#little white streaks at the front & some at the back too-- it doesn't show here but their hair's still long just packed in a low pony

[hotseok]

orange

[valdomarx]

Roy’s first month of managing Richmond, he still wakes up at 4 a.m. every morning. 

There’s no reason for it; work doesn’t start until 8 and he doesn't need to do extra training sessions with Jamie any more. But his body can’t break the habit, so he lies in bed and stares at the ceiling.

4 a.m. is when night is over but morning has not quite begun, when the world is quiet and distant and there is room for thoughts which would otherwise be unthought and feelings which would otherwise be unfelt.

-

4 a.m. is Jamie flinging open his front door with a big grin and a stupid head torch, saying, “Morning coach!” and bounding off with such enthusiasm that Roy has to scramble to keep up with him.

-

4 a.m. is the team finally calling it a night after celebrating a tough win, Isaac and Colin with an exhausted Sam between them, Jan Maas giggling, and Dani coming tearing out of the club yelling “Back to the hoteeeeeeeeeel!” and everyone running joyfully after him. Everyone except Jamie, who is leaning against the wall of the club and watching Roy with a hint of a smile.

“Fucking what?” Roy growls.

“You’re doing good. At this manager thing, I mean. The boys like it when you come celebrate with us.”

-

4 a.m. is sunrise over Richmond Park, the trees swaying in the breeze, deer leaping away in the distance, a blanket of silence muffling London’s ever-present hum of traffic. It is Jamie’s contentment as he runs, the way he springs forward to meet every step, with the rays of the rising sun painting streaks of red and gold through his hair.

-

4 a.m. is the time the team bus breaks down and strands them in a field in the middle of nowhere, and most of the lads are asleep in their seats but Roy finds Jamie sitting a little distance away on a grassy bank, looking up at the sky.

“Proper good view of the stars here, innit?”

Roy cranes his neck to take in the view of bright white points splashed across the darkness. He hums and lowers himself to sit next to Jamie.

“That one’s Rigel.” Jamie points. “And over there, that’s Betelgeuse. About to go supernova and everything. It’s gonna explode and take out everything around it, but after that, it’ll leave behind a cloud of dust n shit which’ll make new stars. Mental, right?”

Roy glances at him sideways. “How d’you know all this shit?”

Jamie shrugs one shoulder. “Me mum used to take me to the observatory as a kid. Said it was good for my cultural development. But I think I just liked the view.”

Jamie is staring up at the stars, but Roy is looking at Jamie’s face, soft, open, and full of wonder.

-

4 a.m. is a stupid time to be doing this. Roy stands in front of Jamie’s door and hesitates before knocking. Who the fuck shows up out of the blue at someone’s house at this hour? But he’d woken up early again and the world had seemed grating, like something important was missing, and almost against his will his feet had carried him here.

He knocks and, much quicker than he expects, the hallway light flicks on and footsteps thump down the stairs. Jamie opens the door fully dressed and wide awake, and beams.

“Morning coach! You want a cup of coffee?”

Roy blinks. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m here at this ridiculous time?”

Jamie's forehead wrinkles. "I'm sure you've got a good reason."

“I couldn’t sleep. Can’t sleep, I mean. I still wake up at 4 a.m. every morning."

Jamie nods. “Yeah. Me too.”

"I -" Roy squirms, hating feeling so visible. "I miss this."

Jamie looks up at him, surprised. 

"I miss you."

Jamie blushes, then fidgets with his sleeves. "You see me every day."

"It's not the same though. I miss starting my day with you."

"Oh." Jamie's cheeks are blotched with pink. "We could go for a run together? Do some training?'

It's tempting. Roy could say yes, and they could jog around the park, and it could be like it was before. A little piece of familiarity in a season of changes. 

But that's not what Roy is here for.

"I don't want to train," he says, and Jamie's face falls.

He steps closer, right up to the doorway, a mere few inches between them. He reaches out, stopping himself just before his hand lands on Jamie's chest. 

He looks up, meets Jamie's eye, makes sure he knows what Roy is offering. His hand meets Jamie's chest, solid and warm. "I want something else."

"Oh." Jamie scarcely moves, has to remind himself to breathe by the looks of it, and then one of those soft, beautiful 4 a.m. smiles spreads across his face and he steps back to open the door. "Then I guess you'd better come in."

[greeenchrysanthemums]

Appearances for the GG rivals au character.

I am no artist, so these will simply be written descriptions with a few images thrown in here and there. These are all subject to change at any time, as well, since this is still in its early planning stages.

For Gem, I imagine she looks a lot like in this gorgeous fanart, except her dress has slits up the side to allow for easier movement and her hair is a low bun with a braid wrapping around the front of her head, like this.

Scott and Impulse wear armour similar to how applestruda draws it in her au, with their cloths in shades of teal and yellow. Scott, I like to imagine, has long, back length hair, that he wears down and covering one eye. Impulse has shortly cropped hair and two little nubby horns that are tipped in black, as well as sharp clawed hands. Scott's teeth are sharp; no one quite knows why.

Grian's eyes are entirely black like a barn owl's and his hands end in sharp talons rather than nails. He doesn't have wings, not anymore at least. He wears a high collared red tunic and brown trousers, but both are rarely seen past the heavy, ankle length, black cloak he hides himself under, which is held closed by a silver brooch in the shape of an eye. The cloak has a hood but he never wears it. He always seems to be sliming, whether that smile is devious or genuine is up for debate. The brooch looks something like this, minus the blue center and the circlular details

Scar wears a similar black cloak, held closed by the same brooch, though he wears his with the hood up, and it has red flower detailing on the hem (so, similiar to his secret life look but its a full cloak). His eyes are still green, though, and he has a single grey streak in his brown hair. His tunic and trousers under the cloak are both black and he wears his shirt just a little bit too open at the top. He also always wears a smile, but pretty much everyone can agree it is deceptively kind.

Mumbo and Etho wear matching outfits, claiming it is professional since they share a job, but it is something they choose to do not something that is required of them (they are just silly, really). I imagine they are simple outfits consisting of white tunics with black trousers and thick, leather aprons on top (mumbo's is red and etho's is green). They both wear goggles and thick gloves, as well as chunky boots, all for safety since they work with explosives. Etho wears a black bandana on his lower his face. His goggles replace his headband in this look, being what keeps his hair out of his face. His scared eye is missing entirely; he does not have a false eye, it is just an empty socket. Mumbo wears his goggles around his neck when they are not on his face.

Bdubs dresses similarly, minus the apron and goggles, since he works out in the garder. His shirt is white, and he has brown trousers. Over that he wears a thick cloak that is almost always covered in some manner of flora and/or mud. He completes the look with a wide brimmed hat to protect him from the sun.

Cleo is also dresses similarly to Etho and Mumbo but her apron is a plain brown that is stained with soot. Her tunic sleeves are always rolled up to show off her strong arms and she doesn't wear her safety gloves nearly as much as she should, and she forgoes eye protection entirely. One of her eyes is missing (surprisingly not related to the lack of protective wear), replaced with a glass eye of a slightly different shade of green than her organic eye. Her hair is pulled into a much messier bun than Gem's, with frizzy stray hairs going every direction.

Ren and Martyn look like how they are typically drawn in third life fanart. Ren's eyes are red, as well as blood shot, and he almost always appears angry.

Pearl wears a white tunic with flared sleeves tucked into a pair of high waisted black trousers. Over this she has a deep, red cloak that stops at her waist. She has a crescent moon shaped birth mark on the left side of her face. She carries a sword around her waist. Her hair is always down and messy under her hood.

Bigb just looks like a baker, I am not sure how to describe it. But he always seems to have flour stains on his clothes no matter how hard he tries to wipe it off. Big strong arms for him as well.

Skizz wears the same armour as Scott and impulse, and his underclothes are black. The sleeves of his tunic are ripped off and he does not wear his gauntlets. He refuses to elaborate on why. He is a dove avian.

Tango wears a short sleeved red tunic and black trousers with big chunky boots. His hands are clawed, and his ears are pointed; both are tipped in a red to black gradient. His eyes are entirely red. He has a long tail that ends in a tuff of fire that doesn't seem to have any real heat.

Jimmy wears a blue tunic with a brown vest over it. Brown trousers and chunky boots. His sleeves are always rolled up and he is always covered in some manner of dirt, both because of the work he does on the farm, and from being very clumsy. He has bull horns, one of which is chipped. He also has a tail.

I still don't have set roles for joel and lizzie just yet so they do not have designs in mind either, unfortunately.

[vinyls-and-valentines]

🐑 hello tell me some cherri headcanons u have if u want :D

Ohohoho! The specialest little (demi)boy <3

Cherri is a first generation immigrant and bilingual! His first language is romanian despite having been born and raised in the US, but as years went by he forgot a good chunk of it from disuse. Nowadays they only really remember nursery rhymes and a couple poems that they usually repeat under their breath to pass the time when he's alone.

He started growing his hair out back when he was 12-13 years old to piss off his aunt and just kept it throughout his teenage years and into adulthood. The length changed from chin length to past his shoulders to just above the shoulder and the dyed streak in the front is definitely a more recent development, however, courtesy of NewsAGoGo who decided its (honorary) sibling deserved a makeover for making the unfortunate decision to be the only other blonde at the station outside Hot Chimp whose hair was already dyed. The streak has been, in order: neon green, hot pink, faded grayish teal, and finally chick yellow because after, like, 10 years they finally bleached it— perhaps a little too well, but that's neither here nor there. The streak stuck with him stubbornly until the very end.

Their poems are often abstract in nature although possesing something of a romantic flare them, and it'd be a lie to say they haven't dipped their toe into dadaism before. He never shared any of his poems until one day he crashed at the WKIL station to stay for good, and even then the poems that punctuate the last minutes of a WKIL active broadcast are written specifically for the show. There are, of course, rumors of a rogue notebook of Cherri's poetry going around the Zones, but whenever they're asked about it they shrug and say it belonged to someone he once knew. Nobody believes him, of course— nobody but those who know.

Cherri isn't exactly famous for his good decisions or people skills because for a good long while he actively tried to push away anyone who dared care about him— he succeeded at it in the case of Jet and Poison, got kicked out of the WKIL station by Dr. D more than once, and the same can be said about being on the wrong side of a pointed glare or the barrel of a gun. It's hard to explain what exactly he was trying to achieve by this, something between convincing himself that family is as temporary as it seemed once and justifying that he's better off being a footnote in someone's life on the page detailing the worst day of their life than having a whole chapter dedicated to all the ways he's a fuck-up, but it is undeniable that as much as they pushed people away, they always seemed to attract the kinds of people who'd make him feel worse. Make him into more of a screw up, because why bother hiding it from the world anymore?

While they have always been part of the WKIL station, even through arguments petty and spiteful, they largely consider themself a vulture; someone who helps masks or any other trinkets find their way to the Witch's mailbox so their late owners may find their way easily to the afterlife (whichever that may be), and who sometimes has to break up one or two claps to recieve said items. And if Cherri ends up breaking said claps a bit too early for there to be any still corpses on the ground other than ones dressed in white clad uniforms, well...neither the Witch, Destroya or God have struck him down yet.

Mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: in spirit of their grandparents doing the same thing, Cherri always slips little trinkets he thinks the Girl might like in her pockets unnoticed so when she finds it she can have a little gift from him even if she doesn't know it.

[fanmoose12]

a little something for @bruciesnat :) i know i've promised it like a lifetime ago, sorry for the delay! oh, and i decided to combine it with a prompt i also received a long while ago <3

Mike doesn't know why he's doing this. Doesn't understand how he agreed to it, can't comprehend why Erwin would make him do it. Mike doesn't know what he had done to deserve this- this punishment.

He's- he's a good man. An honest one. He serves to ensure the future of humanity, he risks his life to give others a better one.

He's good at it too, he's excellent at fighting and slashing and scouting. He was the best one at it, before- before the annoying midget came.

The same annoying midget, who is insanely strong and easily irritated. The same annoying midget, who has a crush on their adorable Hange. Hange, who Mike has to seduce to test Erwin's theory that Levi, insanely strong, easily irritated Levi, truly has a crush on their Hange.

Mike swallows heavily as he sits next to Hange, just a little too close as Erwin instructed. He smells that it won't end well.

He cringes, as he puts his arm around her shoulders.

Mike likes Hange, a lot actually. Sometimes he feels like they're siblings that were torn apart by some bigger entity. So yeah, he likes Hange. But definitely not like that.

But, oh well, anything for the cause, right?

"Hey, Hans," he murmurs, adopting his most seducting tone. He hopes that his smile is charming enough to captivate their dear scientist. "Are you free tonight? I have two tickets to the theater perfomance," he leans in closer, lowering his voice to what could probably (Mike is an eternal optimist!) be called an enticing whisper. "They're showing the creation of the the Walls tonight."

Somewhere on his periphery, Mike can see a swift dark shadow that oozes the smell of detergent. That shadow, it grows closer, its aura becoming more menacing.

Mike can only hope that if Levi attempts to kill him, Erwin would intervene.

Although... knowing Erwin, he'd just write Mike's death off as a necessary sacrifice.

He takes his hand off Hange. The shadow retreats a few steps back.

"Sorry, Mike," Hange shrugs with a small, apologizing smile. "I showed that play to Levi a few weeks ago. I had my fill of religious propaganda for now. But if you're looking for someone to accompany you," she winks and turns around. Mike's heart sinks. "Levi really liked going to the theatre! He'll be happy to tag along, right, Levi?"

Mike meets Levi's eyes, and sees nothing but desire for murder inside.

Mike quickly scrambles to his feet. "You know, I'll just ask Gelgar to go with me. I'm sure he doesn't have anything better to do."

And they can get wasted afterwards. Mike really needs that after this conversation.

Just as he retreats, Levi takes his place, sitting down next to Hange, also just a little too close.

The mission had failed spectacularly, but, Mike consoles himself, at least he learned that Hange and Levi went to theatre together. And sometimes intel is more important than the victory, right?

Ah, if only Erwin would share his opinion on that.

***

Erwin's second attempt is even worse than the first one, but, at least, this time it doesn't directly involve Mike. Still, he's an unwilling spectator to it, and, just as the last time, he doesn't like where all of this is going.

He already feels bad for the poor guy Erwin hired to hit on Hange during the annual military ball. Where did Erwin get the money - did he take them from the Corps' funds or his own allowance, Mike doesn't know, and, frankly, he isn't sure which option is more disturbing.

At least, the actor is handsome, Mike doesn't know if Hange would like him, he doesn't know if she has a type, and if she does, he hopes it's not annoying midgets, but the guy is handsome, there is no denying that.

Hange has cleaned up fairly well too, the white suit looks excellent on her, bringing out all of her best assets, demonstrating her wide hips and lean, long legs. The hair, gathered in a neat bun, shows her long, gorgeous neck, and the light make-up make her even more gorgeous than usual.

When she and Erwin walked through the front door - him in his blue suit and Hange in her white, symbolising their Wings of Freedom, everyone had their breath taken away.

Even Mike was a little shocked to see Hange dressed up like this, and Levi, who stood right next to him, was completely blown away, staring at Hange with wide-eyed, lovestruck look.

Thanks to Levi's ridiculous expression, Mike now understands why Erwin goes to such length to bring their resident weirdos together. It is delightful to watch Levi behave like that, and Mike longs to see more of this side of him.

Soon after Hange and Erwin make their grand entrance, their guy makes the first move.

He approaches Hange, his eyes bright and smile so charming it makes Mike envious that Hange is at the receiving end of it. He kisses her hand, whispers something in her ear.

"He praises her recent experiment. I thought it was a good place to start," Erwin explains quietly to him.

"Ah," Mike nods. So Erwin thought every detail through? Not surprising at all. "Think this would have an effect on Levi?"

"It already does," Erwin says, pointing to a furious cloud of black hair and suit that is approaching them at a rapid speed.

"Has four-eyes lost all shame?" Levi practically growls, his eyes throwing flames. "Is she seriously flirting with a fucker from the MP?"

"He's not a soldier," Mike answers, reciting a legend Erwin created. "He's actually a wealthy merchant from the South. Heard he sells apples to the King himself."

"And since when Hange is interested in someone like him," Levi crosses hands on his chest, his glare turning even darker, as Erwin's actor takes Hange by the hand and leads her to the dance floor.

"You know, you can ask Hange to a dance," Erwin advices with a pleased smile. "Then she won't be able to flirt with others."

Levi scoffs. "I would rather fight a horde of titans than dance with stinky four-eyes."

Maria, Rose and Sina, Mike thinks. They're worse than children.

"Hange has taken a bath before coming here," he tells Levi.

Levi rolls his eyes. "And now she looks even more awful than usual."

Mike shares a look with Erwin. Does Levi prefer usual Hange, when she doesn't bath for days and her eyes water from the lack of sleep? It almost sounds cute.

"This is the last time I'm attending this shitty ball," Levi swears to Erwin. "Even wine here is shitty."

He marches away immediately after that, heading to the table with wine. Mike can barely stop his laughter, as he watches Levi take a glass of wine, drink a few large gulps of it, and then wince, his mouth moving as he probably murmurs violent curses. He doesn't take his eyes off Hange and her dance partner, and relaxes only when the song ends.

Both Mike and Erwin watch intently as the actor kisses Hange's hand once again. Hange blushes, and Mike almost coos. Levi grabs another glass of wine.

When the actor starts leading Hange away, in the direction of the balcony, Levi starts moving too. He intercepts them just at the edge of the ballroom.

Mike knows he should have expected something like that, knows that Levi doesn't exactly possess the best of manners, but pouring wine over someone? Over his own colleague and friend? Mike certainly didn't expect that.

He's delighted to see what happens next, though.

What happens is that Hange's gorgeous white suit is ruined and Levi wraps his hand around her wrist and drags her to the bathroom. He sports a unusually pleased expression and Hange is laughing herself silly.

Not a bad ending to this endeavor, Mike thinks.

"Another disaster," Erwin sighs.

***

Third time is a charm, or so Mike hopes.

This time Erwin decides to take matter in his hands, and that another sign that this plan will succeed.

The plan is simple, yet, hopefully, effective. Erwin is to whisk Hange away to some remote location, create a scene that would look like a moment between lovers, and Mike is to call Levi there and make sure he witnesses it all.

Erwin is a brave man, Mike thinks, as his Commander explains the plan to him. He would never dare to do something like that to humanity's strongest. To awaken his jealous streak... Mike is glad he's not in Erwin's place.

One sunny afternoon, the plan is set in motion. Erwin takes Hange, and Mike goes to find Levi.

He finds him fairly quickly, in the middle of cleaning Hange's room. Man, he could at least try to make his crush be less discreet. But that's beside the point now, because Levi is cleaning Hange's room and not watching Erwin and Hange. Mike confidently strides up to him.

"Levi! I've just been looking for you."

"What do you need?" he asks boringly. "And have you seen four-eyes? I can't find her all day."

Erwin prepared some legend, a reason why Mike needs Levi, but in the heat of the moment, Mike can't remember a single word. So he just yells "Come with me!" and hope that Levi follows.

Thankfully, he does.

Mike leads him to the stables, where Erwin is already at it. His palm is on the wall, next to Hange's head, and from Mike's point of view, it certainly looks like they're in the middle of... something naughty.

Next to him, Levi tenses, and Mike can practically hear his teeth grinding.

Mike prepares for something very ugly, but then...

"I- I didn't know that Erwin and four-eyes-" oh, fuck, it sounds like Levi is genuinely sad, like he's heartbroken or something. Mike feels a strange desire to hug the little guy and pat his head. But then he remembers that he and Erwin are the reason for Levi's distress right now, and... remorse starts kicking in.

"Levi, listen, it's not-"

"Levi!"

As always, Hange is the one to save the day.

She breaks free from Erwin and sprints to Levi, a wide smile on her face. "You won't believe what Erwin had just told me! He gave me permission to go in the town's library and bring back all the books I want! I'm in dire need of your muscles, humanity's strongest, you'll go with me, right?"

Levi still seems grouchy, but under Hange's sunny grin, his angry facade crumbles. "I don't know if Commander will allow it..."

