#like i finished it then i was trying to do some hw. cut to me sobbing uncontrollably as im trying to code | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

iwannaban0nym0us · 1 year

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Ok, i've had a hell of a weekend (in a good way for once!)

So we had an off season robotics comp this past weekend and most of the senior leads couldn't make it so I was in charge of fabrication on my own for the first time,,,

Anyway, we barely had any time leading up to the comp and our telescoping arm was broken from the end of last season and so fab was like "ok, let's just duct tape it and do cube shooting" but design was very against that and decided to come in during lunches to get it done, and every time they would complain about it or push back the deadline fab would suggest to duct tape it

Now cut to Friday morning (day of load-in): I have a class in the shop and I find 2 design people still trying to fix the arm (that they supposedly fixed last week) and apparently it was fixed but it broke the day before and they just like didn't tell anyone

Now while that is still happening I have to go to my block 2 class and have a test, yay!

Next, lunch, that was a lot:

me and 2 friends had to practice our presentation that we were to give the next day at the comp about our team's outreach

then we see a message that says that programming hasn't finished packing so we go to check in on them and they are just finishing up packing

and then we stop by the shop again and find design still trying to fix the arm, and this time we bring a programmer with us to again try to convince them to just duct tape the arm (they say no and that it'll be done in 5min, it was not done in 5min)

after that I finally have time to eat but idk where my friends have gone but I do end up finding M on their own in the courtyard and so I go talk to them while I eat

I end up finding out that they just realized that A most likely does like them (romantically), and uh that's not something they're excited about

and so I give them an excuse to avoid A the rest of lunch and just talk to me and I also mention that the robotics comp is at the high school really close to their house and if they wanted to I'd be happy if they came

first class after lunch I have calc and at this point I have not had a break all day and so since my calc teacher spent the entire time talking to the board and going over the hw I end up just skipping half of class and it was an all around win-win scenario because, I missed nothing, he didn't care, I got a bit of a break, and I helped out some friends who had physics that block

then i've got one more class and it's pretty chill and i'm able to leave a few min early to go to the shop and start packing

then 3-4pm I frantically pack the van (w/ help) and try to make sure we don't leave anything behind and I also task some people w/ collecting tools from shop (since we can't do that till last minute because they're needed for classes. At this point as far as i'm aware the robot is working

then once we get there we have 5 of us to unpack all of the heavy stuff and move it all the way to the pit and get it all set up and all of that

and then,,, I find out that the arm is not working and so I try again to convince design to duct tape it but instead they spend at least another 30min trying to get it to work

at like 6pm they're supposedly almost done and so we put our team in for inspection and while we're getting inspected the inspector tries to trick us w/ a typo and we don't call him out because we're all too polite to flat out tell him he's wrong

after that we get part of the arm working but then find a new problem that they keep trying to fix until about 7pm when they FINALLY give up on the arm and agree to duct tap it so that we can go to a practice match

the practice match goes horribly wrong, everyone has a new role (except one guy) and so I don't realize that I know more about what needs to happen than other people (because I barely know what I should be doing) and so we forget how to set up our robot before the match and also don't plug in our controls right, but we do make it to a match and back to the pit just barely before 8 so that's something

unfortunately the day doesn't end there,,, I end up speing from like 8-10 coordinating getting 3 people to give a presentation the next day because the seniors who were supposed to give it were sick/not going in the first place so that was a mess

at like 11pm i finally go to bed (after literally doing stuff nonstop all day)

and then the next morning i'm back at comp at 7:15!

our programmers end up showing up just barely before our first match queuing time, along w/ the guy that might be able to get the arm to work, and so the arm stays duct taped

our first match i let the other guy human player (a drive team role) but I end up having to go up and make sure they do the pre-match stuff right and don't make the same mistakes as friday, oh and after the match they forget to turn the robot off

then for the 2nd match since stuff didn't go so great in the first one i human player and everything goes smoothly

as soon as that is over i have to go give that presentation on outreach which went pretty good

the rest of the morning is spent playing matches w/ a duct taped arm but in between matches people keep trying (and then giving up) on fixing the arm, then finally give up for good at lunch

then that afternoon M ends up coming and they watch a match w/ me explaining what is going on and then I show them around the pit and also the follow me to a strategy talk and then we play one more match (which I human player) and then M has to go, but it was really fun to hang out w/ them and things finally feel really good between us

the rest of the afternoon is pretty chill (which is good because the day wore me out) and we play one more match and then i go home at 5 and crash

and then the next morning i'm back at 7:15!

the morning starts of chill, lots of down time not that we'd given up on the arm, and we play a match that goes about as well as it can while still losing

then we have a match that doesn't go as well,,, we get hit hard and pull out some wires which cut power to half of our motors and then we have a very fast turn around time before our next match but we make it work, by the end of that we're ranked 37/42 which isn't as bad as we did during regular season but it's also not great

after that we have a bit of downtime before alliance selection, during alliance selection we're doubting we'll be picked but we don't rule it out entirely, AND THEN WE GET PICKED AS THE 3rd TEAM FOR ALLIANCE 2 (meaning we're with 2 of the best teams but also we were the 23 team picked out of the 24 teams picked, but then again this is better than the team has done since 2018!!!!!!)

as soon as that is done the tech leads go back to pit and i reinforce duct tape in a few spots and then I come back to talk to the drive team to hear the plan, then I rush to eat lunch well spam texting people and being very :DDDDDDDD

then the afternoon is hella hectic, we play 4 more matches, in the first one we lose because the alliance captain has their battery on the floor the whole match and we also have some wiring issues but at least our battery stays in the bot, after that they want to trade us off the team but we convince them to let us stay and we win the next 2 matches

and then for the last match (quarterfinals i think?) they tell us not to do much during the game because they think we'll get in the way, and guess what, we end up losing that match, so then we go pack up the pit so loading the van at the end of the day will be faster

so then we chill a bit and watch awards and once everything wraps at 4 we load the van and I finally get home at like 5 and can crash

i'm so glad that i had monday tuesday off because i could sleep in and like recover (oh and also do hw :/)

anyway i had a college board test today and then got to hang out w/ my friends for a bit and grab lunch before I came home to finish my hw, but really i'm chilling, my friends are doing ok, me and M are doing good, and i'm def still riding that robotics high

the lesson we really really really need to learn is that when we used the complicated arm that broke a ton we didn't do great but when we duct taped the arm and focused on one thing and made it simpler WE GOT PICKED FOR PLAYOFFS

#me #school #robotics #M #A #friends #ex #ex girlfriend

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rinkwrites · 8 days

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Day 4/36 - in preparation for my YL project

Sorry for not posting this last night I was very tired and couldn't force myself to be productive

ATE

Breakfast - big bowl of cornflakes and all bran - >>> comfort meal fr

Snack - chocolate cookie, we get snacks in the middle of our double lessons sometimes

Lunch - leftover pasta from last night, and chocolate animal biscuits

Dinner - takeaway curry, chicken tikka masala which I didn't really like, peshwari naan which is my FAVOURITE, and a vegetarian mushroom starter which was really nice but v v garlicy.

EXTRA-CURRICULARS

Law Society Meeting - First meeting today, not a lot of people showed up which was disappointing but there was a lot of confusions as the school wrote the wrong day on the clubs list, and the start time was only announced the lesson before as the teacher we asked to makes the Teams was busy and didn't get round to sorting it. We went over basic law knowledge, did a Kahoot and talked about what will happen over the year.

Speech & Debate Meeting - first time doing this because before it clashed with my curling training. It was really fun, I love debating so so much. I've applied to represent my school in a competition, and I hope I get picked - but its unlikely as a lot of people applied and they're doing names out of a hat to ensure fairness

WORK

Bio - It's starting to click, but we're starting on problem solving now, which I'm normally really good at but it was super difficult. I didn't understand half of the questions and my class is really loud which makes it difficult to concentrate.

Sports Leaders - Did some booklet work and played some games, I'm looking forward to the lesson where we actually help coach the kids. I have some booklet stuff to fill in for HW because I missed the last bit of the lesson last week due to having to leave early for a rehearsal of the speech I had to give in assembly.

Double History - Did some independent reading and answering questions which I love. My class works incredibly slowly which gives me lots of time to read ahead which is nice. I do need to start cutting down on how much I write for answers because it'll cost me in the exams.

English - Finished analysis of 'Assisi' and started on 'Visiting Hours' I quite likely MacCaig but I loved Duffy.

HW - none

EXERCISE

Ran around a bit in Sports Leaders but nothing terribly strenuous. I need to get back into the habit of exercising in the morning

TO DO

actually go to your singing comp rehearsal

remember to pack lunch

cello practice

hang up clothes

sort out stuff for canoeing expedition this weekend

remember to buy snacks for the next law society meeting

work out what clothes you want to buy for America trip

sort out Halloween plans and costume

None of these pictures are mine, they are from Pinterest, credits go to original owners, I will try and use my own pictures when I remember to take them.

#rinkwrites #healthy lifestyle #healthy living #that girl #aesthetic #study motivation #to do list #writing

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opens-up-4-nobody · 4 years

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...

#hahahahaa there is a reason im not allowed to enjoy things #the terr0r hits on so many things i adore so watching it absolutely eviscerated my weekend #like i finished it then i was trying to do some hw. cut to me sobbing uncontrollably as im trying to code #then cut to me reading papers abt Antarctica bc mt erebus and i cant even read papers abt things i like bc they literally make me want to #scream and cry and pull at my hair #its just so disregulating #and then i got less than 5hrs sleep on top of not sleeping well days before due to stress probably bc i kept having stress dreams #so not i cannot fucking focus i just want to read abt failed expeditions and cryophillic organisms #why cant i just enjoy things? why does it have to be a whole upesetting ordeal #like i like things so much its not even fun. its just upsetting #anyway i feel read bad and ive listened to man of war by r adiohead like 10 times b. self control? i dont kno her #unrelated #also u kno ur having a fun time when ur so stressed u cant justify the time to take a shower and instead spend that time staring into space

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twd-obsessed-bitch · 3 years

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Okay I've been doing alot of schoolwork recently, so here's what I think twd characters would do if they see you doing homework and wanted to help(this is definitely not me avoiding my work right now at all no sir I'm a good student I swear) :

Daryl- okay so he'd see you working and ask what you're doing, you'd tell him, and he'd ask if you needed help. He'd then try to help you but wouldn't really be able to, ask why you're doing it anyways and then be like "I'll teach you something you'll actually need to know" and then teach you to track or something. But he'd also constantly call you things like 'crazy smart' or 'smarty pants' when he'd see you studying.

Glenn- he'd offer you a snack and then want to help but he'd either end up talking about something that has nothing to do with what you're working on, or read your textbook and just sit there keeping you from actually doing his work. He means well but he's a distraction (especially season 1 Glenn)

Rick- The most helpful dad energy ever. He'd ask you the question you don't understand to see if you just need to hear it verbally, and then try to see if he can explain it in a way that can be easier to understand. But he's also the "math is math" scene from the Incredibles 2

The rest are under the cut

Carl- He'd sit there and do is homework with you. He'd ask you to help him more than offer you help, it'd end up with you two just joking around and throwing pencils at each other instead of actually working

Enid- she'd sit there with her feet on the table and a textbook in her lap and answer your questions while barely looking up

Tara- laughs and says "I'm gay I can't do math" even if it's not math hw. But then gives you a snack and actually tries to help you, then tells you that most textbooks have an answer key in the back

Maggie- helpful mom energy. She'd tell you about how she used to help Beth with the same things and get a bit sad but force a smile on your face and help you figure out the problem

Hershel- he'd walk by you doing it, come back with a snack, some wise words about how you're more capable than you know, kiss your head and tell let you know you got this and then leave to go do farm work

Connie- she'd be so helpful and make it fun! (Lauren was a teacher I can see Connie having the same energy)

Carol- another snack giver! But I also feel like if you didn't get the answer to the question a couple of times she'd lead you to the answer.

Negan- he's the opposite of Rick, he'd ask you the same question 8 times, getting more aggressive each time you say you don't know. Says this is why he was a gym teacher and not an actual teacher. He might eventually help you get the answer but it mostly ends with you telling him he's not helping

Ezekiel- MORE helpful dad energy but he makes it so much fun. He's theatrical and tries to make you laugh while learning because "you learn best when you're enjoying yourself", you're able to finish it all in like an hour

Princess- she tries but just like Glenn she gets distracted, and goes on a tangent on something completely different than what your schoolwork is.

Eugene- he's almost the most helpful one but everything he says makes things sound more complicated than they are, he leaves feeling very proud that he helped you but you're now just stuck on trying to process the unnecessarily big words he used in his 'simplification'

Merle- calls school stupid and just leaves. No help at all. But he comes back later and tells you he's actually pretty good at math if you need help. You tell him drug math isn't really helpful and he cusses you out

Rosita- tells you a story about one of her boyfriends that taught her about this exact subject and then is very helpful with the question and asks if you wanna take a break and do something fun

Lemme know what other characters you want maybe? Or another prompt if you want it? I also just realized how many characters I said would give you a snack lmao but they're all accurate but the snacks vary, like Hershel would give you a sandwich but Maggie would give you like orange slices yaknow?

#I've never really made one of these posts #But this has been stuck in my head for days #So enjoy :)#twd #the walking dead #daryl dixon #negan #maggie rhee #rick grimes #carl grimes #glenn rhee

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rouiyan · 4 years

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𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘐𝘎𝘏𝘛 𝘖𝘍𝘍 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘍𝘐𝘌𝘓𝘋 [ 𝘭.𝘥𝘩 ]

synopsis: we’re all sprinting towards one thing or another. the players to the ball, mark to his class, and haechan right to you.

✧ soccer player!haechan x (fem.) reader + best friend!mark ✧ high school au, best friends to loverz, inspired by heather (conan gray)

✧ genres : some fluff, some angst, some pining what’s new ✧ word count : 2.3k ✧ disclaimer : swearing

✧ author’s note — wrote this in ap stats, probably should have been paying attention instead bc i can't figure out how to do the hw for the life of me.

"did you see y/n today?"

haechan thinks, by the sound of the voice, that it's mark who's speaking. he pulls the rest of the sweatshirt past his head, "no, did you?" haechan's grabbing for his socks, he swears he stuffed them in the front pocket of his backpack. "that's why i'm asking, idiot. she told me she would be here today." a tongue of frustration juts out from haechan's mouth, he hopes it just looks like he's agitated about his missing socks and not the fact that you always tell mark those things, always mark and never him.

haechan is out of the locker room in seconds, sneakers slipped on without socks. he's adjusting the hood of the sweatshirt, tucking his locks under the material, when he sees you lingering by the bleachers. you smile sheepishly when you see the boy coming from the locker rooms, "somehow, i thought it started at four and i thought i got here early but your coach told me you guys just finished." haechan can't help but laugh, so that's why you weren't here, "and we won, too. did he tell you that?"

he's by your side now, seated, though his feet are planted on the ground while yours are swinging back and forth, "he did tell me that, congratulations haechan, wish i could've seen you score today." haechan tucks a lip under his teeth, now's not the time for him to be so obvious, not when it's just you and him. he thinks that yet, his stares linger on you for a little longer than normal, his fingers are fiddling with the ridges of the bleachers, and his cheeks host the brightest hue of cherry red.

"hey, y/n, where were you today?" haechan's nose scrunches at an emerging mark, he really thought he could have the moment with you. mark approaches and sits on the other side of you. captain mark lee, haechan notes with shrewd annoyance, is wearing your sweater, his favorite of yours, the one with the worn polyester fabric that's pilling all over but still holds warmth snuggly. the one that haechan's been wanting to wear since day one.

mark swings his legs as well and haechan watches as you point it out, giggling now that mark is trying to swing in sync to your own pace. "wanna come over? my mom's been asking you to come over for dinner," marks eyes are on you, haechan can see that much, but he also misses the way your own eyes shift to himself. and what haechan doesn't see, mark does, and his lip twitches into a knowing smile, "haechan, you should come too, my mom misses you."

the boy himself is already in over his head and passing up the offer is the only way he sees to escape the despair that comes with being a third wheel, "no thanks, i have a shit ton of homework to do today." your hum in response is mixed with an undertone of a sigh, one that haechan is too sidetracked to notice. he takes his leave, "well, i'll see you two tomorrow i guess."

you and mark sit in silence for the minutes after his leave, mark sneaking small glances at your ever-changing expression, an open book to all your thoughts. "next time, y/n, next time."

well shit, maybe mark wasn't as clueless as you pegged him to be.

in agitation, mark shoves the last of his books into his backpack, class is about to start soon and if he doesn't get going now, well then he might as well give up his perfect attendance, no tardy record. haechan leans against the locker next to his own, a seemingly bored expression on display to hide the inner rumblings of his thoughts.

