

“Like… I still enjoy doing music, but this just doesn’t feel like what I want to do anymore. I feel like I don’t know where I want to go in life, but regardless it isn’t this.”

Nino nodded, leaning his head back to look up at the towering clouds high above them. The last rays of sunlight framed them in brilliant gold. A gentle breeze picked up some of the spray from the fountain, blowing a soft mist onto the back of his neck and arms.

“I’d been wondering if you were feeling that way,” Nino said finally. “I mean, I know you’ve still been writing songs and all, but lately it just felt like your heart wasn’t in it as much as it used to be.”

“That’s fair,” Antoine said, his voice full of resignation. “I guess it’s just hard for me to imagine what else I could be doing with my life. Like, we’ve been doing this since high school. This is what I know how to do. So, does that mean I’ve already put myself into a corner?”

Nino gave a snort.

Antoine turned to him again, his eyes reproachful, but Nino just reached out to clap him lightly on the back.

“Dude, are you serious?” Nino said with a grin. “You’re one of the most talented people I know! You can do whatever you set your sights on.”

Antoine let out an irritated huff, rolling his eyes at Nino’s words.

“Are you sure you’re not just talking about yourself?” he asked.

Nino listed his head, frowning.

“I mean,” Antoine continued. “You have all these amazing dreams, plus the skills to meet them. You just got signed for that movie soundtrack, for crying out loud! You seem like you have everything figured out and I just… I want to know what that feels like.”

Sighing, Nino leaned forward to mirror Antoine’s posture.

“Dude, I don’t have shit figured out,” he said.

Antoine glanced at him, incredulous.

“I know it seems like I do, but it’s true!” Nino insisted. “I mean I’ve always wanted to do music and movies, but do you seriously think there aren’t times where I wonder if I’m doing it all wrong and need to be pursuing something else?”

“You always seem so happy to be doing what you do, though,” Antoine argued, his hands balling into fists. “You seem to love all the traveling and the performing, and I… I used to enjoy it, but I can’t get on that same level anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I still love visiting new people and places! I’ve always loved making music, so this just seemed the most obvious path. But it just doesn’t feel as fulfilling, I suppose. Like we crossed that line of ‘making it big’ and now what else is there to achieve?”

“Duh, selling out the biggest stadiums in the world?”

“Ha-ha-ha,” Antoine deadpanned. “As incredible as that is, it’s not quite the sense of achievement I think I need.”

“I get it,” Nino said, shooting him a grin. “You’ve always been one to shy away from the things a lot of people might find superficial.”

“I don’t even know if I can call it that,” Antoine shrugged. “I think it’s more about having set goals to reach, obstacles to overcome… something tangible to work towards.”

“Well then,” Nino hedged. “When was the last time you felt that sense of achievement?”

Antoine inhaled deeply, lifting his gaze up to the sky as he thought.

“I dunno… I’ve been teaching my cousin to play her guitar these last few months, and that’s been pretty rewarding.”

“Have you given professionally teaching people music any thought before?”

“Not seriously,” Antoine tilted his head thoughtfully. “I don’t think it’s ever really crossed my mind. I mean I had a lot of fun with it before, and it was totally amazing to see her get better and have that fresh excitement about it… but what if that isn’t right for me either? What if I get bored, or stop liking it? What if I end up right back here not knowing what I want to do with my –”

“Dude, you’re overthinking this,” Nino broke in, stifling a chuckle. “You’re treat all of this as if any decision you make will be the end-all be-all. But what’s stopping you from trying out a whole bunch of different things?”

“But how do I even start something like teaching?” Antoine asked, running an exasperated hand through his hair.

“I think the only thing stopping you is your fear of failure,” Nino supplied, slowly considering his words. “It’s like… you’ve got it in your head that everything in life has to be linear, and that if you go down one path then that means you suddenly block off all the other paths. And I think that is what you need to forget about.”

“How will I even know if teaching will make me happy?”

“The only way you can know that is just giving it a shot. And if it turns out that teaching also isn’t the right fit, then what’s to stop you from moving on to something new? You just gotta keep moving forward, man. Even if you do something and it doesn’t fulfill all your expectations, at least you’re still living life! And someday, after you’ve tried all these new things, maybe you’ll be able to look around and realize that’s where you’re supposed to be. And if you hadn’t tried all those things then you might have never discovered it.”

Looking around at Antoine, Nino could see a sardonic smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Damn. You should be a motivational speaker with speeches like that.”

Nino snorted and elbowed him in the ribs.

“I’m serious, man!” he said as they both laughed. “I know it sounds like some gushy, optimistic bumper sticker or something, but really the best thing you can do in life is follow your joy. Follow your joy by trying new things, and then share that joy with others where you can. Don’t give up on yourself.”

Antoine shook his head, but the grin he wore was genuine.

“Thanks,” he said after a long moment. “I appreciate your trying to help. I’m sorry for how off I’ve been lately.”

“No worries,” Nino shrugged. “We all had a feeling you were dealing with some stuff. I’m just glad you finally decided to talk about it.”

They sat there for several quiet minutes, listening to the conversations and laughter around them. Another breeze blew mist onto Nino’s back, and he relished the cool feeling.

“It’s getting late,” Antoine finally said. “We should probably get going. Don’t want John going out onstage by himself.”

“Ah, I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Nino waved his hand, grinning. “He’ll probably have so much fun that he’ll decided he needs to go solo.”

“Let’s not feed his ego that much,” Antoine laughed.

Standing up from the fountain, they moved to leave when a familiar voice called out across the square.

“Nino!”

Turning, Nino spotted Adrien and Marinette sitting at one of the patio tables of a nearby restaurant. They waved and smiled as a waiter dropped off their bill.

Nino and Antoine returned the wave.

“Why don’t you go on ahead,” Nino said, sitting down once more on the fountain’s ledge and leaning back on his hands. “I’m going to say hi to those guys real quick, it’ll only be a minute. You can go help John make sure everything’s alright if you’d like.”

Antoine nodded.

“Tell them ‘hi’ from me,” he said before jogging off to the theater.

Nino let out a long breath, wishing he could do more to help Antoine. There had been plenty of times in his own life where he’d been stuck with similar doubts about his choices, but at least Alya had always been there to help talk him through things.

“Those were some very wise words,” said a voice beside him.

Turning, Nino found a tiny old man standing a few feet away from him, smiling kindly. He wore a bright floral shirt and his arms were fully occupied with brown paper bags full of groceries.

“Pardon?”

“Forgive my eavesdropping,” the man said, taking a step closer. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with your friend. It is very kind of you to encourage him like that.”

Nino couldn’t help but grin.

“Thank you, Monsieur,” he said, sitting up straighter. “I’m just glad I was able to talk him through some stuff.”