He doesn't even try to hide his bitterness and irration. Mike disguises his chuckle as a coughing fit.

"Erwin!" Hange turns to him, eyes pleading. "Can Levi go with me?"

"Sure," Erwin nods. "Take all the time you need."

Hange yells in triumph, loud enough to make Mike wince. She grabs Levi by the hand and drags him away. Erwin watches them with a wistful smile.

"I don't think we should get involved in their relationships," Mike says, as he approaches Erwin. He stands close to his Commander, their shoulders pressing against each other. "We should let them figure it out themselves."

"Agreed," Erwin says. "I'm sure they'll manage well enough even without us."

Mike watches Hange wrap her arm around Levi, and is inclined to agree. They will certainly manage without them both.

Or, at least, Hange is able to manage.

And that should be enough.

[coldshrugs]

after the same rainbow's end

featuring: alma greene/mason; tina poname, soloman verda

word count: 1.2k

note: a @wayhavensummer entry for the 6/15 prompt flags! Tina ropes Alma and Verda into helping with a local Pride event; Alma and Mason discuss labels.

“So I’ve been thinking about Pride,” Tina bursts into the lab like a shot.

The echo of the metal door against the wall does little to shake her resolve, but it has all but assaulted her precious little scientists. With a smile of partial apology, she makes way for her designated stool (Verda insisted on giving her a specific place to sit while visiting the lab after a rogue elbow smushed one too many evidence samples).

“Hi Tina,” Alma and Verda chime in unison, shaking off the sudden fright enough to focus on their work again. The monotone chorus of their greeting never fails to make her giggle.

Once she’s perched, legs and arms safely crossed, she continues the thought that came to her only moments earlier. No idea is too big for Tina, and she likes to believe her ideas aren’t too big for Wayhaven either.

“As I was saying, Pride Month is almost upon us. Yeah, sure, we usually go into the city and attend their festival, but Wayhaven is growing, and we have plenty to celebrate locally!”

Verda, safety goggles still on, slides his gaze over to Alma. “She’s going to ask us to help plan a Pride festival, isn’t she?”

“That’s definitely what this is building to,” Alma replies.

“Wayhaven’s never done anything like this, and we’re changing that this year.” Tina hazards a stretch, extending her arms high above her head where there are surely no critical pieces of evidence to defile. “Ah, I do love it when a plan comes together. Thank you, brainiacs!”

“But,” Alma begins, her words nearly failing as Tina stands and heads to the door, “but we don’t have a plan! We didn’t do anything!”

Tina rests her hand on the door’s handle, turning to Alma with a smile she knows her friend won’t be able to resist. “Alma, babe, just find some queer artisans, maybe some sponsors. Verda, you and Eric work on a few local places for food vendors. I’ll worry about the entertainment.”

With a wink, she wishes them goodbye and good luck, and her stride isn’t slowed down one bit by the echo of Verda asking Alma what the fuck just happened.

Crouched between counters in the tiny kitchenette with a cropped white t-shirt in front of her and surrounded by paints, Alma's putting the finishing touches on her pride outfit when the front door opens and closes with a sharp, quick sound.

“Where the hell are you?” Mason, quiet and confused. She forgot he was coming over after his patrol.

“Kitchen!” She stands, trying not to slide on the sheet she put down to protect the linoleum. This is a rental after all.

In an instant, Mason’s leaning over the counter (comfortable; he looks so comfortable in her space now that it might as well be his home too), eyeing her mess with a rare streak of curiosity.

“Whatcha got there?”

It takes everything in her to resist mumbling "a smoothie."

“I’m, uh, painting a t-shirt for the Pride festival.” Alma holds it up as carefully as she can. “Putting the ‘bi’ in biology.”

‘Bi’ and ‘biology’ are painted pink, purple, and blue. Not a bad job if she’s being honest.

“Cute,” he smirks. “Don’t really get needing to label it though. You like what you like—simple.”

She places the shirt back down to dry and steps around to his side of the counter. A quick kiss to the corner of his lips, another proper kiss when he turns to meet her face.

“It can be simple, but it’s not for everyone. There’s more to it than just a label, at least for me.” She leads him to the couch by his hand. "You've never thought about it?"

She knows the answer before he gives it.

"I don't need to think about it. It's just something that," he pauses, face scrunched in search of the right word—it doesn't seem to find him, "is."

After arranging their limbs in the tried and true way, a position that doesn't grate on Mason but allows for maximum cuddling and includes interlocked fingers, Alma continues her reasoning in the gentle expository tone she takes with him so often.

“For me, there’s a lot of comfort in having a name for my attraction. There’s this sense of community when you meet someone that’s different in the same way you are. It’s like this instant relief. A sense of safety.”

Mason nods. Safety, relief–feelings to which he clings once he finds them–he gets that.

“You might be surprised what you’re comfortable with after a little research.” She tugs a blanket over both of them, then grabs the remote to turn the TV’s volume almost all the way down. “Ready for several hours of Ancient Aliens?”

“Alma, I cannot emphasize how much I hate this show.”

“And yet you still drag your ass over here every single week to rip it to shreds with me. It's called a hate-watch for a reason, sweetheart.”

Mason shifts under her legs, half-grin at odds with his almost imperceptible grunt of defeat.

Work and festival planning, festival planning and work. Alma hardly remembers the last decent conversation she had with someone that wasn’t Tina. Even after weeks of non-stop planning, the day of Wayhaven’s Pride falls upon her with all the giddiness of a child waiting for their birthday.

She paces by the window, waiting for her team. Unit Bravo insisted on picking her up and attending as a group. For work. For her safety. No one mentions how, conveniently, they're a group of queer friends and that in itself is worth celebrating.

"Always the no labels thing with these guys," she huffs to herself just as the dark SVU pulls into the parking lot.

In the time it takes Adam to park and Alma to move to the door, Mason is already there when she opens it. He leans against the frame, hands in the pockets of his jacket.

She takes it in stride. One gets used to turning around to a room presumed empty and finding a vampire or two after the umpteenth time.

“How does the shirt look?” She does a little spin and smiles at his only-slightly-distracted nod of approval.

“Nice work, space girl.”

“Thank you.” Alma stretches up for the customary hello kiss, hand tugging at his jacket collar to bring him down to her level, when her fingers run over the enamel pins.

Two new additions to the dark leather jacket stand out now that she’s closer to him. Pride flags: pansexual, demiromantic.

She raises a brow. “Feeling festive all of a sudden?”

He shrugs, and the restraint it takes to keep his eyes from rolling is tangible. “I thought about what you said. Looked into it. You were right.”

“I was? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," he says, before continuing on anyway (her habit, Alma notices, but can't remember when he absorbed that one). “It’s comfortable. And... Felix made all of us get some.”

He grins, pulling her close, changing the subject with the brush of his lips over her cheek. Mason is very good at changing the subject when he wants to. “You ready?”

“Let’s see if we pulled it off.”

[ginkgomoon]

Lucien's Iridescent- Analysis

Finally, some more Lucien-based content! I'm so sorry for the wait, Lucien stans! If you’re out there please let me know so I can say hello to you individually and ask questions about your fav!! I want to interact with the community more so I can expand my knowledge and perception on the different characters and aspects of the game. I’d honestly love to have a chat about MLQC anytime! I didn’t expect to be posting this today because this is one is a freshie! (Started working on it today, and posted up today, unlike the other hundred that I have drafted...) Lots of spoilers for the character of Lucien and for future content. Please do not read if you don’t want spoilers! Thank you! Hope you enjoy!! 🌈 💜

Iridescent definition-

“Showing luminous colours that seem to change when seen from different angles.”

Origins

The pen is originally brought over from England, where Lucien was studying when he was younger. It actually belonged to a Granny before Lucien, and she told him, "give this luck to the special someone when you meet her."

Lucien didn't really care for the pen that much other than that, though.

"Although I had always felt that he was not gentle with me, this time I knew he did care for me. My joy didn't last for more than ten seconds, when my owner took me back and gave me a faint glance, and then gave his full attention the girl."

Also, it's tiny bit ironic about how Lucien can't see colour and names the pen "Iridescent".

"A rainbow! It's my favourite scene- that's where my name came from. But my owner can't see the rainbow. he doesn't know how to appreciate these colours." -Rainbow Luck Rumours and Secrets

Iridescent and MC

“This is for you."

A silvery- white steel pen glinted in the sunlight with an "X" etched prominently into its surface. (The "X" refers to his Chinese name, "Xu mo")

MC: "Isn't this the pen you left in the set the first time you were on the show?"

"Yes, at the time I rushed back to the set. Everyone had left but one girl was still foolishly sitting there, just to give me this pen. For the first time I thought, compared to my own actions of running back there, she didn't seem that foolish at all."

His lips curved up in a smile, and his eyes softened.

"It wasn't foolish. I was slower than you, but afterwards, I saw."

I didn't understand what he meant. I tilted my head and looked at Lucien. His eyes were streaked with shadow and light by the sunshine.

MC: "Why are you giving me the pen?"

"The pen has a name. It's called Iridescent. It's a lucky charm that's been with me for many years. Now, this luck belongs to you."

Lucien opened my hand and placed the pen in it, then closed my hand back over it with an assertive force.

"It's just a pen. Take it."

Lucien turned his head and looked at me, the sunlight glistening on his lips, clear and warm. -Chapter 13-10

Lucien gave a lot of thought into giving MC the pen.

"He had been staring at me for so long his gaze almost penetrated me! My owner had always been very decisive and unwavering, but this time, I could feel his hesitation. What was it for?"

But why?

"At the moment I was a little dizzy, and thought, am I now a "love token"?" -Rainbow Luck Rumours and Secrets

I would argue multiple reasons actually. Firstly, as Iridescent itself stated, it was used as a "love exchange"- a silent confession that he loves her. He uses this pen for his work, and since this "work" was focused on the QUEEN and BLACK SWAN, it was almost like a declaration that what Lucien had owned- what Ares will soon gain, that no matter what, both personas would be by her side.

He knows that she's always in danger, from others and from himself, so he silently hopes that this pen in becoming that "lucky charm" would also help her so that she wouldn't really get caught and tied up in BLACK SWAN business.

It serves as a reminder for himself too, that a part of him will always be kept close to her. And like how its name is Iridescent, that aspect of him that can see colour is being surrendered back to her, because only with MC, can Lucien finally witness colours of the rainbow.

But of course, like all rainbows, they don't last forever, and MC uses this pen- in the name of colour- his weaknesses and the symbolism and connection of their relationship- against him.

MC: “Why?”

“I warned you before. You still had time to run too bad, you had no awareness of danger. Or one could say, you trusted me too much.”

He spoke in a tone that was provocative and mocking.

With ease, he ripped open a scar that hadn’t fully healed, and my tears came pouring out.

I don’t know why, but in that instant, I seemed to see a flash of sorrow in his eyes. But in less than half a second, he had resumed his composure. Then he pursed his lips and made a faint smile.

Thick blackness surrounded him. Even the brightest of setting suns couldn’t reach him.

But I still hoped that the hint of sorrow I caught was real. I hoped that he was still the way he used to pretend to be. But then why did his eyes seem so sincere?

Even now, I wasn’t willing to completely believe. My heart told me that it wasn’t lies.

Helping me save my final show was real. Rescuing me from danger was real. Every bit of encouragement and help was all real.

If all of that was real, how could the person in front of me now be fake?

I strained to find in his eyes any sign of pain, struggle, even a moment’s hesitation. But there was none.

There was nothing at all. We were like two strangers.

“Ares, what are you waiting for?”

I don’t know where my strength came from, but in an instant, I held something sharp to my neck. I tremblingly held the pen, sensing the bitter taste in my throat.

Seeing my action, everyone froze.

How ironic! He clearly gave it to me as a gift, and now it was carrying out its mission like this.

“You won’t do it.”

My neck was in terrible pain, and half my body was going numb.

I didn’t even realise that a trickle of blood was streaming down my neck. We stood there, neither of us was moving.

“Don’t do anything foolish.”

You’re right, I am too foolish. When I was at my lowest, he held out a hand of friendship to me and I took it in with full trust.

And now here he was again, saying that same voice I was so familiar with, that was all a trap.

He stood there, aloof and cold, with all those emotions swirling in his eyes that I never understood before. Now I final understand. It was the thrill of laying a trap and the joy of watching your prey take the bait.

MC: “Let me go.”

“You think you can negotiate with me?”

MC: “You still owe me a thank you gift.”

A tear rolled down my face silently. (This line killed me.)

He smiled mockingly.

“I can let you go, but next time, you won’t get such an opportunity. Don’t let me catch you next time.” (In other words he means, "pen you did well, now she can escape.")

MC: “Next time I won’t trust you, Ares. I will never trust you again. Because you aren’t Lucien. He would never harm me. They have nothing to do with each other!”

He turned but said nothing. That was the last time I saw a gentle look in his eye. Then he looked up at the sky as his whole body emerged into the shadows, and he continued onwards.

The pen fell from my hand onto the ground. The “X” etched onto it gleaming, seemingly telling me a story. -Chapter 13-19

"I saw the pain in my owners eyes and felt the trembling of the girl's right hand passing through me... grasping me as she left, she could not control her shaking body. She seemed to be holding onto me with all her strength, as if I was her only support.

I was accidentally dropped to the ground and rolling into the dust. but the girl didn't seem to notice, as she was in a trance looking up at the kites in the sky. But the girl crouched down to pick me up and gently wiped the dust off of me. Everyday at nightfall, I knew how much pain she endured and how much she cried in her sleep. I thought she would abandon me, but she did not... -Rainbow Luck Rumours and Secrets

n a way, it's also a silent promise, or a reason for him to keep returning to her. The tie that she always clutches secretly in her pocket that she, too, still cares for him and still thinks of him. MC still evens put the effort in the take care of Iridescent, making sure it doesn't get lost or broken. This is similar to how the ginkgo bracelet is a form of support from Gavin to MC.

As I put away my camera, I again reflexively felt around inside-

MC: “Oh no!”

A ball of sweat fell from my forehead. Where was that pen!?

A single possibility suddenly presented itself to me- but another thought immediately supplanted it-

MC: “It’s his anyway. The staff will give it back to him…”

Having confidently convinced myself with that reasoning, I left.

See how they're back to how they were from the beginning- where she was starting to get to know “Lucien”, but now she’s starting to view him as “Ares”. The two personas correlating to this one pen.

I banged my head on the table. I clutched my head in pain, and the metal pen rolled away, stopping before a pair of black shoes. Then I saw a slender hand daintily pick it up.

“You came back to find this?”

He looked at me with a playful look on his face. He raised his eyebrows and held the pen in front.

“Don’t lose it again.”

I reached out for it, but that sunny late spring day suddenly flashed before my eyes, and I started to regain my posture. Maybe I shouldn’t have come back for it.

MC: “Never mind, I’m always losing things. And it doesn’t belong to me anyway. At this point, it should go back to its original owner.”

He slowly and deliberately put the pen away, then gave as light nod. -Chapter 16-11

"With determination, the girl gave me back to my owner. The moment he took me, the last thread linking them together seemed to have broken. My owner withdraw his gaze from her and after a long time he said softly, "my little fool". The words sounded unfinished, with untold tenderness hidden behind them. But in my opinion, should the fool refer to my intelligent owner himself?

I couldn't help but think, did my owner lose his colours? Or will he find them again, someday? Because, those who have seen the rich colours of the rainbow, would not be reconciled with grey again." -Rainbow Luck Rumours and Secrets

But in the end, the pen was returned back to MC.

Lucien carefully took out the pen from his pocket and placed it in the girl's hand. The he leaned over and whispered into her ear-

"Next time, don't rush into danger by yourself. Especially on my account." -Chapter 16-22

Like how Lucien would always come back to her- Ares or not, because those are his true colours- that Lucien, like how he’s also “iridescent”, would show all sides of him to her, and that he would love MC no matter which side he's on.

[thewidowsghost]

The Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 6

(Y/n)'s POV

Once I get over the fact that my brother's Latin teacher was half horse, we have a nice tour.

We pass by the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudge each other. One points to the Minotaur horn Percy is carrying. Another says, "It's them."

Most of the campers are older than me. Their satyr friends are bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. I'm not normally shy, but the way they are staring at me and Percy makes me uncomfortable. I feel as though they want us to do a flip or something.

I look back at the farmhouse. It's bigger than I'd realized - four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I'm checking out the brass eagle weather vane on top when something catches my eyes, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I get a distinct impression that I'm being watched.

"What's up there?" I ask Chiron.

He looks to where I'm pointing and his smile fades, "Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?" Percy asks.

"No," he says with finality. "Not a single living thing."

I get the feeling that he's being truthful, but I am also sure something had moved that curtain.

As we get closer, I realize how huge the forest is. It takes up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans.

Chiron says, "The woods are stocked if you care to try your luck, but go armed."

"Stocked with what?" Percy asks. "Armed with what?"

"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own swords and shields?"

"My own - ?" Percy is cut off.

"No," Chiron interupts. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do for you, Percy, and a size three for you, (Y/n). I'll visit the armory later."

Finally, Chiron shows us the cabins. There are twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They are arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on each side. And they are, without a doubt the most bizarre number above the door.

Except for the fact that each has a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they lock absolutely nothing alike. Number Nine has smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number Four has tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seems to be made of solid gold, which gleams so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all face a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops (which were more my speed).

In the center of the field is a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it is a warm afternoon, the hearth smolders. A girl, maybe nine years old is tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick. I wave at the girl and she looks surprised, as though no one acknowledged her often, and waves back with a smile.

The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, look like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin One is the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmer like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seem to streak across them. Cabin Two is more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls are covered with images of peacocks.

"Zeus and Hera?" Percy guesses.

"Correct," Chiron says.

"Their cabins look empty."

"Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two."

I stop in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three.

It isn't high and mighty like Cabin One, but low and solid. The outer walls are of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashells and coral as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor. I peek inside the open doorway and Chiron says, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!"

Before he can pull me back, I catch the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glow like abalone. There are six empty bunks with silk sheets turned down, but there is no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place feels so sad and lonely, I am glad when Chiron puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "Come along, (Y/n)."

Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.

Number five was bright red—a real nasty paint job as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow me. Inside I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on Percy and gives him an evil sneer.

"Oh, look," Chiron says as we approach Cabin Eleven. "Annabeth is waiting for us."

The blond girl I'd met at the Big House is reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven. When we reach her, she looks me over critically, like she was still thinking about how much I drool.

I try to see what she was reading, but I can't make out the title. Then I realize the title isn't even English. The letters look Greek to me. I mean, literally Greek. There are pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book.

"Annabeth," Chiron says, "I have Masters' Archery class at noon. Would you take Percy and (Y/n) from here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Cabin Eleven," Chiron tells us, gesturing towards the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Out of all the cabins, Eleven looks the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. the threshold is worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway is a caduceus.

Inside, it is packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags are spread all over the floor. It looks like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.

Chiron doesn't go in. The door is too low for him. But when the campers see him, they all stand and bow respectfully.

"Well, then," Chiron says. "Good luck, Percy, (Y/n). I'll see the two of you at dinner."

He gallops away towards the archery range.

Percy's POV

We stand in the doorway, looking at the kids. They aren't bowing anymore. They are staring at us, sizing us up. I know this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools.

"Well?" Annabeth prompts. "Go on."

So naturally, I trip coming in the door, and (Y/n) grabs my upper arm, straightening me up. There are some snickers from the campers, but none of them say anything.

Annabeth announces, "Percy and (Y/n) Jackson, meet Cabin Eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asks.

I don't know what to say, but Annabeth says, "Undetermined."

Everyone groans.

A guy who is a little older than the rest comes forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy, (Y/n). You can have those two spots on the floor, right over there."

The guy was about nineteen, and he looks pretty cool. He's tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wears an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance is a thick white scar that runs from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.

"This is Luke," Annabeth says, and her voice sounds different somehow. I glance over and swear she's blushing, but after a moment she sees me looking, and her expression hardens again. "He's your counselor for now."