"so how was dinner last night, did you guys miss me?" haechan's trying to come off as nonchalant, he hates it when he has to pry just to satiate his curiosities. mark shuts his locker, swinging his backpack across one shoulder, "uh, dinner didn't happen and no, i didn't miss you but i bet y/n did." haechan's left in confusion on all fronts, "what do you mean it didn't happen? why would she miss me- wait, why did you not miss me?"

"well y/n said she was busy all of a sudden, something like that. as for-" the bells rings, signaling the end of passing period, and effectively cutting off the answers to all of haechan's worries. marks eyes widen and before he can even catch the boy by his arms, to shake and spill the words out of him, he's already sprinting down the emptying halls.

haechan sighs. he should be sprinting too but he's already late, might as well walk. the campus grounds are vast and he decides to take a stroll outside, the much longer way to his physics class. haechan is passing a few classes on his left, all of them filled with the chatter of students before a teacher begins their lectures, but there's one class that catches his eye. the window into the ceramics class reveals a clear view of you, eyebrows furrowed and trying to shape a little figure on the table before you. you've told him many times before that ceramics was your least enjoyed of all your courses, that you had taken it simply because you needed an art credit and while that might've been the reason you'd signed up, haechan can tell by the way you handle the little mold of clay, that you had stayed for much different reasons.

he thinks to tease you of it later but it's then during lunch where he stops himself because before he even so much as reaches the table your group frequents, there you are, showing the little figurine to mark, eyes glistening with pride and joy. "i think i did quite well this time, i even got praised." as haechan comes close, he sees the clay figure in full clarity for what it is, an ambiguous sitting shape with a heart cradled in its lap, lumpy in certain spots but emanating in the care and thoughtfulness with which it was made.

haechan slides into the seat across from you. "look," you sound softly to him, holding out the little figure in both your hands, "do you like it?" haechan swallows thickly when he looks up from your hands to your eyes, he sees the way they light up, he hopes. wordlessly, he nods, a small smiles tugs at his lips. he likes it, he really does so he questions, "what inspired you to make it?" it's in the way that you immediately eye mark, and the way that mark immediately hides his oncoming giggle, that haechan relinquishes his hopes.

mark walks you to class after your lunch break that day, he's a grade higher but a thousand times dumber, you think. "are you insane? why would you laugh at that specific moment?" in between small giggles, mark does his best to provide a reply, "you should've just told him that he was the one that inspired you." smacking his elbow, you purse your lips, "but then he'd know!"

the older boy stops walking for a second and you're five steps ahead when you notice. you turn. "what now, mark?" he holds a mischievous glint in his eyes, "he'd know what?" now his eyebrows are making little squiggly lines by his hairline and you take a few steps back to drag him by the arm. flushing, you whisper, figuring he already knew as much, "he'd know i like him."

if mark is considered your best friend and potential crush, then what about him? possibly also a best friend, though he could only hope you would talk to him a bit more, spend a bit more time with him, make more conversation with him during breaks. potential crush was for sure out of the picture right? the way you look at mark, the way you share you everything with mark, objects and secrets and everything in between, haechan isn't sure he can say the same for himself. he texts mark anyways. tell y/n ur busy, something bout soccer.

haechan's out the door a minute and a half before the bell rings, his teacher yelling at him to come back. he doesn't give a shit. mark always walks you home, he always does and haechan is so fucking fed up with it because he himself lives closer to you so why should he get to walk you home.

he arrives at the door to your last class just as the bell signals the end of the school day. there's only enough time for three deep breaths, panting breaths, before the door to your classroom is propped open and students begin filing out.

"y/n, over here!" he calls. your eyes widen at the sound of his voice and you turn to it, a smile already lifting the corners of your mouth. you're walking side by side with him, and haechan starts leading in the direction of your locker, despite needing to go to his own. "i can walk you home today." you turn your head to him, "what do you mean? i usually walk with-"

"mark, i know," he says it with a disclosed derision, "he's busy, had to go talk to coach or something, i don't know. but i can walk you, plus my house is just two streets down, remember?" he watches in anticipation as you retrieve your phone from your bag. his eyes do their best to peer over and he sees your lockscreen light with a notification from mark. "oh, yeah he said he's busy with soccer stuff." haechan's lip quirk in victory, his plan unfolding itself into perfection.

"can we go to my locker first though? i need to get some stuff, and we're on the way." he nods as if it wasn't in his intention to head in this direction and for that reason. he merely disregards the need to go to his locker. who cares if he has to bring a whole ass chemistry textbook home if he gets to go home with you.

it isn't until he's at your front steps that he musters up the courage. you're in the middle of keying in the pin numbers to your door pad when he speaks up, "hey y/n?" you give a hum in response, messing up the last two digits after hearing him voice your name. you abandon your attempts, turning to look at the questioning boy. "would you like to come watch my match next week?"

you take a step down so that you're two above from where he's standing, now the same height as him. frowning, "of course. i'm going to see you and mar-"

it seems that haechan really doesn't want to hear that name come from your mouth today because he interrupts you yet again, "yeah, but i'm asking if you'd want to come to watch me." your lips part and shut in search of what to say. haechan nudges a little further, "i want you to come watch me play, would you want to?"

you release a breath, biting down a smile, you manage a nod within all your flusteredness. your voice, a bare peep, "i want to," gives haechan all the courage he needs to grab one of your hands to give it a little squeeze before muttering a, "see you," and taking his leave. haechan's turning the corner out of your driveway when he sneaks a glance before the fence blocks his view of you. his heart hurls at the sight of you, still on your front steps, face buried in your hands. even from all the way here, the bright red flush of your cheeks can be seen through your fingers.

no one knows why that one boy on the field is scoring goals left and right. no one knows except you and him. from the moment haechan saw you on the bleachers, the other team was done for. it isn't even about impressing you anymore, it's not about making you proud. it's not a crush, it's these stupid feelings that never go away, never fade with time, or any amount of effort, at least, not in the knowledge that you are equally his as he is yours. it's not a crush, it's the sickening feeling in his gut when he sees you with someone other than himself, with mark, when he sees that sweater on mark instead of himself. it's not a crush, it's the way he feels the need to be with you all the damn time, the lingering feelings from whenever you leave his side that tell him that moments spent without you would be so much better if you were just there. haechan moves on the field with full conviction that it's not just a crush, it's love.

and so as the last whistle of the game blows, their team securing the win with haechan's last goal, he runs, no sprints, straight off the field to where you're seated in the stands. he brushes past all the people with hushed apologies and it's only when he's right in front of you does he realize how frenzied he likely seemed. he doesn't mind for more than a second though, because you've stood up and laced your arms around his shoulders, fingers on the back of his neck. he embraces you back and the kiss he gives to your cheek is something that just feels so natural and close to home. his forehead is on yours when he asks, his voice a bare minimum, "y/n, will you be my girlfriend?"

it isn't you that answers, rather it's a mark lee with a loud, "FUCK YEAH."

✧ end note — hey anon babe who requested this. apologies for making it fem. reader, i know you didn't specify. if you would like me to reupload with gender neutral reader, then send an ask and i'll be more than happy to. ♡

#nct #nct haechan #nct haechan fics #nct scenarios #nct fics #haechan x reader #haechanxreader #haechan x y/n #haechan fluff #haechan angst #haechan imagine #haechan fic #requested #rouiyan fics #rouiyan writes

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koolkat9 · 3 years

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HWS Germany Ship Week 2021: Day 5

Prompt: End of a Long Day

Paring: GerEng

Word Count: 1281

Winding Down

It had been a long day, but that was a given with any meeting day. Nothing ever got done at best and at worst, multiple fights broke out. What was the point of meetings nowadays? Arthur had joked many times in the past Afonso that it was more like a daycare for nations than a professional meeting, but in recent times that was becoming less of a joke. And poor Ludwig worked tirelessly to try to get something out of it, only to lose his temper at everyone’s immaturity and adjourn the meeting, barely having covered the topics that needed to be discussed.

This particular meeting had taken an even worse toll on the German. He had already been working himself to the bone with paperwork and other tasks for his boss on top of prepping for the meeting. And of course, the other nations did not make Ludwig’s job as host any easier and he ended up cutting the meeting short because he had barely any energy to keep everyone in check. In the aftermath of it all, Arthur was left with an exhausted and miserable lover.

They walked hand-in-hand down the hallway that seemed to go on for miles, Arthur watching for their room number. As soon as they found it and got inside, Ludwig beelined it to the bed, collapse onto it. Letting out a light chuckle, Arthur made his way over to the sink, filling up the room’s kettle with water to make some tea for himself and Ludwig. He joined his partner in bed, two styrofoam cups in hand. Without a word, Ludwig heaved himself up, settled into Arthur’s side, and took his cup. “Danke,” he murmured, taking his first sip.

Arthur gave him a smile, his hand moving to Ludwig’s hair to comb through it. “You’re welcome, love.” They drank their tea in silence, content just to be laying together with the worries of the day behind them. Arthur continued to run his fingers through Ludwig’s hair, messing up the meticulously gelled back. His hand eventually traveled lower, reaching the German’s neck finding the area incredibly stiff and knotted. “Oh darling you’re so tense,” Arthur exclaimed, “Maybe you should take a bath or something.”

Ludwig only shook his head, hiding his face in Arthur’s side. “I’ll be fine,” he mumbled.

“Okay...But after we finish up here I propose we go on holiday out of the country. You desperately need one. Maybe Italy or something.” As he spoke, he began massaging Ludwig’s neck almost absentmindedly, his tea now off to the side. “See the Colosseum, have some quality wine-”

“Leave it to you to think about the alcohol,” Ludwig laughed lowly.

“Hey!” Arthur gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. “As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted. Go sightseeing, eat gelato, we could even visit Feliciano. Or we could always go to Japan even. Get off the continent.” Arthur went on, listing off all the possible destinations and things they could do, making Ludwig’s smile grow with each one.

“On your stomach,” Arthur demanded about halfway through. Although he didn’t want Arthur fretting over him, he found himself complying, not having the energy to argue (plus, his back was a little achy). His hands trailed across the German’s back, noting areas of the most tension, then getting to work on those areas. As he worked, Arthur resumed their previous conversation “Then there is Australia, but that’s a bit far don’t you think? Maybe Canada would be better and I’m sure Matthew and Al wouldn’t mind us borrowing their cottage for a week.”

“The one we went to last summer?” Ludwig asked though it broke out into a pleased hum as Arthur dug his fingers deeper into his shoulders.

“Yes.”

“Mmm. I think that one sounds the nicest.”

“Then it’s decided. I’ll talk to Matthew about it tomorrow.” With that sorted out, Arthur could now focus solely on massaging, kneading into the skin until the muscles below loosened. As Arthur continued to work, Ludwig let out pleased noises while allowing his body to melt into the mattress. Arthur may have denied the fact, but he was skilled with his hands. By the time Arthur was finished, Ludwig felt much lighter and more relaxed, it was just what he needed.

“Now with that out of the way, how about some dinner?” the Englishman offered, leaning back on the headboard.

“Can we eat in?”

“Of course love.” Arthur reached over to the nightstand, grabbing hold of a room service menu, and placed it in between them so they could look over it. Ludwig sat up to get a better look. Once they had picked out what they wanted, Arthur dialed the number while Ludwig settled down into the pillows once more.

“I know it’s early, but maybe we should change into our pajamas,” Arthur suggested, going over to his suitcase and pulling out his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. While over there, he got some pajamas for Ludwig as well and laid them out on the bed before changing into his own.

Ludwig begrudgingly sat up once more, his eyes lingering on his lover as he slipped the t-shirt on. The shirt itself was quite familiar. “Is that my shirt?”

Arthur turned back to him, a sheepish grin on his face. “M-Maybe.”

Ludwig rolled his eyes, though there was a smile on his face. Although he was tired and hated putting PJs on this early, he followed Arthur’s suggestion.

Dressed in their PJs and the food on its way, they propped up the pillows and leaned back, and flipped through the movies they could rent. In the end, they picked Labyrinth. Actually, it was more like Arthur got this longing look in his eyes, hesitating for a minute before moving on.

“If you want to watch it, you can watch it,” Ludwig said with a chuckle.

Arthur turned to his boyfriend, brows furrowing. “But this is for you. Are you sure?”

“Ja. Right now I don’t really care.”

With a kiss on the forehead and a soft ‘okay’ Arthur flipped back to the movie and selected it. Not long after there was a knock at the door, signaling the arrival of their dinner.

Arthur ended up paying for both dinner and movie despite Ludwig’s protests. “Consider it a gift from me to you for all the shit you put up with,” Arthur had said as he set out the food on their table. Ludwig couldn’t help but feel giddy at the reasoning, any argument soon fell away, and instead, he took a seat at the table with a 'thank you.'

They ate in comfortable silence, making small talk occasionally such as asking how the meal was. Arthur had spoiled them, getting each of them a cheesecake for dessert. Not necessarily Ludwig’s first choice, but cheesecake was good and this particular one was delicious.

Bellies full, the two lovers returned to the bed and hit play on the film they had set up prior. They took a similar position as when they first got here, Ludwig nestled into Arthur’s side with Arthur combing his hand through the other man’s hair (and they wouldn’t have it any other way).

“Have you seen this one before?” Ludwig asked, his voice tired.

“Yes. I mainly like it because of David Bowie.”

Ludwig shook his head, laughing softly to himself. “You and David Bowie.”

“Shhh, it's starting.”

Not even fifteen minutes in, Ludwig was fast asleep, arms wrapped around Arthur’s waist as if he was a teddy bear. A warm smile spread across the Brit’s face as he leaned down to place a goodnight kiss on his lover’s head before returning to his movie.

#germanyshipevent2021 #hws #hetalia #gereng #engger #geruk #hws england #hws germany #fluff #end of a long day #massages #fanfiction #hetalia fanfiction

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thefanficmonster · 3 years

Text

Never Alone

Connor Walsh & Michaela Pratt (How To Get Away With Murder) ft. The Keating 5

Warnings: Abuse, Abusive Relationship, Swearing, Trauma, Description of Injury

Genre: ANGST, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Relationship

Summary: While working on a particularly tough case in the ungodly hours of the night, whether it’s due to the lack of sleep or the sudden need to confide in another human being, Michaela admits some truths to the person no one would think she’d ever do so to - her rival Connor Walsh.

Requested by Anon and requested as a birthday present by another Anon. Happy birthday darling Anon! Thank you so much for giving me the honor of writing you a birthday present though I hope the short notice doesn’t affect the fic’s quality. I accept the most brutal of feedback, but nevertheless I hope you enjoy it! Enjoy your special day! Lots of love, Vy ❤

“You know, just because you’re still awake and staring at a document doesn’t mean you have an upper hand here. Whether you’re actually reading that file is what will determine who gets the trophy, Miss Shooting Star.“ Connor Walsh waltzes into the living room turned office of the Keating home, looking and sounding a little too refreshed for someone who has had the same amount of sleep as everyone else of the K5 - minimal. Yet, unlike his teammates, he’s still perfectly functioning, talkative and looking forward to being productive without accidentally falling off a chair after being consumed by the slumber his body is probably dying for. It probably has something to do with that cup of coffee in his hand - his tenth one today, if Michaela’s counted correctly.

“Call me that again and I’ll shoot the damn trophy at your forehead.“ Michaela hisses back at him, tired, stinging and bloodshot eyes never leaving the piece of paper she’s been holding, reading and re-reading for the past twenty minutes, never really managing to grasp the words written on it.