“It is hard for everyone to navigate the many different paths that life takes us on,” the man said, nodding sagely. “It is important to have good friends to help you through it, and it is clear to me that you are, indeed, a very good friend. The people close to you are certainly fortunate to have you to rely on.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Nino grinned, feeling heat flood his cheeks at such high praise. “I’m Nino by the way.”

“It is good to meet you, Nino,” the man said, returning his smile. “My name is –”

“Master Fu?”

Turning, Nino saw that Adrien and Marinette had finished paying for their meal and were now standing beside them, looking curiously between himself and the man.

“Do you two know each other?” Marinette asked, smiling as she stepped forward to quickly peck Nino on the cheeks.

“Not officially,” the man said, smiling benignly. “We were just getting acquainted by chance.”

“What a coincidence!” Adrien said with a grin. “Master Fu has been a… well, a sort of life coach to both Marinette and I for years now.”

Nino noticed that Adrien was sporting dark circles under his eyes.

“Really?” he turned curiously to look at the man. “What kind of life coach?”

“Well, certainly not one you seem to need,” Master Fu said, shooting him a conspiratorial look. “It sounds like you have quite some words of wisdom under your own belt.”

Nino laughed.

“Only for my friends. I myself can always use whatever advice I can get.”

“And that, in itself, is an excellent form of wisdom,” Fu grinned. “Well, I’d better be off. Can’t let this butter pecan gelato go to waste!”

“Yes, I’d better get going as well,” Nino said, standing up and realizing that he towered over the tiny man. “I’m playing that theater tonight, and my bandmates are waiting for me.”

“We’ll stop by for tea soon, Master,” Marinette said.

Though her words sounded light, Nino thought he saw an oddly grave expression cross her face. But when he looked more closely, her light smile had returned.

“My door is always open. And that goes for you as well, Nino,” Fu said, turning to him. “I would greatly look forward to speaking with you more in the future. I’m sure there are… many things we could discuss.”

“I look forward to it,” Nino said, smiling and ducking his head in a quick bow of farewell. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Master Fu.”

“The honor was all mine.”

Master Fu shifted the bags in his arms to wave goodbye.

As he raised his arm, Nino caught sight of a familiar jade bracelet tied around his wrist. He froze, staring at it.

There was a glint of secret amusement in Master Fu’s eyes as he turned to leave, tucking his bracelet out of sight once again.

And as Nino made his way towards the theater with Marinette and Adrien, he had the sneaking suspicion that his friends were getting much more than simply “life coaching” from the old man.

*******

The air inside the theater pulsed with loud music from one of the opening bands as Marinette led Adrien through the lobby.

Nino had parted with them at the entrance, hurrying backstage to join his band.

As they rounded a corner, Adrien spotted the stage raised above a large cheering crowd. Fog and bright colored lights flashing through the otherwise darkened hall, giving the performers a neon glow. 

Marinette tugged him forward, her fingers entwined with his. She wove a path through the crowd and up to the front where it was standing room only. Finally coming to a stop, she let out a whoop and raised her arms to start swaying in time with the music.

Adrien gazed around, taking it all in.

The air was hot and humid, thick with a range of floral scents. A bar in one of the back corners was advertising a range of cocktails, and hundreds of people pressed in tightly together, some carrying drinks as they danced.

The band on stage was made up of four women wearing eclectic outfits that dripped with shimmering jewelry. Two of them were singing in a language he didn’t know.

The final notes of their last song rang through the hall, replaced quickly by a tidal wave of cheers. The performers bowed to them all before moving off stage. The cheering continued, pulsating in Adrien’s ears until it crescendoed to a deafening volume as Nino and his bandmates came into view.

Beside him, Marinette jumped into the air and waved her arms, shouting her praise.

Nino flashed a grin at the crowd. He pulled his keyboard into position at the front microphone.

“How’s everybody doing tonight?” he asked, his voice magnified to echo through the room.

He was met with a fresh wave of enthusiastic screams.

“We’re gonna play you a few of our songs,” he continued as he thrummed a few melodic notes. “We hope you’ll like them!”

A momentary hush fell over the room, broken by a couple scattered whoops, before Nino brought both hands down on the keys and filled the space with an upbeat rhythm. Once again, the hall erupted with screams and hollers of approval as people began jumping and dancing to the music.

Adrien and Marinette were pushed tighter together as the crowd surged forwards in excitement, drawing them closer to the stage.

Looking down at her, Adrien grinned as Marinette paid no mind to the tight space – she was using the little room they had to dance along with everyone else.

His eyes were drawn the curves of her waist and the entrancing way her dark hair caught the lights. Her cheeks flushed with excitement and her soft lips were turned into a beaming smile, dazzling him.

‘How is she so beautiful?’ he thought, momentarily in awe that he had her in his life.

Everything weighing on his shoulders seemed to evaporate as he focused on her. The joy she exuded was contagious.

He reached a hand out to wrap around her other side and pull her into a spin.

Marinette gave a squeak of surprise before dissolving into laughter as she caught on to what he was doing. Taking hold of one of his fingers, she lifted their hands high up and allowed him to spin her again, twice, three more times before draping her arms over his shoulders.

Adrien placed his hands on her hips, his fingers brushing along the soft, warm skin where her shirt rode up. He pulled her close, enjoying the feel of her against him and grinning as she closed her eyes and flowed with the music. For the first time in days, he forgot the troubles that awaited them outside. In that moment, the only thing he let himself focus on was the woman he had given his whole heart to.

As song after song played, they danced together in the little space they shared, beaming whenever they caught each other’s eye.

“Hey!” Marinette called to him after a while, raising her voice for him to hear her above the music. “Can you bend your knees for a sec?”

“Wha- why?” he inquired, tilting his head in confusion.

“Just do it!”

“… Ok?”

Adrien did as he was told, lowering himself until he was at eye level with her.

She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. Her fingers laced into his hair as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his.

He melted into her touch.

Her breath was soft and warm on his mouth, and his whole body tingled as he returned the kiss. He tightened his own arms around her waist and straightened, pulling her against him as her feet left the ground.

Marinette laughed, breaking the kiss and drawing back a little to look at him.

Adrien returned her smile before burying his face in her neck. He inhaled deeply and held her there for a long moment before setting her back down again.

“I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve you,” he murmured into her ear. “But I hope you know I’m more thankful to have you in my life than I could ever put into words.”

“You’ve never had to do anything to deserve me, mon chaton,” she hummed back, reaching her thumb up to gently caress his cheek. “You’ve always underestimated how truly good you are, you know that? You deserve every happiness in the world just by being yourself.”

Adrien shook his head but allowed himself a small smile.

“I love you,” he whispered, knowing she could read the words on his lips.

“I love you too,” she said, her own words drowned out by loud cheers as Nino’s band pounded the last chords of a song before immediately jumping into the next one.