"For now?" (Y/n) asks, looking rather curious.

"You're undetermined," Luke explains. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

I look around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they are waiting for a chance to pick my pockets.

"How long will I be here?" I ask.

"Good question," Luke replies. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?"

The campers all laugh and (Y/n) facepalms.

"Come on," Annabeth tells us. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

"We've already seen it."

"Come on."

Annabeth grabs my wrist and drags me outside. I can hear the kids of Cabin Eleven laughing behind me and (Y/n) waves good-bye shyly.

When we are a few feet away, Annabeth says, "Jackson, you have to do better than that?"

"What?"

She rolls her eyes and mumbles under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you two were the ones."

"What's your problem?" I'm getting angry now, (Y/n) watching us cautiously. "All I know is, we kill some bull guy -"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth tells me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"

I shake my head. "Look, if the thing we fought is really the Minotaur, the same one in the stories . . ."

"Yes."

"Then there's only one."

"Yes."

"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So..."

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."

"Percy," (Y/n) says calmly. "I think what Annabeth is saying, is that monsters eventually reform."

Annabeth nods and I think about Mrs. Dodds. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword—"

"The Fur...I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?"

"You talk in your sleep," Annabeth answers and (Y/n) suppresses a laugh.

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

Annabeth glances nervously at the ground as if she expects it to open up and swallow her. "You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones if we have to speak of them at all."

"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" I sound whiny, even to myself, but right then I don't care. "Why do we have to stay in Cabin Eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there."

I point to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turns pale. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or...your parent."

She stares at me, waiting for me to get it.

"Our mother is Sally Jackson," (Y/n) says softly. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

"I'm sorry about your mom, (Y/n). But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad."

"He's dead," I say simply. "We never knew him."

Annabeth sighs. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids. "Your father's not dead."

"How can you say that? You know him?"

"No, of course not."

"Then how can you say -"

"Because I know the two of you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."

"You don't know anything about us.

"No?" She raises an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."

"How -"

"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."

I try to swallow my embarrassment. "What does that have to do with anything?"

(Y/n)'s POV

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD—you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course, the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

"You sound like...you went through the same thing?"

"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar."

"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're both half-bloods."

A half-blood.

I am reeling with so many questions I don't know where to start.

Then a husky voice yells, "Well! Two newbies!"

I look over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin is sauntering towards us. She has three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean-looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighs. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl says. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

"Erre es korakas!" Annabeth says, which I somehow understand is Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though I have a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounds. "You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse says, but her eye twitches. Perhaps she isn't so sure she can follow through on ht threat. She turns towards me, then she looks at Percy. "Who are these's runts?"

"Percy and (Y/n) Jackson," Annabeth says, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Aries."

Percy blinks. "Like . . . the war god?"

Clarisse sneers. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," Percy says, seemingly recovering his 'wits'. "It explains the bad smell."

Long story short, Percy made the toilets explode.

Yeah, I said it. He made the toilets explode . . .

Word Count: 2455 words

[hotchscvm]

a lifetime of illusions

Warnings: angst, implied smut, mild violence, major character death

Word count: 3.3k

Summary: A whirlwind summer romance sweeps you off your feet. But you never once regretted it.

Or: In which you fall in love hard and fast, yet when it all stops, you spend the rest of your life thinking "What if?"

You never considered yourself as someone who would be swept off their feet just because of a guy with a pretty face. But he had been so much more than that. He made you happy, made you smile, made you feel truly alive. Not once had you regretted your decision; you were happy, as happy as someone could be.

Stepping outside, you blocked your eyes from the hot summer sun. The busy, yet small city noise filled your ears, the smell of saccharine desserts invaded your nose. Smiling, you felt at home in this foreign island. The people around you smiled, not one of those tight, uptight grimaces, but a genuine, huge smile. People around here were so different. It was nice.

You called for a cab, surprised there had been a cab at the small island, even more, surprised when they hadn't made fun of your struggle to communicate. Instead, they smiled and helped you figure out where you were supposed to go. He introduced himself as Barry.

"So, ma'am, how long are you staying in Savos for?" Barry asked, taking a turn left. Besides you, the beach stretched out for miles, the sun setting above the horizon. It left a streak of crimson in the orange sky.

Grinning, you shrugged, eyes twinkling with excitement. The long plane ride did nothing to drain the energy and excitement out of you. "Don't know. But from the looks of it, I want to stay forever. This is possibly the most beautiful place in the world."

"It sure is, ma'am. Especially during the summer, you came at the right time. We don't get a lot of tourists due to the long and exhausting traveling." Barry said, pulling up to the large hotel. "Here we are. Have a good night."

"Thanks, Barry. You, too." you thanked, opening the door. You were ever so grateful to pack light, the only thing in your hands was your phone, and bag hanging on your shoulder. The hot wind made you shiver, contrasted by the cold cab, the sudden temperatures changed made you crave the summertime more.

The cab drove away, the sweet sound of the tires against the cement hitting your ears. Walking to the hotel lobby, you checked in, admiring at the antique furniture and the warm white lights. It had an olden vibe, one that you didn't mind. The girl handed you your keys without a word, pointing to the elevator. You had to admit, the hotel was kind of stuffy, a little dusty but a little dust never killed anyone. Who were you to judge for the lack of dusting?

You reached your designated floor, the elevator doors opening with a loud ding. As if you were in a hurry, your sprinter down the hall to your room; in truth, you were just eager to change and see the island for yourself. Unlocking your door, you were greeted by the sight of a clean room, a white bed, white walls, and a white carpet. For an antique-looking hotel, you'd thought the room would have more character.

No matter. You tossed your bag on the bed, slipping into some clean clothes. If you weren't so hungry, you would've taken a shower, gotten rid of all the sticky things that touched you during your flight. Instead, you practically tore your dirty clothes off just to get a fresh feeling from your clean ones. Pulling your hair up, you texted your parents and friends, texting them you had made it.

They had all been a bit hesitant about having you travel to a foreign island by yourself. It had been a little ridiculous but you finally got all of them to agree. After all, you needed to celebrate graduating from college. It only happened once. What better way to celebrate than traveling around the world for the whole summer before returning back to your stuffy life?

There was a fun-looking restaurant across the street from the hotel. A lot of people crowded the place, dancing to the loud music leaking out of the restaurant. You snaked your way through the crowd until you reached the host stand, letting out a huge breath you've been holding in order to squeeze past. It might've been crowded inside but the restaurant wasn't. The tables were all filled but there had been no line.

You made your way to the table, smiling when you reached it. The host gave you a small smile. "Hello, do you happen to have a table for one?"

"Um, lemme check." She glanced down at the booklet in front of her, then scanned the place, as if an empty table was suddenly going to appear. "I'm sorry, ma'am but there isn't a table available. If you'd like you can wait, it won't be long—"

"She can sit with me. If she doesn't mind being tortured by my company." A voice interrupted. Both you and the hostess turned towards the source of the sound, eyes widening when you saw the breathtakingly gorgeous man. He smiled at you, holding out his hand. "Hey, I'm Chris."

You shook his hand, slightly confused by his blunt offer. You told him your name and the corner of his lips lifted even more. "You look really familiar, Chris."

His eyes glimmered with amusement. "Yeah, I get that a lot. You have a beautiful name. Would you like to dine with me tonight? It's totally okay if you say no but it'd be nice to have some company tonight. I'm new in town."

"Me, too," you replied. Biting your lip, you mulled over his question. You wanted to say yes—who wouldn't? He was absolutely beautiful but it wasn't like you to have dinner with a complete stranger. On the other hand, you did promise yourself to be more spontaneous, take more chances.

Sensing your hesitance, he scratched the back of his neck, glancing at the floor. "I promise I won't bite. And if you don't have a fun time, I'll give you some money and we can call it even. What'd ya say?"

Of course, you said yes. If you hadn't, your whole life could've gone so much differently.

—

It started with dinner, then lunch the next day. It wasn't long before the two of you spent your days together, sometimes going to the beach, sometimes staying in either of your hotel rooms, staying in each other arms, stealing a few kisses. You didn't realize how much of a big deal he was. And he didn't tell you, fearing you'd ditch him.

After your third official date, you slept with him, loving the way he touched you. You smiled when you woke up in his arms the next morning, he had mirrored your expression, kissing you until you were both breathless. Only a week had passed but you were so smitten by the Bostonian. It was during the second week that you realized how smitten he was with you.

"Christopher Columbus, you know how impatient I am. Come on! Lemme see." you pleaded, a little annoyed by his hands covering your eyes. He chuckled behind you, pulling you even closer to his chest. "Chris."

His chest vibrated from his laugh. "Sweetheart, I promise we're almost there. It's not a surprise if I show you. Just wait a little longer. I promise you'll love it."

You groaned, suffering blindness under his grasp. As much as you hated secrets, you liked the way his hands were on you, the way he looked in his Captain America swim trunks. It was adorable. "Okay, fine."

As soon as your feet touched the water, you started to get even more suspicious, aware you were ankle-deep in the ocean. Maybe he was gonna drown you. You let out a little laugh at that. The man had too much love in his heart to even think of such a dark thought.

"Do I get to hear the joke?" he asked, his lips grazing your ear. You giggled at the motion, his neatly trimmed beard tickling you. "Are you ticklish?"

There was a dangerous playfulness in his voice so you quickly shook your head no. "Of course not, your wild beard just gave me neck rash."

"Darling, that's just the hickey I gave you." he teased, laughing when he felt you roll your eyes under his hand. Chris swore, quickly leading you back towards the beach before making you walk across the hot sand with it sticking to your soaked sandals. "Sorry, my mind wandered and I accidentally led you somewhere else."

"Oh my, God." you snorted, finding amusement to your boyfriend's confusion. Was he your boyfriend? You didn't have the talk, let alone labeled what you were. Three dates, days spent together, and mind-blowing sex didn't mean you were dating, right?

Your sandals thud against the wooden ground. You raised an eyebrow at the feeling, curiosity making you impatient from the long-awaited surprise. It was ridiculous how long he made you wait, almost as ridiculous as Barney Stinson's legendary catchphrase Chris once jokingly admitted he loathed.

Once you were in the angled the way he wanted, he grinned, the smile touching his eyes. "Okay, are you ready?"

You nearly yelled at him. "Yes!"

With one swift movement, his hands disappear from your eyes, leaving you to open them slowly as you took in the scene in front of you. Floating in the water, a few feet away from you was a sailing yacht, the boat rocking slightly. A tiny squeal escaped your lips, glancing between the boat and Chris. You wrap your arms around the man, head snuggled against his chest.

"It was hard finding someone that would let me rent their boat without a boating license. But don't worry, I know enough to keep us afloat. Do you like it?" he asked, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

It was crazy how this man could make your heartbeat out of your chest. Grinning up at him, you gave a nod. "I adore it. It really was worth the wait, huh?"

He wasn't looking at the boat when he answered. He was too busy admiring how beautiful you were to even take his eyes off of you. "Yeah, it really was."

You pulled him aboard the boat, letting him teach you all the right procedures. He had let you steer the boat with his assistance, murmuring praises in your ear, arms wrapped tightly around your waist as he stood behind you. The wind would blow your hair back, making him spit it out when it got in his mouth. Both of you laughed whenever a piece of your hair got wet from his spit; it was also very gross.

The day was spent on the boat, blankets tossed over both your bodies as you watched the sunset. Chris had decided to become the next Shakespeare as he described the colors of the sky, laughing when you jokingly mocked his Boston accent that slipped out every once in a while. Night had come, and Chris drove the boat back to the docks, thanking the owner.

That was the night he realized he was deeply and irrevocably in love with you.

—

He didn't get a chance to tell you.

He was ripped out of your arms before you could tell him you loved him. Didn't even get the chance to say goodbye.

July came and went. Chris had taken you back to his hometown with the plan to introduce you to his family. Neither of you thought it was moving too fast. You wanted him and he wanted you. It was as easy as that. Yet, he was nervous. Not because he wasn't sure if his family would accept you, he knew they would immediately adore you as he did.

No, he was a wreck ever since he placed his grandmother's ring in his pocket, waiting for the perfect opportunity to come up. It never did.

You met his cute dog, one he named after Oliver & Company. It was hard to decide who water cuter—you soon chose Dodger after Chris scared the shit out of you. The summer was coming together in the best way possible and you never wanted it to end, didn't want to go back to your normal life where everything was vanilla at best.

So, you didn't. You met his parents, spent the remainder of the summer with him in Boston. It was easy being with him, so easy you thought about blurting the three words that eased in your head whenever he smiled, laughed, or moved. You had it bad. Too bad you never found out how much he did.

It happened on a normal Saturday night; you were making dinner while Chris drove back from a day hanging out with Scott. Tonight was the night, the night you told him how in love you were with him, how he wiggled his way into your heart. Your hands were trembling with anxiety as you waited for him, trying to calm yourself, wishing he would get home faster. Dodger calmed you a little but it wasn't enough.

As it got later, your anxiety faded, anger replacing the strong feeling. You had been texting Chris, only getting a few responses in return until he just stopped. Anger seeped out of you as you put the food in the fridge, cursing at the thoughtfulness of your boyfriend. You never got to say sorry for thinking about yourself when his last thought was about you.

For him, tonight would've been the night. The night he confessed his love, the night he popped the question, the happiest night of his life until you get married. He was hopeful you would feel the same way, even asked his friends if they thought you did. They all had answered without hesitation, assuring him you did. So, he picked up his balls, and got his head together. He had a plan: tell you about his actor status, professed his heart out, and get on his knees.

Fate had other plans.

Chris could tell you were anxious, even through text he could read you. He tried his best to assure you he would be home soon. He smiled at the word; home was you. He shouldn't have been texting and driving. If people realized how important those ads were, maybe they would take them seriously. Unfortunately, Chris never thought he would end up as one of those.

It wasn't his fault, far from it. He had stayed in his lane, never veering off his own space. He might've been speeding, but it wasn't his fault. The headlights blinded him, so much that he couldn't move out of the way fast enough. The oncoming car came at him, and he died instantly.

Scott had called you, asking if he could come over, unable to tell you the bad news over the phone.

Opening the door, you greeted the other Evans brother. "Hey, Scott. Have you heard from Chris? He hasn't been answering my texts and I'm really worried. A little miffed but mostly worried—hey, are you okay?"

Tears ran down his cheek as he engulfed you in a hug. His body shook and your stomach dropped. "Chris...he got into a car accident. T-they tried to rush him to the hospital but, [Y/N], he was dead on impact. Sweetie..."

You fell to your knees, the rest of the sentence trailing off as the words sunk in your head.

He was dead.

You cried for days, with the amount of tears you cried, you could've filled the huge bathtub in Chris' house. It was worse during the funeral, seeing his dead, lifeless, cold body in a wooden casket. You didn't think could have gotten worse, but it did.

His will was read, he made changes to it during the summer. If anything happened, you had the house, Dodger was now yours, a handful of millions were in your hands. Other than Dodger, you didn't care about the possessions you held. Not until Lisa, Chris' mom, came by with a blue, velvet box in her hand.

You didn't open it until you couldn't stand it. Opening it, you found the pear-shaped diamond engagement ring resting in the middle. That was when you saw him. It took you by surprise, scared you shitless when you saw him standing in front of you, alive and as remembered. Dodger hadn't reacted to his dad's return. It made you wonder if you dreamt of his death. He didn't say a word as he took the box, got on his knees, and smiled up at you.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes."

You didn't have kids, instead you spent the rest of your lives enjoying each other's company. You got married, lived the American dream. It confused you whenever you saw mourning posts about Chris when he was clearly alive. So you stayed off the internet, living the second chance you were given. You were happy.

Chris showered you with presents, cuddled you every night, and woke you up with kisses every morning. You barely fought, and when you did, you never stayed mad at each other long. You couldn't find it in yourself to take him for granted again, not when he was taken away from you.

Scott would visit, his face becoming more and more concerned as the visits became monthly, like he was sure you were going insane. But you weren't. Not to you, at least. He never spoke to Chris when he visited, not that Chris was in the room when he did. Scott would stare at the engagement ring around your ring finger, a sad smile appearing on his face before he would go.

You dismissed everyone's weird behavior whenever you brought up Chris. They would always look down, avoiding the subject like he wasn't there. Still, you thought nothing wrong. You were too euphoric to realize how fucked up your situation was.

Life went on, you spent most of it with him, clinging to his presence as if you didn't hold on tight enough he was going to ripped out of your arms again. You got older, so did he, just not in the way you thought he would.

Sighing, you settled beside the love of your life, the back pain, and old age making it hard to get into bed. 70 was a bitch and you weren't taking it too well. Rolling over, you were greeted by the sight of the same Chris you met those many summers ago.

He smiled gently at you, tears brimming his eyes. He cupped your sagging cheek with his hand, the same hand you held so many times. "Sweetheart, I love you so much. You were my destined one but I never got to say goodbye. But you do. You have to let me go and live out the rest of your life."

"How...I—" you gasped softly, unable to feel him.

"You have to let me go."

And you did. Closing your eyes, you saw the past 50 years as they have been. You talking to the empty space in front of you, leaning against the couch, cuddling the pillow you thought was your lover. You truly saw the emptiness in Chris' family. They were lost without their brother, without their son while you lived a lifetime of illusions, delirious from the sadness over his death. You clung to him, even when it wasn't really him.

So, you did as he wished. You let him go and went to sleep.

But you never woke up. Because the only thing keeping you alive was his presence. And he was gone. It only took you five decades to realize how empty you were without him. Because he made you feel alive.

You had spent a lifetime imagining him.

[wendystales]

Memories - lrh (Chapter Fourteen)

Memories (also on Wattpad)

Chapter Thirteen ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ Chapter Fifteen

We stopped in front of the new location of The Art of Taste, where a group of people were waiting to enter. The entire facade was lit with small bulbs wrapped around the bushes, which framed the outside.

My mom is the first out of the car, excited, barely expecting Luke and me. She takes the lead, going straight to security and showing us our invitations.

“She's very excited”. Hemmo comments from beside me, offering me his arm.

“You have no idea.” I open a smile.

We followed my mother as she led the way, looking for Mr. Marshall. I appreciate the decor of the place and fall in love with the small wooden bridge that leads into the restaurant, passing by a pond with koi.

"Debra! You came!” Mr. Marshall approaches as excited as my mother. “You’re stunning.” her cheeks blush.

“Oh, not that much. It's an old little dress I had in the back of the closet.” she lowers her head shyly.

"Didn't she say she bought the dress today?" Luke whispered confusedly to me, almost making me laugh. I watch the two lovebirds praising and flirting like two teenagers.

"Marnie! I'm happy for your presence too.” he hugs me. “You must be Luke! Debra talks about you a lot.” he opens a sympathetic smile.

Subtly, I widen my eyes at my mom, wanting to scold her, but she just shrugged, ignoring me. Luke smiles sympathetically and handles the situation perfectly.

Mr. Marshall takes us to a more private table and away from the window for more privacy. I sit next to Luke, having a full view of whoever enters the restaurant.

“I'm going to have the menu degustations served, and if you don't mind, I'm going to steal Debra for a while.” he smiles at my mother.

“Be my guest!” I open a tight smile, very happy for them.

"Is there something I should know?" Luke asks me after the two walk away arm in arm.

“They're in love, but they don't know what to do.” Summary, still watching the them.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about it." Luke repeats the same thing I said yesterday. I let out a laugh, disbelieving his audacity.

“Sorry, there was no time.” I raise my eyebrows, like he does.

Yesterday was a special night with Luke. After Urban Light, we went to Santa Monica, to sit on the sand and watch the sea, illuminated by the lights from the pier. It was fun to have this time with him without anyone looking at us like fools for whatever move we made.

It was nice to meet him and know everything he likes and dislikes, as well as getting to know the band's history better. For moments like this, just the two of us, I could let him get closer, totally letting my guard down and creating a better relationship.

Of course because of this endless conversation we had and cause we got super late back home, today I woke up looking like a zombie and only managed to get out of bed by a miracle. But even tired, I would do everything exactly the same, just to be able to spend this time with him.