“Good luck taking it from Asher. The Douche has fallen asleep with it in his arms.“ Connor sinks down in one of the armchairs, leisurely picking up one of the files laid out on the coffee table, looking at it with little interest.

This time Michaela’s gaze does indeed leave the paper so it can land on her rival, as she raises an eyebrow that somewhere between shocked and offended, “That asshole’s asleep?”

“He’s not the only one.“ It’s Connor’s turn to not spare her a look while answering, “Him and Wes are as good as dead on the kitchen island. Laurel and Frank are most likely awake, but also most likely not working on the case. Well, not this case, that’s for sure.“ He chuckles at his own joke, seeing as how his correspondent found no humor in it, “So, it’s down to you and me and Bonnie if she throws us a bone, which I doubt she will.“

Annalise was very clear with what she had said. Speaking the whole truth here, the five college students weren’t really paying attention until they heard that very strictly spoken phrase: “No one leaves here until someone finds something. Anything” aka the last phrase their professor had graced them with before walking out to go meet someone important for the night. She had every right to be strict and maybe even a bit cruel to them after they all had been exhibiting typical brat behavior throughout the day. To make matters worse and the job even tougher, Annalise had instructed Frank and Bonnie to go home so the kids would really be left to their own devices. Bonnie had had enough so no amount of begging her was gonna get her to stay - it’s also been proven that no amount of voicemails are gonna get her to come back either - but Frank, solely because of Laurel, stuck around and has so far not proved to be any kind of extra help - the polar opposite, in fact, he’s been distracting them all with jokes and snide comments at how incompetent they all are. Now if that wasn’t the most hypocritical thing.

“If the pressure wasn’t on already, I’d like to remind you we have...“ Connor turns his hand over, checking his wristwatch, “less than four hours until we have to show our not-showered, sleep deprived asses in court.“

Michaela groans, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. Not that she’d ever admit it, but she was actually glad to have an overnight task, something that wouldn’t allow her to go home, but this is beginning to be too much. What others would call ‘home’ Michaela refers to as or ‘hell’. It was place she called ‘home’ at one point too, but it wasn’t long before things started going south. And by ‘south’ I mean horribly wrong and toxic. The man she thought she’d one day call fiancée and then husband has now become a monster from her worst nightmares. Having grown up in an abusive household, Michaela had always dreamed of finding a place for herself, a place she’d feel safe in. With a person who’d love her unconditionally and provide her the security she lacked growing up. And that’s what she thought she saw in Miles. She wasn’t wrong for the first few months, the fucker was good at putting up a front, putting on a show for everyone to build a positive opinion of such a disgusting human being.

The mask started falling apart shortly after Michaela moved in with him. She didn’t accept his offer without any thought, quite the contrary actually - she pondered it for a week and a half, her heart taking the win in the end. Well, her heart may have won that time but it is now in pieces. Her eyes have never cried so many tears and her skin has never bled nor been bruised so badly before. She feels broken, alone, betrayed, hurt. She feels all she felt every time she got hit as a kid. She feels like the whole world has equipped knives and guns, each with her name on them, ready to put her through torture.

And she’s got no one to tell, because no one will know what to say back. For some reason, when people are speechless they tend to say the dumbest, most hurtful crap without realizing. Hearing that on numerous occasions before, she knows what effect it’ll have on her, so she strays away from speaking up about it. She’d rather be alone and battle her demons than present those demons to someone else who will introduce new ones into her head and life.

She prefers solitude and isolation over additional torment. It’s always been an easy pick for her.

“If you don’t wanna fight this battle on your own, go fetch me a cup of coffee.“ She instructs, half-expecting the turn-down she receives immediately afterwards.

“You really think I’m gonna help you when you are the closest thing to competition I have in this group of dimwits? Go get it yourself.“

Michaela rolls her eyes, wondering why she even asked such an abomination of a question in the first place. Finding her legs too dead to take her anywhere, she remains in her spot with a heavy sigh, returning to her attempt at reading the file she and the rest of the Keating 5 five have read through a dozen times today just to find nothing off about it.

“Hey, this one’s marked twenty-three, that one on the table’s twenty-five, where’s the twenty-fourth one?“ Connor suddenly perks up suddenly, cutting the short silence that had fallen upon them. With the least amount of energy she’s managed to save up, Michaela waves the file she’s holding, blinking away the blurriness of that clouds her eyes. “Give it to me, I need to make some comparisons.”

“Come get it yourself.“ She barks back with the same amount of spite he used barely a minute ago.

Unlike her though, Connor complies, finding that file necessary for some reason despite knowing it’s useless. It’s all pointless and they’re all gonna hear it from Annalise tomorrow morning regardless. But the most they can do is keep trying - trying to prove themselves worthy of that trophy.

Getting up with the most exaggerated distaste in his movements, Connor crosses the distance between the armchair he’s been sitting in and the couch Michaela has not moved from for hours, surrounded by piles of paperwork, folders and files. Much to his surprise, she doesn’t even put up a fight, clearly having been fed up with staring at the same words and not grasping anything for half an hour at this point.

“Thank y-“ Connor is a syllable away from finishing his sarcastic statement of gratitude when his eyes land on something peculiar, he’d even call is quite worrisome - a large scar going from Michaela’s elbow to about midway down her forearm. It looks to be recent, given that there are still some dried specs of blood around it, “Holy shit....“ He mutters, carefully taking hold Michaela’s wrist as to gently turn her arm a bit more to the side in order to examine the cut, “What the hell happened to you?“

Not having realized what he was examining before, Michaela’s eyes widen when they follow his gaze and land on the very cut she spent an hour taking care of last night. That cut is the aftermath of a drunk boyfriend who wanted nothing more than a reason to start an argument with her when she got home. A reason to hurt her. Coming into work this morning, despite the high temperatures, she was stubbornly keeping a long sleeved jacket atop her shirt to keep the ugly remainder of yet another failure hidden. The relationship in and of itself is a toxic failure, but it’s built of other failures Mihaela blames herself for - she believes she fails every time he hurts her. She thinks she’s the one to blame for the failure because she couldn’t protect herself. So she feels ashamed, disgusted and is attacked by that sense of betrayal all over again.

Feeling these three emotions flooding in at the sound of Connor’s concern, she snatches her arm out of his grip, keeping the scar out of his viewpoint while her eyes scan the room, looking for the jacket she doesn’t remember discarding. “Piss off, Connor. It’s non of your business.”

If she had said something along the lines of it being an accidental injury, Connor might’ve even believed her and let the whole thing go. However, seeing hw distressed his question has made her become, he feels there’s a lot more to it than she’s letting on. So, fully aware it’s non of his business, he keeps prodding on for a reason even he himself doesn’t understand, “Maybe not, but that’s a concerning scar, you might wanna get it checked. In fact, it already looks like it’s infected with something.”

Michaela’s brows furrow, her distress growing into genuine fear as she removes the hand that’s partially covering the scar to check on it and try and see what Connor saw to lead him to make such an observation. Connor takes this opportunity to also get a better look at the cut and it doesn’t take him a while to realize what tool was used in causing it - a shard of glass.

“Michaela, it may not be my business...“

She cuts him off with hostility, “It’s not”, but her words are choked up and wavering. Her voice is shaking like she’s seconds away from bursting into tears. And Lord knows crying in front of Connor Walsh is the last thing she wants to do.

“Right, but you can’t tell me that’s an accidental cut. That looks very intentional, very straight, and very much like someone inflicted it on you.“ Seeing her barriers slowly starting to sink despite her best attempts at keeping them up, he keeps his pursuit of his secret, for the first time genuinely curious to get to the bottom of what’s troubling Michaela and not a single ulterior motive in his mind. “You can’t tell me that I’m wrong. I’ve had my fair share of glass shard injuries in my life too.“ The girl’s gaze remains glued to the floor but Connor doesn’t miss the tear that escapes her left eye, sliding down her cheek. This only strengthens his will to getting the truth out of Michaela. “I know I’m not among your favorite people, but I’m not a piece of scum, damn it. You can tell me, Michaela. Believe it or not, you can tell me.“

Silence takes over, loud silence, the one on her end filled with the inaudible sound of her walls coming down quickly. She’s left bare and exposed. surrounded by their rubble and unable to look her rival in the eye. Though, is he much of a rival at this moment? He appears dangerously close to a friend. Hell, Michaela would even make a snide remark about it if her insides weren’t so broken - her heart, her soul, her mind, they’ve all been shattered, bruised and bloodied way worse than her skin.

“Turn around.“ She says out of the blue, the order sounding more like a plea especially when accompanied by another tear freeing itself from the confinement of her pride. When Connor doesn’t move, she finally looks up at him to meet his baffled gaze, “Turn around so I don’t have to see the pity in your eyes when I tell you I’m a pathetic victim of an abusive relationship. The punching bag of an asshole with a short fuse and a drinking problem. A failure to myself and my family. Is that what you wanted to hear? Do you think you have the upper hand now?“ Behind the tears that are spilling freely now is the mix of rage, devastation, dread and sorrow. It’s a dangerous combination that could cause her to pounce at him any second, push him away, take her anger out on him.

But that’s what he wants her to do.

He wants her to let it all out, free herself from all that’s been sitting on her chest. He wants to free her from whoever’s responsible for that scar on her arm and those thousands of little cuts on her soul, all still openly bleeding and unable to heal. He wants to save her. And it’s scaring him. He wants to write it off as basic human decency but deep down he know there’s something more. As much as the both of them would like to deny it, if one of them left the Keating 5 tomorrow, the other would miss them greatly. Threats, accusations, arguments and bickering aside, they are aware how great of a team they are. What a good pair of friends they could be if they just let their pride slip aside. But they don’t, and maybe they shouldn’t. Maybe that’s why they work so well.

However, even with that theory in mind, they’ve both let their pride go in this very moment. Walls and barriers have come down, lines have been crossed and they see each other differently now - More as fellow hurting humans rather than rivaling lawyers-to-be. Closer than ever, that’s for sure.

“Listen, Michaela...“

She once again cuts him off, “I don’t want your pity, sympathy or your advice. I don’t need you telling me to leave him! You think I haven’t thought of that?! You know nothing about it, you don’t get to judge me on my actions and choices!” She’s sobbing at this point with no hopes or ways of stopping the strangled noises from leaving her throat or the tears from escaping her red eyes.

Connor quickly crouches down in front of the couch so he’s at eye-level with her, his hands taking gentle but firm hold of her shoulders, “Michaela, no! That’s not what I wanna say! Listen to me, damn it.“ To his surprise, this actually gets her to calm down and stop thrashing to get his hands off. Slightly relieved, he pursues what he started, “I know, I know exactly how it is. Every time he does something nice it outweighs the bad. It’s those good moments that make you stay, I know. But those moments are the rare rainbow after a ton of rain. They are not worth this pain and suffering you’re enduring. He’s not worth it. You deserve so much more, so much better and you are aware of that!“

“But no one else is!“ She snaps, her hands coming up to hide her face, “No one else sees my worth beyond the job I do or the person that’s willing to put a ring on my finger. No one sees me for me, Connor! My value is determined by what kind of men find me decent enough for their beds or family contracts! What kind of response do you think I’ll have if I leave yet another relationship?“

Her words break his heart but he doesn’t let it show in his eyes, he’d rather close them than let her see that pity she fears and despises. He doesn’t pity her, far from it, but a simple misunderstanding on her end could break this already fragile bond they’ve built so he keeps his feelings at bay.

“Fuck them! Michaela, you are an adult woman, they can’t control your life anymore! No one can! That’s why you need to cut ties with those whose opinions you fear most. I don’t know what kind of stick they have up their asses, but without them you won’t be alone. You’ll be free!“

“And you’ll still have us.“ The sudden and new female voice comes from behind them, right by the doorway.

Both of them turn to look in that direction to find the four missing members of this late case-digging session: the sleepy Asher and Wes with Frank and Laurel beside them.

“I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but Michaela, you will not be alone, no matter what the context is. We might not be the best friends one can ever have, but we sure as hell aren’t monsters.“ Laurel continues, being the only one to actually take a step in the room while the three men stay put, uncertain of how to approach the situation. “I think we all care about each other to some degree. So, I want you to know, we care about you and we’re here for you. No matter how many times you leave us in the dust with your eyes on the prize.“

That remark manages to get a smile out Michaela even with the tears that are still not done rolling down her cheeks. Asher is also quick to pipe in, “I second that! Anything you need, we’ll be here. Need us to bust someone’s skulls - we’re your people.”

Scoffing, Connor shoots Michaela a look, “Now that’s an idea. Give us the address of that shithead and consider it done.”

She rolls her eyes, “Let me get my stuff out of there first. I don’t want you getting blood on any of it.”

Connor stands up from his crouched position and turns to the rest of the team with a determined look and a hint of a smile on his face, “You heard her folks! The lady wants to collect her stuff, and I’ll be damned if I let her do it alone.” He turns back to his temporarily-not-rival, “Come on, you can crash at my place until this friendly phase of ours fades. Then I’m dumping you at Laurel’s.”

She narrows his eyes at him, “Hilarious.” Suddenly her eyes widen, eyebrows shooting up, “Wait, what about the case?”

“Laurel and I found something, already turned it in. We were coming here to send you guys home.“ Frank replies in his usual reassuring manner.

“Ooooh, so you were working on the case after all!“ Asher comments, wiggling his eyebrows at them.

“Yeah, we were. Unlike some who were asleep in the kitchen cuddling a trophy.“ Laurel retorts, sending him the most sarcastic of smiles.

This whole interaction between her...well, her friends has lifted Michela’s spirits enough to get her up on her feet, “In that case, better get prepared to help me pack three large suitcases.”

And with that the Keating 5 (plus Frank) disembark, heading to their new mission. Walking out of the Keating household with four people, all unconditionally supporting her without even knowing what’s going on and one person with his arm tightly wrapped around her in a protective manner, Michaela has never felt more safe and secure. She might not love these people and they might not love her either, but they are all fond of each other. And if their fondness has reached the degree where they’re willing to accompany her and aid her escape from the hell she’s been trapped in this past month and a half, she’s willing to call them friends.

Some closer than others, but she cannot admit that knowing that in a week’s time her and Connor will probably be at each other’s throats again. And she’s fine with that. Rivalry’s a type of friendship too, ain’t it?

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wonderland-in-bloom · 4 years

Text

an unexpected day off

[leona kingscholar x fem!pomefiore!reader]

anon asked: Yay requestss are open! May I request a oneshot where Leonas fem Pomfiore s/o's little sister comes to Night Raven to visit her and meets Cheka who is also visiting Leona and they become friends and all that cute stuff ( bonus Leona and readers reaction )

yes!! cute indeed uwu hi guys how are you all, are you dying over silver and lilia’s cards as much as i am? heheh

le fic under the cut

TODAY was going to be a chill day filled with activies which could be tied to lazing around. well at least that’s what both you and your boyfriend thought. but the both of you were wrong. horribly wrong. that morning leona was woken up by cheka literally jumping on top of him. while on the other hand, you were having a beautiful dream until the door to your room slammed against the wall after it swung open. “(Y/N)-NEEEEEEEEE!!! WAKE UP! I’M SPENDING THE WHOLE DAY WITH YOU TODAY!” in your half awoken state, you were still able to recognize that high pitched voice. it was your younger sister.

“what the hell are you doing here?” you groaned as you buried your head in your pillow. “mom and dad want me here! besides i want to see how miserable you are.” you growled and threw a pillow at her. you two argued and fought so loud that vil came storming into your room with his face still full of cucumbers and a face mask and scolded both you and your younger sister. you really did just want to have one day off without anything crazy or chaotic happening, but hey, when is life ever calm? you sighed as your little sister dragged you around the whole campus. some students gave you glares and in return you gave them back glares which signaled “please help me i beg you”. they legitimately just laughed at you. after all, it was only entertainment for them. in the middle of the way as you trailed behind your sister in the courtyard, she suddenly stopped.

your eyes sparkled when you saw your boyfriend walking towards you from the other end. “leona!!!” you cheered as you rushed over to him. you saw a glint in his eyes as he was happy to see you too. you wrapped your arms around his torso and he placed his hand on your waist. “please help me....” you whispered. “yeah i could say the same.” you both turned around to face the children you were forced to babysit. they both froze as they eyed each other up and down. “oho? what do we have here?” cheka stepped closer to your little sister and eyed her even more intensely. “who are you?” cheka asked.