They held each other tightly. Her head rested against his chest as they swayed slowly in place, ignoring whatever tempo the crowd was dancing to as the music thrummed around them.

Adrien had no idea how long they stayed like that, safe in each other’s arms, but a sudden buzz from his pocket pulled him back to the present. Reaching to retrieve his phone, he checked it over Marinette’s head, careful to not disturb her as they continued to sway.

The message was from Master Fu. It seems he had been able to set up Adrien’s travel plans faster than expected – his flight to Tibet would depart in a little over one week’s time.

Once again, Adrien’s mind was flooded with doubt.

There was a part of him that deeply regretted not just telling Marinette everything he had learned about his father and the Peafowl Miraculous. It would have been so easy, and he knew that telling her would likely release of some of the burden.

But Master Fu had been right; Marinette had theorized that his father was Hawkmoth all those years ago. So, if he told her everything now, she likely would come to a similar conclusion once more.

He knew it might be unwise to keep Marinette in the dark, but this just hit far too close to home. What if she jumped right into action? What if she went immediately to his father’s office, demanding he hand the Miraculous over? What if she took him directly to the police under the possibility that he was aiding Hawkmoth? For that, he was not ready. He needed solid proof before he could bring himself to accuse his father of such villainy.

No, he could not tell her, not yet. Adrien needed to discover the truth on his own first.

Lol can you see where I had a self-therapy sesh with my writing in this chapter?

This was a pretty calm one in the midst of... well, everything that has happened and (no spoilers) everything that's coming, so I hope you guys enjoyed it! To the handful of you still reading my stuff after a million years of hiatus, thank you so much for you comments!! You have no idea how much I LOVE hearing form you!!!

[call-me-rei]

Chapter 30

“All that comes out is white noise and incomprehensible sounds, and all you ever do is turn me down.”

---

I texted Vic on Wednesday. That was five days ago. He never texted me back, and he sure as hell didn’t come over.

It was now Monday and I had been discharged from the hospital over the weekend. Although I was happy to be back in my own bed, I spent most of my time in it moping. Mom thought I was going through PTSD from being back home, but no, I was just dealing with a breakup. Was it actually a breakup if we had gone on one date and kissed once? Whatever, it felt like a breakup.

I was dreading going back to school. The doctors said I was well enough to go back as long as I didn’t engage in physical activity. Good thing I didn’t do sports. Lynn offered to drive me to and from school until I was allowed to operate heavy machinery again. I truly loved that girl.

“I should warn you,” Lynn started when we pulled into a parking spot at school, “there’s a rumor going around.”

I lifted an eyebrow in confusion. “About me?” She nodded. Why? Why would there be a rumor about me? I hadn’t been to school in a week!

“People are saying that the reason you weren’t here last week was because Vic beat you up for what happened on your first day. Seeing you like this won’t really dispute it.”

I looked down at myself. My left arm was in a thick cast and a sling; I had stitches in the back of my head because Rick had swung a golf club there. I also had bandages around my chest from my surgery, but those were under my shirt so no one would know. I still had bruises over my upper half, but I was able to cover most of them with my clothes.

“Fuck,” I groaned. The last thing I wanted was to be the subject of yet another rumor. Yet, I couldn’t help but giggle to myself. People really thought Vic would get revenge on me for sitting in his seat on my first day. I hadn’t sat in that seat since that day, but maybe I would tomorrow.

“Do you need a minute?” Lynn’s voice brought me out of my memory.

I shook my head. “Better face the music now. Besides, I think we’re early enough.” We had come to school earlier than usual so I could go through the halls without having to worry about too many people bumping into me or trying to get me to walk faster. I still wasn’t at 100 percent, so I was moving slower than usual.

“Whatever you say. Just know that we’ve got your back.” I smiled and reached for the car door. I stepped out into the cool morning air and inhaled deeply. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I did feel more confident knowing my friends would be there for me.

Lynn and I walked into the building slowly, mostly for me. Though we were there before most of the student body, I felt too many eyes on me. My self-consciousness was in overdrive.

Lynn must have noticed my drop in mood because she looked at me and looped her arm around mine, connecting us at our elbows. I smiled down at her and felt more comfortable as we walked to my locker then hers.

“So, I’m designating myself as your personal helper,” Lynn said as she closed her locker. “I’m gonna walk you to and from classes today.”

“Thanks, but I think I’m perfectly capable of handling that on my own.”

“Yeah but you need someone to help you out with stairs. I’ll even leave class early to help.”

“You really don’t need to do that.”

“Yes, I do!” she exclaimed. “Besides, I’m an office aid so I’m trustworthy and shit. It’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, but office aid’s your first period. Today we have fifth.”

“So?”

I chuckled. “Are you trying to get out of class?”

“Fuck man, just let me have this!”

I laughed and draped my good arm over my friend’s shoulder. We walked that way to our calculus class.

***

I had English and choir after fifth period calculus. Lucky for me, Lynn didn’t follow through on her plan to walk me to and from my other classes. As much as I loved her, I wasn’t going to be her excuse for skipping her classes.

I walked out of the choir hall and to the atrium to meet up with everyone before lunch. We’d decided to have lunch off-campus so I wouldn’t have to deal with some stupid shit happening in the cafeteria. I had already had to deal with people whispering about and around me in my other classes. I had a feeling that lunch would be worse.

I walked up to my friends who were standing around one of the random trees inserted into the floor of the space. There were some students in the same area trying to make plans for lunch or talking instead of going to the cafeteria. I noticed that Vic and his friends were among them.

I found myself looking longingly at him; he didn’t notice me. I wanted him to. I wanted him to stop his conversation with his friends, stare back at me, and maybe mouth “Let’s get out of here” to me so we could sneak out to that secluded area behind the school and… I didn’t know what I wanted us to do, but anything would be better than him ignoring my existence.

But he didn’t acknowledge me. I sighed and continued walking toward Lynn, Ashley, Savannah, and Kortney. I smiled at them when they noticed me coming.

“Hey, good to see you’re alive!” Ashley said. I shrugged. Being alive was great; being at school wasn’t as good.

“Okay, let’s go eat before our lunch period is over,” Kortney said. We agreed and made our way toward the exit. That’s when I felt it. I felt his eyes on me. When I glanced to look, he was looking right at me with no expression on his face. I frowned. He could have at least sent me a small smile but no, absolutely nothing.

All of a sudden, a body blocked my view and our path. We stopped walking and stared at the person in front of us.

He was at least six-foot-two. He had sandy blond hair and piercing blue eyes. His frame made it known that he was an athlete; that and the letterman he was wearing. Of course, he was one of those cliché jocks who caused trouble for everyone.

“Oh shit, it’s fucking true!” this person said.