"Should we wait for the girls?" I question, seeing a board of small toast and various types of sauces and pates being served to us.

“I believe not!” he's the first to take the toast and dip it in a red sauce.

I follow him, quickly taking two and sinking into the same sauce. Tomato and basil. I let out an exclamation when I taste it. I start to eat more, after all, I didn't even have time to have lunch today and I didn't even want to, because I knew I would eat here.

I had invited everyone to come to the opening today, but only Luke, Leah, and Kyleen agreed right away. Calum, Ash and Noah had other commitments and Michael also tried to use this one, but Ashton soon revealed the lie, saying that he was actually going on a date, with that Sophie.

"You didn't have lunch today, did you?" I stop the toast in the air, mouth open, watching Luke look me curious.

“I didn’t have time.” I answer a little embarrassed.

“Well, if we run out of those toast, just ask for more.” he takes one more, sinking now into a green pate. I watch his face, trying to guess what that would be.

“Pesto?” I ask, looking at the pot. Luke denies it. I smell the content not identifying much.

"A bitter taste." he make a face. “No! It's a good bitter.” he adds quickly.

When I least notice, Hemmings and I are playing russian roulette with sauce and pates. We just don't know how to just eat quietly, we have to play.

"Bad?" I ask, watching him close his eyes and wrinkle his nose. Luke nodded, swallowing and eating another toast with the tuna pate, which was what we liked best.

"A taste of… I can't explain it. Eats!” he offers me the toast with the white pate and small green bits.

“No! Don't you know what it is and want to push it to me?” I drop the toast on my plate, wanting distance.

Interrupting our little discussion, Leah and Kyleen arrive.

“Sorry we’re late. There was an accident on the expressway. Have you started eating yet?” Leah glances across the table sulkily.

"M&Ms didn't have lunch." Luke hands it to me. I slap his arm.

“Great, there are two of us.” Kiki smiles, already eating some toast. "What is this one?" she points to the weird pate.

“We haven't eaten yet, but try it there.” Hemmings encourages, surprising me with his performance. I stare at him laughing.

Like Luke, Kiki grimaces, disapproving of the pate. I offer my glass of juice to her, which she drinks in one gulp.

“This is horrible. What is that?” she whispers disgustedly.

Luke steals the menu from the next table, looking for the pate. I squint at the ingredients: ricotta, gorgonzola and pickles. I understand why it's horrible.

It doesn't take long and more stuff arrives at our table. Once again, we started our russian roulette, trying everything out and grading, as if we were at MasterChef. We really don't have maturity for anything.

Looking at the restaurant entrance, I start nudging Luke, flustered, discreetly asking him and the girls to look too. Surprised and excited, we watched Michael approach our table, hand in hand with a girl shorter than him.

“Is it her?” I try to contain my excited voice.

“It's her!” Hemmo confirms.

“Okay! But who is she?” Kyleen asks, lost.

“They met at a game match and now Michael is in love.” I almost run over my words, trying to deliver the information before they arrived.

"I didn't tell you." Luke already takes his off the line.

“Hey!” Michael sighs standing next to the table.

“Hey!” aside from Luke, the girls and I were all smiles.

“This is Sophie! My friend.” Mike introduces. The girl with dark hair and two streaks white, like Narcissa in Harry Potter, smiles shyly.

“Sorry for the delay, we got lost.” her voice is low.

“Actually, I didn't want to come.” Michael doesn't even bother to lie. If it wasn't a public place, I'd throw a shoe on him.

Sophie excuses herself and heads to the bathroom as we pull another table for them. Michael sits across from Luke, leaving Sophie in mine and Leah beside her.

“Please, I'll pay you whatever you want, but don't embarrass me.” Mike begs. “I like her a lot.” he admits it quietly.

"Awn!" me and the girls hold hands, dying of love.

“I hate you.” he declares.

“To show that we are willing to help, do not eat the white pate. It’s not from this world. And not in the good way.” Leah warns him.

Sophie returns to the table, taking a seat across from me. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice how Michael's posture becomes tense. He's so into her. Without needing much, we start a conversation and Sophie slowly walks in, forming a group.

“This gaming field must be shit, right? I mean, for who is a woman, isn't it?” Kyleen asks.

“Yea! No man likes to lose to a woman. They never accept that I play better than they do. Cause of this, when Michael called me, I thought he was going to argue with me.” she gives a shy smile.

"Actually, I was going to ask for my shield back." he gives an ashamed laugh.

"And complain to me how you lost." she completes, making him laugh. The way they look at each other makes my heart melt.

The four of them get carried away on a subject as I approach Luke.

“They're really cute.” I whisper.

"I think we're both a lot cuter." he snaps, smiling. I open a smile, denying the way he's sassy.

“You were not like this.” I comment with a smile. I take my gaze to the hall, finding my mother walking with Mr. Marshall, still arm in arm. "I think they're cuter than us." Luke follows my gaze.

“All right! She's your mother, I'll give you my arm. Do you think they'll be together?”

“I hope!”

“Are you gossiping about Debra?” I am startled by Kyleen approaching me and joining in our conversation.

"What's the gossip with Debra?" Leah already turns her attention to us.

"Is there gossip about Debra?" Michael leans against the table, moving closer.

I look at the curious faces trying to identify how my mom became the subject of the table. If she knows this, she will kill me!

"Don't let her know that." I declare before I lean against the table and tell her about my mother and Mr. Marshall.

Friday

I feel terrible, not only for the cramps and indisposition, but mainly for having to cancel with Luke. I've waited so long for this date and now I'm here, lying on the couch, suffering for being born a woman.

“Here.” Leah hands me a pain killer and a hot water bottle. I lay my head on her lap, wanting to cry. “It's OK.” she repeats calmly as she cuddles me. She knows why. “You can go out next week, he won't change his mind until then.”

“I know he won’t, but…” I catch my throat, not wanting to accept that I would cry about this, but I can't control it, letting a few tears fall. Damn hormones. “I don't know if I can make it another week, I was so excited.” my voice crack it. “Stop laughing!” I scream when I feel her body move.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! But you look so funny like this. Sorry.” she hugs me, holding back her laughter.

Before I can complain, the doorbell rings and I'm grateful that Kiki has finally arrived with food and a lap where I can cry more. Leah runs to open the door and I feel my heartbeat stop for seconds when his voice reaches me. I lift my head, seeing him come in full of bags and a Petunia on a leash.

“What are you doing here?” I quickly dry my face and try to fix my hair. I look awful. Luke looks at me confused and opens his arms, as if the answer is wide open there.

“I came to take care of you, of course.” he laughs. Leah is behind him, smiling like hell.

I sink my face into the pillow, wanting to cry more. I don't deserve him. I don’t deserve. Luke lets go of Petunia, who runs off to try to climb onto the couch and lick me. Leah helps Luke empty the bags in the kitchen.

While they straighten everything out in the kitchen, I go back to tidying up my appearance, trying to look at least presentable.

"I brought some soup that Calum made. Pain killers, sweets and some facial masks, This always helps you relax and get better.” he comes closer and I just want to bury myself. I look awful.

“I can't believe you came here and still brought all this.” my heart melts at the attitude and smile he gives.

"I'm sorry if you thought you were going to get rid of me." he sits beside me with a bowl of soup, pleasant smell by the way. I move closer, almost getting under his arms and snuggling into his chest. However, I still keep a safe distance and control my urges to cling to him.

“Well, since you’re very well cared for and accompanied. I think I'm on my way.” Leah still has the smile. “Get well.” she kisses my cheek. "Anything, call me. And you, take good care of her.” she orders Luke.

“Promise!” he raises his right hand.

Leah left, leaving us alone. Petunia lying on my lap, curious about the hot water bottle. Luke beside me, holding the bowl and spoonful of broth toward me.

"You know you don't have to spoon-feed me, don't you?" I ask before opening my mouth.

"Can you let me take care of you?" he counters, falsely sulking.

“You can, just don't need…”

“Sh-sh! Eat the soup.” he advances another spoonful into my mouth. I roll my eyes, silent.

"Calum who did it?" I ask impressed, after a few spoonfuls.

“He's been taking some cooking lessons, especially now that he's turned vegetarian.”

"You should do it too, to stop making eggs in the microwave." I let a fake smile in the end.

"Worried about me?" he asks smiling.

"Shut up and give me the soup." I ignored him, taking a deep breath and not smiling under his amused gaze.

Between spoonfuls, I play with Petunia, already feeling much better. At least the urge to cry has passed.

"You said you brought candy." I knelt on the couch, watching him carry the bowl of soup to the sink. Luke laughs, grabbing some white and pink boxes from the fridge.

“Yes, I believe sugar can help.” he puts the boxes on the table and pulls Petunia onto the rug. “You don’t!” she barks. “You can’t!” she barks louder. “Hey! Come! I'll give you your food.” I watch her follow him into the kitchen.

I open the first white box seeing a generous piece of Red Velvet. I pick up the fork he brought and already steal a piece. In the second box, I find four cupcakes and four donuts. My eyes widen as I open the third box.

"Did you go to Mr. Marshall's restaurant?" I question shocked.

“Yea! You said you liked his chocolate cake. He made this one especially for you.” I look at the smaller size cake.

“I don't remember him decorating with M&Ms.” I comment, stealing a piece already.

“Oh, I asked him to do it.”

I close my eyes, letting my body react to that information any way it wants to. He asked them to put M&Ms on my cake because he knows I like it.

Luke returns to sit beside me, picking up a white chocolate cupcake. I hold the box of Red Velvet in my lap, recklessly eating the cake.

"Argh! I feel so guilty. I'm going to get fat like this.” I complain, but without stopping eating.

“You are indisposed, you can eat what you want. Tomorrow we worry about our weight.” Luke speaks with his mouth full.

"I thought you didn't like red desserts." I comment, watching him take a full fork of my cake.

“How do you know that?” he looks at me curiously. Then I realize I've been cornered.

“In an interview last year.” then I fill my mouth, making it impossible for me to continue the conversation.

"Are you still googling me?" he puts again that amused/satisfied smile on his face.

“Of course, you were my boyfriend. I need to know what kind of people I'm getting involved with.” I shrug.

“I understood. Well, I really don't like it. I don't understand the need to make it red.”

“It's to be more aesthetically beautiful. It's like wearing makeup. You use it and looks more beautiful, it enhances your beauty.” Luke stares at me, holding back his laughter. I've seen this same expression when I defended my M&M’s organizer.

“Well, I know you're crazy about this cake, so I brought it.” he shrugs, like it's no big deal. But for me it's something. If Luke still has any intentions of winning me back, he's doing great.

“Thanks.” I advance toward him, kissing his cheek in shyly. I notice Luke is ashamed too, but maintains his pose.

After we stuff ourselves with candy. Luke and I were in the bathroom, trying to put on those face masks. At first I thought he brought it just for me, but when I saw him putting it on, I understood that he would participate body and soul in that night with me.

“This isn't right.” he comments still struggling with that piece of material.

"You didn't put it upside down, did you?" I approach trying to help.

“No! The eyes are here. So why don't stay?” I see the mask slip off his face. I hold back a laugh, taking the material from his hands.

"If you take the cape off, it stays." I pull out the plastic that holds the oils and put it on his face.

“Makes more sense.” he comments, watching me massage his face. “I need to shave.” he says as I massage his cheeks.

“No!” the answer comes out faster than I can think.

Luke stares at me in surprise at the revelation. With my hands still on his face, I notice the mood and walk away, drying my hands.

“And now?” I stare at him behind me in the mirror. Luke just raises his hands and shakes his fingers, demonstrating that we're going to get our nails done. The scene itself is so funny it makes me laugh. He's the best boyfriend anyone could have. "I think we'd better wait the twenty minutes for the mask, so as not to blur our work."

“Truth. Let's get back to the series then.” he turns around, his back to me, crouching down a little. I grab his shoulders and push off, climbing on his back. And like this, we go back to the room, on piggyback.

I go back under the covers, grateful that I'm sitting down because my legs are killing me. How can something that stays in the womb fuck my entire body? I shift uncomfortably, not finding a position that would make my legs stop hurting.

“Is it everything OK?” he asks, hitting play on The Office.

“My legs.” I answer softly, lying down on the couch with my head next to him.

“Turn. Put your legs here.” he pats his lap. I roll over on the couch, leaving my legs in his lap, where within seconds Luke starts massaging my legs.

I roll my eyes, feeling my body soften. A moan wants to escape, but I hold it with all the strength in the world, along with the treacherous declaration that explodes in my chest. They were three dangerous words that could mess with him more than anything else.

“You are incredible!” I exchange the words, feeling more secure in that expression. The blonde chuckles, shaking his head as he squeezes my foot.

I can't focus for a minute on TV. The feel of him touching my skin so gently and stiffly steals all my attention. I shift my gaze between him and the screen so I don't get so in the face that I'm staring at him.

After twenty minutes of the mask, we went back to the bathroom, washing our faces and then starting to do our nails. I'm sitting, glued to Luke, my hand propped up on a pillow in his lap as he applies the black nail polish. Once again I shift my gaze between him and the new episode, but I don't care if he catches me staring in the meantime.

"Did we do that a lot?" I inquire softly. Luke doesn't answer me with words, too focused on his work, just nodding his head positively.

“Especially when you were feeling bad, or when I was really tired and stressed out.” he complements after finishing a hand. “Tv shows, candies, beauty treatments and massage. Once you wanted to invent climbing on my back, massaging me with your feet.” he starts to smile, still focused.

“I'm sorry.” I lay my head against his shoulder. Let out a low laugh, focused on him.

“It wasn't one of our best ideas. But I can't deny that it wasn't good.”

"Were you happy with me? I mean, we had a good relationship, didn't we?” I question after a while.

Luke stops and stares at the wall, maybe thinking. I analyze your profile apprehensive about the delay. Then his eyes connect to mine. It's like a screen, I don't need the answer anymore, it's there, explicit in the glow of his eyes.

“Yes. I believe we had a great relationship.” he goes back to painting my nails, putting the last coat on.

“Itn't was those weird, honeyed types, was it?” curiosity takes me more every second. Luke holds back a laugh, denying it.

“No! I tried once, but you hit me with the pillow. But that's not our style either. It's like wanting Leah to be cute.” he shrugs. "Don't let her know that." he looked at me in alarm.

“I won’t! Honestly, I'm glad it's you here.” he stops and looks at me curiously. “You know…not that she's not amazing. Even because she was taking really good care of me, but…” I swallow with his gaze so fixed on me. Oh Lord, where are the words?! “You are you!” I shrug. "Don't let her know that." I ask in an alarmed way, as well as he.

“I'm me?” he turns more to me.

“Yeah!” I take a deep breath, trying to find myself in the mess I decided to make. “You seem to know how to handle this whole situation and cause…" Why is it so hard for me to say that I enjoy his company? “You know…I like being with you.” I whisper, wanting to crumble into thin air and disappear.

I lower my gaze, not holding that moment. I've known Luke for a month. I know that he only has size and age in his identity, that inside he is as child and silly as the guys. But there's something about him, so subtle and unobtrusive, that intimidates me so much.

“I like being with you too… but something tells me you already know.” the playful tone breaks the pit of shame I was in. I open a shy smile, going back to watching him finish painting my nails.

“Can I ask you something?” I question fearfully, after he finishes. Luke nodded. "How was that day? The one from the accident.”

He just stops. His jaw locks and that glint in his eyes fades. He leans back against the sofa, snorting. I feel bad for causing this discomfort. I'm even thinking about withdrawing the question, however, Luke is already starting to speak.

“You had gone to rehearse for Vogue and then we were supposed to go to lunch cause I turned off your alarm, and then you were late and we can't have breakfast together.” he narrates quietly and with a lost look.

"Why did you turned off my alarm?" I frown, confused.

"Cause I thought that way you'd stay home with me." I pick up my lips, pressing them together so I don't laugh at his pout. “Well, I was at the restaurant when it happened. The manager came to me and told me what happened, apparently was already on the news.” he takes a deep breath before continuing. “I was the first to arrive, but you were already in attendance, so I only saw you in your room a couple hours later.”

"The nurse said you slept there." I comment quietly, letting my mind wander to that day. Your cheeks are easily pink.

"I wasn't leaving your side." he answers in the same tone.

“Sorry I got you into this. And for being stupid the first time we met…again.” I add.

“It's OK! I mean, it was kind of good.” I widen my eyes, not understanding. “By making you fall in love with me again, I also ended up falling in love with you all over again.”

My heart races. The revelation takes me by surprise, not giving me time to hide the stupid grin gaping at my face. I roll my eyes, looking at the TV, which is currently playing with Jim asking Pam on a date. Ironically, she had the same stupid smile as mine.

"I never said I'm in love with you." I try to maintain my dignity, or whatever I'm supposed to maintain at a time like this.

“It's just a matter of time.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see him shrug. “You've already admitted that you like being with me. For those who hated me in that hospital, enjoying my presence is already a big step forward.”

I bite my lip, closing my eyes. He can’t be serious.

"I never said I hated you." I look at him, who was focused on the TV.

"And you never said you're not in love with me either." he blinks, smiling in amusement.

“I hate you!” I say loud enough.

“In seventh grade, when a girl said she hated a boy, it's because she liked him.” Luke comments, leaving me speechless, my mouth hanging open. "I will take your silence as a yes."

I kneel down on the couch, taking the pillow from my lap and hitting it. Hemmings starts to laugh as he shields himself from the flurry of beatings I give him. My God, how I hate him.

I return to sit on the couch more relieved, but still with my heart pounding. It's a mixture of very random feelings. I want to hit him at the same time I want to kiss him as I sink his head into the coffee table, telling him how much I like him.

The desire to let these feelings take over me fascinates me. But that's not how I wanted everything to happen between us. Expected to be a little more romantic, with me more tidy and less messy.

"You made me smudge my nail." Finally, I accuse him, sulking.

[sillyrabbit81]

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 2.7k

Warnings: swearing, angst, drunk, motion of death

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 2 Part 4

Part 3

In less than ten minutes, we had pulled up to Liam's house. Liam paid for the taxi too. I kind of argued this time, but he pointed out he asked me to his house. I didn't get too stubborn about it.

Liam was living in a four-story terrace house, recently renovated by the looks of it. It was painted white with black wrought iron lacework, and it was beautiful. The front door and windows were painted black. It appeared to be the twin of the house that shared its wall.

We entered through the dining room, and I realised it was actually the two houses renovated together. The inside was modern with original heritage touches. The floors were light timber, and the walls were white. The ceilings had plaster and cornice so beautifully ornate that restoration must have taken ages. The room had an imposing black marble fireplace and a deep brown, almost black wooden dining table set on a grey shag rug in the room's centre. A huge abstract painting of bright pinks, greens and grey hung on the wall.

"Wow, this must have cost a mint!" I quickly covered my mouth. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me."

"It's ok. I was pleasantly surprised by the house too. The studio got the house for me I...." Liam was interrupted by a massive dog bounding into the room.

Liam got down and roughhoused with the dog for a bit. Wow, he was a monster! I'd seen a picture of Cole before that "Will" had sent me, but I wasn't quite prepared for how big he was. He was almost completely black with some brown above his eyes and ears. His paws were brown too, and his belly was grey. He wasn't any particular breed, apparently a rescue dog. I thought of my bull terrier cross cattle dog at home. This dog would eat him for breakfast, and Perrin wasn't small.

Cole's pink tongue lolled, and he panted as Liam moved from side to side. Cole imitated Liam's actions jumping about. He barked a couple of times as he got excited by the play. The noise reverberated through the quiet house.

"Shhh, Cole, people are sleeping." Liam softly admonished. Then his voice became stern. "Sit," he ordered before patting him. Liam looked at me and said, "Lana, this is Cole. Cole, Lana."

"Hi, Cole. You're much bigger in person." I could hear the slight tremor in my voice. Liam must have sensed I was nervous and came over to stand near me. Cole padded over and sniffed at me. Gingerly, I put my hand by my side and let him approach me. Cole nuzzled my hand, and I gave him a pat on the side of his neck. I let out a sigh of relief.