“i could ask you the same! i didn’t know kids were allowed here.” she shot back. “i’m cheka kingscholar...ojitan...leona’s nephew. and you?” you and leona saw the two bashful kids. “i’m (l/s/n). (y/n)’s litle sister.” it was a little awkward for a while. you were debating with yourself wether to break it up or do something at least. however as you were about to step closer to them, leona grabbed your hand. “wait, (y/n). this might be a really good chance. if the both of them gets along, then they’ll just wander off on their own. less work for us, ya know?” you bit your bottom lip. a negative multiplied by a negative equals a positive. which means that both their chaotic-ness and irresponsibility would cancel each other out and you and leona would have no trouble. you two would have a day filled with relaxing and lazing around just as you both thought. “hmm, you’re right.” you smirked. you and leona chuckled evilly as the two kids started a conversation.

you and leona didn’t even pay attention to them for five seconds and they were already running off to go play somewhere else. leona smirked as you both turned around, planning to head over to his room and just continue your beauty sleep which was cut short. leona slung his arm over your shoulder as you snuggled close against him and started walking to the savanaclaw dorms. however not long after, you heard a surprisingly high pitched yet familiar screaming coming from somewhere not too far from you. you and leona briskly made your way to the source of the scream to see...idia in a tree? “idia...senpai?” his eyes were wide filled with terror and fear. “(Y-Y/N)! L-LEONA! PLEASE HELP ME!” he pleaded. you two looked down to two very familiar figures right below the branch idia was gripping to dear life on. “YOUR HAIR IS SO COOL! WE JUST WANNA PLAY!” your little sister chirped. “PLEASEEE COME DOWN.” cheka joined her.

leona growled and grabbed cheka by the collar. “oi, what are you doing?” cheka pouted. “we were just curious!” he replied. “we just wanted to play with him...it’s not our fault he’s a scaredy cat.” your little sister joined. you smacked the back of her head. “that’s not nice. we’re so sorry idia-senpai. you can go now.” he slowly climbed from the branch and down to the ground and started running off. “heeeh, what a weird guy.” your little sister commented. “well you two were basically invading his boundaries. so.” she rolled her eyes. “sheesh (y/n)-nee, can’t you just let us have a little fun? come on cheka! we have more places to go to!” she giggled and the two kids started running off. remember when you thought that the chaotic-ness would cancel each other out? yeah. wrong. instead it multiplied and now they get into more trouble as a duo than you both thought.

and thus your day off from school was filled with running around, trying to catch the two kids, and apologizing to the other dorm leaders and students. to keep things short and simple, there were a lot of things those two did which disturbed the other students. first, they managed to leave the hedgehogs riddle used in his game of croquet to almost die because of shock and fear. this left riddle in a frenzy and it took the adeuce duo and cater to calm him down while trey urged the two kids to run off. but he didn’t even hesitate giving you and leona a little lecture. second, they sneaked into savanaclaw’s daily magift training sessions and held onto a couple of senior’s brooms. they almost fell a couple of feet from the air and had to be caught by jack and ruggie. ruggie (wholeheartedly) told leona off and when you wanted to catch the two troublemakers, they were already gone. third, they managed to infiltrate the mostro lounge and begged jade and floyd for piggyback rides. it went well at first but let’s just say the lounge didn’t look so good after the whole session ended. azul ended up threatening leona with blackmail and scolded the both of you for doing that to his precious lounge. (of course he threatened to sue leona but he just brushed him off. after all, leona was a rich boy so he didn’t really mind. lol)

fourth, they played hide and seek with kalim in his treasure room. for once, this was the one instance where the dorm leader wasn’t mad or troubled, but rather joined them in the fun. in the end, jamil had to drag kalim by the collar and scold him instead of you and leona. they continued their game without kalim and this time it was hide and seek with you and leona. of course you didn’t find them anywhere in scarabia and concluded that they headed off to pomefiore. rook was in a panic because the peacocks from the gardens escaped and started to cause havoc, making the garden a mess. epel was chasing the two children (as ordered by vil) but they just laughed and thought it was a game of tag. your dorm leader didn’t hesitate to blabber a handful of comments which made your ears ring and he also didn’t hesitate to slap the back of leona’s head. “irresponsible. just like their relatives.” he mentioned, hinting at the fact that like nephew/little sister like uncle/older sister. finally, cheka and your little sister stepped foot into diasomnia but regretted it the instant they stepped in.

they were greeted with sebek and silver who scared them off and made them not even dare to do anything which involves diasomnia. lilia tried to be nice to them and tried to calm the down as best he can (he is a father after all ha ha) but he managed to make them cry. at the end of your tiring and NOT AT ALL peaceful day, you found the two snuggled next to each other under a tree. they were both fast asleep. you and leona sighed in relief. you exchanged glances with each other before collapsing yourselves. “finally~” the storm has passed and you two could finally calm down. you both leaned against the tree and sat down with a ‘thump’. with aching feet and ears just having enough of lectures and rambles, both your eyes felt heavy. you were already drifting off to sleep when you felt leona’s hand position your head to lean against his shoulder. you smiled and that’s when you were engulfed in a deep slumber.

this really wasn’t the day off both leona and you were expecting. but at least you spent the whole day together and managed to work together as a pair to solve the mischief caused by the two children. well....somewhat solved it at least.

BONUS: “AAAWH THEY’RE SO CUTE! THEY’RE LIKE A LITTLE FAMILY!” cater whisper shouted from behind a bush. he took out his phone and readied his camera. you and leona were out cold. snoring and dead asleep as leona leaned against the tree and you leaned against his shoulder. cheka rested his head on leona’s lap whilst your little sister did the same thing to you. the four of you really did look like a cute, little family. “this might be a good time to ambush. don’t you think my beautiful queen?” rook commented as he put aside the binoculars. “hmm...maybe we can make use of cater-kun. those pictures can easily be blackmail. we can get them to do our bidding as long as we have their picture.”

“ah! smart and beautiful! that is our dorm leader, vil schoenheit!”

“that’s what the both of you get for disrupting my day off.”

♡

lol i included a sentence or two related to math (simple math tho lol). wai? i finished like four weeks of math hw in a day haha. yeah well it was stupid for teachers to give us summer hw. like i’m already stressed sm and now they’re just yeeting more stress to me. yeeeets. rant over.

love, a♕

#disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #30 days of twisted wonderland #30 days of twst #night raven college #savanaclaw #pomefiore #leona kingscholar #leona kingscholar x reader #leona kingscholar oneshots #leona kingscholar imagines #twisted wonderland fanfictoin #twisted wonderland oneshots #twisted wonderland imagines #vil schoenheit #cheka kingscholar #ディズニーツイステッドワンダーランド #ツイステッドワンダーランド

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spooks-and-tea · 4 years

Text

Entangled (Spencer Reid x femReader) [Ch.6]

Summary: You don’t know how it happened. One moment you were watching Criminal Minds, and the next moment you were literally in the show. Can Spencer be the key to helping you find your way back home?

Warnings: minor character death, mentions of su*cide, bad explanations of quantum mechanics, bad words, sexual situations(some non-con), the usual criminal minds-type content

A/N: Sorry if any of the profiling sounds dumb, and don’t take it as factual for your psych hw. I’m trying to keep descriptions of people basic so you lovely readers can fill in the blanks with what you would want them to look like <3 even fill in the blank of which Reid hairstyle you want!

Word Count: 6,359

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6. Chapter 7. Chapter 8. Chapter 9. Chapter 10. Chapter 11.

This is the second time that Spencer Reid has left you utterly disoriented before 6:00a.m.

You wake up on your couch practically on top of him.

Coffee and woodsy-vanilla. Warmth. Surprisingly toned arms (probably from carrying heavy stacks of books and case files). Yup, this is heaven. You initially thought you were still dreaming. After all, your dream hadn't been too far off from this. You figured the setting had just changed.

Absentmindedly, you cuddled up closer to him.

Suddenly, you heard the sound of a door being thrown shut. You yelped, jumping up. Your sudden movement woke Spencer up and he rolled, falling off the couch with a loud thump followed by a groan of pain.

Okay, so, not a dream.

"I'm gone one night and you're already with him again? When were you planning on telling me I was dating a whore?" Chris stood at the doorway.

"Calm down, it's nothing scandalous." You muttered. You needed coffee; it was way too early for this.

Spencer stood up, rubbing the back of his bedhead and yawning. You'd never felt the need to describe a full-grown man as 'cute' before. But- Cute.

"Sure looks that way," Chris scoffed.

"Why are you even here?" You asked, standing up from the couch while trying to smooth out your hair.

"Don't change the subject Y/N."

"Hey, don't talk to her that way." Spencer cut in, rounding the couch to stand next to you.

"What do you even see in this guy? What does he have that I don't have?" Chris blatantly ignored him, directing all of his attention to you.

"He's the complete opposite of you for starters, but I don't have to-"

"No I think you do; you owe me that much."

"Just leave it and get out of my house! Don't let your ego hit you on the way out." You yelled, yeah you definitely needed coffee.

"You're a fucking bitch and a slut. You're lucky I ever gave you a chance because this-" He pointed at Spencer, "is hilarious, you must be absolutely out of your mind. He must fuck you good and hard huh? I bet you like that you whore!" He growled. "I guess now is as good a time as ever to tell you I slept with someone too, here, probably while you were out fucking him. You weren't giving me what I wanted so I found it in someone else. You're nothing but a cheap whore; forgettable. I hope you both rot." You stood with your jaw dropped as Spencer boldly stood up to him.

"She said get out." Spencer sneered.

"Or what? The scrawny side-piece is going to beat me up? I doubt it. Get out of my face before I make you."

Spencer stood his ground, you slowly neared behind him sensing the escalation.

"I said get. out. of. my. face." Chris was furious now. He roughly pushed Spencer backwards; sending Spencer stumbling and tripping over onto the floor. Chris looked like he was about to tackle him. You panicked and punched him with all your strength.

"Ow what the fuck Y/N?" Chris groaned as he covered his nose. You hissed as you clutched your bruising hand, no one said punching someone hurt the puncher so much.

"Don't. touch. him." You even scared yourself at the seriousness your tone.

"You bitch! You broke my nose!"

"And you assaulted an FBI agent. 2 of them actually. So I think we are more than even."

"Dammit. Forget it, just let me grab my clothes and leave; it don't have much here."

"No. You'll wait in the hallway outside of MY house and I will grab your things and bring them to you. Now give me my house key." You ordered.

"Ugh, fine." His voice was nasally as he held it to stop the bleeding. He followed your orders, slamming the door behind him.

You pocketed the key before turning to check on Spencer. He was still on the floor, holding himself up on his elbows to stare at you in awe.

You held out your non-bruised hand to help him up.

"Y-you punched him." Spencer stated as if he was trying to convince himself that it really happened.

"Yeah, he was going to hurt you so-" you shook your bruised hand out, the skin had slightly scratched leaving little lines of blood. You laughed to yourself. "No one told me it would hurt this much."

Spencer grabbed your hand to inspect it. "We should clean this up."

You agreed and followed him upstairs.

He sat you down on the bathroom sink counter and looked through your medical supplies.

"He's waiting outside for his things." You mumbled.

"Let him wait." Spencer took your hand in his.

You watched him working for a moment before deciding you'd rather watch his face. He did his nose scrunch tick as he cleaned off the wound with water. You smiled in admiration.

"Thank you." Spencer said, meeting your eyes for a moment before continuing to gently clean your hand.

"You would've done the same for me." You shrugged, knowing it was true.

"This is going to sting." Spencer warned, moving on to the next phase of the cleaning process.

"Okay." You nodded, bracing yourself by holding his shoulder with your good hand.

He dabbed on the cleaning solution and your back shot up straight. You hissed and tightened your hold on him, he didn't seem to mind. He worked quickly. A tear fell down your cheek. You hadn't expected it to hurt that much.

Spencer noticed when he finished cleaning the wounds. He reached up to gently swipe it away with his thumb.

"Shh it's okay, the hard part's done," he cooed.

You almost wanted to cry more just so you could hear him speak to you like that again.

He took out the bandages and wrapped them around your hand, taping them off at the end. He bent your fingers back and forth.

"Is it too tight?"

You shook your head no, still watching his face. "It's perfect."

"They'll stay bruised for a week at most." Spencer finally looked up, meeting your glassy eyes.

Something about the gentle caring nature he exuded as he took care of you melted your heart. You hadn't had someone even close to that since your dad died. You wanted him to know how much you appreciated it.

You moved your free hand to clutch his hands which were still holding your bandaged one. You gave them a comforting squeeze, a silent 'thank you.'

He moved to hold both of your hands in his, lifting them to place a lingering kiss on each.

You held your breath.

Spencer Reid, you're making me fall in love with you, and you know it too, don't you? You know what you're doing.

"Better?" He asked, meeting your eyes.

You finally remembered how to breath again.

"Yes, thanks." You gave him a smile, hoping you didn't look like a red tomato.

He stepped back, giving you room to jump down. "Let's get his things."

"I hope he hasn't gotten blood all over the floor." You teased, trying to change the mood for your own heart's sake.

Spencer helped you pile Chris's small amount of items and you both tossed them out the door in front of him.

"Bitch," you heard Chris mutter under his hand that was still holding his nose. You flipped him off as you closed the door in his face, locking it behind you.

Spencer watched you with a look of amusement on his face.

"Thanks for all of this Spencer. I didn't mean for you to get caught up in all of this." You leisurely walked to him, messing with your bandages as your wounds itched.

"It's no problem. Actually, I would have been glad to punch Chris myself after what you went through. You know you're not any of those derogatory names he called you, right?"

"Yeah. I know." You nodded. "And he was right about one thing. You have everything that he doesn't have, Spence. All he has is his abs, a broken nose, and a vile personality." Spencer nodded with a shy smile.

"So- breakfast?" He suggested.

"Yes. I need coffee, and I haven't tried out my kitchen! What do you want to eat?" You asked, excitedly.

"Hmm. What's your favorite breakfast food?" Spencer asked.

"It's a weird combo, but I like omelets and blueberry muffins." You chuckled.

"Then that's what I want." He grinned.

You quieted and met Spencer's eyes, your smile dropping. A magnetic feeling pulling on your chest.

"What?" He asked, looking nervous.

Before you could second-guess yourself, you stood up on your toes and pulled Spencer by his shirt into a kiss. All of your pent up emotions had finally broken your dam of self-doubt. You didn't think about it, you just did what felt right.

Spencer's lips felt so wonderfully right locked with your own. At least, it did on your end. His lips were chapped but somehow the softest things the sensitive skin of your lips had ever felt. You felt his heart beating and a magnetic, crackling electricity. The kiss was quick, but you put all of your pent up feelings into it; hoping that could explain what you, otherwise, had no words for.

Spencer froze, his entire body going stiff.

Oh no I've fucked this up. I've really fucked this up. I have morning breath and I just technically broke up with my ex and my hair is a mess and I'm from an entirely different reality, and Spencer is not even remotely interested in me.

Your mind screamed at you. This was a mistake. You'd misread all of Spencer's good intentions as something more and now you were going to have to drown in self-doubt.

He never kissed you back. You pulled away, willing your forming tears not to fall.

"Y/N I-." Spencer softly spoke, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

"I-I'm sorry. I just- I thought. I wasn't thinking." You turned around to avoid his eyes. You didn't want to see him feel sorry for you.

"You can leave Spence, don't feel like you have to stay here for my sake." Silent tears began to fall freely, you didn't bother to wipe them away.

Without a word, Spencer walked out of your apartment, gently closing the door behind him, and taking the last of your stability with him.

You wish you could say you didn't completely break down. You wish the denial of a man you'd only recently known, in the flesh, didn't hurt so much, but it did- it really hurt. Again, you were reading him like his character, expecting him to grab your hair like he did with Cat Adams and kiss you until you'd forgotten your own name.