Savannah rolled her eyes. “What do you want, Jacob?”

“I just wanted to know if the rumors were true, and fuck, they are! You got your fucking ass kicked by Fuentes!” He was yelling loud enough for people to stop what they were doing and stare. Some students circled around us to get a better view. Some pulled their phones out in anticipation. Slowly the atrium got quiet. You could’ve heard a pin drop.

I didn’t say anything.

“Well I guess you learned not to be so fucking cocky, huh?” I rolled my eyes. I could immediately tell that this guy was a tool.

“Fuck off,” I mumbled, not in the mood. This was the first time all day that someone had talked to me about what Vic “did”. Many of them whispered when they thought I wasn’t paying attention, but for the most part people left me alone. Then came this asshole.

“You wanna fucking say that to my face?” He squared up to me, shoving my good shoulder with his hand.

I straightened up and stepped forward. “I said, ‘fuck. off’.”

Jacob smirked. “Oh, so you want another broken arm? Cool, let’s do it.” He stepped forward as well.

“Back up Jacob,” Kortney said. She and Savannah stood in front of me.

“You think I’m gonna let a dyke and a bitch tell me what to fucking do? Get the fuck away.” He ended his insult by shoving Kortney. She wasn’t expecting it, so she stumbled and fell. That made my blood boil. I couldn’t stand when the people I loved were treated like shit. I didn’t stand for it when Rick tried to do it to my mom, and I sure as hell wouldn’t stand for it when this asshole tried to do it to my friends.

“Don’t you fucking touch her,” I growled.

“That’s rich,” he said with a devious chuckle, “you think you’re tough. Tell me, how’d that work out for you last time?” He looked me up and down.

“Doesn’t fucking matter. Don’t you fucking touch her.” I spit out my words like they were daggers in my mouth. I wanted to inflict them on him.

He shrugged. “Alright. I’d rather kick your ass anyway.” He cocked his fist back and aimed it for my nose. Not wanting to go back to the hospital for another concussion, I dodged it causing him to lose momentum and fall to the floor. The students who had formed a circle around us gasped and laughed.

That made him angrier.

“You bitch!” He lunged at me at full speed. I wasn’t able to move quickly so I wasn’t able to get out of the way. I heard gasps around me as he approached.

Then I heard a voice.

“That’s enough.” The voice was low, but it was anything but calm. Jacob seemed to slow mid-lunge. We all looked to see where it had come from. People opened up the circle from the back, and Vic and his friends emerged, standing there with unimpressed looks on their faces. Vic had his arms crossed over his chest, the sleeves of his t-shirt hugging his muscles.

“Yo Fuentes, want me to finish him off for you?” Jacob asked. Cute, he thought he was on Vic’s good side. I’d seen the look Vic was giving him; he was not impressed.

“Are you deaf? I said enough.” Vic’s voice was more irritated than before. I couldn’t tell why. Was he mad at this guy for trying to fight me? Was he trying to protect me?

“But Vic, I’m just finishing him off for you.”

Vic stepped closer to him looking angrier with each step. “You don’t fucking listen. Leave them the fuck alone. Or do you want me to finish youoff?” That was all Jacob needed. He lifted his hands in surrender and walked away, but not before giving me a death glare.

Everyone around looked between Vic and his friends and me and mine. It was still so quiet. We all looked at Vic, Mike, Jaime, and Tony. They looked back at us. For the first time in days, I made prolonged eye contact with Vic. I wanted to say something, maybe thank him for stepping in when I needed him. I opened my mouth to speak, but he shook his head and turned on his heel to walk away. The guys followed him. None of them looked back.

[just-kessho]

Serenity

U.A. Beginnings: Quirk Apprehension Test

Turns out God hates your guts... or maybe it's a twist of fate instead, as despite your wish, you were put in Eraserhead's class. Moreover, first day here, and the whole class were forced to go through a gruelling Quirk Apprehension Test - yay - with the threat of expulsion over everybody's heads. How will you fare? How will the rest of the class fare? More importantly, are the Hero costumes ready yet?!

Information [1]

Arc 1: U.A. Beginnings [1] [Here] [3]

Word count: 4.5k

… No. God hates my guts right now.

Standing in U.A.’s P.E. ground wearing the school’s unique P.E. clothing, [Name]’s face wielded that angelic smile that would had the students at her middle school weak in the knees, however, her inner monologue was in utter turmoil.

As her luck would have it, first day here, and the whole class were forced to go through a Quirk examination of sorts by the human sized caterpillar (the sight of a fully grown human being who had reached the age of thirty, snuggled comfortably in his sleeping bag, stirred a sense of unwanted deja vu in [Name]) - who was none other than Aizawa Shouta A.K.A. Eraserhead A.K.A. class 1-A’s homeroom teacher… A.K.A. [Name]’s teacher.

Please world, no more protagonist clichés.

Unknown to her, that is exactly what she will go through.

Although everything has a silver lining, even [Name] had to admit it, as she met up with the brown haired girl that she (or rather, the mysterious boy with the most powerful Quirk she had seen) saved. Introducing herself, [Name] found out her name was Uraraka Ochako.

... and that was all she discovered, because as soon as the two met up with the glasses boy with the simple design and the one that saved them, Eraserhead made an appearance (though as a caterpillar instead of a human then), scolding them that the course of heroes was not designed to make friends.

Which led us to now, with Uraraka inquiring their homeroom teacher about the events that a normal school would do.

“If you want to be Heroes, we don’t have time for frilly niceties.” their homeroom teacher bluntly explained, “you all understand the school’s reputation for freedom on campus. Well, that “freedom” goes for us teachers, too.”

Cue a look of absolute confusion written on the class’s faces.

Eraserhead then proceeded to remind the students that the physical tests from middle school are banned from using Quirks, since the country hasn’t got round to standardising those records.

“Bakugou.” he picked the male with the ‘I’ll-kill-you’ attitude, “how far could you pitch a softball in middle school?”

“67 meters.”

“Try using your Quirk this time around. As long as you don’t exit the circle, anything you do is fine.” tossing him the ball, which “Bakugou” caught, he added, “don’t hold back.”

Activating his Quirk, he threw the ball as hard as he could shouting, “DIE!” as he went, and with a tremendous explosion, the ball flew high, before being swallowed by the bright, blue sky.

… Well then… I’d better do the best too. [Name] thought, deciding to ignore her classmate’s “DIE!” remark. It was too early in the morning to be questioning anything, anyway.

“Before anything else, one must know what they are capable of.” the black haired man reasoned, then holding the device who recorded how far the ball went. A clear [705.2m] was there, “this is a rational metric that will form the basis of your “Hero foundation”.”