"I was worried he wouldn't like me. I love dogs but always get nervous around new ones." Liam put his head to the side, asking a silent question. "I had a dingo go me one time, and I've never really gotten over it." I squatted down and gave Cole more pats. "I think this guy is ok, though."

"Yeah, he's a good boy. How is Perrin, by the way?"

"He's ok." I sighed, "he's just old. The poor little guy can't get onto my bed anymore and sleeps in my lounge room now. I kinda miss it, but I have slept a bit better."

Liam gave Cole some more pats and told him to go sit. "Come on. I'll make you a tea or coffee if you'd like." I agreed a coffee would be perfect right now. I needed something to sober me up.

I sat at the kitchen bench while Liam made coffees. Cole sat by my stool, and I patted his head while watching Liam. Liam had kicked off his shoes and was walking around in his bare feet. It was amazing to see him so much more relaxed here than while we were out. He really did appear to enjoy being at home.

As Liam made our coffee, he moved with a grace that surprised me. His movements seemed economical and rigid but hinted at the power beneath them. He seemed coiled and ready to explode at any moment. It was like he was dancing the pasodoble, his body moving to an invisible beat. Images of Strictly Ballroom came into my mind, and I found myself humming Love is in the Air. I was drunker than I thought.

When Liam was done, he led me over to his large L shaped lounge, and I sat. Liam flopped down next to me, casually laying back and popped his feet up on the coffee table. Cole sat on a mat that was clearly his.

I sipped my coffee, not knowing what else to do. Suddenly the quiet between Liam and I felt awkward.

Liam and I spoke at the same time, "What.." "So..."

We both laughed. Liam indicated I should proceed. "Well, I was going to ask what brought you out to Sydney, for real, not the Will answer."

"A new project. I'm going to be filming a television show." Liam proceeded to tell me about his project, working with some people from Netflix on a fantasy/sci-fi series adaptation. He was so animated when telling me that it was obvious that he loved his job.

It would be his first television series and was to be more romance heavy than anything he had done in years. Liam explained that he is filming here because the story was written and developed in Australia. "If it works out, I'll probably be based out of Australia for the next few years. I'll go home to England for a few months during breaks, maybe do some small film roles. It's hard with Cole, though, because every trip into Australia means 10 days quarantine for him."

"Oh yeah, and you don't want a Pistol and Boo situation." Liam looked confused, and I explained about Amber Heard and Johnny Depp smuggling their dogs into Australia.

"I thought you said you don't follow celebrity gossip."

"I don't, but that was big news, hilarious really. It was on every bit of media in Australia, and then they had to make this cringe video apology. I almost felt bad for them." Then I yawned, suddenly all the alcohol had lost its buzz, and I was just tired. "The coffee doesn't seem to be doing its job. What time is it?"

Liam looked at his watch, "11.30."

"Yeah, it's late. I should get home. I don't want to turn into a pumpkin." I cringed. Fuck.

"You don't have to go. You could stay here." I raised my eyebrows. "I do have more than one bed if that's what you want." Liam leaned over to me and placed a hand on my cheek, rubbing his thumb against my skin.

I looked at my nearly empty coffee mug. I swirled the dregs around the bottom as if it were tea leaves, and they would tell me what to do. "I don't want to go home yet, but I don't want to go too fast, either."

"That's ok."

I didn't move. I wanted to stay. Ten years ago, I would have stayed, but Andy's face flashed into my thoughts. I knew it was ridiculous. Andy had been gone for over three years now. But every time I even contemplated being with someone, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

Liam was waiting for an answer, but I didn't know what to tell him. 'It's not you, it's me' is such a tired cliche, but sometimes it's true.

"Lana, it's ok. If you want to go home, that's absolutely fine. I'll even call you an Uber."

I felt my eyes sting, and I looked away from Liam. My bloody traitorous tear ducts giving me away. I shouldn't have drunk so much. Alcohol always makes me emotional.

"Fuck." I swore under my breath. I angrily wiped at my eyes, thankful I had used waterproof mascara. My eyeliner was a different story, though, and black streaked my fingers. I asked Liam where his bathroom was, and I got up, only half listening to his directions. I found it quickly. It was only through the doorway into a little enclave with a powder room, stairs and a lift. What kind of bloody house has a lift?

I closed the door and sat on the toilet seat. I knew enough not to try to stop the tears, so I just let them go. Bloody hell, Andy. Why did he fucking have to leave me? Why the fuck did you have to fucking die. Goddammit. Why do I do this to myself? Why do I do this to Andy? I wanted to scream, to punch something, to throw something. I needed another cigarette. Fuck you, Andy. Fuck you. Fuck me. Fuck Liam.

As I always did when I thought of Andy, I remembered the last time I saw him. His sweet face looked down at me as he kissed me goodbye. His deep brown hair fell like a curtain around us, hiding our kiss from the world. Cheekily I had slipped my tongue into his mouth, and he had groaned as he pulled away. He told me to save it for when he got back and would be as quick as he could be. I had thanked him for filling in for me. He winked and said to thank him later. Then he left.

When I was able to, I started to take deep breaths. In through my nose, out through my mouth. I could feel the tightness in my chest slowly ease. Breathing became more comfortable, and the tears stopped. I looked at my hands, and I was able to release the fists I was making. My nails hadn't broken the skin this time, but small red crescents remained etched into my palms.

I waited a few minutes longer to make sure the moment had passed. It wasn't Andy's fault he died, and I knew that. It's also not my fault that I wanted someone to love again. Sleeping with someone other than Andy felt like crossing the Rubicon, no going back.

The fact was there is no going back, no Andy to go back to, even if I wanted. In my head, it still felt like a betrayal. But it wasn't. And Liam wasn't just anybody. He was a guy I had spent weeks talking to, getting to know, and although he looks different, he is still acting as I had expected. I saw a potential future here. Did I really want to let my past ruin it?

I cleared my throat and stood up, preparing myself to see the horror that looked back at me. Ugh, it wasn't great. My eyeliner had given me panda eyes, and the tears had created streaks down my cheeks.

Getting a tissue and blew my nose, and decided there was nothing else for it, I washed my makeup off my face. I avoided washing my eye makeup off though, that was a mess I just didn't have the products for, so I just wiped under my eyes and cleaned it up. I binned my tissues, washed my hands, took a few more deep breaths and prepared myself to face Liam.

I opened the door and walked straight into something solid that made me bounce back into the bathroom like a tennis ball. Hands caught me before I hit the floor, and I found myself in Liam's arms.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" He asked.

"No," I was flustered again. I spent all that time calming down to just be in a state two seconds later. "I just didn't expect you to be outside the door. Jesus, you're like a brick shit house."

Liam didn't laugh. "I was worried about you."

"I'm fine," I lied.

Liam didn't look convinced. He let me go and ran a hand through his hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now."

Liam nodded. "I'll get you that Uber." He pulled his phone out.

That's it then. All in all, it wasn't the worst date I'd been on since Andy died. Actually, it was probably the best. Liam, at least, was a guy I was attracted to and didn't appear to be a man child. He seemed to like me, even when I cried over another man. Although I doubt Liam knew that's why I was crying. I had told him I was married before and he had died, but that was only once and a long time ago, and we hadn't discussed it again.

The tears had done their job, and a calmness came over me now. I had said goodbye to Andy, and I was ready to take that last step to move on. That was why I started to date again; to open my heart, I was ready.

I put my hand on Liam's wrist, "if you still want me to, I'd like to stay."

"Are you sure? I probably shouldn't have asked in the first place. I let my other head think for me." Though I laughed at his candid admission, Liam's face was serious. "I'm not joking. I want you, and I didn't think about how you must be feeling. The whole fake profile thing must still be weighing on your mind. And all of the other problems that go along with being with me. You should have more time to think about it."

And my dead husband, let's not forget that. I didn't say that out loud, thank God. "I will have time to think about it. But right now, I want..." Shit. I've gone shy again. Just fucking tell him you want him too! "I mean, can't we just have a bit of a cuddle and a snog?"

Liam's lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smile, "a cuddle and a snog?"

I nodded.

Smiling, Liam put his phone back in his pocket. "I think I can arrange that."

Without further warning, Liam grabbed my wrists in one hand and pinned them to the wall above my head. His other hand snaked around my waist, holding me to him, his hips rolling into mine. His eyes were fierce and focused on mine. I  closed my eyes, the sensations too much, and my breath quickened.

I heard Liam say through gritted teeth, "It's taken everything I had not to do this to you since I saw you at the bar. I wanted to take you then and there." His voice seemed to ease, the words coming easier for him. "You don't know how much I've wanted to touch you. To know you are real." Then he whispered, "and you are. Real. You're as beautiful tonight as you were in your pictures."

I opened my eyes and found Liam staring at me, and his intensity was nearly frightening. He pulled me tighter against himself, his fingertips digging into me while he crushed me against his body. I felt his hardness against my hip, and I couldn't stop myself from rubbing against it. This time Liam closed his eyes, and I felt the rush of blood to my centre.

Liam opened his eyes, desire naked on his face, "Kiss me," he said.

I met his soft and warm lips. I felt Liam's groan rumble in his vast chest, and kissing him again, my lips scraped against his whiskers. Liam kissed me back now. His tongue pushed past my lips, and found mine. His tongue playfully danced in my mouth. Liam's hand left my arse and started to feel my hips, my waist and then my breasts. He cupped them and gently squeezed. My breath caught as his hand skimmed past my nipple. His palm created friction against the lace of my bra, and tingles radiated through my body.

His lips left mine and went to my neck. He kissed and sucked at me, moving down to the top of my breasts. I heard him take a deep breath into my chest as his cheeks rubbed against my skin. His kisses became harder against my chest and moved back up to my neck, his teeth nipping at me as he went. Even though he had me captured, I wriggled against him, my hips moved uncontrollably, my breath uneven and weak.

Liam pulled away, still firmly gripping one of my hands. "Come with me." Liam led me to the lift.

"Where are we going?"

"To my bedroom." I pulled against him, forcing him to stop. "Sweetheart, I promise I won't fuck you until you ask."

My legs turned to jelly. I wanted to fall to my knees and beg despite my reservations. I nodded and followed Liam into the lift.

Part 4

[simpcircus]

Broken Promises

Warning(s): Angst, character’s death, squint for fluff Word count: 4.8k A/N: First JJBA content let’s goooo ♡ ♡ I hope it’s decent and feedbacks are appreciated!

Drops of rain carrying shattered hopes and promises streaked down your skin to your quivering lips as you stood under the gloomy clouds, alone with your memories of him;

Kakyoin Noriaki.

How long has it been since you last saw him? Counting the days of his absence is something too painful for a mere human like you to do. You remember the way his lips stretch into a sickeningly sweet smile everytime he sees you. You remember how his stunning amethysts-for-eyes were rimmed with long dark lashes that would brush his cheeks everytime he closed his eyes. Suffering, longing, loneliness; his eyes held all those deep seated emotions despite how bright his smile looked like every time he’s with you. 

No matter how hard you tried to understand him and how he truly feels, there always seems to be an invisible wall blocking you from doing so. You tried. You really did - but it was useless. Beneath his polite smiles and warm gaze, there seemed to be a hidden layer that you couldn’t reach. 

“Hi! You’re Kakyoin Noriaki right?” The voice of your younger self echoed in your head as you recalled an old memory. The day was postcard perfect outside when you first approached Kakyoin. You still remember how shut off from the world he was back when both of you were younger. 

Everytime you saw him in your class, the red haired boy was always sitting at the back, his mind elsewhere as his gaze drifted outside through the window. Unlike the other kids in your class, there was oftenly a gloomy aura surrounding Kakyoin as he sat with his own company. You will always find the boy with his head tilted down as he avoided eye contact, his lips tightly shut. 

You were only met with silence as a response from the redhead after attempting to start your first conversation with him - but that doesn't mean you're going to give up on trying to befriend Kakyoin. Call it sheer will and child naivety, you didn't even feel discouraged when he barely showed any interest in pursuing a friendship with you at first. If anything, it only motivated you to try harder and at some point, he started warming up to you. 

“Good morning Kakyoin!” You would cheerily greet him every morning in class just to see the small sparkles in his eyes as he looked at you, dumbfounded. Volunteering to pair up with him for assignments when no one approached him has become the norm for you and sitting beside him during lunchtime was something that you would do out of habit. 

As time passed by, your friendship with Kakyoin was eventually established and you were glad that he wasn’t as distant as he was before around you.

One of your most memorable moments with him was when you discovered his love for cherries. It was a fine day under the radiant sun, gentle warmth from the brilliant rays hitting your skin as you sat near Kakyoin, a small box containing a slice of cherry flavoured cake sitting on your laps. 

It was a simple looking slice of cake, with alternating layers of cherry curd and vanilla buttercream, and then decorated with frosting and a cute red cherry to top it off. He was eyeing the little fruit that was left untouched on your cake the whole time you were eating and you were quick to offer him the cherry.

“You can have it if you want, Kakyoin” As soon as you said that, Kakyoin’s facial expression brightened and it was the first time you’ve ever seen him being genuinely happy about something. His lips broke into a grin as he thanked you before indulging himself with the cherry, his eyes sparkling once again. 

From that day onwards, you always reminded yourself to bring a small box of cherries to school for him.

Another moment with the redhead that you would never forget was when you dragged him to your house to play video games together. Your father had bought a new video game for you and knowing how much Kakyoin loves to play video games, you just had to invite him to join you. There’s no way you’re going to play the new game without him. 

The evening was filled with delightful laughters, and fun childhood memories with him were made. When the day almost came to an end, Kakyoin fell back into silence but this time, it wasn’t unpleasant. A warm smile graced his lips as he looked at you, his mouth uttering two sentences that made your heart flutter.

“Thank you for being my friend, (y/n). Let’s stay together forever.”

It was so sudden and the sincerity in his words caught you off guard, causing your little heart to pound wildly in your chest as a light blush covered your cheeks. It was at that moment when you truly noticed how stunning his violet eyes are. It was at that moment when you realized why his presence was so magnetic for you. It was at that exact moment when you finally understood your own feelings;

You have a crush on Kakyoin Noriaki.

Things weren’t the same for you anymore ever since that day. You began stealing glances at him during class, your face would blush at the smallest friendly gesture made by him and the teacher would catch you daydreaming about your little crush in the middle of a class which then resulted in you getting sent to detention - though Kakyoin will always be there to voluntarily accompany you by purposely getting himself into trouble. 

Keeping your cool in front of him became harder the more you spent time with him. However, you kept telling yourself that it was just a silly little childhood crush that will eventually go away as you grow up.

You were wrong though. 

The feelings won’t go away no matter how hard you tried dismissing them. You ended up having to transfer school due to personal reasons and lost contact with Kakyoin, never hearing from him ever again. It was painfully hard for the both of you at first, but you eventually grew out of it - or at least that was what you kept in mind for false comfort. ‘Kakyoin probably has gotten over our friendship by now..’ you thought, a bitter smile showing on your lips as you moved on with your life.

Years passed by rather quickly and you’re now a highschooler.

News of having a transfer student in your school has been spreading around and it was the only thing everyone was talking about for the past few days. They were all so curious about the new student and a few girls who claimed to have seen him before were completely head over heels for him.

While everyone was excited to welcome the transfer student, you, in particular, paid no attention to the hype. However, your indifference towards the transfer student’s arrival immediately changed as soon as you found out that it was actually Kakyoin Noriaki; your long lost best friend and childhood crush.

Kakyoin has grown up to become a handsome young man. He was truly mature for his age - his composure was always kept together and his naturally reserved demeanour has made him seem more level headed than his peers. The redhead was much more confident to be compared to his younger self, but there was something about him that had bothered you. 

He was behaving distantly around you when you approached him, as if he barely knew you and it made you feel like you’re back to square one.

“Kakyoin?” Your voice wavered. Both of your hands were clasped while your heart beat wildly, just like how it did years ago when he thanked you for being his friend. Your legs almost gave out when the redhead finally turned his head towards you and met your gaze. You were scared, but you couldn’t pinpoint what you’re actually scared of. Was it rejection? Or maybe you’re just nervous because you haven’t seen each other for a very long time.

His white scarf swayed lightly in the cold breeze, his eyes still held the same brilliance from your childhood memories of him - but there was something that made his gaze appear colder than before as he looked at you instead of the canvas in front of him. 

His lips were formed into a thin line as he kept staring at you in silence, and you started to feel uncomfortable under his gaze. Was he angry that you left him? Did he hate you now? Does he even recognize you? You couldn’t tell.

“It’s been a long time, Kakyoin. I miss you- and our friendship, of course.” It would be a huge, pathetic lie to say that you don’t miss him. Your heart was aching for him every second ever since the day you were separated from Kakyoin. Everyday, you have this hope where you’ll get to reunite with him by fate - be it stumbling across each other in a random street or perhaps meeting him at a cafe as an employee. 

You’ve always told yourself that you would confess about your feelings if life gave you the chance to meet Kakyoin again but now that he’s right here standing in front of you, you’re tongue tied.

God, you desperately wanted to tell Kakyoin how much you love him but something in your mind held you back. ‘Do I even have the right to confess about my feelings after not seeing him for years? Won’t it sound weird?’ You knew it wasn’t your fault that you had to transfer schools and you’re probably being overdramatic at the moment but you couldn’t help it. 

It felt like forever before Kakyoin finally responded, his facial expression was quick to change as he flashed you a polite smile. “Nice to meet you again. You’re (y/n). Aren’t you?” Kakyoin’s voice was just as charming as it was years ago, but deeper, and it caused a wave of nostalgia to wash over you. His reaction was as calm as you’d expected him to be. However, something felt off about him. 

‘Maybe I’m overthinking it..’ You shook off your thoughts before proceeding to try and spark a conversation to catch up on your lives. 

“As much as I would love to talk, I’m afraid I don't really have the time (y/n).” You had no idea that he could effortlessly break your heart with just a few words. It was a challenge to hide your disappointment as you forced out a smile for him. You can tell that he’s truly apologetic with the way he looked at you so you forced yourself to temporarily put your disappointment aside.

“It’s alright. We can always catch up later when you’re free right?” You noticed the way his gaze was immediately directed towards someone a few feet away behind you, his eyebrows slightly furrowed as if there was business to be done with whoever he was looking at. Out of curiosity, you turned your head to follow his gaze and saw Jotaro Kujo walking with a bunch of heart eyed girls tailing him. “That’s Jotaro Kujo. He’s in my class. Do you know him, Kakyoin?”

Kakyoin shook his head before returning his gaze back at you. “No, I believe I don’t. I’ll get back to you once I’m free (y/n). See you later.” He flashed you his usual polite smile before walking away towards the same direction Jotaro took, leaving you to stand by yourself. 

You were left speechless after the encounter with your long lost best friend and disappointment began seeping back into your chest as you quietly turned to look at Kakyoin’s back. You had to admit that you’re a little mad at your best friend for just simply dismissing you after years of not seeing each other. 

‘Calm down, (y/n). He told you that he’s busy. He surely didn’t intend to offend you or anything.’ You let out a small sigh before shaking your head to calm down. Kakyoin did tell you that he’ll be reaching out later, so you’ll just have to wait. Waiting shouldn’t be hard, right?

You didn’t see him for the rest of the day and there was an attack in the nurse’s office - which had forced students to stay in class. The teachers assumed that there was an unknown gas explosion but no one can really tell the true cause of the incident. It was a relief to hear that she was still alive regardless of her severe injuries. You would even call her lucky, even, since most people would’ve died if they got the same injuries as hers. 

By instinct, your gaze drifted over to Jotaro’s empty desk at the back of the class and you couldn’t help but to wonder where he went. ‘I thought he was on his way to school this morning..’ A small voice echoed in your head as curiosity began filling in your mind. Jotaro was well known for being a delinquent in the school and you knew for a fact that him skipping school is old news. 

However, it was a little odd that he wasn’t in the class after seeing him near the school this morning. ‘Maybe he changed his mind and ended up skipping.’ you quietly hummed to your own conclusion, hoping so that your classmate wasn’t harmed wherever he was.