You might as well have imagined everything you'd perceived as acts of more-than-friendliness. This wasn't some perfect fanfiction scenario.

Spencer was a real person, and he wasn't the man you'd daydreamed about. Yet you still fell for him, hard and fast.

Now there was nothing. Your chest ached for him like magnets tugging and pulling you towards another force. You sobbed on the floor where he had left you and you felt what true loneliness was like because Spencer Reid kissed your hands and made you fall in love with him. It only took 5 days of knowing him and, just as quickly, he broke your heart. So you lay on the ground and went over the stupid kiss in your head until your stress built up and you had a panic attack.

You don't know how long you sat there with no strength to pull yourself back up. Had you cried more in the last few days than in your entire lifetime?

You checked your charging phone for the time; you had 45 minutes to get to work. You weighed the pros and cons of leaving or staying and decided that staying would be far worse on your mental health. Staying would only include wine, romance movies, and anxiety. Besides, you needed to give your phone to Garcia for tracking. You would just have to try to avoid Spencer today.

Getting ready was a difficult task. You showered, you had a good cry in the shower. You brushed your teeth, also while crying, and you put some makeup on to hide all the evidence of your crying. You decided to skip out on breakfast all together, only drinking a cup of coffee you figured out how to make in your high-tech kitchen.

While driving, you decided to play the radio. Flipping through stations, every one seemed to be playing the same song. Like some sick joke, the song was sad. So you ended up also crying while driving which is mid-life crisis-level depressing. You fixed your makeup in the rearview mirror after parking.

You were about to walk into a room of profilers and expect them to not ask you what's wrong. If they asked, you might just cry again. You walked in, flashing your badge like Spencer had shown you. Making it to the office, you luckily, ran into Garcia on the way out of the elevator.

"Honey I heard the news! Are you alright?" For a moment you stood in shock, had Spencer told everyone about the kiss already? Was he making a joke out of it? No, that's not Spencer. On or off the show, he would never.

"You have your phone right? Givemegivemegivemegiveme." She reached out and you pushed your phone in her eager hands.

"I'll phone someone when I find some information on this sicko." Garcia's heels clicked as she walked away.

You hadn't gotten one word in. At least it seemed that Spencer or Rossi had filled everyone in on your phone-call stalker and not your failure of a love life.

You caught sight of Spencer's hair through the glass doors. He always stood out on the show. His hair was constantly changing length and style to the point that you could name which season each style was from. The current one was your favorite. He wore a dark purple shirt and black vest; a black tie around his neck. He just had to wear his sleeves rolled up and prolong your torture, didn't he?

You took a deep breath and opened the doors, walking through. You felt like a gladiator walking into the colosseum, going straight for her opponent as spectators looked on to laugh at the bloodshed. You figured your desk was the one you had woken up in, which was just across from Spencer's. You would have to sit face-to-face all day. You slowly walked, watching him. His head was lowered as he read over some paperwork; flipping through the pages quickly. His eyes moved quickly, reading like the super-genius he was.

You spotted your name plaque and pulled out your chair. This grabbed the boy genius's attention. He lifted his head, looking at you with doe-eyes, as if your chest wasn't aching enough.

"Y/N." He choked.

"Spencer."

He licked his lips, preparing to say more.

"Meeting in 5." Hotch called out, tearing your gazes from one another.

You didn't even have a chance to sit down.

Spencer stood up and took a long stride to walk along next to you.

"Y/N I think we should talk." He spoke in a hushed tone that tickled your ear.

"Everything seemed pretty final this morning." You willed yourself to keep your voice steady.

"But I don't want it to be," Spencer spoke, sadly.

"Are you sure? Because it didn't seem that way to me when you walked out." You didn't mean to sound so harsh, you weren't really angry at him, this was all on you. You told him to leave out of shame.

"I thought-" Spencer frowned.

You both stood at the closed door to the roundtable room and you turned to Spencer.

"Here's what happened. I fell in love with you. I know I've only known this real you for 5 days, but I fell. Hard. You were saying and doing all of these things that made me love you, and I already had a crush on your character, and so, in a moment of weakness, I kissed you. That's what happened. I kissed you and-and you didn't kiss me back, so I know it was one sided. I let you go and I cried it out. I just want to save whatever friendship we can salvage at this point. I'm sorry I kissed you, Spencer."

Luckily, you had cried all the tears you had that morning and your words came out clear. Spencer stared at you, wide eyed and speechless. Deciding the conversation was over, you opened the door.

You took an empty seat between Rossi and JJ, Spencer moving to sit across from you, next to Morgan. You looked everywhere else but at Spencer.

Hotch soon came walking in.

"Alright, we have a case involving one of our own, Agent Y/N, you all have been informed of the situation. We're having Garcia track the phone caller's location and any identifying information we can get from the number itself. She received the call at 2:00a.m. The unsub repeated the words 'I know who you are.' When questioned, the unsub grew louder, possibly feeling provoked by her voice. The unsub hung up at 2:02 a.m. Reid arrived at Y/N's apartment at approximately 2:43 a.m. and found no signs of a break-in. Is that all correct Agent Y/N?" Hotch asked.

You nodded, 'yes.'

Just then a video call came in on JJ's laptop, Garcia popped up on the screen.

"I've worked extra fast on this one. I'll just give myself a little pat on the back. The call came from a phone booth in the outer limits of the city. The booth is literally in the middle of nowhere, there's an abandoned warehouse and gas station nearby, but that's about it. The rest is forestry. It's so well-concealed, if I was a creepy phone stalker person, this is where I'd go." She finished.

"Alright Garcia thank you, we'll call you if we need anything else." Hotch thanked, hanging up.

"I doubt this unsub will still be there, if he went this far out of his way to call Y/N, he knows we can track him to that location." JJ reasoned.

"He sounds like a prank caller, but that doesn't align with his escalating aggression. What I want to know is why he targeted Y/N, specifically." Morgan commented.

"Morgan's right, Y/N do you know anyone that could possibly want to scare you?" Rossi asked.

"There's one person. My ex, Chris, but it couldn't be him. He wouldn't drive all that way just to prank call me." Okay you were now part of one of these back and forth profiling things.

"The voice was disguised. Y/N said it was low and nasally like the Scream killer, Ghostface. This could be a slasher movie fan trying to recreate his favorite movie. We see this behavior in mostly young adults and children. The Slenderman cases being the most recent examples of these proxy killers." Spencer spoke, you quickly glanced his way, he was twiddling with a pencil. Killers? You had hardly been here and someone was already trying to murder you? You really couldn't catch a break.

"Wouldn't he say or do something more specific to that movie? Scream in particular, the phone calls were followed up by the break-ins. No, he knew she was alone and awake. He wanted to scare her, but not harm her; at least, not yet. I think he knows her, or he's been watching her. This is a classic stalker scare, a warm up before he acts." Rossi said, leaning back in his chair.

"You're saying you think his next move will be physical?" Hotch asked.

"Whether she knows it, or not. I think he'll look like a normal man, he'll watch her from afar and probably try to gain her attention to formally meet her." Rossi replied.

"That's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" Morgan asked.

Spencer leaned in. "Not at all, in fact most known cases of stalking begins at the non-physical contact level. The stalker will try to contact their victim through emails, direct messages, mail, or phone calls. From there, it escalates to more intrusive, physical behaviors such as the classic visual of stalking, spying on the victim, and eventually confronting them. It's possible this unsub has suffered from rejection or failure in the past. His narcissism makes him see himself as the real victim and he feels that he deserves the victim's affections. He'll display obvious signs of obsession, possibly outwardly showing obsessive-compulsive ticks, and, through this, he'll become fixated on the victim. Going back to the slasher scenario, stalkers will often justify themselves through believing in their own fantasies. In his head, the victim wants his attention. If he's a true narcissist, he will want to meet her in person. he'll make sure these chance meetings happen on his terms."

How the hell did he figure all of that out through a few words in a phone call?

"He's already shown outward bursts of anger over the phone. He'll want to escalate things quickly. Y/N isn't safe she needs to be put under surveillance." JJ nodded to you.

"Alright JJ and Rossi I want you to go question the ex boyfriend, Chris. Reid, Y/N, Morgan and I will scope out the telephone booth. In the meantime, Y/N, I know you can handle yourself, but if this unsub does know where you live, he is highly dangerous. Pairing up is your safest option. I don't want you going anywhere alone. You can stay with one of us for the time being."

Okay, dad.

"She can stay with me," Spencer offered a little too quickly. You leaned back in your seat, wishing to disappear. Why did Spencer want to put you through this? You were still heartbroken. This would make it impossible to move on. You needed more time.

"Um I-" You finally spoke up.

"Reid, thank you, that would be great." Hotch spoke, either not hearing you, or wanting to move on to more important business. You gave a pointed look to Spencer as he pursed his lips.

Great. Just great. What is he thinking?

************************************************************************

"Garcia was right. This unsub had a goal, he knew this place was far enough out of town that if we tracked it immediately we still wouldn't get here in time to find this guy," Morgan said as you all got out of the car.

"No one goes this far out of their way to make a simple prank call. And judging from what Spencer said about stalkers, the unsub would be too compulsive to think this far ahead. Unless, he lives around here." You spoke, looking around. This was your first real thought contribution to the BAU!

Spencer looked at you and smiled, knowingly. How was he still acting so nonchalant after all of the drama between you two?

"I don't see any tire track marks other than ours and this road is too far out from the main road for just anyone to stumble upon. Y/N's right the unsub has to live nearby. The terrain is flat and he came here on foot. I'll ask Garcia to track down any residences within a 20 mile radius." Morgan said, pulling out his phone.

"Good. I'll check out the forested perimeter and maybe that gas station. Reid, Y/N, you look around the warehouse, it's in bad shape, so watch out for any structural hazards." Hotch planned. Basically giving the Scooby-Doo "let's split up gang!" Spiel.

You sighed.

Yay, more time alone with Spencer and he's wearing that tight FBI vest, lovely. Christmas must have come early this year.

You held your firearm out like you had seen in the show; walking cautiously behind Spencer, while scoping out the perimeter.

Something caught your eye in your peripherals as you turned to look behind the building. You looked directly at a dark, distant figure, Spencer still moving forward.

You squinted in the bright sun, the figure was getting closer, and it wasn't Hotch or Morgan. It was the same figure from the hotel in Montana.

You pointed your gun at it, fear making your throat tighten.

"Spencer," you called.

He circled back next to you and pointed his firearm up, following your line of sight. You grew confused as he began to lower his weapon.

"W-What are you doing Spence?" You adjusted your footing, not sure if you wanted to run away or catch this guy; if he even was the unsub.

"Y/N, no one is there." Spencer turned to you, looking concerned.

"Are you joking? He's right there! Oh god, he's getting closer."

"What does he look like?"

"H-He has a trench coat on and a hat, like a 1950s businessman hat. He has long dark grey hair and a scraggly beard and his face is very ashy. His cheekbones are hollow, like starving hollow, not like model cheekbones hollow. He's wearing brown corduroy pants and some old brown dress shoes. He looks maybe in his 70s with a long grey beard. He's roughly around 6 ft 3in, I think." You described.

The man was now a basketball court's length away from you and Spencer.

"Where is he now?" Spencer narrowed his eyes, desperately trying to see the man.

"A few feet in front of us."

Spencer slowly moved in front of you, pushing you behind him as if he could see the man coming and protect you. The mysterious man moved closer and closer. Despite where you an Spencer were at emotionally, you appreciated his unwavering support in this moment.

"I know you," the man said; smiling and tilting his head.

"Who are you?" You asked, afraid and not sure of his intentions.

Spencer turned his head to look at you, you were staring at the man, unable to move out of fear.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is you aren't supposed to be here."

"What do you want?" He stands in front of Spencer, too close, but Spencer can't see him. You go to push Spencer out of the way, not wanting him to get hurt by someone he couldn't defend himself from, but he stood his ground and held you back.

"To take you back where you came from."

"Why?"

"You're not from here."

"So?"

"You do not belong here. You must go back."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, creep." You tightened your grip around your firearm.

"It will hurt more if you return later."

"Why do you want me to return?"

"Let's just say- So the show can return to its normal scheduling."

Way to be mysterious without giving away any tangible information.

"I don't want to leave."

"I know. You love him. How sad. You were never meant to meet. Someone made that decision. They were wrong. I will have you return." The man inched closer, but stopped suddenly, darkening his eyes at Spencer.

"Try me, bitch." You narrowed your eyes, angry that he knew your personal feelings for Spencer and angry that he wanted anything to do with your life.

"Very well, you will return later then. Don't say I didn't warn you. Your decision will not only hurt you, but it will hurt him too." The man smiled a wicked smile and turned and walked away.

You managed to release yourself from Spencer's body shielding, jumping in front of him.

"Do what you want to me, but I won't let you hurt him!" You yelled after the man.

You pulled out your gun to run after him and apprehend him. Spencer dove out, holding you back.

"There's no evidence that bullets can effect him. If I can't see him, I highly doubt they will. It might be a trap." Spencer explained.

Spencer was right, you were sure the man wasn't even human, or if you would be able to actually touch him. If he was, he was able to tap into some weird inter-dimensional, science shit that made it so Spencer couldn't see him.

Your hands shook as you pocketed your firearm.

Spencer let out a breath and spun you around, embracing you. "I couldn't protect you. I couldn't see him. I'm sorry."

"No, no it's fine Spence. He's tapped into something beyond our understanding; some more of that quantum stuff. Though, I think, somehow, you were stopping him from coming any closer to me."

"What did he want? I only caught your side of the conversation."

"He wants me to return to my reality. I asked him why and he said all this convoluted shit." You shook your head, frustrated, stepping back, but still holding Spencer's arms.

"Maybe I can decipher it."

"He said I don't belong here. I must go back. So the show can return to its normal scheduling. He said someone made the decision that I should meet you, but he doesn't agree with them. He said my decision to not freely go with him right now would hurt not only me, but also you," you paraphrased. "I don't know how to stop him. What if he succeeds? What if I'm ripped away from this life?" You rub at your temples. Dread filling your core.

"I won't let that happen."

You wanted to stay here. You could be strictly friends with Spencer Reid, but to lose him completely? That would destroy you at this point. How could he stop an unsub that he couldn't see?

************************************************************************

You returned home to pack for your stay, with Spencer as your designated chaperone. You both stayed silent on the drive there until you walked inside.

"Y/N, about what you said at work-" Spencer scratched his temple as he idled near the entryway.

"Spencer, if I'm going to be staying with you for a long period of time, I need you to drop this," you stated, beginning to ascend the stairs. You felt lightheaded as you still had neglected to feed yourself since that morning; it was evening now. You held the rail with both hands and took a deep breath.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Spencer walked up behind you.

"Fine-just-dizzy." You mumbled.

"What have you had to eat today?" Spencer asked, going into serious doctor mode.

"Coffee."

Spencer waited for you to continue. His eyebrow raised as you didn't speak.

"Just coffee? You're going to make yourself sick. Not to mention your high stress levels already, you're going to give yourself a panic attack." Spencer scolded.

"I already did this morning. I'm stressed and I don't eat when I'm stressed, okay?"

"You had a panic attack?" His face paled.

"Not a full-on one, but yes." You caught your breath and stomped to the top of the stairs. You made your way to your closet.

"Y/N we really do need to talk!" Spencer's voice grew louder as he walked in.

You pulled a suitcase out and began folding clothes inside.

"Then talk Spencer. If not now, then we have a lot of future time together to do so," you sighed.

Spencer kneeled on the floor next to you.

"When you kissed me, I thought it was a spontaneous rebound move. High stress chemicals clouding your judgement. I didn't think someone like you could actually be attracted to me."

"Spencer you've kissed far hotter women than me."

"That was on the show?!" Spencer blushed.

You nodded.

"What are you trying to say Spence?"