At once, the class erupted into excited murmurs, about how this could be fun. Eraserhead, however, did not take their mood (or rather, lack of) well, so as a result, he stated, with complete resolve, that the person ranked last in overall points will be deemed “hopeless”:

“And instantly expelled.”

… Oh wow, this is stirring up old memories…

“Our “freedom” means we dispense students as we please! Welcome, to this… department of Heroics!” he finished, swiping his hair with a maddening look in his eyes.

Naturally, there were complaints about how unjustified it was, to expel a student solely based on their first experience. The Hero, however, justified that disasters, natural or man-made ones, happen all the time, unexpectedly in Japan, and around the world, and it was the job of Heroes to resolve it.

Anyone who naively think that if the next three years would be filled with easy tasks and a talk in McDonald’s after school would be disappointed. Because it was going to be hardship after hardship.

“This is “Plus Ultra”. I expect you to overcome these trials and climb to the top.”

[Name] could feel the cold sweat starting to develop, not noticing the determined or nervous looks her classmates all emitted. Fiddling with her ribbon, she mentally went through all her abilities - both natural and with the help of her Quirk.

“Now then, that was the demonstration. Time to step up the plate.”

Trial 1: The 50 meter dash

I’ll just augment my muscles, exactly as I had done in the Entrance Exam.

[Name] mentally prepared herself, not forgetting to listen to which group she was sorted into - one with a pretty girl with a mutation Quirk and a boy… who causes sparkles every time he does something.

… Though, she thought to herself that the term “mutation” and perhaps not “Quirk” from X-Men was more appropriate.

Might she be…?

A secret X-Men in training?!

As the whistle sounded, all three of them used their Quirk to finish. The alien-like girl had some sort of ability that generated some sort of liquid, allowing the surface to be more slippery and so causing less friction and reducing her time. It would be embarrassing if she slipped, but she didn’t.

The boy with a belt meanwhile, faced backwards. [Name] wondered if his belt was his Quirk until he shot a beam, landing down every couple of meters only to start up again.

I... wasn’t expecting that.

They both finished at the same time of [5.51] seconds. Impressive! [Name] narrowly followed up with [5.78] seconds, beating her previous middle school record of [7.89].

[Surname] [Name]’s Quirk: Mind Over Matter.

Her Quirk is a very useful and powerful one that involves her brain to move objects and/or matter - even concepts. At a glance, her ability could be mistaken as telekinesis, though it goes deeper and more scientific than that, as she has to understand the properties of whatever she wanted to control for her Quirk to work.

“You both did so well.” flashing the two that finished earlier a closed eyed smile, she introduced herself, wanting to get on well with her classmates. “And those Quirks that you have are interesting at a glance!”

A true Princess… she’s cute!

A Goddess that rivals my sparkling… I’ve been blessed…

Trial 2: The grip strength test

Like she did with the previous test, [Name] directed all of her strength and Quirk in her dominant hand as she gripped the measure as hard as she could.

… Okay, she could cheat by altering the readings easily with her Quirk, but… it would mean that she was lying to everyone… and also herself.

[55] KGW.

Noticing the panicked stare of the green haired boy (the one that saved both Uraraka and her), [Name] approached him with what she wanted to give off was an encouraging smile.

“Hey, so what the grip strength isn’t your strength? Look at me, I’m using my Quirk and I scored one less than you. Chin up, Mister, you’ll do fine is you would believe in yourself and do it.”

He did seem to look better, face less paler than before… or maybe not? His face was now an alarming red…? [Name] was about to ask whether he was all right or not, and along with his name so she could thank him properly, but with Eraserhead now announcing the next test, she gave him one last smile and went.

Trial 3: The standing long jump

I never knew that my long legs and Quirk would come so handy!

[Name] praised herself, as she landed - gracefully as ever - a good distance in sand pit.

Trial 4: Sustained sideways jumps

I feel… dizzy… [Name] thought, watching the dwarf-like male with… large purple grapes for hair, which he pulled out and stuck at both ends of the track, bouncing between them like some sort of person who had one too many Monster drinks.

The [hair colour] female did not do badly, as when finished, she had to take several seconds to let her world stop spinning…

Trial 5: The pitch

“Infinity?! Holly cow, she got an infinity?!” exclaimed the students as the short haired girl, known as Urahara Ochaco, easily made the ball float forever using her Quirk.

“That was amazing, Uraraka-san!”

“It was nothing, [Na- [Surname]-san!” her cheeks, already red, became even redder - though [Name] didn’t know whether it was because of her compliment or the slip up.

“Just [Name] or [Name]-chan is fine, Uraraka-san.”

“E-eh? But with you calling me so formally…”

“Sorry, let’s just say… I’m rather old fashioned.”

“Oh, I’ve got it!” looking at Uraraka with her head tilted to the side, [Name] urged her to continue in this way. “I’ll keep calling you “[Surname]-san” until you want to call me by my first name. That way, we can progress together - as friends and Heroes.”

[Name] couldn’t help but smile softly at her suggestion.

… “Friend’s”, huh?

When it was [Name]’s turn, she walked up, nervous with around 20 people watching her like hawks (there was even one student who had the face of a bird), her hand reached up to fiddle with her ribbon, but nonetheless, [Name] took several deep breaths to calm herself down.

It also helped that Uraraka was holding her hands in a position that said “you can do it!”

Now then… since I can lift this ball and see it, if I apply just the right pressure, I could suspend it in the air in theory, even when it would be a tricky process… or maybe I’ll manipulate the air around me to suspend it…? Decisions, decisions, what to do…

Ultimately, [Name] went with her later idea. Just like Uraraka before her, she landed with the [infinity] mark on her attempt.

[Name] watched when it was Midoriya Izuku’s turn, who walked to the space designated with an “I’m dead” expression. Whispering a “good luck” to him, [Name] watched, concerned, as he looked less than a potential Hero, and more like a prisoner going to be executed.

… She knew that look well.

But it was all for nought, as Midoriya landed with a measly 46 meters.

… He erased Midoriya’s Quirk.

Grabbing the poor boy with his bandages, Eraserhead said that his Quirk defies all logic and reason, and that because Midoriya couldn’t control his mysterious super strength-like Quirk, he’ll just be a liability on the battlefield.

That’s… uncalled for, Eraserhead. But then, it’s what you’d expect from him. Nothing has changed. I don’t think it will. But still…

She could feel the irritation building up in her.

The second time Midoriya activated his Quirk, [Name] widened his eyes at the fact that he didn’t throw it at the normal height. Instead, she watched, soundlessly (along with the rest who was present), as he with a blast, the softball was thrown at a velocity much like the one who had an “I’LL-FUCKING-KILL-YOU!” expression.

Watching as he painstaking curled his injured hand into a fist, Midoriya announced, “I… I can still move!”

He… concentrated all of his powers on a single digit at the last possible second? What concentration!