The next day, you decided to walk the same road you took yesterday just in case you're lucky enough to see Kakyoin again. Much to your disappointment, the redhead was nowhere to be seen and you were once again let down by your own hope. You subconsciously bit your inner cheek out of slight frustration and was about to walk faster to school before a hand caught you by the wrist, causing you to instinctively pull your hand away by force to hold up your trusty pepper spray out of defense.

“Whoa calm down (y/n)! It’s me, Kakyoin” Your childhood best friend quickly held both of his arms up, slightly backing away for you to maintain a safe distance from your deadly spray. It took you a few seconds to get back to your senses and recognize that it was Kakyoin, and your mood instantly improved for the day. 

Your lips stretched into a bright grin but it didn't stay for long when you saw the bandage wrapped around his forehead. “What happened to your forehead?” The obvious worry in the tone of your voice caused him to smile gently before shaking his head as a response.

“I got into a small accident yesterday. Sorry for worrying you, (y/n).” Kakyoin sounded slightly different today. His tone was gentler and warmer while his gaze was soft as he looked at you rather fondly. The change of behaviour caused your stomach to flutter, reminding you of your feelings towards him. 

“You really should be more careful Kakyoin. I just don’t want to see you get hurt that’s all.” Your hand brushed over his bandage, careful enough to avoid hurting him by accident. At that moment, Kakyoin was silent as he stared at you - as if he was contemplating on his next words. There was a subtle nervousness in his gaze that was still on you while you pulled away your hand. 

“What is it Kakyoin? You looked like you got something to say.” Your words managed to bring him back to reality and you could almost imagine the gears in his head turning to muster up a response. It took a while for him to consider his words, but Kakyoin reminded himself to not take too much time since he didn’t want to cause you to be late for school. 

“(y/n), I’m sorry if I acted distant yesterday. I wasn’t in the right mind.” A small frown was visible on his face and you only proceeded to shake your head. Sure, he disappointed you yesterday but at least he was really apologetic about it.

“Hey it’s alright. Don’t worry about it.” You let a smile show up in your facial expression as an attempt to assure him that you’re fine. It’s not that you could stay mad at Kakyoin for too long anyways. His frown changed into a small smile and he was back to being silent. The both of you kept staring at each other, not uttering any word as you got yourselves lost in each other’s eyes. 

It took months for Kakyoin to finally realize his crush for you, and it was a shame that you already left by the time he figured his feelings out. The redhead recalls how he practiced hardly to confess to you years ago. 

The boy envisioned a perfect day for his confession - delicate cherry blossom petals gently falling to the ground around the two of you as he tried his best to avoid stuttering in his words while struggling to hold back his blush in front of you. It was the perfect scenario, but his hope crashed and burned when he remembered that he probably would never get to see you again. 

Now that he was standing right in front of you, he was just as tongue tied as you are, especially after seeing how breathtaking you have grown to be.

For now, Kakyoin has to put aside the plan for his confession - much to his dismay.

“I won’t be at school for a while.” He finally broke his silence, shocking you with the sudden announcement. It was only his second day, yet, he was already skipping school. 

“Where are you going?” 

“Egypt. There are important things that need to be done.”

Egypt? His answer only opened the door to more questions, leaving you in complete confusion. “Alone?” You were filled to the brim with your own curiosity and Kakyoin shook his head to your question.

“I have a couple of friends with me, so, no. I’m not alone.” 

Suspicions and theories began swirling in your head, and one of them happened to slip from your lips - which only caused him to widen his eyes in surprise at how you managed to catch up on so quickly. “Is it stand related, Kakyoin?”

You knew nothing about how these so called stands work, but something tells you that whatever Kakyoin’s about to get himself into, there’s a high chance that it won’t go too well. Your eyebrows slightly furrowed when he looked away, somehow confirming your suspicions. Your heart desperately wanted to stop him from going, but you simply couldn’t bring yourself to do so. You knew your place and you’re aware that you’re not in the right position to tell him what to do for many different reasons.

One of them is that he’s a stand user, unlike you.

You remember how he opened up to you about his inner conflict years ago. The sole reason for his loneliness was because no one could see his stand and truly understand him - and this includes you. 

Despite how hard you tried to make him feel fully understood, you knew that your efforts probably wouldn’t do much for him because just like most people, you couldn’t see his stand. However, everytime you apologize to him for not being able to make him feel less lonely and understood, Kakyoin would just shake his head disapprovingly and remind you that everything you had done for him is something that he will never forget.

He will always try to prove you wrong whenever you feel like you’re not enough.

“Jotaro too?” Another question left your lips as soon as your dark haired classmate entered your sight, walking towards your direction with his hat concealing the upper part of his face. He made sure to maintain some distance just so that he didn’t interrupt anything personal between you and Kakyoin by accident.  

“We’re leaving now Kakyoin.” Jotaro spoke, disinterested with whatever your discussion with Kakyoin was about. At least he’s considerate enough to wait a little bit longer instead of just pulling your bestfriend away from you.

Kakyoin quietly looked at you and he was taken aback at the supporting small smile on your face. He could see the pain in your eyes but your smile has become his motivation to win this upcoming war in Egypt.

“I would be lying if I say that I’m not worried about you, Kakyoin, but this is important and personal for you so I won’t get in your way.” You pushed yourself to restrain your tears before reaching out for his hands and hold them up in a supportive manner. “I trust you. I know you’ll return safely.” 

“Thank you, (y/n). I’m thankful that I have you in my life.Truly.” Kakyoin spoke softly, his grip on your hands were tight, yet gentle - as if he was afraid that he would break them if he held too tightly. 

A small part of your anguish for having to be separated from him for the second time was soothed with the way his thumbs caressed the skin of your hands to comfort you. “Once this all ends, I’ll return immediately and there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for so long. Please wait for me (y/n).”

“Of course I will. I’ll always wait for you, Kakyoin.” Always. 

Kakyoin looked less troubled after listening to your reply, before his eyes widened by a fraction upon remembering something important. “Another thing, please don’t tell anyone about this no matter what happens. Alright?”

Letting out a light chuckle, you let go of his hands and showed him your pinky finger. “Sure, but only if you could promise me three things.”

“Elaborate?” It was his turn to become confused.

“One, promise me that you’ll take good care of yourself while in Egypt. Two, don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go the way you wanted them to be. Three, stay alive.” 

“Deal.” Memories of your childhood rushed into his mind when Kakyoin linked your pinky fingers together. The two of you used to do this whenever a promise was made, and to remember about it made his heart feel warm. “I’ll keep my promises” The way he grinned was so assuring and none of you were suspecting the tragedy that will soon befall on him.

Weeks became months and you kept waiting for Kakyoin’s return. You got more anxious the longer you wait, various thoughts of negative outcomes haunted your mind every second while you’re awake. What if he didn’t come back? What if something bad happens to him? It was hard to think positively and remain hopeful for his safe return but you didn’t give up. Despite how scary the whole situation was, you kept holding onto your feeble hope that he’ll be back in one piece.

Instant relief entered your chest when you saw Jotaro back in school - but there was nothing more horrifying for you when your classmate stayed in silence after you asked about Kakyoin. The look of grief in his face and the way he tilted his hat downwards to hide his eyes said it all - Kakyoin didn’t make it.

It almost felt like your heart had stopped while the world around you collapsed, crumbling into dust. 

You wanted to cry, scream and punch someone to let it all out, but you can’t. Your body was frozen from all the sudden intense grief and despair that have washed over your senses. Every inch of your body was in pain, desperately rejecting the horrible news despite knowing that it is, indeed, reality - and there was nothing for you to do to change it. You couldn’t rewrite reality no matter how bad you wish you could.

“No..” It was the only word that you could utter at the moment due to your current state, your voice cracked while your throat burnt. How cruel can life be? All you wanted was just to be with Kakyoin again and create more meaningful memories together. Is that too much to ask for? What did you even do to deserve this?

A painful chuckle left your lips after another long moment of silence, your eyes brimming with tears that were threatening to spill out. This can’t be real right? This must’ve been a terrifyingly realistic nightmare that you’ll wake up from soon. This can’t be real. 

You’re not ready to lose Kakyoin yet.

Shaking your head, you immediately pinched yourself as hard as you could, your fingernails digging into your skin only to leave bruises and fresh wounds. “This must be a dream. A really bad one..” Those words were the only thing you repeated on your lips as you kept pinching yourself as an attempt to escape this atrocious fate - yet there you were, still trapped in the living nightmare and your fingernails were covered by your own blood.

It was at that moment when light became shadows - your mind desperately called out for him but it was useless. Kakyoin was truly gone.

You didn’t step out from your room for days to mourn over his death. Your pillows were soaked with tears and your limbs felt heavier than they usually did. You kept crying until there was nothing left inside, but a raw emptiness that nibbles at your consciousness. The sun still shone in the vast sky but not for you as there was no beauty left in the world after Kakyoin had taken his departure.

The faint sound of thunder brought you back from your endless trail of memories, raindrops have completely soaked you from head to toe. It was cold, but you couldn’t bring yourself to step forward and find yourself a shelter to protect yourself from the heavy rain. It’s not that you cared much if you’ll get sick from being under the downpour for too long. It has been almost two weeks since you last stepped outside, but you don’t even realize how fast time flies.

‘Will the rain wash my pain away?’ A thought crossed your mind as you closed your eyes, your head tilted upwards to face the grey sky. Life seems to hate you that much, huh? 

“E-excuse me miss” A childish voice grabbed your attention and you looked down to see a little boy in a raincoat holding an umbrella. His huge eyes sparkled with curiosity as he stared at you, probably wondering why an adult like you were standing in the rain without any protection from the rain. Crouching down to his level, you mustered out what energy you had left for a small smile before letting out a gentle questioning hum.

Now that you could see him better, you started to take notice of the boy’s luscious red hair and violet eyes. Whoever he is, the boy strikes a resemblance to Kakyoin but you were quick to shrug the thought off.

“My mom told me that you’ll get a cold if you stand in the rain for too long.” There was a hint of worry in his eyes as he spoke and his concern for a random stranger like you caused your lips to stretch into a wider smile. Maybe there’s still a little bit of kindness left in life despite how cruel it could be.

“I have a raincoat on me and uh.. Y-you can have my umbrella instead!” That was completely unexpected. Your eyes widened as you stared at him in disbelief. ‘Is this kid for real..?’ You had to take a few moments to process his words just to make sure you weren’t hearing things. 

“It’s fine miss! My mom said that it’s always good to be a hero and help people in need. I wanted to help you!” There was pure innocence in his face as he spoke excitedly. “So please accept my help! Mom’s gonna be so happy when she finds out that I helped someone today” He was grinning brightly at you and it was hard for you to say no - but at the same time, you wouldn’t want to cause trouble to a child.

“H-hey it’s alright. You don’t have to-” Your words were cut off by him grabbing your hand and shoving the umbrella towards you before running off, not giving you the chance to even thank him. You were left alone with confusion, the umbrella shielding you away from the rain. “He’s surely an odd one..” You murmured under your breath before a small sigh escaped your lips. Though you can’t say that you’re ungrateful for the umbrella.

The little incident with the random child has managed to bring you back to your senses and you figured that it was time to go home. Just when you got up and started walking, a small chiming of some bells attracted your attention. ‘Huh?’ 

There weren’t any bells around you - or that was what you thought until you saw two small cherry shaped bells attached to the child’s umbrella. Words couldn’t explain how overwhelmed you were after seeing the cherry shaped bells, a tear unknowingly streamed down your cheek. 

Perhaps Kakyoin hasn’t completely left, and there was indeed, a part of him that’s still living inside your heart until the day when you can finally reunite with him again.

[astaralys]

A Frozen modern AU oneshot

Oneshot collection can be read on: FFN | AO3

[Backstory chapter, direct continuation of oneshot #3, Searching] In which Anna officially moves in with Elsa.

-----

Anna sifts through the stranger and collects details like flecks of gold buried in the sands of time.

When she follows her sister through the airport and realises she still has to look up even though Elsa is only wearing flats: Wow, she's taller than me.

When Elsa tries to help her with the luggage and nearly drops it on her own foot: … But not exactly stronger. Got it.

When they get into a small white car: Oh, she does drive.

When Elsa struggles so badly to merge lanes she misses their exit on the freeway: Oh my God. She can't drive.

Anna tries so hard not to grip the door handle for security that she can't remember what she spends the ride rambling about. Her sister is mostly silent, all hums, terse nods and white-knuckled hands on the steering wheel. Anna tells herself it's because all of Elsa's focus is going into keeping them on the road, and not because Elsa, like, hates her or anything. That's absurd.

Right?

When they reach the city, Elsa's driving suddenly improves; Anna suspects it's because there's so much traffic they're barely moving. Sitting at a red light (Elsa slammed on the brakes when it turned yellow), Anna is so captivated by the bustle beyond her window that she nearly misses her sister tentatively asking, "Do you have your license yet?"

Anna snaps her head around too keenly, and winces when she sees Elsa flinch. Is she scared of me? "Sorry? Oh—my license? Ah, no, I kinda, um, failed the test. Twice. But I know how to drive!"

Elsa blinks, and Anna panics—crap, she thinks I'm a total dunce for failing twice—but then the lights go green. Almost immediately, the car behind them honks impatiently and startles them both.

Seeing her sister's shoulders tense up again ignites something inside Anna. She twists in her seat, stares straight through the rear window, and glares at the other driver. She can't tell if they can see her, but she likes to think it was the heat of her wrath that sent them scurrying into the nearest side street.

"What a stinker," Anna huffs as she turns back around. Then she remembers that it's not Kai in the seat beside her, and flushes as she glances towards Elsa. "Am I embarrassing? I'm embarrassing, aren't I? Hans always says so—i-in a nice way, of course. Like, you know, 'you adorable dork' or—"

"You're not embarrassing," Elsa says quietly. There's a pause as she carefully navigates an intersection. Then, "Hans is a friend?"

Oh, Anna realises. I'm not the only one playing detective.

"He's, um, a little more than that."

Elsa's surprise manifests as an especially jerky stop at a pedestrian crossing. "You're dating someone?"

The urge to defend him rises from nowhere. "You'll like Hans! He's a perfect gentleman with the sweetest sense of justice. He just graduated from law school. And he likes chocolate and sandwiches, just like me."

He didn't like you moving across the country, a niggling voice reminds her. Anna purses her lips and pushes the thought to the back of her mind.

"I'm sorry. That question came out strange." Elsa glances at Anna, adding softly, "Sometimes I forget that you're not five years old anymore."

"Well, we're lucky you remembered today, or you never would have found me in the airport. Waaait a minute… why didn't we just go to the information desk and tell them to make an announcement?"

To her surprise, Elsa laughs. "Haven't you had enough of that for a lifetime? You used to get lost every time we went shopping with Mom and Dad."

The memories come flooding in like a storm carving up a forgotten river. "Hey, you got lost all the time, too!"

"You got us both lost all the time."

The warm glow fills Anna's chest and remains there as Elsa turns into a long driveway leading down into the basement of one of the tallest apartments. Elsa takes a full five minutes to park, and then they're zipping up in the elevator.

Following Elsa down the plushly carpeted hallway, Anna discreetly pinches herself. Ow. It's actually happening. It doesn't matter that Hans planted that horrible question in her head ("You haven't lived with your sister in over thirteen years, Anna. How do you know she even loves you anymore?")—she's here. Elsa's here. They'll be coming home together from now on.

Then they reach the door at the very end of the hallway, fitted with one of those fancy keyless locks, and as Elsa reaches for it, she seems to remember something and says rather awkwardly, "It's your birthday."

She forgot.

It shouldn't be so surprising—Elsa hasn't been there for thirteen years of birthdays. Their parents would always give Anna 'a present from Elsa', but Anna knows how hard it is to pick out something for a sister she sees once a year at Christmas ("She likes books," Grandpa replied every time Anna called for research). And Elsa's presents are always a little too perfect, as if she still sleeps on the top bunk and can't escape twelve-year-old Anna gushing about skateboards. And after Anna noticed that, it became harder to ignore the voice that kept wondering if those presents were really from Elsa—a voice that is now smugly saying: I told you so.

"Y-Yeah! It was actually two months ago but time sure does fly. It was a super fun day—Hans and I went to an amusement park. I spent, like, two hours at the bottle toss trying to win this cute Baymax plushie. I've got it in my suitcase; I'll show you later. It's the best cuddle buddy ever."

This gets her an odd look from Elsa, but a beep from the lock distracts them both. Elsa opens the door. She steps back, gesturing shyly for Anna to enter first.

"There had better not be a trapdoor in there," Anna jokes. She doesn't know why she's nervous about this moment. It's a door. It's open.

She steps through.

Her first thought is that everything is minimalistic and very white. An open kitchen with an oak splashback against pale tiles. Cream carpet visible through a glass coffee table sitting in front of a light grey leather couch that looks more like a recliner for one than a place to watch Netflix with friends or sisters.

Even the bookshelves standing sentry on either side of the wall-mounted television contain neat rows of books with the stark pages facing outward. Anna opens her mouth to make a quip about finding any books—but then her curious gaze falls on the small dining table with its single placemat and chair.

Why does this detail hurt so much?

"This place is amazing! I bet myself ten bucks that you had great taste." Even Anna can tell she sounds too loud, too bright. "Remind me to treat myself. I'm craving chocolate fondue right now. Actually, scratch that. I'm always craving chocolate fondue. Any good places around here? Please say yes."

She hopes Elsa still likes chocolate and building snowmen.

Elsa hovers by the shoe cabinet, her left hand loosely gripping her right elbow. "Yes. I'll take you someday. Would you like to see your room?"

Anna catches herself on the verge of saying something stupid like 'Of course! It's the whole reason I'm here.'

"That's the bathroom." Elsa points to a door at the end of a short corridor, then gestures to two other doors on either side. "My room. Your room. I was only using it as a study, so it's very empty after I moved the desk to my room. We can—"

"Relax, sis! I'm so easy. All I need is a—" Anna throws open the door. "—bed."

It's literally the only piece of furniture in the room.

"Woooow. You really weren't kidding about empty, huh?"

Behind her, Elsa sounds apologetic. "I wasn't sure how you wanted to set it up, so I only got a bed. If the mattress is too hard or too soft for you, we can exchange it tomorrow. Or if you don't like the view, you can take my room instead. It really doesn't—"

"I love it." Anna spins around with a grin. "This means we get to go shopping together! But let's get IKEA to deliver to us, yeah? Your Mini Cooper can only fit, like, two-thirds of a flatpack. Ooh, I've seen apps that let you drag furniture onto photos to see how the room looks with—" She's interrupted by a shockingly huge yawn. "Goodness, 'scuse me. Where was I? Right—apps… Elsa? Where are you going?"

Her sister returns with the suitcase. "You just got off a plane; change into something comfortable and get some rest. Dessert and furniture can wait until tomorrow."

"But I'm not—" Another yawn swallows up the rest of Anna's sentence. "—sleepy… Okay, fine. But promise you'll wake me up for dinner, or my rumbling tummy will wake you in the middle of the night."

Elsa promises, and then the door closes with the softest of clicks.

Anna listens, but there's carpet and her sister moves so quietly that it feels like she's back in the big house. Alone. Except she's not.

She checks her phone. Nothing from Hans. She sends him a quick message to say she's arrived at Elsa's place, then looks around at her new room, and decides not to add a photo.

Her suitcase springs open as soon as she unlocks it, spilling her life across the floor. Gerda helped her pack, but none of her neat folding survives the trial of Anna digging for something to sleep in. Anna changes into pyjama bottoms and one of Hans' shirts.

Then her gaze catches on a grey, threadbare sweater.

There's a cartoon graphic of a single slice of pizza. The rest of the pizza is on her father's sweater; a matching Father's Day gift that immediately became a game of chicken. If one of them wore their sweater in the house, the other had to wear theirs, no matter how sweltering the day. It drove her mother crazy. "Can you two please stop wearing those long enough for me to wash them?" she used to sigh.