"I'm saying-" he licked his lips. "You're beautiful; you don't have to worry about anyone else I've kissed. You're the most fascinating person I've ever met; not just because you traveled through a multi-verse to get here. You're a dreamer, and you look at me with these doe-eyes. You're incredibly strong-willed, although now I think you're also physically strong too because your knuckles aren't extremely bruised from that punch. I want to protect you all the time, but I find you protecting me too. You're funny and I feel like you understand me more than anyone else. I-I get nervous when I'm around you and I can't articulate my thoughts, which is admittedly frustrating for someone with my IQ. I want to hold you constantly and hide you away from everything that bothers you. I actually know every English dictionary definition, and some French, of the the word 'love' and I know it encapsulates all of these other words like passion, attraction, devotion, and so on. That is the only word I can think of that properly describes what I feel for you, and every word that falls under its definition. I didn't kiss you back because I thought you didn't actually feel the same way, I thought you were full of adrenaline and anger and you needed comfort; I didn't want to take advantage of that. But now I know that I was horribly wrong and I hurt you. I am so sorry I walked out on you without explaining myself, Y/N. I-I hate that I made you cry and I understand if you don't want to be around me. I can ask Rossi if he can take you in, if that's what you want."

"Spencer" You croaked. Your throat tightening.

He wrung his hands, nervously, in his lap. Waiting on bated breath for your input.

"Please kiss me," you pleaded.

Without missing a beat, Spencer cradled your face in his hands and pulled you to him in a kiss. You immediately reciprocated.

All of that crying for this stupid genius. This man that kissed you like he could lose you at any moment.

His movements were hesitant, unsure, but determined. From an outsider's perspective, a kiss was simply skin to skin contact. You'd done it in acting classes countless times and it was just that. It's the context and emotions that make a kiss mean something. Spencer's lips pressed against yours and you'd never felt anything like it. Your lips nearly tingled, all your senses felt heightened.

You raked your hand through his hair to hold him closer. This made him bolder as he traced his tongue along your lips.

Did he even have to ask? You granted him access, opening up everything, your whole self; you wanted him to take.

Your heart knew this was special. The magnetic pull in your chest buzzed in an electric storm, finally not pulling you to an unknown force. Spencer was that force, he was the other end of the magnet, the thing that pulled you here.

You slowed the kiss. He was nervous and moving too fast. As his tongue danced with yours, you let him have his dominance, but you also guided him. The slower movements allowed you both to put more emotions into it; it was almost too sensual for a first kiss.

Spencer pulled away first, his forehead resting against yours. You leaned up and stole one more kiss, making him smile.

"I love you Spencer." You whispered.

"I love you too. The old you and the real you." He kissed you again. Your hands fell around his neck and down further to his shoulders. This was the first time you could freely touch him. Your hands reached his chest and you placed your palms flat, feeling his heartbeat. It was as erratic as yours. It was real, and it was his.

You were the one with the strength to pull away. You were still lightheaded from the lack of food and this wasn't helping. In fact everything was spinning.

"Spencer I-" Your head lolled and your body dropped forward. Spencer reached out to catch you and you fainted in his arms.

You woke up not even a minute later. Spencer was holding you, but he had positioned you so that you were lying horizontally over his lap.

"Kissing someone has never made me faint before," you mumbled, clutching your head.

"You're body was under too much stress and you've had 0 sustenance." Spencer stood, somehow easily lifting you with him. You knew he was toned, but skinny, you'd already seen him half-naked; where was he hiding this magical strength?

"Where are we going?" Your words came out slurred. Spencer answered by gently laying you on your bed, the sheets were long forgotten in the wash. You definitely would have to buy new ones.

"You are going to lay here and rest," he used the extra pillow to elevate your legs.

"Why are you lifting my legs?"

"You've fainted and you need to get your blood flowing in your brain again." He explained.

"Oh."

He leaned down and kissed your forehead, smoothing your hair back over your ear.

"Are you trying to make me faint again Reid?" This was the first time you had used his last name, you wanted to channel Hotch's energy.

You were also a little bit delirious.

"Your blood sugar and your blood pressure is low. I'm going to go downstairs and find some food with sugar and salt in it. Meanwhile; nap." He nodded.

"I'm not supposed to be left alone, Hotch's orders," you pouted.

"I'll just be downstairs."

"Fiiiiine."

You watched him smile and shake his head before turning and leaving. You listened to his steps as he walked down the stairs, counting each one, and already missing him. Ugh, you had it bad for this man, and normally you would be terrified of that fact. Terrified that someone could have so much power over you by simply just existing.

Soon enough the exhaustion finally took over and you fell asleep. When you came-to, Spencer was gently coaxing you awake.

"I thought you might want to eat out on the balcony, open some windows, and get some fresh air."

"Mmm sounds good," you groaned. You rubbed your tired eyes.

Spencer helped you up, holding your waist as you descended the stairs. You felt sluggish and tired, Spencer was right, all of the stress was catching up with you.

He helped you sit on the pretty balcony. It was enclosed, but he had propped open some of the windows inside. The smell of all the plants inside mixed with the night air, making it easier to think clearly. Spencer waited on you, first bringing out the silverware and cups, then a tray of food. The plates were covered with serving lids. You giggled at how seriously he was taking this.

"This may not be a proper dinner but-" Spencer lifted the lids. "I think I owe you this."

Your jaw dropped, as if he had just proposed. Omelets and blueberry muffins.

Spencer Reid was better than his Criminal Minds character, you determined; his fans had no idea.

Next Chapter

#spencer reid fic #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid #cm #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fic #fanfiction #drama #romance

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marveloussupernerd · 4 years

Text

Forgiveness - Platonic! Saeran Choi (Romantic! 707 lowkey too)

No this is not what I planned to post tonight but I forgot I had hw and now I’m tired lol. I still think Saeran had a thing for MC in Seven’s after ending but didn’t really go into it too much here. But I’m just saying...

Warnings: panic attack, PTSD, spoilers for Seven’s real name and the Secret Ending!

Summary: you know Saeran is Saeyoung’s brother, but you knew him first as the hacker who sent you to the RFA, who threatened your security, who held you in a chokehold and threatened to blow you up. Obviously he was mentally manipulated... but it’s hard to get the image and fear out of your mind. Lowkey Seven x MC, takes place after Seven’s route

You were seeing Saeran for the first time since everything that happened at Mint Eye. Saeyoung hadn’t wanted you to; he said he was still unstable. But he was home with his brother now. And he probably wasn’t completely mentally stable. But Saeyoung, after receiving his surgery, had to go through physical therapy and was told to take it easy, especially when it came to housework. You just wanted to help.

Saeran had been in the hospital for a while; the doctors had said he was improving, but then he lashed out at one of them, physically harming him. So maybe he wasn’t completely ready. But! You would try your best not to be nervous.

You knocked on the door to Seven’s house and it started prompting ridiculous tasks. Fortunately, he opened the door almost immediately, saving you the struggle. “Hi,” you smiled, holding his waist very gently, afraid of hurting him in any way. “How are you?”

He rested his hands on your shoulders. “Good, good. A... lot going on.” He looked nervous, but he moved from his spot and waved you inside.

“Don’t be so nervous, Babe. I’m just here to help you get things together for Saeran’s room and maybe make some dinner,” you reassured him. Goddamn you were nervous, and he wasn’t helping.

“Oh! Yeah. I had the frame sent to the house for a new bed, but obviously I can’t put it all together on my own,” he explained, rubbing his arm absentmindedly.

“I don’t know how handy I am, but as long as you tell me how to do it I can do it no problem!” You wanted to bring that confidence to the room. It made him break out into a grin.

“His room will be right over here.” He opened the door to the room. “He offered to bring in the box,” he pointed to the box, “but didn’t know who to build it.”

“Where is Saeran?” You looked around, wondering if you had missed him.

“Oh, he’s showering. He tends to spend a while in there reflecting or whatever. We’ll probably finish the bed by the time he gets done.”

“You have a lot of faith in me,” you giggled, rolling your eyes.

And it was well-put faith. Seven barked out instructions dramatically, helping you pick out which pieces go together and how. It was surprisingly not that bad? Good thing you hadn’t gotten it from IKEA.

There was a spare mattress in the closet. Why? Who knows, but you ignored that fact. Putting a mattress on the bed by yourself was... nearly impossible. Saeyoung ended out having to help you a little, bypassing his doctor’s orders, but he only lifted things for just for a few seconds, so apparently it was fine.

“There are blankets and sheets in the closet too. Divide and conquer? You get the sheets and I find some pillows?” He offered.

“Sure, sure,” you grinned. He left the room and you got to work in the closet, standing on your tiptoes to reach the sheets on the top shelf. You tried to make sure not to accidentally knock some of Saeran’s clothes off the hangers as you brought it down, but they still rattled a little. Still, everything was in place.

You turned out of the closet with sheets bunched up in your arms pretty quickly. And there was... Saeran, bumping right into you as he tried to enter the closet. His eyes turned dark, he jumped and wrapped his fingers around your throat.

He hadn’t even put any force into it. He had to train himself not to act this way. It was hard. But you still passed out. Why? He didn’t put any pressure on it? He caught you as you went to fall, picking you up and setting you on the mattress. He yelled for Saeyoung at the top of his lungs.

He rushed into the room. “Shit! Saeran, what happened?” He knelt next to the bed, taking in your form.

“I don’t know, I panicked. I thought someone was going to get me and I jumped into action. I...” he was so embarrassed. “I almost choked her. I wrapped my hand around her throat. Didn’t put any pressure on it but... I think I frightened her.”

You opened your eyes hazily. Saeyoung was kneeling next to the bed, your attacker hanging over him. You didn’t realize you were frantically backing away until you had fallen off the opposite side of the bed onto the hard floor. Seven came rushing over to you. You buried your face in his chest, crying. He wrapped his arms around you.

You were hyperventialting. What was he supposed to do? He rubbed your back, whispering to you that it was okay. Saeran stood there, staring confused, feeling like a piece of shit. You were having a panic attack or some form of PTSD. Who could blame you? He had broken into your apartment and choked you in the past. Sure he was trying to be different... but he was still a monster. He ran out of the room, desperate to help you.

“Saeyoung,” you heard Saeran whisper. You glanced up at him from your current embrace, vision so smeared and teary that you could barely make him out.

He said your name apologetically, his voice soft. “This might help,” he held out an orange. “I don’t know... I thought it could help ground you. I’m so so sorry... I just thought that it was someone from Mint Eye.”

You took it from his hands, his fingers brushing over yours. They felt a lot like Saeyoung’s, which shouldn’t be such a surprise. He had a lot more callouses on the palm of his hands though, while Saeyoung’s mostly were on the sides of his fingers or his fingertips. You were taking way too long feeling you his hand for this orange. It was weird.

You left Saeyoung’s embrace, feeling sort of shaky, and sat on the end of the bed. Saeran knelt down next to you; you were taller than him in this position. It made him feel much less threatening. “The doctors at the hospital used to do this for me when the medicine triggered me. I doubt there’s any science behind it... but grounding yourself helps.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I was so pissed off though I was shit about grounding myself.”

Saeyoung coughed, cutting Saeran off. “Oh! But, uh, this always helped me. The color’s bright, the scent is strong, the taste is all... sour to me honestly. You’ve gotta peel it... you’re focusing all your senses on one thing. Uh, at least I think that’s how it works.”

You nodded, eyes downcast on the orange. Your hands were shaky as you tried to peel it, to at least get it started. You just couldn’t seem to focus enough to get it. Saeyoung knelt down on your other side. Two twins on both sides. It was almost funny. He slowly moved his hands towards yours, and when you didn’t move them away he rested them on top of yours, helping you move to start the peeling.

Once you got started it became easier. The scent was strong as always. It reminded you of lunch in elementary school when you could tell someone across the table had an orange in their lunchbox; you could always smell it. You tore off a piece and put it in your mouth, eyes shutting to focus on the taste. You had just bought it today, so it wasn’t at its completely ripe prime, but it was still okay. A little sour, but it tasted like an orange alright.

You repeated these steps, focused on your breathing and the orange and the complete silence of the room, until you finished about half the fruit.

Your eyes opened. You took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Better.”

“I’m so so so sorry,” Saeran frowned, still kneeling by your side. “I feel like the worst person ever. I never meant to do that to you.”

“It’s okay,” you gave him a small smile. “It’s... something we need to work on. Making our presence known.”

Saeyoung stayed silent, watching the scene unfold without a word. What could he say? Add to the situation? They had been through so much because of him and he was the only one to emerge mostly unscathed.

“I promise I’ll be more careful around you too. What I did in the past... is really unforgivable.” He couldn’t meet your eye. “I appreciate you being nice to me.”

“It’s not unforgivable.” You disagreed, shaking your head. “I understand what you’re going through; not completely, but hey. We can maybe work through this trauma together? You helped me a lot.”

He smiled a little, looking up at you. “Thank you. Truly. Both of you. For giving me a second chance.”

“Maybe not now, but when you get more comfortable, I’d love to give you a hug,” you told Saeran, a small giggle slipping out of your mouth as you thought about how silly the proposition was. “I dunno, you’re just so sweet and deserve so much more than what you’ve been dealt.”

“I wanna hug him first!” Saeyoung called.

“You’ve already hugged me you idiot.” Saeran replied, rolling his eyes. You could see from the glint that he was just messing with his brother though. He turned his attention back to you. “Are we okay?” He held his hand out, palm up, to you.

You took it, shaking his hand, holding it gently even after the shake. “We’re gonna be okay Saeran. Promise.”

Saeyoung bounced on the bed next to you, very gently (but enthusiastically) wrapping his arms around you in a hug. You jumped for half a second, dropping Saeran’s hand, but relaxed immediately when you realized who it was. You could tell by the way his chin dug into your shoulder so perfectly.

“You’re adorable,” he chuckled, placing kisses on your cheek. “But I was worried about you.”

You smiled, pressing a quick kiss to his lips then letting him continue his attack. “I’m okay. We’re all gonna be okay.”

“Seeing you two put things in the past like this... it just warms my heart.” He put a hand over his heart dramatically.

“Please get out of my room,” Saeran whined. “Before I suffocate you with my bedding.”

Seven lifted you into his arms, running out of the room frantically, as though he actually thought his brother would do such a thing. Maybe in the past, but not anymore. Saeran was changing for the better, and the two of you were there to help him.

#mystic messenger #mysme #Saeran Choi #707 #saeyoung choi

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ofdragonsdeep · 3 years

Text

20: Petrichor

The wound only heals once you've pulled out the knife.

(HW spoilers, implied m!WoLxThancred and m!WoLxHaurchefant)

Soft snow tumbled down from the grey clouds above, a thin layer of fragile white settling on the shoulders of Ar’telan’s armour as he sat on the wall at Falcon’s Nest and stared out into the Highlands beyond. The stiff breeze brought a numbing cold, not that it made much impact on his statue-still vigil, his face stoic and his mind churning with regrets.

The peace conference had gone poorly, if one was being kind. Instead of the usual assault by heretics that Ishgard was used to, this time it was the victims of war rising up in anger. He could not even blame them for their anger, knowing intimately the wellspring from which it drew, but this?

He should not have accepted the drink. He should have known better. But it stung more than the cold that they thought he did not understand the way they suffered.

“I wondered if I might find you out here. Still hurts, does it?”

Thancred, solid and steady as always. He hopped up on to the wall beside him with customary grace, sitting easily upon the parapet and following Ar’telan’s gaze, as though there were anything of interest to be found at the end of it.

“I don’t need your pity,” Ar’telan said, and Thancred sighed, shaking his head.

“No, you don’t,” he agreed. “Maybe that was indelicate of me. Apologies.” Ar’telan made a muted noise of acknowledgement, looking away until he felt the touch of fingers brush the snow from his shoulders. A fleeting part of him yearned for what was gone - Haurchefant and the knights teaching him the proper way to dry snow-stained gear, coming in from training covered in sleet and mud, Thancred’s touch on the edge of his robe - but it quickly warped and distorted. A hole in a shield, a wound in his heart, Lahabrea muting his voice with a grip on his wrists. He stiffened, and Thancred withdrew.

“...Sorry,” Ar’telan managed, and Thancred made a wearied noise.

“I should think we’ve moved past that part of things,” he said. “How are you holding up? Beside the obvious, I mean.”

“You should not have hit him,” Ar’telan said, which made Thancred start in surprise. “He made poor choices, but so did all of us, at one point or another. He is small, and scared, and alone. It wasn’t needed.”