“I knew you could do it, Midoriya-kun!”

One person, however, was not pleased in the slightest.

“What is this, Deku?! Explain now, Shitrag!” with an angered yell, the boy leaped towards Midoriya.

However, Bakugou never made it to the poor boy as he was forcibly stopped, one leg still suspended in mid-air, as his whole body was paralysed. No, in stricter terms, he wasn’t paralysed, but rather… frozen. Why though? Eraserhead’s Quirk shouldn’t have had that effect…!

“Enough [Surname], release him.”

“Huh? Ah… sorry, it just… I just- couldn’t stop myself…?”

… What was that explanation, [Name]?!

“You… damn bitch!” attention now on the girl that stopped his movements, Bakugou directed his rage at her. But he couldn’t even move a single step before being suspended a second time. This time, however, by his teacher. “Shit’s this cloth? I can’t…!”

“It’s my special “capturing weapon,” a steel wire alloy woven with carbon nanofibers! Jeez, don’t make me use my Quirk so much… I’ve got dry eyes, damnit!”

And thus, with Bakugou unable to land a single hit on either one of his opponents, the test continued.

-----

The bombshell (for the rest of the students anyway) was dropped after the test was over.

“Oh yeah, that whole “expulsion” thing was a lie. It was a logical ruse to pull out your best performances.”

Needless to say, several people were so freaked out by it that their screams would have blended perfectly with the artistic masterpiece that is “The Scream”. Stating that the curriculum sheets would be found back in the classroom, Eraserhead left the students alone without much hassle - but not before forgetting to remind Midoriya to go see Recovery Girl to get his finger sorted.

5th huh? I like it! Not too flashy either!

-----

“[Surname]-san!” a shout of her family name behind her made the girl stop her walk. Turning back, she was met with the running form of Uraraka. “I’ve caught up with you…! Thank goodness, you sure do walk fast…!”

 … She’s so out of breath… do I really walk that fast?

“Uraraka-san? What do you need?”

“You’re going to the station, right? Let me join you!”

In the end, after spotting Midoriya and Iida, the group of two became a group of four as they all continued their way towards the train station.

“[Surname] [Name].” the girl beside Uraraka introduced herself, smiling softly as the sunlight cascaded down her form like a Heavenly light. “Midoriya-san, I never fully expressed my thanks for you saving me.” doing a traditional ninety-degree bow, [Name] thanked the green haired boy for his actions for the Entrance Exam - which was met with a string of stuttering and a face full of the colour of lava.

“And I’m Uraraka Ochako! You’re uh… “Iida Tenya”, and, if I’m not mistaken… “Midoriya… Deku”!”

““Deku”?!”

“Wasn’t that what that Bakugou kid called you? Or the like?”

Midoriya explained that “Deku” was just a demeaning nickname “Kacchan” ([Name] presumed “Kacchan” was a nickname for Bakugou, and with both boys giving nicknames for each other, they must had been close friends - or once close friends) made up to insult him.

“But you know, I kinda like the name “Deku” for you! It gives me a “never give up” vibe, you know?”

“I think Uraraka-san’s right, Midoriya-kun. Facing your bullies and those that put you down… it takes real courage to not hide.”

If it was possible, Midoriya’s face, already red to begin with, became even redder. [Name] wondered whether the temperature that he emitted was enough to fry an egg…

“Hi, I’m Deku.”

“That was such a quick change…!” “Don’t be so weak-willed! It’s an insult, remember?” [Name] and Iida’s voices overlapped simultaneously. Looking at one another, the two let out faint chuckles at their impeccable timing.

She’s cute when she giggles.

“It’s just like when Copernicus flipped the paradigm…”

“Coperni-huh?”

And the group of four continued their way towards the station, their chatter and laughter never once dying out. All in all, they looked like a small group of best friends, even when they only knew each other from today.

-----

“Good luck with U.A. today dear!”

“Thanks, mother!” at the meowing down below, [Name] added, in a softer tone, “thanks, Kuro.”

[Name]’s so cute when she smiles… the older woman thought, a hand on her cheek as she inwardly gushed at her daughter’s departing form.

Hmm…? Might that be? Spotting a mop of red and white that was split into two even halves after she stepped off the train, [Name] jogged up to the male to make sure she got the right person. After all, nothing was more embarrassing than waving and greeting someone only to find out you’ve got the wrong person.

Fortunately for her, her deduction was right.

“Good morning, Todoroki-kun.” she caught up to him, smiling lightly.

“[Surname]-san.”

“Good to see that you’re lively this morning.”

“...”

Not knowing whether his lack of response was because of her terrible joke or he just doesn’t want to talk for whatever reason today, [Name] sweat dropped awkwardly. It didn’t help that the silence between then was getting more and more uncomfortable as the clock ticked onwards.

“You know… yesterday was rather cruel. Having a Quirk apprehension test the first day we attend U.A.? Our unique teacher is just – I’ll say it again – cruel.”

… No response. But [Name] did catch the way his eyes glanced at her own face for a split second. That’s better than nothing!

“Hey, do you think that our costumes have been completed?” [Name] asked, clapping her hands. “They were sent here three weeks ago.”

“Perhaps…”

All right! I got him to pronounce two syllables!

“Anyhow, do you think Aizawa-sensei will ditch his sleeping bag today?”

“[Surname].” he stopped in his tracks, causing [Name] to walk past him several steps. “what our teacher said yesterday was true. The Department of Heroics isn’t about making friends and having fun. It’s all about survival of the fittest. If you can’t keep on the right track, you will not survive.”

The male continued his way after that part was said, but not forgetting to brush against [Name]’s shoulder lightly - clear sign of irritation.

“If you so desperately want to make some friends, then I suggest you transfer out of this course.”

But before he could fully leave her range, [Name] hands shot forwards, gently holding his own as Todoroki’s eyes widened at her bold action.

“It will be lonely, Todoroki-kun.” quietly, her sound so small that even the son of the Pro Hero has to strain his ears. “The path that you’re walking on… will be a lonesome and light-less one indeed.”

What… is this girl saying?

“That’s why… I’ll be your friend!” eyes shining with determination, [Name] looked up at him, her subtle promise unwavering even in the glare he directed at her. The stars in her eyes seemed to be gleaming under the light. “I won’t care how many walls I will need to break down, I won’t care how many times you will push me away, I won’t care how long I will wait - but I will be your friend.”

Todoroki said nothing, but shrugged off his hand with a glare that was harder than the last.

You want to be Todoroki’s friend, but you won’t let others close to you? [Name] thought back to Uraraka. Aren’t you being a bit hypocritical, [Name]?

-----

Despite uproar that was Eraserhead’s Quirk exam yesterday, the morning classes were almost shockingly normal compared to it. It was to be expected, as U.A. was a high school, after all, and schools are created to teach student information to aid them in the incoming future.