Now, pulling the sweater over her head, Anna realises in the darkness that it's the little details. It's the fact that their sweater streak was still unbroken when she answered the door to find two police officers solemnly waiting. It's electricity and phone bills that continue to pay themselves, because direct debits don't care that Anna's parents are gone. It's not being able to send videos of Elsa's horrible driving to the group chat because no one else will see them.

A knock on the door startles her. She whirls around with her head still stuck in the sweater and—oh no, bad idea.

"Anna? I forgot to give you… are you okay? I heard a loud noise."

Lying winded on her back, Anna wheezes, "Nothing! My shirt just fell."

"That was very loud for a shirt."

"Yeah, um, that's because I was kind of in it."

The door opens as she sits up. "Did you break anything?" Elsa asks as she helps Anna get her head through the sweater.

"God, I hope not. Keep all your favourite mugs away from me. Actually, keep all your expensive stuff away because I'm ridiculously uncoordinated. As you can see."

"I meant bones, Anna. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh." Anna lets out a laugh, rubbing an elbow. "Totally fine. Super thick skull. What did you forget?"

Elsa gestures towards the bed, where she's placed a stack of bath towels. "To give you towels in case you want to take a shower first."

"Thanks. Wow. That's… a lot of colours."

"I wasn't sure which ones you liked."

Anna blinks at her sister. Who might have given her a spare room with nothing but a bed, yet bought towels in literally every colour of the rainbow, just for Anna.

"Oh, and this." Elsa holds out a silver key. "In case the keyless lock fails for any reason. There's a panel you can slide down to open the door normally with this key."

The key feels both light and heavy in Anna's hands. She flashes Elsa a grateful grin. "I'm going to use this every day because that pin code looked so long, I'd forget it every day."

"I don't think you will."

"Hah. You don't know how bad my memory is." And Elsa really doesn't know, does she? There are so many things they don't know about each other.

But then Elsa cocks her head to one side and says, "You can't forget it. I told you: it's your birthday. Month, date, year."

When Anna stares speechlessly for too long, Elsa hurriedly adds, "When I moved in, I was told not to use my own birthday because it's too obvious, so the first thing I thought of was yours—b-but we can change it to your phone number if that's easier for you. Or maybe… Anna? Are you okay?"

The details Anna has collected scatter as she throws her arms around Elsa for the second time that day. Except this time, it doesn't feel like she's hugging a stranger.

When Elsa awkwardly rubs her back, Anna wipes her eyes on her favourite sweater and thinks: That's my sister.

[fifteenskies15]

Kanae's Precious Doll

(Yandere! Kanae Kochō x Reader)

Summary: Kanae Kochō had never developed a romantical interest to her fellow pillars, but when (name) joined the ranks, it all changed... Kanae tend to get whatever she wants and she'll most definitely do anything to keep you herself.

Trigger warning: mention of necrophiliac, disturbing themes, sadistic Kanae, and mention of reader committing suicide by drowning.

Note: Mention of Sanemi and Mitsuri having a crush on reader

Admin's note: Oh my, oh my, a first fic of Kanae, this is all for you my fellow Kanae stans, fair warning that this fic consist a lot of disturbing themes and not compatible for you who had fragile soul, so please tread lightly and also this is rushed also it's long, I'm so sorry if you don't like it.

----

Oh what a good day today! Yes it is indeed a good day!

Kanae hummed a happy song as she make her way to Butterfly estate, the other slayers look at her slender and slim figure along with her long, beautiful black hair swayed by the wind in awe of her beauty.

"She looks awfully happy today"

"Well she's just succeeded in her mission of course she's happy"

"She's beautiful when she smiled like that"

"Whoever her lover is, they must be very lucky to have a beautiful lady like her"

Kanae overheard what they said, her smile goes more sweeter, of course, they were right, a certain person is extremely lucky to have faithful, loyal and loving girl like her.

Yes, you're very lucky indeed...

"Shinobu, Kanao! I'm home!" Her melodious voice said as she took off her zori sandal, Shinobu then greet her and bow her head respectfully at her "Welcome back, Nee-san, I hope your mission goes well today"

"It is~ How's Kanao doing?"

Shinobu shrugs and sighed wearily "Still same as ever... She hasn't eat her food yet"

"Oh my~ well, I'm sure she'll get used to it soon, have a patience, Shinobu~" she said as she affectionately ruffled Shinobu's hair, "Speaking of which, how's my beloved (name) doing?"

There's a smallest gleam of fear in Shinobu's face, but she immediately regained her composure "She's/He's doing well, nee-san" Kanae beam happily and clapped her hands "Waah~ that's good to hear! Excuse me, Shinobu, I must see her/him at once" Shinobu nods and step aside as she just watch her sister's back with a sigh.

"... Nee-san..."

"(Name), my darling! I'm back! Today's mission is a great success!" She said as she took off her haori and put her sword away "I managed to kill the demon and everyone is so very happy! It warms me to see them smile, don't you think it's great to see them so Happy, (name)?"

You were just sitting there in your (F/C) kimono and your hair done, your blank (E/C) eyes just staring at the ground, Kanae giggled and hugged you "Oh, I know you're happy too, my little butterfly! After all people smile shows that our efforts are worth it!" Kanae sighed happily as she settles herself on your lap.

Her nimble fingers traced around your neck and collarbone, smiling as she could feel your porcelain like skin against her fingertips "I'm elated that I could spend my time with you again, I have missed you! And now I'm happy that I can be in your arms again"

She sighed once more and snuggled closer "My love, doesn't it feels like yesterday we met?"

...

...

Two years ago...

"(Last name) (name) we're happy to know that you're enjoying our rank as a pillar! I look forward to work with you!! The flame pillar Rengoku Kyojuro said with a beaming smile on his face as you smile gently at him.

"Thank you, Rengoku sama, I'll look forward to work with everyone of you" a woman with long pink hair smiled and hugged you "AHH! You're so beautiful/handsome! And also you're nice! I hope we can be friends!"

You chuckled warmly "I'm sure we will, miss...?"

"Kanroji Mitsuri! It's great to meet you!"

"Likewise, Kanroji sama"

You then spot beautiful woman next to wind pillar eyeing you like she's looking at the most beautiful thing she's ever seen, you smiled warmly at her "May I help you with something?"

The woman blushed lightly and smiled "Ah, no, I think I'm just flustered to see such a beautiful woman/handsome man in front of my eyes"

Oh my! Did I just said it out loud?!

You stare at her unbelievably before you laughed warmly, the pillars thought your laugh is melodious so they stare at you with a slight blush on their faces, "A bold one aren't you, miss...?"

"Kanae, Kochō Kanae"

"Nice to meet you, Kochō sama"

Kanae smiled and blushed and tucked the strand of her hair behind her ear "Oi! I'm still standing here, (breathing style) pillar!" The wind pillar Shinazugawa Sanemi said, you looked up at him with a smile "I'm fully aware, Shinazugawa sama, are you jealous that Kochō sama got more attention than you did?"

You could hear Uzui letting out a whoop, Sanemi sputtered as he blushed and looked away "It's nothing like that!!"

You just chuckled at him and patted his arm and turn your attention to Kanae "I'll look forward to see more of you, Kochō sama"

Kanae's heart beating so fast as you smiled at her and she felt her face getting warmer, she never felt such things as this.

"I sure hope you will"

Kanae had never felt something like this to someone else before, is this how it feels to be in love? Her heart beating so fast, her beautiful face were streaked with nice shades of red and she felt like she's smiling like an idiot.

(Last name) (name) is a delightful pillar...

Lovely, kind, clever and compassionate...

Kanae loves (Name)

And (Name) must love Kanae too.

A surge of possessiveness and obsessiveness blooms in Kanae, she watched as you were smiling and laughing with Kanroji and Shinazugawa, why, her heart feel stings...

...

Her light purple eyes glared maliciously at the two pillars who just made you smile, the usual gentle Kanae suddenly replaced by a possessive and violent Kanae...

"Kochō sama, Kanroji sama and I are going to get some sweets, you want to join us?" You offered her with a smile on your face, Kanae counted in her mind as she smiled to both of you and Kanroji

"Why, of course!"

...

...

...

...

It's been a months since (name) joined the rank as pillar...

At night, Kanae can't keep (name) off her mind, she was wide awake and looking at the ceiling as she hallucinating your warm and gentle smile, and your melodious voice.

"Ah, (name) you're such a beauty"

Her mind wander about the thought of you and her living together as married couples, wives/husband and wife slaying demons together, side by side... Encouraging each other... Morning kisses...

Ah, what a wonderful thought.

Kanae sighed dreamily as she hugged her pillow, imagining you laying next to her

"Hmm, hmm (Last name) Kanae or Kochō (name)? Or combined? Kochō-(Last name) (name)... It sounds beautiful too"

She giggled as she thought of you had her last name or yours with her name.

Kanae sat up from her futon and looked at the full moon.

Luna...

Luna equals Lunatic...

Kanae's usual warm eyes turned empty with a streak of craziness and obsessiveness as a twisted smile cracked on her beautiful face.

"Ohh (name), how I long to hold you in my arms"

She giggled and looked at the moon again

"My love, one day soon, I will... Make. You. Mine..."

...

...

...

...

Awry and anxious that's what you feel recently, you don't know why, but you could feel a pair of eyes are always watching you, you were just sitting under the birch tree to relax after today's mission, but sometimes you still can't get rid of the feeling of being watched.

"What on Earth..." You mumbled as you look around and to see no one was there, you just lay down and close your eyes for a while until two familiar voices call out to you

"(name)-san!!~" you sat up and to see Kanroji and Shinazugawa approaching you, you smiled as she hugged you "Hello to you too, Kanroji sama" the pink haired girl just smiled and grab your hand, you looked up at Shinazugawa who just saying a simple "Yo" at you, you smiled at him in response "So what's up, you two?"

"Hmm, nothing much~ but we would like to take you to a nice teahouse in the city! How about it?? You, us, a cup of tea and plenty of delicious sweet? Besides you deserve a treat after today's mission!"

"And we won't take no as an answer" Shinazugawa said looking away with a slight blush on his scar face, Kanroji huffed and glare at the wind pillar "Don't force her/him, Shinazugawa San!" You giggled at both of them as you dusted off your uniform "Well, I don't have anything much to do, so why not?"

Kanroji squealed and take both of your and Shinazugawa's hand "Brilliant!! Now let's all be off!" You share a look with Shinazugawa and just chuckled at each other

Somewhere, Kanae watched as you and Shinazugawa share a warm smile together, she clenched her fist and glared at the wind pillar begrudgingly.

He shouldn't be the one to be smiled at....

Her knuckles turn white as she saw Kanroji hugged your arm with a smile on her face

Just because she's the love pillar doesn't mean she had rights to love you...

A warm tears threaten to spill out of Kanae's beautiful eyes, she couldn't breathe as she saw you and Shinazugawa being "friendly" to each other, her heart breaks as she saw you and Kanroji smiling and giggling to each other, she can't take it any longer so she ran back to butterfly estate.

Once she came back, she locked herself and cried, even when her sister asked her if she was okay, it's as if her ears turned deaf, when she run pass the butterfly sisters, it's as if she was blind because all she can see is you and only you and even the ugly picture of either Shinazugawa or Kanroji or worse, BOTH of them manage to win your heart, which was supposed to be hers.

"Nee-san! Nee-san!! What happened?! Please open the door!"

But Shinobu's concerned voice were replaced with other voice.

"I'm so sorry Kochō-sama, my heart belongs to another..."

Please, Don't go!

"She/he belongs to me, Kanae-chan..."

No, no!! She's/he's mine!

"Face it, Kochō, there's no way you can win, (Name)'s heart, try harder"

SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!

"...Goodbye, Kochō-sama"

"NOOO!!!" she collapsed and sobbed as she clenched her heart "No..no..." Slowly but surely Kanae's eyes flutter close and fell asleep due to exhaustion

...

Only a half of hour later, Kanae woke up, slightly haunted, she had bad dream of you left her for Shinazugawa and Kanroji and the sick smile on their faces...

Kanae clenched her fist, her eyes looked at her sword, she unsheath it and see the reflection of her empty purple eyes, she closed her eyes and take a deep breath.

One of the rule in demon slaying corps; never use sword against each other...

Kanae always obeyed the rule, she always has, but this time it's different "Forgive me Oyakata-sama, but I'm doing this for love..."

"thanks for hanging out with me! It was really fun to spend time with you two!" You said smiling brightly at the two pillars, Kanroji smiled and blushed as she played with her hair "Ehehe, We love spending time with you too"

Shinazugawa just looked away a blush on his face "You're okay, I guess..." You smiled at them and hugged him "You're okay too, Shinazugawa"

Shinazugawa malfunctioned.

"Eep! I want hugs too!" She said as she hugged both of you, you giggled at them and parted the hug "Alright, it's time I call it a day, good night, you two!" You said as you walk back to your estate.

Kanroji sighed dreamily "(name)-san is such a darling..." Shinazugawa just scoffed "She's/He's nice I guess..."

"She/he is, does she/he not?" The two pillars jumped as they saw Kanae with her usual smile "Damn it, Kochō, are you trying to give us heart attack?!" Kanae just raised her eyebrows, feigning innocence, "I apologise, Shinazugawa-san I tried to call both of you but you and Kanroji-san did not hear me"

"Oh! Sorry Kanae-chan, we don't know!"

Kanae just smiled as in understanding that, while Shinazugawa, knows the flower pillar didn't even call after him and the love pillar, he eyed Kanae suspiciously.

"So what is it do you want?"

"Oh, I was wondering if we all could talk, in somewhere secluded"

The two pillars looked at her, perplexed "Well, anything for you, Kanae-chan!" Kanroji said as she start to walk along with Kanae, meanwhile, Shinazugawa just follow them with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Once they're arrived at a field...

"So what is it you want us to..." Before Kanroji continued, Kanae unsheath her sword and point it at Kanroji's throat "K-Kanae-chan...? What...what are you doing..."

"Oh, it's nothing~ just to warn you both to not get too friendly with my lovely (name)"

"Wh...what do you mean??" Shinazugawa immediately get Kanroji behind him and glared at the other female "Your lovely (name)? What the hell, Kochō?! Are you threaten to kill us because of (name)?!"

"Shinazugawa, I ask that you don't say her/his name, what gives you right to do that?" Shinazugawa recoil as Kanae pressed the tip of her blade on his throat "Kochō, you seriously violated the rule of demon Slayer corps just because of (name)?! You're sick!"

Kanae pulled her sword away and laughed, but she didn't laugh sweetly like she always did, it sounded... unnerving.

"I'm sick?! I AM SICK?! Tsk, tsk, that's rich, coming from you" she put her sword back in her sheath, "Anyone would do anything for love do they not? And what I did is a prove of my undying love for her/him! Violating the rules for (name)? I would do that with no hesitation! Killing you both and the rest of the pillars? It would be my pleasure! And turning into a demon?? Yes! I would do that for (name)!"

"Kanae-chan, please snap out of it!! That's not how loves works!!" Kanroji said with tear in her eyes, Kanae glared at her causing her to wince "You don't know anything about love, Kanroji-san, an this is your last warning both of you... Get close to (name)... I will not hesitate to hurt you or hurt someone you love"

Kanroji said what seems to be "Not Iguro!" Under her breath, Shinazugawa even know she had capability to hurt Masachika, gritting his teeth and hating the thought of Kanae hurt his best friend irked him a lot he almost do something he'll regret.

With heavy heart, Shinazugawa cast a withering glare at the woman "Fine...we won't...we won't go near (name) again as long as you keep your word..."

Kanae smiled brightly and clapped her hands "I knew you would understand! Of course I wouldn't hurt those who you care about!" She then struts away purposely bumping her shoulder with them and whispered "Unless you disobey, then say goodbye to your loved ones" she giggled as she head back to butterfly estate.

Kanroji then burst into tears, Kanae's threat had impact on her and that goes for Shinazugawa too, the man had his heart broken when he thought that someone he had feelings on is going to fall on the hand of a lovesick pillar, he also hate the thought Kanae hurt his only friend, he clenched his heart and grit his teeth.

"(Name)..."

"Forgive us..."

...

...

Today, you're in gloomy mood, it's almost a month since you hang out with Kanroji and Shinazugawa, and all of a sudden they give you a cold shoulders, you don't understand, why? Why would they avoid you? Did you do something?

"(Name)-san? Hello? Is everything okay?" You looked up at Kanae, she's have always been around you lately, she's been there when you're sad and down, you just sigh and shook your head "I'm okay, Kanae, just...still sad with the fact that Kanroji and Shinazugawa have been avoid me lately" you say as you walk along with her, tonight you and Kanae are having a nightly stroll which is a thing you do everytime you need to clear your mind, and you invite Kanae since her presence comforts you.

Or so you thought, sometimes there's something bizzare about her, you couldn't just put a head or tails about it.

Kanae place a comforting hand on your arm before she leans in and hugged your arm "Everything is going to be okay, (Name), you have me don't you?"

"Well, I know but..." You sighed for umpteenth time "I just miss them, you know?" Kanae stayed silent when you said you missed the wind and love pillar, all that and you still miss them?

"Oh but, (name) I'm here for you" she said looking up to you with a smile.

Now you know what's wrong with her...

Her smile...

It's not warm nor genuinely sweet, it was sickly sweet... it's unsettling and unnerving.

"K-Kanae, I think that's enough for tonight, how about we call it a day?" Kanae raised her eyebrows and tilted her head "Why? We've been here only for a minute"

"I just...um..." You don't know why your instincts told you to run, somehow you can hear Kanroji and Shinazugawa voice saying "Run!" Inside your head, out of reflex, you yank your arm off her and start to bolt off.

"(Name)? What's wrong? Why are you running from me?"

You ignore her as you keep on running aimlessly with Kanae tailing you, now that you think about it, she always acting odd, she's always too close to you, and seem to always cling on you everytime and too much that it nearly invade your personal space.

Also the feeling of you being watched by someone? You realized that Kanae has been watching you all the time, she seems always around you with no reason and now...

Lastly...she always looked uncomfortable everytime you're with the other pillars and drag you away from them, could she be the reason why Kanroji and Shinazugawa avoiding you?

"(Name)?~ (Name)? Why are you running, dear? Are we playing hide and seek in this forest now? Fufufu"

Her voice calling out to you runs a chill down your spine, by the Gods, she lost her mind...

You didn't respond and just keep running, panting and your heart beating like crazy, you never feel this scared, what happened to that graceful and elegant flower pillar you knew?

"(Name), dear (name)~ I really wanted to hug you now~ where oh where could you be hiding?" She giggled as you could hear her rapid footsteps, she's hot on your heels "Don't be scared, my love, your darling Kanae just want your arms around her"

"She's obsessed of me, Gods, I can't believe this..." You thought as you run, your mind wander over Kanroji and Shinazugawa, hoping that they would save you now, but it's impossible.

You realized that you're nowhere to run, ahead of you, there's a big lake, you gulped as you hear Kanae's voice getting louder"

"(Name)~ please be a dear and come back to me, you know you can't hide forever, right? Hehehe"

You looked at the lake, the thought of you drowning in the suffocating cold water scared you but...

Death is better than spending a miserable life with someone obsessive and lovesick like Kanae...

With that you drown yourself in the lake, it hurts, it really hurts as water fill your lungs, your vision start to fade away and it's hard to breathe...

And the last thing you see is the smiling faces of two pillars you care about.

Kanae arrived at the lake and looked around as she hums "(Name)~ I know you're hiding somewhere" she looked around the trees and bush while constantly said "not here" and "where could you be?"

Her eyes then caught a lifeless body floating on the lake, her eyes widen when she realized it's you.

"(NAME)!!" She run towards the lake and dragged your lifeless body to the dry land, you were already a goner... The color of your skin has disappeared and there's no more sign of life, Kanae wailed and embraced your dead body "Why? Why would you do this?!" She cried against your chest, mourning over your death.

She looked at your face with tears in her eyes, but then her sadness replaced by something close to admiration, she then traced your face with her fingers, feeling your cold skin as a smile slowly spread on her face.