“You’re the only person who’s said that,” Thancred said, though he did not seem offended by the statement. “Maybe you’re right. You know them better than I do.” Ar’telan shook his head.

“Barely. Just- Just…” He cut himself off, a sharp inhalation of breath reminding him that he had been sat out here for a long time, and he was cold. ”I don’t want to think about it. How long before the Grand Melee?” Thancred shifted his position, resting one arm on a raised knee, considering the questions both asked and unasked, as he was wont to do.

“It will be some time before the Alliance gets themselves into gear, despite the initial offer,” he replied. “A few weeks at worst, a few days at best. What do you want the time to do?” Ar’telan made a noncommittal noise.

“I don’t know. It all feels like it’s too much,” he said. “It was horrible, what happened at the banquet, but at least it felt easier in Ishgard. Simpler, maybe. And then even that fell to pieces, and I… I feel like I break all that I touch.”

“Lahabrea was not your fault,” Thancred said, and Ar’telan flinched as though he was the one who had been struck, and not Emmanellain.

“No. I know that. But… Sometimes I wonder what the point of it is. The people, they… they see me as a hero. Here and in greater Eorzea. But what good is a bulwark if everything around it falls to pieces?”

Thancred was quiet for a while, an unusual state for him. Ar’telan looked over, saw the frown of thought on his face, the clouds in his aether-bleached eyes. It was easy to remember what had happened after the chaos at the Praetorium, the uncertainty and the anger of Thancred’s recovery - of his own. The wounds were undeniable, in both of them. But the way that the Flow had pulled them apart, even if Thancred himself had only tumbled out a few moons ago, gave them just enough distance for it to feel… distant, somehow. Less keen.

“Well, I can’t imagine that travelling on foot will be particularly fun for you, but I’ve a proposal, if you’ll hear it,” Thancred said eventually. Ar’telan nodded, keeping cautious distance. “It’s only a day’s ride by carriage to Thanalan, if you’ll come with me. Put a few malms between yourself and the pain, for a little while.” Ar’telan wasn’t sure there was anywhere on Eorzea that didn’t hold some poor memory, but it was far away from this pain, this betrayal, and he supposed it would do the job.

“Alright. You’re paying for it, though.”

---

Eastern Thanalan sat on the edge of the vast desert, where the Shroud gave way to high heat and cracked ground. The town around the aetheryte sat in a shaded dip just off the main road, which meant that when it rained - as it often did after the Calamity, and as it was when Ar’telan and Thancred arrived - the rain poured down the entry slopes and pooled on every available surface, leaving the townsfolk to slosh through it in despair.

“Not quite the weather I had in mind,” Thancred remarked as they took shelter in the tavern, Ar’telan shaking the water from his armour with a look of dismay writ on his face.

“I don’t even own an umbrella,” Ar’telan grumbled. Thancred chuckled, gesturing to a table with one hand before going over to the bar. Ar’telan watched with careful eyes, but he only ordered one drink, and did not try to pass it over.

“I think you’ve had quite enough liquid for one day,” Thancred said, though it was still obvious to Ar’telan that he had noticed his concern. He held in his embarrassment with the determination of a man who had killed gods.

“If you have not dragged me out here to watch you drink yourself under the table, why are we here?” he asked, trying not to let the bitterness show through in his voice. A look of annoyance passed over Thancred’s face, but it seemed he was being as coy with his emotions as Ar’telan was trying to be.

“Well, the idea was better before the weather turned, I’ll admit,” he said. “I thought it would be… nice, I suppose. Well, you’ve been collecting all of those seeds, haven’t you?” Ar’telan stiffened at the question, staring down at the table and feeling the fingers of his hands slowly curl against the wood. “There’s a clearing near the chasm here. Maybe you know it. Giant goobbue corpse, nothing too unusual - but it’s covered in odd flowers. They say it came down from the mountains before it died.” Ar’telan swallowed back the well of feelings that threatened to overwhelm him.

“Do you know why I…” he tried, his hand movements jerky and uncertain. Thancred took a long drink from his flagon, waiting in vain for Ar’telan to have the chance to finish, before sighing to himself.

“I’ve my suspicious, yes,” he answered. “If only because I’ve never seen anything else tether you so tightly. It’s for your elezen, right?” It was strange to hear it said without judgement, when they had all but ruined what remained of their friendship over his relationship with Haurchefant. When it had become clear that they would not, could not work again in the wounds that Lahabrea had left behind, the ascian’s spite tearing holes in them even after his forcible discorporation. He was dead now, truly dead, as Ar’telan understood it, but his shadow lingered yet.

“Yes,” he said, pulling his hands in close to his chest as he said it, the closest to a quiet word he could manage it.

“I said some things I regret back then, before all of this Ishgardian nonsense kicked off,” Thancred said, his tone light, but the admission was a serious one. “About you. About him. About a lot of things, if we’re being honest.” He glanced at the window, noting the rain hammering down on it, and shrugged. “I suppose we have time to be honest. I’m sorry.”

“You were not the only one who did things they regret,” Ar’telan replied, hands muted, head still bowed. “I don’t know if… if we could have made it work. If there was a solution for us after what the ascians did. But I did not help matters.” Thancred laughed at that, leaning back in his chair with a creak of old, sun-baked wood.

“Best not to spend too long dwelling on it, I think,” he said. “The ifs and the whys and the maybes - none of them matter in the now. Too many moons between them.” He tilted the flagon towards Ar’telan, who shook his head in refusal. “What matters is where we go. How we move forward. But on that, I would give the floor to you.”

“To me?” Ar’telan repeated, surprised. “Thancred, I… I don’t know. Finding a direction for myself is hard enough, never mind for two.” Thancred’s mouth creased up into a smile.

“It’s not a no,” he decided, draining the flagon. Ar’telan found the embarrassment on his face, the twist of his stomach, was not entirely fear or shame. The distance of moons indeed.

“It is not a yes, either,” he said, a stern look on his face. Thancred sighed.

“Yes, yes,” he said, a hand waving through the air as if to dismiss the concern. The look on his face was kind, though, as he brought his arms to the table to rest his head upon his hands. “I jest. Whatever life decides to throw at us, I will respect your distance. And I won’t ruin a friendship for a snuffed candle this time.” Ar’telan sighed.

“As long as you promise not to die, it is a start,” he decided.

“Well, on that front I can only promise my best.”

The sparse grass of the eastern reaches of Thanalan sparkled with collected rain, the ground still soft underfoot even though the clouds had cleared to make way for the stars of night. Ar’telan was knelt by the old goobbue’s grave, carefully collecting what few seeds the rain-soaked plants would offer him, Thancred leaning back against the swell of the ground and watching him work. It was a far cry from their first visit to eastern Thanalan, camped out by the little oasis in borrowed rags and a makeshift tent. It would not end the same, either, though Ar’telan noted the appreciative eyes on the taller man as he got to his feet. Not now. Not soon. But, perhaps, eventually. A bridge built between them by their suffering, instead of tearing out the planks in a misguided attempt to heal. The moon twinkled in the sky above them, a quiet witness to their sadness, and it felt a little like the storm had stopped.

If the clouds would abate, only time would tell.

#yells loudly I love this word #ffxivwrite2021 #m!WoLxThancred #Extremely complicated interpersonal relationships #eats it for dinner #ff14 #Warrior of Light (solo story)

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metaphorical-thoughtbubble · 4 years

Text

Quarantine health tip!!!

Ik the isolation is making everyone feel terrible, but here’s what I’ve noticed

If you’re feeling touched starved

Hug a firm pillow- it sort of feels like a person if you squeeze it tight enough and you can pretend it’s your friends /s.o

U can put a heating pad in it for a while and let it get warm so it feels like a real hug

If your feeling gross

I’ve been drinking a lot of water (cutting out sodas and juices) bc clean things make me feel clean

Brush your teeth, start a skincare routine of you don’t have one already

Cold showers make me feel better and they might help (too warm showers when I feel like shit make me feel worse)

!!Stretch!! This sounds dumb but stretching and doing mini exercises when I’m doing hw makes me feel like I’m being productive and loosing toxins idk it just does

Idk fruit?? Again “clean” things make me feel good but that’s just me (I’m not saying change your diet I’m just saying things that work for me specifically)

If your feeling out of school dumb/ can’t focus bc of whatever reason

Take it from an adhd kid who had NEVER been able to focus: when all the words in a paragraph mush together and you feel like crying, copy and paste into a google doc (so u can edit it), and try and separate the paragraphs so they are easier to look at

Lists?? Set a goal for yourself each day (I.e. do two classes a day/ finish 1/2 the slides today/ stuff like that)

USE YOUR NOTES bc who’s gonna know

Idk how to word this but a good playlist with earbuds really firm in your ears just hits different especially when the volumes at that level (good study music)

TAKE BREAK I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH online school is hard and frustrating and stressful TAKE BREAKS even if it’s just for a minute or two

If you’re feeling meaningless/ completely empty with no drive to do anything

Sleep, nobody will blame you

but also try to get up and follow a routine

Here’s mine:

Wake up

Back to sleep

Wake up again

Get dressed (it actually really helps when trying to feel normal)

Finish one school thing

Make eggs

Finish a second school thing/ finish first school thing

Anything else idk

If your missing borderline freedom/ friends/ want to feel like a TEENAGER AGAIN GODDAMNIT BECAUSE WE’RE STILL KIDS AND WE’RE ALLOWED TO MAKE DUMB CHOICES AND FUCK OUR LIFE UP A LITTLE BIT FOR SHORT TERM RELIEF

Make a “when quarantines over” playlist and keep adding songs to it to listen to in the car when your driving to your friends/ family’s house after social distancing

The playlist should make you feel like it’s gonna be a Tongue Tied or Ribs type of summer (if you don’t know what I mean 1. How dare you 2. Listen to it and you will)

Talk to some of your friends/ mutuals. FaceTime someone. Share stories. Have fun. Pretend it’s a sleepover. It won’t feel like one at all, but it’s ok to have a hazy daydream

Honestly? Have a good cry. Crying isn’t fun but you can pretend you’re in a movie and you’re in a heated arguement with the love interest

Fuck with your hair. Put it in little buns. Try out a new braid. Dye it. Cut it. Who CARES.

Find a way to sit on your roof

Climb a tree and put a pretty ribon on the highest place you touched

Rearrange your room. My bed is now next to my closet and it looks cooler over here

Paint something. Anything. Even be a coat hanger

Compliment someone you don’t know very well on Instagram/ any social. It’s not like you’re gonna see them the next day

Everyone’s saying this but watch something that’s been in your watchlist for a while

HARRY POTTER MARATHON AND MAKE YOUR FAMILY DO THE POTTERMORE TEST (my moms a ravenclaw, brothers a hufflepuff, and I’ve retaken the test 6 times; Each time ive taken it I’ve gotten slytherin. I like to think I’m a good slytherin not a mean one)

DO SOMETHING NOSTALGIC

Honestly? Ask someone out. Work on your flirting if you’re into that

DO A BIKERIDE DOWN AN OLD ROAD YOU REMEMBER FROM WHEN YOU WERE REALLY YOUNG AND SEE HOW YOUR MUSCLE MEMORY KICKS IN AND YOY MAKE TURNS YOU FORGOT ABOUT

I hope this helps even a little bit, and please, be safe. I love you all and you are imperfect and valid.

#please dont do any of these if thry might be harmful to you this is just what works for me and my person #gen z #text post #help post #quarantine #please be safe:)

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quicksilversquared · 5 years

Text

The Babysitting Fiasco

Alya and Nino aren't actually supposed to be pushing off their babysitting duties onto Marinette in favor of going on extra dates, but try telling them that. But after a poorly-timed akuma attack and a chance encounter set off a domino effect...well, they couldn't get away with it forever.

inspired by @zoe-oneesama‘s fantastic babysitting salt posts from...er, several months ago.

links in the reblog

Marinette took one glance at the clock as she headed for the stairs of the Grand Paris and groaned. She had hoped when the akuma of the day had popped up that they would be able to defeat it quickly so that she could get back to her normal work again, but no such luck. Instead, the akuma had taken longer than usual to defeat, and now there was absolutely no way that she could babysit for Alya and Nino and finish the homework that she needed done the next day, not unless she stayed up late to work on it and she really didn't want to do that again.

On top of all of that, her phone was dead, so she couldn't text Alya and let her know right now. By the time she ran home and got her charger, it would be practically time for Marinette to be over at Alya's house to take over watching the three kids. It would be too late for Alya to find someone else to babysit so that she and Nino could go out, and then they would be irritated with Marinette again.

Groaning more, Marinette picked up the pace. Maybe she would have to drop by Alya's apartment to let her know in person instead of texting- that might be faster, actually- but what if Alya wasn't there because she was out after chasing the akuma for the Ladyblog? Or what if Alya thanked her for coming and ran off before Marinette got the chance to say anything? She couldn't afford to turn in any more assignments late, and it wasn't smart to be running low on sleep, not when Marinette had to be alert and quick-thinking when battling akumas. No, she would have to go home and maybe use her mom's phone to text Alya first, and she would just have to deal with her best friend's annoyance later, but at least Marinette would be able to get her homework done and not fail and get grounded for a dozen years and-

"Hi, Marinette!"

Marinette skidded to a stop and turned around to see Alya's mom standing there by the stairwell door, apparently on her break. It took a second for that to sink in, and then Marinette perked up. Perfect! For once, her Ladybug luck was kicking in."Madam Césaire! Hi! You're, like, just the perfect person for me to run into right now!"

Madam Césaire laughed. "The perfect person? And why is that?"

"Alya asked yesterday if I could babysit for her and Nino again tonight and I said yes but I just realized that I really can't because I'm super crazy behind on my homework and I would text her but my phone is dead and by the time I get home, it'll be really late to let them know-" Marinette took a deep breath and finished- "so do you think that you could text her? I'll text her myself when I get my phone a bit charged, too, but I don't want to leave her hanging."

Madam Césaire considered Marinette's phone as she waved it in the air. "Actually, I can give you my phone charger so that you can text her yourself. I've got it right here, actually- my phone can finish charging later. Just give it to one of the wait staff and tell them it's mine once you're done."

Marinette perked up. "Oh, that's even better! Thank you, Madam Césaire!"

"It's no problem at all." Madam Césaire handed Marinette the charger with a smile. "I've got to go, but it was nice talking to you, Marinette."

Marinette waved good-bye, then went to go find an outlet to plug in her phone. It didn't take long for her phone to charge up enough for her to turn it on and open her messages.

Marinette: I'm so so so sorry but I can't babysit tonight! I'm REALLY behind on my homework and I know that I wouldn't be able to get it done with the twins and Chris running around! :( :( :(

It didn't take long to get a response. Marinette winced before opening it.

Alya: boo HW! You're always behind, aren't you? No worries, though, we got someone else to accept last-minute. Go catch up so that you can actually babysit next time!

Marinette cringed at that. She was always behind on homework, but it wasn't exactly her fault. She was a full-time superhero so she had less time to start with, and then when she missed class then she had to learn the material on her own, which could be hard sometimes. Alya and Nino were only part-time superheroes, so they weren't getting their normal lives interrupted anywhere near as often. They had plenty of free time. Marinette did not.

...Marinette also had a really hard saying no, which was why this kept happening in the first place.

Marinette: OK I'm glad that things worked out! Say hi to the girls and Chris for me!

With that sent, Marinette unplugged her phone and pushed herself up off the floor. She didn't have any time to waste, really. There were several assignments and papers that she had to get done tonight, and then she had to start getting ahead on her homework again so she wouldn't be scrambling to finish last minute.

Sometimes being a superhero really stunk.

Marlena Césaire had been having a relatively normal day. It was a typical weekday workday at the hotel, with only a handful of hotel guests having lunch in-house and maybe twice that number of off-the-street customers. Then there was a slight lull before dinner where all of the chefs could get some prep work done, and Marlena took advantage of the calm to duck out and take her break. She always did a bit of reading on her break and grabbed a snack, relaxing before the madness that was dinner rush and checking in with her kids to make sure that they were all right.