… Or well, some information would be beneficial, while the rest were usually locked and forgotten over time.

“Well then class,” Present Mic read from the textbook, “tell me where the mistake is in the next English sentence example…”

Number three.

This is so normal…

“Who knows the answer?! Everybody hands up and raise them high!” He screamed towards the ceiling and the never-ending blue sky.

But nobody raised their hand up.

Which made Present Mic’s actions seem just sad in [Name]’s books.

During lunchtime, the world-class cuisine meant that every tray was left empty, and with the lunches provided by the famous Hero Cooking Rush, everybody knew it would not only be delicious, but also nutritious. For the courses in U.A., their afternoon sessions were different depending on whatever course they had picked (or were chosen for), and for those in the Department of Heroics, it meant…

“It’s meeeeee!” All Might exclaimed, dashing into the classroom like a Hero- wait, [Name] reminded herself, he is one anyway. “though the door like a normal person!”

“I can’t believe it! All Might’s really gonna be teaching us!”

“That design’s so silver age! That art style clashed so much it’s giving me goosebumps…”

“Foundational Hero Studies!” their teacher announced, striking a pose. “For this class, we’ll be building up your Hero foundation through various trials!”

All Might then proudly presented a card, with the word “BATTLE” written out in large, block capitals, “Let’s jump right in with this! The trial of battle!”

“Sounds exciting…!” [Name] whispered, determination clearly written on her face.

“And to go with your first battle… we’ve prepared the gear we had you send in requests for to match your Quirks!”

At once, like several minutes before, the entire class (or almost the entire class) erupted in excited chatters. This time, it was less at the prospect of perhaps using their Quirks specifically for a lesson, but because they could now finally see whether their costumes suit their tastes or not - costumes that they designed themselves.

It was like having a kid send their drawing of a plushie they wanted and the company did just that… again, that thought was more literal than she had initially thought.

“Our battle gear!”

“Awesome!”

“Get changed and we’ll be ready to go! Everyone gather at Grounds Beta!”

Glaring down at her Hero costume that she will likely wear for the rest of her life (or well, until retirement), [Name]’s eyes scanned every bit of the thing. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if she burnt a hole through.

“Is this too… revealing…?” the girl whispered, “it shows too much skin for my tastes… well, at least I’ve got a cloak, shorts and those accessories that I had asked for.”

Still… maybe I shouldn’t have wrote “Whatever’s fine, as long as I have these accessories and the costume isn’t too body-tight, loose, or too revealing.”

Looking to the left, [Name] nearly chocked on air at the amount of skin the girl in the ponytail was showing. A red one piece that would not look out of place for swimming models was on her body already, and all that was left were the accessories that she had in her hands.

“Yaoyorozu-san, does your Quirk need skin contact?”

“Not exactly, [Surname]-san.” she explained. “My Quirk, Creation, allows me to create anything when I know its properties from my fat cells. Judging from what I witnessed, your Quirk involves the stimulation of muscles and the brain, right?”

“Close! My Mind Over Matter allows me to manipulate anything - be it objects or even matter - as long as I understand the principles behind it. Ah, you’re also very pretty in your costume. It accommodates your Quirk nicely as well.”

“You too, [Surname]-san. Mind if I asking, what’s that crown for?”

Directing to the black crown settled on [Name] head, just behind her headband, the girl explained that it’s actually something akin to a transmitter of sorts, allowing her to spread the distance when using some abilities of her Quirk.

“You know… if not for the restriction on the amount of skin allowed to shown, I would have exposed more.”

… She wants to expose more?!

“Ah… you nearly ready Yaoyorozu-san, Uraraka-san?” meeting their smiles, [Name] grabbed the cloak and with one swing, secured it over her shoulders. “Shall we go?”

Bakugou Kasuki slid on his grenade-like accessory on his left arm.

“And don’t forget, from here on out,”

Uraraka Ochaco securely fitted her helmet.

“You’re all officially…”

Iida Tenya tested out his Ingenium Boots.

Midoriya Izuku sprinted towards the exit. Though his shout of “Wait for me!” kind of ruined the mood slightly.

“HEROES!”

[Name], along with Bakugou, Uraraka, Iida, Asui Tsuyu, Aoyama Yuga, a looming Shoji Mezo and Mineta Minoru, all strode forwards confidently.

Here we go.

Note: [Name]’s Hero costume (here) and (here).

Previous chapter << (2) >> Next chapter

[coleymari-blog]

Cyber Space is Always Sweeter : Chapter 3

Summary: Lucy is a down to Earth, studious, responsible runaway attending Magnolia College. Natsu is a rambunctious, intelligent, pyrophilic fraternity boy going to the same school. They don’t exactly run in the same circles and they have one hell of a history. What happens when the names and facades disappear and all that’s left are words blinking on a screen? Modern day, College/Pen Pals AU. I’m sorry I suck at intros. Rated M for Language, Adult Situations, and future sexual situations.

Chapters 1 | 2

Just five more minutes 'til freedom.

Natsu was almost ready to erupt from his seat. As much as he didn't mind being a Teacher's Assistant for Makarov, he was itching to get to the party. He knew the rest of the brothers would be pre-gaming while the old geezer was still rattling on about the importance of utilizing his office hours (especially if they were a cute, barely legal co-ed, but they didn't really talk about that). Every other professor let out early on the first day of classes, but the grad student should have known better than to expect that from Makarov. He watched the clock on the wall tick down to 7pm and his alarm was a room full of college sophomores running towards their own escape.

After checking in, and being lectured again on 'being late', Natsu took off towards the Fairy Tail house like a bat out of Hell. He knew he could have taken the campus trolley, but with his motion sickness? He wasn't that desperate to make it home. Knowing he could shave a couple minutes off the run, the pinkette made a mad dash through the bottom floor of the library, colliding with a caffeine-wired senior who chewed him out for sending his work flying across the carpet. He helped clean up the mess, apologizing for the struggle. The time he'd saved on the shortcut he'd ended up spending twice as long dealing with the consequences. Story of his life.

Natsu was running up the fraternity house’s front steps when he could hear the mayhem that was already ensuing. The block hadn’t opened up yet, all the front doors to all the houses still being closed. The Row was set up in more of a horseshoe really, with Fairy Tail anchoring one end and Sabretooth on the other. Honestly, they were probably doing the same exact thing as his brothers were doing, preparing. His cheshire grin was ear to ear when he burst through the door and was immediately greeted by raucous laughter and a fresh can of beer. Everyone was already on a decent buzz, Gray challenging Loke to shots off the bar, Laxus and Bickslow were currently racing against Gajeel and Romeo in their own game of Flip Cup, everyone seemed to be gearing up for a fantastic night.