"Beautiful..." She then cupped your face and smiled "My Gods, even though you're no longer alive, you're beautiful, (name)..."

You're too beautiful to let go.

So Kanae decided to do something to keep you and your beauty stays forever, "(Name), I will make your beauty last longer, and not only that we're going to be together forever too!" She giggled happily as she carried your body to butterfly estate.

Needless to say, she secretly preserve your body along with Shinobu's help, the girl was surprised and don't know what to say when she came with your lifeless body and ask her to help her sister to do her job and keep her secret.

And to keep it, the flower pillar lied to the others by saying you were gone missing so that no one's suspicious of her.

"Ah, those were the days" Kanae said playing with your hair "And now, I'm just happy that you and I are going to be together till the end of the time" she said sighing happily and look at your blank, empty (E/C) eyes "Oh now! Don't be sad, I won't go anywhere! I will be by your side today... tommorow and..."

She giggled and hugged you.

"...Forever!"

And this is your fate now, whether you're dead or alive, You belong to Kanae and only Kanae.

Because you're her precious doll...

----

Admin 15: Whooo, I'm glad I managed to finish this after I abandoned this for like, idk, weeks, I guess, and I still had unfinished Mist route draft to finish, anyways, thanks so much for reading, I apologise for the errors in the story here!

[newsies-geek]

Newsies in Quarantine (Javid): Part 2

Idea from @dragonsrrad

I couldn’t decide if I wanted to make this a 5k one off but I guess we’re marking it a short story now.

***

Jack felt like his heart was going to give out the moment that he gave Davey the paint brush. While he cared for his friend immensely, he also tenderly cared for the piece of art that had taken him three hours thus far. At the very least, he could paint over Davey's art if need be...but would that hurt the other's feelings? What about his own feelings?

He wanted Davey to feel better is what Jack was feeling. He knew how easily the boy tended to stress over things, and painting was an outlet for him, so why wouldn't it work for Davey? Nothing was more relaxing than-

"Darn it!" Davey swore as his elbow knocked over a red paint can, sending paint flooding onto the floor.

Jack panicked and pushed the canvas so it slid away from the both of them- and the paint that was currently poking into the ground.

"I'm sorry, Jack, let me help clean it-" Davey sighed as he got to his feet to look for cleaning supplies.

"Hey, don't worry about it- the painting his safe and- oh-" Jack winced slightly before letting out a quiet snicker.

"What? What happened?" Davey looked at the other with concern and confusion.

"You've got a bit of-" Jack chuckled as he pointed to a large red smear on Davey's left pant leg.

"Oh no-" Davey looked horrified down at his leg, "M-My dad is going to kill me- these are- these are good pants-"

"Why'd your wear them to sell papes then?" Jack cocked an eyebrow.

"I wore them to the show, Jack." Davey shot a quick glare.

Jack lifted his hands up in defense before paying closer attention to Davey's outfit. The boy was indeed dressed up. He had been wearing caramel-colored pants and a white dress-shirt.

"Well, you can't paint without the chance of spilling some-" Jack chuckled softly as he grabbed his bandana from off his shoulder and headed over to Davey, bending down. He paused as he clutched his bandana, looking up at a bewildered Dave, "Do you mind if I..?" Jack lifted the bandana and shook it slightly.

"Uh- go for it?" The curly haired boy responded hesitantly.

Jack reached forward and began tentiviely wiping away the paint smeared on the side of the other's leg, making Davey sway away, "Hold still-"

"I'm trying, you're just- strong-" Davey muttered out.

Jack felt his face get hot at the words but quickly shook it off, "There's just a little more and-"

"The beds are ready, Dave-!" Race burst in before pausing in bewilderment at the scene of Jack bent in front of Davey, a hand on his thigh.

The blonde blinked a few times, "Oh-"

"This isn't what it-" Davey took a few steps back from Jack, making the other stand up quickly and nod his head, "Good to know, Race." He glared at the blonde as if to threaten him with his eyes.

"Oh I'm so telling the guys about this." Race grinned.

"Why you-" Jack began forward before he was stopped as Davey grabbed his collar, "We're stuck together for two weeks don't start a fight on the first day."

Jack grunted, and if it had been anyone except Davey, he'd have listened- but given the circumstances, he hesitated.

"Well, I have to say, we wasn't aware yous was here, Jack." Race crossed his arms over his chest.

"I was back here paintin'! What? Was nobody lookin' for me?" Jack scoffed.

"Looks likes Davey was." Race winked with a grin as he leaned against the door.

Jack opened his mouth to object before realizing that Race was right, Davey had come looking for him- right? On purpose?

"I just wanted to make sure he was here." Davey defended.

On purpose. This made Jack smile slightly.

"Great, well, me, Les, and Spot-"

"Wait, what's Spot Conlon doing here?" Jack scoffed, sitting up completely and standing beside Davey with crossed arms and confusion.

"He's was my date to the show." Race grinned proudly, but this didn't hide the blush that was evident on his face, "H-He just doesn't really know it-"

"You're fucking Spot-"

"Jack." Davey warned verbally.

"Well, hope yous don't mind hard floors then, Jack." Race began to exit before Jack stalked forward.

"Meanin'?" The dirty blonde cocked and eyebrow at the lengthy teen before him.

"We's only got enough beds for me, Spot, Les, Davey- well, basically, everyone except you. Yous was hidin' so-"

"I've been in worse." Jack scoffed, "Thanks for carin'."

"No prob, bud." Race winked, "I'll let you two resume now-" He ran just before Jack could try and strangle him as Davey hid his face in his hands.

"He's just being an ass." Jack waved his hand dismissively before handing Davey the bandana, "Here, you can-"

"Thanks." Davey responded dryly and gently took the item, rubbing at the paint with determination, followed by a grimace as it seemed to only be making it worse.

"Well, that's paint for ya', I guess, Dave." Jack chuckled as he got to his feet.

"So it seems." The curly-haired boy sighed shortly before looking at the bandana, red naturally, but now also smeared with brighter red streaks of paint, "Will this wash off?"

Jack looked over at his bandana that Davey held gingerly, as if he might rip it if he so much as clutched it. He shrugged, "Probably?"

"I'll- well, I can get you a new one if this one ends up with paint all over it." Davey offered with a guilty look.

Jack made a small huff of a noise, something between amusement and interest, "It's fine, it's been through worse- sees and the paint matches it...sorta." He gave a small grin.

"I guess." Davey shrugged before looking towards the door that Race had left, "We should probably-"

"Yeah, let's go." Jack cleared his throat, striding over to the stage door and opening it for Davey with a small bow, "M'lady."

Davey snorted and rolled his eyes, ruffling the hair on top of Jack's head as he passed him.

Jack smiled and followed after the other, fixing his hair as he did so.

***

"And then I told him- I said- I said, you wanna' know why they's call me Spot?" Spot opened his mouth to continue to speak, on his knees surrounded by a circle of boys who watched with interest on the stage, all of them on blocks of foam, sleeping bags, or prop furniture that could he used as beds. The short boy from Brooklyn slid a smirk onto his face when Jack and Davey entered the scene, their faces illuminated from the stage lights present, "Well, if it i'nt Jack Kelly himself! Where'd yous run off to?"

"Oh, ya' know, here and there." Jack shrugged coolly as he approached the circle of boys, sitting on a flat couple yard length of foam.

"Hey! Wes made that one for Dave!" Romeo began to sit up from where he leaned against Spec's legs, their sleeping bags right up next to each other.

"Oh, um- it's fine- Les and I share a bed at home anyway, I can just-" He turned to find Les curled up in what looked to be a dog bed, "Oh, I guess then-"

"I'll move." Jack shrugged, starting to get up.

"No, no, you're fine-" Davey responded a little too quick before clearing his throat as a few of the boys gave him glances. He awkwardly gripped at the cuffs of his shirt, "Well, we're just telling stories anyway, we can share it for now." He moved to sit down beside Jack, both of them just barely fitting on the width of the foam.

Race glared for a moment at Jack's intrusion on his excellent work at putting all the beds together, before giving a small, approving nod and looking back at Spot with a lazy smile, "So, why's they call you Spot?" He mused.

"You know this, Race, you've heard this story." Spot waved his hand dismissively.

"Yeah, but they don't." Race motioned to the group of boys, still listening attentively.

"Oh- oh right-" Spot cleared his throat before continuing, "I told him- cos- cos I got spots 'o dirt all over me and his blood coulda been the next spot!" Spot cheered as the rest of the present newsies hollered in as well.

Davey blinked a few times before leaning over to Jack, "Was that supposed to be climactic?" He whispered.

Jack let out a loud snort of amusement, covering his mouth to hide a laugh.

"What was that, mouth?" Spot bristled as he looked at Davey, who visibly paled and shook his head.

"No, I-"

"So why is you named Dave then, huh?" The short boy balled his fists up, and all eyes were turned on Davey.

"M-Me?" Davey furrowed his brow.

"No, the Dave behind ya." Spot dead-panned.

Davey fought the urge to look behind him and shrugged shortly, "It's not really a big deal."

"Then why is you making fun of mine bein' a deal or not?" Spot snarled, shifting from where he sat.

"I wasn't, I was just asking-"

"He's named after our Grandpa who worked for the Circus!" Les chirped up excitedly, looking as though he hadn't just been asleep in a dog bed.

Davey's face turned a dark scarlet and his shoulders slumped slightly.

A few snickered began to pop up before Davey felt a hand slap onto his back.

"A fellow hustler, hows I knew that you had it in yer blood, Davey?" Jack gave Davey a knowing grin.

The surrounding boys, all except for Spot, began to murmur in agreement after their leader's words.

"Dave was just askin' me if there was more to the story, Spot, care to share?" Jack smirked.

"W-Well, of course there is! You know- I also got some circus blood in me-" This launched a complete half hour conversation that ended in sleepy faces as the natural light from outside to be dimmed.

Medda arrived once the boys had seemingly quieted down, "Lights out, darlings!” She clapped her hands gently to the boys, who grumbled in slight protest, but knew better than to argue with someone who was being generous enough to give them essentials. She left shortly after to take care of the lights as the newsboys shifted into their respective beds.

Jack got up and stretched his arms before looking around the stage and opting to where a fallen wings curtain was, clumping together the velvety fabric before seeming satisfied and easing himself onto it.

Davey opened his mouth to say something, perhaps offer that Jack could, at the very least, bring his make-shift bed over, but the lights were killed a moment before he could, leaving Davey to only imagine the other boy’s silhouette in the darkness of the theatre.

***

Part 1: https://pawsu-productions.tumblr.com/post/615195930647511040/newsies-in-quarantine-javid-part-1

Part 3: https://pawsu-productions.tumblr.com/post/615366273383219200/newsies-in-quarantine-javid-part-3

[lukalew]

- - - The Affectionner - - A Creepypasta Origin

Axel Coss, black haired boy, with a white streak of hair going down the middle of his front hair. Strange really, not many kids a white streak of hair. But, moving on from that, he lived with his mom, Cece Coss, his dad, James Coss, and his two brothers, Ames and A.J. Triplets of course, they did everything together . Play, draw, clean, and otherwise. They all five lived in St. George, Utah, on a empty land, with their house and field. After the triplets were born tho, James and Cece decided to move to Kansas. But that didn't work out well. So, they moved to Mississippi. Where the triplets are now 15. School was pretty easy and all, everyone loved them. Well, the majority of people in their school. Axel was really the quiet and calm one, Ames, the short tempered, and A.J, the awkward type. So, they all kinda just stuck together like a pod. A couple more and now they are all 25 , well...two are at least. Ames and Axel- now , A.J ... when he turned to the age of 22, he got kidnapped and was tortured to death. LITERALLY. Nobody was able to find him. Until 2 months later, after he died he was found in a rusty old grey building. Almost looking like it was gonna collapse. His face torn, ripped...his arm and legs broken. It was just a nightmare, but thats only the start of it.

Ames got pretty emotional afterwards - Axel didn't say much after as well. He sometimes stayed in his room for hours , not eating, sleeping, nothing really, just thinking. 4 months passed and later on, Cece and James had been kidnapped by the same guys from when A.J was. And the parents died as well. The kidnappers had been caught and taken to jail. Ames soon left Axel, and if he was being honest to himself..he was glad Ames left. After everything that happened Ames started to drink and abuse Axel. Thats when his life became even more of a living hell. Work got harder, the bills were too much, and nothing could really make him happy at this point. Except for thing. Stitching. He would stitch blankets, stuffed animals, and when he got a bad cut- sometimes even himself. That was the only thing...for now. He was like cursed or something. Thats when he got to point- - -"Your fired." "What?" his voice shuddered as he clicked his pen a few times. "Your..FIRED!! You always mess up on the cars when we are on break- and you are too quiet- good for nothing piece of roadkill!" his boss, Keith, screeched as he took a fair raise of the hand and slapped him across his ear to mouth-that somehow cutting him. I mean, he was holding a wrench so- that probably why. Axel gently ran his finger down his face from his ear to mouth and felt the blood rushing out. "O-okay, under-s-stood..sir." the male exhaled taking th scarf he brought in with him because it was usually cold in the warehouse. Axel slid it on and ran home. At this point it was too much. He sat on the dining room chair rethinking his entire existence. "Do i even matter?...Of course i don't- not to my parents, not to my boss, ...not to my family.." out of the corner of his eye- he spotted a small, brown and white gun. "Thats it..." he said to himself, with a faint- but crazy smile. He walked to the gun, and made sure it was loaded. The black haired male pointed it to his heart and shot himself. Blood splattering on the wall and carpet. No screams, no cries, no pain. With the last bit of energy that he had, he shot himself in the head...

"Hey! Ax! Over here!" his brother A.J shouted waving from the field. He smiled softly and ran to the other versions of him. "whats up?" he asked kneeling down to his height. "Why do you always wear that scarf? It kinda looks like its from the eighteen hundreds." Ames spoke lifting a piece of the scarf up from Axel's neck. "Well, this girl at school gave it to me." He laughed softly rubbing the back of his neck. "Ooooooo!- Axel has a crush! Axel has a cru-" Ames interrupted what A.J said by pushing him backwards- "Oh shut up, its probably just a present." he sighed. "Whatever you say, maybe you should ask her out! Whats her name??" A.J declared getting up and picking some dandelions from the ground and putting them in his hair. "O-Oh uhh, her name is Jane-." Axel slightly blushed. Ames sighed laying down with his hands behind his head. "Yup, just as i expected- good old Jane Arkensaw.. she's kinda a brat if you ask me." "H-hey! Thats not true, she's actually really nice if you get to know her." A.J looked confused. "Isn't she the one who hasn't been coming to school for some time?" Ames glared at A.J- "Yes, yes she is." Axel replied taking the dandelions out of A.J's hair and putting them in a row at the top of his black silk hair, seeing he was struggling to put them in since they just get falling out. "i hope she's okay tho..."

HIs eyes shot open and then rubbed his head. "just another stupid nightmare..." he calls them nightmares because, well to him they are just painful memories. He put on his boots and looked at the calendar, "Huh....Macy Stars...well, this should be fun." He sighed and git his scalpel, stitching utensils, needles, thread, and his scarf. Ax put the scarf on and walked out with his drawstring bag.

(This is the bag btw)

He followed the directions where it told him to go. Now, he would normally go on his own free will and time, but it was like Slender decided when she dies. He shrugged it off and soon arrived. "This must be it huh?" Ax sighed ruffling his own hair a bit so his scar would show as much. He thought if you had scars it makes you weak, can't take care of your self. Anyways, he quietly entered through her back door,which was unlocked. "Who leaves their back door unlocked at a time like this?" The medium hight male said looking at the sunset and took in a deep breath then exhaled. That sorta calmed him down. Axel walked up the stairs and looked in the bathroom to see her doing her makeup. He had to admit she was beautiful, but still worthless to him. She was in fact a girl that went to his school. "There we go!" She smiled at herself in the mirror and did a duck face as if the mirror was taking a photo of her. She was really nice to him and all, but he didn't care, he didn't care about any of the victims of his. "They don't deserve this love...." he shuddered under his breath. Axel walked in holding a scalpel and his eyes now looking fully gold. The brown faded away, no mercy in his look. Macy spotted him in the mirror and screamed backing up her back hitting the sink. "How did you get in my house?!" She screamed and reached for a small mirror of hers and hid it behind her. "That's a pretty stupid question to ask...more concerned how I got in your house...then how your gonna survive this? Well, I can answer that for you. Your not." He walked to her and slashed the scalpel across her face- giving her a scar as well, "OWW- YOU LITTLE-" She screamed in pain holding one side of her face and taking the mirror and trying to hit him with it. Axel sighed seeing her on the ground, she had fell. He bent down, and grabbed her arms- putting them together. "W-wh-What are you doing....?!" She asked in a shaky tone. No response, he softly held them tightly tighter and took out his stitching utensils and started to weave her arms together. "Ow stop please!!" She begged trying to kick him- but he was almost done with the stitching process. Is she really that weak, stitches don't even hurt that bad, it's like poking yourself with a sharp en or pencil. Macy looked down at her sewn arms and her eyes as wide as the galaxy. "I really don't like loud noises you know... so, if you would have just been quiet I wouldn't had have to do this.." he softly whispered in her ear and sew her mouth together. No matter how hard she tried to scream- it was all just muffled noises. "There we go. Now, if you don't mind me, I will proceed to kill you." Her eyes were wider now. Tears formed in her eyes and just looked down. "Aww.. come on now-" he started to say, lifting up her chin and wiping the tears away. "I'm just putting you out of your misery- we only live in this world to die, it just is stressful for me to see people in pain like this." That was a lie of course. He didn't care if his victims were hurt, physically or mentally.

He cut open her stomach and found her heart. "There it is..." he took another piece of thread and needle then started to stitch a X into her heart. Soon, a golden piece of light came out of her heart and Axel held his arm out-the light transferred to his arm and he sighed in relief. "That felt good," he thought then looked down at Macy. "You know, life is as valuable as your love.." he smiled then ripped her heart out in one light pull. Her body falling to the floor . He smiled softly and set the heart near her makeup. He always set the heart of theirs next to something they loved. "Now that that's done," he sighed getting up and grabbing all his things and heading out.

His appearance strikes so many people, sometimes he would pretend to be a human to lure in victims. He is a handsome, kind, boy- so it's pretty easy. But he doesn't do it often, only when there's nobody really good to kill.

He still has his black hair with the white streak. And of course, he wear a big grey scarf around his neck with a small black X at the bottom of the end of the scarf. A beige, sorta brown jacket. Sometimes he would wear a black zipped up leather coat, but that's only when it's really cold outside. Black pants with a chain going form the top right corner of his belt, to the lower half of his left side. Sorta like his scar. Black boots with a stitched in X at the bottom corner of both boots. Some witnesses have said he is a tall, around 5'5 , male. Some people say he takes in emotions, that's not really it tho...

See, what he can do is- he only takes peoples lives, who get a lot of love, and give a lot of love, and not really sad people. He would climb through their windows at night , or when they are alone. But in some cases he just breaks in wherever he can. Axel is a ghost, spirit, otherwise. But he doesn't really like doing all of that appearing in thin air thing. Ever since people have reported sightings of him, he tries his bets you stay of out sight. Axel will use his stitches to sew a big X into their heart so he can acquire all the love that has been given to the person, or, the love that they have to share. If they attempt to scream or fight back, he will sew their mouths closed- or arms and legs together. The reason he takes the affection from his victims is because, his parents gave him none- and when he was alive, nobody gave him any either. After some time, the affection runs out, so he needs to restock it every 2-4 days. If one of his victims try to give him affection before they die, he will go to their height smile at them , and say...

"Im afraid ...your love means nothing to me.."

He also has another famous quote which is..

"Life is as valuable as your love."

If he were to go on a mission with a creepypasta - his most compatible people would be

-Puppeteer

-Jason The Tomaker

-Eyeless Jack

- Laughing Jack

- Jane The Killer

- Sally

- Zero

- and Judge Angels