She had to hope that Otis would have a better work schedule soon. As head chef at the Grand Paris, she had to work most evenings so that the kitchen would run smoothly, and at the moment her husband had to work one evening a week and be on-call two other evenings. That meant that at least one evening per week the kids were home alone and Nora and Alya had to split babysitting duties, which wasn't entirely ideal. It did give them some feel for responsibility, which was good, but Nora had more and more commitments as she grew older and it wasn't fair to hold her back, and Alya had homework to do and it was easier to finish if she wasn't trying to keep Ella and Etta in line.

The phone call home went smoothly, and as her break came to an end she was feeling good about the evening. Alya had things under control at home, and she could focus on making the hotel kitchen run smoothly.

And then Alya's friend Marinette went zipping by, and after a quick exchange Marlena was left reeling. Alya had been having Marinette do her babysitting for her? More specifically, she had been having Marinette do babysitting for her and Nino, all without asking their parents first? This was the first time Marlena had heard of the arrangement.

Marlena liked knowing exactly what was going on at home and who was watching her girls. She liked knowing where her daughters were. Nora could come and go as she pleased- she was old enough, after all- but Alya needed to tell her parents where she was. And she wasn't.

(On top of that, somehow Marlena doubted that Alya and Nino were paying Marinette for babysitting for them, and considering that Alya at least was getting a significant bonus to her allowance for babysitting- well, that just wasn't right.)

She Was Not Happy.

Alya was taking advantage of being home alone with the twins to go on secret dates with Nino, that much was clear. And she was taking advantage of her friends in order to do that. Marinette had seemed quite frantic when she dashed by, and it wasn't okay for Alya to be asking her friends to babysit when they were struggling to keep up with their homework, even if she had asked her parents for permission first.

So now she had to decide what to do. Marinette clearly hadn't realized that she had told on Alya, so Marlena could catch her daughter red-handed. If she got off early tonight- which was possible, she could ask her second-in-command to take over because of a family emergency- she could get home early and see if Alya was gone.

Which she would be, Marlena knew. When Marinette sent her phone charger back in with a server, she had also passed along the message that a different friend- Alya hadn't said who- would be babysitting instead. That was very, very useful information, though also worrying.

Marlena had met Marinette before and seen her with kids. She was trustworthy, if perhaps a little easily overwhelmed. But she didn't know anything about this other person. Who knew if they were trustworthy or could deal well with children?

So Marlena went to her second-in-command and told him that she would have to leave a couple hours early, timed so that Alya would most certainly be out with Nino and not yet back. It was unfortunate and not a habit that she wanted to get into- she needed to take her duties as head chef responsibly, after all- but it was a bit of a family emergency.

So a couple hours earlier than usual, Marlena clocked out and headed home. Her apartment door swung open to reveal three wide-eyed kids listening to a girl who Marlena had most certainly never met before, who was in the middle of telling them about how she had saved a whole train's worth of people on an amusement park ride in London after a safety feature on the ride broke.

...yeah, that sounded perfectly believable. Not. Marlena raised an eyebrow and let the door click shut loudly.

The voices in the other room abruptly cut off and four pairs of eyes swung towards her. Ella and Etta lit up at once, jumping up and running over to her for hugs. Chris waved. The stranger babysitter turned pale.

Interesting. Did she perhaps know that Alya wasn't supposed to be having her friends babysit for her? It was strange that Marinette didn't, then.

"Madam Césaire! Hi, I'm Lila Rossi, Alya's friend," the girl said, recovering and hopping up to greet her. "She didn't tell me that you would be returning early tonight!"

"And Alya didn't tell me that she was having her friends babysit for her," Marlena said, ignoring the girl's hand for the moment. Something about this girl wasn't sitting right with her. Maybe it was the lie that she had overheard as she came in, maybe it was Lila's reaction to seeing Marlena, maybe it was-

Wait.

Lila Rossi? Marlena remembered Alya talking about this girl, actually. There had been some really questionable stories that Alya had conveyed, and Marlena had assumed that the clearly unbelievable details were mostly thanks to Alya's tendency to embellish and exaggerate. Now, though...

It seemed that Alya was probably relaying the stories pretty much as told, and the problem lay with the initial teller of the (clearly untrue) tales. The initial teller, who had apparently been trusted to watch children.

Lila clutched at her shirt and sighed dramatically. After cooking for actors both established and aspiring for years, Marlena could recognize acting when she saw it, and this girl was most certainly making up a story on the spot. "Yes, well, it was just the once- apparently Alya and Nino had reservations at this restaurant nearby that they really wanted to go to but the staff messed up on their reservation date and put it today rather than on the weekend, and they either had to give up the reservation or get a substitute sitter and they had so been looking forward to it, so of course I offered to step in. They must have forgotten to tell you! School's been so busy lately, so of course that's understandable."

Marinette had said something about babysitting again. Lila was claiming that this was a one-time thing and that she had been lined up to help out ages in advance. They were completely contradictory claims.

Marlena knew who she believed, and it wasn't the girl in front of her. Just in case, though, she would be asking the kids in front of her once Lila was gone.

"Well, thank you for coming in," Marlena said rather than arguing with this girl. If she was right and Lila was a liar- which was pretty obvious, honestly, Marlena dealt with celebrity clients on a near-daily basis and she knew that they wouldn't be falling over themselves to give favors to some 14-year-old girl that they had met once, and ambassadors weren't going to be meeting up with all sorts of celebrities anyway- then there would be no point in arguing. "I can take care of the kids now. Alya can pay you whatever she's promised at school in the morning."

"Oh, no pay needed!" Lila said cheerfully. "I volunteered to do it. I love working with kids- I volunteered a bunch of time at an orphanage when I was in Africa for a summer as part of my charity organization for disadvantaged kids."

...well, that explained why Alya thought that this Lila character was an acceptable emergency babysitter.

"That's very nice," Marlena said politely. "Do you need to call someone for pickup?"

Lila shook her head. "No, I'll take the bus. It's not that late yet. Bye-bye, guys!" she called, waving to the three kids. "Good night!"

"Bye, Lila!"

And with one last wave, Lila was out the door. Marlena waited for a minute to make sure that she wasn't coming back, and then she turned to the kids.

"All right," Marlena said, placing her hands on her hips and surveying the three of them. "I have some questions for you three, and I'd like some answers."

By the time Nino and Alya returned (far too late for collège students to be out, especially without their parents' knowledge), Marlena had interrogated the younger kids and found out that Alya had been going out with Nino instead of babysitting every week, and Lila had babysat for her three times in total, not just the once. Marinette had done all of the other times, including some times when the twins were with Nora but Marinette had babysat Chris for Nino, or when Chris was at home with his parents but the twins were with Marinette.

She suspected, based off of what Lila had said, that Marinette had been paid for exactly zero of that. That would be coming out of Alya's allowance so that Marinette would actually be compensated for the not insignificant amount of time that she had spent roped into babysitting.

Marlena had called up Otis to let him know what was going on, and he had come home early, too. Then she called up Nino's parents. Just as she had suspected, they had thought that their two sons were at home, not over at the Césaire apartment, and they were none too happy to find out that Nino had been sneaking out behind their backs.

Twenty minutes before Otis would have normally returned home, Marlena heard Alya's keys turn in the lock. She and Otis exchanged a look, sitting up at the table and fixing the door with a stern stare.

Alya and Nino stepped in, heads together as they laughed about something. They were clearly absorbed with each other, so Marlena cleared her throat pointedly. Their heads whipped towards her at once, and she had the great pleasure of watching the blood drain from their faces.

"You two were meant to be babysitting separately tonight," Otis started sternly. "Each at your own homes. Instead, you had a friend that we hadn't ever met watching all three kids. Explain yourselves. Now."

Marinette came into school feeling really good. The homework that she had to get done hadn't taken her quite as long as she had expected (though she still wouldn't have been able to get it done if she had been babysitting), so she had gone ahead and gotten ahead on a couple other assignments, knocking out most of an essay and doing some research for her Civics class. It put her in a pretty good position, and she had even gotten to go to bed on time for the first time in nearly a week.

So she was well-rested, caught up, and relaxed. Marinette had plans to continue her work over lunch, since she was on a roll with both research and her essay, and then maybe she could actually be able to do some designing for the first time in-

In-

Well, she had done some sketching between classes, sure, but she hadn't gotten to sit down and design for a while. Things had just been too busy.

Marinette was not expecting Alya to storm in, looking miserable and upset and a little bit angry. She slammed down into her seat, scowling.

"Someone must have ratted me and Nino out to my parents!"

...pardon?

"What?"

Alya's face was red. "I got home last night and my parents were already home and they were furious that I had been going out on dates with Nino and having other people babysit for us- well, having you and Lila babysit, at least- without telling them, and now I'm grounded and not allowed to go on any dates with Nino for at least a month and I'm having my allowance chopped- and when I was so close to saving up for a new camera for reporting, too- and there's no way that they just happened to come home early!"

Marinette's gut twisted as she absorbed that onslaught of information. She knew exactly how Madam Césaire found out about Alya's stand-in babysitters, and she felt so, so guilty about it. But she- she hadn't known! It had been reasonable to assume that Alya and Nino's parents knew about their dates and substitute babysitters, right? The two of them had been going out and staying out past dark, and if Marinette were in their shoes, her parents would definitely know what she was up to. They'd be super upset about her going behind their back to do stuff.

(Superhero activities excluded, of course.)

And Alya had definitely never told Marinette that her parents didn't know about the whole arrangement.

"Like, we've been doing this just fine for months, and we've been getting back a good half-hour before my dad gets off to be safe, just like Lila suggested," Alya continued, and Marinette frowned. Lila had suggested it? Lila hadn't even been at school when Nino and Alya started shirking their babysitting duties to go out on dates. "And we bribe the girls and Chris not to mention having a different babysitter with extra dessert. And then all of a sudden, this happens."

"You were coming back before your parents even before Lila got back to Paris," Marinette pointed out, frowning. "And at the same time, too."

Alya snorted, waving that off. "Text messages exist, silly. I was in contact with Lila the entire time she was traveling, because I wanted to hear about all of the cool stuff she was up to! When I told her about having to babysit and not getting to have enough dates with Nino, she suggested that I just ask someone else to babysit. And I knew my parents wouldn't approve, so that was when she suggested giving ourselves plenty of buffer time." Alya sighed. "It worked really well! Until yesterday. I can't believe it! We got betrayed!"

Nino slid into the seat in front of Alya. He looked exhausted, too. "Babe, I told you before, it might just have been really bad timing. Maybe it was a slow night at the Grand Paris and your mom decided to come home early. I've been around your place enough to hear her saying that she'd like to be at home with you guys more."

Alya slumped in her seat. "Maybe. But Lila said that she told my mom that it was just the once and she made an excuse for us, but mom seemed to know that there had been a lot of times."

"She might have asked the kids directly, and they probably told her everything," Nino countered. "Seriously, Al. No one told on us."

Marinette swallowed hard as Nino patted Alya's hand comfortingly. She still looked like a stormcloud, and was unlikely to calm down soon. Lila came in then, going straight to Alya and immediately lamenting about what had happened the previous night. Marinette tuned her out, feeling dread twisting in her gut.

She really should admit to accidentally telling Madam Césaire, but Alya was clearly furious about her bonus dates coming to an end and all of the associated punishments that came with her parents finding out. On top of that, she and Marinette had been going through some rough spots lately because Marinette still refused to accept Lila and Alya refused to entertain the idea that Lila was a liar. Marinette didn't want to admit to her mistake only for Alya to give her the cold shoulder for who-knew-how-long.

The rock sat in Marinette's stomach all morning as Alya stewed next to her. She hadn't- she hadn't known, she hadn't meant for this to happen, she just wanted to make sure that Alya knew that she couldn't do the babysitting with enough time to find someone else. Marinette had tried to do the responsible thing, and it had backfired.

She should do the responsible thing and 'fess up, too. But Marinette was scared.

"You seem distracted, love," Mrs. Cheng commented as Marinette picked at her lunch listlessly. "Anything that you want to talk about?"

Marinette considered it and then decided that yeah, she definitely needed to talk to her mom. It would help to have a second opinion. So she started explaining. Partway through, her dad came up to eat, too, and paused to listen in, leaning on the counter as he ate.

"I know I should tell her," Marinette finished miserably. "But..."

"Well, if you want my opinion- normally I would say yes, you need to tell Alya," Mr. Dupain said, exchanging a look with Mrs. Cheng, and Marinette wilted. "But not in this case, unless Alya admits that she was in the wrong for not telling you that she didn't have her parents' permission first. From what you're telling me, it sounds like she and Nino are ignoring that they put themselves in that position. She would blame her punishment entirely on you and that isn't fair."

Marinette blinked in surprise and looked to her mom. Mrs. Cheng was nodding, too.

"I wouldn't have been comfortable with you doing babysitting for Alya and Nino if we had known that her parents didn't approve," Mrs. Cheng told Marinette. "And frankly, I was going to say something about it soon. We've noticed that you've seemed pretty stretched thin lately and picking up unpaid babysitting definitely wasn't helping."

"And Alya knows that you have trouble saying no," Mr. Dupain added. "And it sounds like they took advantage of that. And they took advantage of it quite a bit."

Marinette paused, then nodded because they were right. She had been more stressed every time that her friends begged her to babysit because they 'so wanted to go on this cool date'. She didn't want to disappoint them, so she accepted unless she really couldn't spare any time.

"This will teach them a lesson about honesty, hopefully," Mrs. Cheng added. "And it might help the two of them take a step back and realize that they've been neglecting other things in favor of their relationship. For example, their friendship with you. True friends shouldn't take advantage of each other like they did to you, and they should have noticed that the added responsibility was stressing you out."

"And they also need to realize that going on dates was not more important than their responsibilities," Mr. Dupain added. "If they wanted to do some extra dates, then they should have asked their parents first, then made sure that you had time to spare. But from what I've heard, they got one date a week normally anyway, which is plenty at your age."

"But what if Alya finds out later and gets mad at me then for not telling her?" Marinette asked anxiously. She could see where her parents were coming from- Alya had lied by omission first- but she just wanted to cover every possibility.

"Well, hopefully by then she would have cooled off a bit," Mrs. Cheng told her. "And will be more open to admitting that she should have been upfront with you in the first place." She leaned across the counter, placing her hands on Marinette's shoulders. "I know that we've raised you to always be responsible and honest. But you shouldn't be taking the responsibility of everyone else's mistakes on top of your own. It's important to recognize when you did something wrong versus, say..."

"Versus when someone overreacts or they put you in a bad position in the first place," Mr. Dupain finished. "In this case, it's the latter." He smiled at Marinette. "It's a good lesson to learn, at least."

Marinette nodded. Her parents' words made her feel a lot better. "Yeah."

"And if you're busy or just need time to do your own things, it's always okay to say no. Even to your friends. And even to us and Madam Chamack," Mrs. Cheng added. "We don't want you to get overwhelmed and be sacrificing sleep or having your schoolwork suffer. That's your primary responsibility right now. Okay?"

Marinette smiled. School and sleep and saving Paris from supervillains, actually, but she couldn't let her parents know about that second part. Not until Hawkmoth was defeated, at least. "Okay."

"We're proud of you for coming to us with this," Mr. Dupain said, resting a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "We know that you want to help others as much as you can, but you have to remember to save some of that time and energy for Marinette, too. You can't help others as much if you're too worn out and spread thin and not taking care of yourself. It's okay to tell other people that they're putting too much pressure on you and to enforce your boundaries when they try to push or claim that something will be just the once. Looking after yourself will never be selfish, even if other people try to frame it that way. And if you ever need help yourself, it is more than okay to ask for it. You've given a lot to people around you, and helping is hardly a one-way street."

That was good for her to hear, Marinette thought as she burrowed into her parents' hug. Lately, sometimes taking time for herself had felt selfish somehow, even though she knew better. There was a lot of pressure on her to do the best in everything that she took on (and everything she was forced to take on), but even if she sometimes had superpowers, she was only human underneath it all. She would get overwhelmed and make mistakes and forget things, and that was okay.

She could finally breathe again.

#Miraculous Ladybug #My writing #marinette dupain cheng #ft. some actual good advice #and parents actually behaving like parents

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