“Yo! Flame Brain!” Gray called out, shaking his head after his most recent shot, Loke bending over the bar groaning quietly. “Did you bring the provisions?” Natsu made his way over and immediately dropped the glass bottle on the table, cracking it open at the same time. Luckily he’d been able to go off campus to procure it between his seminar and his last stint in Hell. If he hadn’t, Gray probably would have killed him. It was a time-honored tradition between the two of them, Loke sometimes if he was on their good side at the time.

“Calm your tits, Ice Dick,” Natsu replied, grabbing two glasses and pouring about two fingers worth for the both of them. They knocked it back with practiced skill and went for round two without a second thought. The raven-haired man dropped the bottle behind the bar on the ‘Brother’s Only’ shelf. Hopefully, the sacredness of the shelf would keep their semi-private bottle safe. They both knew the only exceptions were dates or pledge brothers.

Before long, there was shouting from the street outside the house indicating the beginning of the block party. Reedus, being closest to the door, was commanded to open theirs so that people knew they were participating. Luckily this wasn’t a campus-wide event so it was limited to other greeks and their dates, meaning way less foot traffic through the house. As far as atmosphere, Fairy Tail had decided to go with a casual bar feel with popular dance music. Mermaid Heel was doing a “Slow and Sexy” party, playing nothing but sensual, partnered kind of music. Lamia Scale was utilizing all their party lights and had two rivaling Techno DJs, one inside their house and one on the front lawn to supply the block with music as well. Quattro Cerberus went absolutely wild, Natsu able to hear them while he was running home. From what he could tell, they were playing nothing but energizing music and supplying copious amounts of booze. Sabertooth was throwing a costume party, each of them dressed in all sorts of elaborate (or scandalous) outfits. Blue Pegasus chose a much more elegant theme, their members all dressed to the nines like they were straight out of a movie premier. Lily Heart had thrown a bubble party, their house and lawn covered in technicolor foam. The other, smaller, organizations were throwing smaller parties but all in all, there were twelve houses opened up and ready for party goers.

A couple hours of passed by and Natsu was ready to give the other houses a shot, especially after Gray had found his company for the evening in a woman with striking blue hair, continuously referring to herself in the third person. A few minutes of that mess and Natsu was ready to pull his salmon hair out by the roots. He was on his way out when he ran into Gajeel and his girlfriend, Levi or something. Unfortunately, he was also greeted by a familiar blonde who was already trying to run away.

Grinning to himself, rubbing the back of his neck, Natsu looked down at her and tried to ease the ever-mounting tension. “Hey, aren’t you that Lily Heart girl?"

Gods the library could be boring at night.

The afternoon had flown by as Lucy worked the book depository, filing them into different categories before making her rounds of the floors to return them to their rightful place. Unlike some of the others, she actually enjoyed the busy work. She loved losing herself in the stacks, her earbuds firmly lodged in her ears as she listened to her rather eclectic playlists. She’d even managed to find a couple of spots that she knew would be good studying spots for her and Levy.

The freshman had been enjoying herself so thoroughly that she didn’t realize it was time to switch over to her front desk shift until she heard her name over the library PA system. The only downside to that task was the fact that she couldn’t listen to her music. However, she was allowed to work on her homework which was a huge plus. It was almost like getting paid to study! Granted, after paying for her school expenses, she only received about five dollars an hour but it was still more than nothing. She’d heard of other on-campus jobs, like the Catering team, and had made a mental note to check it out when she had the time. Her Chemistry class already had homework so she began that while sitting at the desk, answering the random people that would appear before her.

It was about five minutes until the library was supposed to close when it happened. In he ran like a pink blur, immediately colliding with one of the students that had been glued to his seat for the past couple of hours before finally heading home. Lucy couldn't help but giggle as Natsu got told off but nonetheless watched as he helped clean up the mess he’d caused. She couldn’t help but smile softly at the nice action. And just as quickly as he’d appeared, the frat boy was gone.

Lucy shut down her laptop, cleaned up the desk, and put the ‘Closed’ sign out on the desktop before heading out with the rest of the library staff. She sighed remembering that Levy had wanted to go to that Greek Row party. Both she and her new boyfriend were affiliated somewhere and Lucy shuddered at her memories of her own attempt at joining the brainless automatons. She was glad things hadn’t worked out...right? All she’d wished is that things had ended way differently.

The blonde, upon reaching her dorm, texted her friend and agreed to go out that night. She immediately went to her bag (as she hadn’t fully unpacked yet) and pulled out some of the hottest clothes she had. They were some things that her ex-stylist Aquarius had picked up for her when she’d first gotten accepted to M.C., causing the girl to smile at the memory of the mostly-vile woman. While she missed her life back in Crocus, the life of an heiress, Lucy was beyond grateful for her independence. It hadn’t all be sunshine and flowers but she could definitely say she had learned a thing or two about more than just school.

After about an hour and a half, with one last text message and a final application of lipstick, Lucy felt ready to take on the world. She was ready to face the people that had been so very cruel to her and show them that they hadn’t broken her down. Part of her wished to run into Minerva and her minions but a majority wanted to avoid her like the plague. Her phone made a soft, twinkling, bell-like sound to indicate Levy’s alert that she and Gajeel had arrived outside her dorm to drive her to the party.

It wasn’t a long drive but it felt like an eternity while the freshman grew more anxious in the backseat. She remembered something that Master Scorpio had told her once, that even if she was afraid that she was never to show fear. She was to funnel whatever energy it was into her attack. This was no different. A drink at the six major houses and she’d head back to her dorm. She’d start with Fairy Tail and make her way to Sabertooth where she was already friends with one of the brothers. Plus, she figured it’d be nice to see Sting if he wasn’t “otherwise occupied”.  Once they parked Gajeel’s Mustang in the parking lot of Fairy Tail, the three of them walked inside, only to be met by none other than Natsu Dragneel himself. It certainly didn’t help the situation when he brought them up.

“No, I’m not affiliated with those girls,” Lucy hissed, her grip tightening on her handbag. Flashbacks of the party kept swirling in her head, the worst ones causing her heart to race uncontrollably. “Apparently I wasn’t their brand of ‘witch’”. That earned her a glare from Levy and a grin from Gajeel. He liked the blondie, she definitely had spunk.

Natsu sputtered, the alcohol obvious on his breath. “I- uh--” he murmured, grabbing a shot from a passing tray and downing it swiftly. “Sorry, had no idea. I just remembered that you and Minerva used to hang. My bad.”

The fact that he even insinuated that he didn’t remember what else that had transpired between them before drove Lucy crazy inside. With a huff, she apologized to Levy and broke away from the group, making her way to the bar. She didn’t even look back, she just focused on the prize, hoping she’d have the strength to make it to the other five houses.